Shabbat Shalom, everyone. Open your Bibles today to the book of Yaakov, the book of James. And the study today is James 4, 13 to 17, and James 5, verses 1 to 6. And I'm reading, please follow me. 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, where is ye know not what shall be on the morrow? For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away. For that ye ought to say, if the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

But now ye rejoice in your boasting, all such rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin. James 5 verse 1. Go to now ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten, your gold and silver is cankered, and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. Behold, the hire of the laborers who have ripped down your field, which is of you kept back by fraud.

Crieth, and crieth of them which have ripped, are entered into the ears of the Lord of Tsevaot. Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton. Ye have nourished your hearts as in a day of slaughter. Ye have condemned and killed the just, and he doth not resist you. I'm stopping here with verse 6 of James chapter 5. This is very interesting verses here in verses 13 to 17 of James 4 and verses 1 to 6 of chapter 5 because together we have warnings that Yaakov, that is James, giving to both. He gives warning to Hebrew believers of first century to whom he wrote, but he also gives warning to Hebrew unbelievers in chapter 5 verses 1 to 6 in which he allows the brethren to hear about the warning that he's giving to those who were really not believers in Yeshua the Messiah.

Now, I would like to remind you, beloved brothers and sisters, that the first 12 verses that we have covered in our previous meeting together, we saw how the conflicts that existed among the people of God at that time, already 2,000 years ago when Yaakov wrote this epistle to the brothers and sisters of the early church of the assembly who were mainly Jewish believers who were scattered abroad and even among themselves they had those struggles that the apostle Yaakov was writing to them in order to help them to get out of these and to be more spiritual minded and to grow and to stop all the conflicts that existing among them.

But all these conflicts that existing among the people of God really come from a spiritual state of individuals that are not really subject to the will of God and now that's why it is so important to see the flow because in verse 13 he continues on to speak to these brethren and in those verses chapter 4 of James he is really. Speaking to believers and he warns them he gives them a serious warning and what are these warnings these are these warnings that we all need to receive every one of us who is a believer need to receive these warnings why because when we became believers we are now to have our mind and our attitude change instead of having our own will in our lives we are to seek the will of the Lord in our lives that's what he's saying to these brethren notice that he's giving them these warnings, and he longed to see them having the will of God in their lives rather than their own wills.

And of course, the primary person that he has in mind is none else but our Lord Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah, who you remember, he said in the Garden of Gethsemane, in Hebrew we call it Gatsh Manim. He said, not my will, but thine be done. Yeshua was the greatest example that anyone can ever give. Here is a man that could have had freedom because there was no sin in his life. He didn't have to go to the cross. He didn't have to die for the sin of Israel and the sin of the world and yet he said to the father in the gospel of Luke if it is possible take this cup away from me but nevertheless not my will but thine be done this is the kind of an attitude that Yeshua the Messiah have had and so there are lessons that we can learn from this but in chapter 5 he is giving now warnings to the unbelievers some take it to speak to believers as well but to the unbelievers at the time of the earlier first century who really did not accept the Messiah and really abused the Hebrew believers of first century treated them poorly in a disrespectful way and therefore he give them a warning as well.

First of all, I want you to take a note here that verse 13 of James 4 and verse 1 of James 5 begin with the very same words. You notice it says here. Go to now in verse 13 of chapter 4 and in verse 1 of chapter 5, go to now the same warning that are given now to the two groups, you might say. Now that word for go to now come from the Greek age, which is the word hoy, the Hebrew language. Every time when you hear God giving a warning to his people Israel, you will find him oftentimes using the word hoy. In English, you might say woe or alas let me just mention just a couple of times that is the word ho is mentioned when God wrote to Israel through the prophet Isaiah in chapter 5 for example just turn for a moment to Isaiah chapter 5 you will notice how many times the word woe is mentioned for example Isaiah chapter 5 and verse 8.

Woe unto them that join the house to house and lay field to field until there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth. Verse 11 of Isaiah chapter 5. Hoi or woe to them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink. Notice verse 18 of Isaiah chapter 5, woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity. Verse 20, woe unto them that call evil good and good evil. Verse 21, woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes. And finally in Isaiah chapter 5 and verse 22 woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine and men of strength to mingle strong drink in other words God gives warning to his own people he gave it to our nation Israel historically and he's giving it to the brothers and sisters the Jewish believers of first century that yakov is now warning them against having their own will rather than the will of God and the will of Yeshua the Messiah in their life so look what he does here in James chapter 4 verses 13 to 17 there are three attitudes towards the will of God that men may have.

And we need to have the right attitude. James wanted the Hebrew believers to have a right attitude towards God, to have his will rather than their own will. So let's go over those verses one by one. First of all, in verse 13 and 14 of James chapter 4, there is a danger. Do not ignore God's will in your life. You know, brothers and sisters, every one of us who is here with a. Believer in Yeshua the Messiah, God has a purpose and a plan in your life. Whether you are young and you go to school, or whether you are older and you work, wherever you are, wherever I am, God has a purpose and a will for every believer in Yeshua the Messiah.

