Where Jesus Wants Us To Be

Where Jesus Wants Us to Be

“Immediately the boat arrived at their destination” John 6:16-21 NIV

Intro: “Be Thou My Vision, O Lord of My Heart.” The words to this hymn have been replaying in my heart this week as I planned for today’s sermon. I have tried to live these words out all of my life.

That Christ is my vision. That Christ will be my light and my guide.

Ann Sullivan approached her deaf and blind student Helen Keller saying,

“Today I am going to teach you about God.”

Ms. Keller signed back, “Good, I have been thinking about Him for a long time.”

We move toward the things that we can see.

Even when we can’t see our natural eyes

But toward the things we can see with our spiritual eyes.

Somewhere in the depths of your soul,

somewhere deep, deep, deep in your life is your hunger to see God.

Today we are going to talk about “Where Jesus Wants Us to Be.”

I. Pay Attention to God’s Whispers

A young man had lost his job and didn’t know which way to turn.

So he went to see an old preacher.

Pacing back and forth in the preacher’s study, the young man ranted on about his problem.

Finally he clenched his fist and shouted, "I’ve begged God to say something to help me.

Tell me, Preacher, why doesn’t God answer?"

The old preacher, who sat across the room, spoke something in reply

-- something so hushed it was indistinguishable.

The young man stepped across the room.

"What did you say?" he asked.

The preacher repeated himself, but again in a tone as soft as a whisper.

So the young man moved closer until he was leaning on the preacher’s chair.

"Sorry," he said. "I still didn’t hear you."

With their heads bent close together, the preacher spoke once more.

"God sometimes whispers, so we will move closer to hear Him."

WE ALL WISH THAT GOD WOULD SPEAK TO US LOUDLY AND CLEARLY.

We all want God’s voice to thunder through the air with the answer to our problem.

“Elijah replied, “I’ve been very passionate for the Lord God of heavenly forces

because the Israelites have abandoned your covenant.

They have torn down your altars,

and they have murdered your prophets with the sword.

I’m the only one left, and now they want to take my life too!” 10

The Lord said, “Go out and stand at the mountain before the Lord. The Lord is passing by.” 11

A very strong wind tore through the mountains and broke apart the stones before the Lord.

But the Lord wasn’t in the wind.

After the wind, there was an earthquake.

But the Lord wasn’t in the earthquake.

12 After the earthquake, there was a fire.

But the Lord wasn’t in the fire.

After the fire, there was a sound.

There came a gentle whisper.

Elijah knew that the sound of gentle whisper was God’s voice.

He realized that God doesn’t always reveal himself through only powerful, miraculous ways.

To look for God only in something big: rallies, revivals, concerts, charismatic leaders,

may be to miss out on seeing God,

because God is often found gently whispering in the quietness of a humbled and broken heart.

Are you listening for God?

Step back from the noise and activities and busyness of life,

Listen for the quiet and gentle words of God.

It may come when you least expect it.

Listening-paying attention-to God’s whispers in our hearts

Listening reminds us that God is active in our lives.

Writing down prayers, thoughts, questions, longings and hopes about your faith.

It is sometimes easy to know where we don’t want to be.

1. I don’t’ want to be in a bad relationship

2. I don’t want to be in financial crisis

3. I don’t want to be in a dead end job

4. I don’t want to be cast out, lonely, abandoned, neglected, forgotten.

5. I don’t want to be lost and heading toward the flames of hell.

It is easy to know where I don’t want to be.

Even when our past was good, we don’t want to just live in the past.

We cannot just recreate where we were

and say o.k. we will be satisfied with if things just go back to where they were.

Not just where we were But where God want us to live in the here and now.

Instead of living on Christ of our past

Living on Christ alive in me today.

I believe he would say, don’t walk with the vision, run with the vision.

Let me encourage you to accept your responsibility to protect and promote the unity of your church.

Put your full effort into it and God will be pleased.

It will not always be easy.