A Season of Restoration IV, Restored In His Purposes

This is North Way, tape number 377. This message, restored in his purpose, was delivered by Pastor Jay Passavant of North Way Christian Community on March 9th, 1986. Just before we read Luke chapter 5, I just want to mention to you the joy that it is to follow Jesus, because it's such an unexpected lifestyle. You know what it's like to go someplace and just be totally shocked at what God wants you to do, and how he leads you in ways that you, well, you just don't know what he's going to do next. And because he's your master and you're not his, when he tells you and leads you to do something, then you basically have one option, that's to say, okay, Lord, you know, no Lord is a contradiction. You've heard that, haven't you? But on this recent little getaway that we had with our family, I have to say that I was kind of taken up by what the Lord was showing me in his spirit at all places. If you can perceive this, a Disney world. You see, how many of you believe every experience that you're part of, God is in? We don't separate our secular life and our jobs and all that from being with God. God is all in all, the Bible says, and he certainly, because he's in you as a believer in Christ, he's certainly in you when you're out recreating or vacationing or working or playing or whatever you're doing. He's there in all things. And I was just surprised. I was kind of, I wasn't looking for God to speak to me at Disney world, you know that. But the Lord was speaking to me there. And through the eye of the spirit, I saw something and I hesitate to do this this morning as an introduction to the message, even though it's so appropriate that I have to do it. Because in a way, I may be in some people's minds beginning to take a bit of a almost un-American stance towards something that's become as American as all the other things that we know to be Chevrolets and apple pies and all that. But as I walked through the Disney complex and first time in my life that I'd been down there, I heard this message and if, how many of you have been there? Go ahead and just, I don't feel so bad. You were all there before. All right. For those of you who haven't, just listen to what I'm going to say though. But this is the message that you get, particularly as you wander through the newer portion, which is the Epcot Center. And this is the message that is verbalized as well as projected all over the place. You literally hear these words, man has a dream and his dream is to reach beyond his limitations and be the captain of his destiny. But I want to tell you something, that dream, that phrase, those words that you hear in all the different, you hear it as you go into the living seas and you hear the technology of whoever it is and then you go over here and you hear the communications of you know who and then you go down to the general motors of motion and all that and they're all saying that it's through communication, it's through technology, it's through more engineering, it's through working harder and discovering more that we're going to rise up and be the captain of our own destiny. Now I want to tell you what that is. That's a spirit. You're saying, come on now, it's a fun park. But you know what that really is, beloved. There is a testimony in mortar and unimaginable splendor of man's own achievement in himself. And man has raised this monument and it's beautiful and no one would contest all that. But in my entire wanderings around there in three days, I think I heard one word of spiritual content. One acknowledgement that one of the things that has raised America to where it is, is the spiritual heritage upon which we all rest our foundations. Man is on a search and if you listen to what's being said, the search will go on until man is the captain of his own destiny and his own limitations. I find it really interesting how we have gotten our values sort of topsy-turvy. How many of you have at one point in your life, don't put your hand up, but you criticized Robert Shuler for building the Crystal Cathedral? And you said, what a waste. What indulgence. What right does he have to spend all those people's money? Seventeen million dollars on this extravagant, and I walked off the big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Seventeen million dollars it cost to build that roller coaster. So people could go around and have a good time. I just want to submit to you, beloved, where would you rather see seventeen million dollars go? You see, we can indulge ourselves and do all this thing and the world comes along and says, but if you go ahead and build a building for seventeen million dollars, how's the people have got? Eight or ten thousand people a week. And that's somehow, you know, the arrogance of it, you know, the abuse of authority that that represents. And I want to say to you today that the reason I'm bringing this up is because Disney World and all of Florida, for that matter, it seemed to me, represents the truth that man is on a quest. He's on a search. He's looking to rise above his limitations. And I would say I'm one of those. How about you? But the place that we're going to find it is not in our technology and it's