Do We Have The Faith To Be Changed?
Good Morning Friends,
The Bible is filled with stories about birth and birth rights and rebirths and the whole image is caught up in the labor of a woman bearing a child intertwined with the death of Jesus on the cross and the image of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the church. And as with a child one has to imagine the future potential of transformation…the passing of faith from one generation to another. So this morning we explore this challenge and ask one question. Do We Have The Faith To Be Changed?
Scripture: 5Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ* has been born of God, and everyone who loves the parent loves the child. 2By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3For the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, 4for whatever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith. 5Who is it that conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 6This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with the water only but with the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one that testifies, for the Spirit is the truth.
1 John 5: 1-6 (NRSV)
Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah after his father. But his mother said, “No; he is to be called John.” They said to her, “None of your relatives has this name.” Then they began motioning to his father to find out what name he wanted to give him. He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And all of them were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God. Fear came over all their neighbors, and all these things were talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judea. All who heard them pondered them and said, “What then will this child become?” For, indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him. Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy: “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us. Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, and has remembered his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham, to grant us that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins. By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
Luke 1:57-79 (NRSV)
“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”–which means, “God with us.”
Matthew 1:23 (NIV)
Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?” Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
John 3:1-17 (NRSV)
Message: Anytime a child is born we can and should marvel at the birth, but when a child is born when the mother is well past childbearing years as with Sarah and Abraham and as in today’s scripture about Zechariah and Elizabeth it is out of the ordinary.
Here we see that nothing is impossible with God. The prayers of the people can be answered in the affirmative but we have to be willing to let God answer in His own time. God really does want to touch us and change our disappointment into His appointment, but we have to be willing to let God answer in His own way. He can breathe hope into the stale air of impossible solutions, but we have to be willing to let God answer in His own power. Sometimes it just comes down to our being willing to receive it but we have to be willing to let God answer for His own purpose. Here the beginning point for our hope in heaven is the mystery of our new birth. It is the focal point of the Gospel message…the good news of the power of repentance and forgiveness. Here in our desire to learn more about Jesus we end up like Nicodemus learning more about ourselves. Here we find the importance of personal faith and the life God intends for us to live. We like Nicodemus are challenged by Jesus to begin a new life. As we search for what Jesus has attained, we too are challenged to have a relationship with God….we too are challenged to be remade by the power of God so we might live in the rule and reign of God. Here we find the importance of personal faith.
Pray we have the courage to choose a life of change. Pray we learn to enjoy the promises. Pray we respond to that inner appeal of God that brings the transformation of the gift of the Holy Spirit. Pray we repent and begin living a life reborn by God’s Spirit. Pray we begin to love the will and the way of God. Pray
we realize that the birth cannot happen without some pain.
Pray we believe that with God’s help, ordinary people can do extraordinary things. Pray we believe that God is calling us to be an instrument of His will. Pray that we believe that God, in an act of extraordinary love, sent His son to save us and bring us peace and purpose. Pray we grow in faith and mature in our relationships bringing glory to God and a witness of Jesus in our lives. Pray we acknowledge that we must trust that God will answer our prayers in a way that is best for us and most useful to His plan of birth, life, death and resurrection.
Blessings,
John Lawson
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