Sermon for Sunday January 20th, 2008

FAITH by Bruce Ball

Hebrews 11:1-11:1


Each year, thousands of people go to the Grand Canyon to see this mighty wonder. If you have never been there, you should plan on going the first chance you get. It is so big, so stupendous, that your senses cannot grasp its enormity, and you have no words to describe it to others.

But, there are always those people who push things to the limit. And each year, at least one tourist will get himself into trouble by not respecting the danger of the canyon, too.

Such was the case a few years ago. A man got too close to the edge, trying to look straight down, and he slipped and went over the side. Knowing he had a several thousand foot fall ahead of him, he began clawing at anything he could get a hold of to stop the fall. He grabbed hold of a tiny little bush growing out of the side of the cliff wall and there he hung, motionless, but not for long.

And he did what most people do when they get in over their heads; he called out to heaven for help. He said, “Is there anybody up there who can help me?” He heard a voice saying there was. He cried, “Tell me what to do!” The voice knew there was a ledge about two feet below the man, but that he could not see it, so the voice said, “Let go of the bush.” And he did what we do most of the time, too. He said, “Get me somebody else to talk to!”

We say we have faith, but it is one thing to say we have, and quite another to show we have it. We need to learn how to act in faith – every time a problem shows up in our life. We need to have others see our faith through our actions, and not just our empty words.

I will attempt to show what that faith is really like, so that we might be able to tap into it and walk stronger with the Lord.

The first thing we need to do is …


1. BELIEVE, EVEN WHEN I DON’T SEE IT

It would be easier if there were one way to define faith, but there isn’t. It is a multi-faceted belief. Today, we are going to talk about six different statements that are taken from HEBREWS 11, which is known as the ‘Faith Chapter; of the Bible.

A pastor’s wife told her 5-year old son to wash his hands before he ate, because germs lived in the dirt. He got mad and said, “Jesus and germs! That’s all I ever hear about in this house, and I can’t see either one!”

HEBREWS 11:1 – (New Century Version)

‘Faith means being sure of the things we hope for and knowing that something is real even if we do not see it.’

Faith is planted by the Holy Spirit. It will enable us to receive the truth of God’s design for us. It is a confident expectation of those things that are hoped for, but cannot be seen. It is a deep-seated knowledge that comes from within our hearts that those things we desire WILL come about in God’s time.

Faith was the principle of holy obedience for many in the Bible. The Bible gives us the complete and exact account of origin. We are to believe it, not wrestle with it or try to change it so that we can understand it in human terms.

HEBREWS 11:4-7 – (New International Version)

‘By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.

By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists - and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.’

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see.”

That may sound impossible, or like a contradiction of senses, but the Bible teaches that faith is actually visualizing your desire of the future, but doing it in the current time. How can you do that? There is only one way to accomplish that and it is through the Holy Spirit, which lives in every Christian.

So, faith is being absolutely sure of what you hope for, and cannot see.

President John Kennedy shocked people of his day when he said he wanted to put a man on the moon by 1969. Why did it shock them? Because the technology to do that had not been invented yet. But looking back at that situation, we can easily see that President Kennedy had a vision. And he had faith in that vision. He was sure of what he hoped for, and was certain of it, even though he could not actually see it.

Think about this: Everything in life was impossibility BEFORE someone envisioned it and made it come into reality. Nothing ever happens until somebody believes it is possible. So, I guess we could say that faith is trusting God to turn our dreams into reality.

What are you dreaming about for the future? What impossible thing do you want God to make possible? If you really do not believe it will happen, it won’t.

What great things do you want to see in the future of CrossRoads? Do you want to us in our own building? Would you like to see us have enough people that we could have a lot of programs that would help reach more people? If you want these things, you had better start believing in God to give them to us. And I remind you that I said you need to “believe” in them, not just “wish” for them.

