Markers of Maturity - Big Faith

Series: Markers of Maturity

This week Pastor Matt talked about Big Faith

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Amen. Awesome. Take your seats, guys. It's good to be in God's house. It is exciting. And uh I'm excited to bring a word this morning to you. It's good, isn't it? Um we've had some you know what, we've had some some lovely weather this week, haven't we? Who's been enjoying the weather? I got a sunburn, can you see? Look at that anyway. So I love the summer. I've decided. I'm I'm just gonna be that guy from now on. I've just decided I love the summer. I love sitting in the garden and the sun. Do you know what I mean? I don't like cutting the grass, but I can deal with cutting the grass if it means that like I'm not gonna be cold, the weather's not gonna be much. Who's with me? Yeah? Come on, it's good. Um and we love a bit of camping, because when the summer comes round, we can do a bit of camping. Who's in the camping? Who likes it? Should we do we should do a church camping trip? If you ever wanted to define the church, wait a minute, um but I love camping, right? I love it, I love it because the kids, the kids just play differently, they run wild, right? Um, we have a barbecue, you know, nice food, just sitting outdoors. Judith just relaxes in a different way when we go camping. You know, it's quality family time, right? And we've we've built up quite a lot of stuff. So when we go camping, like the boot is full and you've got to like precisionly pack things, you know what I'm talking about? And um we've got like these amazing foam mattresses that kind of inflate themselves. Do you know what I mean? Like we're we're like we're you know, we're super posh. Um, we've got the like the most beautiful camping chairs, massive cool box. Um, if mum and dad come along, they bring a separate tent for a kitchen. We call it the kitchen, right? No, it's crazy that, isn't it? We bring we bring games for the kids, we have a great time. You know, we've got all the stuff, right? And I was talking to a friend the other day, and it was really interesting because he turned round to me and he said, That's not camping. And I was like, Oh, is it not? Because he's one of these proper outdoorsies, you know the type I mean. I love, I've got plenty of friends like this, and it's awesome. And I want to be that, I want to be outdoorsy. Do you know what I mean? But um, he's a wild camping kind of guy, sometimes doesn't even take a tent, just a sleeping bag. What's it called? A bivi bag. No, thanks. No thanks, and he told me that we're missing out. Now, an analogy you can take too far sometimes, can't you? Because I disagree with him. We have a great time, and camping can be whatever you want it to be. But I was thinking this week as I was preparing this message, and I felt the Lord speak to me that comfort is the opposite of faith. You can't be comfortable and have faith. And I wonder, in the same way that we've built up a whole load of comfort stuff to go camping, and we enjoy it, it's great. I wonder, I wonder, is the Lord mentioning this morning that we've built up all this stuff that makes us comfortable in our faith, in our walk with Christ, in the way that we do life, in the way that we do church? I wonder, and it's not for me to tell you, let the Holy Spirit do the work, but um, I wonder, maybe, just maybe, just like we've built up loads of comfy camping chairs and foam mattresses, is our faith comfortable? We're all guilty of it, hey, me especially. What does faith look like? What would it look like if we were to shake all that comfortable stuff? See, we're in the middle of a series called the Markers of Maturity. Signs we are growing into who God has called us to be. And uh and I realized something. Well, I always knew it, but I was able to put language on something this week that we all want to be mature, right? Sounds good, doesn't it? You know, even my daughter, she wants to be mature, she wants to do this. Can I do this, Daddy? Can I do this? I'm like, maybe when you're a little bit older, you know. But we don't necessarily like the maturing process, do we? Sometimes it's like, ouch. Yeah? So this morning we're gonna take a look at faith. We're gonna take a look at big faith. We're gonna try and mature ourselves this morning, even though it might not be the easy process. Is that cool? Big faith, and this has been something that's been on my heart for a little while. Um, as you know, as we look to lead the church, as we look to kind of build you guys up and equip you guys, you know, we want to be big faith people, not just comfortable. Are you with us? Come on, let's go. So we're gonna read, it's an obvious one, so forgive me, but well, don't I'm not sorry. Uh we're gonna read Hebrews 11, verse 1. Faith, now, faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Confidence in what we hope for, assurance in what we do not see. See, I've written here, are you up for some Greek this morning? Uh and then I've written, correct me afterwards if I'm wrong, Pastor John, but they're not here. But um, forgive my pronunciation. This word confidence, I was drawn to this word confidence at confidence. Hopostasis. Hupo meaning under, histami meaning to stand, that which stands under the foundation, the substructure, the support, firmness, strength, that kind of thing. You know, and I was I I thought of this idea of