Our Plans and God's Will

[0:00] Good morning, my name is Andrew. It's always a great pleasure to host. I feel like it's just an honor to lead us into worship.

[0:13] And so this morning, even though we're in small groups and we feel a little bit of a burden of that because we're not meeting together, we're not in the space that we want to be in, I would encourage you with this, that God is not bound by the size of the crowd.

[0:28] He is not bound by, you know, small worship versus big worship. He feels all in all. And so this morning, we want to draw near to Him. We want to turn down the clutter a little bit.

[0:40] And so my advice to you or my hope this morning is that you would maybe turn off your phone or turn it down, that you would turn up the music, that you would really get excited about worship and that you would draw near as the word is spoken this morning, listen intently to what God is trying to say to you.

[0:58] And so this morning, let's worship together. And let me pray for us and then we'll get started. Lord God, we come to you this morning because you're worthy of our worship. You are a very God of very gods.

[1:08] You fill heaven and earth. You are omnipresent, Lord God. And so we come to you. We desire to draw near to you. Help us, O Lord, to do so. We worship this morning with the souls of righteous men made perfect and thousands of ten thousands.

[1:23] And so, Lord God, we love you. We desire to worship well. And so help us, Lord God. For the name of your son, Jesus, we ask these things. Amen and amen. Let's get started and worship together.

[1:34] Amen and amen. I thought by now they'd fall But you've never failed me yet Waiting for change to come Knowing the battle's won For you have never failed me yet Your promise still stands Great is your faithfulness Your faithfulness I'm still in your hands

[2:35] This is my confidence You've never failed me yet I know the night won't last Your world will come to pass My heart will sing your praise again Jesus, you're still enough Keep me within your mouth My heart will sing your praise again Your promise still stands

[3:42] Great is your faithfulness Your faithfulness I'm still in your hands This is my confidence You've never failed me yet Your promise still stands Great is your faithfulness Your faithfulness I'm still in your hands This is my confidence You've never failed me yet Never failed me yet Never failed me yet Never failed me yet Oh I've seen you move

[4:44] I've seen you move Move the mountains And I believe I see you do it again You've made a way You've made a way Where there was no way And I believe I see you do it again I see you do it again Your promise still stands

[5:56] Great is your faithfulness Your faithfulness I'm still in your hands This is my confidence You've never failed me yet You give light You are love You bring light To the darkness You give hope You restore Every heart That is broken Great are you Lord

[6:57] It's your breath In our lungs So we pour out our praise We pour out our praise It's your breath In our lungs So we pour out our praise To you only You give life You are love You bring light To the darkness You give hope You give thanks to you Every heart that is broken, great are you, Lord.

[7:55] It's your breath. It's your breath in our lungs. So we pour out our praise. We pour out our praises.

[8:08] It's your breath in our lungs. So we pour out our praise to you only. It's your breath in our lungs.

[8:22] So we pour out our praise. We pour out our praises. It's your breath in our lungs. So we pour out our praise to you only.

[8:42] And all the earth will shout your praise.

[9:01] Our hearts will cry. These bones will sing. Great are you, Lord.

[9:13] One more time.

[9:34] All the earth. All the earth will shout your praise. Our hearts will cry. These bones will sing.

[9:46] Great are you, Lord. And all the earth will sing. And all the earth will sing. It's your breath in our lungs.

[9:59] So we pour out our praise. So we pour out our praise. It's your breath in our lungs. So we pour out our praise.

[10:11] It's your breath in our lungs. So we pour out our praise. So we pour out our praise.

[10:23] It's your breath in our lungs. So we pour out our praise to you only. Great are you, Lord.

[11:02] Hi, One Harbor. My name is Haley Kinzer. My husband is Jesse Kinzer, one of the pastors at One Harbor Church. I am so glad you joined us this morning. Let's transition as we pray together.

[11:13] As much as this COVID season has been so hard and unexpected, it's also true that hard seasons provide opportunities. And I see an opportunity at hand for growth.

