I've Got Big Plans

I’ve Got God’s Got Big Plans

Proverbs 19:21 Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.

No matter how big our plans are, no matter how ambitious we are, God’s purpose will come to pass. What we’re going to look at tonight is where we fall into this equation…

James 4:13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

The Appeal of Self-Made Plans

So, here’s the scene: These guys are saying, “I’ve got big plans for my life, and this is what they look like…at this time, I’m going to go into this town, I’m going to spend this amount of time there, and then MY PLAN will come to fruition.”

And there is absolutely nothing wrong with making plans for our life…I’ll show you what I mean by that in a minute…but the problem comes when we totally leave God out of our plans.

And that’s what these guys are doing in James chapter 4. So in verse 15, James calls them out, letting them know where they are wrong, and he says “INSTEAD, YOU OUGHT TO SAY…IF THE LORD WILLS, we will live and do this or that.

Now, your specific plans may not be the same as these guys - going to this place, for this time, to make a profit - but can we all acknowledge that we have plans for our lives? YES, OF COURSE WE DO.

And is it inherently wrong for us to have plans? OF COURSE IT ISN’T. The Bible says that without a vision, the people perish. Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint (are greatly discouraged).

That means that where there is no goal, where there is no form of plan in our life at all, then we are left completely discouraged…just wandering aimlessly through life.

*for every mile of road, there’s 2 miles of ditch: Like judgment last week…we should judge sin HUMBLY, DIRECTLY, W/PURE INTENTIONS. The ditches are ignoring all sin on one side and being a legalistic pharisee on the other.

So that’s one extreme, waking up with no purpose, no direction, no desire to accomplish anything in life…That’s not the life that God wants for us.

On the other extreme, though, some of us are so ambitious, that we lock in on our own desires to such a degree, that we can’t hear from anyone who tells us otherwise, we can’t even hear from God if He wants us to change our plans because we’re so locked in on our own desires, our own wants. Many of us who operate this way would say we follow Christ, would say we want to fulfill His will and that we are riding with Him through journey of life that we’re on…but here’s what that journey actually looks like: We’re in the driver’s seat, and we’re like “Hop in Jesus, I’m driving.” Can you imagine? Picture of me and Jesus in car.…Jesus is saying, ”You don’t even know where you’re going…you’re gonna crash…”

Proverbs 16:25 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.

So look at these ditches, and be honest with yourself, as to which one you most often find yourself in (to be honest, I can sometimes find myself in both) and as we dig into God’s Word tonight, we’re going to see that He provides solutions for us to get out of the ditch we’re in and back on the road.

I want everybody to understand that GOD DOES HAVE A GREAT PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE. But HE holds the plan. HE MAKES THE WAY…HE can see what we can’t see ahead on the journey.

So what the Bible is telling us is that 1) NO, It’s not good to drift through life aimlessly with no purpose or vision, BUT 2) It’s equally as bad to bulldoze our way through life and do whatever we decide to do to make our desires come to pass…

So the important question becomes, HOW DO WE FIND THE BALANCE REQUIRED TO WALK IN THE PLAN THAT GOD HAS FOR US?

Look at the language that James uses in verse 13-14…

James 4:13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

These people that James is talking to, they have totally pushed God our of their plans - and here’s how they’ve done it…they’ve said..1)TODAY, I’m going to pursue my goal and my passion, and that’s going to be the top priority in my life…2)TOMORROW, I’ll do the same - my goal and my desire is my priority…3) For the NEXT YEAR, I’ll be directed by this goal, this plan that I’ve put together.

And James says, “You don’t even know what tomorrow will bring.” Then he says that our life is a mist, a vapor (breath on a cold morning). He’s calling these guys out, saying “you have no control, and you’re living like you have all the control.” He’s communicating this Biblical truth that life is precious, life is short, and in the grand scheme of things, you are not in control.

What James is telling us is that we need to release control of this life and give it to God. He says, instead of making these grand plans, you 15 ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we’ll put our plans into motion.”

So, here’s this idea that we anchor our faith to - seeking the will of God…and in verse 16, James shows us the exact opposite of seeking God’s will - which is boasting in your arrogance.(=I got this) That’s the pride of life that we’ve talked about before, that takes us away from the will of God…and here’s what “boasting in your arrogance” looks like – it’s saying I GOT THIS. DON’T TELL ME WHAT TO DO (even you, God).

So, if that’s the ditch you find yourself in, then here’s the answer to get out: Humility…a full reliance on Him.

The folks that James is addressing..they’re definitely in the arrogance ditch..

The Solution to Our Arrogance = HUMILITY

If we are going to walk in God’s will…if we’re going to step into God’s plan, then we need to be fully dependent on Him daily.

