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"PAUL, THE PLANNER"
First Corinthians 16.5-9
INTRODUCTION:
1. It has been said by more than one man that "he who fails to
plan plans to fail." And, you know, that is very true. Planning is
essential to success in any venture.
2. No matter where you look you find proof that this little axiom is
born out. A man who fails to plan for eternity certainly plans to fail in
eternity, for he will spend the ceaseless ages of eternity in the lake of
fire. Why? Because he thought he was too busy to plan for eternity.
3. In the business world much the same thing is true. The business
which does not look to the future, which does not plan for the future, is
a business which has no future.
4. It’s the same way in the Christian life, as well. Too many
so-called believers think they have done well in the long range planning
of making sure where they will spend eternity, but they never get around
to planning anything else in their Christian lives.
5. Are you aware that it is God’s will for you to grow in your
Christian life? And are you aware that Christian growth does not operate
along the same principles as physical growth?
6. While physical growth comes about without any conscious planning on
the part of the human being, spiritual growth in the life of the Christian
is not so easy. It comes only as a result of planning and diligent
application of that planning. And the same is true of serving God. You
must plan to serve God, Christian, for ministry will not find its way into
your life by accident, and then you must work your plan.
7. One of the great things about the Word of God is that we can
actually examine the lives of men and women who were successful in their
Christian walk. And we can discover the principles which made their
success possible.
8. We’re going to do that in the life of the apostle Paul today.
We’re going to take the time to discover one of the reasons why he was
the greatest example of the grace of God this world has ever seen. We’re
going to understand one of the practices of his life which made it
possible for him to say, "I can do all things through Christ which
strengtheneth me."
9. Turn in your Bible to First Corinthians 16.5-9. In this portion of
Paul’s closing remarks to the Corinthian Church we catch a glimpse of
one of the keys to Paul’s success as a Christian, one of the reasons why
he was seemingly a winner in every situation he found himself in, one of
the reasons why Paul was a master of circumstances instead of someone who
wandered aimlessly through life letting circumstances master him.
10. Stand with me, out of respect for God’s Word, and let’s read
this passage together:
5 Now I will come unto you, when I shall
pass through Macedonia: for I do pass through Macedonia.
6 And it may be that I will abide, yea, and
winter with you, that ye may bring me on my journey whithersoever I go.
7 For I will not see you now by the way;
but I trust to tarry a while with you, if the Lord permit.
8 But I will tarry at Ephesus until
Pentecost.
9 For a great door and effectual is opened
unto me, and there are many adversaries.
11. On first reading you might miss it. In our text Paul is
simply describing his goal to reach the city of Jerusalem by way of
Corinth, Macedonia, and then Ephesus. But to achieve such a simple and
straightforward little goal, to accomplish something that seems to be so
insignificant in such a great man’s Christian life . . . he had a plan.
12. If it is the big men who do small things well, then one
of the "secrets" to Paul’s success as a Christian, one of the
reasons he accomplished so many goals, even the small ones, was that he planned
to accomplish them, he planned to succeed at them, the
result of a daily life of communion and personal consecration was the
development of a plan.
13. Christian, to grow, to accomplish, to serve effectively,
to be successful at any endeavor, to be victorious over sin, to have a
great marriage, no matter what it is you want to be or do . . . you
must plan!
14. I want you to notice the three parts of Paul’s plan.
That is, three parts of Paul’s preparation for success in his journey to
Jerusalem.
1A. THE FIRST PART OF PAUL’S SUCCESS ORIENTED PLAN IS
HIS PRONOUNCEMENT
In verse 5, we find two ingredients that are found in this
phase of any success oriented plan:
5 Now I will come unto you, when
I shall pass through Macedonia: for I do pass through Macedonia.