[11:24] And so there are three areas of growth I'd love us to pray into this morning. The first area is growth in our relationship with the Lord. Although our church buildings are sitting empty, the church, which is you and me, we still have full access to the Father and full access to the written Word of God.

[11:42] And so Jude 1, verse 20, it says, build yourselves up in your most holy faith. And Philippians 1, verse 9, it says, And so here we have these two charges in Scripture to build ourselves up in the most holy faith.

[12:00] Wouldn't it be incredible if when we get to fill up our church buildings again, we would come as a church full of greater faith and greater love for the Lord? Secondly, I'd love us to pray into growth in gracious words.

[12:13] Donnie already did an outstanding job preaching on this a couple of weeks ago, so I'm not going to say a whole lot more. But I do want to read Ephesians 4, verse 29. It says, And lastly, I'd love us to pray for growth in unity.

[12:37] I think it goes without saying that our country is divided on many issues. And so as we pray, let's keep Romans 12, verse 18 in mind. It says, If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

[12:50] Okay, One Harbor, let's take five minutes to pray into those three areas. Thank you.

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[25:27] Thank you. this. It says how, you know, boasting, how this kind of sounds in our lives. James 4 verse 13, come now, you who say today or tomorrow, we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit. Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life?

[25:50] For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, if the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that. As it is, you boast in your arrogance.

[26:05] All such boasting is evil. See how James teases out the difference there between the boastful and the humble? The boastful say, we will go. But the humble say, if the Lord wills, we will do this and that.

[26:21] Big difference. See, God alone has the whole picture. He alone knows what will happen in your life and my life and all over the world. So we shouldn't act like we know because it assumes that we have this insight and knowledge into the future that's God-like, which is so untrue.

[26:43] And God doesn't want us acting like we have it all figured out, not just because we don't, but also because it breaks our hearts when things don't go like we had hoped they would. Proverbs 13, 12 says, hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life. What is this saying?

[27:07] Getting our hearts set on our plans leads to disappointment. Think about that phrase, makes the heart sick. I've always been so struck by that language. What does it look and feel like to have a sick heart? I like the Exodus story. And in chapter five, God tells Israel through Moses, he comes and tells Israel, he's going to deliver them out of Egypt. He's going to deliver them out of their harsh conditions and the slavery that they are living in. And so there's this great response. I mean, that is good news, right? The nation of Israel is like, oh, finally, God has heard our cries. There's excitement and there's joy and there's hope that they're going to get out of this bad situation. But immediately, Pharaoh says, no, I'm not going to let you go. And you know what? In fact, I'm going to make it harder for you to do the work that you are already doing. I'm going to set higher demands of quotas for making bricks. And I'm going to take the materials for making bricks away from you. So it's going to be harder to do all those things. And they experience hope deferred. And one way that hope deferred makes our hearts sick is that we get angry. We get frustrated. And we start to assume the worst in others and try to point fingers and complain. Exodus 5 verse 19 says this, the foreman of the people of Israel saw that they were in trouble when they said, when Pharaoh's officials told him, you shall by no means reduce your number of bricks, your daily task each day.

[28:46] And so what did they do? It says in verse 20, they met Moses and Aaron who were waiting for them as they came out from Pharaoh. And they said to them, the Lord look on you and judge because you have made a stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.

[29:07] Man, think about the drastic change here. When Moses and Aaron first showed up with the good news, they were the heroes. But now, let's just say that Moses and Aaron weren't getting any invites to bar mitzvahs.

[29:21] I mean, think about the highs and lows of living through COVID-19. And it's been tough, right? Especially when phase two came out and we were like, what is this going to look like? Oh my goodness, finally we get back to normal. And man, it just felt like a big letdown, right? Hope deferred.

[29:42] How did you and I respond to that? Was it anger? Was it finger pointing? Was it complaining? Griping at officials? Blasting leaders on social media? You know, it's fascinating when you look at Israel's response when their plans were crushed versus how Moses responded. Israel, they griped at Moses and Aaron. They griped at their leaders and they begged for mercy from their captors.

