WHICH WAY IS UP?

FOR AUDIO VERSION CLICK HERE.

As we make our way through this Hall of Faith I want to offer to you a faith-lift by illustrating how several ordinary people were able to live extraordinary lives. We saw the "work of faith" was in Abel-work that emerged from the heart! Next we saw the walk of faith illustrated by the only two men who were ever said to "walk with God"-Enoch and Noah!

Today we will examine the "way of faith". The "way of faith" answers the question, "Which way is up?" and is demonstrated by the life of Abraham. Abraham has the distinction of being called "the friend of God" three times. He is mentioned over 300 times in 20 books of the Bible. Abe experienced three major encounters with God-(1) when he was called (2) when he was out of options and (3) when he was tested.

FIRST-WHEN HE WAS CALLED. Let's look at it: 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. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

Abe lived in a place called Ur-an ancient city of Mesopotamia along the Euphrates River. That would be in modern-day Iraq. God calls him to change his lifestyle. He was called into the desert! God promised him a country, generations of descendants, and a purpose-that he and his people would be a blessing to the world! No doubt he was comfortable there in the city. Any resistance that was there must have been the fear of being lost in the grand scheme of things! Are you serious, God, the desert??? But Abraham obeyed and went out of the comforts of the city into the stressors and difficulties of the desert. He said YES to a Higher Calling! This calling was God's eternal purpose for him. There's no better place to be on earth-nothing more satisfying, more fulfilling, or more safe-than to be following the call of God on your life! Note this is true, even if you are called out of the comfortable city to the desolated desert.

SECOND-WHEN HE WAS OUT OF OPTIONS. Think of the situation here. God has promised him that he will bless the world through him and through his descendants. Well, in order to have descendants, you must have a child and Abraham and Sarah did not. They were childless and were too old to have any children-probably in their 80's. But by faith Sarah and Abraham hung in there, still holding on to the promises of God. This was the primary reason why God called them out of the city of Ur to the desert. In Hebrews 11 it is recorded: And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

THIRD-WHEN HE WAS TESTED. Note what happens here: By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.

Once God had miraculously provided Abraham's only child, Isaac, God made a strange and tough request! He commanded Abe to sacrifice his only son-the son of promise! The natural resistance here must have been "Why me?" "Why this?" "Why now?" Whereas in his calling from God there was a fear of being lost; here in this test is the fear of loss itself! But Abraham obeyed and offered his son as a sacrifice to God. After God measured Abraham's total commitment, He intervened and spared Isaac! God's test was to prove out Abraham's genuineness!

For you today your calling and testing is the way of faith! It's the only way up! Your calling gives you purpose for going through your testing; your testing gives you proof for your calling! But note that between your calling and testing, it is necessary to practice your faith by waiting on God's next move and for Him to come through. Waiting!

Waiting is so tough! Do you know why? Waiting is actually trusting-believing and expecting God to come through. In waiting there are some things we are NOT waiting on Jesus to do? 1. To do His will. 2. To relate. 3. To be responsible. 4. To do what He would do.

So, what are we waiting on Jesus to do? 1. To show up in my life. 2. To give me an answer-impression, a peace, a desire, a thought. 3. To bring people into my life for restoration. 4. To bring people into my life for walking-fellowship & support.

One of my favorite passages is from the prophet Isaiah. It says: He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary. (Isaiah 40:1-31)

When you are called, walk toward Him! When you are tested, watch for Him to come through! When you are out of options, wait on Him!

In Psalm 40:1-3 it says something that kind of sums up the practice of waiting: "I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined to me and heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, and He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; many will see and fear and will trust in the LORD." Now, that's the way of faith!

LIFE IS NOT JUST A STROLL IN THE PARK

FOR AUDIO VERSION CLICK HERE.

