Bona Fide
A study of James
Part 12
“Your plans / or God’s plans?”
As we continue in our study of James this morning
We come to another spot in the book of James
That may cause us to take a step back just a bit
We live in a world where we are taught to plan ahead
Right?
Measure twice cut once is what my Granddad taught me
From a cowboy perspective
We set strong corners when building a new fence
We use new wire and posts
So that they will last
Because we want that fence to be there for many years and do the job it was intended to do
So we are planning ahead
And
That is a good thing
In our the financial part of our lives
We scrimp and save for the future
We set up 401k’s or invest in retirement plans
So that we will not have to worry about how we are going to eat or how we are going to pay the bills when we get old—er
And that is a good thing
In the area of our health
We exercise or at least think about it
We eat or try to eat right- or at least not let anyone see us eating that whole box of Twinkies
We seek advice about our health from sources that range from Opra- to your Barber- to an actual Doctor who has a degree on this kind of thing
And that can be a good thing- depending on who you are asking
In the area of our stuff
Feeding your horses is in a sense planning ahead
A skinny or dead horse would be of no use
Changing your oil
Greasing your wheel bearings
Painting your house
All of these things are planning ahead
And all of these things are useful
I believe God gave us a brain and he gifts us with the use of things in this world and we have an obligation to take care of them and to use our heads for something other than a place to put our hats
But
James wants us to go deeper in our understanding of God’s part in our lives
Our relationship with him
James wants us to go deeper in understanding God’s plans
Our own plans
And
How we should
We line up ours with his
Please open your bibles to James Chapter 4
James 4:13-16
James in this passage of scripture is writing to believers
It is so important that we understand this
Trying to hold non believers to the same standard that Believers are to be held to will often end with less than desirable results
You see
In order to think like a Christian you must be a Christian
That means that you have called out to Jesus to save you and accepted his grace
Listen
Going to church does not make you a Christian any more than going to Mac Donald’s makes you a hamburger
James 4:13-16
13 Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” 14 How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. 15 What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” 16 Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil.
Let me tell you
Making plans is not a bad thing in of itself
It is responsible
But making plans apart from God when we are his Children is irresponsible and is a bad thing
---Pause--
So you may be asking
If making plans is not inherently or always bad
And planning ahead is often good
Why is James even addressing this? And why are you going here Preacher?
Here is the deal
The people in this passage of scripture
Remember they are believers
Are making plans like they are still lost----- Key on this----
What I mean by that
They are leaving God completely out of the equation
They say in verse 13a
“Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town”
What they are saying they see the future
Notice the word ARE- Not want or desire to
We ARE going-----
Verse 13b
“and will stay there a year.”
How long they plan to stay
Notice the word WILL- not hope or would like to
Verse 13c
“We will do business there”
What they want to accomplish
Once again we see the word WILL
Not want
Verse 13d
“and make a profit.”
He they say what they expect to make
Not hope to make
They are saying
This is what we ARE going to do
They are not asking for advice
They are not seeking input
So you may ask
--- Preacher---
Why is this bad?
This shows they are confident
They have goals
They in the eyes of the world are successful
You may ask
Should we not save?
Should we not plan?
Should we quit feeding the stock?
Stop mending the fences?
Stop changing the oil?
No
But
I want you to notice something here in the book of James
These guys are making plans just like the lost in the world
Not like believers----
The lost make plans and decisions based on emotions and desires
Sometimes greed and selfishness
Other times on bad advice
But
Because we as believers have accepted Christ
And we have been connecting the dots that James has been laying out for a closer relationship with God
And because we should be striving to become Bona Fide
--Pause---
When we make plans apart from God
When we make plans on our own
We are saying
Hey God
You know
“I trust you for my church life”
“I trust you on Sunday and Wednesday’
But here is the deal God
“I need you or want you to just stay out of my business the rest of the time”
--- Pause---
Now I feel very confident that among the people sitting here this morning
Few would have the guts, or audacity to tell that to God
If you do, please raise your hand
If someone raises their hands – please if you are sitting close to them – feel free to move at this time, I have never seen anyone struck by lightning for dising God before but I have read about it a lot
But you see
When we make plans without seeking his guidance or approval
That is exactly what we are saying
So James says we need to use
God’s wisdom to help us make plans and decisions
He says we need to call on God in all times
Not just in the hard times
Not just on Sunday morning
Not Just on Wednesday night
Seek him in all areas of our livers
And in all our plans
So he continues in verse 14
14 How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. James asks a real honest question here
James is asking in real common terms
Can you tell the future?
Some claim to be able to
But the real answer
Is no
If we could we would have bought stock in Apple many years ago
We would have seen the wrecks and storms and trials coming and stayed home that day
We would have made sure we said the right thing or something to the friend or loved one who died unexpectantly
We would have -----you fill in the blank
Listen
Many of you will have very similar stories
The names and places change
The substance or sin may be different
But the stories are the same
How many of you when you were where ever you were before you knew Jesus would have ever dreamed that you would be doing what you are doing right now?
