Sermon Tone Analysis

When Plans Change

Recalculating: When Plans Change

Week 1Text:

Topic(s): God’s Will, Truth, Arrogance, Obedience

Application Point: All believers’ plans must be made within the context of God’s will and based on his Word.

Sermon:

Intro: 

     How many times have you made plans just to see them change in an instant?

How many times have you scratched your head in confusion because the chain of events leading up to this undesired change seem to make NO SENSE AT ALL?

TC:things Change

Gps….

Big Idea of the Series: For the next couple of weeks (Lord Willing) we will  explore what happens when the future we envisioned doesn’t come to pass.

and How can we trust God throughout this reality?

“Recalculating” is a deep      dive into this question, outlining the providence and love of God even when         life is all  but certain.

Our Text:James 4:13-17

Warning about Self-Confidence

13 Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year.

We will do business there and make a profit.”

14 How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow?

Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.

15 What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.”

16 Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil.

17 Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.

“Here again is a picture that James’  contemporary readers would recognize, and  they may very well have seen a picture of their own lives in the text.

The reason I say that is because The Jews were the great traders of the ancient world;

and in many ways that world gave them every opportunity to practice their commercial abilities.

Just look at the occupation of many founders of the first century church.fishermen,

tentmakers  

This was an age of the founding of cities;and often when cities were founded and their founders were looking for citizens to occupy them,

citizenship was offered freely to the Jews, for where the Jews came money and trade followed.

So the picture is of a man looking at a map.

He points at a certain spot on it, and says,

‘Here is a new city where there are great trade chances.I'll go there;I'll get in on the ground floor;I'll trade for a year or so;I'll make my fortune and come back rich.’

James’ answer is that no man has a right to make confident plans for the future, for he does not know what even a day may bring forth.

Man may propose but God disposes” 

1.

Devine Dependance VS.

Religious Dependance 

James4:15  15 What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that

James gives us the wording for our plans.“Instead of saying I am going to follow my plans and make a fortune…”I’m gonna do me” 

rather you should recognize your absolute dependence on God, and that life and success are subject to his will.

Now we don’t need to be saying that in so many words, because it could become a mere ostentatious form of prideful religion,

or something we say to feel and seem religious to others and ourselves.

We could make it offensive by constant shallow repetition;

That is Religious Dependance..dependance on our appearance to others

but we are, in the proper way, to recognize our dependence on Him, and to form all our plans with reference to his will”  

          This Is Devine Dependance 

Big Idea: We must understand, embrace, and accept the biblical principle that God is in control of our everyday lives.

2.Your will for His Will

               How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow?

Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.

We are prone to make plans without reference to God’s will.

Life is so transient and brief that if we are to make the most of it, we should ask the divine Spirit to choose for and guide us.

Application Point: All believers’ plans must be made within the context of God’s will and based on his Word.

Our greatest endeavor must be to discover God’s will and do it.

Our greatest endeavor must be to discover God’s will and do it.

Our heart should constantly saying, ‘If the Lord will,’

and the sentiment it expresses should always be uppermost with us.

‘Thy will be done’ in me as in heaven!” 

3.

What is Success

Recognizing our dependence on God is obviously key in making any plans;

however, just as obvious, but lost too many times, is our idea of a successful plan is not always the same as his—

especially if the definition for success is based in a worldly reward or context.

Remember the world would hardly say that Isaiah or Jeremiah were successful; yet, they fulfilled God’s plan for them!

Application Point: All believers’ plans must be made within the context of God’s will and based on his Word.

Not to mention our entire idea of morality…did you know that prior to the babylonian exile the Hebrew religion was based more on ceremony…well of course….

but what happened was that without a temple the exiles were basically without a religion…

So the men of faith started putting together all the ancient texts they were able to get out with and through this the Hebrews started to become a religion based on text instead of temple.

Somehow they realized that they must become the temple at that time…

thus was birthed a generation of believers that were focused on Morality instead of Ceremony.

We can actually see that what seemed like a horrible punishment was actually a way for God to move the Hebrews from Ceremony to Morality…From Religion to Relationship, from Pridefulness to Holiness…….

and we should be thankful for them for listening to God because their writings teach us holiness and righteousness 

Closing

Have you ever seen The Film Unbroken.

It  reminds us that God has a plan,even though it is so far from what we may think:

Louis Zamperini’s became an Olympic athlete.

But with the outbreak of World War II, his competitions got put on hold.

As a crewman aboard a B-24 bomber tasked with a search-and-rescue mission over the Pacific, Louis’ plane crash lands about 800 miles south of Oahu, Hawaii,

leaving him and a couple surviving comrades to ponder life’s existential questions while stranded aboard life rafts

He Prays If you are real i will do anything you want me to

Even after miraculously surviving the longest recorded time on a raft and its many perils, Louis was “rescued” by the enemy and subjected to inhumane treatment in a Japanese POW camp.

Beaten with clubs, belts and fists…on one occasion he is made to hold a heavy wooden beam above his head without dropping it or putting it down…he lasted 37min before passing out…after the surrender of japan he was released after 2yrs of captivity.

Some time After his release problems in his marriage arose so to appease his wife he attended a Billy Graham Crusade, He got saved that day, he remembered his prayer on the raft, he became an evangelist…..

and he had the courage and love to return to face his former captors and offer forgiveness.

also offer the message of the gospel.

So is there a plan…?

Yes!

There is a Planner who sees the past, present and future.

His plan is much greater than we can ever imagine.

From our limited perspective in the middle of the storm, it may seem like utter chaos, but one day we to will wake up and all our doubts and questions will seem “dumb” in light of seeing Jesus face to face

So in closing I want you to Resign.

I Resign to the

Resign your plans to Gods Plans etc.