Sermon for 05/21/06

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Sermon for 05/21/06
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Something, something, and love: the Christian Virtue of Faith

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, AMEN

Main Theme: In 1^st Cor. 13, Paul tells us there are three “Christian Virtues” – Faith , Hope, and Love. He goes on to concentrate on the greatest of these – love. But what of faith and hope? They are, in fact, presuppositions of love, God’s love. It’s a love you come to know through faith and hope. Today we seek to discover “What is faith?” What it is “not” is 1) giving ones assent to a group of ideas, 2) nor certainty, 3) nor some kind of “believing attitude”. What it is, is 1) something that occurs within a relationship, 2) trust, and 3) something real and vital. What difference does faith make? It relieves us of the burden of self-concern, frees us for responsibility that comes with being disciples, makes us want to be truthful, and seek truth, gives birth to a thirst for knowledge – immersing us in the world of human need, and calling us to be serious thinkers and students of “the faith”. Through the gift of faith God brings us the abundant life!

1) FAITH! It’s called the “Love Chapter” of the bible: 1^st Corinthians 13. It’s the Apostle Paul’s 1^st letter to the mission church at Corinth, and in it he discusses the “Three Christian Virtues”: faith, hope, and love. It’s read at most weddings because Paul concentrates mainly on the last one: love. In fact, he states, (vs 13) “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” But what of the other two – faith and hope. Just because love is greater, are these two to be ignored? Hardly, because faith and hope open our eyes and hearts to God’s love. It’s through faith and hope we come to know and experience God’s love! So today we’re going to explore Faith, a word we use constantly as Christians, but what is it? And what difference does faith make in our lives?

2) IDEAS ABOUT GOD? First, let’s talk about what faith is not! 1) Faith is not about “us” giving our approval to a set of biblical “ideas” or “doctrines”. There are a thousand claims and ideas ABOUT God, ABOUT Christ, ABOUT creation and so forth. Now I’m not saying that faith doesn’t involve doctrine – but it not these IDEAS about God that is “faith”. Giving the nod to theological ideas is not the same as having faith IN God. As a husband of 29 years, I have faith IN my wife Charlotte. I don’t have faith in IDEAS ABOUT my wife! I have faith IN her. Fact is, after nearly 3 decades of living together Charlotte continues to surprise and amaze me! You cannot capture Charlotte’s personhood in a bunch of ideas or concepts. I trust in and have faith in Charlotte, not in ideas about her. Like wise, faith is not you or I giving some kind of approval or ownership of “ideas” or “doctrines” ABOUT God!

3) CERTAINTY? Secondly, 2) Faith is not certainty! Only God sees the whole picture and is all knowing! You and I are broken people living in a broken world! That’s why the Apostle Paul distinguishes between “faith” and “sight”. Paul says there will be a day in the future when we will see and understand God clearly, but not now. (1^st Cor. 13:12) “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” (The mirrors of Paul’s day were usually bits of polished bronze – and produced an imperfect reflection.) He’s saying, that until Christ returns, we must believe and trust in the ONE who IS in the “driver’s seat” and CAN see what lies ahead! Any Christian who pretends to have perfect spiritual vision, or to possess a faith based on 100% certainty- is fooling themselves! Faith is not certainty, it’s believing in the only ONE who DOES see clearly!

4) PLEASANT PERSONALITY? Thirdly, 3) faith is not some sort of “believing attitude” or pleasant personality characteristic that can be conjured up and worked on, as we might work on being kind and considerate. Too many people think of faith in this way – as a nice quality of one’s personality. Faith just has to be polished and perfected – as you would good manners, etc., Now true – a pleasant personality may result as a by-product of faith in some way – but it is not faith! So what is faith? Well, let’s take these three negative points we have discussed and look at the positive side of them in order to explore what faith is!

5) RELATIONSHIP! First, 1) Faith is something that occurs within a relationship – it grows out of one’s response to God’s love. In fact, faith is a gift from the Holy Spirit – because faith does not develop until God becomes “real” to us. And while it appears we sometimes go looking for God, it is always God that takes the first step and comes to us! The reason we may suddenly “be open” to God is because the Holy Spirit came knocking on our heart’s door first! God makes Himself known to you and me and His presence in our lives triggers some kind of response. Faith is our response to God’s faithfulness. And faith grows out of a relationship – not a set of ideas! There are a lot of people outside and even inside the church that have given some thought to God - and they assume that’s faith. They assume that giving intellectual approval to a set of ideas ABOUT God makes them a faithful Christian. No way! Faith occurs in a relationship, the result of having experienced the presence of God and then responding to His love with love.

