SERMON: ROSES AND THORNS

 

Naylor Community Christian Church

Naylor, Georgia

 

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to 2 Corinthians 12:1-10

 

2 Corinthians 12:1 I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. 3 And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— 4 was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell. 5 I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. 6 Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, 7 or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

 

-- I’d like to begin this morning by sharing with you the story of Thomas Hawkes – Hawkes lived in England in the 1500s and came from a respectable family – he served as a page at the court of King Edward VI, where he became known as a handsome young man with gentle manners who faithfully served the Lord – after some time in the court of King Edward, he entered the service of the lord of Oxford, where he remained for some time, being liked by all the household  -- Hawkes married and his wife shortly became pregnant – it seemed like everything was going well for Hawkes – but that all changed in a moment, when King Edward died

-- When King Edward died, the official religion in England changed from Protestant to Catholic – and protestants began to be in danger – having a position serving in the court of the leaders of the country, Hawkes was under pressure to change his faith from Protestant to Catholic – to avoid this, he left his position in Oxford and returned home, where his son was born

-- Hawkes did not want his son to be baptized by a Catholic priest and raised in the Catholic faith, so he put off the baptism for three weeks, seeking another way – when his enemies heard this, they had him brought before the magistrate and charged with being unsound in the faith because he would not allow his family to convert to Catholicism

-- he was sent to London and appeared before the bishop, who tried to get Hawkes to recant his faith – Hawkes refused, and was sent to prison in the Gatehouse of Westminster

-- after several more attempts at trying to get Hawkes to recant his faith and switch to Catholicism, Hawkes was sentenced to death as a heretic – in response, he announced to the court that he would rather suffer death than renounce his faith in the gospel

            -- waiting for his sentence to be carried out, Hawkes was allowed to be visited by several of his friends – one friend quietly spoke to him so that the guard would not hear – he said, "Thomas, I have to ask you a favor. I need to know if what the others say about the grace of God is true. Tomorrow, when they burn you at the stake, if the pain is tolerable and your mind is still at peace, lift your hands above your head. Do it right before you die. Thomas, I have to know."

– Hawkes replied to his friend, “I will -- by the help and grace of God” 

 

            -- On April 10, 1555, Hawkes was led out to be burned at the stake -- As he was chained to the stake, he spoke quietly and with great grace to the men who laid the wood --Then he closed his eyes and the fire was kindled -- Thomas continued to preach to those around him until the roar of the flames became so loud that his words could no longer be heard

-- The fire burned a long time, but Hawkes remained motionless -- His skin was burnt to a crisp and his fingers were gone -- Everyone watching believed that Hawkes was dead -- Suddenly, miraculously, Hawkes lifted his hands, still on fire, over his head. He reached them up to the living God and then, with great rejoicing, clapped them together three times.

-- Hawkes’ friends broke into shouts of praise and applause, for they had their answer --  

God’s grace was sufficient – Hawkes had shown them that the most terrible torments that man could design and that Satan could inspire could be endured in the glorious cause of Christ and his gospel -- that the comforts of Christ’s grace were able to lift the believing soul above anything that afflicted it

 

            -- I pray that none of us here ever have to go through what Thomas Hawkes did – that we are not subjected to persecutions that threaten our very lives – but while we may not be required to endure to the point of death like him, all of us experience hardships and trials in our lives that afflict us and that can cause us to doubt our faith – that has always been the experience of God’s people

            -- all you have to do is look at the Psalms to see an example of that -- the Psalms are filled with lament after lament as godly people cried out to God for answers for why they were suffering and in pain while the wicked appeared to thrive

– it’s a familiar lament -- we feel this, too – we experience this, too – we know this in our lives even today – it seems like the good suffer while the wicked prosper – and at times, we find ourselves asking if it’s worth it or not – that was the real question that Hawkes’ friends asked as he went to the flames – and that’s a question that crosses our minds, too, from time to time

 

            -- all of us know what it means to walk in heartache and pain – to walk through trials and temptations – to suffer through setbacks and adversity

            -- but what do we do when it seems like it’s too much – when it feels like evil is winning and the darkness is overcoming us – when the trials become too large and the storm overwhelms?

            -- that is what I want us to consider this morning as we look at an example from the apostle Paul’s life from this passage in 2 Corinthians 12

 

II.  Scripture Lesson (2 Corinthians 12:1-10)

            -- in this letter to the Christians in Corinth, Paul has been speaking out against the false apostles and teachers that were infiltrating the church – many false teachers had come into their gatherings and were introducing false gospels and false practices – and were causing the Christians there to doubt Paul’s leadership and authority as an apostle and to doubt the gospel of Christ that had been preached to them

            -- so, Paul points out to the church the difference between him and these false apostles – between him and these false teachers – to the point where he is forced to go against his nature and to boast about his accomplishments and his authority in the church

            -- here in chapter 12, Paul concludes his case against the false apostles and finishes up his argument that the grace of God was all that was required for salvation and sanctification – that anything else was a heresy

            -- so, let’s look back here and see what we can learn about standing firm in the faith in the midst of trials and the storms of life by looking at Paul’s example

 

            -- verse 1-4

 

2 Corinthians 12:1 I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. 3 And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— 4 was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell.

 

            -- in these verses, Paul tells about a vision that he once received from the Lord – he says that it occurred fourteen years ago, which would have been shortly after his experience on the road to Damascus, when Paul was overwhelmed by the presence of Christ and came to receive Him as his Lord and Savior

            -- shortly after that, Paul was led into the wilderness of Arabia, where he ministered for some time before returning to Israel and being brought into the fellowship of the believers in Antioch

            -- he says here that he was caught up to the third heaven – just to remind you, the Israelites recognized three separate heavens in their understanding of creation – the first heaven was the atmosphere – the air around us – the air that we breathe – the second heaven was what we call space – the place where the stars and the planets reside – the place that we see at night when we look up into the sky – the third heaven was the place where God resides – and while they envisioned it as being beyond the atmosphere and beyond space, they recognized it as being the place where God lives and that it was a spiritual location

            -- somehow – and Paul himself is not even sure of how it happened – whether his body was carried to heaven or whether it was merely a vision that he was given – he was carried up to the third heaven – to the very throne room of God – where he was given a glimpse of heaven and heard inexpressible things that he was not permitted to share with anyone

 

            -- verse 5-7a

 

2 Corinthians 12:5 I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. 6 Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, 7a or because of these surpassingly great revelations.

