He is Holy Good morning everyone good morning I beat you to it good morning everyone I’m just kidding sorry hi we’re so glad to be back with everyone we decided to be together oh yeah we like each other okay um I just have a couple of announcements three announcements specifically first
We had such an amazing time with uh Sunday school this summer led by some of our parent volunteers so the VBS Sunday school has been extended for this week so little kids K through five did you guys miss that Five can go downstairs when you see the kids are dismissed um we also while we were away we’re excited to see that the prayer partner Ministry has been revitalized and so if you need prayer after our service there’s going to be individuals to our left your right standing over here ready
To pray with you for any concern that you have on your heart this morning um and then lastly this is a longer one so it’s okay so I’m going to talk to you about September 10th look I haven’t been up here in a while my hands are shaking yeah they are
So some we have been saying for a long time save the date save the date Save the Day of the day and so when we started the proposal uh for to receive the Grant from the LA Foundation to explore sabbatical renewal we knew that we weren’t looking obviously for our family
But also for our church family because it’s not just single-minded and so the renewal season yes was for our family in the sabbatical and the time away and you’ll hear more about that from us on September 10th but also we want to hear from you guys about how renewal was over
The summer with our Trinity Family and so we’ll have the opportunity to hear from the rest of the church family in the coming weeks but September 10th is also a time of Celebration usually woohoo yeah thank you usually that’s the second Sunday of the month and we have
Brunch together so we thought you know what I’m going to put in the proposal to get cash money for food trucks and they approved it so Yahoo you actually wrote cash money for food trucks in The Proposal didn’t you yeah okay so on September 10th we’re gonna kick off our
Sunday school Ministries it’s kind of like our church picnic we’re all back together and so we’re are going to have an end of renewal season celebration with food trucks on the back lawn we’re gonna have the tasty yolk food truck we’re going to have an ice cream food
Truck we’re going to have a professional face painter we’re gonna have games and lots of fun what what no the professional face painter I didn’t know about that one that’s that’s gonna be fun yeah let’s save the money I’ll do it kids can line up in front of me adults too no the
Foundation gave us money got it okay um so we’re gonna have a professional one but also um we just encourage you guys bring your friends bring your whole family bring your lawn chairs your blankets because after church on September 10th we’re going to be in our back back parking lot and our properties
Just having fun and fellowshipping together eating yamo food so yeah and a key word there is celebrating we want we want to be able to celebrate God is doing something that we’re excited about there’s lots of things that if we look around the world that may make us feel
Discouraged or maybe like wonder what God’s doing but when we together as a community focus on God together and notice what he’s doing it gives us reason to celebrate to find joy in knowing that our God is at work and it may seem silly or simple but this sort
Of gathering is a great invitation for us to think about that together as a church family how can we celebrate what God’s doing in our life lives and in our midst so we’re excited for that good hey can I pray for us as we enter into this time of worship
Heavenly Father we come before you and we are thankful for this space that you’ve carved out for us to gather and to uh to worship you to give you the attention of our hearts and Minds to devote this time to you Lord and to acknowledging your importance in our life
This morning we desire to see you glorified in the songs we sing the prayers we pray the scriptures we read the fellowship we share together and so Lord may you be glorified by these gifts we bring before you we love you we pray that you would continue to do a
Work in us as we worship you together in Jesus name amen thank you it’s nice to have you guys back uh would everybody stand and we’re going to go ahead and sing and Worship the Lord this morning let me hear your words Please Promises your words bring us love that never fails everything else You’re with us oh the grass will wither and the flowers will fall but the word of our God will last forever Bring us [Applause] Great Is Thy Faithfulness oh God my father there there is no shadow of turning with me now changes Psycho passions they fail not as thou Thou thou Forest will be praise thy faithfulness It is Songs Great Is Thy Faithfulness Lord unto me I always Blessings I see all I know The Lord unto me Between us how high the mountains And through the darkness your loving kindness Jesus Christ Beautiful savior I’m yours forever Jesus Christ [Applause] Baby baby Everything has no place Out of the silence Jesus Christ there’s salvation Foreign would you pray with me Jesus Christ you are my Living Hope oh Jesus just quiet our Spirits right now quieter spirits that we can just come to you in prayer strengthen us with your helmet of salvation so that we can stand against the culture in the lives of the evil one
Father cover our hearts with the breastplate of righteousness Jesus defeated the power of sin and death at the cross and it no longer has power over us we stand in his sacrifice father gird us with the belt of Truth your word is truth we choose to believe your truth
And reject the lies of the enemy in the world We Stand centered and strong against his Temptations deceptions schemes and accusations father we put on the shoes of the gospel of peace we choose to be an instrument of your peace and stand ready to live
Out and give an account for the faith we have in you today and Father we hold up the shield of faith we trust and believe you are the king of kings the Lord of lords The Great I Am the author and Perfecter of our faith
We reject a spirit of fear we stand in the spirit of your power and love and a sound mind and finally we take up the sword of the spirit we choose to believe your truth over the enemy’s lies pour out your truth pour out your spirit over
