Planning Your Life - Is It Biblical?

God’s Sovereignty and the Gift of Salvation

Father we thank you for this morning, but it is you that has raised us up out of our beds. It's you that has renewed your mercies to us today. We're thankful for the precious gift of salvation through your son Jesus Christ.

We thank you for the lives that you've given to us even this day a precious gift from God to have life and breath and Every single thing that we have in Christ spiritually speaking Lord you have done exceedingly Abundantly above all that we could ever have asked or thought to to take people like us who were running from you.

To cause our hearts to be changed so that we would love you and want to walk in your ways. And as we come to this Sunday school class We look back upon all the years or maybe all the weeks that you've given to us with other Sunday schools other weeks that have Passed by and we thank you for your faithfulness to teach us we pray that you'd visit us once again that the Spirit of God would take your word and teach us and help us to be those people that you've called us to be a peculiar people a zealous people of your works Lord a People who would desire to bring honor and glory to Jesus Christ in whose name we pray.

Amen. All right. I did say that there is a handout. So don't forget to get one if you don't have. Have the handout and today we're going to be looking at and I hope if anything at the end of this class the the results of it might be that if.

That if we could just think a little bit differently when it comes to this new year that's ahead of us and how we how we plan how we think what kind of forethought we give towards the decisions that we're going to make or the choices that we'll make the places that we will go the jobs that we'll seek the friendships that we'll get.

Associated with the ministries that will be involved in. The spiritual ministries and then in the physical aspect of our lives. What it is that we will do as far as with our finances what it is we'll do with our time.

And basically as you can see at the top of the page proper planning for this new year. We're going to be looking in James chapter 4, but before we get there I Want to just say this that we're going to be looking at this Sunday school class and it says.

It says that it has the focus of planning and of course planning from from our perspective. I don't want you to ever lose sight though that in Psalm 37. And in verse 23 the Bible says the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.

When it comes to anything that there is to do about our lives when it comes to all that will take place. We are going to understand that. Foundationally understand that everything that takes place in our lives will be by the hand of God and God knows exactly what's going to take place.

He's ordered every step. He's ordered every day. The psalmist said my times are in God's hands. We understand that. And yet we have we have this even though God is sovereign and God has planned out our whole lives.

We're going to see something in this class about what our responsibility is. I mean some people say we don't need to plan we can not even worry about it. We'll just kind of wake up each morning. Case a Ross a Ron for whatever it is.

Whatever is is however the day's gonna go. That's how it's gonna go. I think that we'll see at the end of the class here that it is a little bit different. So let's get right into it the first one right here true or false.

The Bible doesn't have anything to say about planning in your life. What do you think true or false? So I hear I hear false. Do I hear any? Any backup to that or any any thoughts about that any Bible verses that come to your mind when it comes?

The Bible doesn't have anything to say about planning doesn't say anything about planning. All right. Excellent consider the end. Let's turn the air. Proverbs chapter 6. In Proverbs chapter 6 We'll look at a few verses in Proverbs.

Proverbs 6 and in verse 6 go to the ant or consider the ant you sluggard. Consider her ways and be wise so if you want to become wise go take a look at the ant one of God's small creatures. Verse 7 which has which having no guide or overseer or ruler.

Provides her food in the summer and gathers her food in the harvest. So if we look at the ant we can see that the ant does not need to be told that they need to plan ahead. That they need to provide for themselves that they need to give some type of forethought.

It's instinctive within the ant and and here in this case God is saying look at the ant you person who is probably who is lazy a sluggard. Someone who is not thinking ahead someone who is just kind of laying back and thinking well.

You know everything's gonna come to me on a platter, and I don't need to provide for myself. I don't need to plan. I don't need to to use my money wisely. I don't need to think about the grocery list and all that it's just gonna come to me.

Sadly some people live like that and they use and abuse other people and they live off of they live off of others. But but the Bible has something to say about being industrious. Something to say about having forethought and here it says if you're a person who's who's a sluggard look at the ant the ant plans Providing for its own food.

