"THE EPISTLE OF JAMES"
Making Our Plans (4:13-17)
INTRODUCTION
- In the text for this study, James discusses the subject of making
plans:
13Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such
a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:
14Whereas ye know not what [shall be] on the morrow. For what [is] your
life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time,
and then vanisheth away. 15For that ye [ought] to say, If the Lord
will, we shall live, and do this, or that. 16But now ye rejoice in
your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. 17Therefore to him
that knoweth to do good, and doeth [it] not, to him it is sin.
(James 4)
- This subject is very relevant for us today, for we all make plans of
one sort or another...
- Plans for college, jobs
- Plans for marriage, family
- Plans for vacation, retirement
- Making plans, in of itself, is not wrong...
- Paul often made plans in regard to his travels - Ac 15:36; 18:20-21; 1Co 16:5-9
- In fact, making plans (or setting goals) is a key to success in
any venture we may undertake in life
- But there is a "right" way to plan, and a "wrong" way; and James
discusses both!
[First, let's consider the "right" way to "Making Our Plans"...]
- WE CAN SUBMIT TO GOD'S WILL
- I.E., SUBMIT OUR PLANS TO THE WILL OF GOD...
- We can make our plans, but we should make them contingent to
God's approval - "if the Lord wills" (15)
- This is what Paul did
- "God willing" - Ac 18:21
- "if the Lord permits" - 1Co 16:7
- Saying "if the Lord wills" assumes our faith in two things:
- That God does have a will for us (even in mundane matters)
- That God can intervene (via providence) to carry out His
will
- The wisdom of making our plans contingent upon the will of God
will become evident later, when we consider the "wrong" way to
plan
- IF WE REALLY WANT OUR PLANS TO SUCCEED, THEN WE WILL SEEK FIRST
TO DISCERN GOD'S WILL, AND PLAN ACCORDINGLY...
- To a great degree, this is possible, for God wants us to:
- Understand His Will - Ep 5:17
- Be filled with His Will - Col 1:9
- Prove His Will - Ro 12:2
- Of course, this relates especially to His "revealed" will
- Which pertains to matters right and wrong
- Which is found in the pages of the Bible
- When we know God's "revealed" will (from our study of the
Bible), then we can act or plan accordingly
- Until then, the right way to plan is to show our submission
to God by leaving our plans subject to His will
- There is also God's "permissive" will
- Which pertains to matters not right or wrong, but good and
better
- Even so, we should still show our trust and dependence upon
God in such matters by committing our plans to His Will
[Now let's look at the "wrong" way in "Making Our Plans"...]
- WE CAN IGNORE GOD'S WILL
- TO PLAN THIS WAY IS FOLLY (13-15)
- Because life is COMPLEX (13)
- There are the complexities of TIME (today, tomorrow, when?)
- There are the complexities of ACTIVITIES (buy, sell?)
- So many decisions to make, so many mistakes might be made
- If it's possible to know God's will on any matter, that
would increase the likelihood that our decisions and plans
will be correct
- Because life is UNCERTAIN (14a)
- No one has a guarantee of tomorrow
- Whether there will even be one
- Or what will happen
- Only God can bring about what He wills for the future without
fail
- Since this is true, we should certainly desire to make plans
that are in keeping with "His" plans!
- Because life is FRAIL (14b)
- It is like a "vapor" - cf. Ps 39:5-6,11
- How substantial is a "vapor" or "shadow"?
- How quickly we can succumb to sickness or an accident
illustrates how frail we really are
- It is foolish, then, to think "we" have the strength within
ourselves to "make" our plans happen - remember Jm 1:10-11
- Because life is BRIEF (14c)
- "appears for a little time"
- This is something Job observed - Job 9:25-26; 14:1
- Since life is so short, it is important that we do God's
will and not our own - cf. 1Jn 2:17
- TO PLAN THIS WAY IS BOASTFUL ARROGANCE (16a)
- To plan without taking into consideration God's will is to set
ourselves up above God Himself!
- How could one be more arrogant than that?
- TO PLAN THIS WAY IS SIN (16-17)
- It is sin because it involves arrogance and boasting which is
evil - 16
- It is sin because we who are Christians know better - 17
- We know what is good: to plan with God's Will in mind
- To do otherwise is to sin!
CONCLUSION
- How do we make our plans?
- If we plan without considering the will of God, then we are
foolish, arrogant, and sinful!
- If we make our plans subject to the approval of God, then we are
wise, submissive, and righteous in God's sight!
- If we endeavor to plan as much as we can within the framework of
God's "revealed" will, then we increase the likelihood of success!
- What about your "plans" for eternity?
- There is no doubt what the Lord's will is on this subject - cf.
Mt 28:19-20; Mk 16:15-16; Ac 2:38; Ro 10:9-10; 2Pe 1:5-11;
Re 2:10
- We can be certain of "success" if we submit to God's will in the
matters of faith, repentance, confession, baptism, and living a
faithful Christian life
- But to ignore it is folly in view of life's UNCERTAINTY, FRAILTY,
and BREVITY!
Have you done "as" the Lord wills? (i.e., as "He" would have you do it?)
Note: Parts of the material for this outline was adapted heavily
from The Bible Exposition Commentary, Volume 2, by Warren W. Wiersbe,
pages 366-370.