Faith In the Deep End

How many of your are a 10? We're in the right place. I'm in the right place. It is good to be here. Freshman. We are so glad that you were here as well. It is so good to be able to worship together as one family in the house of God, and we trust that you have been blessed. I also want to thank a fool returning students. You may not have met him already, but our new president can surely see if a men and is such a blessing that he is here. He is. Also he with his wife, and if you would just raise your hand, let's give them a round of applause. We'll just so glad that you're here.

We are so excited to be able to launch the semester here in the church. And we're so grateful that each of you. God returned you back here and was so grateful that he's finishing what he started in your life. How seen for this year from the office of ministry and missions is full Living. God, field lives, Living God field lives. The reality is there is some of us that may be experiencing emptiness in our lives. The reality is a lot has been maybe even taken from us in the previous years, but whatever has been taken, God promises to fill it. A man that none of us need to remain empty when God is present. And so was so excited, that that God is giving us this vision of what it means to give live. God filled lives, he on campus. And so, as I begin, Tonight, to kind of elaborate on what this team is actually about. And what it actually is, tonight's message is not for those that have come in necessarily full with so glad you're fool with, so glad that you were here. But if you are in a situation where you're feeling empty right now, you're in the right place. If you're in a situation right now where you feel like you've lost something, you're in the right place. If you're in a situation where you're feeling in trouble and you feel like you are way above your head. This message is for you. If you're someone that's figured life all out that you know exactly what you're doing. And maybe you're at a point where you're saying. I don't need anyone else. I've got this. Then you're excused if you don't hear this message, but if you're someone that's saying I'm desperate right now. I need God in my life. I'm feeling empty. Then God has a word for you tonight. And my prayer is that as we're asking God to fill us that he will fill us in ways that maybe we haven't experienced before. This message is for those that may be feel like they spiritual gas, tank is on empty, and they just kind of put that gear shift in neutral and they just rolling down hoping that they'll make it over the next Hill. If you're feeling like you're running on empty right now, I believe this message is for you, sir. As we open up gods were together. I want to invite you to have another word of prayer with me and we going to get straight into the word. Let's pray together. Father God with so grateful that you have brought us here. Lord. We've been filled with with wonderful words 3 music. We've been Phil. The god through hearing a testimony of a couple that you have Anointed The Garden 50 years of marriage that they celebrating tonight. We are filled because we are here worshipping together as a College University, family day. God and Lord. We left field because you are already here in this place, Lord. You are a God that loves to feel things that are empty. And so loud right now, we come not providing our fullness with providing out emptiness to you. We bring out emptiness and we know that you will fill it because you promised this in Jesus name, and it's in his name, we pray. Amen. The first is that I'm going to be reading from a from Luke Chapter 5 Verse 5. In fact, will be starting a little bit before that. And hopefully you can see that on the screen. The verse is, hopefully, we'll be up there with starting from Luke chapter 5, verse five. And this is what the Bible says. In fact, I think I have some verses before that. If you could go a little further back from Luke chapter 5, verse 124 and Asthma turning there right now Bibles and you have it on the screen as well. This is what the Bible says.

So, it was as the multitude. Press the Bell him to hear the word of God that he stood by the lake of ganesa rats. That's why we hear a meant to hear a word from God. and ski sesotho bird standing by the lake, but the fishermen had gone from them and will washing, then s Then he got into one of the boats, which was Simon's. This is Peter. His name will be changed and ask him to put out a little from the land and he sat down and told them all to church from the boats when he had stopped speaking. When the sermon was over. He said to Simon launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch. Launch out into the deep and let your nets down for a catch, the title of my message in the next slide is this faith in the defense? Faith in the defense. Some of you may be here for a catch but it's one thing to have faith in the deep end when you feel like you haven't caught anything and maybe you'll keep her attached. Maybe you're here for you. Just like Mark was 50 years ago. That if that's, you raise your hand, we will want to know who you are.