Let me tell you what I see through faith. I see a very nice looking church building, sitting by a paved parking lot. And inside that church, I see enough room for everything we need to teach in, play in, and store things in. And I know we will have one eventually, because I am sure of that which I cannot yet see. I can see it as clearly as I can see your faces this morning.

We must believe in what we do not yet see, but we must also …


2. OBEY WHEN WE DO NOT UNDERSTAND

HEBREWS 11:8 tells us that Abraham was called to go to a place he did not know. He obeyed. Because he obeyed, he would later receive that land as his inheritance. He was called to leave his comfort zone and he left, through faith in the Lord.

He was living in the land of Ur. He was 75-years old. And God spoke to him and said, “Go!” God didn’t tell Abraham where he was going, and He didn’t tell Abraham how far away it was, or how long it would take him to make the trip.

Abraham now faced a decision. Would he go or would he not go? Faith is obeying the Lord God even when we don’t understand ‘why’. There is no way that Abraham could begin to understand this, especially since the people of Ur did not acknowledge God. But Abraham, through faith, chose to obey and he got everything together and he left.

What did Abraham not demand, that most of us would have demanded, even from God? He did not demand that he have all the answers before leaving, like we would have done. Abraham had no promise of success. He just obeyed and he left.

Look back to when you were a child. Did your parents ever tell you to do something and you didn’t understand why? What happened later? As we get older, we can look back and see where it was actually best for us to do whatever it was we were being told to do. That is how it is with God.

When God tells us to do something, it isn’t because He just likes to order people around. It is because it is the best thing to do at that time. And since God wants the best for us, He tells us what to do. The problem comes in when we do not trust Him enough to do it. That mistrust equates to a total lack of faith.

JEREMIAH 29:11 – (New International Version)

“I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans to prosper you and not to harm you; plans to give you a hope and a future.”

Have the faith and trust that God will never ask you to do something that is not in your very best interest! And stop trying to make sure you understand everything He tells you to do.

I like the way ISAIAH 55:8 is stated in - (The Message Version)

“I don’t think the way you think. The way you work isn’t the way I work."

We cannot understand God, so quit trying and just trust Him enough to obey whatever He tells you to do. That is what faith is: Doing what you are told to do, even when you cannot see it or understand it, but knowing it will turn out for the best for God’s sake.

But faith requires us to do something else. It requires us to …


3. GIVE, EVEN WHEN WE DON’T HAVE IT TO GIVE

Giving and faith go hand-in-hand. How many times have you woke up on Sunday morning, and have been so exhausted and tired that you just couldn’t see yourself getting up and going to church?

Does God want that? Of course, we know the answer is “No.” So, if God doesn’t want that, who do you think does want that? And if we stay home, who are we obeying? (Never looked at it that way before, have you?)

Have you ever felt that way, but got ready anyway and went to church? How did you feel later? Didn’t you feel good that you went? You gave when you originally didn’t have it to give, didn’t you? And God made you feel good about it.

Not long ago, I had a very busy week, and it seems that nothing was going well at all. And of all the things I was doing that week, it seemed I was running so short of time I would have to choose something to NOT do.

I thought that maybe I would have to skip the visitation I make to Rogers County Jail. But then I put myself in their position and if somebody had committed to come and see me, I would be really let down if they didn’t keep that commitment. So, I did go see them. And it was on that visitation day, that they lifted my spirits higher than a kite! Instead of my lifting them when I was having a bad time, I gave of my time when I really had no time to give, and God let them lift me up!

Let me tell you something about those men. I have come to know them, and I have come to respect them and look forward to my visits with them. And I cannot help but think what someone told me years ago: All of us have done things that would have landed us in trouble – it’s just that we didn’t get caught!

We are called to give in every aspect when we feel that we have nothing to give. And that even includes giving of our finances. If you are like most of us, there have been times when you had to make a hard decision: Do you give to the church, or do you pay a bill? And, if you are like most of us, you have chosen to pay the bill, haven’t you?