Notice also in chapter 16 Proverbs 16. Let's look there Proverbs 16 and in verse 1 The preparations or the plans of the heart and man and the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. Verse 2 all the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirits.

Verse 3 Commit your works unto the Lord and your thoughts or in your plans shall be Established so the Bible is speaking of here, and it's just assuming the fact that people are going to plan. I mean, it's just a part of our lives, and it says in verse 3, and that's a great verse to memorize.

And to think about when it comes to our plans and how they're going to be accomplished. It says that if we commit our works unto the Lord Our thoughts shall be established or our thoughts will be made sure if we put God first in committing our life unto the Lord in our ways unto the Lord our plans or our Desires or our dreams our goals the things that we are giving thought to Will be blessed of God and then how about chapter 22?

Proverbs 22 is a Another place that we can go to look in verse 3. Proverbs 22 to 3 I'm using the King James I I didn't type out some of these in the ESV. But you'll be able to see them in the translation that you have Proverbs 22 verse 3 a prudent man Foresees the evil and hides himself, but the simple ones pass on and are punished, but even when it comes to The type of life that we're going to have and the type of associations that we're going to have it says that the prudent person Sees evil and he hides himself he plans in such a way or gives forethought in his life to keep himself from that evil corruption or that Association in in their lives.

And then there's a last one in Proverbs 24 that I'd like to look at Proverbs 24 and in verse 27 Prepare thy work without and make it fit for thyself in the field and Afterwards build thine house. Well here.

It's just kind of given a simple Teaching here that if you want to plan properly don't go build your house before you have the job. Basically you know you got to have an income you need to you need to provide for yourself.

You need to provide for your basic needs for food. And then go ahead later on and plan for shelter, but don't put the cart before the horse. But it is giving an idea says prepare give it give some thought plan think about what you're doing with your time and what you're going to put first and second and third when it comes to the Priorities in your life and here it says make sure that you have food you you make it fit for yourself in the field.

Have the job have the occupation provide your basic essentials, and then get your your house ready in your house in order, so Number one is false. Because the Bible does have something to say about planning and we're going to see even more.

But any other thoughts on that any other verses that came to your mind about planning that you've maybe heard. Or read in the Bible. Okay, none number two our Lord Jesus never planned. Or he did not discuss planning with his disciples so that so because of that it's not necessary for us to plan.

Jesus never planned he never taught about planning so we don't have to well I'm gonna. I'm gonna before we even get into what Jesus had to say in the New Testament. Let's think about God. Let's think about Going back to the beginning or even before the beginning of time.

We've been hearing this in a lot of the sermons lately here from the the pulpit of BBC. When it comes to what God has done and what he has done before the world ever began. Do you think or do you feel or not feel do you understand or do you sense as you look in the scripture?

That God doesn't plan and therefore we don't have to plan. What do you think? I'm seeing some heads go like this so that means you're not in agreement with that statement. But what what have we been learning about when it comes to even?

What Jesus said in pastor Mike's message? Before coming into this earth before the foundation of the world what was going on within the Trinity? Was it just kind of like a slip shot type shoot from the hip?

Well, whatever happens happens when it comes to the carrying out of history, what do you think Bruce? Okay. Right. Would we would we all agree that God had a plan? He did God. God is one who plans and I think in Grudem's Systematic theology he says when it comes to the plan of God or the decree of God It's the eternal plan of God whereby before the creation of the world He determined to bring about everything that will happen Before the foundation of the world and what does the Bible say happens be happened before the foundation of the world?

So many money tell me what happened before the foundation of the world. What about Jesus? What does it say about him Bruce? Well, he existed. Yeah, but what about the work of Christ before the foundation world?

The New Testament tells us that Jesus Christ was what before the foundation of the world as far as God's concerned Slain he was killed. He was he was to be sacrificed and and that was Something that God had just thought.

Oh, wait a minute. I created the world and everything was supposed to be great. You know rosy gardens and Adam and Eve. I'll put him in there and and blue skies and green grass and They're living and They ate that tree and oops.

