Experiencing God VII: Crisis of Belief
Sermon Review
20 May 2001
Hebrews 11:1-6In a recent crisis, a politician was heard to say to his aide, ‘About that charge that I’m indecisive. Do you think I should answer it…or let it go…or answer it in part…or what?’ It reminded me of what a man did whose home was on the border that separated the North and the South during the American Civil War. He didn’t want to take sides so he wore a Confederate Army jacket and Union Army pants. But he ran into trouble. The Union soldiers shot at his jacket and the Confederates shot him in the pants! Indecisiveness has it downsides – in this case it led to having two enemies instead of only one! As making decisions is an important part of ordinary life, so too decision-making is very much a part of experiencing God.
Following God inevitably leads to varied turning points in our lives – forks in the road. These turning points are moments of decision-making of medium to high significance where we put in motion things which have ongoing consequences. When we make the right decisions at those times, they become positive turning points; when we make the wrong decision they are turning points for the worse. These turning points may be over issues like sexual activity, drug taking, church involvement, or career direction, or they may be as simple as choices with regard to small smouldering resentments, selfishness, or a disliking of somebody that we either refuse to deal with, or deal with badly. These turning points may include many small decisions which wedge-like head a person in a new direction literally, or in attitude, belief, and obedience to God. Or they may consist of one decision only.
Whatever the size of the issue, small or big, those moments of ‘turning-point decision-making’ are moments when we need to include faith in God’s character, nature, purposes or ways, or perhaps in specific promises He has made. We need to use our faith, for without faith it will often be impossible to make the right decisions and experience God through obedience. Without faith it is clear that it is impossible to please God Heb.11:6. This means that not only does using our faith please God, but without it we are not capable of doing what will please him. Faith is what is required to safely and positively negotiate such moments in our life, that is why these turning point moments can also be seen as crises of belief – moments wherein our faith is put to the test and is either found to be adequate or wanting.
Turning Points:
Take a moment to reflect on outstanding moments of decision eg. Joshua overcoming the walls of Jericho Josh.6:1-6. Or Gideon going into battle with strange orders and only 300 men Judges 7; or even Peter retrieving a coin from a fish’s mouth Matt.17:24-27. Each of these actions involved turning points – moments of decision of some significance because of their ongoing consequence. Would they do what they were asked or not? In each of these instances, these people were asked to do God-sized things in which they would look quite ridiculous unless God could be trusted to do His part. And how many other similar situations are recorded in the Scriptures? Literally hundreds.
In each case I am sure that this awareness of the necessity for God to act was not unknown by each participant! Wouldn’t it be great to be privy to that hidden dimension in each of their lives – the arena of their internal decision-making! In the lives of each of those involved their decisions required faith in a God bigger than themselves and their own capabilities. I am sure there would have been struggle for some with conflicting thoughts and emotions, doubts and misgivings, and for others, possibly immediate acquiescence. But as they made their decision, what they believed about God was being put to the test, and ultimately their faith was about to be revealed in how they responded.
What About Us?
Now in our lives, as Christians, God asks of us, either directly or indirectly, many things which require His help, and that have ongoing consequences in our lives eg. The general command to love - even our enemies; to be forgiving, caring; or specifically deal with this or that issue in our lives, or in our relationships; or participate here, go there, share the Gospel with this or that person etc. These all involve decision making that include an awareness that for the most part the action of God will be required to help bring about what is being asked. To put it simply, to obey, our faith will need to be involved because the demands are ultimately beyond us, or beyond what we want to do or deal with. So we are put in a position to use our faith and obey, or embrace disbelief and disobey.
