SERIES
Advent: Into His Marvelous Light
2016-12-18T11:00:00-06:00
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright (c)2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. http://www.esv.org
The following is an excerpt from Sunday's sermon:
God leads Israel along the hard road because that is the best road for them. God leads Israel along the hard road because Israel belongs to Him, and He loves them. And God refuses to give anything less than His best to them. We ask, "O Lord, why has my life not turned out the way that I dreamed it would?" And God answers, "Because you belong to Me, and because I love you. And I refuse to give you anything less than My best for you."
I know that is a hard truth: that God leads us into the wilderness because He loves us. Because there is something in the wilderness that God wants us to see, wants us to have, wants us to possess that we cannot get any other way. And not only is it a hard truth, but the logic itself seems frustratingly circular and irrefutable. There's no way to test it. It just depends on faith. Right - it just depends on faith. We have to trust God.
That sounds cliche, but I want you to notice for a moment what breaks the cliche. Notice what Israel is carrying with them on their journey that is a little bit strange. What are they carrying with them? They are carrying the bones of a dead man. They have in their possession the bones of Joseph. You remember the story. They knew the story well. Joseph's story was a story of a man God led into the wilderness. Joseph's story was a story of a man God led along the hard road in order to form him, shape him, build him, and ultimately, to use him as an instrument of blessing to the entire world.
God knew what was best for Joseph. God knew what was best for Israel. And God knows what is best for you.