A Heart of Faith

Oh mighty God. We we come before you this morning as we hear your word. But you make our hearts. to look to you first how to become more like you everyday of our life in Christ name we pray. Amen there would go. I'm not sure what's happened. Thank you. So I had a last-minute change to my sermon not that it really matters other than your bulletin cover here is different from my picture there. And so I changed my sermon to a heart of Faith. What does it mean to have a heart of faith in this is our last at sermon of the series the pillars of faith. So it's the last time I'll continue teaching a little bit of a history lesson each week, but I really enjoyed that the next several weeks. We're going to be talking about what disciples do so again a little bit of action about among our faith. How do we live in to being a disciple of Jesus? So the first thing we're in talk about it this man up here.

So I know it's not Christmas. I know it's not Christmas in July. We passed that we're going to talk a little bit about Saint Nick. And by Saint Nick, we mean this guy. That this guy was founded on. That this guy came from so this guy here. Was a man who gave it all to the people. So one of the stories goes in his hometown, there was three young girls and their father had a little bit of a gambling and drinking problem. So he drank and gambled away all of his money and they're not time you had to give a diary for your daughter to get married. Now. I'm still waiting on mine. I never got any money. So anyway, that's got him cuz his daughters couldn't marry and so they would be forced to live on the streets and live that lifestyle. So Saint Nick here found out about it and Saint Nick's parents passed away and they were very wealthy Greek Christians, but he didn't want anything to do with the money that he inherited so he took three bags of gold and at night time went to the window and toss them over. So for the first two nights, the guy had no idea who is doing this and the third night. He stayed up and he found Saint Nick crossing the gold into the window. To the daughters could be married and Saint Nick told him do not tell us all so we didn't know this until he passed away. Saint Nick Was a great man, there's many stories of what he did on this Earth giving the charity giving away his inheritance everything that his parents worked for. In order to make the world a better place. But for me, one of the things I love about Saint Nick is he was also a scholar a church father. And here's a meme. You can barely read it that so Saint Nick. I also was one of the authors of the Creed that we read this morning the Nicene Creed. In the Nicene Creed really tells us two things. God Jesus Christ is both Divine and human. He is both of God. He is God, but he is also God In the Flesh God that died on the cross and then the early church. There was heresies meaning things are not biblical going around in the church. So st. Nick as much as he was a saint. I decided to punch somebody in the midst of the Nicene Council and he said, you know, we're not going to teach heresy in the church and this morning as we read the Nicene Creed. This is what I think about every time we read it is Saint Nick Santa Claus the Jolly man punching this this other man because he was teaching heresy in the early church. And I remember I had a seminary Professor who wants told me good heresy Never Dies. And it's very true here in the church today. We have heresy afloat actors getting on National Television teaching things about the church that are just not true. And so Saint Nick one of my most favorite early church fathers. We talked a little bit about George Fox and John Wesley, but we haven't gone further back. So this is my morning. There is the Saint Nick that I grew up with Papa Noel anybody have Papa Noel down in the swamps of Louisiana Papa Noel had alligators So it's one of my favorite books is the Cajun night before Christmas. So at Christmas time, we're going to read that together.

Surfers Point this morning his faithfulness requires action. It was my first point last week to I'm not repeating myself here. It's just what the text tells us. It says on the Sabbath when Jesus went to share a meal in the home and one of the leaders of the Pharisees they were watching him closely and a man suffering from abdominal swelling of the body was there not what I'm thinking of is probably maybe cancer maybe this this young man is old man had cancer. And Jesus ask the lawyers in the Pharisees. I like how a groups those together. Does the law allow healing on the Sabbath or not? But they said nothing and Jesus Took ahold of the sick man cured him and then let him go and he said of them suppose your child Iraq spell into a ditch on the Sabbath day. Wouldn't you immediately pull it out?

So this morning Jesus does as he always does me ask the questions to the leaders. And like always that usually have nothing to respond. But Jesus acts Jesus does not just sit around but instead what I think is most important in this in the scripture. This morning is Faith and its Simplicity is not organized by religious rules, but some common sense. And so when I was a teacher, I would tell my students at beginning of the year use common sense. And I'm going to say it on the pulpit to I would say to them don't do anything stupid in my classroom, right? It was that simple. It was a easy rule as long as I follow the rules. We were good all year round and those kids liked me because those were my rules and my classroom, you know, they didn't get referrals because they didn't do anything that was stupid in my classroom. The point here is I Think Jesus is saying to them your child falls into a ditch. Are you not going to go get them? Of course? So why wouldn't we heal people? Why wouldn't we take care of people on the Sabbath on Sunday morning here. If somebody needs prayers we pray for him. If someone needs us to do something for them almost Church body we step up when we do it. We is the body of Christ. We are not so bound to the rules the law we call it in the Old Testament, really? That we can't live by grace and Love & Mercy. And so this morning I Think Jesus tells us go into action. Do don't just talk about it actions speak louder than words. That's why I cure this person. faithfulness requires some humility He tells us. And when Jesus noticed how the gas sought out the best seats at the table, he told them a parable. No kind of set this story up. Who has who's ever hosted a dinner party at their house? We love to eat. We hosted a lot of parties when we my wife cooks it all from scratch its good right and when you have people over your house just sing about it. Where do people sit? There's often an assigned seat for the host right the head of the table and then people depending on house important. They are sit as close as I can to that person. Usually I'll give you an example when we go back home to south Louisiana what you my wife is experiencing this week. We still sit at the Kids Table.

