| March 17, 2002 | David Chase | |
| Matthew 17:14-21 | Faith |
In our congregation, there are certainly more qualified people than I to give a sermon - more versed in the Bible, more experienced, even more worthy. However, this time I was the one to honor the Pastor's request. On telling my wife, she said, "You're crazy! What are you going to talk about?" My reply was, "Have faith. I'll think of something." Having faith that the Lord would guide me, I decided to talk about that very same topic - FAITH!
I'm sure at one time or another most of us have questioned some aspect of faith. Perhaps some of you haven't been absolutely positive that there is a God. Or, in tough times, maybe there has been some doubt. Today, even, some may wonder about the facts surrounding Jesus' resurrection from the dead. Haven't you ever wondered about the statement of Jesus indicating that if one had as much faith as a mustard seed, they would be able to move mountains? I think it would be unusual for a human to never doubt, to never question - even after being baptized or accepted into the church family.
Robert Schuller, in his book Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do, said, "Faith is indeed the greatest miracle-working power imaginable." In his explanation of the type of faith that can move mountains, he begins by discussing the seed: "If a seed is not planted it can't bear fruit. But planting is just the first phase. Unless the seed is watered, it won't sprout. Sprouting is the second phase. Once the seed is planted and watered, growth will begin. But, unless the plant is nourished, it will not reach full maturity. It will not blossom - which is the third phase. Then, when the buds are beginning to form, if the proper climatic conditions do not exist, the stalk will produce no fruit. Bearing fruit is the fourth phase of the cycle. Only when a seed is nurtured, can it reach full maturity. Finally, when the fruit is ripe, it must be harvested ... and at just the right time... or it will spoil on the tree or on the vine."
Similarly, writes Schuller, there are 5 phases to the full cycle of mountain-moving faith. For many people, unfortunately, faith never gets beyond the first phase. It's an idea that is never watered or nourished. Or, perhaps a dry spell comes along and it withers and dies. Or maybe faith does begin to blossom, but a violent storm comes along, shakes it to the very foundation, pulls out the roots, perhaps breaking the link to the next phase. Faith will die in the very first phase unless you believe in yourself and the positive ideas that come into your mind. Jesus said, "The kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:21). Could that be related to the power of positive thinking? Could that be a significant part of faith? Of course, it is.
As a teenager, it always bothered me that I could never get my best friend to go to church with me. He always said that religion was a crutch. Though I argued the point then, let's take his argument for a moment now and think about it. If you had a broken leg, wouldn't you want to lean on a crutch or two to help you get along? Don't you think Jesus wants us to lean on him if we need to? My friend never got out of the first phase of faith. It was but a fleeting thought on his part and, unfortunately, never watered - never nurtured. Three years ago, his wife died of cancer. It must have been very tough. There was no one to lean on.
Last Sunday, Pastor Vibert spoke of the raising of Lazarus from the dead. Many of us were deeply moved by the sermon and could identify with him on the anniversary of his mother's death. There were tears on his face and there were tears from many in the congregation. Perhaps we were empathizing in his loss or thinking of our own losses of friends or family. However, think how much more difficult it must be for those who have no faith! To lose someone we love without faith in the Lord, and no hope of resurrection is more than a profound loss. It must be utter despair! In the last verse of the scripture Pastor Vibert read last week, Lazarus was raised from the dead and exited from the tomb. From John 11:45, "Therefore, many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary [at the grave site], and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him." It is said, "Seeing is believing". Wouldn't you have believed?
Faith, on the other hand, is not as easy. For Christians, faith is belief in God almighty and Jesus Christ our savior - Son of God. We, as Christians, believe that he died for our sins and we believe in the resurrection. But...it is faith. We have not seen Lazarus raised from the dead. We have not seen Jesus working miracles before us. We have not seen God. Nonetheless, without the proof, we believe. That is faith. The initial phase of faith is belief. But, Dr. Schuller also suggests that in order to have mountain-moving faith one must first build a positive self-image. The image you have of yourself will release "powers of self-actualization". Form a positive image of yourself, believe in yourself... and Jesus...and God... and faith will have survived the first phase.
