WEBVTT 00:00:07.439 --> 00:00:09.980 Hey, welcome back here to the Semi -Seminarian, 00:00:09.980 --> 00:00:12.240 another week, another episode of our Bible Study 00:00:12.240 --> 00:00:15.539 Series. We call the Bible for Grownups. Tonight 00:00:15.539 --> 00:00:18.960 we're going to look at a question you don't find 00:00:18.960 --> 00:00:28.239 asked a lot. We focus so much on... Maybe our 00:00:28.239 --> 00:00:33.119 past and our past mistakes. And then through 00:00:33.119 --> 00:00:38.359 our transformation, we get this idea of maybe 00:00:38.359 --> 00:00:41.600 where we're supposed to be. We don't talk very 00:00:41.600 --> 00:00:47.060 often about what happens in between. What happens 00:00:47.060 --> 00:00:53.000 in the meantime? We ask God, are we there yet? 00:00:54.140 --> 00:01:01.399 I'll see you on the other side. Okay, first of 00:01:01.399 --> 00:01:03.079 all, I'm glad to see everybody here tonight. 00:01:03.200 --> 00:01:06.579 Awesome to see your faces all. I just want to 00:01:06.579 --> 00:01:09.540 dive right in with my story tonight. And like 00:01:09.540 --> 00:01:11.719 I just mentioned, we're going to be looking at 00:01:11.719 --> 00:01:13.400 a few stories that we find in the gospel account 00:01:13.400 --> 00:01:19.420 according to Mark 2, I'm sorry, 4, 5, and 6, 00:01:19.680 --> 00:01:23.340 chapters 4, 5, and 6. I want to share a message 00:01:23.340 --> 00:01:26.079 from this gospel account, and I'd like to look 00:01:26.079 --> 00:01:31.719 at some storms that we find in... Mark. So chapter 00:01:31.719 --> 00:01:37.819 four of Mark, verse 35, Mark says, on the day 00:01:37.819 --> 00:01:41.659 when evening had come, he, that's Jesus, said 00:01:41.659 --> 00:01:44.359 to them, let us cross over to the other side. 00:01:44.420 --> 00:01:47.180 Now, when he had left the multitude, they took 00:01:47.180 --> 00:01:50.579 him along in the boat as he was. By the way, 00:01:50.579 --> 00:01:53.760 he had left the multitude, just context. Anyone 00:01:53.760 --> 00:01:56.599 have idea what the... What had just happened? 00:01:57.040 --> 00:01:59.200 That's right, feeding of the 5 ,000. That's exactly 00:01:59.200 --> 00:02:04.359 right. And there were other little boats were 00:02:04.359 --> 00:02:07.180 also with him. And a great windstorm arose, and 00:02:07.180 --> 00:02:09.360 the waves beat into the boat, so it was already 00:02:09.360 --> 00:02:13.340 filling with water. But he, that's Jesus, capital 00:02:13.340 --> 00:02:17.979 H -E, was in the stern asleep on a pillow. And 00:02:17.979 --> 00:02:19.539 they awoke him, and they said to the teacher, 00:02:19.680 --> 00:02:23.800 do you not care that we're perishing? Then he 00:02:23.800 --> 00:02:27.289 arose. and rebuked the wind, and said to the 00:02:27.289 --> 00:02:32.789 sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and 00:02:32.789 --> 00:02:36.270 there was a great calm. But he said to them, 00:02:36.370 --> 00:02:40.030 his disciple friends in the boat, Why are you 00:02:40.030 --> 00:02:44.889 so fearful? How is it that you have no faith? 00:02:46.069 --> 00:02:50.750 And they, Scripture says, feared exceedingly, 00:02:50.770 --> 00:02:55.270 and said to one another, Who can this be? that 00:02:55.270 --> 00:02:59.610 even the wind and the sea obey him. Now, let 00:02:59.610 --> 00:03:03.650 me jump to chapter five real quick, keeping with 00:03:03.650 --> 00:03:06.870 our theme of the Sea of Galilee here. Verse one, 00:03:07.110 --> 00:03:09.870 then they came to the other side of the sea to 00:03:09.870 --> 00:03:12.810 the country of the Gadarenes. Now, you can't 00:03:12.810 --> 00:03:15.069 hear me on the podcast, but here in the Bible 00:03:15.069 --> 00:03:17.490 study, you'll see this kind of black circle here. 00:03:18.150 --> 00:03:22.330 That's the Sea of Galilee, okay? This one. A 00:03:22.330 --> 00:03:25.770 long one down here, that's the Dead Sea. In between, 00:03:25.969 --> 00:03:29.330 the river. In between is the Jordan River. Okay? 00:03:29.389 --> 00:03:32.409 Kind of place names. Now, typically up here, 00:03:32.449 --> 00:03:38.610 like at, say, 10 or 11 o 'clock, is Capernaum, 00:03:38.669 --> 00:03:40.810 and that's where Jesus and his buddies hung out 00:03:40.810 --> 00:03:45.610 a lot. Okay? But directly opposite that, let's 00:03:45.610 --> 00:03:48.969 say 4 or 5 o 'clock, is this place called the 00:03:48.969 --> 00:03:54.159 Gadarenes. And it was a different country. Okay? 00:03:54.860 --> 00:04:02.219 So this is where they are going. Now, I'm going 00:04:02.219 --> 00:04:04.539 to leapfrog again. Remember I said we're going 00:04:04.539 --> 00:04:10.199 to look at 4, 5, and 6. A few pages over in your 00:04:10.199 --> 00:04:16.120 Bibles, Mark 6 and 45, another storm is now brewing. 