There is no such thing that God has no purpose and will for you and for me in our lives now how do we handle this you know because we are by nature not inclined to submit to the will of God and we want to know what is the will of God for me for you for the brethren of first century the Hebrew believers in their life what is the will of God for them so the first thing that Yaakov is pointing out here in this chapter he's saying you be careful not to ignore the will of God for you brothers and sisters in your life and so he's now belaboring here why are they not to ignore the will of God in their life.

Because verse 13 life is challenging for every person who live here upon the face of this earth He says in verse 13, go to now, woe, hoi, how he's saying to them, 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's giving a warning here, he says, listen, life is filled with challenges, but be careful to say those words in your own mind. To say, you know what? I'm going now to go, I'm going to leave this town, and I'm going to go to another town, I'm going to buy and sell, I'm going to do my own thing, and I'm going to carry on and neglecting the will of God in your life.

You know, it's all real for us. You know, we are at times making plans in our life, but we set God inside. We don't ask Him in prayer. We don't take counsel from others about the purposes and the plan that we have. We don't ask anybody. We just do our own thing. We just carry on without asking God what he's thought about my plan in life. We have to plan where we go to school. We have to plan whom we're going to get married with. We have to plan if we buy a house or rent a place. We have to plan what we are studying, where we're going to work, what we're going to do, how we're going to do.

And well, here is a warning that God is giving. Through Yaakov to the early believers. He's saying, listen, woe unto you now which say in your own mind, you know what? Today or tomorrow we will, not as the word will, we will go and do into such a city, continue there for one year and then buy and sell and get gain and then continue on to have my own plan rather than the plan of the Lord in my life. Now, this is wrong for a believer to do. I know we're doing it many times. But it's not good for a believer to do so. Why?

Because when we set away the will of God for your life and for my life, then what happens, we become the captains of our own ships. We become the pilot of our own plane. And God has nothing to do with the plans that we have in our lives. And you know what it does? It leads us further and further from the ways of the Lord. And that Yaakov is pointing out to the importance, to the fact that we cannot ignore God's will in our lives. You know, there is the will of God that is very clearly known in the Scripture. And there is a will of God for our life that is really, you might say, we don't quite know exactly how to handle, what to do.

I'll give you an example. If God say to us in Scripture, if we are believers and we are walking with the Lord, that if we are to marry, to marry in the Lord, and then what happens, we are ending up marrying not in the Lord, do we know the will of God? It's clear in Scripture, right? Those of us that have had this experience in our life know that it's very practical. And we know how much is a loss because there's a perfect will of God given to us in the Bible. But now there's a next level. What about marriage with which Christian, with believer in Yeshua the Messiah, should I marry?

God does not immediately give us a direction in Scripture. There is not a verse in the Bible that says, thou shalt marry Shoshana, for example. But it does say that we are to marry in the Lord. But then he tells us, you wait on me, you trust me, you have my will for you, and I will show you who you are as well to marry. Same thing with living in a city or in a town or another place. We are to ask the Lord to get counsel from Him, to get an advice from Him, because if He gives us His advice, we are going to be in His will rather than in our own will.

And we're going to be victorious believers as we walk here with the Lord. There is a verse, for example, in John chapter 15 and verse 5, Yeshua said to the brothers and sisters in the upper room, He says, without me, ye can do nothing. In other words, you can try, you can seek to get your own ways one way or another, but without me, you can do nothing. That means that he wants us to turn to him in prayer, ask for his counsel. Why? Because without me, you cannot do nothing. We cannot ignore God's will in the life of every one of us who is a believer in Yeshua, the Messiah.

Paul said in Philippians chapter 4, he said this in verse 13, I can do all things through the Mashiach, through Christ, which give me strength. Well, we can live a victorious life as believers if we do it with him, if we have his will in our lives. Well, Yaakov is warning the believers there in the first century, and he says, Listen, do not ignore God's will in your life, because if you will ignore God's will in your life, it will be always a breakdown. And that's why, brothers and sisters, we look at our lives, the mistakes that we have made in our lives as believers now, many of them happen simply because we just didn't ask God.

We didn't take counsel. We didn't take an advice from someone that can help us, from a godly brother, godly sister, that can counsel us as before the Lord through prayer to help us along. And that has to do with many, many things in our life. Many, many things that we have failed. Every one of us can look at our own life, and I can look at my life, and I can say, oh Lord, had I asked you counsel at that time, I'm sure that I was far ahead in my spiritual walk with the Lord. So life is challenging, verse 13, and don't you just say, listen, today I'm going to go this way and tomorrow I'm going to go there and we will have our own plan and we're going to do our own thing and we're going to buy and we're going to sell and we're going to have some things going on in our life and then we'll carry on without asking for the will of God in our lives.

In fact, somebody said, they were talking about preacher of the gospel and they asked him one time, brother so-and-so, if the Lord is going to come today to take us home, Will you change your plans? And he says, you know what? Really, in my life, I seek to be in the will of the Lord. You know what I'm going to do if I know that the Lord is going to come today? He says, I'm going to get up in the morning. I'm going to read my Bible and I'm going to pray. And I'm going to visit Mrs. Jones and take my train and go and preach.

