Spiritual Planning for the New Year - [Luke 14, James 4]

Our father we thank you and do praise you as we look back upon 2005 and it just seems a wonder that it is gone. It is past our lives truly like you have said are are faster than the Weaver shuttle quicker than the the post Lord like the mist that comes out of our mouths in the middle of winter it just comes out for a short period of time and then it vanishes and Lord we we know that even though our lives are short We as your people have a great hope that through Christ and through the salvation that has been purchased for us by him purchased with his blood a salvation procured an eternal redemption an eternal inheritance an Eternal life through your son.

We greatly rejoice in the Lord this morning. Thank you for your care for us thank you for all of the many things that we could look back upon and count our blessings for this past year and See your mercies over and over again, and we want to give you the praise.

We we do not want to elevate ourselves. We do not want to give ourselves the credit. But we boast in you and we give you the credit for every single thing that took place All of it that worked together for good for the for the people of God.

We praise you and thank you for your great care for us then and we look forward to this year Where you never change and your care for us is always the same. Nothing can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord and God you're.

You're thinking upon us even now and that is something that just humbles us and Gives us great hope and praise toward you. So we lift up our souls this morning and we thank you for this new year The beginning of it the first day being able to spend it in the house of God and we praise you for that we ask that it would might be a Profitable time that you'd visit us today that you teach us that you'd help us and encourage us that we might be Strengthened by you taught by you led by you guided Lord by your good hand and That all would bring glory and honor to Christ and we ask it in Jesus name.

Amen well, I'd ask you to if you would please turn to the book of Proverbs and We'll be looking at Proverbs chapter 6 to start it's not where we'll finish this morning, but I want to speak a little bit about I mean we've I've already mentioned it like in a little bit of an introduction and and in praying that That our times are in certainly in the Lord's hands it is.

It is a wonder that we continue to go on isn't it? It's a wonder that our hearts continue to beat that we continue to breathe air. That we are able to to go forward in life to be able to make decisions to be able to do things and really It is not by our strength.

It is not by our might. But it is because of the goodness of the Lord towards us our our lives are Directed and maintained and held in the very hand of God in that all things Consist by Jesus Christ the scripture tells us there there even that word consistent Colossians chapter 1 has the idea of Everything is held together by the Lord and Certainly, there is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel that is against the Lord when God Purposes to do something when he desires to do something it will come to pass and one of the things and we probably think on this often something that the Lord has done is that he has created us and he has called us to be his people a different people a holy people a people who would Be after the Lord's heart a people who would desire to live our days in The light of the Lord or in the the light of his presence or in the fear of the Lord.

We we look to the Lord in that we understand that he looks towards us and that he's concerned about us. But also we're accountable to the Lord and we're responsible and one of the things That we're responsible for and the Apostle Paul touched on it in the New Testament in his in his epistle He says that we are to redeem the time.

Time is valuable. We we have only so many seconds so many minutes hours days months in years Upon the face of the earth and we ought not to be a people that waste time. One of the things that they do at my job I work for an insurance company and I work in the computer department.

And one of the things that we do our customers are other people in the company who desire to have certain programs or Computer utilities Changed or fixed or modified to be better or to be more efficient.

So the folks can be more productive or to take manual tasks and to automate them and put them on the system. Well, we just we don't have them come to us and say, you know, Dave We would like we get all of these checks that come in from insurance agents and they come in manually and what we would like to do is to be able to automate that so that they can electronically come in and And go right into the accounts the you know get sent batch together to go to the bank.

Well when we when we have a project like that, there's something that we do. This the thing that we don't do is we just don't all just sit down and I just say okay team go for it. I Mean I would have Six different people doing six different things and everybody has different ideas on how this is supposed to be done.

What we do is we come up with a project plan. We think about we have forethought we consider we we get together and kind of brainstorm and think about what would be the? Best way to do this. Do we have anything like this in the system that already is in place or a piece of it that we can use?

This planning that takes place. If you look in Proverbs chapter 8 and all the verses that we are Texts that we look at this morning. I'm going to just talk to you a little bit this morning about Planning about is it is it right to plan as as believers?

