Harbor Church - Mid City

Making Life Count

Mt. 14: 22-36, Mid-City Sept. 16, 2009

We’re kicking off the fall with a new series called “Making Life Count.”  I don’t know about you, but I really don’t want to turn 80 (if I live that long) and be sitting in the rocking chair looking back and thinking, “Honey, what if.  If only I would have.  And to be filled with a lifetime of regrets.”  And I am not alone.  This is pretty much a universal desire that we all have—to make a difference, to make our lives count, whether you are a Christian or not.

Maya Angelou, an African-American autobiographer and poet, poetically said, “I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catchers mitt on both hands.  You need to be able to throw something back.”  Love that imagery—don’t you.  Make it count by giving back—don’t live with 2 catchers mits on.

Jimmy Carter, “I have one life and one chance to make it count for something.”  

This desire to make our lives count is universal my friends, regardless of whether you are a Christian or not.  And so this fall we’re going to do a series on Making Life Count and what is involved in doing so.

This morning we’re going to start with Peter.  Poor Peter—he normally gets so much abuse—for denying Jesus, for his impetuous comments and rash behavior—but we’re not going to beat up on Peter.  Instead, in Peter your going to see someone who made his life count.  And what we’re going to do is use Peter as an overview for this whole series and we’ll refer back to him from time to time as we look at other men and women in the Bible who made their lives count. 

In this text with Peter, you actually see a pattern that is throughout Scripture of men & women who made their lives count.  John Ortberg alerted me to this in his great little book called, “If You Want to Walk on Water, then You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat.”  I am indebted to Ortberg for much of the way that he has shaped this message series.  Ortberg pointed out to me that throughout Scripture we see this repeated pattern in the lives of men and women who made their lives count:  (1)  Called by God, (2) Fear, (3) Reassurance, (4) A Decision to follow the call or not, (5) Result:  Transformed Life.  Some of you are terrified right now.  You see 5 pts on the outline.  Don’t worry—I just wanted you to see the big picture that we’ll come back to each week.  I am just going to go over the call this week.

(1) The Call

When I say the call, I mean specifically that Jesus calls you to do something or be about something in the world.  Now I know that some of you who are here this morning are not followers of Jesus so this idea of him calling you to do something is foreign.  So let me give you some real life examples of how it works.  We’ll start with a historical example in Peter and then draw it into our world today with examples of the way he calls us.

In our story, Jesus put the disciples into the boat and he goes to pray and then after hours pass he comes walking along on the water as v25 says in the 4^th watch of the night.  The Romans divided the night from 6 PM to 6 AM into 4 3 hr periods, which means that Jesus is coming to them somewhere between 3 AM & 6 AM.  That time just before dawn when the night is blackest.

V24 says the boat was being “buffeted” by the waves b/c of the fierce wind.  Translation:  They were fighting for their lives just to hold the ship together.  And in the middle of being thrashed about in this storm they see a misty figure that, according to v26, they thought was a ghost. 

So Peter wants to make sure.  In v28 he crys out, “Lord, if it is you, tell me to come to you on the water.”  And he Jesus says, “Come.”  Jesus calls Peter to get out of the boat and come to him. 

If you are a follower of Jesus and you want to make your life count, then you will have to get out of the boat when he calls.  Period.  I am not saying form a bungy jumpers for Jesus club and just run around doing risky stuff “In the name of Jesus.”  No.  I am saying that all of us will be called out of boats of perceived safety to follow Jesus over & over again.  I’ll say it again—all of us will be called out of boats of perceived safety to follow Jesus.

Your boats of perceived safety are all going to be different.  For some of you, it is a boyfriend or girlfriend that provides safety.  You won’t let go, even though you know that this relationship is so much less than it should be, even though he or she hinders you in your pursuit of Jesus.  For others of you, getting out of a boat of perceived safety means giving sacrificially (til you feel it, not just 10%).  Some of you are thinking—did he just say not just 10%.  You might not hear anything else I say—did he just say more than 10%.  I know I am blowing some of your minds.  But 10% is the floor.  See Jesus does that so that money has no hold over us—so that we’ll be promiscuous with it.   We’re not in its grip.

