9/14/25

Life is a Vapour

James 4:13-17

1. “Go to” is an old phrase to get your attention – v.13

2. Life is fragile & short

   1. James describes life as flower of the grass – James 1:10, 11

   2. Job 7:6 – Weaver's Shuttle

      1. Job 7:7 – Wind

      2. Job 9:25 – swift ships

      3. Job 9:26 – Eagle to the prey

      4. Job 14:2 – flees like a shadow

   3. David – Psalm 39:5 – handbreadth – not very long

      1. Psalm 90:25 – flood

      2. Psalm 90-25 – a sleep

      3. Psalm 102:3 – a smoke

   4. Hezekiah – Isaiah 38:12 – removed like a shepherd's tent

   5. Peter describes life as the grass

   6. 56 million per year, nearly 2 per second

3. Best made plans – v.14-16

   1. "The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.". The phrase is from the Robert Burns poem "To a Mouse," The poem tells the story of a farmer plowing a field and accidentally destroying a mouse's nest, which it had worked hard to prepare for winter.

   2. Not to plan for eternity would be foolish

4. The time to do the right thing is now – v.17

   1. Plan for eternity

      1. 1 John 2:17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

   2. Live like eternity may start today

5. Some advice for you:

   1. If you're saved – love God, love people, don't be idle, serve

   2. If you're not saved – humble yourself, confess your sin, and trust Christ

   3. If you're not interested – eternity is a long time!