Should we plan or should we do what some people might think to do? Oh, it's all it's all in the Lord's hands, and we don't have to worry about it. You know just Shoot from the hip you know what shooting from the hip it means.

You have an idea of that I mean When when somebody when they say shooting from the hip it might be like you take the the shotgun and you have holding it down. Here, and you're just aiming hoping that you're gonna hit.

Because when somebody shoots a rifle what do they do they hold it up to their eye right and they aim and we live. Many times in a society and we live with around people and their motto is ready fire aim.

But that's not the that's not the correct order right it's ready aim fire. But we have a lot of a lot of folks. And we might be guilty of it ourselves is we don't really think about what we're doing and is it biblical the plan is it?

Biblical to have forethought to consider. To to examine what our next steps might be. To to think about the impact of the decisions that we make. Do we count the cost and that's kind of like what we're gonna be looking at this morning because I'd like for us.

Maybe we look back upon 2005 and say well David didn't go so well in certain areas. One good thing about that is we can consider my wife reminded me of this this last night. I think it was when I was kind of talking about this.

Was that the Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians chapter 3 to forget those things which are behind. If we have messed up if we haven't had the greatest of year if we haven't if we didn't. If we didn't reach the things that we had set for ourselves as far as goals.

I'm not talking about New Year's resolutions because those things don't usually work. I mean, I I don't believe in New Year's resolutions if you do that, that's fine. But you know what happens to resolutions, you know I I was talking one of the guys at work and he goes to the local gym and he said that every January the first week of January the gym begins to fill up with all these people that got all their three month or one or annual memberships and He says and they're using our equipment, you know.

He's like it's his own and it's like they're just cloud, you know. Crowding up the gym and we can't do what we want to do and we got to wait for certain pieces of equipment. But he says but not to fear.

He said all we have to do is wait for four weeks. Starts dropping off after a month two months. The three-quarters of them drop off by three months. Most of them are all gone because you know, they made the resolution to do it, but don't follow through on it.

I'm not talking about that. I'm just talking about consistent daily. Purposing in our hearts to do something as far as to think about to consider to have forethought for the future for our lives what it is that we're we're about and to plan and I believe that the Scriptures bear out that it is it is an okay thing to do.

It is a biblical thing to do. It is a spiritual thing to do to be a person who has forethought and to and to plan. Let's look at Proverbs chapter 6 just consider this. Proverbs 6 verse 6. Go to the ant thou sluggard.

Consider her ways and be wise. Verse 7 which having no guide overseer or ruler Provides her feet her her meat or food in the summer and gathers her food in the harvest. How long will thou sleep o sluggard when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?

Now I know that The primary context here is dealing with the sluggard and the person who is slothful or a sluggard ought to be industrious and instinctively like an ant the ant instinctively considers her ways.

And Looks at the ant what the ant does is having no ruler having no authority having no Supervisor having no manager. The ant goes out and provides meat for the seasons that it needs. Just like I mean we see the squirrels running around they get busy right before the winter right they're packing away.

Whatever it is that they do those little acorns and all that they they take care of themselves. They're providing they do that instinctively. We're admonished as Created beings created in the image of God to look at these animals.

Insects animals to look at them and consider their ways and be wise. It's a wise thing course Proverbs the book of wisdom. It's a wise thing for us to consider what the animals do and the animals do prepare they have no authority and yet.

They're industrious. Nobody has to tell them what to do. There's no there's no little ant taskmaster taking this little whip and telling the ants to get going get you know. There's no there's no supervisor with a little stopwatch saying well.

How much food have you put away a little ant you know this they do it instinctively on their own and we? Who have Been created in such a different way with a soul with a with with an eternal soul. That is that comes in relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

Ought to be a people who consider our lives and plan for the future and think about it notice. There's another one in Proverbs 24. I'll show you this one. Also. I think it's Proverbs chapter 24. Yes in verse 27 just this verse alone prepare thy work without.