But maybe it's it's a little deeper than that. Maybe we're in the deep end and was feeling like the waves, a way above our heads. And we don't know how to have faith in the defendant fact. I've got a story for you will go to the next slide. In Australia, so many people ask me. What do you miss most about Estrella? And it's the beaches it's swimming. It's having waves. And I remember one time with my pops find the director going to a beautiful spot in Australia. North of Sydney called Nelson Bay and while we were there, we were swimming and it was fine because we were treading water, but we could feel a bit of the sand under our feet as we went a little low up. But the thing about astray is that they have strong currents and in a moment this and that was beneath us was washed away. And now we couldn't even feel the bottom anymore and the waves continue to crash over us and I began to panic. I'll be, I'll be vulnerable with you. I began to panic and I said, I don't know if we're going to make it the current was really strong and I have never swum through a strong current and it was pushing us away. And have you ever When when you're a teenager, I was about 16 years old. You get more scared when the attle is scared. Don't you? Like, you're okay, if your mom and dad feel like they're okay, you feel a little bit. See my Pops, find a director's eyes will like, I hope we make this. I'm not going to help you with every man for himself right now. And I was just swimming like this sauce is sideways and he was a little older than me. In fact. I was just trying to keep an eye on him to make sure that he was okay. And we were swimming for our lives away would come and crashing and we were swimming. I believe we went out there for about 15 minutes at least. And I was getting tired because I was giving it everything that I had. But it got to a point where I just kept looking back. And I guess I was swimming. I was praying. I was in the deep end and I had to have faith in the deep end. But as I was swimming, I could hear some voices chatting, and I didn't realize, because I was looking back that I was in about 10 in of water.

Hi, I just pretended. Like everything was cool. Yeah, I meant that I just got up and I feel like I didn't need Faith anymore because I was in Shallow Waters and some of us may be in Shallow Waters and we feel like I got this, I don't need Faith. But what do you do when you are in deep water? When God says, I want you to launch out into the deep and some of you stop this semester. You may feel like God, I'm being launched out into the deep is too messed up. I'm away from my family. I'm away from loved ones. I've already taken a week worth of classes. I've seen the syllabus and I feel like I need faith. In deep water.

God, I need face because I've been through a heartbreak. I've been faithful. I need face because this summer didn't turn out the way I expected, and everything looks good on the surface. I've kind of food my friends. Maybe I fooled my classmates. Everything looks good on the surface, but when the sand is taken out from underneath you, do we still have faith? That can survive deep Waters. And that's what I want to talk about tonight is how do we have a faith that can make it through deep Waters in Luke Chapter 5, Verse 5. This is what Simon says, but Simon answered and said to him Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing. Nevertheless at your word. I will let down the Nets. Have you ever?

Done something that you're meant to be good at.

But you come up with nothing. Like, you know, you may not be nice to, you might be more into the sciences and you're not really good at English maybe but you're into the sciences and and you meant to have this is this is what your about. This is who you are and you study really hard, but you come up empty. Have you ever come up empty as something that you're really good at here? Peter. Simon. Peter is a fisherman. He's meant to be good at this, but he comes up empty. They fished all night, but they've come up short. I wonder, if any of you had tonight feel like you're coming up short. You're trying really hard. You're putting everything into it, but you'll coming up short and you're saying, God what is happening here? So, I brought with me.

A fishing net.

And Peter is out there all night. and, He's got his fishing net with him. And I'm sure it was a fishing that larger than this because I was trying to get a big catch. And he's got his fishing net with him. And he's on his boots.

And he's casting it out.

Pulling it back. Empty and empty. The first time isn't bad. It's only 9 p.m. Right cost it out. Once again, empty about midnight. You begin to panic and you say, what in the world is going on. I've done this a thousand times. God costing it out.

Empty. Mt. Testing it out, empty. And what do you do when you tried something all night, costing out the net. And you keep coming up, empty, you keep coming up short and you think maybe if I change the tactic a little bit, it'll work. Maybe if I do something a little different, it would work. And some of you maybe have come up, empty, you send application, maybe a seniors for an internship, 20 applications. Coming up, empty. Maybe you say all all just adjust my goals a little bit. You still come up empty, if I buy a journal? I'll buy a really good Journal at all. I'll just take some notes down. You come up empty. Maybe if I bought buy more stuff, maybe if I buy more stuff. Let me try to buy more stuff. And you still coming up empty. Maybe, if I have a relationship with someone, maybe a relationship with someone. God. Maybe that'll fill my name coming up. Empty. Maybe if I have sex with someone right now feel better about myself and I feel more valuable and I feel more appreciated and loved and you come up empty God maybe if I buy those new Jordans that I really want those new shoes. I'll feel better about myself enough, no more valuable in our fill coolant. We keep coming up empty. Maybe if I go to that party, maybe if I try alcohol for a little bit, maybe if I do something different I'll come up and I'll come up full but you keep coming up, empty.

