Ashtead Baptist Church

Serving Christ in the community

Sermon - The Laughter of Faith

 

The Laughter of Faith

Genesis 18: 1-15 & 21: 1-8

(With a review of the five points of Calvinism known as �TULIP�)

Picture the scene of the visit of the angels to Abraham. It is the hottest part of the day when no work can be done. Abraham is sitting at the door of his tent. Sarah is close by. A hearty and warm welcome is given to the three strangers; food and drink provided free of charge. Sounds like paradise, like being on holiday:  one of those last minute all-inclusive deals I have been trying to find on the internet and Teletext - in the sun - for �50! Wouldn�t it be great to be welcomed as a stranger like that wherever you went?

This story of God�s call on Abraham�s life, in the opening verses of Genesis 18, reminds me of God�s call to all of us to faith.  It reminds us of his grace and mercy in the provision of Jesus Christ his Son, given 2000 years ago, that we may not live spiritually in a state of separation from God and his goodness, but how we can live for ever in that goodness if we respond to his call. Jesus waits to welcome us with far more than pictured here if we would only repent of our sin and believe that through him alone we can have forgiveness, eternal life and the blessings of knowing God Almighty creator of heaven and earth as our Father and friend.

God calls us with open arms, to the warmth of his love, his provision for earth�s journey and to riches stored up in the heavenly world; and yet many refuse his loving provision! Jesus said �I have come that you might have life, life in all its fullness!� Yet day after day after day, hundreds of people refuse to respond to his call on their lives. Yet I believe, as did CH Spurgeon the 19th century Baptist preacher, that there will be more in heaven than in hell because Jesus always has the pre-eminence!  The apostle Paul taught this in Colossians 1:18. �And he, (Jesus) is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in all things he might have the supremacy.�  The apostle John in his vision of heaven in the book of Revelation chapter seven sees a multitude of people there that could not be numbered! He is above all things and is to have supreme, unequalled, unrivalled and unsurpassed predominance in all things! Therefore there must be more in heaven than in hell at the end! If you have come to Jesus and received him as your Saviour from God�s coming judgement on the world�s disobedience, then he will have the pre-eminence in your life and bring you safe into his Father�s presence! Jude understood this and so he could write at the end of his letter, �To him who is able to keep you from falling and bring you faultless and joyful before his glorious presence � to the only God our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, might and authority, from all ages past, and now, and for ever and ever! Amen.� (Jude 24-25)

Abraham had been called of God in Genesis 12, made right with God through faith and trust in his promises in chapter 15, been stimulated in faith by God in a moment of doubt in chapter 17, now God comes to reaffirm his promise in chapter 18 where we find Sarah challenged about her unbelief. Yet again God reveals himself and comes to Abraham to bless, reassure and envision him again. As John Calvin the 16th century Puritan commentator once said, �God strengthens the mind of his servant with a new vision; just as the faith of the saints requires, at intervals, renewed assistance.�  Abraham�s faith remained firm, Romans 4:20.

As I read this passage, I find myself being drawn back to consider God�s grace and mercy on us by the constant way he keeps us on the right road to glory or pulls us back from wherever we might have wondered off to. I never could have made this day on my journey of faith in Christ unless the power of God hadn�t kept me for it! I know only too well my shortcomings!

We have been studying 2 Peter in our Wednesday night gatherings and I am reminded of the words of Peter in his first letter when he says regarding the blessings God is storing up for us in heaven,

�They are for you, who through faith are kept safe by God�s power for the salvation which is ready to be revealed at the end of time. Be glad about this, even though it may now be necessary for you to be sad for a while because of many kinds of trials you suffer. Their purpose is to prove that your faith is genuine.� 1 Peter1:5-6.

Most believers today do not seem to have an understanding of suffering and God�s use of it in this life; they do not have a theology of suffering in the Manual of Christian belief. This is why many struggle and fall away when suffering comes.

