Fill Your Faith Reserves

Fill your Faith Reserves

In August, 2003, the largest electrical blackout occurred, starting in Northeast Ohio. We have a well – and we were without water. I considered buying a generator, but all of a sudden, they were selling for twice the regular price! I was thankful that we had made the habit of keeping extra water bottles either in the back of the van or in the basement. Even though we didn’t have electricity, at least we had some water in reserves.

My neighbor came up to me yesterday and told me he was having some friends over – but was concerned that his grill might run out of propane. He asked if he could borrow my grill if the need arose. He had a grill in reserves.

A couple of weeks ago, a criminal was spotted near Cindy Marette’s school. They went into a full lock down for several hours. Cindy was sharing how they’ve done many drills – but until they got into a real situation – a real PROLONGED situation – she realized that there were other necessities that would be good to have on-hand in case of a GREATLY PROLONGED situation – things like bottled water and snacks.

She recognized the need for greater reserves.

Every year my mother-in-law makes a batch of Strawberry Jam – and she gives us several jars that we put in our freezer. I like to refer to this as our preserves reserves.

I have written down here – “wait for laughter – but not too long”

This week in our small group, Philip Yancey talked about the dry seasons of our prayer lives, and how important it is to persevere through them. The way that our faith grows outside of the desert times will help to preserve us during the dry seasons. We need to have FAITH in reserve.

There are times in my life when I start to doubt. Is God really there? Does He really care? Does He hear me when I pray? Was Jesus who He said He was? Is this life that I am living for Christ really worth it?

When I get in those times, I remember the things that I am about to share with you today. These are my faith reserves. I’d like to take some steps to fill up your faith tank - I’d like to share why I believe what I believe – and to encourage you to think through what you believe and why you believe what you believe as well, so you can have some extra faith in reserves.

Let’s pray.

Lord, thank You for Your Word. Thank You that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. As we look at Your Word today, I pray that You would increase our faith and make us more like You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen

When I was about 13, a friend of mine said, "I believe Jesus was a good man, and a good moral teacher, but I don't believe he was God the Son." This got me thinking, because I had always taken it for granted. I had grown up knowing phrases like, Jesus Christ, Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world – or, from the Apostles’ Creed - I believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord… - but did I really believe it?

I think at times we need to have a challenge – to ask ourselves, do I believe this because it is what I have always been taught – or do I believe this because I really believe it? Over the next year, I considered this and prayed that God would give me understanding.

In the midst of this ‘searching time’ I heard the Gospel clearly presented and asked Christ to come into my heart and to give me His Holy Spirit. Soon after that, I discovered something very special in the back of a neighbor’s Bible - a treasure trove of prophecies written hundreds of years before Jesus was born that were fulfilled in Him. I’d say I have two main foundations of faith. Fulfilled prophecy is one of them.

In John 5:39 Jesus says:

Search the scriptures (Old Testament); for in them you think you have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me –

Jesus told us that the Old Testament testifies of Him.

Again – hundreds of years before Jesus was born – these things were written about His birth:

The time he would be born, the place he would be born (that He would be born in Bethlehem); that he would be born of a virgin…

"Therefore the LORD Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)

to be born of a virgin

…and the virgin's name was Mary.... And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus." (Luke 1:26-27, 30-31)

- his exact lineage – Descendant of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Jesse, David, etc.

Things surrounding his ministry:

That it would be in Galilee,

He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them.

that he would heal the sick, that He would speak in parables, that he would minister not only to the Jews, but to the Gentiles as well – then, that He would be rejected by the Jews.

Think about how amazing it is that every single one of these were fulfilled in Christ!

Things concerning his death:

That he would be betrayed by a friend, for thirty pieces of silver – and that money would be used to buy the potter’s field. That he would be silent before His accusers, that the accusers would be false witnesses, that he would be pierced in his hands and his feet – this was written hundreds of years before crucifixion was even invented! And yet none of His bones would be broken.