6) “THAT” or “IN”? Take a look at the Apostle’s Creed: Does it say, “I believe THAT God is the Father almighty”? No, it says, “I believe IN God, the Father almighty…” See you can believe that God exists and not have a personal relationship with Him. Satan “believes” God exists, but He’s not in a personal relationship with the Lord! And Satan doesn’t want you in a living, walking, talking, personal relationship with God! The devil strives to reduce God to a mere IDEA in your head. Because if Jesus starts living in your heart – Satan hasn’t got a chance! Faith is not believing THAT God exists, it’s a relational “believing IN God!”

7) TRUST! Secondly, 2) Faith is trust! Remember; Faith is not certainty because WE know all that God knows! It’s a daily confidence based in our belief that God, who IS all knowing, will follow through on His promises! Paul says (2^nd Cor. 5:7) “We walk by faith, not sight.” And in Hebrews 11:1 - “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Faith is based on trust!

8) A DECISION! Notice also that God offers the gift of faith in a way that allows and respects our ability to make a decision. God loves, and wants to be loved. But He will not force us to love Him! As I have suggested before – if you are attracted to someone and walk up to them and say, “I demand you love me!” - you will either get a tremendous laugh, or that person will run towards the nearest policeman. The idea of “demanding love” is ludicrous! It’s only “love” (as God defines it), if it is given willingly! And the only way to get love is to love someone first and hope that they will love you back. So God does not compel us to love Him! He simply loves us, hoping we might freely choose to love Him back! He gives us the option of rejecting Him - mysteriously choosing to respect our ability to make a decision.

9) DAILY DECISIONS! Friends, this freedom (to reject, or hold back, or doubt) - is not unique to our relationship with Christ. We make daily decisions about the human relationships we are in too! Every morning I (consciously or unconsciously) make a decision again to have faith in my wife and to love her. If you think your wedding vows to your spouse are the last decision you ever have to make concerning that love – you couldn’t be more wrong! You renew your vows everyday – it is a daily decision. The fact is, the people who really love us, give us the right and freedom to make up our mind – not just once, but every day of our life!

10) DOUBT? I find it ironic that God’s love also makes room for daily doubts and questions. In fact, doubt is assumed! One scholar wrote: “Faith that does not doubt is dead faith!” (Miguel de Unamuno) Doubt is a part of the Christian faith! God expects us to doubt. Other wise, without doubt, our belief in Christ becomes routine and artificial – as often happens in human relationships. So don’t let anyone tell you that if you have any doubts, you have no faith in God! 8 Often we resemble the man who said to Jesus (Mark 9:24) “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief!”

11) RELATE! Remember this too: Without the “doubting side” of faith, how could the Christians church ever relate to the world of doubt and disbelief? I think one of the reasons so many people have a tough time relating to Christians is because we tend to so over-exaggerate our faith and hide our doubt! I believe our answers to their questions might be more palatable and accepted – if we admitted that faith is trusting in God, even while doubts and disbelief dance around us daily!

12) FROM GOD! Thirdly, 3) Faith comes from God! It cannot be cultivated, imitated, manufactured, found in a self help book, or worked on independently! Remember, faith occurs as a result of a relationship! It’s God’s presence breaking into our life that brings faith about and maintains it. It’s not some kind of “positive thinking” or “cheerfulness” that you or I can manipulate ourselves. Positive attitudes may grow out of faith, but they do not create faith! Faith comes from God!

13) TRUE FAITH! One ‘side note’ here about faith: true faith can and will lead us beyond the nice and positive side of life! In fact, true faith will lead us to the yucky things in life! Faith often opens our eyes to broken people who are suffering, …and to injustice. True faith will cause us to experience righteous anger after exposing the dark things in the world that God does not approve of or desire. True faith will hopefully move us to see and name ‘what is wrong in the world’, so as to change it or make it right. That’s why some churches, dedicated only to giving members “Warm fuzzies”, rarely make an impact on the big and scary evils that surround their communities and the world. See, true faith is real, honest, and brave enough to confront the negative side of life – it has to, if others are to be freed to experience more and more of the abundant life Christ desires us all to have!

