Living a No-Regrets Life Series
Unreasonable Faith
July 5, 2009 FBC, Chester Dr. Mike Fogerson, Speaker
Introduction
A Love our self pg. 34: “In fact, loving ourselves is a biblical command. Jesus Himself said this in identifying the greatest commandments: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. The second most important is similar: Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ (Matthew 22:37-39, TLB). Most of us understand we are to love God first and that we are to love our neighbor, but we miss the last part of the message: we are to love our neighbor as much as we love ourselves. Jesus indicates that before we can really love others and make a difference in their lives, we have to first love ourselves.”
1 We’ll cover others, struggles, legacy...but first we’ve got to have our heads screwed on straight.
a Not selfish!
B For some people, their favorite day of the week is “someday.”
1 Someday, I’ll...show my spouse I love them, spend time with my kids, live for God, get my life together.
a Someday when my schedule isn’t as busy, finances are more stable.
aa Someday, one day. When...if. Wake up guys-this is life.
bb Right here, right now...while you’re hearing this sermon.
cc Someday is right now.
b God has not created us to stand around & watch life pass us by.
aa He created us to take risks & conquer the giants that paralyze us with fear.
bb Some of you flinched when I said “take risks”, let me tell you why.
cc If you take a risk, you must reliquish/surrender control/let go & simply trust in God.
c Today, we’ll learn how to take risks with our faith & how we can conquer our biggest fears that stop us from living a no-regrets life.
2 Pray
I We’ve got to take risks!
A Have you noticed when someone knows their time is short, they are more inclined to live on the edge? (Skydiving, mountain climbing, white-water rafting, bungee jumping, ride across country on a bike, etc.)
1 I’ve noticed people nearing the end of their lives facing their fears & taking risks.
a They left the safety of their surroundings, stopped worrying about what people thought (or might say) about them.
b They didn’t think about failing or wasting time...regret far outweighed either of them.
2 They made the difficult calls to estranged relatives & friends; had conversations with their kids about what mattered most.
a Asked for forgiveness for the things they regret, or for the things they felt were undone.
b Acted like a billionaire who was down to his last $100.
B We’re to be like a teenage boy named David when he stepped forward in a death match with a giant named Goliath.
1 This 12-foot-tall loudmouth had been badmouthing his God & God’s people.
a There were thousands of Israelite soldiers, King Saul...but no one made a move to shut Goliath up.
aa Why? Playing it safe. Not taking any unnecessary risks.
bb (IL) Hard work never killed anybody...but I don’t want to take any risks.
b Then Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are but a youth while he has been a warrior from his youth." 1 Sam 17:33 (NASB)
"Don’t be ridiculous!" Saul replied. "How can a kid like you fight with a man like him? You are only a boy, and he has been in the army since he was a boy!" 1 Sam 17:33 (TLB)
aa “David, that dude is going to kill you dead, rip you limb from limb, he outweighs you by 350 lbs., killed more men than you’ve met-BE REALISTIC!”
bb Saul was right! He’s got a good handle on this.
cc The army of Israel & King Saul were operating from reason...David wasn’t (he was operating from faith).
c When you operate from reason, all you see is how big your giants are; when you operate by faith all you see is how small your giants are compared to God.
aa Saul was saying, “He’s so big he’ll destroy you!”; David was saying, “He’s so big I can’t miss!”
2 The one thing that separated David from everyone else was a ridiculous faith.
a Saul & his army saw everything from the ground level, & all they saw was a giant; David was looking at God-level & the giants became real small.
b As we begin to look at life from a God-level perspective, we discover that the unrealistic, unreasonable faith that everyone else finds ridiculous is really the only reasonable way to live.
aa If you want to be pinned down by this giant, have at it. I’m going to go get my sling, a rock, & my unreasonable faith & take him down.
bb The world says, “Don’t be ridiculous, be reasonable. Don’t stand out, don’t take risks, play it safe.”
c God calls us to a life of faith, living every moment all out for Him.
aa Real living isn’t numbered by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
bb That’s why living a life of ridiculous faith is all about.
d Preacher, are you telling me to take “Vegas, baby”types of risks?
aa I believe God has created us to take risks that (not recklessly) take us out of our comfort zones, beyond our own agendas.
bb He wants us to trust Him to do incredible things we couldn’t achieve on our own.
Let’s look at some giants we must conquer to have unreasonable faith (transitional sentence).
II We’ve got to conquer some giants
A When my guys were babies, they always wanted to stand on the counter at the house.
1 I’d put them up there, & eventually they’d want down. I’d make them jump to teach them that they could trust me, I’d catch them.
a They had to jump and trust me-risk!
b Folks, risk is jumping out & trusting God to catch us, grab us in the arms of grace.
2 So often we play it safe, satisfied with the status quo & justifying our conservative approach by telling ourselves it’s what God wants.
a What if it’s not? What if He wants you to jump?
b Remember the story of the 3 servants in Matt. 25?
aa Lord leaving 3 servants 5K, 2K, 1K-two risked & doubled the money & were rewarded; one took ZERO risk!
bb He wouldn’t fail, he was always in control.
cc "But his master answered and said to him, ’You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. 27 ’Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest.28 ’Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’29 "For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.30 "Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matt 25:26-30 (NASB)
B These same giant obstacles creep up on us, too.
1 We believe if we really jump & allow God to catch & direct us, we’ll somehow be miserable.
a God has created us to fulfill a purpose, & that purpose is only manifested when we stop with our agendas & purposes.
b ...but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more. Luke 12:48 (NASB)
aa Jump, trust God
bb There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. 1 John 4:18 (NASB) God loves you & won’t drop you, let you fall...EVEN DEATH for a Christian brings victory!
2 We believe when we fail either we (or God) has done something bad/wrong (God doesn’t do wrong or bad things!)
a Every success story has a history of failure (business or Bible).
b God loves to redeem our failures, to transform our mistakes into part of His plan & our ultimate purpose.
aa David & Bathsheba (adultery, deceit, murder)-mistake!
bb Bathsheba gave birth to Solomon, & is mentioned in Jesus’ genealogy in Matt. 1:6. Jesse was the father of David the king.
David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba who had been the wife of Uriah.Matt 1:6 (NASB)
c Peter, perhaps the Bible’s greatest example of how failure isn’t fated.
aa “I’ll never deny You!”...hours later, 3x’s, one time while Jesus was looking. The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, "Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times."62 And he went out and wept bitterly. Luke 22:61-62 (NASB)
bb Peter failed... but God didn’t write him off.
cc Resurrection morning: "But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ’He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you.’ " Mark 16:7 (NASB) Don’t forget Peter. He’s still included, he’s still a disciple.
d Let me tell you 3 things I learn from Peter’s failure:
aa I’m jumping to a God of second chances.
bb I’m jumping to a God who has the power to let me begin again.
cc I’m jumping to a God who has the power to make me go faster than before.
Conclusion
A Today, we looked at how we can have an “unreasonable/unrealistic faith”.
1 Take risks
2 Overcome giants that stop us from taking risks.
B We must jump today.
1 Preacher, I want to engage with my kids, but I’m worn out; work on my marriage, but I don’t have the energy.
a God, I give up, I can’t do it!
b Finally, I’ve been waiting for that. Now I can get involved & give you My power & strength.
2 And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. Luke 9:23 (NASB)
a We’ve been satisfying, not denying ourselves!
b Once we give up, we get in the crosshairs of the abundant no-regret life He’s called us to.
C (IL)
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Respectfully,
Mike Fogerson
