Stand Firm: Made For Adventure - From Comfort To Calling Jonathan Hansen
Made for Adventure: Discovering God's Call to Meaningful Living
Deep within every human heart lies a longing for something more than comfort and safety. We crave purpose, meaning, and yes—adventure. This isn't a character flaw to manage, but a design feature God placed within us to cultivate.
Key Verses
Matthew 13:31-32
Matthew 25: 14-30
Romans 8:32
Why Do We Crave Adventure?
In 1914, Ernest Shackleton placed an advertisement in the London Times that read: "Men wanted for hazardous journey, small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return, doubtful honor and recognition in case of success." Within one week, he received 5,000 applications from men eager to join his Antarctic expedition.
This response reveals something profound about the human soul. We don't primarily want the safest option in life—we want the meaningful option. We desire a life filled with purpose and passion, not just predictability and comfort.
How Does Scripture Show God's Call to Adventure?
Throughout the Bible, God consistently called His people not to comfort, but to purpose, risk, and mission. Consider these examples:
Abraham left his father's house at age 75 to journey to an unknown land
Moses returned to Egypt to confront Pharaoh and rescue his people
Joshua crossed into the promised land despite warnings of mighty enemies
David ran toward Goliath on the battlefield
Peter stepped out of the boat
Paul crossed the known world under threat of persecution to plant churches
The Christian life is never presented as one of ease and comfort, but rather as a life of meaning and purpose greater than anything this world offers.
What Are the Three Layers of Adventure We All Need?
1. Casual Adventure: What Nourishes Your Soul?
A person without some form of casual adventure doesn't become safe—they become bored. God instituted the Sabbath because He knew humans weren't designed to hustle seven days a week, 365 days a year.
Casual adventure isn't just about doing nothing. It's about what refuels you. This might include:
Fishing or hunting trips
Golf with friends
Hiking in wilderness
Road trips
Time outdoors
These aren't trivial pursuits—they're necessary for life. Even in Eden, God placed Adam in a garden with wild elements requiring cultivation and exploration.
Finding Adventure in Ordinary Life
Children naturally find adventure everywhere they go. They don't need to be told to make believe or find excitement in ordinary moments. As adults, we often lose this perspective under the weight of responsibility and stress.
Jesus performed most of His miracles in ordinary places—on the streets of Israel, in people's everyday lives, not in temples or palaces. In Matthew 13, He compared the kingdom of heaven to a mustard seed: "'Though it's the smallest, most ordinary of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest garden plants and it becomes a tree.'"
There is no situation so ordinary, small, or unglamorous that the kingdom of God cannot begin to grow there. We must simply begin to look for it.
2. Crucial Adventure: What Forms Us?
Crucial adventures shape our character through experiences like marriage, raising children, starting careers, launching businesses, or taking responsibility for what God has entrusted to us.
We both love and fear these adventures because they expose our weaknesses, immaturities, fears, and selfishness. Marriage doesn't fix our problems—it exposes them. Starting a new job or company reveals our character and work ethic as we learn to navigate unknown territory.
The Parable of the Talents and Taking Risks
In Matthew 25, Jesus shared the parable of the talents. A master entrusted his servants with different amounts of gold before leaving on a journey. Two servants invested and multiplied what they received, but the third servant buried his talent in the ground out of fear.
When the master returned, he praised the first two servants but called the third "wicked and lazy." The servant didn't just bury gold coins—he buried his potential, opportunity, and the responsibility God had entrusted to him.
This parable challenges us to examine our own lives. God has entrusted each of us with different talents and gifts. The question isn't how many we have, but what we do with the one life God has given us.
3. Critical Adventure: What Transforms Us?
The most difficult adventure we face is entering into the wilderness of our own souls. While we might eagerly tackle external challenges, dealing with what lies beneath the surface—the things holding us back or sabotaging our relationships—requires different courage.
Critical adventures might look like:
Having hard conversations you've been avoiding
Going to counseling
Getting sober
Paying off debt
Reading your Bible daily for 30 days
Choosing honesty over lies
Getting vulnerable about fear, anxiety, or depression
How Can We Trust God in Risky Adventures?
Like a child standing on a high cliff, afraid to jump into the water below, we often fear the adventures God calls us to. But just as a loving father wouldn't bring his child to an unsafe place, our heavenly Father can be trusted.
The question is never whether the adventure is safe—the question is whether the Father is good. As C.S. Lewis wrote in The Chronicles of Narnia, when asked if Aslan the lion is safe: "Safe? Who said anything about safe? Of course he isn't safe, but he's good. He's the king, I tell you, and he's a good king."
We know God is good because Romans 8:32 tells us: "'He did not spare his own son, but he gave up Jesus for all of us. How will he not also, along with Jesus, graciously give us all things.'"
Life Application
This week, examine your life through the lens of these three adventures. First, identify what brings you life and refuels your soul—then schedule time for it. Second, consider whether you've buried any talents or gifts God has given you out of fear or comfort. What risk might He be calling you to take for His glory and others' good?
Finally, ask yourself what critical adventure God might be inviting you into—what deeper work in your soul needs attention? Remember, you don't have to face these challenges alone. Your heavenly Father is with you, and He is good.
Consider these questions as you reflect:
What casual adventure could I build into my routine to refuel my soul?
Is there a talent or calling I've buried out of fear that God wants me to risk using?
What critical adventure is God inviting me into that could transform my life and relationships?
How can I shift my perspective to see God's kingdom growing in my ordinary, everyday life?
The sermon closes with the image of the Father holding His child’s hand before jumping off a cliff, and the reminder that the question is not whether the cliff is safe but where the Father is good. How does your trust in God’s goodness affect your willingness to step into the unknown?
God created you for adventure—not just comfort and safety, but meaningful, purposeful living that makes an eternal impact. The abundant life Jesus promised is found not in playing it safe, but in following Him by faith into the unknown.
Setlist
WFC Lenexa + WFC Anywhere
I Believe - Phil Wickham
Mighty Name Of Jesus - The Belonging Co.
Breakthrough - Red Rocks Worship
WFC Speedway
Rest On Us - Maverick City Music
Trust In God - Elevation Worship
Holy Forever - CeCe Winans
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