Sunday 10th January 2016

by David Clarkson

Sunday 10th January 2016

Today we begin a four part series called, Jesus and We. Just before someone blows a fuse, I know that’s not grammatically correct – it’s a play on words though. A reminder that we so often talk about Jesus and me, because we think of our personal relationship with Jesus. However, over the next few weeks, I want to look at what God is calling us to be about and to stand for, as a local church.

The local church is a fundamental part of God’s plan for the world and there is something very significant and very powerful that happens when we gather together as a local representation of the church. For example, if you pray alone, you understand that can be very powerful, but when you pray with others it’s a different ball game. When your prayers combine with their prayers it sparks faith in a way that praying alone never does.

It’s the same with worship – of course you can worship on your own. I do all the time at home – I stick on some music and start to sing and pray. I love doing that. But what’s even better is gathering together with other people who also want to worship God. (cinema)

And so I hope that these next four weeks really stir up faith in your heart and an increasing passion for the presence and power of Christ in your life, and in the life of this congregation.

As God’s children we are called to be faith filled, big thinking, risk-takers. In fact, to be anything other than that is an insult to God. During this year, more than ever, I want us to • seek God for the impossible,

• believe for miracles and

• dream that God would do amazing things in our lives – all so that people would be drawn to him through us.

We read one story in which Jesus was amazed today and we’re going to look at another one in a minute. In our reading Jesus was at home but he was meeting serious opposition, so that he was unable to do many miracles. It then says that he was amazed at their lack of faith. We forget that our response to God has consequences…

The second story is in Luke chapter 7. It’s about a Roman Centurion who had a servant that was dying. The Centurion sent people to ask Jesus to come to heal his servant, eventually we read these words in verse 6, “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. 7 That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.” Verse 9 gives Jesus’ response, “9 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” Twice Jesus was amazed – once at a lack of faith and the other at great faith.

So here’s the question for us: as we launch into a new year would Jesus be amazed at our lack of faith, or would he be amazed at how big and audacious and bold our faith is?

Before we go any further. I’m going to ask you to rank your faith somewhere between one, which would be the lowest, and ten which would be the highest. Just think about this last week – because that’s about as much as I can remember! During this last week what steps of faith did you take? Did you attempt something that was so bold, so daring, that if God didn’t come through for you, there’s no way it would ever have happened? If so, you’ll be a nine or ten. And if you’re up there you have seen God at work in your life and the lives of your family, friends and colleagues. That happens because you are praying big, bold prayers.

For some of us there would be nothing different in the world because we didn’t say a single prayer or attempt anything for the kingdom, and the glory of God. Would God be amazed at your great faith, or would He be blown away that you didn’t attempt anything, or pray for anything, significant in the last week? So, on a scale of 1 to 10, where would you put yourself? Actually, I think that most of us will mark ourselves lower on that scale, than we should.

I want to look at three faith filled facts that will help to build our faith, and encourage us all to follow God’s direction for our lives. The first one is that you cannot play it safe and please God. Hebrews 11: 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. In other words, if you think you can do everything within your own power, and you never need to rely on the power of God, then you are living without faith. (practical outworking) And without faith, it is impossible to please God.

I think sometimes we face the problem of believing that faith is somehow equated to certainty, lack of doubt and everything working out. But the reality is that faith is often messy. It’s not always constant: there may be times when we have a great faith, but we can just as easily be overwhelmed with doubt. That’s why it’s called faith, because we don’t know what’s going to happen when we act on it.

One of the best examples of that is Peter. When Jesus walked on the water, and all of the disciples were together in the boat, it was Peter who stepped over the edge and started walking on the water. And yet, he couldn’t keep it up and needed to be rescued by Jesus. There were at least eleven people in that boat who didn’t get out. But Peter walked on the water and it was Peter and his faith that Jesus said the church be built on. So often our fear of failure keeps us from taking a step of faith. Sometimes people think that failing means missing God, however, I think that failing is often the first step to discovering God. We must never let the fear of failure stop us from taking a step of faith. I want to suggest that most people in churches in Scotland have played it far too safe, and to remind you that without faith, it is impossible to please God.

Would God be amazed at your great faith? Or would He be amazed at your lack of faith? Point number one is simply this: You cannot play it safe, and please God.

Point number two is: as long as you have a guarantee, you don’t have faith. Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Notice that it’s not what’s guaranteed, but what we hope for. We’re still in the hoping: I hope this is God. I hope this works. It’s different to wishful thinking because we have the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us [an] assurance [of] things we cannot see.”

The problem for many of us is that we want a guarantee. I don’t know if you remember at school and you were interested in somebody? Rather than face the possibility of rejection you would ask their friend to suss out what the answer may be if you were to ask them out. Of course, you would be hoping for a ‘yes’, but even a ‘no’ meant that you wouldn’t ask, and that saved embarrassment. The problem came when the answer was ‘maybe’. The reality is that when we are dealing with God sometimes the answer is ‘maybe’. “God, I think you’re calling me to do this, but I’m not sure. Is it You, God? How do I know?” You can have faith, or you can have control, but you can’t have both. Sometimes you just have to say, “I think God’s calling me to do this.” “I hope God’s calling me to do this.” “I believe God’s calling me to do this.” However, there is no clear ‘yes’ or ‘no’, it’s a ‘maybe’. You can have faith, or you can have control, but you can’t have both.

