I'm Surrounded! Now What?

How do you escape the world? We know we're supposed to come out of worldliness. And over time, there have been individuals that have done some amazing things in order to do just that. You're probably familiar with the name Simeon the Stylite. Okay, maybe not. Do you know what his idea was? To live on top of a pole, on a little platform on top of a pole to get away from the world. This Simeon lived back in the fifth century, and he wanted to come out of the world. He wanted to take that word literally and get up on a perch. In fact, some say it was as high as 50 feet, one of the versions of the perches that he was on. And he didn't do this for... well, how long do you think he did? He did it for a couple hours, maybe a couple of days, a year. He did this for 37 years.

37 years he perched on the top of a platform on a pillar to escape worldliness. Thousands of people would come and watch him and listen to him preach at him. It's quite a story. He actually spawned a movement of other pillar dwellers that followed his example for hundreds of years. For 500 years you could find examples of people getting away from the world up on a perch. Well, is that what we're supposed to do? Is that what Scripture tells us to do? You could probably think of many examples of this over the centuries.

We know there are those who wear certain kinds of clothes. They're known for their distinctive garb because they don't want to be a part of the world. And their lifestyle, then, whether it's rejecting technology, we don't want anything to do with telephones or computers or anything like that, because that's their version of resisting society. Is that what God expects us to do?

Some may think of the group that's known as the Black Bumper Mennonites.

You ever heard of the Black Bumper Mennonites? They're those that think it's okay to have some technology, like you can own a car. It can't be a flashy car. So back when their group began, they painted over the chrome on a car because chrome would be associated with worldliness. And you can't have any worldliness. So they became known then as the Black Bumpers. The Black Bumpers. And even today, that began back in 1927, but even today, they don't allow their pastors to have chrome on their cars. Well, is that what we're supposed to do? I mean, it didn't stop there. There's biblical examples as well. We know the Pharisees, in a way like Simeon, like the Black Bumpers, they felt much the same way. In order to be holy, you better not have anything to do with Greek culture. That is an absolute no-no. We better have our own rules or own regulations in order to keep the law of God. And contact with sinners? Forget it. No way. No way. You don't want to do that. Is that what God expects of us?

And certainly as we consider those examples, we know Christ ate with sinners. He refuted the idea that we're to be somehow isolationists and not have anything that we should move to the wilderness or go up on a platform, or go into seclusion. Christ certainly didn't tell us to do that.

But then of course, on the other hand, we can't just blend in and seem so much like everybody else that you can't even tell the difference between God's people and anyone else that's out there. In fact, it's interesting that Christ prayed about this very issue. In a familiar section of Scripture in John 17, if you'd like to turn there, we can begin looking at the Bible in John 17, verse 15. We're pretty familiar with this section of Scripture because this is just before the crucifixion of Christ. Christ's life is on the line. And as He faces the crucifixion, He goes before God and He prays for His disciples. In fact, by extension, He prays for us as well. And notice what Christ says as we think about this issue of escaping worldliness. Here's what Christ prayed just before the crucifixion, verse 15 of John 17. He says, I do not pray that you should take them out of the world, but that you should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have also sent them into the world. And for their sakes, I sanctify myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth. And so we read this section of Scripture, and it probably comes to mind, some familiar thoughts, that yes, we live in this world. I mean, we can't avoid it. We're physical human beings. We have to be a part of things. And we're in it, but we're not of it.

And that lesson automatically seems to shine through in the world, but not of the world.

But is that really the key lesson that Christ wants us to understand from His prayer?

That we're in it, not of it? Or is there more? You see, sometimes we overlook the fact of what key Christ is really getting at in this prayer just before His crucifixion. He says, not of the world, but what? I have sent them into the world. So we have a key here, sent into the world. That's a bigger lesson than just saying, well, yes, we're in the world, but not of it. We are actually sent into the world. And when we think of the world, that concept, Christ is talking about this system of the world, this culture, the society that we live in. We know Christ knew this system, this society, our culture around us is ruled by powers of darkness. It is influenced. It's all around us. But we're not to be ruled by that. We're not to be swayed by that. We're not to be affected or shaped or molded or pulled in by its principles, by its morals, by its standards. We can't have anything to do with that influence of society around us. And as God calls us, those values, that's becoming less and less important to us. And so Christ says, there's something important going on here. In fact, in a way, He's giving us a mission. He's giving us a vision. He's telling us about our calling. Really, our calling. In fact, our life is being sent into this world. Now, as I was thinking about this, the concept of a boat came to mind. When you think of our life, you think of our calling, there are some interesting connections to being in a boat. Now, if any of you own a boat, you got an idea of what I might be talking about here. What is a boat designed to do? Well, it's supposed to float, right? It's supposed to float. That's what it does. It floats on top of the water. That's pretty obvious. But a boat has to be in the water. It's in the water.

And so we are in the water of this world, and we are surrounded by water. We are surrounded by the world on all sides. Now, we've got to keep the water out of the boat, but there's no doubt. Christ understood this fact as we connect being in a boat to our spiritual calling. The world can't come in. We've got to keep that water out of the boat. But our God-given goal is a fact. We've got to keep it afloat. And yet, at the same time, it doesn't stop there. We can't allow the culture of this world. We can't allow ungodly morals. We can't allow the values, the attitudes, the perspective, the behaviors of this world to infiltrate our vessel. Can't allow that to happen. But the challenge is, boat's got to be in the water. And we are surrounded.

Now what? I mean, we are surrounded. What are my options? Well, I could just dock my boat. Right? That's an option. I could be a simian. I could be a fair... I could just pull out of the water altogether. Right? I could... Who wants to leave the marina? It's safe here. I could just stay right there, docked. Or maybe I could get one of those fancy lifts, you know, where they go right under the boat and they pull the boat right up out of the water. I could do that. Maybe trailer the boat and get out of town. Okay. That intention, it's good. I mean, I get simian. I get the idea. And it's not bad. We want to protect ourselves. We want to protect our families. I mean, this world is full of sin. This water is surrounding us. And it just might seem a little bit easier just to live by God's standards if I become a recluse. If I just get out totally and completely from this influence.

But there's a big problem with that. Is that what Christ taught? I mean, we saw it in that prayer. I mean, look at verse 18. Christ said to God, as you sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the oceans of this world. That's where we are. That's where we are. How can we fulfill our calling if we don't launch our boat? If we never answer our calling? If we never come to baptism and launch that boat out into the sea? We haven't gotten with the program. That's what our calling is all about.

It's not to stay on the shore. It's not to take our boat up on the trailer or lift it out of the water or never leave the marina. That's not what it's about. Christ said, using a different analogy, we're to be that light to the world. So that means we've got to be out in the world. We're not of it, but He sent us into it.

Same thing with salt. That's another example that He uses in the book of Matthew. Matthew 5 talks about that very clearly. You remember that illustration. We're to be the seasoning. We're to have an impact on this world. So we sail this boat out into the waters, and we need to be impacting them rather than the other way around.

And Christ makes it so clear in example after example after example. That prayer in John is very, very clear. But how about the commission? We're familiar with the Great Commission, Matthew 28-19. You probably can remember it by heart. Where Christ gave an assignment, not only to the disciples of that day, but He gave it to us as well.

He said, go therefore and make disciples. Disciples of all nations, don't park your boat on the shore. Get out there in the water. There's a job to do. You've got to baptize them and teach them. Teach them. That's our duty. That's our responsibility. Teach them to observe all things, Christ said, as I've commanded you.

So you've got to launch the boat. And if we haven't even started yet, maybe we better take that to heart. Why haven't I launched the boat? Why haven't taken on that responsibility? Have I ignored the calling of God? God says, let's get at it. There is a fantastic voyage ahead. And I want you a part of things. But boy, you get out there in the water. If I don't dock my boat, now I'm surrounded.

What do I do? Certainly, if we're not careful, we could begin to take on water. I mean, boats have a tendency to do that. We launch our boats into the culture of this world. And it's inevitable. I mean, boats take on water. If you've ever boated before, you know that. It just kind of happens. And suddenly, the bilge will be on the shore. The bilge water is there. Where did that come from? I don't know. I mean, it could be from rough waters. Maybe it's raining a little bit. You know, maybe a wave came over a little bit. Maybe there's a leak or some spillage. But there it is.

In fact, that kind of water can be found on just about every single vessel. But if we think of our spiritual analogy, I think there's a connection then to compromise. If we compromise our spiritual hall, we're going to have issues. Spiritually speaking, when you think of making accommodations to this world, saying, well, it's okay if I fit in.