1B. First, Paul’s Plan Was Extremely Simple
1C. Paul wanted to travel to Macedonia, Corinth, Ephesus
and Jerusalem. Now, when you think about it, that might make for a
complicated set of arrangements if you consider all the problems Paul
had to face. First, robbers and bandits. Then the particular physical
health problems he had to deal with and take into account when
traveling. And don’t forget the large number of people who traveled
with him in his party.
2C. How does a leader solve a rather complicated planning
problem? Simple. He breaks his large problem into four smaller
problems. The problem of getting to Macedonia. The problem of getting
to Corinth. The problem of getting to Ephesus. The problem of getting
to Jerusalem. And to deal with each of these smaller problems takes a
greatly simplified plan.
3C. If you read the text carefully you will see something
else of the seasoned leader in Paul. The only plan Paul shares with
the Corinthians is the plan that is directly related to them. After
all, why complicate their life? Right?
4C. Friends, if you have a goal in your life, make a
plan. If the plan seems too complicated for you to achieve, or if
it’s too big an undertaking, break it down into several smaller
tasks with a simple plan for accomplishing each task. That way no
problem is ever too big to tackle.
5C. Read Peter Uberroth’s autobiography sometime. In it
he reveals that this was the secret to organizing the most financially
successful Olympic Games ever held, the Los Angeles Olympic Games. All
because he knew how to plan.
6C. Tackling a spiritual problem in your life? Break that
big problem into several bite sized problems that can each be dealt
with using a simple plan.
2B. Paul’s Plan Was Extremely Simple, But It Was Also
Publicly Stated
1C. Paul let the people who were affected know what he
planned to do. Not everyone in town, mind you, just the affected
people. Letting the affected people know what you are going to do is
both beneficial and necessary, for several reasons:
2C. First, when you tell those who need to be told what
you are going to do you have committed yourself. Once you say you’re
going to do it you have to do it. Right? That is, if your word is
worth anything you do.
3C. Second, if you tell people what your plans are they
will be able to pray for you and help you to achieve those plans in
other ways. If a man will have the personal character to stand up and
tell folks he plans to stop taking drugs, or to stop drinking, or that
he plans to start up a business, or that he plans to live for Christ
in earnest, his friends will pray for him and will do everything in
their power to help him.
4C. Third, when you publicize your goals you put God to
the test. And that’s good. You can show people by your life what God
can do. But you need to be very careful that you accomplish your goal
and that you fulfill your plan. And make sure your plan isn’t a
proud boast that will get no help from God in accomplishing, since God
resists the proud, just a matter of fact statement of purpose that you
hope to accomplish by God’s grace.
5C. Oh, just between you and me. If you are unwilling to
publicly state your goal . . . forget about your plans . . . you’re
not really serious about it, most of the time. And if you are serious,
but it’s the fear of embarrassment that springs forth from pride
that keeps you from going public, you can still forget it. As I
mentioned before, God resists the proud. He won’t help you
accomplish your proud plans.
6C. So, the first part of any success plan is the
pronouncement. It must be simple and it must be public. And if
you need help with such a pronouncement, remember, that’s why God
gave pastors . . . to help in such matters.
2A. THE SECOND PART OF PAUL’S SUCCESS ORIENTED PLAN IS
THE PROPOSAL
6 And it may be that I will
abide, yea, and winter with you, that ye may bring me on my journey
whithersoever I go.
7 For I will not see you now by
the way; but I trust to tarry a while with you, if the Lord permit.
This is the actual plan that Paul formulated. Now, rather
than dwelling on the specific details of Paul’s travel plans of 2000
years ago, let’s notice three considerations involved in every good
plan. And since Paul’s plan was a good plan, we see these things in
Paul’s plan.
1B. First, Every Good Plan Involves Possibilities
Paul wrote, in verse 6, "And it may be that I will
abide, yea, and winter with you . . . ."
1C. You see, Paul’s plan considered two possibilities.
Either he would abide, stay with them through the winter, or his stay
would turn out to be a short one.