I have an engagement to speak, to share the word in this town. And I'm going to do the very same thing that I always did because I have asked the Lord, I have spread it before the Lord and I sought the will of God in my life. I cannot say that all the time. You cannot say it all the time. This particular brother was asked at that moment and he says, I'm not going to change my plan. I'm going to get up in the morning. I'm going to pray. I'm going to read my Bible. I'm going to have my breakfast. I'm going to make my visits that I've had the plan all along.

And I share this with the Lord and the Lord counseled me to continue on with that which I am doing. Many times, brothers and sisters, because we ignore the will of God, we end up to suffer the consequences. And that's why Yaakov is warning these brethren, go to now ye that say, today or tomorrow we will do this and we will go there to such a city, we'll continue there, we'll buy and sell, get gain and carry on in our own life without to have the will of God in our life. This is verse 13. And verse 14a, he's dealing with another thing. It's not only that life is challenging, but life is uncertain.

Who of us knows what's going to happen at the end of the meeting today? And so Yaakov is saying, listen, the second reason why we need the will of God in our life, because life is uncertain. It says in verse 14a, Where is ye know not what shall be on the morrow? You see what he's saying? How do you know what's going to happen tomorrow, beloved brothers and sisters? We do not know what's going to happen tomorrow. We can make a plan, perhaps. But life is not only challenging, but life is uncertain. People who used to be with us are no longer with us. People that we used to rub shoulders with, somehow they have gone.

Time has changed, a situation happened, and God has chosen to take them to be with Yeshua, the Messiah, in glory. And people that we used to know are no longer with us. And you know, it is so important to realize that time is uncertain. We do not know what's going to happen today or tomorrow in the life of every one of us. There's a verse in Proverbs chapter 27. It says in verse 1, Boast not thyself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. You know, we all seem to be sure that tomorrow is going to be around for us, right? But we don't know.

And Yaakov is saying, you don't know what's going to happen the next day or what's going to happen immediately after. It had been said of hearing of one of her brothers that had preached just like I'm preaching now. And then he finished the message, and he dropped down, and he died. Just finished the message. And he passed away. He was ushered to the presence of Yeshua, the Messiah. He didn't know what's going to happen at the end of his sharing of the Word of God, because Yeshua, the Messiah, took him to glory. You don't know what's going to happen. None of us know what's going to happen tomorrow.

And that's why we need all of us, the will of God in our lives, because we do not know what's going to happen tomorrow, not only that life is challenging, but life is uncertain. That's why, you know, brothers and sisters, we should also appreciate each other. We should treat each other in a kind way, because later on, if something happens, we will regret if we have treated one another wrong, And we're going to have to face our own conscience to say, Lord, I made a mistake. I should have treated my friend better. Those of us who are married as husband and wife, we should love our wives.

We should respect our husband. Those of us that are children and parents, children, honor your father and your mother. Parents, fathers, provoke not your children to anger, to wrath. And on and on. And we should love each other and respect each other and treat each other well even though we are not always agreeing with each other. Why? Because life is uncertain. Don't boast of tomorrow. You do not know how things will turn up tomorrow. And you're going to be regretting when you have not treated the Lord and the Lord's people and people outside in the right way to our own shame. How many times we regret things we said, things we did, and we regret it.

And sometimes we have to live with it because we haven't conducted ourselves in a way that is pleasing to the Lord. Here is Yaakov. He's giving this warning to the brothers and sisters there. But here's thirdly, why we are not to ignore the will of God in our life, not because it is challenging, verse 13, not only because life is uncertain, verse 14a, but life is also short. Look at this, verse 14b. It says here, What is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time, and then it vanishes away. You know, we all look back. Those of us that are older here can look back and say, I don't know what happened to my life, how time had passed so quickly.

You know, time and life is really, really short. It's really short. We don't have much time. We have a limited amount of time to live here in our lives. Life is really short. There is a song sometimes which we sing, Life as best is very brief, like a falling of a leaf. In the gospel song, where it's really sharing with the hearer, be in time, accept the Messiah now, because life at best is very brief. It's like a falling of a leaf. You make sure that you are in time. Don't reject the Lord Yeshua, the Messiah, as your Savior. Make sure that you accept him into your heart.

Why? Because life at best is very brief. It's short. How much time do we have? James is saying, what is your life? It is even as a vapor. It appears for a little while, for a little time, and then it vanishes away. You know, all of us that have parents and brothers, sisters, and others that have gone from our midst, where are they now? They used to be with us. We used to sit with them and chat with them. And they used to take care of us when we were little babies. Our parents, our mothers, our fathers, Ima, Abba. Where are they today? It's gone.

