Faith is Messy | Pastor Johnnie Simpson Jr

Romans 4:13-25 New King James Version

13 For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. 

14 For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect, 

15 because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression.

16 Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all 

17 (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; 

18 who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” 

19 And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. 

20 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 

21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. 

22 And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.”

23 Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, 

24 but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, 

25 who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.

Do you want to know what word I am tired of hearing these days? Unprecedented, everything going on now seems like it is happening for the first time with no end in sight. When we think we have something under control here comes something new and improved to add another unprecedented complication to the situation. Unprecedented pandemic, unprecedented economic conditions, unprecedented political conditions, unprecedented weather, unprecedented electrical infrastructure failure, it seems like the hits just keep on coming and each issue is unlike any issues we have ever seen before. The problems keep piling up and the pressure keeps coming and I can't see my way out. I am reminded of the adage "if it isn't one thing it is another." How do you press forward when you cannot see your way out? How do you keep going when it seems like you have run out of road? How do you trust God when everything around you is falling apart? We have to have faith, we all need faith and faith is not this perfect sequence of actions faith is hard, faith is strange, faith is messy.

We find a messy situation in Romans, Romans is Paul's last letter that we know of, Romans is written somewhere around 57-58 AD. Paul was writing to a church that was a community of Jewish-born Christians, people who were born Jewish, followed the Biblical laws and believed Jesus was the Messiah. The other part of the community were the Gentiles, people who were not raised Jewish, but heard about Jesus and decided to follow him. This Roman church was made up of Jews and Gentile coming together into one community to follow Jesus, this was something they had never done before. Two communities coming together who would not normally deal with each other, are now together operating as a church. In this community, the Jewish-born Christians thought they were better than the Gentile Christians because they were descendants of Abraham. 

The Roman church was divided, the church folk was trying to decide who is in and who is out. There were people putting barriers up to block others from getting in. People came together to create this church, in Rome, in the middle of Roman oppression. They are trying to start a church, not just any church but a church following the man the Romans crucified, Jesus, in the capital of their oppressors, following someone that could get them all killed, even with all that going on, the church folk still got something to argue about, just messy. A whole bunch of rules put in place that no human being can complete all on their own. How are the people of God going to find their way? 

Paul says that even though this church is doing something unprecedented, there is someone else in scripture that did something unprecedented for God and that person is Abraham. Paul is writing Romans, however, Paul is writing this Roman letter with Genesis in mind. God told Abraham in Genesis that he would be the father of many nations, that his descendants would number the stars in the sky. Abraham had to have faith, Abraham had Isaac, then Isaac had Jacob and Esau, Jacob's name was changed to Israel, and Israel had 12 sons, who would later become the 12 tribes of Israel and be a great nation of people, there it is wrap up the story in a nice little bow and everyone can go home...or maybe not. 

Abraham wavered when faced with a situation he had never seen before. Yes, we applaud Abraham for his faith now, just like Paul did in Romans, but the situation was not so clear back then. God told Abraham and Sarah they were going to have a child, and from them, many nations would come. On two separate occasions, Abraham was traveling with his family in a foreign land, and while traveling Abraham lied and said that Sarah was his sister, so someone tried to take Sarah from him only to give her back when they found Sarah was already married. Abraham and Sarah's actions could have messed up the promise. 

Another time Abraham and Sarah came up with a plan, Abraham and Sarah were going to help God by having Abraham have a child with Hagar instead of Sarah because God must not have meant it when he said Abraham and Sarah because she was "too old." Hagar had Ishmael who goes on to be a great man and nation as well, but he is not who God was talking about when God made the promise to Abraham and Sarah, not Abraham and Hagar.

Another time Abraham laughed when he heard God tell him he was going to have a child. After he finished laughing Sarah laughed too. Abraham knew what was going on in his and Sarah's body when he heard the promise, he was 99 years old and Sarah 90, and even though Abraham stumbled, he didn't stay down, he trusted God in his weakness and it still worked out for his good. In Genesis we see the man mess up over and over again, by the time we get to Romans, it is the result that is remembered over everything else. That is the legacy the people of God are willing to fight over, that is what he is remembered for, that is the legacy and family people want access to. While the people are looking at bloodlines and who begat who, Paul came to let them know that it is faith that gets us in the family, not blood, not laws, not people, faith. 

We are heirs of Abraham not by blood but of faith. We are adopted into the family by the work of Jesus Christ and faith. The many nations that Abraham is the father of is not limited by geography, it is unlimited by faith. We are justified by faith through grace. We don't earn this access we are given it by God when we believe. We can have faith even if it is not this picture-perfect example of how to behave in certain situations, even if it is messy. You may be in a Genesis moment in your life right now but keep pressing forward your Roman's victory is on the way. It may look bad right now, it may be very messy right now but, in the end, God wins. What is going on right now is just a snapshot, a single picture, the world hasn't seen the whole album yet. This is just a quarter, we still the rest of the game to play. We just need to keep the faith.

