Faith

By Pastor Dan Kennedy

Have you ever noticed that even in the largest bag of those seemingly thousands of coffee filters, they are eventually used up?

There seem to be so many coffee filters in that huge bag of filters that I could never use that many up, since I normally only use one a day! After several years, sooner or later, even all those hundreds of thin paper filters are gone!

Everything is used up or comes to an end sometime...nothing lasts forever in this world. You can bank on it!

Have you ever noticed that that new car or truck, bike or toy, dress or shirt, house or shed; that was so necessary for us to have at the time, with all its fancy new fashion, gizmos or what-u-may-call-its, one day starts falling apart and getting old, and we turn it in, tear it down, or throw it away for something else? Is this some form of the “law of diminishing returns”?

✦ We Cannot Put Our Faith in the Corrupt and Broken Systems of the World

• Man in his wisdom cannot sustain material wealth

We cannot put our faith in the wisdom of man.

Devastating Hurricanes, Earthquakes and Tsunamis, Exposing the Frailty of Man’s Wisdom

Hurricanes have caused extreme damage to the Coastal cities. Thousands can lose their lives and hundreds of thousands can lose everything they have worked their entire life to acquire. Shortly after one such ravaging hurricane, news programs showed people walking in a daze through their former dream homes built on gorgeous property fronting the water. Gaping holes exposed shattered tiles and broken chandeliers in multi-million dollar homes. All of the furnishings in the house had been swept away. Nothing was left. Prints of childhood memories, stamp albums meticulously filled with rare and exotic displays, and histories of family heritage and ownership had disappeared into the dust from which they had been creatively formed. Records of life were erased. The admired and proudly displayed collections of art on the walls had vanished. The personal vaults in which they had stashed gold bullion with their stock certificates as a hedge against inflation, had been caught up in the turbulence of the storm and taken away to who knows where, to be buried under the filth of the settling layers of sediment and other rusting debris. They looked in vain for their favorite antique furniture and Turkish tapestry that had been smashed, waterlogged or unrecognizable as mere junk floating or buried in the mass of other “irreplaceable” keepsakes under the horizontal wall of water, crushed and mashed together with the lifesaving's of thousands and thousands of other hapless inhabitants. The affluence of the ultra-wealthy had been washed together with the poverty of the poor. Each had keenly felt his or her individual loss; both were bereft of the record of their heritage and the things they had held most dear. No one had the wisdom to restrain this loss from taking place.

Within 40 to 50 years from the prime of life (mid 30’s), most people have lost most or all of their hard-earned, material possessions due to old age or death. Everyone will loose his or her possessions in this relatively short amount of time. Why can’t we figure out a way to have more permanence in life? Man’s wisdom has a problem sustaining material wealth.

Where is the wisdom that allows us to keep anything permanently?

You cannot have faith in the wisdom of man.

•Man in his wisdom cannot sustain power or authority

We cannot put our faith in the wisdom of man.

•Man in his wisdom cannot control the transitions of wealth and power

from one generation to another

We cannot put our faith in the wisdom of man.

Ecclesiastes 2:12-23

12 So I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly. For what can the man do who comes after the king? Only what has already been done. 13 Then I saw that there is more gain in wisdom than in folly, as there is more gain in light than in darkness. 14 The wise person has his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I perceived that the same event happens to all of them. 15 Then I said in my heart, “What happens to the fool will happen to me also. Why then have I been so very wise?” And I said in my heart that this also is vanity. 16 For of the wise as of the fool there is no enduring remembrance, seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. How the wise dies just like the fool! 17 So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me, for all is vanity and a striving after wind.

18 I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me, 19 and who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity. 20 So I turned about and gave my heart up to despair over all the toil of my labors under the sun, 21 because sometimes a person who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. 22 What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun? 23 For all his days are full of sorrow, and his work is a vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity.

• Man in his wisdom cannot eliminate social ills or solve the world’s problems

We cannot put our faith in the wisdom of man.

