Posts Tagged ‘faith’

I will build my church (from Matthew 16:18 ESV)

The antecedent for ‘I’ in Matthew 16 is Jesus. Notice that He is the one to do the building. Notice that it is His church being built. But the larger context of that Matthew 16 passage is that Jesus is instructing Peter on Peter’s part in the whole process.

Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith (from Hebrews 12:2 ESV)

Of course, our portion of the plan could never be considered, would never be carried out, unless Jesus chose to be our faith-founder and faith-perfecter. As we continue in the faith that our LORD provides, let us remember who is doing the building in and through us; let us remember whose church it is that is being built.

The English Standard Version, of God’s Holy Word, provides a title for chapter 11 of Hebrews: “By Faith”.

The phrase “by faith” is repeated nineteen times throughout the chapter. By faith we understand… By faith Abel offered… By faith Enoch was taken up… By faith Noah constructed… he became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. By faith Abraham obeyed… By faith he went… By faith Sarah herself received power… By faith Abraham offered… By faith Isaac invoked future blessings… By faith Jacob blessed… By faith Joseph… By faith Moses… By faith Moses… By faith he… By faith he… By faith the people… By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. By faith Rahab…

The ‘by faith’ term is attached to individuals and their actions. The book of James informs us that faith is demonstrated by works. This chapter appears to simply validate that claim until I read of the faith of the walls of Jericho. How can walls have faith? Then I realize that rock walls are just as capable of obedience to God as you or me. We were dead in our trespasses and sins until Jesus Christ made us alive. Jeff reminded me this morning of that familiar triumphal entry passage in Luke 19. The Pharisees tell Jesus to rebuke His disciples for proclaiming Him King. He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” Prior to Christ giving us life, we are no more capable than stones of giving Him praise.

It is only through the power of Christ that we possess faith; it is only through His grace that we can act on that faith. So, along with all the other unlikely individuals that are credited with faith in Hebrews 11, we find the walls of Jericho. Again, I find comfort in knowing that God will empower me to praise Him, and then proclaim me righteous based on the faith He provides. How humbling; how awesome.

“And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah…” (Hebrews 11:32a ESV)

What should be said about Samson? How does he make it into the Hebrews Hall of Faith? An angel of the LORD announces his birth, first to his mother and then to both his mother and father. Samson is to be a Nazirite to God from the womb and he is to begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines. In Contrast, An angel of the LORD announced the birth of Jesus to His mother, and then to Joseph. Jesus came to seek and to save the lost.

Samson appeared to be led by lust, greed, anger, vengeance, and self-centered pleasure seeking. Jesus only did what the Father showed Him to do.

Samson violated every aspect of his “set-apartness” while Jesus lived out a life of perfection and obedience.

Samson went to the grave asking God if he could take vengeance on the Philistines in his death. Jesus placed himself on a cross in order to provide the perfect sacrifice for the remission of our sins.

I cannot imagine much more contrast between two lives than we witness between the life of Samson and the life of Jesus. Samson appears to be the perfect “anti-example” of a savior. And yet, Samson’s name appears in the list of ‘so great a cloud of witnesses’ in Hebrews 11. God isn’t talking to perfect people, religious people, or reformed sinners in the book of Hebrews. He is talking to all of us – those of us that need to look to Jesus and realize that nothing we can do will perfect our faith. Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah were listed in Hebrews 11, not because of who they were, but because of who God is. He takes the weak and makes us strong, He takes the fearful and provides courage; our LORD takes the lost and becomes our “founder and perfecter of our faith.”

Praise be to God!

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2 ESV)

“And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah…” (Hebrews 11:32a ESV)

Jephthah’s story is told in Judges 10:6-12:7. Jephthah is described as a mighty warrior, but the son of a prostitute. His father, Gilead, had a wife who bore him other sons; Jephthah was driven out because his brothers didn’t want to share their inheritance with him. Jephthah went to the land of Tob to live, and worthless fellows collected around him and went out with him. It sounds like he was leading a gang of bandits.

