Far From Normal

Happy Sunday. Have you ever said, "I'll do so and so when things get back to normal"? Are things ever normal? When we were dating, Jeanie would never take me to one of her family reunions, and her reason: they weren't normal. I took her to one of my family reunions, and she learned my family wasn't normal either.

Today we're going to begin a new series on the Christian Life. For the past several weeks we have looked at what happens when we die. Let's talk about living for Jesus and the consequences of such a life. Today we will see that the Christian life is not normal.

In Matthew chapter 4 we learn of Jesus calling some of his disciples. Exciting days. I'll read verses 18 to 22: "One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew, throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, 'Come, follow me, and I'll show you how to fish for people.' And they left their Nets at once and they followed him. A little further up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee. They were repairing their their Nets. He called them to come too, and they immediately followed him, leaving their boat and their father behind."

In Matthew 9:9 we find the list is growing. There we're told, "As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his Tax Collector's Booth. 'Follow me and be my disciple,' Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed Jesus." And so it began. Jesus was gathering his disciples.

What a privilege for Peter and Andrew and James and John and Matthew. Fisherman and a tax collector were called by God himself. They weren't lucky. This was not a coincidence. This day was planned since before Adam and Eve. Jesus planned to you these use these boys for The Greatest Adventure ever.

Today I have good news: if you are a believer, you are called to. You may be a farmer, you may be a car salesman, you may be retired. I don't know what you do, but if you're a Christ follower, you have been called. Think about it: you're not normal. You should be giddy with excitement, all struck, amazed. The creator of this entire world has called you to follow him.

First Peter 2:9 says this about you: "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's Own people." You're not normal. I also want to remind you that the God who called you is not normal. We need to realize just who it is that is calling us.

He's the god of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. He's the god of creation. He's the god of Miracles. He's the god that loves you so much that he took on human form and came to Die For You. Psalm 472 puts it this way: "For the Lord, the most high, is awesome, a great king over all the Earth."

We need to REM remember whose we are. Our God is not normal; therefore we, as his followers, are not normal. We cannot follow God and be like the rest of the world.

I read about a businessman who was selling a warehouse. The building had been vacant for a long time, and it needed repairs. Bandal had broken windows and broken through the doors, and, well, the building was a mess. One day he was showing prospective buyer the property, and the owner said, "Of course we will repair all the damage and clean everything up before the building changes hands." The buyer said, "Forget about the repairs. When I buy this place, I'm going to build something completely different. I don't want the building; I want the property."

God is that way with us. He doesn't just Spruce us up when we come to him; he rebuilds us. He wants to build a new life for you, for Me. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he's a new creation; old things have passed away; and behold, all things have become new."

It's been years ago we took our oldest to college and dropped him off. As we were ready to leave, I gave him a speech, and was short, and I remember it verbatim. I gave him an eight-word sermon. What I said to him applies to all of us who follow Christ. I said, "You did not come here to be average. You did not come here to be average."

That day long ago when Jesus called those young men to be his disciples, that day changed the world. Our calling should change the world as well. You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's Own people, far from normal.

Pray with me. Lord, help us to get it. Help us to know who we are in Christ. Help us to learn to put the past away, and help us to learn that we belong to the king. So let us act on behalf of our father and change this world that needs changing for the better. In Jesus' powerful name we pray, amen.

God bless. Thanks for joining me today. Have a great week.