It's More Than An Event It's A Journey (6)

Most Monday mornings I go for a run and start thinking about the new passage I am going to teach on the following week.This week as I was thinking about Isaiah 43 I felt like God was saying that He wanted me to go back and share more from Isaiah 42.The specific part was verses 3&4

Isaiah 42:3–4 ESV

a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law.

wicks, meaning a little worn out from living life.His desire is to bring about Justice which we learned was to put things back to the way they are supposed to be.This is what hit me.If you think back to when you were young, most of us had dreams for you life.Maybe you had some dreams about what you wanted to be when you grew up.Like maybe you thought you wanted to be a doctor, a business person, the president, home owner, teacher.Or maybe you just dreamed of having a great fulfilled life, where you were happy, had money, had fun, had children that loved and adored you.You get the picture.So how many of you actually are living that life that you dreamed of?Many do. But many don’t.What happened? Life happens.This is why I have a problem with what Nitzche said: What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. I don’t think that always happens.Often what doesn’t kill you, wounds you and wears you out.It is what makes us bruised reeds and faintly burning wicks.It is what can be what has caused some of those dreams we dreamed as kids to not come true.Or in many cases do the opposite.Because think of this.When you were young did any of you dream of being:Unhappy? A single mom or divorced? Depressed. Did any of you when thinking about what you wanted to be when you grow up dream of being a thief or a prostitute? Dream of being Unemployed? An addict? Rejected? Bitter? Angry? Rape Victim? An orphan?Nobody dreams of that but often just living life that is where we end up.This passage in Isaiah gives us hope.This passage tells us that God sent Jesus to serve people whose life has left them wounded and worn out.People whose life is not what it should be.For me that is really good news.Our take home for today is to see first of all that God’s desire is to bring restoration to our lives. And that He doesn’t give up on us.Pray:

We are going to look at a couple stories that can help us learn about God brining restoration to us or brining about His plan for our life.Part of our take home for today is to see that when it comes to restoration or putting things right in our life.It’s probably less about an Event and More about the journey.Sometimes the restoration does come in a single event and we will look at that but most of the time it is a journey and we make mistakes along the way.What is amazing about the passage in Isaiah, God doesn’t give up on us.If you look at that passage He says, He doesn’t grow weary or discouraged until justice is brought about.Even though it is talking about on the earth it is also talking about us.I think we give up but He doesn’t. We get discouraged but He doesn’t.Probably the best person to see this is with Peter. What a journey

Mark 1:16–18 ESV

Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him.

Here we see the call of Peter.Jesus walking along the Sea of Galilee and when Jesus saw Peter and his brother Andrew Jesus invited them on a journey with Him.Jesus said come follow me and I will make you become fishers of men.Here we see Jesus had a plan for Peters life.It was to change him from being a fisherman to become a fisher of men. It was to use Peter in the ministry.Notice Jesus said He will make them become this.It was not going to be just an event but a journey.That is important. Many want some quick event to change everything but usually it is a journey, a process.The journey and transformation would happen as Peter followed Jesus.Every journey starts with a first step.Peter took it.Right away Peter got out of the boat and started following Him.Actually it was quite radical what Peter did.He just got up, left his boat, his nets and started following Jesus.Dramatic EVENT called salvation.Now let me ask you, “how many of you have read about Peter’s life?”Did that one event make Peter a fisher of men? Did Peter from that moment on live a real victorious life?Did Peter become a wonderful witness of how Jesus changes?No He didn’t. Because Peter like everyone else was a bruised reed. He was a wounded guy.But Jesus cared for Him and Peter spent the next 3 and a half years following Jesus. Day by day and step by step.Even though Peter wasn’t perfect day by day that journey changed him.You know what, even after spending 3.5 years with Jesus, when times were tough Peter didn’t get it right.At the end of Jesus’ ministry Peter denied knowing him.Three times in one night Peter denied even knowing Jesus.We should take note of this and learn from it.If Peter who followed Jesus for 3.5 years wasn’t completely changed and didn’t always get it right why would we think we should.See I think we are harder on ourselves that we should be.I don’t say this so that we have an excuse for our messing up.I just think it’s what happens.Change and restoration is a journey not a single event.No matter how much time you spend with Jesus and how hard you try we still mess up.And this is where the good news comes in.Our story of change. Our story of restoration and growth has a heroThe hero isn’t us it’s Him.The powerful hero who never gives up in helping us become what He wants us to be is actually Jesus.Even when we get it really wrong He doesn’t give up.This is where we come back to Peter.In John 21 after Peter had betrayed Jesus I want you too see what Jesus does.

