One Small Step Pt. 2: Go Without Destination

Intro

Have you ever gone anywhere and just say “Screw it, I’m going wherever the wind takes me”? I play this game, I’ve played it since I got my driver’s license. You can play it by walking as well but I think it’s more fun in a car. I never gave it a creative name but I just called it the coin game (because I’m not creative). What you do, is that you get your friends in a car, you decide how many times you’re going to flip a coin. Start driving. One person flips the coin. Heads you turn right, tails you turn left. If it lands on the same side two times in a row, you go straight. Here’s where the problem is. So I’m in Abbotsford, the city beside Langley. A few of my friends and I get in my car at 9:00pm. We decide to flip the coin 40 times. Sometimes you’ll stay in the same city the whole time. But this time was different. We were at flip number 20, we were right next to the highway. The coin gets flipped, twirls back into my friend’s hand… Queen Elizabeth II’s head appeared… Heads. We turned left to go onto Highway 1 headed towards Chilliwack. We flip the coin again… A silver Elk is shown. That means we have to take the next left… Problem. We’re on the highway headed East. The next left turn is in a small town called Hope… An hour away. So we drove a whole hour just to get to Hope to turn left. After we had flipped the coin another 18 more times, we finished near Harrison Hot Springs before driving home… I got home at 3am. Now why is this game fun? Because you’re driving with a bunch of friends with absolutely no destination. However, you enjoy the journey through laughing, music, stories, and just spending time with awesome people.

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We learned last week how we need to obey without objection. This week, our big idea is to Go Without Destination. Similar to this game (feel free to play it; it’s a lot of fun!), our journey through life and with God, we don’t know where we’ll end up or what we’ll do in life. However, life is less about the destination you’re traveling towards, and more about the company you journey with. I came up with that feel free to use it. We’re going to continue through Hebrews 11, and look at the step of Faith one of the most famous figures in Christian, Jewish, and Islam history, Abraham. At this point in history, his name was Abram, meaning “High Father.” He was the son of a man named Terah. God tells Abram at the age of 75 to leave home. To go without destination. To follow where He leads. Abram agrees. Let’s read this together in the first book of the Bible, Genesis chapter 12.

Genesis 12:1–4 ESV

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” So Abram went, as the Lord had told him

So why should we go without destination?

The Journey is Where We Grow

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could grow just be being comfortable? For those of you wanting to go to University, wouldn’t it be nice to just get smarter without getting tested? For those of you who like the gym, wouldn’t it be nice to get abs and muscles without getting sore?

Unfortunately, we can’t grow if there’s no journey. Athletes have to practice, riding a bike requires you to get uncomfortable and probably fall a few times. Chopping veggies requires you to cut your fingers a few times. Taking the right step towards a fulfilled life means to trust in where God is leading you. To go without knowing what you’re doing and where you’re going.

I had mentioned this last week, but I wasn’t going to be a pastor. I had my whole life ahead of me. I was going to play in the NFL (even I knew that probably wasn’t going to happen), I was going to graduate in Biology and then go into Occupational Therapy for a Masters. I was going to live the single life and enjoy making 6 figures for the rest of my life. Before I knew it, my university dropped the Biology program, and I felt the supernatural pull or burden to Bible School. So I told everyone that I wasn’t going to get married, I wasn’t going to pastor in a big church, and I wasn’t going to live in Vancouver… God has a sense of humour eh? I thought I knew the best path. I don’t hate Vancouver, I’m just really not used to cities. If you see my wife and I walk around in the city, odds are I’ve taken 6 wrong turns and Trinity’s annoyed with my abysmal lack of direction. But being here at Broadway getting to do life with you guys has been one of the best experiences of my life so far and I’m so grateful that God didn’t let me stay in my comfort zone. This journey is one I wouldn’t trade for anything.

How do we go without destination?

Enjoy the Adventure with Our Crew

Remember how I said earlier that, “life is less about the destination you’re traveling towards, and more about the company you journey with”? If we get to a place where we can wake up in the morning, excited to journey through this adventure called life with God, THEN we’ll think less about where we go but who we are journeying with. All of a sudden, not that life gets easier, but it’ll become more enjoyable because of who brings us this joy.

Abram knew that God was calling him on a journey… at 75… but because of his relationship with Him, he was able to go on this journey, I imagine with eyes sparkling, seeing the wonder of the world, and the excitement of the unknown.

Think of your favourite character in your favourite show. Reality TV, Drama, Sit-Com, Cartoon, Anime, whichever. When you watch an episode, do you know how the episode ends? Unless it was spoiled, you don’t. So why do you like watching the show without knowing the ending? Because you enjoy the journey with your favourite character or characters!

Bringing it Together

So what ended up happening to Abram? He obeys without objecting, and he left without a destination. God leads him to a land and changes his name. He goes from Abram (Or Hebrew -avrahm) which mean’s High Father to Abraham (Or Hebrew avraham) which means “HIGH High Father”. You ever use a word twice to emphasize something? In 2018-2020 it was really popular to do this. If someone was mad, they’re mad. But if they’re about to kill you, they’re MAD mad. Same idea. Abraham’s name was changed to reflect his relationship with God. His name first gave honour to his own father, but now God changed his name to honour Abraham as a father of many nations.

Jesus

(Invite the band up) When Jesus called His disciples, many of them had jobs, families, and a scheduled life. Following Jesus meant that the disciples had to give up everything to follow Him. No I’m not telling you to drop out of school. I’m not telling you to give up all your money, dreams, and families. What I’m telling you is to have the same level of passion towards God that these disciples had. Notice how in church culture we say to “follow” Jesus? When we follow someone, odds are they’re leading. Many times, you don’t know where you’re going, that’s why you’re following.

Conclusion

I don’t know where God is leading you. I don’t know where you’ll end up but I can promise something, if you’re passionate about who you’re following and trust where He leads, then you’ll have a full life to look back on and be satisfied. Don’t be afraid of not having a destination. Keep your eyes on the company with you. Let’s Go Without Destination.

Pray (PRAYER LEADERS)