• Man in his wisdom cannot sustain physical life

We cannot put our faith in the wisdom of man.

• Man in his wisdom cannot prevent Accidents or Sickness

We cannot put our faith in the wisdom of man.

The WHO

Some time ago the head of the World Health Organization stated that a pandemic could take the lives of 150 million people…. President, in the past, have also asked Congress, in case of an outbreak of a pandemic, for the use of the National Guard to quarantine parts of the country that may be so infected. Recent studies have been made on the Spanish flu of 1918 to study and hopefully develop vaccines for the Bird Flu. One news magazine reported the following when discussing the potential of the modern pandemic… a devastating outbreak of such pandemics is not without precedent.

“In 1918, a devastating flu epidemic swept the world, killing more than 50 million people, including an estimated 675,000 in the U.S. The disease was deadlier than previous flu outbreaks, killing more than 2% of those infected. Some people died within hours, and many families lost at least one member.”

“When [a pandemic] brewing in Asia hits our shores – as most experts believe will happen – and if it maintains its virulence as it morphs – as it is almost a sure bet to do – into a fast-spreading human form, infecting tens of millions of people, the scenario that unfolds will be unlike any other Americans have ever seen.

Hospital wards will be choked with thousands of victims young and old. They will be hooked up to respirators, lying in comas, and dying as their heart and blood vessels fail massively. Others will be waiting in the corridors….”

If the routine of life in serving ourselves is meaningless, then the random deaths of millions of people, regardless of status, prosperity, or gifting, makes life seem even more random and futile.

Life is like a huge, unstoppable river -- deep and gentle at first, moving in almost a non-perceivable motion, but ever flowing, unrelentingly forward. All the souls of the world find themselves confined between its banks. As it flows, those so constrained may gleefully play in the warm and soothing water, calling to one another, splashing each other, fishing quietly, or lazily lying back and drifting to who knows where, under the glowing sun those bright summer days. Sometimes the water passes through murky, polluted discharges, foul with debris and waste, which poison unsuspecting voyagers with virulent sicknesses. Sometimes dark, cold rain clouds cause the drifting masses to huddle together for warmth and protection. Sometimes the unprepared are bombarded with the hell of war, famine and hideous atrocities. No matter through what circumstances of joy or despair affecting those so destined to be upon this amazing earth, the giant river of life continues to flow. It keeps pressing on, until it becomes more aggressively possessive in its undertow; rushing more determinedly toward its final surge; and, then in a giant rainbow cascade with frightening speed and violent turbulence, it thrusts all humankind, in unique individual completeness, over its brilliant but terrifying waterfall into eternity.

If we cannot put our faith in the wisdom of man for all of these things that are so essential, then we cannot trust the wisdom of mankind for our eternal life.

If we cannot put our faith in the wisdom of man, then in whom do we then put our faith and trust?

The Depth of the Amazing Words

The first time I remember reading them with meaning, they were written on a poster. The few sentences arrested my attention. Over and over I slowly repeated them to myself. The words had amazing depth, complexity and satisfaction. I repeated them again. I couldn’t comprehend their meaning as much as I really wished, but I wanted to know more of what they were trying to make me understand.

I began to purposefully choose to know these words and the depth of their intent. I meditated on them and marveled at their scope and revelation! I did not make it my purpose to merely memorize these words; instead I made it my purpose to have them tucked away in the “worship” section of my heart…while at the same time fully attaching them to the memory of my mind. I placed them on the “health” activity of my spiritual exercise. I drank from their life-giving words, as necessary nutrients in my regular input of vital energy, from the “Water of Life”, needed for my Spiritual life. I placed them on the coffee table of my heart to peruse when my mind had “down time” and I simply wanted to open up a beautiful book and enjoy the reality of my Savior and Lord – Who He really Is! I placed them on the easiest, accessible, “eye-level” shelf of my theological library in my heart, to keep me from false assumptions and cultic views that undermined the Deity of Christ. I have concentrated on this passage when I have been discouraged, lonely, criticized, frustrated or anxious. I am making this short six-verse passage a part of me so these Words of Scripture will have a place of permanent access. I want these verses in my heart and mind when I become sick, bereaved, unable to care for myself, or dying. Because they have such depth, I keep coming back to them for the very life they contain. I think they are finally becoming part of my heart and mind. I have printed the words onto cards to fit into my pocket so I could carry them with me to review in the “waiting rooms” of life. I’ve made the words into bookmarks to mark my place in other sections of Scripture or in other books, so I could review the words at my leisure, even when reading something else.

