EYES ON YOU, II

In the face of fear, a person often thinks: "How can I possibly survive this?"  But a person who proclaims themselves to be a child of God, does not ask "How can I possibly survive this?"  They ask: "How could I possibly not?" For a child of God rests on the reassurance that is the character and quality and capability of God. Part 2 of this 2 part sermon places us squarely in 2 Chronicles 20, in the heat of a man named Jehoshaphat's trouble. 

Jehoshaphat was king over the kingdom of Judah... and that kingdom was surrounded. Enemies from several sectors were amassed against it; in both strength and number these enemies overpowered little Judah. The situation was so dire, the enemies so near to swarming, that Jehoshaphat had no choice but to be completely honest with himself, his kingdom and his God: "For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do,..." 

From Jehoshaphat we learn that it is actually a strength to recognize when an enemy is too strong for you. It is actually wise to acknowledge that you do not know what to do. For it would be weak of Jehoshaphat to pretend or convince himself and others that he had the strength to succeed when he knew he did not; it would be foolish for Jehoshaphat to enter a battle when he knew he did not have a plan. So Jehoshaphat did the strong and wise thing and admitted in faith his weakness and ineptitude. He told God, "I do not know what to do... but my eyes are upon You. Let's speak that with the necessary emphases: I do not know what to do, but my eyes are on You.

There will be times in life when we do not know what to do, but if we know enough to look to God, we know enough. When from our perspective a situation is impossible, it is time adjust our stance, to look from the perspective of faith, not sight. For from the perspective of faith, all things are possible, Matthew 19:26. With our eyes on God, a path comes into focus, leading us through the battle and directly into Him.

• HOW COULD I NOT?

It happened after this that the people of Moab with the people of Ammon, and others with them...came to battle against Jehoshaphat. Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea... And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. So Judah gathered together to ask help from the Lord; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.

The first thing we need to do in the face of fear is remember the character of our God and that is precisely what Jehoshaphat, and the kingdom of Judah with him, did:

“O Lord God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You? Are You not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever?

Our enemy, whatever or whoever it is, will probably be strong... it might even be stronger than we are but it is definitely not stronger than God. It's power is not as strong as God's, nor is it as comprehensive. For God's reign is over the whole earth, and the full range and variety of forces in the world. Yet not only does God have power over all, He is incomparably skilled in that power. God has been driving His children's enemies away since the very first enemy sprouted.

If we are going to rely on God, we need to know those things. We need to be familiar with the battles and the ways He has already won. We can't put our faith in the three letter word "God", we need to put our faith in the actual spirit of God... and we cannot do that if we do not know Him. No matter how much we try, we cannot rely on someone we have not built a relationship with. We might be able to muster up some hope... but that will falter when the day becomes dark and road starts to incline. No, without a personal, intimate, authentic, steadfast, steadily built, relationship with God, we will not be able to rely on Him. Not because He is unreliable but because our faith would be.

When we build a relationship with God, we begin to understand and also experience His Hand in our lives. It is then not only easier, but also more productive, for us to ask ourselves  "In what way could we possibly lose?" when the One Who fights on our behalf cannot be defeated? Why waste time stressing about the several things that could go wrong when we have One firm promise that they will go right?

• THE BATTLE IS NOT YOURS

"Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you..."

Every time we flip an ounce of fear into faith, we divest our enemy of a weapon. Indeed we disarm them when we arm ourselves with faith. Jehoshaphat instructed the citizens of Judah to position their stance... not for a better position from which to fight, but a better vantage point from which to watch God fight on their behalf. All of Judah stood before the Lord in faith rather than cowering away from their situation in fear.

Therefore they had positioned themselves to be receptive to God's answer to their admission of weakness and prayer for help. They received the answer they needed to breathe again:

 "Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s... You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.”

How would we receive that beautiful answer, any answer, that peaceful reassurance if we do not stand before God in anticipation of it? Can such intimate conversation occur between two strangers? Two distant strangers? You can't call God if you don't know His phone number, so to speak. And if you haven't familiarized yourself with Him, you won't recognize His voice if He calls you. You probably won't even pick up the phone. 

