God Has a Plan
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Intro:
5 Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” 6 And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.
The title of my message is [God Has a Plan].
The other night before bed, Bekah and were talking, like we do often, about how God has has been and is to us. He has been faithful. We both agreed, we never could have imagined following God’s plan for our lives would be this great.
I thought about where we are and how God got us here. So if I can for a few moments, I want to testify.
In three to four months we will welcome Davis. He will get to live in the best place in the world!
That would not have happened had we not got married five years ago.
Eleven months before our wedding, God directed me to move to Vulcan, Mo. I never dreamed pastoring could be as great as it has been.
And I would have never landed in Vulcan had I not followed God’s instructions as I prayed at the altar on Sunday, July 4, 2010 when I felt God tell me moving to Salem, MO was part of HIs plan for me.
Going backward, I would not have been in Salem had I not got serious about preaching and allowing God to fulfill His call on my life.
And I would have never answered the call of God had I not allowed Jesus to baptize me in the Holy Spirit. I was ten or eleven at an altar service at Kid’s Camp. I knelt at the altar praying in tongues and just knew that God wanted me to preach.
And none of that would have happened had I not prayed a simple prayer as a six-year-old, Jesus will you come in my heart and be my Savior.
My story is not that different from every person in this room. I am not saying every person in here is called to be a pastor. But what I do believe is God has a plan for EVERY person.
Before our birth God knows our future and destiny. And we begin to walk in His divine plan the moment we accept Jesus as our Savior and surrender fully to Him.
The simple prayer, Jesus come into my life, begins the process whereby God reveals His plan to us. But the plan of God is revealed through a life of prayer.
There is power in prayer. When we hear that, we often think of the BIG needs and how important it is to pray. When cancer, sickness, turmoil, or problems arise, we will pray for there is power in prayer.
However, God also shows His power in what we might call the little prayers. When we call on God day-by-day, we invite Him to unveil His plan in and through us.
Every day we live, God knows who will come in our path, what we will experience, and how He wants us to respond. The big prayers are important, but so are the quick prayers we pray throughout the day.
Who believes God has a plan for your life?
God has a plan for us individually, but we are also part of God’s TOTAL plan for humanity. His desire is to have a people for Himself.
At creation, God made us in His image and He gave us the unique ability to communicate through languages. We get to speak because God wants us to have conversations with him.
Remember though, Satan always lurks around, ready to steal, kill, and destroy the plan God has for our lives. However, the enemy can never outmaneuver God.
When we pray and seek Him, Satan cannot defeat us. Therefore, he will attempt to get us to believe half truths. He wants us to affirm that God as a plan for us. Then he deceives us into believing we can attain the plan on our terms.
Therefore, to overcome Satan’s strategies, we must PRAY everyday. We must invite Him into every decision and choice we face.
For great exploits occur through people who pray. However, difficulties face those who do not call on God.
To prove this point, I want to look at Abraham and his story. God sought out Abraham to show him His plan. Abraham was an important part of God’s story.
However, it took time for Abraham to learn how to partner with God through pray in seeing His plan unfold.
Let’s look at his story in three parts, [Receiving the Plan], [Relying on People], and [Renewing our Prayers].
Let’s begin
1. Receiving the Plan
1. Receiving the Plan
1 Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Abraham, who at this time was still named Abram, comes to the pages of scripture at a wicked time. We looked last Sunday how God separated the world because they used their one language to give one message, God we don’t need you.
But God never forgets His promises. He promised to redeem humanity, so He selected a family to make this possible. He speaks to Abram to leave his country.
He promised to give Abram land for his descendants. Through Abram a great nation would rise. Abram’s name would be great.
And most of all, those who bless Abram and his family will be blessed, but those who curse Abram and his family will be cursed.
What an amazing plan. Some might think that there was something special about Abram. Not necessarily. He was a common man, but God used him.
God has a habit of using ordinary people to fulfill His plan in the earth.
Upon hearing God’s instructions, Abram, his wife, and nephew Lot, depart from their home to see the land God planned to give Abram.
God confirmed He would give the land to Abram’s descendants. Notice what he did in response to God’s plan.
