faith – Page 3 – Gospel Progress

2018-09-07

Will He Find Faith on the Earth?

Perhaps you’ve scratched your head when your friend sees a monster truck and has said, “Wow! That’s just like my VW Beetle.” We’re conditioned to see similarities rather than differences, used to comparing rather than contrasting. That’s why we have trouble with some of Jesus’ parables. No, Jesus is not encouraging us to be dishonest like the manager who cut his boss’ client’s bills just before he was fired. And in the parable that begins Luke 18, Jesus is not telling us that God is an unjust judge or that we are to be a pesky mosquito that buzzes continually in God’s ear for Him to even consider listening to our prayers.

I. Luke 18:1-8. If we start by seeking for the differences between the judge and God in this parable, then it makes more sense. Both are positions of authority, but the judge is clearly seeking his own interests while God loves us unconditionally–even sending His Son to die on the cross for us. The point of the parable is that even if this unjust judge will give in to a widow with such persistence, then how much more will a good and caring God give to His children whom He loves?

II. John 17:1-23. While understanding God’s character so much better in this parable, don’t lose sight of the responsibility Jesus says we have to be persistent, purposeful, and precise in prayer. So often our prayers are haphazard and vague. Though names and situations are mentioned before our worship services begin, we pray in general often for the sick and struggling … and then they are forgotten until next Sunday. Modeling how we in the flesh should pray, Jesus prayed in these ways.

III. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. Jesus contrasts the judge with God, but He also contrasts the widow with us. The last line of the parable in Luke 18:8 asks if the Son of Man will find faith on the earth when He returns. It took faith for the widow to be so persistent in her supplication. So, a lack of persistence in prayer would indicate a lack of faith on our part. We gain a better prayer life by having greater faith, and we gain greater faith by praying about it.

The more we trust the good and loving Judge, the more we will want to speak with Him. Try it. He already knows what you need before you ask Him, and He has invited you to His throne to ask Him. Do you have enough faith to be persistent in prayer?

2018-08-31

Increase Our Faith!

When we’re facing a difficult task or situation, someone often compares it to eating an elephant–that it can be done one bite at a time! Jesus uses the tiny mustard seed to describe the smallest amount of faith needed to face the challenges in your life (Luke 17:6) and then reassures us that that tiny seed can grow into an enormous tree (Luke 13:19).

I. Luke 17:1-6. We must have faith to walk in forgiveness. Usually when speaking about temptation and sin, the Bible speaks about what we must do to avoid it or persevere against it, but Jesus speaks here about how we must tempt others and always forgive others who have sinned against us.

II. Luke 17:7-19. We must have faith to walk in obedience. We picture ourselves as super-Christians, and beg for the participation trophy for whatever we do for God, but Jesus points out that we owe 100% of all we have and do to Him–without praise or accolades. Our walk is about God, not us.

III. Luke 17:20-37. We must have faith to walk in sanctification. Jesus tells us here that the Kingdom of God is within us, so that is what we must get cleaned up. While the world around us engages in evil, we must walk blamelessly before God like Noah. And, like Lot’s wife, we mustn’t turn back to what we may be missing. We must lose our lives to preserve them.

Upon hearing the standard to which we are called to live our lives in Christ, our cry is the same as the apostles’, “Increase our faith!” So, our reassurance is the same. God demands perfection, but He also gives grace. Plant your mustard seed faith and watch what grows!

2018-08-01

We are all Job

O Lord, we are all Job, aren’t we?
The secret things belong to you.
Many things we could not understand, even if you told us.
You want us to learn to trust you.
Our strength is in our faith.
And our faith is so small!
Forgive us and help us in our lack.
We shall not curse or revile.
We believe, O Father, in your goodness.
Show us the future blessing.

2018-04-27

To know you better every day

Our Father in Heaven, your name is special. Let us all give you proper respect. Let us treat your things with special regard. Keep us from acting in a profane manner.

