Walk By Faith

Matthew 17:14-20; 2 Corinthians 5:4-9

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, invisible bridge.

There’s sometimes more to life that just what you see. God’s reality is different than ours. God’s kingdom is life and leads to life; what we see in this world is limited and stifling, ultimately leading to death. Yet we continue to cling to the hope we see in this world– which ultimately is nothing. Our temptation is to trust only what we see, what we experience, what we know – to walk by sight in this world.

God, and therefore life, is beyond the grasp of this dead-end, temporary world. It is way too big, way too full, way too marvelous for the eyes of this world to see. Paul writes in today’s text to the Corinthians that since we live in the bodies of this world, we don’t automatically see God’s eternity. We must use eyes of faith to see more, to see what God is doing, to see ife, to step into life, to reveal God’s life in Christ to the world. Because we are made new in Christ, because we belong to Christ, we don’t have to walk only by what our eyes see in this world. We can walk by faith. We can live in life, in light, in love. We can live in God.

The culture of this world, that trusts only what it sees, says,

There’s no way God is compassionate when earthquakes and hurricanes and mudslides kills tens of thousands of people.

Since God knows what you’re really like, there’s no way for you to really be forgiven.

Jesus died, and death is the end of life. There’s no way God gives us a new life.

It’s just bread and wine on the table. There’s no way Jesus is present there. It’s just water in the font, there’s no way Father, Son, and Spirit give us a new identity.

With the price of gas at almost $3/gallon, with the cost of heating going up 40%, with the overall cost of living in this world, you can’t keep giving away money, even if it is for God’s work. Take care of yourself first. Make sure you’ve got all that you want, and then consider what to do with what’s left over.

You have to see your hope, you have to hold onto your own life.

But the world can only walk by sight. That’s all it’s got; the best it can offer. The world walks according to temporary things that they can see right now, things that can never lead to life because they always die. That’s the best it can offer.

We, who’ve been given a new life in Christ, we aren’t limited to that. We can walk by faith. We have new eyes and live new lives because we have been given the opportunity to trust in the God of mercy, the God of forgiveness, the God of life who raised Jesus Christ from the dead, the God who meets us in bread and wine, the God who gives us a new life day by day.

We’re invited to live in God’s kingdom today. Jesus Christ, God the Son, has come to us and opened up that new way of life for us. We still hear the words of fear, of death from the world, “cling to everything you can: every little advantage you can gain, every bit of power you can hold, every dollar you stash away.” We can hear these words of death, but we are no longer bound to them. We can see what this world offers, but we don’t have to settle for it.

We walk by faith. We trust in new life given to us in Jesus Christ. We receive him as he comes to us in bread and wine, and trust that we are forgiven. We give back to God even more of our time and our possessions, because in so doing we join God in giving new life to a dead world.

We walk by faith. We do it together. We take the chance as a community. We live a new life. And we take a step of faith together today.

One of those steps today is in regard to our finances. As called, equipped, and sent people, we have the opportunity to give not what the world says we can afford, but what faith in Christ says we can do.

n a few minutes we’ll bring our 2006 Estimate of Giving cards forward, and place them at the foot of the cross. If you didn’t get a card, or forgot yours, or need a new one, or want to change the one you have, raise your hand and our ushers will get one to you.

We’re going to make a confession together now, admitting our failure to live a new life, to walk by faith, and asking God for forgiveness. Then, knowing that God has given us a living faith in forgiveness, you’ll have an opportunity to fill out an Estimate of Giving card. Fill this out as a step today of faith. Then, as we sing, we’ll bring our cards forward and place them, as we walk by faith, at the cross of Christ where we received faith and a new life.

Let’s pray: