Ramblings of Sarge

Faith and Action

Following is the sermon notes from the service this past Saturday at Suite Living in Blaine, Mn. Cornerstone Church of Blaine provides a church service for the residents on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Saturdays of each month at 10AM. Feel free to join us if you are in the area. The folks always enjoy the visit.

 

Faith and Action

Suite Living

January 22, 2011

 

Faith is something that everyone has, that many claim to possess, but few can easily explain or define. While it is true that all people have faith to some extent, the object of that faith can be very different from one person to another. For example, we all have faith that as we inhale we will receive the proper oxygen, our lungs will do their job, our bodies will correctly process and distribute the oxygen and we will continue living for another breath. Some people will attribute this to their brain monitoring and doing what needs to be done while others will attribute it to the grace of God. Either way, there is the exercise of faith that the necessary task will be accomplished. Both are actually correct but one carries the explanation a step farther and gives the glory to God rather than to man.

The Bible defines faith in the letter to the Hebrews.

Hebrews 11:1 (King James Version)

 ¹Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

What does that mean? This is really two phrases that mean nearly the same thing and is written in a style of Hebrew poetry that is seen in Psalms.

The word substance could also be assurance, so the assurance of things hoped for. When trusting in the promises of God that are found in the Scriptures, we are trusting in God to fulfill them. The object of our faith, or the substance or our assurance, is the trustworthiness of God and His faithfulness in fulfilling His promises.

The word evidence could also be conviction, so the conviction of things not seen. When faith is exercised, conviction is placed in the result that is as yet unseen. Again, trusting in the promises of God, our conviction is that the promised result, yet unseen, will be produced. Evidence in this case is not evidence as may be presented in a court case; rather, it is divine assurance upon which we can hold our conviction or belief.

So faith is accepting with conviction the truth that is yet unseen in our situation. We accept the truth that is presented in the promise though it is yet unseen in the reality of our current experience. We base the conviction of our belief upon the reliability of the object, in this case the trustworthiness of God and His faithfulness in fulfilling His promises.

Perhaps we have heard the term, misguided faith. This is not to say that the faith was in error so much as to say that the object of the faith was faulty. The term implies that the object of the faith was insufficient to produce the result of our conviction. Some people may consider faith in God to be misguided. To assure ourselves that our conviction is properly placed we need to build our trust in the trustworthiness of God. This is the beauty of Scripture as it reveals the character of God and all of the stories reflect the consistency of His character. We read how time after time God fulfilled each and every promise, or will fulfill those promises which are actually prophetic, for future events.

Our faith is built upon the proven track record of God and is strengthened by our experiencing His faithfulness, or trustworthiness, in our lives. Nobody as far as I can tell ever starts out with great faith, but rather builds and strengthens faith over a period of time. As we exercise our faith, or put it into practice, our confidence and trust grow. Things can get to a point that we take them for granted, unfortunately, as in the case of inhaling. Nevertheless, our faith grows and we move on to bigger tests.

We like to look at faith as a noun. We want to know what it is so that we can get a handle on it and understand it. Much like love, however, to understand faith is to look at it as a verb. Faith is an action that we sometimes refer to in the phrase, stepping out in faith, or in a secular sense, a leap of faith. Faith needs to be put into action or it is worthless. In the Epistle of James, there is a lengthy teaching on this subject concerning both saving faith and enacting our faith in our daily lives. He basically sums things up in two statements.

James 2:17 (King James Version)

 ¹⁷Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

James 2:26 (King James Version)

 ²⁶For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

If I know how to play the piano and I have faith that if I depress the proper keys the result will be the tune or melody that I desire, it is worthless if I do not actually sit down and play the piano. My faith would be dead in that it is of no use until I bring it to life by actually performing the action. The action that allows the opportunity for the desired result to come about is the necessary ingredient for living faith. Putting faith into action is the power that we have as we trust God in our daily lives.

Let’s take another look at Hebrews, chapter 11.

Hebrews 11:1-3 (King James Version)

 ¹Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

 ²For by it the elders obtained a good report.

 ³Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

We see here that through faith and the exercise of it that the elders obtained good report. That is to say that they found favor in the sight of God for putting their faith into action. The verse is not there to merely inform us that a few select people were able to find favor in the sight of God. The lesson is that this is how we are likewise able to find favor in the sight of God, by putting our faith into action. Read through the entire chapter which is sometimes referred to as the Faith Hall of Fame. Read it with the understanding that the people listed here were men and women that were no different than us. They, however, put their faith into action. When God called upon them, and others, they listened, eventually accepted, believed and obeyed the Word of God. That is no different than the call upon our lives to listen to, accept and believe the Word of God and then put it into action. Read it and look at the faith steps that were necessary for each person. Go back and read the account of each person. Look at the obstacles that had to be overcome and the doubts that had to be put to rest. Look at the convictions that needed to be established in order to put the faith into action.