It's not that big a deal. Do I make concessions? Do I make compromises? You see, that's going to take on water when I deviate from the perspective that God wants me to have. And we know Christ talked about that many times. Now, didn't specifically use that example of a boat, but in His parable about the sower and the seed, He talked about that very thing, that idea. Mark 4, verse 18, you can just write that one down. You know that story where He talked about the seed among the thorns.

He says very specifically how that water came over the hull. In this case, it was the cares of the world, the compromises with the world, the worries of everyday life, the deceitfulness of riches He points to, those desires for the things of the world. I mean, He talks about that fact, how we become unfruitful, or water starts to come in and we start to get weighed down in the water. He says, we've got to watch out for that. We've got to be careful of the lures, the enticement of this world, its wealth, its success, all of those kinds of things can weigh us down.

Even the appeal, boy, it doesn't look that bad. Doesn't look like rough waters, but boy, that's just about the time a wave can come and overwhelm us. It can capsize us. And even just the plain worries about life, the anxieties that we have, those influences can impact us and it begins to rock the boat.

And as we consider those things, the stress that can come, it can literally capsize our spiritual raft. And as it does, it can take us down. And it's amazing when you think about it. Sometimes it's not even major things. Sometimes it's just the little things, the minor things.

I got off track when I was preparing the sermon and I started reading BoatUS and boating guidelines and all kinds of different things. And I read an article that really hit home because I've had a boat myself, you know, it's a money pit and you try to deal with these things. But you know, one of the main problems, a big problem that can come to a boater that causes a boat to sink.

I mean, you think, wow, I must run into a rock or something. No, it's not that. You know what it is?

Forgetting to put the drain plug in. Forgetting the drain plug because you pull the boat out of the water. You got to pull the drain so all the water will go out of the boat. Well, then you put the boat back in the water and you forget to do that. I've been there. I've done that. And suddenly the kids are saying, dad, the water's up to our ankles. What are we going to do? It's like, uh oh, we forgot forgot the plug. I remember the very first time this happened to me. I didn't know what to do so I just gunned it. You know, amazing part. The water went out the back.

It's like, how cool is that? You know, you get focused on, I got to get out of here and I got to get going. Water went out of the boat. What a lesson. What an amazing thing. Got to put the plug in. Don't forget some of these little things, the littlest things that we have to do to protect ourselves from the influence of this society around us. We have to guard ourselves. And so as we do that, we've got to remember we've got to follow the standards for boating. You know, what are the rules? What are the things that will keep us safe? And sometimes it's like, ah, do I really need a life jacket? Do I really need a horn? Is that really that necessary? I mean, that's, who needs a mess with that? I'll be fine. You know, it'll be all right. And sometimes we do that spiritually because it'll be all right. It's not that big a deal. You know, maybe I just don't want to deal with that. That's too much. I don't feel like doing those things. And that's the time when we don't even realize that water's coming in. Because even just getting in slightly, just the littlest of things can make a huge difference. And it impacts us spiritually as well. I told you, I was reading about these different things that can impact, you know, boats. You know, that just a very small little hole can take a little boat down, big boat for that matter as well. You just imagine just a little tiny little hole, a little two-inch hole that big, that big, a little two-inch hole that's below the water line. It will take in 78 gallons of water a minute. Now, whether that sounds like a lot or not, that's beside the point. But what it does mean, every minute, that means 500 pounds of weight is added to your boat. That'll take you down in a matter of minutes.

And so, how do I make sure I'm sealed up tight? And I've got to ask myself, am I taking on water? Am I taking on water? Because after all, if I've launched this boat, I'm out there! And I'm surrounded! And what am I going to do? What now? What now? Well, I can't leave it at the dock.

That's not my calling. And I can't allow myself to take on water. So I've got to really sail.

