Pastor Leon Seaton

Walking by Faith Is Not Always Easy!

There are two foundational scriptures for this message:

1. Philippians 2:12: “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling.”

2. I Timothy 6:12: “Fight the good fight of the faith.”

II Corinthians 5:7-21

Part of every communion service is a time of self examination – where we look at our attitudes, our relationship with the Lord and our relationship with one another. If the Holy Spirit reveals any sinful attitude in our lives we are to ask for forgiveness and power to overcome our weaknesses. We do this so that we will not receive communion in an unworthy manner.

This sort of prayer is hard, for it requires that we be open and honest with God. This prayer is self-care, and is vitally important. However, there is much more to prayer than that. Prayer is usually an ongoing conversation between ourselves and the Lord where we seek His will, His power and His wisdom for ourselves and for others. Often we pray for people we do not know.

Prayer without obedience is just talking. Someone said that if you are a leader and no one is following all you are doing is going for a walk in the park. Using that thought, prayer without obedience is just talking to no one in particular, for God knows our hearts!

Two categories of prayer:

I. Informal:

You may be thinking, “Me, informal with the God of the universe?” Absolutely! This is similar to a small child sitting on her daddy’s lap and saying, “Daddy.”

Jesus used this term when He asked the Father to allow Him to skip the Cross. In the end he said, “Nevertheless, not My will, but Thine be done.” (Mark 14:36)

We can use this terminology as well.

Romans 8:15, 16: “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by Him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.

This is what we are doing as we carry on an ongoing conversation with the Lord during the day. It can be a lot of fun. You see a beautiful sunset and say, “Wow! Lord, thanks for the inspiration!” Or you say, “Lord, this has not been a good day, but thanks for being there for me.”

II. Formal:

The formal prayer is one of petition. Daniel used this in approaching God about the end of the Babylonian captivity. He was ready to go home! He wanted to be in Jerusalem.

Daniel 9:17, “Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of Your servant. For Your sake, O Lord, look with favor on Your desolate sanctuary. Give ear, O God, and hear; open Your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears Your Name. We do not make requests of You because we are righteous, but because of Your great mercy. O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For Your sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people bear your Name.”

Jesus used petitions as well. Hebrews 5:7, 8: “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the One who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from what He suffered…”

A petition, according to the American Heritage Dictionary, is:

- A solemn supplication or request to a superior authority; an entreaty.

- A formal written document requesting a right or benefit from a person or group in authority.

The disciples (Apostles) walked in the “Abba” stage during their three years with Jesus before His death. It was a time of close comradeship and fellowship as they learned first by example, then by doing the works of God. On one occasion Jesus was asked why His disciples did not fast and pray as the Pharisees did. Jesus said that the time would come when His disciples would fast and pray (skip meals or give up certain foods for a time), but it would be after He returned to heaven.

Thus after His ascension, the disciples added formal prayers of petition.

When Prayers are not answered:

Most of us have preconceived notions about what God is doing or is going to do. If this is based on experience, that is great; however, we should be careful, for those notions may keep us from hearing God clearly. Jesus often told His disciples that He would die before He set up His earthly kingdom; however they simply could not comprehend what He was saying because of preconceived notions.

Or, as someone said, “A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.”

Most of us can say, “Been there; done that.” We were absolutely sure that we understood God’s plan – that He was going to answer our prayers – and then everything fell apart at the last moment. Those events are devastating to us - or they can be a foundational learning point. The choice is ours.

Just imagine what Job felt when his whole world fell apart. All ten of his children died the same day. He lost everything he owned except his land. His wife suggested that he curse God and die, and ultimately his friends told him that everything was his fault, that he was leading a sinful life.

Rather than being bitter he simply said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” Job 1:21

In the end of his story we find Job making an amazing statement. He said to God, “My ears had heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you.” Job 42:1-6

As a result of his catastrophe Job moved from serving God out of human fear to a close personal relationship with the God of the Universe. It was a hard lesson to learn, but God allowed Job to live to the age of 140 years, so Job was blessed for his faithfulness!

Our time on earth is a designed to be a learning experience. No one is exempt from that cycle. Sometimes we succeed; sometimes we fail, but God’s love for us never changes. The disciples began their walk with Jesus as brand new converts. As they progressed through their personal training with Jesus they were able to heal the sick, cast out devils and work other miracles… even Judas Iscariot was so blessed.

But when a real crisis came, every one of them lost their courage and went into hiding. Judas Iscariot hung himself for his sin. Peter was able to repent and receive forgiveness.

It takes powerful faith to follow Christ’s teaching completely. We often make excuses for ourselves, but today God is challenging us to reach a new level of Christian maturity. Are you ready to go with me?

Oswald Chambers said, “Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time.” I will never forget the pain and sorrow that accompanied the split that almost destroyed the first church that I pastored. It was an awful experience! I wept over that situation, I grieved over that situation. I questioned myself and I questioned God. But He brought me through it and helped me survive - however, giving up the ministry never occurred to me because my calling was sure. Can you imagine how the disciples felt as Jesus died… totally abandoned by God.

Many of the people in our congregation have lost children and grandchildren through death – but you have remained faithful to God through those trials. Some things we will simply not understand until we reach heaven.

Fred Craddock is an insightful minister who tells wonderful stories to illustrate his points. One of his stories illustrates the practical implications of consecration:

“To give my life for Christ appears glorious,” he said. “To pour myself out for others ... to pay the ultimate price of martyrdom--I'll do it. I'm ready, Lord, to go out in a blaze of glory.

“We think giving our all to the Lord is like taking a $1,000 bill and laying it on the table—‘Here's my life, Lord. I'm giving it all.’

“But the reality for most of us is that He sends us to the bank and has us cash in the $1,000 for quarters. We go through life putting out 25 cents here and 50 cents there. Listen to the neighbor kid's troubles instead of saying, ‘Get lost.’ Go to a committee meeting. Give up a cup of water to a shaky old man in a nursing home.

“Usually giving our life to Christ isn't glorious. It's done in all those little acts of love, 25 cents at a time. It would be easy to go out in a flash of glory; it's harder to live the Christian life little by little over the long haul.” -Leadership Magazine, Vol. 5, No. 4

This is not to say that we should not save for the future. This does not mean that we should drop our health and life insurance. What it means is that we should be wise and plan ahead, but keep our confidence in the Lord even when everything seems to be going backwards and upside down.

Being a disciple of Jesus Christ and a child of the Living God is more than making sure that we receive all of the blessings due us. One of the secrets to enjoying a good and happy marriage is to seek ways to bless and honor your spouse. If you think that being married – or a parent, or a child –  is all about you, honey, you are in for a major disappointment.

The American Heritage Dictionary states, “A disciple is one who embraces and assists in spreading the teachings of another; an active adherent, as of a movement of philosophy; often one of the followers of Jesus.”

I close with the question I saw on a church marquee recently.

“What if God asked for a sign that you loved Him?”

March 22, 2009