Sitting in church- sober- clean- forgiven
Listing to someone teach you about Jesus and how to please him
Let’s get real
If I had told some of you that you would be sitting in a church today a few years ago
Some of you a month ago
You would have looked at me like I had two heads
If someone had of told you that you would be serving in a Church
Actively involved in ministry
If they had of told you that you would be praying, with and for people
Leading prayer
Reading your bibles and understanding what you were reading
Teaching
Preaching
Doing mission work
You would have probably said something similar to
Yeah right
Or man you must be on some kind of Good dope
But look at you now
God used whatever has happened to you, or because of you
In his plan
To get you here today
To get you seeking his will
To get you growing in your faith
I can tell you for me
I had no idea I would be preaching one day/surprised others who knew me then even more
I had no idea I would travel 2 days by plane to go to a place called Zambia_ I had heard of Zambia but had no idea where it was
I had no idea that God would or could use someone like me
But Now I get it- he has a plan
It is a better plan than my own plan
I don’t know what the future holds
But I know who holds my future----
-----So------
We see that planning is ok
But
It is how we plan is important and makes the difference
Let’s look at how James says Bona Fide believers should make plans
Verse 15
15 What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.”
I need to ask you a serious question this morning
How many of you have prayed to God to give you something
To help you with something
To fix something
And he did not answer as you wished
He said No!
And then later
You looked back and
What you were asking him to give, or fix, or do
Would have been the worst thing in your life
You could have married the wrong person/ some of you did- but I would wager a guess and say God was not in those plans
Taken the wrong job-- ditto
Moved to the wrong place—here we go again
Showed up in a place that was dangerous or that would lead you into temptation or out of fellowship with God
Sometimes the things we should be most thankful for are the things he said no to!
You see
I have no doubt that you--- like I in the past
Have prayed those types of prayers
And we have received the answer no
And been disappointed – even a bit mad at God
And then looking back
We see that he said --no ---out of love
He said no
Because we were not ready
Or what we wanted or thought we needed was bad for us
Or outside of his will for our lives
So James says
Plan ----but plan with God in mind and Plan with his guidance
So instead of saying
God bless what I am doing
Say
God I would like to do what you bless
Listen
As Gus said at the grave of Sean on that river bank in Lonesome dove
“Life is short
Shorter for some than others”
What this means is
We don’t know how long we will be allowed to remain here on earth
But
As believers our time and our plans
Will be better and sweeter
When we plan with him
Instead of against him
Let’s go back to verse 15a
Saying
“If the Lord wants us to,”
“If it is his will”
When we make plans and decisions
Shows that we know that God is in control
That we believe he is in control
That we Trust that he is in control
In the big stuff and in the little stuff
And
That he has a plan for your life
And that plan is good
Verse 15b
And when we say
“we will live and do this or that.”
By his grace
With his blessings
We are understanding and admitting that
Life
The very breath in our bodies is a daily gift from God
When we do that more of our plans will succeed
Because more of our plans line up with his plans
His will becomes ours
In verse 16
James starts to wrap up this segment of his teaching with this
Verse 16
16 Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil.”
In real simple terms guys James says that
Believers- Born again Christians
Those striving to become Bona Fide- sanctified
Those who have been delivered from the penalties of their sins
Freed from their pasts
Forgiven for their mistakes
And even some of their “on purposes”
Those who have been cleaned up by grace
Justified by his love
God’s own children
He says that these people
Living, planning
And
Going about their lives as if God did not matter
Is evil
The bible says in Psalm 14:1
“Only fools say in their hearts,
“There is no God.”
But I feel very safe in saying
It is even a bigger fool who believes in God
And then lives as if God has no power or influence in their lives
Chew on that a while!
James wraps up chapter 4 and puts an exclamation point on the teaching from the previous chapters
With verse 17
“Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.”
Make plans
But make plans with God
Because his plans are best
And his plans will bring blessings
God has a plan for your life
His first plan is that you be delivered from the penalties of your sin
Salvation he calls that
God created you and loves you
In fact he loves you so much that he could not stand the thought of losing you
So he gave his one and only Son Jesus as a sacrifice to pay your debt
His plan is that you accept Jesus-
Today- if you have not done so
We are not promised tomorrow
James says our lives are like the morning fog
Here awhile -----then gone
His plan is that you be saved- redeemed- delivered- forgiven
His plan is that you follow him in obedience
His plan is that you will grow in faith and in maturity though all the years he blesses you with
That you will seek out his will for your life and find the blessings he has for you
His plan is that many will come to know Jesus though you and your life
His plan is glorious
Listen
I don’t know the future
But I do know who holds the future
I do know that we have the opportunity to change our eternal future
By simply calling on the name of Jesus
I do know we also have the opportunity to change our earthly future
By calling on the name of Jesus
I don’t know what he has for you
I don’t know what he has for me
But I know this
It is way better than what you or I deserve
And it will far better than anything you or I could have ever imagined.
Close from the heart
Pray
