Hey. You're listening to Cut for Time, a podcast from Faith Church located on the North Side Of Indianapolis. My name is Claire Kingsley. And I'm Dan Breitwieser. Each week, one of us will sit down with the person who gave Sunday's sermon to discuss their message.

Cut for Time is a look behind the scenes of sermon preparation, and they'll share with us a few things that we didn't hear from the sermon on Sunday. Thanks for listening. And it is the height of summer here at Cut for Time. Things warm and sultry here in India. Yeah.

I'd say it's a real, brutal I came across a term this week that I really enjoyed because I feel like it accurately describes how it feels. It's a wet heat. Yeah. Just let's drop the term humidity. Let's just use the term wet heat because that's, I think, what we're all feeling.

Yes. Yeah. And my neighbor actually there had their AC went out from, like, Sunday to Wednesday this past week. And they I mean, we were on vacation and and, like, the AC company said, they've never had a backup this bad because Oh, probably so many AC units are just going kaput. But you know I'm Nathan, by the way.

Yeah. That's right. I'm Dan. And, thanks for for joining for for time because we're just having a great time here. So, yeah, I'm here with pastor Nathan who preached, last week and, talking about the shipwreck.

And, you know, this is week number three, really, of this story that, you know, we continue to, explore. So, Leighton, why don't you give this kind of a a summary of of what your, sermon was all about? Yeah. So, yeah, we're in part three. There was kind of the beginning of the journey, the middle of the journey, and now here's the end of the journey.

So I got to preach the end. And based on the spoiler alert of the title, yeah, it's the shipwreck. It's where, Paul and his companions, the 276 people on board the ship that have been in a storm tossed, ship for weeks at this point. They finally see daylight. They finally see some sunshine.

They see land and they run aground. But, the the point that I tried to kinda draw from the text is the reliance of Paul and all these sailor sailors, on God's promise. The promise that he received from an angel in a dream that he was gonna make it to Rome, that he was indeed going to testify before Caesar and God also promised him that, everyone on board as long as they stayed on board would be saved. And so we see that coming true. Luke mentioned that either it was through swimming or clinging to, you know, parts of the ship that are floating in the water.

Everyone made it to shore. So that was kind of where we were in acts. And then because of the, you know, just the text I was preaching, I I know that the joke the last couple weeks is instead of cut for time, it's stretched for time, because there's not there's not a whole lot of meat, I guess, if I if I'm being honest in the text itself. But going off of that idea of a fulfilled promise of God, I took kind of the latter half of the sermon to just talk about what are the promises of God for God's people. Not an exhaustive list, maybe not even the best list, but just tried to highlight a few promises from scripture just as an encouragement for God's people that as we think about, you know, what situations we might come to on our own lives, that we can trust God and trust his promises.

So, yeah, I think I tried to answer two questions, is kinda how I outline my sermon. And that is, what do God's promises do? And, what exactly are the promises of God for his people? So hopefully people got some answers to those questions of what his promises do and what are those promises. Pastor Tom talked last week, on God for Time how, you know, he got the easiest part of the the sermon where there's really some more Stuff actually happens in the passage in the middle.

Yeah. Scriptural need to maybe dig into. But I think, you know, it kinda continues a theme that, Nick started a couple weeks ago with, you don't have to be in control when you know the one who is. And so Yeah. It just kinda continues that idea, with the idea of God's promises, I feel like.

I mean, it just continued that that theme that, you know, you don't have to be in control if you know the one who's promised you, those kinds of things. Yeah. Yeah. I felt like as I was preparing my sermon, it was very much, kind of where I landed in talking about God's promises was very much built on how Nick and then Tom preached the first one and two parts. It just felt like, hey, this is kind of a natural place for this to go.

And, I don't know. I was really thankful for their sermons and, for how they kind of developed those points. So yeah, I think overall it kind of fits together as three parts. And, even though we're starting chapter 28 this coming Sunday, Pastor Tom's gonna be leading us through the first part of that. And it's actually kind of just a almost kind of a part four, the last part of this journey as he kind of has this interaction with the islanders.