[30:13] Moses went to God and prayed for mercy, help, and direction. That was his response. It was a wise response, even amidst the deferred hope. Now, while anger comes out of a heart that is sick, it's not our heart's rock bottom, right? Our heart can get a lot darker, actually. It can get a lot worse for us.

[30:35] God spoke through Moses again to Israel right after the foreman came out and they said all those harsh things to Moses and Aaron. So God tells Moses, man, go back and remind them what I'm going to do.

[30:47] I'm going to deliver them. I'm going to bring them out of Egypt with these powerful signs and wonders. Sometimes, man, we need God to give us a nice cold bucket of water to sober us up.

[30:59] That's a good thing, to get us out of our cycle of freaking out, out of that feeling of our heart being sick and hope deferred. But, you know, sometimes we're too obstinate. Our plans, our ways, our timing, they just matter too much. They had to be what happened. And when we hold on to those things too tight, oftentimes we can't even hear the hope God has for us. And this is where we see how bad it can get for our hearts. Look what happens in Exodus 6, verse 9, after God reminds them of the good news. Moses spoke of us to the people of Israel, all that good news that God was going to deliver them, but they did not listen. They did not listen to Moses. Why? Because of their broken spirit.

[31:49] Setting our hearts on our plans may ultimately lead us to hopelessness. And guys, a heart without the light of hope is a dark place. It's its own kind of prison. No words are comforting. Even God's words of hope and deliverance, even seeing and being reminded that God is in control of all of this, even that isn't enough. I wonder if someone watching this is in that place. I want to pray, man, for God's hope and power to break into your heart right now.

[32:29] The Israelites may have had a broken spirit in this moment, but the story didn't end there. That's the good news. God ended up showing his power and delivered on his promises. And what we see is Israel dancing in freedom on the other side of the Red Sea. God came through just like he said he would.

[32:48] So despite how you feel, remember God is faithful and nothing can stop him from fulfilling his plan and purpose. But know this wisdom too. You don't have to get to the point of utter hopelessness.

[33:05] Man, make plans. That is good. But always, always trust in God's will above all. Now, that's good and all. There's another danger when we make plans that I want to make sure we watch out for. And that's how we make our plans. We often do it in isolation. And this is arrogant for two reasons. Because first, we act like we don't need God. And two, we act like we don't need the wisdom of others. Proverbs 11, 14 says, where there is no guidance, a people falls. But in an abundance of counselors, there is safety. See, God helps us make wise plans through the wisdom of friends. God helps us make wise plans through the wisdom of friends. You know, some of us are so used to making decisions on our own. And so far, it hasn't bit us in the butt yet. Sorry, all the young kids watching. Your pastor said that. You know, don't repeat that. So we're thinking, you know what?

[34:13] So far, so good for me. What's the big deal about making my plans in isolation all by myself, just being accountable to myself? Well, here's what I want to say. Making decisions in isolation is a lot like playing a game of Russian roulette. At some point, you're going to get hurt. So let's look at King David's life as an example of this. 2 Samuel 11, verses 1 to 3. This is a great case study.

[34:44] In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab and his servants with him and all of Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabah. But David remained at Jerusalem. It happened late one afternoon when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king's house that he saw from the roof of a woman bathing. And the woman was very beautiful. And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? So what's wrong with this picture? Well, we look at David. David sends out this crowd, this army, all his friends and commanders around him, they all go out to war.

[35:37] And it says it was a time when kings were supposed to be at war. Well, David's a king. He's supposed to be with all those guys, but he's not. What's he doing instead? He's isolated, right? The king of Israel, David, this mighty warrior, in his isolation, what is he reduced to? He becomes a peeping tom. And it just gets worse from there. This is David, a man after God's own heart at his worst.

[36:09] Now, here's the good news. Although he's at his worst in that moment of isolation, he did learn from his mistakes. And God was gracious and forgave him of the sins that he committed and restored him.

[36:22] But you know what? Look at what it says about David toward the end of his life. And compare this, what we're going to about to read, versus that moment of isolation early in his life. 1 Chronicles 27, verse 33 says this, Ahithophel was the king's counselor, and Hushai the Archite was the king's friend. Man, David, he's here at his best, surrounded by wise voices and friends.