Us because we choose this day to stand on your living active penetrating word oh father thank you for these Mighty weapons of warfare thank you that you’ve already won the battle we’re fighting thank you that we are Victors because greater are you who lives in us than he
Who lives in the world so today we come under your power in your Authority fill us with the fullness of your spirit use us to do your kingdom work as we March onward as Sons and Daughters of the Living God we ask this in Jesus name amen
You may be seated and children you are dismissed Foreign [Applause] It’s been a little while since I’ve been up here with you and in fact I’ve been kind of saving up three months of sermons for you all for this morning so sit back buckle up just kidding we won’t we won’t go three months long right now
Hey uh before we get into our time in God’s word there is a very important announcement I need to make that I meant to make before but I want to make it now because it’s I think it’s it’s still relevant to us as a faith community but this past Friday Howard and Josephine
Kelly celebrated 43 years of marriage thank you Joseph and this is how they did it Josephine’s here Howard somewhere else no I uh no the reason why I’m sharing that right now is because I know that they’re here today because of how they’ve allowed Jesus to be in their lives he wants to
Draw near he knocked on their hearts they opened the doors of their hearts they let him in and he did a work that was miraculous in drawing the two of them together and keeping the two of them together so we love you guys we’re celebrating with you 43 years of
Marriage with Christ at the center so thank you guys all right so this morning we are going to start a two-week sermon series before we kick off into our year in the gospel of Mark and to do that I want you to consider three words this morning three
Very important words that crush the spirits of our youth and three same words which have the power to make the the spirits and The Souls of parents in our congregation soar beyond the clouds you ready back to school three very important words there is a commercial maybe 10 years ago or so now
I’m not going to show it on the screen but feel free to Google it later on there was this amazing commercial for Staples and and in the commercial there’s this dad who who’s you can hear the song um It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year playing you know the Andy Williams
Classic it’s the most never mind I’m not gonna say the most wonderful time of the year you know that song he’s dancing through the aisles excited this is his favorite time of year because the kids are going back to school well behind him our two kids moping along pushing the
Grocery cart as he’s throwing like books and folders and pencils and things like that in the cart three very important words back to school see the the time of the year we’re in reminds us that seasons change right I mean we can certainly here in New England we get the most beautiful
Picture of the changing of the seasons when we look at the outside we see spring with the the flowers coming up we see Summer with the heat and and things like that we see the fall fall is beautiful around here with the changing of the leaves and all that and we’re
Reminded that that seasons change right but not just Seasons out there Seasons within our own lives our spiritual lives King Solomon’s sorry King David’s son Solomon says for everything there is a season under the heavens right for everything there is a season and a Time there are times when our spiritual lives
Feel like spring just New Life popping up out of the ground new things happening we’re excited to see God doing a new thing in US other times we we feel we’re living in the dead of winter and we know what winter is like around here right gets
Dark early things are are dead or dormant there doesn’t really seem to be much new new life going on we all have different seasons of Our Lives to to think about and and to consider how God does a new thing in different ways at different times in our lives
It’s not just back to school but it’s it’s thinking what is God getting us back to we just came through three months where we kind of prayerfully committed our time to God as a time of renewal in our church and honestly I owe such a debt of
Gratitude to our elders our staff our many leaders who came together and made it possible for me to step away not just be away but to not be worried and concerned about what’s going on here because I was confident that God was working in a powerful way through the
People of our church so I’m very thankful for that we missed you all but but I’m so thank thankful that we serve in a church where the authority and the responsibility to do something to accomplish what God has given us to do doesn’t lie in the hands of one person
Or or a couple people it lies in the hands of the many the church body the the congregation and so you you all stepped up and did an amazing job but here’s the thing I want us to think about I want to consider we’re not done
Right I mean the van horns are back and and we’re excited to be back with you but but it’s not like oh good we we held it together until they got back now we can breathe a sigh of relief right that’s that’s not that’s not what’s going on
Here in what God’s doing in us and Among Us right in fact I would venture to say and I hope this doesn’t scare any of you I would venture to say that we’re just getting started there was a number of years ago um where Tara and I went down to
Virginia with my family and and uh they were competing in a half marathon for those of you who don’t know it’s half of a marathon curious enough now and here’s the other thing to note I wasn’t actually competing I was cheering them on I was cheering my family members on but but
This is what I learned because I don’t have many experiences with running marathons or half marathons apparently when the starting gun goes off you’re in a crowd of people getting ready to start and what you picture in your mind is the gun goes off and everyone starts running
Right that’s not how it works in fact what what I was told by my family members is they have you gather before the sun right like it’s still early enough the sun’s not really out yet and you’re just standing in a crowd waiting you’re ready to go you got your number
Your bib number on your your shoes tied up you’re ready to go the gun goes off and then you stand there and and then you know you start to see a couple people kind of shifting a little people moving then people start walking and then the crowd starts walking and as