00:04:16.920 --> 00:04:21.230 And it says in verse 45, chapter 6, Immediately 00:04:21.230 --> 00:04:24.750 he, that's Jesus, made his disciples get into 00:04:24.750 --> 00:04:27.089 the boat and go before him to the other side 00:04:27.089 --> 00:04:30.470 to Bethsaida, where he sent the multitude away. 00:04:31.149 --> 00:04:34.050 And when he had sent them away, he departed to 00:04:34.050 --> 00:04:36.649 the mountain to pray. Now when evening came, 00:04:36.769 --> 00:04:38.389 the boat was in the middle of the sea, and he 00:04:38.389 --> 00:04:43.250 was alone on the land. Then he saw them, his 00:04:43.250 --> 00:04:46.769 disciples, out on the boat, straining at rowing, 00:04:46.790 --> 00:04:51.850 for the wind was against them. Now about the 00:04:51.850 --> 00:04:56.490 fourth watch of the night, overnight, early morning, 00:04:56.529 --> 00:05:01.930 by the way, he, Jesus, came to them walking on 00:05:01.930 --> 00:05:07.269 the sea and would have passed them by. And when 00:05:07.269 --> 00:05:09.670 they saw him walking on the sea, they supposed 00:05:09.670 --> 00:05:15.170 it was a ghost and cried out, for they all saw 00:05:15.170 --> 00:05:20.560 him, but again were troubled. Immediately. He 00:05:20.560 --> 00:05:24.439 talked with them and said to them, be of good 00:05:24.439 --> 00:05:31.560 cheer. It is I. Do not be afraid. Now, I love 00:05:31.560 --> 00:05:37.240 Jesus in these contexts. Be of good cheer. Meanwhile, 00:05:37.379 --> 00:05:41.100 the waves are crashing in on our boat. We are 00:05:41.100 --> 00:05:45.600 beginning to sink. The wind is howling. And Jesus 00:05:45.600 --> 00:05:49.259 is like, be of good cheer. Right? If I'm in the 00:05:49.259 --> 00:05:52.680 boat, I'm yelling back, what is there to be good 00:05:52.680 --> 00:05:58.199 cheer of? Right? There's no reason. Jesus says, 00:05:58.279 --> 00:06:01.639 It is I, do not be afraid. Then he went up into 00:06:01.639 --> 00:06:04.620 the boat to them, and the wind ceased. And they 00:06:04.620 --> 00:06:07.519 were greatly amazed in themselves, beyond measure, 00:06:07.660 --> 00:06:14.600 and marveled. Verse 52 says, For they had not 00:06:14.600 --> 00:06:19.399 understood about the loaves. Because their hearts 00:06:19.399 --> 00:06:24.319 were hardened. My pages are stuck together here, 00:06:24.379 --> 00:06:28.519 guys. Mark 6 .52, their hearts were hardened. 00:06:28.620 --> 00:06:32.240 And the next verse says, when they had crossed 00:06:32.240 --> 00:06:35.899 over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and 00:06:35.899 --> 00:06:38.519 anchored there. Now I want to draw attention 00:06:38.519 --> 00:06:43.139 to the words here in Scripture, then and when. 00:06:44.810 --> 00:06:47.670 Tonight's message is entitled, The Other Side. 00:06:49.490 --> 00:06:55.129 And I believe that there is an other side for 00:06:55.129 --> 00:06:57.810 each and every person listening to me today. 00:06:58.649 --> 00:07:02.990 God has another level. God has a miracle brewing 00:07:02.990 --> 00:07:09.629 for you, a breakthrough. There is another side 00:07:09.629 --> 00:07:15.519 to what you are currently going through. Each 00:07:15.519 --> 00:07:19.459 and every one of us, this is true. So let our 00:07:19.459 --> 00:07:22.399 hearts be open. Let us pray together and ask 00:07:22.399 --> 00:07:25.939 the Holy Spirit to reveal us this truth in the 00:07:25.939 --> 00:07:30.139 person of Jesus Christ. So as I begin this discussion 00:07:30.139 --> 00:07:34.480 tonight, I'd like to start with, I think, a question. 00:07:34.939 --> 00:07:37.220 No, I don't think it's a question. It really 00:07:37.220 --> 00:07:39.899 is actually a question, interrogative statement. 00:07:40.579 --> 00:07:42.740 How many of you have ever been on a road trip? 00:07:43.399 --> 00:07:47.779 Okay. For we Americans, we probably pride ourselves 00:07:47.779 --> 00:07:53.720 being the home of the road trip, right? So how 00:07:53.720 --> 00:07:57.500 road trips went down when I was a kid, we didn't 00:07:57.500 --> 00:08:01.240 get on airplanes, jet airplanes, right? Wherever 00:08:01.240 --> 00:08:05.620 we went, dad took us driving. So brother, sister, 00:08:05.839 --> 00:08:11.879 sit in the back. Dad's driving and mom rode shotgun. 00:08:13.230 --> 00:08:15.430 It's weird how we don't go to conventions as 00:08:15.430 --> 00:08:18.170 children or conferences to learn these kind of 00:08:18.170 --> 00:08:20.730 things, isn't it? Somehow or another, it's just 00:08:20.730 --> 00:08:24.009 universally, globally understood and accepted. 00:08:25.009 --> 00:08:27.810 And I think if your experience is anything like 00:08:27.810 --> 00:08:30.110 mine, when you were on a road trip, there is 00:08:30.110 --> 00:08:33.789 this classic question phrase that's always used 00:08:33.789 --> 00:08:39.159 by children everywhere and anywhere. This is 00:08:39.159 --> 00:08:42.399 approximately 45 minutes into each road trip. 00:08:42.440 --> 00:08:45.980 Every single summer, I would ask the question, 00:08:46.100 --> 00:08:54.820 Dad? And there would be silence. Dad? Yes? Are 00:08:54.820 --> 00:08:58.259 we there yet? Are we there yet? Are you there 00:08:58.259 --> 00:09:02.860 yet? And sometimes, there would just be silence 00:09:02.860 --> 00:09:08.299 in the front seat. As if the driver of our car 00:09:08.299 --> 00:09:12.580 was saying, help me, God, my children are idiots. 