On Earth, As It Is in Heaven: Making Plans That Please the Lord
Welcome to Quitter’s Day.
Until this week, I didn’t even know that such a day existed. Sure, I was familiar with the fact that the gym seems a lot less crowded by the end of January. But I didn’t know that we coronated the breaking of New Year’s resolutions with an unofficial holiday. But some do, and today USA Today even ran a brief article on it.
Apparently, the Second Friday of the new year is dubbed Quitter’s Day because of the way that so many plans have been broken in the new year. To speak personally, my own Bible reading plans were thrown off yesterday because an early morning meeting took the place of my typical morning devotion. Yet, today I picked up the plan again, read yesterday’s Psalm (and todays), and continued in my reading in Matthew. Such is life.
If we are going to make progress in the world, we must make plans and keep them. And I suspect that everyone who makes and breaks a new year’s resolution to eat better, work out more, or spend less money—these are the Big 3, apparently—still maintains other plans. It’s not possible to finish a degree, order a home, build a career, or lead a team without making and keeping plans. Yes, some of us are better than others at making plans and keeping them, but part of being human is to order our steps for the purpose of accomplishing a goal.
In Proverbs, there are many such passages that describe this way of planning. Consider a few. In Proverbs 15:22, we learn that “without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.” More positively, Proverbs 20:18 says, “Plans are established by counsel;
by wise guidance wage war.” Later in Luke 14:31–33, Jesus will say something similar. When discussing what it takes to follow him, our Lord compared discipleship to kingship and the need to count the cost before engaging in war. Truly, planning is what kings do. And because humanity is given the task of ruling over the world, planning is part of what it means to be human.
Think about it. Before God made the world, he made a plan. And that plan included the “foundation of the world” (John 17), the storyline of history (Eph. 1:11; Rev. 13:8; 17:8), the cross of Christ (1 Pet. 1:20; cf. Acts 2:23; 4:27–28), and the election of every sinner who would come to faith in Christ (Acts 13:48; Rom. 9:22–23). Indeed, the kingdom of God was not an after-thought in God’s mind; it was the reason why God created the world in the first place (Matt. 25:34). Though in time redemption came after creation, in the mind of God redemption in Christ came first. And thus, the world God made is filled with order, and if we are going to be like our Creator, we must order our days too. But how?
Three Ways to Order Your Life
In answer to the question, “How do I order my steps?” I want to offer three responses that set up our next sermon series (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth, or B.I.B.L.E). These three responses are hardly sufficient to give you all the steps you will need, but they are a good start. And as we begin the new year, we need to consider how to order our steps to please the Lord.
First, ordering our steps is a biblical assumption and imperative.
Speaking analogically, God ordered his steps when he made the world. And when he made us in his image, he intended that we would also make plans in order to accomplish the tasks he has put before us. In truth, the plans we have are different than the plans of other generations, but ordering our steps is both assumed and commanded in Scripture.
Consider again the words of Proverbs. In Proverbs 16, we find three verses that stress the need and goodness of making plans.
Proverbs 16:1. The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.
Proverbs 16:3. Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.
Proverbs 16:9. The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.
In these three verses, we see the sovereignty of God ruling over our plans. But notice, such meticulous sovereignty does not deny our planning. Rather, it confirms that the things we plan have a chance of completion. Truly, unless the Lord confirms the work of our hands, we won’t do anything (Ps. 90:16–17), but with the Lord we can do all things (Phil. 4:13). And more, we know that for those in Christ, he has good plans for us (Eph. 2:10). Therefore, making plans is a both biblical and necessary for the follower of Christ. But just because making plans is what humans do, does not mean all planning is equally valid.
Second, many are the plans that do not stand.
Leaning into the Proverbs once again, we read in Proverbs 19:21, “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.” This verse is so important because it teaches us that we need to align our plans with God and not assume that God has aligned his plans with us. That is to say, just because we make plans for the Lord does not mean they are the right plans or righteous plans.
Countless are the figures in Scripture who did something for God that did not turn out well. Aaron, Korah, Uzzah, Uzziah, even Paul (before his conversion) tried to do things for the Lord, and, in each case, they sinned in their service. The golden calf (Exodus 32), the self-exaltation to priesthood (Numbers 16), the hand on the ark (2 Samuel 6), the king offering incense on the altar (2 Chronicles 26), and the murderous arrests of the church (Acts 9, Philippians 3) were all done in the name of the Lord. Each of these plans felt right, and received commendations from others, even though they were entirely unrighteous.
