You of little faith

 

     What lies at the bottom of the ocean? A nervous wreck. This dad joke is poking fun at the power of anxiety. According to the National Alliance on Mental Health, over 40 million adults in the United States have an anxiety disorder. That is 19 percent of the population. And this does not account for the fact that every person deals with anxiety.

 

     Another source showed what the average person’s anxiety is focused on:

 

·         40 percent are things that will never happen.

·         30 percent are things that happened in the past.

·         12 percent is criticism by others.

·         10 percent is health.

·         8 percent are real problems.

 

In short, most of the things that cause anxiety are outside our control or things that cannot be changed.

 

     Anxiety is an anchor that drags our faith below the ocean. The passage we are studying today is a literal example.

 

 

     Matthew 14:28-33(CSB)

 

“Lord, if it is you,” Peter answered him, “command me to come to you on the water.”

 

He said, “Come.”

 

And climbing out of the boat, Peter started walking on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”

 

Immediately Jesus reached out his hand, caught hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

 

When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Then those in the boat worshiped him and said, “Truly, you are the Son of God.”

 

 

This is the Word of God.

For the people of God.

Thanks be to God.

 

 

     The events we just read happen after Jesus feeds the 5,000. Jesus has gone off to pray, sending the disciples on ahead in a boat across the Sea of Galilee. A storm pops up and catches the disciples, battering them with the wind and waves. To get to them, Jesus walks on the water.

 

     Seeing Jesus, the disciples think he is a ghost. But true to his character, Peter calls out to Jesus. In verse 28, Peter says, “If it is you, command me to come out to you on the water.” Peter is impulsive, but love is the reason. If it was Jesus and Jesus gave the command, Peter had the courage to move.

 

     This is a move of faith on Peter’s part. He sought the Lord’s will. When he received the command, Peter got out of the boat. Faith had Peter walking on the water.

 

     All of Peter’s attention is on Jesus, it is only when he notices the wind that his focus is broken. Peter was defying the laws of nature as long as his concentration was on Jesus, but the wind stole his attention. The same wind was blowing when Peter decided to leave the boat, but that did not matter until Peter did the impossible. As faith wavered, Peter traded the supernatural for the natural, he was supposed to sink.

 

     In verse 30, Peter cried, “Lord, save me!” Jesus pulls Peter above the water, then rebukes him by saying, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” Notice Jesus saves him first, then rebukes him. The rebuke is not for getting out of the boat, Jesus says nothing about that. The rebuke was for losing focus.

 

     Verse 32 says when Jesus got in the boat “the wind ceased.” Jesus gets in the boat and the wind gives up. Seeing all this, the disciples confess, “You are the Son of God.” Did they fully know what that meant in their confession? No. In many ways as readers, we know more than the disciples did living in this moment. But they will soon catch up.

 

     When did Peter notice the wind? Once Jesus is on the scene, Peter forgets all about the weather elements. He is brave enough to step from the boat to get to Jesus. But it is outside the boat when Peter notices the wind. Jesus’s power was at work, but Peter lost focus because of the wind.

 

     In a similar manner, when do we notice the danger? When it comes time to get out of the boat. While in the boat, others are there with us. But when we start to get out, or are out, that is when we notice the wind has been blowing We take our eyes off Jesus and all courage and boldness evaporate away. We begin to sink to the bottom like a nervous wreck.

 

     Christian living is walking on the water through the wind and waves in pursuit of Jesus and His Kingdom. In John 16:33, Jesus tells the disciples, “In the world you will have distress. But be encouraged! I have conquered the world.” Later, the Apostle John would write in a letter, “Everyone who is born from God defeats the world. And this is the victory that has defeated the world: our faith.” (1 John 5:4, CEB) Paul, who was not with the disciples in the boat or to hear the words of Jesus, wrote, “The world has been crucified to me through Jesus, and I have been crucified to the world.” (Galatians 6:14, CEB) Why would the apostles testify to these things if they were not possible?

 

     Keep in mind, that the apostles would endure all kinds of wind and waves in establishing the Church. But what changed was they focused on Jesus who gave them freedom within to walk on the water. Our faith in Jesus is what keeps our eyes above the waves. His Spirit and power are in us, and all around us. His Spirit rescues, reassures, and re-sends us when we begin to sink.