00:09:14.100 --> 00:09:19.259 Right? Because now that I'm a dad, my response 00:09:19.259 --> 00:09:24.879 is, well, what do you think? Are we there yet? 00:09:24.940 --> 00:09:30.399 Has the car stopped? When the car stops and I 00:09:30.399 --> 00:09:35.539 open the door and I pull you out. Then we're 00:09:35.539 --> 00:09:39.940 about there. What do you mean, are we there yet? 00:09:40.039 --> 00:09:46.519 Of course we're not. But the truth is, you, if 00:09:46.519 --> 00:09:50.779 you ever asked that question, me, I knew we weren't 00:09:50.779 --> 00:09:54.220 there yet. That's not the point of answering 00:09:54.220 --> 00:09:58.320 the question. I knew we weren't there yet. The 00:09:58.320 --> 00:10:02.379 point was, hey, Dad, I have done everything that 00:10:02.379 --> 00:10:05.620 I know how. to do to keep myself entertained 00:10:05.620 --> 00:10:12.279 in this car, and now I'm bored. We need to coordinate 00:10:12.279 --> 00:10:16.899 when I'm done doing what I'm doing when you arrive 00:10:16.899 --> 00:10:20.240 so that, right, I don't have to be bored. We 00:10:20.240 --> 00:10:22.899 can get where we're going. I've already counted 00:10:22.899 --> 00:10:25.860 all the cows. I've played I Spy with my little 00:10:25.860 --> 00:10:30.120 eyes, right? I've played the slug bug game. I've 00:10:30.120 --> 00:10:32.919 already listened to both sides of my Billy Squire 00:10:32.919 --> 00:10:36.259 cassette and my yellow Sony Walkman, right? Dad, 00:10:36.519 --> 00:10:42.340 I have done it all. What else do I do now? What 00:10:42.340 --> 00:10:46.059 do you mean we're not there yet? I've now run 00:10:46.059 --> 00:10:50.000 out of all toys and games to keep myself occupied 00:10:50.000 --> 00:10:58.039 and entertained. Are we there yet? No, son, we're 00:10:58.039 --> 00:11:03.240 not. I wonder, have we ever asked God that question? 00:11:04.879 --> 00:11:11.799 God, are we there yet? Hello? Are you there? 00:11:12.620 --> 00:11:16.919 God, are we there yet? I don't know how God might 00:11:16.919 --> 00:11:19.139 speak to you, but I'll just go ahead and let 00:11:19.139 --> 00:11:21.740 you in on a little secret. God doesn't come to 00:11:21.740 --> 00:11:25.620 me in big mountain -shattering earthquakes. God 00:11:25.620 --> 00:11:29.419 typically speaks to me. And a very still, quiet 00:11:29.419 --> 00:11:33.399 voice. Right? As a matter of fact, that's what 00:11:33.399 --> 00:11:39.440 makes him God to me. Right? Yes, my child. We 00:11:39.440 --> 00:11:41.779 hope to hear. But have you ever asked the question, 00:11:41.960 --> 00:11:47.340 God, are we there yet? Wherever there is, right? 00:11:47.460 --> 00:11:54.440 Are we not there yet? Now, we know that. Some 00:11:54.440 --> 00:11:57.299 of us, in fact, have been following Jesus. for 00:11:57.299 --> 00:12:01.759 quite a while. And as a result, we know that 00:12:01.759 --> 00:12:04.960 we're not there yet. And we also know that's 00:12:04.960 --> 00:12:09.620 really not the point anyway, is it? The point 00:12:09.620 --> 00:12:12.220 is, Lord, I know that you have for me a plan, 00:12:12.440 --> 00:12:17.360 a purpose, a pathway, a destiny. And I have a 00:12:17.360 --> 00:12:21.399 grand sense in my heart that you are, God, in 00:12:21.399 --> 00:12:24.440 fact, taking me somewhere. But I just need to 00:12:24.440 --> 00:12:29.820 know, are we? There yet? Because now I've done 00:12:29.820 --> 00:12:33.960 everything I know to do. I've upped my daily 00:12:33.960 --> 00:12:37.679 prayer time to like 12 .2 minutes on average. 00:12:38.679 --> 00:12:42.059 I've read my one -year Bible three times already 00:12:42.059 --> 00:12:46.440 this year. Right? I even invited somebody to 00:12:46.440 --> 00:12:54.629 church last week. Shouldn't I be there yet? Here's 00:12:54.629 --> 00:12:58.529 a question I want you to consider. What do we 00:12:58.529 --> 00:13:06.149 do when we're not where we used to be, but we 00:13:06.149 --> 00:13:10.710 also know that we're not quite where we're supposed 00:13:10.710 --> 00:13:18.950 to be? What do we do in the meantime? You know, 00:13:18.950 --> 00:13:23.110 it's interesting. We don't talk a lot about... 00:13:23.279 --> 00:13:27.700 the meantime. Because in our culture today, meantime 00:13:27.700 --> 00:13:32.240 doesn't make headlines, right? Like here in America, 00:13:32.500 --> 00:13:35.620 SportsCenter doesn't show the meantime highlights. 