Sermon: Drink from the WELL of Christ’s Lordship – Trust the One in Charge
June 9th, 2019 Rev. Betsy Perkins
First Baptist Church, Delavan WI
Scripture passages: John 7:38, Isaiah 43:1-4, Matthew 6:25-34, Proverbs 3:5-6
“Is anyone thirsty?”
We are in the middle of a sermon series focusing on the Living Water that Jesus offers to us. We are invited to drink deeply from that WELL of the Waters of Life: to drink from the WELL of Christ’s Work, to drink from the WELL of the Energy of God’s Spirit, drink in Christ’s Lordship in your life, and drink from God’s WELL of unending, unfailing Love.
Two weeks ago we thought about the “W”, the Living Water of the Work that Jesus Christ did for us (symbol: the Poppy). Christ’s sacrifice for our freedoms. Last Sunday we thought about the “E”, the Energy of God’s Spirit, the power it gives for living our lives and for serving God in the world, making us vibrant Christians rather than dry and dormant Christians (symbol: the pinwheel).
This morning I want to turn your attention to the L – and invite you to drink deeply from Christ’s Lordship over your life.
Thirst = Uncertainty, Worry, Fear
As we considered in the children’s message, with the symbol of a bridge, we all face times of transition in our lives and times when there are important decisions to be made about the future. I’m sure you can name a multitude of examples – Caleb & transition after high school, Farmers & decisions about crops, housing decisions, job decisions, financial decisions…. Each decision carries elements of uncertainty. Sometimes we can predict what will happen with some degree of confidence, like the cone of uncertainty for hurricanes that the weather service uses. Other times the future is so foggy, so dark, that you can’t even see your hand in front of your face.
The reality is that any sense of certainty we have is really an illusion, for at any moment things can go awry. Tomorrow is not guaranteed, it is a gift. Yet there are times when we are especially aware and distressed by uncertainties. I can’t even count the number of times David and I have faced major uncertainties about the future. I may have mentioned this before, but there is a song from a children’s musical about Queen Esther that our daughter Kara was in, that has become a theme song in my life at various times of transition. It goes: “I wanna know, I wanna know, what the future holds, I wanna know right now!”
That burning of uncertainty, that longing to be able to see ahead, is often like a thirst in our lives. As that thirst builds we respond with worry and fear. What if it goes wrong? What if I don’t make the right decision? What should I do?
During the time when David and I lived in India, we had an old Willys Jeep. Often on weekends we would take a drive out from town to enjoy a picnic in the mountainous forests areas. A surprising number of times we ran out of gas/petrol before we got back. One particular time, in order to get home, David gave me the choice of either leaning out to hold a hose between the fuel line and a gas can, or driving the jeep while he did that. I was so stressed! Could I do what needed to be done? Would the gas can blow up? How would we get home? Our kids, on the other hand, didn’t see it as a disaster to be concerned about, but as another adventure to be savored. What was the difference between us? They had complete trust in their parents to get them home, to take care of the problem and take care of them. More “adventures” later, a leak in the jeep’s petrol tank was finally diagnosed. A new tank was put in – one we could trust to get us home.
Trust fills the Tank
Trust fills our tanks. When we are filled up with trust, we are not upset by the thirst of uncertainty and worry and fear. Jesus taught his followers, saying, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.” (Jn.14:1) Jesus invites us to allow the Living Water of trust in His lordship, His leadership, to fill us. Worry and fear are like leaks in our tank. Jesus knew this, knew the drain worry causes in our lives, keeping us from the things that truly matter. He said, “Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.” Life is so much more than that!
Drink in Confidence – God is in charge
We are not to worry, because worry is irrelevant. As he continued, Jesus asked, “Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” Worry won’t change a thing. It resolves nothing. It just becomes a simmering pot of pessimism. That doesn’t mean we simply ignore or deny our concerns. In one of his books about prayer, David Muyskens (author of the prayer book we will be using in an evening study this summer) suggests that the first step toward trust begins by identifying the uncertainties, naming the worries, noticing the discomfort. Then, placing those things before Jesus in prayer. You let go of the need to figure everything out yourself, let go of the illusion that you can control all the uncertainties, and drink confidence in the One who is truly in charge. Drink in confidence in the One who truly guides the world and directs the universe.
Starting with Abraham in the book of Genesis, and continuing on with Moses, and Joshua, with judges and kings and prophets, the leaders of God’s people regularly addressed God in prayer as Adonai Yahweh, which translates from Hebrew into English as “Lord LORD”, or “Sovereign LORD”. Sovereign means the One who Reigns, the supreme ruler, the one in charge. Scripture teaches us that God created the world and all that is in it. “You set the earth on its foundations,” the psalmist writes. “All creatures look to [the LORD] to give them their food, … when you send your Spirit, they are created.” Breath is given and breath is taken away. (Ps.104:5,27,30) Proverbs explains God’s sovereignty saying, “The LORD works out everything to its proper end.” (Pr.16:4) Another psalmist prays, “You have been my hope, my sovereign lord, my confidence since my youth.” (Ps.71:5)
My confidence… When we drink in the knowledge and awareness that God is in charge of the world, in charge of all that happens in our lives, then we can live in confidence. Confidence that our lives are not governed by chaos and the world is not run by random chance.