I didn't see that coming now I've got to think about what to do and then God reacts and says I got to come up with a redemption plan I got to send my son. Did that happen? Did it happen that way? Of course not God's, you know, that's the that's the open Theist position where God is reacting.

He's kind of like a great baseball manager and whatever comes his way He can kind of react to it and take care of it. No it it was established before the foundation of the world. Does the Bible say that you as a Christian have been given to Jesus Christ?

God gave you to Jesus. Does it say that it does doesn't it? Do you know when that happened? Before the foundation of the world we were given we were that was the plan of God to have a people it was God's plan to have a people from from before all time ever began and so God did that and an example of this if you if you want to see it in Acts chapter 2.

Here's a so that you actually can write down a verse if you scribble and down notes here in Acts chapter 2 when it comes To God planning in this work of Jesus Christ. Look in Acts 2 verse 23. What's speaking of Jesus?

Acts 223 him or Jesus. When Peter is preaching this this message at Pentecost He's preaching Christ and he's saying about Jesus him being delivered by the determinant counsel or your translation might say predetermined plan and for knowledge of God.

Isn't it very clear? It's saying right there that Jesus was handed over. Jesus was Delivered by God and those people took him and by wicked hands. They crucified and and by him He was Chris them. He was crucified and slain, but it wasn't accorded some will willy-nilly.

Oops plan ABCD whatever coming come, you know, whatever comes later. It was it was always known of God. It was a predetermined plan of God that Jesus Would be delivered up for us all he would be killed for us so that we could we could be saved so if God plans.

This was a definite plan. This was the foreknowledge of God. This was in 2nd Timothy if you're taking notes in 2nd, Timothy 1 9, it says that God's plan planned and purpose to save us before the foundation of the world.

God does things on purpose and for a purpose and One of the purposes that he had was to redeem a people for himself and God planned to do just that now. This the second question though says did Jesus ever he never planned.

Did he ever plan or did he ever discuss planning with the disciples? Turn with me if you would to the book of Luke in Chapter 12. Luke chapter 12 before we even turn there. What do you think? Did Jesus plan?

Did he say anything about? Preparing getting things ready. You think so Dave, all right gold star down that row somebody deliver it to him. Yes, Luke chapter 12 look in verse 33 When Jesus is speaking to to the disciples Teaching them.

He says in Luke 12 33. Sell what you have. Give alms. Provide for yourselves bags that which do not grow old. A Treasure in the heavens that fails not where no thief approaches neither moth. Corrupts in this in this Verse here.

It says that you need to provide for yourselves or prepare to have a A Way of taking the money that you have and directing it towards God's eternal purposes. But he does say that you need to provide you didn't you need to have things.

I mean the Bible also talks about when it talks about providing it says that if the Christian and one of Paul's epistles if the Christian doesn't provide for ease for his family. He's worse than an infidel.

He needs to provide. He needs to take care of his family and it's okay to take care of Yourselves and in order to take care of yourselves. You're gonna have to have a purse so you're gonna have to have a bank account.

You're gonna need to be able to to manage your money wisely. How about another verse like this in Luke? We'll just if I can stay in Luke, how about chapter 14? Luke 14 this might be one that some of you had been thinking about when.

When I thought about when you were thinking about the Jesus ever talk about planning or preparation or forethought. When it comes to doing things in the future. Luke 14 verse 28 for which of you intending to build a tower.

Does not sit down first and count the cost whether he has sufficient to finish it. Less happily after you have laid the foundation. Is not able to finish it and all that behold it begin to mark him. Verse 30 Saying this man began to build and was not able to finish or what King verse 31 going to make war against another king.

Does not sit down first and consult whether he is able with his 10 ,000 to meet him that comes against him with 20 ,000 or else while the other is a great way off. He sends an ambassador and desires conditions of peace.