 

            -- Paul shares this experience he had of being caught up to the third heaven and tells the Corinthians that he boasts about this simply to counter the claims of the false apostles and to prove his authority and his calling came from God Himself – this was something that no one else had ever experienced – and Paul was proud of that – which was a concern of his

            -- normally, Paul said, he would never boast about this experience he had – if he was to boast about anything, it would be his weaknesses, because through them God had made him into the person he had become – the apostle the church was familiar with

            -- he wants the Corinthians to judge him, and the authenticity of his message, based on what they know of him – not based on this vision or any of the great revelations that he had been given

            -- in other words, he is telling the Corinthians that they should judge between him and the false apostles – not based on their boasting of what they had done or what they had seen – but based on who they are and how their faith had been demonstrated to the Corinthians in their presence

            -- it’s a reminder to us that sometimes the people who boast the most about who they are or what they have done are not who they claim to be – that it’s the humble servant who never boasts who actually care the most and who has the most impact on our lives

 

            -- look back at the second part of verse 7b-10

 

2 Corinthians 12:7b Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

 

            -- Paul had been given a great revelation – greater than anything anyone else had ever received – and that had to be hard for him

– something like that could lead to bragging and boasting and pride – it could lead someone to puff themselves up and think they were better than anyone else – we’ve seen that with politicians and with preachers – we’ve seen that in people at work – we’ve all experienced that – and we’ve all been tempted by that

-- and so, to keep Paul from becoming conceited – to keep Paul from becoming prideful and arrogant – God allowed Satan to afflict Paul with a thorn in his flesh – as Paul describes it here, “a messenger of Satan”

-- we don’t know what this thorn was – Paul never tells us explicitly in his writings – but we know it was some type of trial or temptation or adversity that caused Paul pain – either physical, emotional, or spiritual pain

-- some people, like Calvin, thought that Paul’s thorn was spiritual temptations – like the temptation to be prideful or arrogant – Luther thought it could be a temptation or the persecutions that Paul faced throughout his ministry – the Catholics say that it was sexual temptation – others say it was a physical malady – maybe a disfigurement or headaches or a speech impediment – some say it had to do with his eyesight, basing their guess on Galatians 6:11, where Paul writes, “See with what large letters I have written to you with my own hand” – they say that Paul had to write large letters because he could not see well

-- I think it might have been an echo of Paul’s past – he says here that the thorn was a messenger of Satan, and I wonder if the pain he felt was when the messenger spoke past failures into his mind – reminding him of the many times he had failed God and had actively persecuted Christians, such as when he stood by as Stephen was stoned

-- we just don’t know – but it really doesn’t matter – the thorn could be anything, but we know that this thorn was specifically given to Paul by Satan to cripple and harm his ministry – to negatively affect his work on earth – to give him pain and to make him suffer

-- we all have thorns in our lives, too – and all our thorns are different – but the fact remains that our thorns, just like Paul’s, are painful to us – and cause us torment and suffering to the point where we can even doubt if we can go on

 

-- the word that is translated here as “thorn” can actually mean several different things – it can mean a thorn or a splinter – a minor inconvenience – but it can also mean a stake – like the stake that people were impaled on and tortured with

-- so, it could be that the thorn Paul is speaking of here in verse 7 affects him differently, at different times – sometimes, it is a minor irritant, like a splinter in our hands – while other times, it affects him greatly – to the point where he thinks he is going to die because of the pain and suffering from it

-- it was probably during three of those times when the thorn overwhelmed Paul and the suffering became too great that he cried out to the Lord to remove it from him – to take the pain away – to take the suffering and the trial and the persecution from him

-- but God chose to tell Paul, “No” – He refused to take the thorn away and instead told Paul that His grace was sufficient for him, for His power was made perfect in weakness

-- that is a promise from God that we can all take to heart when we are facing trials and adversity in our lives that seem too great to bear – those times when we cry out to God to take this pain from us – to heal us of our sickness – to remove the trial from our lives – and nothing happens – it is like God doesn’t hear or doesn’t respond – the trial just gets worse

-- it’s not that God has forgotten us or abandoned us – it’s that He is teaching us another aspect of His grace – rather than just taking away the pain or the trial, God is helping us learn to overcome the situation by depending on Him and Him alone – for it is in these times that life overwhelms us and that the storm seems too great, that we can’t do anything but rely on God for survival

-- as Jerry Bridges points out, “God never allows pain without a purpose in the lives of His children – He never allows Satan, nor circumstances, nor any ill-intending person to afflict us unless He uses that affliction for our good – God never wastes pain – He always causes it to work together for our ultimate good, the good of conforming us more to the likeness of His Son”

-- in this case, God used the thorn in Paul’s flesh to keep him from becoming conceited – to keep him from becoming arrogant and prideful – which would lead to greater and greater sin in his life

-- sometimes, pain is necessary for our own good

 

-- a few years ago, I tore a muscle in my leg and severed it from where it inserted onto the bone – I was unable to lift my leg more than a couple of inches – and I couldn’t pick up my leg and put it across my lap – which made putting on a shoe extremely difficult – and every time I moved my leg, it was painful

– the orthopedic doctor said there was nothing he could do for me – that surgery was not possible – that there were no pills or shots that would work -- I would have to live with the loss of that muscle the rest of my life

-- he said the only thing that might work to restore my physical ability was intensive physical therapy – that by doing that, I might train the other muscles to do what this torn muscle used to do – so, I started physical therapy – and it hurt

-- as they had me do various exercises and use different machines, it was painful – it hurt a lot – and when I complained they told me that the pain was necessary if I was to overcome the loss of that muscle

-- over time, the other muscles adapted and I have almost full range of motion again – but I will never forget the pain that I had to go through in order to reach that point

 

-- that’s what God is telling Paul here – the thorn in the flesh was not fun – it was painful – but it was necessary – and Paul had to learn to withstand the pain through God’s grace in order to grow and become mature or perfect in the faith

-- this aspect of grace that God speaks of in verse 9 is different from how we normally think of grace – normally, we think of grace as God’s unmerited favor to us through Christ whereby salvation and all other blessings are freely given to us – this understanding of grace focuses on God’s grace as the source of all blessings

-- but the grace that God tells us about here in verse 9 is referring to God’s divine assistance to us through the Holy Spirit – it focuses on God’s grace specifically as the work of the Holy Spirit within us – as He empowers us and enables us to overcome adversity and trials in our lives and as He transforms us into the people that God wants us to be
            -- as an act of grace, God left the thorn in Paul’s life so that Paul would experience the sufficiency of His grace and presence – He wanted Paul to learn to rely on Him in all situations – to lean continually on the Spirit for strength in times of need

-- this was a lesson that Paul took to heart – to the point where he boasted in his weaknesses and the trials that he faced, because he knew that he would experience God’s grace and providence through them – that in the weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and difficulties, Paul was made strong through the grace of God and the power of His Spirit

-- I’m sure it was not easy – I know it was not easy – I know it was painful – but having experienced God’s grace in this way led Paul to pen the promise that we read in Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

-- the thorn – the trials – the difficulties – the persecutions – none of these were good – but God used them to make Paul better – just as He uses the trials and the struggles in our lives to make us better, too

 

-- so, how do we learn to find the roses among the thorns? – how do we reach the point where we can face any obstacle or adversity in our lives by trusting in God’s grace?