But, anyway, that's next week. We don't need to get into that today. That's right. Well, I think, again, you're you're, going to the the first question is what do God's promises do when you talk about how they anchor our souls and and they guide our lives. How do you balance God's plan for your life and our plans for our own lives?

How do you how do you think the the the best the Christian the the Christ honoring way to to do that? Yeah. That's a great question. I think it's a question I encounter a lot working with students. Right?

As they're kind of coming through high school and they're beginning to think about what's next in life, they're beginning to ask those questions that lots of people already asked them. What do I wanna do with my life? And whether you're 17 or 70, sometimes we might have some of those questions. And, once again, I don't profess to be, you know, expert on this, but I think two words, one phrase that come to mind is our responsible participation. That I think as we trust the Lord, as we seek his wisdom, both in his word and through prayer, Sometimes what it comes down to is our responsible participation with the spirit to take steps of faith.

We might not be taking a step of faith with 100% full confidence that this is exactly what God wants me to do, but I think God uses our faithfulness in taking those steps to help guide us and, you know, give us a direction to go. And he's really good at closing doors that, you know, if you're debating between, you know, colleges or schools or careers or, you know, where to live, like, if if it really matters to God so much that you don't go to this particular college or that you don't go to, you know, this city or whatever, like, he'll make that clear. But I I mean, I think in terms of all those things, God can use his people in any number of situations with any number of people. And I don't, I'm not one who believes that God has one particular plan for each particular person. And you have to like, you know, somehow find the magic combination of doing the exact right thing that God wants you to do.

Because I don't think that's how God works. Like we're not robots pre programmed to only do one thing, but God has given us some measure of free will and, to be able to make choices in our lives for good or for bad. And we have to responsibly participate in those things that he has for us. Well, and I think, in other words, saying is, God's not, like, fatalistic. You know?

That there is one specific thing. And I think the key is really seeking his will in that in terms of open handed praying about it and talking to god about it and listening to your gut in that way. And Yeah. I think when you're like, I don't know. I can do this way or this way.

Well, then I think there's really the freedom to choose and just to to have that, because I've I'd certainly felt that way, when I was choosing a school, and and it was like, I couldn't complete one. And you've talked about your story too of coming to faith, church in terms of you know, there were some doors that felt like we were opening right before you were like, right as you're leaving. You know? Exactly. Which one is it?

And I can only imagine the turmoil when you're like, I really wanted this and this, but this is like Yeah. How do you decide? It's it's really difficult in that way. Yeah. And, you know, something I mentioned in the sermon is, you know, an answer to those questions of, you know, how God's promises anchor our souls and guide our lives.

Like, you could make those decisions about your life on any different number of questions. Like, which career is gonna make me more money? Which career is gonna give me more vacation time? You know, what's gonna be better for starting a family? Or, you know, what's just gonna take me traveling around the world?

Or which is gonna help me never leave Indiana? You know, like, you could base it on a whole lot of different factors. But if we kinda come back to the foundation of, hey, you know, can I honor God doing this? Okay. Could I honor God doing this?

Yeah. Okay. Then, you know, whatever sounds good, go for it. Take a step of faith and just say, alright, God, I'm trusting that I'm gonna go this path and that you're gonna use me, and I wanna be used by you as fill in the blank, you know, whatever it might be. Yeah.

I think it's it's one of those, like, you have you've been canoeing or kayaking, and you're, like, deciding on a path, and this looks pretty good. I think I'm gonna paddle on this side of the river, and then you might change and go that side. You know, you're still, you know, within those boundaries Yeah. For sure. Of his will.

You and then, obviously, the second part is you talked about what what has God promised us. And you really talked about, I think the number you provided, 7,487 promises of God. I assume you spent your week counting each of one of those. I did. I I didn't wanna give a wrong number, so I went through all of scripture and counted them individually.

Yep. But highlight I mean, what are a few of the the the big ones that people should remember and be thinking through, as they're going about their lives? So what God's promised? Yeah. Well, I mean, I think some of the the basic ones that I didn't mention, there's lots of promises, of how much God, has promised to love us.

