FOUNDRYcast

What was the last thing you underestimated? I probably underestimate things several times a day. Sometimes it turns out funny…or unbelievable, or others times it can get a little sketchy. I've underestimated many things…even scripture.

Yep. You heard it right. The preacher just told you he has underestimated scripture before.

And one of the more notable places is the psalms. Honestly, I probably wrote them off for the first 30 years of my life. I just didn't think they were interesting enough. No swords or chariots. No wild stories. No weird stories. None of my usual interesting stuff.

That all changed a few years ago when I realized the psalms were the prayer book for God's people. And I began praying through the psalms. It was then I realized I had been underestimating the largest book in the bible.

#fail What have you underestimated?

This is a story of underestimating. Two different groups of people. One of them decided to cast off things because they simply didn't seem important enough. The other realized the power of the long game. They were will to wait it out and see what happens.

The Two Ways (Psalms 1) 1 Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers; 2 but their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night. 3 They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper. 4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; 6 for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

The Passion story of Christ is absolutely captivating. It has drawn people in for thousands of years. In it, we find multiple small stories, relationship, encounters, and conflict. There are parts of broken relationships and parts with healed relationships. If one was to collect all of the pieces from the 4 gospels, attempt to structure them into a linear narrative, we would find the greatest story ever told…and how Jesus was consistently focusing on the people around him.

Luke 24 tells us the story of Easter Sunday. The first part is what we expect. It is the classic Easter story. But the rest of the chapter continues with how Jesus is encountering those he cared about and culminates in His revealing with the 11 disciples.

But very early on Sunday morning they took the ointments to the tomb—2 and found that the huge stone covering the entrance had been rolled aside. 3 So they went in—but the Lord Jesus' body was gone.

4 They stood there puzzled, trying to think what could have happened to it. Suddenly two men appeared before them, clothed in shining robes so bright their eyes were dazzled. 5 The women were terrified and bowed low before them.

Then the men asked, "Why are you looking in a tomb for someone who is alive? 6-7 He isn't here! He has come back to life again! Don't you remember what he told you back in Galilee—that the Messiah must be betrayed into the power of evil men and be crucified and that he would rise again the third day?"

8 Then they remembered 9 and rushed back to Jerusalem to tell his eleven disciples—and everyone else—what had happened. 10 (The women who went to the tomb were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James, and several others.) 11 But the story sounded like a fairy tale to the men—they didn't believe it.

12 However, Peter ran to the tomb to look. Stooping, he peered in and saw the empty linen wrappings; and then he went back home again, wondering what had happened.

13 That same day, Sunday, two of Jesus' followers were walking to the village of Emmaus, seven miles out of Jerusalem. 14 As they walked along they were talking of Jesus' death, 15 when suddenly Jesus himself came along and joined them and began walking beside them. 16 But they didn't recognize him, for God kept them from it.

17 "You seem to be in a deep discussion about something," he said. "What are you so concerned about?" They stopped short, sadness written across their faces. 18 And one of them, Cleopas, replied, "You must be the only person in Jerusalem who hasn't heard about the terrible things that happened there last week."

19 "What things?" Jesus asked.

"The things that happened to Jesus, the Man from Nazareth," they said. "He was a Prophet who did incredible miracles and was a mighty Teacher, highly regarded by both God and man. 20 But the chief priests and our religious leaders arrested him and handed him over to the Roman government to be condemned to death, and they crucified him. 21 We had thought he was the glorious Messiah and that he had come to rescue Israel.

"And now, besides all this—which happened three days ago— 22-23 some women from our group of his followers were at his tomb early this morning and came back with an amazing report that his body was missing, and that they had seen some angels there who told them Jesus is alive! 24 Some of our men ran out to see, and sure enough, Jesus' body was gone, just as the women had said."

25 Then Jesus said to them, "You are such foolish, foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures! 26 Wasn't it clearly predicted by the prophets that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his time of glory?"

27 Then Jesus quoted them passage after passage from the writings of the prophets, beginning with the book of Genesis and going right on through the Scriptures, explaining what the passages meant and what they said about himself.

28 By this time they were nearing Emmaus and the end of their journey. Jesus would have gone on, 29 but they begged him to stay the night with them, as it was getting late. So he went home with them. 30 As they sat down to eat, he asked God's blessing on the food and then took a small loaf of bread and broke it and was passing it over to them, 31 when suddenly—it was as though their eyes were opened—they recognized him! And at that moment he disappeared!

32 They began telling each other how their hearts had felt strangely warm as he talked with them and explained the Scriptures during the walk down the road. 33-34 Within the hour they were on their way back to Jerusalem, where the eleven disciples and the other followers of Jesus greeted them with these words, "The Lord has really risen! He appeared to Peter!"

35 Then the two from Emmaus told their story of how Jesus had appeared to them as they were walking along the road and how they had recognized him as he was breaking the bread.

36 And just as they were telling about it, Jesus himself was suddenly standing there among them, and greeted them. 37 But the whole group was terribly frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost!

