Read
1
Peter 1:1-9
I don’t know how much longer that the
world I grew up in with still be with us.
I don’t know how long our social norms will generally reflect godly
values. I don’t know.
We have heard that the end is near for
decades. Each generation thinks it
couldn’t get any worse, but it seems that it does. The current generation does not understand
because it has no perspective and these days it has no traditions or customs of
goodness passed on to them.
This is surely generalization as I
know many in this generation who have been brought up in the way they should
go, but even the generalization must not be ignored. These are tough times.
Now, I say this, knowing I will drive
home in a nearly new car. I say times
are tough but have a good roof over my head.
I say that things seem to be getting worse but have enough money to meet
my needs and bless others.
I might say that the world seems to be
closing in on the church, but in the same breath I will tell you that the
church is invading this godless world with love and good news. Some days seem better than others. Somedays it seems that we celebrate victory
after victory and other times it seems like we just hunker down and ride it
out—whatever it may be.
Life has struggle. It has trials. It comes with troubles. And we are called to navigate this life with
faith.
We continue our exploration of faith,
so let’s begin with what should be a very familiar defining
verse from the King James Version.
The world is full of trouble, trouble
that directly impacts our lives. Jesus
said that we would have trouble
in the world. But in spite of our
troubles, we can have peace. Jesus said,
take courage, I have overcome the world.
We must have faith in the victory that
we know in Jesus. It can be tough. We are called to have faith in the middle of
our troubles.
I want you to think of a young man
named David. David wrote so many
psalms. Some of them you know by heart. I like this one in the King
James Version.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He
maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He
restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's
sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the
shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy
staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in
the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup
runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all
the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
There is no
poetry here except for the experience that brought these words to David. There
is no poetry here except that these words transcend millenia and touch our
lives today.
I love the whole
psalm but I think to this one sentence.
Thou preparest a table before me in the
presence of mine enemies,
Face to face with
my enemies, the Lord throws a banquet for me.
Imagine that. Now imagine
enjoying that. In the presence of people
who want to kill you, you enjoy a banquet prepared for you by the Lord.
Now that would
take some audacity. Actually, it takes
faith.
Think to the life
of the man we know as David. He wasn’t
even his dad’s first choice when he was told that Israel’s next king would come
from his son’s. This ruddy young man
went through some stuff. That’s a
generalization.
· He defeated Goliath while the rest of Saul’s
army was shaking in their sandals.
· He was hunted down like a wild animal.
· He had a chance to kill Saul and end being
pursued as an enemy of the state, but didn’t.
· He killed tens of thousands in battle for his
nation.
· He consolidated his authority and power and
was great king.
· He succumbed to the beauty and allure of
Bathsheba.
· He was cut to the quick by the truth from a
friend named Nathan.
He was a poet and
songwriter and revealed his soul to us.
David went
through some stuff and yet whether he was on the run or self-indulgent, the
Lord was always his Rock and his Refuge.
Whether he was
making wise choices or foolish ones, he was a man after God’s own heart and a
man who lived by faith.
He knew that his
victories came from God and his sin he confessed to God. He lived!
He really lived.
We are blessed
that this man who really lived was a poet and songwriter for we gain an insight
into a full life.
Who would have
thought that salty shepherd boy was poet?
We are blessed that he was.
Sometimes we
think the Christian life will take us down the primrose path. Sometime we think it is nothing but suffering
and hardship, that every reward lies in the life to come.
I hope that we
understand that both victories and hardships are part of refining our
faith. Sometimes that feels like a
roller coaster ride. That is our
journey. Some call it a walk. Some, like Paul, considered it a race.
What it is for
all is a time to refine our faith—to know it to be genuine. It is a time to embrace both victories and
troubles knowing that God is sovereign.
It is a time to
believe that sorrow
may last for the night but joy comes in the morning.
It is a time to
know that abundant
life is more about being connected to other believers than the stuff we can
drag around with us in this world.
James
said, when we face troubles in this world, consider them as discipline (not
punishment) from the Lord. What does
that mean? Grow in times of
trouble. Learn something. Keep the faith and grow.
Paul
reminds us that nothing we suffer here will amount to a hill of beans
compared to what is in store for us.
Peter in his own
style affirms the words of these other two New Testament authors. For this all three seem to be on exactly the
same page.
Everything in
life is just grist for the mill for the believer. God is already working the circumstances of
our lives for the good. What’s our part? Faith.
How do we know
that we are being faithful, especially in our trials?
Let’s think about
this.
Am I still
sharing the good news?
Am I bringing
God’s love into the world?
Am I bringing
God’s light into this world?
Am I faithful in
my tithe and other giving?
Can people taste
the goodness of the Lord in me on my worst day?
Do I trust God
with all of my heart, especially when my human understanding does not want to?
Do I obey God by
doing what the word and his Spirit lead me to do? Let’s put that one this way? Am I putting his words into practice?
Do I seek God and
his kingdom and his righteousness above anything my selfish heart desires?
Do I rejoice
always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances?
Is his word the
main part of my daily diet? Man shall
not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
Do we listen to
God’s Spirit even when the world makes a great sales pitch?
That’s a long
list and it’s not all inclusive, but here’s one that might be a viable litmus
test for you. Can
I be still? Can I be still in this
middle of this troubled world that’s gone bonkers in so many ways? Can I be
still and just trust that God is God.
Can I be still and cling to God as my Rock?
Can I be still and know that I am redeemed?
Can I be still knowing God to be in control in
the middle of my tribulation?
If we are doing
these things, then our faith is being proved genuine even though the world
around us does not seem to give way.
Perhaps the reading and praying and tithing is easier for us. Sometimes the being still—being fully in the
God’s grace—is the harder part.
If we hold fast
to the words of our Master that say he has overcome the world, our faith is
proved genuine.
If in spite of
what the world demands of us, we put our Master’s words into practice in our
lives, our faith is proved genuine.
Luke
18 begins with the story of the persistent widow. I won’t include that in this morning’s message
except to say that this short pericope ends with a question.
When the Son of
Man comes, will he find faith upon the earth?
We read about the faith he encountered when he lived and died and rose
again as God with us. That leaves us to
ask ourselves, what account will we give?
Because in good
times and bad, we hold tight to our faith, the answer for us is the Son of Man will find faith with us. Because our faith is genuine, we are going to
make it easy for him to spot us amidst this godless world.
My prayer for us
this morning is that our faith be proved genuine, that it leads us to
discipleship, and that our discipleship is pleasing to God.
The Lord will
find genuine faith among us when he comes.
He will see it so readily in our responsive love to his grace.
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment