What does any of this Jesus stuff have to do with us?
A Jew from the beginning of the first century in a remote province of the Roman Empire, he lived a common life, nothing notable, living according to the customs of his people.
He started a movement (but history tells us that there were many movements at the time), he only led the group for about 3 years, and his followers took over for him.
He began his movement with a common practice called “baptism.”
He was convicted of trumped up charges in a “kangaroo court” that only sought to calm the political situation. He received the death penalty; was crucified as a criminal (a common practice) for political insurrection (King of the Jews).
His followers believed that he rose from the dead, and kept the movement going.
What does it have to do with us?
The answer, of course, is “everything.”
The life, death and resurrection of Jesus brings us close to God and makes possible eternal life. In Jesus, our sins are forgiven. That is a free gift – made possible through the sacrificial giving of Jesus’ life.
We can’t earn it, we can’t work for it, we can’t “do” anything to receive it, except “receive it.” That’s what we call grace – that great feeling we have when we are forgiven.
Have you ever been forgiven for something you knew you should be punished for? It’s a great feeling!
Some of the early Christians, it seems, liked that feeling so much, that they were tempted to sin just so they could feel forgiven. The Apostle Paul tells them, “Do you think you should go on sinning so that grace may abound?” (Romans 6:1)
Of course, the answer is no. The sin in our lives should be dead. Our sin died with Christ and was buried and stayed in the grave when Jesus rose from the dead. We go through Baptism as a symbol that our sins are dead and we are alive with Jesus.
Perhaps you heard the story …
A little boy saw a baptism service for the first time.
“Why are they doing that, Momma?”
“They’re being baptized to show that they believe in Jesus and are going to heaven.”
Later that day, the boy became interested in the eternal salvation of his cats.
He filled up a large bucket in the yard and proceeded to “baptize” the cats. The little kittens submitted to immersion pretty well. The young cats were a bit more work, but he got them under the water. The larger cats he could only sprinkle, but that was okay. Finally, the old tom cat put up a big fight, it struggled, it clawed and finally it got away.
The boy went into the house, all scratched up. His mother saw him and asked, “What happened to you?”
“I got just about all them cat’s saved, but that old tom cat’s gonna stay an atheist.”
Fortunately, our salvation doesn’t depend on baptism. Baptism is an outward sign of an inward condition. It demonstrates our decision to accept Jesus, ask forgiveness for our sins and make every effort to live like Jesus would want us to.
Baptism is a decision that each person needs to make. Nobody can make it for you (and force you into the bucket – like baptizing a cat – I’m sure those cats didn’t want anything to do with baptism). Baptism is a personal decision.
We have 9 candidates for Baptism. It’s great to see young people who have given their lives to Christ and want to give their testimony and be baptized to show everyone their faith. This is a public profession of their faith; they are not ashamed of the Gospel.
Baptism by water, may wash off some dirt (the pond may add some dirt). It’s not a process that will clean us in any physical way. But the act of Baptism is a symbol that we have been cleaned inside, a cleaning that only Christ can give. Baptism doesn’t “save” us, but it is a public symbol and witness that we are forgiven, “saved,” clean.
BAPTISM TELLS THE GOSPEL STORY
In Baptism we identify with the death and resurrection of Jesus.
The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 6:3-4: “Don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”
1. Down in the water (or covered with the water), the old life is buried.
Our baptism shows that our sins have died on the cross with Christ.
It’s a funeral service for our sins.
It’s natural to mourn when someone close to us dies. It’s okay to be sad at a funeral service. Grieving is a natural part of our existence. Our sinful nature is something very close to us, but our sins are something we should be glad to bury. We’ll miss them, but they’re gone – hopefully for good.
Sin is dead as far as we’re concerned. Don’t mourn that loss.
2. Coming out of the water (or the water passes, taking the contaminants with it), we rise leaving our sins washed away. (Mel’s Pond must be full of sins)
As Jesus rose from the grave, we raise out of the water – proclaiming our resurrection life, our new life, our eternal life.
Verse 8 tells us, “If we die with Christ, we also believe that we will live with him!”
