Getting Ready for Easter (1 Strengthen Your Faith)
GETTING READY FOR EASTER
#1: Strengthen Your Faith
Pastor Greg Henneman
February 25, 2007
Text: John 20:30-31 and overview of John
Key Idea: Faith is something we do.
Goal: To challenge us to strengthen our faith as we prepare for Easter.
Introduction
VIDEO: "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," where Indiana Jones has to walk across a deep chasm and has to take the first step before the bridge appears.
What is faith? We’re on this journey –this adventure of life – and we come to this chasm, this question. Is there a God or not? Is there a God who loves me and cares about me, or not? Will I leap into his arms or not?
I want to talk to you today about strengthening our faith. We are five Sundays away from Easter. In many church traditions they observe what they call the season of Lent. Lent began last Wednesday with what is called Ash Wednesday. Catholics and some others to worship and to put ashes on their foreheads. The season of Lent is supposed to be a time of intense devotion, of spiritual reflection, and getting ready for Easter.
Now honestly, in our church tradition, we have not done a very good job of that. We tend to motor right along and then celebrate Easter with bang –but we haven’t really got prepared for it. We haven’t reflected much. We haven’t strengthened our faith much. We haven’t thought much about why Jesus had to come and die for our sins and rise again –and what difference that should make in our lives.
So this year, for these next five Sundays, I want us to improve on that. I want us to intentionally GET READY FOR EASTER. And that’s kind of what our stage is about this morning. We’ve stripped away a lot of stuff and we just want to focus on Jesus. And each week we’ll build until we pull out all the stops on Easter Sunday!
One of the ways we can get ready for Easter is to strengthen our faith. So let’s talk about how to strengthen our faith. Turn in your Bibles to John 20:30 and take out your outlines. Our Scripture focus this month is the Gospel of John. My messages will all be from the book of John and I hope you’ll do some personal reading in the Gospel of John.
READ JOHN 20:30.
This is the theme of John’s Gospel. He says: Jesus performed all kinds of miraculous signs. He healed all kinds of people. He walked on the water. He multiplied bread to feed thousands. But I wrote these particular ones down so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God –with the result that by believing you may have life in his name! So John’s goal is to inspire us to faith so that we might life!
Anybody want a better life? John says: Abundant life, real life, eternal life is found by believing in Jesus. But what is belief? What is faith? Let’s talk about it. On your outline…
I. What is faith?
1. Faith is not just something you say.
Lots of people SAY that they believe in Jesus. In fact, most of the polls show that huge majority of Americans SAY they are Christians! “Do you believe in God and in Jesus?” “Sure I believe in God and in Jesus.” Lots of people SAY that! And yet by looking at their lives you’d never know it!
John 1:12 “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”
Listen: Being a Christian is more than just saying that you believe in Jesus. It also involves receiving him into your life and it also involves you becoming God’s child!
So if you have not received him into your life and if you are not becoming more like Jesus then it’s questionable if you really believe in him! Faith is more than something you say!
2. Faith is not just something you feel.
This is a huge one. Lots of people are talking spirituality in our culture today. I don’t watch Oprah, but have you heard all the buzz about “The Secret?” All of these religious, spiritual, and even secular “experts” are appearing on Oprah, and they’re talking about how the universe is a pulsating, living thing that we can breathe into our lives and experience joy and peace and oneness! People line up to share their faith stories of how they have found forgiveness and grace. I mean, it sounds like a Christian worship service –except without Christ! Lots of people are into feeling spiritual and full of faith –but it’s not biblically based!
Likewise lots of people run around from church to church trying to “get the feeling!” Oh I like the music over there better! Oh I feel the vibes over here more! Listen: Faith is more than a feeling!
In John 1 the Apostle Nathanael gets goose bumps because Jesus knew his name before they ever met. Nathanael says: Rabbi, I believe that you are the King of Israel! Jesus says…
John 1:50 “Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that.””
And he did. But Jesus made it clear that faith is more than just feeling spiritual or being impressed by some miracles. So…
Faith is not just something you say.
Faith is not just something you feel.
