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Home Sermons 2010 The Path of Faith (Part 3 of 'The Way of Joy')
 
The Path of Faith (Part 3 of 'The Way of Joy') PDF Print E-mail
Written by David Charlton   

Scripture

 Luke 9:51
When the days drew near for him to be received up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.

Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

 Summary and Function

 

Summary: When Jesus ‘set his face to go to Jerusalem’ he was determined to follow through with his Father’s plan. He went to Jerusalem despite the ridicule, injustice, torture, cruelty and murder that awaited him there. This required faith (trust) in his Father. Jesus trusted that his Father’s plan of salvation would work and that his Father would take care of him.

This is the example for us to follow. We are to have enough faith in God to act in accordance with God’s will no matter what the circumstances. We trust that God will take care of us and see us through the good and bad times. This enables us to stay focused on demonstrating love for God, ourselves and neighbor in all situations. When we do this, we receive joy. 

Purpose: To help the congregation receive joy through faith.

The Sermon

 I. Introduction: “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!!”

     1. During the Civil War, on August 5, 1864, Admiral David Farragut led a naval attack
         on Mobile Bay. This bay was heavily mined. (During the Civil War, mines were
         called torpedoes.)
     2. When the USS Tecumseh hit a torpedo and sank, the other ships began to turn
         back.
     3. When Admiral Farragut saw his ships retreating, he shouted through a trumpet,
          “What’s happening?” When he received the reply “torpedoes!”, he yelled back,
          “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!!”

     4. The bulk of Farragut’s flotilla made it through and captured Mobile Bay.

     5. Admiral Farragut was focused on his objective and wouldn’t let torpedoes get in
         his way.

II. What’s the point of the Admiral Farragut story?

     1. Over 1800 years earlier, Jesus made a similar choice when he ‘set his face to go
          to Jerusalem’.
     2. Jesus had plenty of torpedoes to worry about. His torpedoes consisted of ridicule,
          false accusations, imprisonment, kangaroo trials, torture, whippings, extreme
          thirst and hunger and, finally, murder on a cross.
  • All these torpedoes awaited Jesus at Jerusalem and he knew it.
  • Anyone of these torpedoes would have been reason enough to turn back from Jerusalem.
  • Jesus, however, said “Dang the torpedoes, full speed ahead!!” (I replaced ‘damn’ with ‘dang’ because I can’t imagine Jesus cussing)

     3. This required Jesus to have faith (trust) in his Father

  • Jesus trusted that his Father’s plan of salvation would work
  • Jesus also trusted that his Father would take care of him.
  • This faith enabled Jesus to have Joy despite the torpedoes that awaited him.
  • Jesus knew how the story would end
  • This faith enabled him to demonstrate joy during his journey to Jerusalem.

III. The story of my 3 year old son watching a re-enactment of the crucifixion of Jesus

     1. We were watching a re-enactment of the crucifixion of Jesus at the ‘Holy Land
         Experience’ in Orlando, Fl.
     2. It was extremely realistic and brutal. My 3 year old son was visibly disturbed and
         scared.

     3. I knew he had to see the end in order for everything to be ok.

     4. Joshua saw the end and learned that Jesus rose from the dead.

     5. Point of the story:

  • God’s stories always turn out good!!
  • As a follower of Jesus, you are one of God’s stories.
  • You and your story will turn out good!!!
  • Trusting that you and your story will turn out good is faith.

     6. This faith enables us to experience joy during the good and bad times.

IV. How is your story going?

     1. What are the torpedoes that keep you from demonstrating love for God, yourself
         and others? What are the torpedoes that keep you from having a deeper, more
         intimate relationship with God? Are they financial, relational, health or temptation
         torpedoes?
     2. Do you have enough trust in God (faith) to say, “Dang the torpedoes, full speed
         ahead!”?
     3. If you do, God will get you through the torpedoes and enable you to fulfill your
         purpose of loving God, yourself and neighbor. This will bring about joy.
     4. If you don’t have the necessary faith, it starts with repentance and trust in God.
          The Holy Spirit will then work with you to give you the faith you need.
 
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