us, you know, when you climb a ladder, you'd place confidence that someone knows what they're doing in designing and building that ladder, right? There is a a confidence, a firmness in the structure, right? In the underneath almost. Um we're all we're doing this right now, even. Right now, we have this confidence. Because this building, we are confident that it's not gonna fall down on us, aren't we? Are you? Because if you're not, best get out, eh? But there's a foundation to it, right? The foundation is strong enough, the walls have been built, this roof has stood, and there's a confidence that we have in it, amen? That's the confidence, the firmness that we should have beneath the surface level, beneath the surface level, understanding and sureness in God. This word assurance, I can't I can't say this one. El hegos. Sorry, sorry. I'm a northeast guy, so I'm not Greek. Um, this is the evidence, the judicial weight or proof. This is the inner conviction that you have. When you just know, when you just know. Do you know what I'm talking about? When you just know. See, the other day, I've got it with me, but I meant to get it up here, but the other day I bought a new Bible and I bought it on Amazon. And I don't know about you, but when I'm buying a book, when I'm buying something, often I want to feel it. I want to hold it in my hand. I want to be sure that I'm buying the thing that I want. You know, I'm gonna go to the shop for certain things. I'm gonna go to the shop and I want to feel its weight. Do you know what I mean? I want to be sure that it's the right thing, and it was like a bit of a risk. So I I bought this Bible. I'm like, eh, man, it's coming all the way from America, and uh, and it was gonna take days to come here, and like I hope it's right. I hope it's I hope it feels right in my hand. Do you know what I mean? And uh and it does, and I love it. Um, and I and it's been really, really good so far. But um the musicians in the room will understand this one. You there's some amazing guitar and instrument shops on the internet these days. Sorry to use a personal example, right? And you can get some really amazing deals, and these websites are incredible, but there's nothing like walking into a shop, picking the guitar down, playing it, and just knowing that it's the one. I don't know if it's the same on the drums, James, or the same with a piano or a keyboard. I'm sure it is. But you can know within seconds, you can just be sure within seconds if it's the right one. Because you have this inner conviction. Faith is the favorable, confident expectation that God is real, that he is in control, and the future is good because he is good. Have you ever, ever, ever been so sure of something? Just absolutely 100%, I know that that's faith. See, I know, I know that, I know that I know that when I ask Charlotte if her room has been tidied, that she will say yes. But I know, because I have an inner conviction that when I open the door, it's not tidy. I know, I know, at the moment, the last few weeks, I know that when Newcastle plays a game of football, it's not going to end well. I just know. Faith bridges the gap between the physical world that we see and the spiritual world that we don't see. We might not be able to see it, but we know. Faith can see that even though we weren't around when he created the world, we know he did. We can't physically see the future, but we know he can and he holds it. We can't see the spiritual realm, both good and evil, but we know that he conquered it all. The writer of Hebrews goes on to list all these heroes of faith, like this, by faith, such and such did this, and and he says, By faith the walls of Jericho fell after an army had marched around them for seven days. Let's look at that. Let's go to Joshua 6, 1 to 5. Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out, no one came in. Then the Lord said to Joshua, here we go. See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. March around the city once with all the armed men, do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of ram's horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priest blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout. Then the wall of the city will collapse, and the army will go up. Everyone straight in. Now, this picture of this army forking us walking the walking the walls, and then finally, but it's by faith. It was by faith. God asked Joshua to see it before it happened. He said, See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands before it happened. Just imagine if Joshua hadn't seen it. If he hadn't have had the faith to believe God's word that it would happen. I wonder if anyone in the army refused to walk around the hall walls because it was that's a bit weird, isn't it? Let's face it. I mean, the the text doesn't mention it, but I can't help but think that surely not all of them just went, uh, okay. You know, I wonder if some of them went home shaking their heads because they couldn't see it. You want us to do what? I wonder if this morning you've got confidence, assurance in what you don't see. Maybe you don't see any good stuff happening anytime soon. I've been there. Maybe you've settled for a certain way of living out of a lack of that assurance. Maybe you you're in a situation and you just can't see a way out of it. And you know, it doesn't have to be those big giants in our life, does it? That