So likewise Whosoever he be of you that does not forsake all that he has he cannot be my disciple and so what Jesus is doing here is He's he's kind of comparing what it what are the conditions for a person who wants to follow him and become his Disciple and when he's talking about that, it's gonna it's going to entail counting the cost.

It's going to entail Thinking ahead it's going to entail if I do this am I going to am I going to persevere in this? Am I going to go all out? Am I going to? The condition of Counting the cost of being his disciple Jesus what he does is He he talks about this common practice.

For people who plan when it comes to earthly endeavors and it must be done in regard to spiritual matters to and what our Lord is was teaching here was about the folly of not fully calculating our resources.

Before getting involved in some large endeavor. They do it an earthly perspective spiritually when it comes to following Christ. You need to give it some forethought you need to be you need to be thinking ahead.

I'm am I going to just take take the salvation supposedly of the Lord and and say I want to be saved and Yet Christ not is not going to be Lord of all that. I have in all my all my life. No, he is Lord of all or he is not Lord at all and Jesus is saying here.

Well, it's interesting as he's teaching them about what it means to follow him. He pulls from this common practice that if someone's going to build a tower they plan. It's just assume that people do that if if a king is going to go with war at war against another king.

Does he have the resources to defeat the other king? Let's let's sue for peace. If the guy doesn't have enough to build a tower then don't start the tower. Because it's it's people are going to look at that and say that you're foolish and it's talking about planning planning is then okay and planning is Biblical, how about this one?

Maybe you haven't even thought of this one. Luke chapter 22 and Luke 22. Look in verse 8. Luke 22 verse 8 and he Jesus sent Peter and John saying go and Prepare us the Passover that we may eat. Well that answers number two.

Right the question number two did Jesus ever say anything about planning there? He says it right there go and prepare us the Passover go. This is the Last Supper. Jesus sends Peter and John ahead to do that and they said unto him verse 9 Where will thou that we prepare and he said unto them behold when you are entered into the city there shall a man meet you bring bearing a pitcher of water follow him to the house where he enters in and He and ye shall say unto the good men of the house the master says unto thee Where is the guest chamber where I shall eat the Passover with my disciples?

And he shall show you a large upper room furnished there. Make ready. There it is again at the end of verse at the end of verse 12 prepare. Plan even in the simple things here when it came to a meal and if we're to plan with simple things like a meal this this last event.

Should we not give good consideration when it comes to planning in our lives and thinking ahead of what we're going to do. And where we're going to go and what type of job are we going to get involved in or what kind of?

Education what kind of ministry or who we would desire and pray before God that that we would spend the rest of our lives with. And so on planning very very important. Okay, how about number three? It is impossible to make self-centered plans.

It's impossible. I see some smiles. Why why are you smiling? Because it happens, right? The answer that question, of course is false because as we're going to see and That's what we're but James is warning about in chapter 4 We're going to see that as we go along but but it's it's possible for us to do not only just planning but Many things in a self-centered manner in Proverbs 14 verse 12 The Bible says there is a way that seems right unto a man.

There's a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. We can think that we're going in the right direction. We think that we're planning properly or or think that we're going in the right direction, but Many times it can be self-centered not too much more to say in this because the other the other ones will kind of fit.

Tell us more any other any other comments to this point, you know I know a lot of times when I teach Sunday school I kind of do like the machine gun and I just keep going down through the questions. But I want to make sure that if you're if you have any questions if you have any Verses that you're thinking of that would fit any examples in your lives that would fit.

Feel free to bring it up Dave. What Dave is saying we see we do have the tendency to be self-centered when it comes to our planning and it's so Vital for us to to make sure that we do as our Lord Bid us in in in the Sermon in the mountain in Matthew 6 33 He says seek first your plans, right?

And everything else will be added to you right seek first your plans. So he says seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you so many times We get in trouble and even as those who have discipled others or maybe counseled others.

Do you know what? The first question is I typically ask somebody when they've come to me and they laid their plans before me and they've all crumbled and I the first one of the first questions. I'll ask them is First did you pray about this and do you know to my surprise typically they say no I didn't pray and then I'll say what scripture did you go to or what scripture did God use to encourage you or to go?

