Activate

Well, let me add my welcome. My name is Sam, I'm one of the pastors here, and it is good to get to open God's Word with you tonight.

Keep that passage open in front of you.

Just recently I had the chance to be at a conference, and something they did as part of the conference was pay tribute to someone who had achieved something significant.

His name is Professor Graham Clark, so he's an Australian professor, and he is the man who invented the bionic ear.

And as impressive as his achievement is, what I love about his story, and many stories of people who have done significant things, is where those stories begin.

It's to think that to get to the point where he actually achieved his goal, there was a moment where that dream was birthed.

And what you may not know about him is Graham Clark grew up with a father who was deaf.

I actually found out this morning that one of our morning parishioners, Marie Farley, went to university with Graham and actually knows him.

And she was giving me all sorts of extra details.

So Graham Clark, growing up, had a father who was a pharmacist and had a chemist, and he was completely deaf.

And the incredible challenges that his dad faced were what birthed a dream for Graham Clark to ultimately be able to deal with that issue and fix it.

And it's a really exciting thing, I think, to not just see the finish line, but to see the journey that was taken to that greatness, to that significance.

And I wonder if when you hear stories like that, or stories like we just read in Hebrews 11, if there's a part of you that thinks,

I wish I had a vision like that.

I wish I had a dream for significance.

I wish I had something that I was just going to achieve.

I wish I could somehow imagine me being the one achieving something great.

What if it's there and you just haven't seen it yet?

What if the path to greatness is right in front of you, but you just haven't taken the steps to walk down it yet?

Throughout Scripture, there are many, many people who have achieved great things for God.

And in every single one of them, there is a common ingredient.

Faith.

The passage we just read in Hebrews 11 is sometimes known as the Faith Hall of Fame.

We think it's this list of kind of faith superheroes, people who just had incredibly massive and impressive faith.

But actually, Hebrews 11 is not about them.

It's about faith.

And faith is about God.

The superhero, if you like, in Hebrews 11 is God himself.

The powerful one in Hebrews 11 is God himself.

Faith is the thing that achieves significance for everyone in Hebrews 11.

The same faith that all Christians have in the same God.

See, faith isn't just about getting a ticket to heaven.

Faith is a foundation.

Faith is a power that God wants to unleash in your life.

Not just an end point power or an end point destination.

It's a foundation and a power that can be unleashed in us to achieve something significant in our lives now.

This is week three of Activate.

If this is your first week here or you've been away for a couple of weeks,

all the excitement that you walked past on your way in is Activate.

It's that time twice a year where we stop and have a chance to connect and serve in church.

So there's a chance for joining small groups.

There's a chance for committing to doing ministry.

And one of the questions we've been asking over the last three weeks is,

how can you invest yourself in the work that God is doing here at St. Paul's Chatswood?

So how can you be a part of caring for people who are in need?

How can you be a part of bringing hope to people who don't have it?

What part can you play?

And really the question behind that question is the one we're looking at tonight.

The question is, what would your life and my life and our life together look like

if we genuinely shared the faith of those who have gone before us?

I mean, as we begin to dream about that possibility,

dream about the possibility of God's power achieving something significant in us,

we need to be clear on what we mean when we say faith.

It's not a blank check.

But what do we mean?

First off, let's be clear on a few things that faith isn't.

Firstly, faith is not blind and it's not baseless.

I think I've said to you guys before,

faith is a word that sometimes gets substituted for belief.

And they're close, but they're not exactly the same thing.

If I was to climb onto the roof of the church and decide that I wanted to fly,

it doesn't matter how hard I flap my arms,

if I jump off, I'm going to fall and I'm going to fall quickly.

Because there's no basis for the belief that I can fly.

Faith is actually about the thing that you believe,

more than how much belief you have.

See, desire is not a sufficient basis for faith.

It doesn't matter how much I want to fly or how much I believe it,

there's no basis for either of those things.

The thing that I'm trusting in, the object, is what defines faith.

So every time I'm driving in my car and I press on the brake,

I'm placing my faith in the brakes to work and to stop me before I have a crash.

But it's not my belief in the brakes that makes them work and helps me stop.

It's the functionality of the brakes.

It's actually their ability to stop the wheels in such a way that I don't hit another car.

My belief in the brakes, if they're not functional, is irrelevant.

I'm still going to crash.

It's the functionality of the thing that I'm trusting,

that I'm believing in, that I'm depending on.

What matters when we talk about faith in any sphere of life is not so much the faith itself,

but it's what we're placing our faith in.

It's the object that's being trusted and depended on.