2C. I want you to understand that Paul is not being
wishy-washy or indecisive here. He is simply realizing, as we should
always realize, that things change, that things can come up, and when
they do you’d better have some alternatives thought out.
3C. "I’ll meet you at the turnstile at the north
end of the Coliseum at 10:00 sharp. If I’m not there, meet me at the
elevator directly under the press box, on the ground floor, no later
than 1:00 PM. If we still miss each other, call the county coroner and
see if they have received my body yet."
4C. Folks, every good plan must have a consideration of
the possibilities, since nothing ever turns out exactly the way you
think it will when you draw up your plans.
2B. Second, Every Good Plan Involves Proprieties
1C. When I use the word "proprieties" I am
referring to things that are proper, things that are right and good.
When you make plans you should plan to do right and recognize that
right may not be done to you. But Paul properly expected the Churches
to do right by him.
2C. Paul wrote, "That ye may bring me on my journey
withersoever I go." Paul planned on that Church doing right by
him, and with good reason. Galatians 6.10 says, "As we have
therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto
them who are of the household of faith."
3C. How would you react if a missionary wrote you and
told you that he was coming and that you should feed him, house him,
and take a love offering for him? But isn’t this exactly what Paul
did? Sure it is. Some day you folks will open up your houses in such a
way to missionaries coming through. And if your house is open to such
things now, please let me know.
4C. Let’s apply this propriety thing to our own
planning. When planning a family budget, do you plan to give to the
Lord? When planning on a vacation, do you plan on attending Church
along the way and telling folks about Christ when you stop for gas and
meals? You won’t do that unless you plan to.
5C. When you come to Church, do you plan to stay
afterwards to fellowship with the saints? Do you plan to invite
visitors out to eat after Church to show them how much you welcome
their company? You won’t do that unless you plan to do it.
6C. At work, do you plan to tell folks about your Savior?
Folks, if such kinds of plans do not include such features as the
proprieties I have just mentioned, you don’t have good plans. How
many of you have never, one time, brought a visitor to Church from
work?
7C. Finally, in your Christian life, if you don’t plan
to attend Church as often as you can, sitting under the preaching of
the Word of God, your plans for living for Christ are not good plans.
8C. And what happens if people don’t treat you right in
return? As I said, that’s one of the possibilities you consider when
making your plans. But no matter what people do to you, execute your
plans to do right by them.
3B. The Final, And The Most Important, Consideration Of
Every Good Plan Is A Consideration Which Involves Permission
7 For I will not see you now by
the way; but I trust to tarry a while with you, if the Lord permit.
1C. Notice, that intertwined in Paul’s discussion of
his future plans is a consideration of the Lord’s will. So many
people fail to consider the will of God in their plans.
2C. But, folks, every plan ought to consider God’s
will. Every plan ought to be abandoned, ought to be chucked out the
window, if that plan does not line up with the will of God as His will
is revealed in the Bible.
3C. You see, if God isn’t in it, the best of plans is
doomed to failure, even if the plan seems to succeed. Any plan,
however, that considers the will of God is a plan well on its way to
realization.
3A. THE FINAL PART OF PAUL’S SUCCESS ORIENTED PLAN IS
THE PROBLEM
Don’t be put off by that word "problem." A
problem isn’t a bad thing. A problem is something to be solved,
that’s all. And between every one of you and the particular goals and
objectives you want to achieve, between you and the desires of your
heart, is at least one problem. And it’s the solving of that problem
or problems that enables you to carry out your plan.
Say you want to be a successful businessman and you have
your success all planned out, but for one problem: How to get people to
buy your product. Solve that problem, my friend, and you can fulfill
your plan.
Say you want to become fruitful in bringing the lost to
Christ. You have it all planned out how you will get folks to Church,
how you will befriend them, how you will invite them over to your house,
how you will get them back to Church, etc. Everything’s great except
for one problem . . . you’re scared to death. Solve that problem, or
at least learn to deal with that problem, and you will become a great
Christian.
