Sermon: Get Off the Fence

Text: Joshua 24:1-27
(June 13th, 1993 AM - South Shore, QC, Senior Soldier Enrolment)
(May 16^th, 1999 AM – Prince George Corps, BC)

In Ecuador, 1967, a manufacturer of a foot powder called Pulvapies decided to use the slogan "Vote for any candidate, but if you want well-being and hygiene, vote for Pulvapies." Then, on the evening of the municipal election, the company distributed a leaflet the same size and colour as the official voting papers, saying "For Mayor: Honourable Pulvapies." When the votes were counted, the town had elected Pulvapies Mayor by a clear majority.

Perhaps Ecuadorian voters are not the best informed before an election, but this entertaining story teaches us something. There was either an ignorance of the candidates in the election, or perhaps there was a disrespect for the electoral process. We think in North America that we are better informed, and respect democracy, but are either of those things that much different outside of Ecuador?

In Joshua 24, Joshua is calling the people to an election. They are called to vote for the one true God, our Lord, or cast their ballot for some other god they have run into in their travels. As part of his election campaign, Joshua recites for the people all the things God has done for the nation of Israel, from the time of Abraham, through to his contemporary times. And then he challenges them. In this election, there can be no fence sitting. Not voting for God is a vote for the other party. There is no way to spoil the ballot, and no way to abstain from voting.

"Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve..." says Joshua, "But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15)

That same challenge rings in our ears and hearts today. As we look at the passage, can you see yourself standing in the crowd at Shechem listening to Joshua’s plea? And when it came time to vote, would your answer to Joshua’s challenge be the same as theirs? "Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other God's" (v16), or would it be the much stronger "We will serve the Lord" (v21)? Or would you turn away and follow other pursuits and your own chosen God’s?

That is an important question that we must answer. One day the election will come for us, and we will have to live with the consequences of our vote. But I have another question. Why did Joshua first tell the people that they could not serve God and then make a covenant with them to do the very thing he had just told them the could not do? Let's take a closer look at the chapter.

IN GOD'S STRENGTH

In the first thirteen verses of Chapter 24, Joshua spells out the history of Israel in detail. From the time God reached into Ur of the Chaldeans and took the patriarch Abraham out of a pagan nation, to the plagues wrought upon the Egyptians to prompt Israel’s release, to driving entire nations out of the land that had been given to them. All these things God did for them. None was accomplished in Israel’s own strength. It was all God’s doing.

In fact, when the Israelites did not follow God, they ran into trouble. When they did not follow him, they became captive to Egypt. When they turned away after they escaped Egypt, they wandered in circles in the desert for forty years before finding the Promised Land. So many times, they angered God by turning their backs on Him.

Along the way, and in their travels, the Israelites picked up many things. They acquired wealth and possessions. They also confiscated idols from the nations they conquered.

Now, as things were beginning to settle down again, their loyalty to God was beginning to waver once again. Some were worshipping the idols of the other lands, others simply kept the idols in their homes as keepsakes. When they were asked about these idols, they explain that they liked the craftsmanship – they were decorative. And when they were asked about the religion the idol represented, they perhaps said with an air of cultural superiority, "That’s their religion, leave them alone, it's fine as long as they don't bother me."

Hmmm, sound familiar? Does it challenge your heart as much as it mine? Perhaps some of you have a Buddha on their mantelpiece and never thought twice about what it represents to millions of Buddhists around the world, and how it disappoints the one true God.

God has done so much for us and will continue to, but he requires us to serve him with everything we have, and to serve him only. Jesus said "I am the way, the truth and the life, no man enters into the kingdom but by me." (John 14:6) It’s time to cast your vote, and there will be no fence sitting. Either you are for Him or you are against Him.

FENCE SITTING

Today in Canada is not like it was fifty years ago. We cannot call ourselves a Christian country any more. Along the way, we have picked up foreign gods. The god of the Muslims, the god of the Mormons, the twin gods Yin and Yang, the Buddha's, the Krishna's.

