Revelation 19:6-9
The one of the keys to a successful marriage is preparation. In fact, one of the keys to being successful in any endeavor is preparation. Preparation is the careful planning and attention to detail, identifying the loose threads and strands that need to be connected or tied together. Preparation calls for examination and constant re-examination of the whole and the sum of its parts. We must check the machinery to make sure that it can not only carry us to where we want to go, but will endure the various levels of stress it will be subjected to. We must also check for integrity and soundness of operation. For anything that is not sound will fail. This includes relationships, businesses, careers, family, our bodies, our church, and even our faith.
There is one other thing we must check for and that is readiness. One of the pillars of failure or ensuring a lack of success is starting or ending prematurely. We must guard against premature starts and stops. We must be careful not to enter into business deals before we have secured the capital to fulfill our end of the deal. We must be careful not to rush into property ownership before we do our homework and thoroughly check out what exactly we are buying and what additional costs may be required. We must be careful not to end a relationship to soon based on a feeling that things do not seem to be working out or we have seen something better.
And so, before we engage in any endeavor we must check to see if we are in fact ready for what we are about to embark upon.
The Apostle John while exiled on the island of Patmos received a vision from God. John recorded the events and scenes of the vision he received and it is titled The Book of the Revelation. Sometimes the most profound revelation comes when we are isolated, separated, and alone. The direction for our lives, insight and intuition with regard to choices and decisions we should make, the unfolding of God’s plan for us and our family. Sometimes God does not reveal the most critical and important pieces to the puzzle until no one else is around. It is hard to hear anyone when the TV is on, or we have the headphones on, earpieces in our ear, or are on the phone, or with our head between the covers of a book. The more important the message God has for us, the greater the need for God to sequester us so that all of the distractions can be taken away and God can have our complete, full and undivided attention. If you find yourself alone, pay attention and listen closely because God has something important to reveal to you.
It is interesting to note that John was a visionary and not a dreamer. Joseph was a dreamer. Dreamers see destinations. Joseph saw his family bowing down to him that was his destination. John was a visionary. Visionaries see the unfolding of the plan that will take them to their destination. It is important to see the destination, but it is equally important to see how to get there.
In one of the scenes of John’s vision, he sees the Lamb coming to claim His bride and consummate their marriage. Most people understand the Lamb to be Jesus, the slain Lamb of God. But, who is the bride that Christ is coming back for? The term bride is one of many metaphors that are used throughout the Scriptures to refer to the church. Other metaphors include, The Body of Christ, flock, Israel of God, the elect, a royal priesthood, holy nation, God’s own people, Temple of God, and seed of Abraham to name a few. Each of these metaphors conveys a certain imagery of the church and its relationship with and to God. While each of these metaphors conjures up a different image, they all refer to the church.
The bridal and wedding imagery that John uses here is designed to do a couple of things. First, it is intended to help believer’s understand the unique relationship we have with God through Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul in the Book of Ephesians refers to the union between Christ and the Church as a mystery. To aid us in better understanding the uniqueness of our relationship with Christ let us consider the steps to getting married ancient civilizations and some modern societies still employ.
The groom’s parents selected the bride. John Calvin, the Reformed theologian, reminds us that God chose us, when we come to Christ we do so in response to God’s choosing of us. God the Father of Christ has chosen us to be united with Christ.
After the selection has been made the groom’s parents would pay the dowry or a price for the bride-to-be. God paid the ultimate price. He gave the life and blood of His son so that we could be together with Him and Jesus throughout all eternity. Think about this, our salvation really does not cost us anything, but it cost God everything and it cost Jesus His life – now that is love!
Once the price has been paid, the groom would give the bride a gift as a promise of his intent to marry her. Jesus has given us the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Bible tells us that when we receive the Holy Spirit we were marked in Christ with a seal and the Holy Spirit is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance.
The engagement or espousal followed the giving of a promissory gift. It is during this period both bride and groom spent their time getting ready for the day the groom would come back to claim his bride and take her with him to start their new life together. There would be a feast and a celebration from the home of the brides parents until the couple reached their new home where the marriage would be consummated.
We are now in the engagement period. We are awaiting Jesus the bridegroom’s return. When Jesus returns He will take us to be with Him for all eternity, but during the interim we need to get ready.
Another reason I believe John uses the bridal imagery is to help us get ready. The term bride means, suggests, and implies a woman pledged to be married. After the wedding the bride becomes a wife. Here we see the wisdom of the Scriptures and older societies. They understood that change and transformation is a process. Before we can be something, we have to become that thing. No one starts out a doctor, lawyer, teacher, or registered nurse. There are some steps that have to be taken and there is a period of preparation that must occur. As we take the steps to prepare ourselves we put ourselves on the pathway to become. And so, before we can become the wife of Christ, we must be the bride of Christ. I encourage us not to take the title bride lightly because with it comes certain responsibilities and obligations. Specifically, we have to understand that we are pledged to Christ. This means that God has selected us, bought and paid for us, and promised us to Christ. In other words we no longer belong to ourselves, we no longer can live solely to please and satisfy our personal desires, but rather we must live our lives so that they are pleasing and glorify Christ. It means we must accept the fact that if we want to be married to Christ and spend eternity with Christ we must honor our pledge to Christ. It is Christ who owns us and it is Christ to whom we now belong.
The term bride, a simple name serves as an identity marker. Names help to inform and identify. They inform all we come in contact with who we are. They also help to identify whom we belong to. When we take or accept the title bride of Christ is says we belong to Christ.
John says, “The bride has made herself ready.” Inherent in this statement is a question, are we ready. If Jesus came back today, tomorrow, next week or whenever, are we ready to spend eternity with Him.
The fact that John says, she has made herself ready tells us that there are some specific steps that must be taken in order for Christ’s bride to get ready for His return. Verse 8 provides us with some insight into the steps we need to take. Verse 8 says, “Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear. (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)
It seems to me getting ready involves two steps:
1) Taking off
2) Putting on
No one would put clean clothes over dirty clothes. Before we can put on clean clothes we must first take off the dirty ones and clean ourselves up. After we have done this we are ready to put on the fine linen that has been prepared and selected for us. Before we can put on the fine linen that God Himself has prepared for us, we must first take off our past. The past has a way of clouding and tarnishing our present and future. Very often it is not until we learn how to close the door or bury the past we are unable to realize how bright, brilliant, and full of potential our future is. There was a woman who purchased two candlestick holders. At first glance they seemed very ordinary. As a result of years of neglect they acquired a blackish almost charcoal color. The woman thought they must have been made of pewter. She took them home dusted them off and placed them on her mantle. Some months later she had a friend over for lunch. The friend happened to be a jeweler. Her friend asked her why she had allowed to candlestick holders to get in such a state of neglect. The woman was shocked and stated she dusted them and that is they way they are. Her friend laughed and realized that the woman has no idea how valuable the candlestick holders were. They got some polish and scrubbed them until the brilliance of the silver hidden under the charcoal was revealed. Years of neglect led the woman to believe that what she saw was all she was going to get. It was only after someone else showed her how to scrub off the past that she was able to see the brilliance of the future.
We all have a past. We all have done and said some things that we wish we could take back. Whatever we have done, it is done and there is nothing we can do about it. Like Good Friday those acts and statements must be buried in the tomb and place the stone in front of the tomb to seal it if we have any hope of every seeing Resurrection Sunday.
I am convinced that one of the things that keeps many people out of church and from coming to know Jesus personally is guilt. The idea that we need to get right before we come to Christ is a lie. We come to Christ just as we are and Christ makes us right. How do we take off the past? We face it, own it, and then forget it!
Once we take off the past we can then put on the future. We can embrace our future life with Christ. Embracing the future with Christ means –
1. We are committed to Christ – We know that Jesus is the only one for us
2. We are submitted to Christ – We have given up I and me for we and us
3. We are completed by Christ – We cannot bear the thought of living a part from or without Christ
Many people waste their time looking for Mr & Mrs. Right, the perfect person. There are two problems with this – a) THERE IS NO SUCH PERSON! And b) If we did find them we would scare them away once they found out we are not perfect.
In human relationships the goal is to find a person who compliments us.
In spiritual relationships the goal is to find the person who completes us.
Jesus completes us and Jesus makes us whole. The question is this, with all that Jesus offers are we ready to commit to Him and spend the rest of our life into eternity with Him, if so, we must start now by being His Bride.
Showing posts with label 2010. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2010. Show all posts
LET MY CHARACTER SPEAK FOR ME
Acts 17:10-12
Mahailia Jackson, the late gospel singer, made a song entitled “Lord, I want to live the life I sing about.” As the title of her song suggests, it is her prayer and earnest desire to synchronize her lifestyle with her faith.
The idea that we are not or do not live and practice what we preach or profess can be a shock to the system. It is difficult for anyone to come to terms with and/or digest the fact that a disconnect exists between the things we say we stand for and what we actually accept, allow, or let slide. It is sobering to find out that the standard we espouse or hold others to is not necessarily the same standard we ourselves live by.