Finished. In other words, it is short life and we have to take this under consideration as brothers and sisters in the Messiah, as believers in Yeshua. Look what the psalmist of old said in Psalm 90. And Psalm 90 was actually written by Moshe, by Moses. And he said in Psalm 90, in verse 9, he said, For all our days are passed away in thy wrath. We spend our years as a tale that is told. The days of our years are three scores and ten. In other words, we are about 70 years the length of life. And if by reason of strength there are four scores, in other words, there are 80 years of age, yet is there strength labor and sorrow, for it is soon cut off and we fly away.

He continued to say in verse 11, Who knoweth the power of thine anger? Even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath. And Moses continued, and he said in verse 12, So teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Moses prayed to God. He says, God, teach us to number our days. Notice he doesn't say teach us to count our days, but teach us to number our days. This is different than to count our days. Why because if we number our day we say this is today is a special day it's a day that God had given unto me and this day i want to make much of it for the glory of God i want to use it for the glory of God it's not only to count them one two three four but actually these are to number this is number one this is number two to know that this is a day that i want to use it for the glory of the Lord.

That's what he's really saying in this Psalm. Life is short. Yaakov is saying to the brothers and sisters, and he's saying it to you and I, because it is short, let's seek the will of God in our life rather than our own will. Because if we're going to seek the will of God in our life, we will be pleasing to the Lord, and we're going to be useful for the Lord. Life is challenging life is uncertain and life is short therefore seek the will of God in your life by the. Way when Yaakov was pointing out to a verse 14b he's actually quoting exactly what Job have said in his writing in Job 7 in Job 8 in Job 9 Job 14 Job himself was really acknowledging that his life is really short and he need himself to realize this as well for himself so here is the first verses do not neglect God's will in your life and may the Lord help us not to neglect his will take the time to pray the younger ones I'm challenging you when you get up in the morning ask the Lord what the Lord wants you to do today in your life the older ones as well and we are all in between Lord what would you have me to do i want your will in my life rather than mine i want to be in some small measure like Yeshua the Messiah who said in John 4 34 my meat is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work we need help from the Lord to desire the will of God for our.

So verses 13 and 14 do not ignore God's will in your life well Yaakov is continuing to speak to the brothers and sisters in first century and now in verse 15 he says do not neglect to obey God's will look at verse 15 he says for that ye ought to say if the Lord will we shall live and do this or do that you see he's saying to them in answer to verses 13 and 14 where they have neglected to seek the will of God in verse 15 he says listen now you make sure that you say in your mind in your heart and you really need to mean it if the Lord will we will do this or do that In other words, it's got to be the Lord's will.

Now, I know we say it many times. Many times somebody asks me, well, what are you going to do tomorrow? Well, Lord willing, I'm going to be doing that or that. I'm using the word Lord willing, but it's not always something that comes out of the heart. It's become kind of almost like a formula that we learn to say in our mouth, but we are not always consulting the Lord on the Lord's will for our lives. So, I want you to notice now in verse 15, how it is interesting. First of all, Yaakov directing us to the person of Yeshua the Messiah. In fact, all the writers direct us to Yeshua the Messiah.

In his life, and in his death, he was totally devoted to the Lord's will. In his life, he says, my meat is to do the will of him that sent me. Just before his death, he says, Father, not my will, but thine be done. But now we can see some of the servants of the Lord who really wanted the will of God in their life. Let's just look at it for a few minutes. If you turn please to Romans chapter 1 verse 10, Paul himself said about his own plan and will, he was writing to the brothers and sisters in Rome, he said to them in verse 10, I'm making request if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you.

When Paul wanted to visit the brothers and sisters at Rome you know he was planning but he didn't get to there. So that's why he was saying listen it's got to be by the will of God. I want to come to you. I'm planning to come to you, but it's got to be by the will of God. You see, apparently some of the Romans believers who are not Jewish, were looking at Shaul Paul and they said, well, he doesn't come to us because he's Jewish and we are not, and he doesn't really have the same concern for us as he had for his Jewish brethren.

Paul says, no, I have care for. You i am an apostle to the uncircumcised one i love you i want to minister to you and he said to them i am a debtor in chapter 1 verse 14 he said to them i am ready to come to you but it has to be in the will of God it's got to be in God's timing and so Paul in chapter 1 of the book of Romans and verse 10 he said it got to be by the will of God at the end of the book of Roman in chapter 15 he continued and he says in verse 32 he said that I may come unto you with joy by the will of God and may with you be refreshed notice he began with desire for the will of God in his life and he ended the book with a desire for the will of God in his life to come to visit the brothers and sisters in the local assembly of the city of Rome.

What an example Paul can be for us. He is a man. That not only he did not ignore the will of God, but he did not neglect to seek for the will of God in his life. There are many verses that we can read that perhaps are not needed to be mentioned today but I want to mention one more verse in Colossians 1 and here Paul is writing to the Colossians chapter 1 and verse 9 for this cause we also since the day we heard it in other words he heard about the testimony of the Colossians we do not cease to pray for you and to desire that He might be filled with the knowledge of his will.