-- we reach that point when we surrender ourselves and stop trying to overcome these trials in our own strength but instead, we trust in God and depend on Him and Him alone

-- we reach that point when we recognize that we can’t, but God can – when we know that it is impossible for us, and that it is only possible in Him

-- when we move past self-sufficiency to God-sufficiency – to total dependence on God for everything in our lives

 

-- think about the example of the Israelites as God led them through the wilderness to the Promised Land – for forty years, the people wandered and suffered countless trials and adversity, which God allowed in their lives to bring them from self-sufficiency to the point of total dependence on Him

-- as Moses reminded the people in Deuteronomy 8:2-3, “Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”

-- God humbled them -- He caused them to hunger -- He fed them with food they had never seen before – and in the process, He taught them that man lives only by the word that comes from God

-- that is how God uses the thorn in our lives – the trials and difficulties and adversities that come our way – to humble us and keep us from becoming conceited and prideful – to force us to depend on Him – to lead us into a relationship where we look to God for all that we need to survive

-- that is the lesson that Paul learned with his thorn in the flesh – and that is the lesson that we must all come to learn, too – that even though the thorns may be painful, God will ultimately work them for our good and bring blessings from them if we look to Him and Him alone for deliverance

 

-- We pray for lighter burdens when we ought to pray for stronger backs. -- We pray for an easier path when we ought to pray for tougher feet. -- We pray for fewer problems when we ought to pray for better solutions.

            -- with grace, comes the strength and power of God – with grace, comes healing and acceptance – with grace, we come to realize that God gives us what we lack and makes us into the people that He has called us to be – with grace, the Holy Spirit strengthens us and enables us to meet in a godly fashion whatever circumstances cross our paths

            -- Paul learned that God’s grace was sufficient for everything that he faced, and he praised God for his power and strength in his life – Paul’s experience and example in handling the thorns in his life proved his authority and calling as a true apostle from God and affirmed the truth of the gospel that he had preached to the Corinthians

 

III.  Closing

-- Rev. Don Berns was 33 when he experienced a severe thorn in his flesh -- he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease – and within a few short years, his voice became too weak to preach -- his body trembled uncontrollably -- and he faced having to retire from the ministry – he did not know what he was going to do

-- the doctors suggested an experimental operation, which gave him a dramatic, although temporary, return to active life – the trembling stopped and he reveled in the restored ability to preach, along with being able to surf and play tennis.

-- unfortunately, the results of the operation have waned – and his physical limitations are returning – but having gone through the experience, Don said, “In all things God does work for the good of those who love him. His power has been made perfect in my weakness. The Lord has now given me a ministry of being, rather than a ministry of doing. God’s primary concern for us, as whole persons, begins with our spiritual well-being so we can have a personal, trusting relationship with the One who created us and brings meaning to our lives.”¹

 

            -- thorns are going to grow in our lives – trials and difficulties and adversities are going to come – seasons of pain are going to be experienced – but when we face these times, we have a choice to make

            -- either we fight and struggle against the difficulties in our own strength and continue to only experience the thorns – or we turn to God in total submission – putting our faith solely in His ability to sustain us – in the sufficiency of His grace – and trust that He will work through the trials to bring good into our lives

            -- we have to learn to expect and to appropriate the grace that God offers us in times of trial – and we have to learn to rejoice in times of weakness, as the apostle Paul did, so that we can experience the goodness of God and the perfection of His power in our lives as He sees us through the storm to the other side

 

-- I want to leave you with this writing from an unknown Confederate soldier who spoke to the goodness of God after he had passed through the storm:

 

I asked God for strength that I might achieve.
I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey.

I asked God for health that I might do greater things.
I was given infirmity that I might do better things.

I asked God for riches that I might be happy.
I was given poverty that I might be wise.

I asked for power that I might have the praise of men.
I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life.
I was given life that I might enjoy all things.

I got nothing that I asked for.
But everything I had hoped for...
Almost despite myself my unspoken prayers were answered.
I am among all men most richly blessed.

 

            -- “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness”

 

            -- Let us pray

 

 

---------------------------

1 Our Daily Bread Devotional, David C. McCasland

SERMON: A VISION TO LIVE BY

 

Naylor Community Christian Church

Naylor, Georgia

 

 

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Deuteronomy 10:12-21

 

Deuteronomy 10:12 And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?

 

14 To the Lord your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. 15 Yet the Lord set his affection on your ancestors and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations—as it is today. 16 Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer. 17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. 18 He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. 19 And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt. 20 Fear the Lord your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name. 21 He is the one you praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes.

 

            -- it’s kind of hard to believe it now, but a few years ago, I was heavily into fitness – I was eating right – I was working out at the gym – I was doing everything I could to improve my health and my fitness levels

            -- as part of that effort, I spent a lot of time researching the right way to do things – reading books and blogs and internet sites and talking with people about how I could get healthier and more fit in my life

            -- and even though I have not been able to maintain the same level of fitness that I had several years ago because of injuries and other issues in my life, there was one truth that I learned during this time that I still lean on today – and that is the difference between working out and training

– most people who are starting to try to get fit or who take up a new year’s resolution to lose weight just go to the gym to work out – and by that, I mean that they just go to the gym and do whatever they feel like, with no specific plan or goal in mind – they might jump on the treadmill today and go to the bicycle tomorrow and use a few of the weight machines in-between – but they have no clear vision or goal they are trying to obtain, other than simply “working out” – and so they spend a lot of time in the gym doing stuff, but without making any real progress

-- contrary to them are the people who go to the gym to train – the term “train” implies a process or method to obtain a goal in someone’s life – and all their actions – all their activities in the gym, are done with that goal or vision in mind – these are the people who make progress in their life and actually accomplish something

-- for instance, I follow a retired theological professor online who has been training for the last two years to climb the Matterhorn in the Alps – he had spent time in Switzerland, and the Matterhorn captured his imagination – and he dreamed one day of making it to the top -- now that he is in his sixties, he has decided to go for it

– to make his vision a reality – he began by researching what muscles and what skills he would need to climb that mountain, and then set out a training program to meet those goals – he knew he needed to reach up and climb with his arms, so he started doing pull-ups and chin-ups to strengthen his shoulders and arms – he knew he needed a strong grip to grasp rocks and projections, so he began working on his grip strength through wrist curls – he knew he needed a strong chest to pull his body up during the climb, so he began doing bench presses and other similar movements – and over the last two years, with a firm training plan in place, he is moving steadily closer and closer to becoming a person that can climb the Matterhorn – the pictures he posts of the change in his physique and strength are amazing – and it’s all because he chose to train to meet his goals rather than just showing up and working out, like so many others have done

-- the difference between working out and training is the need for a vision or a goal that you are aiming for – that you are striving to obtain in your life – it is the vision that makes all the difference

 

-- Proverbs 29:18 says, "when there is no vision, the people perish" -- there is a profound truth in that statement that we can clearly see portrayed in two different ways in our society

-- first, without a vision of the future to lead them and guide them, people may just quit living, such as the case with people who have just retired or who lose their job and find themselves without a plan and who end up doing nothing with the rest of their lives

-- and, secondly, without a vision of the future to lead them and guide them, people may get wrapped up in themselves and fail to live up to their potential or to what God is calling them to do -- spending time and money and effort to please themselves or better themselves while not moving forward into the plans that God has for them and their life -- people who become the stereotype of someone going through a midlife crisis

 

-- the night before he was assassinated, President John F. Kennedy used Proverb 29:18 in a speech to the nation -- it was an impassioned appeal for the people of the United States to dream big -- to be big -- to do things that were greater than themselves

-- all throughout his short presidency, Kennedy cast a vision for America that propelled us to do great things -- remember his famous words in his inauguration address? -- "Ask not what your country can do for you -- ask what you can do for your country"

-- Kennedy was a visionary leader -- a person who recognized the value in having dreams and plans and goals for our individual lives and for our nation -- and his vision of a brighter and more productive future invigorated our country in a time when a vision of the future was sorely needed

-- without a vision, people and nations and churches perish -- their lives may be filled with sound and fury -- they may burn themselves out with activity -- but if it is action without purpose, it is to no avail

-- to have a vision is to have a future -- to have a vision is to have a plan -- a goal -- a direction -- to have a vision is to be part of something bigger than yourself -- it is to make a difference in the lives of others as you seek to fulfill God's plans for your life

 

            -- this morning, I wanted us to look at Moses’ farewell address to the nation of Israel from the Book of Deuteronomy – for over 40 years, Moses had led the nation of Israel – leading them out of Egypt and slavery at the Lord’s command – and leading them in the wilderness, as God used that time to grow them and mature them into the people He wanted them to be – not like their ancestors who rejected Him and refused to be obedient to His commands

            -- now the time has finally come for the nation of Israel to go into the Promised Land and to take possession of it – but God has told Moses that he could not go with them – and so, at the Lord’s direction, Moses stands there on the banks of the Jordan River and gives the nation of Israel this final charge – that they might have a vision and a goal for the future – that they might remember who they are and who God is – that they might remember the commands of God for them and the covenant He has established with them – so that they might move on to take possession of the Promised Land to be become the people God has called them to be

            -- there is much we can learn about following God and having a vision for Him and His kingdom from this passage – so, let’s look at this together now and see what we can learn about having a vision for God and how we can follow Him in these tumultuous times that we live in

 

II.  Scripture Lesson (Deuteronomy 10:12-21)

            -- verse 12-13

 

Deuteronomy 10:12 And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?

 

 

            -- in these verses, Moses gives the nation of Israel the five-fold vision of what it means to live in relationship with the Lord God Almighty – the five things that God asks from this nation and from this people that He has called to Himself out of all the nations on the earth

 

            -- let me pause there for a second and point out something to you about the calling and separating of Israel from all other nations as God’s chosen people – the Old Testament, including passages like this, were written for a specific people in a specific time – it was written for the nation of Israel – the people of the original covenant with God

            -- for that reason, the laws and the promises that are given in the Old Testament are primarily for those people and for that specific nation – we have a tendency to read the Bible and try to claim those promises for ourselves and for our nation – in this period of Christian Nationalism in our country, I have heard many people trying to claim these promises of God for Israel as a promise for the United States – that is not the case – these promises were given for Israel alone at that time – and probably cannot even be applied to the modern nation of Israel

            -- so, be careful that you don’t read through the Old Testament and assume that God is speaking to our nation – He is not – we are not the substitute or successor to the ancient nation of Israel

-- the laws and the promises in here are not specifically for us or our nation – and to try to apply them in some nationalistic fashion at this point in our history is the wrong use of the Bible – the laws and the commands that He gave the nation of Israel were relevant only to them and only at that particular time, so be careful in how you read them and apply them

            -- with that said, though, I want you to know that the Old Testament is still valuable to us today – that God still speaks to us today through these pages – in the Old Testament, we learn who God is and what He wants from us – we learn about His nature and character – we learn about His holiness and righteousness and faithfulness – and we learn how we are to relate to Him in terms of worshiping Him, praising Him, and following His commands in our lives today

            -- while most of the law and the commands that we read of in the first five books of the Old Testament do not apply to us today, those passages where we read of God’s nature and character and His moral law and expectations of His people in a spiritual sense are relevant and appropriate for us to obey

 – that is true of this passage – for the five things that God asks of the nation of Israel here in verses 12 and 13 are the same things He asks of us today and that we see recorded for us in the New Testament as part of the teachings of Jesus and the apostles

 

-- the first thing that God asks of us is that we fear Him --    -- the fear of the Lord is the reverence and awe we experience when confronted with the very presence and power of God -- the fear of the Lord is the attitude we should take when we enter into the presence of our God and our Creator

-- Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” -- the reason why the fear of the Lord is described as the beginning of wisdom is because it opens the eyes of our hearts -- it enables us to see just how majestic and powerful and mighty our Lord is -- it puts us in a right place in our lives -- and it exalts God to the throne of our heart

            -- the nation of Israel had already shown a tendency to lose sight of who God was – they had turned away from Him and made for themselves a golden calf to worship, as Moses was on Mount Sinai in the presence of God receiving the Ten Commandments – they had repeatedly turned away from God and murmured against Him and His leaders during their time in the desert wilderness – they were prone to leaving God and turning away from Him

            -- so, the first command of God to the Israelites and to us is to remember Him – to fear Him – to know who He is so that we will not be tempted to stray or follow other gods

            -- to live in the fear of God is to recognize His power and authority and might and to live  our lives in light of this understanding of God

 

            -- the second command God gives Israel here is to walk in obedience to Him – in other words, to obey His commands and His laws – like I said, most of the laws in the Old Testament were given only for the nation of Israel – these civil and ceremonial laws were given to help the people separate themselves out from the nations around them and to help them live in fear of the God who had redeemed them and brought them into the Promised Land

            -- there were other laws given in the Old Testament for the Israelites that are still relevant for us today – the moral laws – the Ten Commandments and the laws that are given that command obedience to God’s holy and righteous decrees

            -- although Jesus came to fulfill the Law and to redeem us from the power of the Law, that doesn’t mean that we are to live lives filled with sin – that doesn’t mean that we are to go through life doing what pleases us – no, we are to obey the commands of God and live for Him in all holiness and righteousness – and while we do not have a written code to follow now, we have the moral code of holiness and righteousness that is written on our hearts and that the Spirit guides us to follow

            -- this is what Paul was referring to when he wrote in Romans 7:6 that we died to the law that we might serve God in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code

 

            -- the third command of God for the Israelites here is to love Him – this is not referring to emotions, but to a commitment to God – love in the Bible is a verb, not a noun – to love God is to live for Him – to be in a relationship with Him – to do what He says – to seek His good and His glory above all – it is a reflection of His love for us

