Sermon Tone Analysis

Well on Christmas Day, two Sundays ago, I was excited as after service I would be flying out to Northern California to be with my wife and our children and spend Christmas night together.

You see, many of you know that they had left on Tuesday, earlier in the week and I was home, stuck even on Friday and Saturday, because the roads were closed to non-essential traffic.

So, when Sunday afternoon, came around, there was a sense of excitement as I rushed to the airport to catch my 3:30 flight and later that day see my family.

But there was one problem, 3:30 came and went, and no take-off.

4 O’ clock came and still, we were stranded.

Then 4:30, and finally at 5 o’ clock, I finally got an update about my flight.

It was cancelled.

In this moment, as you can imagine, it was a bit of a… “wait, say what?” situation.

It was Christmas Day, it wasn’t April fools, but still, I thought “you’ve to be kidding me?!” and I wish they were, but low and behold, my flight that day was cancelled.

Still, as I waited at the tail-end of a 300-person line to see about changing my flight, I thought “well surely, there must be a flight out of Columbus or a nearby airport over the next day or so…” Unfortunately, after waiting an hour and a half to get to the counter (and we thought Walmart lines were bad), I was told that the next available flight would not be until Friday afternoon; 5 days later.

Now, to make a long story short, I knew that this too would pass, I also certainly knew that there would be some character development here, but finally I knew that I would be using this mess-of-a-situation, as a sermon soon.

After driving back that evening, on what seemed like 60-mile skating rink in between the airport and Kenton, I finally arrived back at 9:30 pm to Kenton.

Fast-forward to the next day, this time, having come to the realization that the next flight wouldn’t be leaving unto Friday… I thought to myself, well this changing was sermon prep a little.

Whereas I thought I was going on vacation, I know, was preparing to work on a sermon for this Sunday… and the question became.

“what am I going to preach on.”

It was there, on Monday morning, in looking in 2 Corinthians, that the heading of Paul’s situation jumped out at me.

Just before verse 12, in 2 Corinthians, the heading is “Paul’s change of Plans.”

And I thought to myself, wait Paul, you had change of plans?

No way, me too!

I then began to read the through the scripture, and ponder the words that were spoken, and this is the direction for our mornings message today.

You see, as we begin a new year.

Just by a show of hands… who has a resolution?

Who has plans for the year ahead?

I know, I do… I have certain things in my life that I would like to accomplish this year.

For instance, I would like to weight, I would like to read the bible twice through, and I would like to take my wife on a 15-year anniversary trip later this year.

So, I have goals that I’ve set out to accomplish in my life, but here’s the question… How do we make plans in life?

If you have goals for this year, or for your life, what is guiding your decisions?

If you have your bibles, turn with me to 2 Corinthians 1.

As we consider 3 points this morning.

1. God’s plans for your life should be based on His Will. 2. God’s plans for your life should be based on His Word.

And 3. God’s plans for your life should be based on His Will his Work

1. God’s plans for your life should be based on His Will.

Paul One of the most famous missionaries to ever live.

Would go on to under God’s hand, write 13 books of the bible.

And finally, he would complete several missionary journeys all throughout the Mediterranean, advancing the gospel from one city to the next and humbling sharing the Love of Christ everywhere he went.

Yet we reach a problem.

A problem in travel plans.

You see, originally, Paul Goes and starts the church in Corinth during his second missionary journey, which you can read about in Acts 18.

And After spending 18 months in Corinth, he leaves, only to find out that things aren’t going well with the church.

So, he proceeds to write them the letter of 1 Corinthians which designed to correct things in the church.

IN time, he finds out that his letter was ineffective; it fell on deaf ears.

So, in response, Paul would go on to visit the church (described in 2 Corinthians 2:1 describes as a painful visit) then he goes on to write them another, more sever letter (as it’s known).

Finally, Paul would find out from Titus, that severe letter and this painful visit paid off.