These words tell me into Whom I am putting my faith and trust. They tell me Who I am serving. They let me know the Person to Whom I am giving myself and my life, and that yielding fully to His Lordship, is not in vain, but most certainly in my best interest. They reveal to me that teaching my children and others to give themselves fully to Him and to His service will also be in their very best interest. These verses tell me of His Greatness, of His Power, of His Authority and in Whose Presence I will be living and Who I will be serving for eternity.

Come with me to this passage that I find so intriguing.

✦ Who is this Jesus Christ into Whom I put my Faith and trust…to Whom I entrust my Eternal Destiny?

Colossians 1:15-20

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Colossians 1:15-20

1.Jesus Christ is the Visible Representation of the Invisible God

“He is the image of the invisible God” Col. 1:15a

a.Jesus is God and Man – Incarnation’s Firstborn. A Mystery revealing Christ, who is God in flesh – God in human form…fully God and fully man.

“… the firstborn of all creation.” Col. 1:15b

i.His incarnation is parallel, in reverse, to what God wants redeemed humans on this planet to become…Children of God. Christ is God/Man - the firstborn God/Man of all creation; Believers who are “born again” are human/Children of God. These “human Children of God” are to be Christ’s eternal “Bride” (Eph. 5:31,32; 1 Peter 1:3-5)! We, as Children of God - human/Children of God, follow the pattern set for us by Christ, the Incarnate Firstborn God/Man. When we are “born again” we find ourselves in incarnation in reverse, “Christ in us, the Hope of Glory”! “New Birth”, born again (regenerated) by the Spirit of God (Col. 1:26,27, Titus 3:5,6; 1 Cor. 12:3; Gal. 3:26-29).

2.Jesus Christ is the One through whom God the Father Created Everything in the Universe and by whom all things hold together!

Col. 1:16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

1 Corinthians 8

5 For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.

John 1:1-3

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Hebrews 1:1,2

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

Hebrews 1:3

3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high….

3.Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church

Col. 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For uÉin him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

a.Jesus is not only the Head of the Body, He is the King and Ruler of the Universe!

“…He is the head of the body, the church” Col. 1:18a

There will be no democracy in the Kingdom of Christ. We have somewhat of a democracy in the Church because of the Priesthood of the Believer and the servant-leadership of Pastors and Elders, but there is no democracy in the Heavenly Kingdom. There is only One Head of the Church: Christ. We worship Him, we obey Him, we sacrifice our lives to Him and we submit and yield everything we have and are to Him…He is the Head of the Church. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. God the Father will establish Jesus’ dominion to be a Kingdom that will break all other kingdoms of the world, but it itself will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another. His Kingdom Will Never End. He will reign forever and ever. Jesus is the Head of the Church.

Daniel 2

42 And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle. 43 As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay. 44 And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever, 45 just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold.

Exodus 15:16

18 The Lord will reign forever and ever.” (From the “Song of Moses” when Pharaoh and his hoards were defeated at the Red Sea.)

Lamentations 5

19 But you, O Lord, reign forever;

your throne endures to all generations.

Luke 1

30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

Revelation 11

15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” 16 And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying,

“ We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,

who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign.

18 The nations raged, but your wrath came,

and the time for the dead to be judged,

and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints,

and those who fear your name, both small and great,

and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.”

Do you want to have faith in someone who will rule forever, for Eternity?

Jesus is the One in whom one can have faith that will never fail!

b.Jesus is the Beginning, the Source from which all things follow, the Principle Cornerstone, and the Beginning Foundation – the Origin, the Source from which life originates. He is the First and the Last!

“He is the beginning [Source/Origin - ἀρχή]” Col. 1:18

Revelation 3:14

14 “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning [Source/Origin - ἀρχή] of God’s creation.

He is Alpha and Omega the Beginning and the End

c.Jesus is the “Firstborn” from the Dead (by the Power of His Father – John 5:21; Acts 3:15; 13:30)

“the firstborn from the dead” Col. 1:18c

Does your faith need to be placed in Someone who has experienced death, conquered death and hell, experienced the “bruising of His heel”, by satan’s head, but One who conquered all the forces of darkness through His victorious Resurrection? Jesus did just that! Place your faith in Jesus!

Acts 26:23

23 that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles.”

Romans 1:

4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord…

4.Jesus Christ is Preeminent in all Things!

“…that in everything he might be preeminent.”

This is the only time the Greek word for to “have first place” [πρωτεύω], is found in the New Testament. Meaning that Jesus Christ might be “Preeminent” or “Supreme”! He is the “Source” of all life and He conquered death by rising from the dead, as seen through the Power of His Resurrection!

Since He is Preeminent…since He is Supreme over all, should He not be the One in whom we can confidently place our faith and trust?

a.Jesus has All the Fullness of God the Father dwelling in Him

“For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell…” Col. 2:19.

Colossians 2:8

8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.

Hebrews 1

3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.

b.Jesus Reconciles all things to God the Father, through the Blood of His Cross

“…and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” Col. 1:20

Should we not place our faith and trust in the One Who makes peace in the universe by Reconciling all things to Himself through His own Blood?

i.Reconciliation: the Cost of Peace

- The Life’s Blood Shed on Christ’s Sacrificial Cross.

Ephesians 2

13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near [reconciled] by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one …so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross…

2 Corinthians 5

18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Ephesians 1

9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

ii.Reconciling: the Cost of Judgment

1.Who could open the seals on the scroll of Judgment? (Rev. 5:5-7)

The Lamb…as if He had been slain…

Peace in the world requires also justice…

Revelation 5

Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, 4 and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5 And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

To Whom or in What do we place our Faith?

We cannot place our faith for our lives and future in the wisdom of man, we must place ourselves, by faith, into the care of the Creator of the Universe, the Son of God, who loves us and Redeemed us from our sins by the Blood of His Cross!

Sin Competes with Practical Faith

The Problem of Sin is the Problem of Bondage and Corruption. The bondage to sin is the detractor of belief, but the breaker of bondage is Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Captive Golden Eagle

If an eagle had been born in captivity and was imprinted to its falconer rather than to eagles of its own kind, it would be difficult for such an eagle to even think of what a life of freedom from its master would be. It cannot feed itself; it relies on the master for caged nourishment. It performs feats learned through conditioned responses that are pleasing to the old master, and is rewarded for obedience with food. It would take a considerable process of re-training for such a noble bird to be released from its captivity, to freely enjoy the vast spaces of earth and sky without restriction of cage or hood confining its flight or life.

In fact, there is only one way this formerly captive eagle can break free from the trained and engrained responses it has come to believe are normal, and from its restrictive master who has dominated its life from birth, for his own pleasure. It can only be free if it yields its will to the One who created it to be free, and “die to the will of its master”, in order to most fully reject the will of its earthly master.

Breaking the Bondage of the Will is only the Beginning…

This severing of the bondage of the will to the old master is only the beginning of the process. The eagle must now also learn how to fly on its own, unrestricted by the will of its former master. It must learn to forage for life sustaining, continuing nourishment. It must learn how to build a nest, rather than expect the protection of a manufactured cage. It must learn how to care for its young and teach them how to live, free from any earthly master’s will. This all takes time when one’s will has been imprinted so thoroughly with the likeness of an earthly master, from birth.

