So you¡¦ve got plans?! Jas 4:13-17, WBC 9/11/03pm
In Ills to keep folder- Professions_1.pps [PowerPoint of ’what should I be when I grow up?’ (babies all dressed up in adult clothes relating to certain professions)]
Great, eh? But as David Simpkin says ¡¥If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans!¡¦
FUTURE- plan, but with prayer
This isn¡¦t saying you shouldn¡¦t have hopes, dreams
- isn¡¦t saying you shouldn¡¦t plan
The problem, here, is these people are planning
- but it¡¦s as though trade and profit are all that matter
o only issues to take into account¡K life¡¦s sole objective¡K and all that satisfies
They¡¦re planning without
- PRAYER
- Imagining that God should be consulted¡K or has a plan for them!
o So, actually, they may be missing out on the BEST
Jer 29: 11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12
o Certainly they¡¦re missing out on intimacy with God
„X He doesn¡¦t enter their minds /// (enough)
o Maybe they¡¦ll miss out on more¡K Him altogether
„X Parable of rich fool Lk 12:18
Might actually be that they are believers
- but have fallen into that old trap of separating their life up
o God on Sundays. But Mon-Fri belong to ME and MAMMON!
As Alec Motyer puts it in his commentary- the problem here is not their planning- it¡¦s their self-sufficient, self important planning that keeps God for Sunday but ¡¥the rest of the week is mine¡¦
o Or they pray to God¡K - but the minute they get out of the prayer room they take the reins back. So they don¡¦t really ABIDE in Him
- ¡§Okay. So what I need to do is plan, but add DV at the end of it, yeah?! ¡¨
- not a bad idea¡K it contains humility and God¡¦s sovereignty
o but it can be a talisman, as well
o the authors of the OT/NT aren¡¦t going ¡§DV¡¨ all the time
Rather- its an attitude of humble abiding in Him and planning/living your whole life in Him
God wants to be involved in EVERY bit of their lives. In fact- he even wants to help their business life
- but they won¡¦t let Him
- Illustr: God designed the world so Adam would be working in partnership with him. ¡¥Where are my cattle, Lord?!¡¨
So- plan- but plan in prayer and partnership with God¡K and place Him first in priority.
if something is going to wreck your relationship with God- don¡¦t plan it!
- Lots of pressure, today. But why is it GOD gets squeezed out first? Then things get worse
o Maybe we should take a lower salary, less pressure so our souls can survive and we can REALLY be happy?
„X And go on with God
FRAILTY- recognise life is fragile
I guess I could summarise point 1 by saying ¡¥life is fragile, handle with prayer¡¦
But they don¡¦t recognise that.
- in fact- what James draws out is behind this is:
o not only the missing out on God¡¦s plans but also
o sheer lack of life wisdom/understanding:
PR 16:9 In his heart a man plans his course,
but the LORD determines his steps.
o Sheer presumption- not only about ¡¥today¡¦¡K but also ¡¥tomorrow¡¦¡K and next year. Arrogance.
„X Lack of HUMILITY. (that you can go a whole year forward without involving God!)
o And (typical of James!) they express it with that old viper- the tongue ¡¥oh we¡¦ll go here, do this, do that¡¦
So- there¡¦s no recognition of the fragility of life
- of tomorrow- it being a MYSTERY
"The past is history, the future is a mystery... and this moment is a gift- that’s why it’s called ’the present’"
- of our lives- - us being a MIST
Seriously- we really don¡¦t know what might happen tomorrow
- sun will come up. But you think everything¡¦s secure
o it might not be!
o Illustr: 1929 crash. Shares dropped $7 to $2. Buy, buy! Dropped to 15c!
„X I¡¦m NOT saying we¡¦re on the verge of a crash (I know nothing) - I¡¦m just saying ¡¥we don¡¦t know the future¡¦. So invest in the right place- God!
- We do not know what the future may hold. We only knows who holds the future- the Lord. And he holds our lives, too!
o So we need to recognise this.
o And that it¡¦s okay to plan- but realise who gets the last say!
o And that we don¡¦t know all factors.
„X We don¡¦t even know what¡¦s good for us, actually!
o And we often don¡¦t know how God¡¦s going to work things out- even when He¡¦s told us ¡¥the ending¡¦
„X Illustr: Revival? Toronto, alpha, 13 years
That¡¦s because He¡¦s God and we¡¦re not. He¡¦s big. We¡¦re doddy.
And as for our lives!