The blessings of God are kept for us and we are kept for them by God�s power, which we must never doubt as Sarah did in her situation as recorded in Genesis 18. She doubted what God could do in her life in her old age. Perhaps we doubt what Jesus can do for us at this moment in time. Therefore to consider what he has done for us already might stimulate our faith at this present time. This is something perhaps Sarah should have done in the heat of the day; she should have reflected on what God had done for her and her husband over the years - this would have stimulated her faith to be able to receive this new revelation from God that the angels brought. Her laughter then would have been the laughter of firm faith rather than disbelief. This is a lesson for us all to learn for the present situation we find ourselves in and for that of future situations! I will now look back and consider some of the things that God has done for us in the past, and is doing for us now, in the hope this will stimulate faith in us all!

Being kept by God reminds me of the 5th letter of the word �TULIP� (especially relevant at this season, although beginning to fade now in our gardens) �TULIP� is an acronym, a word formed by the first letter of several other words. This word helps us to remember the teachings of one of our great protestant reformers John Calvin. Calvin lived in France in the 1500's at the time of Martin Luther who sparked the Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther had rediscovered the truth that salvation, getting right with God, was indeed as Paul had said in Ephesians 2:8 ��by grace�through faith�not of ourselves�but the gift of God,�not by works.  Luther expressed his discovery by saying, �The door to paradise was flung open to me, and I entered.�

Calvinism, which in a small way we have been looking at during our recent Wednesday night bible study evenings, is often summarised by the use of this word TULIP, the last �P� signifying the �Perseverance of the saints�, the fact that we can be assured that if our faith is genuine, God will preserve us through thick and thin to finish our course and be welcomed into glory!  God�s gift of faith is persevering faith.

There seem to be  two main camps of theology within Christianity today; these are Arminianism and Calvinism. Calvinism adheres to a very high view of scripture; it seeks to derive its theological formulations based solely on God's word. It focuses on God's sovereignty, stating that God is able and willing to do whatever he desires with His creation because of his omniscience, the fact that he has all knowledge within himself, because of his omnipresence, the fact that he is in all things and everywhere at once, because of his omnipotence, the fact of his being all powerful. It also maintains that within the Bible are the following teachings: That God, by His sovereign grace predestines people into salvation; that Jesus died only for those predestined, chosen; that God regenerates the individual where he is then able and wants to choose God; and that it is impossible for those who are redeemed to lose their salvation.

On the other hand Arminianism, based on the teachings of Arminius a 16th century Dutch theologian, maintains that God predestined, but not in an absolute sense. Rather, he looked into the future to see who would pick him and then He chose them. Jesus died for everyone�s sins; the sins of all who have ever lived and ever will live. 

Each person is the one who decides if he wants to be saved or not. And finally, it is possible to lose your salvation (some Arminians believe you cannot lose your salvation).

What do the letters in the word �Tulip� stand for?

Total Depravity (also known as Total Inability and Original Sin)

Unconditional Election

Limited Atonement (also known as Particular Atonement)

Irresistible Grace

Perseverance of the Saints (also known as Once Saved Always Saved)

These five categories do not comprise Calvinism in totality. They simply represent some of its main points. Let�s consider these five points

Total Depravity:

Sin has affected all parts of man. The heart, emotions, will, mind, and body are all affected by sin. We are completely sinful. We are not as sinful as we could be, but we are completely affected by sin. The doctrine of Total Depravity is derived from scriptures that reveal human character: Man's heart is evil (Mark 7:21-23) and sick (Jer. 17:9). Man is a slave of sin (Rom. 6:20). He does not seek for God (Rom. 3:10-12). He cannot understand spiritual things (1 Cor. 2:14). He is at enmity, at war, with God (Eph. 2:15). And, is by nature a child of wrath, a person who is destined to suffer God�s anger. (Eph. 2:3). The Calvinist asks the question, "In light of the scriptures that declare man's true nature as being utterly lost and incapable, how is it possible for anyone to choose or desire God?" The answer is, "He cannot. Therefore God must predestine." Calvinism also maintains that because of our fallen nature we are born again not by our own will but God's will (John 1:12-13);

God grants that we believe (Phil. 1:29); faith is the work of God (John 6:28-29); God appoints people to believe (Acts 13:48); and God predestines (Eph. 1:1-11; Rom. 8:29; 9:9-23).

