Sermon Tone Analysis
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H
Sometimes Faith doesn’t make sense.
Just like many things in this life don’t make sense either.
There is always dilema, a paradox to a lot of situations and circumstances we face in a daily basis.
I read last week about a guy and a girl who were about to get married.
She wasn’t too sure about it, the guy didn’t have a lot of money, and had no education.
That was very bad.
On the other hand, he was very responsible, hard working, and the most important of it all, he loved her a lot.
Treated her well, and always showed kindness to her.
What was she supposed to do?
In life there is always this “give and take” factor when making decisions.
I have discovered that in Jewish culture it is common to take a side and then argue against it.
Now in our western culture, we always one a definite answer.
Is it black or white?
Weighing two opposing viewpoints is
But in Jewish culture two opposing points of view are often left unresolved and simply accepted as a paradox.
This is something that Jesus had to face in his time.
You could say that Jesus is at the very center of a lot of unresolved questions we have today.
And I think when it comes to faith, He is the answer to all of our doubts, fears, insecurities, brokenness, sin, afflictions, and everything else.
I want to talk to you today about
THE PROBLEM OF FAITH
Are we saved by Faith?
Or are we supposed to work out our salvation?
Jesus is 100% God.
Jesus is 100% Human.
God is love, right?
Yet, He allows tragedy and injustice to take place in this world.
But wait.
Faith is even more complex, yet so easy.
What are we supposed to do then?
But wait, all these contradictions have been around even in the OT.
In Exodus it says that no one can see God and live yet on ch 33 it also says that seventy elders of Israel saw God… and they lived!
it says that no one can see God and live
I’ve got a problem with faith!
G
But I still believe!
In Moses promises the Israelites that if they’re obedient there will be no poor among them.
But V.7 begins with “if anyone is poor among you”
But wait, later it encourages people to be generous.
Do you want to know why?
because “there will always be poor people in the land”
Western culture tries to find definite answers.
We try to resolve the conflict and the tension.
We don’t like to live in the in between.
But every journey takes time.
And last time I check, we are living this life only for a moment.
Oh but wait.
The tension gets better and better.
Do humans have free will?
Or does God foreknows our actions?
This question in particular has divided Christians for a loooong time.
On one hand, no one can be saved but by God’s initial grace.
In other words, God draws people to him.
It is in the Bible.
Now, I know what you are thinking.
Why doesn’t he draws everyone at once?
Well because there is this thing called FREE WILL.
But wait, we can’t choose him unless He draws us to him.
So we have two pictures.
On one hand, if God wants you to be saved, you will be saved.
On the other point of view, God is in heaven hoping we will choose him.
Which point of view is the right one?
BOTH.
haha, you thought I had the answer.
But honestly, I am ok with both.
I love the way this Rabbinic Proverb says it.
“Everything is under God’s control, yet man has free will.”
You can embrace both ideas as true.
Scripture supports both.
He draws, we choose.
And last time I checked, He died for the whole world.
In Exodus also, Pharaoh hardens his heart (rebellion, unwillingness to repent).
and yet in ch.
8:15 God hardens his heart.
The God foresaw that 400 years in the future, the Canaanites would become so evil that He would kick em out of their land ().
But He also offered the Israelites the choice of whether to take on his covenant or not.
()
God sees the future, but you still have a choice to make.
All these examples bring frustration to our logical mind, but here is what is important.
They yield final authority to Scripture rather than our logic.
What do you end up with?
FAITH.
“Making sense of everything is not an obligation or even a possibility.
Acceptance of a mystery is an act not of resignation but humility” -David Wolpe
The problem of faith is that sometimes it will not make sense.
That at some point along the journey you will have to face the reality of your limits.
And it is in those moments when you can look up to heaven and say BUT I WILL TRUST YOU ANYWAY!
You see, one of the problems of faith is waiting.
is the chapter of Faith.
In it, we see heroes who BY FAITH left everything to go after God’s promises.
And we read the stories and we never stop and wonder how many missed their calling.
Is it possible that Abram could have been Mike.
Or that Joseph could have been a Robert.
What if Esther was supposed to be Norma.
Let me make it more clear, we assume that they are the heroes of Faith because that’s how God set it to be.
But what if the names we read are those of those who responded to His calling; free will.
Of course God knew, and still knows.
God knows our future, but we don’t.
The question is, will we trust him and go after that future.
You and I are called.
But is up to us to respond.
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