Here are a few of the examples from chapter 11.

⁴By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.

 ⁷By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

 ⁸By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.

 ¹¹Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.

 ²³By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment. (And it goes into the story of Moses and his steps of faith.)

There are many stories that show faith being put into action. We are responsible for putting faith into action and that action is what allows God to work through us and in our lives to have a positive impact for the Kingdom of God. Without such action it is not possible to please God as we see in one example that I passed over. Verses 5 and 6 tell of Enoch.

Hebrews 11:5-6 (King James Version)

 ⁵By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

 ⁶But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

“Before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.” Don’t miss the order here. The testimony that he pleased God was established before he received the reward.  Can that be said of us, that we pleased God? The answer is most likely, sometimes. It saddens my heart that I can only say sometimes as I know that my self-centered ways are not pleasing to God. It is also an encouragement to know that Enoch was not perfect and was a man just as I am. He was a man who had sin and who had need of a Savior. He was a man who strived to act in faith and to please God. He was obviously a man who repented of his wrong doing and trusted fully in God for his deliverance and salvation.

Look at verse 6 again. “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” What do we see here?

• Faith is needed to please God.
• It is necessary to believe in God.
• It is necessary to believe that God rewards those who diligently seek Him.

Putting faith into action and ascribing the proper object to that faith is necessary both in daily life and in our eternal destination. To walk with God requires belief and trust that He is who He says He is and that He will do what He says He will do. If we fulfill these two requirements and put actions to our faith, we will be pleasing to God as we diligently seek Him. And for eternity sake, he is our salvation unto eternal life free from the curse of sin and death. The alternative is eternal life in suffering the wrath of God for our unbelief in the lake of fire which was prepared for Satan and the angels who rebelled against God. Where will your eternity be spent? Cry out to God now to show you the truth and to deliver you from the reward of sin and unto the reward of faith.

 

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Life_According_To_Sarge :: View topic - Heavenly Minded

Life_According_To_Sarge :: View topic - Heavenly Minded. This is the message to be delivered at Suite Living in Blaine, Mn. Come join us if you are in the area.

Pray and Play Retreat Part 3 of 4

After lunch we had a session on Effective Prayer. As I said, it was after lunch so some eyelids were looking fairly heavy. People did perk up however as a lively discussion ended the session. The lesson was mainly on switching our prayer motivations from being self-serving to God glorifying and God’s will in the situation being prayed about. The discussion took a bit of a turn to whether or not our reason for being created was to simply glorify God or if there was more than that and also considered how much God truly wills for our individual daily decisions in life. We then had free time from approximately 1:30 to 3:00PM. Some napped or sat and relaxed while others took care of some personal matters such as sermon prep or photo and blog uploads. At 3:00PM the speed boat was loaded into the water and the water skis and tubes were about to get wet. Some skied and tubed while others went along for the ride and watched. It was a warm, sunny afternoon that we were blessed with for some fun. The most popular comments dealt with being sore from using muscles differently than normal and wait to see how you feel tomorrow. Other than Jeff banging his knee jumping into the water behind the boat and Josiah taking a skidding slide across the gravel road that he was running on, we seemed to survive the afternoon with no casualties. At 5:30 we had a short session before dinner which was an hour later. Having covered praise, thanksgiving and intercession earlier in the day, we now focused on confession. This was mainly a solo effort as we received a copy of a reprint from Finney dealing with the sin that we sometimes ignore or deal with in less than a sincere manner. We each went to a spot where we could sit alone to read the 3 pages and do a little self-introspection and confession. I know that I will have to address this one again as the allotted time did not seem to do it justice. Dinner was what I would call a spaghetti lasagna, salad, garlic bread and milk or Kool-Aid. We were treated to a chocolate cake, pudding and whipped cream dessert that was very good to top off the fabulous dinner. The gals at the resort have provided excellent meals for us throughout our visit and we are grateful for their efforts. After dinner at the picnic tables, we headed back to the house and spent about 45 minutes praying for the Cornerstone mission, vision and 2010 goals. We were then free for the night which included a Rook game and laughing at some of each other’s favorite YouTube videos.