Proverbs 24 27 prepare thy work without and make it fit for thyself in the field and then afterwards. Build your house. Now there's forethought there you get the idea of what it's speaking about. It says that what we ought to do is take care of the necessities first.

What is this idea of of? This work without making sure it's okay prepare for it notice the word prepare For your work without and make it fit or meet for thyself in the field. Anybody have an idea on that one.

Yeah plant your crops. What's what's more important to have food to eat or To have a nice house to live in. Of course you've got it. We got to do it in the right order. Prioritizing here is is brought up and also it talks about preparing.

It's okay to have this forethought. It's okay to think ahead of time and to consider what we're doing. Also, if you would turn with me to the New Testament now to one of the more main texts that I wanted to look at in Luke chapter 15.

Or Luke chapter 14, I'm sorry Luke 14 in Luke chapter 14 at the end of the chapter. We read beginning in verse 26. If any man come to me and hate not his father and mother and wife and children and brethren and sisters.

Yeah, even his own life. He cannot be my disciple. Whosoever doth not bear his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you intending to build a tower sitteth not down first and counteth the cost whether he have sufficient to finish it.

Less happily after he hath laid the foundation and is not able to finish it all that behold it begin to mock him. Saying this man began to build and he was not able to finish. Or what King going to make war against another King sitteth not down first and consulteth whether he be able with 10 ,000 to meet him that cometh against him with 20 ,000 now.

I Know that when the Lord was teaching here. He's talking about the cost of true religion. I mean, that's in order to be his disciple there's certain conditions and what he's speaking of here in illustrating is really though as we see it in here is the importance of forethought and Preparation is necessary if a person is really going to follow him in discipleship.

Notice the words where it says this person sits down First and counts the cost is in the text. He talks of this person who deliberately Intentionally does that to see if they have enough resources in the first one to finish the project of the building and in the other.

Of a king going to war first he sits down and considers if his smaller army can beat the bigger army. This is nothing more than forethought Consideration and in planning now I know it's talking about Doing this and counting the cost when you're thinking about being one who would come and follow Christ and discipleship to to take up your cross.

But it still involves planning. The Lord doesn't Say that we do anything just blindly running into things not even thinking about what we're doing. Our mind is to be engaged when it comes. When it comes to worship when it comes to service when it comes to living for the Lord.

We're thinking. But the trouble with people today is they're too busy to plan. Do you notice I thought it was very interesting. It says that the person sits down first. What's the problem with with the society in which we live in today?

Is that we're on the go? We're too busy to plan. We're just we're just running forward and we're just going to take care of these. I mean we got just so many things to do. How can we possibly sit down and think about planning?

Our Lord here was teaching his disciples about the folly of not fully Calculating our resources before getting involved in any big enterprise. That's basically that's the principle that he's using and of course the big enterprise is to is to become one of his learners.

Disciples or in other words though. He is bringing up. The idea here is the folly of poor planning. I mean not even thinking about what we're doing. We're not even in this case here counting the cost and as I said earlier We are too on the go.

We've got too much to do and without proper planning We might look like the proverbial squirrels in the cage who are going nowhere fast. Someone once told me That it you if you aim at nothing you will hit it every time.

If you aim at nothing you will hit it every time. What does that mean if we don't plan? We're not going to get anywhere somebody. I remember at work many many years ago I used to hear this phrase, and they said plan the work and then work the plan.

They talked about it. It is important. It is good. It is it is right to do this someone. As I said earlier we live in the ready fire aimed society. No forethought very little planning shooting. From the hip and it's dangerous.

To do that and to think that way or not think that way really we're not thinking that way there is no forethought. When it comes to major decisions in our lives, I mean think about some major decisions when it comes when it comes to a job.

Do we think about do we as Christians pray about what it is that God would have us to do. I I'm Convinced and I only and I only know this by experience. Where folks will come after the fact and say oh?

I'm in a big mess. I'm in a big muddle. I left a good job. I left a good location. Whatever and and now I'm stuck in this other job. And I didn't realize what was going on there. And I didn't understand that it was unethical or or maybe just the atmosphere that was there or the type of business that they're in.

