In View of God’s Mercy - Captured Alive! - Origin Sermon - 17 April 2023

How many of you are graduating this term?

Are you graduating this term? That's great.

We'd love you to come down, come on down.

We want to honor you. Wow.

What a beautiful group of graduates.

So Craig has a gift. He's going to come and bring

you. And then I would like to pray

for you off because it's a big transition.

Well, let's pray and we want to say thank you, Jesus.

Because these are degrees that were significantly impacted by

covid, where they didn't get to have all the normal university

experiences. And so we say thank you Jesus.

That you kept their health, and their advisers, and their

professors health, and that you have brought them to this

moment. We thank you, Jesus, for

learning. We thank you, Jesus, for even in

the midst of covid, friendships that were made.

And then we want to pray for them.

Because Lord, there's transitions, we want to cast

every anxiety, that might be there about just compensation in

the next job. Finding a place to live finding

who to live with finding someone to live with long-term in life.

All these different things, that transitioning and graduating

brings up. We passed the anxieties of that

on you and because we know that you love each of these we asked

Jesus that you would allow times of rest and restoration to come

for each of them where they've done that final push to be done,

maybe came at the expense of their friendships and they're

expensive, they're time with you.

And so we ask for rest, we asked for a renewed hunger for your

word. We ask for friends to reach out

and celebrate with them and we pray and join with.

My who some 2600 years ago said that you have plans for them to

flourish plans to bring about what is good and I pray that

they would each see in their lives, how you have been working

out, their next steps. Lord, I pray that you would

allow them to Value themselves for the not just this

accomplishment but for the care, Doctor you have given them for

the ways. They have overcome troubles in

you have brought them this far. I pray that they will continue

to walk with a spirit of Jesus. And Lord, I ask if they have a

faith quake as they graduate that they would turn to people

who love them and would sit with them in that, And then Lord, I

pray over the learning and expertise that they have worked

hard to get Lord. That they would use that in ways

that bring you honor and glory. And that bless many people that

they would not grow weary in doing good with opportunities,

they have for these education. And so may you fill them because

lord it's also a season to celebrate and I pray that they

would have all of the best moments of Celebration and

Thanksgiving for that. You have brought them here and

expectation of what you are about to do in their lives.

And so we thank you that these are people who have blessed us.

And will continue to bless others and that they are our

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, who are equipped now for new and

exciting things. And so we say both, thank you

Jesus and help them Lord, and your precious name.

Amen. Some of you might be wondering

what it is. They got a previous original.

Her name's Marissa Wang has painted or drawn the origin

blessing in order to bless them. And so all the Bumblebees in the

picture are actually graduating. They've got a little Mortar

board and the flower is the lily of the valley, which is a Flower

that was connected and sort of named to Jesus.

He's the lily of the valley and so there's a lot of meeting in

there and our origin blessing is right there in the print there

for you. You know, symbols matter a lot

in some ways, don't they? And graduation is one of those

moments that symbolizes a lot. And so today, I want to speak to

the graduates, but I hope the rest of you will also listen,

we're beginning a new series and Luke Chapter 5 called in view,

Luke 5 · chapter mention

of God's mercy. So, I invite you to open your

Bible to Luke Chapter 5 and follow along as As I read a text

Luke 5 · chapter mention

that really may seem familiar to many of you but to others of

you, it might be new and it might sound impossible.

What happened in that moment and so I hope you will let that

sense of wonder and awe that came for the disciples.

And that moment also arrived in your own life.

From Luke Chapter 5, beginning in verse 1.

Luke 5 · chapter mention

One day as Jesus was standing by the lake of ganesa turret, the

people were crowding around him and listening to the word of

God. He saw at the water's edge to

boats left there by the fishermen who were washing their

Nets. He got into one of the boats,

the one belonging to Simon and asked him to put out a little

from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the

people from the boat. When he had finished speaking,

he said to Simon put out into deep water and let down the nets

for a catch. Simon answered Master.

We've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything.

But because you say so, I will let down the Nets when they had

done. So they caught such a large

number of fish that their Nets began to break.

So they signaled their Partners in the other boat to come and

help them and they came and filled both boats so full that

they began to sink When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus

knees and said, go away from me. Lord, I am a sinful man.

For he, and all his companions were astonished at the catch of

fish, they had taken. And so were James, and John, the

sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners.

Then Jesus said to Simon. Don't Be Afraid from now on.

You will fish for people. So, they pulled their boats up

on shore left, everything and followed him.

