Life on Loan: Redefine Your Faith - Acts 21:10-15, Matthew 16:21-26, James 2:14-19

How do you look at faith? Like a vitamin that you take every day to keep spiritually healthy? Like a good luck charm that keeps you from harm? Like a parachute to catch you when things get too intense? Like a book of rules to keep us on the straight and narrow? Do we get so stuck on these ideas that we miss what faith is really all about. If we are to fulfill our purpose with the lives God has loaned us, we must take a step back and redefine our faith, to align it with the faith found in God’s Word.

• The Attitude of Faith
• Bring it On! - ...I am ready not only to be bound, but to die... Acts 21:10-15
• Get Behind Me - ... you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men... -Matthew 16:21-23
• The Action of Faith
• Follow Me - If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. - Matthew 16:24-26
• Show Me - ...I will show you my faith by my deeds. - James 2:14-19
  

The Rest of the Story - Hebrews 11

We all fall. We all fail. We all sin. We all hate to recognize it, talk about it, admit it. We feel a strong need to be perfect, even though its not possible. We want to be perfect and we try to make the heroes of our stories perfect as well. We talk about their successes and victories, but never learn from their struggles. When we move from Sunday School stories to Biblical events, we see a more complete picture of the faithful men who did great things for God. We see men who followed God despite the same kinds of failures that we experience. Despite their failures, these men were defined by their faith, so are we.

• Noah - Everybody Fails
• Genesis 9:20-21
  
• Abraham - Failure Follows a Pattern
• Genesis 12:10-20, 20:1-3
  
• Moses - Failure has Consequences
• Numbers 20:9-12
  
• Hebrews 11 -
  
• Failure Does Not Define Us - Faith Defines Us!
  

DO - Matthew 25:31-46

While Christians know that they are justified by faith, Jesus still taught that men are judged by works. Parables in Matthew 7 and Matthew 25 give examples of this. Matthew 7 teaches that there will be those who do great things, but Jesus will say that he never knew them. Matthew 25 teaches that basic acts done for "the least of these" have a much greater importance than we realize.

DO:

• Simple Things
• For the Right Reasons
• Good Deeds are the Fruit, not the Root
• For All People
• "Preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary use words." - St. Francis of Assisi
  

Past, Present, Future - Luke 19

Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, which we celebrate on Palm Sunday, is unique in that it is the only time in Jesus' time on Earth when he was treated the way that he deserved to be treated. Instead of doubt, disbelief, beating and berating he was greeted with a parade and shouts of victory. But this victory parade came before the victory was won. In fact, it came before the battle was engaged. The timing doesn't make sense. When we look at God's timing from our limited human point of view it often doesn't make sense. We can't see the big picture. Luckily, it isn't up to us to see the big picture or understand it - all we have to do is trust in God to handle it. All of time is in God's hands.
Through Jesus, God:

• Purifies our Past
  Matthew 21:4 - This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet
  
• Provides for our Present
  Luke 19:40 - "I tell you, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."
  
• Prepares our Future
  Luke 19:42 - "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace - but now it is hidden from your eyes."