Focus:
Faith
Function:
Celebrating life
Form:
GOK
Intro:
We know that Brother Paul told us that three things endure through
the tests of all time, Faith, Hope and Love, and the greatest of
these is love. We are named HOPE, we focus on Love, and faith is the
third leg of the stool that helps us keep focused.
In
the midst of the turmoil and uncertainty in our lives, one of the
things that seems to be endure in one way or another is our community
of faith.
And
that community of faith will be a blessing to the world around it as
long, I believe, as it remains to this principle from the scriptures,
Love Wins. Well, the words are written like this, in 1 Peter:
1:19Above
all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a
multitude of sins.
Love
is really the only option.
I
was at the Dentist the other day and a sort of vocal about her faith
employee was there and she was defending the right to bear arms to
another employee and she said it this way, “Jesus wants us armed to
protect ourselves from our enemies.”
I
felt sorry for her because she backed herself into a corner by trying
to equate her politics with the teachings of Jesus.
Jesus
made it clear that we are to rise above the political structures of
the day. This is the place where everyone is welcome.
Although
I could not support her position, I felt sorry for her and so, in
agreeing with her to “help her out,” I added, hoping she would
pick up the gospel message the statement: “And Jesus is the one who
told us that is indeed possible to love even our enemies.”
She
thought I was arguing with her and she reacted with something.
I
should have left her alone to fend for herself and anyway. Oops.
Religion and politics, the two subjects you cannot talk about.
Now
the situation had degenerated and I was concerned that we might have
a disagreement in front of her co worker and I might undermine
whatever ministry she was doing with her.
Remember,
wherever believers go, the Holy Spirit comes with them and wherever
we are, God is working through us. Even her.
I
wanted to help her, but she was defensive and I was now making it
worse, so I was trying to graciously get out of it in such a way that
her co worker could see that not all Christians believe in violence
as a solution to human conflict.
Not
knowing why I said it, I said: “But Jesus told us to be wise as
serpents and innocent as doves.” (shake head in confusion)
I
don’t know what I was thinking. I hate arguing, it never changes
anyones mind and afterwards I go through all the what if’s and
should’ve saids.
She
said. “But if we are wise, we are smart enough to arm ourselves.”
Unfortunately,
the lady she was talking to laughed in derision at her, shook her
head and walked away. I caught her eye enough to let her know I was
giving up arguing with her co-worker anymore.
I
know we are to be a witness for peace everywhere we go. It is like
there are two forms of Christianity out there, one that seems to
serve those in power and one that seems to serve those who are not in
power.
I
felt the leading of the Holy Spirit as I was talking with the ladies,
but again, sometimes it is better to keep one’s mouth silent.
I
like encounters like that because I can learn from anyone and it
helps me understand my own convictions.
Afterwards,
I go through the what if I had said and I did come up with the clever
answer later, and I want to tell you, not to think I am clever,
because it was way to late to make a difference, but as I unpacked
her response I realized that this is exactly what Jesus meant.
Obviously,
Jesus did not that we should resort to violence, but that we should
by faith depend on the wisdom of the Holy Spirit to give us an
alternative to violence. That is exactly what Jesus meant.
Love,
over violence, will eventually win.
Either
that or humanity will not survive its ability to wage war.
I
say this because this week marked the anniversary of the Bombing at
Nagasaki and one of the Presidential Candidates actually asked why we
cannot use nuclear weapons again.
Humanity
has to figure out a way to love one another.
And
God has given the world the Church for that singular purpose.
I
love the Great Commission from Jesus in Matthew 28:19-20. Go into all
the world and preach good news, teaching them all I have taught you,
baptizing them in the names of God and I am always going to be with
you on this task.
God
is here.
And,
according to our passage, God has already been there.
God
wants us to show the world how to love each other, but to do it, God
gives us faith.
I
look at faith and hope as the spiritual energy to do the job of
loving those Jesus calls us to love.
Hebrews
11 tells recaps the stories of faith from the Old Testament and it
says:
All
these people died in faith without seeing the actual gift of Love
that God gave to all of Humanity when God’s own self left Heaven to
suffer and die.
And,
that suffering and dying taught us how to live and love one another
also.
Jesus
laid down His life to love others.
By
faith, we to can live for others.
Last
week we kept seeing the repeating theme through the lesson of faith.
The people of God lived their earthly lives with the knowledge that
heaven is their reward. They lived for the heavenly city and today’s
text says that people like that are better than this world. It says
“the world was not worth of them.”
They
lived with that hope in heaven and believed that living a sacrificial
life here on earth was worth it because it was the way that they
could live and keep faith with God.
We
saw last week how they kept faith with God.
Today,
we see how we can keep faith with both God and the faithful.
What
I love about this part of Hebrews 11 is the transition that occurs
right in the middle of verse 35. He is going on about all the great
miracles that happened, some at the last moment, acts that were more
than bravery, but events that clearly marked God’s favor and help.
Events that proved that prayer works and God answers prayers.
But
then he shifts to a whole `nother group of people who prayed and did
not get an answer they were hoping for. He says “sawn in two, bound
for prison, tortured.
I
think the biggest one of faith comes from Shadrack, Meshack and
Abednego. They were the three men to be placed in the fiery furnace
and the King said to them: “What God can deliver you out of my
hands?”
And
their answer was one of great faith. They did not confess a miracle.
They did not act like the prophet Elisha and call down fire on two
different groups of 50 men. They did not “take authority in the
name of Jesus” over this bad king.
No,
they simply said to the king: “Whether or not our God delivers us
from your hands, we do not know. But we know that God is able. But
more than that, the one thing that is certain is that we will not
worship another god.”
Faith,
for them, was trust in the outcome from God, even if it was what
appeared to be a bad outcome.
Now,
there are many times in our lives when we have been disappointed over
something that we thought we had to have, only to find that something
else was better and we chalked it up to youth and naiveté.
Some
had what appeared to be a victory. Some did not. And they all lived
in faith.
These
people were the faithful.
I
have met a lot in my life.
I
know our numbers are low this morning because of the faithfulness of
Don Willoughby and the memorial service for him this morning.
I
know Marie, and if Don was like her, what a saint.
People
like that are people that we can look up to as examples of what it
means to live a life that demonstrates faithfulness.
I
know we are here to worship Jesus this morning, but it is important
to realize that God is still alive in the Church.
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