Good morning,
Welcome to Blue Lake Presbyterian Church and thank you for coming out.
Today’s message is titled “Overwhelmed” and is based on 1Timothy 1:12-17
Every day I walk through our farm, check on crops and talk to the team, one of our team members shared a joke the other day of a guy named Joe who finds himself in financial trouble. He is about to lose his house. He’s so desperate he decides to ask God for help. He begins to pray..
“God, please help me. I am in trouble if I don’t get some money I may need
to move out of my house. Please let me win the lottery.”
Lottery drawing comes and nothing happens. Joe prays again…
“God, please let me win the lottery! I am overwhelmed with all these
problems, house payments, and credit card bills. I need help.
Lottery night comes and Joe still has no luck. Once again, he prays…
“My
God, the water is standing up to my neck. I don’t ask you for help very much.
Please give me a break. Just let me win the lottery this one
time, so I can get things back in order.
Suddenly there is a blinding flash of light, and then there is a voice of God:
Joe, give ME a break, meet me half way, and at least buy a lottery ticket.”……………….
This week I did an unscientific poll and asked some folks what came to mind when hearing the word “Overwhelmed”. Some people answered being “Overwhelmed” by financial problems.
Others said “Overwhelmed” by health issues, another said “Overwhelmed” with teen agers.
Every one of the answers centered on being “Overwhelmed” by something with a negative connotation.
This is not surprising, in today’s fast paced society with demands coming from every direction.
Grab your phone and we are inundated with text messages and emails and posts on Facebook, Instagram and twitter.
Turn on the radio or television and we are “Overwhelmed” by the 24 hours news cycle.
A Pew Research poll, conducted last year, revealed that 68% of Americans feel overwhelmed by the amount of news that comes their way.
According to American Psychological Association, most Americans feel stressed. In a survey they found that chronic stress is becoming a public health crisis.
Harris Interactive conducted the online survey and found that most Americans are “Overwhelmed” and suffering from moderate to high stress,
Concerns about money, work and the economy top the list of most frequently cited sources of stress. Fears about job stability are on the rise, with 49% of respondents citing being “Overwhelmed “ by fear, as a source of stress
A stressed out King David wrote 3000 years ago in Psalm 55:5: fear and trembling come upon me and horror “Overwhelms” me.
Water, and the fear of water, can be overwhelming as well; the Egyptian army was “Overwhelmed’ by water in the Red Sea, when they were pursuing the Israelites in the Exodus from Egypt.
In Psalm 78:53 the Psalmist wrote: “the sea “Overwhelmed” their enemies”.
Being “Overwhelmed” by water has always been a fear of mine. Not sure if it had anything to do with falling in that manure tank at a very young age while growing up in Holland (Second Chance).
Swimming lessons were not an enjoyable experience for me. It took a long time to finally receive my swimming certificate.
I remember one particular swimming lesson, when for the first time, we had to jump in the deep side of the pool. My jumping spot was right in the corner of the pool.
Just as I was about to make the jump into the deep, at the last second I changed my mind, and attempted to leap to the side of the pool. But it had this anti-slip rough concrete edge.
Making the leap didn’t work out too well, I still went into the water but I scraped my entire upper body on that rough edge, blood everywhere, what a mess.
Years later, I attempted to learn to water ski. Not much fun being drug by a boat trying to get you up out of the water, while being ”Overwhelmed” and submerged with water all around.
Paul in his first letter to Timothy, describes a completely different type of being “Overwhelmed”.
It was a phenomenon that was so fascinating, life changing, captivating, and so powerful that Paul describes this as overflowing grace.
It was a miracle that became the tipping point in the life of Paul,
In the introduction of his letter to Timothy, Paul uses this life changing event as the catalyst to providing instructions for Timothy his pupil. And the letter is still used today as a blue print for ministry.
This letter can be found on page………………..
But before reading the word of God, please bow our heads in prayer.
Guide us, O God, by your Word and Spirit, that in your light we may see light, in your truth find wisdom, and in your will, discover your peace, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
1 Timothy 1:12-17
12I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he judged me faithful, and appointed me to his service, 13even though, I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly, in unbelief, 14and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15The saying is sure and worthy, of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom, I am the foremost. 16But for that very reason, I received mercy, so that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display the utmost patience, making me an example to those who would come to believe in him, for eternal life. 17To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen……………….
Paul wrote this letter while in Macedonia around the year 62AD, on his fourth missionary journey.
Timothy had traveled and worked with Paul for nearly 10 years, and he been personally trained by Paul.
Now Timothy is on his own, in Ephesus, where he was ministering to a community of believers. This was his first job as a church leader, and he was uneasy and nervous and “Overwhelmed” by the responsibility.
But Paul in this letter, prefaced his advice, his encouragement and coaching, with explaining how an event that took place 3 decades earlier, on his way to Damascus, changed his life.
This miracle that preceded Paul’s conversion is described in the book of Acts three different times (Acts9, 22, 26). Paul’s conversion was the ultimate spring board, taking the Gospel to the gentiles to the ends of the earth.
The importance of Paul’s conversion, his turn-around from persecuting Jesus to preaching Jesus, cannot be underestimated.
In Paul letters, he refers to his own conversion only sparingly. He explains this as a resurrection-appearance of Jesus in 1 Corinthians 15, and to the Galatians he wrote: I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.(Gal 1:11-16)
But even though, he does not describe it in detail in this letter to Timothy, he alludes to it in verse 13, using a few keys words: formerly (blasphemer, persecutor, violence).
But after the event: “Overwhelming” mercy, grace, faith and love.
