Making Plans, Following God
James 4:13-17
Intro
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Who here wants to have a successful future?
We all want a successful future.
We probably all know as well that a successful future does not just usually happen.
We don’t sit in our living room and then walk out the door and Bam, success, though I think some young people think that is how it should happen.
As I started to prepare for this message, I wanted to see how society thinks we have a successful future, so I typed into google “planning for a successful future.” And right there at the top comes “How to Plan for a Successful Future” on Wikihow, a website that tells you how to do stuff.
Well here is “How to Plan for a Successful Future” from wikihow.
How to Plan For a Successful Future
1 - Get into your bedroom and close the door.
2 - Go through your life thoroughly.
What is your gift? What do you want to be in the future? What is your passion? (i.e., something you would love to do even if you were not paid to do it.)
3 - Write it down. Most of the people who have achieved their dreams took the first step towards achieving them: they wrote them down.
4 - Plan a route to get there. Write down whatever it will take you to reach your dream.
5 - Put your piece of paper where you can see it and remind yourself of your goals.
6 - Work your plan. Put it into action by following the route to your dream. It may mean adjusting a lot of things in your life, but it will be worth it one day. Just ask Tiger Woods!
8 - Dismiss negativity and begin to speak your future in the present. This will assimilate into your mind and help you to persevere towards your dream.
http://www.wikihow.com/Plan-For-a-Successful-Future
From a societal perspective, that sounds like a solid plan.
From a Christian perspective, there is a problem, however. God is nowhere in the picture.
This morning we will be continuing on in our study of James – Real Faith for Real Life.
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I want to ask you to turn in your Bibles to James 4:13-17.
This morning we are going to look at what the Lord has to tell us through James about how a person of faith should be making plans in life.
Let’s start by reading James 4:13-17
James 4:13-17
13 Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that." 16 As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. 17 Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.
Pray
James starts out by discussing
The foolishness of Making Plans without God
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James gives as an example someone who has followed the wikihow plan for being successful.
Look at verse 13
James 4:13
13 Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money."
They have stopped and considered their life (I am good at this particular business)
They have thought about what success to them looks like (making money means success)
They have planned out the route to get there (we will go to this or that city today or tomorrow)
They are speaking their future into the present.
They have spent some time considering these plans and thinking about them and mapping it out. However, they have not considered what the Lord would have them do.
That is foolish.
James goes on and tells them why it is foolish.
James 4:14
14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
Those who plan without considering the Lord’s plans for us are foolish because our life is completely in his hands and from our standpoint, life is very uncertain.
We so often think that we are in control of our destinies.
Invictus
Recently there was a movie out called Invictus, titled after a poem of the same name.
It is a poem that Nelson Mandela would recite to other prisoners while he himself was incarcerated in South Africa.
In the poem by (William Earnest) Henley, it ends with the lines
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I am the master of my fate
I am the captain of my soul
While it is a nice, if not a prideful, thought, it is not true.
The Supreme and Sovereign God is the master of our fate and the captain of our soul whether or not you choose to believe Him.
Proverbs 19:21 –
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Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.
Now this is not to suggest that we are robots, but the reality is God is Supreme and Sovereign and He alone knows the future what the future holds for us. We do not.
Proverbs 27:1
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Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.
Still need to plan
Now just because we don’t know the future does not mean that we should live with no thought to tomorrow or without planning or saving.
It does mean to plan our futures out with no thought of God or without seeking God’s wisdom and guidance is completely foolish.
We need to keep our focus on the Lord as we make plans for the future, because He is the one who knows what is going to happen.
Jesus told a parable of rich man who made plans for bigger barns with no thought toward God.
Luke 12:16-21
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16 …"The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. 17 He thought to himself, ’What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
18 "Then he said, ’This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I’ll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." ’
Retirement is looking good for this man, so he thinks. He has money and possessions. The golden years are really going to be golden. Except that he has not planned in accordance with the Lord. He has not sought out the Lord’s will for his life or his things. He has not prayed and sought God’s Kingdom and His Righteousness.
So what happens?
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Luke 12:20-21 - "But God said to him, ’You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 21 "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."
So many people, even Christians, live life planning their futures with no thought toward God.
Other than going to church on the weekend, many go into Monday planning their business for the week, or the month, of for their life, with no further interaction with the Lord.
What do I need to do to get that next promotion?
How can I make more money?
How can I get more power?
It is not,
Lord, what would you have me do? Can I serve you better in this role or with a promotion?
Lord, how can I glorify you the most?
It is foolishness to plan our lives or our futures without seeking the will of God for our lives.
So instead of foolishly planning without the Lord, we to be making plans and following God and that requires flexibility
Making Plans & Following God requires Flexibility
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James 4:15-16 - 15 Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that." 16 As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil.
We see here, it is not wrong to make plans, but we need to make plans as we seek the Lord’s will so we need to be flexible as he leads us. If we are heading in a direction and we are seeking God’s will and He alters that direction, we need to be flexible in changing course in regards to His leading.
Now this verse is not meant to imply that if we make our plans, and tack on “If it is the Lord’s will” that we are really seeking God’s will.