3. Faith is not just something you think.
John 10:24 “The Jews gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe.””
It amazes me –and this is one of the themes in the Gospel of John –how some people come to faith and others don’t. Some of the Jews, especially the religious leaders, saw the miracles and still refused to believe! They even had proof positive that Lazarus had been dead for four days and Jesus brought him back to life. And what did some of them do? They said: Everyone’s starting to believe in this guy! We’ve got to kill him!
They wanted to argue with Jesus and debate with Jesus, but they didn’t want to believe in Jesus! Some people are like that today. The Bible is just a book to be argued about. Theology is just a bunch of ideas to debate. I’m right! You’re wrong! I’ve got it all figured out! I’ve got it all organized, categorized, and prioritized, and if you don’t have organized, categorized and prioritized the way I do, then let’s put on the boxing gloves and have a good fight!
You know anybody like that? Faith is not just something you think about and debate! John makes it very clear in his Gospel that faith is…
4. Faith is something you do.
John 8:31 “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.””
Lots of people up to this point had said: Oh we believe in you Jesus! But Jesus knew how fickle their faith was! They had fickle faith! They were following Jesus because of the cool feelings they got when they saw miracles. “Ah, ooh! Ah!” They SAID they had faith and they FELT like they had faith and they even liked to THINK and argue about their faith –but Jesus says: If you’re faith is real, you will hold to my teaching! You will live it out! You will apply it in your life. And as you do that you will come to realize that my teaching is true and it will set you free!
· What do you need set free from today? Discouragement? Loneliness? Selfishness?
Faith means that I not only SAY that I believe in Jesus or that I get a warm feeling once in a while or that I even think about and discuss faith. Faith means that I trust in Jesus so much that I actually DO what he says. I hold to his teaching. I apply it in my life.
Illust: About 35 years ago there was a famous tightrope walker named George Blondin. For a publicity stunt, George Blondin decided he would walk across Niagara Falls on a tightrope. On the appointed day they stretched a tightrope from one side of Niagara Falls to the other. He got out there and there were crowds lining both the Canadian and American side. Thousands of people showed up to see this unbelievable feat. Blondin walked up to the edge of the tightrope, put one foot on the tightrope and put another foot out and began to walk across -- inch-by-inch, step-by-step. He got out in the middle and everybody knew that if he'd make one mistake in balance he'd fall off the rope and into the Falls and obviously be killed. Blondin got to the other side and the crowd went wild, shouting and cheering. Blondin said, "I'm going to do it again."
He got to the other side and the crowds went crazy. Blondin said, "I'm going to do it again but this time I'm going to push a wheel barrow.” And he did. One of the spectators said to him, "I believe you could do that all day." Blondin said, “You believe that, eh? Get in!”
Faith is getting into the wheel barrow! Have you ever really gotten into the wheel barrow? Maybe you SAY that you have faith. Maybe you have FELT spiritual on occasion. But have you ever really gotten into the wheel barrow? Where you say, “Lord, I not only believe but I receive and I want to become your child! I want to hold to your teaching and DO your will in my life?” Have you done that?
Now secondly, let’s ask…
II. Faith in what?
We’re supposed to have faith, but faith in what? I just mentioned Oprah Winfrey and how millions of people have faith, but faith in what?
Do we just have faith in some higher power? Do just have faith in a living, pulsating universe and we can tap into its energy? No! Christian faith is faith in Christ! Remember what John wrote? He said: I’m writing this book so that you may believe! Believe what? Believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God!
So our faith is not just some vague “believe in a higher power!” Our faith is focused on the person of Jesus Christ, who walked this planet and died and rose again and who promises to come to us and live within us if we receive him and believe in him!
