Tomorrow’s Plans Under God’s Sovereignty

Tomorrow’s Plans Under God’s Sovereignty

Bible Passage: James 4:13–17

James 4:13–17 “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”— 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. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”

Big Idea: Acknowledging our limitations and God's sovereignty leads us to a peaceful and intentional approach to life, fostering trust that can transform our planning from mere ambition to divine purpose.

Illustration: Summarized from Praying the Bible by Donald Whitney

George Mueller was troubled youth who God saved at age 15 and became a renowned man of prayer and faith, best known for his orphanages in 19th century England.

Orphanage Work: Mueller cared for thousands of orphans in Bristol, England, providing them with food, clothing, and education, without making his needs known to anyone but God through prayer.

Prayer Journals: Mueller recorded over fifty thousand specific answers to prayer in his journals, with thirty thousand answered the same day or hour he prayed them.

Change in Prayer Method: Initially, Mueller struggled to feel like praying until he altered his method by incorporating conversing with God about the Bible, which significantly improved his prayer life.

Impact on Prayer Life: Praying through Scripture transformed Mueller's daily experience, making his prayer life more focused and fulfilling.

1. Presumption Versus Reality | Planning Through God’s Will | Pride Versus Obedience

James 4:13–14 “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”— 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.”

James’s tone is abrupt and offhanded when he says now you listen and continues with you who says. In the past James has often used the term Brothers at this point in his address but he instead used you who say. This indicates that he is speaking to whoever would say so therefore his address is toward both those in the church and those outside the church. Those who would say… James then shows us 4 ways we presume our plans.

1)Time - Today or tomorrow

2)Place - such and such town

3)Length of Time - spend a year there

4)What the result will be - make a profit.

Notice there is no mention of the Lord and his will in vs 13-14. Essentially everything James is talking about in this part of the passage is apart from the Lord and rests on the strength of the one who says, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”. James’s answer is you do not know what tomorrow will bring.

How brash and arrogant can one be? That they do not even know what tomorrow will be and yet they attest in a year they will make a profit. Are we not guilty of the same?

Parable of the rich fool - Luke 12:16–21 “And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” 

This rich man who had done well for himself, so well he really did not have any place to store his crops. His thought, tear down his barns and build larger ones so that he would have a place to store his goods so that he would no longer have to work but could relax, eat, drink and be merry. This sounds really good does not it…

That was not Gods plan though was it… God said to him, ‘Fool! - remember A fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” Psalm 14:1. This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

Planning wasn’t the issue. We can plan how we like, the issue was being poor in God and acting like a fool who says in his heart there is no God.

George Mueller is the antithesis or the opposite of both the parable of the rich fool and our passage. Mueller presented his plans to the Lord in prayer and the Lord provided richly answering fifty thousand specific answers to prayer in his journals, with thirty thousand answered the same day or hour he prayed them.

Returning to our passage vs 14b James asks a question, ‘What is your life?’ He answers, you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.

The parable of the rich fool and James both agree that planning isn’t a bad thing (Proverbs 16:9 “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”), as a matter of fact planning within the Lords will is good but being poor of God is the real issue and our plans apart from God are futile. Our lives are short and spending time on worthless pursuits is vanity in the words of the Preacher. We are here for just a fleeting time and like a mist which quickly vanishes.

Occasionally I like to fish when I have time and often on the cool mornings in the spring the fog will be on the water. But as the sun rises so the fog disappears, and such is the case with our lives. They are short and if not lived purposefully for the Lord they will disappear. So do not presume which is iniquity and idolatry 1 Samuel 15:23 of self but rather trust the reality of knowing the one who holds the future.

In Summary James sharp tone points to the foolishness of leaving God out of your plans. If God holds the future, then why do we not consult him in what we plan to do? Our lives are short as a vapor. This is Presumption verses reality.

2. Planning Through God’s Will

James 4:15 “Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.””

After giving us the dangers of presumption James changes directions training those who would say “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit” in righteousness. He contrasts and says here is what you should say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”

Nothing more clearly summarizes the character of a genuine believer than a desire to do the will of God. - John MacArthur

For a Christian, doing God’s will from the heart is an act of spiritual worship which is the acceptable response for the mercy God has shown us (Romans 12:1-2). Knowing God’s will be key to understanding what it is we are to do. The bible clearly identifies what the Lords will is in at least five distinct aspects.