Joshua certainly didn't allow any fence sitting in the house of Israel. He called for action. Either follow the Lord God, or leave, and if you are going to follow the Lord God, then throw away the idols that you have picked up along the way and "serve him with all faithfulness." (v14)

Our God is still a jealous God. He still commands us to: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind." If you can honestly say that you do, then there is no room for any foreign gods. Today's world still faces us with the same challenge as it did the people of Israel. Perhaps the things that are so easy to worship are no longer idols made of brick or wood, or gold, but perhaps our idols are much less tangible and at the same time more dangerous: wealth, greed, power, health, drugs.

I am reminded of the song we used to sing as children in Sunday School: "Root them out, Get them gone, all the little bunnies in the field of corn: Envy, Jealousy, Malice and Pride, they will never in my heart abide." God calls us to lead pure lives and serve Him, and we cannot let the world take control where only God should rule.

Of course, Joshua didn't intend that everyone should give up their herds and crops and mercantile to become priests. What he intended was that everyone should serve The Lord wherever they were, doing whatever they did best.

All of us are called to serve the Lord God in exactly the same way - wherever we are, doing whatever we do best for His glory. It does not mean that we should all give up our jobs and rush to be full time ministers, or pastors. But wherever we are, we should offer up to God whatever it is that we do and do it as if doing it for Him - in His name and for His Glory.

JOB QUALIFICATIONS - TOOLS

Just for a moment, let’s take another look at Joshua’s first call to the people. The response of the people was half hearted at best. The people said, "we will serve the Lord". In reality, it was more of a reluctant “OK, we’ll do it.”. Their trust was based on the history of Israel that was just recited to them. It was the logical choice. It made sense in an investment kind of way, but their hearts were wholly sold on the idea. Their decision was not based on a real love for God.

Today, many claim to be Christians without the slightest idea what it really means to follow Jesus Christ. Sounds logical. Makes me feel good. It’s a good set of moral standards. OK, I’m a Christian... But Joshua's response to the half-hearted Israelites was "You are not able to serve the Lord." He knew that they were not ready. He knew that, although they had chosen the right side, they were not ready to serve God adequately.

The Israelites may have been just as surprised at Joshua as the crowd was in Jesus in Luke 14 when he stated "If anyone Comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brother and sisters - yes, even his own life - he cannot be my disciple."

Perhaps the translation is a little strong, however, or at least the understanding is slightly different. The Greek word in Luke translated "hate" in this verse (miseo) could also be translated "to love less" – in other words, we must love God more than anything else. More even than our closest family, or even our own life. Unless we put God first, we cannot serve God.

Why is this so? Consider this: Christ died for you. He loved you so much that he was willing to give up his life on that cruel cross. Should he not expect that our own hearts should be just as dedicated to Him?

Joshua tells us that God is a holy God, a righteous and a jealous God. God requires so much from us, in fact, that it is impossible for us to fulfill our obligation to him completely. We are, in fact, inadequate for the job. And without a wholehearted effort, we cannot even come close. Accepting God’s gift because it is logical or proper is like accepting the Law of God without the grace of God and there is no way that we can adequately fulfill the law of God.

So how can we ever hope to satisfy God? We can’t! It is only by the grace of God that we are saved. The free gift that God has given us and is giving us. How can that have any response than a heart fully given over to him?

It was only by the grace of God that the Israelites defeated the enemies listed in the first paragraphs of chapter 24, and it was only by the grace of God that they would be able to serve him going forward.

It is only with the grace of God that all of our efforts on His behalf are more than empty offerings. We are inadequate witnesses. We are inadequate in our care for the poor and the sick. We don’t come close in serving as His hands and His feet in a world that needs salvation. We come nowhere near worshipping Him in all his power and glory. But God has given us the grace of Jesus Christ to "fill in the gaps" when we fall short.