After eighteen years of oppression from the Ammonites, Israel came to their senses and cried out to the LORD, who told them to go ask the gods they had been serving to save them. They finally put away the foreign gods and served the LORD. The people went and found Jephthah and negotiated with him to lead them and rule them. He agreed to lead them in battle if he could rule them after he returned with a victory and they accepted these conditions.

Now, Jephthah reminds me of many of us that seem to think, that in order for the LORD to bless us, we have to DO something. After his successful negotiation with the elders of Gilead, he decides to offer something to the LORD to negotiate a victory from God. Jephthah makes a conditional vow to the LORD. He promises that IF the LORD gives him a victory, then he will make a burnt offering of whatever (whoever) comes out of his house upon his return from battle. God provides the victory; Jephthah’s only child comes out of the house to greet him as he returns from battle, and he is grieved that he made this vow to God and must sacrifice his daughter.

An additional aspect of his story is when Jephthah allows himself to get sucked into a civil war and is responsible for killing 42,000 Ephraimites at the fords of the Jordon.

Just like Gideon and Barak, the LORD uses Jephthah, another seemingly unfaithful man, to provide relief to His people. Then the LORD credits Jephthah with faith – the Lord’s ways are not our ways.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2 ESV)

“And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah…” (Hebrews 11:32a ESV)

Of all of the names from the book of Judges found in Hebrews 11, Barak might be one of the most surprising. You may read his story in chapter four of Judges, but it really doesn’t place Barak in a very good light. He comes onto the scene receiving a reprimand from Deborah, a prophetess, as she reminds him of a command from the LORD that he apparently is choosing not to obey. He demonstrates his level of faith by telling Deborah that he will follow God’s command to go into battle, only if she will go with him. She agrees to go, but prophecies that he will not receive glory because the LORD will hand Sisera, Jabin’s commander, over to a woman. Just as prophesied, Jael, wife of Heber, drives a tent-stake through Sisera’s temple and then presents the fallen leader to Barak.

Barak exercised his measure of faith; he had enough faith to go into battle as long as a woman of God came with him. When we don’t possess enough faith to proceed, God provides. And then the LORD commends the faith.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2 ESV)

No More Excuses: Refuting 6 Justifiers for Not Serving

“And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (Luke 10:2, ESV)

I am beginning this blog series because there is so much work to be done for the Kingdom of God. As the Elders meet each day we discuss various ministries and the laborers need to complete the work. It is clear that there is much to be done on Anderson Island. There are several reasons for the work of the ministry. As we work to spread the gospel, we minister to unbelievers as well as believers. We have ministries that are focused toward unbelievers as well as ministries that are focused toward believers. It takes individuals to complete the work of these ministries. Regardless of whom the ministry is geared toward, God works through the life of the servant as well as in the life of the servant. The Elders of AICF desire to see the God working in the life of every member of AICF. Every Christian is called to be actively serving Christ so that His name is proclaimed and He may work in the life of the servant.

The reason we ask you to serve may not be what you think it is.

We have your best interests in mind. God has ordained that the work of the ministry be completed by people. Several things take place when ministry work is completed. The gospel is proclaimed and people are saved; and God is at work in and though the life of the servant. Working for Christ in ministry is less about the task and more about the effects. Lives are changed when we work in ministry. God works through us to change others, and in us to increase our relationship with Him.  Therefore, when we ask you to serve it is not about the task. It is about God working in and though you. Our primary purpose is to feed the flock of God or in other words to see you grow spiritually. Because we want you to grow spiritually, we want you to stretch yourself in the work of the ministry. Therefore, I have written this blog to respond to the various arguments people use to justify their lack of service to God. Ultimately, their lack of spiritual growth.

Praying for your spiritual growth,

Pastor Ray

Expanding on Reason 3: It enables you to fight the fight of faith.

“By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.” (Hebrews 11:24-26, ESV)

If you are battling a sin, please memorize these verses. At a minimum please memorize the idea of these verses. Particularly “By faith Moses refused to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin, for Christ is a greater reward.” This text tell us several very important things about fighting sin.