Now I can hear some of you thinking, but what about the times when things went badly, when disaster hit, when tragedy struck? Was God in charge then? There must have been times when Joseph wondered the same thing – his brothers abused him, trafficked him into slave labor in Egypt. Yet, later in his life, when Joseph was reconciled with his brothers, he assured them, “God turned into good what you meant for evil.” (Gen.50:20) Martha questioned the wisdom of Jesus’ decision to linger for 4 days after getting the news that Lazarus was gravely ill. Lazarus died in those days, but Jesus explained to his disciples that he was waiting so that God would be glorified (Jn.11:4) and so that people would come to believe (Jn.11:14). Not long after Jesus gave life back to Lazarus, perhaps only a couple weeks, Jesus himself knelt in prayer and pleaded with God for a plan B: a crossless death; for freedom without sacrifice. “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet, I want your will, not mine.” (Lk.22:42)
God’s priorities, God’s plans rule the day. Heaven doesn’t ask, “How can I make Betsy happy?” Heaven asks, “How can I use Betsy to reveal my glory and goodness?” The Proverbs advice is: Trust GOD from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for GOD’s voice in everything you do, (NIV – in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight).” (Pr.3:5-6, Msg/NIV)
In good times, bad times, and especially uncertain times, we can drink deeply from the confidence of Christ’s Lordship – that God sees the big picture and that God’s will is for our good. Muyskens writes, “To trust in God does not mean to trust God to act as I like. Rather it is to trust God to act as God likes. With trust, I surrender to God’s action. I live with contentment, accepting what is given.” Knowing God is in charge, we face the future with confidence.
Drink in Assurance – God is with you
Worry is irrelevant because God is in charge. Worry is also irreverent. It reveals a distrust of God. Jesus said the fearful questions of ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. The Message version says it this way: “People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works.”
We know that God works intimately with His people, not from a great distance. Starting from the journey through the wilderness, thousands of years ago, when God reassured His people, “Be courageous and strong. Don’t be afraid, for the LORD your God goes with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Dt.31:6) To Jesus’ words of assurance, “Surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”(Mt.28:20) And Jesus’ promise, “I will ask the Father and he will give you another advocate, to help you and be with you forever – the Spirit of truth.”(Jn.14:16-17) Believers are to drink in the assurance that God is with us always; as close as the breath in our lungs.
We didn’t read it earlier, but there is another passage on the back of your bulletin, a message from God recorded in Isaiah 43. Drink in assurance as I read the passage: But now, GOD’s Message,
the God who made you in the first place, Jacob, the One who got you started, Israel:
“Don’t be afraid, I’ve redeemed you. I’ve called your name. You’re mine.
When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you.
When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down.
When you’re between a rock and a hard place, it won’t be a dead end—
Because I am GOD, your personal God, the Holy of Israel, your Savior.
I paid a huge price for you: all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in!
That’s how much you mean to me!
That’s how much I love you!
I’d sell off the whole world to get you back,
trade the creation just for you.”
In the midst of this passage of assurance, there is still mention of deep waters and rough waters, of rocks and hard places. After his encounter with these kinds of experiences, David Muyskens wrote, “I came to realize that trust in God does not mean confidence that nothing bad can happen. Trust means knowing God is there in the midst of events. Trust means welcoming the love of God, which provides strength in whatever takes place. I believe that God is present in every moment.”
We drink in assurance because God is always beside us. We drink in assurance because God’s Spirit is within us. We drink in assurance because the Bible tells us that God created angels, multitudes of mighty angels, to be “ministering spirits, sent to help those who will inherit salvation.” (Heb.1:14)
Drink in Peace / Calm – God gives peace
Lastly, being under Christ’s Lordship means we can drink in peace, calm. When Paul writes to the Philippians, he instructs them to “Be anxious for nothing.” Not because the days ahead of them wouldn’t contain uncertainties and difficulties. Paul writes, “in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Ph.4:6-7)
Jesus’ message was: Seek first the Kingdom of God. The Message puts it this way: Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry. [Don’t be afraid.] You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. (Mt.6:33-34, Msg)
Drink deeply of Christ’s Lordship over your life, drink in confidence that God is in control, drink in assurance that the Holy Spirit is with you, drink in the peace that only Jesus can give.
Closing Song: “Christ Be My Leader” # 107
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