Products that the people sell or make. I mean we're talking about. I mean you're taking and moving yourself from one location to another and You spend a lot of time on the job. We are to work. We are to be industrious people, but we ought to think about what it is that we're doing before we move as far as jobs.

What about what about a lifelong partner? What about looking and praying about someone that we're going to spend the rest of our lives with did we pray about that do we consider? Do we consider the relationship in the light of the Lord as God would have us as people of God that we ought to be.

Married in the Lord or married to people who know Christ not being unequally yoked. But but we have and and I've experienced this too where folks will rush into a relationship. Without planning without forethought without prayer.

They'll come to me afterwards and say Dave. I'm in a real mess. I married an unbeliever, and you would not believe what's going on in my home. It's affecting my prayer time my relationship. I can't do what I would like to do, and it's just really grieving, and I'm convicted about it and The question I'll ask is did you pray about that beforehand and you know what you know both most time folks will say no.

I didn't think about that. I just I really needed a relationship. I needed to get into that. I was so hungry and desperate to have have affection. I did not think about what it was that God would have me to do and I did not plan.

I did not prepare. I didn't pray about it. I didn't ask counsel and. And I got myself in a muddle. What about relocating or moving? We've heard of folks that do that. You know you will have people that will will Relocate and move because of the children because what they want.

Rather than what's good for the family the whole family. Without leadership from the husband or and leadership from the parents. They'll move because of that they'll move because of a job. They'll move because of it.

You know maybe closer to some form of entertainment that they like. Maybe even move because friends or family are going to be closer. But what did they forget about? The most important thing when you think about and planning about relocating and moving what's the most important thing a Christian could possibly go to the Lord before and ask for a Church a Bible believing Bible preaching Christ honoring Spiritually led church and Again I have with I have witnessed that maybe you have to where folks will move away, and you get that call we can't find the church and We've relocated you know hundreds of miles.

We can't find a church. We're unhappy. We're not getting fed the churches that we go to well. It's like you know well. Where was the forethought? Where was the planning? Where was the prayer? Did you pray about that?

No? I didn't pray about that, and you know what happens a lot of times is is We get caught up in this mentality that I want something. Now what we want might not be what we need. And we want it so bad.

That we will get ahead of and you and you know if you don't like this phrase. That's oh, that's okay. I mean, maybe you can at least understand what I'm saying you get ahead of the Lord. You you're making and forcing the decision yourself, and what happens is is people will do this.

They'll say okay. I want to relocate. I've looked in the different states. I like it because of the weather down south. It's a whole whole lot warmer. I'm not really sure if there's a church there, but you know it'll work out.

I mean, you know I this is a good thing for me to be able to do or this job is a really good thing. I mean, I mean, there's a promotion. I'm gonna be getting more money and With more money. I'll be able to provide more for my family.

You know we'll just Reason it out and and justify it and do the thing. Make the decision and then what? Go to the Lord and ask the Lord to bless our Decision that we've already made up the foot is down.

We've already we've already said this is it. It's gonna happen, and then we ask the Lord to bless it and then it falls all the pieces and Folks will go back and blame the Lord for not what I mean. I'm a believer.

I'm a Christian. I mean everything is supposed to go well. You know blue skies and and green grass and red roses are supposed to happen in my life. But the thing is is we have not been wise. We have not planned as we ought to and I mean just think about this.

Does does the Lord? Plan. Did the Lord plan anything? Did he give forethought in any way shape or form to anything give me some ideas think about it. Give me some ideas. Did he? Certainly he did he did.

I mean God our God is a God of order and With forethought He has as it says in Peter's sermon in Acts chapter 2. I mean we think about the redemption of God's elect by the predeterminate counsel of God God the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Coming together to purpose what it would be that they would do to So that they would be glorified in the redemption of mankind. They got they they got together and and the Father had Determined that he would elect a number that no man could number to be his very own special bride.

For Christ and Christ would be the one who would come and be the Lamb of God who was slain before the foundation of the world. It was determined ahead of time that he would come and die on the cross and be buried and rise again for our justification and for our salvation.

