The Bible has a lot to say about making plans and setting goals. In fact, the Bible uses a particular label to describe people who do not make plans and set goals. This same label is used to describe people who do set goals, but then give up on their goals. And it's a label that's used to describe people who are impulsive about setting goals. People who set goals without giving serious consideration to their goals. The label I'm referring to is sluggard. A sluggard is a lazy person. But don't think of lazy only in the sense of the person who doesn't want to work and is always sitting down on a job. That's the stereotypical sluggard, but the person who doesn't perform the work required to make well-considered plans for the future is being lazy as well. And the person who makes plans but then gives up on his plans is being lazy. And so is the person who's impulsive about his plans. Rather than putting in the hard work of carefully considering the ins and outs of the plan under consideration, he just latches on to an idea, the first one that comes into his head and he runs with it. That's mental laziness. That's an intellectual sluggard. And the Bible has several warnings directed to sluggards, sluggards of all varieties. Proverbs 6, verses six through eight is one of the better known warnings. Go to the aunt, you sluggard. Consider her ways and be wise, which having no captain, overseer or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer and gathers her food in the harvest. And the point here is that the aunt makes plans for the future and is industrious about achieving those plans. She knows that she's gonna need food for the winter, so she stores up for her future needs. She doesn't require a boss or a supervisor to direct her and motivate her to do the work that needs to be done. She doesn't need an overseer to keep her from procrastinating or spending her time in nonproductive ways. No, the aunt possesses the self-discipline and the ambition necessary to get out of bed each day and go about doing the work that needs to be done. God tells sluggards to learn a lesson from this aunt. Consider her ways and be wise. The Lord says, this comes down to a wisdom issue. Consider her ways and be wise. And we learn from this that wisdom is not just making plans, but also seeing them through to their end. The aunt doesn't just make a resolution to store up food, but she spends several months diligently applying herself until her goal is accomplished. And that's exactly what the sluggard does not do. In Luke 14, verses 28 through 30, Jesus gave an example of an intellectual sluggard, somebody who's lazy about doing the mental work that's required for responsible planning. He said, for which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it, lest after he has laid the foundation and is not able to finish, All who see it will begin to mock him saying, this man began to build and was not able to finish. Implicit to what Jesus is saying here is that it's shameful not to plan well. The person who begins to work toward a goal, but didn't first perform the work of assessing whether he can reasonably accomplish that goal, is a person who will be shamed and ridiculed by his peers and neighbors. Which is to say, even the unbelievers in society recognize the folly of not planning well. Even the unbelievers in society recognize the shame of being lazy, being a sluggard, an intellectual sluggard in this case. And what these two biblical examples show us is that planning and diligence go hand in hand. Setting attainable goals and then working diligently to achieve them is characteristic of wisdom. The wise do both. whereas the sluggard does only one or neither. On the positive side, those are two negative examples of the sluggard, of plan making, but on the positive side, God says in Proverbs 21, verse five, that the plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty. The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty. And here we see both of those aspects of wisdom combined, coupled together as a recipe for success, planning and diligence. The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty. Our sermon text adds a much-needed explanation to our theology of setting goals and attaining them, or what we can call our theology of planning. When reading our sermon text, we're reminded that the Bible needs to be studied holistically, that is, in a way that considers every verse in the context of the entire Bible. When we study the Bible holistically, we are studying the verse under consideration in the context of the entire Bible. And sometimes we try to isolate a particular verse or passage from the rest of the Bible and then build our theology upon this isolated passage. And many theological errors have been introduced into the church by doing exactly that. For example, I used to have a friend who believed that baptism was required for salvation. And whenever I would converse with him on this particular topic, he'd always go to Mark 16, 16 to try to prove his position. In Mark 16, 16, Jesus says, he who believes and is baptized will be saved. He who believes and is baptized will be saved. And my friend would say, how can it be more clear? in this isolated form, it certainly sounds like baptism is required for salvation. If this were the only statement in the Bible ever made about how salvation is attained, then we would have to conclude that a person must be baptized to be saved. But when we read Mark 16, 16 in