The Peril of Playing God

In this message from the “Hands-On Christianity” series, Chuck Swindoll examines James 4:11–17, confronting the dangerous tendency of humanity to “play God.” Drawing a contrast between innocent childhood games and the destructive relationship games adults play, Swindoll identifies two specific ways believers attempt to usurp God’s authority: by judging others and by presuming upon the future.

First, Swindoll addresses playing God with others. He explains that slander and judgment are attempts to lower another person’s standing to elevate oneself. Because humans cannot see the heart or know all the facts, they are unqualified to judge; only God is the Lawgiver able to save and destroy. Swindoll warns that a critical, petty spirit is contagious and destructive to any community, whether a church or a football team.

Second, the message tackles playing God with ourselves—specifically through arrogant planning that excludes God. Swindoll describes the foolishness of the businessman who maps out his location, schedule, and profits without acknowledging that his life is merely a “vapor” that could vanish in an instant. The sermon concludes with a sobering definition of sin found in verse 17: sin is not just doing wrong, but knowing the right thing to do—submitting to God’s will—and refusing to do it.

Message Key Facts:

• “Games People Play”: Swindoll references Eric Berne’s book Games People Play to illustrate how humans use psychological gimmicks and manipulation to control others, noting that Christians often play their own versions of these games in the church.
• The Definition of Slander: The Greek word for “speak against” in James 4:11 represents a combination of words meaning “to talk down.” The objective of this sin is to lower a listener’s estimate of another person.
• The Sid Gillman Illustration: Swindoll shares the story of Houston Oilers coach Sid Gillman, who turned a losing team into a winning one by refusing to allow a “negative or petty spirit.” He even cut a number-one draft choice, John Matuszak, because his negativity was ruining the team’s morale.
• The Deep Freeze Analogy: To illustrate James’s description of life as a “vapor,” Swindoll asks listeners to imagine breathing into the air of a deep freeze at 30 degrees below zero. The small puff of smoke that appears for a second and then vanishes represents the brevity of human life.
• The Three Amazements of Heaven: Swindoll suggests that upon reaching heaven, he expects three surprises: the people he thought would be there who aren’t, the people he didn’t expect to be there who are, and the fact that he himself is there.
• The Missionary Story: Swindoll confesses a personal failure from seminary where he criticized a missionary speaker for a poor presentation, only to learn later that the man had just lost his son and learned his wife had terminal cancer. This illustrates that we can never judge rightly because we rarely know all the facts.
• The Painter and the Fool: Swindoll describes a painting by Bouguereau based on the parable of the rich fool (Luke 12). One side of the canvas shows a satisfied man planning his future; the other side reveals a “death angel” standing behind him with a hand on his shoulder, highlighting the folly of planning without God.

Message References:

• James 4:11–17: The primary text, which forbids speaking against one another and boasting about tomorrow without acknowledging God’s will.
• Matthew 7:1–5: The “sermon on the splinter and the plank,” where Jesus teaches that one must remove the log from their own eye before judging the speck in a brother’s eye.
• Luke 12: The parable of the rich fool who built bigger barns to store his wealth but forgot to account for the possibility of his own death.
• Psalm 90 (referenced): A reminder that man is turned back to dust and that a thousand years are like a single hour to God.

Message Speaker:

Pastor Chuck Swindoll