In one little Midwestern town, Miss Jones had the distinction of being the oldest resident in town. So when she died, the editor of the local paper wanted to print a little article remembering this dear old lady. Except he couldn’t think of anything to say when he sat down to write the article. Miss Jones had never done anything terribly wrong. She had never spent a night in jail or had ever been drunk. On the other hand, she had never done anything significant.
With this still on his mind, the editor went down to the local café, and there, ran into the local funeral director. He too was having the same trouble. He wanted to put something on Miss Jones’ tombstone besides “Miss Nancy Jones, born such-and-such a date and died such-and-such a date,” but he couldn’t think of anything to write either.
The editor decided to go back to his office and assign the job of writing up a small article for both the paper and the tombstone to the first reporter he saw. When he got to the office, he ran into the sports editor, who got the assignment. So somewhere in some little community in the Midwest there is a tombstone which reads:
Here lie the bones of Nancy Jones,
For her life held no terrors.
She lived an old maid. She died an old maid.
No hits, no runs, no errors. (C. C. Mitchell, Let’s Live!)
I’m afraid to say, “That’s the way many Christians live their lives.” They’ve never done anything terribly wrong, but they never accomplish anything significant for the Lord.
Peter Marshal, former Chaplain of the United States Senate, put it this way some time ago: He said, “Christians [today] are like deep-sea divers encased in suits designed for many fathoms deep, marching bravely forth to pull plugs out of bathtubs.”
A lot of believers are afraid to take risks. They are afraid to get into some deep water. And yet they have a faith which equips them for deep water. They have a faith which encourages them to take great risks and attempt great things for God.
Do you want to see what your faith in Christ can do? Then I invite you to turn with me to Hebrews 11, Hebrews 11, where we read about some believers who took great risks and accomplished great things for God.
Hebrews 11:23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. (ESV)
Pharaoh had decreed that every new-born Hebrew boy be thrown into the river. Yet, when Moses was born, his parents refused to do it. They disobeyed the king’s edict, hiding baby Moses for three months. That’s because they feared God more than any person. They respected the Lord, and it gave them the courage to do what was right even if it meant certain death.
That’s what faith is all about, my friends, and by faith you can do the same thing. By faith, you can be bold to obey God even if others don’t like it.
Peter Cartwright was a 19th Century circuit-riding, Methodist preacher, who was not afraid to tell it like it is. On one particular Sunday, before the service, he was told, “President Andrew Jackson in here; be careful what you say.”
So when Cartwright stood to preach he said, “I understand that Andrew Jackson is here. I have been requested to be guarded in my remarks. Andrew Jackson will go to hell if he doesn’t repent.”
The congregation was shocked and wondered how the president would respond. After the service, President Jackson shook hands with Peter Cartwright and said, “Sir, if I had a regiment of men like you, I could whip the world.” (Leadership, Winter 1991, p.49) You see…
Peter Cartwright feared God more than he feared any man. In fact, it was his fear of God that gave him the courage to stand up to any man, even those in positions of great power. And that’s what you faith in Christ does for you. It gives you the courage to obey God even when others might be offended. So dear believing friend, put your faith to work and…
FEAR GOD MORE THAN YOU FEAR ANYBODY ELSE.
By faith, be bold to obey God despite what your friends might say. By faith, have the courage to do what’s right even if the whole world is doing what’s wrong. Take a risk, and take a stand for Christ in the way you live your life day in and day out.
There are a lot of metaphors for the church these days. Some see it as a hospital to heal the sick and wounded. Some see it as a family where everyone is accepted, and some see it as a school where we are taught the word of God. These metaphors all have something to offer, but they don’t really capture the essence of what Christ designed the church to be.
Jesus said, “I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). In other words, Jesus sees the church as “an army that engages and defeats the enemy to see the Kingdom of God advance.”
I like the way songwriter and worship leader, Brian Doerksen, puts it. He says, “Becoming a worshipper means becoming a warrior… And by toning that down… we have sent men and women away from the church in droves. It's time to call them back,” Doerksen says, “as worshiping warriors.” That is as “warriors who are surrendered to God, warriors who know that their authority comes because they are under authority, warriors willing to wait even when everyone else is rushing ahead, or [warriors willing to] act decisively… in obedience” to their commanding officer, Jesus Christ, even when everybody else is lagging behind in disobedience. (Brian Doerksen, Make Love, David C. Cook, 2009; www.PreachingToday.com)
Young person, that means you choose to remain pure even if it means losing your boyfriend or girlfriend. Businessman, that means you choose to operate your business with absolute integrity even if it means losing a customer or two. All of us, that means you choose to obey Christ no matter what anybody else says or thinks about us.
We are NOT vacationers on a cruise ship waiting to be coddled and pampered. We are warriors on a battleship going to war against the enemy of our souls and every soul on this planet.
