Sermon - The Three Lakes - Pastor Bryan George

And you know, you think about it, uh, as it was 70 years ago, uh this week uh in September, that a group of 61 people really they stood up at Lake Cable Clubhouse and they made a commitment to kind of form a body of believers uh that we call uh Church of the Lakes.

And you know, when I came here uh 30 years ago, I really had the pleasure uh to come and sit down and talk to some of those surviving uh charter members.

I have very distinct memories of being in the home of Bill and Marilyn Melvin.

And Marilyn talked about all the meetings, all the meetings that went in to kind of organizing that.

And how her husband, Bill, said that uh that year he went out and they borrowed 75 chairs from the old fire station on Lake of Springs, and they put it down in the basement of their home, only to find that 19 people uh came to that first organizational meeting.

I could still hear about Inga Graning.

Her husband, Wendell, uh, he was the piano player over at the clubhouse, and how Wendell would have to go a little bit early and he'd have to kind of clear off the beer stains on the keys from the parties from the night before over at the clubhouse.

Uh I can still hear uh Betty Pritz kind of talking about the remarkable times of fellowship that they shared together.

Or how Barb and Bob Graham, they talked about how many of those early people that they came together and they took out a second mortgage in order to help kind of finance uh this kind of burgeoning and growing church uh in the Lake Cable area.

I could hear uh old Ev Garrett talk about how when they first gathered together, that the they had to do fundraisers just to have enough money to pay the the pastor's salary.

And you know, you think about that, the one thing that kind of uh stood out to me is how those early believers they took a huge leap of faith.

Think about it.

That they met in September 1956.

By the end of the year, they put down uh$5,000 or$6,750, okay, which today doesn't sound like a lot today, but back in that day, that was the equivalent of uh$83,000.

And they did that in just those few months in order to purchase ground at the corner of Fulton and Brewerdale, which at that time was an orchard, and that is the site of our present church.

And think about it.

That, you know, within uh the span of just three years, they had broken ground for our first building, which is what the childcare and uh the youth area is in presently.

Uh, they did that in three years, and that in the span of nine years, really, think about the sacrifices they made.

They built that educational unit, they purchased a parsonage for the pastor, and they went ahead and they constructed uh the sanctuary uh of where our building is built.

And so it was in 1965 that they dedicated then the sanctuary.

Uh that had been the uh educational wing had been done for a few years.

Then they constructed the sanctuary, and I have uh the kind of the uh they called it the Ten Commandments of Church of Lakes.

This is in our archives.

I thought I'd read just the first.

You're gonna make you laugh.

Number one, thou shalt not come to the service late, nor for the amen refuse to wait.

Love it.

How are we doing with that, church?

You know, I people often say, um, uh I'm I'm not pastor, I'm not a pastor of Church of the Lakes.

I'm a pastor of Church of the Lakes.

You're always coming in late.

I know who you are, okay.

Uh you know, you kind of sneak in, you know, whatever.

Okay.

But I I I kind of found that humorous uh that they did that.

And uh they have the very first sermon that was preached uh in uh 1956.

It was offered by the pastor, his name was Hugh Graham, and he called, he entitled it The Mountains of God.

We have a copy in our archives, and you know, so I have Cassandra, she did a word count for me.

5,432 words that in a normal preaching tone would have been 45 minutes.

Okay?

Yeah.

Now, I know y'all, you all get antsy when Jared goes over a half hour, you know?

Think about that, that first uh sermon at that chartering Sunday, 45 minutes.

And he entitled it the mountains of God.

And he was talking really kind of about like Mount Sinai, where we got the law, talked about the Mount of the Beatitudes, where Jesus gave those uh Beatitudes.

He talked about the Mount of Transfiguration, and then he talked about uh the Mount Calvary or Mount Golgotha, and he kind of used that as a reference point of his ministry to Jesus.

But you know, I got it kind of scratching my head.

Why would you give your first sermon on the mountains of God when we're not church of the mountains, we're church of the lakes.

And so I thought 70 years later, maybe I'd make a little correction to Reverend Graham.

I'm gonna talk not about the four mountains, I'm gonna talk about three bodies of water that I think had significance for us in the midst of our journey with the Lord, of how we've come close.

I'm gonna talk about really uh the Jordan River, uh, the cleansing power of God.

We're gonna talk about the pool of Bethesda or the healing power of God, and then we're gonna look really at the Sea of Galilee or the Sea of Gennesaret, where we're gonna talk about the saving power of the Lord.

So let's just take a moment to look at these three bodies of water that I think have significance in the life of Christ and how it connects to all of us.

First of all, the Jordan River.

And what we know is that as Jesus began his public ministry, he went down to the Jordan River, where there was his cousin, John the Baptizer, who was there having people come and repent of their sins and be renewed and refreshed.

And as Jesus went to John the Baptizer, what it was significant for his journey was he heard the voice of his heavenly father.

And his heavenly father said to him, This is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased.

You know, friends, I hope that whenever we baptize anyone, we've been doing a lot of that, and it's so awesome here at Church Lake.

But whenever we do that, I want us all to hear that you are a beloved son or daughter, and your Heavenly Father is well pleased with you.

You know, every Sunday morning, I have a little ritual.

I get there very early, get there before six o'clock in the morning.

I start turning on all the lights, and I go over to our connection center, and we have a little fountain there.

You may have never even paid attention to it, but it's just got like a little stream of water coming down over some rock.

I turn it on and I put water on my head to remind me that in the midst of the muck and the mire of a sin-scarred world, that my heavenly father loved us so much that he sent his son to live as we live, to die as we die, and to face really the promise of new life.

And that that son heard that voice.

This is my beloved son, with whom am I well pleased.

That's the first body of water, the Jordan River.

The other body of water that we hear about in the New Testament comes in John chapter 5.

John 5 · chapter mention

It's called the Pool of Bethesda or Bethha.

And uh, it is found in Jerusalem.

And in that account, in John chapter 5, we read about how there had been kind of a legend that circulated amongst the people that every time the water was stirred, maybe by a little tremor, uh, Jerusalem sits kind of on a fault, kind of like San Andreas' fault, not far from it.

John 5 · chapter mention

And about every 10 years, they have little tremors.

And the legend had circulated that when the water is stirred, the first person into the water, they would be healed of the afflictions that they had.

And we read about in John chapter 5 how really it's a pretty sad and pathetic scene.

John 5 · chapter mention

All these invalid people kind of gathering around there.

And in particular, there was a man.

He'd been paralyzed for 36 years.

36.

And Jesus comes into that site and he looks around at all these really sad people waiting to be healed, and he looks to that man and he says, Do you want to be healed?

Now, at first glance, that seems like a pretty insensitive question, doesn't it?

I mean, I've had been kind of invalid for 36 years, I mean, what's Jesus really talking about?

But I think if you probe a little deeper, you're gonna get a sense of what Jesus is all about.

It's not just to be cleansed in the water of the river, not to be renewed and hear that voice, your beloved, but it is to be healed from all the things that tap us down.

That where we often, as that invalid man did, began to make a whole slew of excuses.

You know, he talked about how, you know, when the water stirred, no one's there to help me, and that's why I'm then there.

And he gives all these excuses, and Jesus looks at him and says, Do you want to be healed?

You know, friends, I see a lot of brokenness, a lot of pain in this journey.

And there are some people in the midst of all of how they've been beaten down, that they often can find into what I call a victim mentality.

You know, that, you know, life has done me hard, or they blame their parents, or they blame this situation, or they blame God, whatever it may be.

They kind of shake their fists and they become victimized.

And Jesus looks at that man who has felt like he's been victimized, and he looks at him and says, Do you really want to be healed?

And if you do, take up your map and do all that you can and find what God has done for you, despite your circumstances.

You know, it was years ago.

I had the opportunity to go to Jerusalem, and I went to the site where Archaeologist State was the where the pool of Bethesda was located.

And at that time, you can kind of go down some metal steps.

You go underground, underneath this uh street level of Jerusalem, you go down about, I don't know, 20 steps or so, and they have a gate.

And beyond that gate, there's a cistern.

And you can reach down into that cistern and feel the water.

You can place it on your head.

And you know, I'll never forget when I went.

I had just not too many years earlier, I'd been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

And I'll never forget kind of the emotions that were coming over me at that time.

You know, at that time my kids were still in school, and I my mind raced, you know, how's that gonna go for them?

I mean, am I gonna have to go on disability, have to retire early?

I had all those thoughts coming into me.

And, you know, as I was at Bethesda and thought about what Jesus said to them, you know, sometimes you've got to take up your mat and you do what you can do, despite the circumstances you find yourself in.

And not to be kind of playing the victim, just to be available to the Lord when he calls you to go, to do all that you can to serve him.

Not only, friends, the Jordan River, not only that pool of Bethesda, but perhaps my favorite body of water that really is part of Jesus' ministry, is the Sea of Galilee.

Uh, you know, anybody who goes to the Holy Land, I'm gonna go there next year, by the way, if you want to go.

Uh uh next year, we're gonna go to the Holy Land and see the Sea of Galilee.

Now, here's the thing: it's really not a sea, it's actually an in-ground lake.

And when you think of the Sea of Galilee, please don't think Lake Cable.

And don't think Lake Erie, okay?

What you have is more like a finger lake, like up in Upper New York.

But it was around the Sea of Galilee that Jesus called his disciples to follow him.

It was around the Sea of Galilee that he healed people, that he cast out demons.

And in particular, it's a time around the Sea of Galilee, where he fed the multitudes.

And I want to turn to a passage out of Matthew chapter 14.

Matthew 14 · chapter mention

And what Jesus has done is he's fed the multitudes with, what, five loaves?

Two fish.

And at the end of that, it's getting late.

It's getting dark.

And he wants to get recharged.

So he kind of retreats to a private place to kind of pray.

And he sends his disciples out on a boat to kind of get away to the other side.

And while they're going on that boat, a storm comes up and it's murky.

We've all been there, haven't we?

When the storms come up and we don't know if we're even going to get to the other side.

And here they are, the waves are crashing in, and they're wondering, how am I going to make it through this?

And in the midst of that, they look out and they see Jesus walking on the water, coming to them.

And he says, It is I, do not be afraid.

And this is where I want to pick.

Pick up in Matthew chapter 14.

Matthew 14 · chapter mention

It's not, is it 24?

14.

14.

I typed that wrong.

It's Matthew 14.

And here it goes.

Peter answered him, Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you in the water.

And Jesus said, Come.

So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus.

When you notice the strong wind, he began frightened and began to sink.

And he cried out, Lord, save me.

Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, You of little faith, why do you doubt?

And then they got into the boat.

The wind ceased.

And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, Truly, you are the Son of God.

Friends, this is God's word for God's people.

And what I want to have you take special attention to is that in the storms of life, I think what Peter's words really capture for us what it means to be a follower and how we take a leap of faith.

Notice that the first words out of Peter's mouth goes, Lord, if it is you, bid me to come.

Now, we've all been there, right?

We want to make a little bargain with God.

God, if this is really you, give me a little sign.

Kind of touch me a little bit.

And certainly, when Peter is in his moment of greatest desperation, he's saying, Lord, if it's you, bid me to come.

And notice what Jesus' reply was.

It wasn't anything complex, it wasn't anything nuanced.

He simply said, Come.

Come.

And you know, that's not only said to Peter, it's said to you, and to you, and to me.

Come.

Come unto me.

Right where you are.

And so what we read about is that Peter, despite the storm going around, the waves coming in, he leads the relative safety of his boat, and what does he do?

He gets out of the boat and he keeps his eyes on Jesus.

He takes a leap of faith.

And friends, I think in our journey, when the waves get going, there are moments when we got to get out of our boat.

We've got to take a leap of faith, knowing that God will be there for us.

But notice that's not the last thing that Peter says because what occurs is he gets distracted.

How many of us?

I think I'm the king of distraction, okay?

I get focused on something, and all of a sudden it's like squirrel.

You know, I get going around there.

We get distracted, we keep our eyes and we lose sight of the big prize.

And certainly that's what happens to Peter.

And he gets distracted, he starts to sing and immediately says, Lord, save me.

And Jesus reaches out and pulls him in.

And you know, uh, the image that I want you to kind of focus on is that Jesus is like the grand lifeguard.

Now, maybe he doesn't have a whistle around his neck and a big tanning bottle right there, but the scripture picture consistently is when we call out to be rescued from the muck, the mire, the sin, the despair of our life.

We call out, Jesus reaches out and he saves us.

And not only that, he gets back into the boat.

And notice then what Peter's third response first said, you know, he bid me to come and he did.

And notice that he said, Lord, save me.

But then, third, he proclaimed that truly you are the Son of God.

And, you know, really, people often ask me, what does it mean to be a follower of Jesus Christ?

And I think it really boils down to this very point that we've got to take a leap of faith to get out of our boats which we think are comfortable, and instead trust that he'll be there for us and to call out to him for salvation.

He will reach out and he will pluck us, and then when we do that, to make the confession that Jesus is Lord of life.

You know, Romans chapter 10, verse 6.

Romans 10:6

People often ask me, what does it mean to be saved?

And Romans 10, 6 answers it perfectly.

You know, if you uh confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you too will be saved.

It's pretty simple, really, to be a follower of Jesus.

Confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you'll be saved.

But you know, I have a whole host of people.

Some of you maybe are out there in the midst of that.

You make all kinds of excuses for not wanting to follow Jesus.

I mean, some people, you know, they got problems with like the virgin birth, or some people have problems with all the different denominations that are out there.

Or some people, you know, they have problems with the Christian sexual ethic of monogamy and marriage and celibacy and singleness.

They have problems with a host of things, and it gives them reasons, every excuse not to follow Jesus.

But, you know, I think, friends, it really boils down to this question.

If Jesus really rose from the grave, then really nothing else matters.

You've got to follow everything that he did and what he said.

And then if he didn't rise from the dead, what does it really matter, right?

It all hinges on whether Jesus rose from the dead for your sins, for my sins, for the sins of the world.

And if you settle on that, everything else begins to kind of melt away.

And so, you know, I know there are people out there, they say they don't think Jesus walked on water.

They think all this Jesus business is a bunch of ancient legend.

But I believe this with every fiber of my soul, that Jesus Christ came into the world for my sake and for your sake.

He died on the cross for your sake and for my sake.

And that he offers us a path forward.

If we call out to him for salvation, if we confess with our lips that Jesus is Lord of life and that we too can be saved.

And so I want to end just with a question.

What boat are you clinging to?

Where are you trying to find your security and comfort?

Maybe it's your family.

That's the boat of your comfort.

Maybe it's your wealth.

Uh, you know, that's where you place your trust.

Maybe you put your trust in your personal success.

Maybe that's it.

Maybe you're just like that uh paralyzed man.

You're just kind of just making it through each day and making all kinds of excuses of why you don't take up your mat and walk.

My prayer is that like those pioneers 70 years ago who made a pledge before their Lord that they would come and follow him, that that would be our pledge as well.

To take up our mat, to follow him, to sit there and come unto him, all who are weary and heavy laid, and we will find rest.

For we have a God.

We have a God who cleanses us, we have a God who heals us.

And yes, my friend, we have a God who plucks us out and saves us.

That's right.

Almighty and gracious God.

We come here as your children, your faith family called Church Lake.

And we know some of us are going through storms and we feel like the waves are crashing into our boat.

But Lord, help us to really have that faith, to trust you, to keep our eyes fixed on you, to call out to you for salvation, and then to confess that you are Lord and our Savior.

It's in Christ's Jesus' holy name we pray.

Amen.