Thus, we should pause and ask the Lord: Is this plan that I am making lawful? Does it have the support or caution of other godly counselors? How do I know that this plan is pleasing to God? Is it just a subjective feeling? Or is there objective biblical truth undergirding it? As is often the case with people who claim to be serving the Lord, just because someone makes plans for the Lord with genuine intent in his or her heart does not mean it is righteousness (cf. John 16:2).
Relatedly, just because we can do something does not mean that God will bless it. Again, Scripture gives many examples where a good and godly intention is not honored by the Lord’s providence. For instance, in Acts 16 Paul attempts to go to Asia to bring the gospel. Yet, that mission is prevented, because the time is not right. Indeed, God’s plans trump our plans, and only when his sovereign will confirms the work of our hands will our plans succeed. And this also includes the times along the way when God prunes his work and his workers to prepare for a harvest later on (see what Luke says about Asia in Acts 19:10).
Long story short, many are the plans made by Christians that do not stand. And thus, in hopes of storing up treasure in heaven and not just on earth (Matt. 6:19¬–21), we do well to build on Christ’s foundation with gold, silver, and precious stones, not wood, hay, and stubble (1 Cor. 3:10–15). And this means that those who want to build their lives on Christ and labor in his house would do well to learn the way that God has ordered our steps.
Third, ordering our steps rightly begins with recognizing God’s order.
Last year when our church went through Genesis 8–9, I became aware of a new creation pattern that begins in Genesis 8:20 and continues to Genesis 9:7, maybe Genesis 9:17. If you look at those verses, you will see Noah offering a sacrifice on the altar (Gen. 8:20–21), followed by a statement about the conditions of the world (Gen. 8:22). Then, there is a host of new creation commands to be fruitful and multiply (Gen. 9:1, 7), to have dominion over the earth in the way mankind is to eat (Gen. 9:2–4), which turns into instructions about not shedding blood (Gen. 9:5–6). And all of this before the covenant with Noah is ratified with all creation in Genesis 9:8–17.
In these verses, it dawned on me that just as God had a pattern of creation in Genesis 1–2, so too there is a pattern in the new creation. And because the Old Testament is given to new covenant Christians for the purpose of solidifying our hope (Rom. 15:4) and training us in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16–17), I began to see that what is happening in Genesis 8–9 serves as a pattern for all those who are new creations in Christ. Indeed, Paul calls Christians new creations in 2 Corinthians 5:17, and everyone who has come to faith in Christ should see themselves in that way, too.
Yet, in recognizing that reality, we should also begin to ask another question: What does God have for me on earth, while I await heaven? Or better, how I do God’s will on earth as it is in heaven. If that is the prayer Jesus teaches us to pray (Matt. 6:9), how then should we live? As new creations in Christ, how do we order our steps? Do we make plans like we did before Christ, only acknowledging Christ now? Or does our planning look entirely different?
For the next six weeks or so, that is the question we will be answering. And from the pattern of new creation in Genesis 8–9, I will argue that the steps that God gives us to follow are those that take from the altar (Gen. 8:20–21) to the city (Gen. 9:2–6), by way of a calendar (Gen. 8:22) that orients our households to the city of God (Gen. 9:1, 7). This was something that we began to look at last year, when we looked at this section of Scripture. But now, with a focus on personal and practical applications, we return to his section in order to order our steps with the grain of Scripture.
Indeed, I can’t think of anything more disheartening than attempting to build a life of good works in a direction that opposes God’s design. But thankfully, we are not left to build our lives on our own. God has revealed himself to us in his Word and for the next six weeks, we are going to see what it is like to move from the altar of God to the city, and how as new creations in Christ we can order our steps in a way that pleases God and builds according to his own pattern of new creation.
Don’t Quit
Therefore, on Quitter’s Day, and on every other day, don’t quit!!
Instead, take up God’s Word and learn what it says about building on the rock of Christ, building according to the patterns of God’s Word, and building with the materials that will pass the test on the day of judgment (1 Corinthians 3). Wonderfully, God has spoken to us in his Word about how to make plans. And I pray that as you enter the new year, you will plan to join us for this sermon series: Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.