-- to love like this is a choice of the will -- Loving God means to deeply admire, enjoy, and find delight in who He is and all that He represents -- It involves obeying His commands -- believing His word -- and expressing gratitude for His gifts -- Ultimately, it's about experiencing a sense of joy and fulfillment in knowing and relating to God – and then allowing our love for Him to overflow to others, which brings us to the fourth command

 

-- the fourth command that God gives here is to serve Him with all our hearts and with all our souls – our service to God and to others in His name comes from hearts overflowing with love – we do for others because God has done for us – we do for God because of who He is and His great love for us

-- service flows out of the love that we have for God – that’s why we are commanded here to love the Lord our God with all our hearts and with all our souls – all that we are and all that we do are to be driven by our love for God -- Out of “love,” we serve Him with all our heart and with all our soul—rather than merely out of duty

-- as John Calvin wrote, “This is a divine requirement that needs to be specially urged in His Name -- We are not saved merely to rejoice in salvation, but to glorify God by a life of consecrated service to Him -- This service implies selling, giving, [and] following” – it means presenting our bodies to God and letting our acts of service be offerings and gifts of sacrifice to Him

 

-- the final command He gives us here in these verses is to observe His commands and decrees – once again, remembering that this was written to the nation of Israel and that the commands and decrees that follow in the Book of Deuteronomy and the rest of the Old Testament primarily apply to them – God tells them here to follow and observe His commands and decrees for their own good, because if they did not do what He commanded, things would go bad for them in the Promised Land

-- the danger of idolatry and syncretism were present in the land – and God gave the Israelites commands and decrees that seem harsh to us today but that were necessary to help separate the nation of Israel from the pagan practices and religion that were already established in the land

-- for us, this call to observe His commands and decrees is to remain obedient to Him and to do what He tells us to do – to love Him and serve Him in all our ways – to do His will – to love Him with all our hearts and minds and soul and strength and to love our neighbors as ourselves

-- and this will look different in all of our lives because we are not following a written code of commands and decrees, but following the commands of God given to us individually through His Spirit – that’s why some people are drawn to helping the homeless or the immigrants and others are drawn to serving those who are pregnant and considering abortion – our hearts lead us to serve where God is calling us, and He has placed on our hearts the commands and the direction He would have us go

-- we are all called to serve and to love and to be obedient to Him, but that will look different for each of us because we are different people – called by God to different missions – but still parts of one body working to fulfill His commands and His will here on earth as the church of Jesus Christ

 

-- these five things are what the Lord our God asks of us today – this is our vision – our mission – as followers of Jesus

-- we are to fear Him – to walk in obedience to Him – to love Him – to serve Him – and to observe His commands and decrees

-- this was true for the Israelites as they stood on the banks of the Jordan River, ready to enter the Promised Land, and this is true for us, as we stand here in the 21^st century and try to live lives in accordance with God’s word

 

            -- verse 14-16

 

Deuteronomy 10:14 To the Lord your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. 15 Yet the Lord set his affection on your ancestors and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations—as it is today. 16 Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer.

 

            -- in these verses, Moses reminds the nation of Israel of who God is and why they should follow Him and obey all His commands – He is the Lord God Almighty – He is our Creator and Redeemer -- to Him belong the heavens and the earth and all the peoples of earth

– and it was by God’s choice and God’s will that He called out to Himself a people – the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – to be His chosen people – the nation of Israel – the keepers of the word and the knowledge of the Lord – and the people from whom would come the Messiah

-- remember this, Moses says – remember this and know that God didn’t choose you because you were special or because you were better than anyone else – God chose you because of His love for you – He set His affection on you – and all that you are and all that you will be is because of Him

-- so, stop being stiff-necked and hard-hearted – Moses tells them to circumcise their hearts here – this is a reminder that obedience to the law will not save – but that only those whose hearts are turned to the Lord – only those who have put their faith and trust in the Lord and who love Him with all their hearts and souls and minds and strength – are truly redeemed and called and separated to God as His chosen people

-- Moses is trying to get the Israelites to understand who they are in relation to God – and that even though they are destined to enter the Promised Land and conquer the nations already there, it isn’t through their own strength or ability but because God has chosen them for this purpose and has given them the ability to do so

 

-- verse 17-21

 

Deuteronomy 10:17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. 18 He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. 19 And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt. 20 Fear the Lord your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name. 21 He is the one you praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes.

 

-- the rest of this passage goes on to describe the heart and the nature and character of God – it is a reminder of who God and what is important to Him and what should be important to us – we are to follow Him – to do what He does – to love as He loves – to serve as He leads

-- our God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords – the great God Almighty – mighty and awesome – the King of kings – the only King we are to follow

 

-- God does not show partiality, as Joshua learned when he spoke to the preincarnate Jesus on the banks of the Jordan River before the battle for Jericho in Joshua 5:13-15 – Joshua saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword, and Joshua asked him, “Are you for us or our enemies?” – and the man replied, “Neither” – God is not for one nation and against another – it is God’s will that no one should perish, but that all should come to repentance and receive eternal life through Christ

-- God can’t be bribed – God’s favor – His grace and mercy – His salvation – is not for sale – we don’t receive God’s grace because we do things for Him or because we say the right words or pray the right prayers – God’s favor and salvation only comes to those who repent and put their faith and trust in His Son for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life

            -- God cares for everyone, especially for the down-trodden and the forgotten – for the least of these that the world looks down on or forgets – He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow and the foreigners residing among us  

– He blesses them and pours out His grace and provisions on them – giving them food and clothing and sustainment even as the world turns a blind eye to them or persecutes them unfairly

-- He reminds the Israelites here to love the foreigners who live in their midst, because they were once loved in the same way when they lived in a foreign land 

-- and while these commands are specifically for the nation of Israel, they are reiterated in the New Testament, as Jesus calls for us to remember and to love and serve everyone – to love the orphans and the widows and the foreigners – to even love our enemies and those who wrong us and not just our neighbors and our families – to share the love of God with all without partiality or favor – to love as we were loved and to serve in obedience to God’s commands

 

-- Moses charges us here to hold fast to God – this means to follow Him – to do His will – to obey His commands – to love Him and serve Him -- to always lift Him up and give Him glory and honor and praise

-- he reminds us that we are to always praise God for who He is and what He has done – to remember God and to praise Him above all else – and to fulfill this vision of God in our lives and in our families and in our churches, just as the nation of Israel sought to fulfill this vision in their day as they entered the Promised Land

 

III.  Closing

-- in the nation of Ghana, their native language doesn’t have a word for religion – so, if you want to know what religion a person is you have to ask them this question, “Whom do you serve?”