I don�t think I would have ever sought Jesus if he had not sought me first! It�s hard to believe, but it�s what the Bible says and it must be approached in faith. That God chooses us, and not from foreknowledge, and yet clearly offers salvation to all who ask for it (Romans 10:13), �Whosoever calls on the Lord will be saved�, must be believed and accepted by faith if we are to honour God in our lives. Again let me quote, this time at length, CH Spurgeon. (His scripture references are from the AV translation of the Bible); �The system of truth revealed in the Scriptures is not simply one straight line, but two; and no man will ever get a right view of the gospel until he knows how to look at the two lines at once. For instance, I read in one Book of the Bible, "The Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." Yet I am taught, in another part of the same inspired Word, that "it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy." I see, in one place, God in providence presiding over all, and yet I see, and I cannot help seeing, that man acts as he pleases, and that God has left his actions, in a great measure, to his own free-will. Now, if I were to declare that man was so free to act that there was no control of God over his actions, I should be driven very near to atheism; and if, on the other hand, I should declare that God so over-rules all things that man is not free enough to be responsible, I should be driven at once into Antinomianism or fatalism. That God predestines, and yet that man is responsible, are two facts that few can see clearly. They are believed to be inconsistent and contradictory to each other. If, then, I find taught in one part of the Bible that everything is fore-ordained, that is true; and if I find, in another Scripture, that man is responsible for all his actions, that is true; and it is only my folly that leads me to imagine that these two truths can ever contradict each other. I do not believe they can ever be welded into one upon any earthly anvil, but they certainly shall be one in eternity. They are two lines that are so nearly parallel, that the human mind which pursues them farthest will never discover that they converge, but they do converge, and they will meet somewhere in eternity, close to the throne of God, where all truth spring from.�

Unconditional Election:

God does not base His election on anything He sees in the individual. He chooses the elect according to the kind intention of His will (Eph. 1:4-8; Rom. 9:11) without any consideration of merit within the individual. Nor does God look into the future to see who would pick Him. Also, as some are elected into salvation, others are not (Rom. 9:15, 21). As the apostle Paul is teaching this in Romans 9, he can almost hear those listening to his teaching being read to them saying �If this is so, how can God find fault with anyone? Who can resist God�s will� In other words this teaching seems unfair! But Paul does not try to defend his teaching, he simply says, �But who are you, my friend, to answer God back? A clay pot does not ask the man who made it. �Why did you make me like this?� Error has always come into the church down through the ages when people have failed to handle the Word of God correctly. They have failed to compare scripture with scripture, failed to apply faith when they have discovered something they do not understand or dislike. Often they have chosen to disregard what they do not understand or explain it away, thus ignoring the warnings of the book Revelation. (Rev 22:18-19.)

Limited Atonement:

Jesus died only for the elect. Though Jesus' sacrifice was sufficient for all, it was not effective for all. Jesus only bore the sins of the elect. Support for this position is drawn from such scriptures as Matt. 26:28 where Jesus died for �many� John 10:11 (Not all!); v 15 where Jesus says that Jesus died for the sheep (not the goats, Matt. 25:32-33); from scriptures like John 17:9 where Jesus in prayer interceded for the ones given Him, not those of the entire world; from Acts 20:28 and Eph. 5:25-27 which state that the Church was purchased by Christ, not all people purchased by Christ and Isaiah 53:12 which is a prophecy of Jesus' crucifixion where he would bore the sins of many (not all).

 Irresistible Grace:

When God calls his elect into salvation, they cannot resist. God offers to all people the gospel message. This is called the external call, but to the elect, God extends an internal call and it cannot be resisted. This call is by the Holy Spirit who works in the hearts and minds of the elect to bring them to repentance and regeneration whereby they willingly and freely come to God.  Some of the verses used in support of this teaching are, Romans 9:16 where it says that "it is not of him who wills nor of him who runs, but of God who has mercy"; Philippians 2:12-13 where God is said to be the one working salvation in the individual;  Also John 6:28-29 where faith is declared to be the work of God; Acts 13:48 where God appoints people to believe; and John 1:12-13 where being born again is not by man's will, but by God's.