connection with the entire Bible, We understand that Jesus is teaching that baptism is an important response to being saved, but it's not a prerequisite for being saved. It's not part of the salvation process. But it's the context of Scripture as a whole that leads us to this conclusion. So if we are to take a lesson from the ant that we read in Proverbs 6 and isolate that from the rest of the Bible, then we can easily be misled into a theology of planning that says, all you need to do is hard work and you'll succeed. And if we are to take the parable of the tower that we read about in Luke 14 and isolate it from the rest of the Bible, then we can easily be misled into a theology of planning that says, as long as you make sensible plans before you begin, then you will always succeed. There are, all sorts of Christian self-help and motivational books that do exactly this very thing. They isolate these types of passages from the rest of the Bible and they build a humanist theology that says, you can do this. You can do this. The only thing that stands between you and your goals is you. Follow these three easy steps and you'll be successful at whatever you set your heart upon. But what happens when you put those passages back in the context of the entire Bible? Now you need to read and apply those passages in a way that harmonizes with the rest of the Scriptures, which includes our sermon text. Our sermon text, which says, a man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. And this verse contributes an important component to our theology of planning. It's telling us that setting and achieving goals is not exclusively within the control of ourselves. which is to say, you are not the only operator making your goals come to pass. There's another operator at work, a greater operator who has the authority and power to completely override everything that you have set your heart to do. That operator is God. You can make the most sensible and well-planned goals for your life and then set out with the utmost determination to attain them, but it's God who will ultimately decide whether those goals are actually going to be realized or not. A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. As Christians, this is a truth that should bring a lot of comfort to our hearts. We shouldn't look at this as something oppressive, as overriding my will, overriding my plans. Why does God have to do that to me? But rather, this is a truth that should bring a lot of comfort to our hearts. Or to say it slightly differently, this is a truth that should eliminate a lot of anxiety from our minds. It's a truth that should keep us from thinking that we failed when God chooses to direct our steps in a way that's different from the plans that we've made. Realize there is no shame in setting sensible and righteous plans for your life and then realizing later that God had different plans for you. At least there's no shame so long as your plans are always surrendered to God. Let me explain. When you're living according to a biblical theology of planning, then you're going to do your best to set and make righteous goals and plans, sensible goals and plans. And then you're going to do your best to diligently pursue those plans, to achieve them. But if circumstances outside of your control introduce obstacles that you cannot overcome, or obstacles that you should not overcome, then you're going to see this as God directing your steps in a different direction. And you're going to modify your plans accordingly. This isn't going to pose a major setback to you because you have the full assurance of knowing that this new direction is God's wise providence for your life. And by faith, you'll accept that he has something in store for you that's better than the plans that you were initially pursuing, so you will embrace that. And there will be absolutely zero shame, zero sense of failure that your initial plans never came to fruition. But if you have a humanist theology of planning, then you're going to do your best to make sensible plans, and you're going to do your best to pursue those plans with all diligence. But when circumstances outside your control introduce obstacles that you cannot overcome, then you're going to be disappointed with yourself. you're going to conclude that you have failed in some regard. You're going to begin questioning where you went wrong, what you overlooked, what you underestimated, why this didn't work out the way that you planned for it to work out. Because according to a humanist theology of planning, you are the primary operator. You are the one who makes things happen. What you do or what you do not do single-handedly determines the success or failure of your plans. And what inevitably happens to those who have a humanist theology of planning is they diligently try to realize their plans. And when God begins directing their steps in a different direction, they cling tightly to their original plan. They don't account for the will of God in their plans because in their humanist theology, God doesn't have a role in theology of plans. They don't acknowledge that God is the one who directs their steps. So they keep trying to do what they first determined to do in their heart. With all stubbornness and resistance, they keep trying to do what they initially determined to do in their heart. And the result is always discouragement, frustration, despair, anxiety, depression, and a grand sense of failure. This is because the person who's