John 21:15–19 ESV

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”

I’m sure at this point in Peter’s life he was not feeling very good about himself.Maybe after his actions of the night that Jesus was crucified where He denied Jesus 3 times he would have thought that any dreams of being made into a minister were over.But look what Jesus does. He comes to Peter. Jesus initiated this restoration of Peter.Three times, one for each time that Peter denied Him Jesus asks Him if he loves him more than these.Then feed my sheep. Do what I called you to do.He doesn’t come down hard on Peter, just tells him to get back to doing what I called you to do.And once again it’s not just an event it is still a journeyJesus brings him back to the challenge: Follow Me.You know what. Peter did. As he followed Jesus, stayed on that journey he became a great fisher of men. A great minister for God.He was changed from a fisherman to one of the greatest leaders in the church.Jesus restored Him to what he was supposed to be.I think this is a lesson for all of us.We are all wounded or worn out from living life.And at some point Jesus comes and gives us the invitation to follow Him.We may have an event that makes a change in us but that event isn’t a one time fix all.It’s the beginning of the journey.Even though you may be wounded or worn out because you areUnhappy, A single mom, Depressed, a thief, Divorced, Unemployed, An addict, Rejected, A prostitute, Bitter, Angry, Rape Victim, An orphan and life isn’t like you expected?One step at a time Jesus wants to put you right.Actually it is Him working His plan for you life.For Peter it was to become a fisher of men or a minister and as he followed Jesus made the change.Even when he didn’t get it right or felt like giving up Jesus didn’t.He kept working in his life.He will do the same for you.He has a plan and will help you get there.We get there one step at a time.But how? Is it just coming to church? It’s real connection with ChristThere is one more story I want to tell before we look at some application.It’s found in Matthew 12 and is a story of a man with a withered hand and Jesus healed Him.Let’s read it. Matthew 12:9-14

9 He went on from there and entered their synagogue. 10 And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse him. 11 He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13 Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.

This story doesn’t tell us anything about the manThere is a legend that tell us a story about this man.The story was that he was a carpenter. He used his hands to make a living.If that is true I’m sure that as he was growing up he never dreamed he would lose the use of his hand or his means of making living.He would be one that is now a bruised reed, a wounded person, He would be a faintly burning wick, a worn out person because living life had somehow affected him.Here is where Jesus enters the pictures.When Jesus saw Him even in His wounded state He saw this man as valuable.He used the example of that if you had a sheep that needed help you would help them even if it was on a Sabbath Day.He said this man is more valuable than a sheep.Jesus did help and heal Him.His was an event that changed His life.Sometimes Jesus does that.Here is why I wanted to read this story.It happens to be the story that lead up to Matthew re-quoting the scripture from Isaiah about the bruised reed and dimly lit wick.What I want to point out is how this man got healed.It wasn’t because he went to church.You see some think church in itself is enough.It isn’t. Only Jesus is enough.Church in that story and in ours is just meant to be a connecting point to help us connect with Jesus who makes the difference.This man could have spent his whole life going to the synagogue and not been changed.Peter could have spent his whole life going to church and never be changed.It is only Jesus that changes us.It’s as we follow Him that we are changed.The good news, as we follow respond and follow Him.Even if we make big mistakes like Peter did, as it says in IsaiahHe doesn’t get tired or give up on us.He keeps trying to help us.He knows living life wounds and wears us out.He knows He can change that.He offers the help, we respond.Sometimes we get a great event that happens and other times it is a journey, every journey starts with one step.Jesus I want to followJesus I see I have gone of the path, help me get back on.Jesus this road is tough, be my strength.