Actually, the English language has a word for this it is called “hypocrisy.” Promoting one standard or way of life, but practicing the opposite or something entirely different.
For the unbeliever hypocrisy is no big deal because God uses a different standard to judge unbelievers than the standard God uses to judge believers. Furthermore, the world expects and accepts hypocrisy as a part of our social fabric. We have come to expect lawyers to be ruthless and to have sold their souls to the devil and will do whatever it takes to win a case, even if it means distorting the truth, withholding the truth, or flat out lying. The irony here is that they are sworn to seek and pursue the truth. We have also come to expect and accept the fact that politicians will say anything to get elected or re-elected and then recant or come down with a case of short-term memory loss once they are in office.
What about believers? How does a believer keep him or her self from being swallowed up in the morass of hypocrisy that pervades our world?
The late John Wooden, former head coach of the UCLA men’s basketball team wrote, “Be more concerned with your character than with your reputation. Your character is what you really are while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” These words from the late John Wooden remind us that the way believers insulate themselves from the infected by the world is by not being affected by how the world thinks and acts. We do this by seeing, hearing, and recognizing what is happening around us, but we pay greater attention to what is going on inside of us. The issue as Mr. Wooden aptly point out is our character. This is where our focus needs to be at all times.
Rather than looking for others to tell us how good we are, let us examine our own character traits and listen to what they say about us. D. L. Moody said that “Character is what you are in the dark.” If we want to know what kind of character we have simply turn the lights off and see how we act. We learn more about ourselves away from people and out of the public eye then we do when people are watching us. If we want to see who we are not, take a snap shoot of how we act in the company of others.
The truth is that our character traits reveal to the world that we really are. As Gamaliel Bradford states, “In great matters men and women show themselves as they wish to be seen, in small matters we show ourselves as we are.” The human agency is such that it has the potential to rise to any occasion. The greater the challenge the higher we are capable of rising. Challenges trigger something within us that enables us to reach deep down inside and summon the wherewithal to come up with an appropriate response to the challenge. On the other hand in more mundane everyday matters we also have the tendency to be dismissive, surly, cantankerous, hypercritical, or passive-aggressive. We want the world to see us as highly motivated, courageous, problem solvers detailed and organized and they must never find out that in our private lives we are not what we seem in public.
The apostle Paul and his traveling companion Silas were run out of the Greek city of Thessalonica and headed for another Greek city called Berea. In Berea, they met up with a group of believers called the Bereans. The text says, “The Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians.” If we were to contrast the two groups, the Thessalonians and the Bereans, we would discover there were stark contrasts between the two groups.
The Thessalonians were driven by jealousy and seemed more intent on creating and perpetuating strife, discord, and acrimony. They were not happy unless turmoil and confusion existed. They appeared to be a very I, self, and me centered group. When things did not go their way, they acted out like spoiled children until they got what they wanted.
The Bereans however were cut from a totally different cloth and exhibited more positive character traits than the rabble rousing Thessalonian sect. The Scriptures tell us that the Bereans “Received the message with great eagerness.” They were hungry for the Word of God. Paul paints the picture of a group of men and women who came to church looking forward to what God had to say to them. You get the idea that these folks simply could not get enough of God’s Word. This is absolutely astounding when you consider over indulging in anything will eventually turn a person off.
The Bereans apparent voracious appetite for the Word of God speaks to their attitude that God has something to say to us about whatever situation or circumstance we face. The Berean posture also provides us with an example of how we should approach church. The church should not be seen as a place where our attendance is compulsory or required, nor should we come feeling as though we have some obligation to fulfill. Rather the church should be seen as the place where we come to meet and dialogue with God. It is here in God’s house where God will offer us a prescription for our ailments, a balm that will soothe our aches, and revelation that will help us to fit the pieces of the puzzle called life together. The Berean appetite for the Word of God says something too about their perspective about God’s Word. Too often we really only want to hear “Good News” and bristle at the thought that God would chastise us. In reality even what is perceived, as bad news is “Good News.” What some would consider God’s chastisement is God offering correction, guidance, and direction to His children. Bad character traits do not just happen; they become ingrained and reinforced with practice. The Word of God then becomes a teaching tool to help correct and eradicate bad character traits and behavior patterns that will ultimately prove detrimental to our wellbeing.
The text tells us that the Bereans were not only hungry for hearing the Word of God, but they also “Examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” After reading this I decided to do some research. Saying that “Americans love their Bibles so much that they keep them in pristine unopened condition” can summarize the findings of my research. The available statistics on reveal that:
- 19% of American Christians are Bible readers
- 92% of households in America own at least one copy of the Bible
- 59% read the Bible occasionally
- 37% read it at least once a week (probably on Sunday in church)
- 14% belong to a regular Bible study group
- Women are 42% more likely than men to read the Bible
These statistics taken from Christianity today and other sources point to a growing problem in America, Biblical illiteracy.
The Bereans according to the apostle Paul’s eyewitness account searched the Scriptures daily for themselves to confirm that what they were hearing was indeed consistent with what was actually in the Bible. There is no substitute for finding something out for your self. A believer who fails to check the Word of God for him or her self is relying on hearsay and to repeat what you hear without first checking is called spreading rumors. One of the questions we must ask ourselves is my faith based and build upon what I have heard or what I know? Until we have seen for ourselves, on what basis can we determine the teaching we are receiving is credible, true and consistent, or even found in the Word of God.
Christians are a microcosm of our society. In today’s world people are listening more and reading less. Although this in and of itself is not a horrible thing, the idea of taking someone else’s opinion as fact without first checking the validity of their statements is just plain lazy. For the longest time I was under the impression that the phrase “God helps those who help themselves was actually in the Bible.” I heard my mother say it, I heard it on TV and I remember reading it, so why would I not think it was true. Once I became a serious Bible student I discovered it is not in the Bible and it is not true.
The Bereans teach us that even nice well meaning people make mistakes, get things wrong, and take things out of context. Therefore, the only way we can know for sure is to do our due diligence and search the Scriptures for ourselves.
Finally, the Bereans hunger for the Word of God coupled with their diligence in searching the Scriptures daily put them on the road to Discovering God for themselves. No matter how much someone tells you about God, it is not the same as discovering God for yourself.
When we look at the Bereans we see a group of men and women whose character traits spoke loudly about them. As a result of their character traits –
1. They were grounded in the Word of God – The Word of God was in them sown and planted deep into their hearts, mind and souls. These were a people that could not be duped or easily fooled by clever sounding arguments. They knew the truth when they heard it and people who saw them were able to recognize that the truth lived in them.
2. They had a daily personal encounter with God in Christ – Every time they opened the Word of God, God in Christ spoke to them personally and directly. Whenever they set out for worship they did so with the expectation that God had something to say to them and whatever they heard other people say God said they went back to see if God actually said it.
3. The Word of God moved them – The Bible says many believed. In other words, they changed their position. The Word they received opened their eyes to the fact that they needed to change. It helped them to see that they needed to change the way they operated, change the way they did business, change the way they viewed things. The Bereans discovered that in their willingness to change their position God could and would move closer to them. They found out that when we become willing to move, God is willing to lead us. As long as we are anchored in cement, we cannot experience the fullness of God’s love nor can we experience the depths and breadth of God’s grace and mercy. The moment we make the decision and say OK, Lord, do it your way, God begins to go to work on us and in us. God goes to work reshaping our attitudes, behaviors, and our character inside of us and God goes to work reshaping our present, future and destiny on the outside. As this change occurs we also begin to look at life differently. We are able to see God opening doors that once appeared to be closed and taking us places we once never dreamed or imagined we could go.
The Bereans discovered that who I am in Christ is more important than who I am in the world. As far as the world was concerned some of the Bereans were prominent men and women, but after hearing the truth they concluded that social status could only carry us so far. After this life has ended our social status is worthless.
What about us? What does our character say about us? Do we live the life we sing about or do we need a character overhaul? A significant number of the Bereans who came to Christ were members of their societies upper class and they recognized the need for some character tweaking after receiving the Word. What about us?
Mahailia Jackson, the late gospel singer, made a song entitled “Lord, I want to live the life I sing about.” As the title of her song suggests, it is her prayer and earnest desire to synchronize her lifestyle with her faith.
The idea that we are not or do not live and practice what we preach or profess can be a shock to the system. It is difficult for anyone to come to terms with and/or digest the fact that a disconnect exists between the things we say we stand for and what we actually accept, allow, or let slide. It is sobering to find out that the standard we espouse or hold others to is not necessarily the same standard we ourselves live by.
Actually, the English language has a word for this it is called “hypocrisy.” Promoting one standard or way of life, but practicing the opposite or something entirely different.
For the unbeliever hypocrisy is no big deal because God uses a different standard to judge unbelievers than the standard God uses to judge believers. Furthermore, the world expects and accepts hypocrisy as a part of our social fabric. We have come to expect lawyers to be ruthless and to have sold their souls to the devil and will do whatever it takes to win a case, even if it means distorting the truth, withholding the truth, or flat out lying. The irony here is that they are sworn to seek and pursue the truth. We have also come to expect and accept the fact that politicians will say anything to get elected or re-elected and then recant or come down with a case of short-term memory loss once they are in office.
What about believers? How does a believer keep him or her self from being swallowed up in the morass of hypocrisy that pervades our world?
The late John Wooden, former head coach of the UCLA men’s basketball team wrote, “Be more concerned with your character than with your reputation. Your character is what you really are while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” These words from the late John Wooden remind us that the way believers insulate themselves from the infected by the world is by not being affected by how the world thinks and acts. We do this by seeing, hearing, and recognizing what is happening around us, but we pay greater attention to what is going on inside of us. The issue as Mr. Wooden aptly point out is our character. This is where our focus needs to be at all times.
Rather than looking for others to tell us how good we are, let us examine our own character traits and listen to what they say about us. D. L. Moody said that “Character is what you are in the dark.” If we want to know what kind of character we have simply turn the lights off and see how we act. We learn more about ourselves away from people and out of the public eye then we do when people are watching us. If we want to see who we are not, take a snap shoot of how we act in the company of others.
The truth is that our character traits reveal to the world that we really are. As Gamaliel Bradford states, “In great matters men and women show themselves as they wish to be seen, in small matters we show ourselves as we are.” The human agency is such that it has the potential to rise to any occasion. The greater the challenge the higher we are capable of rising. Challenges trigger something within us that enables us to reach deep down inside and summon the wherewithal to come up with an appropriate response to the challenge. On the other hand in more mundane everyday matters we also have the tendency to be dismissive, surly, cantankerous, hypercritical, or passive-aggressive. We want the world to see us as highly motivated, courageous, problem solvers detailed and organized and they must never find out that in our private lives we are not what we seem in public.
The apostle Paul and his traveling companion Silas were run out of the Greek city of Thessalonica and headed for another Greek city called Berea. In Berea, they met up with a group of believers called the Bereans. The text says, “The Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians.” If we were to contrast the two groups, the Thessalonians and the Bereans, we would discover there were stark contrasts between the two groups.
The Thessalonians were driven by jealousy and seemed more intent on creating and perpetuating strife, discord, and acrimony. They were not happy unless turmoil and confusion existed. They appeared to be a very I, self, and me centered group. When things did not go their way, they acted out like spoiled children until they got what they wanted.
The Bereans however were cut from a totally different cloth and exhibited more positive character traits than the rabble rousing Thessalonian sect. The Scriptures tell us that the Bereans “Received the message with great eagerness.” They were hungry for the Word of God. Paul paints the picture of a group of men and women who came to church looking forward to what God had to say to them. You get the idea that these folks simply could not get enough of God’s Word. This is absolutely astounding when you consider over indulging in anything will eventually turn a person off.
The Bereans apparent voracious appetite for the Word of God speaks to their attitude that God has something to say to us about whatever situation or circumstance we face. The Berean posture also provides us with an example of how we should approach church. The church should not be seen as a place where our attendance is compulsory or required, nor should we come feeling as though we have some obligation to fulfill. Rather the church should be seen as the place where we come to meet and dialogue with God. It is here in God’s house where God will offer us a prescription for our ailments, a balm that will soothe our aches, and revelation that will help us to fit the pieces of the puzzle called life together. The Berean appetite for the Word of God says something too about their perspective about God’s Word. Too often we really only want to hear “Good News” and bristle at the thought that God would chastise us. In reality even what is perceived, as bad news is “Good News.” What some would consider God’s chastisement is God offering correction, guidance, and direction to His children. Bad character traits do not just happen; they become ingrained and reinforced with practice. The Word of God then becomes a teaching tool to help correct and eradicate bad character traits and behavior patterns that will ultimately prove detrimental to our wellbeing.
The text tells us that the Bereans were not only hungry for hearing the Word of God, but they also “Examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” After reading this I decided to do some research. Saying that “Americans love their Bibles so much that they keep them in pristine unopened condition” can summarize the findings of my research. The available statistics on reveal that:
- 19% of American Christians are Bible readers
- 92% of households in America own at least one copy of the Bible
- 59% read the Bible occasionally
- 37% read it at least once a week (probably on Sunday in church)
- 14% belong to a regular Bible study group
- Women are 42% more likely than men to read the Bible
These statistics taken from Christianity today and other sources point to a growing problem in America, Biblical illiteracy.
The Bereans according to the apostle Paul’s eyewitness account searched the Scriptures daily for themselves to confirm that what they were hearing was indeed consistent with what was actually in the Bible. There is no substitute for finding something out for your self. A believer who fails to check the Word of God for him or her self is relying on hearsay and to repeat what you hear without first checking is called spreading rumors. One of the questions we must ask ourselves is my faith based and build upon what I have heard or what I know? Until we have seen for ourselves, on what basis can we determine the teaching we are receiving is credible, true and consistent, or even found in the Word of God.
Christians are a microcosm of our society. In today’s world people are listening more and reading less. Although this in and of itself is not a horrible thing, the idea of taking someone else’s opinion as fact without first checking the validity of their statements is just plain lazy. For the longest time I was under the impression that the phrase “God helps those who help themselves was actually in the Bible.” I heard my mother say it, I heard it on TV and I remember reading it, so why would I not think it was true. Once I became a serious Bible student I discovered it is not in the Bible and it is not true.
The Bereans teach us that even nice well meaning people make mistakes, get things wrong, and take things out of context. Therefore, the only way we can know for sure is to do our due diligence and search the Scriptures for ourselves.
Finally, the Bereans hunger for the Word of God coupled with their diligence in searching the Scriptures daily put them on the road to Discovering God for themselves. No matter how much someone tells you about God, it is not the same as discovering God for yourself.
When we look at the Bereans we see a group of men and women whose character traits spoke loudly about them. As a result of their character traits –
1. They were grounded in the Word of God – The Word of God was in them sown and planted deep into their hearts, mind and souls. These were a people that could not be duped or easily fooled by clever sounding arguments. They knew the truth when they heard it and people who saw them were able to recognize that the truth lived in them.
2. They had a daily personal encounter with God in Christ – Every time they opened the Word of God, God in Christ spoke to them personally and directly. Whenever they set out for worship they did so with the expectation that God had something to say to them and whatever they heard other people say God said they went back to see if God actually said it.
3. The Word of God moved them – The Bible says many believed. In other words, they changed their position. The Word they received opened their eyes to the fact that they needed to change. It helped them to see that they needed to change the way they operated, change the way they did business, change the way they viewed things. The Bereans discovered that in their willingness to change their position God could and would move closer to them. They found out that when we become willing to move, God is willing to lead us. As long as we are anchored in cement, we cannot experience the fullness of God’s love nor can we experience the depths and breadth of God’s grace and mercy. The moment we make the decision and say OK, Lord, do it your way, God begins to go to work on us and in us. God goes to work reshaping our attitudes, behaviors, and our character inside of us and God goes to work reshaping our present, future and destiny on the outside. As this change occurs we also begin to look at life differently. We are able to see God opening doors that once appeared to be closed and taking us places we once never dreamed or imagined we could go.
The Bereans discovered that who I am in Christ is more important than who I am in the world. As far as the world was concerned some of the Bereans were prominent men and women, but after hearing the truth they concluded that social status could only carry us so far. After this life has ended our social status is worthless.
What about us? What does our character say about us? Do we live the life we sing about or do we need a character overhaul? A significant number of the Bereans who came to Christ were members of their societies upper class and they recognized the need for some character tweaking after receiving the Word. What about us?
A RADICAL KIND OF FAITH
Romans 4:18-25
In Matthew 6:28 Jesus said, “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow.” In this verse Jesus articulates a maxim of life, every living thing needs time to grow and develop. When we look at life and living things as a whole we must conclude that no living thing starts out full-grown. This is true of people, plants & vegetation, animals and all organisms. What about faith? Is anyone born with great faith? Based on Jesus’ statement I would suggest that if we are talking about a living faith then it too needs time to grow and develop. If we were to examine the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, we would see that everyone in Hebrews 11, the faith chapter was not born a faith giant, but rather over time their faith grew and developed to the point that they were able to be remembered for their great faith.
What causes faith to grow? When we look at Scripture it is clear that God uses life challenges, situations and difficult circumstances to grow and develop the seed of faith planted in our heart. The various situations and difficulties that we encounter along the journey of life will either cause faith to grow and develop or wither and die.
To illustrate this point, the apostle Paul lifts up Abraham. Abraham and Sarah had lived their entire lives childless. Yet, God promised them that at the ripe old age of 100 and 90 respectively they would have a son. Paul points out that Abraham “Faced the fact that his body was as good as dead…and that Sarah’s womb was also dead.” In other words, the fact was that physically they were unable to conceive. The laws of biology and human physiology suggested that in their present state conceiving a child was impossible and they on their own could not make it happen.