Prior to his conversion Paul was called Saul, and he was a persecutor, he is the one who sanctioned, that Stephen was stoned in Acts 8.
Paul was a Pharisee, a member of the ruling class, in Philippians 3 he describes his Jewish heritage: from the Tribe of Benjamin, a ‘Hebrew of the Hebrews.
In verse 13 he said formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence.
But this Christian killer, the same person that was vehemently opposed to anyone believing in the redeeming grace of Jesus Christ, this same person, this unlikely fellow had a transformation, so powerful, that it was like turning on a light switch.
In his letter to Timothy, Paul writes: But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me, with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
From that point forward, Paul became one of the most fervent evangelists, with a passion for souls. He set out on four missionary journeys to reach anyone willing to listen.
Are people still listening today??
There are many opportunities to spread the Good News message, particularly right here on the North Coast.
Someone told me the other day, that in Humboldt County 80% of people claim no religious affiliation at all. This seems like a troubling statistic.
But at the same time, it is a golden opportunity but also an obligation for you and me, to reach out to our neighbors, and spread the good news of Jesus Christ.
The Good News message, that even a sinner like Paul, who killed early believers, could be converted, and received the Grace of Jesus Christ.
Let me illustrate the power of Grace with a very personal story.
Most people think of me as this straight guy who doesn’t smoke, or gamble, hardly drinks and goes to church every week. Let me tell you, that wasn’t always the case.
Although raised in a Christian family, I stopped going to church in my late teens.
Instead with a group of friends we would go out on Saturday nights, drinking lots of beer until the early morning hours. And Sunday mornings meant sleeping in until noon or 1 pm.
Then I moved to the USA in 1983, I had flown from the nest and I had a lot of freedom, but ironically, I felt a hunger and thirst of the soul.
15 years ago this “Overwhelming” hunger and search for peace, brought me back to the faith. With our children Tony and Sarah we started attending church.
That faith journey, has taken me on a fascinating ride searching the truth, and a hunger to explore the bible with its rich history, and the powerful message of the Gospel.
John Newton, the author of “Amazing Grace” saw his share of emptiness and darkness. At age eleven he went to sea, sailed 6 voyages before he was pressed into service by the Royal Navy.
At one point, he tried to desert, and was punished in front of the crew of 350. Following that disgrace and humiliation, he contemplated killing the captain, and committing suicide by throwing himself overboard.
He later transferred to a slave ship and got involved in the slave trade. But this headstrong kid, did not get along with the crew.
So they left him, in West Africa with a slave dealer. He then was abused and mistreated, just as the other slaves. He was rescued, but on the voyage back to England the ship encountered a severe storm, and almost sank.
As the ship filled with water, he called out to God. The cargo shifted and plugged the hole, and the ship drifted to shore safely. John Newton marked this experience as the beginning of his conversion.
He began to read the Bible, and made a point of avoiding profanity, gambling, and drinking. He became an ordained evangelical Anglican cleric.
Newton eventually became a prominent supporter to end the slave trade, and helped to see that England abolished slavery in 1807.
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I am found, was blind but now I see…………………
Months ago, someone gave me a book to read, titled “the book of Mysteries” a story for each day of the year, by Jonathan Cahn.
Friday night I picked it up, started perusing through it, and my eyes fell on a story that was called “Seeing the colors of Heaven”, partially based on 1Timothy 1:15.
As I went to bed, I kept pondering the question, who is this Jonathan Cahn fellow? I had never heard of him before.
The Next morning I got some breakfast and in hopes of getting more inspiration and content for today’s message, I turned on the television to the TBN channel. I couldn’t believe my eyes, but there was an interview with Messianic Jewish bible scholar Jonathan Cahn.
The story was about a garden with beautiful flowers in all different colors. But looking at that garden through red colored glasses all you see is red. You could not see the beautiful colors.
So it is with live. If we take things for granted, we miss out on the beauty in front of us. If we take the good things for granted, we blind ourselves from seeing them. All we see is what is not good, the wrong, the imperfect and the dark.
If we accept life as it comes, with all its imperfections, with the possibility of judgement, and periods of darkness, then instead the opposite will happen, and our heart will start seeing the good and every blessing.
Everything, will become a gift from God and every moment, we will be “Overwhelmed” by the manifestation of his overflowing grace.
That was the epitome of Paul, in 2 Corinthians 11 he describes his suffering, including being beaten, whipped, stoned, shipwrecked, gone days without sleep, food, water, or clothes. Throughout it all, Paul saw the Grace and Glory of God.
For the last several years we have been growing Butterfly Ranunculus. One of the varieties is called Charis. Charis is the Greek word for “Grace”.
Charis is a variety with countless beautiful orange flowers. From now on forward, every time I see this variety, I will think of the abundance of flowers of Charis, as the overflowing Grace that Paul talks about in his letter to Timothy.
In a little bit, we will be singing I have peace like a river.
For a moment think of a river, so peaceful, that the Grace of God is omnipresent.
I got peace like a river in my soul.
Peace from overflowing grace, like a river of fresh water in the hot arid land (x2) of our tumultuous daily lives,
I got joy like a fountain,
Let that joy of the overflowing fountain “Overwhelm” us with the love and grace of Jesus.
You may ask: how do I get this love and grace in my heart and soul?
Here is the answer: say this simple prayer:
Jesus: come into my life.
I will repent of my sins.
I want to trust and follow you,
and accept you as my Lord and Savior.
Friends, no matter how “Overwhelming” the odds may appear.
Jesus will guide us through the jungle of life.
He will lead us through that narrow gate into his Kingdom,
The Kingdom of Heaven,
The promise of eternal life,
Thank you
God Bless you,
Amen
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