2 Peter 1:1-6

“This letter is from Simon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ. I am writing to you who share the same precious faith we have. This faith was given to you because of the justice and fairness of Jesus Christ, our God and Savior. 2 May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. 3 By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. 4 And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. 5 In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises.”

Every day we place our faith in the natural world around us without much thought or struggle, we rarely question this realm. The doctor tells us we have a disease that we’ve never heard of, so he writes a prescription that we cannot read, for a medicine whose name we can’t pronounce, which we take to a pharmacist who we don’t know, who gives us a bottle of something that tastes like poison and then we go back for more! Yet when God wants us to live in the supernatural faith realm we kick and scream and always question Him. As Peter talks about faith he reminds us of 4 aspects:

• Obtained Faith. Vs.1

Peter was writing to those who shared the same precious faith as he did, to those who had obtained faith. He reminds us that this precious faith is obtained through Christ’s righteousness, His completed work on the cross. God is the One who gives us a “measure of faith” and we are called to move in response to that faith. In 1895 a French tightrope walker and acrobat named Charles Blondin became famous after accomplished one of his greatest feats. He walked across a 1000 foot tight-rope suspended 160 feet above the waters of Niagara Falls. Blondin went on to walk across the falls several times each with a different theatrical flair. On one such high-wire walk, Blondin crossed over the falls pushing a wheelbarrow and when he reached the other side he asked the spectators if they believed he could do it again. Everyone cheered and he then asked if they believed he could cross the tightrope with someone in the wheelbarrow. Everyone cheered believing that he could do it and they all wanted to see this incredible stunt. Blondin then asked for a volunteer to ride in the wheelbarrow but no one stepped forward. It’s one thing to think that Blondin could do it and yet another to believe with such confidence that you would get in. It’s one thing to say you believe and another to act on that belief. The historical stunts of Blondin help us understand what it really means to have faith. First, faith is not mere intellectual assent, where we approvingly agree. If they had truly believed that Blondin could cross the raging Niagara with someone in the wheelbarrow they would have volunteered to ride along. Faith isn’t a feeling, it is trusting in someone or something. Faith is more than the words of mental assent shouted by the crowds lining the shores of Niagara. To say, “We believe” means that we believe not only with our head, but with our heart and our wills. Faith means that we believe that God can do what He has said and that we believe it so thoroughly that we are willing to fully act upon it. Faith does not merely mean that we believe God can do it, but that God can do it with us in the “wheelbarrow”.

• Objective Faith. Vs. 1-2

Secondly we see that faith must always be “in” something. When we say, we believe or that we have faith, we are saying that we have faith in someone or something. Faith can be in a person’s ability or work, so we trust a mechanic’s ability to repair our car or appliance. Faith can be in a promise, so we count on a person being where they said they would be because we have faith in them. Faith can be in an object, so we fully relax in that chair which we trust in to hold us. Whatever the object of our faith, it is always in someone or something. If someone had volunteered to get into Blondin’s wheelbarrow they would have been trusting in Blondin and in his promise to get them across the mighty chasm. If we say that we trust God then we must get into the wheelbarrow. Faith is no better than its object and the object of our faith determines the objective of our faith. Jesus said in Matthew 17:20 “…If you have faith of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, “move from here to there, and it will be move, and nothing is impossible for you.” Jesus reminds us that God must be our object, not the seed. Don’t ever get the idea that because your faith is weak that it won’t work. It’s not the amount of your faith that counts it’s the Almighty in your faith, the object of your faith.

• Overwhelming Faith. Vs. 3-4

When was the last time you looked over faith and were overwhelmed? In verses 3-4 Peter reminds us of our overwhelming faith:

In power – God has given us everything we need for living this life.

In purity – To live a godly life

In promises – He has given us great and precious promises pertaining to the abundant life.

In partnership – Promises that enable us to share His divine nature and participate in His plan

Take time today to rest on the foundation of your faith, to ponder your position as a child of God and be overwhelming by the overflow of faith.

• Obedient Faith. Vs.5

Peter tells us that In view of all this we must make every effort to respond to God’s promises. If we say that we believe God but don’t obey Him, then we really don’t know Him. Faith in the Father means responding in relationship. Faith is belief with feet, James 2:17 says that faith without works is dead. Today we like to talk about the theory more that the trusting, we like to reminisce instead of live out the reality of faith. Don’t tell anyone that you are obedient to God unless you offer to get into the wheelbarrow. Obedience does not mean obligation, when Peter tells us to make every effort he means to act with both eagerness and commitment.  Obedience is not us obeying in an attempt to obligate God. Faith is not getting our will done in heaven but the Fathers will being done on earth. Today have you trusted Jesus with your soul? Jesus has promised to get us to the Father if we will believe that He died for our sins on Calvary. If you have trusted Him are you willing to put yourself in His hands believing that He will carry you over the chasm?