pursuing their plans according to a humanist theology of planning is inevitably going to find himself fighting against God. Let me establish this point from scripture. In Acts 5, the apostles were imprisoned by the Sanhedrin for preaching in the name of Jesus. And the apostles had been warned not to preach in the name of Jesus, but they defied these orders. And then this outraged the members of the Sanhedrin. Acts 5 verse 33 says that when the members of the Sanhedrin heard what these apostles had said regarding their loyalty to Jesus, the members of the Sanhedrin became furious and began plotting to kill the apostles. But then one of the men within the Sanhedrin said something profound. The man's name is Gamaliel. And he reminded the other members of the Sanhedrin that some of the, within the last decade or two, there had been some insurrectionists who tried to rise up and create an insurrection within Israel. And yet Gamaliel reminded them that all of their plans came to nothing. Sure, there was a little flurry of activity, but it all amounted to nothing. And then Gamaliel said something remarkable to the Sanhedrin. Referring to the apostles of Jesus, he said in verse 38, and now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this work is of men, It will come to nothing. But if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it, lest you even be found to fight against God. Lest you even be found to fight against God. Now understand, Gamaliel was not a believer in Jesus Christ. Nor was he a fan of the apostles. So he was not trying to assist them in any way. The reason he said what he said is because he knew that God is always directing the steps of men to accomplish whatever the Lord intends to accomplish. And so he warned the other members of the Sanhedrin, if God is directing the steps of these apostles, then to oppose the apostles is to oppose God, is to fight against God. This is why a humanist theology of planning will inevitably bring a person into contention with God. If you oppose the steps that God is directing you in, then you will be fighting against God. And you will always lose that fight. you will always lose that fight. The fight will always lead to discouragement, frustration, despair, anxiety, depression, and a grand sense of failure. But a biblical theology of planning will not. because Christians recognize that the Lord directs our steps. We recognize that we're not the sole operator in attaining the plans that we make in our hearts. So when it becomes evident that the Lord is leading us in a direction that's different from what we've charted for ourselves, we don't fight against him. Rather, we humbly submit our plans and ambitions to the will of God, knowing that He always is directing our steps in a way that's conducive with His will, in a way that's conducive with His glory, in a way that's ultimately best for us. James gives us a good description of what this type of submission ought to look like. In James 4, verse 13, he begins by describing those who are living according to a humanist theology of planning, a humanist theology. They say, today or tomorrow, we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell and make a profit. But then James challenges this humanist assumption. He challenges their assumption that they are the sole operator of their plans, that they are the only people who determine their steps. He says, you don't know what will happen to you tomorrow for what is your life? It is but a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. And James goes on to say that it's boasting and arrogance to presume that you know how the Lord is going to direct your steps tomorrow, or the next day, or the next day, much less 365 days from now. It's boasting and arrogance because it elevates the plans that we make in our own hearts above the steps that only the Lord is able to direct. And James says that all such boasting is evil, it's sinful. But then James goes on to explain how our plans are supposed to be made. Having identified the sinfulness of the humanist theology of planning, James then turns the table and says, here's a biblical theology of planning. He writes in verse 15, here's what you ought to say. If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that. If the Lord wills, we should do this or that. Do you see how James is calling us to humbly submit our plans and ambitions to the Lord? If the Lord wills, then yes, we will do this or that, but only if the Lord wills. James concludes in saying, therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. James is not saying that it's wrong to set goals. He's not saying that it's sinful to make plans. What James is saying is that we should set goals and that we should make plans. But our goals and plans must be in submission to the will of God. And we see several examples of this submission to the will of God in the Apostle Paul's life. Paul was not a sluggard. He did not just sit around without making any plans or showing ambition, nor was he thoughtless or impulsive in his plan making, nor did he fail to follow through with his plans. No, Paul was diligent and responsible. He made sensible Christ-centered plans, but sometimes the Lord directed his steps in a different direction. And when this happened, Paul was sensitive to the Lord's leading. He didn't fight against the Lord, but rather he submitted by conforming his plans to be that which the Lord was revealing to be the better plans, the Lord's plans. And