Peter is coming up empty and he doesn't know why. God, maybe if I get a 4.0 this semester, I'll feel more confident. God. Maybe if I get a tan, maybe if I get a chance, I'll feel better. Maybe if I go to the gym and get a six pack that old better impress, everyone and we keep coming up empty. Have you ever come up empty after trying so hard to make a difference in your life and you keep coming up? Short. How long will it take? How long do I have to try? What is wrong that used to work before? I used to feel better about myself when I did this and now it's leaving me feeling empty.

I keep coming up. Empty now. It's one thing to identify emptiness, right, you know, if people can identify things that are wrong, but it's another thing to know why you're empty. Cuz a five-year-old can figure out that something is empty. Mom. The fridge is empty. The fridge is empty. Mom. Where's the food? Where's the snacks? The fridge is empty, a five-year-old. Can identify something. That's empty, but it takes another thing to know why it's empty. Well son. The reason the fridge is empty is because I'm working two jobs and cooking and getting the groceries. Give me some time out yet. It's empty. But I'm working hard out here. Okay. Now I know why it's empty.

Many of us. Can identify emptiness, but we don't really know why we empty. God, I keep doing something and doing something and I thought it would make me happy, but I keep coming up, empty. It's easy to recognize the problem, but we need to understand why we're empty. I may be getting a bad grade. It's one thing to see the great. It's another thing to know why you got that bad grades? God. I'm at the point where things aren't working out in my life. And I don't know why there is situations happening in my life. That I can identify but I don't know what the cause of what the root of that is. And sometimes we stay on The Superficial level. But God wants you to have faith in the defense and Faith. In The Deep End means not just identifying our emptiness, but knowing why wearing t, some of us.

And some of us may be in a situation where we feel like God, no. One likes me. No one cares about me. No one calls me. No one cares anymore. God I feel so alone and maybe God is saying okay, you've identified what the problem is, but I want you to go to go deeper. I want you to go deeper and know what the root of that is. God, I was in a relationship and it didn't work out and you can blame the other person and say it was them and and maybe they are in some ways to blame but maybe God is sync. I want you to go to a little deeper because I want you to know the root cause of the problem and you're carrying baggage with you. And if you're not careful, you're going to take your baggage from one relationship to another. I want you to identify the problem. Let's work with the sauce before you get into a relationship. God wants to go deeper and sometimes being in the deep end. It's scary. Amen. Sometimes being in the deep end means, I got to confront something, but God is saying, when you confront those issues, you're able to recognize the emptiness and then the source of it, and then I'm able to fill it. Then I'm able to feel that. God can't feel what you're not willing to face. And if you can't face it, even God can fix it because he'll never force you to work on something that you don't give him permission to work on in your life. And so as a result of that, as a result of that, Peter is coming up empty and I wonder what stories we keep telling ourselves. We keep telling ourselves. Maybe people don't like me, people don't appreciate me. But I wonder if there's an area in your life. That seems like it's not working. And God is saying, I don't want you to just identify the problem. I want you to identify the source of the problem.

It doesn't take much to identify an issue. But in those situations sometimes when we come up empty we feel like maybe God has left us. I want to give you a story of a psychologist by the name of Madeline Levine. She's an expert at counseling Youth and Young adults and she counsels. She's been counseling Youth and Young adults with 25 years and she said that she's identified another form of unhappiness, another form of emptiness and it's a rose that come from privileged poems, that are also empty. People that we think should be the happiest people in the world are empty. And this is what she says. She says, there was one young girl that came into office and she came from a, from a wealthy home at Fridley time. She was smart successful, but I'd only lost an empty. And she says that she could identify some marks on her arm. And as it as she told her, can you, can you roll up your sleeve and and let me see what's on your arm. She had. She had use the razor and typed on her aunt, the word empty. I feel empty. And this is this is what the doctor says. It's what she says here. She said I try to imagine how intensely unhappy, my young patient must have felt to cut her distress in her flesh. The most common thing I hear in my office from uses. I'm fake. I'm fake. The surface of the family. Always looks good. The Lawns always perfectly manicured. The houses always look beautiful. But when you go and get deeper, what's going on beneath these kids and underneath their sleeves and t-shirt is something that's hidden and happening on the inside. At the surface level, everything looks good. But as we get deeper, we realize that we may be empty. But I'm so thankful that even though we're empty. It doesn't mean that we've left God's presents. It doesn't mean that God's presence is not with us. In fact, God is an expert at feeling emptiness. In fact, when he created this world, he said iPhone the sky and then he filled the sky with birds and then he made the land, and he filled the land with animals and then he made the sea. And he filled the sea with numerous fish. All three speeds God, fills and God wants you to know, and understand no matter what level of emptiness you're in, God can fill it from the sky, to the depths of the sea. God can fill any empty space in your life. Cookie says Amen to that. No matter what speed you're in, God will fill that emptiness. No matter where you find yourself. God can fill that emptiness, your emptiness, cannot separate you from God's faithfulness. And so God wants you to know that he is attractive. He is almost almost magnetized to The Emptiness because God is a God, that fills things that an empty. In fact, when he made Man Out of the Dust of the ground, he phoned him. And then he what?