We proclaim that we want to live in the new life with our Savior.
We also proclaim that we live in eternal life, the life that begins when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
PART OF A BAPTIZED BODY
Through Baptism, we proclaim our intention to be part of the church, the family of God, “Christ’s living body in this world.”
The Apostle Paul wrote much about “the body of Christ” – the church.
“We were baptized to form one body through one spirit.”
Christ wants everyone to be part of his body.
How do we become part of Christ’s body?
Believe, repent, confess your sins, and receive Christ.
Jesus must have a body that is clean, not so much on the outside, but certainly on the inside.
THIS IS OUR NEW LIFE – Alive to Christ.
Christ makes us feel alive
We have Christ in our life and we are a part of Christ’s body.
Are you still mourning the death of your sins?
Let them go.
Let Jesus make you alive – truly alive. He came to bring us life, and to bring it in abundance.
“Count yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God”
Monday, August 27, 2007
Sunday, August 19, 2007
August 19, 2007 Sermon Synopsis
“What are you looking at?” Hebrews 11:29 – 2:2
Last week we began Hebrews Chapter 11, the faith chapter.
The story of faith continues …
Perhaps you’ve heard the story about …
The pastor announced, “There will be a meeting of the Board immediately after the service."
After the close of the service, the Church Board gathered at the back of the auditorium for the announced meeting. But there was a stranger in their midst -- a visitor who had never attended their church before.
"My friend," said the pastor, "Didn't you understand that this is a meeting of the Board?"
"Yes," said the visitor, "and after today's sermon, I suppose I'm just about as bored as anyone else who came to this meeting."
According to Hebrews 11, the life of faith is anything but boring. There is an excitement to a life lived by faith. And ultimately they were “commended for their faith,” they had a good testimony.
It's an impressive list of Old Testament believers and their amazing accomplishments. However, the writer kept interspersing the words "by faith," for his emphasis was strictly faith, not fame. Through faith these people obtained a good testimony (v.39), but was there always a good outcome?
By faith they subdued kingdoms, stopped the mouths of lions, and escaped the edge of the sword. Others were tortured and killed. Did they obtain a bad testimony? No! Verse 39 says that "all these" – both the delivered and the undelivered – had a good testimony, they all acted in faith.
Faith does not automatically mean good things will happen to you.
I'm certain that all had asked the Lord for help. But some received deliverance, and others received an answer similar to the one given to Paul when he pleaded for his "thorn" to be removed: "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Whenever you act in faith and in God's strength, you are obtaining a good testimony before Him—no matter what the outcome. Just the same, none of them received the full promise. The author tells us that this is reserved for us. All of these had faith that God would bring a messiah, a savior, etc., but they never saw Jesus. We are very privileged.
THEREFORE
Chapter 12:1 begins with this word; it’s an indicator of a practical application.
There are three things we should do to keep our lives guided “by faith.”
Three things to obtain a good testimony and be commended for our faith.
FIRST: LET US THROW OFF EVERYTHING THAT HINDERS AND THE SIN THAT SO EASLIY ENGANGLES
Once, in Bolivia, I drove behind a loaded truck climbing the mountain road from Cochabamba to Oruro. It was loaded with produce destined for the highlands. The truck couldn’t handle the road, he had a compression problem. He had to get to Oruro, so he started to sell and give his produce to the people along the way. Some he just had to leave by the road. Why? He wouldn’t make it to the destination otherwise; stranded on a mountain road is not a good thing. It arrived with very little produce. It was painful for the owner of the truck to lose his load. He lost plenty of pesos on that trip, but he arrived.
It’s not an easy thing to do. Sometimes we really love the stuff we carry around.
It reminds me of the story of the Franklin Expedition.
In 1845, the ill-fated Franklin Expedition sailed from England to find a passage across the Arctic Ocean. The crew loaded their two sailing ships with a lot of things they didn't need: a 1,200-volume library, fine china, crystal goblets, and sterling silverware for each officer with his initials engraved on the handles. Amazingly, each ship took only a 12-day supply of coal for their auxiliary steam engines.