We still send the kids name and we don't have a right to sit with the adults yet.

I want to someone invites you to a wedding celebration. Don't take your seat at the place of honor. Someone more highly-regarded than you could have. Come could have been invited by your house now and our wedding Who Sat by us that are at our table. Well, it was our groomsmen write all the important people in the wedding. The host would lie to you both and say to you give your seat to this other person and you'll be embarrassed will take your seat at the least important place when you're embarrassed you try to stay away. You try to distance yourself. Instead when you receive an invitation going set the least important place on your host approaches you he will say friend move up here to a better seat and then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. And all who the lift themselves up will be brought low and those who make themselves low will be lifted up.

I really I think of these vs. And there's a few areas of life that I think it really applies to so I'm just going to be real Frank and say that I have a hard time. I I didn't I wasn't raised with a lot of money like some folks and I just laughed working in an area that is probably one of the wealthiest places and North America Boca Raton and I would go to these parties hosted by church folks and I would have to wear a tuxedo or a suit and tie and really uncomfortable just wasn't who I am and I've had that struggle. I worked in North Louisiana in this town. That is all so that way I'm not going to mention the town but suit and tie and Tuxedo. And people often not all the time think they're more important than they actually are. And I think that's why Jesus tells us here. See you says the love of money. I'm going to highlight that the love of money is a heart issue is the root of all kinds of evil, wandered away from the faith and have impaled themselves a lot of pain because they made money their goal. Now, he didn't say you can't be rich you can't be wealthy. I know lots of people that have a lot of money that are some of the nicest most giving people I've ever met and often you don't even know who they are. But it's the love of money when your heart becomes so focused on that next dollar that you forget about people that's the problem. I think this is also true in Academia where degrees matter make you who you are where if you don't have an education you're not important. And you know at some point I guess maybe I was caught in that trap because that's what I was told to. Do. You know, you going to go to your get your undergraduate degree and then you go get your Master's and you just keep going and you climb that ladder of education and I don't know if that's what really matters. I tried to apply for a missionary organization at one point and are they do Mission aviation in Alaska, and they would not take me because I had a master's degree. Because they thought that I would be disconnected from the people. They were ministering to right or wrong. The point here is it's humility. It's learning to be humble and amongst the clergy so I can call my own ranks Out Among the clergy there different levels, you know, your local pastor and then a provisional Elder and then an hour later and then you know, you're ordained right and there's these levels but I don't think that's what God is telling us. I don't think that's what Jesus is telling us. He's telling us that we should remain humble and when I hear pastors talking about those ranks, it drives me crazy. I don't know amongst your own professions and jobs. I am sure you have experienced some of this ladder mentality where people think they're more important than they are. Jesus is who's important everything that we do we do it because of Jesus we do it because what that's what God has called us to do as his people in scripture. I don't think I put it in here there. It is Galatians 3:28. There is neither Jew nor Greek. There is neither slave nor free. There's neither male nor female. You're all one in Christ Jesus. We are all the same in the eyes of God. There are so many people that again thank so highly of themselves. But at the end of the day we go before Saint Peter and Jesus when we get to heaven, he's not going to categorize us. He's not going to put us in certain lines. He's not going to separate denominations depending on which one you are. That's what happened to get into today know. It's one body of Christ One Faith one baptism one Lord It's that's that's who the God is that I serve it is the God of this church. That is the god of the churches in our community. And so I'm really excited. You know, I've got to meet a lot of the Pastors in the community in different denominations likes the last Sunday or Sunday before being able to talk to that the Baptist kids and and I hope to be able to talk to maybe episcopalians are the lutherans or whatever who else is in town because we are all one body of Jesus and I'm all for it. I'm offering unity in the body. So Faith requires us to give without expecting anything in return. Then Jesus a person who had invited them who had invited him having a hard time speaking this morning when you host a lunch or dinner. Don't invite your friends your brothers and sisters are well. What is a rich neighbors? If you do they all invite you in return and that will be your reward. It's that when you give a banquet. invite the poor the crippled the lame the blind and you'll be blessed because they cannot repay you. Instead you will be repaid when the just are Resurrected.

Does anybody have one of those family members? That every time they give something to someone they have to have recognition for that gift or they bring it up every opportunity that they can now I'm not going to call I'm not going to throw my own family under the bus, but we have one in our family every time they bring gifts that they bring what they have done for others now. Oh, Lucy, Ricky Lee has three and a half years old to three and a half years ago.

