Pastor Buddy’s Blog

Look towards the heavens and count the stars…

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Morning Journal,

Yesterday’s service at Christian Challenge was a blessing beyond words. Most all my Martin-Fletcher family were in attendance, along with friends and other members of Chase Murphy’s family.?

Lane did a memorial to Chase Murphy. He read from Chase’s Gems for Jesus. (This is a journal that each member of our Disciple’s Heart Class keeps.) Chase’s mom, Martha, shared personal thoughts with the congregation, and on the peace that the Lord had given? her. There was not a dry eye to be found.

Nathan ministered? on the series ‘Sunday School Lessons for Real Life’. His teaching? was on David and Goliath and how that we have to face? real giants in life. I know the entire congregation was blessed. His main points were three:

I - Giants are Real.
II - God is Realer (more real)
III - God has given us the victory keys.

While Nathan was speaking on David’s selection of five stones, I remembered that Goliath had four brothers. Why did David pick five stones when one was all he needed?? I thought to myself, ‘David was ready to take on Goliath and all four of his brothers.’ ?

In my way of thinking I could hear David saying to Goliath, ‘Bring your four brothers on. I’ll take care of all five of you.’ (Sorry.? My thoughts go a bit crazy at times.)? ?

The fact of the matter is that Goliath’s four brothers were dealt with later on. Nathan did an excellent job in bringing this out. His point is that we will have to face giants more than once in our life but we always deal with them the same way. Our faith is to be in the Lord. We are simply to use what He gives us to use.

So what’s this about looking towards the heavens and counting the stars?

I wanted to share a bit? on what true faith is really about.

In the study of hermeneutics there is a principle called ‘the law of first mention.’? (Hermeneutics is the branch of theology that deals with principles of? Bible interpretation.)

The principle of ‘first mention’? means that the first time you find a? term? used in the Bible, that very first time will carry the basic meaning of that term or expression throughout the? Bible. The very first time the word ‘believe’ is used in the Bible is as follows:

“And he [God] took him [Abraham] outside and said, ‘Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.’ And He said to him, ‘So shall your descendents be.

“Then he [Abraham] believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.” (Gen 15:5,6)

The apostle Paul said that what happened with Abraham is exactly what happens to Christians when they first? believed in the Lord Jesus. Paul wrote —

“…with respect to the promise of God, [Abraham] did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform. Therefore it was also credited to him as righteousness.

“Now not for his sake only was it written that it was credited to him, but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.” (cf. Rom4:20-24)

Sometimes we struggle over the issue of what believing means. The problem is that? our English word believe does not carry in itself the depth of meaning that goes with the? Hebrew and? Greek language for believing. We tend to believe with our head, that is, sort of a mental assent. But in the Bible, believing is something to be done with the heart. It requires an attachment that can only be made with the heart.

The primary meaning of the Hebrew word ‘aman’ (believe) is that of providing stability and confidence. It can be compared to what a baby finds in the arms of a parent. The sense? conveys the idea of trustworthiness that a person’s word? can fully depended on. (Where we get our English word ‘amen!’)

The Greek term is very much the same, that is, to be firmly persuaded as to something that a person has said.? Our salvation is based entirely on our believing the message of the cross.?

This is why the apostle said, “…that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” (Rom10:9,10)

The term ‘heart’ as used in the Bible speaks of the deepest of our human make up. (Not the fleshly organ.) And the ability to believe with our heart comes from the Lord speaking into our lives, just as He did with Abraham. The Bible says, “So [saving] faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” (Christ speaking to our heart.)

There is another connecting issue in believing that we need to understand. Believing altogether has to do with where we are looking. When God told Abraham to look towards the heaven, He was telling Abraham to consider how the very heavens speak of God Himself.

It was when God said, “So shall your descendants be,” that the eyes of Abraham’s heart were opened to the promised Messiah and to God’s redemption program.? At this point it says that Abraham believed in the same Lord that we? believe in. ?

The short side of this is that true faith is God’s call to see past the? physical and to see as God’s sees. True faith requires no outward sign. It is? always a thing of the heart.

And a true walk of faith is learning to fix our eyes on Jesus. He is both the author of our faith and the finisher of our faith. Jesus supplies us with the faith to live by.

Just some things to think about.

Blessings,

Buddy

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