I Believe
Dr. Marty Baker / 15th Anniversary / November 24, 2002
www.stevenscreek.net
What if you knew somewhere in front of you was a moment that would change your life forever, a moment rich with potential, a moment filled with endless possibilities?
What if you knew that there was a moment coming, a divine moment, where God would meet you in such a way that nothing would be the same again? What if there was a moment, a defining moment, where the choices you made determined the course and momentum of your future? How would your treat that moment? How would you prepare for it? How would you identify it?
Moments are as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sands in the sea, and any of them could prove to be your most significant divine moment. At times, they may seem to mundane, but below the surface, there could be a miracle wrapped in the moment.
Moments are mysterious. They are small enough to ignore and big enough to change your life forever. I believe that this is your moment. It’s a moment of decision. It’s a moment of destiny.
Earlier this year, Halle Berry received an Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role. She was overwhelmed by the moment. Her opening remarks, "This moment is so much bigger than me," For Halle Berry, her moment was a validation of the work and sacrifice of many people who had gone before her.
As I look around this congregation this morning, I realize that this movement that we call Stevens Creek Community Church is so much bigger than one person. What was started fifteen years ago in a borrowed living room in Edgefield County has influenced hundreds, yes even thousands of people in the Central Savannah River Area. Today we celebrate fifteen years of ministry; not because of one person, but because of God’s faithfulness and countless numbers of people who have of people have sacrificed their time, their resources and their talents to make this church what it is today.
Several weeks ago, Todd asked me if he could take a Sunday off to go see some friends in Atlanta. I told okay. Todd does not take enough time off. A few days later he discovered that Bobby had scheduled a youth retreat the same weekend. As a result, both of our worship leaders were out on the same day. He was concerned. He said, "Let’s hire someone to come in to come in to lead music." Within that comment, I heard a little attitude that said, "If Todd and Bobby are out, the show cannot go on."
I said, "Look Todd, I can handle it. I was leading music in this church while were you still in high school. He said, "Marty, when you were leading music, there was only a handful of people attending the church. He paused and gathered a little courage and said, "If you start back leading music, there will only be a handful of people left in this church." I got the message. We hired someone in.
This church outgrew me a long time ago. Over the next few moments, I want to share with you some principles that I have learned as the church as grown over the last fifteen years. What you will hear today is not conclusive. I am still learning. I am in process of becoming the person that God has called me to be. Hopefully, these principles will encourage you in your journey. It is safe to say that none of us have arrived. We are all in process.
We all have dreams. We wonder about the future and what it holds for us and our children. We dream of succeeding in life and business. What’s the next step? How do you get from where you are to where you want to be? That’s what I want to talk about this morning.
How to Embrace the Future
1. Believe that God can do more than you imagine.
If you want to embrace then future, then you must believe. Have faith. Jesus taught his disciples this principle in Mark 9:23.
Mark 9:23
..."Everything is possible for him who believes."
He understood the power of faith. When we believe, our impossibilities become possible. Faith is the key that unlocks the door to God’s active power in our lives. Faith is the power in the moment. What is faith? Faith is believing that God can do more than you imagine.
Ephesians 3:20
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,
All of us have been given a measure of faith. It is our responsibility to use it. The scriptures teach us that even a small amount of faith can produce miraculous events. What are you doing with the faith that you have been given?
Too many people choose not to use their faith. They look at the problems of their past and they base their future on what they see in the rear view mirror. For some of you things have been tough. Here’s the second point. Remember that...
2. You cannot change the past, so change the future.
In October 2000, the Rock band U2 released the Album, All That You Can’t Leave Behind. One of their songs is Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of. I meet so many people who are locked in a past moment. They have experienced a tragedy, a job loss, a financial reversal, a failed relationship or some other kind of setback. These moments of loss have written the epitaph of their future. These moments have stolen precious opportunities from their future.
There comes a point in time where you have to move on. To relive the past is to relinquish the future. When you choose to remain stuck in a moment, you become incapable of seizing the future that God has planned for you.
Isaiah 43:18-19
18 "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.
19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.
Stop living in fear of what might happen. Bad things happen and at times you are the victim of circumstance. Grieve over your loss. Acknowledge the pain and take the next step. What’s the next step? Put it in gear.
3. You cannot follow God in neutral.
Take the initiative. God has created you to do something. Stop looking backward, and dare to look forward. God has an adventure waiting for you, an opportunity for you to explore, but you have to take the next step.
When you examine all of the lives of people who make a difference in this world, people who live life rather than simply watch it, they have one common characteristic: they do something. They don’t just watch; they don’t just think about it; they act.