2 Chronicles 20:20-22 ” As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the LORD your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful. 21 After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: “Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.” 22 As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.”

Growing up as a kid my mum had a picture of a kitten barley holding on with these words written across it “Faith isn’t faith until it’s all you are hanging onto” I have often recalled those words as my own faith has taken yet another battering and I struggle to believe what I proclaimed to believe. Is there anything more difficult and yet delightful than faith? In 2 Chronicles we find Jehoshaphat faced with a great foe and yet he chooses to walk by faith instead of fear. Instead of the problems battering His faith they bolster his battle cry: “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the LORD your God”. He turns the people from the problem to the provider as he teaches them to:

• Seek the Father’s Face

Jehoshaphat has just been told that there is a vast army coming to destroy him and the people of Judah and he knew that he did not have the power to defeat or deal with such a great army. As we look at Jehoshaphat’s situation we can identify with his plight. Have you ever been in his shoes where all seems hopeless, where the darkness of impending doom and defeat seem to settle in like a deafening silence? In this coming storm Jehoshaphat chose to seek the sanctuary of the Savior and he called the people to follow him to their Father as he called for a national fast. Often when we face fear we chose to focus on self, to make it about me, we forget faith and turn to our feelings.  Jehoshaphat understood that a crisis of faith was an opportunity to turn the focus to the father, that as a leader this was a present not a problem. Today we see the problems and panic, our faith fails because we fail to see God’s gift to us in leadership, nothing will turn hearts to the healer faster than fear. Jehoshaphat was a sincere seeker of the Father, showing his people who to turn to. Fear is an opportunity to show people the father. Jehoshaphat understood that they he and his people had to seek the face of God. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says, “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” So often in the storm and the struggle we turn inward instead of upward, Jehoshaphat went to the temple to pray and praise the only provider and protected. Faith choses to exalt the Father, not the fear. He acknowledges God for His sovereign power, His wisdom, His kindness and grace given to them by way of Abraham, his descendants, and the land. Jehoshaphat recounts and remembers where they have come from and what God has already done. In this rat race we need to take time out to reflect on the work of our Redeemer, prayer causes us to pause and repositions us and our priories.

• Stop Bawling and Start Believing

After Jehoshaphat was done praying, the Spirit of God came on a Levite by the name of Jahaziel a prophet not mentioned anywhere else in the Bible. He informed Jehoshaphat that everything was going to be alright, that he should not worry. How many times does God repeat this same message throughout the bible, “Don’t worry, don’t be afraid, don’t be discouraged because of what you see. The question is will we believe? Belief dictates behavior, instead of Jehoshaphat shying away he shows up.  God knew that there was a vast army on the way, it didn’t catch Him by surprise. His message was simple don’t let the numbers frighten you, no matter how big it’s not your battle. Don’t flinch and don’t even buckle I’ve got your back. All that you have to do tomorrow is show up and stand firm, don’t move, don’t fight, don’t run just rest in your mighty Messiah. When we believe that the battle is the Lord’s we become bold, we stop striving in our strength and show up secure in His. Faith holds on knowing it’s in His hands, Faith is not belief without proof, but trust without reservation. Seeking the Savior causes us to showing up. In your battle do you believe?

• Sing the Song of Victory Before the Battle Begins

Jehoshaphat showed up with his singers in front, he came to see and to sing to his Savior. Believing allowed Jehoshaphat to make a bold move and bring the worship team to watch God wage war. What if we would play our instruments of praise and sing to the Savior instead of stewing on the problems? Seeking the Lord led to showing up and singing His praises, before the battle ever started Jehoshaphat praises His provider for the victory. When you really believe that the battle belongs to the Lord then you believe in victory and you know He has won the war. So often we praise after the provision, holding our singing until after the storm has passed. I want to live like a Jehoshaphat shouting out the victory before the final verdict.

As the vast army began to march against them they sang Psalm 136:

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of gods, His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the Lord of lords, His love endures forever.

To him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever.

As the enemy encircled them they kept right on singing, playing their instruments, and praising God. Their focus was on the Father not the fight, faith knows who wins the war.  Suddenly the enemy soldiers starting fighting and slaughtering each other. The worship team kept singing to God, lifting their song not their sword. Today, when faith seems to be all you have to hang onto, don’t fret or fight, focus on the Father.