And so for Christians, faith is not some vague, ethereal idea

that gets kind of new content depending on what situation we're facing.

You know, I have faith to fly, I have faith to jump high, whatever it is.

Christian faith has specific content.

It has a specific object.

Faith, if it's Christian, is necessarily and firmly founded on the promise of God.

Have a look in Hebrews 11 at verse 7.

It says that,

So Noah had faith in what?

His desire to see the world flooded?

His hope that God would judge the sinful people all around him?

No.

His faith is based on the fact that God warned him.

God's word was there.

God promised something and Noah believed that God would follow through.

Now you've got to remember,

this is just a snapshot of a whole story back in Genesis 6.

Noah was ridiculed when he did this.

He was building the biggest boat that the world has ever seen in the middle of nowhere

with no means of getting it anywhere near water.

Probably in the middle of a drought.

And so people said,

You've lost your mind, Noah.

You are in all sorts.

But he stood firm.

He kept his faith because he was trusting something that was immovable.

He was trusting the words of God who doesn't change.

Faith is not a blind step in the dark full of optimistic hope.

It's confidence based on the sure promise of God.

So faith is not blind or baseless.

The second thing faith is not is it's not seen.

Hebrews 11 and verse 13 says,

All these people were still living by faith when they died.

They did not receive the things promised.

They only saw them and welcomed them from a distance.

Or verse 39 of chapter 11.

All of these people, these heroes apparently of the faith,

were still living by faith when they died.

So they hadn't yet been given the things they were promised.

The things that were shaping their whole life.

The things that were motivating them to sacrifice,

to suffer for following God with unwavering commitment.

They didn't receive them.

And that's because faith is by its nature forward looking.

Faith is future oriented.

It's about something that you don't yet have.

Something that's just that little bit beyond your reach.

And that's important.

Because it reminds us as Christians,

that stepping out in faith,

is not just a way of kind of having a transaction

to get something we want from God.

Faith's not necessarily going to be about getting immediate gratification back

because we've done something bold for God.

The definition that Hebrews gives us is quite clear.

In verse 1 of chapter 11.

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for

and certain of what we do not see.

Now I have a slightly adjusted definition.

Faith is a certain future hope

that changes your uncertain present.

Faith is a certain future hope

that changes your uncertain present.

See, faith brings perspective into situations

that would otherwise be overwhelming.

Faith has the power to take something that could be hopeless

and give you a firm footing.

Even though faith is future directed,

we must understand that it has power now.

It is about something we look forward to,

something we haven't yet received,

but it has power now.

And so the question remains,

what does it look like to live by faith?

And I guess maybe more specifically,

what would your life and my life and our life look like

if the defining reality of our existence

was the death and resurrection of Jesus?

What if that was the looking glass

through which we perceived every circumstance that we faced,

every relationship, every job,

every engagement, every challenge,

every obstacle?

Because this chapter in Hebrews

is called the Faith Hall of Fame

because it's clearly a picture of significant life.

These people did significant things.

And it doesn't matter whether you're three or 23 or 103.

Faith is the ingredient in this chapter.

It's the thing common to every single person who's mentioned.

And today, we need to lift our eyes

and begin to dream.

Begin to imagine just how incredible it might be

for God to work through us in a similar kind of way.

because I can guarantee that God's plan for you

is bigger and better than your plan for you.

So as you begin to visualize that,

let's unpack what the path might look like to get there.

Four things that faith looks like from Hebrews 12.

Therefore, since we are surrounded

by such a great cloud of witnesses,

let us throw off everything that hinders

and the sin that so easily entangles,

and let us run with perseverance

the race marked out for us.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus,

the author and perfecter of our faith,

who for the joy set before him,

endured the cross, scorning its shame,

and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

The first thing that faith looks like is surrounded.

Faith is not a personal or isolated reality.

Our Christian faith is a communal activity.

One of the things that seeds our faith,

or that strengthens our faith,

or even gives birth to our faith,

is actually seeing faith in the lives of other people.

And not even necessarily the superheroes,

like in chapter 11 here,

but surrounded by brothers and sisters

here in this community,

who are living out faith in their jobs,

in their families.

People like the Fitzroy family

in our 930 congregation,

who dealt with a really difficult

and challenging situation

with the health of their second born son,

and yet continued to trust God

in spite of the uncertainty.

Or living out faith like the Fitzpatricks,

who moved to a suburb further away from us

and less convenient,

but convinced and convicted

that this is where they wanted to serve.

That this was the ministry

that God was calling them to.

We are surrounded by witnesses

who are living out their faith

in the day-to-day.

And faith is a shared journey

towards a future hope.