Help us to think constantly of you and your plan of salvation. Thank you for reaching us with the Good News. We rejoice in our hope of eternal life. Reach others through our teaching. Motivate us to share the message of Christ with others.

We want to know you better every day. We read Scripture in order to understand you and what you like and dislike. Give us understanding. We ask for wisdom. Keep our feet from transgression. Hold back our hands from doing evil. Give us the power of your Spirit to win over temptation.

Lord God, the faith of many is weak. Their zeal wanes and, for some, is doused by the devil. Fire us up. Make us enthusiastic for Christ. But keep our fervor guided by knowledge. Let that knowledge be the firewood that keeps our love burning strong.

Father, the church seems such a fragile thing. So few people, with few physical and material resources. It seems like all our work would fail with but a little gust of wind. But we know that your Spirit enlivens us all. Your power will not be denied its efficacy in the world. The evil one cannot push over your people.

Others seem to have so much to work with. Resources are squandered, funds are spent selfishly, time is wasted. But help us not to look wistfully at what others have. Let us see how you work in and through us. Make us understand that we have all we need to be powerful instruments in your hand. Keep us from resentment and bitterness. May Christ live in us to bring us peace, joy, and righteousness.

2018-04-25

Faith Under Trial

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” Hebrews 11:1.

Faith, by very definition, means that we are trusting in God during a trial of uncertain outcome.

Abraham could see no clear way that his barren, ninety year-old wife could bear him a son, yet this same chapter says he “considered him faithful who had made the promise.” Faith, then, depends on how well we trust solely in God’s solid-rock character that does not change despite our circumstance. Talk about ‘faith under trial’–it is only under trial that we know if we have true faith.

This came home to me in 2012 when my wife, never a smoker, was diagnosed with lung cancer. Now into our sixth year of various chemotherapy and radiation treatments, even a four-hour surgery last May to remove an egg-sized brain tumor, my faith as a husband and caregiver, elder and evangelist, in particular is still under trial.

If I get a cold, I am reasonably assured that if I take a regimen of medicines over a short window of time, I will be better soon. Colds come and go, often with no serious life-altering effects. It is a very low-level of faith indeed (even if at the time I feel like I might die) to believe that I will eventually get well. But cancer? We have been living with excruciating uncertainty for six years! Will she live or die? Is today a go-to-work or lie-on-the-couch day? Will she feel too queasy to eat supper tonight or is there a specific craving that I have to run to the store to find?

That kind of trust over that period of time takes incredible faith. “God’s got this–He always has,” has become our mantra that reminds us, sometimes daily, that He is the only One who has ever been in control anyway.

It was always during the difficult times that Jesus would rebuke his followers for lack of faith. It is not easy to be a Christian. When the squall comes up on our Sea of Galilee, we believe God to be asleep and so not in control. We may even accuse Him of not caring. But, our lack of faith is showing.

After Jesus’ hard teaching about His body being real food and His blood real drink in John 6, many “turned back and no longer followed him.” When Jesus asked the Twelve if they too would leave, Peter answered with words that should encourage all to find faith under trial, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

There’s no one else. Our lives depend on us having faith under trial.

2018-03-21

Rethink Your Religion

Recently my wife and I attended a high school musical to support some of her students involved. We asked a teacher selling tickets how it was, and her answer was “It’s so good, it’ll make you rethink your religion.” This drastic measure is similar to the southern expression, “It’s so good, it’ll make you slap your Mama.” Here, the food someone is eating is so delicious that the eater will be forced to strike his mother because her homemade cooking doesn’t compare. While it was not intended to be a personal slight against our faith, ‘religion,’ in the first expression, is recognized as something intensely meaningful to people. And so, to describe how good she considered the show, she said the experience would make us reconsider our core values–even the gospel that brings salvation!

I. Colossians 2:6-23. The postmodern world we live in doesn’t believe in God and so has severed itself from Him and His Word as a standard for our lives. It desperately seeks meaning and purpose and so grabs onto emotion and experience to futilely try to quench that need. Sadly, many churches believe they must infuse their worship with the “hollow and deceptive philosophy” of the world as they have missed the deep and sufficient meaning and purpose in the gospel of Christ.