We can only truly serve God adequately if we get ourselves off the picket fence and serve him whole heartedly. And as we do, He supplies us with enough grace for all our needs.

That is the message of the Gospel. That God Loves you. That he loves you so much that he was willing to sacrifice all for you. That is the message that we share with others – that our hearts are overwhelmed by his grace and goodness and that we want others to have what we have – hearts filled with the Love of God.

COVENANT

Matthew Henry tells us in his commentaries on Joshua “Those that are bound for heaven, must be willing to swim against the stream. They must not do as the most do, but as the best do. And no one can behave himself as he ought in any station, who does not deeply consider his religious duties in family relations.”

The Israelites relationship with God had to be deep and binding. When the people said "We will serve the Lord" Joshua said "You are witnesses to yourselves that you have chosen to serve the Lord" The people entered into a covenant relationship. Not one signed on a piece of paper or witnessed before other people, but a covenant binding the heart of God to the heart of the people. A covenant which made God their saviour and the people His servants.

CONCLUSION

This morning, how does your covenant relationship stand with God? How is your commitment to Him and to His service, wherever you are, whatever you do? Will you cast your vote for God? Will you not only say that it is the right thing to follow God, but also commit your heart wholly in His service?

Perhaps you have picked up idols in your travels. In the words of Joshua: "Throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, God of Israel.”

When the Israelites followed, God gave them a land they did not labor for. It was given out of grace and the goodness of God, which was sufficient for all their needs.

Today, God offers you the same free gift. Will you choose to follow Him with all your heart, or will you turn away? Will you say you are a follower of the one true God, or will you live like one?

Today, choose whom you will serve? As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Sermon: Giving the Body a Workout

Text: 1 Corinthians 12:1-31 (Primarily: 12:12-31)
(North Toronto Corps - Sept 16/90 AM)
(South Shore Corps - February 20/94 AM)
(Chatham Citadel – August 15/99 AM)

I am sure that everyone has at one time in their life had a bad experience with a hammer.

I know I have.

Think for just a moment about all that goes on in just a few brief moments: Your right hand grips the hammer. Your right arm swings back. Your eye scans the area. Your brain calculates the arc of the swing, the velocity of the hammer and the angle at which the hammer will hit the top of the nail perched on a piece of wood and held in place by your left hand.

The instruction is sent from your brain to your arm to swing your arm and begin your hand’s descent. At first everything is going fine. Then suddenly, an alarm goes off. The angle of attack is wrong. The hammer is going to hit too close to the edge of the nail. Your brain desperately sends the signal down the line “abort!” but it is too late! The hammer comes crashing down slightly behind the nail.

At first you wonder why there was no loud crack from the hammer hitting the wood, and then the answer comes up your arm. The soft thud you heard was the hammer hitting your left thumb.

Immediately your right hand goes into action. It drops the hammer and moves quickly to the aid of the left thumb. The trauma is not isolated only to your hands. Your whole body becomes upset and begins to react. Your eyes water with sympathy. Your lungs and vocal chords produce a cry for help from anyone nearby. Your feet dance about in a panic wondering where they can carry you. Your heart begins to beat faster to supply extra oxygen to all of the parts, and your glands begin to supply adrenaline to encourage them all.

At no point in that time do the parts of your body take time to argue over who’s fault it was that the damage was done. Instead, they all stop what they are doing and take part in the rescue effort.

On the biological scale of things, your body could probably do without that one small insignificant thumb – I mean, you do have two of them… isn’t one redundant? - but no matter how little the part is; the body would not function the same without it.

The same applies to any other part of the body. If a toe or an ear, a nose or a tongue feel pain, then the rest share in its grief. Can you imagine how things would be if the body of Christ worked together as closely as that?

In 1st Corinthians, Paul gives us this analogy of the church and I would like us to take a few moments to explore it this morning. “So it is with Christ” Paul says, “we were all baptized by one spirit into the body.” We as individuals are parts of that body, and just as our physical bodies require many parts to function properly we as a church need all the parts to make us whole.

