Grab the Plank
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Intro and Frame Sermon
Intro and Frame Sermon
Climbing up Tree - Diamond Tree - Second rung.
Today - We are going to talk about Faith.
Where are we? Series about stepping all in | God’s Presence | Hebrews |
Week 1: Rest | Week 2: Pride | Week 3: Lettuce | Today: Faith to do what God is asking you to do.
If you’re like me, you might have trouble understanding why God does some of the things he does.
Ever had trouble understanding why God is putting you through what you are going through?
Maybe, you struggle to step into what you feel God is calling you to do.
Maybe after hearing last weeks message and knowing that Church and community is important but you are still a little afraid of getting hurt.
My Hope: This message will stir you, to take a step of faith. My hope: You will have Faith with how and where you are being used, and you will have Faith to step into what God is calling you for.
title: Grab that Plank
What are we? Faith Filled - As a Church we are “Faith Filled” - but what does that actually mean?
Hebrews 11
Hebrews 11
in Hebrews 11 | Hall of Faith | Concentrate on one story | Noah
What is Faith?
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
I think it’s helpful to first define what Faith is NOT:
- A positive feeling | Blind Optimism | A manufactured “hope-so” attitude | An intellectual nod of agreement |
Faith is the ticket that gets you on the areoplane - Faith is what makes the hope real.
Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.
Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
We need to have Faith that we are being used for God’s glory as we pass through this life.
Noah
Noah
I want to look at an old Testament story that Hebrews talks about and have a look at the principles we can learn, about his faith.
By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
We need to go to Genesis so we can understand the story:
These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
1st Principle of Faith: If you want to have Faith in what God is asking you to do, walk close to God.
Think about the context:
Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
Story of Love | God is giving Noah a a chance of Salvation, to repopulate the earth out of a pure heart | Men were evil
Despite all this, he walked with God | Odd one out | Didn’t go with culture | A bit like Jesus | Idea of Religion | What Jesus did
If you want to have faith in what God is asking you to do, DESPITE what is going on in the world…Walk Close with God.
Principle 2
Principle 2
Ok, What did God ask Noah to do?
Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch. This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark 300 cubits, its breadth 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits. Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above, and set the door of the ark in its side. Make it with lower, second, and third decks.
The essence of Faith = Obedience.
What’s profoundly interesting:
Tells Noah to build an Ark to be obedient before How, tells him the How before the Why.
he is just telling noah to get to work. To pick up the plank
How many times has God asked you to do something, without you knowing the outcome. Remember that Faith is the conviction of things not seen.
Principle 2: Surrender the outcome.
Tree top walk
You can have faith, or you can have control, but you can’t have both.
This was an immense task | This is a big box | You could fit 125,000 sheep in this boat | It was 4 stories high |
Then God tells him why, which is going to sound even MORE strange to Noah.
For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die. But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you to keep them alive. Also take with you every sort of food that is eaten, and store it up. It shall serve as food for you and for them.”
never rained before | Middle of the wilderness | Away from the ocean |
God is telling him to build something that has never been built | to prepare for something that has never happened | Similar to the Gospel |
We are trusting Christ for an outcome that we don’t understand, for the unseen and we are heading for a place (heaven) that we have never been, knowing a judgement is coming that we have never seen.
| and what did Noah do?
Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.
123 years | Some of you have said “I am waiting on the lord| He didn’t just do this and grumbled here, he did it in “reverence” | Worshipped while he worked | Against society, against culture, but followed God.
pick up that plank. The essence of Faith is Obedience
What did Noah do? Surrendered the outcome
If you are feeling low, If you are about to Quit, if you are about to put down the plank if you are going through some stuff I wnt you to remember:
It takes a death to have a resurection
it takes pain to have progress
it takes hurt to have healing
it takes struggle to have a story worth telling
and it take a trial to have a testimony
Don’t know who this is for but you must hear this:
Listen - You need to have Faith that the outcome, might not be for you.
Have Faith that what God is using you for is to Help, Bless or Save someone else.
Principle 3: Faith Pleases God
Principle 3: Faith Pleases God
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
take it off you, on things of eternal.
Fix our eyes.
peter in the boat - You can’t play it safe and please God - you have to burn the ships, kill the gaurantee and live your life of Faith for what he has for you
Story of Peter and the boat, he stepped out. 11 other disciples stayed.
Never let fear of failure stop you from taking a step of faith
“What’s going to happen if you take a step out of the boat?” I don;t know but you have to step out to find out.
What I do know is To take a step toward your destiny you have to take a step away from your security
Peter fell, and Jesus what? let him drown? No he reached down and he picked him up!!
Application + Inspiration
Application + Inspiration
How is this going to start playing out in our lives?
Individually and Corporately - What could it do for our Church
Imagine what your life would be like if you walked around being lead by Faith and not by Sight - How would your life be different?
Some of you might fight the enemy when you just feel you need to bless someone with a meal
Some of you might step out in faith and commit to our Church family, whole heartedly,
Some of you might Tithe for the first time of your life - you might think you can’t afford it or it doesn’t apply to you or OT | but you might just find out that 90% of what you have with his blessing is faaaar more than the 10% of His finances that you gave back and your faith might grow
Some of you might be going through some hard stuff but you will say that by FAITH i know I am helping someone else by FAITH this is going to be a testimony for someone else
Some will surrender outcome
Some will shut out fear in Jesus name!
Some of you, are just going to pick up the plank and trust that God has got it.
It’s not easy but start by having faith that if you follow the word of God than God will take care of the outcome even if it’s hard. Start bt picking up the plank and being obedient.
**Prayer**
And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him. And the Lord shut him in.
All we can do is be obedient, but it’s God who saves, it’s God who delivers and it’s God who makes a way.
and he made a way for every sinner...
**Alter Call**