December 30

Positive Acts of Faith

December 30, 2007 Rev. William “Buck” Day

We want to turn to scripture now. We want to turn to the book of Joshua. So I invite you to follow along as it is on the screen in front of us and we will be reading from the third chapter of Joshua.

(Joshua 3:7-13)

The word of God for us this morning:

And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. Tell the priests who carry the Ark of the Covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’”

Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God. This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. See, the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you. Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. And as soon as the priests who carry the Ark of the Lord – the Lord of all the earth – set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.”

The word of the Lord for us this day.

Thanks be to God!

Let’s pray:

Mighty and holy God, we thank you. We thank you that you are here. We thank you that you are among us; and Lord you are among us not just as the babe in the manger, but as the risen savior of all and we are your people. So speak to us this day, we ask in Christ’s name. Amen

Well, Indie’s in trouble again. Our hero, Indiana Jones, has the guns of the Nazis pointed at him, his father has been shot and if he wants his father to live he’s going to have to work his way through a maze to find the golden chalice, the cup that supposedly was used by Christ at the Last Supper. It is guarded by warriors from the Crusades. Two local men had already lost their heads, literally, trying to get through the maze. So Indie is off to try to find the water and save his father. This is the climax to the movie that many of us probably have seen, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. We know the ending, don’t we? Indiana saves his father, the bad guys get killed and the chalice is lost forever. But there is a scene in this that underscores what I want to talk about today. The last step of the maze before he enters into the chamber that is guarded, there is a large deep ravine that he needs to cross and there appears to be no way to cross. His only clue is that he must have great faith in this next step. So after much thought, Indiana kind of goosesteps out into the ravine, not sure what will happen next; but he is trusting that something or someone will come through to help him. And in perfect Hollywood fashion, it does, right? It does. There is a mirror lined bridge and he steps into it, he is safe, he goes and gets the cup and the water, and so on.

Indiana Jones had a positive act of faith. He trusted that something or someone would come through to help him. A positive act of faith for us is anything that gives us an opportunity for God to come through. And, isn’t that what faith is really all about when it comes right down to it? Hebrews 11 tells us that it is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. Faith starts by trusting that God will come through because He loves us apart from anything that we can do to try and earn that love. Our faith, or lack of it, will rise or fall as a direct result of how we respond to positive acts of faith in our lives. Positive acts of faith, for the most part, come as choices that we have to make. Anybody here ever have a choice to make? Anybody ever wonder what might be the best road to take? Wonder what might God’s will be for me in this situation?

Positive acts of faith begin with a choice. I think it is also a discipline that can be learned and grown over time, as well. So what I want us to do today is look at one person who I think who knew all about positive acts of faith, and that was Joshua. Joshua was no stranger to God’s acts of love on behalf of the nation of Israel. Joshua saw God at work when he was leading the battle against the Amalekites in Exodus 17, and he was on the mountain with Moses when Moses received the Ten Commandments. He was Moses’ assistant and was well acquainted with God’s work. He was chosen by God to lead the people into the Promised Land after Moses had disobeyed God, and, so by the time we get to the book of Joshua, he knows he’s the man. He knows he’s the one. So, in the first chapter the Lord begins to speak to Joshua just as he had spoken to Moses; and He said, “You’re the one who is going to lead my people across the Jordan River and into the Promised Land now.” Now Joshua had seen positive acts of faith with Moses but this is the first time that he has had to step out in his own act of faith. He knows that the nation of Israel is to cross the river but at that point he doesn’t know how. He doesn’t know how that’s going to happen. So he begins to prepare the people of Israel and he gives them instructions by saying “follow the Ark of the Covenant as it heads for the water and purify yourselves as we get ready to do this.” So when the day arrives, he gives the marching orders to the water. And off they go. At this point in the text there is nothing that is said by God to Joshua how that is going to happen. Just, “Go. Go do it.” He doesn’t know what the Lord is going to do here. He’s not sure of the hows or whys, only that God would in fact respond. That is what God does, exactly; and that is what we read in our scripture today. God does respond only it is no Hollywood magic show this time. The Lord tells Joshua to tell the priests who are carrying the Ark of the Covenant when they get to the water, step into the water and then stop. At that point the water will be cut off. God did not say to Joshua “You are going the wrong way” but rather He confirms what Joshua has started and gives further instructions, saying “when the priests hit the water, have them stop.” Joshua has been acting on what God has been telling him, trusting that God would come through; and God does, doesn’t He? The priests’ feet hit the water, they stop, the water flowing downstream keeps going, the water upstream is held and guess what? – dry ground. Across the river they go and into the Promised Land.