The crowd spreads out then people start moving so by the time you actually get to the starting line people are starting to move a little bit right well in a similar way that’s what’s going on in our consideration of what it means to be in a time of renewal
Starting gun has gone off but we’re just getting started in fact I would say we’re just now approaching the starting line where we can run our race together as a church family right it’s a season of renewal and and to to fully embrace all that God has for
Us in this season of renewal for us to be able to run our race as a church family as a faith community we need to understand two things one renewal will take time and not just a certain measurable amount of time not just like okay by one year from now
Things should be all fixed and back to back to normal no renewal is a season of time and it will require persistence and perseverance for all of us that that we that we would be stubbornly focused on God renewing us over a season let’s be stubborn I mean there’s not
Many things we enjoy stubbornness over actually not many things that other people enjoy about our stubbornness but let’s let’s invite one another to be stubborn over looking to God for Renewal Among Us secondly renewal will be accomplished it’s a guarantee people I I promise you that if we focus on God
If we if we remain stubbornly focused on him he will accomplish renewal Among Us why because we live in a time where God’s good news is not just a future promise but it’s here and now it’s a present reality the things that that Jesus has invited into our lives has begun through
His death and Resurrection he started something amazing and powerful and new and so it’s not just a future promise it’s a present reality in which God is working in us and Among Us now see the the the the moment when Jesus first came our history the history of
This world the character of our world changed forever and these changes are things we can then only notice through the lenses of the life of Jesus so for this week and for next we’re gonna look at the starting line we’re crossing together as a church family
We’re going to take a look at what it means to get going we’re going to consider what Jesus’s invitation is on our lives as we approach and get ready to cross the not the finish line but the starting line and then after that we’re going to dwell
For the foreseeable future in in the gospel of of Jesus Through The lenses of Mark we’re going to take a look at this Jesus this this King the Savior this Victorious One we’re gonna take a look at his life through the lenses of his life told To Us by Mark and now so
Here’s my quick invitation to you I really hope that you’ll join us not one week not two weeks but join us week in and week out it’s not just about hey what does Pastor Dan have to say to us but this is a this is a a joint
Adventure this is something we are doing together and that can only be accomplished if we come together to celebrate our King to celebrate who he is and what he’s doing to actually not not think about who he is because we heard someone tell us about Jesus but because we ourselves are
Looking into his life as revealed to us through the Gospels see the Gospel of Jesus changes everything and it does so much more than just save us from her past it gives us a future it gives us a purpose so like back to school season the gospel invites us into a season
Getting back to it of getting back to what we were meant to be and who we are meant to follow and and who were meant to become like to get back at it with a new purpose and led by a capable King if you have your Bibles go ahead and
Open up to the Gospel of John if you want to grab a Bible from the seat in front of you we’re gonna be on page 907 John chapter 21 I’m going to read a passage for us of one of the times that Jesus showed up after he came back to
Life after he had been crucified and Rose from the grave he reveals himself to people and we’re going to read one of those stories together this morning in John chapter one I’m going to read the first 14 verses for us Gospel of John tells us this after this Jesus revealed himself again
To the disciples by the Sea of Tiberius which is the Sea of Galilee and he revealed himself in this way Simon Peter Thomas called the twin Nathaniel Cana and Galilee the sons of Zebedee and two others of his disciples were together Simon Peter said to them I’m going fishing
They said to him we’ll go with you and so they went out and got into the boat but that night they caught nothing Justice day was breaking Jesus stood on the shore yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus Jesus said to them children do you have any fish
They answered him no he said to them cast the net on the right side of the boat and you will find some so they casted and now they were not able to haul it in because of the quantity of the fish that disciple whom Jesus loved therefore
Said to Peter it is the Lord when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord he put on his outer garment for he was stripped for work and he threw himself into the sea the other disciples came in the boat dragging the net full of fish for they
Were not far from the land but about a hundred yards off when they got out on the land they saw a charcoal fire in place with fish laid out on it and bread Jesus said to them bring some of the fish that you’ve just caught so Simon
Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore full of large fish 153 of him and although there were so many the net was not torn Jesus said to them come and have breakfast now none of the disciples dared to ask him who are you they knew it was the
Lord Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them and so would the fish this was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead Heavenly Father we thank you for your word thank you for being the kind of God who
Wants to be known thank you for being God who reveals himself through his word may we lord hold your word with the respect and awe that it is due speak to us may your holy spirit guide us in this time in your word and transform us we pray in Jesus name amen
Well question Jesus is here on the the shore of of the Sea of Galilee the Sea of Tiberius and he reveals himself have you ever have you ever done something that that revealed something about yourself to friends family people at work you ever done something that kind of
Showed something about who you are what you could do some special talent a while back Tara and I went on a trip down to Maryland to visit family and and I think maybe Max and Alex were alive at that point but we uh we decided one of the