THE BODY: MANY PARTS

The more doctors study our bodies, the more complex they seem to be. In every body, there are hundreds of organs and glands; there are millions of cells, billions of molecules and trillions of atoms. Even more amazing, all these parts work together, and (at least when you are younger) rarely complain or disagree with each other.

Paul tells us that the body of Christ is like our physical bodies in this way. It is very complex. There are millions of parts, and every one works in its own area, at its own task. As parts of Christ's body, together, we follow the desires of Christ, the head of the body, to do the work He appoints and instructs us to do.

As a part of Christ's church, his body, we each have a place. He has a plan for us that will keep the whole body functioning as an effective unit. We are an important part of God’s plan. Paul tells us that each of us has a task to fulfill and even gives us a list of some of them in 12:28: apostles, prophets, teachers, workers of miracles, healers; helpers, administrators, and those who speak in tongues. He then goes on to tell us that none of us can be all of these things at once, but that through love we are bound together in Christ to become a unit.

I wonder if we could translate these parts of the body into modern occupations, since our society is built on the same “body” principle. Verse 28 then might read: Preachers, analysts and weather people, teachers, accountants, lawyers, engineers and designers, doctors, nurses, social workers, politicians, managers, translators and poets.

There are many kinds of jobs, and all of them are important. The position of deacon in the church might seem more prominent than the cook in the kitchen, but in reality, the cook doing their job for God is just as important as the pastor.

In March of 1981, President Reagan was shot by John Hinckley, Jr., and was hospitalized for several weeks. Even though Reagan was the United States’ chief executive, in reality, his absence had very little impact on the country. On the other hand, a garbage collectors strike in Philadelphia not only had the city in a literal mess, the pile of decaying trash quickly became a health hazard. A three-week nationwide strike would have paralyzed the country.

So I ask you, who is more important - the President of the United States or the garbage collectors?

THE BODY: WORKING TOGETHER

Can you imagine if your right hand suddenly wanted to go one way and your left hand wanted to go the other? What if both decided to do it without first checking with your brain to see if it was OK? It would look a bit like a Three Stooges rerun. There would be chaos!

Everyone who claims to be a part of the body of Christ has a task to do. That means that your first responsibility should be to find out what that task is. You might be surprised to learn that your friends and even your Pastor cannot tell you what it is you are supposed to be doing. Everyone can help and make suggestions, of course, but in the end, it is God himself who has chosen that task for you, and only you can find out what it is and go and do it.

The pastor should not have to ask the question; “are you effective in performing the task God requires of you to make the body function.” because you should already be asking yourself that question.

Those who know me know that I was once a reluctant Salvation Army Officer. God knew, however, that Salvation Army Officership was the right thing for me at that time. Even though I denied the call for years, God continued to show me this was the way I should go. In some ways, my denial of the call was almost an acknowledgement that the call was real. Even entering The Salvation Army’s Training College, I still questioned whether I was really called to do this or not.

But God persevered and eventually he convinced me that, not only was Officership the place I should serve him, it was the best thing that could happen to me personally as well. At that point in my life, and in history, he had chosen for me to function as a part of his body by being a Salvation Army Officer – in Montreal, Prince Rupert, Prince George and Chatham.

In hind sight, I’m glad He persevered. Sometimes he chooses a function for us that seems undesirable. Some are called to missionary service, or to martyrdom – it’s not always easy. But the ignoble purposes are just as important as the noble ones. I mean, who runs up to their Mom and Dad when they are little and tell them, I want to grow up to be a waste disposal technician? If they did, their parents would probably be shocked and dismayed – yet keep in mind the importance of that job.

After years of service with The Salvation Army, I began to realize that not only was it a service to those who I had the privilege of ministering to, it was a point of growth for me also. It stretched me in ways that I needed to be stretched. When we begin to fit into the place God has for us, and do it gladly, we also discover the rewards God intends for us in fulfilling his will.