All of that to say, the only way we truly would be able to stop worrying at God's command is if we truly trusted that what He says is true: that He is with us, that we need not fear, and that He will fight our battle.

But if we have developed a relationship with God... what an answer. What a blessing for God to take control. God stands in for us; He volunteers for trial by combat in order to free us from the sword. He is all at once comprehensively around us: beside us and fighting for us. And then He... always... wins. 

To be able to rely on God in such a situation as Jehoshaphat and Judah were in, surrounded by a stronger more savvy enemy, is the pinnacle of faith. You probably do not have several nations' armies marching against you... you're probably not a king. But your enemy is just as real, just as fierce. Your addiction, depression, your illness, your emotional or physical pain, your loneliness or confusion or hopelessness or whatever it is is just as real... and just as weak as any enemy we set before God.

• THE VALLEY OF BERACHAH "BLESSING" 

Instead of crying in fear of the enemy, they sang in praise of the Lord. They praised before the victory because even though it had not happened yet, victory was ensured the moment God had spoken it. Faith is the tunnel through which we receive blessing and the landing pad on which it arrives. Believe in a big victory, receive one. The bigger our faith, the bigger our blessing because as we hand more and more over to God, more and more is subject to His will. And God's will for His children is blessing. He waits to be invited as an authority over the details of your life... so that the details of your life become subject to His strength and wisdom. God will not take our will away; but when we pray for His will to override our own, suddenly every detail is tailored for blessing.

God won that battle for Jehoshaphat and Judah. Not only were they not destroyed by it, they gained from it. Only God can so perfectly arrange for us to benefit from situations and people that plotted to harm us. With God on the battle field, we will always reap from it valuable things and lessons and opportunities we would have missed if we tried to fight on our own. That defeated army left behind all kinds of valuables which gladdened and reinforced the kingdom of Judah. They therefore named that place The Valley of Berachah, the valley of blessing. 

Indeed it was a blessed place. We stand in a blessed place, wherever we are, when we stand before God in faith. The strength of God on behalf of His children became known to the nations around them. Suddenly little Judah did not appear so weak, and neither will you. The kingdom became quiet with rest all around. They were at peace... not because they managed to outmaneuver their enemy but because God had. They kept their eyes on God instead of the enemy, instead of on the boisterous wind, and they resulted in victory.

In the midst of the battle, in the middle of a tumultuous sea, fix your eyes on God.

EYES ON YOU, I

Everybody wants to walk on water. Everybody wants to walk on water, but walking on water metaphorically, requires the same amount of extraordinary strength and coordination it would require literally. If we want to have the type of extraordinary blessings that "walking on water" implies, we need to build the spiritual muscle and coordination skills to do it. In part 1 of this 2-part sermon, we explore Matthew 8:23-27 and Matthew 14:22-33 to understand what it takes to walk on water into miraculous blessing.

• WALKING ON WATER 

Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.

In the fourth watch of the night, water sloshed in darkness against the disciples' boat in the middle of the sea. Quietly, Jesus walked across those waters to meet them. When the disciples noticed the figure approach, they were astonished to the point of fear. They had never witnessed power so strong it could defy the laws of nature. 

Jesus announced His presence, but before they would allow themselves to be mollified, indeed before the fear would dissipate, Peter responded: "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." For Peter knew from his recent and intensive course with Jesus that only He was capable of such power; if it was Jesus, Peter knew that he would be made able to walk on the water. Such an expression of faith it was! Peter knew that he could identify his Lord by the power He held. He knew that only Jesus was capable of answering affirmatively to impossible requests. Jesus answered simply: "Come." And Peter climbed down from the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. 

Most of us make it to this stage of the desire to walk on water; that is, we all ask God to help us to do that seemingly impossible thing we have been praying and striving for. We are all willing to take that first step of simply asking. And it is not a small thing, that first step. Truly it is an accomplishment in faith to direct a prayer to God rather to some other thing. We could be asking any other source to help us, like the secular world does, but we have chosen to ask God. Unfortunately, most of us then make the same mistake Peter then made.