And the Holy Spirit would be the the one who would come and quicken us and Regenerate us and convict us of our sin and bring us to Christ and and reveal Jesus to us and God would grant us the gift of faith and repentance and we would believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and we would be saved.

Certainly God does plan and it's proper to play any plan creation think about something that we looked at in our Old Testament studies. What was it other than? The Ten Commandments that God gave Moses.

Do you remember something that God gave Moses and Moses was going to have to do something with this instruction that he gave him? Do you remember? They're going to build something anybody remember I? Heard it tabernacle somebody said the tabernacle God gave explicit Instructions the pattern of the tabernacle the place where God would dwell over the kind of glory over the mercy seat and It was I mean you all you have to do is go back in the in the text the Old Testament and read that and you Will see that all the dimensions are there the width the height the depth the color.

The I mean just even even I mean just right down to how the bread the bread was going to be made and even when It came to the other temples the other temple the the incense that they that they were the priests were to burn I mean it was exact and Moses was to take and make it exactly the way that God had showed it to him and God had revealed to him.

It's not just slip it slip shot put it together. It's not like I do I mean I buy something and I open the box and it has instructions in it. And I'll look at the instructions, and I take the quick the quick route I you know the quick reference picture.

And it says do this this this and this and I'll look at that and I say piece of cake Deb smiling over there because she knows and then I'll just attack it with screwdrivers and wrenches and whatever and go after the thing and Then come to find out three-quarters of the way through it that one of the steps way back at the beginning I've got the panel flipped the other way, and I've got to take the whole thing apart and It was because of poor planning for one thing and not following the plan that was already there and that happens So many times in our lives.

We don't begin properly. We don't go to the basic instructions before leaving earth the Bible here. We don't go into the Word of God which is to be the lamp under our feet and the light under our path.

But but outside of it I mean how many times have you been so frustrated when you're trying to do something and then all of a sudden it hits you. I didn't pray about this and you stop and you pray about it.

And then God smiles upon you because we take it into our own hands. We're not we're not devoting it unto the Lord. We're not looking at our lives in that that we ought to be like the psalmist says I think it's in Psalm 50 around the end of the chapter Psalm 50 maybe verse 23 or so where it says That We ought to be a people and to him that scripture says and to him that orders His conversation are right or that's in the in the Old English King James Speaking it's and if a person orders their conversation is your manner of living your conduct the way that you behave yourself the way that you.

It's basically just your manner of living. If we order it properly God will show us his salvation or his way I mean the Lord will will take care of us, but if we take it upon ourselves if we like Poor poor old and I guess I ought not to even say poor old because it was his it was his doing.

But if we like Nebuchadnezzar get to the place in our lives where we think By my might and by my ability I have this great kingdom. And he lifts his up lifts up himself in arrogant pride. Nebuchadnezzar did we see in Daniel chapter 4 because he's he was one who said that what he had and what he accomplished was By his might by his ability and it was basically for his glory.

God humbled him. And he ate Animal he ate the grass like like an animal. Remember the description there that his skin was like the birds feathers and in his in His in his fingers like claws and he was for seven years.

Like a beast of the field thought like a beast and he became one he was absolutely insane. You talk about insanity totally out of Without reason that's what it says in in in in Daniel chapter 4 that God would would give take away the heart of man and give them a heart of a beast.

And really When you think about it pride is insanity. Because it is totally opposite than the thinking that we ought to have in that. Just the opposite of that is to humble ourselves. Under the mighty hand of God we ought to be a people who who don't take the credit for anything Even our very lives and Make sure that we humble ourselves so that God would exalt us and praise the Lord God in his gracious mercy did that for Nebuchadnezzar?

When when. When his reason returned unto him he exalted and extolled the great high God and he and he worshipped God. What happens in our lives is is that we take it upon ourselves, and we think that we can we can Handle our lives we can think that we can make the decisions and One of the worst things that we do is we do it without reference to the Lord.

