Legacy of Faith

Morning.

Everybody have a blessed week. No, I did. I did a whole lot of nothing.

I started a new job recently and I have I don't think I've worked there yet, but I've been there and they paid me. But it meant I had a lot of spare time to sit at my desk and to think about today.

I'm going to preach this morning from one of my favorite passages in the Bible. I think I've mentioned it a few times here, but it's from 1st Kings chapter 19.

And I'm going to talk a little bit this morning about a legacy of faith. And I want you to think for a moment. Is there somebody in your life that you know that you look up to you think that person had a lot of faith. Sometimes it's a it's a pastor. Sometimes it's a grandmother but whoever is in your life who had that great. Faith is part of the reason why you're here today, right? praying grandmothers and and family members

and so we're just going to sort of hop end of this this morning. But in this In this passage, it's the first time that the Prophet Elijah meets the person who becomes the next Prophet Elijah. I don't know if you picked him because they have a very similar name or they just wanted to confuse us. We're going to start in verse 19 says so Elijah went and found Elijah, son of shaft fat plowing a field there were 12 teams of oxen in the field and Elisha was plowing with the 12th Team Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak across his shoulders and then walked away. I know that probably doesn't mean a lot to any of you. I don't know if anybody's ever walked up to behind you and just put their jacket on you would be kind of weird to just work in and but but this really meant something to Elijah. What is happening here is Elijah is walking up behind Elijah and whenever he puts his cloak or his jacket upon Elijah his passing on the mantle of his ministry.

And so this is really significant. And the reason why this stands out so much to me as it reminds me of the ministry of Jesus. because that is exactly how Jesus ministered to people that's exactly how Jesus decided he was going to be his disciples is he would walk up to somebody and he wouldn't put his cloak around him that he would just say two words follow me and if they followed him They were his disciple. If they didn't then they weren't. It Ain't So Elijah says no words he walks over to Elijah puts his cloak upon his shoulders and walks away

Elijah then left the oxen standing there ran after Elijah and said to him. First let me go kiss my father and mother goodbye and then I will go with you. Do you notice how Elijah immediately knew what was happening? That there's there's no indication that these two people had crossed paths before. Elijah just happened to be walking past Elijah's field and decided that's the guy probably didn't happen like that. God told him. But to Elijah that's what it looks like. And it doesn't say it very well here, but what Elijah is plowing his own field. He's Platte plowing his father's land. And so what we can discern from this is that Elisha is a wealthy, man.

and and the moment Elijah walks up to him and tell him that you're going to be the next prophet of his real. He immediately drops what he's doing and says, can I at least go tell goodbye to my family?

Elijah replied go back, but think about what I have done to you. So Elijah returns to his oxen slaughtered them. Then use the word from the plow to build a fire to roast their Flash. He passed around the meat to the townspeople and they all ate and then he went with Elijah as his assistant.

Have you ever wondered in your life? I sometimes get like this. Do you ever think to yourself? There must be more than what I'm just doing right now. Because whenever you think about it, whenever you step back, you know, we're all on a giant rock spinning through space. Ann we're all running around crazy like chickens with their heads cut off or if you think about work, right? Why do you work while you work so that you can eat and then you eat so that you can supply yourself to go back to work and sometimes we get in the cycle of Monday to Friday waiting for the week to end so that we can enjoy two small days at the end to reveal ourselves so we can go back to work and I don't know about you but sometimes I wonder is there more than this? right It in in so that's where.

Jesus comes in right? But it makes sense to us. But everybody else in the world is running around going there must be more to my life. In what I'm experiencing right now. There's got to be more to life than just work. And some people find purpose in their lives. They find purpose in their jobs. They find purpose in their families and their extracurriculars. But what Jesus is trying to sell the say to us as he has a higher purpose for us.

So I'm going to ask you a few questions this morning that I want you to reflect on. Are in the first one is is kind of a big one. But it's what is God's plan for your life? What does he have plan to you to do not just in the long-term, but also in the short-term. This is something that whenever I was in my internship at City Church that would say to us a lot it is that especially for people who are my age who are in college or going to college or getting out of college it is they have a big dream right about what they want to do. Most people that were you they have an idea of what God's plan is for their lives and they spend their whole life looking forward to what God is going to do that they miss what God is doing. What God is trying to get them to do what they're what God is trying to get them to realize.