The people of Corinth have for the most part repented and turned back to God, except for a few critics and naysayers, the people have turned to the Lord.

And so, Paul writes this letter of 2 Corinthians to reaffirm his love and commitment to them.

But he also addresses false these naysayers and religious leaders in the Corinth church.

He first addresses his travel change of planes:

He writes - 2 Cor 1:12-17:

12 Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, with integrity and godly sincerity.

We have done so, relying not on worldly wisdom but on God’s grace.

13 For we do not write you anything you cannot read or understand.

And I hope that, 14 as you have understood us in part, you will come to understand fully that you can boast of us just as we will boast of you in the day of the Lord Jesus.

15 Because I was confident of this, I wanted to visit you first so that you might benefit twice.

16 I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia and to come back to you from Macedonia, and then to have you send me on my way to Judea.

17 Was I fickle when I intended to do this?

Or do I make my plans in a worldly manner so that in the same breath I say both “Yes, yes” and “No, no”?

If we stop and give context to what is going on here, Paul explains that his hope, or his plan ultimately was to visit the Corinthian church twice.

He was going to travel from Ephesus to Macedonia and on the way… stop in Corinth.

and then in returning from Macedonia, he planned to return for another visit.

But for whatever reason his plans changed, he wasn’t able to stop there on the way, but only on his return from Ephesus.

And in the lack of consistency with keeping with his plans, those who opposed Paul, used this as an opportunity to show how he couldn’t be trusted.

How he wasn’t Good for at his word.

And Paul goes on to explain how his conscience testifies that he has conducted himself with integrity and godly sincerity.

But here’s the key where I want us to focus for a moment, Paul would write:

12 Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, with integrity and godly sincerity...

We have done so, relying not on worldly wisdom but on God’s grace.

You see, Paul makes a key distinction here, insisting that his plans are not based on worldly wisdom but based on God’s grace; God’s provision for his life.

You see, here’s the point, Paul knew that his life was not about him.

Instead, It was based entirely on God’s will and design for his life.

Paul would write in his last letter to the Corinthian church he explains, in 1 Cor 16:

5 After I go through Macedonia, I will come to you—for I will be going through Macedonia.

6 Perhaps I will stay with you for a while, or even spend the winter, so that you can help me on my journey, wherever I go.

7 For I do not want to see you now and make only a passing visit; I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits.

8 But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, 9 because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.

If we go back to verse 7, we glean this sense of devotion from Paul.

As he says I do not want to see you now and make only a passing visit; I hope to spend some time with you….

If the Lord permits.

Here’s the point, Paul understood, that he could make plans… that there was nothing wrong with in of itself… in fact, we should have goals and aspirations and vision for our life… but it has to be the right blueprint.

You see I’m remind about the man who asked a mail-order company to send plans for a birdhouse.

Instead of sending him the plans for a birdhouse however, they sent him plans for a sailboat.

This man tried to put it together, and tried and tried he did… but, it just wouldn't work.

He couldn't figure what kind of bird was going to live in this dumb birdhouse.

So, he wrote a letter, and sent the parts back to the people.

They wrote a letter of apology and added this postscript: "If you think it was difficult for you… you should have seen the man who got your plans trying to sail a birdhouse."

You see here’s the point this morning… God knows what is best for your life.

It’s not that making plans are wrong, we see that Paul has commitment to making plans, but ultimately, your plans have to be committee to Christ.

We read in James 4: 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.

Church, God knows what his purpose is for you.

God knew what his design was for Paul, God sees what’s best for our children and our family and for the future.

And he simply wants you to come to him.

As we begin a new year.

As we set out with hopes, and aspirations and dreams… there’s nothing wrong with this… but in everything would we look to the WILL of God for our lives.

Proverbs 16:3 tells us : 3 Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.

Church, are we committed this morning?

Are we looking to him for every area of our lives?

Are we seeking his design, his vision, and his purpose?