Every problem is different, but there are some common
features to consider when attempting to solve your particular problem.
1B. First, Consider The Occasion
8 But I will tarry at Ephesus
until Pentecost.
1C. With Paul, things were related to the occasion of a
Jewish feast called Pentecost. With you it might be something else.
But you must consider the occasion.
2C. How ridiculous it would be for you to carry out your
plan to see your aunt come to Christ, and try to overcome the problem
of getting her alone to invite her to Church by sneaking into her room
at night. She would be startled with fright and in no mood to hear
your invitation to Church if you did that.
3C. And is it not dangerous to plan on becoming a world
class swimmer, and to overcome the problem of not knowing how to swim,
by just jumping out into the water? You might drown.
4C. No, you must consider the occasion. Or to put it
another way, when trying to solve a problem you must consider the
circumstances. Make sure that the solution to your problem doesn’t
create an even bigger problem.
2B. Then, After Considering The Occasion, Consider The
Opportunity
9 For a great door and
effectual is opened unto me, . . .
1C. How big is the problem you must solve in proportion
to the benefits? Will you find yourself expending great amounts of
effort to achieve little noticeable results?
2C. Paul used the phrase "a great door and
effectual" to describe the opportunity that lay before him. That
means a tremendous opportunity to see conversions for a relatively
small investment of time and labor.
3C. I once knew a guy who went to Mexico for only one
reason. He thought he could win more people to Christ in Spanish than
he could in English. It was a wise investment of his time because
souls are precious.
4C. With any plan you must analyze the benefit versus the
effort you will need to expend to solve the problem. Sometimes you
will come to the proper conclusion that it’s just better to abandon
your effort and go on to something else that promises to be a better
investment of your time.
5C. This is not sanctioning being a quitter, but it
isn’t glorifying stubbornness either. There’s a middle ground
between the proud and the pansy that’s occupied by the spiritual and
the wise.
3B. Finally, Consider The Opposition
9 For a great door and
effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.
1C. Who’s against you? Who opposes your efforts? There
will always be opposition from unspiritual beings to any spiritual
enterprise you undertake. Satan and his forces are never at rest.
2C. But there are also human opponents. There are people
who are lost, and there are people who are saved, and there are both
kinds of people who are jealous.
3C. Sometimes you never figure out what a person’s
problem is, but you have figured out that he or she is a major problem
to you. Not the enemy, mind you, but a pawn used of Satan to oppose
you.
4C. And remember this, if what you are doing is
worthwhile there will always be opposition. Sometimes the opposition
comes from foes. Sometimes the opposition comes from
"friends." Remember, it was co-laborer John Mark who
deserted Paul and Barnabas. Years later it was co-laborer Demas who
forsook Paul near the end of his life.
5C. And we know that the closer the person is who opposes
you and hinders the execution of your plan the more fretful it is. And
sometimes the opposition discourages you and you become downhearted.
But during the rough times remember what Paul said: "If God be
for us, who can be against us?"
CONCLUSION:
1. If you are here this evening and you are a believer who is
not a successful Christian, it’s not at all God’s fault. Do you
remember, at the very beginning of this same Corinthian letter, that Paul
reminds his readers that God’s grace to live for Him is always and in
every circumstance available?
2. If you are not successful in your Christian life it’s
sometimes because you have planned to be unsuccessful. And you have
planned to be unsuccessful by failing to plan to succeed.
3. If you have failed to work to bring souls to Christ it’s
because you have not planned to work to bring people to Christ. If you
have not studied your Bible it’s because you have failed to plan to have
a Bible reading and study time.
4. Have you been robbed of your joy? You have not planned out
how you will control your thought life as God has instructed, to maintain
joy and peace of heart and mind. Do you sulk and get moody? You have not
planned to control and properly deal with your temper.
5. I’m sure that there are some of you who have not planned
for success because, quite frankly, you don’t know how. I’d like to
help you. |
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