 

     What is stealing your focus? What is giving you anxiety? Focus on Jesus. I am not downplaying mental health, nor am I suggesting that the next time you go swimming you will not need a life jacket or a change of clothes. But faith in Jesus gives you impossible strength in impossible weakness. Faith gives you impossible endurance to get through impossible situations. Faith gives you impossible peace in impossible chaos. Turn your eyes upon Jesus and you will walk on the water.

Need prayer? Have a question? Contact The Dirt Path Pastor

Dark hallway

    

Horror movies all have one moment that makes us shout, “Don’t go that way.” Some character travels down a dimly lit hallway, enters a dark room, or wanders into an area that looks like it is a prime place to encounter something bad. But every time, the character is too curious, too assured of safety because of the weapon they carry, or think they have mastered the ”Judy chop” to a point that no harm could befall them. The scene always ends with them facing a leprechaun, a monster, a critter, or some murderous villain ending that character’s time in the movie.

 

     We poke at these characters and scenes, but we do the same thing. Journeying on the path in God’s light, we encounter dark hallways off to the side. They tempt us to wander from God’s path featuring a desire or need that we think will be met in the darkness. But all too often we only find sin. It meets our need or desire, even though we know it is outside God’s will. Before we know it, we find ourselves trapped in habits and addictions that keep us ensnared in the darkness.

 

 

     Proverbs 7:24-27(CSB)

 

Now, son, listen to me, and pay attention to the words from my mouth. Don’t let your heart turn aside to her ways; don’t stray onto her paths. For she has brought many down to death; her victims are countless. Her house is the road to Sheol, descending to the chambers of death.

 

 

This is the Word of God.

For the people of God.

Thanks be to God.

 

 

     Chapter 7 of Proverbs is a teacher giving advice to young men about avoiding a dark hallway. The teacher describes the dangers of crossing paths with an adulteress. A woman seeking pleasure while her husband is not home, and a young man who walks into her trap.

 

     This may not be necessary, but I will give this disclaimer anyway. The teacher is not generalizing all women. Both genders are capable of the tactics described. He is instructing young men in this passage, so as a good teacher, he is addressing a dark hallway that would be a temptation to young men.

 

     Skipping to verse 24, the teacher is ready to make his point. He is imploring the young men to guard their hearts. Wisdom would be their protection as they journeyed on God’s path and encountered the dark hallways.

 

     Verses 25 through 27 are the wisdom-laced advice the teacher shares. “Don’t let your heart turn aside to her ways,” he says in verse 25. He is saying to not take the dark hallway. The young men must turn from God and His path to take it.

 

     Verse 26 says, “For she has brought many down to death; her victims are countless.” In other words, the teacher is warning the young men, “Don’t think you are stronger than those who have traveled this hallway before you.” Proverbs 5:5 says, “Her feet go down to death; her steps lead to death.” (CEB) The dark hallway that leads to the woman is littered with dead bodies. Reverend W.J. Deane in the Pulpit Commentary wrote, “The harlot marks her course with ruined souls, as a ruthless conqueror leaves a field of battle strewn with corpses.” The young men might think this leads to pleasure and feelings of love, but the outcome will be disaster.

 

     Both verses 26 and 27 highlight death as the outcome of choosing this dark hallway. The teacher is warning the young men, “Don’t give it a thought.” Jesus talked about this in Matthew 5:27-30. He warns his disciples (and us) to not even look at a woman lustfully. The sinful desire begins in the heart and creeps into the mind and then into life. These young men were being instructed to master their thoughts and desires so they would not wander down the dark hallways that lead to destruction.

 

     While sexual sin is at the heart of this passage, there is a broader application. Sexual immorality is certainly a sin, with pornography lurking in the dark hallway. However, the adulteress in this passage symbolizes more. She symbolizes anything that is not on God’s path.

 

     Dark hallways draw our attention because our hearts crave what is lurking in them. Our life is full of pain, but we see something in the dark hallway that offers us relief or numbness. We live being crushed by intense pressure; the dark hallway offers what seems to be aid. The problem is the dark hallway always leads away from Jesus into a trap of the enemy. Those things in the dark hallway only provide temporary results that must be chased again. And this is how the enemy keeps us trapped.

 

     Repentance is required to leave the dark hallway. If we want to escape addiction and sin, we must admit the dark hallway is not God’s way. But repentance is not only the way to leave the dark hallway, it is also the way to avoid the dark hallway.