In this Legacy of Faith sort of came to me. I was thinking about people in the Bible who have had great faith. I started thinking about this when I read the story of Elijah and Elisha. Because I don't know if I have the same faith that Elijah has right here. Where if God walked up behind me and said leave everything you have behind would I do it? And that's exactly what Elijah told Elijah. That's exactly what Jesus told his disciples.

Is you have to leave the things of this World Behind to achieve God's purpose? Mark chapter 8 verse 34 tells us If any of you want to be my follower, you must give up your own way. Take up your cross and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the good news or the gospel, you will save it. What what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul.

Jesus calls us to do things that are intimidating. That are much bigger than we are that are much scarier than we are.

I was I was praying over the summer while we were at camp and and just in general asking God. What do you want me to do? What am I supposed to be doing right now? You know and I pray and I said God I want to see big things. in our church only see big things in our community.

And I just wrote this down after praying. It says if you want to see God move in your ministry. We're in your life than you have to be prepared to move. Jesus isn't going to come down from heaven to lead his church. He is relying. On us collectively to lead this church to lead this community. And so I want to ask you this morning. Are you willing to move for God? Are you willing to step out and step into Faith this morning? Because the ministry that we do here doesn't start with Larry.

It starts with every single one of us. We do it through our giving we do it through our worship that we do it through our volunteering. But if you want to see something big in this community, we need to be willing collectively to step out. collectively a step up and we will get push back the enemy will try to tell us that we're not good enough. That we don't have enough funds. That we aren't prepared enough. And if we listen to that voice in our head that says, we're not good enough. Then that will become a reality.

If if we continue to say that we are too small to do big things in this community then that will be our reality.

Right now we are in the process of planning a large Outreach for this fall. Somewhere along the way we're going to hear that voice in our head that says this isn't going to work.

We might have already had I don't know. Maybe there's going to be that voice that says that we can't do this that we won't win anybody. and if we listen to that voice That will be all reality.

God's plan for our life our lives God's plan for this church is bigger than us. It it's bigger than what we can do in our own strength.

I had an idea that I wanted to do and I can't really share all the details right now, but I have an idea for an outreach program in my heart and I've been planning on starting it your way after Maggie and I moved on from Tulsa in the future and God began to deal with me and told me to prepare right now. For what you plan on doing? And so I've started planning this this program this outreach program it when I realize I'm along the way cuz I'm starting with the small things, right, but I'm realizing is it is how God is in every step? How every moment that I spend planning my future my future gets brighter. Did the more I spent planning this idea the bigger it gets and that makes me excited. So if we want to see this ministry grow if we want to see this ministry do things we have to take the steps as a church. To do the little things everyday.

Because it starts with us.

Nobody will we have to we have to have The Bravery of Elijah to leave the things that Comfort us behind Abraham. Did it earlier in the Old Testament? He left his homeland and went to the land. God was promising him. God's plan will sometimes ask you to give up things that make you comfortable.

That make you complacent.

We're going to hop over to Matthew 14. This is an important part of Peters walk of faith is is Jesus is walking on the water in Peter C70 says.

Kiki tells Jesus let me come to you in Jesus says come and we're all familiar with this. Passage right where it where Peter first takes his steps out on the water. And as Jesus as as Peter is making his way to Jesus he begins to see the wind and the waves around him and then he falls into the water.

He said Save Me Lord. Jesus and medially reached out and grabbed him you have so little faith. Jesus said Why do you doubt me?

I think this is a really interesting sentence here. You have so little faith in the Bible tells us that we have the same measure of Faith, right? And so what Jesus is saying here is you've had a lot of faith. But you only used it for a short. Of time.

You only used your faith enough to get a couple Steps From The Boat before you realized where you were. I want you to notice that whenever Peter was getting out of the boat. He didn't grab a rope. Because that wouldn't be faith.

Whatever he was getting out of the boat. He didn't have John holding or out so he just in case. Because that wouldn't be faith. If we step out as a church. There is no plan B. If you step out in your face, there's no plan B. It's God's plan plan a plan outfit. because if you step out And your ear still holding onto a rope? So your body can pull you in and get you messed up. That's not fake. and will fail fall in the water

God wants to do a big amazing thing in your life. Even if you don't realize it. There is more. To life than just living day to day surviving.

But God's plan for your life requires complete faith in him.