Before he was born. We drove to New Orleans and to have a baby shower. And her mama call her mama Mickey. Her name was Sharon. We always know there's Mickey. My wife and her went to Walmart to get all the supplies. We are going to have the baby shower and that night. She had a massive heart attack. And and I share this it was devastating to our family her grandmother essentially raised her. She was probably one of the most wonderful people I've ever known and Her grandmother was the type that she would give every thing. I mean literally everything that she had a shooting on her 60s and 70s shoes were tired and she was still working from home doing typewriting you known and transcripts and stuff in order to bring in money to give to her family. I mean, she didn't have to do that. She took anybody in off the street so she could have family parties. And your house is maybe like 2200 square feet and she'd have a hundred people and out of her house that day and she be in the hot kitchen cooking the whole time. She just was a wonderful human being and she never brought up anything that she did for anybody. And I think that's what Jesus is telling us this morning. You know, I don't know if you've ever had those working relationships you when I was when I was teaching school. I had a best friend. Who are best friends when I was in his department and he could get lesson plans for me and ideas. But as soon as I wasn't in that department anymore, we weren't no longer friends. Say that's not what Jesus tells us to do. Jesus tells us to give from our hearts and not to expect anything. So having a heart of Faith here this morning is having a heart of action. Having a heart of humility of never thinking highly of ourselves, but always looking at ourselves as blessed children of God. And it's giving the others without expecting anything. And I know where we can all be guilty at times of that and I remember in college know we were definitely broke and we moved from New Orleans cuz I ran out of money to go to school and I went to the first place that would take my credits which was this Church of Christ school and Lincoln, Illinois, and I never even heard of the Church of Christ before going up there. And I gave up my buddy of mine moved in with us and he was living in the basement and I should have just let him live there for free. You know, I don't have much but I charged it for now look back and I see you know what he was just as certain as we were we should just let him live there, but I don't know. I just think back to that my own life. Let me go back. Are this is Nelson Mandela? There can be no greater gift than that of giving one's time and energy to help others without expecting anything in return. This is a good Wesley quote here. I have this exact one of my office and John Wesley told us the to do all the good you can by all the means you can and all the ways you can and all the places that you can and all the times. You can to all the people you can as long as you ever can. all the time 100% Wesley if I didn't mention this in my sermon before You know, he was coming like the Joel Osteen of his time. He preach the Bible, but he would have essentially a millionaire in today's standards and he lived eventually off 1% of what he learned and gave away 99% the charity to those in need. So this morning I guess the challenge for us is not to be like the Pharisees. So often we it's easy to become the Pharisees. It's easy to judge. It's easy for the religious leaders up above the judge. It's very hard to be like Saint Nick this morning you having all and secrecy giving everything you have everything that you've inherited. It's hard to act and humility all the time, especially when you think will I know better. You know, it's true. But that's what God calls us to.

The psalmist tells us in Psalm 50 verse 10 create a clean heart for me God. Put a new faithful Spirit deep inside of me. I think that's what we all have to do. When we really want to sit down and talk about humility. I just challenged us all if you struggle with humility you struggle with with giving without without expecting not expecting things in return Brave to God for opportunities. That's the old joke, you know, you pray for patience. God gives you to be patient about Pray for God to give him humility and I will give you things to be humble about. You know and and more than once God has humbled me where everything was taken away when I thought things were going well and all of a sudden it just breaks. Because God is right there on the side of me showing me that he is my provider. He is the one that I am seeking after. And so this morning I just challenged us as a church as a body of Christ here in Chiefland. The people action not just words and perhaps we are already doing that. So hear that. the people of humility if we're not the grow in that area of our faith. All right, and I have pure and clean Hearts no matter what we do with the congregation and I'm Italian the next couple days here if the storm really hit it's not going to affect Chief when I'm I'm pretty sure right but there are going to be parts of this state that need help. That need assistance and perhaps none of us are in the place really to help but you know what somehow we need to we need so whenever a happens when you be able to give our time pallets and treasure somehow somewhere. And so I think we need to be praying about that in the coming days as a storm hits and hurricane season isn't over. So we're at the peak of the season. And we need to be praying. How God how can you use us here the shirt? I don't know what you guys have already done in the past. I'm sure you have but I can tell you when a church group shows up to a home that's been devastated by a natural tragedy or disaster. Like this could potentially be Jesus is in the midst Jesus shows up and people come to know Christ through your actions. how to spray Oh mighty God. We thank you for who you are. Gotye I ask for humility amongst myself and our congregation, especially God that we have pure hearts. That we look to you God. but our actions speak louder than our words do that when people see this church, they see a church and ball. God has as they have been for a hundred and fifty years. A church that is invested in the community. A church that gives without wanting anything back. God help us is a body of Faith body of of you on Mighty God. To be who you called us to be humble leaders for the kingdom of God. That we can bring your kingdom to this earth. We pray this in Christ's name. Amen.