14) DIFFERENCE? Let’s see if we can come up with a definition of faith, based on what we have discussed. Faith; far from merely imparting knowledge, it is the work of the divine Spirit to awaken in us a response of trust – trust in the God that has been made known to us through Jesus! So if we understand faith this way, we might then ask; What difference does faith make in our lives? 1) One of the first things faith does is relieve us of the tremendous burden of self-concern.

15) WORRY! Any worriers here today? Anyone brave enough to admit being a worrier? The fact is, we are often tempted and burdened with the idea that somehow “I am responsible for everything.” See, responsible people know what’s at stake if no one dives in to solve our problems – nothing! So we reason that it’s up to us! But we can place so much responsibility on our tiny shoulders that it can become an enormous worrisome burden! Fact is, we can’t possibly manage “everything!” Anyone here ever watch TV and get so overwhelmed by the enormity of all the world’s brokenness that you wonder, “What can I possibly do about all that?” It’s probably why so many of us turn away from the burdens of the world altogether and simply try to focus on our own needs! But the problems don’t go away, and many of us can’t shake the call to responsibility – so we worry!

16) FAITH “IN” GOD! Faith puts this all into perspective! Why? Because faith in God - is faith IN God! It’s trusting in the One who actually is responsible! Faith is belief in the one who is truly trustworthy! And so when you trust God, you can go about your daily routines in life with a great confidence, and less fear! It’s understanding that even the sparrows matter to God (Matt. 6:25-26) “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life… look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not more valuable than they?” In other words, this trusting relationship of “faith IN God” spills over into every part of our lives! We take “worry” down from it’s throne and place Christ there in stead – confident that the Creator of the Universe understands everything going on around us and has the best plan for our lives! Living in faith is living differently, confidently, and fearlessly knowing that the God we truly trust in is the Lord of Life and desires to lead us to the abundant life.

17) LET GOD DO IT ALL? Now, don’t misunderstand: Trusting God does NOT mean that one can simply lie back and “let God do it all!” After all, while we human beings are weak and can’t do everything, there are some things we can do, …and that God asks us to do! Christ not only freed us FROM the powers of sin, Satan, and death, AND freed us FROM the “complete burden of self-concern,” Jesus also freed FOR something – obedient discipleship. So as followers of Christ we know we are “not in charge” and “not expected to do it all” – but we ARE expected go where Jesus goes, and do what Jesus instructs us to do! We’re not the owners of the world, but we are the stewards. We’re not slaves, but we are responsible servants, each with a mandate to use our unique and specific gifts to fulfill our calling, and we are each called to contribute to the whole body. In other words, we have not been saved to be spiritual beach bums! Don’t lie back and “let God do it all!” While capable, God prefers His partners to experience the true joy in life that comes from serving – pouring yourself out for others as directed by Christ!

18) TRUTH? Another “difference” faith makes is that it supports and equips our desire to be truthful – that is, to KNOW “the truth.” John 8 (31-32) tells us, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Unfortunately as much as we may want this freedom, many of us are afraid to pursue that “longing for the truth.” Psychologists tell us that we tend to repress a great deal of the truth about ourselves, about others, and the world – because our gut instinct tells us we might not be able to handle it. The problem is, when we repress the truth and push it under the carpet, not only do we trip on it, but those around us do too! We often blame others for the problems that we fear we cannot handle ourselves. So we intentionally highlight our positive assets and conceal our liabilities. Of course, it is the hidden liabilities that are the most dangerous! Our sins eat away at us silently inside. Addicted individuals lie to themselves that they could “quit anytime”. Whole nations proudly boast of their greatness, while millions of poor starve within their borders. Exposure to the truth may be painful, but it’s necessary for personal healing and for social justice. God knows that truth (especially about what is wrong with us, or with our world)… is the most important requirement for our physical and spiritual survival.

19) HEART OR TRUTH? What helps us bear the painful truth? Our faith! A faith that believes God’s truth is oriented toward love! A divine love that can absorb and overcome even the most frightening truths about ourselves and our world. But rather than trust in God’s truth, some of us would rather trust in what our hearts are telling us. 1^st John warns us against the danger of doing that; (3:18-20) “Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth. This then is how we will know we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence when our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.” See, the heart is not the greatest judge of what we can or cannot handle – God is! 9 out of 10 times our hearts condemn us – that’s why the psych wards and counseling offices around the world are full! Obviously we need to face the truth about our limitations, weaknesses, sinful nature, etc.., but that truth is not ALL the truth. An all-loving God is greater than our problems, always forgiving, always powerful, and always offering those gifts to you every day! Faith leads us to ALL the truth!

