In this text James gives a warning to avoid the error of
humanism. The whole philosophy of humanism is the boast that man is the ultimate
being in control of his life and fate.]
[Psalms 14:1
1
The fool hath said in his heart,
There is no God. They are
corrupt, they have done abominable works,
there is none that doeth good.
]
[Yet, there may be a
bigger fool than this, which is the man who says there is a God but then doesn't
live like he believes what he has said.]
[James is telling us about a first century Christian who is a
wheeler and dealer. This business
man closely resembles many Christians found in our day.
They acknowledge God, they say there is a God, but in their business and
life there is no evidence of any consideration of God or of the authoritative
truth’s presented within God’s unchanging Word.]
Notice Three Things In This
Scripture About Humanism:
A.
The Audacity Of Humanism (vs 13)
[-
Go to now, ye that say, Today or tomorrow
we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and
get gain: - There is an attitude
we should never take - An attitude of self-sufficiency.
The definition of humanism is found in verse 13; in verse 13 we
discover,] The Plans He Made:
1.
He
Constructed his plan (vs 13) [-
Go to now, ye that say, Today or tomorrow . . .
- He assumed he had the time he wanted
to do what he wanted.]
2.
He Chose
his place (vs 13) [- Go to now, ye
that say, Today or tomorrow we will
go into such a city,
. . . - He decided where he wanted to go.]
3.
He
Charted his progress (vs 13) [-
Go to now, ye that say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city,
and continue there a
year, . . . - He decided how long it would last.]
4.
He
Calculated his profits (vs 13) [-
Go to now, ye that say, Today or tomorrow
we will go into such a city, and continue there a year,
and buy and sell, and
get gain: - He would get
gain. ]
[Notice that
this man is not interested in heavenly treasure, he is seeking earthly
profits."]
[There is
nothing wrong with good business, planning, and making a profit.
The problem is with the spirit behind his plans.]
[It is
important to notice that this man never bothered to ask God about anything."]
B.
The
Authority In Humanism (vs 13,15) [–
13
Go to now, ye that say, . . . ; 15
For that ye ought to say,
If the Lord will, . . .” - Throughout
history Satan has used the pride and presumption of humanity to lead them into
rebellion against Almighty God.
Humanism pivots upon
misplaced authority.
Authority deals with control or who is in control.
Our individualism and our wicked hearts want to believe that we are in
control of our live.]
Humanisms Authority is,
1.
Personal
(Gen 3.1-6; James 4.7; Romans 6.16-18)
[– In humanism each person desires to be their own authority.
Humanism contains the idea that no one
will tell you what you should do.
The declaration of the humanist is, “I
make my own choices” or “No one is going to tell me what to do.”
Never mistake your free will or freedom of choice with individual
authority.]
[Satan deceived Eve with misplaced authority.
The Bible reveals,]
[Genesis
3:1-6
1 Now the serpent was more subtil than
any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman,
Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
2 And the woman said unto the serpent,
We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
3 But of the fruit of the tree which
is in the midst of the garden,
God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
4 And the serpent said unto the
woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5
For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof,
then your eyes shall be
opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
6 And when the woman saw that the tree
was good for food, and that it
was pleasant to the eyes, and a
tree to be desired to make one
wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband
with her; and he did eat. ]
[In humanism the authority of God is replaced by the
authority of the individual. You
become the only real authority for your life.
The failure to submit to God and the authorities that He has placed in
your life is a mark of humanism and is prevalent in our society today.
For this reason the Bible teaches,]
[James 4:7
7
Submit yourselves
therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ]
[Romans
6:16-18
16 Know ye not, that
to whom ye yield
yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey;
whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
17 But God be thanked, that ye were the
servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which
was delivered you. 18 Being then
made free from sin,
ye became the servants
of righteousness.]
[Christian, ask yourself, are you willingly submitting
and yielding to the authority of God and the authorities He has placed in your
life. Or are you Humanistically
choosing to be your own authority and your own God.]
2.
Presumptuous (vs 14-15; 1 Sam
20.3; 1 Chronicles 29.15; Job 7.6; Psalm 39.5; 102.3,11) [– A humanist may
not call himself an atheist, but he is a practical atheist.
The humanist never really asks God about his plans in life.
He just purposes and plans what he wants to do and that is what he does.
A humanist just leaves God out of all of his plans.]
[Notice what James writes,]
[James 4:15
15 For that ye ought
to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. ]
[When you planned your life’s occupation, did you seek
God’s direction in your plans?]
[Many go to Church, they claim to know and love God,
but when they are making important decisions about their life and future, they
make all the plans themselves and they do not include God in their plans.]
[Notice the
Presumptions made by this humanist,]
a.
[He presumed to
know the Uncertainty
of life (vs 14) - Whereas ye know not
what . . . – This humanist presumes to know about the events of tomorrow.
This humanist speaks as though he knows what will happen tomorrow.
He speaks of the city he will go to and the profits he will make.]
b.
[He presumed to
know the Complexity
of life (vs 14) - Whereas ye know not
what
shall be on the morrow
. . . – How can this person make such definite plans as if nothing
unexpected could happen. The
complexities of life are many and manifold.
Sickness may enter in the picture.
Disasters might strike.
Disputes may arise. There are
multitudes of complexities in life that are out of any individual’s control.
So why do people consistently imagine that somehow they are in control of
their life and plans.]
c.
[He presumed
about the Brevity
of life (vs 14) -
Whereas ye know not what
shall be on the morrow.
For what
is your life? It is even a
vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
- Your life is like a vapor.
It hangs by a fragile thread. It is but a puff of smoke. It is like a breath on
a frosty day. There is but a
heartbeat between you and eternity.]
[Every year over 2,420,000 Americans will die.[1]
That’s 4.6 people every minute.]
[Some might
say, “when I was in that accident I was closer to death than I have ever been
before.” No, you were closer to
recovery. You are closer to death
right now, than you have ever been before."]
[It was David, in the Bible, who said,]
[1 Samuel
20:3
3 . . .
but
truly as the LORD liveth, and
as thy soul liveth,
there is but a
step between me and death. ]
[Worldwide 154,889 souls a day step into eternity.[2]
That’s 107.6 every minute (1 Chron 29.15; Job 7.6; Psalm 39.5;
102.3,11).]
[We ought to
say with the Bible,]
[1 Chronicles
29:15
15 For we
are strangers before thee, and
sojourners, as were all our
fathers:
our days on the earth
are as a shadow, and
there is none abiding.
]
[Job 7:6 6 My days are
swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and are spent without hope. ]
[Psalms 39:5 5 Behold, thou
hast made my days as an
handbreadth; and mine age is as
nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state
is altogether vanity. Selah. ]
[Psalms 102:3 3 For my days
are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as an hearth.]
[Psalms 102:11 11 My days
are like a shadow that
declineth; and I am withered like grass. ]
[Is there something you need to do before you die?
Do it now!]
d.
[He presumed
about the Authority
of life (vs 5) - For that ye
ought to say, If the Lord will,
we shall live, and do this, or that. -
Don’t be an humanist, get the right authority in your life.
Submit and yield to God daily in everyway.]
"Live as though this is the last day
you may have."
C.
The Autograph Of Humanism (vs 17; Matt
12.30) [- Therefore to him that
knoweth to do good, and doeth it
not, to him it is sin. - There is an activity you should never forsake in
your life as a Christian.
You should always do what you know is
right, rather than what you think is profitable.
A humanist does what he wants rather than what he ought, and then he
justifies it in his mind.]
[Your actions
and activities in life revolve around the true authority of your life.
If God is your true authority then you will always do what is right in
the sight of God. However, if you are the authority in your life, then your have
become an humanist, and you will do what you feel is right even if you know that
it is wrong in the sight of God.]
There are three types
of sin in our lives:
1.
The sins of
Commission [- These are the sins we do.]
2.
The sins of
Omission [- You can also
sin by knowing what you ought to do, and not doing it.]
3.
The sin of
Humanism [- This is when you follow the example of Eve and make
yourself into a God. In humanism
you leave God out of your life.]
[John 3:18
18
He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is
condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten
Son of God. ]
[You can be
down and out, but you can also be up and out.]
["What must you do
to be lost? Nothing."]
[Jesus said,]
[Matthew 12:30
30
He that is not with me is against me; . . . ]
[Have you accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior?]
[Have you surrendered to Jesus Christ in every respect?]
CrossRoads
Baptist
Church, March 29, 2009, Evening
