FOR I KNOW THE PLANS I HAVE FOR YOU
Jeremiah 29;11
Jer 29:11-13
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12 In those days when you pray, I will listen.
BACKGROUND
In the midst of our most troubling time God gives us hope. After 100s of years of disobedience , God commission Nebuchadnezzar the Babylonian
King in 586 BC to burn down the temple in Jerusalem, destroy the city and
Take Israel captive. From the surface, you would think, God had given up
On His chosen people. He had not. It was just a punishment for their worship of idol gods and the 70 years of sabbath jubilees years they had ignored.
Jer 29:10-11
Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again.
GOD KNOWS HIS PLAN FOR YOU
In the midst of their Babylonian captivity God gave the prophet Jeremiah a
Encouraging message for them.
Jer 29:11-12
For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. NLT
The KIng James version use the word thoughts for plans
This is the same encouragement God gives us today. He change not. The Word of God is for all believers for all times.
God’s eye, hand, thoughts (plan) are toward His people all the time. We don’t know God’s plan until He reveals them to us. He knows the end from the beginning. Nothing you do and nothing that happens to you are a surprise to Him. God has intimate knowledge of each believer. He numbers the hairs on your head Matt 10:30 , He knows our path Job 41:33, our sorrows and our joys Ex 3:7. He knows our mistakes and our disobedience before they happen Rom 5:19. God has plans for your recovery Isa 11:11. God knows the grand plan and all the details of our lives Matthew 10:29-31
GOD’S PLAN IS ONLY KNOWN BY HIM
The plans of God are only perfectly known to Him. His thoughts are not
Our thoughts. His ways are not our ways. We are finite in our thoughts,
God’s thoughts are infinite. Most of the time we are sure of our own thoughts. We are limited by our experience and knowledge. God’s knowledge is complete, He can learn nothing knew,
God’s thoughts toward us are settled and definite, His mind is made up.
There is neither question nor debate. His plans and purpose for us are good. He makes all things work for the good of those who love Him and are called According to His purposes.
The question is how much do we love Him? Are we willing to pursue His purpose for your lives. God’s purpose for Israel was to be a role model for
The world. The nation of Israel decided to be like the world and follow the ways of the world. Because of their disobedience they were forced into a world of idol gods, limited by the thoughts of and evil of the world.
GODS PLAN IS FOR YOUR GOOD
How does God define good?
Matt 19:17 “Why ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. But to answer your question—if you want to receive eternal life, keep the commandments.”
Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 meekness, self-control; against such there is no law.
Good is defined as obedience to God’s commandments and a character pleasing to Him. Your goodness is related to reverence to God and
Gentleness to all men.
The Prodigal son had to learn the important of obedience to his father and the value of good character. Hardships in life is a a good teacher.
The Prodigal son left the security of the his father thinking he could live a better life without his wisdom and guidance. He soon learn that money and good time didn’t last long and you can’t by friends and happiness.
When his money ran out, his so called friends ran too, God designed a famine to put in a situation where he needed help and there was none to be founded. His only place to to get food was a pen with pigs fighting for
Survival.
He came to his senses and realized he would be off being a servant in his fathers house. He humbled himself and came back to the father. His father was watching and waiting for him to return and restored him to his rightful position as son.
Think of the role model he could have become to those still in the pig’s pen, and also to those who were thinking about leaving the instructions of the father.
All the experiences in your life are allowed by God for your growth and development. God’s plans for us are good even those that appear bad.
God allows us to make foolish decisions to make us search for wise
Decisions.
God’s knows that we are work in progress and from time to time make
Foolish decisions. His love for makes allowances for the future
Jer 29:12-14
In those days when you pray, I will listen. 13 If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. 14 I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes.