You're not required to hold on to hope

in the difficult circumstances by yourself.

That's what was so great

watching the Fitzroy family.

It's what's so great watching

in so many of our lives and situations

is that when we are struggling,

God provides the encouragement and support,

not within ourselves,

but within the cloud of witnesses.

He gives us models

of what it looks like to persevere.

He gives us brothers and sisters

who bear with us.

This is the point of chapter 11.

All of these witnesses

are on the same journey of faith.

That's why they can be an encouragement for us.

And so faith lived out

demands that we surround ourselves

with the people of God,

with witnesses to faith.

It demands that we gather,

that we invest relationally in one another,

that we benefit from this community,

but also that we seek to be a benefit

to this community.

Because faith has one goal,

heaven.

So it's uncompromising

and undivided

in its commitment to getting there.

And in our quest for heaven,

faith recognizes

that we are stronger together.

Faith is surrounded.

The second thing

is faith is unhindered.

We must throw off

anything that gets in the way.

As a younger man,

I used to go on Christian camps

for one reason

and one reason only.

Girls.

From the moment

that I arrived at registration,

I would begin to prowl

the other campers

looking for pretty girls.

I would then proceed

to place myself

in the proximity

of pretty girls.

I would then proceed

to do whatever I could

to make said pretty girls

notice me.

And you know,

there was a lot of girls

in the youth ministry

that I went to,

so sometimes this was quite

a big task.

But one camp,

I got particularly ambitious.

Now,

you guys might know

that I'm not somebody

who has really ever

in my life struggled

particularly with self-confidence.

But,

unfortunately,

my self-perception

and reality

have not always lined up.

And so,

from where I was standing,

I would strut around

registration thinking

that, you know,

Brad Pitt

is gracing the halls

of camp registration

and that any girl

with functional eyes

is struggling

to control herself.

In reality,

I was a little chubby.

I had a bold haircut

and a goofy smile.

In my perception,

I was very smooth.

I was irresistible

to the opposite sex.

I had all the lines

ready to go.

But in reality,

if any of these girls

actually talked to me,

all I could manage was,

hi.

Hi.

But,

in spite of reality,

one year,

I got particularly bold.

I spotted

a gorgeous girl

at registration.

I found out her name,

Alicia.

She was in year 10.

I was in year 8.

To make matters worse,

my older brother

was in year 8

and he was actually

all the things

that I thought I was.

He was attractive

and he was smooth

with the ladies.

But,

remember,

I hadn't realised

that there was barriers

like that.

I was Brad Pitt.

So,

eyes on the prize

I dedicated myself

for the seven days

of that camp

to pursuing

this older woman.

I was so committed

that at mealtimes

I sat with her

and her friends

instead of my friends.

When it came

to picking activities,

I chose what she was doing

instead of what

I wanted to do.

Craft was much more exciting

than abseiling.

In fact,

for that week,

I pretended to learn

how to whistle

because she couldn't whistle

and that gave us

something to do together.

I mean,

come on,

who can't whistle?

I even wrote

her little love notes

and no self-respecting

14-year-old

writes any notes,

let alone love notes,

that other people

might find out about.

But I was single-minded

in my commitment

to the goal

of getting this older woman

to like me

and be my girlfriend.

Now,

unfortunately,

that was my only goal.

So after I succeeded,

and I did succeed,

we started dating

for a whopping

three weeks

and then broke up

because I hadn't figured out

what happened after

I managed to convince her

to go out with me.

Now,

a quick caveat

on this story.

I'm not endorsing

going on camps

to pick up girls.

The moral of the story

is not try harder

when you're trying

to get a boyfriend

or girlfriend

or husband or wife.

That's not what I'm saying.

The point is,

when you really

want something,

when it is first

priority for you,

you need to forego

anything

that could slow you down

from achieving

your goal.

For us as Christians,

faith defines

our goal.

Heaven is the destination.

That is what we are

being prepared for

and every step

between now and then

exists as an opportunity

to serve God.

Every step

is an opportunity

to be satisfied

in God,

to enjoy Him

and to point

other people

to see

how satisfying

He is.

And so,

we've got to

throw off

anything

that gets

in the way

of that.

Anything

that gets

in the way

of us serving

or enjoying

our God.

Anything

that steals

our affection

from Him.

One of the questions

we need to be asking

about everything

we do is,

does this thing

help me love God

or does it

hinder my love

for God?

Does it grow

my affection

for Jesus

or does it steal

my affection

from Jesus?

There is no

neutral category

when it comes

to the way

that we spend

our time

and our energy

and our money.

