Trusting God's Plan: Surrendering Our Own
Summary
During this Christmas season, I reflected on the joy and challenges of gift-giving, particularly recalling a time when I almost failed to get my youngest daughter her first bike. This story serves as a metaphor for how our plans often go awry, yet God's plans prevail. We make plans, but life, or God, often interrupts them, leading us to stress and uncertainty. Proverbs 16:9 reminds us that while we make plans, it is the Lord who directs our steps. This truth is evident in the Christmas story, where Joseph's plans were disrupted by divine intervention, leading him to flee to Egypt with Mary and Jesus. This story teaches us that our security should be in God, not in our plans.
The first lesson is that our security in God is more important than our own plans. Like Joseph, who had to leave everything behind to protect Jesus, we must trust that God's plans, though they may seem disruptive, are for a greater purpose. Our plans are often limited by our understanding, but God sees the bigger picture. The second lesson is about humility. Our self-confidence is secondary to having confidence in God. Jesus' parents, Mary and Joseph, experienced this when they lost Jesus in Jerusalem, only to find Him in the temple, engaging with religious leaders. This humbling experience reminds us that God's ways are higher than ours, and we must trust His wisdom.
The third lesson is about surrender. God's plan is not a mere alteration of ours; it is a completely new path. True surrender means giving up control and trusting God fully, not holding back any part of our lives. Joseph's journey to Nazareth, instead of returning to his hometown, exemplifies this surrender. He learned to trust God's plan, even when it meant going to an unexpected place. This Christmas, the greatest gift we can give God is ourselves—our plans, our lives, and our trust. By surrendering to Him, we allow His good and perfect plan to unfold in our lives, knowing that He is a good God with a plan that ultimately works for our good.
Key Takeaways:
1. Security in God Over Self: Our plans often get interrupted, but this is an opportunity to place our security in God rather than in our own understanding. Trusting in God's plan, even when it disrupts our own, leads to a deeper sense of peace and purpose. [04:50]
2. Humility Through God's Wisdom: Our self-confidence should be secondary to our confidence in God. Like Mary and Joseph, who were humbled by losing Jesus, we must recognize that God's wisdom surpasses our own, and His plans are always for our good. [13:35]
3. Surrendering Completely: True surrender to God means giving up control and trusting Him fully. Half-hearted surrender is not surrender at all. We must be willing to let go of our plans and embrace God's new path for us. [21:19]
4. God's Bigger Picture: Our plans may seem important, but God is playing a much larger game. His plans often involve a greater purpose that we cannot see, and trusting Him in the midst of uncertainty can lead to significant impact. [12:10]
5. The Gift of Trust: This Christmas, the greatest gift we can give God is our trust. By surrendering our lives and plans to Him, we allow His good and perfect plan to unfold, knowing that He is a good God who works all things for our good. [28:07]
Youtube Chapters:
[00:00] - Welcome
[01:44] - The Christmas Bike Story
[04:50] - Proverbs 16:9 and Our Plans
[07:16] - Mike Tyson and Life's Punches
[09:03] - Joseph's Divine Disruption
[10:16] - Herod's Wicked Plan
[12:10] - God's Greater Purpose
[13:35] - Humility and God's Wisdom
[15:19] - Jesus in the Temple
[17:20] - The Significance of Age 12
[19:34] - God's Higher Ways
[21:19] - True Surrender
[23:09] - Joseph's Journey to Nazareth
[24:32] - Trusting God's Plan
[26:39] - The Fire Story and Letting Go
[28:07] - The Gift of Trust
[29:47] - Prayer and Surrender
Study Guide
### Bible Study Discussion Guide
#### Bible Reading
1. Proverbs 16:9 - "In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps."
2. Matthew 2:13-15 - The story of Joseph being instructed by an angel to flee to Egypt with Mary and Jesus.
3. Isaiah 55:8-9 - "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."
#### Observation Questions
1. What was the main lesson learned from the pastor's story about almost failing to get his daughter a bike? [01:44]
2. How did Joseph respond to the angel's instruction to flee to Egypt, and what does this reveal about his character? [09:03]
3. What was the significance of Jesus staying behind in the temple at the age of 12, and how did his parents react? [15:19]
4. How does the sermon illustrate the concept of God's plans being higher than our own through the story of Joseph and the Christmas narrative? [19:34]
#### Interpretation Questions
1. How does Proverbs 16:9 challenge the way individuals typically approach planning and decision-making in their lives? [04:50]
2. In what ways does the story of Joseph fleeing to Egypt demonstrate the importance of trusting God's plan over personal security? [10:16]
3. How does the experience of Mary and Joseph losing Jesus in Jerusalem serve as a lesson in humility and reliance on God's wisdom? [13:35]
4. What does the sermon suggest about the nature of true surrender to God, and how does this relate to the concept of half-hearted surrender? [21:19]
#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when your plans were disrupted. How did you respond, and what might it look like to place your security in God during such times? [04:50]
2. Consider an area of your life where you struggle to trust God's plan. What steps can you take to surrender this area to Him fully? [21:19]
3. How can you cultivate humility in your daily life, recognizing that God's wisdom surpasses your own understanding? [13:35]
4. Identify a situation where you need to let go of control and trust God's bigger picture. What practical steps can you take to do this? [12:10]
5. This Christmas, what specific aspect of your life can you offer to God as a gift of trust and surrender? [28:07]
6. How can you remind yourself of God's faithfulness and goodness when facing uncertainty or challenges in your life? [24:32]
7. Think of a recent decision you made. How might you have approached it differently if you had prioritized God's plan over your own? [09:03]
Devotional
Day 1: Trusting God's Direction Over Our Plans
In life, we often find ourselves making plans and setting goals, only to encounter unexpected changes that disrupt our path. These interruptions can be stressful and unsettling, but they also present an opportunity to place our security in God rather than in our own understanding. Proverbs 16:9 reminds us that while we make plans, it is the Lord who directs our steps. This truth is evident in the Christmas story, where Joseph's plans were disrupted by divine intervention, leading him to flee to Egypt with Mary and Jesus. By trusting in God's plan, even when it disrupts our own, we can find a deeper sense of peace and purpose. [04:50]
"The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps." (Proverbs 16:9, ESV)
Reflection: Think of a recent situation where your plans were disrupted. How can you trust God to guide you through this change, and what steps can you take today to place your security in Him?
Day 2: Embracing Humility Through God's Wisdom
Our self-confidence often leads us to rely on our own understanding, but true wisdom comes from recognizing that God's ways are higher than ours. Mary and Joseph experienced this when they lost Jesus in Jerusalem, only to find Him in the temple, engaging with religious leaders. This humbling experience reminds us that God's wisdom surpasses our own, and His plans are always for our good. By placing our confidence in God rather than ourselves, we can embrace humility and trust in His greater wisdom. [13:35]
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord." (Isaiah 55:8, ESV)
Reflection: Consider a time when you relied on your own understanding instead of seeking God's wisdom. How can you practice humility today by trusting in God's wisdom over your own?
Day 3: The Power of Complete Surrender
True surrender to God means giving up control and trusting Him fully. It is not a mere alteration of our plans but a completely new path that God sets before us. Joseph's journey to Nazareth, instead of returning to his hometown, exemplifies this surrender. He learned to trust God's plan, even when it meant going to an unexpected place. By surrendering our lives and plans to God, we allow His good and perfect plan to unfold, knowing that He is a good God with a plan that ultimately works for our good. [21:19]
"Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act." (Psalm 37:5, ESV)
Reflection: What is one area of your life where you find yourself holding back from surrendering to God? What would surrendering this area to Him actually look like in terms of daily habits?
Day 4: Seeing God's Bigger Picture
Our plans may seem important, but God is playing a much larger game. His plans often involve a greater purpose that we cannot see, and trusting Him in the midst of uncertainty can lead to significant impact. Joseph's story reminds us that our understanding is limited, but God sees the bigger picture. By trusting in His greater purpose, we can find peace and assurance that He is working all things for our good. [12:10]
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." (Jeremiah 29:11, ESV)
Reflection: Reflect on a situation where you struggled to see God's bigger picture. How can you trust that God is working for your good, even when you cannot see the full plan?