00:13:36.799 --> 00:13:38.799 SportsCenter doesn't show the athlete getting 00:13:38.799 --> 00:13:41.759 up and eating their Wheaties in the morning or 00:13:41.759 --> 00:13:44.399 whatever. We just see them dunking the ball. 00:13:44.980 --> 00:13:48.700 We just see the scoring of touchdowns. We are 00:13:48.700 --> 00:13:53.639 a highlighted society, oriented society. We want 00:13:53.639 --> 00:13:58.159 the highlights. And we would rather each and 00:13:58.159 --> 00:14:00.940 every one of us live. We would rather live from 00:14:00.940 --> 00:14:03.899 highlight to highlight to highlight. One promotion 00:14:03.899 --> 00:14:07.120 to the next promotion to the next promotion. 00:14:07.500 --> 00:14:09.799 Because the truth of the matter is each and every 00:14:09.799 --> 00:14:14.659 one of us really aren't into the meantime. For 00:14:14.659 --> 00:14:19.539 example, history doesn't typically record the 00:14:19.539 --> 00:14:24.059 meantime either. The Bible. Does it record the 00:14:24.059 --> 00:14:27.519 meantime? Let me give you an example. Jesus, 00:14:27.679 --> 00:14:33.139 pretty important character in the Bible. The 00:14:33.139 --> 00:14:37.000 Bible, the story of him, doesn't say anything 00:14:37.000 --> 00:14:42.399 about him from the ages of 12 to 30. The meantime. 00:14:44.080 --> 00:14:47.419 And that meantime had to have mattered. I mean, 00:14:47.419 --> 00:14:50.139 he had to go through puberty. He had to discover 00:14:50.139 --> 00:14:54.000 armpit hair. Right. How about that zit you get 00:14:54.000 --> 00:14:58.620 on the day of school pictures? He had to learn 00:14:58.620 --> 00:15:04.000 how to work a job with his dad. So what happens 00:15:04.000 --> 00:15:08.580 is oftentimes in church. At least let me say 00:15:08.580 --> 00:15:11.480 that this is often our experience. And if you've 00:15:11.480 --> 00:15:14.179 been with us, I think you'll share in this experience. 00:15:15.580 --> 00:15:18.700 Because because we talk about what God has brought 00:15:18.700 --> 00:15:22.769 you out of and. and where God is taking you. 00:15:23.929 --> 00:15:29.750 But wait, what do I do in the meantime? And that's 00:15:29.750 --> 00:15:33.049 what really caught my attention about these two 00:15:33.049 --> 00:15:35.669 stories in the Gospel account according to Mark. 00:15:36.990 --> 00:15:43.210 It uses these two rather unambiguous words, or 00:15:43.210 --> 00:15:45.509 ambiguous, depending on really how you look at 00:15:45.509 --> 00:15:48.740 it. Words that sometimes we just simply read 00:15:48.740 --> 00:15:51.379 right over and we don't even give much thought 00:15:51.379 --> 00:15:56.440 about. It says, one says, and then they crossed 00:15:56.440 --> 00:16:02.120 over. And Mark 6 says, when they crossed over. 00:16:03.779 --> 00:16:13.759 So, when is then? It's when it is. You can do 00:16:13.759 --> 00:16:16.080 your research on these two particular passages, 00:16:16.220 --> 00:16:19.480 and you'll discover that there's no exact timetable 00:16:19.480 --> 00:16:22.799 involved in these stories. We don't know exactly 00:16:22.799 --> 00:16:26.820 how long it took the disciples in the boat to 00:16:26.820 --> 00:16:31.379 go from one side to the other. And a lot of us, 00:16:31.500 --> 00:16:34.360 not you God -fearing beautiful people, but a 00:16:34.360 --> 00:16:41.320 lot of people encounter church, right? Looking 00:16:41.320 --> 00:16:45.820 for something. And ultimately what we want is 00:16:45.820 --> 00:16:48.840 we want to say, just tell me the seven, whatever 00:16:48.840 --> 00:16:53.100 number, non -negotiable, indispensable, indisputable 00:16:53.100 --> 00:16:56.879 steps that I need to for sure ensure that I can 00:16:56.879 --> 00:17:02.580 get this spiritual breakthrough. So before we 00:17:02.580 --> 00:17:06.720 know it, we turn the meantime. And to whoever 00:17:06.720 --> 00:17:10.180 knows some sort of weird secret password to make 00:17:10.180 --> 00:17:13.740 it to the next level. And then, before we know 00:17:13.740 --> 00:17:17.019 it, our relationship with God becomes like we're 00:17:17.019 --> 00:17:19.680 relating to a vending machine. We've talked about 00:17:19.680 --> 00:17:22.579 this example all the time. We find out the code, 00:17:22.740 --> 00:17:27.460 we punch it in, and we get what we want. But 00:17:27.460 --> 00:17:34.319 that's not relationship. The basis of relationship... 00:17:35.210 --> 00:17:39.990 is that there are people involved who are unpredictable. 