 

     The word repentance is a word used often in the Church. But often we only focus on it when it comes to sin when is also a tool for overcoming temptation. Repentance is confession with a change of mind and a change of direction.

 

     When we make a confession, we are humbling ourselves to admit to breaking God’s law by going down the dark hallway and committing sin. We see the destruction it caused and admit to it being our choice. Now if we are only tempted to go down the dark hallway, confession takes on a different purpose. Temptation is not a sin, but giving into it is a sin. To overcome temptation, we confess the reason we want to go down the hallway. Seeing the corpses or having been that way before, we confess to knowing the destruction connected with the dark hallway. Our needs and desires might be things we really need, but our confession is recognizing the choice between wisdom and folly. Between God’s way or the dark hallway.

 

     Confession is us inviting God to help us change our minds and our direction. God can help us out of the dark hallway. We tremble at the thought of dishonoring God, and we tremble before God knowing the choice before us. Jesus loves us and wants to meet our needs and mold our desires to God’s desires. Through the Holy Spirit, God can lead us to meet those needs and fulfill those desires within His ways. He is good and has good things for us, but they are only on His path, not in the dark hallways.

 

     Some of us have gone down the dark hallway. Some of us may even be stuck there. We see the corpses and the carnage, so we feel hopeless. Jesus does not want to leave us stuck. He offers us forgiveness and grace if we are willing to confess.

 

     Some of us find ourselves on this path, but we have noticed a dark hallway. We know what is waiting in the darkness, but we cannot help but be tempted by what is there. We have been carrying so much pain, the pressure has been too much, and these needs desperately need to be met. Staring at the dark hallway, trembling and weighing the cost of going that way. Jesus offers you grace and is waiting for us to confess it all to Him.

 

     What is your dark hallway? The hallway is a trap that leads you away from Jesus. Jesus has a better way that leads to life. Seek Him and you will find it because He will lead you to it.

Need prayer? Have a question? Contact The Dirt Path Pastor

Sermon preview for November 19, 2023

 

We are called to walk in the light as He is in the light, filled with His Holy Spirit. But as we journey, the light reveals dark hallways along the path. Curiosity and desire draw us to the dimly lit hallway, but it is off the path. What waits for us there? How do we avoid them? Pastor Jason shares a message from Proverbs 7:24-27 this Sunday at 10:45 am.

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Watch the whole service

at Ravenna Church of the Nazarene

Sunday at 10:45 AM ET

Authority

 

Pauses can be scary. One of the scariest pauses is when you insert your card at a store, a restaurant, or a gas station. Will I be approved or declined? Your mind races through the possibilities in those thirty seconds. If you have had it say, “declined,” you know that is embarrassing.

 

     Fear at pauses has an impact on our faith too. We have needs or know of needs, and we know that the Bible says we can bring them to God, but we are afraid our faith might get declined. All through the Bible, we read miracle after miracle, but we are too afraid to pray those big prayers because we wonder, “What if God does not come through.”

 

     The man in our passage today has no such fear. He has absolute faith in Jesus, to the point he does not even need Jesus physically there.

 

 

     Luke 7:1-10(CSB)

 

When Jesus had concluded saying all this to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum. A centurion’s servant, who was highly valued by him, was sick and about to die. When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him, requesting him to come and save the life of his servant. When they reached Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy for you to grant this, because he loves our nation and has built us a synagogue.”

 

Jesus went with them, and when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to tell him, “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, since I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. That is why I didn’t consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under my command. I say to this one, “Go,” and he goes; and to another, “Come,” and he comes, and to my servant, “Do this,” and he does it.”

Jesus heard this ands was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found so great a faith even in Israel.” When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant in good health.

 

 

This is the Word of God.

For the people of God.

Thanks be to God.

 

 

     The man in this passage is a Roman Centurion, backbone of the Roman army. (This means he was an NCO, not an officer) Most Roman soldiers were hardened men, caring nothing for the conquered or their servants. But this centurion was different. He had genuine concern for his servant and the Jewish people.

 

     His genuine concern is shown in the Jewish elders willingness to intercede on his behalf. The centurion’s influence, earned by his care and generosity, stirred the compassion in the Jewish elders. The Jewish elders were indebted to his kindness, so they rave of this Gentile’s worthiness to Jesus.