Things that would be fun to do as a family is gold roller skating right and I mean you would anticipate uh you know not everyone goes roller skating every day some people do but you would anticipate lots of falling lots of injuries lots of that well I I can still
Remember the look on Tara’s face when when I put I strapped those rollerblades on and I took off on the floor and I was showing off all my rollerblading skills I mean she couldn’t imagine what kind of whiz I was on these rollerblades right I I remember at one point I spun around
Was skating backwards for and showing off it was great she had no clue what kind of man she had married how cool he was and how Talent he was one of the things we actually did over the sabbaticals we took the kids roller skating up in Waterbury and and again I
Got to show off my my hidden talents for for my my kids and if you ask any of them after the service I almost guarantee that they’re going to say they’ve got the coolest dad in the world right here’s the thing just as I was revealing myself something
About who I was something that they didn’t yet know Jesus shows up at the Sea of Tiberius to reveal himself to his disciples the The Men Who had spent three years of their life with him walking with him seeing him do Miracles seeing him teach people and and confront the Pharisees
Jesus had still something else to reveal to his disciples you may have noticed when I read the text for us but these verses open and close with two very neat bookends if you you know bookends like books on a bookshelf have these two metal pieces that hold the books together our passage
Has two nice neat little bookends that hold our passage together something that that tells us that Clues us into what John’s communicating to his readers in in verse 1 John tells us that that Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples and he revealed himself in a certain way
And then down in verse 14 John tells us that this was now the third time that Jesus had revealed himself to his disciples some translations may say that that he manifested himself but the the point is is that Jesus showed up on that day on the shore of Tiberius to make
Something clear to his disciples about what kind of Savior and King he is now we’ll we’ll come back to Jesus’s specific purpose in a few minutes but but before we do I want you to consider the manner in which Jesus reveals himself to his disciples
In verse 1 John 21 1 John makes the point that Jesus revealed himself in this way he he revealed himself in a particular manner that that John wants us to pay attention to right now there are two very specific ways that Jesus reveals himself to us in our Passage through his word
And through worship the very first thing Jesus says in our passage comes after a night of fruitless fishing by the disciples right in verse 3 we’re told the disciples head out to go fishing all night long all night they’re together but that night guess what they caught nothing nothing
And so at this point Jesus is standing on the shore later on we kind of get an idea that he’s about a hundred yards away from them they’re about 100 yards offshore fishing Jesus standing there and shouts out to them hey guys have you not caught any fish
In the Greek it almost presumes like the the negative response like he knows they’re going to say no we haven’t caught anything and I know it’s not necessarily clear to us but I still think that that’s important that it’s in the little things that Jesus is reviewing something about
Himself that he could say to them hey hey guys hey children hey boys have you not caught anything now this is not a disrespectful way for Jesus to address them it’s kind of like a casual hey hey buddy or hey guys it’s not like he’s belittling them by calling them boys or
Children or anything like that but he does presume to know that they haven’t yet caught anything they don’t they don’t recognize them in fact prior even prior to him calling out even after he calls out they still don’t recognize him but this word that he proclaims this
Moment this question that he declares to them have you still not yet caught any fish sets in motion how God or how Jesus is is going to reveal himself take a look at verse 6 with me he said to them cast the net on the
Right side of the boat and you will find some so they cast it and now they were not able to haul it in because of the quantity of the fish now I want you to notice four simple words that are easy to gloss over in that verse so they cast it
See Jesus reveals himself to the disciples and to us when we respond to his word with obedience Jesus declares we obey right I know I know that word obedience obey carries like a yucky feeling for many of us it carries this like demanding authoritative uh word demand we’re
Required to obey this person or that person or do this or do that and and we may not want to say it out loud but for many of us it stirs up kind of this uncomfortable feeling inside of us we we we cherish our autonomy we wouldn’t
Necessarily again say it to to people but we love to be independent and autonomous we we love to not feel like someone else has authority over my time and my responsibilities and and what I’m going to spend with my day you know we live in the land of the free
We we love to do things the way we love to do things but I think the kind of obedience that the disciples learn that day maybe not knew they were having but that they learned that day is a different kind of obedience John Stott wrote that Christian obedience is is unlike every
Other kind of obedience it’s not The Obedience of slaves or soldiers but essentially The Obedience of lovers who know love and Trust the person who issues the command now that point the disciples didn’t yet know that it was Jesus they were willing to try something because they’ve spent the entire night
Fishing and had come up empty-handed so they’re like you know what why not let’s try this right but what they learn is that when they respond to Jesus’s word in obedience they had a net full of fish this kind of obedience is essentially what Jesus had in mind when he taught
His disciples by telling them it that if we love him if we love Jesus we’ll keep his Commandments right a life of obeying Jesus is absolutely freeing right it’s it’s not it’s not surrender to being slave or to having to continuously deny your own uh wisdom and and and whatnot
It’s an invitation to trust it’s an invitation to love it’s an invitation to be free in the in the space that Jesus carves out for us because in this life we learn to to to to trust him in such a way that we see him accomplish the outcomes we’re not responsible for the
