Help Wanted: Relationship or Religion series
Making plans without God
James 4:13-17
Good morning everyone, glad that you are with us.
Please turn to James chapter 4:13-17
We have been in a study of the book James and a study of the difference between relationship and religion.
I hope you are beginning to see a difference between the two and why when you just lump them together you are able to see why there are so many problems.
Last week surrender and submission- two great words that people want for everyone else except for themselves. No one likes to surrender and no one wants to submit to authority or be told what to do.
I said that it is not stuff that is bad in itself but when the stuff has us. We are going to read the text and see how James reminds the church that there is another thing that has to be surrendered and submitted to God- that is our time and our plans.
James 4:13-17
Stuff happens good and bad- but we as believers should not be planning out our lives and forgetting God when we do it!!
Now listen…NIV version
Come now…King James Version
You should know better than to say… contemporary English Version
I want you to see that there is a great mistaken confidence that takes place in the people that James is addressing in his message.
James readers would understand his writings. The Jews were good traders in the ancient world. They would understand travel and making money. These people were business people. They were sea merchants and used ships as a way to travel and a way to send their products to the different ports of city.
James is saying to them- Come on now! Listen to me! Here is a new city, great chance of trading and making money. I’ll go there and start at the bottom, Ill trade for a year and make a fortune and come back rich.
Their version of a get rich scheme……….
Most don’t see a problem with the plan they were making out- Most people today would not see a problem with the plan that is laid out.
Where is God in the making of the plans?
For the believer, should not God be consulted before you make plans that will affect your life?
What color shirt you wear? Not so much! But plans for your life.
James answer is that as believers, we do not have a right to make those kinds of plans without talking to God about it.
Illustration-
British sculpture Epstein was visited by British author George Bernard Shaw and Shaw noticed a large block of stone in the corner. Shaw asked Epstein what the stone was for. “I don’t know yet” Epstein replied. You mean that you plan out your work? Why I change my mind several times a day. To which Epstein replied that is well and good with your 4oz manuscript, but it is another thing with a 4 ton stone.
Note to self- we do not know what is going on in other people’s life but we do know what is going on in our life. To some it is easy to change and for others it takes great thought and energy. It is easy for us to move the 4oz manuscript items in our life but to move that 4 ton block of stone, it is no easy task. We cannot look at others and tell them how to move their stones when we are moving manuscripts.
Thomas Kempis had it right in his book the imitation of Christ: “Man purposes, but God disposes”
Proverbs 27:1- “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.”
Jesus told the parable of the rich young ruler who was foolish enough to believe about getting rich and he forgot about his soul and that that very night his soul would be required.
Ben Sirach “I have found rest, and now I shall feast on my goods…he does not know how long it will be until he would leave these things to someone else.
Seneca says- “How foolish it is for a man to make plans for his life, when not even tomorrow is in his control.”
What is James saying… that we should not plan our lives-no!!
We should make plans. What James is telling us is that we cannot forget to get God involved in our planning of our lives.
James is saying that the uncertainty of life is not a cause for fear or for inaction.
It is realizing our complete dependence on God.
He says (13) “You who say, today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money”
Nothing wrong with the plan by itself, but where is God in the plan?
James finished telling them to submit to God and surrender stuff to God.
If we submit to God, the devil has to flee from your life. Come near to God and He will come near to you.
Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.
No one in this room knows for certainty what will happen tomorrow in our lives. One person has wisely quoted …“today you will tie your shoes and tonight the undertaker may untie your shoes.”
Factor God into your plans…
(V13-14) Be wise
(V15)- Trust God
(V16-17)- Humble yourself
5 things to factor into your plans that pastor H.B Charles sees from the text and then I want to show you three things that will help you factor God into your plans for your life.
Timing- Today or tomorrow-
Place- He will go to such and such a city (make plans)
Duration- He will spend a year there
Activity- We will trade
Outcome- We will make a profit-
So now let me give you some thoughts from the scripture about his plan
Timing-
Today or tomorrow- He assumes and presumes that he has the rest of today and tomorrow. Nobody knows the time that they will leave this earth. It is good to make plans for the future as long as God is in your future plans.
Place-
We will go to such and such a city- he had plans of where he was going to start this business and he probably did some kind of geographical study to know that those were good cities to do his business in.
Benjamin Franklin said “if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail”
Duration-
We will spend a year- Again, no one knows what is happening tomorrow let alone a year from now. To plan for a future without God is as bad as not having any plan. make sure God is in them.