Joshua experienced lots of positive acts of faith, first with Moses, and then on his own. It built that kind of confident assurance that is talked about in Hebrews. It is something that he grew into and so he began to feel more and more comfortable as he lead the people of Israel as they took over the Promised Land.

Well, what can we pull from that story that will help us develop positive acts of faith as we walk through our lives? I think one of the things that comes out of this story is understanding that God was speaking to Joshua. He was having a direct conversation with Joshua just as he had had with Moses. So I think it was not too much of a stretch to say positive acts of faith begin with the Lord speaking to you. Now, I don’t know about you, maybe I should ask for a show of hands, maybe I shouldn’t, how many of you have had a direct audible conversation with God? Alright. Good. Good. I think God can speak that way. These folks are testament to that. I think that is the exception rather than the rule in most cases; but having said that, we must also understand that God does speak to us everyday, every one of us. God speaks to you. God speaks to me. The God of the universe is not silent. He speaks to us in many ways. However, I think a lot of us miss what He has to say to us because we don’t listen very well. I think our lives are filled with all kinds of voices both those inside our head and those that come from outside. Those voices make us anxious or unsure, not quite trusting what God would have for us when we think God might be talking to us. I think as a result we are a restless people on whole and we are tossed around all too frequently by what’s going on in our world by the current trend. So I think we have a hard time quieting our hearts and minds to hear that still small voice of the Lord. Using Elijah’s words, he says, “God’s not in the fire or the earthquake or the wind. God’s voice is in the still small voice.” Well I think that fire and that earthquake and that wind many times are those things that are the voices that kind of churn up our lives. Voices like fear, like judgment, like self-hatred and accusation, power, physical gratification and even acquisition. Those voices, I think, in effect create a block so that we can’t hear what God would say to us, because God is speaking consistently, persistently, quietly.

So if we are going to hear what God is saying to us I think it requires quieting our hearts and our minds, finding if not places of solitude at least we need periods of solitude where we can just listen to what God is saying to us. As we take time to listen to what God is saying to us that begins the starting point for positive acts of faith, hearing what God is saying to us. Then after we have heard what God says, then we must be obedient to what God is saying to us. We must act on what we are hearing. Joshua knew what God was saying to him and so he steps out in obedience. He didn’t know the details of bringing the people into the Promised Land, only that they were going. So Joshua stepped out; he stepped out in the only way that he knew to step out and that was that God was always the one who led. He knew of God leading with the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night and he knew that the Ark of the Covenant was the place where God’s presence was and where they met to talk to God. So God and the Ark must lead the people towards the river. So that’s what he does. He steps out by that. That’s his step of obedience, stepping out on what he knows. Joshua is being obedient. He doesn’t know at this point if he’s moving in the right direction but he steps out and he tells the people to head toward the river. In doing that he is trusting that God will do something while they are acting in obedience. That’s a key piece, that God will do something while they are acting in obedience.

Positive acts of faith, after stepping out in obedience, is that next step, trusting that God will come through. Joshua and the people had shown their faith; they had stepped out, that confident assurance as they headed towards the river. We too need that same kind of faith. When we’ve heard God’s voice we must then in faith act on it, what God has told us to do. In the book, His in a Life of Prayer, Norman Harrison relays a story, a story of a godly and devout sea captain and an experience he had with George Mueller of Bristol, England. They had encountered a very dense fog on a transatlantic ocean trip. It was so dense in fact that the captain was on the bridge for twenty-four hours straight. It was at that point that George Mueller came in and said to the captain, “Captain, I have to tell you that I need to be in Quebec on Saturday afternoon.” When he was informed that that would be impossible, he said “Very well. If the ship cannot take me, God will find another way, for I have never broken an engagement in fifty-seven years. Let’s go down to the chart room and pray.” The captain I’m sure was wondering what asylum this guy had escaped from and how he ended up on his ship. He said to George, “Don’t you know how dense the fog is?” To which George replied, “My eye is not on the density of the fog but on the living God who controls every circumstance of my life.” With that he knelt down and he prayed a simple prayer. When he finished the captain was going to pray and George put his hand on the shoulder of the captain and said, “Don’t pray. You don’t need to. You don’t need to because first, you don’t believe that God will; and secondly I believe God has and there is no more need to pray about it.” The captain looked at him and George continued “Captain, I have known my Lord for fifty-seven years and there has never been a single day that I have failed to get an audience with the King. Get up and open the door and you will see that the fog is gone.” The captain opened the door and, indeed, the fog was gone; and George was in Quebec for his Saturday engagement. God will act when we step out after we have heard what He has said for us.