Outcome he is and so when we when we learn to trust him in obedience we learn he actually is trustworthy to accomplish what is good and right and necessary in our lives now if you flip over to page 901 in their Pew Bibles to John chapter 14. verse 21 we read this
Jesus says Whoever has my Commandments and keeps them he it is who loves me and he who loves me guess what Will Be Loved by my father and I will love him and manifest reveal myself to him church I know that obedience is not a fun word
I I know it can feel yucky for some of us but when we learn to hear Jesus’s invitation to trust him to obey him you are going to experience not just knowing him more fully but receiving and knowing the love of your father in Heaven and know and receive the love of Jesus
Christ his only son and so Jesus is revealed and made clear to us when we receive his words and when we receive them with love and humility and then respond in obedience but to see this to see this word to to experience his word we have to surrender our hunger for
Autonomy we have to surrender our our desire for Independence we have to lay down our arrogance to assume we know what’s best I I know that it might feel uncomfortable to hear a pastor say that we’re arrogant but I’m arrogant like I’m not saying I’m not pointing a
Finger out there I too am arrogant don’t ask Tara but there’s often times where we get into conversations where I think I’m right and she’s wrong well guess what sometimes that’s right but oftentimes it’s not that was an inappropriate place to say Amen [Laughter] church we have to learn to stop trusting
Ourselves as the highest Authority and and learn to trust Jesus to trust his words to abandon ourselves to following him by trusting and obeying him and and you will learn God’s love for you in that process you will see maybe not a net of fish to pull up out of the ocean
But a net of God’s love and grace and mercy and compassion and purpose poured out in your life so the first way Jesus is revealed as through his word which which the the scriptures again promise will not return to God void and the second way in which Jesus
Reveals himself to his disciples is through our worship of him in other words our our response to his initiatives and invitations in our lives if you were to look at John 21 verse 7 John the the disciple whom uh we assume it’s John John the one whom Jesus loved
Says while they’re standing in the boat look it’s the Lord right he points to Jesus John’s response to Jesus being revealed is not just a point to Jesus but then guess what everyone around John is also looking where John’s pointing right John points all the others to
Jesus as well to the point where Peter looks up from whatever he’s doing realizes what’s going on throws his clothes back on jumps into the water and swims 100 yards to shore to worship is our response to God’s invitations and initiatives in our lives his word is the most clear invitation in
An initiative offered to us when we read Jesus’s teachings his laws his Obe or his Commandments his ways when we not just read them to check out a box to say I read that verse for today when we read them in such a way that we
Want to ingest and we want to eat them like a meal we hear the invitations we hear the initiatives of what God wants to do in our lives and when we respond not just in obedience but also in worship we respond in such a way that we we’re we’re drawn to him
And here’s the thing worship is not one-dimensional it’s not just showing up here on Sunday morning and declaring it is the Lord right it consists of gathering with other believers it consists of reading the word of God it it consists of studying the word of God asking questions of it seeking to
Understand it not just wanting to understand about but considering how do we live into this word that God has declared it consists of observing obeying and following God’s word and fellowshipping together praying together encouraging one another weeping with those who weep rejoicing with those who rejoice the early church devoted themselves to
The apostles teaching into the fellowship into the breaking of bread and prayer all of this is worship why because it’s a response to God’s invitations and initiatives in our lives my favorite picture of worship is oftentimes a table that Jesus meets us at in the scriptures
Right David spoke of a table in Psalm 23 as as the Lord sets this table before us in the presence of our enemies right here in our our passage Jesus invites his disciples to come and have breakfast with him in Revelation chapter 23 we’re told that
For those who who open the door of their hearts when Jesus is knocking on it he will come in and sit at the table and enjoy a meal with us now here’s the thing these are pictures of peace that Jesus makes with us these are our our pictures at scripture
Paints of places where Jesus comes to the table and across the table he extends his acceptance of us his forgiveness of us the peace that he establishes that he secured for us on the cross is made available to us that we might have with the father in Heaven because he sits with us
Across the table it’s so much more than just eating food for physical nourishment I love that picture not just because I love food right only when the disciples draw closer to Jesus Jesus In Worship only when they draw near and gather around the table can they get close enough to hear
Jesus’s further invitations for Fellowship and sharing a meal look at verse 13 and 14 with me one more time after Jesus invites him for breakfast he came and took the bread and gave it to them and so with the fish this was now the third time that Jesus
Was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead almost like the Pinnacle of Jesus revealing himself of manifesting himself to his disciples is this this intimacy this communion that Jesus shares with with his disciples as he did on on many other occasions Jesus declares the good news of his kingdom
He takes the he takes the bread and he gives it to them something new is happening it’s like back to school season there’s a new thing that’s happening here the kingdom has come just as just as Jesus did on the night when when he was betrayed he institutes this supper this meal
That they would always remember what Jesus did on their behalf when they eat of this bread and drink of this cup they would remember Jesus’s body broken for them and his blood poured out on their behalf just as he did when he revealed himself to the the two disciples on the road