• It takes faith to fight sin. It was by faith that Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. You will see that this faith was looking toward something. The faith was strengthened by a promise. And by this faith we can fight sin.
• Sin has fleeting pleasures. Some say that sin does not offer pleasure. This verse clearly shows that it does, however, it is also clearly fleeting or temporary. Sin will never satisfy, Sin will not last, and it has deadly effects. ”Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” (James 1:15, ESV)
• Remember Christ is better. The thing that faith looks to is this: Christ is greater wealth than all the treasures of Egypt. Because sin offers a temporary reward of pleasure, we must fight sin by looking to a greater reward namely Jesus Christ. There is nothing greater than Jesus Christ. Nothing will satisfy like Jesus Christ. Remember this in the face of temptation. When temptation offers you it’s bait – cry out God “I refuse to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin, for Christ is a greater reward!”

Look to Jesus,

Pastor Ray

Reason 3: It enables you to fight the fight of faith.

Christians are to grow in holiness. We are saved through sanctification (2 Thessalonians 2:13) or through an increase in holiness. An increase in holiness is an evidence of conversion and faith in Christ. The Christian life is to be fought. “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” (1 Timothy 6:12, ESV).

Therefore, we know that we are to be saved through sanctification and that we must fight for faith. The question is how?

We grow in holiness and fight sin with the promises of God. It is the word of God that enables us to fight sin. Sin offers a promise; and God offers a promise. Our fight of faith is to trust God’s promise over the promise of the sin. Faith is to trust God.

Example 1

For example, one may be tempted to steal money. The promise sin offers: If you steal this money then you will have money for food.

The way to fight the promise of that sin is to counter it with God’s promise:  “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew 6:25-26, ESV).

Therefore, we counter the lie of the devil with the promise of God to provide. Of course we are more valuable then birds of the air!

Example 2

Another example may be one who is tempted to lie or cheat because others oppose us. The demonic promise: That by lying or cheating we will overcome those who rise against us.

However, we can fight this temptation to sin with the promise of God in Romans 8:31, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

Example 3

Perhaps you struggle with anxiety and are tempted to be anxious. We can fight that sin with the promise of God in 1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” Or “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.” (Psalm 56:3, ESV).

Memorizing Scripture provides us with the promises God ordained we use to live the Christian life. If we do not know the promises of God then we are only able to listen to the promise of Sin. We have nothing to offer in opposition to Sin. Every moment of everyday we should be trusting Christ. How can we trust that which we don’t know? Faith in Jesus is trusting Him for salvation. It is trusting Him for the finished work on the Cross. It is trusting Him for the forgiveness of sin, however, it is also used to fight sin and to prevent sin. The Word of God is to abide in us.

For the keeping of faith,

Pastor Ray

In the midst of an exhortation to offer our bodies as living sacrifices to God, Paul reminds us that we can only do that in accordance with the measure of faith God has given us (Romans 12). Peter, in his second epistle, expounds on how we are to take that God-given faith as a base and add to it goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love; we are to “possess these qualities in increasing measure.”  If we are moving in that direction we will be kept “from being ineffective and unproductive” in our true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul, in his first letter to Timothy, tells the young pastor to train himself to be godly because “godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” He adds that “godliness with contentment is great gain,” and to “pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith …” And “Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James,” writes “to those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ;” and he urges us to “contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.” James has much to say regarding faith and deeds. While it is obvious that our salvation comes purely as a gift from God, it appears that our God-given faith becomes a foundational platform to be built upon.

Before we start thinking that we can bring this about in our own strength, we should turn to the Old Testament. Solomon, in Psalm 127, proclaims, “Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain.” Proverbs 3 sort of ties this rambling meditation together. Verse 3 says to “Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.” Verse 4 speaks of the effectiveness and fruitfulness of the faith life; “Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.” And the familiar verses (5-6) remind us where to go in order to build on the God-given faith. “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

During His sermon on the mount, Jesus exhorts us to “Seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness.”  James tells us to draw near to God and He will draw near to us. The author of Hebrews proclaims, “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.” (NIV)

Do we believe in the Word that was made flesh and dwelt among us enough to earnestly seek Him? Do we believe in the faithful and just God that chooses to forgive and cleanse us and declare us righteous? Or are we like the voice from Psalm 10:4 who in his pride  does not seek Him;  in all his thoughts there is no room for God?