20) A THIRST! One last thing: faith is not blind faith! Anyone met Christians who accept everything and anything their leaders tell them? We’re called to be sheep, but not dumb sheep! Faith does not demand we turn off our brains – it fact, it gives birth to a thirst for knowledge and wisdom! After we awaken to the gift of faith, real faith - it takes us before the world and says “let’s get down to business!” And that means two things: 1) immerse ourselves in the world of human need! Faith requires us to get involved in new and lasting concern for those around you. And “getting down to business” also means 2) let’s become a serious thinker and student of the Word! It isn’t enough to get through childhood Sunday School, or get confirmed – faith creates an unquenchable thirst for God’s wisdom, and a deeper understanding of God’s nature and life-giving truth.

21) ARE YOU? Let me ask you: are you ‘immersed in the world of human need’? Are you constantly involved in a Bible Study, or small group? Are you reading the Word, or books focused on Christ’s love? Faith moves us beyond ‘mere belief!’ Faith call us to spend our whole life exploring the reasons for why we believe! Real faith does not demand we turn off our brains; on the contrary – faith activates our brains – giving us a new curiosity about everything under the sun.

22) FAITH! Friends, God’s love is awesome and is the greatest gift we can receive. And Christ is here, now, to pour more of that divine love into your heart! But behind this love, making room for this love, planting the seeds for this love – is the gift of faith! Faith; it’s not just something that imparts knowledge – it is the work of the Holy Spirit that awakens in you a response of trust – trust not in ‘ideas about’ God, but trust IN God! …a life-giving trust in the DIVINE ONE who has been made lovingly known to you through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ! Praise God for the gift of faith!

AMEN

Sermon/Confessional Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, we confess we have taken our faith for granted. And far too often we have looked at our understanding and approval of Biblical ideas and doctrines ABOUT You and mistaken them for true FAITH IN YOU! We forget that faith grows out of a relationship You initiated, and not a set of ideas. Forgive us for thinking that faith is something we can manipulate, create, or improve by ourselves. Do for us what we can not do for ourselves:

Open our hearts now, that your Spirit may enter in and increasingly pour this gift into us.

Lord, forgive us for worrying, and help us to live by faith. We struggle with brokenness every day, and the future is unknown to us. Help us to believe IN the only ONE who DOES see clearly – YOU! Replace our fears with obedient and patient faith. Forgive us when we repress the truth about ourselves and this broken world, and help us to trust that your love and power is greater than those things that constantly condemn us – including our own heart. Give us a faith that leads always to the truth – your life-giving truth!

And now Lord, although you know us better than we know ourselves, listen as we share in a moment of silence, those other parts of our lives that need to be forgiven, washed clean, healed, and recommitted to you! (made anew.)

(Silence)

Lord, God grant us a greater faith – a faith that leads us to the inner peace that comes from accepting the things we cannot change, and leaving them to you! And lead us to a faith that also gives us the courage to change the things we can, according to your will! Help us to walk confidently, not by sight, but by faith! In Jesus Name We Pray. AMEN

Assurance of Forgiveness:

Friends, listen to the good news: The Lord, whose Spirit provides the precious gift of faith, …that Lord has mercifully heard your confession and eagerly forgives you all your sins. Go now, embraced in His love, believing not in a set of ideas ABOUT God, but IN God. Grab His Holy hand and walk boldly into this broken world – living not by sight, but by faith! Praise God! AMEN

Opening prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, many of us spent a lot of our time this week trying to do your job. We made decisions without your input, tackled problems greater than we were, tried to control the future… and naively expected everything to turn out perfect. But our lives are not perfect, and it is clear that something is missing! That something is You. Amazingly we come to that conclusion only because your Spirit has tirelessly worked to draw us back to you! And so we enter this Holy Place humbled and seeking that which we cannot produce on our own: the precious gift of faith. Give us the faith that trusts in you to heal our wounds and renew our tired souls. Give us the faith that confidently kneels before you knowing that you desire to forgive our sins. Give us the faith that washes away our fears and helps us walk boldly into a broken world – secure in the knowledge that your love and power can conquer all the problems we will face. Receive our thanksgiving and praise this morning, and bless us by drawing us into a closer and deeper relationship with you! Bless us with a growing faith that trusts in you for all things! In Jesus Name We Pray! AMEN!

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