Traveling to Emmaus remember that story after Jesus’s crucifixion and Resurrection we’re told two disciples are walking along the road to Emmaus and a stranger someone they don’t recognize comes up alongside them and asked after asking them why they’re so downcast and and sad he he he proceeds to tell them why it was
Necessary that the son of man that Jesus would die on the cross and how does he do this he he leaves them through the the prophets and the scriptures pointing out all of this truth about Jesus Through the scriptures he points to the word and then what do
They do when they get to Emmaus these two they invite Jesus inside with them they sit at the table he breaks the bread and immediately they recognize him Jesus reveals himself to us through his word into our work and in our worship of him these are two of the most uh utmost most
Important aspects or or or things necessary for our Christian walk it’s a fallacy for us to think that I can believe in Jesus but then not be connected to the family of God somewhere in this world when when Jesus came he he wasn’t just he he didn’t just like
Come to to die on the cross he establishes his church his kingdom grows and expands on this Earth through his people and he invites us to gather together to to focus in on the word of God to focus on the Declarations of Jesus and to worship God together as a people
So if you want to know and fall deeper in love with Jesus you know Opening Our Bibles once a week on a Sunday morning isn’t enough even even Opening Our Bibles seven days a week is not enough not if we’re not lovingly putting into practice and obedience the wisdom and
The truth we’re receiving in it it’s not just a matter of reading our Bibles it’s a matter of recognizing realizing the love letter that God has written the invitations the initiatives that God extends to us through his son Jesus and through the word that we have here this
Is a a letter of love to us not just some document that we can flip our flip through gaze at quickly and then move on from if you want to know Jesus more fully and follow him more boldly even attending a worship service on on Sunday mornings is not enough
Now it’s not to say that you have to be here five nights a week and that’s that makes you a really good question a Christian but it’s to say it’s not just a matter of the actions it’s a matter of of falling in love with him
And how do we do that in response to his word through obedience and worshiping him for it I remember when I was a little kid I didn’t like eating vegetables and so my parents would give me what they called a no thank you portion right it was like two pieces of broccoli or
You know one carrot or something like that and it was good enough right they at that point they’re like all right we’re not going to argue with you if you had a no thank you portion right I mean this portion don’t get me wrong it was it tasted gross I don’t think it
Was enough to actually do me any good but I think my parents were hoping that if I had a no thank you portion eventually I’d fall in love with carrots and I tell you what I haven’t yet fallen in love carrots but my point is this I think many of us
Are taking a no thank you portion of Jesus we’re taking just enough to to feel like maybe we’re doing something good but but hear me when I say this a no thank you portion of Jesus isn’t doing you any good right showing up at church on Sunday morning is not enough
Reading the Bible once a week even reading the Bible seven days a week is not enough there is a work that he wants to do in you but it requires your response to his generous invitations and initiatives see Jesus reveals himself to us through his word and our worship of him
And then here in John 21 we realize that Jesus has revealed himself to them for a very specific purpose you know I mentioned Jesus spent three years of his life with the with these disciples so it’s not like like there it’s not like they don’t know this man right I
Mean miraculously they may not have expected to see him because he they a few days before a couple weeks before they just witnessed him being crucified on a Roman cross but you kind of left to wonder what do they not yet know about him what is still to be revealed about this
Man to them now I don’t think it’s by random chance that Jesus shows up by the shore of Tiberius while the disciples are fishing what we know about these men many of them were fishermen not all of them but many of them were fishermen this is now the third time that he’s
Revealed himself to this group the first two uh was on the night of the first uh Sunday of Resurrection when they’re gathered in the upper room they’re terrified of the Jews so they lock the door and they close themselves in and Jesus shows up among them the second time about a week later
When Thomas was frustrated because he missed the first one so uh you know about a week later Jesus reveals himself to Thomas right and Thomas and the and the crowd of disciples now interestingly enough this is actually the third time at least in the Gospel of John that Jesus has
Revealed himself after the crucifixion right you may remember the very first person he reveals himself to is Mary Magdalene outside the tomb but this is the third time where Jesus reveals himself to the group of disciples altogether and I and I I don’t think it’s by random
Chance that Jesus chose to do it by the shore of Tiberius also known as the Sea of Galilee now if you flip back in the Pew Bibles to page 809 or Matthew chapter 4. I want us to look at a real quick passage where we understand that what
The disciples are doing this day that Jesus comes alongside them is not a new thing for them rather it’s something they knew very well because it was actually their vocation that they were doing at the time when Jesus called them to follow him early on the Gospels let me read it for us
In Matthew chapter 4 we read this while walking by the Sea of Galilee the Sea of tiberias he saw two brothers Simon who’s called Peter and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea for they were fishermen and he said to them follow me and I will make you Fishers of Men
Immediately they left their Nets and followed him and going on from there he saw two other brothers James the son of Zebedee and John his brother in the boat with Zebedee their father mending their Nets and he called them immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him see