In all wisdom and spiritual understanding. Paul is praying for the Colossians believers. That they will have the will of God in their lives. You see beloved brothers and sisters. Why? Because he didn't want them to neglect to have the will of God. Because when you know the will of God in your life, it helps you. It helps the believer to be a vessel of honor for the Lord in his or her life. So the will of God in our lives. Important that Yaakov, in his warning to the believers, to seek to have the will of God in their lives. So, verse 13 and 14, do not ignore the will of God.

Verse 15, do not neglect the will of God. Now let's look a little bit at verse 16 and 17. It has the importance of not boasting. And by boasting, we are in danger to disobey the will of God in our life. Look at this, what he's saying. Apparently, these brethren were boasting. And so he's saying to them, verse 16, But now you are rejoicing in your boasting. All such rejoicing is evil. You see what he's saying now to these particular brothers and sisters in the local assemblies, local churches, specifically Hebrew believers in Yeshua, to whom he wrote, he's saying to them, look at your condition. You are boasting. Maybe they have had pretty good life.

Maybe they have successfully had gain. They went from one city to another. They had business that is going on. Everything seems to be fine, and they begin to boast. He says, look what I have achieved. Look how I had my own way, my own plans, and I didn't need to ask God. I've had my own will, and I've been successful. And you begin to boast. So Yaakov is really giving them his warning. He says, you know, he says, you now rejoice in your boasting. And in other words, you are rejoicing in priding yourself, that you have been successful, you might say, without to have God's counsel in your life?

He says, don't you realize that your rejoicing and boasting is really evil? It is wrong? That's why in those verses, notice I want to point here, people who know the will of God and choose to disobey it, really it comes out of pride and arrogance, and eventually it's going to be to their own loss secondly people who know the will of God ultimately will have to realize that God will chasten them in their own life God will deal with them as his own sons and daughters that's why he's saying in verse 16b such rejoicing is wrong and if it is wrong you will be sure that the Lord will have to chasten us and ultimately to deal with his own children in a previous letter in Hebrews chapter 12 we read about the discipline of God you know God discipline his own people just like a father and a mother discipline their own children why do parents discipline their own children because they love them it's not because they don't care for them it's because they love them so Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 5 it said have you forgotten the exhortation which.

Speaketh unto you as unto children my son despised not the chastening of the Lord nor faint when thou art rebuke of him verse 6 for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth and he scourges every son whom he received you know sometime when God give us this spanking and discipline in our own life it is because he loves us and he cares for us and it is for our own good because he knows that we have gone our own way we've gotten our own direction it was not his will for us and yet in love for us he has to correct us and bring us back to himself and that's why discipline is very important it says here in verse 8 of Hebrews 12 without chase titheman berove all our partakers then ye are illegitimate children and not sons furthermore we have had our fathers of our flesh which corrected us and we gave them reverence shall we not much rather be in subjection to the father of spirit and live that's what the writer to the Hebrew said.

Just the same like Yaakov James writing to other Hebrew believers and he's saying to them listen brethren it's not right for you to boast this kind of boasting lead to discipline and discipline is a way in which God correcting and erring children who instead of submitting to his will they said God not your will be done but my will be done and you know brothers and sisters this is real that's why sometimes do you feel in your life that it seems to be some problems in your life that come across and you really don't know why they have happened but if you look back and you think about the certain things that brought about this correction this discipline from the Lord are consequences of wrongdoing that we have done the principle of whatsoever man soweth that shall he reap is a principle that are taught in the Scripture and God sometimes send discipline to us because we have been boasting and we were not acknowledging his will in our lives.

But let's remember that he doesn't discipline us because he hates us but whom the Lord loveth he chastens and he scourges every son or daughter that he has received because he loves us and he care for us and therefore it is important for us to realize that we are not to boast in our own self-will and disobedience to God's word because ultimately God will deal with everyone that he had saved and he brought to himself whether it is a male or female young or old Jewish or non-Jewish everyone that belonged to the Lord God will ultimately deal with and he doesn't like us to be proud in our own way well let me just move on to verse 17 now we have this interesting statement and the question one might ask what is sin well God gives us a definition of sin at least one definition of sin here through James through Yaakov he says in verse 17 therefore to him that.

Knoweth to do good and doeth it not to him it is sin now when I think about how many times we have sinned in this very way in which Yaakov is expressing here how many times we knew to do the right thing and we didn't do it and you might say well I didn't do anything wrong but we learned that there is what you call the sin of commission but there's also the sin of omission I'll give you an example when Moshe Moses and Aaron were serving our people Israel of all some 3,500 years ago on the wilderness journey. And God said to both of them, specifically to Moses, Aaron knew that, here is now the people of Israel are thirsty and I want you to go and speak to the rock and water will come out of it for the people of Israel to drink.

Now Moses have already smitten one rock previously, but now God told him, no, don't smite the rock, only speak to. The rock and in typology the rock the selah in Hebrew is the Mashiach the Messiah so Moses went and in anger instead of speaking to the rock he has smitten the rock twice now it is so interesting if you read the Scripture you'll find out that because Moses smote the rock and didn't speak to the rock Moses did not enter into the promised land. But if you look at the reason why Aaron didn't enter into the promised land, it's the very same reason, because Aaron was guilty for the same reason that the rock was smitten.

