Do It Yourself Faith?

Over these holidays, it's pretty tempting to start into those odd jobs around the house. Some of you will be like me... You want to be a weekend warrior, but don't know one end of a hammer from the other. Some of you will be like Rod and Erica, or Fraser, and be able to do it yourself.

 

Who doesn't like Bunnings?

 

Fiona and I were in there the other day... So many projects I could attempts, but sadly, Fiona would rather hire a professional, such is my innate abilities to work with my hands.

 

But I admit it. I often line up with Abraham at the Do-It-Yourself Depot of life. Let's look at Genesis 15 first...

 

1. GOD'S PROMISE

 

Genesis 15:4-6

 

And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.”

And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”

And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

 

Abraham had a promise from God. He had a dream burning in his heart. How many of you have a dream in your heart for ministry? How many of you have been given a promise from the Lord? You know it, you're sure of it, and your ready and willing to work at it!

 

Intellectually we know we can trust God. Has He ever let you down in the past? How often has He come through for you? We know God is faithful with His promises...

 

2 Corinthians 1:20a

 

For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. 

 

Practically though, it is often a different story. We might mentally assent to God's promise, but we then take matters into our own hands, often with disastrous results!

 

This is not only the case with Abraham. 

 

Trouble is, he had to wait, and we don't like waiting. His initial response of faith was credited to him as righteousness, but after 10 years, his patience was wearing thin.

 

2. MAN'S PRESCRIPTION 

 

Man's prescription is to work harder and find the solution yourself.

 

Contrary counsel will always come after God speaks... We must recognise it and resist it!

 

Human reasoning and counsel from others might appear reasonable, but they must never supersede God’s clear instruction. Don't forsake God's promise for someone else's opinion.

 

This is the Facebook verse in the Bible...

 

Proverbs 18:2

 

 A fool takes no pleasure in understanding,

but only in expressing his opinion.

 

Facebook is a classic for this. Anyone with an iPad and an opinion feels he needs to express it on the Internet in a way they would never do face to face. 

 

The Internet makes epic failures into self proclaimed experts at times. Look at Facebook any time and you will find people married 5 times, with 12 kids to 11 different partners, living in a shanty beside the local methadone clinic offering relationship advice!

 

That's why Paul says, and this is vitally important to us today,

 

2 Corinthians 10:5

 

 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

 

Don't listen to all the suggestions, concentrate on what the Lord promises!

 

3. MAN'S PRESUMPTION

 

So what does a normal man want to do? He wants to fix it, right?

 

Something's broke? Here, I'll fix that. Someone's hurting? I can solve that problem. Someone's mad? No worry, I'll talk to them. It seems at times I have an unflagging spirit to make right that which seems wrong.

 

This is why, ladies, when men are lost they don't ask for directions, they just go harder to try and find the solution themselves!

 

I'm always looking for a way. If I face an obstacle, I look for a way around it. So what do it do if God has given me a promise, and if He is taking His own sweet time?  

 

Well, I'll help you out Lord! No, You're OK, you just sit back and have a nice glass of holy water and let me fix the situation for you!

 

Now I mentioned previously my amazing ability to screw up any handyman job around the house. But still, with this innate and uncanny ability to produce epic fails in the area of renovation, I still so,show want to try.  It is idiots like me who make Bunnings a fortune!

 

So here's Abraham and Sarah's solution...

 

Genesis 16:2-4

 

And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.

So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife.

And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress.

 

Abraham is not the only example of this. What about when the 10 spies gave a bad report, and God told them they would wander the wilderness for 40 years. They said they repented, then came up with a solution...they went up to attack the people and take possession of the land Hid had promised them...

 

Numbers 14:44-45

 

But they presumed to go up to the heights of the hill country, although neither the ark of the covenant of the Lord nor Moses departed out of the camp.

Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and defeated them and pursued them.

 

What about Lot moving to Sodom? Seemed logical at the time.  What about David taking a census? We do that even today, and any business plan will support your taking stock of your resources, right? 

 

It's all so logical! As human beings, our natural inclination is to try and solve it! To try and make it happen. It's my default position. It's what I do! I am a human doing, not just a human being!

 

Trouble is, if God gives you a promise, and you take matters into your own hands, God has a word for it. He doesn't call it being a self starter, He doesn't call it being proactive. He doesn't even call it hard working.

 

He calls it sin, and sin has cause and effect.  It has both immediate and lasting consequences. And those who sin will live with the consequences, which sometimes can linger for generations.