Many of these prophecies Jesus had no control over - and at first glance, even appeared to be contradictory. For instance, Micah 5 says that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, Isaiah 9 says that he would come from Galilee, and Hosea 11 says that He would be called "out of Egypt" – - which seems contradictory until you see how it played out.

Because of the census, Joseph went from Nazareth to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born. Due to Herod slaughtering the babies under the age of 2 (as prophesied in Jeremiah 31), Joseph and Mary fled with the baby Jesus to Egypt. They came back from Egypt after Herod had died (fulfilling the ‘out of Egypt I called my Son’), and settled in Nazareth. Then when Jesus began His ministry, he settled in Galilee, fulfilling Isaiah 9. Seemingly contradictory prophesies were perfectly fulfilled.

Even at His crucifixion - Psalm 22:18 proclaims "They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots." - Well, which was it? It doesn't make any sense until you get to the crucifixion scene and see where they divided his garments among themselves, but his robe was one piece, and instead of tearing it, chose to cast lots for it. The soldiers didn’t know to do that!

Many more examples can be found at GodandScience.org/ PropheciesFulfilled. When your faith tank starts to run low, read Psalm 22 or Isaiah 53 – both written hundreds of years before Jesus was born, and yet could almost be considered eyewitness accounts of the crucifixion.

As I read these prophecies and their fulfillment, I realized that the probability of them being fulfilled in one person was too great, too inconceivable to not be true. Historian and mathematician Peter Stoner, I believe this was written in 1944 – in the book, Science Speaks - once estimated that for one person to fulfill just 8 of the 300 some prophecies that Jesus fulfilled would be 1 in 10 to the 17th power.

He had a group of students look at each of the 8 prophecies and estimate – what are the most conservative odds that one person could fulfill this prophecy? For instance – for a person to be born in Bethlehem – they looked at the number of people who may have ever been born in Bethlehem – and compared it to the number of people who have ever been born. The CONSERVATIVE estimate that they arrived at was 1 in 280,000.

Then they figured how many people are betrayed by friends – how many have ever been crucified – and 5 other prophecies. Again, the odds of one person fulfilling all eight is 1 in 10 to the 17th power. To illustrate how big of a number this is – you could cover the entire state of Texas with silver dollars – two feet deep – with 10 to the 17th silver dollars. Now – we’ve marked one of them – and your job is to find it. Blindfolded. On the first try.

Fulfilled prophecy is the first foundation of my faith. When my faith starts to waver, I remember these prophecies and how unbelievable it is that they are all fulfilled in Christ.

The second foundation of my faith is the way in which Christianity handles ‘the Sin Issue’ – and here is where Christ provides the ONLY answer. I remember reading a book by Edith Schaeffer – Christianity is Jewish – refers to a scarlet thread that weaves throughout the entire Bible -

When we sin, we are separated from God. From the beginning (and I don't claim to understand this) - the penalty for sin is the shedding of blood.

When Adam and Eve sinned

Genesis 3:21 The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.

the first ten times I read this I never picked up on something implied by this verse –for God to have clothed them in skins, an animal had to die – as a result of their sin.

In the very next chapter:

Genesis 4:3 So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the LORD of the fruit of the ground.

‘4 Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and for his offering; 5 but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard.”

What is the difference here? Abel’s offering included a sacrificed ram.

I know, I know, it hardly seems fair, but that is how it is. In the same way, we cannot atone (make good) for our sins on our own.

Heb. 9:22 says - without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

No other religion seems to understand this issue that sin causing death, separation from God… - other religions – look at good deeds outweighing the bad or being reincarnated until you are good enough…

To me, this is just too unlikely of a story. If you were going to create a religion, you wouldn’t have the hero of the story die on a cross.

(By the way – Hebrews 9 is a great chapter to explain all of this!)

In the Old Testament, a lamb was sacrificed on Yom Kippur – annually - for the sins of the people.