If you are going to seize this moment, then take the initiative. You have to put it in gear and go. It may not be convenient nor will it be easy, but it’s time to act.
You say, "Well, it’s not convenient to act now." The most important moments of your life rarely come at convenient times. Sometimes you wish that God would check your calendar first. Maybe He does and sees that your life is filled with the mundane and He was to infuse you with the miraculous. The only way for this to happen is for God to interrupt your schedule.
The Bible is full of stories about people who were rudely interrupted by God. We read them and long to have the kind of adventure experienced by those men and women. Mary was a teenager when God interrupted her life and said that she would give birth to the Messiah. Peter was a professional fisherman and Jesus interrupted him with a call into the ministry. Paul was on a horse riding to Damascus when Jesus spoke to him.
The real question is: "When God interrupts us, are we willing to respond on a moment’s notice?" Are we willing to put it in gear and go? There is a tendency to overlook the call of God and concentrate on what appears to be the sure thing.
Could it be that God is calling you into a new adventure? Put it in gear and do the right thing. Stop debating the situation, stop trying to find a loop hole and do what is right.
Did you know that we are called to do the right thing even if it turns out wrong. There are times God calls us to do the right things, knowing that others will respond in the wrong way.
Jesus did the right thing when He left Gethsemane where he struggled to embrace the Father’s will and began a journey that would lead to the Cross. The consequence to Him was severe. It cost him his life. We should not be surprised that a life on journey with God might bring us suffering and hardship. If the Cross teaches us anything, it teaches us that sometimes God comes through after we’ve been killed!
Some of you have had dreams that you have seen go down the tubes. You think that God has forgotten you. Think again. God is a God who turns crucifixions into resurrections. Your dream may be dead, but God is saying to you, "Dream new dreams." Put it gear and believe that God will give the energy to go forward.
4. Be determined to finish the race.
Through the years, there have been several opportunities for me to quit the race, but it was instilled in me years ago to finish what you start. You will have difficulties, but don’t give up.
Determination is more than being "hardheaded"; it’s being focused on the goal. True focus embraces the reality that you have no control over some things, but you must take responsibility for what you do have control over.
You will be tempted to give up the fight. But, you must be determined to finish what you have started. When you finish the race, you will receive your reward. Paul said...
2 Timothy 4:7-8
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day-- and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
Faith is all about character. It is being certain in who God is and following Him into the unknown. It is saying, "I believe, even though you do not understand."
To follow Jesus is to move with God. Last night, I sat in a cold upstate stadium as I watched Clemson defeat South Carolina. These two teams have worked all season for this moment. It began in Spring practice, then moved to summer two-a-days, then to a brutal conference schedule and then they were given the opportunity to play for the state championship.
There were one hundred different players on the field; then probably another couple of hundred back-up players, coaches, trainers and support personnel. When you add it all together, three to four hundred people were in the game. In the bleachers, there were over 80,000 people witnessing the game and hundreds of thousands of people watching it on ESPN.
It is interesting to me the insight and wisdom that people watching the game have. There were people sitting around me that thought that they knew more about football than Lou Holtz. In fact, they have assumed that it is their responsibility and their role in life to point out everything that is wrong with the team. After they share their insight, they just sit back and evaluate how well the team is doing. There’s a temptation to approach the church like we approach sports. We file into the auditorium and sit on the sidelines watching the show, giving our opinion, when God has called us to come down onto the playing field and get into the game.
God has not called you to be a sideliner or a critic, He has called you to be a player. He has placed great potential inside of you, but you must believe. You must step out and say, "I believe" therefore, "I can!" I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.
5. Remain flexible in God’s plan.
Be clay in the hands of the Lord. Allow God to direct your footsteps and plan your future.
Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Allow God to direct your footsteps. At times, He will take you down paths that you feel very uncomfortable traveling. During this time, be sensitive to His leading and allow Him to finish what He has started. Most of us do not like change, but God knows that we need to change. We need to move out of our comfort zones into the plan that He has for us. Don’t assume that God’s plan is just a rerun from an earlier time. Just because God acted one way in the past does not mean that He will continue to act the same way in our future. That’s not always the case.
With Moses, God parted the waters, and then the people crossed over.
With Joshua, the leaders were required to begin crossing first, and then the waters parted.
God changed the parameters of their faith.
With Moses, God said, watch the miracle.
With Joshua, God said, "be a part of the miracle."
There are many people who are watching the miracle of Stevens Creek unfold and God is saying to you today, "Don’t just watch it, be a part of it."
Closing Thoughts and Prayer
This sermon was inspired by Erwin McManus’ book "Seizing Your Divine Moment"