Here is another boat of perceived safety.  Sharing the gospel with a friend —what if they think I wear Jesus on my sleeve and I am Jesus-freak.  Your boats are all different—but one thing is for sure—you can’t stay in them when he calls you out. 

And it isn’t just you personally.  Jesus is calling us corporately out of the boat together as a church.  Let me share with you some ways that our leadership senses that Jesus is calling us to get out of the boat together in this next ministry year, that is, from Sept. until August 

#1 Connecting others to Jesus:  It pains me to see people suffering through spiritual deadness.  Maybe it is religion that has created that deadness—your religion is a bunch of rules, or maybe your not into religion at all—you don’t want anyone giving you rules, especially a god that you aren’t sure if you believe in.  Some of you here this morning are experiencing this spiritual deadness—all of you here this morning have friends and family who are.  That all changes when a man named Jesus shows up in your life.  So, we want to see 50 people who are not currently in relationship with Jesus come into a life-giving relationship with Him.

#2 Holistic Youth Group:  We have a beautiful, life-on-life mentoring program going on that a number of you are participating in.  Now, we’re going to expand it with a holistic youth group.  I say meet spiritual and other felt needs such as academic tutoring, SAT Prep, etc.  If you don’t know, it is crazy for a 2 yr old church to do this.  Normally, church plants grow into youth groups when the pastor’s kids get into jr. high and he says, “OK, we gotta do this.  But Jesus is up to something and we’re moving on it this year.”

#3 Plant 2 new sites of Harbor.  See the goal here was never been to start one great church—the goal has always been a great city.  Ray Bakke said this, “If you shoot for a great city, then you’ll get a great church.  But if you just aim for a great church, then you won’t get either.”  See if the church is the end, then we just become inward and it becomes all about us.  But if a great city is the goal, then we are here for a purpose much larger than ourselves—the glory of the city for the glory of God.  And great church naturally flows out of a church committed to a great city.

This is why we are seeking to plant lots of churches that are committed to a great city.  The goal of Harbor—not just Mid-City but all of our 9 sites together—is to ignite a church planting movement here in San Diego & Tijuana that will so fill this binational city with the gospel of Jesus that it will be renewed in every way—spiritually, socially, & culturally.  At Mid-City in the next year, we’re going to help with this, not only by giving 10% of our budget towards this, but also in other ways.  I have the privilege of coaching Roberto—he and mana are here this morning and you’ll be seeing them around here.  And the McBrides will also be around here some over this next year b/c they have an interest in this crazy bridge model that we have going on here 

#4 Community Center/School:  Are you ready for this one?  Hold on to your chair.  Well, I guess if this is all about us getting out of the boat together, then actually let go of your chair.  We believe that Jesus is calling us to get out of the boat and start a community center.  See we’re committed to seeing City Heights renewed.  And one of the problems in City Heights is that you have a huge number of at-risk teens with nowhere to go after school.  Thus, we are going to provide them with an urban sanctuary. 

Now this community center is going to be unique.  A number of things will go on here, most notably is a new charter school.  Why would we be interested in community center that houses a charter school?  B/c the problem in City Heights isn’t just after school.  There aren’t enough good schooling options in City Heights.  This is why over 5,000 of our best and brightest students are being bussed out of City Heights.  Why?  B/c the schools in our neighborhood are underperforming. 

Well, listen to what God has done.  God has provided Marnie Nair.  Some of you have met Marnie here the last few weeks.  She is gone today at a family anniversary.  Marnie might just have about the best resume I have ever seen.  She got her PHD from Harvard in education.  She just finished a post-doc at Berkeley.  She was the principal of a school in the 9^th ward in New Orleans—which was the district that has become famous since Katrina.  The 9^th Ward was the most impoverished, difficult area of that community and she was involved with the Desire Street School.  In addition to her experience in New Orleands, she lived in Harlem and was on the board of Redeemer’s mercy ministry arm called Hope for New York for 5 yrs. 