• BOISTEROUS WIND

The faith was short lived... for when he noticed the wind was boisterous, Peter became afraid and then began to sink. Like Peter, we all put our first, faithful foot forward, but before the second foot lands, our faith falters. Instead of keeping his eyes on Jesus, Peter looked at the tumult the wind caused. He looked at the bobbing boat, the stirred up waters. He looked at the chaos and the chaos got its grip on him; suddenly he was wet, subject to the whim of the tumultuous wind. 

Why don't we realize that extraordinary blessing will require extraordinary faith? How can we expect to walk steadily toward a blessing if we are not walking steadfastly in faith? If we want to walk on water, we need to make that request to God; if we want to keep walking on water, we need to develop the faith to do it. As we work, wait, and pray toward blessing, we need to keep our eyes on God. We need to burrow deep in scripture in order to receive the guidance and reassurance, instruction and discipline from God required to obtain the blessing.

It's easy to become distracted by the boisterous wind. There are constant and fierce and fearsome distractions in life. We must choose to look at the Creator rather than the destroyer. Why should destruction hold our attention when our God's strength is mightier than its? Circumstances, relationships, opportunities and so much more in life might falter, fail or even end but with eyes on God, we are directed away from becoming the debris of those storms.

Peter was fine, firm on the water when he looked toward Jesus in order to meet up with him. Realize this crucial detail: the wind did not start when Peter began to walk. The wind had already been blowing destructively... but it did not matter, it did not effect Peter until Peter took his eyes off of Jesus. He did not even notice the wind while he was engaged in conversation with Jesus! We do not get wet in the storm when we stand with Jesus in the center of it. When we give the winds our fear, they suck out our faith. We become so focused on the turmoil that we neglect to use the tools God built in us to endure the storm. 

How could we ever endure it, if in giving our attention to the storm, we neglect to remember to use the arsenal of spiritual weapons which enable us to survive it? Strength and discipline, prayer and hope, wisdom and faith... righteousness and compassion, two actions which reap what they sow! 

• LORD, SAVE ME

But as he sank into the dark waters, Peter remembered Jesus' presence and power and willingness to save and cried out: "Lord, save me!" And through Peter's faith, Jesus swooped in to support: "And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him..."  We need to remember that our God is present and powerful... and willing to save. Our Father in heaven knows us so well; He knows that we will break our gaze of faith and falter in fear. Therefore He has made Himself receptive to our calls for help. When we call to God in earnest faith, there is no delay in His answer. Scripture uses the word "immediately" to describe the speed in which Jesus reached out to catch Peter. We need to train ourselves in faith to automatically call out to God as soon as we lose our balance on the water, as soon as we lose Him in our line of sight.

When they climbed into the boat, Jesus asked Peter: "...why did you doubt?" He was genuinely curious. Why don't we believe, though many of us say that we do, that God is capable of keeping us afloat? Is it because we start to sink and instead of blaming our brittle faith we blame God?

Faith is a mighty thing. A small but compact word, dense with spiritual tools we build and sharpen throughout our lives. Faith is the comprehensive tool we need to wield throughout life if we plan to walk on water. There will be wind on the water and it will not always be easier to keep our eyes trained on God. In order to actually do it, to keep our eyes on God, we need to develop a relationship of familiarity and trust in God. We need to know (soul-deep) Who He is, what He has promised, and what He is capable of in order to rely on those things while on the sea in the storm. 

• YOU OF LITTLE FAITH 

"Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” Matthew 14:23-25

We are not always aware of God's consciousness, even true believers. As beautiful and unique and indescribable as those moments of awareness of His presence are... they are also intermittent, sometimes even rare. There would be no need for faith if we sailed our little ship with a conscious Jesus at the helm and in sight. Let 2 Corinthians 5:7 remind us that we walk by faith, not by sight. It might appear sometimes that God is sleeping...if we allow ourselves to believe that lie, our own anxiety will stir the storm up several more degrees in severity.