But Aaron didn't smite the rock. But you know what? He sinned the sin of omission. He didn't do anything to stop Moses from smiting the rock. He didn't say anything. Now, beloved brothers and sisters, if Aaron and Moses have been disciplined by a God who loved them so much because of sin, of omission, imagine how many sins you and I have committed. And that's why it says in verse 17, therefore, to him or to her or to them that knoweth to do good and doeth not, to him, to her, to them, it is a sin. And how many times we have failed we had an opportunity to do the right thing and we didn't we had an opportunity to honor the Lord in one thing or another we just kept silent we just didn't do anything about it now there are many verses that we can read for example in Proverbs 24 and verse 9 a foolish thought is a sin as far as God's Scripture is mentioned how many times we have those foolish thoughts in our own mind in our own hearts in Romans 14 and verse 23 whatsoever is not of faith is sin we read in first John chapter 3 and verse 4 that sin is a transgression of the law and here in James 4 and verse 17 knowing to do good and not doing it is a sin.

Now you can see the various ways in which we can see what God described for us to be sin. But in the context, beloved brothers and sisters, it is in a context of boasting in. Having my own will rather than the will of God in my life. I am successful. I did it my way. You Remember that song? I did it my way. Well, you may have done it your way and I may have done it my way, but God's way is what God desires to have in the life of every believer in Yeshua, the Messiah. And therefore, do not boast in having your own will or in disobedience to have God's will in your life because God will discipline us and then ultimately God will not going to be pleased with a life of a believer that is not honoring unto him.

Now I want to read one more verse in connection with this. Do you know what's going to happen when a believer not having the will of God in his or her life? There is what is known to be as a loss of a reward that God intends to give the believers. 1 Corinthians chapter 9, we read here in verse 24. Know ye not the day which run in a race, run all, but one receives the prize? So run that ye may obtain. And every man that strive for a mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown. But we are doing it for an incorruptible crown.

I therefore so run, not as uncertainly, so fight I, not as one that beateth the air. And notice verse 27. But I keep under my body, and I bring it into subjection, lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a cast away, or disapproved. You see what Paul is saying here? He's saying, I'm seeking the Lord's help to subject myself to the will of God, because the day come where we're all going to stand before the judgment seat of the Messiah. And he's going to ask us, did you do this in accordance with my will or with your will?

And you know, everything that we have done for the flesh, with our own will in it, he will have to set this aside. That's why Shaul Paul is saying here, lest I should be disapproved. And you know, God, Yeshua is going to give us crowns when we are going to stand at the judgment seat of the Messiah, the judgment seat of Christ. And only that which was done for him in accordance with his will will be valid. The crown is going to be given if we do anything according to his will. But when it is not in accordance with his will, we are going to lose the reward that the Lord is intending to give to his own people.

Well, this is verses 13 to 17 of James chapter 4. Now let's move down into chapter 5 and just talk about these six verses of this fifth chapter. Now again, he's giving warning again, but this time, beloved brothers and sisters, the warning are to most likely unbelievers who rejected the word of God and they rejected Yeshua, the Messiah. And the warning to them is being given to the brothers to hear about the consequences of the rejection of the Messiah. And so we have here in verses 1 to 6, again, we have the word go to now hoy and now he's speaking to the rich this time of course from among the nation of Israel who rejected the Messiah and didn't treat their brethren right we might say this apply to everyone today who have rejected the Lord who are perhaps rich and wealthy but do not treat the people of God in a right way.

And so we read in this verse, go to now ye rich men, verse 1, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. He began with verse 1 by giving a call of warning to the wealthy men who neglected to submit to the word of God. And so you notice you. Have already spoken about them in the previous chapter in chapter 2 I'm going to read verses 5 6 and 7 of James chapter 2 where he said listen to this he says he's speaking to the brethren he says beloved brethren he says my brethren he says has not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which he has promised to them that love him but ye have despise the poor and now he is directing them to the unbelievers the rich ones do not the rich men oppress you and they draw you before the judgment seats do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called you see he distinguished the brethren from the unbelievers the believers from the non-believers and so he already spoke about them and now he's speaking about them again and he gives them a warning in James 5 and verse 1 he warning these wealthy men and notice that they are unbelievers because they have rejected God they rejected the Messiah and they need to.

Weep and to howl because judgment is coming you notice verse 1 whip and howl why for your miseries that shall come upon you you know amazing the wealthy of this world now again I want to make sure that we understand God does not condemn wealth but he condemned wealthy individuals that are not rich towards God and God's people but are selfish, careless, and not bringing God into the picture. And so he's telling them, listen, you might have gain here in this world but you have to howl and to weep because one day is coming and you're going to have to stand before the Lord. The judgment day is coming.