The ships became trapped in vast frozen plains of ice. After several months, Lord Franklin died. The men decided to trek to safety in small groups, but none of them survived. One story is especially heartbreaking. Two officers pulled a large sled more than 65 miles across the treacherous ice. When their bodies were found, they discovered that the sled was filled with table silver. Those men contributed to their own demise by carrying what they didn't need
But don't we sometimes do the same? Don't we drag baggage through life that we don't need? Evil thoughts that hinder us. Bad habits that drag us down. Grudges that we won't let go.Let's determine to "lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us"
When God told Joshua to take control of Jericho, and other cities in Palestine, they were told “not” to take plunder. Why? It would slow them down. It would divert their attention from the task. It would keep them from being effective in establishing the Kingdom of God.
What about the power of sin?
King David’s eyes were diverted and led him into sin. He needed to get rid of the sin that hindered his ability to rule God’s Kingdom. How did he get rid of that sin? By confronting the sin, confessing the sin and receiving forgiveness. There was no other way.
What is hindering your walk of faith? What is entangling your life?
What do you need to get rid of? You can’t get rid of it yourself.
Jesus said, “Come to me all who are burdened and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Give it to Jesus.
SECOND: LET US RUN WITH PERSEVERANCE THE RACE THAT IS SET OUT BEFORE US
Verb tense in the Greek language indicates a daily action, we continually run the race.
I used to climb mountains. I needed to pace myself. Newcomers to our group might race to the top, but they expend all their energy getting there. They forget that it’s a round trip. Others help carry them down, to complete the journey. Perseverance is pacing yourself for the long haul.
Heb 10:36 “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.”
James tells us something about perseverance.
James 1:3 – the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
James 1:4 – perseverance is necessary for us to be mature and complete.
James 5:11 – using the example of Job we learn that those who persevere are blessed.
Whatever comes, whatever happens, we need to keep going forward in the Christian life.
THIRD: LET US FIX OUR EYES ON JESUS
Years ago there was a farmer teaching his son to plow with a horse: “To make a straight furrow you need to fix your eyes on something in front of you and follow it. He got his son started and went off to work in the barn. When he came back the furrows went in every direction.
The father asked, “Didn’t you follow my directions?”
The son replied, “ I sure did, I set my eyes on that cow over there.”
It’s important what we keep our eyes on something firm – Jesus.
We must keep our eyes on the master.
I remember teaching my dog to “stay.” I put meat or cheese (something tempting) on the floor in front of her and I said “stay.” Eventually the dog learned to stay (treat or no treat). How did the dog keep its concentration? She couldn’t look at the treat, which was too much of a temptation. She kept her eyes on me.
Ultimately, the puppy was more interested in keeping the master happy than in satisfying itself. Somehow the puppy learns that the master is trusted. The master is the one who may reward us. The master is the source of the food.
We are so much more important than a puppy; shouldn’t we keep our eyes on our master?
We need to learn to fix our eyes on Jesus.
Not on the pastor, the elders, parents, conference leaders, or anyone else.
All of these are going to let you down (pastor included), but Jesus will never let you down.
What do we look at? There are many things to choose from.
Leaders
Sins / temptations
Fears
The world and things of the world
Ourselves
You can think of many other things to divert our attention.
In the long run, none of these things are going to help us successfully complete the course.
To live the life of faith we need to
1. Get rid of sin and burdens
2. Persevere
3. Keep our eyes on Jesus
What are you looking at?
Last week we began Hebrews Chapter 11, the faith chapter.
The story of faith continues …
Perhaps you’ve heard the story about …
The pastor announced, “There will be a meeting of the Board immediately after the service."
After the close of the service, the Church Board gathered at the back of the auditorium for the announced meeting. But there was a stranger in their midst -- a visitor who had never attended their church before.
"My friend," said the pastor, "Didn't you understand that this is a meeting of the Board?"
"Yes," said the visitor, "and after today's sermon, I suppose I'm just about as bored as anyone else who came to this meeting."
According to Hebrews 11, the life of faith is anything but boring. There is an excitement to a life lived by faith. And ultimately they were “commended for their faith,” they had a good testimony.