The disciples they knew fishing many of them knew fishing it was their way of life it was their profession it was their vocation it was the family business for some of them probably well not probably it was a family business for the two sons of Zebedee they were
Familiar with this and they were they were used to being they used to be fishermen but now their time has come to become Fishers of Men Fishers of women Fishers of children and so please don’t miss Jesus’s central point in this renewed calling because Jesus meets his disciples
At a moment of their failing in the flesh this this discipline that they knew so well didn’t go so well that night do you remember how John describes their fishing trip in our Passage in verse 3 John says they went out they got into the boat and they caught
A little bit small fish they caught nothing they came up empty-handed now what I want you to realize and maybe this is what Jesus wants us to realize is that they did that without Jesus Jesus after his resurrection sends them to wait for them in Galilee it says wait for me there
And so by going out fishing they’re not necessarily being disobedient or anything like that I mean they’ve got to eat they’ve gotta they’ve gotta figure out what’s going on their whole life their whole world has changed from what they thought it was going to be right so it’s not like they’ve they’re being
Disobedient by going fishing but but still they they go out they catch nothing without Jesus see we we need Jesus’s word and we need to be a people of worship because without Jesus our fishing trips in this world will come up empty-handed you may think highly of yourself or
Consider yourself learned or or able to quote widely from various Bible teachers but apart from Jesus you’re not able to accomplish anything of true Eternal value I mean I think we need to understand that it’s easy for us to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to
But without Jesus we can do nothing our only hope for this life and for the next is to see our lives grafted into the life of Jesus right John in in John 15 this is Page 901 in our Pew Bibles in John 15 verse 4 and 5 Jesus tells us
This he says he says abide in me and I in you as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the Vine neither can you unless you abide in me I am the vine you are the branches whoever abides in me and I in him heed
Is that bears much fruit for apart from me you can catch nothing right up apart from Jesus apart from trusting him obeying him abiding in him dwelling with him we can do nothing but with Jesus we’re able to accomplish all that he’s given us to accomplish that morning after a night of fruitless
Fishing the disciples pull in a net full of large fish we’re told 153 to be exact and although there were so many the net wasn’t even torn now I can’t I can’t say for certain but it it almost feels like a commentary on the life of a disciple who clings to and
Abides in Jesus Jesus will not lose the catch he’s called on us to make again I can’t say for certain that’s what’s being communicated here but that’s what it feels like right apart from Jesus we can catch nothing with Jesus we can accomplish all that he
Set out for us to do and guess what even our Nets won’t be torn we won’t be destroyed we won’t be torn apart we are not able but he is churches we close our time in this passage I I want you to consider something to prayerfully consider something we’re
In a new season as a church family and not just a season of renewal but this is a time of renewed purpose in the good news the gospel of Jesus’s Kingdom it’s a special time for us and and so then as our King the king of this Kingdom which he has
Established Jesus is able to build his kingdom through us so when we think about John chapter 21 when we think about Jesus revealing himself to his disciples he also reveals himself to us as being the one who is able to accomplish the sort of things in and through us
That I think we all desire to see happen to see people coming to learn of God’s love for them and trust in Jesus themselves for to see people growing in their trust in Jesus their knowledge of him to see people independently feeding themselves on the Promises of God in the scriptures
To see our congregation as a whole loving one another encouraging one another to see us growing our boldness of telling others about this good news of Jesus Christ all of that is possible as we abide in Jesus why because Jesus is able apart from him we can do nothing with him
Our Nets will be full and so this this morning when Jesus reveals himself to his disciples he gives them A Renewed purpose in the Kingdom to be Fishers of Men who through abiding in Jesus are able to bring more fish into the kingdom of God right
God wants to see his kingdom grow and expand and guess what he’s choosing to do so through you and me and this we do by by revealing Jesus to the world just as Jesus was revealed to the disciples through his word and worship so we too have been given a renewed
Purpose to reveal Jesus to the world through his word and our worship of him when we do all this by observing Jesus words and obedience and worshiping him together so Church yeah it’s back to school season but even more importantly it’s time for us to get back at it
Time for us to get to work it’s time for us to see God’s kingdom grow and expand in and through us because we are so utterly devoted to him and in love with him as we look at his word can I pray for us Heavenly Father we do thank you for your
Word we thank you for your promises we thank you for your love for us even even at times when we don’t feel your nearness we know you are near we know you are doing a work in this world and we thank you Lord that you invite us to
Be a part of that work father I pray for a boldness in our hearts and Minds this morning that we would we would hear your challenge to get back at it for those of us who who need to just begin to open the word and not feel like
We have to rush through three chapters but just to to lovingly chew on two or three verses to to spend time with you Lord and then to consider how you’re calling us to respond in obedience Lord I pray for the courage that that for that to be true for those of us here
This morning we would feel that invitation or there are some of us here who whose the role of worship doesn’t have a very abundant place in our lives Lord whether it’s singing or praying or proclaiming your truth and and Gathering and fellowship and and whatnot I pray
That you would give us new ideas fresh encouragement and strength to gather together to to gather together and off the purpose of a laughter or a meal but to gather with you at the center of it all because of what you’re doing the good news of Jesus Christ The Kingdom Come
