2022.02.06 - Well … That Was Unexpected
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· 7 viewsWe often place human limitations on God.
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Well … That Was Unexpected
Well … That Was Unexpected
Isaiah 6:1-8 • Luke 5:1-11
Okay, drivers … have you ever been driving on the Interstate, and somebody in front of you suddenly realizes they’re about to pass their exit. What are they supposed to do? [drive to the next exit and double back]
What do they usually do? [swerve across 3 lanes of traffic to make sure they get onto their exit ramp]
Do you know why that’s not advisable? Because there are other drivers on the Interstate, and they tend to freak out when somebody does something that unexpected.
But sometimes the unexpected can be a good thing!
Some of you may know Hannah well enough by now to know that the unexpected is particularly difficult for her to accept. One night when we lived in Lawrenceburg … we were coming back from supper in Cincinnati. As we approached our exit off the Interstate, I swerved over into the shoulder and stopped abruptly. Before anyone had a chance to react, the car behind us hit into the car in front of us.
As we approached the exit, I noticed traffic on the exit was stopped for some reason. I also saw the guy behind me wasn’t slowing down. So, instead of pulling onto the exit, I quickly pulled onto the shoulder and stopped. The guy behind me couldn’t slow down in time. Me getting out of the way allowed him to swerve to the left and he hit hard, but only on one side instead of a straight hit without any slow down. I made an unexpected move, because I saw something no one else in the car could see. And we drove away from that accident without any injury or damage. Sometimes the unexpected can be a good thing.
Our first reading today was from the Book of Isaiah. Did you catch what’s happening in this passage?
Isaiah is being commissioned as a Prophet. God is telling him to speak to His people, and Isaiah is saying, “Nu uh! Not me!”
Isaiah 6:5 (NASB 2020)
Then I said, “Woe to me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, Yahweh Sabaoth.”
Yahweh Sabaoth is a title that means Yahweh is the commander of the angel armies in heaven.
If you’re familiar with Wayne’s World, Isaiah is basically saying: “I’m not worthy!”
Careful what you wish for … Isaiah tells the angels that he is a man of unclean lips, so one of the Seraphim fixes that:
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs.
7 He touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your guilt is taken away and atonement is made for your sin.”
Then God says, “Whom shall I send?”
And Isaiah responds, “Here I am! Send me!”
Well … That Was Unexpected
Well … That Was Unexpected
Anybody want me to touch your lips with a burning coal? Then, don’t resist God’s desire for you. When he says speak, speak. When he says go, go. When he says do, do!
Oh, surely God can’t use someone like me … that’s what Isaiah said. That’s also what Moses said. Who’s to say you aren’t the next Moses or Isaiah? If you don’t want the burning coals on your lips … don’t resist what God tells you to do.
In our second reading, we see Jesus telling a fisherman what to do.
First, he’s trying to teach, and the crowd is pushing in too close. He’s on the shore of The Lake of Genessaret, also known as the Sea of Galilee.
He knows if he can get out on the water a bit, in the natural amphitheater everyone on the slopes leading down to the water will be able to hear him
So he gets in Peter’s boat and says, “Hey, let’s shove off a bit.”
We don’t see any indication that Peter hesitates at this. This is early in the Gospel, and this request doesn’t seem strange coming from a teacher.
But when he’s finished teaching, Jesus gives Peter fishing instructions.
Now, I know we all think we have all the answers to every issue in life. But imagine for a minute, you have an electrician or some other tradesperson working in your house. I don’t know about you, but usually that means the job is beyond me, so I like to watch them and maybe ask questions to learn how they’re approaching the problem. I’m sure I drive them crazy. Imagine instead, that I start telling them how they should approach the problem. How do you think that would sit with them?
Jesus was, to the best of our knowledge a carpenter. He was not a fisherman. So this skilled, hardened, roughneck, cynical fisherman who had been out all night was probably more than put out when a carpenter told him to go back out and cast the nets again.
4 Now when He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.”
5 Simon responded and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.”
How often have you told God, “Listen, Lord … we’ve tried that before, and it won’t work. We’re tired, so we’d like to just get some rest.”? Now, not many of us would be bold (or stupid) enough to actually say those words … but how often have we said the same thing in our hearts and minds … and with our actions or lack of action?
Note what they may have missed if Peter had told Jesus, “no.”
6 And when they had done this, they caught a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to tear;
7 so they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, to the point that they were sinking.
8 But when Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!”
Sound familiar?
Sometimes the unexpected is a good thing.
Isaiah, and Moses, and Peter, and you and I demonstrate that we have two problems with following the Lord. The excuses we make expose at least two issues we have with actually following Jesus:
1. “Our ‘can’t’ is too big.” We think we know better than him. We think we know what’s possible and what’s impossible. We think we know how things work here on earth … or in Terre Haute … or in South Vigo … or at Temple better than he does. And we muster all of our intelligence and experience to tell the Lord of the universe what CAN’T be done.
2. “We think we’re unworthy to do it.” No, God wouldn’t use a screw-up like me. I’m unworthy! I’m unworthy!
So, Jesus tells us His “can’t” is nonexistent, and that he will use who he sees fit to use!
Your excuses have no value here.
It’s easy to think our best days are behind us … but look what the future may look like if we follow his plan:
After catching so many fish the boats couldn’t hold them all, Jesus tells Peter:
[not on screen]
Luke 5:10b (NASB 2020)
And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear; from now on you will be catching people.”
Wouldn’t it be great to have so many people involved in the life of the Church at Temple that our building couldn’t hold them? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to see so many people in Terre Haute coming to Christ that we struggled to find enough people to teach them the first steps of the faith?
Is this a pipe dream? Or is it that...
Your “can’t” is too big?
You think you’re unworthy or that God wouldn’t use you?
Is it possible that our resistance is suppressing God’s dream?
Well … That Was Unexpected
Well … That Was Unexpected
What unexpected thing does He want to do through us … through YOU?
Who will go for God? Whom should he send?
Today, we celebrate Holy Communion.
When the disciples arrived at that meal, they knew everything that would happen. They knew the Passover script. They knew the questions that would be asked and the answers that would be offered. They knew what would be on the menu, and they knew how the night would end.
They knew everything … until they didn’t.
Jesus is behind the wheel, and he can see things we can’t. He has information and understanding we don’t. And he has ALL of the knowledge we have. He has absolutely nothing to learn from us.
Sometimes the unexpected is a good thing.
Jesus took this extremely familiar meal, and did something unexpected. He provided ongoing sustenance for all believers throughout time until he returns in his glory. By this point in the Gospel, the disciples had learned to just go with it when Jesus changed things … except Judas.
As we approach this table today, let me ask: What might your resistance to God’s plans be causing?
In our Call to Worship today, we confessed our sins and our shortsightedness.
Let’s all take a moment in silence and make that a more personal confession.
[all pray in silence]
In the name of Jesus Christ. You are forgiven.
Simple prayer over elements