Saved - The Lords will is for you to be saved, it is His utmost desire. 1 Timothy 2:3–4 “This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

Spirit filled - The will of the Lord that you be filled with the Spirit. Ephesians 5:17–18 “Therefore do not be foolish but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,”

To be saved and Spirit filled is no something we can do on our own. Jesus told Nicodemus John 3:3 “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”” Unless one is born from above you cannot see the kingdom of God. Confused by Jesus statement asked John 3:4 “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”” John 3:5 “Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” The Lord describes this being born of water and the Spirit to the prophet Ezekiel when He says: Ezekiel 36:25–27 “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”

Has this occurred in your life? Have you received a new heart, or the inner man and his desires been changed? In other words you once walked far from God shaking your fist in anger at him but now because John 3:17–21 “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.””

Are you walking in the light? Is that light is clearly seen?

Sanctified - The Lord’s will that you to be sanctified or growing and practicing the knowledge of the Lord Jesus by controlling your own body as you abstain from sexual immorality. Walking in the light. 1 Thessalonians 4:3 “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;” Sanctification is the ongoing action as you strive to become more like the Lord Jesus. This happens by learning more about him and being changed to his likeness because of what you know. To become more Holy, more pure, more honoring, more loving, more into His image. Turning from the passions of your flesh and turning to the one who can actually fulfill every desire you have.

Submitting - It is the will of the Lord that you submit to the authority placed over you. 1 Peter 2:13–17 “Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.” This is where we find the command for us all to Ephesians 5:21 “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” Where wives are to Ephesians 5:22 “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.” and husbands are to love their wives. Were children are Ephesians 6:1 “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” Submitting means to come under, to be subordinate to and to obey. It is the Lords will that those in Christ be submitting so that by doing good we would silence the ignorant foolish people who do not know God.

Suffering - This last aspect of Gods will is not going to be popular, but it is what the Word says. God wills for us to suffer for doing good. 1 Peter 3:17 “For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.”

If you are all of these; saved, spirit filled, being sanctified, submitting to the authority that has been ordained by God and suffering for His name’s sake then you can do what you want. You are in the revealed will of God, and you can know the Lord wills what you desire to do. Give it to him in prayer and expect a response as you conduct the other parts of Gods revealed will. Take up your cross and follow Christ as you walk a worthy life.

Spurgeon said it this way, “When your will is God’s will, you will have your will.”

Summary: God’s will is not hard to understand but you must be Saved, Spirit filled, Sanctified, Submitting and Suffering to understand it. If you understand God’s will revealed in scripture, you know what to do in the Lords will it is a question of is this the Lord’s timing. Pray and follow the spirit know it is his will to do this or that.

3. Pride Versus Obedience

James 4:16–17 “As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So, whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”

James’s confronting those who would say… bringing out more error about boasting in tomorrow. He has called those who would say… down once for not knowing what tomorrow will bring and now, he calls them down again saying they are showing off their false pride. This false pride is a rottenness to the core. Not only does it stink but it bears the stench of death. James says all such boasting is evil.

Contrasting against the will of the Lord in vs 15 we find what is evil or opposed to the will of the Lord. Not only is boasting in your arrogance evil it is also the case for those who know what the right thing to do and fail to do it.

Knowing the right thing to do or knowing the will of God is a mark of a believer in Christ. Unbelievers do not know, nor do they care what the will of God is. Their will is self-will, promoting self in arrogance, pride and are opposed to God and his will. James calls it what it is, sin and wage of sin is death.

Summary: James 4:13–17 serves as a pointed reminder about the limits of human foresight and planning. As James addresses merchants confidently making plans for the future, he underscores the reality that our lives are in God’s hands, and our understanding of tomorrow is inherently flawed without His guidance. James says boasting in arrogance is evil and to know the right thing to do and fail to do it is sin.

Think back to the beginning when I spoke to you about George Muller. Here is somethings he said just prior to his conversion. "I had no Bible and had not read it for years," Muller said: "I went to church but seldom; but from custom took the Lord's Supper twice a year. I had never heard the Gospel preached up to the beginning of November, 1825. I had never met with a person who told me that he meant by the help of God to live according to the Scriptures. In short, I had not the least idea that there were any persons really different from myself except in degree."

As we finish our time together, I would like for you bow your head and ask the Lord what you taught you today?

Maybe God taught you that you have all fallen short of Gods glory in sin and that the wage of that sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. This is the Good News or the Gospel that Jesus came to save us from our sins. Do you know your sins are forgiven and has your relationship with God been reconciled?

Maybe God taught you your walking far from God and you need to come back, you have backslidden and your finding yourself in more and more sin. Your confident you know him, but your sin is separating you from the relationship you should have with God and His Son Jesus, come back and confess your sin! He is faithful and just to forgive you and to cleanse you from any unrighteousness. God loved us enough to give his only son to make away for us to be brought back to him. Come and be cleansed and walk in the light!

I will be here for a few minutes after we finish praying. If you want to know more about Jesus who came to save us from our sins or need prayer, I am here for you.