Lord’s Prayer: Give us this day our daily bread.

Those who follow God are not independent people. We are fully dependent, like a child to a loving parent. And God wants us to remain dependent daily, not just when we feel like it.

Exodus 16:4 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not.

19 And Moses said to them, “Let no one leave any of it over till the morning.” 20 But they did not listen to Moses. Some left part of it till the morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them.

Israelites in the wilderness: God rained down manna from heaven every day, and if they tried to store it up for the next day, what happened? It spoiled. This is a picture of the relationship between God and those who follow Him.. He wants us to rely on Him…but not just when we feel like it..He wants us to rely on Him daily.

Jesus echoes this same idea in the sermon on the mount…

Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

What Jesus is saying in verse 33, when He says “seek first”, is that that’s our top priority in life - seeking God and His will above all else. And He says that if we do that, then tomorrow is taken care of…just make Him your focus today.

If we are the type of people who feel like we don’t have purpose or any plan for life, like we’re just drifting aimlessly through life, Jesus is saying, “Seek Me First…and I’ll order your steps…so you don’t have to worry about tomorrow because I’ve got it figured out already.

And if we’re the type that has everything all figured out for ourselves, then Jesus is saying, “pump the brakes.” Before you dive head first into tomorrow and everything you have planned, seek me first, and I’ll keep you on the right track.”

That’s a pretty simple concept, right? Seek Him first, seek Him daily, and He will take care of the rest. James is talking about making plans and how we are supposed to invite the Lord into our plans. And while that’s a simple concept, it’s not an easy one, right?

What makes it so difficult for us to give up our own plans and seek God and His? It’s the fact that we, as human beings, each and every one of us, has PREFERENCES. So does God.

Trusting God’s plan means denying our own preferences.

According to our preferences, we have a plan for our lives. Every person in this room, whether you’ve mapped it out on paper or you just keep the idea in your head, we all have a plan of preference for our lives - who we want in our lives, where we want to live, where we want to work, how long we want to work there, what we want to do with our free time, etc…

We all have preferences, and we can choose to build a plan based on those preferences. So does God…and He desires to plan our lives around His preferences.

Now, whose plan do you think is better? Whose plan is going to bear more fruit? His, of course.

Let me show you what I mean…If you have your Bibles, turn to Luke chapter 8…and we’re going to look at the parable of the sower. Many of you are familiar with the parable, but I want to examine it in a way that perhaps you haven’t looked at it before. I recently heard this parable taught by a great man of God, a scholar, theologian, great teacher, that I admire and respect, and this teaching had such an impact on me that this passage has gripped me now for several weeks. And after a LOT of study on the passage, I want to show you what I think Jesus is telling us here.

Luke 8:5 “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. 6 And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. 8 And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.”

11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. 14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. 15 As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.

Now, if you’re like me, you’ve probably always heard it taught this way: Path - BAD, Rock - BAD, Thorns - BAD, Good soil - GOOD! Right?

And out of those 4, which do we obviously want to be? THE GOOD SOIL OBVIOUSLY

But which one do you think you are? I think most of us identify with the thorns. Verse 14 says as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. That’s an individual who believes in the Lord, and God has done a work in them, but because of their preferences – cares, riches, and pleasures of life – their fruit does not mature. The fruit in my life is not as mature as it could be because my plans, as James is focusing on in chapter 4, are all-to-often influenced by my preferences. And when I prioritize my preferences over God’s will and His preferences, then I limit what He can do in my life.

Our fears can put us in one ditch, and our ambitious pursuit of what we want can put us in the other. If you’re in the left ditch because of fears, cares, and other concerns, then you have to know that God is bigger than those things. If you’re in the other ditch because of big plans you’ve made for your own life, then you have to know that God is bigger and His plans are better than any that you could ever make.

The point is this: The fruitful life that God has called us to is in denying our own desires that don’t align with His will and aligning our desires with Him.

The whole goal for us is to align our plans with God’s plan…to align our desires with God’s desires. Proverbs 37:4 says delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.

And on the surface, that can look like a manipulation tactic, where we use God to get what we want. Like, hey, I really want this new job or this new house or this new car…whatever it may be..I want this thing. And if I’ll just delight myself in the Lord, if I spend my quiet time with God in the morning, if I read my verse of the day, and if I listen to K-love instead of secular music, then He’ll give me what I want. Right?

No…That is not at all what this scripture means. What it means is that if we truly delight ourselves in the Lord, if we make Him the focal point of our lives, if we abide in Him, then as a result, our desires will begin to align with His. If our hearts are full of the love of God, then they will be full of the desires of God…and that is when God gives us the desires of our hearts.