Hook
Men and women fill calendars, book flights, sign contracts, and plan for profit with confidence that tomorrow will go as planned. Daily habits strengthen this feeling: alarms are set, appointments are fixed, goals are tracked. But every obituary, every canceled plan, and every sudden illness proves how uncertain life really is. The merchant in James 4:13 speaks like many people today: “today or tomorrow we will go…and make a profit.” The words sound sensible, even responsible. The problem is not having goals. The problem is speaking as if God is not in control of the next breath.
Ecclesiastes 3 says the same truth in pairs: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to pull up. We do not control either side. When life does not follow our plans, we get frustrated. When it does, we often become proud. This is the struggle everyone shares: people make plans, but time is not in their hands. James does not say planning is wrong. He says planning is wrong when it forgets who truly runs the clock.
Introduction
The Preacher in Ecclesiastes looks at life and says that everything has a time set by God. No one chooses when they are born or when they will die. No one can force the harvest or stop a storm. These times are limits that no person can erase. Many years later, James speaks to Christian merchants who talk as if those limits do not exist. They speak of future trips, long stays, and sure profits without mentioning the Lord who controls their days. The problem is not doing business. The problem is the proud confidence that tomorrow belongs to them. James calls this kind of talk evil because it pushes God out of His rightful place as ruler over life and time. This shows a heart problem that is still common today: speaking about the future as if it is already secured by human plans instead of by God’s permission. Ecclesiastes humbles us by reminding us that God sets the times. James guides us by telling us to speak with submission. Together they call believers to turn away from proud self-rule and to accept, with humility, that every plan, every day, and every breath depends on the will of the Lord.
Thesis
Faith rejects proud, self-reliant planning that ignores God’s rule and instead places every plan under His will, admitting that life and all our actions exist only by His permission.
I. God’s Sovereign Control Over All Seasons of Life
A. God holds the timeline of your life
Psalm 31:15 (NASB 1995)
“My times are in Your hand;”
Explanation: “My times” means the whole course of life—days, seasons, successes, and troubles. “In Your hand” means God holds them, governs them, and directs them. Life is not drifting. Life is not ruled by luck. Life is held by God.
Daniel 2:21 (NASB 1995)
“It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings;
He gives wisdom to wise men And knowledge to men of understanding.”
Explanation: God’s rule is not only personal but historical. If God rules over kingdoms and kings, He rules over the days of individual lives.
Encouragement: Trust God with your time, your future, and your circumstances. When plans change or life feels out of control, your times are still in His hand.
B. Ecclesiastes: the appointed time for every event
Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NASB 1995)
“There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven—”
Explanation: “Appointed time” is not luck. It is a fixed time under God’s ordering. “Every event under heaven” includes the entire scope of life.
Ecclesiastes 3:2 (NASB 1995)
“A time to give birth and a time to die;
A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.”
Explanation: You do not choose your birth, and you do not own tomorrow. God sets boundaries man cannot erase.
Warning: When you talk about the future like it is guaranteed, you are speaking above your station.
Application: Hold plans with humility. Teach your family to respect God’s control over life instead of assuming tomorrow is promised.
C. The purposeful pairing of human events
Ecclesiastes 3:3–8 (NASB 1995, selected)
“A time to kill and a time to heal; A time to tear down and a time to build up…
A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance…
A time to be silent and a time to speak.”
Explanation: The opposites belong to God’s order. You cannot force one side and forbid the other. God governs seasons.
Rebuke: Fighting God’s timing produces strife and bitterness.
Application: In marriage and family life, learn the time to speak and the time to be silent. Be quick to hear and slow to speak (James 1:19–20). Do not try to control every stage of life.
Truth: God’s control over time exposes how empty it is to live as if time belongs to us.
II. The Danger of Arrogant, Self-Centered Planning
A. James confronts presumptuous speech
James 4:13 (NASB 1995)
“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.’”