not in our wisdom and it's not in our communications and it's not in our mobility and it's not in our microchips. It's in the living God. But it's a grief to my heart that so few really know that. As I share with you today from this scripture in Luke chapter five, I want you to see how Jesus causes a man to find his destiny. Look with me. Luke chapter five. By the way, I hope you've noticed we've been really kind of sovereignly working through these beginning... I sound a little bit like Porky Pig there, didn't I? It's coming on. I just got to watch out for this. All right. That's what it'll do. We've been working through these first chapters. All right. The beginning of the Gospels and I want to read with you Luke chapter five, beginning in verse one. And would you read with me through verse 11? One day as Jesus was standing by the lake of Gennesaret with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God, he saw at the water's edge two boats left there by the fishermen who were washing their nets. And he got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from the shore. And then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he'd finished speaking, he said to Simon, put out into the deep water and let down the nets for a catch. And Simon answered, Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets. And when they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. And they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. And when Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, go away from me, Lord. I'm a sinful man. For he and all of his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken. And so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners. Now, Simon's another name for Peter. Then Jesus said to Simon, don't be afraid. From now on, you will catch men. So they pulled their boats up on shore and left everything and followed him. Beloved, it's impossible to go on speaking about the restoration of our hearts in these six weeks prior to Easter without bringing this particular point of teaching this morning. And that is that every one of us will never find fulfillment, will never find the satisfaction of God until we are restored in His purpose in our life. We must find restoration of God's call and purpose in our life. The Bible is full of words that say that God has chosen us to bear fruit and to be purposeful. Ephesians chapter 1 says, in Him we also were chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will. And you all know Ephesians 2.10, for we are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do what? What? Say it. Good works. Say it. Good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. And unfortunately, instead of many of us finding purpose and destiny in God, many of us suffer from what I've heard named victimitis. Victimitis. Victimitis is the condition that comes when you feel that circumstance and outward conditions and obstacles in relationships have gotten in the way of what you really were supposed to do with life and now you're a victim of that and there's no way out and you can't change. And I'm not talking about people who are without God, I'm talking about God's people. And this victimitis builds onto a person and lays them down low and begins to bring depression and discouragement and doubt and guilt and it's all a lie. Because God said He's chosen you from the foundation of the earth to bear fruit unto Him. Now the Lord wants to say so much today and I don't have even the beginning of enough time to share with you the full magnitude of what this is all about. And yet I want to say just a couple things. Number one, God will meet you where you are. His call in your life comes in the flow of the normal routine things that you're doing. What was Peter doing on the day that Jesus touched him? He was fishing. What was Peter? He was a fisherman. Now keep in mind that this is not his conversion, beloved. If you read the other Gospels in concert with this, he'd already met Jesus, particularly read John's Gospel. He's just doing his thing. He's coming to terms with this thing of who Jesus Christ is. And I want to just make it clear today that this was a time not of conversion but transformation. Many of you are here today. You know Christ. You've been a recipient of the grace of God. You've been what the Bible calls born again. But there needs to be in your life a transformation and you find yourself in a rut. You know that you're just going along, going through the motions, step by step, just kind of doing a thing that you felt like, well, this is what I've got to do. This is where I am. I want you to see something. Look carefully because you won't get this unless you understand the Greek New Testament. In verse one, the Bible says that the crowd was gathering around Jesus, listening to the word of God. And that word there that you see translated word of God is the word logos, which means the general revelation of God. Peter was hearing the general revelation of God. He was hearing Jesus teach about certain matters. But look down at verse five. And Simon said, we worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, or in some translations, that your word, right, I will let