So quit sitting around, afraid you’re going to lose the luxury of a comfortable life. Instead, by faith, get off your duff and get busy for God. By faith, do what your Commanding Officer is asking you to do. By faith, fear God more than anybody else. Then by faith…
FORSAKE THE WORLD.
By faith, turn away from its passing pleasures. By faith, give up its wealth and fame even if it means criticism and mistreatment. That’s what Moses did.
Hebrews 11:24-27 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. (ESV)
Moses could have had it all. After all, he was the adopted son of Pharaoh’s daughter. Unimaginable wealth and power awaited him in Egypt, but he forsook it all to be mistreated with the people of God. Why? It’s because his eyes were on a bigger prize. His eyes were on the invisible Lord God Himself, and he valued that relationship more than anything else.
By faith, Moses left Egypt, and by faith, you can do the same thing, as well. By faith, you can forsake anything this world has to offer for a closer walk with our Lord Jesus Christ.
At age 26, Ken Elzinga joined the faculty of the University of Virginia. A tenured colleague warned him that being explicit about his faith would hinder his career. After that, Elzinga was stunned to see a flier with his face on it placed at a prominent campus location. A campus ministry had posted it to advertise a talk he had agreed to give.
At the time, Elzinga was a fairly new believer, and he worried about what his colleagues would think of him. Might this harm his chances for tenure? He agonized over what he should do, returning to campus that night and secretly taking the poster down. But the next morning, Elzinga put the poster back up. After hours of soul-searching, he concluded that his life was not about career ambition but about faithful discipleship, and that being private about his faith was not an option.
In the four decades since, Elzinga has been named professor of the year multiple times and is still a speaker in high demand. He will be the first to say that serving only one master has been liberating. Why? Because pleasing an audience of one makes [you] less anxious, less sensitive to criticism, and more courageous… [You] become more secure and compete less for [your] honor. (Alec Hill, "The Most Troubling Parable," Christianity Today, July/August 2014; www.PreachingToday.com)
You have a choice. You can pursue the accolades of this world, or the affirmation of God. You can’t do both. Jesus made it very clear: “You cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:24). What will it be for you?
I urge you, dear friends, by faith, make the right choice. Take a risk! And by faith, choose to fear God more than any man or woman. By faith, choose to forsake the world. Then by faith, choose to…
FOLLOW THE LORD TO VICTORY.
By faith, choose to believe God enough to obey Him. By faith, trust Him enough to do what He says. That’s what Moses and the Israelites did.
Hebrews 11:28 By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them. (ESV)
While they were still in Egypt, God told the Israelites to sprinkle the blood of a lamb on the posts of their doorways. The death angel was about to come and kill every first born male in every house in Egypt, but anyone who stood under the blood of the lamb would be spared. So that’s what Israel did in obedience to God. They stood under the blood of a lamb, and God not only delivered them from death; God also delivered them from Egypt.
1500 years later, God Himself sprinkled the blood of His Lamb on two wooden posts. Those posts formed a cross on which Jesus died in our place so we wouldn’t have to. Jesus was “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). Now, all God asks of you is that you, by faith, stand under the cross. By faith, depend on what Jesus did for you there, and so find deliverance not only from death, but also from this world’s grip on your passions.
Through the blood of a lamb, God delivered Israel from death AND from Egypt. Pharaoh, who had enslaved them for nearly 400 years, now ordered them out of the country, but their troubles were far from over. After Israel fled Egypt, Pharaoh thought about all the slaves he let go – over 2 million. So he changed his mind and came after them with his entire army.
That’s when Israel found herself backed right up to the Red Sea. There was a mountain to her right, a mountain to her left, and the Egyptian army out front closing off any way of escape. Then God told them, “Cross through the sea,” and that’s exactly what they did!
Hebrews 11:29 By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned. (ESV)
Exodus 14 says Moses raised his staff, God divided the waters, and Israel went through the sea on dry ground with a wall of water on their right and on their left.
Well, the Egyptian army saw this and thought, “We can do it too!” So they gave it a try only to find themselves in way over their heads. They couldn’t do what God’s people did, because they didn’t have the faith; they didn’t believe God.
You see, your faith as a believer in Christ allows you to do what others cannot do. You can follow the Lord to victory; unbelievers cannot even if they try to do everything the believer does.
So when you’re talking to people, who don’t know Jesus yet, don’t talk to them about trying to live a better life; don’t talk to them about giving up their bad habits; don’t talk to them about doing good things, because it just won’t work. Instead, point them to Jesus and talk about their need to trust Him!
Maybe you’re one of those people. You’ve tried everything Christians do to become a better person, but none of it is working. You’ve tried going to church. You’ve tried saying your prayers. You’ve even tried helping people and doing what’s right, but none of it seems to work. You’re still stuck with your miserable life.
Well, let me let you in on a little secret: the answer is not trying harder; the answer is simply trusting Jesus. Call upon Him. Ask Him to save you from your sins, believing He will. Then you will be able to follow Him to victory over sin in your own life.