In this direction because God's Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. What scripture did you use? I didn't have. I didn't have a scripture. I just wanted to. I just wanted to do this.

And of course, it's it's doing what we want to do first and then and then, you know trying to somehow Put the stamp of God after it and hoping that if we you know We do what we want to do and make our plans and then somehow Someplace down the road bring God into it and it's too late.

Yes, sir. Right if you look in James chapter 4 notice this. Just the tone of this as we look in James chapter 4. We'll just kind of do a little bit of an intro here. This this is a passage of scripture which talks about how we ought to give some forethought in our lives and how we ought to be go about doing our business in Life and how we make decisions and notice in verse 13 come now or 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 gain.

Yes, that's how what sister Dottie was saying is it's it's we it's it's I am going to do this. I've got these plans. I know what I should do. I know better than pastor. I know better than my husband. I know better than my teacher.

I know better than those that typically counsel me. I'm going to do this. It is it is I and of course I is in the center of the word sin, right? Sin with the letter I in the middle and it usually has to do.

With our pride and our plans and it's very very dangerous. To do it alone when it comes to planning very dangerous God has given us as maybe I'll go into the next one number four. It's wise to make our own plans first get things rolling and then seek counsel when things aren't going so well.

That's almost like a mentality of going ready fire aim. Right wrong order, right? Ready, and that's the society in which we live sadly I mean and it's even within the church like I was talking about before ready fire.

Let's go do something without any forethought without any God is it first given us prayer seek first? The kingdom of God. Dave brought up the verse that I started out with two in in Proverbs commit your works unto the Lord.

How about Proverbs 3 5 and 6 trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean on onto your own understanding? But in all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths. It's it's going to the Lord first in prayer.

It's God first not not Fire first and then aim the aim part is is seeking God's counsel seeking the Lord and prayer for the direction for the leading of the Holy Spirit. And then I Was interestingly I was reading through Psalm 119 and in Psalm 119 verse 24 The psalmist said something Unique there.

It was just I had seen it before but it just kind of jumped out. As I was you don't have to turn there. I'll read it to you but Psalm 119 verse 24 He says about God's testimonies are also my delight and he says and my counselors.

He says God's Word or the testimonies of God are my counselors. In the in some of your margins it might say they are my men of counsel. Does anybody have that in your in your in your in your margin. God's Word is my counsel and of course we've.

We would stop as Christians and we would say of course, that's true God. God's Word can counsel me. God's Word can show me what's right and what's wrong when it comes to maybe choosing a job or choosing my soulmate for my life when it comes to the way that.

That I ought to study when it comes at school and apply myself in my life the way that I should treat my friends. My husband my wife my children. God's Word tells me all those all those things. But you would be so surprised that when people come to make major decisions.

They don't go to the Word of God. What happens is is they go to what I desire. What what my what what I want to do and and and kind of put to the back burner. Not only prayer, but the but the Word of God.

And in the psalmist said and that's just so neat you think well. Maybe I don't have anybody around me who can counsel me. And of course if you're in the church You have as I'm gonna share this you have people that you can counsel with but the Word of God when you when you open The book when you open God's Word it is it is words which it's the words of life.

It is the words which come off the pages in our lamp under our feet and a light under our path and Become our counselors, and we don't think that we can make a right decision. Or we don't know what to do.

We can be very very assured by the Word of God when it comes to what person I ought to marry what job I should or shouldn't go into the Word of God be very helpful in that way Bruce. That there is there is that danger that we could take the Word of God and kind of make it say what we want it to say.

But if if we're not sure and Usually in any big decision. I would say that you need to get other people involved. You need to find a godly Mature spiritual older person a Young woman could go to an older woman a young man could go to an older man.

Men you know you go to the pastor. One of the pastors one of the elders in the church and say hey, this is what I've been reading. This is the decision. That's before me. What do you think? What do you think would happen if some young?