It's an impressive list of Old Testament believers and their amazing accomplishments. However, the writer kept interspersing the words "by faith," for his emphasis was strictly faith, not fame. Through faith these people obtained a good testimony (v.39), but was there always a good outcome?
By faith they subdued kingdoms, stopped the mouths of lions, and escaped the edge of the sword. Others were tortured and killed. Did they obtain a bad testimony? No! Verse 39 says that "all these" – both the delivered and the undelivered – had a good testimony, they all acted in faith.
Faith does not automatically mean good things will happen to you.
I'm certain that all had asked the Lord for help. But some received deliverance, and others received an answer similar to the one given to Paul when he pleaded for his "thorn" to be removed: "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Whenever you act in faith and in God's strength, you are obtaining a good testimony before Him—no matter what the outcome. Just the same, none of them received the full promise. The author tells us that this is reserved for us. All of these had faith that God would bring a messiah, a savior, etc., but they never saw Jesus. We are very privileged.
THEREFORE
Chapter 12:1 begins with this word; it’s an indicator of a practical application.
There are three things we should do to keep our lives guided “by faith.”
Three things to obtain a good testimony and be commended for our faith.
FIRST: LET US THROW OFF EVERYTHING THAT HINDERS AND THE SIN THAT SO EASLIY ENGANGLES
Once, in Bolivia, I drove behind a loaded truck climbing the mountain road from Cochabamba to Oruro. It was loaded with produce destined for the highlands. The truck couldn’t handle the road, he had a compression problem. He had to get to Oruro, so he started to sell and give his produce to the people along the way. Some he just had to leave by the road. Why? He wouldn’t make it to the destination otherwise; stranded on a mountain road is not a good thing. It arrived with very little produce. It was painful for the owner of the truck to lose his load. He lost plenty of pesos on that trip, but he arrived.
It’s not an easy thing to do. Sometimes we really love the stuff we carry around.
It reminds me of the story of the Franklin Expedition.
In 1845, the ill-fated Franklin Expedition sailed from England to find a passage across the Arctic Ocean. The crew loaded their two sailing ships with a lot of things they didn't need: a 1,200-volume library, fine china, crystal goblets, and sterling silverware for each officer with his initials engraved on the handles. Amazingly, each ship took only a 12-day supply of coal for their auxiliary steam engines.
The ships became trapped in vast frozen plains of ice. After several months, Lord Franklin died. The men decided to trek to safety in small groups, but none of them survived. One story is especially heartbreaking. Two officers pulled a large sled more than 65 miles across the treacherous ice. When their bodies were found, they discovered that the sled was filled with table silver. Those men contributed to their own demise by carrying what they didn't need
But don't we sometimes do the same? Don't we drag baggage through life that we don't need? Evil thoughts that hinder us. Bad habits that drag us down. Grudges that we won't let go.Let's determine to "lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us"
When God told Joshua to take control of Jericho, and other cities in Palestine, they were told “not” to take plunder. Why? It would slow them down. It would divert their attention from the task. It would keep them from being effective in establishing the Kingdom of God.
What about the power of sin?
King David’s eyes were diverted and led him into sin. He needed to get rid of the sin that hindered his ability to rule God’s Kingdom. How did he get rid of that sin? By confronting the sin, confessing the sin and receiving forgiveness. There was no other way.
What is hindering your walk of faith? What is entangling your life?
What do you need to get rid of? You can’t get rid of it yourself.
Jesus said, “Come to me all who are burdened and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Give it to Jesus.
SECOND: LET US RUN WITH PERSEVERANCE THE RACE THAT IS SET OUT BEFORE US
Verb tense in the Greek language indicates a daily action, we continually run the race.
I used to climb mountains. I needed to pace myself. Newcomers to our group might race to the top, but they expend all their energy getting there. They forget that it’s a round trip. Others help carry them down, to complete the journey. Perseverance is pacing yourself for the long haul.
Heb 10:36 “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.”
James tells us something about perseverance.
James 1:3 – the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
James 1:4 – perseverance is necessary for us to be mature and complete.
James 5:11 – using the example of Job we learn that those who persevere are blessed.