down the nets. And you know what that word is in the Greek? It's rhema. It's a specific word. It's me to you. It's God to you. It's rhema. It's a flow of God's special word revelation to you. And I want to say today this. One of the mistakes that so many people make in moving along in God and finding their destiny and purposes, they get out from underneath the word of God. They withdraw from teaching. They pull back from being where the word of God is being proclaimed, where people are hearing instruction and they miss an opportunity to hear what God is saying to them. And I need just to exhort you some, church, that the word is coming forth in many forms here in this community. Many are giving hours of preparation to bring a word. And because you don't come to receive it, that logos doesn't fall and a rhema doesn't appear. And there needs to be in us a determination that I'm going to sit, Lord, and receive the logos so that when you want to speak a rhema, I'll be ready to hear it. One of the things that has always been part of my life, and I don't know why this is, it bugs me sometimes about myself, all through seminary, all through my training time and even after that, I was always persistent in being where the word was. Like I never cut classes unless it was just like a radical emergency, you know. I never missed a training time because, you know what? I didn't want to miss. You know what I thought to myself? If I miss that day, that's the day that God's going to, something great's going to happen. You ever feel that way? And so I made myself go, dragged myself there. And I have a sense that over the years, you see, we begin to pick up. And we're there presenting ourselves and God then speaks and breaks through into us. And I just want to say, be where the word is. Listen to the word. Now, look what happens, church. Jesus says two things to Peter. He says, put out and let down. And Peter says two things back, we've worked hard and haven't caught a thing. Let me ask you a question. If someone were to come before you right now and ask you to describe your life and your sense of purpose in the kingdom of God, in the fruitfulness in God, would you say with Peter, I've worked hard and I don't feel like I've done a thing. I haven't really accomplished anything. One of the saddest testimonies I think you'll ever hear is someone who would say, well, I've known God for 35 years and now I'm going out west to retire and wait for the glory bus. You see, the world does that to its people, church, but God doesn't do that. I had a dear uncle who worked 30 years in one of the major steel companies here in the area, I won't name it. And at the end of his 29th year, not his 30, his 29th year, he walked into work one morning and his desk was gone. There was a little note there saying, you can pick up your belongings down the hall. Just like that, dismissed. God doesn't work that way. God has purpose and an unfolding revelation of what he wants to do in your life. He wants to show you more and more of who he is and reveal more and more of what he has designed you to be. You say, well, look at this here. You say, maybe I was the person with the other boat. Look down there. Jesus picked one of those boats, didn't he? He picked Peter's. Why didn't he pick the other one? You say, well, that would have been my boat if I'd been there. Right? That's right. I would have gotten, I mean, he would have gone right by mine. That's the way it is. Murphy's law. But look here. I want you to see this. If God has brought you into his church, if you've been born into the kingdom of God and he's placed you here at North Way Christian Community, I want to say without any hesitation, you have a destiny right here. You have a place in this church. You have a role to play. You're a living stone that's been placed here by God. And if you don't do what God's called you to do, we are going to be weakened because of it. If you read 1 Corinthians 12, 7, you'll see that the Bible says that the Holy Spirit has given gifts for the common good to each one. And Ephesians 4, 16 talks about the fact that when all the body parts work together, they build a strong and loving expression of the church. Each one contributing. And you know what I think is really wonderful? Notice down here. What happened in the end of this story? What about the other boat? So much happened that finally the other boat got pulled into it. And so that just says to me that God's purpose is to bring us all into the abundance of the harvest that he wants to bring forth through our lives. Now, I don't know what you're doing with those overheads, but let me tell you what the second point is, all right? That God's call involves a putting out and a letting down. The first one is it happens in normal routine of life. And number two, it happens when we learn to put out and let down. Could you imagine what would have happened if Peter had said, you know, Jesus, I am not interested in what you're saying to do here because I know fishing and we didn't catch anything. Plus, I'm really tired. You know, this was the end of Peter's work day, not the beginning. How many of you find you're less likely to obey at the end of your work day, right? Come