-- I like that, because that carries a lot more weight than simply telling someone your religion – regardless of what we might say in response to the question, “What is your religion?” – regardless of denominational loyalties or official creeds or statements of faith – our true god is the one we serve – the one we love – the one we follow

 

-- a lot of people in the world today call themselves Christians, but they show who they are really following by what they do and what they say and the way they act – and I’ve met a lot of people who claim to be Christians who don’t act or speak in a godly manner – who act in ways that God condemns in His word

-- I worry about that in my own life – I am reminded of the disciples’ response at the Last Supper when Jesus announced that one of them would betray Him – and each one of them said, “Is it me?” – I feel that – for any of us can turn away from God and start serving man-made idols, including political leaders or political movements or religion

-- God knows that this is a danger in our lives – He knew it was a danger to the Israelites – so, He gave them and us this vision and mission in Deuteronomy 10 to follow Him – to fear Him above all else – to love Him and to walk in obedience with Him – to serve Him with all our hearts and souls and minds – for this is how we remain steadfast and loyal – this is how we know we are on the right path

-- as the Bible says, we need a vision in order to prosper and do what God has called us to do – we have that vision – that model – that goal -- here before us in this passage

-- so, may we write these commands on our hearts – may we evaluate the path we are on and make sure we are following and serving only the Lord God Almighty and no other – may we walk humbly with Him and love Him all our days and serve and love those around us as He loves them

-- with that, let us close in prayer and move forward in grace and love and service to our God

-- let us pray

 

Sermon Videos Now Available!

 In an attempt to finally move into the 21st Century, Naylor Community Christian Church finally has a YouTube Channel where we will be posting the second half of our Sunday morning worship services.

If you have an interest in hearing the messages preached by the best preacher in the world*, then check us out at:

https://www.youtube.com/@NaylorCCC

*According to the pastor's mother...

SERMON: JUST AN ORDINARY DAY

 

Naylor Community Christian Church

Naylor, Georgia

 

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Luke 5:1-11

 

Luke 5:1 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. 2 He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

 

4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”

 

5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

 

6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

 

8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” 9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.

 

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

 

            -- I want to share with you a story that I heard one time on Focus on the Family  

            -- Lysa TerKeurst -- the founder of Proverbs 31 Ministries -- was sharing the story about the time she was headed back home on an airplane after a week of teaching and ministering to women – it was a completely normal day – it was a completely normal event – something that she had done hundreds of times before

            -- Lysa said she was tired and worn out from ministering and speaking all week at the conference, so she prayed that God would just grant her just one request -- that He would let her have the airplane row all to herself so she could stretch out and relax on the way home

            -- and as she watched the plane fill with passengers that morning, it looked like God was going to answer her prayer -- the flight attendants were making their final checks, and no one else had come to claim the two empty seats on her row – Lysa had the row all to herself, just as she had asked

-- but right before the doors closed, two more people came on board and took those seats -- an Indian woman took the seat next to the window and a large man sat down in the middle seat next to Lysa

            -- Lysa just sighed and decided to make the best of it – since she obviously wasn’t going to get any rest on this flight, she decided to try to get a little work done -- she pulled out a manuscript that she had been working on and began revising it when, all of a sudden, the man next to her said, "I couldn't help but notice the word, 'God,' all over your paper there -- That's a curious thing to be in a paper."

            -- when the man spoke to her, Lysa turned to him and, all of a sudden, it hit her what was happening – she realized there was a reason why God allowed two people onto her flight and into her row at the very last moment, even though she had prayed for space to rest and relax

-- it was no accident that God said, "No," to her prayer for an empty row -- it was not chance or dumb luck or coincidence that this man happened to sit down next to her on that plane -- this was a divine appointment from God

-- and Lysa realized that and began to share with this man the good news of salvation and her own story of faith through a lifetime of abuse and rejection – as she shared, Lysa said that she could sense the presence of the Holy Spirit – she knew God was calling the man – and she watched as God touched both his heart and the heart of the Indian woman who was sitting next to them listening -- before the plane landed, both of them had prayed with Lysa to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior and their lives were forever changed

            -- Lysa closed her account of this experience by thanking God for helping her to have a heart that is open to His presence and to the opportunities for ministry that He places in all of our paths

 

            -- now I had heard this story before -- I am a fan of Lysa TerKeurst and her ministry – so, when the episode came on the radio that day as I was driving home, I wasn’t paying a lot of attention to it – I know how the story was going to end

-- but as I was sitting there, half-listening to this familiar story, God spoke to me and He pointed something out – it was so clear and so direct, it was almost like an audible voice in my ear – God spoke and said, “It was just an ordinary day…"

            -- “It was just an ordinary day” – I have thought about that phrase many times since God spoke to me during that broadcast of Lysa’s message – I have often wondered what He was trying to get me to see – what He was trying to get me to understand – what He was trying to get me to do

            -- I mean, aren't all our days pretty much ordinary days? – for the most part, we live the same humdrum lives and do the same routines over and over again – everyday blurs into the memory of the day before – there is nothing to really distinguish it – and at the end of the day, when someone comes up and asks you how your day was, how many times do you say, "It was fine -- it was just a regular day – it was just an ordinary day"

            -- but Lysa’s story reminds us that extraordinary things can happen on ordinary days, if you are open to what Jesus is doing around you

 

II.  Scripture Lesson (Luke 5:1-11)

            -- look back with me at this passage from Luke 5, and let me show you what I am talking about

 

            -- verse 1-3

 

Luke 5:1 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. 2 He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

 

 

            -- in these verses, Luke is beginning to tell us the story of Jesus calling His first disciples – a story that we are all familiar with

-- and so, we read these verses in anticipation of the end – we’ve heard this story – we know how it ends – we have already skipped forward to the miracle that brought Simon Peter to faith

-- but don’t miss an important part of the story that Luke gives us here in these verses – in the very beginning of the story in verse 1, Luke writes, “One day…” – One day

            -- it was not a special day -- it wasn't a holiday -- it wasn't a feast day -- it wasn't even a Sabbath -- it was just one ordinary day in the middle of the week -- and everybody was going about and doing what they normally did

            -- Jesus was just standing there by the lake teaching -- just like any Jewish rabbi would do -- and a group of people had gathered around to hear Him

            -- right down the beach from Jesus, a handful of fishermen were sitting there next to their boats -- washing their nets after a long night of fishing -- just doing what they did every day -- just going about their normal, ordinary way of life on just another normal, ordinary day

 

            -- but as Jesus taught, more and more people came to listen – and the crowd started jostling for position and pushing each other – and Luke says that the people began to crowd around Him -- it obviously was making it difficult for Jesus to speak to the crowd effectively

            -- so, Jesus looked over and saw the two boats sitting there at the water’s edge and the fishermen who were there washing their nets – He went over to them and got into one of their boats -- the boat that belonged to Simon -- and He asked Simon to put out a little way from the shore -- and then He sat down and continued to teach the people

            -- that was the perfect place to speak from -- sitting there like that would have been liking sitting in an amphitheater -- Jesus would have been able to project His voice out and it would have carried out across the water and up the sloping beach and through the crowd so everyone could hear -- and it also kept Him from getting mobbed and jostled by the people He was trying to speak to

 