Day 5: The Gift of Trust
This Christmas, the greatest gift we can give God is our trust. By surrendering our lives and plans to Him, we allow His good and perfect plan to unfold, knowing that He is a good God who works all things for our good. Trusting God requires us to let go of our own understanding and embrace His divine wisdom and purpose. As we celebrate the birth of Jesus, let us remember that our security and peace come from trusting in God's plan for our lives. [28:07]
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding." (Proverbs 3:5, ESV)
Reflection: What is one specific way you can demonstrate your trust in God today? How can you make this a regular practice in your life, especially during this Christmas season?
Quotes
"Thank goodness, a week and a half before Christmas, I got a call from my mom. She said, hey, we're at the base exchange. And if you don't know what that is, on the military basis, basically it's their target. The only thing is though, it's cheaper than it would be at target and there's no tax. So I was super excited to hear her say, she found a bike. She described it to me. It had the little ribbons coming out of the handlebars, you know, and had the beautiful seat was purple, my daughter's favorite color. And so I remember my mom telling me all about it. And she goes, what do you think? Do you think she would like it? I said, oh, that sounds perfect. Thank you so much for finding it. And so I, you know, hung up the phone and, you know, I told my wife, I said, hey, we're good to go now. We've got her gift. We'll just pick it up on Christmas Eve from the house. And, you know, I'll pay my parents for it and everything. So anyway, Christmas Eve came around and we all gathered together. And what we do is we have a nice big meal. And every year it's a tradition where we open one, every child gets to open one gift. All right. So what we're going to do is open gifts. And then when everybody left, I was going to linger behind and I was going to get the bike and drive it home and then put it together until about midnight as parents do right on Christmas Eve. So plan was all laid out. We go to my parents' house. We have a great dinner, great night, a lot of fun. Everybody's having a great time. Everybody's going home. I go to my mom. I said, okay, mom, where's the bike? She goes, what do you mean? Where's the bike?" [00:01:44] (84 seconds)
"The reality is we go through life making plans. We go through life thinking, oh, I got this figured out. I'm going to do this. It starts off when you were young, right? We first maybe big decision we make as we plan for our Halloween outfit. And then our mom says, you can't be Freddy Krueger, right? Or we're going into middle school for the first time. We get to pick our classes and we want the ones with our friends. We can't get any of our friends, right? We get into high school and maybe we're trying to figure out the school we're going to go to, the college we're going to go to. We have five. There's one we really want. We don't get it, you know? Or we finally, we get married. We're going to have kids. We're not going to mess our kids up like our parents did. We know how to parent, just don't do what they did, right? And we have our first child and it's demon possessed. You know, it doesn't matter what we plan. It always seems like... But God or something, life interrupts our plan and ruins it. And it causes a lot of stress in our life. There's a great proverb in Proverbs 16, 9 that says this, people make plans for what they will do. Love it. Starting off great." [00:04:50] (68 seconds)
"But it is the Lord who leads them in the right way. A couple of assumptions I think we need to make about that scripture. Number one, we... Got to know that our plans are going to get interrupted. There's a but in the sentence. We make our plans but, right? We have things in our life we want to happen. but. And the second assumption is that God's plan is the right way. What does that make our plan? Very good. You guys are catching on, right? So yes, there's a plan that seems right to us, but in God's mind, there's a better way for us. So we're going to be talking about that this morning and we're going to be learning about three things that bother us, but three lessons we can learn in the process." [00:05:57] (52 seconds)
"The first lesson we want to learn, I'm bothered by God's plan because it makes mine go out the window. It makes mine go out the window. And the first lesson we really need to learn is our security is much less important than our security in Him. Our security in ourselves and our own plans, that's fine, but it's much more important to be secure in what God's trying to do in our life." [00:06:49] (27 seconds)
"Stay there until I tell you. I'm having some conflict at work. Stay there until I tell you. We get into difficult circumstances in our lives and we don't understand it. And we feel like God's not moving us, but it doesn't mean God has forgotten us. He has a plan and sometimes his plan doesn't make sense to us, but that doesn't mean his plan isn't good. So here he is. He's sending him off and he's saying, stay there until I tell you to return because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him. That night, Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother, and they stayed there until Herod's death." [00:09:36] (39 seconds)
