Diving In

Diving In

Glenn Newton 01-28-01

James 1:2-8 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,

3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance

must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If

any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding

fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt,

because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That

man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded

man, unstable in all he does.”

How many of you had a rough week this week? Everything just seemed to go the wrong

direction? Let me share a story I read this week, this guy had a rough week, I thought

maybe after hearing about his experience you might feel a little better.

read: “Man accidentally saws off hand, shoots nails into head”

I think we all had a better week than that guy.

You know what? I’m glad your here this morning! I want to share some thoughts

with you that really have encouraged me this week, and I hope they encourage you, I hope

they challenge you. God’s Word always seems to do those two things for me, it

encourages me, sometimes convicts me, but it always challenges me to action.

This morning I entitled my message, Diving In ....... and I want us to think about Faith,

What does God’s Word have to say about Faith, and do we have True Faith? Do I just

have a Religion, or do I have Faith? There’s a big difference. Were going to Dive In this

morning!

How many of you can remember that first time you climbed up on that diving

board, or whatever it was you were about to dive off of into the water, your knees were

rattling together, your first time diving head first into the water. Do any of you remember

vaguely that great event in your life? How many of you have never dove head first?

Something seized you as you stood there, in fact it was that same something that had kept

you from getting on that diving board for so long to begin with. This thing called FEAR.

It’s a paralyzer, it can immobilize us. In fact, it can keep us from diving head first, not

only into pools and rivers and such....... but this fear can keep us from diving in to LIFE, it

can keep us from Diving into our FAITH in Jesus Christ, it can keep us from really living

life the way God designed.

FEAR VS. FAITH, they just don’t work well together....... and we are going to look at

some Scripture this morning that will help reinforce that thought.

How many of you really want to just be able to Dive into Life and live it for all it’s worth?

Anybody like that? How many of you want to Dive into your Faith and let God be all that

He wants to be in your life? Any takers? I do on both of those, and I know God wants us

to.

So if we agree, that’s what we want, it sounds great, but somehow I never seem to get to

that level of living, it seems like there’s something holding me back.

This morning, before I share with you how we can move from where we are, to where

God wants to take us, I first want you to hear what God’s Word says about Faith, and

how we are to act in Faith, trusting God for the results. So listen to just a couple

passages, and apply these to your situation, to your life, ask yourself, is this true in my life

today?

First Hebrews 11:1 gives us a definition if you will for Faith, “ Now faith is being sure of

what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

Our Hope is found in Jesus and what He has done for us, and also where He is

going to take us when we leave this old world. So our Faith is being Sure of what we

have in Christ, and being certain even though we can’t physically see it.

Faith is essential to the Christian Life, listen to John 6:28-29 “ Then they asked him,

"What must we do to do the works God requires?" JN 6:29 Jesus answered, "The

work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."

That was a straitforward answer wasn’t it? What is it that God requires from us?

To believe in Christ. Period. Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God? Do you