Sermon: When God Says Let Go

 

Truth Is a Person

 ²² Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side of the lake.” And they launched out. ²³ But as they sailed, He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy. ²⁴ And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!”

Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water.
And they ceased, and there was a calm. ²⁵ But He said to them, “Where is your faith?”

And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, “Who can this be?
For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!”
Luke 8:22-25

Truth is a Person, not a concept. Jesus said He was the Truth (John 14:6). That means that you can never know the truth of your circumstances unless you have first heard from Jesus. The disciples thought they were perishing in the storm. They were fishermen who knew the sea and knew what their condition was. They had allowed their circumstances to convince them that the “truth” was their imminent death. But they were wrong. Truth was asleep in the back of their boat!

Since some of the disciples were fishermen, they trusted in their own expertise and wisdom rather than recognizing that only Jesus knew the truth of their situation. At times, our human knowledge in certain areas of life can blind us to our desperate need to hear a word from Truth.

When Jesus spoke, the disciples saw the real truth of their situation. There was absolute calm. The disciples had seen Jesus perform other miracles, but they had not yet witnessed His power over nature in such a dimension. Often we are like the disciples. God may have recently demonstrated His power to us in a mighty way; we may have experienced many spiritual victories in the past. Yet, when a new and frightening situation comes upon us, we too, panic and say, “Lord save me. I'm perishing!” God will remind us of His provision, saying, “I can handle this situation, too, and you will know more of Me because of it.”

When caught in the storms of life, it is easy to think that God has lost control and that we're at the mercy of the winds of fate. In reality, God is sovereign. He controls the history of the world as well as our personal destiny. Just as Jesus calmed the waves, he can calm whatever storms you may face.

- Excerpt from “Experiencing God Day-By-Day” by Henry and Richard Blackaby

Application of God's Word: John 15:16

 

Verse: John 15:16
¹⁶ You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you
that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain,
that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.

Application:
Jesus reminded the disciples that contrary to the common practice of disciples picking a teacher, Jesus had chosen them. The purpose of His choosing was so that they would produce lasting fruit. He chose them for a mission, and His Father would answer their requests in order to accomplish that.

Jesus made the first choice - to love and to die for us, to invite us to live with him forever. We make the next choice - to accept or reject his offer. Without his choice, we would have no choice to make.

Meme: No Room For Satan's Lies

 

Jesus Wants You To Know...

"I am teaching you the secret of being content in any and every situation. This secret is all about Me - who I am and what I offer you. I am your Creator and King, your Savior and Shepherd. I offer you Myself in all My Power and Glory. I am the only One who can empower you to find contentment in all circumstances. I have promised to supply all your need according to My riches in Glory. The greater your need, the more I invite you into the mysterious depths of My Being. Intimacy with Me gives you strength; it also fills you with transcendent Joy." "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength." - Philippians 4:12–13 - "Jesus Lives" by Sarah Young

Jesus Will Give You Rest

 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28

I love staying in an Airbnb. The best part? Someone else has made all the decisions for me.

The decor might not be what I’d choose, but I didn’t have to choose it. That means I automatically like it. Where should the dishes go? What is the best spot to store extra pillows? Who cares? Wherever the owner puts the coffee cups or bowls is fine with me. I usually don’t even mind the required cleanup procedures because they’re listed out, and I just need to check them off. No decision-making needed.

Decision fatigue is a thing. Emotional exhaustion is real. Sometimes I think to myself, I’m tired! only to realize I feel physically fine. It’s my brain that’s desperate for rest - spiritual rest. Relief from the weights upon my mind and soul.

I used to think of rest as stopping. As a state of zero responsibility and zero effort expended.

But those moments are rare and unpredictable. I can’t schedule a work emergency to happen at a “good time.” When my kids were little, I couldn’t know when a stomach virus would hit. And now that they’re in college, I can’t predict when a “Mom, can you talk?” text will come. I thought I’d planned out my year, only to find out my parents want to downsize their home. It’s important to me to help them.

Still, rest is possible because Jesus promises it. He said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

Thankfully, He explained how: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29).

Jesus promises rest for our souls. Rest for the emotionally exhausted and stressed.

According to the New Oxford American Dictionary, a “yoke” is “a wooden crosspiece that is fastened over the necks of two animals and attached to the plow or cart that they are to pull.”

Jesus isn’t saying He’ll help us nap. He’s saying to get under His yoke with Him. He eases the emotional exhaustion from so many of life’s hard things. He removes the angst of constant decision-making because we can walk alongside Him on the path He makes clear. As Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths” .

Walking with Jesus, living life alongside Him, is rest. He gives rest to your soul in the midst of all the responsibilities of your life.

God, thank You for Your understanding of my heart and mind and the way You uniquely designed them. Help me rest under Your yoke in the knowledge that the way You lead me is the only way I want to go. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

- Dana K. White
Provided by “Proverbs 31 Ministries”

Meme: Focus On Jesus...

 

Proverbs 16:9

 

Changed Through Meditation

But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
Psalm 1:2

Meditation means “to think deeply and continuously about something.” For a Christian, this means remaining in the presence of God and pondering each truth He reveals about Himself until it becomes real and personal in your life. This takes time. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus accused certain would-be followers of calling Him “Lord” and yet never doing what He told them (Luke 6:46). They had the correct truth in their heads, but it had never translated into obedience. When you meditate on Scriptures, the truth moves from your head to your heart and results in obedience. As the psalmist said: “Your word have I hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11).

When you know God's Word in your mind but not in your heart, it means that you have learned the principles and concepts and doctrines of God, but you have not come to know Jesus personally. You can reject a doctrine, or ignore a concept, or challenge a principle, but it is much more difficult to ignore a Person. You can have Scripture in your mind and still sin against God. There are those who can recite long passages of Scripture and yet live ungodly lives. However, you cannot have Scripture fill your heart and continue to sin against God. When God's truth is allowed to touch the deepest corner of your soul, the Holy Spirit will transform you into the image of Jesus Christ. Don't just read your Bible; meditate on God's Word and ask Him to change your heart.

Ask yourself how you should change so you're living as God wants. Knowing and thinking about God's Word is the first step towards applying it to your everyday life. If you want to follow God more closely, you must know what he says.

- Excerpt from “Experiencing God Day-By-Day” by Henry and Richard Blackaby