FAITH IS AN ACTION WORD

As a young boy in school, if I needed to understand what a word meant, I was encouraged by my parents and teachers to "look it up in the dictionary".  Today we usually turn to the internet.  Wikipedia or Google can tell you anything you want to know, right?

Well, according to the internet, FAITH is defined as follows:

"A belief not based on proof". 

The writer of Hebrews must have somehow known this "definition" was coming.  Perhaps faith was being questioned in that day and time as it is today.  Because of that, he begins his  discourse regarding faith in Hebrews chapter 11 with this statement:

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen".  Heb. 11: 1

More definitions:

Substance = material, the essential part of something

Example:  When my uncle Dick, who was a carpenter, started building a house, he would make up a list of "materials".  He listed 2 x 4's, 2 x 12's, squares of roofing, 4 x 8 plywood, bricks and blocks.  All materials he would need to construct this structure. The substance was what the house was made of.

When my aunt Grace would make those fantastic fruit cakes that she made for Christmas, she would get her materials together.  She would have apples, oranges, nuts, milk, flour and all sorts of stuff to make her cake. The substance of the cake was the combination of the materials, all essential parts of the whole.

Evidence=fact, proof, confirmation

Example:  In a court of law each attorney will present pieces of evidence to the court in order to "prove"  or confirm the facts they are trying to establish. A bullet fragment, a finger print, a gun, a knife, DNA are all examples of "evidence",

So this "unproved belief" that the internet speaks of is actually "essential material, facts that can be observed".

In Chilton County we would say "It's real stuff that we can see". 

We usually don't think of faith in that light, do we?  Faith is considered as some mystic, way out there, other-worldly, spiritual.....something.  But can I share Paul's take on this with you?  Read his words in Hebrews chapter 11.  Over 25 times in this chapter we are given examples, evidence if you will, of what faith DID.  Over and over we read "By faith ________ did this or that". 

I propose to you that faith is not some "mystic fog floating around in the atmosphere of our souls".  FAITH IS AN ACTION WORD. If you have faith others should know it by the way you live and by what you DO. 

To often we want others to just accept our testimony that "I believe God" without the "evidence" to prove that statement.

• If you have faith that God heals you.  Act healed until you are.
• If you have faith that God will provide for your financial problems, act like He has.
• If you have faith that you have repented, walk daily in that repentance.
• If you believe that you are an "overcomer" face the world like you have overcome.
• If you believe that this is God's church served Him like it is.

What I'm saying is that people should be able to "see" your faith. Your faith should be full of substance and evidenced by how you live and what you do. 

Don't drag your weary body into the sanctuary, plop yourself down in your "spot" and moan about your hard week, sick body, poor financial status, doubts and fears and then as an epilogue proclaim for all to hear "I have faith brothers and sisters that God will bring me through".  IF YOU HAVE FAITH LIVE LIKE YOU HAVE FAITH.

"Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in Heaven".  Matthew 5: 16

I have often said the reason our neighbors, friends, co-workers and family don't want to be Christians is because they have never seen one in ACTION.  Take a look at the life you are living.  Take a look at how you behave each day. Look at what others "see" in you. My prayer for you and for me today is that our faith will be the substantial evidence that proves our undeniable faith. 

I'D DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN

I read a statement recently which said, “Christ challenges us to REEXAMINE our preconceptions”.  I hate big words that I don’t understand and don’t use on a daily basis.  I don’t use the word “preconceptions” many conversations.  So I had to look it up.

PRECONCEPTIONS means:  “an idea or opinion that someone has before learning about or experiencing something directly”.  In Chilton County terms it means: “Thinking we know what something is all about before we actually know what it’s about”

Let me give an illustration.  If you can remember that far back, what did you think marriage was going to be like when you were a teen-ager or a pre-teen?  (Loving and teasing and flirting?  Going out to movies or out to eat every week?  Hanging out with friends and enjoying life?  Making lots of money and having a big house and a nice car and beautiful, non-problematic children?)

 How many of you know NOW, after being married for a few years ,that statement  is nothing at all what marriage is really about?

That idea, that notion, that dream was a PRECONCEPTION.  You know now that marriage is not about all that stuff.  There is much more to marriage than just being on a “long date”. 

 It is for that reason that you hear many people, who after several years of marriage, decide to get “REMARRIED”.  They have a ceremony, a wedding, a reception, a cake and all the other stuff so they can state to each other and to all who might be interested, “I truly love this person.  I understand what marriage is all about and I want to spend the rest of my life with them”. 

They call it “renewing their wedding vows”.  And it’s not a bad idea because if after you have truly learned all the good stuff AND the bad stuff about a person and still want to spend the rest of your life with them…..that’s love.  You are then making your decision from the FACTS and not FEELINGS.

