8th March || The Now and the Not Yet || Pip McLean

Good morning folks. Love you.

Just to take a seat. We're going to carry on this

morning. This morning in the.

Weeks running up to Easter we're.

We're in the middle. Of this series called Living in

the Shadows. And if you're visiting us today

because someone else has invited you along, I hope they told you

that we're talking about death at the moment.

And if you feel like you want to.

Walk out. I would love for you to stay.

And hear me out, because we're also talking about hope.

And we're basing our talks. And some brilliant material.

From Lagan Valley Vineyard. And yeah, we're going on this

journey together through Lent to the to towards Easter.

So I just want to pray before we start.

Holy Spirit, you're already here and we've already sung to you

this morning about you being the tender gardener of our hearts

and how you tend the soil of our soul.

And, and I ask Holy Spirit, you would just increase your

presence in this place right now and that you would do what you

want in this room with us this morning.

Amen. And I just.

Want to say. Right from the start that if you

feel a little bit uncomfortable that we're talking about it this

morning, that's OK because we're not very good about talking

about dying or death. We tend to avoid the subject or

push it away. But one of the.

Reasons why we're doing this series and why it's so important

is because death is inevitable, it's going to happen to us all,

but because we don't like. Thinking and then because.

We don't talk about it. We often then don't know what to

say or do when it comes near to us.

We're not equipped in the face of it.

So this morning I'm aware as. We've been going through this

series, we're really aware that. This might open.

Stuff up for some of you. And we realized that.

Just talking about something like this in the space of 25

minutes or so. It's not very.

Long and you might need more time to process.

Stuff and stuff that. Might come up and and in small

groups. We're encouraging our small

groups to continue the conversation and just to be a

safe space where people can and talk and we can pray with each

other about what's come up for us.

If you're not yet in a small group, this might be a good way

to kind of go get stuck into one, but also do come speak to

any of us if stuff is coming up for you as we're going through

this this journey together. So what does the?

Bible say about death it. Says don't avoid the.

Subject Psalm 19, verse. 12 Libby looked at this a couple of

weeks. Ago it tells us to.

Number our days. So that we may gain.

A heart of wisdom. And without being morbid,

there's something about contemplating the inevitability.

Of our own physical death that grows wisdom in US.

And right from the off I want to say that whilst physical death

is going to happen. It's inevitable.

God did. Not design this.

World with death. In it.

And sometimes what we feel when death comes close is almost

like. This sense of outrage, right?

This is wrong. This should not be.

And that's because that's true. It shouldn't be like this.

We're living in a world that is. Fallen that is subject to death.

And decay, and it's not part of God's design.

And if you've been with us in the last couple of.

Weeks you will have heard us talk.

About this idea that we live in a.

World of competing shadows and Psalm. 20. 3 uses this picture

of God being like a shepherd caring for his sheep.

And it speaks. Of the Valley of the Shadow of

Death verse. Four in Psalm 20.

Three says this even. Though I walk through the

darkest. Valley and some translations say

through the valley of the shadow of death.

I will fear no evil, for you are with me.

Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Many of you will know that shadow.

You've experienced it. Some of you have experienced it

more recently the than others, and you know what it feels like.

You know, times when that shadow has come close to you.

And maybe some of you are living.

Under that shadow right now. And yet Psalm 91 speaks a very.

Different shadow in verse. One it says this.

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the

shadow of the Almighty. And in that.

Shadow, we are promised rest. So life in this world is about

both shadows. The shadow of death and the

shadow of God. Physical death is inevitable,

but hope in the face of physical death is available, is available

for us and for those that we love.

And as I've been preparing this talk, it's.

Caused me to think of some of the deaths.

That I've been close. To or have friends who have been

close to over the past couple of years, the death of a newborn

baby. A preschooler.

A teenager. Two good friends who died very

suddenly after short illnesses in their early 50s.

Grandparents who died in their 80s and a dear old family friend

who. Died at the ripe old age of 99.

Such a range. Of life and death.

Such a range of feelings and thoughts.

All of them speak of. Pain and loss, and some of them

tell of unspeakable tragedy. There's something that happens.

Deep inside us, when we hear these stories or come close to

these things and we feel it deeply in our bodies, we can

literally feel sick if we. Contemplate the death.

Or a close to death moment of someone that we love and if

we're. Honest for many.

