Planning With Humility

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=50 BGCOLOR="#333366" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Planning With Humility</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=165 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="132" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 35 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id216.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Getting Right With God and Others"><U><B><IMG SRC="007151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id218.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="When Youve Got It Made"><U><B><IMG SRC="008151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="20"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="35" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="20" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="13"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="27"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> Previous/Next Sermon</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="www.stanbaker.org"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Biblical and Theological Studies"><U><B>Biblical and Theological Studies</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Church Ministry"><U><B>Church Ministry</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sermon Notes"><U>Sermon Notes</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Personal"><U><B>Personal</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> <div> <A HREF="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org"><U>stan@stanbaker.org</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=430 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Berean Bible Church, James 4:13-17, Planning With Humility, August 5, 2001am</B></div> <bR> <div>      Earlier this year, in preseason football, Korry Stringer of the Vikings and Rashidi Wheeler of Northwestern died as a result of football practice. They had much to look forward to, but were very surprised by death. What adjustments should be made in our everyday outlook? How do we respond to a humble awareness of our lack of control. What is the appropriate attitude toward life and each day that makes it up?</div> <bR> <div> <B>I. Develop a humble dependance on God.</B></div> <div>      A. Problem (vss. 13, 16): Boastful arrogance. “I am in control of my own destiny.” Self-reliance. Leaving God out. This philosophy is seen in Jesus’ parable in Luke 12:16-21: “And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, `What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ "Then he said, `This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry."  "But God said to him, `You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."”</div> <div>      B. Fact for consideration (vs. 14): Life is uncertain and short. When you see a candle burning, note the wisp of smoke that arises from the flame. That represents our lives. Proverbs 27:1 says, “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.”</div> <div>      C. Solution (vss. 15, 17): Humble dependance on God. God is in ultimate control (vs. 15).“If it’s the Lord’s will” is not a mantra – it is an attitude and lifestyle. Our very existence is by the will of God. We should not presume control. Anything less than humble dependance (arrogance, worry) is sin (vs. 17). </div> <bR> <div> <B>II. Plan your life with humility.</B></div> <div> This is not fatalism – “whatever will be will be.” Vs. 15, Planning is involved – “If . . . we will . . .” And it is not living for the moment, but living for Christ every moment.</div> <div>      A. Pray. This is the best way we can express our trust.</div> <div>      B. Prioritize. What do you want in your obituary? A woman on a lifeboat to get off the Titanic, left her lifeboat to retrieve, not diamonds or money, but three small oranges for the journey on the seas. When it is life or death, your priorities change.</div> <div>      C. Plan. Proverbs 16:3, 9 “Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.”</div> <div>      D. Prepare for Christ’s Coming. Evaluate. Consider the Lord’s return, the coming evaluation (2 Cor 5:1-10). </div> <bR> <div>      One morning in 1888 Alfred Nobel, inventor of dynamite, awoke to read his own obituary. The obituary was printed as a result of a simple journalistic error. You see, it was Alfred's brother that had died and the reporter carelessly reported the death of the wrong brother. Any man would be disturbed under the circumstances, but to Alfred the shock was overwhelming because he saw himself as the world saw him. The "Dynamite King," the great industrialist who had made an immense fortune from explosives. This, as far as the general public was concerned, was the entire purpose of Alfred's life. None of his true intentions to break down the barriers that separated men and ideas for peace were recognized or given serious consideration. He was simply a merchant of death. And for that alone he would be remembered. As he read the obituary with horror, he resolved to make clear to the world the true meaning and purpose of his life. This could be done through the final disposition of his fortune. His last will and testament--an endowment of five annual prizes for outstanding contributions in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, and peace (the sixth category of economics was added later)--would be the expression of his life's ideals and ultimately would be why we would remember him. The result was the most valuable of prizes given to those who had done the most for the cause of world peace. It is called today, the "Nobel Peace Prize."</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> copyright, 2001, Stanley Baker</div> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> </td> </tr></table></body>