Perseverance of the Saints:

You cannot lose your salvation. This is where we started today. The Father has elected, the Son has redeemed, and the Holy Spirit has applied salvation, those thus saved are eternally secure. They are eternally secure in Christ. Some of the verses for this position are John 10:27-28 where Jesus said His sheep will never perish; John 6:47 where salvation is described as everlasting life. Also Romans 8:1 where it is said we have passed out of judgment; 1 Corinthians 10:13 where God promises to never let us be tempted beyond what we can handle; and Phil. 1:6 where God is the one being faithful to perfect us until the day of Jesus' return.

It has been argued that such teaching can lead Christians to live their lives without enough emphasis on holiness of living because whatever we do we are saved in the end. To this I would apply the teaching of the apostle John who tells that we can only be sure that we are in union with God by the fact that we are endeavouring to live as Jesus lived! (1 John 2:5-6) Unless there is an ongoing struggle in our lives against the desires of our sinful flesh, because of the presence of a holy God living in us in the person of the Holy Spirit, then we are no child of God! We remain unsaved and unregenerate!

Whether we are Calvinistic in our belief or Arminian, the old battle ground of the 16th Century teachers Calvin and Arminus, or the 18th Century preachers, George Whitfield and John Wesley, these two strands of Christian belief should not divide us as they did in past church history.  Knowing what we believe, building a firm foundation on Christ, will make us strong as Christians, it will keep our faith strong against all the temptations to doubt when God does not seem to be answering our prayers as we expect, or we are faced with God�s call to believe for what seems impossible, like Sarah.  As Spurgeon indicates himself in his defence of Calvinism document that I quoted from earlier, heaven must have received many who have not held Calvinistic views; he writes, �But far be it from me even to imagine that Zion contains none but Calvinistic Christians within her walls, or that there are none saved who do not hold our views.�   

The teaching of the �Perseverance of the saints� that I am bringing you today is important for the 21st Century Church, important because it gives us an added assurance of our security in Christ in a changing Western World growing in hostility towards traditional Christian belief!

When Sarah laughed secretly in her heart at what God was saying he was going to do in giving her a child, she was not calling God a liar, but her faith was not up to the moment. God challenged her because he heard the inner laugh! What is he challenging us about today I wonder!  Where are we failing to believe in the God of whom the angels said, �Is anything too hard for the Lord?� (18:14)  The more we know the truth of God�s word and hold fast to it, the less likely we are to doubt our Saviour when faced with things that require great faith.  Why? Because we have got to know Jesus our friend and our God better! Do we realise that we insult and offend our Saviour when we doubt! So often we forget this and fail to say sorry and wonder why things have not been going well with us recently.

In the end like Sarah, when God finally acts even in our unbelief, for ��he remains faithful even when we are unfaithful�, the Bible says; when we eventually laugh with the joy of faith as Sarah did when we see his blessing on our lives as she did as she looked upon Isaac the child of promise safely born, we will feels ashamed that we ever doubted God. Yet our shame, like Sarah�s, will be lost in the joy of the moment. That�s the grace of God!  Would it not be better to laugh the laugh of faith before the event; to rejoice in the God for whom all things are possible and who keeps us safe for the glory to come? By so doing we honour him in our lives!

God has �chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world�, he has �called us by his Spirit�, made us �right before him�, has provided for us �power to serve� and �power to be changed from one degree of glory into another into the image of Christ his Son�, he is keeping us safe for heaven and the new world to come and keeping treasure for us there. Shouldn�t we have faith now and at all times! Shouldn�t we rejoice and laugh when we consider the greatness of our God when all around us �the earth shakes and the mountains fall into the ocean depths�?  (Psalm 46)

In whatever we may be facing at present, in whatever concern is uppermost in our minds just now, God is calling us to hold true to him; to him �that has loved us with an everlasting love�. May we maintain faith and laugh in the face of the difficult! Faith laughs with joy as it considers that for our God, �nothing is impossible!�

 

 8/5/05

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  • Ashtead
  • Surrey
  • KT21 2LW

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