Introduction: Mystic Seaport is filled with a variety of clippers and other sea-worthy ships. Countless voyages have been sailed by each ship. There is perhaps no greater sight to behold than that of such a sea-worthy vessel, trimming through the water under full sail. The ship is in her world. In fact, the ship is moving through her world, leaving a trail, making a wake, and carrying whatever her cargo is with her.
God wants us to be like these majestic ships. Free to carry our cargo, Him, to the rest of the world. Yet, too often we remain in the harbor, safely tucked away. Perhaps, it has been many years since we caught wind in our sails. The dreams are gone. The passion and desire are gone. Even though the water tugs at us to set sail again, we remain tied to port.
What really keeps us from venturing out again. Has there been a storm in our past, one that has assaulted us? Or perhaps, we are weighed down with barnacles. Or is it our rudder – is it tangled up to the point of uselessness? Whatever the reason – the reason has put a boundary on us, one that keeps us from setting sail for God.
Yet it is God that makes it possible for us to weather the storm, to scrape the barnacles, and to even untangle our rudder!
With God’s help – there IS more to dream about than summer.
Here is what God says
Ephes. 3:20
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,
Literally this means – “God is able to do above and beyond that which is already above and beyond and which exceeds measure – according to the power that works within us.”
Through the next several weeks – through vacations, both yours and mine, through mission trips, and church activities, we will look together at eight obstructions that keep us back. That keep us from dreaming about more than summer. Some of you will be here for all of these. Others for most, Some for some, and a few for a few. That’s the way Summer is. Yet, if we are able to clear only a couple of obstructions, we will reap the benefit of dreaming things – things for God, that we have not attempted to dream about for years.
So let’s start.
OBSTACLE #1 – OUR PAST
ü Probably one of the best known of biblical characters is Moses. Check him out in Exodus chapters 1 and 2
o Born during a time of persecution – Egypt was trying to kill male Hebrew babies.
o Set in a basket and placed in the Nile River.
o Found by the daughter of Pharaoh.
o Raised by Royalty, yet cared for by his own mother
o Aware of his heritage
o At the age of 40 he acts irresponsibly and takes the life of an Egyptian
o Forced to flee for his life
o Exiled for 40 more years as a shepherd
o Thought his life was over
ü What Does God’s Word say…
Philip. 3:13
Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,
o Forget means “to fail or be unable to remember something”
o I cannot be influenced by something I have forgotten
ü How Does God react to our past? God’s response to Moses is found in exodus chapter 3
Exodus 3:4
When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!"
And Moses said, "Here I am."
Exodus 3:10
So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt."
o God was not intimidated by the past of Moses
o God was not finished with Moses in spite of his past
ü Probably one of the best known parables of Jesus is the Prodigal Son recorded in Luke 15
o In reality this is a parable about three different kinds of past pain.
o In context each character in the parable represents one of three different groups or people.
o The Younger Son – The Pain Of Rebellion Against His Father
§ The younger son asks for his inheritance now
· He was permitted to know what it would be, but not permitted to sell it, or gain any benefit from it until the death of the father.
· asking for it now means – “I wish you were already dead”
· selling it violated the family as a whole and was a tremendous indignity to the father.
ONE OF THE OFTEN FORGOTTEN CASUALTIES IN REBELLION IS THE OTHER PERSON. WE NEVER ACT IN A VACUUM!
· The pain of rebellion is often multiplied by the knowledge that we have hurt someone else in the process.
The younger son represents the tax collectors and the sinners …
Ø These were the people coming to see Jesus
Ø These were the ones who many thought had squandered their spiritual inheritance
Ø These were the prostitutes
Ø These were those who had rejected God
Ø These were the ones who had been running from God
o The Older Son – The Pain of Resentment Against His Father
§ The older son resents the return of his brother
· This brother is stuck, consumed by his own jealousy and inability to forgive
· He is unable to enjoy the benefit of living in the father’s house
· There is the distinct feeling of “not being cared for”
· His “concern” at doing what is right blinds him from “seeing” what is right
· The actions of the older brother also hurt the father
n Refusing to enter the house was a tremendous indignity against the father
n Refusing to greet the younger brother was also a tremendous indignity
· The actions of the older brother hindered his relationship with the younger brother
n Refused to define himself in terms of his younger brother – “your son”
JEALOUSY HAS A WAY OF KEEPING US FROM WHAT IS RIGHT
-- The brothers of Joseph were jealous of the coat their father had given him. The result – they wanted to kill him but ended up selling him into slavery.
-- Cain was so jealous after the rejection of his sacrifice, while Abel’s was accepted, that he murdered his brother. God even warned him that jealousy was the problem. Genesis 4:7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."
The older son represents the Pharisees …
Ø Resentful that sinners were coming to here Jesus
Ø Would not celebrate the salvation of others
BITTERNESS FROM MY PAST PROHIBITS ME FROM CELEBRATING
· The actions of the older brother made him more a slave than a son – He was not able to enjoy the benefit of his father’s house.
BITTERNESS NOT ONLY HURTS OTHERS BUT IT HURTS ME TOO!
o The Father – The Pain Of Rejection While Loving
§ The Father has been hurt by both sons
§ There is perhaps no greater pain than to have your love ignored or rejected.
§ Here we see God’s pain in waiting for His children
· God is waiting to see how much He loves us – He was constantly looking for the younger son, and pleads with the older son.
· God refuses to manipulate us to love him, but waits for us.
IN SPITE OF OUR PAST GOD STILL WANTS TO USE US!
So how do I get past my pain, so God can use me?
1. Acknowledge your past – pain and all. We need to understand that living a life independent from God is destructive.
2. God understands pain. God lost his son for us. In our parable, God endures the pain of both the younger and older son. God may even use pain to drive you to Him.
3. Decide to move past the pain and the past.
We do not know what really happened with the older son, whether he came into the house and his brother.
We do know about the younger son, and how God responded to his return. One little fact says it all:
n The son wanted to return as a servant.
n All the father wanted was forgiveness.
n All the Father gave
o The best cloak – guess who owned the best cloak in the house
o A ring on his finger
o Sandals for his feet – guess who wore sandals and who did not
God is searching for a closer relationship with you. If there is something keeping you from this God says – “Come home my child”
God is searching for a more bountiful relationship with you. If there is some sort of bitterness that keeps you from really enjoying all that is yours in Christ, God says, “Everything I have is yours.”
IF WE ARE EVER TO DREAM ABOUT MORE THAN SUMMER VACATION AND LEMONADE, WE NEED TO FORGET ABOUT OUR PAST!
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