Whatever comes, whatever happens, we need to keep going forward in the Christian life.
THIRD: LET US FIX OUR EYES ON JESUS
Years ago there was a farmer teaching his son to plow with a horse: “To make a straight furrow you need to fix your eyes on something in front of you and follow it. He got his son started and went off to work in the barn. When he came back the furrows went in every direction.
The father asked, “Didn’t you follow my directions?”
The son replied, “ I sure did, I set my eyes on that cow over there.”
It’s important what we keep our eyes on something firm – Jesus.
We must keep our eyes on the master.
I remember teaching my dog to “stay.” I put meat or cheese (something tempting) on the floor in front of her and I said “stay.” Eventually the dog learned to stay (treat or no treat). How did the dog keep its concentration? She couldn’t look at the treat, which was too much of a temptation. She kept her eyes on me.
Ultimately, the puppy was more interested in keeping the master happy than in satisfying itself. Somehow the puppy learns that the master is trusted. The master is the one who may reward us. The master is the source of the food.
We are so much more important than a puppy; shouldn’t we keep our eyes on our master?
We need to learn to fix our eyes on Jesus.
Not on the pastor, the elders, parents, conference leaders, or anyone else.
All of these are going to let you down (pastor included), but Jesus will never let you down.
What do we look at? There are many things to choose from.
Leaders
Sins / temptations
Fears
The world and things of the world
Ourselves
You can think of many other things to divert our attention.
In the long run, none of these things are going to help us successfully complete the course.
To live the life of faith we need to
1. Get rid of sin and burdens
2. Persevere
3. Keep our eyes on Jesus
What are you looking at?
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
August 12, 2007 Sermon Synopsis
“Faith Based Initiatives” Hebrews 11:1-16
Maybe you heard the story …
A businessman was in a great deal of trouble. His business was failing, he had put everything he had into the business, he owed everybody it was so bad he was even contemplating suicide. As a last resort he went to a pastor and poured out his story of tears and woe. When he had finished, the pastor said, "Here's what I want you to do, put a beach chair and your Bible in your car and drive down to the beach. Take the beach chair and the Bible to the water's edge, sit down in the beach chair, and put the Bible in your lap. Open the Bible; the wind will rifle the pages, but finally the open Bible will come to rest on a page. Look down at the page and read the first thing you see. That will be your answer; that will tell you what to do."
A year later the businessman went back to the pastor and brought his wife and children with him. The man was in a new custom- tailored suit, his wife in a mink coat, the children shining. The businessman pulled an envelope stuffed with money out of his pocket and gave it to the pastor as a donation to the church in thanks for his advice. The pastor recognized the benefactor, and was curious. "You did as I suggested?" he asked.
"Absolutely," replied the businessman.
"You went to the beach?"
"Absolutely."
"You sat in a beach chair with the Bible in your lap?"
"Absolutely."
"You let the pages rifle until they stopped?"
"Absolutely."
"And what were the first words you saw?"
"Chapter 11."
The scripture passage I want to consider is Chapter 11 of Hebrews, and maybe we will learn something about keeping our faith from going bankrupt.
Chapter 11 of Hebrews is known as the “Faith Chapter.”
The book is written to Jews (Hebrews) who have accepted Jesus and to Gentile Christians (who need to understand the OT heritage and message that Jesus fulfilled). Here we have a lesson about the “History of Faith.”
How’s your faith?
Is faith evident in your life?
Is faith guiding your life?
I recently heard the story …
A pastor was taking a load of medical supplies to a local medical ministry. He was pushing the limits of his gas tank, when he ran out of gas, only a mile from the gas station.
He walked the mile to the gas station and asked to borrow a gas can to get enough gas to get to the station. They didn’t have one, so he thought and walked back to the car. In the medical supplies he found a bed pan, so he took it to the gas station, filled it with gas and carefully carried it back to the car.
As he was putting the gas in the car some of his church members drove by and saw their pastor pouring the contents of the bed pan into the car’s gas tank. The one remarked to the other, “Man, that’s faith!”
Faith is more than believing you can run a car on pee.
From this passage, we learn some things about faith.