Pray and Play Retreat Part 4 of 4

Saturday morning at 7:45AM had our group gathering in the living room with common descriptions of soreness and fatigue from the active play on Friday. We began the day with a talk about praying for the lost followed by discussion of what our role is in the course of salvation for both the effective prayer and the practical witness. After being served another excellent breakfast, we regrouped in the living room so Pastor Ron could present a lesson on listening to God followed by a short quiet time. We came back together and began the process of praying for all of the families in our congregation using the church directory and notes of the newer attendees. This procedure carried through a time period on the pontoon and in the van on the ride home. We cleared out of the house we had been staying in and loaded our gear into the van. We took the pontoon out for a lunch cruise and found a calm spot near the lily pads to dine. We dined on sloppy joes, pasta salad, baked beans and an excellent strawberry dessert. We had plenty of laughs as we enjoyed one another’s company. After lunch we had a little free time as Ron took a couple of the kids on a short tubing ride while driving the speed boat over to the landing to pull it out of the water. [caption id="attachment_362" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Lunch on the Lake"][/caption] The ride home included a little bit of debate and lots of laughs as well as the finishing of our praying through the directory. We had a discussion about the retreat; what people liked and what they would like to see changed and then a suggestion time for ideas for the prayer ministry. All in all, people seemed to enjoy themselves and found value in attending the pray and play weekend. Thanks to Jeff for driving and for the use of his van for the transportation. Thanks to Pastor Ron for providing the facilities and giving us the last couple days of his vacation time there. And a special thanks to the great ladies at Mogasheen Resort who prepared the fabulous meals for us, including the wonderful desserts. Read the full article.

Pray and Play Retreat Part 1 of 4

The Pray and Play Retreat is a time for us to get away and focus on prayer. There is teaching followed by application and then conversation regarding the topic and experience. Between each session is time to play and enjoy the beautiful area here at Mogasheen resort near Cable, Wisconsin. We all rode up here together in a 12 passenger van and over the three hour ride we took time to discuss prayer and had a short time of prayer. We learned of the backgrounds of each other concerning prayer in our upbringing and we discussed our current prayer habits. We also talked about why we were along on this adventure, all with differing reasons. We arrived at 9:45PM and unloaded the van. We were shown our rooms and were free to explore our surroundings. Four of us went for a moonlight swim and then headed to the pool which felt like a hot tub after swimming in the refreshingly cool lake. After a little conversation time, people wandered to their beds. 7:45AM is start time in the morning.

Pray and Play Retreat Part 2 of 4

06JULY10 Pray and Play 08 Originally uploaded by Sarge Jan08

This morning we began at 7:45 with a pre-breakfast session, then had breakfast together in the house. After breakfast we had a message on praise and thanksgiving, took 10 minutes to reflect on our own prayer lives and our approach to God before gathering together for an outdoor activity. We occupied 2 canoes and 4 kayaks and set course for the island. Along the way each person prayed alone quietly offering praise and thanksgiving to God. On the island we hiked across to a campsite where we settled in to hear some more thoughts on praise and thanksgiving before praying as a group. We reloaded into the watercraft and made the trip back to the resort for a lunch outside at the picnic tables. After lunch we went back to the house and heard a message on effective prayer followed by a discussion about determining how a prayer was effective or not.

25JULY10 Church

25JULY10 Church Originally uploaded by Sarge Jan08

It's Sunday so it is off to the real social network. Cornerstone Church of Blaine currently meets in the auditorium at Blaine High School in Blaine, Mn. Until such time as we have our own church building, signs like this one need to be put up and taken down every Sunday. We also need to haul in all of the sound equipment, band equipment and other items for things such as nursery and fellowship time snacks and liquids. The Pastor is going through a series on responsible church membership. The message today was basically on graciousness as we form a community. Our time, talents and treasures are to be shared for helping one another when a need arises. This is when the love of Christ really shines through for all to see. It also stretches the faith of all involved resulting in spiritual growth and trust in God. Having been on the giving and the receiving ends of this practice, I was asked by the Pastor to participate in a Q&A session as he concluded the sermon. He asked me about various situations in my life when giving and receiving and how it affected me and my family. The sermon recording should include this and will be posted to the church website in the near future. Meanwhile, I documented the main event I talked about as I was going through a 23 week shoulder surgery recovery. It is on my Forum site in the section, 2008 Road to Recovery.

Life_According_To_Sarge :: View topic - Five Crowns In Heaven

Comforts of Home is now Suite Living. Cornerstone Church of Blaine provides a church service for the seniors on various Saturdays each month. Today I delivered the message which you can read at the following link and see the rewards that await you. Life_According_To_Sarge :: View topic - Five Crowns In Heaven.

Believer to Man of God Part 2

This is the devotional that was presented to the men on the Annual Mille Lacs Launch Fishing Trip. It set the tone for the evening which turned out to be pleasant weather and a very fun night for all of the guys. Believer to Man of God Part 2

Letter to Thyatira

In the fourth of the seven letters to the churches in Revelation, today we look at Thyatira. This is presented as the sermon at Comforts of Home on Highway 65 in Blaine at today's worship service. Come join us in worship at 10AM. Life_According_To_Sarge :: View topic - Letter to Thyatira