Right? Despite what we've done, or may do. I didn't really talk about God's love as a promise, in my sermon, but the ones I did mention, that God has promised to strengthen us. Right, to and he doesn't strengthen us, you know, vicariously through some other but, like, he strengthens us himself, like, with his righteous right hand as Isaiah 41 says. I mentioned the promise that he makes to keep us, right to to hold us fast.

Even in the you know storms and trials of life. Even in maybe seasons of doubting. If we have come to a place where we've placed our faith and trust in him and we are safe and secure in Jesus. I mentioned his promise that he made to never leave us, that he will always be with us, as Jesus promised his disciples at the end of, the great commission. And then the last thing that I came across, it was actually I was listening to a, a podcast, of John Piper and it just kinda came across this podcast is this idea that all of the promises that God has made to his people are secured with the blood of Jesus and I was just really, profoundly, like that just really meant something to me in that moment as I was listening to that.

So I kind of chose to include that as well in the sermon, from Romans eight where it's like, Hey, God has already done the hardest thing imaginable by sacrificing or giving up his son to be a sacrifice for us. How then, if we have been reconciled to God, do we not expect him to, you know, give us all those things we need on a daily basis? If he's already done the hardest thing, then it's gonna be his joy to do all those things with ease, in a sense, for for all the other things we need. Yeah. And I think of, you know, the end of Paul's story in that as well.

I mean, that, I mean, how many times did he bring him back from death and shipwreck and Stoning. Stoning. We'll see a snake bite here coming up. Like, all those hanging Prison. Yeah.

But in the end in the end, I mean, according to tradition, he he dies at the hand of Caesar. Right? So, like Yep. You know, there is Yep. It's hard.

You know what I mean? That, not promised, safety and security or your or life and health. I mean, at least temporary, in this life. Right. Same time.

And we do have a question, this week, And I will say, as a plug for the person, you know, as as I'm hosting this, I would love more questions to be coming in each and every week. People are really smart in Faith Church. They are thinking about the sermon as it's happening, and it'd be great to text in or email in, your questions, so they can be asked and and, you know, add to the discussion here. But, this person, you know, messaged in about, okay. You know, you talked about, you know, briefly, you know, talking about God's promises.

You know, maybe you don't feel like these promises are true for you. And and you kinda just specifically said, you know, maybe you're not part of the family of God, so it doesn't really apply. But this this person, messaged in. Okay. But alright.

That's true. But what about the the genuine believer, the the genuine Christian who has a genuine relationship with God, but still doesn't feel like these promises are true. What would you say to that? You know, what's the role of of feeling in those you know, the feelings that these promises are true versus the actual truth of these promises, that God has made? Yeah.

Man, that's a that's a good question. It's a question that I I don't think has an easy answer. But as I don't know, as I think about my own life, as I think about the lives of people I'm close to, I think, I think there's a way in which we have to lead our feelings with truth, that even when we don't feel like something is true, it doesn't negate the fact that it is. Right. So, I mean, I kind of briefly shared this moment.

It's kind of like a joke a little bit in my sermon, but like yesterday morning, we're recording this on Monday. So Sunday morning before preaching, I I was just having a terrible time, before getting up to preach. I had not slept well mentally. I was a mess and, like, I just was not feeling strengthened by God at all. And I, and I was, you know, I was praying, I was texting other people to pray for me and I just was not feeling it.

And, and yet I think the fact that I was able to get up there and preach is evidence of the fact that God did strengthen me even if I wasn't feeling like he was strengthening me. So I don't know. I think of lots of other people experiencing a lot more hardship than having to get up in front of people and preach. And they might be wondering those same questions of like, okay, like, I don't feel like God is strengthening me or I don't I know God loves me, but I don't feel like God loves me or I I know in scripture it says that God sees me, but it doesn't feel like he sees my individual situation. Like how do I know these things are true?

And I don't, I don't know. I think depending on how that question is asked or who I'm talking to, it might vary how it answer that question. But I think in some ways it comes down to knowing that once again, God's promises do not fail and we might not like he might not be strengthening us in the way that he, that we would want him to. Right. But that doesn't mean he's not strengthening us.

