62 year old John Brandrick of Cornwall, England received terrible news. “The clinical diagnosis is pancreatic cancer. His life expectancy is six months.”
With those words, Brandrick decided to go out in style. He quit his job and stopped paying his mortgage. He emptied his savings account and sold all that he had (except the black suit in which he planned to be buried). He then spent every dollar (or, pound!) he had, enjoying expensive dining, entertainment and travel. But as time went by, Brandrick’s health didn’t deteriorate as expected. A subsequent scan revealed that he didn’t have cancer at all. “It was such a relief,” Mr Brandrick said after hearing the news. “But that wrong diagnosis has left me in financial ruin.” Bankrupt was alive, but bankrupt and facing homelessness, – all the result of an errant diagnosis.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-453095/Patient-given-wrong-diagnosis-year-live-faces-bankruptcy.html
Have your plans ever been disrupted? Robert Burns’ Scottish Poem “To a Mouse” phrased it this way, “The best laid schemes of mice and men go often askew.” Our plans are always subject to forces beyond our control.
But the saints that James writes to failed to recognize this fact and were very presumptuous about their plans. This presumption is similar to the arrogance related to judging others that was contemned by James in the preceding verses.
In James 4:13-17, James addresses a SECOND form of FALSE PRESUMPTION.
In James 4:11-12, James warns us not to be presumptive about other people’s motives.
In James 4:13-17, James warns us not to be presumptive about our plans.
Again, HUMILITY is in focus in James. We see this in James 4:16 “all such boasting is evil.” Humility has been a theme in chapter 4.
Here is our text for this sermon.
“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.” (James 4:13–17, ESV)
Who is James addressing when he writes, “you who say….”
His audience is Jewish believers who were Planning without God
They were going about normal, every day business. James describes five innocent aspects of their business.
They planned the time of their departure. “Today or tomorrow”
They planned to go to a certain place to conduct business. “Such and such a town”
They planned to find temporary housing and stay for a certain amount of time. They are fairly certain about how long their business will take. “spend a year there.”
They plan on HOW they are going to make money. “Trade” (we are going to engage with others and our trade will be successful)
They are confident that the result of this will be profitable. “we will make a profit”
James is not disagreeing with their desire to make plans or conduct business. Both are God-honoring actions!
“The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labor.” (Proverbs 12:24, ESV)
“The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.” (Proverbs 21:5, ESV)
Planning is Required for important ventures.
To build a house
To go on a trip
To meet financial goals
“Those who fail to plan, PLAN TO FAIL”
BUT…. These Christians were making plans completely on the basis of HUMAN WISDOM
The are called “Selfish hustlers” (Ron Blue, BKC)
They are also referred to as “Practical Atheists” by Bob Utley (“Jesus’ Half-Brother Speaks”)
The WARNING – James 4:14 “You do not know what tomorrow will bring”
James is quoting Prov 27:1 “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.” (Proverbs 27:1, ESV)
W can make plans, but NOTHING is GUARANTEED.
Illus – ABC’s “Shark Tank” – contestants try to gain investment money by pitching their product, how much money it will make, how many items will sell. However, not all of these products will be successful. Think about products from the past that did not make it.
Clairol “Touch of Yogurt Shampoo,”
The Delorian
Bottled water for pets
New Coke
Only GOD knows the future
“Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.” (Psalm 139:4, ESV)
“Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” (Psalm 139:16, ESV)
God will accomplish his purposes.
“declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’” (Isaiah 46:10, ESV)
““I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” (Job 42:2, ESV)
The illustration that James supplies is a picture of the morning dew dissipating from the ground. James writes, “life is like a vapor.” We are gone quickly!
James presents A Better Way – James 4:15 “instead you ought to say, “if the Lord wills..”
This means that we are to recognize God’s Sovereignty in all that we do.
“If the Lord Wills” is more than just a slogan or a good luck charm.
This phrase is used frequently in the Bible.
PAUL in his travel. “But on taking leave of them he said, “I will return to you if God wills,” and he set sail from Ephesus.” (Acts 18:21, ESV)
PAUL in his plans to visit ROME “so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company.” (Romans 15:32, ESV)
If you know about the writing of Romans, Paul did not go to Rome as he planned. As he spoke of his plans to visit Rome, he recognizes that his plans were all subject to the will of God.
The time of the writing of the Epistle to the Romans is the end of 3rd missionary journey
Paul would be arrested in Jerusalem
Paul would spend 2 years in prison in Caesarea
Sent to Rome but shipwrecked
Bitten by a snake and miraculously healed
Ends up in Rome as a prisoner
Paul’s great plans did not turn out the way that he thought they would. However, his faith was not shaken and he sees God’s will as more important than his own.
Here are a couple of additional verses that refer to our plans “if the Lord wills.”
“For I do not want to see you now just in passing. I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits.” (1 Corinthians 16:7, ESV)
“Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits.” (Hebrews 6:1–3, ESV)
All of our plans need to be made in light of God’s will.
We must RECOGNIZE his SOVEREIGNTY
God’s will is better for us than our own plans
God’s will is more certain than our own plans (nothing in life is certain)
God’s will provides more security than our own plans. Our plans may succeed or fail. God’s will never fails.
God’s will provides the backdrop for all of our plans.
The final part of this paragraph is found in James 3:17. This is a perplexing verse because we do not know if James is referring back to everything in chapters 1-4 or if he is being more specific about the theme of planning. I think the latter is the main point.
James is saying “Now that you KNOW, DO the RIGHT THING.” “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” (James 4:17, ESV)
This verse tells us two things:
PUT GOD FIRST in all of our plans
CARRY OUT those plans!
In other words,. James is saying “If you put God first in your plans and then fail to complete them you are sinning.:
The person who plans the RIGHT THINGS, but then does not complete them!
This addresses a person with POTENTIAL. You will never come up against a greater adversary than your own potential, ~Michael Piller and Michael Wagner, Star Trek: The Next Generation, “Evolution,” Dr. Paul Stubbs to Wesley Crusher, original airdate 43,125.8
How do I make PLANS that recognize God’s Sovereignty?
In your Financial planning.
1. God is in charge and can do alter our plans.
2. Wealth comes from God and belongs to God.
3. We are stewards
4. Praise God for all that you have
5. Obedience is more important than wealth
6. Wealth is not the same as success!
In Your Retirement planning.
1. God is in charge and can do alter our plans.
2. How do I please God in my retirement?
3. What are my goals for retirement?
4. What are the temptations that are stronger in my advancing years?
5. Is my trust in the Lord?
In Education planning.
1. God is in charge and can do alter our plans.
2. Am I trusting the Lord?
3. Obedience is more important than academic or business success
FBC Strategic Planning
1. God is in charge and can do alter our plans.
2. Our plans need to reflect God’s priorities
3. Our plans need to be formed in God honoring ways
4. Plans can change. Only God is unchangeable.
Let’s make our plans, but let us make them with the recognition that GOD is in CHARGE
– seek his will when making plans
– recognize that he has the authority to change our plans
– Praise him when unexpected things take place
– Affirm God’s authority over our plans both big and small “if the Lord Wills”