This way of arranging the Christian life is deliberate. We have to learn to live by faith eg. Heb.10:38 Why? A large part of the reason is that the Christian life is intended to be something that you and I cannot live without God. And faith is what makes the difference between depending on our own resources or taking us beyond them into the resources of God. You see we are a book that is to be read by all 2Cor.3:1-3. If we are obeying God, especially when it is beyond our natural ability, then they will see a letter carved by the Holy Spirit; if we are not obeying God beyond our natural abilities, then people will see a letter carved by ourselves, and not always worth reading!. Too often, when people look at us, or at our church, I am sure they would conclude that we are simply carving ourselves. They may see committed people, religious people, hopefully friendly and caring people – but do they see the handiwork of the Holy Spirit? The reason they so often do not is because too often we live the Christian life and run our churches on the basis of our own capabilities.
The amazing fact about the Christian life is that the Holy Spirit is to empower Christians Joh.14:17; Gal.5:16-18, and the power of God is intended to be seen through the way we live our lives, the priorities we have, our attitudes, actions, and decisions – we are intended to be clay that the ‘all-surpassing power of God’ is to shine through 2Cor.4:7. But often, the clay gets in the way! It is what stops the power of God being seen! I think that the truth is that we too often lack the faith to let God do God-sized things in us and through us. Hence for many there never are crises of faith; there are only decisions that require little or no faith at all. After all, what faith does it require to be as loving as my own personality or circumstances or mood allows for? Matt.6:46,47.
What faith does it take to preach, or teach, or run a youth group or teach Sunday School, if these things are within my own repertoire of talent? The truth is, none at all. It takes no faith; it requires nothing of the surpassing power of God; and will not reveal to anyone the presence and power of God in our lives.
Experiencing God:
If we want to experience God, and we want others to experience God, then we need to be making decisions that shape our lives God’s way. We need to be reading the Scriptures, listening to God and doing those things which he wants of us, especially those things which are God-sized to us – that is, which seem beyond our natural ability! Don’t be alarmed by this. You see, God-sized things are not one-size-fits-all. What is God-sized for you will be different to what is God-sized for me. For one person, there may be a period when simply getting up each morning may be God-sized due to sickness or circumstance; for another, telling a friend they have become a Christian, or sharing their faith with another is God-sized. For another, opening their wallet, or praying aloud, or having a regular quiet time is God-sized. That is, they require the power and presence of God to do them, and they reveal the power and presence of God in their lives to others.
For James, belief was a God-sized thing that only seeing Christ could provide John.20:24-28; for Peter, being willing to take the Gospel to the Gentiles was a God-sized thing Acts10. God expects His children to be involved in things that are God-sized to them. Things that we know that God wants of us, yet are beyond our strength, and perhaps even seem a little beyond our faith. Does the God-sized characterise your life? Is it there in the way you deal with your attitudes, your relationships, your service in and beyond the church? Or is your life characterised by avoiding God-sized things that you should be dealing with? Often, what we avoid, or what we will not do, is more informative than what we do! Faith is the ingredient needed to turn crises of faith into opportunities for the power and presence of God to shine through our lives.
What then can we do to influence our faith instead of failing in faith?
In general, consulting with others, prayer, reading the Scriptures, and other Christian material is helpful when making decisions. But how can we use our findings in a way which fuels faith, instead of reducing it?
An Example:
- Stop worrying about the faith you think that you do not have. Instead, use the faith that you do have, and you will be surprised with the results. Eg. Mark.9:17-27 After the transfiguration, Jesus encountered a man whose son had not been able to be helped by the disciples due to their small faith. This man struggled to believe that Jesus was capable of doing what his disciples could not, but notice that his struggle included using what faith he had by looking to Jesus to do what he asked as well as requesting that Jesus help him overcome his disbelief. Jesus answered on both parts. Jesus acted in accordance with the man’s faith, though small, by healing the boy, and in turn the answer before his eyes would have helped the man to overcome his disbelief by stimulating the growth of his faith. The lesson is obvious. Use what faith you have. God responds to the faith that you do have, so as also to inspire further faith in your life. God’s concern is that you use what faith you have, not deny it by focusing on how small it is. Or alternatively use your perspective on it as a reason for disobedience and closing the shutters down on his power and presence in your life.