It shall come upon you as it says here in verse 1 of James chapter 5 there is a day coming where they will have to stand before God and they will have to give him an answer they rejected the Messiah they did not accept him they treated wrongfully the believers in Yeshua the Messiah they're going to have to stand before God one day or another. Sooner or later because as we mentioned earlier life at best is very brief soon the time will come and they're going to have to stand before the Lord so now he's moving on in verses 2 and 3 of James chapter 5 is showing to them that there will be a destruction to all the wealth of the rich here eventually here in this world they trusted in riches they didn't trust in God and they will have to see everything destroyed one day in the coming days and notice here the words that he's saying to them in verses 2 and 3 first of all he's saying to them in verse 2 your riches are corrupted secondly he's saying to them in verse 2 and your garment are moth-eaten and thirdly he's saying to them in verse 3 your gold and silver is cankered and the rust of them shall be a witness against you notice he's using those three words corrupted moth-eaten and rust.

When it's come to their wealth and riches, it is corrupted. When it's come to their garment, they probably were dressed so fancy to the extent that they look different than everybody else. They were like glamorous in their dress to the extent that they were distinguished totally from the average individual. And he's saying to them, you know what, even your garments shall be moth-eaten. And what about their silver and gold? The silver and gold eventually is cankered and the rust of them shall be a witness against you. Now, it had been said that silver and gold really don't rust. You know, something else does rust. But what does he have a reference here?

He has a reference here to a time the judgment is going to come. And all the wealth that one has, if he doesn't have Yeshua the Messiah as his Lord and Savior, eventually will not avail him. In the day of judgment. Because all the physical wealth will not continue with him when a person has to stand before the Lord. Because really, ultimately, it is the spiritual and eternal wealth that one ought to not neglect to have in his or her life. Now, this is exactly the warning that Yeshua had mentioned in the Sermon on the Mount when he was preaching to the multitude there. Matthew chapter 6, verse 19 and 20, it says, Lay not up for yourself treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal.

But lay up for yourself treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. Now, you notice Yeshua used the very same three words. Moth-eaten, rust, and corruption. It's exactly what Yaakov is saying here in James chapter 4 and verses 2 and 3. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten, and your gold and silver is cankered, and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. Now, Yaakov is now speaking about the judgment. And some Bible teachers believe that these words have been given to Hebrew unbelievers who have neglected to acknowledge that Yeshua is the Messiah.

And therefore, all their wealth that they have had at that time will ultimately be lost because the fire of the judgment is going to come of the 70 AD. And you remember what happened in 70 AD, when Titus, Titos, the commander of the Roman army, came and surrounded the city of Jerusalem. And what he did at that time, he destroyed the whole city of Jerusalem. He burned the temple in Jerusalem, and you remember the Romans wanted so much the gold from the temple that they took one stone from another, they separated the stones so they could take all the gold that comes out of the walls of this magnificent temple that Herod had built.

Over a million Jewish people have died by the Romans, and thousands have been taken as slaves by the Romans. And here, Yaakov, speaking to first century unbelieving Hebrews, and of course it can apply to unbelieving Gentiles of all the nations of the world today, and he's giving them a warning. He says, listen, there's no problem with gaining wealth here in this world, but use it also for the Lord, and for the Lord's people, and for the ministry of God's work here upon the face of this earth, and don't think that you can gain from this eternal relationship with me, Because the day is coming, and you're going to have to stand before me.

And not what you have will be the one that will judge you, but who you have. Do you have Yeshua in your heart? If you accept him as your Lord and Savior, that's what he's really saying. And if you don't have the Messiah who forgave your sins, you're going to end up to lose your life eternally and going to be separated from the living God. And so now he's moving on. Beloved brothers and sisters, he is giving those words to the unbelieving, wealthy one who neglect to acknowledge the Lord. And now finally, in verses 4 to 6, look at the behavior of these wealthy, unregenerate ones. Look at the way they behaved.

We read, first of all, in verse 4, that they were not dealing justly with the others. It says in verse 4, Behold the hire of the laborers who have worked on your field, which is of you kept back by fraud. They crieth, and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of hosts. Now you see what he's saying here. He says, look, you did not treat right the people who served you and worked for you. In other words, you kept back of the salary that you should have paid them for their labor. They work your field, they work your ground, and you should have given them their due what they deserve for their labor.

But you kept it for yourself. And that's why he's saying to them, the cry risen before God, he says, risen, have entered into the ears of the Lord of Tsevaot, Yehovah Tsevaot. It is interesting this expression here, because Yaakov being Jewish, being a Hebrew, being half-brother of Yeshua the Messiah, know the Hebrew Scripture very well, because in fact that's the only Scripture he had in his hands when he wrote the book of Yaakov, and he used this expression Yehovah Tsevaot, that is mentioned quite a few times in the Word of God. In the history of our people, the name Jehovah is the name that God has given to himself.

He is the self-existing one, the all-sufficient one. In Hebrew, it's Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh. We have been taught by our rabbis not to pronounce this name because it is a sacred name. So from little boys, we always replace the word Adonai. When we come to the word Yehovah, we used to say the word Adonai. I don't know if I told you that, but a few years ago I went to Israel with a group and then I went to visit a Messianic congregation and I was preaching there at that meeting in Jerusalem and I talked about Isaiah 53 and when it came to the word Yehovah, instead of saying Adonai, I said Yehovah.