And then he what remember he breathes and filled him. He filled those empty spaces and I want you to know that when you were empty. God came closest to man. When they were empty, he breathed into man. And as a result, they were filled with the spirit. Your emptiness can be evidence that God is closer than you think. God is closer than you think. In fact, God comes close to empty. And so, here we find in the next verse. Inverse for winning at stop speaking. He said to Simon launch out into the deep and let down your nets. but he, Peter is reluctant and what I find. So interesting about this verse is God, we can go to another Lake. Let's go somewhere else. Why you asking me to go back to the very place that I experienced my emptiness. Why you asking me to go back to the very place where I was unsuccessful? Why you asked me to go back and revisit the places that hurt me. I heard Jesus. I heard you say it was great. I was I was cleaning my nuts. While you were preaching, you do that. You did a great sermon and I'll watch you on YouTube and and then follow you on Instagram, but you don't really know anything about fishing. Stick to preaching. But I just want you to know I've been fishing all night. And I haven't caught anything. I've been fishing all night, and I haven't caught anything. And you are asking me to go back to the place where I experienced my emptiness. Why would God do that? Why would Jesus ask him to go back to the place where he experiences emptiness? Could it be that? What Peter was doing? Wasn't wrong. But it was the way that he was doing it, that we was ineffective. And he wants Peter to know. That it's not always what you doing. But the way you're doing it, that can make all the difference. And this time Peter. I want you to go on my word and when you drop that net. When you drop that Nets. The Bible says, there was such a catch that they couldn't even pull it up. The Nets began to break the Nets began to break Peter, you were doing at your way. But now I want you to do it my way. You were doing it the way that you thought was best. But now I want you to do it my way. Go back to the place. Will you experience your emptiness? You going to do the same thing, but get a different result and some of you right now, saying, God, I've given up on certain things. I've got, I've tried church. I've tried church. I've grown up in church, but maybe I feel like, right now. I'm coming up empty, and God is saying, it's not what you're doing. That's the problem. It's the way that you're doing it. Maybe some of us may come to church, consuming worship, but we want to gather here in and worship together because worship is not about consuming but it's about contributing maybe while you're here on campus. You saying, God, I'm feeling empty. But while you're here on campus, maybe God is calling you to service. It's not necessarily what we're doing, but maybe the way that way doing it at sopita. Does it a different way. Maybe it's the same relationship but a different result. Maybe it's the same class, but a different result baby. It's the same budget, but you get a different result. Maybe it's the same parents that you have, but now your relationships going to improve and get a different result. It's not what you're doing, but maybe it's the way that you're doing it. And maybe some blessings of being blocked because of the way that way we're doing it. I remember as it as a young kid playing basketball and I I didn't have a lot of strengths of a truth from my hip like this cuz I didn't have enough strength, to raise the ball above my head and I thought I'd shoot it from here and I got really good at it. Shooting from my hip. I got really good at it by myself, but the problem arose, when I had to play play a game with someone. The problem arose cuz when you shoot from here, it's easy to get blocked. And I was getting blocked almost every position every time I shot. I thought the problem was the way that I was shooting and I wonder if there's some blessings that God wants to give us and it's not what we doing it doing, but it's the way that we're doing it, and I'll blessings are getting blocked them ending up empty. It's not so much what you do, but maybe it's the way that you're doing it and God is now inviting you and saying go back. And go a little deeper.