There are real barriers that stand between the realization of the things we hope for, dream of, want to achieve and us. The facts say:
• Debt is standing between me and financial freedom
• Poor or declining health is compromising my independence
• The recession is the reason I cannot find a job, afford to go to college right now, or retire
• I have been hurt and I will never be able to totally trust, love or have a healthy relationship again
• The guilt and shame I feel as a result of my past I will take to the grave
The facts and reality say the barriers that need to be overcome are too great, too big, and too many. Therefore, do not bother because it is not going to happen for me.
According to the Scriptures, Abraham did not ignore the facts or the reality of his situation, but rather he embraced and accepted it. Not only did he accept the reality of his situation, but also the Bible says, “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed.” This statement is the definition of “A Radical Kind of Faith.” Most people have been taught that in order for faith to work it must ignore the facts and that to embrace the facts of our situation is a sign of weak faith. This is simply not true according to our text. There are at least two principles we learn about faith here,
a) Faith is not static and it does not grow and develop in a vacuum, it needs other components to work with it – namely, the facts, hope and time.
b) The facts, hope and time, these things go together. They are needed to produce a strong growing faith.
There are a lot of erroneous ideas regarding faith and faith development. To further illustrate how intricately linked faith, the facts, hope and time are, let us consider:
- Faith without the facts is Dogmatism – belief based on an ideology
- The facts without faith is Rationalism – basing outcomes on logical conclusions without factoring God into the equation
- Faith without hope is Idealism – hope is the essence of faith without hope everything is riding on an idea
- Hope without faith is Optimism – Well, some kind of way this thing is going to work out
- Faith without time (waiting) is Elitism – believing that because of my status in society, I do not need to wait on God because I have the resources, position, and the power to get and do what I want
- Time (waiting) without faith is Procrastination – you are simply putting things off or just lazy
As we can see faith without facing the facts, hope and time is really not faith at all. It is a lot of other things, but it is not faith.
However, Abraham did not allow the facts of his situation to diminish his hope, in stead he lived in his hope. This is what the text says, “Abraham in hope believed.” The phrase “in hope” suggests that he wore his hope like we wear clothes. He put it on as a man would put on his trousers or a woman would put on her dress or blouse. The moment we put something on it becomes a part of us and with ever step we take it is there, with every movement it is there. We do not have to go looking for it because we are in it going through life wearing it.
Paul also points out “Without weakening in his faith…he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith.” Abraham did not abandon his hope because things did not happen immediately, but grew stronger in his conviction and belief that it would happen. Here we see how another of the components work, specifically time. Time unfortunately is one of those things that we often feel as though we do not have enough of, but in actuality all we have is time. Abraham helps us to see that time feeds a living faith causing it to grow stronger and not weaker. How? In hope believing, as the text says, “That God has the power to do.” Doctor’s will tell you that the most crucial element in a patient’s recovery is that they believe they can and will recover. The reality is that it takes time to come to believe.
I think that it is important for us to understand that “time” is not for God, but rather time is for us. God does not need time to do anything. God however works in “time” so that like Abraham “we will become fully persuaded.” The question we must answer for ourselves is, what will it take for us to become fully persuaded that God has the power to do, fulfill, or bring about – for Abraham it took time.
Abraham could not have become persuaded that God could do what He said He would do unless Abraham got to know God better. God at some point and through the course of His relationship with Abraham had to also demonstrate that He was trustworthy. This is where life’s difficulties and challenges come in. Let us remember that Abraham and Sarah had faced other life challenges before they tried to conceive a child. It was through these previous challenges that God revealed Himself to Abraham. As Abraham reflected on what God had done for him in the past he became fully persuaded in his present situation that whatever was going to happen for him and Sarah it would be by God’s power alone.
God gives us time to work through our personal issues and resistance to the notion that He, God, has the power to do. How does God do this? In most cases God uses difficult and challenging situations and circumstances knowing full well that we will try to solve the problem ourselves and then become so frustrated when we are not successful. It is at this point we must recognize that part of the reason God allowed the situation to develop in the first place is so that He, God could demonstrate to us our need for Him in our lives. Think of parents and children, there are times when parents have to allow their children to go through some things so that they will learn how to ask for help. If a parent is always coming to the rescue of their child or children that child will never learn how to ask for help and in stead come to expect that if I get into trouble my parents will get me out of trouble.
In time with each difficult and challenging situation that we turn to God and God in turn provides us with the help that we need, over time we become fully persuaded that God alone has the power to do.
It is also interesting to note that nothing happened for Abraham until his relationship with God was right. The phrase, “It was credited to him as righteousness” can be interpreted to mean God added to Abraham’s account making things right between Abraham and God. Prior to putting his confidence and trust in God, Abraham’s account with God was in the minus column. Looking at this from a purely business vantage point, as long as our account is minus it means that we are carrying a balance and before we can purchase anything we must first pay what we owe. After we pay what we owe then our balance is wiped out and our creditors are more inclined to work with us. The issue is do we intend to use God or partner with God.
Abraham points the way for us to see that everything begins with our relationship with God. Before we can expect God to do anything for us or act on our behalf we need to enter into a partnership with God. In relationships where one party is always doing something for the other party that is called being used. Partners work together. Partnering with God means that we have become fully persuaded and have decided that our success in this life rests in placing our total trust and confidence in God’s ability and power to do, over our own. It means that when we are confronted with situations and circumstances that seem untenable, unworkable, or even impossible though I may fret and even become discouraged I will never lose hope because God is my partner and He is an ever present in the time of trouble.
Partnering with God means that the longer it takes the stronger I will become in my conviction that God alone has the power to do and work things out. It means that while I am waiting on God, I will praise Him and give God the glory because even though I do not physically see it – I know that God in His time will reveal it to me.
To the unbeliever this is simply nonsense, but to believer’s,
- Embracing the facts
- Hoping against the odds
- Growing stronger in faith as time passes
These are the components of A RADICAL KIND OF FAITH!
In Matthew 6:28 Jesus said, “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow.” In this verse Jesus articulates a maxim of life, every living thing needs time to grow and develop. When we look at life and living things as a whole we must conclude that no living thing starts out full-grown. This is true of people, plants & vegetation, animals and all organisms. What about faith? Is anyone born with great faith? Based on Jesus’ statement I would suggest that if we are talking about a living faith then it too needs time to grow and develop. If we were to examine the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, we would see that everyone in Hebrews 11, the faith chapter was not born a faith giant, but rather over time their faith grew and developed to the point that they were able to be remembered for their great faith.
What causes faith to grow? When we look at Scripture it is clear that God uses life challenges, situations and difficult circumstances to grow and develop the seed of faith planted in our heart. The various situations and difficulties that we encounter along the journey of life will either cause faith to grow and develop or wither and die.
To illustrate this point, the apostle Paul lifts up Abraham. Abraham and Sarah had lived their entire lives childless. Yet, God promised them that at the ripe old age of 100 and 90 respectively they would have a son. Paul points out that Abraham “Faced the fact that his body was as good as dead…and that Sarah’s womb was also dead.” In other words, the fact was that physically they were unable to conceive. The laws of biology and human physiology suggested that in their present state conceiving a child was impossible and they on their own could not make it happen.
There are real barriers that stand between the realization of the things we hope for, dream of, want to achieve and us. The facts say:
• Debt is standing between me and financial freedom
• Poor or declining health is compromising my independence
• The recession is the reason I cannot find a job, afford to go to college right now, or retire
• I have been hurt and I will never be able to totally trust, love or have a healthy relationship again
• The guilt and shame I feel as a result of my past I will take to the grave
The facts and reality say the barriers that need to be overcome are too great, too big, and too many. Therefore, do not bother because it is not going to happen for me.
According to the Scriptures, Abraham did not ignore the facts or the reality of his situation, but rather he embraced and accepted it. Not only did he accept the reality of his situation, but also the Bible says, “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed.” This statement is the definition of “A Radical Kind of Faith.” Most people have been taught that in order for faith to work it must ignore the facts and that to embrace the facts of our situation is a sign of weak faith. This is simply not true according to our text. There are at least two principles we learn about faith here,
a) Faith is not static and it does not grow and develop in a vacuum, it needs other components to work with it – namely, the facts, hope and time.
b) The facts, hope and time, these things go together. They are needed to produce a strong growing faith.