As we make our way through this Hall of Faith I want to offer to you a faith-lift by illustrating how several ordinary people were able to live extraordinary lives. We saw the work of faith was in Abel-work that emerged from the heart! Now we come to the walk of faith! "Walk" is a very common word in the Bible. We are urged to walk wisely, uprightly, with integrity, according to His commandments, humbly, worthy, in the light, in the truth, and in Him! To walk is a continuous journey with a destination in mind. Paul used the term "walk" and John used the term "abide" to describe the very same action.

There are only two characters who are said to have walked with God-Enoch and Noah. Enoch was transferred out of this earth to be with the Lord, because he was "pleasing to God." Noah was transported out of the flood, because he "found favor with God."

First check out Enoch: By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: "He could not be found, because God had taken him away." For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 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.

The story of Enoch is a brief one. In Genesis 6 it says: Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years. Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. Even though the biographical sketch is brief, it is powerful. To be only one of two biblical characters that was ever recorded, as one who walked with God is quite remarkable. And then to have the result be to not face death at all, but to be supernaturally taken to be with God is amazing!

Then Noah is the other man that is noted to have walked with God: By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.

In the historical record of Noah's life it says: Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.

There are two primary choices you have with respect to your walk. You can't serve God and the material world at the same time. It must be one or the other. It's either walk with God or walk out of step with God. Two choices!

There are two challenges as you reflect upon how to walk with God! 1. See Him-Consider Him. God is there! He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is faithful. See Him through Jesus. It's in Jesus that you find all the fullness of God.

2. Seek Him out-Count on Him. Draw close to Him through personal faith in Him and practical fellowship with other followers.

Remember, there are only two kinds of pain-discipline or regret. Walking with God does require the pain of discipline, so do what you can do to start walking. Walking with God is simply watching what Jesus says and does and say and do the same.

You walk with God; He'll work with you in the midst of your troubles. Or, you don't walk with God; you're totally on your own and going nowhere. You choose!

One more thing here: A faith-walk doesn't require that you have it all together. In fact, you may be experiencing great pain and brokenness right now and wonder how a life of faith might make a difference. Faith is taking all that you know that you are (including your brokenness) and placing it into all that you know that Jesus is. And as you do this, you must leave the results to Him.

TWO CHOICES--AND THE FIRST ONE DOESN'T COUNT

FOR AUDIO VERSION CLICK HERE.

We began this series with this sentence: When your life is out of control and your back's against the wall, you need a faith-lift. Well as we continue working on giving you a personal faith-lift, we come to what many have called the Hall of Faith. It's found in one of the earliest writings in the New Testament in the book of Hebrews. In the eleventh chapter the writer of this book illustrates extraordinary faith exercised by simple, ordinary people with unusual results. Each of these illustrations is helpful in lifting your faith. It's ordinary people living extraordinary lives!

Hebrews 11 begins with a definition of faith: Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

So, what is faith? Faith is the promise of God! Faith gives confidence of "things hoped for." Faith gives "conviction of things not seen." It makes things concrete and gives substance to the invisible! Faith gives us a connection with God, because by it we gain approval from God and by it we understand the miracle of creation-"that the universe was formed at God's command." Faith makes the promises of God a reality!

I like how The Message expresses it: The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It's our handle on what we can't see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd. By faith, we see the world called into existence by God's word, what we see created by what we don't see.

In essence you can say that faith is taking God at His word!

Faith is not only the promise of God; faith is personal! The writer of the Hebrews goes on to speak about Adam and Eve's two sons, Cain and Abel: By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.

Again, The Message renders it this way: By an act of faith, Abel brought a better sacrifice to God than Cain. It was what he believed, not what he brought, that made the difference. That's what God noticed and approved as righteous. After all these centuries, that belief continues to catch our notice.

These two brothers lived their lives before God differently. Cain was a gardener and Abel was a herdsman. Cain offered sacrifice to God as a ritual-something he was supposed to do. Abel offered sacrifice to God by faith with his first-fruits-something he wanted to do. So, Cain did what he did to get by while Abel's heart priority was for God. Therefore, Cain's offering to God was disapproved and Cain became mad at God and the world, ending in being silenced. Abel's offering was approved and still speaks today. Cain, because of his anger, killed his brother, Abel. And, even though Abel was put to death, he continues to speak today with this principle of heart-generated faith.