GOD’S PLAN IS NOT FOR EVIL
In the midst of evil God’s plan for us is not evil. In the midst of deep trouble
God’s plan for us is not trouble but peace. God allows us to be in trouble so
We can seek the peace of God. The first step is turn from your wicked ways. Man chooses lemons of life, the bitterness of life, but we don’t have stay in that position. We got access to the living water of life, to wash us clean. We have access to the sweetness of life which is the holy spirit, Mixed together, We get lemonade which draws people to you. As a role model for Christ
Ps 119:103 How sweet are thy words unto my taste! (Yea, sweeter) than honey to my mouth!
You catch more flies with honey than a fly swatter
GOD’S PLAN FOR YOU IS ONE OF PEACE
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful.
ASV
Phil 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.
When we get caught up in the things of the world, our hearts are not guarded by thoughts of Christ.
GOD’S PLAN IS FOR YOUR FUTURE
God’s plan gives us a future. The future is living on this earth but more importantly life eternal with Him. God’s thoughts for us are thoughts of peace through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ. God reconciled us back to Himself sacrificing His Son. To get to peace Jesus had to go through the horrible tragedy of the cross, which turned out to be no tragedy at all.
You and I have no idea what the future holds for us. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring. We can make plans for ourselves. They may workout, they may not work out, or they maybe greater than we could expect. The truth is only God knows what tomorrow will bring
Prov 16:9 A man’s heart deviseth his way; But Jehovah directeth his steps.
When we decide what we want out of life, we don’t know the heights of the mountains we have to climb or how deep the valleys are we have to travel.
We don’t know the detours we will have to make. If we trust the Lord, our way will be secure, because He will direct our steps
Luke 12:28 But if God doth so clothe the grass in the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven; how much more (shall he clothe) you, O ye of little faith?
The God we serve colors the grass in colors we can only paint. The grass is here today and gone tomorrow. You and I are eternal being made in His
Image. He surely cares for us more than grass.
God orders our steps, not for us, but for the good of others according to His
will.
GOD’S PLAN GIVES US HOPE
It is easy to lose hope when we are in the valley of life and can’t see the light. Can’t see any way out. Knowing the guilt that we are where we are because of bad decisions. Some may feel they don’t deserve God’s grace.
Notice in the text God responds to our sinful behavior with a favorable future that implies hope is never lost. It in the midst of our badness that God sends a message of hope. Hope does not eliminate the time of
Punishment. According to James 1 it is a time of perfection.
James 1:2 Count it all joy, my brethren, when ye fall into manifold temptations; 3 Knowing that the proving of your faith worketh patience. 4 And let patience have (its) perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing.
How do you get into a joyful mode when everything is going wrong? What steps must we pursue? Trust the Lord first.
The hope that God gives is not a guess, not a maybe, it is without doubt
In the surety of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, God has already worked
Out your future. You are along for the journey.
GOD’S PLAN FOR YOU IS COMPLETE
There are no gaps in God’s plan or thoughts for you. There no OPS
In God’s plan.
OPS I should not have let Satan in the Garden of Eden
OPS I should not have put the Tree of Knowledge of Good and evil in the
Garden
OPS I should not have given man the will to make decisions
There are no wrong turns in God’s plan. There are no unexpected relationships in God’s plan.
I hear people saying, If I had a do over? NO, that would change God’s plan. God said I know the plan I have for you.
At the time of this verse, Israel was in captivity in Babylon for 70 years. God
Brought them out of captivity, rebuilt the temple and the city of Jerusalem.
400 years later, Israel was controlled by the Roman government. The damage was done. Israel had to live with damage until Jesus came. Alone
Came the Messiah, who set all who believe in Him free in the spirit. Every believer Is now the temple of the Holy Spirit.
Were there any mistakes between the Garden of Eden and now? None. Were there good and evil. Good times and bad times? YES. But is all
Part of God’s plan for you.
God has a way of getting you to this point in your life which makes everything you have gone through purposefully, prosperous and complete.
Jer 29:12-14
In those days when you pray, I will listen. 13 If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. 14 I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes.
Will there be loses in your life? Yes, maybe more than you like when you least expect it. But keep trusting the Lord, He will restore all you lost.
