#3 The Sovereignty of God revealed in our Retirement St John's 23/3/2017 @ 10 a.m. Readings: Isaiah 55; Ephesians 1v3-14 Introduction Well, good morning St John s; good morning Emmanuel. It s so good to be here; we ve really missed you! Though it does feel bizarre to be preaching my last sermon here, especially after an absence of over 3 months! It s no doubt as bizarre for you as it is for us!! If you re not part of the church family here but have come along to just say goodbye to us or are a visitor, then you ve walked into a real life story of God s sovereignty over my, and Lynnie my wife s, lives. For those of us who are Christians, we recognise God s sovereignty in our lives; His rule. He is King, Lord, CEO, Head Coach. As the one and only God, he has both the authority and right to decide what happens... and the power to make it happen. That s what Lynnie and I want you all to hear today, but first I need to pray! background Lynnie and I became Christians some 40 years ago because God exercised his rule and power in our lives. Prior to God s Sovereign action we were both blind to the true and living God who reveals himself through the Bible. But He took the initiative in opening our eyes to see Jesus for who he really is Lord, King & Saviour. Not dead, but alive and in charge. That work of his, brought both of us our knees. We found ourselves repenting of our sin; our rejection of Him. Yes I know, repent and sin are old fashioned words, but vital ones, as only then could we put our trust in him, for life. Our second Bible reading included these words: Slide 2 In [Jesus] we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be for the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1: 11 See, when Lynnie and I and any one of you became a Christian, it was the sovereign decision and action of our God! And the purpose of every Christian s life is to be for the praise of his glory ; in other words, to make him better known and loved. That s been our purpose here and it s my purpose now. To make God and the Lord Jesus better known and loved. God has ruled our lives since that day; been in the driving seat. As Picard would say in Star Trek, God you have the bridge. In his goodness and mercy he has chosen for us a life of full time ministry, though with limited health and stamina; With no human family, but a church family here whom we love. Let me take you back to 2010. We are in absolutely no doubt, and nor are you if you were around in 2010, that God chose us to come here. The Bible says: In his heart a man plans his course but the Lord determines his steps. Proverbs 16:9 Slide We had a plan - it was to work here for another 6 years. And we went off for our break excited about the future here. But last year we began to pray about our plan and seek God s guidance; we wanted his will; his best for us and for you all. Now our model for retirement, taught us by another minister, wasn t to choose a nice place to live, near family or friends... and then turn up at a church hoping that the vicar could use us. No, we d ask God for a godly, bible-focused, prayerful minister; a man whom I could support in a part time role. A 1 Timothy chapter 3 man, for those who know your Bible. But what s taken us aback, and you too, is that God in his sovereignty has implemented our prayed-through plan......but in a time scale we really didn t expect! It s so easy, isn t it Christians, to sing of God s sovereignty... But another matter altogether when he takes the wheel... When he directs not just the course of your life, but your heart and your thinking too.; when he changes your desires to be in line with his desires. Which is what he s done with us, January to March 2017! And it s left us feeling like we ve been kayaking the wildest rapids on the planet! We ve experienced what King David wrote of in the Psalms: Slide #4 [Lord] You hem me in - behind and before; you have laid your hand on me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Psalm 139 : 5&6
#6 Explanation So, let me explain what has happened to us. And then what God has taught us through it and how this might challenge or encourage you. Relax!! It wont take long; I want cake just as much as you!! I m aware that some of you don t know the living God and his Son Jesus, so this will sound strange to you; bonkers, perhaps! But we ve been praying that God will prompt you to find the truth for yourself; to find that Jesus really is alive and in charge. And, for those who do know him, well we ve been praying that you ll keep discovering more and more of his real, dynamic and deeply-caring love for you. So, basically we went off in January for a six week rest. We d got really over-tired. But God in his sovereign plan had brought Daniel, whom we were confident to leave in charge. And we were excited to be working with him and Brooke. When he took the job, he knew how tired we were. But neither he nor we knew just how tired. Anyway, our plan... Reminds me of the joke. How do you make God laugh? Tell him your plans! Our plan was to sleep lots, exercise a bit, and come back equipped to continue serving God and you, whom we do genuinely love. And to implement plans we d been praying though for 2017, focusing on evangelism making Jesus known. Under God s sovereign hand it happened that just before we left we came across an old hymn called Thy way not mine. It goes like this: Choose out the path for me, I dare not choose my lot, I would not if I might. Choose thou for me my God, so I shall walk aright. Choose thou for me has run through our heads & prayers and continues to do so. We keep praying Choose thou for me my God. We went off needing to be physically refreshed, but still full of the Lord s goodness. We went armed with bibles and Explore notes ready to spend time with God. But, after 5 weeks we realised we weren t recovering. God wasn t answering our prayers for renewed strength. So we had to recalibrate our thinking, a little phrase we got from the stroppy SatNav lady on our trip to Spain!! Every time she said Take next left and we shouted There isn t a left!, she d say Recalibrating! Your way not mine O Lord. We sought medical and spiritual advice. And with the full approval of the wardens, Daniel and Rob, we extended our sabbatical to the 2nd April. We continued to rest, but now urgently asked God for wisdom, guidance and perspective, aware of what he says in the Bible: my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. Isaiah 55:8 Slide #5 So we prayed daily, on our own and together, and we studied God s word finding it to be what God says the Bible is: Slide living and active. Sharper than a double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebs 4:12 And a sharp, double-edged sword cuts deep, let me tell you! Amazingly, God was speaking to us daily; though our Explore Bible notes and also through the life of Elijah. For those of you who don t know who Elijah is - and we didn t know him as well as we do now! - He was an Old Testament prophet who, after doing amazing things for God, was exhausted and stood down by God!!! He d been in my mind since before we d left. God gave Elijah a job to do, then stood him down, set him aside to wait, in order to test his patience, contentment and obedience in his newly-restricted circumstances. Would Elijah submit to God s plan, and wait for guidance. Hmm!! The suggestion to read about Elijah came from a Christian friend who had been prompted in his prayers for us. Amazing, isn t it, that God, in his sovereignty, had planned to teach & guide us from his dealings with Elijah. And as we read, God did his work by his word in our hearts. Living and active. sharper than a double edged sword! Slowly, it became clear that God was standing us down. He did it gently, as the loving Father he is. We went from thinking we should retire in two years, to next January, to this August, to NOW!
#7 Slide #8 And because of his clear guidance, we ve never doubted this is God s plan for us and therefore for you. Even though it s been hard; it s like God did a hand-break turn in our lives when we were driving at 70! And many of you Christians know what that feels like, don t you? A big part of God s sovereign intervention in our lives was the change he had to bring to my heart in particular. Realising that God wanted me to retire early from you was hard. Lynnie and I both love you deeply not just as a church family but as individuals. For 6 years, we ve prayed for you daily, often in the greenhouse! We ve done what we were told to do when coming into ministry: love people and give them the bible. It s been a privilege, we ve had front row seats, watching so many of you grow in your knowledge and love of the Lord. Seeing you wanting to obey him, wanting to serve him in different ways as he has led and equipped you. Seen some of you come to Christ, repent and believe, and be totally turned round. It s been the best 6 years of our lives! That s why God had to change my heart to let you go. So one Saturday night in March I went to bed broken-hearted and begging God to let me stay, or if not, to change my heart. The Bible again: The king s heart is in the hand of the Lord; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases. Proverbs 21:1 Slide I know I m not a king, but you see what God s getting at! The next morning, as we walked our dog Georgie along the beach, I said to Lynnie God has done it; he s changed my heart; the pain has gone - I can do this. That reminded us that God is sovereign over our hearts and wills, not just our circumstances. When Lynnie thought I couldn t, or wouldn t, change, God proved He can and will and therefore did, do it. Lynnie then asked what one thing would make it easier for me. I said, if the Lord would just give me some idea of what life looks like beyond St John s. So we stopped and prayed then and there. Now, remember our model of retirement; finding the right man, not the place? Well, Lynnie asked me who, of all the ministers I know, I would most love to work with. I replied without hesitation, Phil! Phil s a mate who runs a church in Eastbourne. He was in my CYFA youth group as a teenager, and turned up at the same vicar factory where I was trained! Just as an aside: Lynnie said, If Phil invites you to go to work with him, we d see this really was God s sovereign plan. I patiently pointed out to her that Phil didn t even know I was thinking of retiring, so don t be daft! God s good, but he s not that good! Or is he? Two days after the prayer on the beach I rang Phil, with the opening line Hey, we re retiring. His instant response was Come here! Oh, I said, funny you should say that, but that s why I m ringing. Now Phil isn t exactly overemotional. But he choked up and couldn t speak. When he d got himself together and I asked what that was all about, he said I ve been praying so hard for someone like you to come here and help me. It wasn t until afterwards that Lynnie pointed out Phil invited me! To her credit, without gloating - well, almost without gloating! If you re sceptical that there is a living God in charge, I hope you re beginning to rule out coincidence here. So, it s all signed & sealed; we move to Eastbourne June or July. God has provided a fabulous place for us to rent even the estate agent was amazed how that worked out. I ll work as much as I am able with Phil once fully recovered. What God has taught us and how might this challenge or encourage you So, what has God taught us and how might this challenge or encourage you? The answer is: he s taught us SO MUCH! We ve just got three smaller, perhaps more detailed lessons we ve learnt; then 3 biggies! First thing is that he guides us one step at a time. Like a parent with a toddler. This Bible verse has been vital for us both, especially in the middle of the night when we ve woken with heart pounding. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your path straight. Proverbs 3:5-6