8 And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.
He built an altar and called on the name of the Lord. Just like the righteous men before him, Abram joined the ranks of men like Noah, Enoch, and Seth, who called on God’s name in prayer.
The plan is perfect except for one problem, Abram is 75 years old and God did not immediately make fulfill the plan. Abram grew discouraged and wondered how the plan would work.
1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” 2 But Abram said, “Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”
God spoke to Abram in a vision and promised him, I will protect you and reward you greatly. That was God’s plan. But Abram questioned God?
His question was not a lack of faith, but simply a conversation with God. He wondered, because I am childless, should I give everything to my servant. Is that how you plan to bless my family?
Remember, our plans are never God’s plan. The Lord told Abram to look the sky and try and count the stars. That is how many descendants Abram will have.
Notice Abram’s response:
6 And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.
Abram believed God. This is the FIRST reference to faith in the Bible and it is the FIRST time it says anyone BELIEVED God.
As a result of Abram’s faith, God deemed his righteous, which meant Abram had a relationship with God.
Abram received God’s plan and responded in faith. God started the relationship and Abram responded.
God still longs to have a relationship with everyone. He calls out to us, all He wants from us is to respond in faith.
But Abram was new to his faith and understanding God’s plan. So he believed God had a plan, but he made the mistake of...
2. Relying on People
2. Relying on People
1 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar. 2 So Sarai said to Abram, “See now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai.
Time lingered on and Abram’s wife, Sarai, as she was named at the time, was still barren. They believed God’s plan, but fell into the deception of trying to attain God’s plan through human means.
In Sarai’s mind, she could not have children, but she had a servant named Hagar. If Abram had a child with her, then he would have descendents and God’s plan could come to pass.
The plan seemed logical for the time, but it was not God’s plan. Remember, Satan wants us to BELIEVE God has a plan for us. But he deceives many into thinking THEY have to make the plan happen.
The problem relying on people to fulfill God’s plans is God’s ways are ALWAYS higher than our ways. People are very near sighted. We can only see what’s in front us, but God sees the future.
Abram went along with the plan and Hagar had a son named Ishmael, which literally means wild man. Now, Abram and Sarai have a happy home with a son and a servant mom.
This was not the recipe for a happy home life. In fact, Sarai despised Hagar once she became with child. Jealousy and confusion followed.
What they did not see at the time was God would give Abram and Sarai a son. What then will happen when Abram has the son God promised him, not the one he contrived by Sarai’s plan?
Furthermore, they did not see the longterm problems that plagued the world because of their decision. God stayed true to His word.
Abram’s descendents did become numerous. Ishmael had twelve sons and they grew into a Ishmaelites. The promised son, Isaac, had twelve sons, and they became the twelve tribes of Israel.
The Ishmaelites hated the Israelites. In fact, when we read the story of Joseph, it was the Ishmaelites who bought him and sold him into slavery.
And if we think the problem was contained to the Old Testament, just turn on the news. The problems in the Middle East between the Jews and the Muslims stem back to the moment Abram relied on people to fulfill God’s plan.
God can and will use people to fulfill His plan, but we cannot rely on them to make the plan happen. But that is one of Satan’s tactics.
He will cause us to believe God wants to bless us, but we have to look to people or jobs for the blessing.
He will cause us to believe God wants to use us, but we have to look to people for help.
Problems ALWAYS follow when we rely on people instead of first calling on God, who will put the right people in our path. God did not forsake Abram, instead, he showed Abram the importance of...
3. Renewing our Prayers
3. Renewing our Prayers
3 Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: 4 “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. 5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. 7 And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you.
Now, Abram is 99 years old. Suddenly, God appeared to him and revealed Himself as the Almighty God. He instructed Abraham to walk with Him and serve Him faithfully.
Notice, Abram fell to the ground in reverence before God. But the Lord spoke to Him and made a covenant. Remember a covenant is a promise/contract between two parties.
God renewed His covenant promise with Abram and the sign was a name change. No longer would they be Abram and Sarai, now they were Abraham and Sarah.
Abram means great father
Abraham means father of multitudes
Then God renewed His promise to make many descendents from Abraham and Sarah. Whenever God made or renewed a covenant, He showed His determination to partner with humanity.