Let’s imagine for a moment, that you had purchased the majestic bird from the captivity of an oppressive falconer, at a great price, and it was your goal to reintroduce and retrain this bird to survive in the wild – to be free. You had spent months in the bird’s rehabilitation, when one day you had finally decided that you could release the eagle to fly at will over the countryside, well beyond your sight. Suddenly, without your knowledge, the old falconer reappeared on the other side of the hills, with the insidious purpose of recapturing the eagle. He had been watching its retraining and flight and was now intent on snaring it again to do his will. “There is no reason,” he diabolically thought, “Why such a valuable eagle should simply be flying wild! I trained it, it is totally mine!” He then proceeded to call with his most demanding whistles and harsh voice commands, reinforced by overt, exaggerated bodily gestures, commanding that the free flying eagle should return to him.

What internal dilemmas would enter the eagle’s mind and emotions as it heard the commands! It had been raised from infancy to follow, without question, the will of the old falconer. Its responses had been engrained and conditioned in its heart, and now the old feelings were pulling it back into the bondage of the old master…not only to the caged, restrictive bondage, but also to the bondage-comfort of the “old days” and ease of “free” food – the “happy” life of a “slave”!

Extreme payment had been made for its release! But foraging for necessary food was becoming a lot of hard work for the bird, day after day, yet the eagle was also beginning to understand the beauty of what it meant to be created free. Nonetheless what torture of soul would try the purpose of the eagle as the old falconer commanded it, in no uncertain terms, to “come”! If the bird could reason as we should reason, it must resist the dominating pull to return to the old life. To truly live uninhibited by the limitations and bondage of the past, the bird’s “will” must choose to “die” to the powerful will of the old master. To live in freedom, it must live in the empowerment of the freedom, purchased, at great cost, by its New Master! If it would be truly free, it must continue to grow and mature in its new life of redeemed freedom.

A Major Problem: How can one resist the strong, insistent imprint of the “old life” on one’s soul? This cannot truly be done without Faith in the overcoming Power of the Resurrected Christ!

We who have been born into the kingdom of Darkness and have been imprinted, from birth, with sin – hooded, tethered and caged into sin’s submission. We, who have accepted the full payment of redemption for our release from sin by the precious Blood of Jesus Christ, are learning to experience daily, practical freedom from the kingdom of darkness, through the empowerment of Christ’s own Resurrection, to be who God made us to be.

What tragedy it is for those who follow the luring, demanding call of the prince of darkness, to return to the old life even after having experienced the payment that had been made for their freedom. They now, sadly, are freed souls in “slave” bodies – the old chains of the kingdom of darkness once again enslave them.

These should be freed souls, spiritually maturing to become like the image of Christ. Will the redeemed forever remember the “call” of their old flesh and old master? Certainly. Must they yield to his voice? Never. They have been bought with a price and given strength to die to the call of the dark kingdom. God has given us the Shield of Faith to resist the fiery darts and temptations of the enemy…God has given us faith that overcomes the world!

Conclusion

• Man in his wisdom cannot eliminate social ills or solve the world’s problems

We cannot put our faith in the wisdom of man.

• Man in his wisdom cannot sustain physical life

We cannot put our faith in the wisdom of man.

• Man in his wisdom cannot prevent Accidents or Sickness

We cannot put our faith in the wisdom of man.

In Whom Can We Put Our Faith?

1.Jesus Christ is the Visible Representation of the Invisible God

2.Jesus Christ is the One through whom God the Father Created Everything in the Universe and by whom all things hold together!

3.Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church

4.Jesus Christ is Preeminent in all Things!

✦ Who is this Jesus Christ into Whom I put my Faith and trust…to Whom I entrust my Eternal Destiny?

Colossians 1:15-20

Everything is used up or comes to an end sometime...nothing lasts forever in this world. The only thing that can stand the test of eternity is our faith in Jesus Christ!

1 John 5

4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?