That's my responsibility. That's what God's called me to. I've really got to sail. And when you think about that in a spiritual aspect, think about Jesus Christ. Christ was sailing in this world, you might say, but He had a spiritual mindset, didn't He? That was His focus. And certainly life for Christ was brutally difficult at times. And there's no doubt for us, sometimes it's tough. I mean, you get out there and it just feels like the whole current is working against you. And it feels like we're paddling upstream. You ever felt that way in life? Yeah, life is life is life. Maybe not. Maybe that would be easy. Sometimes it feels more like I'm trying to paddle my little dinghy up Niagara Falls. Sometimes that's the way life really feels. But see, if we remember our calling, our calling is not just not of the world. Yeah, Christ said, don't be of the world. But that's not the destination, is it? Sometimes we figure, well, if I just get out of the world, I'll be fine. But that's not the destination. You see, the destination is the kingdom. Not of this world is where we start. That's the starting point, because we are called to go somewhere. We're called to get in that boat and get sailing toward the kingdom. And so Christ emphasized this idea in His teachings over and over, that we have been sent. We're not only on a journey, we're on a voyage. We're on a mission. And that mission is not just to disassociate from the world, but get out there and get busy fulfilling our calling. That's what we've got to look forward to. It's not just all about me and keeping my boat afloat, but it's also fulfilling our calling. If we look at Ephesians 4, verse 1, turn over there. Ephesians 4, verse 1, here the Apostle Paul is reminding God's Church and Ephesus about this great spiritual journey that we are called to to really get out there in this ocean of this world and start sailing. We can't just be worried about keeping afloat. You know, we can't just, what, drift aimlessly? We just sit back and what's going to happen?

We'll end up in a place we don't intend. We'll just drift, and that's not acceptable. And so Christ emphasizes this fact that there is a destination that we have in mind. Notice Ephesians 4, verse 1, he says, I therefore the prisoner of the Lord. Paul was in prison at this time. This is one of the prison epistles. But he says this, I beseech you to sail worthy of the calling with which you were called. Okay, it doesn't say sail. Walk where he uses the walking analogy, but sailing fits just as well, doesn't it? He says, get moving. Sail this ship. He says, do it with all lowliness and gentleness, long suffering, bearing with one another.

I mean, if you look this up in other versions, I think it becomes so very clear.

I've got the Meyers version of Scripture here as well in Ephesians chapter 4, a little variation of the message. Look at Ephesians 4, verse 1 again. He says, I want you to get out there and float. But not just that. Better yet, get sailing. Get on those waters that God has called you to travel. I don't want you to just be sitting there drifting. I don't want you just floating, just strolling off and getting down some little creek. That's the total wrong direction that's going to leave to nowhere. He says, I want to mark your course and you go forward to the kingdom in love and humility and with discipline. You see, that is our calling. That's the intent of what God has in mind for us. And so Christ emphasizes that. He didn't say, take my followers out of the world. Put them up on a perch. Isolate them in a forest somewhere. No.

Put them out there in the middle of the ocean of this world and get them sailing toward the kingdom. And so we are commissioned officers, you could think, in God's spiritual navy. That's who we are. That's our calling. And He's commissioned us to sail the waters of this world. That's our duty. That's our calling. Now, there's no doubt we are surrounded, though. Now what? Now what? If we break this down a little bit more, think about this concept of really sailing, really getting to that calling. I mean, when we consider that, that's got to take God in our lives. God's got to be the direction. He's got to call us and work with us and move us out there into the waters. So it's got to start there. No doubt about that. But as He works with us, now we've been given the duty to stay shipshape. If we're going to really sail, we've got to be ship's shape. Say that fast, really 10 times. That's really hard to do. But we've got to be ship's shape. You think about that. That means a well-ordered boat. Everything in order. There's no things rolling around. I don't have drinks rolling that I'm going to trip over, or things at the bottom of the boat, the oars or the skis, or whatever it might. I'm going to have that all put away if I'm going to be moving forward. That's the only way. And so everything has a place. It's got to be neatly stowed. It's got to be organized properly. I mean, shouldn't our spiritual life be just that? Shouldn't be organized properly, efficiently, effectively, properly put together? I mean, we think about ship shape. I mean, spiritually, that means my mind, my attitude, the things that I do. I mean, I've got to step back then and literally take an inventory. You know, what's this ship of my life really like? Do I have any weak points in my spiritual hall? Where am I weak? In what areas am I most tempted? And we can pray and ask God for His guidance and His direction. Without it, we're going down. Without it, we're destined to shipwreck. Without it, we're destined to shipwreck. He's got to be guiding us and leading us. But we can pray and we can ask Him, what areas am I most weak? In what areas can I take steps to overcome those weaknesses? I mean, that means I've got to be on guard. I've got to guard my eyes, what I watch, what I see, my screen time. I've got to be careful about those things. I've got to guard my hands. If I'm going to be a good captain that steers this ship, I'm going to be ready to go in the right direction. I mean, we know Ecclesiastes 9.5, it tells us, 9.10, whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might. And so I've got to be using my hands in a way that honors God, that pleases Him, that fulfills that calling. Which also means, I mean, I don't want to get in trouble because if I just start lounging around, taking in the sun on my boat, I'm going to be in trouble because when I'm idle and I just got time to kill, now I'm a little more susceptible to doing the things or thinking the wrong things or clicking on the wrong things that'll take me on a whole different path. That's going to go down. And so I've got to remember, if I'm going to be shipshape, I've got to consider where does sin begin?

How do I begin to take on water? And I think you could say, where does all sin begin? It begins in my mind. It begins in my thinking. We remember pretty clearly James 1.14.

It doesn't put the blame on anybody else. It says, every one of us, each one of us is tempted when we're drawn away by our own desires, by our own thoughts. That entices us. It's in my mind. And so my first line of defense as I get out in that water is I've got to absolutely refuse to contemplate any wrong thinking because that's going to turn into wrong action. And that's going to bring my boat down. And I got to be ready for it. I mean, have I really taken some of those precautionary measures? I mean, a good sailor is going to do that. They're going to be ready. They're going to be ready. What's the weather like? I mean, we were talking this morning and suddenly the lights just went out. It was windy out here in Cincinnati here today. And suddenly, are we ready for that? Are we ready? You got to know the currents. You got to know the weather. A storm can come up. I mean, do we know the course? Where are we heading? We've got to have the compass that's going to direct us to the kingdom. We've got to have that. And when we don't, there's just trouble ahead. I mean, you may remember in the news just a couple of weeks ago, there was a terrible tragedy out off the waters of California. Remember reading about that scuba diving ship? The ship went down and fire started and every one of the passengers lost their life. Every one of them, something like 34 individuals lost their life. And the amazing thing is how it happened. Do you know why it happened? There was no watchman. It happened at night when everyone was asleep. All the passengers, all the crew, everyone was asleep. And just following maritime guidelines says somebody's got to be up. Somebody's got to be on guard. Someone's got to be watching because if we're not, just the smallest little spark, which is evidently how this whole tragedy began, brought that ship down and ended their lives. But if someone would have been watching, they could have taken action and people wouldn't have lost their lives. But you know, that's the kind of waters we're in. If we're really going to sail, we've got to be shipshape. We've got to be ready for anything because what are the waters like that we're sailing in? I mean, we are in shark infested waters. There's no doubt about it. I mean, didn't Peter remind us of that? You know that passage, 1 Peter 5, verse 8? It's another one of those very familiar passages. Maybe take a look at 1 Peter 5, 8. You'll recognize it right away. Peter begins chapter 5, verse 8, by telling us to be sober, to be vigilant, to be ready, to have a watchman. Or in other words, if you look at verse 8, he's saying, be on your guard. Stay awake. Keep your mind clear. Watch out. You better be careful. You better beware because we have a great enemy. And Satan, I mean, what does it say?

Satan swims around like a hungry, great white shark. Okay, it doesn't say that. But it might as well. You can compare him to a lion. You can compare him to a great white. He's ready. He's ready to attack. He's ready to devour. And sometimes that water may look pretty calm.

May look pretty smooth. But just because the surface seems still, it doesn't mean that a wave can't come up seemingly out of nowhere. And we know there's not just sharks, but there's stingrays and barracuda and eels and all kinds of horrible things that are out there that we've got to beware of. And so Peter warns us, Christ warns us, if we're going to be shipshape, we've got to get those things out of our life and refuse that temptation. Refuse that influence. Because this current wants to take us in a whole different direction. But I've got to set sail for the kingdom. And I've got to be ready for this. And I've got to go that direction. Be prepared.

In fact, as you think about that, this constant readiness has to be something on the forefront of our minds. I mean, I was very surprised to find out what the motto of the United States Coast Guard is. Do you know what its motto is? Semperperatus. Now that didn't mean much to me until I had to look up what exactly does that mean? U.S. Coast Guard's motto is always ready. Always ready. You get out on the sea and you don't know what could happen. Anything could come up right on the spur of the moment. And they are always ready. And so as we think about being shipshape and sailing, as we've been called to do, breaking down this concept, let's take it to another level for a moment. Because being ready to sail and really sailing, I mean, it literally means we have to be immersed. Now that doesn't mean immersed in the waters of this world, not that kind of immersion. Right? No, I'm not talking about that. More like being submerged, but not in society, not in the culture, not in the attitudes and morals of this world. But we have to be submerged in God's Word, in the Word of God. God has to be leading us and directing us. I mean, we can ask ourselves, how well do I really know the Word of God? I mean, do I really, really know it? Would I recognize if I was actually just floating in the wrong direction? Because if I'm not totally submerged in His Word, I could be taken off course. But if I really want God to lead me, He's given me the power over sin. I can overcome the waters of this world. I can speed toward the Kingdom. But in order to do that, I need God's Spirit to lead me and to guide me. And that means I better understand His Word in order to better direct, to be directed by God's Word, to recognize God's prompting, to feel those urges, those nudges to say, wait a second, you better get that motor in full gear and go a different direction. I've got to be ready for that. And so that means being submerged in His Word and being led by His Spirit truly is what I have to be in order to sail this ship in the right direction. Now, how many times in Scripture do we read that? Wow! It is everywhere it seems throughout Scripture. I mean, you could pick a passage and you'll find there's hardly a book in the Bible that doesn't teach us that very concept.

I get to teach the former prophets in Ambassador Bible College. And in the former prophets, as the Israelites are coming out of Egypt, Moses dies, Joshua begins to lead the people.

You know what God reminds him right from the start of his leadership?

He tells him that very fact. You're going to have to sail this ship to the Promised Land. And you're going to have to do it by being submerged in My Word.

Joshua 1, verse 8 tells us that very thing. This book of the law, it says, My Word should not depart from your mouth. You need some guidelines. You need some maritime rules. You need some direction. He says, not just to have it, not just to have this word and throw it in the trunk of my car until next week when I'll need it at church.

Nah, that's not it. It's like throwing the thing overboard if we do that. He says we're to meditate on a day and night. That's what he told Joshua. If you're going to observe what it says, he says if you're going to observe what's written in it, you've got to not only read it, but think about it because that's where sin starts. It starts in my thinking. And so I've got to overcome that wrong influence by thinking correctly, spiritually. And that's what he reminded Joshua.

He says, then when you do that, then you're heading in these waters, it's going to be right. Your compass will be taking you in the right direction. The guidelines will lead you that way. In fact, that's what he told Joshua. He said, it will make your way prosperous and you will have good success. That was a promise of God. And so how cool is it for us? I mean, for Joshua, that would have been a little bit of a challenge during his day, wouldn't it?

I mean, you'd have to get out a scroll and try to read a scroll. Anybody ever try to read a scroll? That wouldn't be the easiest thing on rolling this and keeping it in. We have to mess with that? What a blessing. We have our phones. We've got our tablets. We've got our computers. We can have the Bible right there. We can read it anytime right there on the screen, which is absolutely amazing when you think about it.

In fact, I don't even have to read it. I can press a button and it'll read it to me. How easy is that? But yet sometimes hard to do. We don't do it. I mean, the blessings of all the amazing information that we have. I mean, ucg.org, you can go there. You can watch videos. You can watch different presentations. You can watch Bible studies. You can listen to them. You can download them. Everything right there, right at the tip of our fingers. You know, thousands and thousands of sermons. I can actually get into the Bible and I can chat about it.

I can blog about it. You know, I can go on social media. I can tweet about it. I can look for ways to apply these things to my life. But if I'm going to do that, I got to prepare myself to actually accomplish those things. In fact, if you really get into the boating circles, I was reading, imagine this, I was reading safe boating council guidelines. You know what the safe boating council says? I don't think they realized how spiritual they were being. They said this, one of the best ways to be prepared is to use a pre-departure checklist before each trip.

They go on to say even short trips because this type of checklist is easy to review and it makes sure that you aren't caught unprepared. You see, that's amazing. You see, God hasn't just sent us on a short trip.

He hasn't sent us on a little excursion. It's not just a three-hour tour. Yeah, He hasn't sent us. We've been called to an amazing journey. We've been called to a voyage of a lifetime. The voyage of our calling, the voyage of our life. And if we're going to be distinct from this world, then we have to live in obedience and be prepared and have that checklist ready and go through that checklist. That means I've got to ask myself, how does this scripture, how does this passage apply to me? How do I need to change the way that I think? What about my attitude? Why am I in this lousy attitude? How can I change my thinking?

You know, what are those habits that tend to come over the bow as they wave and overwhelm us? How can I reject those things? You know, what kind of godly characteristics do I need to develop? I can go to God and ask Him to help me see these things more clearly, help me to respond to His calling that much more. In fact, how can I look down my checklist of what I do every day? I mean, I could start today. What did I do this morning?

How was my Sabbath checklist? Do I need to adjust my priorities? How do I need to fulfill this spiritual calling in my everyday schedule so that I can be a better captain of the spiritual ship that God has entrusted me with? You see, that's exactly how serious it is. And as we think about those things, that means we've got to sail in safety. And if we don't have a checklist, we're going to be in trouble. We will be in trouble. The National Association of State Boating Law Administrators. Yeah, I read some of those things, too. That shows you how far off track I got when I was preparing this sermon. But they put together every year a most wanted list.

A most wanted, you know what's a most wanted list of? The things they would most want boaters to improve on. So they put a list together every single year. The most wanted list of safety improvements. You know what number one is? Number one on their list was addressing distracted boating.

Because distracted, I mean, you think when you consider accidents, up to a quarter of all boating accidents are caused because of distraction. We're distracted. And so fatalities occur because of that very thing. And so if we're going to sail ahead, we can't allow ourselves to be distracted. The Apostle Paul talked about this to the church in Corinth. Look at 1 Corinthians 7, verse 35. 1 Corinthians 7, verse 35. If we're to avoid shipwreck, Paul also talked about that to the Colossians. If we're to avoid shipwreck and head toward the kingdom, we better be sure we're not distracted by the waters of this world around us. 1 Corinthians 7, verse 35 is such a great reminder of that. Notice what Paul told Corinth and he tells us as well. Verse 35, 1 Corinthians 7, he says, and I say this for your own prophet. I mean, this is good for us. He says this isn't restrictive. This isn't like a leash or anything like this, but this is helpful. This is proper, he says. Why? That you may serve the Lord without distraction.

So there's no reservation. There's no divided attention. We can have full focus on heading toward the kingdom of God and our focus on the Father and Jesus Christ and His character building in our life above everything else. We've got to have that focus. And so that means I've got to retrain my thinking. I've got to untrain my brain. I mean, isn't that a part of our calling? Because the society's impacted me and it's influenced me. And sometimes I've got this constant need to be entertained. Nice to have fun and it's all out there and I can have it anytime, anywhere, it's everywhere. But I've got to train my thinking to what's really important. Do I have to constantly be engaged and entertained? I've got to stop that urge to pick up the remote or the screen and light up my senses with something that's really in the big scheme of things.

It's trivial. Ultimately meaningless. It's really just a distraction. And whether it's our phone or texting or social media or movie or playing games or, you know, another television program, I mean, there's no doubt. The waters around us hurry us and distract us constantly, constantly distract us. But you see, if we're going to be really sailing, it all brings us back to what Christ prayed about. He prayed more than just being not of the world. Yeah, we're in these waters of this world. But He tells us it's time to catch the wind. It is time to catch the vision of God's purpose in His plan for every one of us and collectively for all of us. Because in a sense, we're all on the same ship and we all have a personal responsibility that goes beyond our personal salvation. We all have a job to do. We all have a share in proclaiming the gospel. And so God's called us to be, to be a certain way. But He's also called us to do.

He's called us to do. So what is my part? What is my part? It's not just coming out of the world, not just staying afloat, but God sent us into the waters, the oceans of this world. And I'm to be a representative of His way of life, of His naval brigade. That's what I'm supposed to be a part of. I'm supposed to be a living, breathing illustration of God's way of life.

And so how does God want to use me to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God? That's what all of this brings us to. Catch the vision. It's not to be like Simeon the stylite. I can't climb a pole and live on a platform for the rest of my life. It's not that. I can't be a Pharisee or a black bumperite. That's not what it's about. That's not what it's about. God wants us to grasp His God-given mission, to embrace that vision, and ultimately to dedicate ourselves to truly set sail.