Last Friday night we had the priveledge of Ps Mark Saundercock tearing the bag with his message, Making the distance... Check out his notes!
Christianity is a marathon not a 100 metre sprint. So many people start the race but so few finish it. In the parable of the sower (Matt 13:1-23), Jesus illustrates this fact by describing 3 categories of seed that fail to last the distance:
• The seed that is on the path and was snatched away by the evil one
• The seed that fell on rocky places – receives it with joy but because he has no root he has no depth in his experience – trouble or persecution cause him to fall away.
• The seed that falls among thorns but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it.
But finally some good news:
• One receives the word and understands it, producing a crop yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.
A key to “staying in the game” or “making the distance” and living a victorious and abundant life is to have ongoing encounters with God. Isaiah 1:1 tells us about “the vision that Isaiah.... saw during the reigns...” of 4 different kings. This means that Isaiah was effectively serving God for maybe around 60 years. How? He had ongoing visions or encounters with God which kept him fresh, relevant, powerful and” in the game.”
The most powerful of these is found in Isaiah 6. The following principles can be applied to our lives and will result in us continuing to not just survive, but to thrive in our faith.
1) We see God as he really is (v.1-3)
2) We see ourselves as we really are (v.5)
3) Our needs are met and our lives sorted out (v.6-7)
4) The call of God is activated in our lives (v.8-9)
The question then arises “how can I have an encounter with God?” This might sound that a complex answer is required, but really it’s quite simple-Jesus said “ my yoke is easy, my burden is light”. (Mt. 11:30)
1) Read the Bible. When tempted to turn stones into bread Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 8:3 which says “Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” See also Joshua 1:8, 2 Tim. 3:16 &17.
2) Pray. Jesus prayed continually. “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Note also James 4:8 “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”
3) Go to church. What are the first recorded words of Jesus in the Bible? When Jesus’ parents couldn’t find him they finally found him in the temple, “sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions....’Why were you searching for me?....Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?’” Luke 2:46,49 See also Luke 4:16 and Heb. 10:25.
4) Keep a good attitude. Cain is a sad example of someone whose attitude destroyed him. Disappointments and offenses are inevitable-we need to be both resilient and flexible, “rolling with the punches” of life.
If we can get the basics right, we will make the distance and when we finally stand in God’s presence will hear the words “Well done you good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your master”.