Have you ever considered that this might be a test? God might be testing you to see just how much you really trust Him. A lady told me one time that she was in this predicament, but felt called to tithe 10% of her income that week. She said she knew she didn’t have it, but at the last minute remembered that she had another bank account she had not checked in some time.

When she checked it, she had enough money to pay her bills and to tithe that week. And then it turned out that the next week was free and clear without any bills needing to be paid. Isn’t it wonderful that she had enough faith to give when she didn’t have it, and in so doing, she not only passed the test, but she was blessed for the next week?

There are two ways we can give. We can give out of faith, or we can give out of fear. Giving in fear says, “How much can I afford to give?” Giving in faith says, “How much does God want me to give – no matter how I feel about it.”

Remember what it says about Abel: By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. We should all want to be considered righteous before our God, and the only way to do that is to give to Him in every area, even when we don’t think we have it to give.

The Apostle Paul was taking up a collection from very poor Christians to help the believers in Jerusalem who were also going through a very difficult time.

2 CORINTHIANS 8:2-4

‘They have suffered a great deal. But their joy was more than full. Even though they were very poor, they gave very freely. I give witness that they gave as much as they could. In fact, they gave even more than they could. Completely on their own, they begged us for the chance to share in serving God’s people in that way.’

These people not only gave when they didn’t really have it to give, but they begged for the chance to help others. No matter what area we are talking about, we need to start living a life of giving to our fullest possible ability.

It is cold outside. If I have two coats, and I see a man who has none, is it a sacrifice if I give him one? Not really. Now, if I have one coat and give it to him, we would all agree that I am sacrificing much. What is the difference?

If I give him my only coat, then I have to trust in the Lord and have absolute faith that He will provide another one for me. If I give out of my extra, I am not using any faith at all.

It is one thing to give what we don’t need, and quite another to give what we need. Which one do you think God honors the most?

And there is something else we need to do. We need to …


4. KEEP GOING, EVEN WHEN WE DON’T FEEL LIKE IT

I cannot tell you how many times I have felt like leaving the ministry over the years because of questioning my ability to reach others for Jesus.

I had one church where an elder told me I was getting too independent. He said I was his puppet and I needed to dance his dance. Well, if you know me, I am not embarrassed to speak my mind, and I told him we needed to start an elder’s training program to replace deficient elders.

All the chips were called in and I lost my job over that one. There was much more to it, but you get the gist. Sometimes God says Go, and if we don’t listen, He gets behind us and pushes. Now, for the last year I was at that church, I felt very called to plant another church but tried to ignore the calling.

I thought God was using my exodus from the church as a sign I should quit the ministry. I spent much time in prayer before I realized that God wanted something, but not for me to quit. He wanted me elsewhere. And I went, not knowing how or why. And God blessed my ministry abundantly because I obeyed when I felt like quitting.

Our society says, “If it feels good, do it.” And the opposite of that is if it does not feel good, don’t do it. Our society says that because our society is based solely on self.

But what happens when we base our lives on how we feel, rather than what our goal is? Our feelings change from one day to the next, and because it isn’t stable we end up having many doubts about things. The bottom line is, if you base your lives on how you feel, you are like the person described in …

James 1:6b – (New International Version)

‘He who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.’

I am called by God to be holy, yet I don’t always feel like doing good or what is right. But I try. I don’t always like being nice to others, especially if I am in my bad-self grumpy mood, but I try. I don’t always feel like praying, but I pray anyway. In other words, we cannot trust how we feel, so we should never use our feelings as a gauge in how we live our lives.

Successful people do what they know they must, no matter how they might feel at the time. To become a successful singer, you must practice, even when you don’t feel like it. To become a successful businessman, you must go to work even when you would rather stay home. And to become a successful Christian, you need to continue walking towards Jesus, even when you feel like quitting.