 

In Abraham's case, it has lingered forever. His and Sarah's bright idea gave rise to Ishmael, the son by his maidservant Hagar, and the Ishmaelites are the descendants of the Arabs. The Arab Israeli conflict of today traces its roots back to Abraham's so called solution!

 

4. MAN'S PROPOSITION

 

Abraham and Sarah desperately wanted a "fix" for their childlessness, so the came up with the solution... Get the maidservant pregnant and then you'll have the son God promised you. 

 

Trouble was, God would have none of it!  Abraham asked God to bless Ishmael. But God would not abide by Abraham's solution. It was to be done God's way, just as He had promised... Abraham and Sarah would have a son.

 

Genesis 17:18-19

 

And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!”

God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.

 

So when God gives you a dream, when He reveals a promise to you, the first inclination is to come up with a solution. Then we ask God to bless our solution. What an affront to a God who loves us and is arranging things behind the scenes to make His promises come true!

 

Proverbs 16:9

 

The heart of man plans his way,

but the Lord establishes his steps.

 

Proverbs 3:5-6

 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make straight your paths.

 

If you have a dream, if you have tried to make it happen, maybe it it time to repent, hand control back to God, and stop leaning on your own understanding. Don't make excuses, and whatever you do, don't ask Him to bless what you've done by your own hand instead of waiting for and trusting in Him!

 

God is speaking to some of you right now, saying stop, wait and trust Me! Abraham tried to find a solution, made a mistake we are still suffering for, and yet God still restored the promise and made it happen!

 

5. GOD'S PROVISION 

 

This is what He promised. This is yes and Amen! This is what you need to wait for, then step out and go for in His strength and provision.

 

Genesis 21:2-3

 

And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him.

Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore him, Isaac.

 

Despite Abraham's failure, despite his impatience, God made good on His promise in His time.

 

Abraham's do-it-yourself solution has repercussions even in our day.

 

There were still devastating consequences, there were still tests and trials ahead. But Abraham's failure did not negate God's promise. Abraham had God's promise, and he saw the miracle happen becoming the father of nations!

 

So what about you?  What has God promised you? Are you attempting to fulfill that promise in your own energy and strength? Through your own schemes and strategies? 

 

No matter how tempting a solution appears, always, always, always stop to ask God. Compare it with His Word, His character, His Spirit. Anything short of complete trust in God's instructions will ultimately lead to regrets. "If only" living is not living at all. "Do it yourself" living is rebellion to "trusting God" living.

 

Philippians 4:19

 

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

 

I read this by Billy Graham a few days ago...

 

"How many times have you heard someone say, “All I can do is pray”?

 

All I can do is pray?! You might as well say to a starving man, “All I can do is offer you food,” or to a sick person, “All I can do is give you medicine that will make you well,” or to a poor child, “All I can do is buy the toy you most want for your birthday.”

 

Praying unlocks the doors of heaven and releases the power of God. James 4:2 says, “Ye have not, because ye ask not.” And Jesus said, “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive” (Matthew 21:22)."

 

Prayer is not found in the "do-it-yourself" section, and you can't buy it in Mitre 10. Prayer is how you say to God, "Not my will, but Yours be done." Prayer is you calling on the trady when you've had enough of trying to do things your way!

 

But it's not just about praying. It's not just about trying to up your faith level. Listen to this verse...

 

Psalms 9:10

 

And those who know your name put their trust in you,

for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.

 

Faith is directly dependent on how much you know God.  In the phrase “Those who know your name trust in you.” The word “name” means character, plus reputation. “And they that know what kind of God you are will put their trust in you.” We wonder why we don’t have faith; the answer is, faith is confidence in the character of God and if we don’t know what kind of God God is, we can’t have faith.

 

And so we struggle and wait and hope against hope. We try and make things happen ourselves. We try and make ourselves believe and have faith. But faith doesn’t come, because we do not know the character of God. “They that know what you are like will put their trust in You.” It’s automatic—it comes naturally when we know what kind of God God is.

 

That's why I am begging you to do my reading plan. It's simple, quick, regimented enough to keep you on track, and if you do it, I guarantee that after a few months you will know God more, and your faith in Him will skyrocket. You won't need to do-it-yourself any more... You will learn to trust Him and let God make your dreams happen!

 

Do you have dreams for 2016? Do you believe you have a God given dream, maybe one that you have been trying to fulfil in your own strength and strategies? Is God speaking to you this morning, saying it is time to trust in the Lord and not lean on your own understanding?

 

If you have a dream for 2016, as yet unfulfilled, why don't you respond to His call this morning? Why not let us stand with you and believe for God's promises to come true for you this year? Let our team pray with you...