This is critical! This is why John, in his book, gives us highlight of Jesus’ life. Since our faith is focused on Jesus, we need to know who Jesus is! So John gives us seven declarations that Jesus made. We don’t have time to go in depth today. We’ll just mention them quickly…
Seven Declarations
1. I AM the Bread of life. (6:35, 41, 48, 51)
2. I AM the Light of the world. (8:12; 9:5)
3. I AM the Door of the sheep. (10:7, 9)
4. I AM the Good Shepherd. (10:11, 14)
5. I AM the Resurrection and the Life. (11:25)
6. I AM the way, the truth, and the life. (14:6)
7. I AM the true Vine. (15:1, 5)
So, are you hungry? Are you in the dark? Do you feel lost? Do you feel dead? Come to Jesus! Ask him into your life! Put your trust in him.
He can satisfy your hunger!
He can shine his light on your darkness!
He can guide you like a good shepherd!
He can give you life!
So put your faith in him!
III. Are there good reasons to believe?
Illust: These next few months are always scary times for me. One day last week I’m driving by Deer Lake and I see these guys out on the lake ice fishing! The temperature is above freezing. I can see part of the lake that is not frozen over! And there they are trusting that the ice is going to hold them! I tell you, that takes more faith than I’ve got! Every year we hear about people who drown because they had faith in thin ice!
You see, faith is a funny thing. You can have faith in thin ice and drown! But if you lack faith in thick ice you’ll never get out there and have any fun! The key is to have faith in thick ice, right!
The question is: Is Jesus thin ice or thick ice?
John says: I writing to tell you about Jesus. And there are all kinds of reasons to believe in him and to invest your life following him. But in this book I’m writing I’m giving you seven major reasons, seven signs that point us to Jesus.
So John tells us about seven miracles that Jesus did. Again, we’ll just mention these this morning…
Seven Signs
1. Water into wine (2:1-11) - salvation is by the Word
2. Healing the official’s son (4:46–54) - salvation is by faith
3. Healing the paralytic (5:1–9) - salvation is by grace
4. Feeding the 5,000 (6:1–14) - salvation brings satisfaction
5. Stilling the storm (6:16–21) - salvation brings peace
6. Healing the blind man (9:1–7) - salvation brings light
7. Raising of Lazarus (11:38–45) - salvation brings life
John says: I was there! I saw these things! Lots of people saw these things! And these miracles are signs, John says! Now what’s a sign? Out here on Clarkston Road there are some signs that indicate a big curve. Now are those signs the curve? Of course not! Those signs point beyond themselves. Those signs say, “Hey, there’s a curve up ahead! Get ready!”
In a similar way, the miracles that Jesus performed were not just miracles for the sake of miracles. They were signs that pointed beyond themselves to a greater reality. These are signs that in Jesus, God has come to us! And his teachings and his healings and his love are signs of what God’s going to do on a big scale one day! And he’s giving us the privilege of getting in on it now! So believe in him! Receive him! Follow him!
And far from being stupid and unreasonable, here are seven good reasons, seven signs, that your faith is well-placed! You with me?
Let’s finish by asking…
IV. How can we strengthen our faith?
1. Feed your faith.
2. Exercise your faith.
Illust: I have a weight machine and a treadmill in my basement, and I’ve worked out all my life. I’m one of those nuts that likes to work out. It’s a stress reliever for me. But over a week ago I added this new routine called the super legs circuit. Mike Collard, Steve Benninger, and some other guys in our congregation got me onto it. It consists of five leg exercises. Long story short, I didn’t know what lunges, so I didn’t do them; until I asked Seth what they were. Lunges are where you go like this…
It seemed kind of easy so I did a bunch of them. The next day I was so sore! Every move hurt! But now I’m getting used to them and they don’t bother me as much.
Here’s the point: To get in shape physically you need to eat right and you need to exercise. Same thing spiritually! When you come to faith in Christ, you don’t just SAY “I believe” and then nothing changes. Being a Christian means that you do life differently! It means that this faith that you now have in Jesus needs to be fed and it needs to be exercised!
How do you do that? Last week we talked about…
G – Get new habits
R – Relate to new friends
O – Own up to your struggles
W – Walk with Christ
You say, “Greg, how do I grow? How do I strengthen my faith?” Let me give you three very practical ways to strengthen your faith. For the next four Sundays –the four Sundays of March – I am challenging you to…
APPLICATION
· Connect in the School of Discipleship.