And even when you don’t feel like being Godly, or whenever you don’t really feel like praying or spending time with God, do it anyway, because it pleases God.

Why would it please God to be in His presence when you don’t feel like it? Because it shows that you are walking by faith, and it is your faith that pleases God.

We have been talking about a faith walk, and how faith is believing in what you cannot yet see. I want you to remember this:

You can only accomplish the impossible, when you see the invisible. And when you keep your eyes on God, it is He who will give you the power to give, even when you feel like you have nothing left to give.

But faith is not just believing. It is also speaking. When you speak the word of God, in total belief, it does not come back void. You pray and pray and pray that God does something for you. But do you ever have any outward sign that you believe He is answering your prayer?

How about praying and then speaking the answer? Take your petition to the Father in prayer, and then start speaking that He has already answered your prayer. And then start praising Him and …


5. THANKING GOD BEFORE YOU RECEIVE THE ANSWER

By doing this, you will be showing your faith in Him. A good example of this is found in …

HEBREWS 11:30 – (New International Reader’s Version)

“The people had faith. So the walls of Jericho fell down. It happened after they had marched around the city for seven days.’

Jericho was the most fortified city in the nation. It had enormous walls. And people who had been slaves for 400 years came against it. They were no army and they had no weapons of war. But what they did have was faith.

God tells them to walk around the city once a day for six days – in silence. And then God tells them to walk around it seven times on the seventh day, all the while thanking God. And when they obeyed, the walls of Jericho just fell down.

To our natural senses, it makes no sense that by just marching around a city, the walls would come tumbling down. But that is how God works. He tells us to do something that doesn’t make sense to us, but when we have enough faith to do it, He rewards our efforts.

Faith is not just hoping God answers your prayers. It is being sure He will. It is believing that He is already working on it. It is knowing that what you cannot fathom today will actually come to pass – because God is in control.

MARK 11:24 – (New International Reader’s Version)

"So I tell you, when you pray for something, believe that you have already received it. Then it will be yours.”

You have already received what you asked for, so act like it; speak like it; believe like it.

Speaking of prayer, I want to give you two facts about prayer.

1) God always hears – and answers – every prayer.
2) God does not always answer prayers the way we want Him to.

God will answer your prayer with “Okay” if all things are right. He will answer your prayer with “Wait” if things are not right yet. And He will answer your prayer with “You’ve got to be kidding!” if your prayer is of a selfish nature.

See, we need to understand that God is not a vending machine, dispensing answers to prayer just because we ask Him for them. He loves us. He sees an overview that is impossible for us to see. And He will protect us, even if He has to protect us from ourselves.

Now when do we do most of our praying? We pray the most when we have the most trouble, right? We hate to go through trouble, but we have to realize that our troubles are what actually grow our faith in the Lord.

JAMES 1:3 tells us that we should consider it a joy when we have problems, because it is our problems that grow our faith. In HEBREWS 11, we see many examples of men who had problems. Some had their heads cut off, some were burned at the stake, some had their eyes poked out, some were drowned, and even more gruesome things happened to them – all because they believed in Jesus.

And the Bible says they were heroes of the faith. They lived by faith, even unto death. Too many of today’s Christians don’t want anyone to say anything bad about them, so they keep their faith secret. Which do you think God honors? Which do you think displeases God?

Most of us try to face full-time problems through part-time faith. It doesn’t work. You need faith that will allow you to –

· believe it when you don’t see it
· obey it even when you don’t understand it
· give when we have no more to give
· keep going even when we feel like quitting, and
· the faith to thank Him, even before we receive an answer to prayer

It is a tall order, but one that we must fulfill to receive the benefits of total faith. But that kind of faith has a starting point. That starting point is a simple surrender to Jesus Christ.

Are you ready to do that this morning? Are you ready to let Him have His will over your life, even above your own will for your life?

If you want the faith of a Godly hero, you must first receive Jesus. As we stand and sing, I am going to give you the chance to do just that.