We also begin to see the bigger picture of how the talents he has given us find a synergy with others. That is the way God created us to be, as a healthy parts of a functioning body working together in His service.

THE BODY: MAKING IT WHOLE

Yet, that’s not the way his body exists today. The body of Christ in this world is sick… riddled with a virus called “sin”, and the "great physician" has had to perform major surgery on the body at great personal cost to eradicate that virus. He has grafted us gentiles into the body in a way we were not originally intended to be. He reaches out to you and to me and invites us to be a part of the body in exactly the place we best fit.

Some parts of the body have grown lazy and withered away. Others have become obese, gorging on things that are appealing, but are far from healthy. Still others, feeling the need to keep the body moving are stressed beyond their ability to function properly and are ready to break. Still others have found a balance and are doing their utmost best to serve God in the place He desires them to be.

If you cut off your finger and separate it from the rest of the body, it is still technically part of your body, but what good is it? All it can do is lie there and testify that somewhere out there is a body that’s missing a finger! To really be a part of the body, the finger has to join in fellowship with all the other parts.

Again, if you don’t exercise your body, it begins to stiffen and atrophy and eventually, parts will begin to shut down.

Jesus does not want us to be an infirm church in a hospital ward denomination. He has built us to be an athletic church and run the race of life; to reach the goal; to soar on wings as eagles; following the instructions of Christ, who is the head of the body, and our nervous system, helping us to communicate with each other, and work together. And as a healthy, functioning body, we will see amazing things accomplished in His name. Ignore his plan will not only be fatal to the church, but to us individually as well.

CHALLENGE

The challenge for us right now is to ask ourselves are we fulfilling that task that God has planned for us?

Within your church programs there are likely to always be holes; places where there should be people doing the task God has appointed. There may even be some positions filled by the wrong people – people who were good enough to take on the task simply because it needed to be done, but God intended them to be used somewhere else.

God intends everyone to find the place he has set aside for them. And every person has a place. Isn’t it encouraging to know that God has a plan for your life not only to be saved, but to be a part of something bigger – a part of his family, an active part of His living, breathing body.

Sermon: You’ve Gotta Have Faith!

Text: Hebrews 11:1-13; 11:39-12:2
(Chatham Citadel: August 8^th, 1999 AM)

This message was accompanied by a relatively familiar drama where a man is climbing a cliff and slips. As he’s clinging onto a branch almost falling to his death, he cries out “God help me” – and God answers. God says “Trust me! Let Go!” and the man’s response is “is there anyone else up there?” Eventually he lets go only to discover that there was a hidden ledge below that he fell onto when he trusted God.

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

So begins the roll call, in Hebrews 11, of those who have been commended for their faith. But more than simply a roll call, Hebrews 11 is a roll of honour for these men and women who have passed a testing of faith. At some time in these people’s lives, they could have easily turned the other way, but by faith they persevered.

While their faith may have occasionally been blind, it was most definitely not stupid. When they put their hope in what was as yet to them unseen, they were certain their faith would be rewarded and they would receive that reward they knew was waiting for them. They didn’t second-guess the value of what their faith told them was true.

These days, we probably all have an electronic thermostat in our homes. When it was first introduced, manufacturers guaranteed that by adjusting the temperature through the day, the thermostat would not only make you more comfortable, it would also save you money by reducing the amount of energy you use. They claimed you would save enough on your energy bill in one year to pay for the thermostat, and that if you didn’t, the company would buy it back. If you multiply the annual savings over the lifetime of the product, it should have been obvious and reasonable that the purchase would be wise one. Yet, when people saw the $100 price tag, they would reach for the much cheaper manual one. All it took was a little faith to see a much bigger reward.

There are hundreds of examples where faith is necessary to life. Without faith, we can do nothing. Without faith, we can accomplish nothing. Don’t be deceived; faith is not only necessary for our spiritual life, it is necessary for all of life.

The fact is, as George Michael sings, "Ya’ve gotta have faith - faith that there is something more!