Starting next Sunday we are offering the SOD both hours. What’s the SOD? It’s classes, where you can connect with other believers and strengthen your faith!
“Oh Greg, I don’t want to come for two hours on Sundays! It’s tough enough to get here for one hour!” Do you want to strengthen your faith or not? It’s like saying, “I want to lose weight! I want to get in shape! But I’m not going to do anything about it!”
Remember, faith is not just something you say! It’s something you do! Look at the classes we’re offering:
APPLIED PRACTICAL PARENTING
STORIES FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT
WALKING IN THE DUST OF THE RABBI
I predict that if you make the commitment to connect in the SOD the next four Sundays, you will make some new awesome friends, you’ll enjoy some great coffee and donuts (which won’t help your physical shape!), your kids will love it –and you will say, “Why didn’t we do this long ago!” That’s what I’m really hoping you’ll do the four Sundays of March.
I’m also asking you to…
· Read through the Gospel of John.
Read a chapter a day.
What jumped out at you?
How can you apply it today?
Pray.
· Become aware of your thought life.
So much of faith and spirituality is just becoming aware! Yes you need to connect with other believers. Yes you need to read the Bible and pray. But you really need to become more aware! Aware of others. Aware of your motives. Aware of God’s presence. And so this week I’m asking you, day by day, hour by hour, try to become more aware of your thought life. What do you think about most of the time? Are you negative or positive? What kind of self-talk is going on? Are you grumbling and whining, or are you thankful and grateful? Become more aware of your thought life and offer it up to Jesus. Say, “Lord, may my thought life be pleasing to you.” That’s how you strengthen your faith. LET’S PRAY.
“Father, thank you for the faith that you plant in our hearts. And Lord, as we get ready for Easter, strengthen our faith. We don’t want to just say that we have faith. We want our faith to grow and really make a difference in our lives. For the next five Sundays help us to go into some extra training, some extra workouts, so that we can strengthen our faith. I pray that we’d have so many people connecting in the SOD that we have to find more rooms! Help us to be like Indiana Jones. Help us to be take that leap of faith, trusting that you will catch us, and take us safely to the other side.”
GETTING READY FOR EASTER
#1: Strengthen Your Faith
Pastor Greg Henneman
February 25, 2007
Text: John 20:30-31
We’re going to take the month of March to prepare for Easter (on April 8). In order to really celebrate the resurrection, we need to appreciate what led up to it. Let’s use the next five Sundays to strengthen our faith.
I. What is faith?
1. Faith is not just something you say.
John 1:12 “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”
2. Faith is not just something you feel.
John 1:50 “Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that.””
3. Faith is not just something you think.
John 10:24 “The Jews gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe.””
4. Faith is something you do.
John 8:31 “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.””
II. Faith in what?
Seven Declarations
1. I AM the Bread of life (6:35, 41, 48, 51)
2. I AM the Light of the world (8:12; 9:5)
3. I AM the Door of the sheep (10:7, 9)
4. I AM the Good Shepherd (10:11, 14)
5. I AM the Resurrection and the Life (11:25)
6. I AM the way, the truth, and the life (14:6)
7. I AM the true Vine (15:1, 5)
III. Are there good reasons to believe?
Seven Signs
1. Water into wine (2:1-11) - salvation is by the Word
2. Healing the official’s son (4:46–54) - salvation is by faith
3. Healing the paralytic (5:1–9) - salvation is by grace
4. Feeding the 5,000 (6:1–14) - salvation brings satisfaction
5. Stilling the storm (6:16–21) - salvation brings peace
6. Healing the blind man (9:1–7) - salvation brings light
7. Raising of Lazarus (11:38–45) - salvation brings life
IV. How can we strengthen our faith?
1. Feed your faith.
2. Exercise your faith.
G – Get new habits
R – Relate to new friends
O – Own up to your struggles
W – Walk with Christ
APPLICATION
· Connect in the School of Discipleship
· Read through the Gospel of John
· Become aware of your thought life.
Read a chapter a day.
What jumped out at you?
How can you apply it today?
Pray.