- Use Scriptural truth to inspire your faith. Jesus, in His temptations brought Scripture to bear Matt.4:1-11 His use of them provide an insight into His mind. They reveal that he had been reflecting on Scripture as part of the way to deal with the onslaught of temptation to make a wrong choice. His use of them reflects the substance of his ruminations and the source of his resistance. Reflecting on the Scriptures then is obviously helpful – it not only provides wisdom, but undoubtably it inspires faith. This is supported by the fact that the Devil is said to steal the word of God from people so that they will not believe and be saved (Lk.8:11). And in Paul’s view that it is the Word that stimulates belief (Rom.10:17). So bringing Scriptures to mind when our faith feels threatened and swamped is obviously a good thing.
But that is only part of it. As Jesus explained the parable of the sower to his disciples you will note Jesus counsels not that you just listen to what he says, but ‘take care’ or consider closely ‘how’ you listen (Lk.8:18). That is, take care how you handle what I say, or treat what I say. It is obvious then that the way you use Scriptural truth, or any other truth for that matter, counts also. For example, some take a verse or Biblical truth and begin to beat away at conflicting thoughts and negative overwhelming emotion as they would attack an assailant when panicked. As a result it may be true that they force themselves to make the right decision, but in the process they simply stuff down their doubts and conflicting emotion, waiting for another day for the right spark to light it again.
Scripture used unthinkingly as a club does not inspire faith – it fuels determination, perhaps commitment, but provides no foundation to stop them ultimately foundering. My understanding is this, instead of the club approach, use truth, Scriptural or otherwise, as nourishment - as something to chew on, to reflect on, to feed ourselves with eg. Ps.1:1-3; Ps.119:103,4. This means when we bring truths to bear in the process of decision-making in faith-crisis times, we should deliberately draw out implications from them, look for inferences, taste what these truths imply or outrightly state. Include other relevant truths, anecdotal supports, faint recollections of past experiences that they prompt and begin to contest the prevailing mood or countering claims which are poisoning your faith with comprehension and an enlivened understanding.
It is understanding and comprehension that inspires faith, not just truth itself Ps.119:34. Always use truth as nourishment to your faith first, not as a club to batter faith’s assailants or your lack of faith into submission. Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Truth needs to be nourishment before it will ever be effectively used as a club in your life. Ultimately, you will be able to use relevant truths from the Scriptures etc. as clubs to down assailants that threaten to persuade you to disobey God, but only if you first use them to fuel your faith. Faith is the victory that overcomes the world, even our inner world of struggle.
So take care ‘how you listen’, for he who has will more be given, but he who has not, even what he has will be taken from him Lk.8:18. Use truth, but use it in a way that inspires faith, not as a means to stop you from using what faith you do have. Jesus’ own friends in his village of Nazareth chose to not listen well – they talked themselves out of belief the more they listened to Jesus Lk.4:22,28. They did not use truth well. Unthinking application of Scripture in times of crisis will not inspire faith. Reflection along the lines of feeding one’s faith is what will make all the difference.
Conclusion:
God speaks, and is intent on leading you as an individual, and us as a church into God-sized attitudes, character, and actions – are you willing to follow? Are you willing to deal with things that you tend to use as excuses not to comply? Are you ready to turn around decisions that reveal avoidance of God-sized things because you will not use what faith you have? I hope so. The truth is that if we only ever do what we are capable of, we are not living the Christian life – we are fooling ourselves if we think so. We have no need of faith, nor the power of God, nor God himself!
But if we are willing to live as he wants, to seek what He wants us to be involved in, and not be put off because doing so is God-sized and beyond what we are naturally capable of doing, then we will experience God, and so will others. Faith is the victory that overcomes the world, ours included 1John.5:4,5. Without faith turning point decisions will lead away from experiences of grace for ourselves and for others. With faith we will see turning point decisions lead us into God-sized experiences of grace for ourselves and others. To me the way is clear - we need to keep stimulating our faith to rise up and do what we are not sure we can do, yet know that God is calling us to. I hope you see this as clearly as I do in your personal life and in our church life.
Blessings