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Praise the Source of Faith and Learning
Words by Rev. Thomas H. Troeger

From Borrowed Light: Hymn Texts, Prayers and Poems
Copyright 1994 Oxford University Press
(To the tune of Hyfrydol)

Praise the source of faith and learning who has sparked and stoked the mind
With a passion for discerning how the world has been designed.
Let the sense of wonder flowing from the wonders we survey
Keep our faith forever growing and renew our need to pray.

God of wisdom, we acknowledge that our science and our art
And the breadth of human knowledge only partial truth impart.
Far beyond our calculation lies a depth we cannot sound
Where Your purpose for creation and the pulse of life are found.

As two currents in a river fight each other's undertow
Till converging they deliver one coherent steady flow,
Blend O God our faith and learning till they carve a single course
Till they join as one, returning praise and thanks to You, their Source.

via http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2007/02/whether_cathedral_or_laborator.html

James 2:14-18 (New International Version)

14What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds."
      Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.

 

Passage: Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

These are the fruit of the spirit - but these characteristics aren't inherantly in us.  God is working in our lives so that these fruits are cultivated.  Spirit of God brings these things into us!

The static picture of “The Fruit of the Spirit” – they don’t just hang there!  This makes the fruit look passive.  They are to be lived out in terms of relationships.  But would it be possible for someone living alone to live out the spirit?  Maybe, but by in large, the Spirit is given to us for us to live together in love.

Passage: Galatians 5:25 - Galatians 6:5
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=gal%205:25-6:5;&version=31;

Gal 5:25 – we’re walking in step with God, with his presence in us.
Gal 5:26 – Relationship component

Evaluation
 Who is praying knowledgably for me?
 Who is struggling with me?
 When I have questions…
 When I experience joy…
 If you’re living significantly in community = Growth of the Fruit of the Spirit

Consciously choose to be involved
 Connect with a small group – connect with Christian community
 Don’t just read of the spirit – live it out in community
 Bible reading and prayer will naturally increase with an increase of community = spiritual growth

Because we’re living significantly in community + Loved by God = Growth of the Fruit of the Spirit = Live out the Law of Christ

Golden Rule  = Galatians 5:14 – Lev 19:18 = can be twisted = How we love ourselves
Problem: Treat others as I treat myself.  So how do we love ourselves then? What if that is not appropriate/good enough?
Problem: “If it’s good enough me, it should be good enough for you.”

Law of Christ = Galatians 6:2 = John 13:34 = How He Loved Us
Christ’s self-sacrificing love is the new standard – sacrificial
What am I willing to sacrifice?  (Ephesians has reference for Husbands and wives.)

How well do you know Christ’s love for you?
Have you experienced Christ’s love?  His death on the cross was for you!
That’s the starting point for obeying His law.  Soaked and saturated in his love.
It’s about how HE LOVED US.
Not forcing ourselves to do these ‘loving acts’ – but that we let ourselves be loved by Christ

 

Galatians.5.25-6.5.pdf (106.82 KB)

Matthew 5:3-6 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
    3"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
      for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
    4Blessed are those who mourn,
      for they will be comforted.
    5Blessed are the meek,
      for they will inherit the earth.
    6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
      for they will be filled.

• To be blessed is an objective state.  Its not dependent on your current state of affairs... not about anything in your life, or what you've done.  To be blessed is to be prosperious, joyful, and this gives a sense of satisfaction.
• When Jesus went to the mountainside, it refers clearly to the presence of the crowds which began to form (Ch. 7 v29).  Jesus preached these things to EVERYONE, not just his disciples.
• And indeed, we cannot, by ourselves, live like this! Its a lifestyle - not a law.  Its something that we, as Christians, aim for.
• When Jesus began to speak, he "opened his heart" because it was something that he felt deeply about.  And he spoke of 8 characteristics - 8 beattitudes.
• In today's society, we refer to people who are "well off" - in terms of the amount of money they have, their possessions, property, family - what we "have"  But what Jesus refers to is WHO people are.  Not what we posses.  Who are you when no one is watching?  Its a complete lack of self-worth - we can't be self-centered, but GOD centered.  Its not what you do, what you have, but WHO YOU ARE.
• Blessed are those who are "Poor in spirit"
• Totally dependent on others
• Recognize need for God
• Humility
• Desperate - regret the past, and wish the future would be different
• Naked and poor
• Attitude is for God - not for self benefit, or recognition.
• Jesus says, then, YOURS IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.
• Blessed are those who mourn
• There are people who say,
• "Christians should not laugh in church."
• "Christians can NEVER be unhappy!"
• How far from the truth!  There is a time to weep, a time to laugh! A time to mourn, and a time to dance.
• We need to look into lives and see the "mess"
• Tears are often shed when we recognize and ask God to enter our lives.
• When we compare ourselves to Jesus, we experience sadness over past.  Devastation.
• Remember - we're comparing ourselves to Jesus, not other Christians!
• But now we look to the future, with a new purpose, a new way of seeing value, purpose.
• Jesus promises, those who mourn about these things, that "You will be comforted."
• Blessed are those who are meek
• Gentle, considerate, humble, unassuming
• "Strength under control"
• Recognize this brokenness before men - not just in front of God!
• And once we've accepted God, and given our lives to Him, we no longer watch ourselves, and what other people say/think about us.  We are no longer on the defensive.  We know that we are nothing in the eyes of God.  Self-pity disappears.
• We acknowledge that we have no rights.  We're already "down here" - so what is there to fear?  There is NOTHING men can say that will change that!
• A man, with this new position of humble defeat, is amazed that God and other men think so highly of him!
• We see that EVERYTHING in our lives is a gift.
• "Righteousness"
• Integrity.
• We long to do something about our brokenness.
• Passion.  Consuming need.  DESPERATE for God.
• We don't long to be "90% righteous"
• We must pay the price - to hunger and thirst for something that we will never achieve.
• Rev. 3:20 - "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me" Ask Jesus to come in!  Kneel down.
• Come desperate, mourning, meek, hungry.  And leave comforted, having inherited the kingdom of God, filled with the Holy Spirit.
• Know what it means to have grace to let people be the way they are, because God isn't finished with them yet.