Don't fear from now on you will be catching people.

It's quite a fascinating little phrase that Jesus used their

don't fear. Don't Be Afraid from now on.

You will be catching people. This is actually a phrase that

is filled with the mercy of God. You might not see it yet but I

hope as we move through this text, you will see it and that

you will begin to process what Paul says in view of God's

mercy. Offer your bodies as a Living

Sacrifice. This is your reasonable act of

worship. and so to the graduates who have been part of origin in

this time, I'd like to say live your life in view of God's

mercy. Live your life in view of God's

mercy. I'd also like to say stay with

us a while. We like you, we'd love for you

to stay. If you can't move into the UBC

Community, move into the Oakridge.

Langara Community live among us, help us be a part of the

continuing Mission, but that's because I'm a little bit

selfish. But wherever the Lord's takes

you, live your life in view of God's mercy?

Can you imagine the moment in the future or maybe it's what

you're living in. Now, where you've been at work,

you are in the market place and things aren't going well.

None of your experiments are working the kids.

You are teaching aren't listening.

It's one of those days. The markets have crashed and

your portfolio has lost a lot of money.

Wherever you've tried to go in that day, there's been a lot of

traffic and you're like, I hate traffic.

And then you think but I'm part of traffic.

Do you know for Peter James and John?

They were in the marketplace, they were in the workplace, they

had worked all night and it had been unsuccessful.

There were no fish in the morning for the people who were

lined up at the shore at the fish market.

No fish. No one was in a hurry that

morning. And Jesus shows up.

And Jesus begins to teach the people and the crowd gathers in

and he asked Simon, would you let me sit in your boat and

teach. So they pushed out a little from

the water and Jesus addressed that crowd, that was there.

How would you feel at your workplace if Jesus showed up on

your most unsuccessful day? Peter had already had a run-in

with Jesus. It had been a miraculous moment.

His mother-in-law was quite sick, and Jesus prayed for her

and the fever Departed. So he knew what Jesus could do.

And In This Moment, Jesus presses in it's an act of Mercy.

Jesus presses in with Peter and says, push out to the Deep,

let's catch some fish. What does a carpenter know about

fishing? What does the rabbi know about

the waters and the fish and the depths Peter objects and says,

listen, we've been fishing all night long. but because you

asked, What you're at? He concedes.

But before we talk more about Peter, let's talk about Jesus.

And the fact that Jesus can see what is happening in the depths.

Jesus can see what is happening in the depths of the water.

And Jesus can see what is happening in the depths of

Peter. And Jesus is crafting a

situation. He is providing the most Divine

leadership at this moment, as he's crafting, this situation to

get at something in the depth of Peter, the depths of Peters own

conviction about God, his own conviction about himself, his

own convictions about the stuff of Earth and his own convictions

about people Jesus sees the depths Of you and of me, could

he not in his sovereignty as the resurrected Lord, craft the

situations of Our Lives? In order to get at something, in

the depths of us. He can do it.

He sees you, he knows you, he calls you by name.

This, one, who died on the cross died for you.

This one who was buried in the tomb was buried for you.

This one who was raised from the dead was raised for you. so, in

view of his Mercy, Will you open the depths to him even more?

Proverbs 20 says the purposes of a person's heart are deep

Waters, but the one who has Insight draws them out does not

Jesus have the greatest Insight. Is he not the smartest human

there ever has been He has the intelligence of Heaven.

He sees deep into you and me. And Jesus is after something.

He's after us. The second thing that I hope you

will realize as a graduate is that Jesus does indeed allow for

the crisis of his holy presence. He allows the crisis of this

knowledge to be generated, in us a crisis about who are we and

who is he Peter's, concession. Let's go for the Deep.

Okay, because you say so I will do.

It was a yes, but a reluctant one.

Do you know God always uses our yeses?

Even our reluctant yeses? Peter throughout the Nets.

His Partners throughout the Nets.

And as they begin to draw that net, they were drawing in the

largest catch. Perhaps they had ever seen.

They're pulling it up into the boat.

The boat begins to sink their signaling for help come come

come and the water sloshing in over the side as the can you

imagine the wildness of the scene?

All of those fish going to he must have been incredibly

exciting in that moment and then something is happening in Peter.

Something from the depths of him has this, aha Epiphany moment,

where he realizes something about Jesus, and he calls him

Lord for the first time. Go away from me, Lord.

I am a sinful man. Lord.