This year, some of us are going to have to let go of control in order to take steps of faith. As a congregation this year it’s entirely possible that we’re going to have to try things we’ve never tried without knowing exactly how they’re going to turn out. Martin Luther King Jr said: faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase

Maybe God has put something on your heart and you’re pretty sure of step one, but you’re waiting to find out what steps 2, 3 and 4 are. Well, there are no guarantees for the outcome – it’s most likely that you’ll find out what step 2 is when you’ve done step 1. The only guarantee is that God will prove himself faithful. You have to take some faith risks. You cannot play it safe, and please God. You can have control, or you can have faith, but you can’t have both.

A couple of years ago we had a holiday in France and one day we went to this park which had a rope course in the trees. You have a harness and you get tied in, so it’s impossible to fall, too far. The problem is that once you’re up in the tree, the rope seems very flimsy and the ground seems very far away! None of us really liked it and there was great relief when you managed to get across and onto the safety of the next platform. The thing is – in order to get across you have to leave the safety of the platform you’re on.

And that’s the third point: to step towards your destiny, you have to step away from your security. At some point we are going to have to leave the safety of the platform but in this case, our safety line is the invisible presence of God. We don’t know what’s going to happen. We don’t know how things are going to end up. If we knew that, it wouldn’t be called faith.

Hebrews 11: 8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. Abraham had no idea where he was going, but he was willing to go because God had called him. And when you take that step of faith, keeping your eyes focused on Jesus, suddenly you are not walking by sight anymore, you actually walking by faith. And without faith, it’s impossible to please God. But great faith pleases God in a great way.

Would our God be amazed at your amazing faith? Or would He be amazed that you have access to His power, His throne room – if you’re a follower of Jesus, the Holy Spirit dwells within you, the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead. You have access to go before God and ask Him, and He hears your prayer. Would He be amazed at your lack of faith?

How will this play out in our lives? I believe it’ll play out individually, and I believe it will play out corporately. I believe that God is going to speak to some of you, and you’re going to take your faith step. And I believe that God is going to speak to us, as a church, and we’re going to take some faith steps, together.

For you, as a follower of Jesus, you may take a faith step to share your faith with someone that doesn’t know Christ – maybe a family member, maybe a boss, someone you work out with. And you know they really need the truth that you know, but you’re not sure what’s going to happen. You’re going to have to take a step of faith. And when you do, the box may say “maybe.” Are they going to respond positively? You don’t know! But your faith will be built, when you obey what God puts on your heart.

Some of you, you’re going to tithe for the first time in your life. You’ve heard it, and you’ve thought about it, and you’ve made excuses, and suddenly you’re going to do something that makes no rational sense. But return ten percent of what God blesses you with back to Him, through His Church, and suddenly, if your number was a two, you’re going to see God provide, and recognize that ninety percent, with His blessing, actually is more than a hundred percent without. And your faith grows to a five, or a six, or a seven, when you take that act of faith.

Some of you are going to start attending a home group to study the bible together – and you’ll develop a real thirst for God. Some are going to find new ways to serve God this year. Some of you, there’s a ministry in sight. There’s something that’s been burning inside of you for a long time. And when you take a step of faith, your faith is not in the outcome that you want, your faith is in the faithfulness of God.

And suddenly, as you and I grow in our faith, we grow in our faith. And all of a sudden we start to see, we are the local Church and God wants to work through us, and when we gather together, our faith can touch God. When we have faith to fast together – some of you are going to do that with me. We’re crazy enough to believe that denying ourselves something we’ve considered important somehow connects us more spiritually with God. And suddenly, as a church, our faith grows, and all of a sudden we realize that we are more faith-filled, big-thinking, risk takers than we thought possible.

So, we’re not going to sit back and accept the status quo. We’re going to grow in our love for Jesus, we’re going to share him with the community around us, and we’re going to praise him together.

When God looks at you and me, I want Him to be amazed at our faith. And when God looks at our church, I want Him to be amazed at our faith. Because I believe, with all my heart, in the next year, our God wants to do exceedingly and abundantly more than we could ask, think, or imagine, according to His power at work in the church, so that He would be glorified for generations to come.

So, what are we to be? Faith-filled, big-thinking, risk takers. We must never insult God with small thinking, or safe living.

During this last hymn I want to give you the opportunity to respond. It’s an opportunity to take a step of faith. Take your little slip of paper and, if you haven’t already, record your decision about whether or not you’re going to fast. The slips will be collected during this hymn. We don’t need names although it may help some people to put their name on the slip







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