There is something else about faith. Faith is powerful! What makes ordinary people live extraordinary lives? I have found three basic ingredients: FIRST-People of faith keep changing their perspective; they see the God who is there! This is a decision of the will-your choice!

SECOND-They keep committing to personal programming-to hear what God says. This is a discipline of the mind.

THIRD-They keep centering the priority of their hearts on God-to know what God wants! This is a desire of the heart! With this decision of your will, the discipline of your mind, and the desire of your heart, your ordinary faith becomes powerful!

You've got two choices and the first one doesn't count! Either, like Cain, you lose God as priority of your heart and leave the presence of God. Then you've got a real problem!

Or, like Abel, you center on God as the priority of your heart and gain God's approval. Then you've got the real power to go through anything. Abel is a supreme illustration of the work of faith. No matter what you offer to God, you must bring it to Him with all of your heart.

So, it's not a ritualistic, religious act of the mind and body, but totally and wholly a relational matter of the heart. Remember, God looks on the heart and man looks on the outward appearance. So, how's your heart?

A FULL SYMPHONY OF LIFE

FOR AUDIO VERSION CLICK HERE.

The four clanging cymbals are not satisfying personally and are offensive to the watching crowd. God has a different idea. Instead of an orchestra filled with clanging cymbals, He has in mind a full symphony of life.

In Peter's second book in the first chapter, Peter reveals that God is all about preparing us for living the life He wants us to live. He says: His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

God through Jesus has already prepared us to participate in the dynamic of divine living with the ability of escaping the corruption that is in the world! He has done this by giving us His most special promises that we can count on.

In verses 8-11 Peter articulates the kind of promises God offers to us, if we will do certain things: For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if any of you do not have them, you are nearsighted and blind and you have forgotten that you have been cleansed from your past sins. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

So, you can count on receiving these promises, if you add these qualities to your faith! If you possess these qualities and practice them, you will be effective and highly productive, you will not be blind in any way, you will be kept from stumbling and you will be given a special entrance into the Kingdom of Jesus. You will be welcomed and celebrated in a special way!

What are the qualities Peter lists? They are the eight qualities that we used to counter the four clanging cymbals. Let's take a look at them in context: For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-strength; and to self-strength, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.

Each one builds on the preceding one. You start with faith. Then you add virtue, which is an initial commitment to follow through with your faith-to stand on your own two feet. To virtue (that initial commitment) add experiential, relational knowledge. Then add self-strength to your knowledge. At this point, you may feel you have it pretty much together. You have arrived at a certain level of self-strength.

It's at this point that you need to add perseverance. Just when you think you have it all together, you will find there are many other trials and tribulations you never ever experienced before thrown into your life. There is no amount of self-strength that can handle these. So, you must do all that you can; you must hold on for dear life or hang in there-perseverance. Then, after you have gone through the fires of these extraordinary trials and troubles, you will find that you will experience a new series of character qualities that will emerge in the midst of the trials. You are now taking on dimensions of godliness. What a satisfaction this is-to know you have gone through some of the worst experiences ever and you are rewarded for it by gaining some new and improved qualities in your life. It's at this point you understand that you cannot go through these struggles alone, but need to operate with a few others for support. This is brotherly kindness. The ultimate expression of a life that is growing and maturing is love-unconditional love. So, now you add this love to your faith. It's a full symphony!

These qualities are dynamic in that you may not be operating on all eight cylinders at any given time. And, you may be in the middle of cycling through these eight again. You may be working on knowledge and self-strength and find yourself rocking along. Or, you may be in a season of trials that have threatened to be overwhelming and all you can do is to add perseverance to your faith-to hold on for dear life and hang in there.

What I have seen is that you are somewhere along these eight qualities of life-cycling through them. The important thing is to know where you are right now and be able to anticipate what's next. No matter where you are along the way or where you may have left off, you must continue to get back to the music-to lay down your cymbals and keep playing your symphony.

Note what Peter cautions you to do. He says to make certain of your calling-that God is calling you. You see, even though in this passage you are urged to add these qualities to faith-you add them or literally: you lavishly supply them to your faith-walk, you are cautioned to keep your focus on who is calling the shots in your life. You are to add these things to your faith, but this is all in a heart response to the call of God upon your life. This is the essence of what discipleship is all about. Discipleship begins not with your choice, but with His call. Have you heard His call on your life? Are you listening for it?

THE CLANGING CYMBAL OF SELF-CONTROL

FOR AUDIO VERSION CLICK HERE.

In the struggle to "get over yourself" it's important to examine what I call the four clanging cymbals. A clanging cymbal is when what you say and do is absent the love of Jesus and therefore is a cymbal that doesn't make a certain and attractive sound, but an offensive, clanging sound. Each of the four clanging cymbals is countered by two of the eight qualities Peter lists as essential for being most effective and fruitful. The first clanging cymbal was SELF-DOUBT and was countered by FAITH and LOVE. The second was being SELF-DIRECTED and was countered by VIRTUE and BROTHERLY KINDNESS. The third clanging cymbal is SELF-IMPORTANCE and is countered by KNOWLEDGE and GODLINESS out of Peter's dynamic list in II Peter 1.

Today's clanging cymbal is SELF-CONTROL and is countered by two more qualities from this list-SELF-STRENGTH and PERSEVERANCE. We'll examine all eight of these qualities in the session tomorrow. So, we come to self-control. There is a delicate balance between you taking control and realizing that you are being empowered by the strength of God-strengthened enough in order to have a sense of self-control.

Remember a few sessions ago we discussed how our world is out of control. When your past is out of control, it's all about guilt. When your future is out of control, it's all about fear. And when your present is out of control, it's all about anger. Although these are deadly causes of human paralysis, they can serve you well. You see, if you know your life is basically out of control without God, you are in an advanced stage of maturity and growth. Once you understand and accept your powerlessness without God, you are at a balancing point and have a sense of being centered.

Self-control is misunderstood if you think you have the power to control your life. Some of the most "controlled" people I know are addicts. They believe with all their hearts that they can control their addiction and they cannot.

The term self-control is literally self-strength. This is an inner strength and discipline that you can bring to your faith. This is to be understood as a strength that must come from your Creator. Now, that kind of self-control is productive and strengthening. This is an understanding along with the Psalmist who wrote: Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain. (Psalm 127:1)

We make the mistake of trying to appease God by giving Him all kinds of things-money, time, and checking off my list of performances. But God cannot empower you, if you think you have it all together. He wants to take your fragility and transform it into inner strength. Remember that Jesus came to reach out to those who were lacking, not those who had it all together.

Paul realized this when he shared his personal story with the followers of Jesus at Philippi. After listing out all of his accomplishments, he compared them to a pile of manure. He said that he saw it clearly that knowing Jesus and focusing on Him is the most important thing of all-all else amounts to a pile of manure.

PERSEVERANCE is the second quality needed to counter the clanging cymbal of SELF-CONTROL. Perseverance is the determination to hang in there no matter what. It's one thing to have the inner strength that only God can give; it's quite another to hold on to this inner strength and hold on for all its worth. That's perseverance. Many times things come upon us that we either weren't prepared for or just seem to be more than usual. It's at this point that only perseverance-hanging in there-can get you through it.

In the recovery community there is a great saying: "Don't give up one day before the miracle happens." You will get through it; now hold on! This goes along with what we discussed earlier: THE BEST WAY OUT IS THROUGH.

I want to sum all of this up with this: GOD wants your fragility before He wants your ability. When you are marked 'Handle with care', He can then strengthen your life to get through it all! So count on your Creator-God for your inner strength and hang in there!