IntElecS
Infinite Never-ending Trinity Everlasting Lord Excellent Christ Savior

Once a small company that served control systems, now a couple that serves the All Powerful God.

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All of life's answers are found in His book.

Destination

John 6: 21, “Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately cthe ship was at the land whither they went.” [1]

I.   Ready

     A. Tried

     B. True

II. Received

     A. Totally

     B. Trusted

III.     Resolved

     A. Temptation

     B. Termination

Introduction:  There was a course of study that was required for anyone who led engineering projects for the company that built my prior career.  It was to standardize how projects were managed.  Instead of seeing a need for doing a thing and jumping in blind, we were taught to manage projects in three distinct phases.  The “Three Phase” system seemed like a long way to get to an end that should have been shorter.

We start in the “Study Phase.”  2 Timothy 3:15, “Study to shew thyself japproved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” [2]  To study the reason for doing the project meant that historical events were learned to see why the project was to be accomplished.  Maybe there was something that was overlooked which would mean that changes in procedures were all that was necessary.  Why do something huge when you can simply change the way you accomplish the thing that you have been doing wrong?

I found that out on my old lawn mower.  Every time I engaged the mower the belt would fly off.  I finally got aggravated and bought a new mower.  The new mower salesman reminded me that you must engage the deck in the fully up position or the cold belt would be out of line with the pulleys.  The guy that sold me the old mower told me the same thing but I ignored him.  The instruction manual said the same thing but I ignored that too.  So now I have two z-turn mowers.  I engage the deck in the fully up position.  Guess what; the belts don’t fly off.

The next phase in the “Three Phase” system is the design phase.  If the result of the study phase is to move on then design for the project must be completed with budget, timelines, and model drawings before moving on to the next phase.

Hebrews:12:2,  “Looking unto Jesus the ||author and gfinisher of our faith; hwho for ithe joy that was fset before him endured kthe cross, despising lthe shame, and mis set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” [3]   Jesus is the designer and the implementer of faith.

In the practical “Implementation Phase”, contracts are written and people are hired to complete the projects.  The managing engineer is now ready to oversee what has already been learned.  There will always be challenges and minor changes but the work will be accomplished with less confusion than there might have been.

Scripture:  Today’s focal text is John 6:21.  Please stand for the reading of God’s word,

Prayer:

Message:  All that engineering stuff sounds like a lot just to do something but it reflects what we do in life.  We can decide to do what we think we want to do and mess up everything we attempt.  Some believe that learning from our mistakes is OK.  Sometimes people die.

This nation is said to be an experiment in government.  We try and we fail and dare anyone to challenge us.  Our forefathers did not look at life that way.  They had a study phase.  They looked at history through the Bible and learned from it.  They made their design plan and called it the Constitution.  We are still in the implementation phase now but what we learned from those in the past is being ignored and people are dying.

When will we ever learn to willingly receive what we have been told over and over so that we can execute God’s plan?  God is still God.  We are still here.  It is His plan.  He has a destination in mind for those who will let Him in.  When we finally allow God to come in we will be where He can give us His best.

The crowd with Jesus that day had a plan.  Apparently they had not studied too well because they thought Jesus would be the replacement for their beloved King David.  Listen and follow what happened after the crowd of people was fed.  John 6:15-20, “uWhen Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him wa king, he departed again xinto a mountain himself alone. 16 And when even was now come, his disciples went down unto the sea, 17 And entered into ya ship, and went over the sea toward zCapernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them. 18 And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew. 19 So when they had rowed about afive and twenty or thirty bfurlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid. 20 But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid.” [4]

Jesus had to leave because they wanted from Him something that He was not prepared to give them.  They were looking at the world.  Jesus is all about His Father’s kingdom.  He went to a quiet place to be alone with God.  The disciples must have gotten impatient and decided to leave Jesus to himself.  Can you imagine it?  I can imagine old impulsive Peter saying, “Where in the world is He?  Let’s go!  Get in the boat!”

At the end of the day, as they say…  It got dark.  They got scared.  The wind blew and the sea was worked up.  They hadn’t really rowed that far from shore.  It says twenty-five to thirty furlongs.  A furlong is about 1/8th of a mile.  That comes out to about 3 ½ miles.  The horizon is about seven miles so they might have still been able to see land if the sea hadn’t been so rough.  Too far to swim in rough seas for sure.  Wasn’t too rough for Jesus though.  There He was and seeing Him scared them even more.  And there are His words to us today, “It is I; be not afraid.”  Immediately they reached their destination!