Observation: The speaker claims control over:
- time (“today or tomorrow”),
- place (“such and such a city”),
- duration (“spend a year”),
- outcome (“make a profit”).
Rebuke: That kind of certainty belongs to God, not man.
Application: Listen to how you talk. If your words leave God out, your heart probably is too. Train your household to speak with humility, not swagger.
B. James exposes ignorance of brevity
James 4:14 (NASB 1995)
“Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow.
You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.”
Explanation: “Vapor” means brief, fragile, and passing. You do not own tomorrow. You do not even know tomorrow.
Proverbs 27:1 (NASB 1995)
“Do not boast about tomorrow,
For you do not know what a day may bring forth.”
Warning: Boasting about tomorrow is pride. It is living as if God is irrelevant.
Application: Do not delay obedience. Do not delay repentance. Do not delay faithfulness. Use today for what matters: holiness, family leadership, service, and the gospel.
Truth: Planning without God is rooted in pride and forgetfulness.
III. The Humble Alternative of Submission to God’s Will
A. The commanded confession: “If the Lord wills”
James 4:15 (NASB 1995)
“Instead, you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.’”
Observation: James places both life (“we will live”) and action (“do this or that”) under God’s will.
Correction: This is not a religious catchphrase. It is submission of heart—God rules my calendar, my health, my travel, my work, and my plans.
Proverbs 19:21 (NASB 1995)
“Many plans are in a man’s heart,
But the counsel of the LORD will stand.”
Encouragement: When plans change, do not rage. Submit. Trust the Lord who rules wisely.
Application: Make “If the Lord wills” part of your thinking and speaking. Teach your children to plan wisely while trusting God fully.
B. The condemnation of arrogant boasting
James 4:16 (NASB 1995)
“But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.”
Rebuke: James calls it evil. Not merely unwise—evil. Because it pushes God out and enthrones self.
Warning: God resists the proud. Humility is not optional.
Application: Remove proud self-talk. Replace it with gratitude and submission. Give God credit for success and accept His will in setbacks.
Truth: True faith speaks of the future with humble dependence on the Lord.
Conclusion / Call to Action
Ecclesiastes declares every moment appointed by God; James condemns every plan that speaks as though those moments belong to man. The Lord sets the times and holds every life in His hand. Faith obeys by submitting every intention to His will with humble, dependent speech.
Repent of arrogant “I will.” Replace it with submission: “If the Lord wills.” Let that shape your decisions, your home, your words, and your priorities.
Invitation
If you have lived with self-reliant arrogance, planning without reference to God’s will, you stand under the same condemnation James pronounces. The gospel calls you to hear the truth, believe that Jesus is the Christ who died for your sins and rose again, repent of self-rule, confess Him as Lord, and be baptized into Christ for the remission of sins so you may walk in newness of life. If you need to obey the gospel or return to faithful submission, come now as we stand and sing.