we that we need faith for. You know, for our church. Do you see what God is building? Are you excited about it? Do you see his house filled with new believers? Do you see yourself playing your part in making disciples? In equipping his people? Can you see what we have here growing? Can you see it now, even though maybe it's unseen? I wonder if you'll walk the walls with us. Or will you walk away shaking your head? Because it's possible, I think, to walk away shaking your head. Nah, I don't see it. But keep coming every Sunday. Come on. Do you see it? And if you don't, what are you gonna do? How are you gonna catch the vision? How are you gonna get invested? Because we see it, and there's a bunch of us that are going for it. We believe that God is doing something spectacularly beautiful in this community, and there's more, and it's gonna grow, and we're gonna see our friends and our family come to Jesus and believe. We want you on the journey with us. Come on, let's walk the walls, let's walk the walls before the victory comes, let's see it before it happens, amen. So then I was you know, I was thinking like, oh, if we're looking at big faith as a marker of maturity, I wonder what big faith looks like. What does that mean in our lives? What does that actually feel like and look like? But then also, like, what does immature faith look like? Childish faith. So we're gonna explore it. Are you ready for some ouchies? This is me speaking to me as well, okay? I promise, I promise that. So this is mature faith versus immature faith. Are you ready? Mature faith, it pleases God. Hebrews 11, 6 again, and without faith, it is impossible to please God. Mature faith looks to honour Him in all discussions, in every moment of our day. It's the heart with which we do it. Don't fall into the trap of doing stuff. I'm reading my Bible, Lord. Oh Lord, I'm reading your word because I I love you and I want to know more of you. There's a very slight difference, isn't there? Without faith, it's impossible to please God. Immature faith seeks primarily to please itself or impress other people. It treats God like a vending machine. We've all been there, we've all done it. Transactional rather than relational, focusing on what can be gained for me out of a relationship with God rather than on what can honor Him. Let our faith please God, amen. Let's not just see God as if I do this, then this. Amen. Let's keep going. Mature faith sees a better future, it has hope. This is more than just a positive mental attitude, guys. All right, you know, I've got I've got a lot of friends who will um what's it called, manifest stuff, put it out into the positivity and um faith, it's not wishing things into being, it's not denying our circumstances either, because our circumstances they're real, and they might be really tough, but God, see, even if no matter what's going on, you know, but this is happening and this is happening and and this, and I can't see a way out, and this and this and this, but God, I trust you, I trust that you've got me in your hands. I submit to you, I submit to this process, and it sees a brighter future. It's it can't, you can't help when we've got a confidence in who God is. We can't help but have a slightly positive spin on our circumstance, can we? You know, and that's the journey. Immature faith can only see here and now. It can't see the process, it often turns to pessimism or cynicism because it can't see past the immediate struggle. Beyond the immediate struggle is God's promise. Okay, so let's be people who see the good in God, who see the good in his plan, and have hope for the future. Amen. Let's keep going. Mature faith stands firm in tough times. See, this person has built their house on the rock, understands the pruning process and the necessity of the season. If that's you today, let's make a decision to cling to his love. You know, it's not your fault necessarily that the season is happening and it might last a while, but hold strong to his love and hold on to the fact that he's purifying your faith in the process. Immature faith, and you might recognize this in your own life over the years because I can. Immature faith is up and it's down, it's all in and then it's absent. See, this person fluctuates based on their emotions. When the good times fade or the tough times come, this person turns to doubt, blame. They abandon spiritual disciplines. Because the foundation, rather than being built on the rock, is built on comfort. Let's stand firm. Let's understand the process. Let's not fall into the trap of being up and down and so emotional that we can't process what's going on. You okay? You with me? Well come on. Mature faith. Next one leads to action. Mature faith leads to action. James 2, 14 and 17. What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. One of them says, if if one of you says to them, go in peace, keep warm and well fed, but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. You can't blame me for that one. All right? Because that's the Bible, alright? Mature faith does something about it. It does something with the problem and it does something for other people. This person doesn't just pray for the lost that people will come to church, that our church will grow. This person does something about it. They don't just pray for the lost, they make every effort, every single waking moment of the day has a slant, an approach