So one of the brothers came to me at the end of the meeting and he says, Gidon, my Hebrew name, instead of Gideon, Gidon. Says you forgot remember there are a lot of religious people here in a room we don't want them to be offended by using the name Yehovah because that's how sacred it is to them and you forgot that and of course living in here for many years and I simply read the text as it is and was maybe insensitive at that time to the Jewish religious conservative people who came to listen to the gospel message and so by using the word Yehovah perhaps they were being discouraged or something but it's not that we cannot use it we can't but the rabbis say don't and therefore we are being sensitive replacing the word Adonai with the word Yehovah but here notice what he said he used to say the Lord or Jehovah Tsevaot the second word the word Tsevaot in the English it says Sabot or Sabaot but it's not correct it should be Tsevaot in Hebrew and it simply means Jehovah of the armies the word sava in Hebrew is mean army tsevaot is armies the plurality.

And really what we learn here that yakov is saying to this rich unregenerated individual saying to them this you have treated those who work for you in a bad way you kept back that which was belong to them in order to enrich yourself you neglected to accept Yeshua the Messiah remember that the cry of those whom you have treated wrongfully had been risen to the ears of the Lord of hosts the Lord of all the armies and he is going to fight you he is going to fight on behalf of his own people on behalf of the poor he's going to deal with you one way or another the cry have risen to the ears of the Lord of hosts of Yehovah Tsevaot and I don't know if you remember I've asked earlier to Psalm 84 to be read and why Psalm 84 because Psalm 84 began and end with the word the Lord of hosts Yehovah Tsevaot Verse 1 says And it ends in verse 12 by saying The Lord of all the armies The most powerful Lord Powerful God.

He will judge those who treat His people wrongfully and those rich and wealthy men are going to have to face God rather than those whom they have treated wrongfully. Now go back quickly to our chapters in James chapter 5. So in verse 4, their behavior were not dealing justly with those poor ones. Now in verse 5, notice they were selfish. We read in verse 5, and it says, Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth and have been wanton. Ye have nourished your hearts as in a day of slaughter you really took care only of yourself and you have really preparing yourself for a day of judgment selfishness constantly thinking of oneself and not being gracious towards others that's what those individuals were like according to verse 5 and finally brothers and sisters in conclusion he is telling to them that they have killed the just one and i want you to notice here in closing in verse 6 ye have condemned and killed the just and he does not resist you now that can be taken in two ways it may apply to a poor individual that they have ultimately treated him wrongfully and condemned him and ultimately killed people who were serving them and working for them but others also take this to apply to the just one the Messiah Yeshua himself and though we know that all the human race is guilty in the death of Yeshua the Messiah all of us are guilty our sin have placed him on the cross on the tree.

But because Yaakov is writing primarily to first century Hebrew believers and because verses one to six is applied to Hebrews who are not believers who have treated the believers wrongfully that may also will apply to the national guilt of the people of Israel by rejecting the just one. You know one thing we have to say that the Messiah came at his first coming he came unto his own, John 1 but his own people, his own nation did not accept him led by the spiritual leaders of our own nation Israel. He is the just who died for the unjust. He is the pure who have died for the un-pure.

But there is a responsibility of our own nation, Israel, that Israel as a nation did not accept Yeshua the Messiah at his first coming. And they are the one that suffered for the 2,000 years. Our own nation is suffering the consequences of not accepting Yeshua the Messiah, the just one. In Acts chapter 3, in verse 14, Peter is speaking to the leaders of Israel in verse 12. And when Peter saw it, he answered to the people, he said, Ye men of Israel, why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power and holiness we have made this man to walk? The God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his son Yeshua, whom ye delivered up and denied him in the presence of Pilate when he was determined to let him go.

And now verse 14. But ye have denied the Holy One and the just and desired a murderer to be granted unto you and killed the Prince of Life whom God has raised from the dead. Wherefore we are witnesses. And his name through faith in his name has made this man strong whom ye see and know. Yea, the faith which is by him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. And he was presenting before them Yeshua, our Mashiach, our Messiah. But he says, you have denied the Holy One and the Just and you desired a murderer instead. And you see, beloved brothers and sisters, Yaakov knows that.

He's writing to his Jewish brethren and he's telling them, brethren, you look at those rich unbelievers of our own people who did not acknowledge Yeshua the Messiah, look how they have treated the believers and look at this, now their behavior was wrong and they are guilty in the fact that they have denied the just one, namely Yeshua the Messiah. It may apply to him, but it may apply for any just poor person whom they have treated, wrongfully and James is pointing to this in this portion of Yaakov chapter 4 and chapter 5 well I'm going to conclude with these brothers and sisters so these warnings verses 13 to verse 17 of James 4 woe now to those believers who did not have the will of God in their life and chapter 5 woe to those unbelievers who are just occupied with their wealth and not rich towards God and not accepting Yeshua as their Lord and Savior and Messiah.

May the Lord help us to understand His Word and may the Lord give us encouragement for us to seek the will of God in our life.