There are a lot of erroneous ideas regarding faith and faith development. To further illustrate how intricately linked faith, the facts, hope and time are, let us consider:
- Faith without the facts is Dogmatism – belief based on an ideology
- The facts without faith is Rationalism – basing outcomes on logical conclusions without factoring God into the equation
- Faith without hope is Idealism – hope is the essence of faith without hope everything is riding on an idea
- Hope without faith is Optimism – Well, some kind of way this thing is going to work out
- Faith without time (waiting) is Elitism – believing that because of my status in society, I do not need to wait on God because I have the resources, position, and the power to get and do what I want
- Time (waiting) without faith is Procrastination – you are simply putting things off or just lazy
As we can see faith without facing the facts, hope and time is really not faith at all. It is a lot of other things, but it is not faith.
However, Abraham did not allow the facts of his situation to diminish his hope, in stead he lived in his hope. This is what the text says, “Abraham in hope believed.” The phrase “in hope” suggests that he wore his hope like we wear clothes. He put it on as a man would put on his trousers or a woman would put on her dress or blouse. The moment we put something on it becomes a part of us and with ever step we take it is there, with every movement it is there. We do not have to go looking for it because we are in it going through life wearing it.
Paul also points out “Without weakening in his faith…he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith.” Abraham did not abandon his hope because things did not happen immediately, but grew stronger in his conviction and belief that it would happen. Here we see how another of the components work, specifically time. Time unfortunately is one of those things that we often feel as though we do not have enough of, but in actuality all we have is time. Abraham helps us to see that time feeds a living faith causing it to grow stronger and not weaker. How? In hope believing, as the text says, “That God has the power to do.” Doctor’s will tell you that the most crucial element in a patient’s recovery is that they believe they can and will recover. The reality is that it takes time to come to believe.
I think that it is important for us to understand that “time” is not for God, but rather time is for us. God does not need time to do anything. God however works in “time” so that like Abraham “we will become fully persuaded.” The question we must answer for ourselves is, what will it take for us to become fully persuaded that God has the power to do, fulfill, or bring about – for Abraham it took time.
Abraham could not have become persuaded that God could do what He said He would do unless Abraham got to know God better. God at some point and through the course of His relationship with Abraham had to also demonstrate that He was trustworthy. This is where life’s difficulties and challenges come in. Let us remember that Abraham and Sarah had faced other life challenges before they tried to conceive a child. It was through these previous challenges that God revealed Himself to Abraham. As Abraham reflected on what God had done for him in the past he became fully persuaded in his present situation that whatever was going to happen for him and Sarah it would be by God’s power alone.
God gives us time to work through our personal issues and resistance to the notion that He, God, has the power to do. How does God do this? In most cases God uses difficult and challenging situations and circumstances knowing full well that we will try to solve the problem ourselves and then become so frustrated when we are not successful. It is at this point we must recognize that part of the reason God allowed the situation to develop in the first place is so that He, God could demonstrate to us our need for Him in our lives. Think of parents and children, there are times when parents have to allow their children to go through some things so that they will learn how to ask for help. If a parent is always coming to the rescue of their child or children that child will never learn how to ask for help and in stead come to expect that if I get into trouble my parents will get me out of trouble.
In time with each difficult and challenging situation that we turn to God and God in turn provides us with the help that we need, over time we become fully persuaded that God alone has the power to do.
It is also interesting to note that nothing happened for Abraham until his relationship with God was right. The phrase, “It was credited to him as righteousness” can be interpreted to mean God added to Abraham’s account making things right between Abraham and God. Prior to putting his confidence and trust in God, Abraham’s account with God was in the minus column. Looking at this from a purely business vantage point, as long as our account is minus it means that we are carrying a balance and before we can purchase anything we must first pay what we owe. After we pay what we owe then our balance is wiped out and our creditors are more inclined to work with us. The issue is do we intend to use God or partner with God.
Abraham points the way for us to see that everything begins with our relationship with God. Before we can expect God to do anything for us or act on our behalf we need to enter into a partnership with God. In relationships where one party is always doing something for the other party that is called being used. Partners work together. Partnering with God means that we have become fully persuaded and have decided that our success in this life rests in placing our total trust and confidence in God’s ability and power to do, over our own. It means that when we are confronted with situations and circumstances that seem untenable, unworkable, or even impossible though I may fret and even become discouraged I will never lose hope because God is my partner and He is an ever present in the time of trouble.
Partnering with God means that the longer it takes the stronger I will become in my conviction that God alone has the power to do and work things out. It means that while I am waiting on God, I will praise Him and give God the glory because even though I do not physically see it – I know that God in His time will reveal it to me.
To the unbeliever this is simply nonsense, but to believer’s,
- Embracing the facts
- Hoping against the odds
- Growing stronger in faith as time passes
These are the components of A RADICAL KIND OF FAITH!
FAITH MAKES THINGS POSSIBLE
Romans 4:16&17
Dwight L. Moody said, “Take the promises of God. Let a man feed for a month on the promises of God, and he will not talk about how poor he is. You hear people say, ‘Oh, my leanness! How lean I am!’ It is not their leanness it is their laziness. If you would only read from Genesis to Revelation and see all the promises made by God to Abraham, to Issac, to Jacob, to the Jews and to the Gentiles, and to all His people everywhere – if you would spend a month feeding on the precious promises of God – you wouldn’t be going about complaining how poor you are. You would lift up your head and proclaim the riches of His Grace, because you couldn’t help doing it!”
According to D.L. Moody many of the ills that plague us and our world can be cured by spending more time acquainting ourselves with the promises of God and less time complaining about our problems and situations. By the way, how many promises do you think there are in the entire Bible? Take a guess. Would you say 66 (one in each book), may be 500, a 1000, or possibly 100,000? Actually, Psalm 139:17 & 18 say, “How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand.” In actuality there are so many promises of God that they cannot be numbered or counted.
A couple of promises that resonate with me:
Hebrews 13:5 – “ Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; Never will I forsake you.”
Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through Christ Jesus who gives me strength.”
Philippians 4:19 – “My God shall supply my needs according to His riches in glory through Christ Jesus.”
Malachi 3:10 & 11 – “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, says the LORD Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit, says the LORD Almighty.
Luke 6:38 – Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
What about you, are there promises that resonate with you?
In our text, the Apostle Paul is writing to the members of the church at Rome. The Roman church was composed of both Jews and Gentiles. In this section of the letter, the apostle is addressing the issue of faith verses works. In the two verses for our consideration verses 16 & 17 the Apostle proceeds to spell out for his readers how faith makes things possible.
Paul identifies at least six things that faith makes possible. He says in these two verses that faith makes it possible:
a) To access the promises of God (vs. 16)
b) To have God’s grace applied to our lives (vs.16)
c) For the grace of God to be inclusive – both Jews & Gentiles (vs. 16)
d) For us to claim Abraham as our spiritual father (vs. 16)
e) For God to transform that which is dead and cause it to live again (vs.17)
f) For God to call into existence things that presently do not exist (vs.17)
Let us look at what Paul actually meant by these statements. Beginning in verse 16 Paul says, “The promise comes by faith.” When we examine the Scriptures we see that faith is the medium by which the promises of God are realized. In Genesis 15:6 the Bible says, “Abraham believed God and God credited it to him as righteousness.” The prevailing thought within Jewish circles was and is that the Mosaic Law set the standard for human conduct and established the basis for a right relationship with God. It stood to reason then, if a person kept the law, they were good enough in God’s sight. Paul counters this fallacious reasoning by pointing out that if this is true then faith is useless. Furthermore, the promises given to Abraham predated the law given to Moses. Let’s say that the promise was based on the law, why then did God acknowledge Abraham for his faith especially in light of the fact that the law had not yet been given at the time God made His promise to Abraham? Since the law had not yet been given God’s acknowledgment of Abraham could only be based on Abraham’s faith in God. To take it one step further, Abraham was able to realize God’s promise to him not because he proved himself good enough, but because he believed God would do what God said He would do.
Another point to consider here is that if God’s promise to Abraham was based on keeping the law then Abraham’s faith would have been of no consequence and the fulfillment of the promise would have been a matter of obligation on the part of Abraham. Enter grace. “So that it may be by grace.” Any promise that has to be earned is not a promise but an obligation. In most of the world, I do not know of a single employer that will pay an employee to stay home and do nothing. If an employee is working from home they must at some point produce evidence of the work they have been doing. In most businesses the expectation is that at the end of the workweek or cycle the worker will receive a check as payment for their work. The employer agrees to compensate the worker as long as the worker fulfills his or her obligation to show up on time, maintain acceptable levels of production and whatever other stipulations the employer places on the worker. The point is that in order to get the promised paycheck workers must fulfill their obligation to their employers. That is not how God’s grace works. In fact, grace is not something we can earn in the first place because it is freely given. If we have to work for God’s grace then it is not God’s grace we are working for, but rather we are working to fulfill an obligation. The truth is that no matter how good we try to be we will never be good enough to earn or merit God’s grace. The grace of God is free!
God understood that human beings are flawed and the law pointed that out more than anything. In fact, one of the purposes of the law was to reveal to us that we would never be good enough to please God. This applies to both Jews and Gentiles. This is why God’s grace and the subsequent promises that flow from God’s grace are inclusive. “And may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring – not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham.” Let us not forget that the law was not given to the Gentiles, but it was given to the Jews. The promises that were given especially throughout the Old Testament were initially given to the Jews. In this context the promises of God were exclusive to those of the law, the Jews.