[36:50] Man, he's at his worst when he's all alone. But think about this, man, what got him to isolation? What was it? It was actually success. The more successful you are, the more that you make decisions and isolation and things go well, the more you think, hey, I got this all by myself.

[37:11] And you know what? The more successful you are, the more isolated you can be. The only reason David didn't go to battle was because he didn't have to. Now, the wisdom of this world says that the more success you have, the less you need the wisdom of others. The wisdom of God says the more success you have, the more, not less, you need of wisdom and true friends that will stab you in the front.

[37:42] Proverbs 27, 6 says, Faithful are the wounds of a friend. Profuse are the kisses of an enemy. We need the counsel of wise friends who can speak into our lives. You know, my friend Jared Risky, he does these bonfires once a month and invites some guys around. And I've been to a few and they've been excellent. We talk and we hang out, but then we have these moments where we go and pray for one another, encourage one another, have honest conversations with one another. And it's really good. It's wise men getting around, giving counsel, getting counsel. There's honesty, there's transparency, there's the sense of stabbing each other in the front, which is good.

[38:27] See, when you have the counsel of wise friends, it will keep you from bad decisions, but it doesn't mean it's going to make your life perfect and predictable. If we had 2020 to do over again, would we have done it any differently? Would we have planned and prepared less? No, we wouldn't have, but we would have held our plans with more of an open hand and would have put more of our confidence in God's will. Proverbs 21 verse 1 says, the king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord.

[39:06] He turns it wherever he will. And this proverb teaches us this wisdom. Plan well, but trust in the Lord to do what's best. Example is we can make plans, right? Two ways to make plans. We could have plans that are closed handed, our plans, my life, my plan, my timing, my will, it's got to be my way all the time. Or we have plans and we hold them open handed, right? I have a friend who says, always make your plans in pencil. Realize that I can make, I can plan with the best wisdom and insight that I've got, but I have to realize I don't know best. I don't know the end from the beginning like God does. And then we hold them open handed and say, man, God, here's our plans. I'm going to trust you.

[40:02] If you want to change them, you want to adjust them, you want to redirect, man, I trust you. Help me to be surrendered to your will. And that trust in the Lord is a posture of leaning in, not back. There's a way to trust in the Lord that isn't passive. It's prayerful.

[40:25] First Corinthians two verses nine says this, but as it is written, what no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor heart of man imagine what God has prepared for those who love him. These things God has revealed to us through the spirit for the spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him. So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the spirit of God. See, the call here is not passively accepting whatever comes our way, but to lean in and be led by the spirit. That's what we are called to do as Christians.

[41:13] We're called to a life that is one of being led by the spirit. Christians, we are not fatalists. We're not being moved around by some impersonal force or power. We are led by a good God who loves us and knows what's best for us. And this is why the most important thing in your life is what you believe about God. Remember what we talked about? Man, wisdom is the fear of the Lord and knowledge of the Holy one is insight. Who is God to you? If he's an angry old curmudgeon, then you know what? You won't trust him to lead you. If he is just there to support your endeavors like a cosmic butler, then you'll never let him lead you. If he is imperfect in knowledge and wisdom, then he isn't fit to lead you. But, if God is good, loving, all-wise, all-knowing, perfect in all his ways, if God does know the end from the beginning, if he is perfect in righteousness, if he is perfectly just, if he is completely merciful and gracious, then, then that God, you want him to lead you. You know, I have this bucket list, something I hope I do before I die, and that is to do a one-week guided backpacking tour through the backcountry of Yosemite, Yosemite National Park. And you know what? I want to do that. But you know what?

[42:59] I want to be led in that moment. You know why? Because that is out in the wild. That is a dangerous place. That is a place where you could die from freezing, being exposed to the elements of nature.

[43:13] That is a place that has bears and mountain lions and wild animals of all kinds. There is danger of getting lost and starving to death or being dehydrated. I want a guide. I want a guide that knows what he is doing, who knows what is needed to take with us, who knows where to go, who knows how to survive.

