RUNNING ON EMPTY

RUNNING ON EMPTY Matthew 14:1-21 November 6, 2005 Given by: Pastor Rich Bersett [Index of Past Messages] Introduction A few weeks ago I almost ran out of gas. May car’s fuel gauge is digital and it reads out in numbers how many gallons of gas you have left. I had been driving for two days or so on 3 gallons of gas, I thought, when suddenly I realized that the “3” on the gauge read-out was backwards. It wasn’t a three at all, it was an “E”. Fortunately, I was near a station, and I pulled in. I had apparently been driving on fumes, because for the first time in my life I paid over $50 for a fill up. I think it was the day of the highest price at the pump. Once in awhile we are surprised by the sudden realization that our lives, our souls, have run out of gas. For any number of reasons, and sometimes many reasons simultaneously, we just start dragging, out of energy and out of fuel for life. Fatigue, depression, anxiety, impatience with other people or with life itself—these are the symptoms of running on empty. I want to look at a chapter in the book of Matthew with you where, I believe, we find Jesus running out of fuel, humanly speaking. As we consider this episode out of the earthly life and ministry of Jesus, I hope we will pick up some clues about why we can so suddenly and inexplicably run out of gas, and what we Christians can get filled up again. Matthew 14:1-21. Life’s Tank Drainers In the course of life there are things that happen to us, within us and even against us that drain our tanks, so to speak. Maybe it’s a cantankerous boss, financial hardship, physical illness, or an ongoing fight with a spouse. I take the liberty of calling these life-drainers, because they sap your fuel for life and leave you without energy, without interest, sometimes even without hope. Life drainers can be little things, like a stuck zipper on your favorite jacket or a traffic jam. Or they can be huge and terrible, like the death of a loved one, a devastating accident or a bad results from a biopsy. When such things occur in your life, you are set back on your heels, your entire perspective on life changes and you are understandably not yourself for awhile. I believe Jesus had such experiences, and if you’ll indulge me, maybe we have an insight on some of them here. The Bible teaches us that Jesus was tempted in every way that we are, yet without sin. I take that to mean that He underwent every kind of struggle that you and I face—every punch that life could throw at Him. In fact, given the importance of this one life in the plan of God, the devil pulled out all the stops and brought to Jesus the most severe tests he could dream up. Grief In our text we find Jesus receiving the news that John the Baptist has been murdered by the fiendish Roman tetrarch, Herod. It was an unconscionable act of treachery, and all to keep a playful promise from a drunken party. Jesus loved John. John was his earthly cousin. John was the principle human witness at His baptism and the inauguration of His ministry. And now, largely because of Herod’s suspicion of Jesus, John has been beheaded. This had to be an emotional burden for Jesus. Verse 13 tells us that as soon as He heard this news, He withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. The scriptures make it clear to us that Jesus, the Son of God, entered fully into humanity, divesting Himself of divine privilege and engaging life as a human without the benefits of drawing on divinity to shield Himself from what life would bring to Him. He was apparently surprised by the news of John, and most assuredly tempted to wonder about His own calling, bringing up doubts and worry. The news of John’s death caused Him grief, just as did the death of Lazarus—John 11:35 tells us that Jesus wept at his graveside. Add to this sudden shock of grief the severe disappointment He had just faced in His hometown of Nazareth where He was shunned, and where He found so little faith in God that He was unable to work as many miracles as He believed the Father wanted Him to (Matthew 13:38). Make no mistake about it, this was a tragic time in Jesus’ life and ministry. Death and disappointment bring grief to even the healthiest of humans, and Jesus certainly had a big dose here. The degree of emotional stress He faced was off the charts. Grief drains the life out of even the most effervescent, optimistic people. Even Christians who have the hope of eternal life and the ever-present Holy Spirit as their Comforter are knocked to their knees in the face of a loved one’s death. And it is perfectly appropriate, this grief. No one, not even Christians (especially not Christians) should be afraid of grieving in the face of death. It is natural to be undone when we suddenly face the grim effects of our last and