on, honey, it's seven o'clock. You know, I just I can't go tonight. I can't be part of home group tonight. I just too tired. You see, Peter didn't say no, no, no. He said, Lord, at your word. And here's the reason. Let me just say that Peter knew, beloved, that there will never be the fullness of God's destiny and purpose in your life as long as you're part of the crowd lingering at the shoreline. As long as you don't want to take any risk to step out to come into God's purpose and destiny, you'll never rise up into it. You'll just stay there with the group, just sort of hearing the general words and saying, praise God. And unfortunately, that shoreline is populated with people who out of fear or doubt or ignorance or indifference have never tasted the wonderful joy of seeing God do something with their lives. Following Jesus always involves risks. Amen. If you're going to do what God wants you to do, you've got to step out. I crossed that threshold a little over five years ago when this church was first started to make that decision to leave all the security of the shoreline because I heard the voice. I heard the word of the Lord saying, this is what I want you to do. Come on. He said, well, that's the problem. I never hear anything. You talk about hearing voices. Is something wrong with you? Do you hear voices? Beloved, I know that when we start talking in terms of hearing God speak, all kinds of things go up in our minds, you know, weird things perhaps. But let me just say that unless you know how to distinguish the leading of God by the inner voice of the spirit from your own rationale or other voices that come, you'll never learn to be led in the purpose and destiny God has for you. Jesus said, my sheep, what? Know my voice. And we learn to know the voice of God. Just let me tell you a few characteristics. It's persistent. It's confirmed in the lives and counsel of others. It's scriptural. It doesn't contradict scripture. It's soft. It won't ever yell above everything else. And finally, the voice of God, in my experience, always creates a thirst that I want what that voice is calling me to. Persistent, confirmed, scriptural, soft and creates a thirst. Put out and let down until you want to listen. If you don't put out, you'll never find what God wants for you. How many of us say, well, you know what? I just love to see a miracle today. I want a miracle in my life so bad. I want a miracle. I think it's interesting that Jesus didn't say to Peter, put out there and watch the fish jump into your boat. He said, put out and let down your nets. Everything in us wants God to work, but we want him to work just like we watch it, you know, like, oh, wow. It's look at that. And start thinking through the Gospels. Jesus says, you know, put water in the pots, stretch out your hand, lift up your bed. He's always saying, do something, show that you have faith. Take a step, get moving. I just yearn, church, that we learn that we have to participate in what God wants to do. We have to take a step. And then number three, when we do that, we find that God's call comes with anointing. It comes with an anointing. Look at the bounty that Peter reaps because of his incredible step of obedience here. He says, the Bible says, verse six, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. You can just see this from nothing to these nets just teeming, you know, up to Pima Tuning Dam and seeing those fish. That's what it must have been like, you know, pulling those things up. And then another boat comes alongside and they're filling them up and the boats are sinking down in the water. This must have been such a scene. And I found, beloved, that once you find God's call and you move in it, anointing begins to flow and you just can't help but being a blessing. Things that you touch go well. How many know what I'm saying? It's not a labor. You don't like, oh, God, another day of prayer. Another day of being a deacon. If that's how you feel about your ministry, you know, oh, home group leaders again. Yeah, you're in the wrong ministry. You haven't found your call. Selling insurance. Oh, God, you know, I don't believe God wants us to live that way. Do you? I can think of so many people, I don't even have time to begin to mention them, who move around here in a sense of joy and they're doing a lot of little diddly things and, you know, in a mentality mindset of how much value do we put on this, you know? Running the sweeper, greeting, you know, well, that's no big deal, but they have a joy in it and a fruitfulness in it. I know of one person who makes about 20 phone calls a week and ministers to people over the phone and there's a joy in it and they love it. And when you talk to them, it's not, oh, you know, I've got six more to go today. It's I really, oh, you know, I talk to this person and they so love the worship or they so love the ministry circles. You know, they just have so much to say that's positive. Why? Because they're in their anointing. They're moving in their call of God. Beloved, let me say that this anointing and this call is many times progressive. It starts at a certain point and moves on. Think of Stephen. You remember Stephen in Acts chapter six? What was he called to do