However, God’s promise to Abraham was intended to be inclusive, “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed. In the Jewish custom the father’s estate was passed on to the children. Therefore, we who believe in God are of the faith of Abraham. Since we share in Abraham’s faith, we can claim him as our spiritual father and we also have a share and a stake in God’s promises to Abraham.
Who was and/or is the God that Abraham believed in? According to the Apostle Paul, “The God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.” The Apostle is referring to the things that God did in and throughout the life of Abraham and his wife Sarah. I do not want to get ahead of myself and will deal with this a little more in depth at another point. There are two themes here that are of import to us. The first is God’s power to transform and the second is God’s power to create. These two attributes of God are good news for believers because the let us know that no matter how far down the scale we have fallen or how bad off things are for us personally, there is always hope for those who believe in God. A review of Genesis 1 reveals a demonstration of these principles at work. The earth was shapeless and without form, essentially there was nothing there. Yet, God was able to transform nothing by the power of His words and create something. Another example of these principles is David. God took a shepherd boy and transformed him into a solider, a warrior, and ultimately created one of the greatest kings that ever lived.
The question that still remains to be answered is how does this apply to me? The central point I believe of these two verses can be summed up by saying, faith makes it possible for believers to share in the blessings of Abraham. I would further submit that these blessings are three-fold in nature, and we are only able to access them and/or realize them because faith makes it possible.
1) Faith makes it possible to know the mind and the will of God for our lives – There are many who claim that they do not know what God has in store for them or what it is that God desires from or of them. However, let us remember that Abraham did not go looking for God, but rather God went looking for Abraham. When God found Abraham God told him immediately what God wanted Abraham to do and subsequently led him to the place where God wanted Abraham to be. If we like Abraham will put our complete faith and trust in God to lead, guide and direct us, God will reveal to us what we need to do, where we are to go, and how we are to get there.
2) Faith makes it possible to experience the power and the presence of God consistently – Throughout Abraham’s walk with God he experienced many challenges, issues and obstacles. Some of these Abraham created himself and others were placed in his path, but from the moment Abraham put his faith in God, God was with him every step of the way. In fact, Abraham lived to be about 175 years old and it is safe to say that God did more for him in the last 100 years of his life than God did during the first 75 years of his life. With each challenge Abraham faced, God made a way out and when Abraham was in a situation that was beyond what he could do humanly, God stepped in and fought the battle for him. When we begin to believe that the power of God is greater than our own human power, it is at that point we will start to turn every situation and every circumstance of our lives over to God. As we turn and cede control of our lives over to God we will see that God will always be with us and that there is no situation that God will not empower us to handle, confront or be able to deal with. And in those situations that require more than what we have to offer, God will step in on our behalf.
3) Faith makes it possible to realize the promises of God – Whatever God did for Abraham God did not because Abraham deserved it, but because Abraham believed that God would do what God said He would do. Abraham took God at His word. All of the promises in Scripture have the same condition take God at His word. The question is can you and I believe totally and completely that whatever God says God will do for us that God will do it?
The truth is that for all of us taking God at God’s word means we have to take God out of the box that we have put God in. It means that we have to exercise our spiritual muscles in order to realize the divine possibilities of our faith. It means that we have to take the limits off of what we have long thought, felt, have been told, and come to believe about God. We must face the reality that a boxed in God is a limited God. As long as we keep God in the box we are limiting our own ability to experience the blessings and promises of God.
I encourage each of us to take God out of the box and watch and see if God will not blow your mind with the limitless possibilities of what God will do in each of our lives. When we take God out of the box we will notice that our faith will also grow in proportion to the size of our God. Then like Abraham we will begin to believe the ridiculous, the sublime, and the impossible – our national anthem will become – why not me & why not us, because faith makes thi
Dwight L. Moody said, “Take the promises of God. Let a man feed for a month on the promises of God, and he will not talk about how poor he is. You hear people say, ‘Oh, my leanness! How lean I am!’ It is not their leanness it is their laziness. If you would only read from Genesis to Revelation and see all the promises made by God to Abraham, to Issac, to Jacob, to the Jews and to the Gentiles, and to all His people everywhere – if you would spend a month feeding on the precious promises of God – you wouldn’t be going about complaining how poor you are. You would lift up your head and proclaim the riches of His Grace, because you couldn’t help doing it!”
According to D.L. Moody many of the ills that plague us and our world can be cured by spending more time acquainting ourselves with the promises of God and less time complaining about our problems and situations. By the way, how many promises do you think there are in the entire Bible? Take a guess. Would you say 66 (one in each book), may be 500, a 1000, or possibly 100,000? Actually, Psalm 139:17 & 18 say, “How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand.” In actuality there are so many promises of God that they cannot be numbered or counted.
A couple of promises that resonate with me:
Hebrews 13:5 – “ Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; Never will I forsake you.”
Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through Christ Jesus who gives me strength.”
Philippians 4:19 – “My God shall supply my needs according to His riches in glory through Christ Jesus.”
Malachi 3:10 & 11 – “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, says the LORD Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit, says the LORD Almighty.
Luke 6:38 – Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
What about you, are there promises that resonate with you?
In our text, the Apostle Paul is writing to the members of the church at Rome. The Roman church was composed of both Jews and Gentiles. In this section of the letter, the apostle is addressing the issue of faith verses works. In the two verses for our consideration verses 16 & 17 the Apostle proceeds to spell out for his readers how faith makes things possible.
Paul identifies at least six things that faith makes possible. He says in these two verses that faith makes it possible:
a) To access the promises of God (vs. 16)
b) To have God’s grace applied to our lives (vs.16)
c) For the grace of God to be inclusive – both Jews & Gentiles (vs. 16)
d) For us to claim Abraham as our spiritual father (vs. 16)
e) For God to transform that which is dead and cause it to live again (vs.17)
f) For God to call into existence things that presently do not exist (vs.17)
Let us look at what Paul actually meant by these statements. Beginning in verse 16 Paul says, “The promise comes by faith.” When we examine the Scriptures we see that faith is the medium by which the promises of God are realized. In Genesis 15:6 the Bible says, “Abraham believed God and God credited it to him as righteousness.” The prevailing thought within Jewish circles was and is that the Mosaic Law set the standard for human conduct and established the basis for a right relationship with God. It stood to reason then, if a person kept the law, they were good enough in God’s sight. Paul counters this fallacious reasoning by pointing out that if this is true then faith is useless. Furthermore, the promises given to Abraham predated the law given to Moses. Let’s say that the promise was based on the law, why then did God acknowledge Abraham for his faith especially in light of the fact that the law had not yet been given at the time God made His promise to Abraham? Since the law had not yet been given God’s acknowledgment of Abraham could only be based on Abraham’s faith in God. To take it one step further, Abraham was able to realize God’s promise to him not because he proved himself good enough, but because he believed God would do what God said He would do.
Another point to consider here is that if God’s promise to Abraham was based on keeping the law then Abraham’s faith would have been of no consequence and the fulfillment of the promise would have been a matter of obligation on the part of Abraham. Enter grace. “So that it may be by grace.” Any promise that has to be earned is not a promise but an obligation. In most of the world, I do not know of a single employer that will pay an employee to stay home and do nothing. If an employee is working from home they must at some point produce evidence of the work they have been doing. In most businesses the expectation is that at the end of the workweek or cycle the worker will receive a check as payment for their work. The employer agrees to compensate the worker as long as the worker fulfills his or her obligation to show up on time, maintain acceptable levels of production and whatever other stipulations the employer places on the worker. The point is that in order to get the promised paycheck workers must fulfill their obligation to their employers. That is not how God’s grace works. In fact, grace is not something we can earn in the first place because it is freely given. If we have to work for God’s grace then it is not God’s grace we are working for, but rather we are working to fulfill an obligation. The truth is that no matter how good we try to be we will never be good enough to earn or merit God’s grace. The grace of God is free!
God understood that human beings are flawed and the law pointed that out more than anything. In fact, one of the purposes of the law was to reveal to us that we would never be good enough to please God. This applies to both Jews and Gentiles. This is why God’s grace and the subsequent promises that flow from God’s grace are inclusive. “And may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring – not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham.” Let us not forget that the law was not given to the Gentiles, but it was given to the Jews. The promises that were given especially throughout the Old Testament were initially given to the Jews. In this context the promises of God were exclusive to those of the law, the Jews.
However, God’s promise to Abraham was intended to be inclusive, “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed. In the Jewish custom the father’s estate was passed on to the children. Therefore, we who believe in God are of the faith of Abraham. Since we share in Abraham’s faith, we can claim him as our spiritual father and we also have a share and a stake in God’s promises to Abraham.