He has a realization about who Jesus is.

He's catching a glimpse of the glory and majesty and power of

Jesus. That this Carpenter sees the

depths This carpenter has in his hands, the command of the

creator. It's a crisis for Peter.

It was a crisis, in some ways for Moses when he saw that

burning bush. And from the bush, God spoke and

says, Moses take off your shoes. This is Holy Ground.

It was a crisis for Isaiah. When he stood in the temple,

grieving the fact that the king had died and Israel, he could

see the brakes and Quakes coming in the country and he there in

the temple. Sees the glory and Majesty of

God and he says, woe is me. I am undone.

I'm coming apart because I'm a man of unclean lips and I come

from a people of unclean lips. Oops.

The vision of God's holiness was unraveling him.

And he couldn't hold it all together.

And so Peter has this sense of the greatness and Holiness of

Jesus and he says go away. Go away Lord.

I'm a sinful man. He sinks to his knees and a

sinking ship was there something more important in that moment.

Like getting the water out of the boat.

No, there was nothing more important in that moment than

settling himself with Jesus. Nothing was more important.

Than settling himself with Jesus in that moment.

His little, Yes, to Jesus. Now opened up the depth of his

own life. And he says, I'm a sinful, man.

Peter threw himself into that Collective group called Tax

Collectors, prostitutes, and sinners.

He just lumped himself in I'm a sinner.

I'm not wholly with that confession.

He was saying, I'm not what you are.

But there was something else mixed in in that moment, a sense

of Shame for he says go away. I don't know what he thought.

Jesus was going to do. He didn't know it yet, but Jesus

could walk on water. Jesus could have turned and

said, okay, I'm out of here and he could have gotten off the

boat and had a walk. I wonder why ft shame creates

that kind of pushing away. When we want to push Jesus away,

when were shamed. When we feel shame, when we

realize the truth about ourselves, when were filled with

some sense of regret for what we've done, we want to push

Jesus away and so it's sort of surprising.

When we, perhaps have pushed the church away, we've pushed the

worship songs away, we put the scripture away, and then Jesus

shows up at work. He can do that, you know?

He can show up on your worst day.

And invite you in. And there's the shame.

I'm unworthy, I'm not good enough for this.

Go away, Lord. Do you know this is a grace

mercy moment. But most of us grow up.

With an immense fear of being judged and critiqued, we grow up

with an immense fear of sticks and stones and words that might

break our bones and break our hearts.

And so we fortified ourselves with a theme song.

You shoot me down but I won't fall.

I am titanium. It's our theme song.

It's your generations theme song, you shout it loud but I

can't hear a word. You say, I'm talking loud, not

saying much, I'm criticized but all your bullets.

Ricochet, you shoot me down but I get up.

You shoot me down but I won't fall.

I am titanium. you carry that view in relationship to each

other and the world in light of the fact that sometimes we fail

in light of the fact that sometimes we are unsuccessful

and lie to the fact that we are, critiqued criticized and judged

and then comes Jesus and we confuse Jesus with Society I am

titanium. And so we pretend to have no

shame. We eliminate the law and word of

God and say, well, it doesn't really matter.

It's just words in a book. And if we bring the, I am

titanium. We will do what we're warned of

in Hebrews chapter 2, and that is we will miss the grace of

Hebrews 2 · chapter mention

God. We will miss the mercy of God

available to us. And Hebrews 2, the writer says

we must pay the most careful, attention to what we have heard.

So that we do not Drift Away. How shall we escape?

If we ignore. So great.

A Salvation, this little phrase, so drift away is very difficult

in English to translate it might actually be better as if we said

it drifted past us. How shall we escape?

If we ignore such Grace it's going to drift past us.

Imagine you're standing at the waters and you're watching a red

maple leaf. Come down the stream.

It's just drifting away in a moment.

You could have reached and grabbed it, but you hesitated.

And then It's God. It went.

If you carry the I am titanium, view into your relationship with

God. You miss the moment.

And so for Peter, he set aside the I'm a tough and seasoned

fisherman he said it aside. And in that moment he truly

entered into a relationship with Jesus.

Oh Jesus from his gut. He's praying.

Go away from me, Lord. I'm a simple man.

And it's that confession that then opened up all the grace of

God. It's that confession that mercy

of grace that brought him to that confession.

That turned him ultimately into the leader, who establishes the

church. It's fitting.

That Peter responds first with great conviction of heart.

And the confession about who he is.

Do you know there's a third thing that happens here.