From this encounter, Abraham went forward with a renewed confidence that God was with Him. Therefore, as we look at the remainder of his life, we see a man who renewed his determination to communicate with God.
Some time later, Abraham and Sarah were sitting in a tent during the hottest part of the day. Three men came to them and Abraham invited them in to eat.
We won’t read the entire story, but Genesis 18 describes what happened. Many scholars believe one of the three divine visitors was Jesus.
He came thousands of years before Bethlehem to speak to Abraham about the promise God made. He informs Abraham that in a year, Sarah will have a son.
Why would God speak to Abraham in this manner? He wanted to continue to build Abraham’s faith. However, Sarah listened in and doubted.
Listen to what God spoke:
14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.”
The Lord continued to reveal to Abraham, God has a plan. Nothing is too hard for Him. All Abraham had to do was trust and stay in contact with God Almighty.
Overtime, Abraham continued to grow in faith in God. True to His word, Abraham and Sarah had a son and they named his Isaac. When Isaac was a child, God spoke to Abraham once again.
1 Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”
By this point, Abraham knew God’s voice and willingly answered when God spoke. But notice the message, he is to take his only son and sacrifice him on the mountain.
What would possess Abraham to follow through on such a ludicrous request? Abraham had faith in God. The Lord tested his obedience, and Abraham responded in total confidence that God has a plan.
He prepared the altar, but Isaac noticed something amiss. He even asked Abraham, we have wood and fire, but where is the sheep for the offering?
Abraham, knowing God has a plan, confirmed that God would provide the Lamb at the right time. Just before Abraham took Isaac’s life, an angel of the Lord spoke to Abraham and provided a ram in the bush nearby.
God continued to renew Abraham’s confidence in His plans through their mutual conversations. We might wonder, how could Abraham willingly do what God asked?
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,” 19 concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.
Instead of relying on people, Abraham grew in his faith that God could do ANYTHING. Because God had a plan for Abraham’s life, nothing would stop or detour him.
He knew that even death could not stop the plan of God, for God could vanquish death and raise Isaac back to life.
That type of faith does comes through consistent communication with God through prayer, where once again God reminds us, I HAVE A PLAN.
Close:
God has a plan for EVERY person in this sanctuary. Abraham’s life proves this principle for our lives. God sought Abraham and everything changed for him when he BELIEVED God and it was accounted to him as righteousness.
The moment we place our faith in Christ, we begin the process of living out the plan God has for us. However, remember, Satan knows God has a plan, so he has a plan for us.
He longs for us to BELIEVE God has a plan, but he wants us to think WE have to attain God’s plan. Therefore, he will cause us to rely on people. But know this:
God can USE people to help us, but we cannot rely on people.
God can USE friends to encourage us, but we cannot rely on friends
God can USE jobs to provide for us, but we cannot rely on our jobs
God can USE activities for our benenfit, but we cannot rely on such activities
God can USE education, but we cannot rely on our education
God can USE our church, but we cannot solely rely on our church
We have to be like Abraham and get in covenant with God and begin to pray and seek God. For through prayer God reminds us, I HAVE A PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE!
The truth of God’s plan does not depend on us making the plan happen. For many times the plan seems impossible to attain or possess.
But, we can grow in our faith through praying and seeking God. Notice what the New Testament remembered about Abraham:
20 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. 22 And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.”
6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”
23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God.
God longs to fulfill His plan in and through us. He wants us to draw closer to Him, for we are friends of God.
So remember today, GOD HAS A PLAN! For our lives, our church, our community, and our nation.
It is not up to us to try and make the plan happen. We simply have to believe God, trust Him, and seek Him through prayer.
What do we do when we know God has a plan, but it seems like it will never come to pass?
Talk to God. Let Him know with honesty and sincerity, God I believe you, but I cannot see how it will work. That is what Abraham did, and God renewed His covenant with Him.
Remember, through the blood of Jesus, we are in covenant with Almighty God. Therefore, we keep praying, keep seeking, and keep knocking, for when the time is right, He will fulfill His promises.
And when the enemy causes us to doubt or get in a hurry, remind him, I will not rely on anyone other than God, for His plan and purposes are better than I could ever imagine.
He has a plan for us, let’s commit to renew our prayers, seeking Him more fervently for our lives, our families, and our church!