Church in the Peak Podcast

14th March 2010 - Phil Hardy - Unfailing Faith

Following a time of worship where God was clearly speaking to us about the value of family, Phil spoke about unfailing faith and the sifting (testing) process that we go through sometimes. Phil looked at Luke 22:29-32.

We are going through a period of preparation to ready us for all that God has to come. Jesus knew that Peter was going to be challenged. Jesus loved Peter and fathered him. Satan asked Jesus to sift Peter like wheat. Jesus didn’t say “No, you can’t do that”, but prayed that Peter’s faith would not fail. Times of preparation are a very important time to go through, even if it doesn’t feel like it! We can go through these times because of Jesus. He knows what we will be able to cope with, we don’t. Our faith is demonstrated when we are tested. It’s easy to have faith when things are going well.

Sifting floors were hard places (see link to photos at end of notes) and the wind blows away the unimportant chaff. The valuable kernels remain behind on the floor. In order for the wind to help, threshing floors are usually in barren places. We may feel that we are in barren places, but it is so that God can let us be tested. Peter would not have been able to stand up and preach in Acts 2 if he had not first been tested. God allows various kinds of situations to test us and these situations are different for different people. A situation that one person may find easy to cope with, someone else will find very challenging. Through all this, our faith grows when we are tested.

However, if we respond wrongly to a time of testing, our faith can fail. We need to remember that God will not allow us to be destroyed. Jesus warns Peter about his upcoming betrayal but tells him that following that, Peter will assist his brothers.

Romans 12:1 – We need to “offer our bodies as a living sacrifice.” When we are being tested, one of the most frequent things we will encounter is pride. We need to humble ourselves to God’s mighty hand. Faith is of greater value than gold and that is why it is tested/refined. In the midst of our testing times, we need to remember that Jesus is praying for us.

Three reasons why our faith may fails:

1. Our faith may fail because of fear – This usually occurs when we are looking at situations with our earthly eyes, rather than the eyes of faith. Habakkuk looked at the situation around him and his faith took a pounding God. However, by the end of the book, God has revealed to Habakkuk many of the things that he is doing, despite outward appearances. God is working in our lives and we need to view these situations with the eyes of faith.

2. Faith can fail because it is distorted – We shouldn’t be a people who only have faith when things are happening the way we want them too and when we’re getting what we want. Our faith is not based on what we can get out of God but on God himself. Faith isn’t a heavenly credit card with God, but is based on the finished work of Jesus on the cross. God cares so much about us, he tests us. He wants us to have the best – Him – at all times. Out faith is tested to make it stronger. Peter had promises made by Jesus over his life, but he still had to get through the testing times.

When the disciples and Jesus were in the storm in the boat, the disciples panicked. They had forgotten that Jesus had said that they were going to the other side of the Lake. Jesus had not told them that they were going to get half-way across the Lake and then drown. Similarly, we know that we are going to be with Jesus forever and that he will never leave us. We must not get panicky when storms come along.

3. A lack of understanding of who God is and how much he loves us – Our faith is strengthened the more we know how much God loves and cares for us. We need to get back into the Word to find out more about this. We are in danger of failing if we don’t recognise the one in whom we’ve put our faith. Faith isn’t blind. It looks at what we can’t see. We need to anchor ourselves in Him who is secure. This is faith that overcomes the world. Our testing will come from the flesh, the world and the devil but our faith comes from God, and he is good.

What is true faith?

True faith believes in (i) the God who loves us and gave his son for us and (ii) Jesus, who accomplished our salvation for us in His work on the Cross. For faith not to fail, it must be rooted in God. Prophecy helps us to develop our faith. Our anchor is in Jesus, not in our abilities. We will fail if we try to bargain with God. Salvation is a gift accepted by faith, not something that is sought after by faith. Faith is lost people jumping into God’s love and Jesus’ arms.

A challenge: Where are we standing in our faith at the moment? We need to humble ourselves before God, putting down any pride and arrogance. It is much easier if we humble ourselves before God than if He humbles us.

Going through times of testing is not a punishment from God – that’s one of Satan’s lies and we must not believe it – it’s a time of preparation.

Questions

1. What if anything spoke to you, challenged you from the talk on Sunday?

2. If God is about preparing a people for his purposes, how can we best respond to God when we are facing difficult times that challenge our Faith?

3. Is your Faith been distorted by previous difficulties you have faced or is your faith based on what you can get from God rather than in who he is and his finished work on the Cross for you?

4. From the talk on Sunday is any of the following issues that you need to sort out in your life:-

a. Do you feel that your difficulties are a punishment from God

b. Are you angry at God or the church

c. Do you feel as though your Faith has failed

d. Are you carrying any resentment or bitterness towards God or another person

It would be good to pray with anyone who needs to deal with any of these issues and also to encourage people to run into the open loving arms of Jesus and receive grace, acceptance and love.

Listen now! (0:33min / 10MB)