Jesus signals his Mercy Mission. This miraculous catch of fish is

a holy disturbance but what happens next is a prophetic

announcement. Jesus says Don't Be Afraid.

Peter, don't be afraid. From now on you will be catching

people alive. From now on you will be catching

people alive. This little phrase that we tend

to say, you're going to catch people, you'll be fishing for

people is actually this phrase. You're going to be catching

people alive. This was a term of warfare.

It's a Warfare term for a conquering King who enters a

city and takes people alive. And he takes these captives and

carries them into a parade. And in that parade, he brings

them to humiliate them in front of his own people and say, look

who I have conquered. And in that parade of

humiliation, some will be tortured.

Some will be beaten Some will be enslaved and some will be

killed. But look at Jesus, look at

Jesus. He's using the phrase of a

conquering Tyrant Empire to give a phrase to the kingdom of God.

In chapter 4 right before this event, Jesus is in a town, and

it's been praying and the people of come looking for him and

they're like, where are you? You need to be with us and he

says, look, I've got to go, I've got to go, I've been sent and I

must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom.

What's the good news of the Kingdom?

God is taking captives. And in his Mercy, they will live

in his Mercy. They will be lifted up and

restored in his Mercy. They will be set free from the

death that has inhabited them and corrupted them.

They will be mercied. And so this prophetic

announcement to Peter. Don't worry, you're going to be

catching. People alive is actually a word

of Mercy. We're going to bring them into

the kingdom of God. It's gonna be so different.

And you're going to be a part of it.

What's Peter to do? Is it going to say?

Yes, he's already said, yes. Once He's already said yes,

wants to Jesus, he put out into the deep.

And throughout the Nets, that was the first invitation from

Jesus. Put out into the deep.

Okay. Lord because you say, so let's

go. And he says, yes, do you know

what they wrote To The Shore? They put their oars in, they

pull their Nets up and it says they left with Jesus and

followed him. What a moment.

Peter was captivated. He was captured.

By Jesus Mercy. What does it mean for you as a

graduate to live in that Mercy? Would you let Jesus Take You

Alive? It's the only kind of prisoner

he wants. The prisoner of Grace captivated

by his Mercy, delighting in the Majesty of Jesus.

He can make holy disturbances in your workplace.

He can meet you on your most difficult day if you will.

Also let your life be aligned with the mission of his kingdom.

He will draw you into a life and way of holiness.

That far exceeds what you can imagine.

This week. George ver were died.

George Weber was the founder of operation mobilization.

It's become one of he was born in 1938.

He said yes to the Lord when he was 18, Before that he was known

as a bit of a Rowdy kid. But he said yes to Jesus.

In his first year of school, he got this idea about missions and

he said to his roommate. Are you ready to go?

Let's go. Are you ready?

His friends, like, it doesn't work like that.

He said, yes it does. And they went and filled their

car with Bibles and carried them down to Mexico.

Gave them away. That became the pattern of his

life just saying yes to Jesus. And going, finally, he realized

at one point that he wasn't his own words, a very good

missionary. He says, I made so many blunders

and mistakes and messes. In fact, later in his life,

2016. So very recently he said, I've

made so many messes that I've just made a book called messy

ology, just calling and making messes.

He says, we don't need to make messes, but we do sometimes.

In just saying yes to Jesus. Are you ready?

He says of his testimony of Jesus, he says, I found that

Jesus could use me not by crushing my temperament or

showing me to be a wretch that I was.

But instead by offering me love and working through me by the

Holy Spirit, Last week in his last Blog video blog, he says

that what he hoped he would be known for most was a Revolution

of Love. Revolution of Love.

Jesus, has he captured you alive?

Can you say of it with? Gratefulness.

He took me alive. In fact, really, I was

spiritually dead. But he took me alive and he made

me more alive than I ever thought possible.

Let's pray together. Heavenly Father, we thank you

for this Mercy that you've given to us.

Would you help us inter truly into this spiritual warfare?

Those spiritual warfare of Jesus.

A conquering King over death over Satan over.

All the powers that are arrayed against the knowledge of him.

Our apathy our shame, our guilt, our fear, our love of comfort.

And would you Lord Jesus do a work again today?

Of Mercy. Lord, we surrender our titanium

vests today. We just set them down.

We set them aside. We invite your spirit to come

and show us who you are and Who We Are.

And whatever word you give to us.

Grant us, the courage to say, yes.

It's stand in our ship together.