            -- remember that there are no coincidences in the Kingdom of God – there is no luck or chance – things happen according to the plan and will of God – nothing happens in your life that He doesn’t allow to happen – just as God willed that man and woman to share Lysa TerKeurst’s row on the airplane that day – that was a divinely ordered encounter – and this day is no different

      -- think for a moment about the reason why Simon and the others were sitting there next to their empty boats that day – on a regular day – on a good day – they wouldn’t have been there – they would have caught their limit of fish that night and would be at the market, selling the fish, as normal

      -- but God had a different plan – He wanted them there – so their nets were empty – and instead of selling fish at the market, they sat there on the shore of Galilee, listening to Jesus share the word of God

            -- remember this – on our ordinary days, God is still speaking – and we should pray for ears to hear and eyes to see and hearts to respond

 

            -- verse 4-5

 

Luke 5:4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”

 

5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

 

 

            -- so far, it's just a normal, ordinary day, but things are about to change

            -- when Jesus finished speaking, He told Simon to take the boat out into the deep water and to put his nets out for a catch -- and you can tell from Simon's response he really didn't want to do what Jesus was asking him to do

            -- he had already spent the whole night out there on the lake fishing and hadn't caught anything -- he and his partners had already come back and washed their nets and gotten everything cleaned up -- I'm sure they were tired and they probably just wanted to go home and get some rest before they had to go back out on the lake to fish again that night

      -- and, to top it off, I'm sure Simon was sitting there thinking, "This man may be a good rabbi – He may be able to teach the word of God well -- but He doesn't know anything about fishing"

 

      -- fishermen at that time on the Sea of Galilee fished at night, in the shallows, not in the deep -- they would attach their net to the shore, and then they'd go out just a little ways into the shallow water where the fish congregated, letting the net out as they went -- then, they'd make a wide semi-circle and head back to shore, trapping fish in the net

      -- this was the way it was done -- this was the normal, ordinary way to fish -- this was how everybody did it

      -- and now this rabbi -- this carpenter -- is trying to tell Simon, an experienced, professional fisherman -- how to fish -- and He's telling Him to put out into the deep waters and let down his net

      -- so, Simon says, "I really don't want to do that -- I think it's a waste of time -- but, just to be nice, I'll do what you say" -- and so Simon heads into the deep water and lets his nets down

 

      -- verse 6-7

 

Luke 5:6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

 

 

      -- Simon did what Jesus told him to do – I’m not sure why – but he did it – a lot of the times when God tells us to do something, we don’t understand – it’s something that doesn’t make sense – but that’s where faith comes in – that’s where trust and obedience come in – and Simon, even though he didn’t really know Jesus and had just happened to be there on an ordinary day to hear Him teach by the sea, responded in obedience to His command

      -- he went out a little deeper -- out past the point where fishermen usually fished -- out past the point where people usually put out their nets -- and when he got there, he did what Jesus said and lowered his nets -- and when they started to bring them in again, they had caught such a large number of fish that the nets began to break -- he had to call James and John to come help him

 

      -- there are some lessons there for us:

 

      -- first, if we go through life just assuming that every day is just an ordinary day – and we do things the same way we always do them – going through life today just like we did yesterday – nothing is going to change

      -- we’re going to see the same results that we’ve always had – we’re going to experience that day just like all the rest -- we might catch a few fish here and there -- we might do just as well as the others -- but more often than not, we’re going to be just like Simon and his companions -- we’ll fish all night -- we’ll work hard in our own strength -- and catch nothing

      -- Einstein is attributed as having said, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results” – there is truth in that statement

 

      -- second, sometimes God will bless us in our lives in such a miraculous way that we know it had to come from Him – Jesus did a miracle that day as Simon lowered his nets into the deep in the middle of the day, knowing that nothing would come of it – and as the nets filled with fish, Simon realized that this ordinary day had just turned extraordinary

      -- one of my favorite verses in the Bible is John 10:10, where Jesus says, “I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full” – or, as the King James Version puts it, “I have come so that you may have abundant life”

      -- in his devotionals this week, Skye Jethani pointed out that whenever we are in the presence of God – whenever the Kingdom of God is near – abundance follows – miracles happen – lives are changed

      -- Lysa TerKeurst saw that on an ordinary airplane ride home as two lives were touched for eternity – and Simon saw that as his nets filled with fish in a place where no fish should be found

      -- what is God wanting to do in your life and in this church? – what abundant blessings are we missing because we are not looking for His presence in our midst?

 

      -- finally, sometimes you can’t really see God or know God until you take that first step of faith and follow Jesus a little deeper -- Simon had God in his boat all morning, but he didn't realize it – Simon had God in his boat all morning, but he didn’t really see Him – Simon had God in his boat all morning, but he didn’t really hear Him

      -- it was only after Simon obeyed the call and did what Jesus told him to do that the miracle happened -- going deeper with Jesus opens your eyes and ears and leads you into a deeper experience with Him

      -- when you read the biographies of the heroes of the faith, you’ll see a point in each of their lives where they got up from the normal Christian life and went a little deeper -- when they quit being satisfied with just sitting on a pew on Sunday or throwing a handful of dollars in the offering plate and took a step of faith and went deeper -- and everything changed -- their relationship with God changed -- and that made all the difference

 

      -- that’s what happened to Simon on this ordinary day when he went out just a little bit deeper because Jesus told him to -- and that’s what will happen to us, too, if we will do the same

 

      -- verse 8-10

 

8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” 9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.

 

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.”

 

      -- in verse 8, Simon is like one of those cartoon characters where the light bulb lights up over their head when they get a good idea – as you read this passage and as you see Simon’s response to the miraculous catch of fish, you can see the light come on

      -- all of a sudden, Simon is aware that this person in his boat is not just an ordinary rabbi – He’s not just a gifted teacher and preacher – but He’s something else – He’s God in the flesh – and it rocks Simon to the core

      -- realizing that you are in the presence of the Lord God Almighty is a terrifying and awful experience – and I mean awful as in awe-ful – you are overwhelmed with His presence – you are overwhelmed with His being – it humbles you – it takes you to your knees, just as it did Simon here

      -- when Simon says here to Jesus, “Go away from me,” he’s not really trying to get rid of Jesus – he’s just overwhelmed in the moment – he has realized who Jesus is and in contrast to Jesus, he is aware of his own sins and shortcomings – Peter is crying out, “I am too sinful for you to look at -- I am too sinful for you to be with -- you are too holy and I am afraid"

      -- but look at how Jesus responds, "Don't be afraid – this was just an ordinary day, but now it’s not -- now that you know who I am -- now that you have heard my call -- I want you to go deeper every day -- follow Me, and you will catch men just like you caught these fish -- follow Me, and you will catch souls for the kingdom"

      -- and see how it ended

 

      -- verse 11

 

Luke 5:11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

 

      -- it had been just a normal, ordinary day, but it didn't stay that way -- it had been just a normal, ordinary life, but in an instant the ordinary became extraordinary

 

      -- what made the difference?