Girl in the church somebody who's 20 young woman 20 years old comes to one of the pastors and says I was at work the other day and. And well, I've been at work the past three months this person is unmarried looking for someone to marry.

Waiting for God to bring the right person along and she said it is and this is guy a church at work who really has an interest in me and I'm thinking about pursuing this this relationship. And so the the the elder probes and asks well what tell me something about this guy well.

You know he doesn't like to go to church. Doesn't really like to talk about Jesus when we're at work when I'm on my lunch break. And as a matter of fact, I've heard that he may have some type of drug problem.

What do you think the council is going to be? Right and I know that that's an extreme. But that's the type of Conversation that needs to go along when it will go that needs to come up when we're talking about major decisions and husbands can do this with their wives and and Men can go to other men and men can go to the the elders in the church when it comes to decisions like this.

Because it's it's very I mean those that type of. That type of scenario happens. I mean that's real. That's something we've experienced here At BBC it can be that someone will come to us and say we're thinking about you know it's it's time for us to move away.

Where you know I've got another job a man comes and tells us. We've got another job and It's out in Timbuktu wherever that is anybody ever. I never found that on the map, but it sounds good. It's way out there someplace and one of our first questions is Have you given some thought to what church you're gonna plug into where the Bible's gonna be taught.

Jesus is gonna be exalted. Oh. No, we're not worried about that the job is great and the school system is great for the kids. And they got a sports you know program. There's wonderful and arts in the town in the town there.

It's surprising out there in Timbuktu. They have all this stuff. But they don't have a church. What do you think our council is going to be not a good move not a good move, and that's again. Those are those are big decisions.

But what about it when it comes to when you sit down at the table, and you're you're writing The checks to pay the bills don't we need wisdom even to do that don't we need the Lord to help us and to plan?

Properly when it comes to go from month to month to take care of things of course we do. And it's not ever good To make our own plans first because that's what these guys did here in Chapman James chapter 4 they're kind of thinking about what they're going to do verse 13 there.

Well, let's let's you know today or tomorrow. We're gonna go into this city verse 13 and we're gonna continue there a year and buy and sell and get game. They're gonna. Just they're just gonna make these plans.

But there's something missing From their plans, and it's so surprising that it happens in the church something missing and really when it comes right down to it God is missing. The Lord is left out. They haven't given they're making their their plans and they're For the future without reference to the Lord.

Please when it comes to number four don't do this what it says here. Not only do should you seek God? You know as far as making your plans first then get things rolling and then when it crumbles go find help and get some counsel.

Put it in the right order seek God first in prayer go to the Word of God and There are verses that if you're taking notes write down Proverbs 11 14 Proverbs 12 15 and Proverbs 15 in verse 22. You'll see in those verses that it says that if you were There is wisdom in a multitude of counselors and when you get and talk to people and get counsel.

There's safety safety as a result of that. It is it's a sure thing to help when it comes to good planning proper planning if you surround yourself with somebody or Somebody's people that you can go to and just ask the question because sometimes as brother Bruce was talking about we can even we can even know what we want to do and just get so fixated on what we want to do that every scripture Old Testament New Testament just seems to pop off the page and it's exactly what We were it just fits the bill and we're not enough.

We're not thinking properly because we're we're kind of blinded by Our own self-centered plan and we're not thinking spiritual. We're not thinking rightly and that's when it when it it's great to bring somebody in from the outside Who is not so emotionally caught up in it to be able to look at it?

Objectively and pray about it with you and and look and give you some good counsel, which will help you in the future. Okay, how about number? How about number five? I think we've already answered this question.

But let's let's look read it. Anyways, it is not necessary to include the Lord when making your plans. He's given you freedom. So it's okay to make plans without reference to God or his word. We know the answer that is False, it's not good.

That's what happened to them in verse in verse 14. Look what it says there in In verse 14, whereas, you know, not what shall be on the mark tomorrow. But what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away verse 15 for that you ought to say if the Lord will we shall live and do this or do that and He says, you know, you shouldn't be just saying We are going to do this and we're going to do that.