00:17:41.029 --> 00:17:46.210 Now, sure, God is predictable from Genesis to 00:17:46.210 --> 00:17:49.089 Revelation, but there's a lot of wiggle room 00:17:49.089 --> 00:17:54.390 in there for us, and God will often surprise 00:17:54.390 --> 00:17:58.569 us. But we want to narrow it down to three, four, 00:17:58.690 --> 00:18:01.170 five, seven, whatever steps that will get us 00:18:01.170 --> 00:18:04.680 where we need to go. Well, if we have the seven 00:18:04.680 --> 00:18:08.220 steps that will automatically get us there, then 00:18:08.220 --> 00:18:13.559 where's our need for God? I've discovered that 00:18:13.559 --> 00:18:18.279 there are people that I mean filled heart integrity 00:18:18.279 --> 00:18:23.769 people. that are trying to get to the other side, 00:18:23.950 --> 00:18:27.430 whatever their other side is. It might be a healing, 00:18:27.549 --> 00:18:30.670 a miracle, a manifestation of a personal ministry. 00:18:30.869 --> 00:18:33.670 It might be a blessing in your home or your business. 00:18:33.710 --> 00:18:36.630 It might be dreams and visions in your life coming 00:18:36.630 --> 00:18:39.109 to fruition. All of these things, and we start 00:18:39.109 --> 00:18:42.630 making these steps up, and we tell everybody 00:18:42.630 --> 00:18:45.710 that if you just do these seven steps, God will 00:18:45.710 --> 00:18:48.559 ensure that those seven things... will not work 00:18:48.559 --> 00:18:51.819 for the person you just told because God doesn't 00:18:51.819 --> 00:18:59.380 work that way. This is a relationship. God knows 00:18:59.380 --> 00:19:02.500 and does not want to be a vending machine to 00:19:02.500 --> 00:19:06.640 us. Put your dollar in, push the button, get 00:19:06.640 --> 00:19:10.579 your Diet Coke. Automatic. And if it doesn't 00:19:10.579 --> 00:19:13.779 come out, the Karen in us comes out and by golly, 00:19:13.779 --> 00:19:16.779 we go get a refund from somebody, right? Or you 00:19:16.779 --> 00:19:20.460 shake the machine until it comes out. Don't shake 00:19:20.460 --> 00:19:25.059 vending machines, guys. You know that picture 00:19:25.059 --> 00:19:27.619 on the front of the machine where it's got like 00:19:27.619 --> 00:19:31.339 the stick guy getting squished? You know they 00:19:31.339 --> 00:19:33.460 had to put that sticker on there because somebody, 00:19:33.720 --> 00:19:36.920 bodies, were getting squished. That's right. 00:19:38.680 --> 00:19:41.779 So the question remains, what do we continue 00:19:41.779 --> 00:19:45.630 to do in the meantime? Because it might be for 00:19:45.630 --> 00:19:47.670 you, for me, it might be, man, I think God's 00:19:47.670 --> 00:19:50.630 given me a vision for my future. But I don't, 00:19:50.630 --> 00:19:56.410 what I don't know is that from here, where you 00:19:56.410 --> 00:20:00.670 are, to here, where God is going to eventually 00:20:00.670 --> 00:20:04.990 put you, could be years and years and years. 00:20:06.349 --> 00:20:11.609 For Jesus, a lot of years. For Paul, the Apostle 00:20:11.609 --> 00:20:14.000 Paul in the New Testament, Paul gets knocked 00:20:14.000 --> 00:20:17.579 off a donkey. Let me just paraphrase our story 00:20:17.579 --> 00:20:19.799 here. Paul gets knocked off a donkey, and he 00:20:19.799 --> 00:20:23.619 hears the audible voice of Jesus Christ. Who 00:20:23.619 --> 00:20:28.059 are you, Lord? I'm Jesus, he says to Paul, the 00:20:28.059 --> 00:20:33.220 one you have been persecuting. Now, I wonder 00:20:33.220 --> 00:20:37.000 how many of us might think that at that point, 00:20:37.099 --> 00:20:43.180 Saul, who ends up becoming Paul, He's probably 00:20:43.180 --> 00:20:45.740 ready to preach right after that experience. 00:20:46.099 --> 00:20:51.940 Put yourself in his sandals. I mean, if you heard 00:20:51.940 --> 00:20:55.440 the audible voice of God and he pulled you out 00:20:55.440 --> 00:21:00.039 of your Prius and says, I've called you, right? 00:21:00.160 --> 00:21:04.019 You'd be ready to preach too. You've just had 00:21:04.019 --> 00:21:08.160 an audible encounter with God. In this instance, 00:21:08.160 --> 00:21:12.250 God says, no. Instead, for three years, you go 00:21:12.250 --> 00:21:16.089 to Arabia and Damascus, and you'll actually be 00:21:16.089 --> 00:21:24.930 silent. Wow. Evidently, meantime matters to God 00:21:24.930 --> 00:21:29.789 as well. So what do we do in the meantime? I 00:21:29.789 --> 00:21:33.309 promise you, this message is not because I saw 00:21:33.309 --> 00:21:36.490 somebody and thought, oh my gosh, I need you 00:21:36.490 --> 00:21:40.900 to hear this. Right? I just want to say this 00:21:40.900 --> 00:21:44.299 is a Bible study that I have put together, and 00:21:44.299 --> 00:21:47.380 I'm saying it in public for myself, and I'm just 00:21:47.380 --> 00:21:50.119 inviting you to come along for the ride, okay? 00:21:52.160 --> 00:21:55.019 Because I want you to know I only deal in the 00:21:55.019 --> 00:21:59.180 stuff that I use, and this stuff's changed my 00:21:59.180 --> 00:22:03.039 life. So what do we do? Does the meantime matter? 00:22:03.519 --> 00:22:06.220 Do we just hope and wish and pray and beg someday 00:22:06.220 --> 00:22:08.220 that the next highlight will come? Finally come 00:22:08.220 --> 00:22:11.759 along. Or do we realize, in fact, that there 00:22:11.759 --> 00:22:16.599 is value, that there is significance in the meantime? 