originally, folks? He was called to wait on tables and serve those who were coming in, eating food and so on. But what happened in Stephen's life? He became a great, powerful man of miracles and eventually became a martyr in Acts chapter seven in the New Testament church. If we're faithful in what God gives us to do, we find him touching that and then moving us on, touching it, moving us on. I believe that the call of God is progressive. I'm talking right now, listen, to people who've been around us for 10 years as Christians, 15 years. We heard Bonnie Propelka say she's been a believer for 36 years. Now, I believe that she'll be coming into a new dimension of anointing on her life. You say, you know, I had one guy say to me, well, God's called me to have a ministry to senators and congressmen. You know, this guy was like 19 years old. Oh, that's great. You know, what do you think? Maybe you ought to learn some ministry in the local body to understand what ministry is about. So no, God's called me to go to Washington, D.C. and minister to the senators and congressmen. OK, could you come and help with our youth for a little? No, God's called me to go to senators and congressmen. And you see, beloved, I, I believe with all my heart that though that young man's intent was good, he's going to miss God because he hasn't learned to be faithful in the small things and let God add to him the big things. Progressive revelation of our call and anointing. Finally, God's call changes us. Let me just look at this with you as we see Peter. In verse eight, the Bible says that he saw this catch of fish and fell at Jesus' knees and said, go away from me, Lord, for I'm a sinful man. Now, listen, Peter isn't saying here, come on, get lost. I don't want anything more to do with you because I can't handle it. You know what Peter's saying, Church? I hear him saying this. He's saying, God, if I'm going to be around this kind of miracle power, if I'm going to be part of this kind of invasion of supernatural life into this life that I live, I'm not worthy. I'm not worthy of this. Depart from me. You ever feel like that? I want you to know I feel like that many times. When I look around and see the lives being touched here in this church and through the ministries of this church, I say, Lord, no one knows better than I do, beloved, that it's not because of me that God's doing what he's doing. God is just determined to do something. And so he's doing it. Peter changes. Look, in verse five, Peter says, master, which is the word for teacher, apostasis. And then in verse eight, he says, Lord, Lord, which is the word Kyrios, which means sovereign, absolute ruler. Jesus went from a teacher to a Lord, and Peter came into this tremendous revelation of his own nature and the nature of God. I want to say to you, there is no condemnation in that church. What I yearn for more than anything else is a church full of people who see God not as someone that's keeping them down under some repressive, heavy thing like, well, you've had enough joy now, but as a God who's committed his son to you, that as you submit to his lordship, he lifts you up and says to you, put away those fishing nets, because from now on, I have a new purpose for you. You're going to catch men. You're going to move in a realm of seeing lives change like you never know. I want to say to you, I don't care what your ministry is. I don't care what you feel your calling is. The greatest miracle I know is to change life. Is that true? I mean, we want to see the Lord heal, and he does. We want to see him deliver, and he does. We want to see him provide miraculous, and he is. But beloved, I look around the room, and I see changed lives. I see people who had no hope. They now have hope. They had their families were falling apart. They now have a family together again. They had no direction. They now have a way to go. And I say that's the greatest miracle. And everything you do to contribute to that, from being a greeter, to being someone on the phones, to hanging up banners that you make, to whatever you do, goes along in the very power flow that sees lives changed. What should we do? I labored for three hours on this one last point, because to me, it represents most of us. I want to talk in conclusion to the homemakers, the moms, to the people who are in fixed income jobs, who have no way out, to the people who say, hey, listen, I'm not called the full-time minister. I want to talk to the people who say, well, this is great if you're a 22-year-old person out of college and looking for a ministry. See, with all my heart, church, I believe that what the Lord wants to do is raise you up where you are and fulfill you where you are. And here's how it happens. Number one, come to Jesus' feet. Martha, Martha, you're preoccupied with so many things. Mary has chosen the better portion and shall not be taken from her. Number two, expect God to give a specific call for where you are right now. Mom of five kids, gentleman working at a gas station, but expect God to fashion for you a call right where you are. Number three, anticipate progressive release. Watch God fulfill you where you are and then move you to the next step. I love it when someone