Note: Yes this is a “secular song” about a girl, but listen to the lyrics carefully – what is George really saying about faith?

FAITH DOES NOT PRECLUDE REASON

So many in the world today would say that faith is fickle, and when it comes to faith in God, it is even bogus. Others would tell you that you are stupid to believe in God by faith alone – that you should rely on reason instead – and since, they say, there is no physical proof that God exists, we are foolish to believe in Him.

But just because we have faith does not mean that we ignore the facts. We do not suspend all reason to simply rely totally on a gut feeling. There are lots of good reasons to believe in God. However, at some point, the essence of who God is moves beyond our frame of reference and into things that we do not understand or can explain – at that point, He exists outside of our ability to reason because he is outside of what we can quantify and measure. We have nothing to compare Him to.

Really, how could we possibly compare him with something he created in the first place. He is beyond our scope of experience and far beyond our understanding. Even with all our science and knowledge, we are still finite beings living in a finite creation contemplated and created by an infinite God. Reason alone cannot comprehend the greatness of God, and so we require faith.

Faith does not take the place of reason – it extends reason. Faith is required in every walk of life. You have to have faith that the sun will come up in the morning. You have to have faith that your clocks are right and that you will get up at the correct time. You have to have faith that when you get in your car, it will start. You have to have faith that when you get to work, there will be a job there for you to do. You had to have faith that when you sat in your chair, it would hold you or you would never have sat down. Even those who have very analytical and scientific minds must rely on faith or they will go nowhere.

After talking for a short time, a young man who once visited Albert Einstein walked out onto the porch with him. The young man pointed to a tree. "Dr. Einstein, do we know that tree is there?" and the great mathematician replied "Only by faith"

Another great man of reason, Blaise Pascal, who is considered to be the inventor of the adding machine, and thereby the father of computers, is reputed to have said “Faith indeed tells what the senses do not tell, but not the contrary of what they see. It is above them and not contrary to them.”

In other words, faith confirms fact even before we can prove those facts. It “is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1 NIV) If fact should prove it wrong, then it was false faith, but faith that does not have fact to confirm it does not deny that what the faith is placed in, is false – and have not yet seen evidence to convince me that faith in the God of Hebrews is false.

Faith does not preclude reason. It merely takes a leap ahead of it.

Faith does not discount reason, but faith is sometimes required before reason is possible. People tell us that if they could only see God – find some physical evidence to prove he exists – they would have had faith. On the other hand, we as Christians ask people to accept Jesus Christ and his sacrifice on the basis of faith, and then as they experience a relationship with Him, they will find the evidence within their own hearts and lives that God exists and cares for us.

Those who do not have faith must make the first move. If faith could be given to them so that they might see God, we would, but we cannot. If, however, you can accept on faith that Jesus died to redeem you, then you can see for yourself and be satisfied that God exists… and even more.[1]

FAITH IS NECESSARY TO ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING

Asking people to accept Jesus Christ on faith is not such an unreasonable thing to do. Thomas Edison asked people to believe on faith that he could make electricity light a room. For a very long time, there were many doubters. Those working with him had to accept it on faith that such a thing was possible without any proof. After thousands of hours of painstaking work and hundreds of failed attempts during which Edison himself must have been tempted to say it was impossible, what he believed by faith finally became an experienced reality. But what if he had given up? Imagine the world of darkness we would live in if Edison had not persevered – in faith!

Jesus said “if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain ‘move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Mat 17:20 NIV). Within my lifetime, we have seen not only mountains moved, but men walk on the moon and robots walk Mars. It is not merely technology that has accomplished these tasks, but the faith of those who believed it could be done. Having that kind of faith is incredibly powerful.

