James 4 - Planning Apart from God's Will

Introduction

Planning - how many of you are good at planning?

INTJ, Meyers Briggs - (Introverted, Intuitive, Thinking, Judging) - “Architect”

Is the Bible in favor of planning?

Proverbs 21:5 (NIV)

"The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty."

Proverbs 15:22 (NIV)

"Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed."

Luke 14:28-30 (NIV)

"Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’"

Are there any warnings about planning?

Proverbs 27:1 (NIV)

"Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring."

Luke 12:16-21 (NIV)

"And he told them this parable: 'The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, "What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops." Then he said, "This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, 'You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.'" 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?" This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.'"

Proverbs 16:9 (NIV)

"In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps."

What is the answer?

Proverbs 19:21 (NIV)

"Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails."

Proverbs 16:3 (NIV)

"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans."

Proverbs 16:3 CSB

3 Commit your activities to the Lord, and your plans will be established.

1. Our Plans

James 4:13 CSB

13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.”

What is the scenario?

These are “deliberate and self-confident planners” (Moo)

The Letter of James A. Arrogant Planning Ignores God’s Providence (4:13–17)

This period was marked by growing commercial activity, and especially in the Hellenistic cities of Palestine (such as those in the Decapolis). Jews were especially active in these ventures; many had left Palestine to settle in cities throughout the Mediterranean world in pursuit of financial gain. And, of course, the picture is equally familiar to us in the modern world. Modes of transportation and distances have changed, but the “bottom line” has not

Commerce was always important in the ancient world (recall Joseph being sold into slavery; the strategic location of Israel as being “the land between”). This was even more the case with the Roman Empire, as the wealth of the merchant class grew. The significance of the “Pax Romana” and the Roman road system cannot be understated.

Why is Jeff Bezos the 2nd richest man in the world (200 billion)? Amazon - commerce! Also AWS (Amazon Web Services) - wildly successful

So even though many of the early Jewish Christians may have been impoverished and in need, some were not.

2. God’s Reality

James 4:14–15 CSB

14 Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be! For you are like vapor that appears for a little while, then vanishes. 15 Instead, you should say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”

v.14 paraphrase - none of us is promised tomorrow

“vapor that appears for a little while”

Amplified Bible (Chapter 1)

Vapor of vapors and futility of futilities, says the Preacher (Eccl 1:2)

Ecclesiastes 11:8 “8 Indeed, if someone lives many years, let him rejoice in them all, and let him remember the days of darkness, since they will be many. All that comes is futile.”

Applications:

There may be less time in life for our plans than we think

There may be less time in life to do good than we think

v.15 “If the Lord wills”

This ought to convict our hearts of God’s sovereignty in every area of our lives even as we seek to please him by following his will as best as we can discern it (Moo)

James Exegetical Outline

The right attitude is to plan but to make allowance for God’s will to change those plans

3. Sinful Boasting

James 4:16–17 CSB

16 But as it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 So it is sin to know the good and yet not do it.

these business people are bragging about their ability to plan their own lives independently of any divine guidance

so in essence…they are boasting about their arrogance (a subtle distinction)

v.17 It is a sin for a Christian to boast in this way because we know better!

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

• What is the danger in planning for days/times that aren’t guaranteed?

• What does God being in control mean for our plans?

• How does God’s sovereignty affect your view of life?

• How can you make your plans dependent upon God?

• What needs to change in your life right now to live a life dependent upon God?

• Does your life point to eternity or to this world?

• How can this group help you to depend upon God?