Soli Deo Gloria, ds
Until this week, I didn’t even know that such a day existed. Sure, I was familiar with the fact that the gym seems a lot less crowded by the end of January. But I didn’t know that we coronated the breaking of New Year’s resolutions with an unofficial holiday. But some do, and today USA Today even ran a brief article on it.
Apparently, the Second Friday of the new year is dubbed Quitter’s Day because of the way that so many plans have been broken in the new year. To speak personally, my own Bible reading plans were thrown off yesterday because an early morning meeting took the place of my typical morning devotion. Yet, today I picked up the plan again, read yesterday’s Psalm (and todays), and continued in my reading in Matthew. Such is life.
If we are going to make progress in the world, we must make plans and keep them. And I suspect that everyone who makes and breaks a new year’s resolution to eat better, work out more, or spend less money—these are the Big 3, apparently—still maintains other plans. It’s not possible to finish a degree, order a home, build a career, or lead a team without making and keeping plans. Yes, some of us are better than others at making plans and keeping them, but part of being human is to order our steps for the purpose of accomplishing a goal.
In Proverbs, there are many such passages that describe this way of planning. Consider a few. In Proverbs 15:22, we learn that “without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.” More positively, Proverbs 20:18 says, “Plans are established by counsel;
by wise guidance wage war.” Later in Luke 14:31–33, Jesus will say something similar. When discussing what it takes to follow him, our Lord compared discipleship to kingship and the need to count the cost before engaging in war. Truly, planning is what kings do. And because humanity is given the task of ruling over the world, planning is part of what it means to be human.
Think about it. Before God made the world, he made a plan. And that plan included the “foundation of the world” (John 17), the storyline of history (Eph. 1:11; Rev. 13:8; 17:8), the cross of Christ (1 Pet. 1:20; cf. Acts 2:23; 4:27–28), and the election of every sinner who would come to faith in Christ (Acts 13:48; Rom. 9:22–23). Indeed, the kingdom of God was not an after-thought in God’s mind; it was the reason why God created the world in the first place (Matt. 25:34). Though in time redemption came after creation, in the mind of God redemption in Christ came first. And thus, the world God made is filled with order, and if we are going to be like our Creator, we must order our days too. But how?
Three Ways to Order Your Life
In answer to the question, “How do I order my steps?” I want to offer three responses that set up our next sermon series (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth, or B.I.B.L.E). These three responses are hardly sufficient to give you all the steps you will need, but they are a good start. And as we begin the new year, we need to consider how to order our steps to please the Lord.
First, ordering our steps is a biblical assumption and imperative.
Speaking analogically, God ordered his steps when he made the world. And when he made us in his image, he intended that we would also make plans in order to accomplish the tasks he has put before us. In truth, the plans we have are different than the plans of other generations, but ordering our steps is both assumed and commanded in Scripture.
Consider again the words of Proverbs. In Proverbs 16, we find three verses that stress the need and goodness of making plans.
Proverbs 16:1. The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.
Proverbs 16:3. Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.
Proverbs 16:9. The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.
In these three verses, we see the sovereignty of God ruling over our plans. But notice, such meticulous sovereignty does not deny our planning. Rather, it confirms that the things we plan have a chance of completion. Truly, unless the Lord confirms the work of our hands, we won’t do anything (Ps. 90:16–17), but with the Lord we can do all things (Phil. 4:13). And more, we know that for those in Christ, he has good plans for us (Eph. 2:10). Therefore, making plans is a both biblical and necessary for the follower of Christ. But just because making plans is what humans do, does not mean all planning is equally valid.
Second, many are the plans that do not stand.
Leaning into the Proverbs once again, we read in Proverbs 19:21, “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.” This verse is so important because it teaches us that we need to align our plans with God and not assume that God has aligned his plans with us. That is to say, just because we make plans for the Lord does not mean they are the right plans or righteous plans.
Countless are the figures in Scripture who did something for God that did not turn out well. Aaron, Korah, Uzzah, Uzziah, even Paul (before his conversion) tried to do things for the Lord, and, in each case, they sinned in their service. The golden calf (Exodus 32), the self-exaltation to priesthood (Numbers 16), the hand on the ark (2 Samuel 6), the king offering incense on the altar (2 Chronicles 26), and the murderous arrests of the church (Acts 9, Philippians 3) were all done in the name of the Lord. Each of these plans felt right, and received commendations from others, even though they were entirely unrighteous.