Like yesterday, going back to my example, because it's just recent, it's on my mind. I would have loved if God answering that prayer looked like him giving me mental clarity and confidence that I could step up there on stage and be like, boom, this is what God wants to share with his people. I know he's got this. This is gonna be awesome. But like, what I felt was much fear and trepidation the entire time I was up there.

Does that mean that because he didn't give me what I wanted or he didn't strengthen me in the way that I was hoping he would, that he didn't actually come through? No, absolutely not. He did because it happened and, you know God's word was preached and you know I'm I'm thankful that he used a fallible broken, you know, average person like me to do that. So yeah, I mean it's it's a really, really hard question that I think a lot of people struggle with is I don't feel it. I know it's true, but I don't feel it.

So what do I do about that? Especially I think if you think just about who we are as humans, we're very experiential human beings. Right? We're creatures of experience. So what we can see and taste and touch and hear like those things are real to us and the things that maybe we don't have as much evidence for you know such as being strengthened by the Lord or feeling like Jesus is keeping us for the day of redemption.

Some of these promises or the fact that Jesus is always with us. Yeah, how do you, how do you describe that and, and how do you relate that to your experience? Be like, oh, I know that's true because I feel him every hour. Like, I I don't know. I I don't even know if I would say that.

Like, I know it's true. I definitely don't feel like it's true, but yet we forge onward in faith. And I think it's getting harder and harder these days to do so with cell phones, with instant gratification, with, you know, I I look at myself and, like, when I I watch TV, I'm usually doing, like, my crossword on the side, especially if it's, like, live sports because, like, I can I can kinda I know what's going on without actually having Yeah? You know? So it's, like, you know, it's the multiscreen.

It's just, like, you can't do that. And so that makes anything that doesn't have instant gratification, and it feels good, makes it more difficult. Yeah. Anything without a dopamine hit. Right?

Right. Exact no. A 100%. And and I think the thing that I would maybe would my advice too with that would be just, you know, I think writing those prayer requests down and then being able to look back. I mean, the the power of the printed word and and the power of looking back really, can make, I think, a huge difference.

Yeah. You know, it's easy to you know, if you think about, oh, I I guess I did get through it, and then you don't think about that. But, you know, weeks later, months later, when you're thinking about how has God answered my prayers, that also cements in your own soul and and life the idea that those promises are, are fulfilled. Yeah. And if I'm, you know, being honest, whenever I get up to preach next, I'd say there's a greater than 90% chance that I'll probably feel the same way.

So Well, you know, then there's this. You never know. You never know. Things can change. The the only question I would have too with this would be, you know, you kind of alluded to the those that would say, well, there's all these promises.

All I've gotta do is say the words, claim it for myself, and, it it almost feels like, you know, God's forced to to answer me. And Mhmm. I would say we wouldn't you nor I would agree with that type of theology. But what would you say to those who say, yeah. God promises are true.

I can I pray for healing, and I'm gonna get healing? I pray for strength, and I'm gonna get strength. You know? Like, what Yeah. What would your response be to to, I think, again, when I say that, you know, that error.

But, you know, what would what would your response be to Yeah. That's saying something? I think my first response was interesting. Where where do you see that in scripture, as kind of just a question back to them, but, I mean, because the reality is that I don't think that's what scripture teaches, that we get to name promises, right? Like God has made promises to us and we see those in scripture, but we don't get to just dream up what things we want to come true, right?

He's not a, God is not a cosmic Santa Claus where if you do the right things and you're on the good list, then he is gonna give you what you asked for. Yes, God cares about us. He loves us. He, he cares about the things we care about and he is invested in what we're doing. And sometimes when we pray, he answers in ways that we want him to, right?

Like we pray for healing, we receive healing. Sometimes we pray to get a job, we might get a job, right? But sometimes those things don't happen. And, you know, God is not, he's not, you know, enslaved to our desires. He has plans and, he's sovereign over things that do not make sense to us in the same way that, you know, my three year old does not understand the plans we make as parents yet I keep telling him and asking him to trust that what we're doing is for his good and for his benefit, even if he doesn't understand it because he's only three years old and it's really hard for him to understand as a three year old.

