Sermon Passage: James 4:13-17
Sermon Title: If the Lord wills
​Sermon by: Pastor Davy (Youth)
Sermon Summary: As Christians, we have an easy way of making promises. We can say yes to all requests and all demands and end the sentence with “if the Lord wills”.
This is a fun way to read this passage. If the Lord wills, it will be.
One of the problems in our society is the fact that we go to very great lengths to control our future. We do everything we possible can to make sure that our future is “bright”. We do everything we can do force ourselves into the “best” schools, “best jobs in the hope that we will have the “best” life. We seek financial security. We seek status.
And is it wrong to want these things? Is it wrong to plan out our futures? is it wrong to want the best in our lives?
It depends on what your plans and future is dependent on. Is your plan dependent on God? or is it dependent on what you do and what you can accomplish? Because our passage today says that we do not have any control of the future. Whatever we do, whatever we plan, we plan and do without knowing the real future. Why do we make plans that are dependent on who we are and what we do? Why don’t we make plans dependent on God who knows the future and knows what’s good for us?
We need to be planning and looking into the future through God’s lens.
in the Greek, the Lord WILLS has different meanings. To say the Lord wills is to say that the Lord will make ready. He will pave the path. he will bring it to fruition.
What James is saying is: If we make our plans according to God’s will, we don’t have to worry about it because God will bring it forth. He will make sure his promises are true. He will make sure to make ready our paths.
As God walked through the animals towards Abraham to show that he will keep his promises, God will keep his promises. All we need to do is follow him.

Sermon Passage: James 3:7-12
​Sermon Title: Untamable
Sermon by: Pastor Davy (Youth)
Sermon Summary: Often times, when I read this passage, I am discouraged. I’m discouraged because I see that with my own tongue, I bless the Lord but with the same tongue, I often times cut down, discourage and insult friends and family around me. God’s people made in his image. Recently, I realized how untamable the tongue is.
One of the things I hate most is lying. But in a conversation with a friend, I had a sudden urge to lie. It was so random but I felt a strong temptation to lie to my friend. Even after years of hating lies. Even after years of trying to tell the truth only, my tongue was still capable and even willing to tell lies. I understood what James was saying. The tongue is untamable.
So is that it? Do we stop trying to tame the tongue? Do we stop being intentional with our words? What is James really trying to tell us?
In verses 11 and 12, James explains that a fresh water spring doesn’t yield salt water. nor does a fig tree produce olives. With this, we can know that James isn’t worried about the product but he is more concerned with the source. just logically, we know that if we want fresh water, we should search out a fresh water spring. If we want an orange, we should not plant an apple tree. We should plant an orange tree. We need to go to the right source.
What is said through our tongues is a product of the heart. Is your heart evil? or is your heart pure?
If the tongue is untamable, we need to turn our focus to taming and purifying our hearts. and there are only two ways to do this. 1) to know God and 2) to be in relationship with him.
How do we do this? We need to read the Word through which God reveals himself to us. And we need to be in relationship with him through prayer.
James points out that the tongue is untamable so that we would turn our attention away from what is untamable to what is tamable. our hearts. Let’s offer our hearts to God so that our tongues would produce words of kindness and love.