      -- it wasn't a willing heart -- Simon certainly didn't want to do what Jesus had told him to do

      -- it wasn't faith -- Simon had no faith in Jesus' fishing ability -- Simon didn't expect to catch a thing when he dropped his nets into the deep water -- and, at this point, Simon is not Peter -- he is not the rock -- he has not yet put his faith into Jesus as his Lord and Savior

      -- so, what made the difference between it being just another ordinary day and a day that Simon would never forget?

 

      -- it's simple -- it was Jesus -- Jesus stepped into Simon's normal, ordinary day and made it extraordinary -- and He wants to do the same for us

      -- when I was listening to Lysa TerKeurst's story and God spoke to me and told me, "It was just an ordinary day," I think He was trying to get me to understand that every day with Him is extraordinary -- that there is no such a thing in God's kingdom as just an ordinary day -- and that He wants to do amazing things in our lives and in the lives of those around us -- if we will only see Him and listen to Him and respond to Him when He calls

 

III.  Closing

      -- so, how can we make our ordinary days extraordinary?

 

      -- first, we need to know who is in our boat – we need to know who is in our day -- we need to know God in a real and personal way – we need to learn to find Him and see Him even in the most ordinary of days

 

      -- I think everybody here is probably familiar with the "Where's Waldo?" books -- -- the pages are filled with drawings of normal, ordinary people doing normal, ordinary things -- they're just doing the things of life -- they're going to work -- they're going to school -- they're going to beach or to the mountains or somewhere else

      -- but somewhere in the midst of all those normal, ordinary people is Waldo -- wearing his distinctive red-and-white striped shirt and his bobble hat and his glasses -- and the goal is to find him in the midst of everything else that is going on

 

      -- that's kind of like Jesus -- as we go through our normal, ordinary days doing our normal, ordinary things, Jesus is right there -- He's in the midst of everything that is going on -- but, a lot of times, we just don't pay any attention to Him -- and if we're not aware of Him -- if we're not hearing Him -- and if we're not seeing Him -- then we're not experiencing Him

      -- we have to experience Jesus in order for our ordinary days to become extraordinary

 

      -- Lysa TerKeurst gives us a good picture of how we need to do that -- when she got on that plane, it was just a normal, ordinary day -- and even when that man sat down next to her, nothing changed -- she could have gone the whole flight and never said a word to that man

      -- but, when she heard him ask about God, she realized that there was something greater going on -- that this was not just a normal, ordinary occurrence, but a divine appointment -- and that Jesus wanted her to tell this man her story

      -- Lysa was open to God's presence -- she looked for Him on that plane -- she listened for His voice -- and when she saw Him and heard Him and responded to His command, God did an extraordinary thing through her

      -- He'll do it through us, too, if we remember to look for Him during our normal, ordinary days

 

      -- second, as we grow in grace and learn to look for Jesus – to listen for Jesus – to know Jesus in our lives – we will come to know Him in greater and greater ways and we will want to be with Him more and more – and that will make the difference in how we experience our days and our lives

 

      -- when Simon first saw Jesus here and realized who He was, it rocked Simon – he fell at Jesus’ feet and cried out for him to leave, because he was scared of Jesus – he didn’t want to be too close to Him – the presence of God was too much – he couldn’t handle it

      -- but after leaving his boat and nets at the lake and following Jesus for three years, something happened to Simon – he became someone else – he became “the rock” – Peter – the faithful disciple who vowed to follow Jesus wherever He would go

      -- Peter went from trying to get away from Jesus to wanting to be with Jesus every moment of every day

      -- in fact, there’s an interesting story at the end of the Book of John that shows this very plainly – after the resurrection, the disciples went to Galilee, as Jesus had commanded – and in Chapter 21, we read that the disciples were out on the sea fishing, and just like this day, they had fished all night and hadn’t caught a thing

      -- they see someone standing on the shore and he calls out to them to “throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some fish” – when they did so, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish

      -- immediately, they all knew who it was – this was a replay of the events of Luke 5 -- but this time, when Simon Peter realizes the abundance of fish in his net has come from God Himself in their midst, he doesn’t cry out, “Go away from me” – he doesn’t try to distance himself from Jesus like he did the first time he met Him

      -- this time, Peter jumps overboard and begins swimming with all his might towards the shore – he can’t stand to be away from Jesus – he can’t even wait for the boat to get to shore – he just jumps in and starts swimming so he can get to Jesus and be with Him again

      -- that’s what happens when we truly know Jesus in our lives – when we listen for Him and look for Him in the midst of our ordinary days – and when we see Him there with us, making the ordinary extraordinary

 

      -- the third thing that has to happen in order for our ordinary days to become extraordinary is to be open to whatever God tells us to do -- you don't do extraordinary things in ordinary ways

      -- God is a God of creativity and abundance -- and while He never changes, the ways He uses us and the ways He reaches out through us change all the time

      -- when God wants to take the ordinary and make it extraordinary, He will ask us to do things we don't normally do -- He will ask us to break from tradition and do things in a completely new way -- ways the world may think are wrong

      -- think about how Jesus asked Simon to put out in the deep water and to drop his nets in the middle of the day -- what do you think Simon's partners thought as they saw his boat heading into the middle of the lake? – they probably thought he was crazy – that’s not the way to do it – but that’s what God told him to do

      -- in order to see extraordinary results, you sometimes have to give an extraordinary effort

 

      -- the final thing that has to happen in order for our ordinary days to become extraordinary is that we actually have to respond and do what He tells us to do -- no matter how crazy or strange it may be

      -- we don't have to want to do it -- Simon didn't want to go out fishing again that morning -- Lysa didn't want to spend her flight ministering -- she just wanted to rest -- we don't have to have a willing spirit -- we just have to have an obedient heart

      -- we don't even need faith -- like I said, Simon didn't have faith in Jesus that day, but it didn't stop Jesus from doing a miracle -- God has called me to do things that I didn't believe were possible

      -- He had me pray for healing for this man in the hospital one time and I didn't have any faith -- I didn't believe this man was going to get better -- I walked out of there and thought to myself that man was going to die -- but God healed him and that man walked out of that hospital on his own two feet and he came back to our church the very next Sunday

      -- our faith -- or our lack of faith -- is not a hindrance to God's ability to work in us and through us

      -- we need to learn to just do what He says and leave the rest up to Him

 

      -- when Simon and his partners washed their nets by the Sea of Galilee on that day, it started out as a normal, ordinary day -- but it quickly turned into something that changed their lives forever

      -- as you leave here today, remember that there is no such a thing as normal and ordinary in the Kingdom of God -- remember that every day can be a day of wonder and miracle and abundance -- if we only seek God's face and listen for His voice and respond in obedience to His call

      -- may today be the day we begin knowing Jesus in a new way by going deeper and jumping in after Him – by hearing Him and knowing Him and doing what He says – that is how the ordinary becomes extraordinary – and that can be our norm from this moment on

      -- let us pray