God has called her to City Heights and to Harbor Mid-City.  She is going to be starting an independent charter school that is going to function somewhat like an anchor tenant out of our community center.  Let me be clear—this isn’t a church school, but this is an independent charter school that we’ll have the privilege of surrounding with wrap-around services to see this kids become future world changers.  I think Marnie already has the name—it will be called City Heights Prep.  Don’t you love it—a college prep school in City Heights.  I know this creates a huge number of questions—we’ll have a Q & A in about a month to address some of them.

But here is the big one?  How will we pay for the community center?  Well, I have bad news & good news on this one.  The bad news—we don’t currently have a dollar of the money we need to raise for this.  But here is the good news—we’re going to start today with a special offering.  So cue the music—and let’s pass around the offering again.  No.  We’re               not doing a capital campaign here at Mid-City.  We think Jesus is                          calling us out of the boat together and that he is going to make a way.  I don’t mean to sound super-spiritual here.  I just think Jesus wants us to take one foot and put it out of the boat together.  And as your pastor, I am putting our collective foot out there this morning and, quite possibly, into my mouth.  Friends, if you want a faith-stretching, adventurous, help-me Jesus ride for the next couple years, then stick around.   It won’t be boring.  I can promise you that.

Now, here is why I think we do these things: 2 reasons.  One, b/c I think Jesus is calling us out of the boat to make our lives count, and 2 because Jesus was called out of the boat & made THE difference.  See that second part is really the crucial part—it is where you get the power to get out of the boat. 

And this is critical—b/c it radically impacts the way you read the Bible.  You have 2 options in reading the Bible—either the whole Bible is about you or Jesus.  If it is about you, then this story says, “Be like Peter.  Get out of the boat and take risks for God.” 

There are a bazillion stories like this.  David conquers Goliath—be like David, fight your fears, slay your giants.  Be like Esther—those of you in positions of influence, stand up for God’s people and the things God wants us to be about.  Be like Mary, not Martha—live a contemplative life, meditate and ponder God’s word in your heart.  I could go on and on. 

Jesus encountered people who read the Bible this way—as if it was all about them.  Listen to what he said to them in John 5:39, “You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life (if you’ll be like David or Mary or Peter, then God will like you).  These are the Scriptures that testify about me.” 

Did you hear that?  See the Bible can be the very thing that keeps you from a life-giving relationship with God.  You think that by obeying it you can have eternal life Jesus says.  No—he says all of the Scriptures testify about me.  Each passage should take you back to me.

So how is our story ultimately about Jesus, not Peter.  2 Cor. 8:9 gives us the answer, ⁹For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.  His boat (or should we say his yacht), was a perfectly safe & secure luxury yacht.  He had it all on board—perfect fellowship, wealth beyond anything we can imagine, perfectly safe and comfortable—and yet he got out of the boat.  Why?  B/c his Father called him out of the yacht of heaven and into the storm of a world marred and broken with our sin. 

And on the cross, the waters of God’s judgment, for our sin, crashed down upon him.  And though he had the power to get off and walk on these waters, he stayed, and allowed the waters to drown the life out of him.

But 3 days later he came bursting up out of the water.  And b/c of that victory, if your in Him, then neither the waters of death or sin or anything else have authority over you.  B/c Jesus made his life count, our lives can now count.  And B/c of that victory, He now has the ability to give you His Spirit.  His out of the boat, water-walking Spirit. 

So, the question, really, is this—have you come to Jesus by faith?  For those of who have not yet done so, He bids you come this morning.  I know the call probably seems scary.  What will my life look like if I do this?  You have been putting it off.  You find yourself back in church this morning and you just know—He is calling me and it is time.  Matt—cue the Billy Graham music.  I am kidding.  But I am serious about this—He wants to give you a new spiritual reality.  A new game-changing, water-walking reality and it begins with you putting your faith in Him, and continues, over and over, each day when the waves come, with you putting your faith in Him.

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