00:22:17.839 --> 00:22:21.299 What do you do when you're not where you used 00:22:21.299 --> 00:22:24.920 to be, but you know in your heart you're not 00:22:24.920 --> 00:22:29.880 where you're supposed to be yet? I think a lot 00:22:29.880 --> 00:22:32.000 of people have a misconception. They think that 00:22:32.000 --> 00:22:35.839 it's only the spiritual elite that make it through 00:22:35.839 --> 00:22:39.890 the meantime. It becomes this way, for sure, 00:22:39.930 --> 00:22:42.609 in church life and in the culture of the church. 00:22:43.430 --> 00:22:45.549 We look to people who've really had a breakthrough 00:22:45.549 --> 00:22:49.329 financially, physically, relationally, emotionally, 00:22:49.650 --> 00:22:54.410 whatever it might be, and we convince ourselves, 00:22:54.609 --> 00:23:00.509 we believe, man, they've got some secret I don't 00:23:00.509 --> 00:23:06.190 have. There's that password thing again, right? 00:23:06.680 --> 00:23:12.099 There's that mathematical equation again. They've 00:23:12.099 --> 00:23:16.400 got the secret. They just pray more than I do 00:23:16.400 --> 00:23:19.619 or somehow or another they're just more spiritual 00:23:19.619 --> 00:23:25.380 than I am. And only the spiritual elite get this 00:23:25.380 --> 00:23:29.119 blessing. So a lot of people just seem to conclude 00:23:29.119 --> 00:23:33.180 I'm never going to make it through this storm. 00:23:35.559 --> 00:23:38.400 I'm never going to make it to the other side. 00:23:40.920 --> 00:23:42.880 I'm never going to be able to pastor that church. 00:23:43.119 --> 00:23:45.819 My business is never going to get off the ground 00:23:45.819 --> 00:23:47.680 floor, whatever it might be. It's just never 00:23:47.680 --> 00:23:51.599 going to happen. The dream is never actually 00:23:51.599 --> 00:23:58.400 going to be fulfilled because I'm just not spiritual 00:23:58.400 --> 00:24:02.380 enough. Because it's only the spiritual elite 00:24:02.380 --> 00:24:08.750 that make it to the other side. But the Bible 00:24:08.750 --> 00:24:14.710 says in Mark chapter 6 and 52, it says that the 00:24:14.710 --> 00:24:21.829 guys in the boat that Jesus had handpicked to 00:24:21.829 --> 00:24:26.140 put on the boat. and cross over this body of 00:24:26.140 --> 00:24:29.359 water to take them on a mission. God has a mission 00:24:29.359 --> 00:24:32.859 on the other side. He's not just meandering his 00:24:32.859 --> 00:24:35.640 voice through a body of water. He has a mission 00:24:35.640 --> 00:24:40.259 on the other side. So these guys, he picked Jesus. 00:24:41.539 --> 00:24:46.220 The Bible says their hearts were hardened. These 00:24:46.220 --> 00:24:50.940 guys are hard -hearted jokers. But the next verse 00:24:50.940 --> 00:24:54.039 still says, And then they crossed over to the 00:24:54.039 --> 00:24:57.380 other side. Now, you might not have thought about 00:24:57.380 --> 00:25:00.200 it yet, but those two verses probably shouldn't 00:25:00.200 --> 00:25:04.900 go together. If I'm God and I discover that you've 00:25:04.900 --> 00:25:09.119 hard hearts and we ship them around and we go 00:25:09.119 --> 00:25:13.400 back to the shore rather than continuing to the 00:25:13.400 --> 00:25:15.599 other side. No, I'm going back to where I... 00:25:16.359 --> 00:25:19.720 and I'm telling all you guys, you guys are being 00:25:19.720 --> 00:25:24.559 traded for another group of dudes. I am replacing 00:25:24.559 --> 00:25:29.319 you. I'm going to find me some soft -hearted, 00:25:29.480 --> 00:25:34.339 kind, meek, mild people. Not you insensitive, 00:25:34.559 --> 00:25:40.720 self -centered, self -serving jerks. But not 00:25:40.720 --> 00:25:46.329 Jesus. Jesus takes even the... Hard -hearted 00:25:46.329 --> 00:25:51.130 all the way across. He takes the hard -hearted 00:25:51.130 --> 00:25:58.230 like you and like me. I mean, the text seems 00:25:58.230 --> 00:26:03.190 to beg us to ask, what is it that they did do 00:26:03.190 --> 00:26:07.650 to actually earn making it to the other side? 00:26:08.789 --> 00:26:11.769 Because that's that secret we all want to know. 00:26:11.930 --> 00:26:17.339 How do I get to the other side? Listen, God is 00:26:17.339 --> 00:26:22.880 a good God. And I'm convinced I believe you know 00:26:22.880 --> 00:26:28.700 this. God is good all the time. And he wants 00:26:28.700 --> 00:26:31.900 to do good things. He wants to take bad things 00:26:31.900 --> 00:26:35.400 and actually turn them into good. God wants to 00:26:35.400 --> 00:26:39.680 see the desire of your heart, of my heart, which 00:26:39.680 --> 00:26:42.240 he has put there in the first place, to actually 00:26:42.240 --> 00:26:46.180 be fulfilled. But Jim, what do I do in the meantime? 