And so I want to ask you this morning.

Are you willing to do the extraordinary? Are you willing to do the uncomfortable? The scary the uncertain the uncertain do you trust God enough to save you if you fail.

That's a question. I have to ask myself. Do I trust God enough to bail me out? In case it doesn't work?

The people in our lives that we look up of having a great legacy of faith. They didn't start out that way. We whenever we read about Abraham, we don't read about all the times that he was walking and thought maybe I shouldn't go to this Faraway land. We don't read about the times when Elijah. thought of home whenever he was out there eating beetles with Elijah thinking about those oxen. He killed.

Whenever whenever we read about David waiting for the throne. We don't read about the days where he thought maybe I'm not going to be king. Maybe this is all just a crazy dream.

But we have to look at these people with this great faith. Whenever you think about it a great Pastor, you don't think about all of the days that that Pastor struggled with depression. or anxiety

every person who has a great legacy of faith. started out shaking on the water started out wondering is this thing real?

if you don't have to ask God questions.

And you don't have faith. If you don't have a little bit of doubt that you have to fight off, sometimes you don't have faith.

Every single person who's ever followed Jesus at one point thought am I doing the right thing? Because the plan in the call of God Is Bigger Than what we're used to. Is more intimidating than what we're used to? Yeah, whenever whenever you read Jesus tell you to leave behind. your life you don't think that sounds like a rational thing to do. God doesn't ask us to do the rational. That's why he said if you hang on to your life, you'll lose it. You ever do that?

I know sometimes whenever.

On the 1st of the month when my bank account looks a little bit smaller than I want it to it gets a little bit harder to let go.

It gets a little bit harder to trust in God to listen to him to what he's trying to say to me because what am I doing? I'm trying to hold on to the little I do have.

If I try to hold on to that little that I do have then God can't use it.

If I only have a little bit to give and I keep it to myself God can't use that.

What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul.

You know what we hear about people like that on the news. people who seem to have everything but in reality, they don't have anything you don't have joy. They don't have happiness.

God's plan for your life will cost you a lot. If you're willing to get it, it will cost you a lot. But what you give will look so much smaller compared to what you gain from it.

There is more to life. then just being alive

and I don't know about you, but I want to see God to bigger things in my life than he already has. I want to see God do bigger things in this church than he already has. And if you believe with me that the best days of your life are ahead of you. If you stand with God and complete faith.

the title of my sermon this morning complete PHA You can't just have a little bit.

If you're willing to let go of what you do have if you're willing to step out of the boat, that's what Jesus is calling you to.

And it's bigger than what you can even imagine.

The one more passage. I want to read before we dismiss and eat cake.

And it's this moment and Matthew chapter 8 verses 1 through 4. Where Jesus heals a leper?

Large crowds follow Jesus as he came down mountain side and suddenly a man with Leprosy approached him and knelt before him Lord. The man said if you are willing you can heal me and make me clean. Jesus reached out and touched him and said I am willing be healed. And instantly the leprosy disappeared then Jesus said to him do not tell anyone about this instead go to the priests and let him examine you take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.

What it doesn't say here, is that the leper whenever he approached Jesus? Was risking his life. But if he was seen interacting with somebody who is considered. clean he could be stoned.

What this man saw as Jesus walk down the Mountainside. Was the god who has the power to save him? Who has the power to heal him? And he was willing to risk anything to get his healing. We read it again with the woman with the issue of blood. She could have been killed for her actions.

Do you have the kind of Faith to step out and risk everything to get what you need from God?

Those few words that Jesus said I am willing. He is willing to move in your life. He is willing to move in your financial situation.

He is willing to heal you this morning.

But are you willing? step out

I'm going to go ahead and pray and then we can dismiss.

Or I think you for your word that you've given us. I think you for the wisdom that is in this book lure. I pray that we learn to rely on you and to have great faith. and you got I pray that we are willing this morning to step into the unknown out of the boat and Only Hold Onto You only keep our eyes on you Jesus. Because you have the power to make the difference that we need in our lives. Lord I pray over the plan for the lives of every person in this building today. Lord I pray that you died each and every one of us to your plan to your desires and that we leave everything else behind God. Because you have greater things planned for us than we could ever dream of.

Or I think you for this day in this opportunity to be here your name we pray. Amen.

Pray over the cake.