I began this teaching yesterday, so if you've not read part 1 I'd suggest you do so before this post. This is about our journey of faith and the commitment we bring to it. Yesterday I ended with this comment:
the point: "Faith is"… Faith is active, action, now oriented… you
don’t turn it on or off, it “is”.
Now we'll continue on with the rest of this:
What Is A Faith Commitment?
Let’s be clear about this idea of Commitment when it
comes to Faith.
1. A Faith
Commitment does not mean we’ll never fail.
Matthew 14:23-32 (ESV)
23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,
24 but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them.
25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea.
26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear.
27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”
29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.
30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.”
31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.
23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,
24 but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them.
25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea.
26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear.
27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”
29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.
30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.”
31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.
Peter asked Jesus to be able to come to him…and Jesus
invites him to come.
What happened to Peter is that he “saw the wind” and
“became afraid”.
Jesus’ question was to help him see that if his Faith was stronger than his Fears,
he would not have sunk.
My daughter has a friend going through some challenging times, and she told me she woke in the middle of the night with a sense of worry and fear about what might happen. Then she heard God saying within, “I am not
afraid”.
BUT, did Peter fail?
Did his failure destroy his Faith? No...not at all.
Failure
is not an event, but rather our judgment of an event. Failure is not something we have to live as a
label on us…it is a label we put on ourselves apart from Faith Commitment.
Jonas Salk developed the
polio vaccine. Did you know that he
tried 200 times to create it before he found the successful one?
He was asked how he felt in
failing 200 times. You know what he
said? “I didn’t fail two hundred times…I
discovered 200 ways how not to create a Polio Vaccine.”
Winston Churchill is one of
my heroes. He was a courageous leader
who stood up to the Nazi’s and Hitler when everyone else was caving in.
He was asked what it was
that made him a great leader…and you know what he said: “It was the time I had to repeat a grade in
elementary school.”
The interviewer asked: “You mean you failed a grade in school?” Churchill answered him: “I didn’t fail, I got
a second opportunity to get it right.”
Failure doesn’t define us, if we have Faith that God is
at work in us.
I’ve heard people say that something didn’t happen
because they don’t have faith, or they don’t have enough faith…That’s nonsense.
Faith is what we commit ourselves
to even when others don’t.
Peter
walked out onto the water…but the other 11 disciples didn’t.
Who
failed? Who didn’t exercise Faith?
There were 11 people who sat passively and quietly
watched someone else exercise their Faith…and even though Peter failed and it
was public, no one else could ever say… “I once stood on water.”
And, only Peter knew the glory of Jesus lifting him up.
We need a generation of Men who are people of Commitment
and Faith…even though they may fail.
I believe Jesus is looking for Enochs and Peters…people
who will step out and say “whatever the cost, I will follow you…” and when you
fail, you get up and go on with the same resolve.
Enoch makes a commitment because he sees the times ahead
and knows that things aren’t getting better, they are getting worse…and Faith
Commitments are the only thing that will make a difference in my family.
2. Our
Faith cannot be SOMETHING we turn on and turn off…It can’t be SOMETIMES, if it
is to be “Faith Is…”
Otherwise it is just a religious thing.
I
appeal especially to you Men… Husbands, Fathers… and I don’t appeal to you to
omit Wives and Moms…but what Enoch’s commitment shows is that we need that
awareness that we are people who let our children know what Faith is all about.
As a man, a husband, the greatest act of Faith is to
love my Wife, to be true to her, to live with respect and honor her.
As a man, a father, the greatest act of Faith is to love
my kids and let them know that I want them to grow up to become men and women
of faith.
Does it mean we’ll never have difficulties?
NO…
3. We
have an Enemy – Satan – Who will oppose our Faith in every area of life
I know this guy who took
his girlfriend out on a long walk in the country side and he had it planned
that when he got to this romantic spot overlooking the countryside he was going
to get down on his knees and propose to her.
The problem was that when
he got to the spot, everywhere he turned the Cows had deposited piles and piles
of dung. There was no kneeling, but they
laughed as he explained to her what he wanted to do.
She said, yes, and later
they shared that the image of trying to build a marriage and make a commitment
to God and to each other was a lot like that romantic vista full of cow dung.
Here’s a couple of things I’d suggest as starters:
1. Realize
that Our Faith and Commitment to Jesus is Eternally Important, no matter
what!
2. Realize
that Our Faith Gives Us the Ability to Choose Commitment to Christ over
Selfishness/Individualism
3. Set
the Bar High, not low.
I didn’t want my kids to grow up as religious people; I
wanted to grow up and follow Jesus.
I told them they were Children of God, that Jesus was
their Savior and Lord, and that they should follow him no matter what the cost.
That means I had to set the bar high for myself to. It’s not that I was perfect, Linda and my
kids could tell you I wasn’t, but it’s not about perfection, it’s about
heart…what you desire, reach for, and want them to see.
Kids need Parents of Committed Faith.
Genesis 5:24
(ESV)
24 Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.
24 Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.
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