greatest enemy, death. God gives us hope and comfort and assurance that He is working all things out for the good, but experiencing the death of someone you love is a tragic piece that just doesn’t seem to fit in the puzzle. Your heart is lanced and your spirit is sapped in the course of this grief. And it is a test of your faith just to survive, let alone to maintain any emotional composure. Author Richard Exley writes: I know one minister who returned to his pulpit ten days after his son committed suicide. Under duress he read his text: "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." Visibly struggling, he said, "I cannot make my son's suicide fit into this passage. It's impossible for me to see how anything good can come out of it. Yet I realize that I only see in part. I only know in part. "It's like the miracle of the shipyard. Almost every part of our great oceangoing vessels are made of steel. If you take any single part—be it a steel plate out of the hull or the huge rudder—and throw it into the ocean, it will sink. Steel doesn't float! But when the shipbuilders are finished, when the last plate has been riveted in place, then that massive steel ship is virtually unsinkable. "Taken by itself, my son's suicide is senseless. Throw it into the sea of Romans 8:28, and it sinks. Still, I believe that when the Eternal Shipbuilder has finally finished, when God has worked out his perfect design, even this senseless tragedy will somehow work to our eternal good." God’s promises are sure and His comfort is limitless, but grief is hard and the pain it insinuates into our lives is devastating. People in grief are people who are for the moment running on empty. Facing severe disappointment can be almost as devastating. When something you’ve worked and prayed for is ripped from you, you enter into a state of grief. I’ve seen very strong people go into an absolute tailspin when their company downsized and they were let go and even cheated out of their pension. Life gets very dark in the face of sever disappointment. Life is just not fair. Hard things happen to us. And the challenge to our faith is to try to maintain trust in the goodness and purpose of God—that He has everything under control even when it feels so chaotic and painful. He allows and encourages us to grieve, but through it all He calls us to trust Him and grieve appropriately. Relief pitching ace Donny Moore couldn't seem to resolve his anguish over losing an American League championship series game a few years ago. In a moment of total torment, he shot his wife and then shot himself. Compare that with Dave Dravecky, who loses not only a game but a career, a livelihood, his pitching arm, and his shoulder. He is energetically rebuilding his life and looking forward to whatever tomorrow might bring. You tell me how important it is to grieve appropriately. Abraham Lincoln went into a severe period of grief in February 1862 when his 11-year-old son, Willie, died.He found comfort in the words of Presbyterian preacher Reverend Phineas D. Gurley, whose church Lincoln attended but never joined. In the eulogy for Willie, Gurley preached that when tragedy comes, one must look to "him who sees the end from the beginning, and doeth all things well." He also said that when one trusts God, "our sorrows will be sanctified and made a blessing to our souls, and by and by we shall have occasion to say with blended gratitude and rejoicing, 'It is good for us that we have been afflicted.'"   Lincoln asked Gurley for the words of the eulogy. They would become his life raft during his intense sorrow. Fear When we read that Jesus withdrew and went off to a solitary place, could it be that along with His grief, there might have also been some fear? It’s a fair question to ask, given that Jesus faced every temptation that is common to man, and given that as soon as He heard of John’s murder, he retreated from His public setting. When we consider His agony in the garden of Gethsemane as He faced His crucifixion, at least some of what Jesus struggled with was fear of and aversion to the experience of such suffering. We must remember that the incarnated Jesus was fully human and vulnerable to every emotional trial that we humans face. It’s probably impossible for us to really ascertain whether or how much the emotion of fear was troubling Jesus or motivated His retreat to a solitary place. But we do know that it often shows up in our lives, tempting us to doubt and disobedience. But the real question is, isn’t it, Can fear exist alongside strong faith? Can this man of perfect faith, Jesus, experience fear and still maintain perfect faith? Of course. To experience fear is not a sin, nor is it an evidence of a lack of faith—any more than any other temptation to doubt or disbelieve. Temptation is