Activity-
We will trade- when I go there, I plan to trade there. I plan to go there and find a way to trade what I have for what I want. that brings us to the fifth one
Outcome-
I plan to make a profit- no one sets out to start a business and says to himself…I don’t want to make money. They have a plan at least in their mind that they will make money and be successful and that when they get started everyone they do business with will
buy the products that they are selling.
Here are three points to take away from the text
Be wise
“You who say, today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city… be wise… you do not even know what will happen tomorrow,”
Apostle Paul tells us…
1 Cor. 1:25
“For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.”
Godly wisdom trumps everytime…
God has always used people to build His kingdom. He has not always chosen celebrities and famous people. He used those who were seeking His wisdom and were willing to speak with Him concerning what was up in front of them.
Samuel was a young boy-
When he wanted to kill the giant, he used a shepherd boy named David
When Jesus came to this earth, he used the young girl Mary
When Jesus picked His disciples, it was not because they were the smartest tool in the shed of education-
When God chose a person to write the majority of the New Testament writings, he chose the meanest Christian killer of all time and changed his heart!
He chose people smart enough to know that they were not smart enough to do it on their own strength and abilities.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord”
Godly wisdom is a gift from God that helps people make good decisions and avoid poor ones. It's a fruit of the Holy Spirit that's rooted in God and is considered an essential part of spiritual growth.
Godly wisdom is a gift from God that helps people make good decisions and avoid poor ones. It's a fruit of the Holy Spirit that's rooted in God and is considered an essential part of spiritual growth.
Some characteristics of godly wisdom include:
Discernment
Godly wisdom helps people see what's right and wrong, and how to do things properly. It also helps people avoid making decisions based on emotions.
Consistency
Godly wisdom is consistent and authentic, and people who have godly wisdom are consistent in what they say and do.
Forgiveness
Godly wisdom involves being forgiving and merciful, which can lift people's spirits and encourage them to move forward.
Humility
Godly wisdom is often spoken with humility.
Godly wisdom is the kind of wisdom that comes from the very heart of God.
"If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you."
Number one Godly wisdom
Trusting God
Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”
Instead of making plans without God, we are saying if it is the Lords will, this is what I am going to do.
Trusting Him!!! completely… first thing not last thing in your life.
Proverbs 3:5-8
Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.[a]
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD and shun evil.
Trusting in God is a choice to believe in God's reliability, strength, and ability, even when it's difficult. It's about putting God first in your life and relying on him for help with everything.
Here are some things to consider when trusting in God:
God's nature
God is unchanging and reliable, and he always keeps his promises. He loves you and has good plans for you.
God's knowledge
God knows everything and sees everything, so he can provide a better outcome for your life than you could imagine.
God's plan
God has a perfect plan for your life, and you should trust that he will make your paths straight.
God's faithfulness
God's faithfulness supports and empowers your faith in him.
Surrendering to God
When you surrender to God, you can rest assured that he will act in accordance with his goodness and the promises in his word.
You can trust God by:
Focusing on God and placing your concerns at his feet
Believing what God says about himself, the world, and you
Living a life of obedience to God
Leaning on God for help with everything in your life
Humble Yourself
1 Peter 5:6
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”
It is much easier to humble yourself before the Lord…before the Lord humbles you!
Humble defined
To humble oneself is to acknowledge God as Lord and to obey as servant.
We are the created, obey and live our lives for the creator!!!!
How does the created person by God think that we can tell the creator what He should do with His creation?
True humility seeks to bring glory and honor to God and looks out for the interests of others (Colossians 3.12-14; Philippians 2.3-8).
Christ gives us a perfect example of humility. He went to the cross and gave up His life so that others might live.
Closing
What’s the takeaway from the text this morning… if you are making plans and forgetting about God, you will not be living out the life that the Lord wants for you? Instead, make plans and make sure they are lining up with God’s word and the direction for your life.
The logging crew foreman
A young man asks a logging crew foreman for a job, and the foreman asks him to fell a tree. The young man does a great job, but the foreman lets him go because he fell behind in the daily felling charts. The foreman asks the young man if he's been sharpening his ax, and the young man says he's been working too hard to take the time.
We have to sharpen our ax, and make sure we are working smarter, not harder.
Prepare for Prayer
If you have the right heart toward God, you are qualified to be used by God.
“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.”
Pray