We don't go to the Lord first. I believe that with with all my heart for us one of the verses that ought to constantly Ring in the life of a believer is Matthew 6 33 Where it says that we ought to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.

And all these things will be added unto you our reference our focus our planning our flock forethought our Consideration in our lives is what does this mean in the light of God's kingdom? What does this mean as far as what was what does God think about my plans not not my plans you know?

And I'm talking about beforehand not like I make the plans and then God. What do you think about it you bring it to the Lord first and say Lord? This is the desire of my heart. This is the way that I would want to go school job a partner relocating church ministry Finances whatever it might be in our lives.

This is what I'm desiring to do you see the difference. Is you're not making the decision first you're not putting your foot down and saying I'm doing this God. What do you think about it is that you humbly go before the Lord and say Lord?

Here is my my desire and bring it before the Lord as a petition let God examine it and then See if through prayer. Continued prayer through the reading of the Word of God and being led of the Spirit into the truth of God.

Through the inclinations of our hearts God does give us desires there through counsel from other people not not Past going to the pastor or the more Mature believer and saying hey tell you know tell them what you're gonna.

Do that's different. Hey pastor I'm gonna tell you what I'm what I'm gonna. Do you know they think folks think they're coming to the pastor for counsel or to the elder or to the or it could be an? Older brother and sister in Christ, and they and they go to them, and they think they're going for counsel.

But what they're really doing is they're going to give them information I'm telling you what I'm doing. As parents have any of you ever had that happen with your children. They come to you to inform you of what they're going to do not thinking that there may be coming Asking for permission and when they tell it and when they do it that way then later on they said well I did come to you in it and ask you but basically no it's them telling us and we do and can get caught in the same place when it comes to doing that before the Lord is going to the Lord and telling the Lord what we want to do and Really not offering up to the Lord and allowing the Lord to dash our plans to pieces.

To just gone no, that's not the way that I would have you to go you read. And how does that happen? You think that you're making the decision about something and you're reading the Word of God and something comes to bear upon you that there's a great Conviction that this thing is not the proper thing to do at my job.

They're involved in in Unethical practices and they want me to do this and the Lord says that I am supposed to be a person who exhibits truth Throughout my life. I am supposed to be one who is has has integrity and character and And respect for other people and this is totally opposite than that.

It is not the way that I ought to treat my fellow man and I cannot do that and honor the Lord and And that would not be the right job or the right project to get on or the right way to do business. I'm gonna walk the other way and do it in a way that it honors the Lord.

Let me show you another passage of scripture that we should just look at before our time totally runs out. It's in James chapter 4 some of you probably were thinking about this as I was thinking as I had Had opened up this study but in James chapter 4 We read these words at the end of the the chapter in verse beginning in verse 13 go to now you that say today or tomorrow we will go into such a city and Continue there a year and buy and sell and get game.

The idea here is merchants are people who have a business and they're going about you know. What they're talking about is that they will go someplace and they will set up shop and they will do their business and make a profit.

Now is that wrong? No, that's not wrong. That is an okay thing to do. It's all right to have business. It's okay, and it's okay to plan but notice where they go wrong. Verse 14 whereas you Know not what shall be on the morrow for what is your life?

It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. For that you ought to say if the Lord will we shall live and do this or that. But now you rejoice in your boastings and all such rejoicing is evil.

The idea areas is that the planning is not improper. It's their thought or lack thereof the forethought lack thereof and they're not planning in reference to God. They're doing what they want to do. They're saying we're gonna go here and we're gonna we're gonna we're gonna continue there for a year.

And we're gonna buy and sell and we're gonna get profit. We're gonna do this thing. But you have no idea if you're gonna have tomorrow you're not making this decision in the light of the fact of the brevity of life.

This is improper planning. They don't do it with an eye towards God and they don't do it with an eye towards their frailty and They and and they're boasting in the fact that we're gonna go do this thing and we're gonna we're gonna set up the shop.

We're gonna make all this money. But the idea is you haven't even considered God in this whole picture you me I do this. But where's God in this thing? We're in their plan. Where is the Lord and that's the question for?