Thus, we should pause and ask the Lord: Is this plan that I am making lawful? Does it have the support or caution of other godly counselors? How do I know that this plan is pleasing to God? Is it just a subjective feeling? Or is there objective biblical truth undergirding it? As is often the case with people who claim to be serving the Lord, just because someone makes plans for the Lord with genuine intent in his or her heart does not mean it is righteousness (cf. John 16:2).
Relatedly, just because we can do something does not mean that God will bless it. Again, Scripture gives many examples where a good and godly intention is not honored by the Lord’s providence. For instance, in Acts 16 Paul attempts to go to Asia to bring the gospel. Yet, that mission is prevented, because the time is not right. Indeed, God’s plans trump our plans, and only when his sovereign will confirms the work of our hands will our plans succeed. And this also includes the times along the way when God prunes his work and his workers to prepare for a harvest later on (see what Luke says about Asia in Acts 19:10).
Long story short, many are the plans made by Christians that do not stand. And thus, in hopes of storing up treasure in heaven and not just on earth (Matt. 6:19¬–21), we do well to build on Christ’s foundation with gold, silver, and precious stones, not wood, hay, and stubble (1 Cor. 3:10–15). And this means that those who want to build their lives on Christ and labor in his house would do well to learn the way that God has ordered our steps.
Third, ordering our steps rightly begins with recognizing God’s order.
Last year when our church went through Genesis 8–9, I became aware of a new creation pattern that begins in Genesis 8:20 and continues to Genesis 9:7, maybe Genesis 9:17. If you look at those verses, you will see Noah offering a sacrifice on the altar (Gen. 8:20–21), followed by a statement about the conditions of the world (Gen. 8:22). Then, there is a host of new creation commands to be fruitful and multiply (Gen. 9:1, 7), to have dominion over the earth in the way mankind is to eat (Gen. 9:2–4), which turns into instructions about not shedding blood (Gen. 9:5–6). And all of this before the covenant with Noah is ratified with all creation in Genesis 9:8–17.
In these verses, it dawned on me that just as God had a pattern of creation in Genesis 1–2, so too there is a pattern in the new creation. And because the Old Testament is given to new covenant Christians for the purpose of solidifying our hope (Rom. 15:4) and training us in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16–17), I began to see that what is happening in Genesis 8–9 serves as a pattern for all those who are new creations in Christ. Indeed, Paul calls Christians new creations in 2 Corinthians 5:17, and everyone who has come to faith in Christ should see themselves in that way, too.
Yet, in recognizing that reality, we should also begin to ask another question: What does God have for me on earth, while I await heaven? Or better, how I do God’s will on earth as it is in heaven. If that is the prayer Jesus teaches us to pray (Matt. 6:9), how then should we live? As new creations in Christ, how do we order our steps? Do we make plans like we did before Christ, only acknowledging Christ now? Or does our planning look entirely different?
For the next six weeks or so, that is the question we will be answering. And from the pattern of new creation in Genesis 8–9, I will argue that the steps that God gives us to follow are those that take from the altar (Gen. 8:20–21) to the city (Gen. 9:2–6), by way of a calendar (Gen. 8:22) that orients our households to the city of God (Gen. 9:1, 7). This was something that we began to look at last year, when we looked at this section of Scripture. But now, with a focus on personal and practical applications, we return to his section in order to order our steps with the grain of Scripture.
Indeed, I can’t think of anything more disheartening than attempting to build a life of good works in a direction that opposes God’s design. But thankfully, we are not left to build our lives on our own. God has revealed himself to us in his Word and for the next six weeks, we are going to see what it is like to move from the altar of God to the city, and how as new creations in Christ we can order our steps in a way that pleases God and builds according to his own pattern of new creation.
Don’t Quit
Therefore, on Quitter’s Day, and on every other day, don’t quit!!
Instead, take up God’s Word and learn what it says about building on the rock of Christ, building according to the patterns of God’s Word, and building with the materials that will pass the test on the day of judgment (1 Corinthians 3). Wonderfully, God has spoken to us in his Word about how to make plans. And I pray that as you enter the new year, you will plan to join us for this sermon series: Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.
Soli Deo Gloria, ds
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