says to me, this is great, but I'm not there yet. I believe that. Come to Jesus' feet. Expect God to give you a specific call. Anticipate progressive release. Number four, pray the price. Pray the price. In prayer, God changes everything about your perspective. Number five, share your dream in God with someone else. Share it with them. Ask them to believe with you, to change everything that needs to be changed, to see him rule in your life and circumstance. Beloved, this is restoration, restoration of discouragement and doubt and failure and fear. Some people here today have heard this message and said, I know I tried that two years ago, didn't work. And I've had a hard heart for two years because my place, my ministry failed. I learned something about fallow ground this week. We've been talking about fallow ground, ground that doesn't have any crops. Do you know what happens while ground lays fallow? It replenishes the nutrients. It gets itself ready for a new crop. I want to say today that there are some here whose soil now has received fresh nourishment and your soul is now ready to produce a fresh crop. Come to Jesus today and be restored and let him plant new hope in you. Let's pray together. Oh, Jesus, Lord, I can't begin to even share today all that I know you want to do with your church. Lord, I know that these are here today who yearn to come into a fulfillment, Father, to discover their call in your church, Lord, the kingdom of God. That's not passing away, that's not made of mortar, bricks and aluminum and glass, Lord, that many here today would find fresh anticipation that they would discover their destiny in you. They would come to know you and they could say with Peter, Lord, I'm unworthy, but I'll follow you. I'll follow you. I'll follow you, sweet Jesus. Well, let's just pray for a few moments, church. Let's pray, Lord. Hallelujah. I wonder how many today are here that say, Jay, if I was really honest with you this morning, I don't know my call. I don't know my purpose in Christ. I don't know really what I'm doing in the church. I don't know what I'm doing in the kingdom of God. I'm just going through the motions of being a believer. I love Jesus, but I don't know what I'm called to do. That's all Bauer hits for a moment. I just want to see how many people would say that's me. I really don't know my call. I don't know my purpose. Put your hand up. Let me just see. Hold him up there just a second. I'm just going to agree with you right now. God, Lord, in the name of Jesus, Father, I know you see these couple hundred hands right now that are raised. God, these people who are calling out and saying, I want to know my purpose. I want to know why you've brought me here. I want to know what I'm to do to find fulfillment. I want to know what it is, Lord, that will cause me to rise up and be what you want me to be. Hallelujah. Thank you, Jesus. Now, if you raised your hand and you want someone to agree with you specifically, you come up right now as we're ministering. I want some home group leaders to come up, please. People receive ministry. God breaks bondages if you have people agree with you. Let's sing this hymn together. Trust and obey. Lord, what a glory he sheds on our way. Come forward now. While we do his good will, he abides with us still, and with all who will, trust and obey. Trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey. Though the shadow can rise, though the cloud in the skies vanishes, he drives it away. Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear can remain when we trust and obey. Praise the Lord. Let's let ministry continue on. I believe another thing the Lord wants to do right now is those of you who acknowledge that there's a time of change at hand, but you didn't come forward. When we dismiss in a moment, the Lord would have you, I believe, to agree with someone near you. Just a brother or sister. I will. I will love you. I will praise you, Lord. I will. I have made up my mind to bless you, Lord. Lord, I will. Lord, I will. Sing the second verse. Lord, I will. Lord, I will. I will love your chosen people. Lord, I will. I have made up my mind to bless them, Lord. Let's lift our voice as we sing. Lord, I will. I will follow you and serve you, Lord, I will. I have made up my mind to live by your word, Lord, I will. Lord, I will. Praise the name of the Lord. Is that your testimony today, church? Lord, I will. Let's seal that with a clap offering together. Hallelujah. Once again, ministry happens now. Share with someone what God did for you today. If you need prayer for healing, on this side of the room. Healing will be over on this side. Others of you, come forward to receive the Lord today. Love one another. You're dismissed. Stand up and bless the Lord, your God, forever lasting. Forever lasting. Stand up and bless the Lord, your God, forever lasting. Forever lasting. Blessed be your glory today, oh Lord. Stand up and bless the Lord, your God, forever lasting. Forever lasting. Stand up and bless the Lord, your God, forever lasting. Forever lasting. Blessed be your glory today, oh Lord. Which is exalted above all blessing and praise. Blessed be your glory today, oh Lord. Which is exalted. Which is exalted. Amen.