Moses and the Israelites were able to cross the Red Sea on dry ground, because they believed God. Pharaoh and the Egyptians, on the other hand, drowned in that same sea, because they believed only in themselves.
My dear friends, don’t believe in yourself like the Egyptians did. Believe in God like the Israelites did and follow Him to victory. By faith, do what God asks you to do even if it seems impossible.
Stand under the blood of the Lamb and cross that sea! Stand under the blood of Christ and live a life of obedience to God! Stand under the cross and follow Jesus even through the wilderness all the way to the place where you can tear down strongholds that keep you from victory. That’s what the Israelites did!
Hebrews 11:30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. (ESV)
God told them to march around the city once a day for six days, and then seven times on the seventh day. It seemed like a silly idea, but they did it, because they believed God, and God brought the walls down!
Yo-Yo Ma, one of the most famous cellists in our day, once said, “When people ask me how they should approach performance, I always tell them that the professional musician should aspire to the state of the beginner. In order to become a professional,” he says, “you need to go through years of training. You get criticized by all your teachers, and you worry about all the critics. You are constantly being judged. But if you get onstage and all you think about is what the critics are going to say, if all you are doing is worrying, then you will play terribly. You will be tight, and it will be a bad concert. Instead,” Ma says, “one needs to constantly remind oneself to play with the abandon of the child who is just learning the cello.” (Jonah Lehrer, Imagine, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012, pp. 110-111; www.Preaching Today.com)
That, my friends, is also the only way to live a life pleasing to God. Jesus said, “The greatest [people] in the Kingdom of Heaven” are those who “humble themselves like [a little] child” (Matthew 18:4). In other words, only when you abandon yourself in childlike trust of your Heavenly Father can you walk in obedience to Him. In fact, Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God.”
So go ahead. Take a risk, and by faith, fear God more than anybody else. By faith, forsake whatever this world has to offer. By faith, follow the Lord to victory in your own life. And finally, by faith…
FIND DELIVERANCE FROM DESTRUCTION.
Secure salvation for your own soul. Be rescued from certain judgment. That’s what Rahab, the prostitute, did.
Hebrews 11:31 By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies. (ESV)
Rahab was in Jericho when the walls fell down flat, but she found deliverance because she believed in Israel’s God. She was saved not because of who SHE was – she was the town prostitute, no. She was saved, because of who GOD was, the One she trusted to rescue her when her world was literally falling apart.
Please, you do the same. Don’t trust in who YOU are; trust GOD to rescue you.
The Bible says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Your works cannot save you. Only Christ can save you when you put your faith in Him! Here, I am asking you to take the greatest risk. If you haven’t already done it, I am asking you not to risk your money, not even to risk your life, but to risk your eternal destiny on what Jesus did for you on the cross.
Trust Him and Him alone for your salvation. Don’t trust yourself. Don’t trust your good works. Trust Christ. Stake your eternal destiny on the One who died for your sins on the cross. Stake your eternal destiny on the One who rose from dead, conquering death on your behalf. Stake your eternal destiny on Jesus Christ.
Go ahead and take the risk! By faith, fear God more than people. By faith, forsake the world. By faith, follow the Lord; and most of all, by faith, find salvation for your own soul. To sum it all up: By faith, do what others cannot do and live a life pleasing to God.
On September 28, 1882 the Worcester Ruby Legs from Massachusetts played the Troy Trojans from New York in a pro baseball game. It was a famous game in pro baseball history because it set a record for the lowest number of fans in the stands. Six people watched the Trojans trounce the Ruby Legs 4-1.
That record stood for almost 133 years. Then on Aril 29, 2015, the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago White Sox played their game in front of empty seats. Zero fans. That was during the recent race riots in Baltimore, which became very dangerous. So they decided to play the game without a crowd, avoiding the risk of riots spilling into the stadium. Here's how an Associated Press article reported one incident from the fan-less game:
Chris Davis might have hit the quietest home run for the home team in Orioles history. As the slugger pounded the ball deep onto Eutaw Street, just a few feet from where fans normally would have sprinted after a chance to catch a souvenir, there was almost nothing to hear. The only muffled cheers came from a pocket of die-hards locked out of Camden Yards yelling “Let's Go O's!”
On this day, 30,000 Orioles fans had been muted. The wild applause had been silenced. There were no fans to stand for a standing ovation. Just Davis' teammates in the dugout coming over for high-fives. “When you're rounding the bases, and the only cheers you hear were from outside the stadium,” he said, “it's a weird feeling.” (Dan Gelston, “Orioles-White Sox game with no fans believed to be the first,” San Jose Mercury News, 4-29-15; www.PreachingToday.com)
Sometimes, serving the Lord is like playing in an empty stadium. There are not a whole lot of people to cheer you on, maybe a few of your “teammates”, but that’s about all.
However, by faith, you can still do your best, because you don’t do it for the applause of people in this world; you do it because you know Jesus appreciates it and will richly reward you in heaven. So, by faith, live your life for Him!
