Respond, Step out and Trust Jesus

Audio Link
[youtube:http://youtu.be/lW2vcgw0pa0]
1 Kings 19:9–18
Psalm 85:8–13
Romans 10:5–15
Matthew 14:22–33

Our God comes to us in many shapes and forms.  God loves us and wants the best for us always.  God loves all of humanity and wants the best for all of God’s creatures.  Do you believe that God the Father loves you, unconditionally?  Do you believe that Jesus Christ, Son of God, God in the flesh, loves you unconditionally?  Do you believe that the Holy Spirit loves you, unconditionally?

I hope you answered yes, because it is the truth.  This is the truth handed down throughout the Bible.  God and the Spirit come to us.  We as Christians look for Christ Jesus to come to us, love us, protect us, guide us and lead us.

Elijah is on the run, his life is in danger and he is worried.  He is worried sick that his life will be taken from him, not by God but by Queen Jezebel’s orders.  Elijah has decided to run for it, not because God directed him to, as God had been guiding Elijah’s other actions.  Then the Lord comes to Elijah and asks what is wrong.  He tells him to go to the Mount Horeb.

In the silence, the sheer silence Elijah encounters God.  God says; What’s up man?  Can you hear it now, What’s up man….under that greeting is, “I know why you are here, I heard it from you before, I have been watching you, I told you to come to this place.  Don’t you know I love you and want the best for you?  I just want you to know this ‘in your heart’ and respond to what I ask of you.”  Yes, all that was under God’s question to Elijah.

God came to Elijah and laid out the plan for him, what he is to do, what others are to do, but Elijah needs to respond and do what is asked.  God will love Elijah no more or less if Elijah does what is asked.  Elijah and others also know that God loves them and wants the best for them and so Elijah responds.  Elijah needs to step out of the boat to walk on water the way Jesus challenged Peter.  He needs to respond and trust that God has Elijah’s back.

The Psalmist today wants to listen to God.  God will speak peace to the faithful and those who turn their hearts to God.  Peace of God is nothing but the Love of God.  Here the response is to listen and turn the hearts of people to God.

Fast forward to the Romans text.  Paul is telling us that Jesus is the Love of God for both Jew and Greek, in other words for all of humankind.  There is a caveat of some sort here.  How can someone know the love of Jesus without the Word being proclaimed?  Whose lips are to be proclaiming the Gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ?  Do you believe that God and Jesus love you?  In your heart, do you know this truth?

We are called to respond to the call of God to spread the good news of God’s Son, Christ Jesus.   It is a scary thing to step out of the boat in a leap of faith and trust that Jesus: will always be there with us, guiding us, leading us to the words we need to speak, the actions we need to carry out and the call to spread the gospel. It is our mission.  That is just it; do we love and trust that Jesus will be there?  Just when it seems too unlikely, improbable, so impossible to do what we are called to do, Jesus is there.

Mission is a scary idea to so many people.  Mission; to care for God’s children, which includes telling others of the gospel, might be frightening but the Triune God have our backs.  Telling others of the gospel does not always have to be spoken, but can also be action and inaction as well.  We are to be the light for the world.  We walk in the light of Jesus but we also reflect that light and become the light for the world….if we respond.  We could always choose to put a bushel basket over our light and not respond to our calling. (Matthew 5:13)

Jesus comes to the disciples walking on water.  Even after they all had told Jesus- that they understood the parables that he had been teaching, they still did not really understand the ramifications of who Jesus is.  They are frightened and respond to Jesus in doubt.  Jesus says not to fear and the reason given is, “it is I.”  What Jesus really is saying here and this is where the significance of Jesus’ identity really comes to light; Jesus proclaims the connection between Himself and God.  In the Greek it is clear what Jesus says.  He says, do not fear, it is, “I am”.  I Am, the great I Am of the Jews is none other than Jesus, the Christ who in love comes to the disciples.  The others still have doubt as well as  Peter but he is willing to follow and take that leap.

Peter asks to be called out of the boat by the Lord and come to Him.  Peter responds to Jesus’ call and steps out of the boat.  Then Peter is distracted by the world (the storm) and needs Jesus to reach out and save him.  I am sure there has never been a time where we have been distracted.  Distractions come in all sorts of forms; keeping us from responding to Jesus and carrying out the mission we have been given.

I recently watched a movie and there was a line that stuck with me about the distractions that prevent our response.  When we fail to respond we seem to fall into sin but it doesn’t always seem like that is the case to us.  “Sometimes the devil allows people to live a life free of trouble, cause he doesn’t want them turning to God.”  From the movie, “God’s not Dead”.

We have been given the freedom to respond (or not) to the missional call of God in Christ Jesus.  Our mission is to care for the least, the last, the lost, the widows, orphans and the poor.  Our mission is to spread the gospel, to live the gospel, to be the gospel.  No, we cannot save, we cannot even convert, we can only choose to respond and allow ourselves to be the conduit of Jesus Christ.  On the other hand, we can choose not to respond and live instead in sin.

Another quote from the same movie that really stuck in my head regarding sin is this.  “Sin is like a jail cell except it’s nice and comfy and there doesn’t seem to be any need to leave.  The door is wide open.  Until one day, it slams shut.”

We are called to respond to God in Christ Jesus and through the Sprit we are sent into the world, equipped to do the mission we have been called to.  When we fail, just as Peter and the disciples did, Jesus still comes to us, calls us by name and leads us in the right direction.  Should we be in sin, which undoubtedly we will be in sin, Jesus’ light, shines in our jail cell of sin, guiding us out towards another shot at mission and relationship.  Jesus asks us to accept His love, Trust in him and respond, so that others shall hear the Word.  Jesus is the one who can change anything.  Jesus is the only one that saves, not anything we can do will change that.

What great news we have in Christ Jesus, who is the Son of God! Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; descended to the dead and who on the third day was raised and ascended into heaven.  The Son, Jesus, is seated at the right hand of the Father and He will come to judge the living and the dead. We believe in the Holy Spirit and the holy catholic church and each time we partake in in Holy Communion, we commune with the saints.  We have forgiveness of sins; believe in the resurrection of the body and everlasting life in Jesus Christ.  In Christ Jesus, all things are possible.