38 "Why are you frightened?" he asked. "Why do you doubt that it is really I?39 Look at my hands! Look at my feet! You can see that it is I, myself! Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost! For ghosts don't have bodies, as you see that I do!" 40 As he spoke, he held out his hands for them to see the marks of the nails, and showed them the wounds in* his feet.

41 Still they stood there undecided, filled with joy and doubt.

Then he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?"

42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he ate it as they watched!

44 Then he said, "When I was with you before, don't you remember my telling you that everything written about me by Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must all come true?" 45 Then he opened their minds to understand at last these many Scriptures! 46 And he said, "Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah must suffer and die and rise again from the dead on the third day; 47 and that this message of salvation should be taken from Jerusalem to all the nations: There is forgiveness of sins for all who turn to me. 48 You have seen these prophecies come true.

49 "And now I will send the Holy Spirit upon you, just as my Father promised. Don't begin telling others yet—stay here in the city until* the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven."

50 Then Jesus led them out along the road to Bethany, and lifting his hands to heaven, he blessed them, 51 and then began rising into the sky, and went on to heaven. 52 And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem filled with mighty joy, 53 and were continually in the Temple, praising God.

What strikes me this year about the Easter story is how Jesus engaged with His friends on this day. In the middle of these extraordinary moments, it is in the absolute ordinary where people realize it is Jesus standing in front of them. Their friend. The one they thought was dead.

Easter is Ordinary Easter is Extraordinary

I like Peter. And for all the wrong reasons.

When I was younger and first exploring Christianity, I didn't feel perfect. I would read about folks in scripture and never imagine living up to those standards. But Peter…

Peter put his foot in his mouth. I'm sure he had moments where he got both of them in there. He was impulsive and always wanting to be at the center. I imagine what life would be like with him. Peter strikes me as the constant "little brother" of the disciples…or that younger cousin everyone always rolls their eyes at.

And I absolutely love him.

This week, we are looking at one of my favorite stories about Peter. And it is classic Peter.

But it teaches us a really crucial lesson about discipleship.

We have to get out of the boat.

Read this story real quick.

Jesus Walks on Water 22 Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. 23 After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone.

24 Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. 25 About three o'clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, "It's a ghost!"

27 But Jesus spoke to them at once. "Don't be afraid," he said. "Take courage. I am here!"

28 Then Peter called to him, "Lord, if it's really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water."

29 "Yes, come," Jesus said.

So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.30 But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. "Save me, Lord!" he shouted.

31 Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. "You have so little faith," Jesus said. "Why did you doubt me?"

32 When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped. 33 Then the disciples worshiped him. "You really are the Son of God!" they exclaimed. Matthew 14:22-33 (NLT)

Peter doesn't really seem as freaked out as the rest of the disciples. Instead, he is typical Peter. Rushing headlong into what's going on. But it's admirable. Peter rushes towards Jesus. He doesn't really stop to process what all is going on. In the middle of his "peterness", he realizes that the storm hasn't exactly stopped and he is now out of the boat.

Jesus takes care of it.

And Jesus wants us to know two things.

1. We need to get out of the boat.
2. His world lives around our world, and he can totally rescue us from it.

But we have to get out of the boat.

Have you ever had to stretch something? I remember wearing a brand new pair of snakeskin cowboy boots on a 3-hour flight and then a 6-hour drive. They were tight. Painfully tight. I couldn't wait to get the home and into the boot-stretcher. I should have never worn them.

The only time we are aware of the need for a stretching is when things get tight. When they get sketchy and we know it.

The last part of our story of Jonah is a story about stretching and the lesson learned. Or hopefully learned.

This change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry. 2 So he complained to the Lord about it: "Didn't I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people. 3 Just kill me now, Lord! I'd rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen."

4 The Lord replied, "Is it right for you to be angry about this?"

5 Then Jonah went out to the east side of the city and made a shelter to sit under as he waited to see what would happen to the city. 6 And the Lord God arranged for a leafy plant to grow there, and soon it spread its broad leaves over Jonah's head, shading him from the sun. This eased his discomfort, and Jonah was very grateful for the plant.

7 But God also arranged for a worm! The next morning at dawn the worm ate through the stem of the plant so that it withered away. 8 And as the sun grew hot, God arranged for a scorching east wind to blow on Jonah. The sun beat down on his head until he grew faint and wished to die. "Death is certainly better than living like this!" he exclaimed.

9 Then God said to Jonah, "Is it right for you to be angry because the plant died?"

"Yes," Jonah retorted, "even angry enough to die!"

10 Then the Lord said, "You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. It came quickly and died quickly. 11 But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn't I feel sorry for such a great city?" Jonah 4 NLT

Jonah needed to be stretched. Pretty seriously.

God's count is bigger than our count.

Plain and simple. Jonah couldn't get over himself, his own idea of what redemption looked like (he wanted it to look like retribution), and what it means to be part of God's people. He had his own idea of the world and it didn't match up well with God's vision for the world.

When was the last time you failed?