Nor do I think that we need to tack on “Lord willing” to every sentence that has future plans.
“I’ll be married to my wife for the rest of my life, Lord willing”
Of course it is the Lord’s will that I remain married for the rest of my life.
Now if saying that is a helpful reminder to you, that God is in control, then go ahead and say it. But I think this is more so speaking to our heart attitude in how we plan.
Are we seeking the Lord in our plans?
Or are we seeking to fulfill our selfish desires?
Are we stubbornly pursuing what we want?
Or are we seeking God continually and being flexible as he guides us?
As an example of this, we see Paul.
The will of God for Paul was that he was called to be an Apostle to tell others about the gospel.
Multiple letters that Paul sent begin with Paul, an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God. (1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Ephesians, Colossians, 2 Timothy)
He knew that was God’s will for him. However, in some of the specifics of how lived in that will, he was flexible.
Acts 16:7-10
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7 When they came to the border of Mysia (Moo see uh), they tried to enter Bithynia (Bith uh nee uh), but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia (Moo see uh), and went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
Now Paul was a man of God attuned to God’s will and had to be flexible.
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We do too.
But while making Plans and Following God does require flexibility with the where and the when, it also requires Firmness,
Making Plans & Following God requires Firmness
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It usually requires firmness in the “what” after having sought God’s will and he has revealed His plans.
Paul was firm in his call to be an apostle preaching the gospel. He was flexible in when and where he did that.
Now James is addressing people who are firm in their plans, not the Lord’s.
What they needed was to be flexible with their plans and firm with God’s plans.
And James is telling them that they needed to be seeking God’s will in their lives.
But what about when we have done that?
Well, I believe we still need to be flexible in the when and the where, the timing of things. But as we have sought the Lord’s will, and He has revealed the what, we need to be firm in pursuing that.
I think there are a number of good examples in the Bible, Paul being one. He was firm in his call to be an Apostle, even when others questioned it.
He was flexible in when and how he shared the gospel in accordance with that call, however.
I think another good example is Nehemiah.
Nehemiah was a man of God who sought the Lord and followed the Lord’s plans as he laid them on his heart.
And God used Nehemiah, in his mind and in Nehemiah’s planning, to see His will accomplished.
There are some who think that the Holy Spirit only leads extemporaneously, in the moment, but we see throughout Scripture the Spirit of God leading people to plan and follow plans in accordance with their seeking God’s will.
I want to briefly look at Nehemiah and some of the ways we see God use him and the planning he did as he sought God’s will.
Background of Nehemiah
Nehemiah was a Jew in exile in Babylon under the Persian king, Artexerxes. He was the cupbearer to the king, which was quite an important role.
In this position, he would have lived in close quarters to the king in luxury. From a human standpoint, Nehemiah would have it made.
However, even though Nehemiah was in Babylon and lived in luxury, he was a Jew and a follower of God and his heart was in tune with the Lord.
When he heard about the state of Jerusalem and the disgrace of the wall being in shambles and the spiritual lives of the people of Jerusalem being in shambles as well, he was grieved and he spent the next four months praying and fasting and crying out after the Lord as well as thinking.
I want you to know that following the Lord or seeking the Lord’s will does not require us to stop thinking or make no plans. On the contrary, the Lord uses our minds and our hearts to accomplish his will as we seek and obey Him.
As Nehemiah prayed over those months and the Lord worked in Nehemiah, he developed definite plans for how he, Nehemiah, could be used to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem and remove the disgrace of the people.
Now this was no easy task. This would require great obedience on the part of Nehemiah.
So Nehemiah prayed and fasted and when he felt he had planned according to the Lord’s will, he went to the king and Nehemiah specifically asked God to
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“Give your servant success today by granting Him favor in the presence of this man.” (Nehemiah 1:11)
This verse in James that we read that says “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that” is not so much a formula for saying something you plan to do in the future, but should be a heart and lifestyle attitude that you follow, seeking the Lord’s will through prayer and petition and obedience.
And not only did Nehemiah pray and ask the Lord to grant him favor so he could accomplish what the Lord had laid on his heart, he thought and made plans about how this would get accomplished.
In Nehemiah 2:4, the King says, “What do you want?”
Nehemiah shoots up a quick prayer for strength to say exactly what he has been planning as he has prayed to the Lord.
Nehemiah 2:4-9
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I answered the king, "If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it."
6 Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, "How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?" It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time.
7 I also said to him, "If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? 8 And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king’s forest, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?" And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests. 9 So I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me.
He has thought through exactly what is going to be needed down to his own living arrangements.
Nehemiah was not just making plans, he was following the Lord’s plans for his life.
Did you know that God has a plan for your life?
His plan may not be exactly what you thought it was going to be, but I will tell you it is the best plan for your life.
He has plans for each of us.
The Lord tells Jeremiah in
Jeremiah 1:5 - "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."
But God’s plans are not only for Jeremiah or Nehemiah or Paul. The psalmist writes in
Psalm 139:13, 16
13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb…16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
God has a plan and a purpose and a will for each one of us.
We should not act foolishly as if our future is in our own hands, but we should seek the Lord’s purpose and will for our lives.