And I think that's kind of once again, our relationship is with God, but maybe even to a much stark or more contrasted degree, in that we think that God is like us, yet he is not beholden to us in any way. So yes, he loves us. He cares about us. But the promises of God are the promises that he has made to us, not what we get to just dream up or come up with. Like, I think God wants me to be happy.

Well, it's nice that you think that, but God has not promised happiness, you know, or God wants me to be wealthy. And the fact that I'm not means that God has not fulfilled his promise. Well, like once again, if we go back to scripture, he's promised to be with you. He's promised to keep you. He's promised to strengthen you.

He's promised to, you know, work all things in your life for your good. Nowhere has he promised how much money you're gonna make. You know what kind of retirement package you're going to be. You know, maybe with where we're at in this broken world. You're going to live a life of poverty.

I don't know. I don't know what happens. And it's not because God has, you know, well, I'm going to choose this person to have favor on and this person I'm going to, you know, send them to poverty. Like that's not how God works. He's not, you know, dictating how each of these things happen.

But, yeah, I think as a result of the world we live in, that's just sometimes how things happen. I don't know. What would you think? How would you answer that question? Well, I think part of it is we're looking for God to answer his promise the way we want him to.

Right. You know? Like, god wants me to be or, you know, I'm I'm claiming wealth. Well, I mean, wherever you live, you're more well especially if you're living in this country, you're wealthier than 99% of the people. So, like, again, and you're just looking for $1 more.

So, I mean, there is I think there's sort of a you you need to answer my prayer the way I want you to answer my prayer. Mhmm. Whereas, I think also, you know, there's and there are, I think, there are certainly scriptural examples where prayer does, you know, change circumstances and some I mean, and again, in a way that God's outside time. So I don't understand how that you know, God changing his mind or at least in a way of of our human understanding of that. But there's other examples where it's Job, whether it's Jesus in the Garden Of Gethsemane where Mhmm.

They seem to pray for either an answer or even in Jesus' case, you know, take this cup from me kind of thing and if there's any other way, god. You know? And so, like, there's a lot of examples where very, spiritual men promised for you know, prayed for things and and Mhmm. Get what they wanted. But I also think from an eternal perspective, you know, we are gonna have wealth.

You know? We and and I think we do have wealth because we do have what we need for like Yeah. We didn't have any problem, you know, getting groceries today. You know, things like that. And so I think, that's that's part of my answer too.

Just those kinds of connections. Yeah. In Jesus, we have everything we could possibly need, and sometimes we need other things in life. Right? We need money and food.

You know? We need a shelter. We need we have physical needs. And guess what? One of other God's other promises is that he's promised to take care of those needs, right?

If he takes care of the birds of the air, the lilies of the field, you know, how much more value are we to God than those things? And yeah, if he takes care of the birds, he's gonna take care of us and what we need. Absolutely. Alright. Last but not least.

Do we need two boats? Probably not. So You're welcome to share that with us, though. Last but not least, what anything you actually cut for time? I didn't even ask ask you the The one question of this podcast is what anything you cut for time this week.

There were a couple things, both pretty short, but it just you know, the I skimmed, not skimmed, I read through a lot of commentaries on this passage and basically there is only one real interesting thing in the passage from a commentary perspective and that is what does it mean by reef? Like when the boat hit a reef, what did it mean? Because the Greek literally translate to, translates to the place between two seas. So like, okay, is it a reef? Is it a shoal?

Is it a sandbar? Is it this like and they and you know, they're looking at Malta. They're looking at the geography of Malta and what the beaches and the bays look like and be like, okay, where exactly did Paul's ship run aground? And you know, they're trying to think about, you know, reverse engineering time and think about what this looked like two thousand years ago when Paul was sailing. And, you know, there's interesting theories, but ultimately, then it's like, oh, it was probably this bay.

Okay, it was probably this bay. And, you know, it's interesting, but it's not necessary. So I didn't, you know, go down that path. And then the other thing is I had a story that I was going to potentially close with. I kind of just put a note, on my notes to say, hey, if there's time at the end, you know, as we're thinking about family, you could share this story.

