JAM 4:14 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.

>>Our life is compared with a vapour to teach the uncertainties of life a life outside of Christ. 1JO 3:24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

>>Our text in its context warns of setting our hearts on the uncertain things of this life for a future in this world. JAM 4:13-15 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:

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.

15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

>>Jesus tells the church of Ephesus in REV 2:4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

>>Man has left his first love in the fall of Adam ROM 8:6-8 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

>>Jesus tells us what our first love must be in MAT 22:37-40 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

38 This is the first and great commandment.

39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

>>The law of love is called the law of liberty---This law delivers from the law of sin, i.e., the service of Satan. GAL 5:13-16 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.

16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

>>As we draw to the close of another year we can look back and see the emptiness of all that is outside of the Spirit of Christ.

>>One leaves his first love when he barters the authority of God's Holy Word for philosophy or human reasoning. REV 2:6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

>>The sin of the Nicolaitans was an indifference of spirit between truth and error.

>>We are warned against philosophies and human reasoning in COL 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

>>Even those who truly love Christ find emptiness in serving the Lord if it is not done according to His Word.

>>Martha truly loved her Lord, but she was over charged with much serving. LUK 10:41-42 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:

42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

>>This one thing needful was that Mary sat at Jesus feet, washing them with tears of remorse over her sin, waiting upon Christ to serve her soul.

>>Our Saviour warns of the emptiness of earthly cares and the things of the flesh in MAR 4:19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

>>The emptiness of this life outside of Christ is compared to a mirage in ISA 35:7a And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water.

>>This word "parched", is taken from the Hebrew word "sharab." which means, "glare, quivering glow of the air, especially the mirage:--parched ground."

Webster says A mirage is
1) "an optical illusion caused by the reflection of light through layers of air of different temperatures and densities, by which a ship, oasis in the desert, etc. appears to be very near.
2) anything that falsely appears to be real

>>In Bible times men made these journeys with camels, or often afoot. No highways.---a trackless wilderness.

>>As they would journey, they would become very thirsty;

>>They would long to arrive at an oasis where they could become refreshed with some cold water.

>>As the sun would beat down upon them, they would see a pool of water close at hand.

>>They would become so encouraged with the thought of finding an oasis where they could relax and refresh themselves,

>>When they would arrive at that point they found nothing but glowing sand--there was no water.

>>It was just the reflection of the sun on the glowing sand. It was a mirage, which is an optical illusion.

>>Our life in this world is like one taking a journey through a desert or trackless wilderness. David said, in PSA 39:12 Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear unto my cry; hold not thy peace at my tears: for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were.

>>Oh, beloved, how often we see a mirage as we travel our wilderness journey and find that we were following an optical illusion.

>>Oh, how often in our life we pursue things that turn out to be so empty; they turn out to be nothing but a mirage!

>>Everyone is looking for peace, joy and happiness through one source or another.

>>Ever since man lost the image of God in the garden of Eden, GEN 1:26, 3:7-11, there has been an empty place in the heart--

>>That driven desire for true happiness was created by the loss of the image of God in the fall which cannot be filled with anything besides the love of God.

>>By nature man will attempt to fill that empty place with the things of this world--outside of God and Christ.

>>By nature of the fall we seek happiness in entertainment, wealth, etc. etc.

>>Many people change business, environment or location--thinking that a new start will make everything right.

>>Our text says, "For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." Spiritual things are often found to be a mirage. JER 2:13 For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water. The first evil was the sin of the Nicolaitans, i.e., forsaking the truth----(the fountain of living waters) for the doctrines of Balaam. A mirage is an optical illusion" "broken cisterns that can hold no water." 2PE 2:15 Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the ways of Balaam the son of bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness.

>>We can spend a lifetime of pursuing happiness in unrighteousness only to find as Scripture says, it is all a mirage. It is all empty outside of Christ’s Righteousness

>>It is in Christ that the mirage shall become a pool in which we shall find water for a thirsty soul.

>>Christ is a fountain of living water, JOH 4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

>>Our lovely Saviour teaches the blessedness of a true hunger and thirst. MAT 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

>>That blessed fountain of living water cries unto you and I in JOH 7:37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.

>>As long as we find pleasure and satisfaction in this world, Jesus has, "no beauty that we should desire him,"

>>The carnal mind sees no beauty in our lovely Saviour ISA 53:2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

>>When God has brought us through the furnace of affliction to purge away all this dross with sickness, bereavement and disappointments we see such a beauty in Christ.

>>There is such a Saviour that can relate so well to all our sorrow when we are cast out of the temple for Christ's name sake. ISA 53:3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

>>There is such a consolation in having a High Priest who can relate so well to all our grief. HEB 4:15-16 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

>>With such a faith's view of Christ we can relate to what Jesus says in LUK 6:22-23 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake.

23 Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.

>>Our text says, JAM 4:14 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.

>>We do not know what another year may bring forth JAM 4:15-16 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

16 But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.