 

     Jesus goes with the Jewish elders. On his way to the house, Jesus encountered the centurion’s friends. They say to Jesus, based on the original Greek, “Don’t risk your own skin coming to my house.” For a Jew to enter a Gentile house they risked becoming ceremonially unclean. The centurion did not want that for Jesus. This Roman soldier confessed his unworthiness to have Jesus enter his house, and his confession is exactly what made the centurion worthy.

 

     But the centurion does not give up, he has faith. In verse 8, the friends share the centurion’s understanding. “I am a man placed under authority.” Just as the centurion responds to commands and people respond to his, he knows Jesus has superior authority. Jesus has the power of God, and to the centurion, Jesus only needs to give the command and the illness plaguing his servant will have to obey. To him, the centurion does not have to hear or see Jesus, he has faith Jesus can do the work from anywhere.

 

     Verse 9 says, “Jesus hard this and was amazed.” The centurion, a Gentile, had faith that did not require a sign. Jesus had performed all kinds of signs to the Jews, God’s people, and they still struggled to believe. And the passage ends with the servant being healed, almost as a side note. Jesus had the authority, and He did it.

 

     You know what is cool, the truth for us. Jesus has the authority. He did here and elsewhere in the Gospels. He had the authority through the apostles recorded throughout the book of Acts. He did when everything was made that had been made. And Jesus still has the authority.

 

     Do we believe that? Here we are, reminded through this passage, sitting with our own needs and those of others gripping our hearts. Jesus still has the authority and always will, but will our fear keep us from lifting these needs to Him? What keeps us trapped in fear is thinking that our faith will get declined. Glory be to God, we know the funds are sufficient. Jesus has the authority. He did, He still does, and He will.

 

     Jesus loves you. He did, He still does, and He always will. Use the card. Loosen the grip of your heart and give your needs to Jesus.

Need prayer? Have a question? Contact The Dirt Path Pastor

Sermon Preview for November 12, 2023

Jesus was amazed. Not by the man's actions, nor the man's appearance. This man does not even appear before Jesus. It is the man's faith that amazes Jesus. What does this have to teach us? Pastor Jason will be sharing from Luke 7:1-10.

This week we will be emphasizing our prayer time at Ravenna Church of the Nazarene. So if you have a prayer need, we hope you can join us. But if that is not possible, please message Pastor Jason your prayer need here. It will be printed out and prayed over during the service.

#ravnaz #sermonpreview #thedirtpathpastor #thedirtpathsermonpodcast

Watch the whole service

at Ravenna Church of the Nazarene

Sunday at 10:45 AM ET

Forgive us

 

Group projects can be the worst. But do you know what is worse than group projects? Group punishments. Playing sports, serving in the military, and even just having siblings, I have had my share of group punishments. In every situation, I have wanted to shout, “It wasn’t me!”

 

     The good news is that God only holds me and you accountable for our personal decisions, actions, and attitudes. God will not judge me for your sin, nor will He judge you for my sin. But at the same time, we cannot deny that our own personal sin has a ripple effect, impacting the whole community at times. And a lot of our own suffering can happen because of someone else’s sin.

 

     God does bring judgment on entire families and nations throughout scripture. How are we to juggle our personal sins and the sins of the community? Our passage today reveals that “it wasn’t me” is not the right answer.

 

 

     Daniel 9:1-9 (CSB)

 

In the first year of Darius, the son of Ahasuerus, a Mede by birth, who was made king over the Chaldean kingdom—in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the books according to the word of the LORD to the prophet Jeremiah that the number of years for the desolation of Jerusalem would be seventy. So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek him by prayer and petitions, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.

 

I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed:

 

Ah, Lord—the great and awe-inspiring God who keeps his gracious covenant with those who love him, and keep his commands—we have sinned, done wrong, acted wickedly, rebelled, and turned away from your commands and ordinances. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, leaders, fathers, and all the people of the land.

 

Lord, righteousness belongs to you, but this day public shame belongs to us: the men of Judah, the residents of Jerusalem, and all Israel—those who are near and those who are far, in all the countries where you have banished them because of the disloyalty they have shown toward you. Lord, public shame belongs to us, our kings, our leaders, and our fathers, because we have sinned against you. Compassion and forgiveness belongs to the Lord our God, though we have rebelled against him…

 

 

This is the Word of God.