Slide Deck (10–15 Slides)
Slide 1 — A Time for Every Purpose
Main Content:
- God appoints times and seasons
- Man plans; God directs
- Pride collapses under reality
Scripture (if applicable): - Proverbs 16:9
Design Intent: - Background tone: warm / light
- Emphasis: serious
- Mood: reverent
Slide 2 — The Problem: Planning Like God Doesn’t Exist
Main Content:
- Calendars, contracts, profits
- “Tomorrow” treated as guaranteed
- God is left out
Scripture (if applicable): - James 4:13
Design Intent: - Background tone: neutral / light
- Emphasis: confronting
- Mood: challenging
Slide 3 — Ecclesiastes: God Sets the Times
Main Content:
- Appointed time for everything
- Every event under heaven
- God governs seasons
Scripture (if applicable): - Ecclesiastes 3:1
Design Intent: - Background tone: light / clean
- Emphasis: instructive
- Mood: steady / reverent
Slide 4 — The Boundaries We Cannot Control
Main Content:
- Birth and death are fixed by God
- Planting and uprooting depend on seasons
- Human control is limited
Scripture (if applicable): - Ecclesiastes 3:2
Design Intent: - Background tone: warm / light
- Emphasis: sobering
- Mood: reflective
Slide 5 — “My Times Are in Your Hand”
Main Content:
- God holds the course of life
- Not luck, not drift
- Confidence belongs in God
Scripture (if applicable): - Psalm 31:15
Design Intent: - Background tone: light
- Emphasis: comforting
- Mood: reassuring / reverent
Slide 6 — God Rules History Too
Main Content:
- God changes times and epochs
- God raises and removes kings
- God is never absent
Scripture (if applicable): - Daniel 2:21
Design Intent: - Background tone: neutral / light
- Emphasis: exalted view of God
- Mood: awe / seriousness
Slide 7 — James: The Four Claims of Presumption
Main Content:
- Time: “today or tomorrow”
- Place: “such and such a city”
- Duration: “a year”
- Outcome: “make a profit”
Scripture (if applicable): - James 4:13
Design Intent: - Background tone: light
- Emphasis: analytical
- Mood: instructive / corrective
Slide 8 — The Reality: You Don’t Know Tomorrow
Main Content:
- Tomorrow is unknown
- Life is a vapor
- Pride is exposed
Scripture (if applicable): - James 4:14
Design Intent: - Background tone: neutral / light
- Emphasis: sobering
- Mood: serious / urgent
Slide 9 — “Do Not Boast About Tomorrow”
Main Content:
- Boasting is forbidden
- A day can change everything
- Wisdom is humble
Scripture (if applicable): - Proverbs 27:1
Design Intent: - Background tone: light
- Emphasis: warning
- Mood: corrective
Slide 10 — The Commanded Alternative
Main Content:
- “If the Lord wills…”
- Life and action under God
- Submission, not superstition
Scripture (if applicable): - James 4:15
Design Intent: - Background tone: warm / light
- Emphasis: instructive
- Mood: reverent / stabilizing
Slide 11 — God’s Counsel Stands
Main Content:
- Many plans in man’s heart
- God’s counsel will stand
- Humility aligns with reality
Scripture (if applicable): - Proverbs 19:21
Design Intent: - Background tone: light
- Emphasis: confidence in God
- Mood: steady / hopeful
Slide 12 — Arrogant Boasting Is Evil
Main Content:
- James calls it evil
- Pride pushes God out
- God resists the proud
Scripture (if applicable): - James 4:16
Design Intent: - Background tone: neutral / light
- Emphasis: strong rebuke
- Mood: severe / urgent
Slide 13 — Call to Action
Main Content:
- Repent of “I will” pride
- Speak and plan with submission
- Use today for obedience
Scripture (if applicable): - James 4:15–16
Design Intent: - Background tone: warm / light
- Emphasis: calling for decision
- Mood: challenging / pastoral
Slide 14 — Invitation
Main Content:
- Believe the gospel
- Repent of self-rule
- Confess Christ
- Be baptized for remission of sins
Scripture (if applicable): - Acts 2:38 (reference)
Design Intent: - Background tone: warm / light
- Emphasis: gospel clarity
- Mood: reverent / urgent
[Scripture](Proverbs 16:9, Ecclesiastes 3:1-2, Ecclesiastes 3:3-8, Psalm 31:15, Daniel 2:21, James 4:13-16, Proverbs 27:1, Proverbs 19:21, Hebrews 9:27, James 5:7, Matthew 6:27, Romans 8:28, James 1:19-20, Isaiah 40:31, Ephesians 1:11, Ephesians 4:15, First Peter 2:23, First Peter 5:5, James 4:6, First Thessalonians 5:18, Second Corinthians 6:2, Acts 18:21, First Corinthians 4:19, First Corinthians 4:7, Luke 12:16-20, Acts 2:38)