Edna Butterfield tells a story about her husband Ron, a teacher at Harding University in Arkansas; “Ron, once taught a class of mentally impaired teenagers. Looking at his students' capabilities rather than their limitations, Ron got them to play chess, restore furniture and repair electrical appliances. Most important, he taught them to believe in themselves. Young Bobby soon proved how well he had learned that last lesson. One day he brought in a broken toaster to repair. He carried the toaster tucked under one arm, and a half-loaf of bread under the other.”

Without faith, nothing is possible. With faith, all things are possible. It is indeed the “substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Heb 11:1 KJV)

It is interesting that one of the very few times Jesus commended someone for their faith, it was to a centurion who compared Jesus ability to heal to his own position of command.

“…I myself am a man under authority,” the centurion said in Luke 7:8-9 (NIV), “with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it.’ 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.’”

Perhaps you have heard the story of the old drinking water pump on the very long and seldom-used trail across Nevada’s Amargosa Desert some time in the 1930’s. A letter was written and placed in a baking powder tin wired to the handle of the pump, which read: “This pump is all right as of June 1932. I put a new sucker washer into it and it ought to last five years. But the washer dries out and the pump has got to be primed. Under the white rock I buried a bottle of water, out of the sun and cork end up. There's enough water in it to prime the pump, but not if you drink some first. Pour about one-fourth and let her soak to wet the leather. Then pour in the rest medium fast and pump like crazy. You'll git water. The well has never run dry. Have faith. When you git watered up, fill the bottle and put it back like you found it for the next feller. (signed) Desert Pete. P.S. Don't go drinking the water first. Prime the pump with it and you'll git all you can hold."

Without faith we would be tempted to drink the bottle first, but taking the risk that faith affords us and priming the pump brings us more water than we could ever drink.

Without faith we may not take any risks, but neither will we accomplish anything of value. As Henry Miller once said “Back of every creation, supporting it like an arch, is faith. Enthusiasm is nothing; it comes and goes. But if one believes, then miracles occur.”

FAITH IN JESUS BRINGS ETERNAL REWARDS

Having faith does not mean that we are blindly accepting something on the basis that it makes us feel good. We do not simply believe because it is convenient to do so. We believe because of what we do know and is supported by the testimony of others who have been there. It is true we don’t have all the answers, that some things we have to take on faith, but we know that without faith we can accomplish nothing.

Faith takes us places we have not yet known, and when it comes to Jesus and spiritual things, it is no different.

Pascal tells us that there are only three kinds of people: Those who serve God, having found Him, are reasonable and happy. Those who live without seeking Him, and have not found Him, are foolish and unhappy. Those who are occupied in seeking Him, not having found Him, are unhappy and reasonable.

Personally, I would rather be reasonable and happy. As Edward Mote wrote in his popular hymn, “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus Blood and righteousness…”,

Hear what God is saying to you right now. As Paul states in Acts 20:21, “I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.”

CONCLUSION

The bottom line for all of us today is: “You gotta have faith!” Faith that there’s something more for you and that God in his infinite wisdom has a greater plan for you.

You have to take the plunge – to take that first step on the journey. Let us “run the race”, as Paul says, let us “fix our eyes on Jesus.” Let us put our trust in him and by faith seek his direction. It is a long and sometimes scary road to follow, but when we trust him, he leads us safely through every challenge. All that is required is a little bit of faith.

One night there was a house that caught fire and a young boy was forced to flee to the roof. The father stood on the ground below. Flames leapt from the roof not far behind the man’s son silhouetting his small figure in a hellish red glow.

With outstretched arms, he called to his son, "Jump! I'll catch you." He knew the boy had to jump to save his life. All the boy could see below, however, was smoke, and blackness. He felt safer where he stood, and was afraid to leave the roof. His father kept yelling to him: "Jump! I will catch you." But the boy protested, "Daddy, I can't see you." In desperation, the father replied, "But I can see you and that's all that matters."

Are you living on a roof top surrounded by flames? Jesus is calling to you today to make the leap of faith – you can’t see him, but his arms are outstretched, waiting to catch you. Make that leap of faith today.

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[1] Pascal - Pensees - 240