God doesn't want to have a shallow relationship with you. He wants to have a deep relationship and God is saying, grab your nets. but this time, Let It Go, Let It Go cast your net and some of you maybe have given up costing your net, and God is saying Go back to do it my way. This time go back and do a relationship based on my principles. Not based on our relationship of comfort, but a relationship of Covenant. Maybe God is saying to you. Hey, maybe you're looking for a career. But I want to give you a call in your life. Maybe God is saying to you, stop trying to find your identity in what other people say, find your identity and me and who I am, keep casting your nets and I promise to fill it. And so I want to finish with this is the music team comes up. This is what I want to finish with. because, Pita. It's astonishing to me. But Peter was reluctant to keep God's promise. He was reluctant to go. I said God, I've tried this so many times. I've come up empty. Come up empty. He was reluctant, but God still kept a promise. And I wonder if there's anyone tonight that may be reluctant. That may be reluctant to take God at his word, that may be reluctant to do what God is asking you to do. Because you're saying, I've come up empty, so many times God. I've done this all night. I've been doing this my whole life. I'm still empty and God is saying, I still want you to go out into the deep. I want you to Faith. Indie places. Peter was reluctant. He didn't want to do it like saying God. I'm tired. I'm tired like like this school bill has rang. The class is over. The Sun, is up. If I take my net into the sea, the fish you're going to see you. Don't, you don't fish with a net during daytime. That's like a number one rule of fishing. Okay. In Canasta, right? You don't take a nap during the day time with fish can see it. And Peta is reluctant to do what God wants him to do. And you guys but God are you worried? I'll do it. I'll do you a favor. The class is over. But Jesus says, you're the class maybe over but the lessons not ended. I still got a lesson for you. And so he takes his net and then he drops it. And the Miracle to me is this God on at Peter's faithfulness in a video ain't even though he was reluctant. And I wonder if some of you may be reluctant tonight and saying God I don't want to do this. I didn't really don't want to go back to the place of emptiness. And God is saying it's going to be different this time because I'm coming with you. The first time you didn't invite me. You said, I got this, I can do this on my own. I've got this car. I'll come to you if I need help, but God is saying, when you bring me with you, those places where you came up, empty. I'm going to fill it. I'm going to fill those Nets. If you're reluctant, that's okay. You may be reluctant to do what what God is saying, cuz you've been disappointed a number of times, but he saying, give you a reluctance to me. Having faith in the deep end. Doesn't mean you feel like doing it having faith. In the deep end means you do it because God promised will be with you. Faith In The Deep End doesn't always mean. God, everything's going to work out. Fine. Fake. God. Can you bring the fish to Shallowater as he goes? No, I want you to go back into deep Waters because my promise will be kept in the last place. You would have it. I'm going to fill you in places that you feel your auntie right now. So if you're reluctant right now, got understand what God is saying. Give me your reluctance. Anyway, give me your empty. Net. And I'm going to fill it with my grace. I'm going to fill it with my purposes. So, as we sing together, I pray that you bring your empty net to Christ. Whatever it may be and he promises to fill it.

Let the king of my heart.

Nothing.

Shuffle my life.

You are good.

My heart.

Google.

Another Coronavirus.

You're never going to let me down.

No, never. You never going to let me down. You're never gonna get it. Never gonna get it. Never gonna get it.

You are, you are.

God is good. Amen. God is good. My prayer. Is that whatever. Next you've come with, that may be empty. That at the word of God, you will cast out into the deep. And drop your nets and God promises that he will fill them. Pray with me. Father God, we thank you. We thank you. That you promise. So when you are with us, the areas of a lot lives at an empty, you will feel Lord. Some of us may be reluctant to just like Peter. But he didn't really want to do. But you said not because not because he wasn't faithful. Not because he was someone that didn't want to obey you. But Lord, he tried and it didn't work. And some of us are saying right now. I feel like, giving up, I don't feel like going on. I, I just feel like.. There is situations in my life, where I've tried. I've tried really hard to make a difference. I tried really hard to be able to change things. But God, I'm coming up. Empty in it. I'm tired. I've been fishing all night, and I've come up empty. but God at the sound of your word. You said lunch back into the deep and right now by faith. We want to launch back into our situation and we take our Nets with us and Lord. We want to drop our necks into that empty situation and we're praying right now through your holy spirit that you will fill the areas of a life with me feeling empty right now. If it's in our relationships fill them. If it's financially, fill them. If it's the health situation that we are facing, may you fill it. If there's a situation where we feel like God, I can't keep going on. Things are never going to change. God. May you fill out the spective. And God right after you filled Peters Nets. The funny thing is he left them and he followed you, some of the things that we think we need. I things that we will drop in an instant to follow you. God. What things do we need to leave tonight to follow you? Because you promised that the things that we're looking forward to fill us, don't really satisfy. Our fullness is found in following year. So Lord, we pray that you will fill us in when you do maybe respond by following year, just disputed. It'd be with us bless us this year. Keep us safe to see the God and fill us for. We ask this in Jesus name. Amen.

As we conclude. I just want to remind you of the QR code that you need to check out with.