[43:36] And when we, with that kind of guide, man, a guide, I can really enjoy that backpacking trip so much better. I want a guide who's, I want a guide who's been there and done that. And not just once, but many, many, many times. I want a guide that has done more than just studied Yosemite on a map.

[43:58] I want one that's walked the path ahead of me already, many times. And you know what? That's what God is. That's what God is like. Here's the thing, guys. God doesn't point us down a path and say, you need to go down there. I'll be over here. You go there. No. It says he leads us. He goes before us.

[44:20] The Holy Spirit, the name for the Holy Spirit is the paraclete, the one who walks alongside and calls us. He is guiding us. So everywhere we're going in God's will isn't a place that we go alone. God has walked ahead of us and he's calling us to follow him. And here's the good news. That means he's with us all the time. We never walk alone. He is good. He goes ahead of us and he calls us to follow him.

[44:48] But we have to remember that there is one path that was walked alone and Jesus walked that path alone so that you and I wouldn't have to. It was the path that he took to be punished for our sin in our place, the path to Calvary. If you're watching this and you're not yet a follower of Jesus, I want to tell you he died on the cross for your sins. And the invitation for you is to repent and believe. Repent and believe in Jesus as Savior and as Lord. And it says you will be saved. That's the promise of God. He is the Savior who walked the path that you don't want to. And he walked the path that you can't walk down. He is the Lord that calls you to follow him. Man, I'll invite you to put your faith in him today and respond to that call. Repent and confess your sins and trust in him as your Lord and

[45:49] Savior and you will be saved. Now, if you're watching this and you're a follower of Jesus, man, remember he is our Lord, King of Kings, the Almighty, and he is our Savior, our Deliverer.

[46:05] He is our Lord we follow. We trust him because we know he is good. He is wise. He is righteous. He is gracious and he is merciful. We know this because he is our Savior that died in our place.

[46:19] Now, before we pause to take communion, man, let's reflect on our lives. Let's reflect on what our life looks like right now, on the plans we've made, on the plans that, man, that have been frustrated.

[46:36] What are the big plans of your life? Are you holding on to them too tightly? Or with open hands, life of surrender, prayerfully being led by the Holy Spirit. Listen. Let's listen to the Holy Spirit and how he is leading you to respond today. And you know what? I want to encourage you, consider sharing that with someone that you're watching this with. And maybe you can talk about it after this sermon is done at the end of the service and you can talk about it more and pray together. In a moment, we're going to take communion. We're going to sing one more song before the service ends. And just a reminder, at the very end of this video, there will be details on how to give, some tips on praying for one another, and talking more about the sermon together. But right now, let's push pause on the video, take time to respond with communion. Thank you so much for watching.

[47:36] 哪裡哪裡哪裡 Praise the Father Praise the Son Praise the Spirit Three in one God of glory Majesty Praise forever To the King of Kings

[48:40] To reveal the kingdom coming And to reconcile the lost To redeem the whole creation You did not despise the cross For even in your sight You saw to the other side Knowing this was our salvation Jesus, for our sake you died Praise the Father Praise the Father Praise the Son Praise the Son Praise the Spirit Three in one God of glory Majesty Praise forever

[49:41] To the King of Kings And the morning that you rose And the morning that you rose All of heaven held its breath Till that stone was schooled for good For the Lamb had conquered death And the dead rose from the tombs And the angels stood in awe And the angels stood in awe For the souls of all who come To the Father are the storm And the church of Christ was born Then the Spirit lit the flame Now this gospel troop of old Shining shall not be By His blood and His name In His freedom I am free For the love of Jesus Christ Who has resurrected me

[50:44] Praise the Lord Praise the Father Praise the Father Praise the Son Praise the Spirit Three in one God of glory Majesty Praise forever To the King of Kings Praise forever To the King of Kings哪裡哪裡 gathering together as we move forward into the week.

[51:48] As always, we have six entire days to make disciples push back darkness, all for the sake of the gospel. We'll see you next week. We'll see you next week.