God who brought life out of Abraham when Abraham was as good as dead also raised Jesus from the dead can breathe life into your present situation no matter how dead the situation seems to you. The work is finished through Jesus Christ, the many nations come through Christ, and the barrier between Jew and Gentile was lowered by Jesus. Christ gave himself up for us all. We can have a messy faith in God. 

Such faith means that we can trust God to work through us, even when our bodies fail us. It means we can trust Jesus to lead us, even when we wander through a thicket of difficult moral choices. It means we can trust the Holy Spirit to uplift us, even when we disappoint ourselves and others. Being righteous does not come from moral perfection, but it is based on being made right with God through our faith in Jesus.

Something Worth Waiting For | Pastor Johnnie Simpson Jr

Isaiah 40:21-31  King James Version

21 Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?

22 It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.

23 He brings the princes to nothing; He makes the judges of the earth useless.

24 Scarcely shall they be planted, Scarcely shall they be sown, Scarcely shall their stock take root in the earth, When He will also blow on them, And they will wither, And the whirlwind will take them away like stubble.

25 “To whom then will you liken Me, Or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One.

26 Lift up your eyes on high, And see who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, By the greatness of His might And the strength of His power; Not one is missing.

27 Why do you say, O Jacob, And speak, O Israel: “My way is hidden from the Lord, And my just claim is passed over by my God”?

28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.

29 He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength.

30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall,

31 But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

One thing I don't like to do is to wait. Pre-covid if I had to wait for a table at a restaurant I don't want the staff to keep coming by telling me that it is going to be a little longer. These days if I order food on DoorDash or Uber eats, I don't want to see the estimated time for my food to arrive, keep going up. I hate waiting. I don't like waiting on this pandemic to come to an end, I don't like waiting on certain situations in my own life to change. I don't like waiting in general for anything. 

There are those who are waiting for loved ones to return home, 

for a report from the doctor, 

for the right person to become their spouse, 

for a home to live in. Some are waiting, and while they are waiting, it seems the only news they keep getting is the wrong kind of news. 

We all are waiting on some good news, especially when the bad news keeps coming. We all have a little bit of “news fatigue” that leaves us sometimes feeling depressed, powerless, and distrustful of news sources. It seems like the more news we take in, the more anxiety we feel or, on the other side, the more desensitized we are to the news. We hit a point like the Wicked Witch of the West did in the musical The Wiz, don't nobody bring me no bad news!

The People in the Book of Isaiah were waiting and it seemed like all they kept getting was bad news. The people in Isaiah were waiting for deliverance in the scriptures.In the book of Isaiah the Isralites were down and out, beaten up, and tired of waiting on something they could not see. 

The people of Jerusalem had by now been in captivity by the time of this writing for over 70 years. For many of these people, all they knew was Babylon. The Israelites had been captured by the Babylonians, who took them from their homeland. The Babylonians tried to take the place of the God that the Israelites worshiped. Isaiah 14:13 says that the leaders of Babylon said “I will be like the Most High”. These Israelites only knew of a corrupt government looking to remove their culture, heritage, and religious values. They know they are loved by God but they are currently captured by a government. The Israelites were waiting on a savior and deliverance that seemed like that salvation and deliverance would never come. These people were down and out, beaten up, and tired of waiting on something they could not see, then here comes the prophet Isaiah for 39 chapters telling the people how some of this was their own fault. 

The prophet Isaiah basically told them, “you wanted to worship government over God, this is what it got you! You want to be in the world and of the world, how is that working out for you?” The Israelites are waiting for deliverance. Isaiah is there to help. Yet Before he can do that, he tells them what they did to get there in the first place.  After letting the people have it for 39 chapters we transition into chapter 40. 

Isaiah is pleading his case for them to keep waiting on the Lord. He’s saying, Let me tell you what God is going to do... just wait on him. This is an appeal that Isaiah wants on the public record. “I know you have been waiting for some time now, I know you are tired of the bad news over and over again,  but let me tell you about how good God is.” 

Isaiah wants the people to activate their faith by activating their  memory! We can remember our history and know that God fulfills promises. Isaiah reminds the people what they should know and what they have heard. They may not have experienced it for themselves but God still has a history and that history has been passed down through the generations. 

Even though the people were suffering under Babylon, governments are not God, politicians are not God, kings are not God. Anything a government, king, or politician can do is temporary in the eyes of the Lord. The text says the princes will fall, they are like grasshoppers, they cannot reach the level of God, wait on something that is substantial to pull you through. The enemies are but a drop in the bucket, or dust on scales, they are less than nothing when compared to God.

God is a long term God and God is worth waiting for. God's word stands forever, God's word has prominence, and is timeless. God's word is worth waiting for. God created in the beginning and is creating now.  God does not suffer from “news fatigue.” As Isaiah says ,  in verses 28-29 “He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint And to those who have no might He increases strength

Not only does God have  the long term view in history, God offers power and strength to those who feel the fatigue of bad news in the present. Human beings tend to try to fix every problem or tell those who “should” be doing something to fix them. But as life in the pandemic has taught us, there are limits to human knowledge and ability. If we trust only in ourselves, we are bound to get tired of waiting when we fail or reach the end of our ability. Life can have us feeling disappointment and exhaustion when the reality sets in that we cannot “fix” everything on our own no matter how hard we try. But in all things, God is still worth waiting for. 