Verse 1 has a definition. It’s not complete, but focuses on a few important features of faith.
1. Faith is being sure of what we hope for. What are we hoping for? The Psalmist wrote, “Our hope is in the Lord.” We should hope for eternal life, heaven, God’s guidance, etc.
2. Faith is being certain of what we can’t see. Israel was unusual in the world; they believed in the “unseen God.” Others made fun of them for having a God you can’t see.
3. Verse 3 tells us that the world was made through the Word of God. We are re-created through the Word of God – the Word became flesh, John 1:12 – through Jesus.
The creation of the world is a matter of faith. What would happen if we took God out of the picture? There is no purpose to anything! The one who created is more important than how it was done. Faith gives purpose to life.
4. Verse 6 lets us know that you need to have faith to make God happy. “Without faith it’s impossible to please God.”
We live in a world where so many people are concerned about being happy and having “God make them happy.” The goal of our faith is to make God happy, not for God to make us happy. We need to learn: It’s not about making me happy; it’s about making God happy.
Faith Based Initiatives
Faith Based Initiatives are know as a government program to distribute funding through faith based organizations.
The government has learned that “faith based ministries” are the most efficient, the most successful at making permanent changes in peoples lives,
Some Christian organizations won’t accept government funding. They base this decision on the separation of church and state, that the government often has “strings attached,” and they don’t want any government control of their ministry.
Faith has motivated many people in ministry. Faith has initiated a number of ministries such as Tel Hai, Bridge of Hope, No Longer Alone Ministries, and the MCC.
True faith based initiatives have less to do with funding and more to do with ministry to others. After all, God has all the resources necessary to fulfill his plan for the world. Our initiatives need to be found within that plan. The scripture tells us, “Our Lord will supply everything according to our needs.”
Why do you do the things you do?
Why does our church do the things we do?
What motivates or initiates our actions?
We should be motivated by Faith
There is a phrase that is repeated throughout chapter 11 of Hebrews: “By faith.”
Faith is the motivational factor in the lives of the individuals we read about.
Faith is manifested in the lives of individuals
Chapter 11 makes a contrast between us and them
It is the “we” (present) / “they” or “he” (past) difference
The author says “Faith is being sure of what we hope for, certain of what we do not see.”
The scripture gives examples from the past, but the question of faith is in the present.
Interesting Note: verse 2 calls them “ancients” which is a translation of “presbyteroi” which is translated as “elders” in other places in the Bible. I’d be careful referring to our “Elders” as “ancients.”
Example 1: ABEL
Why was his gift better than his brothers? Many scholars have explained this in a number of ways. What stands out here is the faith the motivated and accompanied the offering.
By faith:
- He offered a better offering
- He was commended by God
- His story lives on
Example 2: ENOCH
He pleased God; that is, he made God happy. This gave him a direct trip to heaven.
By faith: he passed to heaven without experiencing death.
Example 3: NOAH
By faith he believed God’s warning and acted on it.
Example 4: ABRAHAM
By faith:
- He left his comfortable surroundings to obey God
- He made his home in a foreign land (illegal immigrant?)
- He fathered a child in his old age.
What do all of these have in common? They heard God’s word and acted on it.
I know a number of people in Bolivia and the Dominican Republic who can be added to that list:
Santiago Canaviri started training school for rural pastors and leaders.
Juan Corcos planted on the islands of Lake Titicaca.
Arelí began a ministry to the children in her community.
Marino & Graciela Garcia opened a school in San Cristobal for children who couldn’t go to school.
Pierre Espady started rural health clinics in Haitian communities in the DR
All of this makes God happy!
Do you make God happy? Or do you make God ashamed?
Verse 16 tells us, “There fore God is not ashamed to be called their God”
Have you ever been ashamed of your children? Your friends? Your church? Did you feel embarrassed by them?
How do you make God feel?
Sure, we can’t see the whole picture.
Did Abel know God’s plan of salvation for the world through Jesus?
Did Enoch? Did Noah? Did Abraham?
I showed the children a “connect the dots” picture of two cows grazing in a field. You really couldn’t tell what the picture was without the dots connected. Doing a “dot-to-dot” puzzle is similar to having faith.