#9 #10 And he s done exactly that! 3½ months ago we had no idea of God s future for us. We ve felt like baggage being moved on an airport conveyor belt. As the bags have to go through the scanner curtains so we have felt completely in the dark many times. Not knowing what comes next and just having to wait for God. One step at a time. Is that for you to learn too? To surrender all of your life to him and really trust him? Christian, He will never let you down. But he will teach you to depend on him and not yourself. Second: we ve had to learn that we must obey God before he will show us the way ahead. This happened with Elijah; God commanded him, he obeyed, God then spoke again to direct him. This is so clear whenever God commands through the bible. We obey and he blesses. We disobey and he withholds his blessing. We had to obey and agree to stand down from St John s before the way forward was shown to us. Wasn t easy, I can tell you. But it s what we ve done, with and by God s strength. Christian, is God waiting for you to obey him in something, before he shows you the way ahead? Thirdly, we ve had to learn again what Jesus said: Slide seek first [God s] kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33 When we arrived at Eastbourne, mid-march, to visit Phil & Sue, we found ourselves in THE most grotty & depressing part of town. We had to escape to the South Downs to pray and recalibrate. Did we really want God s will... or to live in a nice place!! Took us a while, but we told the Lord we really did want his kingdom first, and we d trust him to give us all these things as he saw fit. God heard our prayer and on the way back to the caravan park where we were staying we got hopelessly lost... and went through some lovely housing estates! There are nice places to live in Eastbourne!! all these things will be given to you as well! Ok, I want to close with what we think are the three key lessons the Lord has been teaching us. You must decide if they re for you too. First, God is sovereign; he carries through his plans for our lives. The Lord has been so good to us over the years that for most of these 3 months we ve been content to sit on his conveyor belt, waiting for each stage of his sovereign plan to unfold. There have been times of panic and fear and worry, sure. But it has given us so much peace and assurance knowing God s promise from Romans 8 holds true: Slide We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose Romans 8:28 We read in the book about Elijah that as Christians we can lay our heads on the pillow of God s sovereignty... and go to sleep in peace. Christian, is this key for you to know today? That our going suddenly and unexpectedly is part of God s plan for each of you here? Or do you need to learn that nothing in your life now or in the future is outside of his sovereign care for you? Second key lesson for us: it s been vital for us to know that events in our lives happen because God makes them happen. It s so tempting and wrong to see things from a human, worldly, common sense, point of view, rather than God s. Oh this has happened because and in comes my own wisdom or the world s perspective. No, God truly orders every Christian s life for his glory. And directs every twist and turn for our good. Christians, it s so wrong for us to ask Why is something happening to me?, to ask, Have I walked out of God s will?, or to argue with God s path for me. We ve asked ourselves if God is standing us down because we ve been stupid or unfaithful, and it doesn t bring peace. But we ve learned to view all that has happened over the past months through the prism of God s sovereignty. And that has brought peace! Christian, do you need to do that about something?
#11 Thirdly, God often works from both ends of the line. As with Peter and Cornelius and many others in scripture, if God is working in one person s heart and life, he is often working at the same time in another s, to bring about his plan. Just as he was working in Phil and me, preparing for our move to Eastbourne. That means God is now working in the heart of the man who will be your next vicar here. So we re praying for a man with the energy we don t have. But with the same love for God and his word that we have. So that you Christians continue to grow and surrender to him. And so that loads more to come to know him for the first time! That means, we re really sad to leave you, but at the same time, so excited at all that our Sovereign God will do here. In you; with you; for you and your good; for his glory! Slide Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church [here in St. Johns & Emmanuel] and in Christ Jesus though out all generations for ever and ever. Amen. Eph 3: 20 Let me pray.