00:26:46.339 --> 00:26:48.460 How do I access the other side? Well, there's 00:26:48.460 --> 00:26:53.740 one thing. You were looking for a list of a bunch 00:26:53.740 --> 00:26:58.319 of cool things? I just have one tonight. There's 00:26:58.319 --> 00:27:01.440 one thing in this passage I think we could hang 00:27:01.440 --> 00:27:07.819 our hats on today. What is it that they did to 00:27:07.819 --> 00:27:11.460 access the other side and extend the mission 00:27:11.460 --> 00:27:17.730 of... their and our Savior? What did they do? 00:27:18.809 --> 00:27:22.549 And we have to sometimes maybe read these stories 00:27:22.549 --> 00:27:26.730 two or three hundred times to finally get it 00:27:26.730 --> 00:27:28.890 because there's only one thing I found, Scripture 00:27:28.890 --> 00:27:33.410 says. Now you can do further study and research 00:27:33.410 --> 00:27:37.400 in the original text and you can... learn it 00:27:37.400 --> 00:27:39.980 in the original language, and then you can email 00:27:39.980 --> 00:27:43.000 me your thoughts later. But here's the one thing 00:27:43.000 --> 00:27:51.119 I found. They simply stayed in the boat. That's 00:27:51.119 --> 00:27:55.619 what they did. They stayed in the boat. It's 00:27:55.619 --> 00:28:02.240 funny. It seems so small, so insignificant, doesn't 00:28:02.240 --> 00:28:06.650 it? Just staying in the boat. But it's actually 00:28:06.650 --> 00:28:12.009 amazing. Because the longer you simply stay around 00:28:12.009 --> 00:28:15.109 Jesus, the more significant just staying around 00:28:15.109 --> 00:28:18.990 Jesus ends up becoming. Just stay in the boat. 00:28:20.869 --> 00:28:23.930 Translation for us today, stay in the house. 00:28:24.029 --> 00:28:27.569 Stay in that relationship. even though it might 00:28:27.569 --> 00:28:29.690 be broken. I'm not talking about violence or 00:28:29.690 --> 00:28:31.349 anything like that, right? I'm talking about 00:28:31.349 --> 00:28:33.589 you've got relationships that are strained, and 00:28:33.589 --> 00:28:36.150 you want to save them, and you might be thinking 00:28:36.150 --> 00:28:38.150 it's easier just to walk away. It's easier just 00:28:38.150 --> 00:28:40.849 to jump off the side of the boat and swim back 00:28:40.849 --> 00:28:43.150 to shore than to actually stay in the boat. It's 00:28:43.150 --> 00:28:48.750 not. It's not. Stay in church. Keep coming whatever, 00:28:49.190 --> 00:28:54.289 right? Now, I was actually just talking about 00:28:54.289 --> 00:28:58.140 this earlier this evening. First and foremost, 00:28:58.279 --> 00:29:00.599 I think every single one of us needs to hear 00:29:00.599 --> 00:29:04.039 this. Whether you think to yourself, man, I have 00:29:04.039 --> 00:29:06.640 some big, heavy mistake that I committed in my 00:29:06.640 --> 00:29:12.099 past. Or you don't. Because many of you don't. 00:29:12.500 --> 00:29:17.920 Some of you do. Right? First and foremost, by 00:29:17.920 --> 00:29:20.720 being here tonight, let's celebrate that you're 00:29:20.720 --> 00:29:25.400 not where you used to be. We could stop right 00:29:25.400 --> 00:29:29.319 there and have a celebration. I'm not who I used 00:29:29.319 --> 00:29:31.660 to be. I don't think like I used to think. I 00:29:31.660 --> 00:29:34.380 don't talk like I used to talk. I'm not the husband 00:29:34.380 --> 00:29:37.240 I used to be. I'm not the dad I used to be. I'm 00:29:37.240 --> 00:29:40.400 not the man or the woman I used to be. Thank 00:29:40.400 --> 00:29:45.599 you, God. But at the same time, I know in my 00:29:45.599 --> 00:29:50.259 heart there's more. The best is yet to come. 00:29:51.280 --> 00:29:55.119 Around the next bend, God has even greater things 00:29:55.119 --> 00:29:59.299 for you in your life. More life. My life. For 00:29:59.299 --> 00:30:02.440 this church, for yourself, for your family. God 00:30:02.440 --> 00:30:08.420 has more for you. So, what do we do in the meantime? 00:30:08.599 --> 00:30:12.980 I'm convinced of this. Some people do too much 00:30:12.980 --> 00:30:17.380 in the meantime. Especially, guys, we're the 00:30:17.380 --> 00:30:21.440 worst. Because we're programmed to want to fix 00:30:21.440 --> 00:30:26.279 problems. Our wives come to us, and they just 00:30:26.279 --> 00:30:29.640 start crying, and we're like, who did it? What's 00:30:29.640 --> 00:30:32.160 his name? What's her name? I'll fix it. I'll 00:30:32.160 --> 00:30:34.859 fix it. And she's like, I don't need it. I just 00:30:34.859 --> 00:30:38.579 want you to listen to me. That's all, right? 