- these guys assume that life, health and money are theirs. Will be theirs
- WE assume that these things our ours by right! ¡§It¡¦s my right¡¨
o ¡§because I¡¦m worth it!¡¨
o ¡§life¡¦s all about choice- and it¡¦s my choice to be healthy¡¦
But it¡¦s not quite as simple as that. Life, health, money are a gift not a right
- a gift from God¡¦s grace. A gift to be enjoyed and made the most of
- a blessing to be ¡¥turned back to praise¡¦
o but the Lord gives and the Lord takes away. May His name be blessed always
It makes you want to make the most of every moment, doesn¡¦t it?!
- carpe diem, seize the day
o do it, in Jesus¡¦ name!
- make the days count, don¡¦t count the days
Life is a mystery and fragile- but it¡¦s not futile, AT ALL. I really want you to understand this.
- let me explain, THEOLOGICALLY: from our perspective CAN appear a mist, mystery
- but overarching it all are God¡¦s plans, His sovereignty
o and I¡¦m part of that! A great plan worked out with the interaction of billions of nuclei, genes, probabilities!!
- and let me illustrate it PRACTICALLY
o Clive Houghton died- but his prayers, God¡¦s plans live on
o I spent years away from the Lord (in seeming futility) but all the time God was training me, developing me. NOTHING lost
„X I could give you countless examples of how the Father has worked through the seeming ¡¥futility¡¦ of life
Wallace Johnson, a builder of numerous Holiday Inn Motels and convalescent hospitals, said, ¡§When I was forty years old, I worked in a sawmill. One morning the boss told me, ¡¥You¡¦re fired!¡¦ Depressed and discouraged, I felt like the world had caved in on me. It was during the depression and my wife and I greatly needed the small wages I had been earning.¡¨
¡§When I went home, I told my wife what happened. She asked, ¡¥What are you going to do now?¡¦ I replied, ¡¥I¡¦m going to mortgage our little home, and go into the building business.¡¦
¡§My first venture was the construction of two small buildings. And within five years I was a multi-millionaire!¡¨
¡§Today, if I could find the man who fired me, I would sincerely thank him for what he did. At the time it happened, I didn¡¦t understand why I was fired. Later, I saw that it was God¡¦s unerring and wondrous plan.¡¨
FLEXIBLE- leave room for His plans
James is saying- plan¡K and plan with prayer
- recognise the fragility¡K and God¡¦s supremacy
And leave room for Him to act¡K for His plans
- leave room for His sovereignty. The unexpected
- learn to see Him in the unplanned
- Illustr: Jesus did what He saw the Father doing. Our lives are so full/rigidly planned ¡V there¡¦s no room for us to do what the Father¡¦s doing as we¡¦re too busy doing what we¡¦re doing!
This is true! Aren¡¦t some of the best conversations on the plane/train?
- when you¡¦ve got time. Hadn¡¦t PLANNED it
- Philip was so humble¡K flexible and available God could transport Him off to meet with someone!
o Me: ¡§Lord, I can¡¦t, I¡¦ve got an appointment!¡¨
We¡¦ve got it all boxed in:
Terry Ford’s (from Bushey) old school in Northwood Hills building link between 2 parts of school+ some extra school rooms. Laid foundations with JCB digger, built wall- found they had hemmed/built in the JCB!
- Same kind of thing happened with a roller on Centre court, Wimbledon. Built it in. One end of court became known as ’roller end’ in contrast to royal box end. Early this century.
Part of what¡¦s so exciting about the journey¡K being a mist blown here and there¡K being flexible. is that ¡§Jesus will take us ways we never would have chosen- to show us things we never would have seen"
This takes real humility! But this is what James is speaking of
- humility releases God to do what HE wants
o and we want more of that, don¡¦t we?!
- yes, plan¡K but be willing to let God direct you elsewhere, too
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together :"We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God. God will be constantly crossing our paths and cancelling our plans by sending us people with claims and petitions. We may pass them by, preoccupied with our more important tasks, as the priest passed by the man who had fallen among thieves, perhaps -- reading the Bible. . . . . it is part of the discipline of humility that we must not spare our hand where it can perform a service and we do not assume that our schedule is our own to manage, but allow it to be arranged by God." -
Let¡¦s finish. But remember:
The future- plan, but with prayer
- put God fist in your planning. Put your spiritual health up the top of the list
- and trust that God overrules. Can ¡¥bridle you¡¦ if necessary Ps 32:9
Frailty- recognise life is fragile
And make the most of every day, minute, relationship. Opportunity. Count your blessings and turn them back to praise.
Flexibility
- keep humble¡K and leave room for Him to act. For His plans.
- in time you¡¦ll find He¡¦s got some great plans that you had never dreamed of