You trust that an artist designed a picture that will be revealed to you if you continue to trace the sequence, dot to dot. If you decide to stop drawing you’ll never see the full picture the artist designed.
So it is with our faith in God. God is leading us and sometimes we only have part of the picture, but faith helps us connect the dots.
Did Abel see the whole picture? No, he just connected dot 3 to dot 4.
Did Enoch see the whole picture? No, he just connected dot 5 to dot 6.
Did Noah? No, dot 16 to 17.
Did Abraham? No, but he connecte a few of the dots.
None of them saw the entire picture.
God knows the big picture (when all the dots are connected). We need to trust God.
We need to make God proud!
Do problems in your life cause you to stop connecting the dots?
Did you just lose interest in connecting the dots?
You just need to trust God. That way you can live your life “by faith.”
Maybe you heard the story …
A businessman was in a great deal of trouble. His business was failing, he had put everything he had into the business, he owed everybody it was so bad he was even contemplating suicide. As a last resort he went to a pastor and poured out his story of tears and woe. When he had finished, the pastor said, "Here's what I want you to do, put a beach chair and your Bible in your car and drive down to the beach. Take the beach chair and the Bible to the water's edge, sit down in the beach chair, and put the Bible in your lap. Open the Bible; the wind will rifle the pages, but finally the open Bible will come to rest on a page. Look down at the page and read the first thing you see. That will be your answer; that will tell you what to do."
A year later the businessman went back to the pastor and brought his wife and children with him. The man was in a new custom- tailored suit, his wife in a mink coat, the children shining. The businessman pulled an envelope stuffed with money out of his pocket and gave it to the pastor as a donation to the church in thanks for his advice. The pastor recognized the benefactor, and was curious. "You did as I suggested?" he asked.
"Absolutely," replied the businessman.
"You went to the beach?"
"Absolutely."
"You sat in a beach chair with the Bible in your lap?"
"Absolutely."
"You let the pages rifle until they stopped?"
"Absolutely."
"And what were the first words you saw?"
"Chapter 11."
The scripture passage I want to consider is Chapter 11 of Hebrews, and maybe we will learn something about keeping our faith from going bankrupt.
Chapter 11 of Hebrews is known as the “Faith Chapter.”
The book is written to Jews (Hebrews) who have accepted Jesus and to Gentile Christians (who need to understand the OT heritage and message that Jesus fulfilled). Here we have a lesson about the “History of Faith.”
How’s your faith?
Is faith evident in your life?
Is faith guiding your life?
I recently heard the story …
A pastor was taking a load of medical supplies to a local medical ministry. He was pushing the limits of his gas tank, when he ran out of gas, only a mile from the gas station.
He walked the mile to the gas station and asked to borrow a gas can to get enough gas to get to the station. They didn’t have one, so he thought and walked back to the car. In the medical supplies he found a bed pan, so he took it to the gas station, filled it with gas and carefully carried it back to the car.
As he was putting the gas in the car some of his church members drove by and saw their pastor pouring the contents of the bed pan into the car’s gas tank. The one remarked to the other, “Man, that’s faith!”
Faith is more than believing you can run a car on pee.
From this passage, we learn some things about faith.
Verse 1 has a definition. It’s not complete, but focuses on a few important features of faith.
1. Faith is being sure of what we hope for. What are we hoping for? The Psalmist wrote, “Our hope is in the Lord.” We should hope for eternal life, heaven, God’s guidance, etc.
2. Faith is being certain of what we can’t see. Israel was unusual in the world; they believed in the “unseen God.” Others made fun of them for having a God you can’t see.
3. Verse 3 tells us that the world was made through the Word of God. We are re-created through the Word of God – the Word became flesh, John 1:12 – through Jesus.
The creation of the world is a matter of faith. What would happen if we took God out of the picture? There is no purpose to anything! The one who created is more important than how it was done. Faith gives purpose to life.
4. Verse 6 lets us know that you need to have faith to make God happy. “Without faith it’s impossible to please God.”
We live in a world where so many people are concerned about being happy and having “God make them happy.” The goal of our faith is to make God happy, not for God to make us happy. We need to learn: It’s not about making me happy; it’s about making God happy.