But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

It is ludicrous to us that the disciples actually thought that they could sink while in the presence of Jesus, right? Well since Jesus told us in Matthew 28:20 that He is always with us... since Jesus told us in John 14:17 that the Holy Spirit will be with us and in us, it would be ridiculous for us to think that we could possibly sink.

Eyes on God is faith. We look past the mess, through the chaos, to our Light and Guide and source of strength. We place our attention on His direction, rather than on the boisterous wind. We are not subject to the dangers of the sea when we are walking on it toward Jesus. In part 2 of this 2-part sermon, we will explore what "Eyes on You" means from the battlefield. 

NOT SO FAST

‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and You have not seen?'

Isaiah 58:3

Fasting is a fairly popular practice among Christians. It is a religious observance during which one abstains from food or drink, and more recently, things or habits. While fasting can be a helpful or even restorative practice for oneself, the practice of a fast is done quite differently when it is for God.

When a person fasts, the removal of a certain thing allows a space in which a person can focus on God or an aspect of personal character that requires improvement. The meaningfulness of the fast is dependent on fulfillment of the vow made to God; but still, this type of fast is not for God. God described the type of fast that is acceptable to Him in Isaiah 58.

When a personal fast is undertaken with wholehearted and genuine intention, it does not displease God. Character growth is important and somethings things need to be resisted in order to re-align ourselves with the word of God. However, God does not appreciate public, superficial fasting. It was such a fast that caused Him to speak out and describe to us exactly what He expects from a fast we expect to receive His attention from.

• THE CONDITION OF FASTING

It must be understood that God requires any fast to be a private practice of which only oneself and God is aware. If it is done for attention or any other selfish motivation, it will not be acknowledged by God. Jesus explained in Matthew 7:21-23 that there are many people who think they are known by God, because they go through the motions of religious practices, but actually are not:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

This is because some people turn religion into a business or a series of superficial rituals. What they do they do to gain money, followers, attention or power. Even if they truly believe in God, their selfish motivation negates the purpose of their plan. How then do we fast with unselfish motivation? Jesus explained in Matthew 6:16-18:

Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

Do not be a hypocrite. A person who begins a fast meant to be acceptable to God, they cannot be a hypocrite. That means that if they identify themselves as children of God, they must observe and follow the commandments of Him. A hypocrite announces their fast and informs everyone of their progress throughout it. They seek attention and sympathy; they want people to know that they are resisting something so that they will receive praise from their peers. Unfortunately for them, God has decided that those who seek and receive the praise of men will not receive the praise of God. In their heart, they wanted the attention of humans not God and so they received their reward.

But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; that thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: ...

Instead, Jesus taught us to fast privately. He instructed children of God to fast so privately that they even put effort into keeping it private. By keeping a fast private, one announces to God that their fast is for Him exclusively. They do not want or need or value the attention of people, their striving is done because they want, need and value the attention of God. They have chosen to resist something in order to prove their strength of faith, their dependence on God, and their willingness to remove anything from their lives but God.

... and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

Ironically, a private fast results in a public reward. Much better than the attention or praise of people, divine rewards from God are permanent, extraordinary, meaningful, purposeful, heartfelt.

• "IS IT A FAST THAT I HAVE CHOSEN?"

The truth is that God does not chose for His children to deprive themselves of food or water. If such a fast helps a person with their faith or mindset, well and good, Jesus explained how to undertake such a fast in a godly manner. But God always teaches His children to look outward, beyond ourselves. If one is going to fast something, God prefers that it be their personal pursuits. 

“Is this not the fast that I have chosen:

To loose the bonds of wickedness,

To undo the heavy burdens,

To let the oppressed go free,

And that you break every yoke?

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,

And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;

When you see the naked, that you cover him,

And not hide yourself from your own flesh?

