GRADUATION
June 3, 2011
Pastor Timothy J. Spaude
Text: Jeremiah 29:11

“GOD HAS GOT GREAT PLANS FOR YOU!”

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

So what are your summer plans? Are you doing anything special? Where are you planning on going to school next year? Have you heard any questions like that recently? I’m sure you have. It seems that much of our life involves making plans and carrying them out. Most of the time those plans are more general rather than detailed like “I’m going up north” or “I’m going to get a job.” I’ve got some plans here I want to show you. They are the plans that were used to build this church building. You and I might look at this building and simple see a nice place to worship with brick walls and a wooden ceiling but there’s a whole lot more to it than that. Look at these plans! They are detailed. They include specifics like the type of wiring to use, wiring you can’t even see. The plans make sure the materials used will support the weight of the roof but not add too much weight and that the furnace will be big enough to heat the building. All these things that you don’t see or even think about someone planned for you so you could have this place to worship.
But you know what? As detailed as these plans are they are nothing compared to the plans your wonderful Lord made for you before you were even born. The passage you chose as your theme passage and motto for your class is from Jeremiah 29:11. Let me read it to you again. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” There are three parts of this planning passage I want you to focus on tonight and take with you when you go. They are LORD, prosper and not harm, and hope and a future.
As you think about your theme passage focus on the word LORD. They tell you who is making plans for you. So far in your life many have made plans for you. Teachers planned what they were going to teach you and tests they would give. Parents planned meals for you. Those are all good. In the future upperclassmen in high school may make some plans for you to welcome the freshmen that are also known as fresh meat! Those might not be so good. But when God uses the name LORD in the Bible He reminds you that He is your Savior God who always has your best interests in mind. So when you leave here take with you the LORD as the one who has plans for you.
Focus also on the type of plans, plans that will prosper you and not harm you. Do any of you remember from your study of the Old Testament the times when these words were written by Jeremiah? It was written to God’s people when they were in exile. Do you remember that? Do you remember how so many people were carried off to Babylon because of their idol worship? Can you imagine how the believers felt? Strangers in a strange land. Can you imagine how hard it would be to have your entire family uprooted and have to start over from scratch? What was God thinking? What kind of plans were these? Plans to prosper and not to harm. God had their good in mind. His people would be cleansed of their idol worship. They would learn again to trust God and His promises. They would be brought back to their Promised Land so the Savior could be born. Plans to prosper and not to harm you.
Remember that as God unfolds His plans in your lives. If you are like all the rest of us you will find yourself in some uncomfortable places in life. Things will not work out as you want. Things will not always go your way. You may fall into sin and bring some consequences on your lives. Other people may sin against you and you will have to deal with that. You may make some great plans for your own lives and despite your best efforts they will not come to pass. You will feel disappointment. At those times remember, plans to prosper not to harm says the Lord. God always has your best interests in mind and if you are praying fervently for something to happen and working your hardest to make it happen and it does not then realize that it is not in your best interest. Your plans will harm you and not prosper you and they are then in conflict with the Lord’s plan to prosper and not to harm you. God’s got great plans for you.
Our third focus is that God’s great plans are to give you hope and a future. This is the God you serve and why you want to stay close to Him through His word all your life. Hope. Hope is the confidence of a brighter tomorrow. It’s the peace that when my plans are falling apart God’s are moving right along. God’s great plans for you give you hope in all situations. And a future. You may hear from high school guidance counselors as they try to steer you to a good career and away from a foolish one, they may say, ”There’s no future in that.” What they mean is it won’t lead you anywhere good. How different is the LORD. A future. It means great things to come. I don’t know how that will play out in your earthly life but if you stay in the faith in Jesus Christ that has been given to you it means heaven. It means glory. It means joy. It means happiness. It is forever. God’s got great plans for you! He will stick with you so you need to stick with Him. Have you made your plans for that? Amen.