Who was and/or is the God that Abraham believed in? According to the Apostle Paul, “The God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.” The Apostle is referring to the things that God did in and throughout the life of Abraham and his wife Sarah. I do not want to get ahead of myself and will deal with this a little more in depth at another point. There are two themes here that are of import to us. The first is God’s power to transform and the second is God’s power to create. These two attributes of God are good news for believers because the let us know that no matter how far down the scale we have fallen or how bad off things are for us personally, there is always hope for those who believe in God. A review of Genesis 1 reveals a demonstration of these principles at work. The earth was shapeless and without form, essentially there was nothing there. Yet, God was able to transform nothing by the power of His words and create something. Another example of these principles is David. God took a shepherd boy and transformed him into a solider, a warrior, and ultimately created one of the greatest kings that ever lived.
The question that still remains to be answered is how does this apply to me? The central point I believe of these two verses can be summed up by saying, faith makes it possible for believers to share in the blessings of Abraham. I would further submit that these blessings are three-fold in nature, and we are only able to access them and/or realize them because faith makes it possible.
1) Faith makes it possible to know the mind and the will of God for our lives – There are many who claim that they do not know what God has in store for them or what it is that God desires from or of them. However, let us remember that Abraham did not go looking for God, but rather God went looking for Abraham. When God found Abraham God told him immediately what God wanted Abraham to do and subsequently led him to the place where God wanted Abraham to be. If we like Abraham will put our complete faith and trust in God to lead, guide and direct us, God will reveal to us what we need to do, where we are to go, and how we are to get there.
2) Faith makes it possible to experience the power and the presence of God consistently – Throughout Abraham’s walk with God he experienced many challenges, issues and obstacles. Some of these Abraham created himself and others were placed in his path, but from the moment Abraham put his faith in God, God was with him every step of the way. In fact, Abraham lived to be about 175 years old and it is safe to say that God did more for him in the last 100 years of his life than God did during the first 75 years of his life. With each challenge Abraham faced, God made a way out and when Abraham was in a situation that was beyond what he could do humanly, God stepped in and fought the battle for him. When we begin to believe that the power of God is greater than our own human power, it is at that point we will start to turn every situation and every circumstance of our lives over to God. As we turn and cede control of our lives over to God we will see that God will always be with us and that there is no situation that God will not empower us to handle, confront or be able to deal with. And in those situations that require more than what we have to offer, God will step in on our behalf.
3) Faith makes it possible to realize the promises of God – Whatever God did for Abraham God did not because Abraham deserved it, but because Abraham believed that God would do what God said He would do. Abraham took God at His word. All of the promises in Scripture have the same condition take God at His word. The question is can you and I believe totally and completely that whatever God says God will do for us that God will do it?
The truth is that for all of us taking God at God’s word means we have to take God out of the box that we have put God in. It means that we have to exercise our spiritual muscles in order to realize the divine possibilities of our faith. It means that we have to take the limits off of what we have long thought, felt, have been told, and come to believe about God. We must face the reality that a boxed in God is a limited God. As long as we keep God in the box we are limiting our own ability to experience the blessings and promises of God.
I encourage each of us to take God out of the box and watch and see if God will not blow your mind with the limitless possibilities of what God will do in each of our lives. When we take God out of the box we will notice that our faith will also grow in proportion to the size of our God. Then like Abraham we will begin to believe the ridiculous, the sublime, and the impossible – our national anthem will become – why not me & why not us, because faith makes thi
FATHER’S, GOD’S PRIEST FOR THE FAMILY
Proverbs 3:1
Marriage was the first institution created by God, that is, bringing a man and a woman together as husband and wife. The partnering of a husband and a wife, a man and a woman, formed the building blocks for the family unit. The head of the family unit as ordained by God is a father and a mother. In God’s economy both are vital but the burden of responsibility for family leadership falls on the man, the husband, and the father.
According to Scripture the roles and responsibilities of husbands and fathers is clearly outlined.
- Genesis 2:24 & Ephesians 5:22-23 – Husbands are to be the head of their households (To be clear, husbands are not to be dictators, but rather leaders who work collaboratively with their wives for the good of the family. God holds the husband personally responsible and he is accountable to God for ensuring that the family lives and operates within the will of God)
- Ephesians 5:28-29 – Husbands and fathers are to provide for the physical needs of the family
- Proverbs 22:6 & Ephesians 6:4 – Father’s are to train and instruct their children (Here again, husbands work with their wives in providing training and instruction to their children. However, God holds father’s personally responsible and accountable to make sure that what children are being taught is in accordance with the principles of godly living.)
When we examine Scripture we discover that the roles and responsibilities of husbands and fathers are closely linked and parallel those of Old Testament Priests. In the Old Testament, priests were not self-appointed, but rather they were chosen. Here we see one of the parallels between the priesthood and fatherhood, it takes more than desire to become one. One of the issues facing the family today is that when people get tired of being a parent, they just stop parenting or they become part-time parents. Men who were called by God to the priesthood were selected to serve God with and for their entire lives by offering up sacrifices. Similarly, fatherhood is a calling that lasts for the duration of a father’s lifetime. Fatherhood is a calling to a lifetime of sacrifice.
The duties of priests fell under three main headings:
i) Service in the tabernacle/temple – This included leading worship and ministering to the needs of the people
ii) Teaching of the law – Providing the people with instruction from the Law of God for the purpose of life application
iii) Prayer – Seeking the knowledge of God’s will for guidance and direction especially when the nation was facing a major decision
When we compare the roles and responsibilities of husbands and fathers as outlined in the above Scriptural passages with the duties of priests the parallels become clearly apparent. The one conclusion that I believe we can draw is that father’s are God’s appointed priests for the family.
As we turn our attention to the book of Proverbs, we are greeted by two little words (my son) that are repeated 22xs throughout the 31 chapters that make up the book of Proverbs. In each instance the words, my son, appear in the book of Proverbs a series of teachings follow. In each occurrance the words, my son, appear they are the words of a father speaking to his child. The repetition suggests God places a premium on parental instruction and especially that of the father.
Verse 1 offers some valuable information regarding the content of what is to be taught and one of the challenges to providing instruction. There are two words that we need to zero in on in verse 1, the words forget and teaching. The word forget means to ignore or cease/stop following. This is a caution to the children, but it is also a challenge to fathers and mothers. Children, and one commentator remarked especially teenagers ignore and stop following the teachings of both their mothers and their fathers. This is a reality. I believe it is called teenage rebellion. It is marked by a time with the same adorable, little boys and girls that we used to bounce on our knees will flat out let us know that we are out of touch and they are able to make their own decisions. The teenage years are a make or break time for many families. It is during this time that many families breakup or many others are drawn closer together.
The word teaching means to provide instruction. It has the idea of parental guidance and direction. The Hebrew word is To-ra (Torah). The Torah is the Jewish book of God’s revealed instructions to God’s people. The Torah teaches how to act, think, and feel about life and death. The primary source for teaching is God’s word (the To-ra) everything else is only for reference. One of the questions that must be posed to both fathers and mothers is, what is the primary source you use for teaching your children? I would submit to you that there are some really good parenting books on the market, but there is also a lot of garbage out there too. The most trusted primary source material is the To-ra, the Word of God.
The truth is that fatherhood and being a father is not an easy job. More often than not, it is a thankless job. Unlike Mother’s Day where women are exalted, revered and we stop short of giving them wings and watch them fly away. Father’s and the role and contribution that godly father’s make to the home and society is largely understated and overlooked. Chuck Swindoll tells the story of a middle aged man who went back after twenty plus years to see his old high school coach. The man told the coach that he wanted to thank him for four words that forever changed his life. The coach had no idea what the man was talking about. The man went on to say that one day during practice over twenty years ago he had messed up on a play and one of the assistant coach’s began to berate him, curse him and humiliate him in front of the entire team. About the time the man had made the decision to give up on football and go hang out with a gang, his coach stepped in between the man and the assistant coach. The coach faced the assistant coach and said to him, coach’em up not down.
Today, I want to coach father’s up not down. I want to remind father’s that you have been chosen by God for the special purpose of representing God to your family and your family to God. You have been chosen by God to be God’s priest to your family. The fact that you through biological means fathered a child or children was a privilege extended to you by God and with that privilege comes the responsibility of serving your family, teaching your children, and seeking knowledge of God’s will to guide and direct you as God’s priest to your family.
In an effort to coach you up and not down, I want to give you some guiding principles to help you fulfill your role as a priestly father.
1. Instruction needs to be repetitive – The writer reminds us that children forget. They have built in forgetters and therefore, we need to be prepared to repeat ourselves over and over and over and over…again.
2. The instructor needs to be patient – Remember children forget. In fact, as we begin to enter our second childhood you will notice that we become forgetful too. It is important to keep in mind that some things take a little longer to learn and remember than other things. Rather than become exasperated with children who appear to be not as swift as we would like, try another approach. May be the problem is not with the child, but with the way we are communicating information.