[2]Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, [3]because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. [4]Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. [5]If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. [6]But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. [7]That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; [8]he is a doubleminded man, unstable in all he does.

Every day, we're faced with difficult decisions about our lives.  We worry about everything! (or at least, I do)  Simple things, like, what to eat for lunch, to 'should I do...'.  Long story short - we're limited by our finite vision and limited understanding of the world around us.

So as Christians, how do we make wise and good decisions?  More importantly, how do we know what God wants in our lives?

James writes that we should, through faith, demonstrate our knowledge to the world around us.

The word "Rabbi" means "great one".  As a preacher, a rabbi shared his wisdom with the world.  We can spread the Word by our good deeds, humbly serving others.

But the sad reality is, we're rarely like that.  As Christians, we strive to do these things, but often, we're bitter and envious.  We're selfish.

 

We should turn to God for help.  Because if He's wise enough to make the world we see, surely He has answers to our problems!

Our wisdom is rooted in this world - Earthly wisdom.  Its based entirely on the things around us, the things we can touch, feel, smell, taste, or see.

But there's a sense of heavenly wisdom that we often forget about. When Abraham and Lot picked their respective ways, what did Lot base his decision on? The lushness and beauty of the land.  How often do we go through our lives picking the "beautiful" choices?

What is humility?  What is selfish wisdom?

If we claim to know God, and claim him our personal saviour, then we must act accordingly.  What use is it just to study the Word, talk about the Word, but not LIVE the Word? Its not enough to "have conversations" about our faith - nor is it enough to read the Bible each day.  We must apply the things we learn.  Even Demons know about God and acknowledge His existance!

What happens when we don't acknowledge Him?  What happens if we don't live the Word?  Verse 16 mentions a "disorder" and "evil".  Wisdom from heaven is pure, holy, and sanctified.  Its set apart from all things on this earth.  As Christians, His spirit regenerates and lives within us.

Does all of this happen automatically?

Matthew 7:24 illustrates a good point.  We must have our houses (and thus our lives, and all we do and believe in) built on a solid foundation.  Everyone looks and hears! Knowing God doesn't make you great! How do your actions glorify God?

The most dangerous thing today is Religion without Jesus. What use is it to believe, know, and discuss our religion?  What use is it to compartmentalize our lives in such a way? We must LIVE that out!  Can you bow before your Father and Creator, proclaiming His majesty and SUBMIT your life to Him?  Can you humble yourself in that way?

Luke 12:13 tells the story of the Rich Fool.  All he's concerned about is "I" and "Me" and "My". He may be wise in worldly wisdom - for he chooses to store his wealth.  But he also thinks, "If my soul delight in these things, then I have lived life to the fullest!"

What use are stored grains?  His actions are NOT rich towards God.  Do not ONLY delight in the things of this world, for there is far more in store for you in Heaven!  You do not own the fruits of your land. We are merely stewards of this Earth, and thus, we must do everything in our power to look after and take care of it. Do not be anxious over abundance of your land, for God granted you such abundance.  Do not "store it away" as though it is the only thing you have - He will always provide for you.  We must be responsible stewards for what we have received.  The rich fool lost his joy of being contempt.  When we release the source of the gifts, we will praise Jesus!  That's the joy in living - praising God!

Matthew 25 tells the story of the brides, who don't share their oil with the others.  Their goal in life is to be ready when the bridesgroom comes.  Blessed are the ones who prepare and are ready for that day, for they went and bought more oil so their lamps would be lit.  Remember - we can't borrow oil from others. We can't ride on the good graces of someone else, into Heaven!

Bottom line: We are wise if we are children of God. Proverbs 2:1-5.  Seek God!  Remember, God is the ONLY source of wisdom.  The wisdom of the wisest man is foolish!  If you think you lack wisdom, pray and ask for wisdom!  (James 5:1-3).  "Lord, show me your heart!".  Meditate on the Word of God.  Read, think, and most importantly, CHANGE.  The application of the knowledge of God is essential!