Storm Chasing

Intro

Does anyone here know what to do when you find yourself in the middle of an active minefield?

No, well I do!

Mine probing illustration; be sure to mention the idea of stepping where the person in front of you has already stepped.

You see, no one ever wants to end up in the middle of a minefield, because I think most people would consider their situation and most likely freak out.

2 responses

freeze and not move

Run and hope you make it

The problem with both of these responses is that in either case you aren’t getting out of that minefield, at least not without being maimed.

But what if the only way to get to where you needed to go was through this mine field? You can’t wait and hope for a safer route, the mission depends on you getting through it. People’s lives are at stake.

And honestly I think that for a lot of us, we have this moment in our walk with God where because of his grace and mercy, he allows us for a while anyway to sort of coast along as a new Christian.

We get saved

Start going to Church

Make new friends

Experience joy and peace and the presence of God

Everything feels good, looks good, and just feels right. We experience the excitement of this brand new relationship with Jesus.

But then, all of the sudden this honeymoon phase in our walk with God begins to change. Now God is starting to press in on us. He begins prompting us and leading us to make difficult decisions.

to eliminate certain things

to embrace certain things

to embark on a new journey or direction

And this sounds exciting until we see the minefield we have to cross to get to where Jesus is leading us.

Big Idea

And unfortunately this is where a lot of us get stuck. We start to grow and things are going good and we are experiencing this new life and then we stall out.

Because now God is not content to let you just coast through Christianity comfortably. Now he is calling you to do something and you look at what you have to do to get there and you say, no way.

I can’t do it God.

Not smart enough

Not good enough

Not strong enough

or

It isn’t worth what I have to go through or give up to end up where you are leading me...

And these ideas that tell us we can’t do what God is calling us to do come from a place that isn’t of God, but of the enemy. Satan himself is at constant work trying to convince you that you can’t possibly do what God has called you to.

And this leads me to my big idea this morning and that is that...

If God has called you to it, he will lead you through it.

Power in the Text

In our text this morning we are going to look at a famous Bible story about a person who when they were following Jesus, everything was working out. But as soon as they took their attention off of him and placed it on their circumstances, they could no longer do what Jesus had called them to do.

In our story we find that Jesus had just performed the miracle of feeding the 5,000. He has told his disciples to head out to the other side of the lake while he stayed behind. Look at what happens here.

New Living Translation Chapter 14

22 Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. 23 After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone.

24 Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. 25 About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!”

27 But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!”

28 Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.”

29 “Yes, come,” Jesus said.

So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.

31 Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”

So, a lot of people know this story and it is quite a miraculous event. Not only do we see Jesus walk on water, but he gives Peter the ability to do the same.

Here is Peter in this boat and he is terrified because of his circumstances. In fact he is so consumed with his own problem that he doesn’t even recognize Jesus when he sees him. The disciples think it is a ghost.

I think that sometime in our own lives we can get so caught up in our own problems that we don’t even recognize Jesus when he shows up to help.

So Jesus identifies himself and basically calls Peter out of the boat and Peter goes. Which is impressive because I think most of us would have stayed in the boat.

And Peter is looking to Jesus for guidance, direction, and protection, and as long as he is doing that he is able to walk toward where Jesus was calling him.

And this really is the key here to moving in our calling. If Jesus has called you to something that you know you can’t do on your own, then the only way you can is if you keep your eyes fixed on him. Because look what happens when we don’t.

Matthew 14:30-31 NLT 30 But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. 31 Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”

Peter got sidetracked. He got distracted. He began looking at his circumstances and the fear and the doubt over his present reality caused him to doubt that he could do what Jesus was calling him to and he began to drown.

Why It Matters

Have you ever used a GPS before? Notice how a GPS works. First you tell it where you want to go and it calculates this route for you to take. Then you start to drive and it gives you step by step directions on how to get there.

Now, chances are you don’t know where you are going, which is why you are using the GPS in the first place. And so you just do whatever she says. If she says turn left, you turn left. If she says take this exit, you take.

You are trusting that your GPS knows where it is going because you don’t. And it works really well.

But what happens when the radio is too loud and all this noise is drowning out her voice? What happens if the turn it asks you to take doesn’t look right so you ignore it to take a different one? What happens when you shut it off because you are tired of listening to it?

You end up lost...

You see, we like to think we are smarter and wiser than we are. We like to think we know what is best for our lives. And unfortunately that means that sometimes we miss out on experiencing the best that God has for us.

Because sometimes God’s best means having to trust that he knows what he is doing.

Imagine if you put your destination into your GPS and it gave you the first 2 or 3 turns and then said “good luck, you are on your own”. That would be a terrible GPS! No one would use that brand.

No, if the GPS is going to guide you, it will guide you every step of the way, even when you don’t know if the steps you are taking are correct. You have to trust that your GPS does.

Likewise, if God has called you to something, he isn’t going to get you out of the boat and then disappear. He is going to guide you every step of the way even if you don’t know the steps yourself.

Application

That is the God we serve. So, if you are here this morning, and you know that God is asking something of you. Whatever it is, do it. Don’t over analyze it, you will talk yourself out of it, trust me.

Don’t listen to the naysayers and everyone who thinks they know better than God about what you should or shouldn’t do.

Don’t let the fears of your past prevent you from stepping into your future.

Don’t let your circumstances prevent you from stepping out of the boat.

Closing

Some of you this morning, I suspect have found yourself here before. You find yourself at a crossroad where you can choose to step toward what Jesus is calling you to. Or you can stay in the boat where it is safe.

Because it is easy to look at our circumstances or look at our past or look at our qualifications and say “no way God”. “That can’t be what you want me to do”.

All the while Jesus is standing out on that water waiting for us to follow him. Not where it is safe and comfortable. But where following him will force us to make a decision about how much we actually trust him.

I don’t know about you, but some day when I stand before Jesus the last thing I want to hear him say is

“Brandon, you had so little faith, why did you doubt me?”