3. Instruction needs to be age appropriate – A pastor and his two sons where at a retreat. One of the young boys was playing at the edge of a bank and below was a river. The pastor looked over his shoulder and noticed the boy getting dangerously close to the edge. He shouted at the top of his lungs, “get off the bank.” The little boy continued to play. The pastor ran over grabbed the boy by his arms shook him and broke off a switch from a nearby tree and began to apply the rod of correction to the seat of understanding. Afterwards, he asked the little boy if he did not hear him when he said, “get off the bank.” The little boy with tears in his eyes said, “daddy what is a bank?” The smaller the child the simpler the information should be so that it can be absorbed and understood.
4. Instruction includes words and actions – The most impactful instruction children receive is from watching their parents. Boys and girls learn from their father’s self-determination, integrity, and the importance of family, honor and good name.
5. Instruction needs to aim for the heart, not the head – Head teaching produces knowledge. Knowledge is the amassing of information and while you may know all there is to know, do you know what to do with what you know. Instruction that aims for the heart produces W, U, A – wisdom, understanding, and application. Wisdom and understanding comes as a result of learning how to use the information you have amassed or acquired.
6. The way to the heart is through situational instruction – Fathers and mothers must see every opportunity as a teaching moment. Walking and riding in the car, on the bus or train, sitting at the dinner table, and even the most casual of situations can all be opportunities for instruction and learning. Going through situations children encounter and experience frame by frame helping children to identify things they handled well and things they could have handled better.
What is the motivation for becoming a priestly father? Proverbs 17:6 says, “Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.” What greater motivation than to know that if you and I follow the pattern and model outlined for the priestly father we can expect:
a) To be blessed with godly grandchildren
and
b) To raise children that will honor and never forsake us
Marriage was the first institution created by God, that is, bringing a man and a woman together as husband and wife. The partnering of a husband and a wife, a man and a woman, formed the building blocks for the family unit. The head of the family unit as ordained by God is a father and a mother. In God’s economy both are vital but the burden of responsibility for family leadership falls on the man, the husband, and the father.
According to Scripture the roles and responsibilities of husbands and fathers is clearly outlined.
- Genesis 2:24 & Ephesians 5:22-23 – Husbands are to be the head of their households (To be clear, husbands are not to be dictators, but rather leaders who work collaboratively with their wives for the good of the family. God holds the husband personally responsible and he is accountable to God for ensuring that the family lives and operates within the will of God)
- Ephesians 5:28-29 – Husbands and fathers are to provide for the physical needs of the family
- Proverbs 22:6 & Ephesians 6:4 – Father’s are to train and instruct their children (Here again, husbands work with their wives in providing training and instruction to their children. However, God holds father’s personally responsible and accountable to make sure that what children are being taught is in accordance with the principles of godly living.)
When we examine Scripture we discover that the roles and responsibilities of husbands and fathers are closely linked and parallel those of Old Testament Priests. In the Old Testament, priests were not self-appointed, but rather they were chosen. Here we see one of the parallels between the priesthood and fatherhood, it takes more than desire to become one. One of the issues facing the family today is that when people get tired of being a parent, they just stop parenting or they become part-time parents. Men who were called by God to the priesthood were selected to serve God with and for their entire lives by offering up sacrifices. Similarly, fatherhood is a calling that lasts for the duration of a father’s lifetime. Fatherhood is a calling to a lifetime of sacrifice.
The duties of priests fell under three main headings:
i) Service in the tabernacle/temple – This included leading worship and ministering to the needs of the people
ii) Teaching of the law – Providing the people with instruction from the Law of God for the purpose of life application
iii) Prayer – Seeking the knowledge of God’s will for guidance and direction especially when the nation was facing a major decision
When we compare the roles and responsibilities of husbands and fathers as outlined in the above Scriptural passages with the duties of priests the parallels become clearly apparent. The one conclusion that I believe we can draw is that father’s are God’s appointed priests for the family.
As we turn our attention to the book of Proverbs, we are greeted by two little words (my son) that are repeated 22xs throughout the 31 chapters that make up the book of Proverbs. In each instance the words, my son, appear in the book of Proverbs a series of teachings follow. In each occurrance the words, my son, appear they are the words of a father speaking to his child. The repetition suggests God places a premium on parental instruction and especially that of the father.
Verse 1 offers some valuable information regarding the content of what is to be taught and one of the challenges to providing instruction. There are two words that we need to zero in on in verse 1, the words forget and teaching. The word forget means to ignore or cease/stop following. This is a caution to the children, but it is also a challenge to fathers and mothers. Children, and one commentator remarked especially teenagers ignore and stop following the teachings of both their mothers and their fathers. This is a reality. I believe it is called teenage rebellion. It is marked by a time with the same adorable, little boys and girls that we used to bounce on our knees will flat out let us know that we are out of touch and they are able to make their own decisions. The teenage years are a make or break time for many families. It is during this time that many families breakup or many others are drawn closer together.
The word teaching means to provide instruction. It has the idea of parental guidance and direction. The Hebrew word is To-ra (Torah). The Torah is the Jewish book of God’s revealed instructions to God’s people. The Torah teaches how to act, think, and feel about life and death. The primary source for teaching is God’s word (the To-ra) everything else is only for reference. One of the questions that must be posed to both fathers and mothers is, what is the primary source you use for teaching your children? I would submit to you that there are some really good parenting books on the market, but there is also a lot of garbage out there too. The most trusted primary source material is the To-ra, the Word of God.
The truth is that fatherhood and being a father is not an easy job. More often than not, it is a thankless job. Unlike Mother’s Day where women are exalted, revered and we stop short of giving them wings and watch them fly away. Father’s and the role and contribution that godly father’s make to the home and society is largely understated and overlooked. Chuck Swindoll tells the story of a middle aged man who went back after twenty plus years to see his old high school coach. The man told the coach that he wanted to thank him for four words that forever changed his life. The coach had no idea what the man was talking about. The man went on to say that one day during practice over twenty years ago he had messed up on a play and one of the assistant coach’s began to berate him, curse him and humiliate him in front of the entire team. About the time the man had made the decision to give up on football and go hang out with a gang, his coach stepped in between the man and the assistant coach. The coach faced the assistant coach and said to him, coach’em up not down.
Today, I want to coach father’s up not down. I want to remind father’s that you have been chosen by God for the special purpose of representing God to your family and your family to God. You have been chosen by God to be God’s priest to your family. The fact that you through biological means fathered a child or children was a privilege extended to you by God and with that privilege comes the responsibility of serving your family, teaching your children, and seeking knowledge of God’s will to guide and direct you as God’s priest to your family.
In an effort to coach you up and not down, I want to give you some guiding principles to help you fulfill your role as a priestly father.
1. Instruction needs to be repetitive – The writer reminds us that children forget. They have built in forgetters and therefore, we need to be prepared to repeat ourselves over and over and over and over…again.
2. The instructor needs to be patient – Remember children forget. In fact, as we begin to enter our second childhood you will notice that we become forgetful too. It is important to keep in mind that some things take a little longer to learn and remember than other things. Rather than become exasperated with children who appear to be not as swift as we would like, try another approach. May be the problem is not with the child, but with the way we are communicating information.
3. Instruction needs to be age appropriate – A pastor and his two sons where at a retreat. One of the young boys was playing at the edge of a bank and below was a river. The pastor looked over his shoulder and noticed the boy getting dangerously close to the edge. He shouted at the top of his lungs, “get off the bank.” The little boy continued to play. The pastor ran over grabbed the boy by his arms shook him and broke off a switch from a nearby tree and began to apply the rod of correction to the seat of understanding. Afterwards, he asked the little boy if he did not hear him when he said, “get off the bank.” The little boy with tears in his eyes said, “daddy what is a bank?” The smaller the child the simpler the information should be so that it can be absorbed and understood.
4. Instruction includes words and actions – The most impactful instruction children receive is from watching their parents. Boys and girls learn from their father’s self-determination, integrity, and the importance of family, honor and good name.
5. Instruction needs to aim for the heart, not the head – Head teaching produces knowledge. Knowledge is the amassing of information and while you may know all there is to know, do you know what to do with what you know. Instruction that aims for the heart produces W, U, A – wisdom, understanding, and application. Wisdom and understanding comes as a result of learning how to use the information you have amassed or acquired.
6. The way to the heart is through situational instruction – Fathers and mothers must see every opportunity as a teaching moment. Walking and riding in the car, on the bus or train, sitting at the dinner table, and even the most casual of situations can all be opportunities for instruction and learning. Going through situations children encounter and experience frame by frame helping children to identify things they handled well and things they could have handled better.
What is the motivation for becoming a priestly father? Proverbs 17:6 says, “Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.” What greater motivation than to know that if you and I follow the pattern and model outlined for the priestly father we can expect:
a) To be blessed with godly grandchildren
and
b) To raise children that will honor and never forsake us
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