For the people of God.

Thanks be to God.

 

 

     As the worldly powers shifted around Daniel, he dug into the Word of God. While reading, Daniel would have found Jeremiah 25:11-12, which said, “This whole country will be reduced to a wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years. When the seventy years are over, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation for wrongdoing.” (CEB) Daniel understood that he and God’s people were in exile because of Israel’s failure to obey God. But Daniel saw that the old regime of Babylon had been punished just as God said. With that in mind, Daniel would read Jeremiah 29:10-11, which said, “When Babylon’s seventy years are up, I will come and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. I know the plans I have in mind for you, they are plans for peace, not disaster, to give you a future filled with hope.” (CEB)

 

     What is interesting is that during the time Jeremiah was sharing these prophecies (before the exile), he was beaten, imprisoned, and mocked. Now, as God’s words were being fulfilled, Jeremiah’s message was recognized as inspired. Daniel read them and believed what God had said, interpreting his current moment through God’s Word. He knew the end of the exile was approaching, so Daniel began to pray.

 

     Much of Daniel’s prayer focuses on the Promise Keeper and the promise breakers. God’s people were the promise breakers. Their national failure went beyond just sinful actions, they were openly defiant of God’s ways and violent toward the messengers God sent to warn them. They had blocked ears and hard hearts.

 

     God dealt with them in the same way anyone would with an unfaithful spouse; God’s covenant with them was like the covenant of marriage. The Lord was right in judging them, love deals with sin. However, God did not nullify His covenant with the Israelites, He left the door open to show them mercy and forgiveness.

 

     Knowing God, Daniel knew God loved His people and wanted the relationship restored. The only problem for the Israelites was as a nation they had no right to claim these promises because it was their actions and hearts that disrupted the relationship. Daniel did the only thing he could do; he threw himself and his fellow countrymen at God’s throne of grace. He confessed to God the nation’s sins and appealed to God’s heart, seeking His forgiveness and mercy. Standing on God’s Word, Daniel asked God to do what the Israelites could not do for themselves.

 

     There is something interesting about all this. Using a very churchy word, Daniel interceded for the entire nation, or Daniel prayed as a representative of them. Before the exile, we know little about Daniel’s life, but based on what we know from reading the book that bears his name, it is hard to imagine Daniel is guilty of the sins he is confessing. Even if he had been, Daniel clearly has a strong relationship with God now. Yet in his prayer, Daniel never says, “It wasn’t me,” instead he identified himself with those who were guilty and unfaithful. Daniel accepts the group's punishment for his nation's failures and confesses their sins as if they were his own sins.

 

     How does this apply to you and me? We live in some dark times. Sin abounds and is often applauded. Truth is shunned, and we know God cannot be pleased with it.

 

     You and I may or may not be personally guilty of these sins. Even if we had committed them, we have already confessed them to Jesus, turned from that life, been washed in the blood, and filled with the Holy Spirit. Yet here we are in a time such as now.

 

     Remember, personal sin impacts the community, regardless of its acceptance. We may not be guilty of America’s sins, but we are dealing with generations worth of sins impacting today. You and I may not be guilty of the Church’s sins, but we see and deal with the ramifications of her failures. And it would be easy for us to stand up and shout, “It wasn’t me,” which could be true. But that is not what Jesus is calling us to do, because that is not what Jesus did. Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin so we might become sons and daughters of righteousness. He chose to be flesh; Jesus chose to identify with us.

 

     We must intercede on behalf of our nation, our community, our family, and the Church. To truly be intercessors, we cannot point fingers at those who are guilty, instead, we must admit to being one of them. America may be in rebellion against God, but as Americans, we must confess our national sins. The Church might have soiled her wedding dress, but as Christians, we must confess the sins the community has committed. It is not us versus them, it is us with them so God can forgive and restore us.

 

     By identifying with the community, we are throwing all of us at the mercy of God and His forgiveness. God’s grace can intervene, change, and preserve. You and I do not have the power to do anything, but God has the power to transform everything.

 

     Are we willing to intercede? Can we do that as Americans? As Estill County Engineers? As our family names? As the bride of Christ? Forgiveness, mercy, and grace are waiting if we are willing to intercede as one with them.

Need prayer? Have a question? Contact The Dirt Path Pastor