That you are bringing about Lord we thank you so much that you love us that you are able to do this may we be faithful to trust and Obey you and see you accomplish all that you desire to in and through us we pray in Jesus name amen
You know I said a couple times hopefully in the sermon maybe hopefully was clear the gospel changes things the gospel changes people the gospel changes families and communities Paul says in Romans I’m not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God for salvation
And what that means is twofold what it means god changes people’s lives and hearts and God changes the faith community in in Works in and through that to impact our world but even as God works in and among our faith community he works in and through individual lives of people within our
Faith community this morning we have the privilege of hearing how God has been at work in the lives of one of the members of our community so I’m excited for you to meet Julie Kusha in this video you’ve seen her up here helping the lead in worship she’s graciously agreed to share her
Testimony with us a little bit through this video so let’s let’s give our attention to the screen for a few minutes I Found Jesus throughout my life and my relationship I would say grew because um I was doing my own thing for a long time I always knew I wanted to get
Married and have a family but I was looking for the guy that I wanted or what I thought was important without really saying what does Jesus want for me and so that is actually my love story is when I messed up enough times in my life that I just became so desperate and
Realized every decision I was making was not the right decision for me I surrendered and that’s where it comes from I said Jesus please just take over just show me what your will is for my life as I have tried things that have not worked at all
I give up and I thank God for the ability to get out of my own way ask him to take over and knowing when I fully surrendered and fully said please Jesus show me what you want for my life he absolutely heard my prayer and he continues to guide me today
When I think in my life about avoiding Temptations it really comes back to remembering learned lessons throughout my life it keeps me in alignment by being motivated to walk in the path of what God desires for me I have learned in my life that Christ’s will is greater
Than mine I have found that his desires for me are always for my best interest and so that keeps me wanting to obey what he wants for me because I trust him that is not just naturally happened though it takes an active participation to apply that on a daily basis
I start each day in the morning by reading his word cultivating the relationship that I have with him to strengthen my spirit through prayer through meditation and through setting my intentions for the day ahead that way I know his will I can follow his will over my own
And I feel that I just need to focus on the day ahead to abide in his love it feels so fulfilling that I don’t want to harm that spiritual connection by stepping off track and through Disobedience I want to stay aligned in his light which gives me the sense of peace self-control patience
Gentleness and strength for the day ahead it’s been an ongoing walk to grow closer and I think the closer that I get to Jesus the more I want more of him in my life and it is this awareness of a thought is this helpful or is this
Harmful is this really creating me to a closer walk with God or is it distracting me and is it an obstacle in my way that I need to kind of just realize it’s similar like if you’re hand offense you like just cut it off like you know just be aware is this helping
Or harming and one of the things that I needed to do was just kind of become more grounded and I realized like for me and not it doesn’t affect everybody in the same way but social media was something that I really needed to get rid of I was realizing I was spending
Too much time on it looking for external validation and I it became a distraction and as I started making conscious decisions about what is helping and what isn’t I just naturally kind of like evolved and I read a book of which was called the 5 a.m club and it just like
Yes I want this energy to like set me up for the day ahead and it was it’s so quiet in the morning um when the light just like starts rising up and you’re by yourself and nobody’s awake and it’s this beautiful time to filled I open up my windows at like 5 30
And by like 6 30 the whole entire room is like filled in light and I connect so much by just feeling him each morning light in the room set my intentions and I feel fully charged for the day ahead before anybody’s even awake foreign would you stand with us we’re going to
Continue to worship Jesus Christ we don’t know Give us Perform your country flying away oh my God Amen hey uh there are those of us who are going to be doing a discovering trainee class after the service we’re going to gather downstairs at 11 A.M so 15 minutes from now hope you’ll join us we have lunch for you and kind of just explore what it means to become a member
Here at Trinity and other ways you might plug in further here and serve hey uh I know that we had a chance to hear of how uh Julie responded to the Lord’s invitation on her life to follow him and what a joy it is to hear that story if
You are here this morning and you know you’re not sure if you’ve ever heard Jesus invitation to follow him or even respond to it I want you to know something Jesus is inviting you to follow him as simply to to come and follow him and abide with him and it’s
Simply an invitation you can respond to and if that’s an invitation if you want to learn if you want to if you want to begin to follow Jesus and and begin to grow in your knowledge of his love for you and the Father’s Love For You and
Love him more I would encourage you to meet with one of the prayer Partners after the service and let them know that so they can be praying for you and encourage you as you respond to that very basic simple but wonderful invitation that Jesus offers all of us
To come and follow him church as we close our time of worship this morning I want you to hear Paul’s words in Ephesians chapter 3 for you now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think according to the power at work within us
To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever amen go in peace
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