Of us, whether we're or wear it, wear of it or not.

We can be like God. Please don't let that happen.

To me or to. Someone that I love.

Because we don't want to feel that kind of pain.

And maybe if we take a closer look for some of us.

Maybe we've even fallen into this thing of.

Living our lives as if. We're trying to.

Dot all the. IS and cross?

All the T's in the hope that this thing.

Called death, or at least unexpected or untimely.

Death could we somehow keep. That from our door.

Much like crossing our. Fingers or touching wood like

we're almost bargaining with God instead of trusting the very

person and goodness of God who says he is with us, come what

may. Anne Voskamp.

I love her writing. She says this in one of her

books. It's when our hurting hearts.

Tenderly break that the scales on our eyes can break, and we

can clearly see how we had strong faith all along.

But perhaps in all the wrong things it can.

Turn out that. Maybe we had more faith in

strong hands and broad backs and good health and good news and a

good word from good people and an extra dose of all.

Kinds of great self. Sufficiency than in God's Word

and goodness, that's the pause for thought there.

Here in this church, one of our. Values is to be real, Real with

the God that we know and are learning to trust more and more,

and real with each other when it comes to what goes on in our

lives. There are times when.

The shadow of death comes close to us and it breaks our hearts,

but even then the shadow of God is available to us.

And with that shadow comes hope. We experience the presence of

God, His. Peace and the hope.

Of sheltering in his shadow, as well as the brokenness of our

world and the heartache that comes from death right in the

thick of it. We experience both together, of

course. We just want the good stuff.

We would rather avoid the heartache.

None of us want any unwelcome curveballs to come our way.

But Jesus calls us as we get to know him more.

He calls us out of our. Pursuit of certainty into this

thing called trust with him God calls us to trust him in the.

Face of the unknown and he says there will be trouble.

But I will be with you and if you've read this book called the

Bible. We know how the.

Ending goes Darkness has not overcome the light.

Good triumphs over evil. The thing is, we live in a.

Culture, that is. Obsessed with the here and now

but life with. Jesus causes us to.

Lift our heads to something further.

And beyond to look to our future hope and if.

You were with us when we last met Libby.

Talked about this. She talked about what happens.

Next. After this life, and if you

weren't here, I'd encourage you just to give it, give it a

listen and you can do that via our website or on Spotify or

Apple, those kind of things. This is what John sees.

And recalls in Revelations chapter 21, if you've got a

Revelation 21 · chapter mention

Bible and you want to turn to it, we're starting at verse one.

OK? It will appear on the screen as

well. This is what John sees.

He has this vision and this is. This is what he says.

Then I saw a new. Heaven and a new earth.

For the 1st heaven and. First Earth had passed away.

And there was no. Longer any sea I saw the holy

city, the new. Jerusalem coming down of.

Out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride, beautifully dressed

for her husband. And I heard a loud.

Voice from the throne saying, Look, God's dwelling.

Place is now. Among the people he will dwell

with. Them they will.

Be his people. And God himself will be with

them and be their gods. He will wipe every tear from

their eyes. There will be no more death or

mourning or crying or. Pain for the old order of things

has passed away. At the end of this.

Age. Everything will be made new.

It's going. To look like new heavens, new

earth. With us in resurrected bodies,

thank the Lord, completely connected to God.

Being with Him and joining with Him to draw out all of the

things that He's hidden around us to His glory and for the.

Flourishing of everyone. John says God himself will wipe

away every tear, that there will be no more death or mourning.

Or crying, or pain. All of it will be gone and God

himself will live with us. Don't you just long for that

day? That's the assurance that we're

given from God himself that one day all of the things that

trouble us, all of the things that.

Harm us? All of the things that break our

hearts will be no more. It's going to be glorious.

But what do we do now? What do we do in the meantime?

A couple of years ago, my mom was.

Scheduled to have a major operation, she was just about

to. Turn 80 and we had this date in

the. Diary just before Christmas when

she was going to go into hospital and we didn't.

Know if. She was going to make it through

the procedure. Having that just before

Christmas felt. Like.

Heightened and I remember it felt so hard leading up to that

date not knowing. If this would be the beginning

of the end for her. And the only way that I can

describe it is like I felt. Anticipated grief.

Does that make sense? And she got very, very ill.

And even now, when I think back to sitting by her bed.