The second phase is the testing phase. At one time or another, one's faith is usually tested. If it weren't, wouldn't life be easy! Two weeks ago, Kathy Rowehl - in her children's sermon - used the golf ball in an analogy. As she spoke about the golf balls landing in the water, I could almost feel my wife's elbow in my ribs, but she was kind. There was the time, however, she literally fell to the ground laughing because I put so many golf balls in the water. So, I could identify with that. As the children's sermon continued, I remembered a time when I, too, had been like that lost golf ball. It wasn't as if I really lost faith, but there were times when I may not have been practicing it. Attending church on a regular basis, obeying the Ten Commandments, praying to God are ways, for example, that we practice our religion.
The next phase of faith may be thought of as God's way of testing us. Through trials and tribulations we become tempered like a fine piece of steel. If our faith remains strong, in the end we are a better person because of it.
In Viet Nam, there was a young marine. I'm sure you would have liked him in his earlier years. He grew up active in the church and seriously considered becoming an agricultural missionary. He even talked with his minister about becoming a conscientious objector. Then, his parents became divorced and his idealistic world was shattered. He volunteered for the Marine Corps wanting to become a machine-gunner or sniper. He drifted away from the church. He did not practice his faith. He became more and more hardened as the months passed in Viet Nam. Following months in the field, he returned to battalion headquarters for reassignment and learned there would be several days before the new mission began. That night, a volunteer was urgently needed for a night patrol. Looking for more action, he volunteered.
As they arrived at the Vietnamese village, the 13-man patrol spread out every 50 meters or so with orders to "sit tight" and to be on the lookout for Viet Cong infiltrating the village. After several hours, the silence of the night was broken by the sounds of artillery landing 500 meters behind him. Flares began to light up the night sky and the gattling gun-like sounds of 20-mm cannon coming from a plane indicated action in the rice paddies. What the marine didn't know was that the radioman had received a message that an estimated 200 VC were heading across the large series of rice paddies towards the village. Neither did he know that he was inadvertently left behind.
What the marine did know was that the artillery was getting very close. The 20-mm machine gun fire from the plane seemed as if it was right on top of him, the plane circling overhead. Shrapnel from the artillery flew overhead cutting branches like toothpicks. Explosions were everywhere. Shrapnel and then artillery landed in front of him, beside him and then into the village. Between the sounds of explosions, he could hear the screams of the Vietnamese. Trees fell beside him. The marine pulled his arms and legs beneath him like a turtle. And then, he prayed: "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for though art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me ...". He prayed that if it was the Lord's will that he be hit, then let it be a direct hit rather than losing part of his body. He prayed that if God would allow him to be saved, he would go back to church. He prayed. Suddenly the artillery stopped. The 20-mm cannon subsided. Only the pop of distant flares... and the crying in the village continued. It was over.
Later, that young marine would return to the United States and attend church regularly. In time, he became an usher, a deacon and eventually Chairman of the Board of Deaconry. His faith had been tested. His faith was renewed.
Investing in time, energy, and prayer could be considered another phase of faith. You've heard the phrase, "You get out of life what you put into it." I believe the same applies to faith. Expressing one's faith in deed or by example solidifies one's belief. Just as going to church allows us to practice our faith, so does participating in the church choir, Sunday School, spring and fall cleanup, being involved in Women's Groups, Bible Study, conferences, workshops, soup kitchens, Habitat for Humanity, other various activities of the church and, of course, Deaconry and Trustee positions. These types of activities allow us to express our commitment to our faith.
At some point our faith will, hopefully, reach a peak or crest. It is at this point that there is no doubt about whether God exists. We have no doubt that Jesus is the Son of God and our savior. We know that there is life after death. We may wonder about some details of that from time to time, but our basic faith remains. We are positive about that.
So, isn't faith positive thinking? Of course, it is. Approach a challenge with a negative view and it is likely that a negative result will occur. Approach the same challenge with a positive attitude and usually the results will be positive. Many of you know that my wife, Kathy, is a nurse at Southampton Hospital. She says that she sees this all the time at the hospital with patients coming in for various procedures. She can usually tell which ones will have successful operations and which will not by the attitudes they come in with. We have read numerous articles about the power of prayer in hospitals. Many doctors now fervently believe that it makes a huge difference in the outcome of patients undergoing major surgery.
Many of you know that I owned a seafood market and restaurant in Riverhead What you don't know is that in the first year of business I was taken for more than $40,000 in bad checks. I nearly lost my house and my car was repossessed. Times were tough. My banker, friends, relatives were all advising me to go bankrupt. But not my mother! She had faith in me. She sent me this very same book. On the inside of the front cover is the title of the book with her own comment: "Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do! ...And you've always been one, David! Love and the best to you always. Ma, Christmas 1983".
I read the book and I also prayed. I knew that I would succeed. There was never any doubt in my mind. I thought positively and I persevered. Eventually, the business was successful. Once I was making the money, it didn't seem that important. What was important was returning to an earlier idea of making a difference in the lives of young people. So, I sold the business and went back to college to become certified as a teacher. People told me that it would be impossible to find a job at my age. I had faith that I would succeed.
From the book my mother gave me, I would like to share with you a poem by Edgar A. Guest, entitled "Don't Quit":
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you are trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must - but don't you quit!
Life is queer with its twist and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up, though the pace seems slow -
You might succeed with another blow...
Success is failure turned inside out -
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt -
And you can never tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you are hardest hit -
It's when things get worse that you mustn't quit.
The last story I would like to share with you is about Dr. Simpson - a New York preacher plagued by poor health. Two nervous breakdowns and a serious heart condition resulted in a highly qualified physician telling him - at the age of 38 - that he would never live to be 40. Because of his poor health, and his poor physical condition, this came as no surprise to Dr. Simpson. In desperation, he went to the Bible to learn what Jesus had to say about disease. He became convinced that Jesus meant disease to be a part of redemption. Shortly after coming to this conclusion, he went for a walk in the woods and sat down on a log to rest and pray. He asked Christ to enter him and to become his physical strength until his life's work was accomplished. Every fiber of his body was tingling with the sense of God's presence. Days later, he climbed a mountain. The shortness of breath was gone and he felt renewed. He went on to preach 3,000 sermons in the next 3 years, holding as many as 20 meetings a week. He amassed an amazing volume of work before he died - at the age of 76. (God's Little Devotional Bible for Women, 1998).
Norman Vincent Peale said, "Change your thoughts and you change your world." Do you look at a cup that is half empty or a cup that is half full. Do you ask if there is any margarine or do you say, "Pass the butter"? Never abandon your dream until it is realized. The idea I had about teaching began when I was in high school and a special teacher took an interest in me. Evidently, he saw some potential and convinced me to go to college. In addition, he was instrumental in obtaining a 4-yr teacher's scholarship that paid my tuition. Things got in the way, but eventually I did become a teacher. I hope and pray that I am an inspiration to students - just as that teacher was to me. In class, I speak of the power of positive thinking. Believe, and you will achieve. One has to have a goal, however, and follow a plan. Preparation is the key to success. I speak of setting one's goals high, even if we don't achieve all of them.
The answer to my wife's question concerning what I was going to speak about was, "Have faith..." and so I did. And so it is with having faith. It needs to be watered and nurtured so it will blossom. When tested, we need to rise up and believe in our convictions for Jesus Christ and pray - even lean on Him when necessary. When our faith and our convictions bear fruit, we must continue to think positively and become more involved - or stay involved - in activities that will benefit others and, in so doing, benefit ourselves. Become more involved in the church. Help out with Habitat for Humanity if you can. Lend a hand at a soup kitchen. Finally, when the fruit is ripe for harvesting, share that wealth of faith with others. Yes, faith can move mountains of obstacles. But we must put forth our own efforts in this cause as well. It is the power of positive thinking, the faith in ourselves and the faith in God that will enable us to succeed.