00:30:39.200 --> 00:30:44.380 That's all? Just listen? Right? Guys, don't do 00:30:44.380 --> 00:30:50.970 that. I don't want a guy to just listen. I want 00:30:50.970 --> 00:30:54.529 him to go with me and pick a fight, right? Pull 00:30:54.529 --> 00:30:57.170 up our bootstraps, whatever. I'm going to fix 00:30:57.170 --> 00:30:59.829 this. I'm going to do this. But what happens 00:30:59.829 --> 00:31:02.529 often, in fact, you might be listening to me 00:31:02.529 --> 00:31:04.269 now. You have a wife. You have children. You've 00:31:04.269 --> 00:31:06.250 been in the meantime, and you've just concluded, 00:31:06.390 --> 00:31:08.289 I'm going to handle it. I'm going to take care 00:31:08.289 --> 00:31:10.470 of it. I'm going to deal with it. I'm going to 00:31:10.470 --> 00:31:17.480 fix it. You end up doing too much. All of the 00:31:17.480 --> 00:31:21.640 straining that you do on your own can't get you 00:31:21.640 --> 00:31:26.180 to where God wants and needs you to be. Which 00:31:26.180 --> 00:31:29.119 means at times you've got to rest. You've got 00:31:29.119 --> 00:31:32.839 to trust. You've got to have faith that he's 00:31:32.839 --> 00:31:37.579 the captain of the ship. Now, let's remember. 00:31:39.079 --> 00:31:42.079 Who was the one that tricked us to get in his 00:31:42.079 --> 00:31:45.859 boat in the first place? Who was the one that 00:31:45.859 --> 00:31:51.019 called us to the boat? Who was the one that saved 00:31:51.019 --> 00:31:55.359 us? Put that desire, that dream inside of us? 00:31:55.559 --> 00:32:02.000 It was Jesus. What Jesus starts, Jesus finishes. 00:32:03.960 --> 00:32:07.430 What that means for us, what it means... For 00:32:07.430 --> 00:32:09.950 the mother who's a housewife and loves God and 00:32:09.950 --> 00:32:12.069 taking care of your babies, what does it mean 00:32:12.069 --> 00:32:14.490 for you to stay in church, for someone that needs 00:32:14.490 --> 00:32:17.490 to stay engaged, to stay in the word of God, 00:32:17.569 --> 00:32:20.789 to trust in Jesus, right? Knowing that this is 00:32:20.789 --> 00:32:24.289 working together for good. Remember this, one 00:32:24.289 --> 00:32:29.269 thing about storms, unless you're on Jupiter, 00:32:29.549 --> 00:32:37.670 they don't last forever. Storms come. And storms 00:32:37.670 --> 00:32:42.769 go. What do I do when I, where I'm not where 00:32:42.769 --> 00:32:45.250 I used to be, but not where I'm supposed to be. 00:32:46.309 --> 00:32:51.930 Stay in the boat. Galatians six and nine. Galatians 00:32:51.930 --> 00:32:54.789 is a fantastic letter written by Paul. It's one 00:32:54.789 --> 00:32:57.970 of my favorite books in the Bible, right? It 00:32:57.970 --> 00:33:01.369 says, and let us, let us not grow weary while 00:33:01.369 --> 00:33:05.210 doing good. For in due season, we shall reap. 00:33:06.009 --> 00:33:12.529 If we do not, lose heart. There's that ambiguity 00:33:12.529 --> 00:33:18.970 again. Due season. Hey, Bible study guy. When 00:33:18.970 --> 00:33:23.190 is due season? How long is due season? It's when 00:33:23.190 --> 00:33:27.089 your season's due. And when is it? I don't know. 00:33:27.829 --> 00:33:33.009 It's a due season. I don't know. But it's not 00:33:33.009 --> 00:33:37.200 my job. Thankfully. to answer all of the cosmic 00:33:37.200 --> 00:33:42.680 questions. Nor is it yours. It's our job to stay 00:33:42.680 --> 00:33:46.819 in the boat. Even when the waves are crashing, 00:33:46.980 --> 00:33:50.599 the winds are howling, it's our job to stay the 00:33:50.599 --> 00:33:52.779 course and to trust God. For if we do not lose 00:33:52.779 --> 00:33:57.579 heart, don't lose your heart. We will reap in 00:33:57.579 --> 00:34:06.039 due season. Maybe you are in the meantime. And 00:34:06.039 --> 00:34:08.260 this is just a simple message that I feel like 00:34:08.260 --> 00:34:11.780 God's given me this evening. And if you're in 00:34:11.780 --> 00:34:13.840 the meantime, you know, I'm in the meantime and 00:34:13.840 --> 00:34:15.679 I hear what you're saying. I agree. I'm not who 00:34:15.679 --> 00:34:17.420 I used to be. I know I'm not where I'm supposed 00:34:17.420 --> 00:34:21.320 to be. What do I do? Stay in the boat because 00:34:21.320 --> 00:34:25.119 we'll reap if we don't lose heart. Because the 00:34:25.119 --> 00:34:27.400 one thing that we can always, always, always, 00:34:27.460 --> 00:34:31.300 always have faith in that our God is a good God. 00:34:31.559 --> 00:34:36.329 Amen. Amen. Hey, thank you guys for coming tonight. 00:34:36.489 --> 00:34:46.630 Thank you. See you guys. Staying in the boat. 00:34:48.510 --> 00:34:55.369 Simple. It's profound. And it is so hard to do. 00:34:57.070 --> 00:35:00.730 Because inside of each and every one of us, there 00:35:00.730 --> 00:35:05.150 is this simple desire. To jump over the side. 00:35:05.969 --> 00:35:13.789 To swim to shore. To run away. And wonder, where 00:35:13.789 --> 00:35:20.710 has all of our spiritual power gone? So in the 00:35:20.710 --> 00:35:25.650 meantime, when wondering, when asking God, are 00:35:25.650 --> 00:35:31.309 we there yet? Let us focus on simply staying 00:35:31.309 --> 00:35:36.719 in the boat. staying the course, and trusting 00:35:36.719 --> 00:35:42.079 in God. Anyway, something to think about. Until 00:35:42.079 --> 00:35:44.460 next week, friend, be blessed.