II. Acts 9:1-22. There is a time to ‘rethink our religion.’ Saul, who became Paul, encountered such a time on the road to Damascus as he was “breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples.” When he realized he was persecuting Jesus who not only gives eternal life but a second chance on life, he was baptized and became a powerful preacher in the early church, who was willing to be persecuted for Jesus instead (Philippians 3:10-11).

III. Acts 18:24-28. Complacency or misdirected zeal is another reason to ‘rethink our religion.’ There was no doubt that Apollos was a bold preacher already, but his knowledge was insufficient. After Priscilla and Aquilla took him aside and “explained to him the way of God more adequately,” God used him to debate and prove from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ. A similar story happens with those still called “disciples” that Paul encountered that didn’t know about the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:1-7).

Although the acting and musicianship of my wife’s students were superb, we didn’t much care for the worldly message of the musical. The good and enjoyable experience was not enough for us to ‘rethink our religion,’ and we left sad for the wonderful packaging wrapped around ungodly themes but still holding onto our core values of the gospel of Christ. What else could compare to it?

2018-03-07

What You Have Seen & Heard

Pastafarians, worshipers of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, created their religion to mock Christians, declaring that there’s as much evidence for faith in the FLM as there is for our faith in God. But that simply is not true. There’s much evidence just in creation to prove our faith (Romans 1:18-20).

I. Luke 7:20-23. John, who was so sure of who Jesus was (Matthew 3:13-14, John 1:29-34), must have begun to have doubts while he languished in Herod’s prison. When his followers came and told him all that they had seen and heard Jesus doing, he sent them to ask Jesus if indeed He was the expected Messiah. Jesus pointed to the evidence of what John had seen and heard to not lose faith.

II. Philippians 3:7-16. We’ve not had John’s calling as a prophet or seen the Holy Spirit come upon Jesus, so how much more do we struggle to overcome doubts in the midst of trials? God gives us strategies to do so:

a. Realize that with so much evidence, it is not a blind faith that we have.

b. Value struggles as a way that God is disciplining and growing us (Hebrews 12:4-13).

c. Rest in the faith of the great cloud of witnesses of the past and present (Hebrews 11:1–12:3).

d. Remind yourself of what you have seen and heard. Keep an answered-prayer journal or, as the songs tells us, “Count your many blessings, See what God has done.”

III. Matthew 28:18-20. It’s not enough to just encourage ourselves by what we have seen and heard. Jesus wants us to “go and make disciples” with it, becoming part of the great cloud of witnesses for others to see and hear!

2018-02-26

Keep our small thinking from holding back your kingdom

Father, you know all and are able to do everything. Your mind and will and power have no limits. Work in us and among us in this place so that the Word may run and reach many. There is no doubt that even among a people whose interests focus in money and pleasure your power can do great things. Show us your glory, that we might glorify you.

You can do so much, far beyond our ability to imagine. And you actually do them! Keep our small thinking from holding back your kingdom. We stand ready, O Lord, to observe your mighty hand. Show yourself to be the God who rules and performs great works in our midst. Help us to do greater things. Make us people of faith. Create in us confidence to launch out with your promises.

2018-02-14

Let Fullest Peace Be Ours

Romans 5.1-5

In Christ we’re justified.
Let fullest peace be ours —
With you — and in ourselves.
For us he suffered and died.
To us came heaven’s powers —
To me — as one who believes —
O Lord, be Savior and Guide.

2018-01-15

Give Us Fear of You

You are good and you are sovereign,
Seeking to save the unclean and common.
Walk among us, give us courage,
Make our faith and confidence flourish.

Man may destroy our physical body,
He may leave us bruised and bloody;
Nothing can he do to our spirit,
Powers of his you sharply limit.

Only you, the Lord of creation,
Hold in your hand the soul’s destruction.
Give us fear of you, and reverence,
Never afraid of man’s belligerence.