Faith Based Initiatives
Faith Based Initiatives are know as a government program to distribute funding through faith based organizations.
The government has learned that “faith based ministries” are the most efficient, the most successful at making permanent changes in peoples lives,
Some Christian organizations won’t accept government funding. They base this decision on the separation of church and state, that the government often has “strings attached,” and they don’t want any government control of their ministry.
Faith has motivated many people in ministry. Faith has initiated a number of ministries such as Tel Hai, Bridge of Hope, No Longer Alone Ministries, and the MCC.
True faith based initiatives have less to do with funding and more to do with ministry to others. After all, God has all the resources necessary to fulfill his plan for the world. Our initiatives need to be found within that plan. The scripture tells us, “Our Lord will supply everything according to our needs.”
Why do you do the things you do?
Why does our church do the things we do?
What motivates or initiates our actions?
We should be motivated by Faith
There is a phrase that is repeated throughout chapter 11 of Hebrews: “By faith.”
Faith is the motivational factor in the lives of the individuals we read about.
Faith is manifested in the lives of individuals
Chapter 11 makes a contrast between us and them
It is the “we” (present) / “they” or “he” (past) difference
The author says “Faith is being sure of what we hope for, certain of what we do not see.”
The scripture gives examples from the past, but the question of faith is in the present.
Interesting Note: verse 2 calls them “ancients” which is a translation of “presbyteroi” which is translated as “elders” in other places in the Bible. I’d be careful referring to our “Elders” as “ancients.”
Example 1: ABEL
Why was his gift better than his brothers? Many scholars have explained this in a number of ways. What stands out here is the faith the motivated and accompanied the offering.
By faith:
- He offered a better offering
- He was commended by God
- His story lives on
Example 2: ENOCH
He pleased God; that is, he made God happy. This gave him a direct trip to heaven.
By faith: he passed to heaven without experiencing death.
Example 3: NOAH
By faith he believed God’s warning and acted on it.
Example 4: ABRAHAM
By faith:
- He left his comfortable surroundings to obey God
- He made his home in a foreign land (illegal immigrant?)
- He fathered a child in his old age.
What do all of these have in common? They heard God’s word and acted on it.
I know a number of people in Bolivia and the Dominican Republic who can be added to that list:
Santiago Canaviri started training school for rural pastors and leaders.
Juan Corcos planted on the islands of Lake Titicaca.
Arelí began a ministry to the children in her community.
Marino & Graciela Garcia opened a school in San Cristobal for children who couldn’t go to school.
Pierre Espady started rural health clinics in Haitian communities in the DR
All of this makes God happy!
Do you make God happy? Or do you make God ashamed?
Verse 16 tells us, “There fore God is not ashamed to be called their God”
Have you ever been ashamed of your children? Your friends? Your church? Did you feel embarrassed by them?
How do you make God feel?
Sure, we can’t see the whole picture.
Did Abel know God’s plan of salvation for the world through Jesus?
Did Enoch? Did Noah? Did Abraham?
I showed the children a “connect the dots” picture of two cows grazing in a field. You really couldn’t tell what the picture was without the dots connected. Doing a “dot-to-dot” puzzle is similar to having faith.
You trust that an artist designed a picture that will be revealed to you if you continue to trace the sequence, dot to dot. If you decide to stop drawing you’ll never see the full picture the artist designed.
So it is with our faith in God. God is leading us and sometimes we only have part of the picture, but faith helps us connect the dots.
Did Abel see the whole picture? No, he just connected dot 3 to dot 4.
Did Enoch see the whole picture? No, he just connected dot 5 to dot 6.
Did Noah? No, dot 16 to 17.
Did Abraham? No, but he connecte a few of the dots.
None of them saw the entire picture.
God knows the big picture (when all the dots are connected). We need to trust God.
We need to make God proud!
Do problems in your life cause you to stop connecting the dots?
Did you just lose interest in connecting the dots?
You just need to trust God. That way you can live your life “by faith.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