In hospital and. Then the car journeys home with

my dad. It was.

Really, really hard. And but the reality is there

will come a day where we. And our loved ones won't be here

anymore. But what do we do while we wait

for that day? And in the passage that we've

just read, John writes. Then I saw a.

New heaven and a new earth. For the 1st.

Heaven and the 1st. Earth had passed away and there

was no longer any sea. Why does John say?

That what does that mean? Like I.

Love the sea like I love looking at the sea.

I love a. Walk on the beach and the other

day I went. Down to South end I was

visiting. My brother.

The sun was shining, the water was in it.

Was like felt like holiday. I was just literally driving

along the sea front. I love dipping my feet in the

water. If it's warm summer's day, I

might even venture in. I know.

Some of you guys are like, I do cold water swimming.

Like you're just like a wuss. I'm like, yeah, I am a.

Wuss. But there we go.

OK. There was no longer any sea.

Seems like a really strange thing to.

Say, don't you think? But there's something we need to

know about what the sea represents to John's.

Culture and mindset and. When we understand what the sea

represents. All of a sudden.

This takes. On more meaning.

And The thing is that in the time of John's writing, the sea

represented chaos. The sea was a metaphor for

chaos, and it was a. Place of literal chaos.

You see the? Sea is deep and dark.

Have you ever been in? Really deep water.

Where your feet cannot touch the bottom and you know.

There's a lot of. Sea beneath you, right?

It's deep. It's like you don't know what's

lurking beneath the surface. Like if something.

Brushes over your foot. You're like.

Oh, what was that? The sea is deep and dark.

It's unpredictable, it's powerful, and it's utterly.

Uncontrollable. And then the kind of folklore of

the day, The sea was this realm of monsters.

People literally believed that there were monsters that lived

in the deep and the dark down there.

The sea represented the. Opposite of God's goodness and

His order of his life. And his love, the sea was

something unpredictable and something very.

Much to be feared it. Represented the dominion of

darkness and death. And John's revelation speaks of

an age to come when chaos ends, when there is no more sea, no

more phone calls. That turn your world upside down

no more heartbreaking diagnosis if you've got a.

Bible, why don't you? Turn to Matthew chapter 14.

Matthew 14 · chapter mention

We're going to look at a story as we unpack this a little bit

more. So Matthew chapter 14, and we're

Matthew 14 · chapter mention

going to begin at verse 22. Many of you will be familiar

with this story. So let me just set the scene.

Jesus has just seen this amazing miracle of feeding thousands and

thousands and thousands of. People.

With just the contents of one small boy's packed lunch box,

he's just done this. Incredible thing that

everybody's seen. And then immediately after.

This is what happens. So it's Matthew chapter 14.

Matthew 14 · chapter mention

Sign at verse 22. Immediately, Jesus made the

disciples get into the. Boat and go on ahead of him to

the other side. While he dismissed the.

Crowd after he had dismissed them, he went up on a

mountainside by himself to. Pray later that night he was

there. Alone, and the boat was already

a considerable distance from land.

Buffeted by the. Waves because the wind was

against it. Shortly before dawn, Jesus went

out to them, walking on the lake, and when the disciples saw

him. Walking on the water, they were

terrified. It's the ghost, they said, and

they cried out in fear, Jesus immediately said to them.

Take courage it is. I do not be.

Afraid, Lord, if it's you, Peter replied.

Tell me to come to you on the water.

Come, he said. Then Peter got down out of the

boat. And walked on water and came

towards Jesus, but when he saw. The wind he was.

Afraid. And he began.

To sink. And he cried out, Lord.

Save me immediately. Jesus reached out his hand and

caught him. You have little faith, he said.

Why did? You doubt and.

When they climbed into the boat, the.

Wind died down and then those who were in the boat worshipped

him, saying truly you are the Son of God.

So Jesus says to his disciples, you go on ahead and then out of.

Nowhere like the wind. Picks up and the sea gets

rougher and the boat gets carried.

Further and further away from the shore and they're battling

against the wind now. These are the same waters you

might have. Heard of before Libby?

Mentioned it last week. Last time that we.

Met where there was this massive storm.

Jesus and his disciples were in the boat.

Jesus was asleep. The disciples were like.

There's a massive storm going on.

They're fearing for their lives and Jesus spoke and everything.

Turned to calm. These are the very same waters.

So and if you've. Heard today's?

Story before of Jesus walking on the.

Water, maybe that's what. You think it is like, like, it's

amazing. Like he literally defies physics

and he walks on water. But The thing is to the people

who were there. At the time and the people who

then heard what happened. They would have heard this.

Account very differently because.

This is not Jesus. Walking on water.

This is Jesus standing. On the sea.

And if you understand. What the sea is, you understand

why that is a whole other thing. And we might have to do

something of a mind. Shift here to hear what is

really happening. So some of the men on this boat

are seasoned fishermen. They're skilled sailors.

They've been battling. Against the wind, it's just

before dawn. There's no hint of.

Light at all. It's the darkest hour of the

night. 4:00 in the morning, pitch black in the middle of a

storm. Far from land, I'm someone who

doesn't mind weather, which is probably quite a good thing

living in the UK I love. Watching a huge thunderstorm.

Where the sky flashes with lightning if it's.

Really foggy, I want to go out in it.

If it's really windy. Or rainy I can.

Find it exhilarating to be out there because there's.

Something about the power of it all.

That makes me think of God, but this wasn't like that.

This was scary. And I don't know if you've ever

been out in a wild. Storm with Gale force.

Winds where it's strength. Can feel overwhelming it's.

Capable of tearing down. Structures and causing terrible

damage and when. I was in my mid 20s.

I was asked to. Join a youth team to take.

Some young people away on a. Camping weekend to the Brecon

Beacons in Wales. These were young people who were

not. Used to camping, it was their

first time camping. And we ended up one afternoon

hiking up this mountain and the. Weather suddenly, like out of

nowhere turned. And before we knew.

It we could hardly. See in front of our.

Faces because this kind of cloud mist had come down.

We didn't know where the path was or how close to.

The edge. We were the person who was.

Leading the group had kind of like trekked on, like felt.

Like in the distance? We were tagging.

Behind with some of these kids like why am I here?

And I'm thinking, why am I here? And the wind was.

Wild and fighting cold. And.

We didn't want to be there and I remember this girl saying to me,

I don't want to be here. I don't want to be here either,

but I was trying to just say we've just got to keep going.

Like we've just got, we've got to get.

Through this thing and we were. Soaked through and it felt like

a long way from home and it felt.

Really scary. And I was just thinking about

that as I was thinking about this.

Story because. Being out in something like

that, you're so aware of how small you are against the

elements and how. Powerless.

You are against them. And in this account, multiply by

even more because they're not even on dry land.

They're like on this sea and they're being buffeted around.

They're exhausted. They're.

Soaked through. And maybe they're thinking

they're not going to make it. And then in the middle of it

all, someone sees something. In the dark.

The text says they were terrified.

They see this figury thing on the.

Water and they. Think it's a ghost and the

reason they think it's a ghost is because of what the sea

represents in their mind this is the realm of the dead so if

anybody's walking around out here it's some form of monster

or demon or ghost, they're convinced of it these are grown

men these are seasoned fishermen crying out in.

Fear. And then this voice comes.

To them on the wind, take courage.

It's me. Don't be afraid.

Carried on the very thing that's coming against them.

Is the voice of God to comfort them?

God doesn't send things like storms.

And death and horrible diagnosis into our lives.

But on those things that feel like chaos, his voice.

Can be found in the shadow of death.

The shadow of God is available. The voice of comfort comes from

within the storm. It's me, says Jesus.

Don't be afraid. Jesus comes walking.

Towards his fearful followers. Standing on top of the.

Chaos that is haunting. Them standing on the very thing.

That they are fighting against. And if we're familiar with this

story, I think sometimes what can happen is that we can

picture the scene a little bit wrong.

We can think of like a still lake.

On a beautiful sunny day. Like that is not.

What is happening here? Think of a wild storm and a

saving lives at sea. Tragedy unfolding in the.

Pitch black crashing waves. Everyone, the disciples and

Jesus, are drenched. Jesus.

Soaked through is literally wearing on his person what they

are afraid of the. Sea and he's standing.

On top of it and he is at peace. And this picture is a.

Foretaste of the cross where Jesus wears.

The very thing that. Torments us all called death.

The disciples don't know that in this.

Moment, But we do. In this moment where he's

wearing the thing that they're terrified of, he's helping them

to see that one. Day, he's going to do that

again. He'll wear this thing that

haunts us. All and he'll wear it with

peace. And Jesus speaks comfort to.

Them in this moment. Just as he speaks.

Comfort to us, not just in the storm, but sometimes through the

storm. He doesn't send the storm.

But sometimes he speaks. Through it and.

When they heard. His voice Peter says, Lord, if

it's you, tell me to come. And when Jesus invited people to

follow. Him to be his disciples back

then, He. Wasn't saying come and learn

some of the things that I. Know, he was saying.

With me you can live like. Me, you can do the things that I

do. And so when Peter sees Jesus

standing on the sea, he says the way I know.

It's you, Lord. Is if you say I can.

Do it too. And so he says, Lord, if it's

you, tell me to come. And Peter, who has been battling

against his storm all night long, fearing for his life, gets

out of the boat in the middle of everything that's going.

On around him and he ends up. Standing on the sea with.

Jesus. One day there.

Will be no more sorrow or pain or death.

But in the meantime, Jesus invites us to learn to hear the

voice of God coming on the winds of the storms of our lives,

saying, come, come and stand out here with me.

Come and. Stand on this thing.

Learn to stand. On top of the fear of death,

knowing that we will get soaked by it and at times we might even

feel like we're drowning under it in the face of what feels

impossible because of our humanity and the physicality of

the rage. You see, Jesus says come stand

on this thing with me. And Peter walks towards.

Jesus And then we see in verse 30 it says this.

But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and he began to sink.

When he saw what what he was up against, he was.

Overwhelmed and he. Sinks.

He's in the. Water fighting for his.

Life and he cries out, Lord save me.

I don't know if you've ever found yourself saying that.

Maybe not just for you, but for someone you love.

I have. Lord save me.

Would you save this person that I love at their moments of utter

desperation? Lord, don't let this.

Thing that I think is about to happen, happen.

Don't let that happen to me. Don't let that happen to that

person that I love, but in this moment.

What happens verse 31 says this? Immediately Jesus reached out

his hand and. Caught him.

Because in the moment of deepest desperation, when Peter cries

out, his arms flailing and going under, Lord save.

Me it says that. Immediately Jesus.

Reaches out his hands and catches him.

Sometimes we can feel like we're walking on water and then in a

moment, with one phone call or one piece of news, it's like

we're going under. Everything changes.

And we're now being. Consumed.

By this thing that. We fear the most.

That can happen. But Jesus reaches out his hand

and catches Peter. Being caught doesn't always

mean. That the thing that we long not

to. Happen.

Doesn't happen. We all know that's not the case.

I would be lying, you would be. You'd just like we'd be pulling

them all over our eyes if I pretended anything different but

the. Presence of Jesus.

God with. Us and the hope.

That he gives is available to us in the darkest moments and times

of our lives. Why did you doubt?

Says Jesus. It's not a rebuke.

He just asks. The question.

Why did you doubt? Because I'm.

Standing on the. Sea and he helps.

Peter into the boat and the wind subsides.

There's something about an outstretched arm.

That makes the hope. And presence of Jesus available

to us. Many of us, when we've walked

through experiences of loss and grief, are feeling like we've

been overwhelmed by the storm. Often our impulse is to raise a

fist. Like why God but.

What we? See, here is a slightly

different posture. What we see here is an

outstretched arm. And I wonder if we can learn to

ask the very real. Questions that we have.

And we ask the questions, but. Why golf?

Like How? Long must this go on.

For. If we can ask those.

Questions with an open hand, With a hand reaching out to

Jesus, it changes things. If in the moments of our deepest

pain, instead of raising a fist, we.

Reach out a hand. We make ourselves.

Available for Jesus to reach out and grab us.

It doesn't take our questions away.

But we can know that God is with.

Us in the face of death, there are days when you can feel like

you're standing on the sea. Buoyed by the prayers of other

people. And there are days when you

can't help but think. And on those.

Days we cry out, Lord, save me. We.

Open up our hand. God, would you save me?

One day the Kingdom of God will bring about new creation and

there will be no more death, no more mourning, no more crying,

no more pain, no more sea. This is our hope.

Everything around us says live for.

Now, but if we follow Jesus, we can live from then in the

presence of the sea, covered by it, but not consumed by it.

Learning how to stand. On it, with open hands and our

eyes on Jesus. Why don't we just pray?

Just stay where you are for now.