we see an example of this in Paul's letter to the Romans. In chapter one, verse 13, he writes, now, I do not want you to be unaware, brethren. He's writing to the Roman Christians. Now, I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often plan to come to you, but was hindered until now. Do you hear what he's saying? He's saying, I often plan to come to you in Rome, but I've been hindered until now. So in this case, it was the timing of Paul's plans that God was redirecting. Multiple times, according to what Paul has written here in verse 13. His heart made plans to visit the Christians in Rome, but the Lord redirected his steps in a different direction. Eventually, Paul did get to Rome. But even then, it was not as Paul had planned. Paul was arrested in Jerusalem, and after a series of trials and being transferred from one court to another court, he eventually ended up in Rome where he would stand trial before Nero. And that's how the Lord directed Paul's steps to Rome. Not at all as Paul had planned in his heart, And yet Paul joyfully and humbly submitted himself to the Lord's will, receiving this as the plans that God had for him. Another example is seen in Paul's plans to visit the church in Corinth. In 1 Corinthians 16 verses five through seven, he told the Christians in Corinth about his plans to visit them. I will visit you after passing through Macedonia for I intend to pass through Macedonia and perhaps I will stay with you or even spend the winter so that you may help me on my journey wherever I go. For I do not want to see you now just in passing. I hope to spend more time with you if the Lord permits. Notice how Paul lays out his plans, and then he concludes those plans with the remark or the statement, if the Lord permits. Paul is demonstrating a biblical theology of planning. As he's describing his plans to stay with the Corinthians for the winter, he's doing just as James has described. Paul is not presuming to know how the Lord might direct the steps tomorrow. And so he acknowledges that he's already submitted his plans to the will of God. These plans are already submitted to the will of God. He writes, if the Lord permits. This is a particularly helpful example because when Paul did arrive in Corinth as he had planned, he discovered that there was a sinful situation there that had developed within the Corinthian church. And Paul didn't know about this situation when he first told them about his plans to stay with them for the winter. And given the circumstances that that confronted him when he arrived, Paul cut his visit short. He ended it much shorter than he had initially intended. He left Corinth and he didn't even go on to Macedonia as he had previously planned, but he went straight to Ephesus where he wrote a sharp letter of rebuke to the Corinthians. And we don't know exactly what that letter said because that is one of the letters of Paul that the Lord providentially has not seen fit to preserve for us to read. But we do know that the letter of rebuke caused the Corinthians a lot of grief and sorrow because we read about this in 2 Corinthians later. Paul did write another letter to the Corinthians, which is the letter that we call 2 Corinthians. And in 2 Corinthians 1 verses 15 through 17, he explains how he had to alter the plans that he made when he visited Corinth. He says, I intended to come to you before that you might have a second benefit to pass by the way, to pass by way of you to Macedonia, to come again from Macedonia to you and be helped by you on my way to Judea. Therefore, when I was planning this, did I do it lightly? Or the things I plan, do I plan according to the flesh that with me There should be yes, yes, and no, no. Listen to what he's saying, this last part. He says, when I made these plans, was I planning it, did I do it lightly? Did I do it as a sluggard? Did I do it without careful and proper consideration? Or the things that I plan, do I plan according to the flesh? Do I plan as if I'm the only operator in my plans? Do I plan as if I'm the one who's gonna make the plans and I'm gonna see them through to their end? That with me, Paul goes on to say, there should be yes, yes, and no, no. In other words, I'm the one that says yes, I'm the one that says no. Of course, these are rhetorical questions, right? Paul is, asking these rhetorical questions to demonstrate that he did not make these plans lightly. He did it in consideration of God. And what he could have said, and may have, I'm not gonna say he should have said, because he said this under the inspiration of the Spirit. And so, but what he could have said, what he could have reminded the Corinthians is that when he first told them about his plans, those plans were already submitted to the Lord's will. If the Lord permits, he said. And so Paul is responding here in 2 Corinthians to an accusation from some of the Corinthians that he did not keep his word. They were accusing him of not keeping his word. You said you're gonna spend the winter with us. They reminded him that he had made these plans and then he didn't keep them. And they reminded him that he said that he would visit Corinth twice, when in fact he only visited them once. And so Paul responds by explaining that his plans were not made in the flesh. In other words, Paul is saying that he did not have a humanist theology of planning. Rather, his plans were made in submission to the will of the Lord. And then a few verses later, he explains more specifically why His plans were changed. 