Positive acts of faith happen when God speaks to you, when you act on what you have heard, and then you trust God to follow through on your action. God will follow through in two ways, typically. He will either confirm what you have done so far or he will redirect you to a new place. In Joshua’s case, it was to confirm what he was doing and what he had already done. They were marching towards the water not sure how God was going to act, only that God would. It wasn’t until they were on their way that God in fact did act. God acted by telling Joshua, “Here is what I want you to do with the priests: when their feet hit the water, stop.” So in effect what God was saying to Joshua is “Joshua you are on the right track, keep going, let me open another door for you.” That door was the priests’ feet hitting the water. God reveals His power when we step out or in this case, step in, faith. But when we step out, how do we know which way we are stepping? How do we know if it is the right direction? We are human and I think we would all confess that probably our hearing of God’s voice isn’t what it could be; and it is at that point then that God will redirect our steps if we step in the wrong direction. When we step out and we realize, “Oh no. I’m going the wrong way.” Our first thought typically is “I’ve screwed up. Now what is God going to do?” But I think that is not how God thinks about it at all. I think God is looking at it and saying “You are making a statement of faith. You are stepping out. You are acting on what I told you, even if it is the wrong direction that is O.K.” I think most people when they hear God’s voice they never step out because they are afraid that they are going to step in the wrong direction, so they don’t step at all. I think that is the last thing that God desires for us. I think God would rather have us step in the wrong direction in obedience than not step at all. For God knows that when we respond to His voice, even if it is the wrong direction, we are trusting. We are being obedient. We are trying to live out that full assurance of Hebrews. So as we move out in faith we are to listen for God’s confirmation or redirection as we step out.

Almost, I think, probably ten years ago now, probably a little over actually, I believed that God wanted me to return to full-time ministry. God had spoken to me and said “You know Buck, it is time to leave the business world and I want you to go back to the ministry that I called you to originally.” It was the spring of the year and I had sent my resume out to three different churches for positions that I was qualified for at that point – it was a youth pastor position; three churches I knew I had experience for, I knew I could do, it would be a no-brainer, I should be able to land one of these three. Well by the time I got to September I had been shot down at all three churches. I was seriously concerned about my spiritual hearing at that point. I was wondering if I in fact had even heard God at all. So I was going through a list of church openings and I found one in the south metro and I sent my resume to them. I received a phone call from the pastor. The first thing he asked me was did I know it was only a part-time job? Well you could almost hear the audible groan as I said, “No.” Then he asked the next question as if he already knew the answer, he said, “Are you still interested?” I told him, “Well it was not my first choice but I would at least sit down with you and talk about it with you.” At that point I thought “God what are you doing? What are you doing? I mean, how am I supposed to support my family on a part-time job? I mean you are the one who told me you wanted me to go back to full-time ministry, what’s the deal? All I have is a part-time job.” You see I think what was happening then was that God was redirecting me to something that I needed before I was ready for a position of a youth pastor like the one I applied for or the kind of position I have now. Those eighteen months I spent in Shakopee allowed me to kind of feel my way back into ministry. It allowed me to knock the rust off some long forgotten ministry skills that I used previously. I think that time was also a chance for me to become a little bit more humble and a little more reliant on God. I stepped out as God spoke to me, but I didn’t exactly step in the right direction. So He redirected me to the place I needed to go for that period of time.

A positive act of faith starts with us hearing God’s voice, stepping out in that and then trusting that God will confirm or redirect those steps. A positive act of faith is both the Creator and the created working together for the good of God’s kingdom. Perhaps you’ve heard the old adage that following God is like God gives us the row boat and the oars and all we have to do is row, perhaps you have heard that. I think living out positive acts of faith is probably more akin to wind surfing, because any good wind surfer will tell you the key to wind surfing is…wind. Wind, that’s right because if there is no wind, there’s no sailing. God’s voice is the wind; and even if there is wind, the wind surfer has to be able to read that wind, don’t they? Then they have to be able to have the mechanics down of wind surfing to be able to maximize that wind. Positive acts of faith are all about maximizing God’s call in our lives through faith. Positive acts of faith put down deep roots in our lives that will support us through the ups and downs of life. It is in those places where we get to see God as active and moving in our lives in significant ways. So my question for you is, is there a decision that is hanging out there for you that you have to consider? (….in the church, the Christmas tree lights blink several times…) It’s a signal. It’s a signal. (Laughter) Is there a decision? Maybe, is God calling you to something? Are you wondering what the next step is for you, maybe in your career, or something like that? I invite you try a positive act of faith.

Let’s pray:

Lord you are good. You are so very, very good. Lord, we ask that as we start this new year, that you would take us to a place where we would hear clearly what you have for us; that we would have the courage to step out in that, knowing Lord that we do not step out alone, but you are right there with us. In fact, you are leading the way. So Lord, help us to grow in our faith in this year. Lord we ask that because you are our Lord, you are our King, and we love you. In your name. Amen.