I read a story about the Kohinoor diamond.  I won’t bore you with all the details of this magnificent diamond.  If you are interested you can go online and find out how this diamond was first discovered and how it was passed from hand to hand, stolen, reclaimed and finally given as a gift.  But I want to tell you a story about this diamond that will help us understand the idea of REEXAMINING our decisions. 

 The Kohinoor diamond was first mentioned as far back as the early 1300’s.  It was owned by several Maharajahs’ from India.  Several times it was stolen or taken in conflicts by various kings or maharajahs’.

According to one of the stories about this diamond, one very young Maharajah who came into possession of this diamond visited Queen Victoria of England. At that time India was under the control and rule of England. 

In order to impress and honor the Queen, this young boy, this young Maharajah, presented this very valuable diamond to Queen Victoria as a gift. 

Many years later, after the young maharajah had grown into a man, he once again came to visit Queen Victoria.  The maharajah made a strange request of the Queen.  As he sat with her and as they spoke he asked if she would give him the diamond. 

The Queen ordered the diamond brought to the chamber and handed it to the Indian king.  After holding it and admiring its’ beauty, the king said:  “Your Majesty, I gave you this jewel when I was a child, too young to know what I was doing.  I want to give it to you again in the fullness of my strength, with all my heart and affection and gratitude, now and forever, fully realizing all that I do”. 

This king realized that at one time he made a choice but really didn’t know the extent of his choice.  But now that he did understand he wanted to reexamine his choice and make it “with all his heart”.  He wanted to “renew his vows”. 

Just like a couple who decides to “renew” their wedding vows and just like this maharajah who wanted to “renew” his gift to the Queen, we as Christians might just want to “rethink or reexamine” our decision to be a Christian.

Some of you might just have to admit that when you were saved, especially if you were saved as a young child or a teen, that you didn’t know what “being a Christian” was all about.  You thought it was always going to be exciting and good things happening to you and everyone would admire you for your Christian stand.  If you will be honest, you will have to admit that you just might have gotten caught up in the FEELINGS of being a Christian and not the FACTS.

I have told this true story often, it is about an experience that I had as a teen.  Our young pastor, Rev. Bob Say, who is in heaven now, convinced the High School to allow him to use the gym at the school for a revival.  (Can you imagine that happening in this day and time?)  We gathered teens from various churches and those teens met and prayed and the event which we called “God’s Rebellion” got underway. 

The first night, about 40-50 teens sat around on the gym floor and listened to a teen quartet sing and our young pastor preach his heart out to them.  They saw his love and compassion for them and several of them responded.  Some of those who responded were popular people in our school.  The quarterback for the football team came forward and gave his heart to God and accepted the call to preach. 

Over the next few days the word about “God’s Rebellion” got around the school.  It spread like wild fire.  Each night more and more teens and their parents came to hear the music and hear this young man preach. (Honestly, the singing and preaching was not that great but the love and sincerity was overwhelming.   

Every night more and more teens came forward to give their hearts to Christ. It was exciting.  It was popular.  It was the thing to do. 

But you know what happened to most of those who came forward that week don’t you?  Most of them, if you could see them now and know how their lives have turned out, are not Christians.  For most of them the excitement and FEELING quickly went away and was replaced by other things.

Can we make an application here from these stories?  How long has it been since you took a look back at where your life use to be?  How long since you “reexamined” your relationship with Jesus?  How long since you looked at where you were and where you are now? 

I am totally convinced that this stuff of being a Christian and following Christ is not a quick “buzz” feeling.  It must be more than that.   Our relationship with God must be based on FACTS.

Sure there will be feelings, thank God for being able to feel His Spirit in my soul each day.  Thank God for the times when His presence floods through my heart.  I love to be in church services where the Spirit of God moves and people are responding to God and hands are raised and you hear the “amens and praise Gods” .  I love to hear the quiver in the voices of those touched by His Spirit.  There are even times during the day that I just have to stop and praise Him and thank Him for his goodness to me.  FEELINGS are great.

But if that feeling wasn’t there.  If I could not feel Him working in my life……the FACTS are there.  I’ve confessed my sins to Him as He commanded.  I have made that outward, public expression of the things that happened in my life and I am walking in REPENTANCE, going the opposite direction from what I use to go. 

Can I ask you to do something this morning?  Will you find a place and time today to “reexamine your relationship with God?”   Will you “reevaluate” you decision to be a Christian?  Will you tell God like the maharaja that “I want to give it to you again in the fullness of my strength, with all my heart and affection and gratitude, now and forever, fully realizing all that I do”? 

I know I don’t have to do that.  I know that He saves me right now, but I just want to stop and “Do it all over again”.