Another instance of this: When the Israelites were about to make an exodus out of Egypt (Exodus) - At Passover a lamb was sacrificed and its blood was sprinkled over the doorway and the angel of death 'Passed Over' that house - bringing salvation to those who trusted God enough to follow His instructions to put the blood of the lamb on their doorposts. They could have been stubborn and said, this is ridiculous – putting blood on a door – I am not going to do this. If they had done that, their firstborns, like the Egyptians’, would have died. So it is when Christ came, He was the 'Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world' - He was the fulfillment of the Old Testament sacrifice and the Old Testament Passover.

In fact, the time that He was crucified was ON PASSOVER – at the EXACT TIME THAT THE LAMBS were to be sacrificed. This fulfillment fills my faith tank!

If, again – the greatest writer in the world –or even Stephen King – could come up with such an intertwined plot to have all of these prophecies come true. I guess I am trying to say that it couldn’t be manufactured after-the-fact.

He lived a SINLESS life, and proved that his sacrifice was acceptable to God by defeating death and being raised from the dead. But we must trust God enough to do as He says, and to 'apply' Christ's sacrifice to the frame of our hearts. We must 'receive Him' - John 1:12 - to those who received Him He gives the right to become children of God. When we believe: Ephesians 1:13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance.

Now, having said all that, another thing that convinces me – and fills my faith tank - is the peace He has given me in my heart of hearts. I know I can trust Him with my life and I desire to do all that He asks me to do. Yes, I still sin, we all still sin - but 1 John 2 says that Jesus is my advocate - and He is the only one who is qualified to stand before God - he pleads my case before the throne of God and says, "I've paid for this one."

Let’s look at Isaiah 53 – let’s read through this section and consider how this is such a perfect prediction of the scene at the cross:

Isaiah 53:1 Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2 For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot,And like a root out of parched ground;He has no stately form or majesty

That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. 3 He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

You know, Christ was so marred – He was beaten – He was unrecognizable -

4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,

Smitten of God, and afflicted.

I have friends who are Muslims. One of the things that they say about Christianity is that God would never, ever, be accursed – crucified, be hung on a tree – accursed. Again, it doesn’t make any sense – why would you have the hero of your story be accursed, crucified, hung on a tree? But when He was on the cross, He took our sins upon Him – so He was – smitten and afflicted?

5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.

6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.

7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.

It says in the New Testament that Pilate was amazed that Jesus did not respond to the accusations – but it fulfilled this.

8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?

The penalty was due to us – but He received it. It says He was cut off from the land of the living – that He would die!

9 His grave was assigned with wicked men,

Yet He was with a rich man in His death,

He was crucified with criminals, but was placed in a rich man’s tomb (Nicodemus).

Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth. 10 But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.

11 As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many,

As He will bear their iniquities.

Again, Christ is taking our sin upon Himself. Yes, He died for it – but it also says that He will see it and be satisfied – to me, that points to the resurrection.

12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,

And interceded for the transgressors.

Again – Isaiah was written hundreds of years before Christ was born – but almost like an eyewitness account to the crucifixion. If that doesn’t fill your faith tank, I don’t know what else will! Let’s pray.

Father God, I do want to thank You for all You have given us – Your Scriptures – for fulfilled prophecy. Thank You for that scarlet thread that runs not only through the Old Testament, but the New Testament as well. You were crushed and broken for us – our sins fell upon You. And Lord, we ask that You would give us a greater and deeper understanding into what this means. You’ve taken our sins upon Yourself that we might have life in You. I pray that when we start to waver in our faith, that You would remind us of your goodness and faithfulness, and Your fulfillment of all these things that were written about You. Lord, thank You for this church body – give us a greater vision for what You can do in and through us. Remind us of the neediness of those who don’t know You. Help us to recognize the situation of others that we might proclaim Your goodness and help to fill their faith tanks that they might put their trust in You - for Your glory and Your name's sake. In Jesus Name. Amen