2 Corinthians 1 verse 23. Moreover, I called God as witness against my soul that to spare you, I came no more to Corinth. To spare you, he says. And Paul had determined that for him to spend any more time in Corinth, according to his initial plans, would have been too difficult for the Corinthians. He thought that it would be too harsh for them, that they wouldn't be able to receive well the rebuke he had to give them if he were to issue that rebuke face to face. And so he left Corinth, went to Ephesus, and then put the rebuke in the form of a letter and sent it back to them to spare them. It was his pastoral concern for the spiritual well-being of the Christians in Corinth that caused Paul to adjust his plans. And this was, as Paul would be quick to attest, at the prompting and leading of God. Paul sensed that God was directing his steps to deal with the Corinthians in a particular way, and so he submitted his plans to God. As Christians, We all face the challenge of pursuing the plans that we've made in our heart and then at the same time of trying to discern whether the Lord might be redirecting our steps in a different direction. This is especially difficult for us to do when we encounter an obstacle. Are we supposed to climb over the obstacle to get to our goal? Or is the obstacle God's way of saying, you need to stop here and change your plans. I'm directing you in a different direction. I don't want you to go that way. I want you to go this way. This is a very applicable question because we don't want to just abandon our plans the moment we encounter an obstacle. We're not wimps. We don't give up just because there's an obstacle in our path. Maybe God wants us to climb over the obstacle. Or maybe God wants us to go around the obstacle. Or maybe God wants us to tunnel under the obstacle. Or maybe God wants us to move the obstacle so that we can proceed down the road that we're traveling on. And yet, We readily acknowledge that God does use obstacles to redirect our steps. And so these situations can present a difficulty in discerning the Lord's will. What is the purpose of the obstacle? Is it to climb over or to redirect? But just because these situations are difficult does not mean that we shouldn't try. And once again, this is where the sluggard is exposed. The sluggard says, this is too much work. This requires too much effort. It hurts my brain to have to think about all this stuff. So I'm not even gonna try. I'm gonna just sit down in front of this obstacle and live my life here. Brothers and sisters, you do not have the option of being a sluggard. You need to try, even if it takes a tremendous amount of effort. God's promise is that He has given you everything you need to be complete and thoroughly equipped for every good work. So you need to be faithful in using the resources that He has given to you to discern His will in all situations, including those situations where you're presented with an obstacle. And let me call your attention to five biblical principles for discerning God's will. I'm not pretending like these are the only principles for discerning God's will, but these are five principles that are especially applicable to considering God's will when you are in front of an obstacle, when you are trying to determine whether the Lord is redirecting your steps away from the path that your heart has charted. whether your plans need to be adjusted because the Lord is directing you in a different direction. The first principle is to know your calling, to know your calling. In 2 Peter 1 10, we read, therefore brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure for if you do these things, you will never stumble. For if you do these things, what things? To make your call and election sure. If you do these things, you will never stumble. And the more certain you are about the specific calling that God has placed on your life, the better you'll be able to discern how he is directing your steps. For example, my calling is to be a pastor. And because I'm certain about this, I'm better able to process the different situations I find myself in. If I'm fatigued, thinking that the work is too difficult for me, or if I'm discouraged, thinking I'm not making a difference in people's lives, or if I'm distressed because people are saying nasty things about me behind my back, It would be easy for me to begin thinking that maybe God is directing my steps in a different direction. My mind could start racing. Maybe I should get a job that's not so emotionally draining. Maybe I should get a job where I can find, be of greater assistance to more people. Maybe I should get a job where I don't have to bear the brunt of angry people's outbursts and tirades. If ever my mind starts thinking these things, I simply need to remember my calling. No, the Lord has called me to be a pastor. So unless the Lord makes it abundantly clear that my calling has changed, I'm going to stay the course. If I'm fatigued, then I'm going to look for my strength and refreshment from God. If I'm discouraged, then I'll look to him for my encouragement. If I'm distressed, then I'll look to him for my joy and assurance and my security. Do you see how that works? When you know your calling, then you have a strong point of reference for discerning the Lord's will. When doubt causes you to begin questioning whether you're in the right place, then consider those doubts in the context of your calling. When insecurity causes