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Sermon

Oops: Life following Jesus isn’t sensible…

(stories about the insensible in scripture)

I’ve got a problem with the Christian life.

The more I get to know Jesus in his word and the closer I get to his heart, the bigger this problem gets.

You see, regardless of what I think I want in life, there is a deep seeded part of me, maybe in you too that desires one key thing.

In life, in church, in my family…I want to know it’s all good.

I want my faith to make my life better

I want church to be a place where I know what to expect

I want my finances, my family, and my future to be comfortable and solid.

But looking back in my own life, that isn’t the way it’s been.

For a season when I was about Caleb’s age, I left ministry out of frustration.

Regretted it immediately, but for a season God shut all the ministry doors.

In those 5 years, we eventually got comfortable, I got a great job, I was moving up the ladder, and then God called me back.

Part time youth ministry job…Did I keep working at the comfortable job, or take a ridiculous risk.

Monica and I decided to take the risk.

She found a property management job that covered our living expenses and I went part time and became a stay at home dad.

Then we began to realize that living 45 minutes away from the church was crippling our impact on the youth of Cottage Grove.

But it was Monica’s income and the apartment that came with it that gave us security.

Then God impressed upon me that Fred and Dora had a little RV…4 could fit.

And the Sunklers had property where we could hook up water, sewer, and electricity...

I do not like it Sam I am…I do not like RV’s on Land…but I shared the impression with Monica, who has always had insight where I have dreams…and she cried.

Because she was sure I was right.

Family and friends objected…this can’t be how God would operate.

Take the sensible route.

But...

Jesus is teaching, crowds have come from all over.

As evening approaches, the disciples hint that it’s time for him to wrap things up.

After all, these people need time to go get dinner before the food court closes.

5,000 men, plus their families and Jesus...

Matthew 14:16 CSB “They don’t need to go away,” Jesus told them.

“You give them something to eat.”

They have 5 loaves of bread and a couple of fish.

Tuna sandwiches are only going to go so far.

Matthew 14:18 CSB “Bring them here to me,” he said.

And he does it.

But this was always God’s kingdom way.

When the people of Israel were slaves in the land of Egypt, one of them got lucky and was raised by royalty…then committed murder and ran for his life.

His adopted and natural family wanting nothing to do with him.

He finally settles in and makes a life for himself far away.

Married, kids, a decent job herding sheep.

When he turns a corner and sees a bush on fire…that isn’t burning up.

Investigating, which is sensible he hears the voice of God who speaks to him out of this inferno:

I have seen the misery of my people, and I have come to rescue them.

Whooo…this sounds like good news!

I am going to take them to a wide open productive land where other nations live now, but I’m gonna move them out and move you in.

YEAH baby...

Exodus 3:10 “therefore, go.

I am sending you to Pharaoh so that you may lead my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.”

In the sitcom version of this story, if there ever is one, this is where the sound of squealing brakes and skidding tires comes in.

Moses in summary says, “that is not a reasonable thing to ask of me.”

God says, “I’m not asking.

You’re going.”

After Moses does exactly that, with many insensible things along the way, his sidekick Joshua takes over, they go into the land and face an enemy with mighty walls and and a mightier army.

What does God say to do about it?

Joshua 6:3-5 CSB “March around the city with all the men of war, circling the city one time.

Do this for six days.

Have seven priests carry seven ram’s-horn trumpets in front of the ark.

But on the seventh day, march around the city seven times, while the priests blow the rams’ horns.

When there is a prolonged blast of the horn and you hear its sound, have all the troops give a mighty shout.

Then the city wall will collapse, and the troops will advance, each man straight ahead.”

Naturally.

Walk around the wall, let the marching band play, shout and the walls are gonna fall…why not?

Gideon is told to take 300 and beat 150,000 with trumpets, torches and clay pots.

Jeremiah gets to go give an unpopular message being told that they won’t believe ahead of time.

Abraham is asked to sacrifice his only son born to him when he’s already 100…not like he’s getting a second chance...

And every one of these tilted their heads to the side and said…seriously?

Ugh: Risk is hard, we either fear it and avoid or jump into risk on things that don’t matter

(A message for you … get particular)

Risk is a hard thing.

It’s doing the insensible for some possible payoff.

And humans have an interesting relationship with risk.

We either fear it, and we will avoid it if we possibly can

We make our plan, we make sure it’s safe, then we execute the plan, letting nothing move us.

Or we just say no to the things that might put us in a risky place…sometimes by saying no…sometimes by yes to lots of other things…sometimes just by ignoring the call.

Or We chase risk, and take all kinds…on things that in the long run don’t really matter.

We drive fast, we do it imaginarily in video games or gambling, we take on the risky business ventures that come our way.

As I look back on my own life, I’ve gone both ways…and reflecting on why I and we as humans both avoid risk, and why we jump at risks that don’t matter I’ve come to a couple conclusions.

First, In both cases when it comes to kingdom living, we use those strategies to avoid taking the risks God is calling us to.

And though every time we take a risk it feels scary…it seems that this is God’s MO which means if we want to live a Kingdom centered life, we have to come to grips with being holy risk takers…or maybe as Paul says in 2 Corinthians:

2 Corinthians 5:7 CSB “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”

So today, if you are a “safe” person…this message is for you.

Today if you are a risk taker, but for things that are temporary and only about you…this message is for you.

If you are somewhere in the middle and a little of both…this message is for you.

Ok, but what is the path to the risking, and risking well?

Aha: Seeing in the tapestry of God’s glory that God is pursuing in our church is for our good and MORE important the Kingdom’s good.

Last week I started taking about this tapestry that is being woven as ultimately being for God’s glory.

In a million years when eternity looks back on this weaving, they will see how awesome God is.

There is another theme in this image though.

Because ultimately, God’s glory is his revealing of himself…and at the very core of God’s nature is his deep love and grace and mercy and power to do good.

To backtrack to our last series on the sermon on the mount, where Jesus is describing the kingdom, describes himself as the fulfillment of the law and the prophets and then describes the summary of the law and prophets by saying, “DO to others as you would have them do to you” we see that WHO GOD IS AT HIS CORE, and WHAT HE DOES because that identity…is good.

Jesus invited the disciples to feed thousands of people with a few tuna sandwiches…Tell me they didn’t talk about that memory till the day they died with a smile.

God pushed Moses to confront the most powerful nation on earth…tell me that the day they started marching there wasn’t a grin on his face…there would be plenty more reasons for trouble, but no one got to know God better than this guy who was pushed to risk.

Tell me that it wasn’t worth moving into that RV when Monica and I got to watch students lives change, oh, and we got to see God get us into a duplex in less than 2 months and owning our own duplex in less than a year.

GOD’s RISKS ARE GOOD!

So how do we shift our thinking and thereby our actions so we take the right risks.