What’s the difference between ordinary and extraordinary? Ordinary is just the norm, regular, customary. But extraordinary is going beyond the norm - beyond the customary. I even saw it defined a ‘exceptional to a very marked extent’. I like that definition. Not just exceptional, but exceptional to a very marked extent. I think most people crave the idea of living an extraordinary life. Most of us want to do or be a part of something exceptional. Sadly, even though most of us crave the extraordinary, I think few of us would actually claim that are lives are in fact extraordinary. But I think we all can. After all what defines extraordinary? What do you think of when you think living an extraordinary life?
Do you think of extraordinary riches? Extraordinary looks? Extraordinary intelligence? What about extraordinary skills athletically or musically?
These are all examples of things that we typically perceive as extraordinary but what would be biblical examples of living an extraordinary life? Let’s look at a few:
1. Noah - built a boat in the middle of a desert
2. Moses - heard the voice of God in a blazing bush
3. Abraham - fathered a child at the age of 100 with a wife who had been completely barren her whole life
4. Joseph - lived a life of royalty after being sold into slavery
5. Esther - saved an entire nation from destruction by exposing an evil man
6. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stood with God in a furnace that was so hot it killed the men that led them to it and they didn’t even get singed
7. The wise men - followed a star in the sky and found a savior
8. The shepherds - witnessed an angelic choir in the sky
9. Mary - gave birth to a baby after never having physical relations with a man
These are truly examples of extraordinary living. You may say to yourself, ‘Yeah but none of that will ever happen to me.’ I disagree. These people didn’t lead themselves to extraordinary circumstances. God did the leading. But you know what they did? They responded in the circumstance in a way that made the circumstance extraordinary. What would’ve happened had these individuals responded differently to their circumstances?
What if Noah had let his fear of rejection and ridicule stop him from doing what he knew he was suppose to do? If we are to believe the Bible, which we are, it would have been the end of mankind.
What is Esther had remained silent? Most, if not all, of the Jewish people would have been annihilated.
What if Moses had not listened to the voice in the bush? The Israelites wouldn’t have been freed from slavery, the parting of the red sea would have never happened, Moses would’ve never gone to Mt. Sanai to receive the 10 commandments. The history of mankind and the history of our faith would be dramatically altered.
What made these people so different? Was it their upbringing? No. Moses was a spoiled little rich boy, Esther was an orphan raised by her uncle. Was it their education? No. The shepherds weren’t highly educated. They certainly weren’t the philosophers of their day. What set these people up to live out extraordinary experiences comes down to just one word..................faith. Their faith is the reason you’ve even heard of them. Their faith impacted Biblical history. Their faith impacted the world as we know it. Just their faith.
Heb. 11:1 tells us that....
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Let’s examine the experience of Mary.
Mary had to live by faith, ........or walk away. By no other means could she comprehend what was happening to her. By no other means could she stand strong in the face of so much condemnation.
Video ‘I have broken no vow’
http://www.nativityresources.com/video.html?sid=456E1F007FE0E17F
Explain culture, vow, consequences
Video ‘Honor’
http://www.nativityresources.com/video.html?sid=456E1F007FE0E17F
Only by faith could Mary withstand the pressure she was under without denial, or running away. There had to have been opportunity after opportunity to deny, lie or run from what was happening in order to escape ridicule or even death but Mary didn’t succumb to any of these things. Her faith was enough. She trusted that the God who brought her into this circumstance would walk through it with her. Her faith changed the world. Get that. Don’t let those words just roll around your mind and dissolve into nothingness. Hear them. Let me say it again. Her faith changed the world. You literally wouldn’t be here - in this building - today if it didn’t. Because the only reason we are here today is to live out our churches key scripture (Heb. 12:2) to FOCUS on Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith.
I am here today by faith
expand
What is God calling you to? Our lives are marked by ‘faith moments’. The moments where your are challenged to stand up for what you believe in. The moments when you want one thing but you know that you know God wants something else. The moments when doing what’s right is the really hard thing to do. The moments when you choose to see others, not as the world sees them, but instead the way God sees them. The moments where God says stay - and you stay, or he says go - and you go. Or when you say ‘but Lord, I don’t want to love them’ and he says, ‘Love them anyway.’
Sunday school teacher -
Quit work - bad on paper
Video - Indiana Jones taking step of faith in, "The Last Crusade"
The book of our lives are filled with ‘faith stories’. How does your book read? Let Jesus be for you today exactly what his word says ‘ the author and perfecter of your faith.’ Your job isn’t to worry about circumstances in your life - that is the ordinary response, everybody can do that! Your job is to respond in an extraordinary way - with faith. Every Biblical example we looked at today resulted in extraordinary life change for the individuals in the examples and for the coming generations because they responded with faith.
What is going on in your life in regards to work, school, family, relationships, finances, ministry? All God wants from you is faith. Faith that He really is here. Faith that He really does know what’s going on. Faith that He really does have a purpose and a plan for you and for every circumstance.
Pray.
Heb. 11:6 tells us ‘without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.’
No comments:
Post a Comment