I know we aren't supposed to talk about these sorts of things, but let's face it…we've all failed before. We've crashed directly into the thing in life we were trying to fail. Last week, we talked about Big Missions and how sometimes we are tasked with projects or dreams that seem impossible. Some of us run headlong into them and others avoid. Inside of living a big life, the possibility of failure is always there.

And no one likes to fail.

For me, the worst failure isn't dropping a ball or trying to do something that is simply too big. It's when I realize I have failed to do what it totally in my own capabilities and totally do-able. And the aftermath is never pretty. When we fail we can get down. Really far down. Not leaving the house down. Not talking to anyone down. Eating delivery pizza and drinking straight out of the two liter down. We begin to think we are in so deep in our own failure we can't really every climb out.

Deep Doesn't Mean Done

Jonah is a story of failure. Big failure. Let's pick up from where we left last week.

17 Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.

Jonah's Prayer 2 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the fish. 2 He said,

"I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble, and he answered me. I called to you from the land of the dead, and Lord, you heard me! 3 You threw me into the ocean depths, and I sank down to the heart of the sea. The mighty waters engulfed me; I was buried beneath your wild and stormy waves. 4 Then I said, 'O Lord, you have driven me from your presence. Yet I will look once more toward your holy Temple.' 5 "I sank beneath the waves, and the waters closed over me. Seaweed wrapped itself around my head. 6 I sank down to the very roots of the mountains. I was imprisoned in the earth, whose gates lock shut forever. But you, O Lord my God, snatched me from the jaws of death! 7 As my life was slipping away, I remembered the Lord. And my earnest prayer went out to you in your holy Temple. 8 Those who worship false gods turn their backs on all God's mercies. 9 But I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. For my salvation comes from the Lord alone." 10 Then the Lord ordered the fish to spit Jonah out onto the beach.

Jonah's own interior journey is one of realizing what happens when you actually get what you want. It's the worst kind of failure because you realize you are totally responsible for it. His prayer is one of recognition and journey. It is one that talks about slipping down to the very bottom…and making it out alive.

Have you ever been handed a big project? It might have been in school or at work. There are several emotions that run through our head. For some people, they jump at the chance to prove themselves AND grow during the process. They want to show off what they are capable of. For others, doubt and anxiety set in and we end up barely making it through…by the skin of our teeth. Others run as far as they can!

Big Missions can be downright terrifying. Jonah, a proven prophet of God's people, was handed a seemingly insurmountable project. And bolted. Fast.

The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 "Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are."

3 But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord. He went down to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from the Lord by sailing to Tarshish.

4 But the Lord hurled a powerful wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that threatened to break the ship apart. 5 Fearing for their lives, the desperate sailors shouted to their gods for help and threw the cargo overboard to lighten the ship.

But all this time Jonah was sound asleep down in the hold. 6 So the captain went down after him. "How can you sleep at a time like this?" he shouted. "Get up and pray to your god! Maybe he will pay attention to us and spare our lives."

7 Then the crew cast lots to see which of them had offended the gods and caused the terrible storm. When they did this, the lots identified Jonah as the culprit.8 "Why has this awful storm come down on us?" they demanded. "Who are you? What is your line of work? What country are you from? What is your nationality?"

9 Jonah answered, "I am a Hebrew, and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land."

10 The sailors were terrified when they heard this, for he had already told them he was running away from the Lord. "Oh, why did you do it?" they groaned. 11 And since the storm was getting worse all the time, they asked him, "What should we do to you to stop this storm?"

12 "Throw me into the sea," Jonah said, "and it will become calm again. I know that this terrible storm is all my fault."

13 Instead, the sailors rowed even harder to get the ship to the land. But the stormy sea was too violent for them, and they couldn't make it. 14 Then they cried out to the Lord, Jonah's God. "O Lord," they pleaded, "don't make us die for this man's sin. And don't hold us responsible for his death. O Lord, you have sent this storm upon him for your own good reasons."

15 Then the sailors picked Jonah up and threw him into the raging sea, and the storm stopped at once! 16 The sailors were awestruck by the Lord's great power, and they offered him a sacrifice and vowed to serve him.

17 Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights. Jonah 1

Jonah's flight from this mission was so deep he felt he needed to not just avoid the mission, but to get so far away from God he was no longer under his boundary. Jonah, a book full of imagery, attempts to literally cross from one side of the world to the other.

But it didn't work.

The Presence of God is locked into the Purpose of God

God was doing something. Something really big. Even in Jonah's attempts to get away from his purpose he finds himself serving as the prophet of God. His body language speaks of absolute fear, but it leads those around him to absolute purpose.

Have you ever been asked to do something big? What did you do?

You might have gone through with it and had an amazing story to tell. Or, you might have decided to not take part and still regret it.

Over the next few weeks, Foundry is focusing on the story of Jonah and the #whopper of an ask. Jonah, a proven prophet, was tasked by God to go to the absolute worst place in the world.

In this introduction, Chad goes through the basic template of Jonah and shares why Jonah is a book about big things.