"The reason our plans go out the window is that we are playing checkers, but God is playing three-dimensional chess. We have plans that seem important and are important. Nothing wrong with our plans. But when God derails our plans and sends us into a place where we don't know what to do, it's often for a much, much greater purpose. See, Jesus went into Israel and crazy, but he identifies himself with the nation of Israel by doing that. Just like they were in captivity in Israel, he was exiled to Israel for a period of time. He comes back into the land later, just like Israel came into the land later, but not like Israel did. He came as the perfect representative of Israel and fulfilled a prophecy that God had for hundreds of years in the past. See, God has much bigger plans than we realize." [00:12:10] (58 seconds)
"The second lesson that we learn, I'm bothered by God's plan because it humbles me. It humbles me. And here's the lesson we need to learn about that. This, our self-confidence, it's fine to feel confident, but it's far more important to have God confidence. Way more important to put our trust in him, knowing he knows what he's doing. There is nothing that can humble you like a child. I'm telling you, there's nothing. My son is a... A philosophy professor. Philosophy is one of the hardest... majors that you can take. It's questioning everything." [00:13:35] (37 seconds)
"How do you know what you know? You know, the famous, I think, therefore I am. That was the end result of a bunch of thinking about how do I know I even exist? How could you prove and explain to somebody logically that you exist? It's harder than you think. And so he's in this world of philosophy and he's thinking about the nature of everything. And then he has his little five-year-old son one day in the car with him and he's thinking and he goes, daddy, I got a question. What's the difference between a tree and a bush? And Tim is thinking, well, I know the difference. You know, trees are tall, bushes are short. He's about to answer. He goes, the reason is, he goes on, because trees sometimes have branches that go all the way to the bottom and bushes sometimes don't have branches till start really high. So what's the difference? And Tim goes, I don't know. Right? I mean, there's questions that our kids answer or things that our kids do that boggle our mind. I don't know if you've ever had a kid go down the why trail. Why? And you tell them the why. You tell them why. And then you end up with, well, God said so. Right? You don't know what else to say at that point, but kids can humble us. Let's look at what Jesus did in Luke chapter two here." [00:14:11] (68 seconds)
"Jesus is saying, of course, you know the prophecies about me. You went to the temple. You heard about the angels coming. You knew who I was. Of course, I would be in the Father's house. Sometimes we don't get what God's doing because we're just focused on the here and now rather than the incredible things that he may be doing behind the scenes. And it humbles us. And just because our plans don't go the way we want, it doesn't mean we're unimportant. In fact, it could be that we're more important than we realize. And God's going to use us for an important task. Amen?" [00:19:34] (35 seconds)
"I'm bothered by God's plan because for it to happen, I have to surrender. Here's the lesson. His plan is not an alteration of ours. It's a completely new plan. I thought about surrender. You know, I don't know if you've ever surrendered to the Lord before, but I often half surrender. Did you know that half surrender is not a surrender? I don't know if you know how surrender works in war. Like when you have to surrender, you have to surrender. when you have an enemy, they say, I surrender. I would just like to keep my gun for a little while longer. Can I keep my gun? And I'd like to stay near the front run lines. You know, my friends might need some help." [00:21:19] (39 seconds)
"That's what we do sometimes with surrender. It's like, God, I give you everything except my finances. Let me hold on to that a little bit longer. I'm not sure if I can trust you there. I surrender except for my health. I don't really trust you there. I surrender except for this relationship. I really need to make this thing work, right? We are really good at surrendering, not surrendering. Surrender is 100% complete. It has to be, or it's not surrender. It's compromise. And in order for God to do his plan in our lives and use us, we've got to surrender to it. He can still do his plan without us. It just won't be us involved in his plan. We have to surrender. This is what it says in Matthew 5. Matthew 2 about Jesus' return. It says," [00:22:02] (52 seconds)
"And honestly, you can have so much peace in your life when you just give up, when you stop fighting it and you just say, God, it's yours. I've tried it my way. I keep running into walls. I keep getting frustrated. So yeah, I'll make my plans, but can you help me out with them in the future a little more? Maybe, maybe how about if I include you a little bit and if things don't go the way I want, I'm still going to trust you because I know you're in it. And you have a bigger plan than I could possibly imagine." [00:24:32] (30 seconds)
Chatbot
-
I'm an AI bot trained only on this specific sermon. Do you have any questions about it?