And it was a story of, in COVID, one of the, you know, many Zoom calls that I found myself on, but by far the most memorable one was the Zoom call where my brother and his wife, were getting kind of the official adoption of this boy that they had been fostering. So my nephew being adopted into the family, and just kind of thinking through what adoption looks like and how, you know, the the inheritance or the the promises for the Kingsley family, what it meant to be a Kingsley, the things you get to be a part of, you know, they did not apply to him before, but then after his adoption, he is one of us. He is a Kingsley. And so, just thinking through that with the family of God, inheritance that is in Christ is now available to us, which is incredible, because God has chosen to adopt us. So anyway, a fun story I I thought about telling, but, I think even without telling that story, I went a little over.

Not that it matters that much, but I realized, you know what? Don't have time for that. So made a decision on the fly not to go there. I like that. That is a powerful image.

I have adopted nieces and nephews as well. And so it is a it's a huge that's a really cool thing. I one thing you did say that made me jog my memory. Do they have anything to say about, like, this storm that lasted for fourteen days? Like, is that like, that seems extremely long.

I mean, that's all that's like that. Question for last week because that's what Tom's passage was. Okay. Fair enough. Texted in that question.

Well, I it's on vacation. I I looked up on the way home. So Anyways alright. Well I don't remember coming across anything. I mean, I think yeah.

Storms are storms. Those happen. Alright. Well, coming up, we'll be looking at chapter 28, which is the final week or final chapter of Acts, and and pastor Tom, getting us started there. So anything you can update as we look ahead?

Yeah. I think, the interesting about the interesting thing about the book of Acts that I have tried to remind myself and I know it's something that, as preachers we've tried to, you know, remind our people of throughout the series is that the main character of the book of Acts is not Paul. Because if Paul was the main character then the end of the book of Acts makes no sense and it leaves us really feeling like weird about it. Right? Like it just ends.

But if we remind ourselves that the you know the main character of the book of Acts is the Holy Spirit at work through the gospel you know or you could say the gospel is the main character, the Holy Spirit is the main character. Then the narrative of the book of Acts makes perfect sense and the ending is this really beautiful ending of the gospel reaching the ends of the earth which is Rome. You know like the gospel making it to Rome is the climax the the big bang of just amazing story of what happened. So anyway, that's just kind of, once again, another reminder of where we're at in the book of acts that Paul's story continues after the book of Acts ends. But it's because he's not the main character.

Neither was Peter. You know, neither were any of the other disciples, but it's the Holy Spirit at work through the good news of the gospel that is the main point of what Luke's trying to do. What a great way to, look ahead. Nathan, that's a great reminder for everybody. And and one more reminder for me, send in those questions next week, for me and and for, for pastor Tom.

So Yeah. For being a part of this, Nathan. And Yeah. Anything else you wanna say? I I feel like this has been a a really good episode, but maybe a little bit on the longer side.

Do you have any fun nuggets you wanna drop for anyone who's still listening at this point? Oh, fun nuggets. Boy, now you're putting me on the spot. Just putting you on the spot. Yeah.

How does it feel? Well, let me tell you about the fourteen day storm. No. I don't know. I've no.

It's just crazy to think we've been doing this for almost three years. And so Yeah. It's exciting. Yeah. Just even thinking about the ending and how you explained it, it's it is exciting, for me to to think we're getting to the end in some ways, but, obviously, just the beginning.

Yeah. Church and how it applies to us. I'm also really excited to start Ephesians come this fall. So it'll be a nice break. Alright.

Nathan, thanks so much. And Yeah. Thanks, Dan. Have a great one. Alright.

Sounds good. See you, everybody. Thanks for listening to this week's episode of Cut for Time. If you wish to submit questions to our pastors following Sunday's sermon, you can email them to podcast@faithchurchindy.com, or text them in to our Faith Church texting number, and we'll do our best to cover them in next week's episode. If this conversation blessed you in any way, we encourage you to share it with others.

We'll be back again next week.