Top Gear
The best navigator
John 16:12-15New International Version (NIV)
12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”
Romans 5
Peace and Hope
1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Top Gear.
The best navigator.
I was thinking about Rally navigating this week and read this comment from Navigator -
Franca Davenport She comments “I am hurtling down a Yorkshire forest track in a very noisy Ford Fiesta. Trees are flanking my vision, stones are ricocheting off the car's sump guard and my head is bobbing like a nodding dog. Clutched in my sweaty mitts is a stack of notes that I am reading - no, yelling - to my driver.
It's hard to explain the motivation behind rally co-driving, or navigating as it should now be termed. When you explain the concept to normal people they tend to look baffled. "You mean you sit in a car and let someone drive you at breakneck speeds while you tell them where to go? Where's the fun in that?"
It seems to me that, just like rally drivers, navigators are an eclectic species whose one common motivation is a passion for their sport. No questions asked.
Then I got to thinking if the Holy spirit is your navigator in this life what does your life feel like to him?
Can’t you imagine the Holy spirit saying?
I am hurtling through Riversdale with in a very noisy Pastor . people are flanking my vision, stones are ricocheting off the car's sump guard and my head is bobbing like a nodding dog. Clutched in my sweaty mitts is a stack of bible notes that I am reading - no, yelling - to this pastor – then he runs down a track I told him not to go down swerves does a you turn and gets back on track – HOW come I get to navigate this guy?
Oh that’s right because The Father loves him – Jesus loves him and I love him – Gotta go left turn easy right oh no look out for the tree!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.
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Good morning
What do you know?
You may not know everything but you know what God your navigator knows a lot more. But what he wants you to know is whittled down for the immediate journey that you are on.
Your mood may rise and fall according to your personal circumstances but all manner of things are happening on earth and in fact if you tried to internalise what is happening you probably would not be capable of carrying it. You’d explode!
I love the story by Corrie ten Boom who was at the railway station and I think she asked her Father about immorality. Here is what she said. He turned to look at me, as he always did when answering a question, but to my surprise he said nothing. At last he stood up, lifted his traveling case from the rack over our heads, and set it on the floor. “Will you carry it off the train, Corrie?” he said. “It's too heavy,” I said. “Yes,” he said. “And it would be a pretty poor father who would ask his little girl to carry such a load. It's the same way, Corrie, with knowledge. Some knowledge is too heavy for children. When you are older and stronger you can bear it. For now you must trust me to carry it for you.” And I was satisfied. More than satisfied – wonderfully at peace. There were answers to this and all my hard questions. For now I was content to leave them in my father's keeping.
John chapter 16.
12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear.
First point is: When you are living in Top gear with God – Let him do the navigation and trust him with the details.
When we ask the simple question what do you know the answer is probably just about all I can bear Jesus carries much more. God is the navigator of our lives and he filters the information to a reduced bearable leval.
The thing I learn about God as our navigator is he will not weigh us down with what we do not need to know. But we need revelation and revelation, God’s revelation is progressive. I hope you know more about God and His will than you did last year and indeed last week. Our Revelation grows and what we could not bear at the beginning we now can bear. As one theologian commented on this passage. When we wish to teach a chid algebra we do not start with the binomial theorem; we approach them gradually. We do not start with difficult passages when we teach a child Latin or Greek; we start with the easy and the simple things. God's revelation to men is like that. He teaches us what we are able and fit to learn.
God navigates our life according to what we can handle.
Suffering for our faith would be unthinkable at the beginning and we would wonder at the use of it.
But as time progresses we unfold the secrets of the cross until we realise that whatever we know God knows more and the little we have is called revelation and I don’t know about you but I realise that my revelation is often limited to the terrain – the road ahead of me. As revelation increases the propensity of myself to be involved in the journey God has in front of me the uphill slopes as well as the downhill, challenges me, but I am not broken because his revelation accompanies the circumstances
The scripture that we read this morning is true where it says:-
. John 16:12-15New International Version (NIV)
12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
Secondly – We need to understand that pain and suffering are for journeying through not stalling our Christian walk.
How many people do you know who are living on the shrine of some previous loss instead of moving on with Christ. The Christian path is littered with them
That is where the reading from romans 5 comes in - Romans 5
Peace and Hope
1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
When a rally driver begins there is a route to becoming a top international driver – One - he normally drives a go cart and eventually rises up to the elite level of top international rallying. Or something like that.
Christianity can be the same – you start off in maybe Sunday School and progress right through to adult faith.
Paul also reveals a progression here in Romans chapter 5.
Verse 1 we are justified through faith and have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ – this is abc basic Christianity – very simple – Paul goes on - through whom we have gained access by faith into his grace – We come and understand that we are participants in the Christian family saved by God and loved by God – it is a position we attain through the blood of Jesus Christ it involves sacrifice but Jesus is the sacrifice poured out so that we may gain this position.
Then comes the rub – moving up a gear – we are now racing paul says
Philippians 3:14
I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
He also says - 1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.
It is one thing to have gained the position it is quite another thing to actually stand in the faith we confess.
Look! In life hardship is inevitable.
The bible doesn’t change It just whittles things down and says you need the right kind of hardship. Hardship for a profit.
A Drunkard, Prostitute, or liar might come into hardship but it is the wrong sort.
Martin Luther made a stand for Christ and was commanded to appear before the Emporer and said this "Unless I am convinced by Scripture and plain reason - I do not accept the authority of the popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other - my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. Amen."April the second 1522
Stephen in the Bible or Joseph endure hardship for the right reasons. But sometimes we avoid pain
In which we now stand leads to in Romans chapter 5
in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
In a rally there is an adrenalin buzz in having endured each stage and most drivers survive.
We need to understand that being a Christian leads to testing times but many people don’t take a stand and they miss out on the blessing of suffering.
Out of suffering comes fruit – that is why the early church grew so much in the book of Acts.
To take a stand for Christ, “show up” and do what you can do. You don’t have to be a big shot to do that.
Thirdly and finally remember the navigators job is to get you to your destination!
As it says in Romans chapter 5 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Victory will happen there is a finishing line and God will lead you in triumph.
1 Corinthianns chapter 15 …56The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Law. 57But thanks be to God, who gives us thevictory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
Our hope in God does not put us to shame – When the Holy Spirit is navigating then you will not end up in a ditch.
The Holy Spirit as your navigator only has victory in mind. All your inadequacies and failing are left behind under the precious love of Jesus as you move into Top gear in your faith.
What does the driver do?
Hebrews 12:2New International Version (NIV)
2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
When God is your Navigator you will end up in victory no matter how hard your circumstances are.
An old country preacher was challenged by a highly educated agnostic. The skeptic asked, “Why do you Christians constantly claim assurance of victory in the battle of eternity?” The old preacher replied: “Well, Son, it says in the beginning of my Bible that God was in charge when time started up. Then I flips over to the end of my Bible and reads that God will be in charge when time runs down. So I figure that twixt the beginning and twixt the end weren’t nobody else big enough to whoop ‘em.” (Lou Nicholes - Missionary/Author).
- (General Dwight Eisenhower) …. Once said -There are no victories at discount prices.
Bottom line – Let God navigate.