Isaiah 58:6-7

As it turns out... God requires quite a bit of effort from His children in the process of their fast.  He requires vigilant observation, active compassion, and unselfish dedication. God wants His children to be trained in the art of recognizing injustice and dismantling its grip on His children. He wants His children to assist people who are overburdened in life, pushed beyond their limits, inadequately equipped to handle their situation. He wants His children to confront oppressors and subsequently free their captives. God wants His children to break the bond between not just a person and their oppressor but a person and their addiction or depression. 

God wants His children to feed the people who are hungry. There are many hungers: hunger for food, hunger for the word of God, hunger for friendship, hunger for compassion, hunger for opportunity, knowledge, peace, hunger for a reason to have hope. As a child of God, equipped with the Word of God, one is prepared to fill each of these types of hunger. 

God wants His children to befriend the lonely, the ostracized, the meek. Like Jesus did, He wants His children to seek out not the people they can benefit from, but the people they can be a benefit to. Not as martyrs or angels or saints but as servants of the Lord, sharing the blessings they have that came from Him. God wants His children to bring their house to the uncovered. Include people, invite people, host people in your heart in your prayers, plans and intentions.

If one notices someone who is naked, bared to vulnerability and loneliness and the cruelty of the world, cover them. Arm them with the strength and love of God, first through acknowledgement, then through assistance, friendship and finally faith. God instructs humanity not to hide themselves from their own flesh, to be present and involved in lives and well-being of the people around.

“If you take away the yoke from your midst,

The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,

If you extend your soul to the hungry

And satisfy the afflicted soul,

Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,

And your darkness shall be as the noonday.

Isaiah 58:9b;10

At the very least, do not contribute to the problem. Do not observe but neglect. Fast the habit of mocking, gossip and slander and cruelty. Do not extend a finger to laugh at someone, extend the soul to satisfy an afflicted one. When one does so, their fast is then appreciated by God.

• A WATERED GARDEN

Quite the opposite of "I never knew you" (Matthew 7:23), when God dismissed the culprit of the false fast, God warmly acknowledges the participant of the true fast.

Then your light shall break forth like the morning,

Your healing shall spring forth speedily,

And your righteousness shall go before you;

The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.

Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;

You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’

Isaiah 58:8;9a

God makes Himself present and available to His children who call on Him from a place of righteousness. When they call on Him, He will answer. God is receptive to the prayers of the righteous and He is diligent to fulfill them: His divine response is an open reward. Access to the storehouses of God's blessings is the open reward of the private, philanthropic fast. The fast, undertaken in privacy, yields blessings so enormous and great that they're visible to everyone around. 

God's attention and compassion and presence and assistance and comfort and guidance and friendship and love and strength in every moment and detail of life is the reward of the righteous. The implementation of God's will, which always works all things together for the good, is the reward of the life of the righteous. 

The Lord will guide you continually,

And satisfy your soul in drought,

And strengthen your bones;

You shall be like a watered garden,

And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.

Those from among you

Shall build the old waste places;

You shall raise up the foundations of many generations;

And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach,

The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In."

Isaiah 58:11-12

God never forgets that while His child is out there helping others, they are in need of help themselves. Therefore He becomes their help. When conditions and situations cause them to become as weary and desolate as a desert, He waters them. He tends to them so comprehensively that they are liked a watered garden: blooming, thriving, producing. He is the reinforcement of strength on their bones; the motivation to rise and seek and assist. He restores His child, pours a firm foundation, and builds a safe and strong place for them to dwell.

• SUPERFICIAL FAITH

 “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath,

From doing your pleasure on My holy day,

And call the Sabbath a delight,

The holy day of the Lord honorable,

And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways,

Nor finding your own pleasure,

Nor speaking your own words,

Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord;

And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth,

And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father.

The mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Isaiah 58:13-14 

God wants His children to discard that superficial faith. He does not want them to go through the motions of traditions men have established. Public fasting and abstinence of foods do not make the impact the world desperately needs. Selfish motivations and practices are not acknowledged as evidence of faith. 

It is not one's own way, own pleasure, or own words which capture the attention and appreciation of God. God is honored when behavior is consistent and aligned with His will. And when one's behavior is consistently aligned with God's word and will, one is acknowledged and blessed extraordinarily by Him.