We follow our plans at our own peril.
Consider Jonah
God had a plan, but Jonah had other plans.
Jonah did not want to go to Ninevah. God wanted Jonah to go to Ninevah.
Guess what? Jonah went to Ninevah, but he took the long, hard road to get there instead of a road that still may have been hard, but would have certainly been more direct.
God does not call us to the easy life, but the best life, the life of obedience to Him.
What is God calling you to?
Maybe you don’t know. Maybe that is something you want to know. How do we know the will of God, anyway?
Romans 12:2
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2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.
We need to stop living our lives by the dictates and pattern of the world and we need to be continually transformed by the renewing of our mind.
We need to keep our minds focused on the Lord
We need to be praying
We need to be studying God’s word
We need to be encouraging one another.
P90X for the Soul
Next month, we are going to be starting a new series called P90X for the soul. P90X is a popular physical workout series. Well we are going to be implementing some exercises, disciplines, for our spiritual fitness as we go into the fall to help us to live godly lives.
These are necessary for anyone who wants to know and follow God’s will. The Lord works to renew our minds through these things. Just as if we fill our bodies with junk food and live a sedentary lifestyle, we should not expect to be physically fit, well if we fill our minds continually with brain junk food, we will never be able to know God’s will because our minds will never be being transformed.
But as we study, pray, think, meditate, the Lord transforms our mind and as God reveals his will to us, we need to stand firm in it.
We will be challenged to turn from God’s will
Because we will be challenged in life to turn from it. This is why we must be firm.
Nehemiah was challenged to turn from God’s will, but he remained firm.
Not stubbornly so. He dealt with issues, but he did not turn from what he knew God called him to, even when things were not going smoothly.
Following God’s will does not mean that things will go without a hitch.
Nehemiah faced opposition from outside Jerusalem as well as from his own people.
In Nehemiah 4, we see that the Jews were becoming discouraged and spreading discouragement (Nehemiah 4:10-12).
Nehemiah didn’t just ignore this, but dealt with it and refocused people upon the Lord.
He was helping to renew their minds even as he dealt with the trouble.
He didn’t just say, “Lord, this is too hard. Things aren’t going smoothly. Maybe God doesn’t want this to happen.”
His mind was focused, His heart was on the Lord and he stood firm and yet dealt with the issues at hand practically.
Nehemiah is an awesome example for all of us to follow in life.
God cares about Nehemiah. God has a plan and wants to use Nehemiah. Nehemiah obediently responds even though he is scared and God uses him.
God cares about you and he has a plan and wants to use you.
Will you obediently respond to Him as you seek his will?
God’s will is good and perfect.
Now as we seek God’s will, we need to commit in our hearts to follow it.
Look at what this last verse says
James 4:17 - Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.
Failure to Follow God’s will is Sin
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That word “then” could also be translated “therefore.”
It is pointing back to the previous verses.
When we know what the Lord wants us to do and we don’t do it, we sin.
Sin is not just breaking God’s law, which is disobeying what God doesn’t want you to do.
Sin is also disobeying the good that God does want you to do, His will for your life.
If you are reading in God’s word, and you are convicted that you should be giving more and don’t do it, you sin.
If you are reading God’s word and praying and the Lord lays on your heart to go and talk to someone or minister to someone and you don’t, you sin.
If you are walking with the Lord and making some plans and the Lord impresses upon you that you should do something different or you should wait and you don’t, you sin
If you are seeking God and you are doing something that He has led you to do and it starts to get hard and you stop, you sin.
Sin is not just murder, stealing, dishonoring your parents, Adultery, etc.
It is disobeying God’s will for you. His will is the good that He wants you to do and that He leads you to do, even if it is hard or frightening, or scary.
If the Lord is leading you into the mission field or to serve in some way and you fail to do it because it scares you, or it seems hard, or it cuts into plans you made, you sin and you are missing the very best for your life.
What is the Lord leading you to do?
I want to tell you that whatever it is, is good. In fact I would say that it is not only good, it is the very best thing for your life.
Conclusion
So what should I be doing to find out God’s will and make my plans accordingly?
First, Be praying, studying, meditating on his word. Finding God’s unrevealed word and his specific will for your life, comes through following his revealed word first.
Second, be flexible with how you have mapped out your plans and how you think things should go.
Realize that your plans are not the best, but God’s plans are. Also, understand that god works through delays and obstructions, not just in providing smooth sailing.
Third, while being flexible with your plans and timing issues, be firm and resolute in following God’s will as He has revealed it to you.
When it gets hard, don’t just say, this must not be what God wants me to do because it is hard. Persevere in what you know the Lord is calling you to.
Finally, realize that not following God’s plan for your life is not just some neutral decision you are making, like it doesn’t matter which you do. Not following God’s will for your life is a sin that you need to repent of and return to following if you have stopped.
That is what repentance is, turning from sin (not following God) and turning to Him and following His will.
Worship team come up
We are going to close in a song called “Invitacion Fountain” this morning.
Part of the lyrics are
If You lead me Lord,
I will follow
Where You lead me Lord,
I will Go
Make this your prayer and response to God this morning. As you seek him and his will follow after him.