you to begin questioning your skills and abilities, then remember that the Lord always equips His people for their specific calling. When frustration causes you to wanna throw it all away and start over somewhere else, then know that the Lord has called you to be exactly where you are today at this specific time, and this will be a source of comfort and encouragement for you to persevere according to the Lord's strength and the Lord's will. By knowing your calling, dear friends, you are put in a strong position to discern when and where God is directing your steps. It's highly relevant to the question of what God wants you to do. The second principle is to be in constant communication with God. And this happens through regular times of prayer, as well as reading the Bible, studying the Bible, and meditating upon the Bible. As the Holy Spirit dwells within each believer, He leads us into all truth. And two of the ways that He does this is by interceding for us in our prayers and opening our understanding to the Holy Scriptures. Prayer, if we think of communication with God as bi-directional, prayer is us speaking to the Lord, the scriptures is God speaking to us. And when we initiate this conversation with God, we offer up our prayers to the Lord, and so often his answers come to us not by way of some audible voice coming down from heaven, but by way of God's voice emerging out of the holy scriptures. And as many of you will attest, it's amazing how often the answers to life's challenges become clear as we regularly make our petitions known to the Lord and are regularly meditating upon his scriptures. A third principle for discerning the will of God is to seek counsel from God's people, to seek counsel from God's people. And when I say God's people, I'm referring to godly people, righteous people. people whose lives demonstrate that they are being led by the Spirit. Proverbs 15 verse 22 says that plans go awry without counsel, but in the multitude of counselors, they are established. If the Lord is directing you to modify your plans, then this will become more evident as you seek counsel from godly sources. If the person, it's the person who isolates himself from such counsel, who so often finds himself fighting against God, right? It's the person who isolates himself from such counsel, rejects counsel, too proud to seek counsel. This is the person who will often find himself fighting against God, as Gamaliel described it. And it's the person who ignores the counsel of godly people. They've heard it, it's been given to them, but they ignore it, who so often suffers the consequences of their own poor decisions. Seek the counsel of your parents. Seek the counsel of your grandparents. Seek the counsel of your pastors. Seek the counsel of your godly friends, the ones who love the Lord and who love you well enough to speak God's truth to you, even when those conversations are difficult. Those are the people you wanna seek counsel from. Don't go to your buddy who's got the same problems you do and hasn't resolved them yet. Go to the people whose lives demonstrate that they've learned from God's word, that they've been able to apply God's word in wise ways in their life and seek their counsel as they will turn you back to God's word and how it applies to your life. Fourth principle, when your plans are righteous, when they are kingdom oriented, when they have been established in prayer, And when they're consistent with what you know you're calling to be, and you still can't determine whether God is redirecting your steps, then stay the course. Keep doing what you're doing until God makes it abundantly clear that he is leading you in a different direction. Continue pursuing the righteous plans that your heart has made. Stay the course. You don't need a compelling reason to maintain the status quo, but you do need a compelling reason to make a change. So if the Lord has not provided that compelling reason, then stay the course. Keep doing what you're doing. Be where you are, because that's where God has put you. Your duty in that situation is to persevere. And the fifth principle for discerning the Lord's will is to ask Him for wisdom. James 1, verses five through eight says, if anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith without doubting. For he who doubts is like a wave in the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. For he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. Brothers and sisters, these five principles are just five that are applicable to this, but as I said, these are not the only principles, and yet these are very helpful principles. But understand this, God's will is not as enigmatic as some people would have you believe. God's not playing games with us here. He doesn't take joy in watching us wander around aimlessly in the dark, trying to guess what he would have us to do. He has given you everything that you need to be complete and thoroughly equipped for every good work. And He gives you the joy of pursuing your calling. He's equipped you to pursue the calling and He gives you satisfaction in doing the work He has called you to. So we don't need to make this more complicated than it needs to be. The Lord's given us wisdom. He's given us the invitation to seek more wisdom if that's required. And he's given us the joy of Christian service, of being workers in his kingdom. And that, brothers and sisters, ought to be our plan. And let the Lord direct our steps. Amen, let's pray.