that says that I could win one. This person, they don't just pray for the missionaries, they put their money where their mouths are. And we'll unravel this, but we're excited to kind of we we want to at some point give you a wonderful opportunity to um develop this idea of mission being more than just my mission, our church's mission, but a big mission. And part of that and how we're gonna work that out is we're gonna do some child sponsorship. We're gonna do some child sponsorship. We already sponsor three, four, four. We've got four um kids um in Tanzania that we sponsor, one of them's in Uganda. Come on, um, and we want to give you that opportunity because it's amazing. Simple as that. We'll unpack that and what that looks like, but it takes faith every month to send that money, to put our money where our mouths is. We're not just praying for the mission abroad and in different parts of the world, but we're putting our money where our mouth is, and we want you to do that. This person they see the bigger picture because church isn't just about their spiritual needs, it's about others, it's about the community. Um immature faith prefers to spectate or consume rather than contribute. This person remains indifferent to the needs of others. It takes really very little faith to go through the motions on a Sunday if we just rock up and sing the songs. We might even raise our hands, I don't know. But faith means action. Amen? Come on, let's keep going. Mature faith, and this is where the idea of big faith comes from for me. Mature faith takes risk. And I spoke about this a couple of weeks back. Maybe it was at breakthrough prayer, and like Ruth said, you're missing out if you don't come because we have a great time. But just imagine being Joshua and having to tell the Israelites, right? We're gonna walk round the walls, nothing else, just gonna walk round. I wonder if he felt the risk of what people might think in that moment. See, risk is the currency of faith. It's not about putting yourself in danger necessarily, but it is about discomfort, putting in ourselves in a place where we're not comfortably, we're not maybe comfortable financially, we're not comfortable in a how we've got to, we're putting ourselves into that situation where I've got to speak to that group of people, or it's about that comfort. God isn't asking you to jump off a building, but he might be asking you, who knows, and this is for you to work out, to take that pay cut, to live differently, to truly die to yourself, to step out and do something amazing for God. Maybe to tell your neighbor about Jesus, to stop watching that series that you've been watching, or listening to that album that you love. Maybe it's to get less stressed, less anxious, and just to let him take control. I don't know what it looks like, but immature faith, because if mature faith takes risks and is gonna step out and do something mighty, then immature faith wants to know all the details before making a decision. Wants to remain safe. For this person, certainty is king. Maybe demanding a map. Well, what happens when, and what happens when, and what happens if, and what happens what oh it's uncomfortable, isn't it? This person loves the status quo, how it's always been done. Maybe this person hoards rather than gives, stays in the boat during the storm, even though it's sinking. Relax, I'm done. But I know what type of faith I want, and hopefully you do too. And I hope you understand that no one's judging anyone. You know, when when I bring a message like this, it's just me opening my heart to God and hearing from Him and you know, exposing what the word says, applying it to who we are, and then it's up to you what you do with it, I guess, isn't it? You know, but understand this for me, journey, uh, faith is a journey, you know, and maybe you're not full of faith, you just gotta take the next step without judgment, you know. Maybe there's a big step to take though as well. You know, maybe you've been on the journey a whole long time, been in this church for a while, and it's time to step up. And I don't want to put thoughts in your mind, I want you to do what we do and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal it. That's the best place to be, isn't it? Shall we pray? In fact, shall we pray that right now? Holy Spirit, will you speak to us? We want to be full of faith, not just full of faith for big, exciting things, but full of faith for our everyday life. Lord, we ask that right now you'll pop in our hearts the area that you'd love for us to grow in. The area that you would love for us to grow in our faith. Whatever it looks like, Lord, we we want to submit that to you, God. Lord, we want that inner conviction that you're for us, that you're good, that you've got it all in control, and we want to respond with that as our firm foundation. Lord, we want to respond to what you're asking of us with a revelation that you are good, you're in control, and you hold the future. Lord, I pray that as a church we will be full of faith. Ready for a dangerous prayer? Lord, make us uncomfortable for your kingdom's sake. Only pray that one if you mean it, Lord. Make us uncomfortable, stir us up, disrupt, move, do something fresh. Lord, we we are ready for the new wineskins, Lord. Will you speak to us as a community? And will you build in us a bold, risk taking, big faith? In Jesus' name.

unknown 32:07

Amen.