It either

drives us forward

in our love

for God

and our enjoyment

of Him

or it holds us

back.

By definition

if it's not

helping

it's hindering.

And so we need

to let go

of sins

that we're

holding on to.

Maybe secret

sins

that we've

kind of

conceded on.

You know

the ones

that we've

kind of

gone

oh look

I'm a sinful

person

I'm not

perfect yet

so it's

just part

of the deal.

Throwing

those things

off means

confessing

them to God

and trusting

Him

when He says

that Jesus

has died

and risen

and that's

enough

to wash

you clean

and to

transform

your heart.

This isn't

about being

perfect

but it's

about being

on a journey

an ongoing

process of

trusting God

to keep

washing you

and keep

forgiving you

by His grace.

Plus

all this

throwing off

as well as

wrestling with

sin and things

that are a waste

of our time

includes letting

go of the

fear and

insecurity

that sometimes

holds us

back from

serving God

in the ways

that He wants.

Now I know

that we don't

actually have

the ability

to switch

off that

part of

the brain

that freaks

out sometimes

but what

we do

have

is the

opportunity

to take

that fear

or that

anxiety

or that

uncertainty

and take

it to

the cross.

What we

do have

is a

cloud of

witnesses

who are

maybe going

through the

same

processes

but have

learnt

how to

swap

that fear

and uncertainty

for the

confidence

in what

God has

done

and in

His

power

instead of

in our

own

power.

We can

trade our

fear for

the confidence

that comes

from knowing

that we

have a

Saviour

who has

proved

that He's

more powerful

than anything

we will ever

face.

And when

we're free

from that

hindrance

the third

thing that

our faith

will do

is release

us to

run.

Again

Hebrews

12

end of

verse 1

let us

throw off

everything

that hinders

and the

sin that

so easily

entangles

and let

us run

with

perseverance

the race

marked out

for us.

Run the

race.

Faith is

not half

hearted or

apathetic or

lethargic.

Faith is

undivided and

committed and

energetic and

enthusiastic but

it's really

important that

you run

your race.

when I was

growing up

I grew up

with a

group of

guys getting

discipled as

a teenager

and some

of those

guys were

clearly

impressive

people.

I had a

friend who

happened to

be into

comics but

that masked

an ability

that he had

to basically

inhale books.

He's now a

minister and

the time in

his life has

come where

he's starting

to output

some of the

books that

he has been

inhaling for

the first

half of

his life.

He's just

recently published

his first book

on leadership.

If you're a

Christian leader

in any capacity

I recommend it

but that's not

the point of

what I'm saying.

He has published

this book and

it's a significant

work and he's a

significant guy and

he will be known

in church and

ministry and

Christian circles

going forward as

somebody who will

do something

significant for

God by faith.

But what I

wanted to read

to you was the

second page.

It says

this,

for Stu

and Tim,

the two men

God used to

bring me to

Jesus,

build me up in

him and send

me out for

him.

At a stretch

the ministry

nerds amongst

you might have

some idea who

Tim is.

He's a kind

of fairly

significant youth

pastor but if

not that's fine

too.

But no one

here will know

who Stu is.

No one here

will know that

Stu spent week

after week

after week while

we were in

high school

sewing into

Craig and

explaining who

Jesus was and

what it meant

to follow him.

No one here

will know that

Stu still calls

Craig and

me and a

bunch of the

other guys that

he discipled when

we were teenagers

to encourage us

to continue to

trust God and

live by faith.

faith.

But the key here is

Stu has still done

something significant

by faith.

It's a different

path to the one

that Craig who

wrote the book

is running but

he's still running

his race.

He still

sacrificed hours

when he was at

university and in

his early marriage

and during his

family to sow into

ungrateful teenage

boys like me and

like Craig and like

a few others.

faith doesn't turn

Christians into

clones.

It doesn't take

away everything

about you that's

unique and say we

all have to do the

same things.

Sure there's some

stuff that we're all

called to like loving

people who don't know

Jesus, being humble,

being generous but in

terms of the

specifics of the

race that God has

designed for you,

it's your race.

just like in chapter

11, Noah had a

race, Abraham had a

race, Enoch had a

race.

Did you notice that

Moses' parents got a

mention in chapter

11?

They're not big

players in the Bible

other than getting a

mention here but they

did the thing that was

required.

They were bold at a

time that boldness was

required, they protected

their son and then God

went on to use Moses

significantly.

Some of us might be

called to by faith live

in singleness in a way

that honors God.

Some of us might be

called by faith to work

significantly in caring

for those who are

desperate and in need in

our society.