not sin. Giving in to the temptation is sin. To be afraid is not a lack of faith. But to ultimately cave in to fear, to the point of disobedience to God, is both sin and evidence of a lack of faith. Facing fear tests our faith, but it also stretches our faith, challenging us to new levels of faith. Faith is not the absence of fear—it is the facing of our fears with confidence in God. That great theologian John Wayne once said, “Courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyway!” If you let it fear will keep you running on empty all the time. The best way to deal with fear is to trust God and do what’s He’s made clear to you is the right thing. You know there are a lot of things to be afraid of. Among the clinically recognized fears available to you are these: Peladophobia--fear of bald people; Geniophobia--fear of chins; Aulophobia--fear of flutes; Paraskavedekatriaphobia--fear of Friday the 13th; Entheraphobia--fear of mother-in-law; Pteronophobia--fear of being tickled by feathers. There you are—take your pick! One creative author captured a great thought in his article, How to stay safe in the world today: 1. Avoid riding in automobiles because they are responsible for 20 percent of all fatal accidents. 2. Do not stay home because 17 percent of all accidents occur in the home. 3. Avoid walking on streets or sidewalks because 14 percent of all accidents occur to pedestrians. 4. Avoid traveling by air, rail, or water because 16 percent of all accidents involve these forms of transportation. 5. Of the remaining 33 percent, 32 percent of all deaths occur in hospitals. Above all else, avoid hospitals You will be pleased to learn that only .001 percent of all deaths occur in worship services in church, and these are usually related to previous physical disorders. Therefore, logic tells us that the safest place for you to be at any given point in time is at church! Bible study is safe, too. The percentage of deaths during Bible study is even less. So, to be safe, attend church and read your Bible…it could save your life. The bottom line on fear as a tank-drainer is this. It is normal and expected to experience fear. It is a normal human emotion. But it is often also a temptation to distrust God or to disobey Him. The Christ-follower is called not to avoid or deny fear but to rise above it by trusting God. This applies only to issues of faith and obedience to God. I do not like extreme heights. More particularly, I don’t like falling from such heights. You can take me to a tall bridge over a deep canyon and strap me to a giant bungee cord and offer me a hundred thousand dollars, and I am not going to jump! That does not mean I don’t trust God (it may even mean that I refuse to tempt God, but that’s another sermon!), because the issue of bungee jumping has nothing to do with my faithfulness to God and His kingdom. But put me face to face with an intimidating person, and I’m under orders from the Holy Spirit to share the gospel with that person? Then it’s time for faith to conquer fear. In such times, it is inappropriate for me as a Christian to say “I’m too afraid of this person.” That is a golden opportunity for my faith to stretch and grow. It’s time to rise to the challenge. If I don’t, that fear in me will grow to irrational proportions, stunt my growth as a Christian and begin to drain my tank. Say I’m under current conviction from the Holy Spirit to be more generous with my giving to the church. I’m afraid I won’t have enough for me. Time for faith to conquer fear. I discover I have wronged someone and a Christian brother encourages me to go a make a humble apology. I’m afraid I’ll be rejected or not forgiven; I’m afraid I’ll make a fool of myself. Time for faith to conquer fear. If you’re facing fear, and the matter at hand is pertinent to your faith and obedience to God, step out confidently trusting God and conquer your fear with faith. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7) Don’t let paralyzing fear be a faith drainer in your life. Burn-out Here is a quick scenario of the life and ministry of Jesus prior to the events in Matthew 14: Baptized by John, temptations in the wilderness, to Bethany to recruit disciples, to Cana for first miracle, to ministry in Capernaum, back to Jerusalem for Passover, ministry in the Temple, multiple miracles and teachings, to the Judean countryside, travel and ministry in Samaria, to Cana for more ministry, back to Nazareth, then to Capernaum, toured Galilee, return to Capernaum, then to Jerusalem for Passover again (most of these are 20-30 mile hikes on foot), back to Capernaum, choosing rest of the disciples, another ministry tour through Galilee returning to Capernaum, third ministry tour in Galilee, across the sea of Galilee to Gergasa, back to Capernaum, Nazareth, Capernaum, desert near Bethsaida, multiple miracles, to Gennesaret (Matthew 14). May I add—no vacations! Constantly teaching his disciples, living and traveling with them, no breaks. Hundreds of small- and large-group teaching experiences, emotionally taxing encounters with religious leaders, which are becoming more and more heated. Often spending the night in prayer and the days in ministry. Sleeping on the ground, walking through towns, deserts, and mountains. No limousines and chauffeurs for this itinerant minister. No fancy hotel rooms and convention center ballrooms for ministry extravaganzas, televised promos and hefty offerings. I would suggest Jesus was a prime candidate for ministry burnout! Wisely, He withdrew by boat to a solitary place. And even then, the crowds found out where He was and came with their sick to be healed, their souls to be taught and, as it turns out, their bellies to be fed. Apparently with just a little rest He reacts with compassion and ministers healings and provides a miracles lunch for five thousand men and their families. Burn-out can be a tank-draining experience. Jesus dealt with it by at least attempting to withdraw and get away for awhile. This is great counsel for the rest of us who are not people of perfect faith. Nor are we people with ministry agendas that in any way approximate that of Christ. But there is much wisdom in getting rest and recuperation. God in His wisdom created the concept of Sabbath rest, and He had good reason for it. He designed into human beings the need for not only rest but mental and emotional restoration on a regular basis. And you are a fool if you do not build into your macro-schedule time away for rest and recuperation. I know some will take such counsel as an excuse for doing as little as they can, but the need for rest for those who serve well is important enough to risk abuse. It is far better stewardship of your body, soul and spirit to plan and follow through on regular breaks, so that you are not only refreshed, but more prepared for ministry opportunities that He will send your way. Ministry excess leads not to progress but to regress. Conclusion I want to close with an exhortation on the only way to get your tank refilled. In a world fraught with grief and stress, fear and burn-out, you need to occasionally withdraw to a solitary place. That does not necessarily mean going away on a vacation or conference. It does mean at least separating yourself for short, strategically planned periods of spiritual R&R. That may take many forms. You may need to ask a trusted brother to teach a class for you or lead your Life Group some week. It may mean a spiritual retreat or church conference somewhere for a few days. It may mean just getting back to a regular prayer and Word time with the Lord, if you’ve let it slide. You’re no good to anyone else unless you let the Lord fill your tank regularly. The point is: you’re not going to get the kind of refreshment you need to be effective for the Lord from any place other than Him. The Lord is the only one who can fill you again. When your tank is empty, you need to come to Him. If you will serve in His Name, you must let Him, and only Him, fill you. It says in verse 20 of the people Jesus fed, They all ate and were satisfied, and that illustrates perfectly the kind of filling the Lord can give you, if you come to Him. Following a long season of spiritual decline in Judah, King Asa led the nation in repentance before the Lord and spiritual reform. The Word summarizes the result of that time of revival this way - They sought God eagerly and he was found by them. So the Lord gave them rest on every side. (2 Chronicles 15:15) David sought the Lord with his whole heart and soul. He bowed himself low before the Lord in total submission, and in that humble posture he found a new level of intimate relationship with the Lord. Whom have I in heaven but you? And being You, I desire nothing on earth. (Psalm 73:25) Don’t forget the promise Jesus extends to those who hunger after Him in the midst of their grief and fears and burn-out - Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. (Luke 6:21) We honor the Lord when we allow Him to fill our spiritual tanks. Come to Him in sincere and utter trust and dependence. Let Him fill you. Let’s sing this familiar chorus based on the scriptures we just read, and renew ourselves before Him. No one but You, Lord, can satisfy the longing in my heart Nothing I do, Lord, can take the place of drawing near to You. Only You can fill my deepest longing Only You can breathe in me new life Only You can fill my heart with laughter Only You can answer my heart’s cry. Father, I love You Come satisfy the longing in my heart Fill me, overwhelm me, until I know Your love deep in my heart   [Back to Top]