Now after all the trials and the impatience of waiting to see what Jesus would do, they finally were ready to receive Jesus.  They no doubt believed that they were ready to receive Him before,  but now they were really ready.  They had been tried.  Their patience had been tried.  Their fortitude had been tried.  Their leaning on their own understanding and needing something to lean on had been tried.  Now they were afraid.  So who needs an earthly king?  We need Jesus.  He is the heavenly King.  There He is!  We have been tried and He is the truth.  Us tried, Jesus true.

The Bible says willingly.  Now they were finally ready to receive all of Jesus.  Before they only wanted to receive the part of Jesus that they could control.  They wanted the part that they could use as their puppet.  That is not Jesus.

Finally they were ready to accept Jesus totally as He is.  When will we be ready?  Until we find our self in the middle of calamity with nowhere to turn we won’t be totally ready to accept Jesus totally.  We want a Jesus like the one we have created in our own minds.  A Savior that we can understand Who will bend to our will.  If we get impatient with waiting we think that He will understand and allow our impertinence and impatience.  He won’t.  He will let us start to sink so that He will pull us up to Himself.  Finally they knew that they could trust Jesus.

So what happened next?  The Bible says immediately!  Their problems were resolved the moment that they admitted Jesus was their answer to even the questions that they had not thought of yet.  What study phase?  What design phase?  What implementation phase?  God is all three.  He already knows because He is omniscient.  All there is He designed and when God spoke it was implemented.  Only God can execute righteousness because only God is holy.

We are still living in a time of great temptation to try to find the answer in other people.  We call meetings and forget to call God.  We get more impatient with each trial that He allows to strengthen our faith in Him.

When do the trials finally terminate so that we can finally see that He was there all the time?  This old preacher cannot answer that for you.  That is where that thing called free will comes into play.  It is up to you.  Are you going to continue to be drawn into other peoples’ plans and allow your faith to be fraudulent?  Or are you going to patiently wait for Jesus to show His glory again.  He has shown Himself to you in the past so many times that counting is impossible.  It is impossible because with each and every heartbeat He was there.  You didn’t do one heartbeat yourself and neither did all the so-called experts who were only there to make a legacy for themselves.

The prognosticators and speculators are still here wanting to make legacies for themselves at the expense of others.  That is what they expected of Jesus.  They wanted him to bring back the good old days when Israel was a super-power in the world.  Jesus came and made a way for each of us at the expense of Jesus.  How many who say that they are here from Washington or Raleigh, who say they are here to help are here to help anyone other than their own agenda?

Jesus is ready to get in the boat.  When you truly and finally allow Him into your heart you will find yourself in the center of God’s will.  That is what God has destined for us who have been called who love Him.  Are you ready and willing to be there?

Prayer:

Invitation:  Today I find myself chronologically one year older than I was two days ago.  When I was a much younger man and a much less mature Christian, I made some foolish decisions that caused others to vary off the course that God had chosen for them.

We are in a time now when the children are running the day care center.  Young untried Christians are being sought out to answer questions when they should be hearing from elder Christians what it means to be tested by God; which results in fortitude of purpose.  We are letting the cart pull the horse.

We will not reach our destiny that way.  God will allow tests to make our faith stronger and mistakes will be made.  The tests will continue if you really love Him until you finally pass the test.  Yes, Romans 8:28 is true “And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God and are called for His purpose.”  Even our mistakes that He overlooks will turn out OK.  What would happen though if we remained obedient instead?  What would happen if we would not forget to ask Him before we ask the speculators?  He has a destination for you.  How would you like to arrive?  That is up to you. 

Know this, when the trials and the tests reach their termination here you will have only begun your eternity with God.  Consider as we sing….

c Comp. Matt. 14:32. Mark 6:51. ver. 17.
[1] The Holy Bible: King James Version (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Jn 6:21). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
j See Rom. 16:10.
[2] The Holy Bible: King James Version (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., 2 Ti 2:15). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
|| Or, beginner. See ch. 2:10.
g Comp. 1 Cor. 1:8.
h Luke 24:26. 1 Pet. 1:11.
i Matt. 25:21, 23.
f ch. 6:18.
k Phil. 2:8.
l Ps. 69:19 (Heb. & Gk.).
m See ch. 1:3. & Acts 2:33.
[3] The Holy Bible: King James Version (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Heb 12:2). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
u To ver. 21, Matt. 14:22–33. Mark 6:45–51.
w Comp. ch. 18:36 with ch. 11:48.
x Matt. 14:23. Mark 6:46. So ver. 3.
y Gk. as Matt. 14:22, 24. See Mark 3:9.
z Comp. Mark 6:45.
a Comp. Matt. 14:24. Mark 6:47.
b See ch. 11:18.
[4] The Holy Bible: King James Version (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Jn 6:15–20). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.