Some of us might be

called by faith to honor

God in the corporate

world or in artistic

expression or even in

ministry.

But the key is wherever

God has placed you,

whatever he has put in

your life, get rid of

what is slowing you

down so that you can

run.

Confess the sin that

you're holding on to

and being distracted by.

Trust Jesus to forgive

you and run with the

energy and freedom that

he has won for you.

I wonder where in your

life tonight God is

asking you to trust his

promises more fully.

I mean are there any

areas of your life,

maybe it's your job,

maybe it's home,

maybe it's social,

whatever it is, are

there any areas where

trusting Jesus makes no

difference right now?

And if so, just think for

a minute, what difference

would it make if you did

trust him there?

Faith is about stepping out

of your comfort zone.

It's about dreaming beyond

what you're capable of

within yourself and

chasing that dream because

you believe and trust the

promises that God has

made.

Lastly and most

importantly, faith is

eyes on Jesus.

Do you ever wish that you

knew the future?

I mean wouldn't life be

easier if you knew how it

was going to end up, take

stress out of those

decisions, out of those

uncertainties?

Well you do.

Listen to Hebrews 12

again, verse 2.

Let us fix our eyes on

Jesus, the author and

perfecter of our faith,

who for the joy set before

him endured the cross,

scorning its shame, and

sat down at the right hand

of the throne of God.

Consider him who endured

such opposition from sinful

men, so that you will not

grow weary and lose heart.

See, not only does Jesus

make it possible for us to

get to heaven, he actually

walks the path in front of

us to show us what the

path is, to show us what it

looks like.

When it says he's the

perfecter of our faith, that

means he has walked in it, he

has lived by faith.

He trusted his heavenly

father.

He knows the joy, the hope

that we hold on to.

And so he obeys

unconditionally everything that

his father asks of him.

And now he sits at the

right hand of God in heaven,

exalted with all authority in

heaven and on earth.

I mean, can you imagine what

it would have been like to be

Jesus?

Facing torture, being mocked,

ultimately being crucified.

How does he keep walking that

path willingly, by choice?

The answer is, he knew his

future.

He knew what God had

promised.

He knew that on the other

side of his suffering, he would

be exalted to the right hand.

Hebrews chapter 6, a few

Hebrews 6 · chapter mention

chapters earlier, talks about the

certainty of God's promises,

about the absolute confidence we

can have that God will deliver on

everything that he has said he

will do.

And it describes that hope,

that trust in his promises,

that faith, as an anchor for the

soul.

It's an anchor because it

guarantees the finish line.

No matter how dark the

circumstance gets, the anchor

makes those circumstances

bearable.

It doesn't make life easy,

but it gives you confidence to

keep going.

It gives you a rock to stand on

when the ground is getting

uncertain.

It gives you security in the

storms to step out and live in

light of the power of God.

And it empowers you to live a

significant life for Jesus, to do

more than you're capable of in your

own strength.

Faith is a certain future hope that

transforms your uncertain present.

It's a certain future anchor which

makes a difference and has power for

everything in your life now.

And so the question for us tonight is,

what are our eyes focused on?

Are you focused on the things that are

in your way?

The things you can't do, whether it's

your own limitations or external

factors?

What would it look like if you fixed

your eyes on Jesus, the all-powerful

king, instead of all the reasons you

can't?

What would it look like if you fixed

your eyes on Jesus and the unmatchable

joy that's in him instead of the good

but inferior things that he's given you?

This round of activate, what ministry is

God calling you to have a go at?

Where is he calling you to step out of

your comfort zone and trust him and his

power instead of your ability or your

experience?

What would God do in your life and in

this church if we completely surrendered

to him in faith?

If like Jesus, we fixed our eyes on the

uncertain future hope and we're able to

give up our own ambition and serve no

matter the cost because that's faith.

It's a certain future hope that transforms

our uncertain present, that has power in

our uncertain present.

Faith is security in God.

It's confidence that he will look after us

because he has said he will and so we can

stop chasing our own agenda.

We can stop spending our lives trying to

look after ourselves because God has

promised to do that for us.

Paul expresses faith in Philippians 1 when

he says,

Paul can say that because he is secure and

confident that when he finishes the race,

whenever that is, his finish line is heaven.

He's confident that no matter what happens,

he will be welcomed into the warm embrace of

his heavenly father.

God is faithful.

He has a path for you, a faith-filled journey for

his purposes and his kingdom.

So throw off sin.

Throw off anything that entangles and fix your

eyes on Jesus.

Dream.

Imagine.

And watch what God will do.

Amen.

And watch what life is.

Amen.

So that's how I see it.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.