Put Out To Sea

INTRO.- Luke said, "We put out to sea."

ILL.- Recently, we heard that Edward Ted Kennedy has a brain tumor, a cancer, but he’s not giving up. You have to give him credit for this. He’s continuing to do, to go about his business. And over Memorial Day weekend he even put out to sea and was involved in a sailboat race.

You got to give him some credit. There is something to be said about someone who doesn’t give up, who keeps on, keeping on regardless of opposition or hindrances of any kind. I respect that in him whether I believe what he believes or not.

ILL.- He’s like another fellow that I recently read about. At the age of 60, Saoul Mamby Fights on Because That Is What He Does. That was the title of the news story. Who is Saoul Mamby? He’s a professional boxer who hasn’t quit.

Most boxers believe their prime days are over in their mid-30’s or at best, 40 years of age but not Saoul Mamby at age 60. Here’s his story by TIM DAHLBERG. He wrote: "I guess I should be outraged, but somehow I’m not. Saoul Mamby probably shouldn’t be fighting, but he’s been doing it for so long I’m not going to be the one to tell him to stop.

"The grandfather of 11 first fought for money in 1969, a year he remembers well even if a lot of others don’t. He was once a world champion who fought on the same card as Muhammad Ali, he’s fought around the world in places you’d be hard pressed to find on a map, but where he could always find a payday.

"The other night he went 10 rounds with a man half his age down in the Cayman Islands. He took the fight on a few days notice, figuring that even a few months shy of 61 he could beat a guy who had lost 13 of his last 14 fights. He couldn’t, but at his age one more loss isn’t going to deter him.

Mamby said, "I didn’t get hurt or beat down. It’s just that my tools weren’t sharp. Now that I’ve got 10 good rounds under me I’m ready to go again."

Brothers and sisters, you’ve just got to admire that guy for not giving in, not giving up or quitting. Many people quit important things in life when they shouldn’t.

Personally, I think many people quit work before they should. I feel that way mainly because I can’t retire yet and I’m envious.

No, I believe in my work. I believe in it more now than ever before! I believe that every person on planet earth needs Jesus as their savior!

And I may not influence millions but I’ll influence a few people for Christ. And that’s all any of us can hope for. Few of us will influence people for Christ like Billy Graham has.

However, this doesn’t mean that our influence isn’t important. It is. You and I can influence some people that Billy Graham can’t. We are important to the work of God. WE MUST NOT QUIT. We must keep on, keeping on. We must set sail and go to work!

In our text, Paul (along with others) set sail to accomplish God’s will for his life. And we all must put out to sea in regard to our faith in Christ.

PROP.- From this text, let’s get some ideas about setting sail in life in order to accomplish God’s will.

1- We must set sail for our mission

2- We must set sail in regard to the Lord’s will

I. WE MUST SET SAIL FOR OUR MISSION

1After we had torn ourselves away from them, we put out to sea and sailed straight to Cos. The next day we went to Rhodes and from there to Patara. 2We found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, went on board and set sail. 3After sighting Cyprus and passing to the south of it, we sailed on to Syria. We landed at Tyre, where our ship was to unload its cargo.

Notice the words of our text: We put out to sea. We went. We found. We sailed. And verse 15, "After this, we got ready and went up to Jerusalem." Paul set sail straight to Jerusalem to fulfill His mission for the Lord! Nothing would deter him!

ILL.- Many years ago there was, in one of the great Chicago stores, a boy working for only two dollars per week. (obviously this was LONG time ago!)

One Saturday night this boy went to his employer and asked for an increase in salary. “What are you receiving now?” asked the employer. The boy told him.

“Why, that is twice as much as I was getting at your age,” said the employer. “Well,” said the boy, “I am not you, and besides, that was perhaps all you were worth to the firm you were working for.”