The Message translation of Isaiah 40:28-31 says

Why would you ever complain, O Jacob, or, whine, Israel, saying, “God has lost track of me. He doesn’t care what happens to me”? Don’t you know anything? Haven’t you been listening? God doesn’t come and go. God lasts. He’s Creator of all you can see or imagine. He doesn’t get tired out, doesn’t pause to catch his breath. And he knows everything, inside and out. He energizes those who get tired, gives fresh strength to dropouts. For even young people tire and drop out, young folk in their prime stumble and fall. But those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles, They run and don’t get tired, they walk and don’t lag behind. 

We have waited on things that were definitely worth waiting for, there are those who have waited on their spouse, thought they would never get married and found the right one. There are those who waited on the right house, tried over and over to get one only to fail time and time again but then the right house for the right price became available.  There are those who waited on children, thought it would never happen and now have blessings in their lives biological or adopted. There are those who waited on personal growth and success, struggled in business, struggled in personal development, but when they look at where they are now versus where they were back then, they know the phrase well, "if had not been for the Lord on my side where would I be..." and there are those who waited on many other blessings. If those things were worth waiting on, how much is the Lord himself worth waiting on? 

Waiting is hard when we are waiting on the wrong things. How much better would our stress levels be if we spent as much time praying as we do worrying about what someone else thinks? If we spent more time reading the Bible as opposed to watching the news? I am not saying we should not be informed but spending more time with God can't hurt. We have to put our time, talent, and treasure into things that will last for the long term. The Word of God lasts forever and God is worth waiting for. We can wait on the Lord. Waiting means that we are not always in control but when we let go, and let God we can experience God's power more fully. You might be tired now but wait on the Lord, he will renew your strength, he will recharge your batteries, he will give you the ability to keep waiting. Letting go and letting God will give you the energy to keep on keeping on. 

God Works, Praise Him | Pastor Johnnie Simpson Jr

111 Praise the Lord!

1 I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, In the assembly of the upright and in the congregation.

2 The works of the Lord are great, studied by all who have pleasure in them.

3 His work is honorable and glorious, And His righteousness endures forever.

4 He has made His wonderful works to be remembered; The Lord is gracious and full of compassion.

5 He has given food to those who fear Him; He will ever be mindful of His covenant.

6 He has declared to His people the power of His works, in giving them the heritage of the nations.

7 The works of His hands are verity and justice; All His precepts are sure.

8 They stand fast forever and ever and are done in truth and uprightness.

9 He has sent redemption to His people; He has commanded His covenant forever: Holy and awesome is His name.

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.

     

Can I share something with you? Sometimes I find it hard to praise God. I imagine that may be strange to hear from a pastor… someone that teaches people the Bible, and encourages others, and praises God for a living, but it happens. Work stress, family stress, financial stress, internal stress. Sometimes I spend so much time pouring out, that I miss out on being poured into. Sometimes I also get into a routine or a rut of doing things and the time gets away from me. The monotony of this pandemic behavior, dealing with sickness, death, people making the situation worse with their anti-science, anti-mask, antisocial opinions. 

I know that I am not alone though. We can all get caught up in our emotions sometimes; we are human, and we have emotions. When we get sad, sometimes we focus on the fact that we are sad. When we get mad, sometimes we focus on the fact that we are mad. Sometimes we just get into a routine and praise gets thrown by the wayside. If we’re being honest, some may go several days or weeks without talking to God unless it is the routine of  'bless this food for the nourishment of our bodies" prayer or another routine prayer before bed. Sometimes it is hard to praise the Lord

Fortunately, we are not the only ones who felt like this. The people of God felt down during the time of this Psalm. God gave us some ways in scripture to remember God's works and some reasons to praise him. Even if you are not a believer there is reason to praise. Church folk will say praise God! But outside of the church, it’s really popular to have a positive outlook or an attitude of gratitude. No matter the circumstances a person’s mindset is important. In Psalm 111 the people have an answer to this routine, this rut we may get into and the answer is to remember that God works, so praise him. Psalm 111, which scholars believe was combined with 112 is also an acrostic poem. This means that the poem follows an alphabetical pattern in the Hebrew Alphabet. Each half of each verse starts with a different letter of the Hebrew Alphabet. Psalm 111 has 22 phrases in it not counting verse 1a and the Hebrew alphabet has 22 letters in it. Psalm 111 was written in this poem format so that the people during the Bible times learning this scripture could remember it better. Just like learning the English alphabet, A is for apple, B is for ball, C is for cat, D is for dog, and so on and so on. We do that with the kids all the time. Patterns like that work because it makes it easier to remember and recall for later. So when the people of God got into a rut, when they got a little down, they had a pattern, almost like a nursery rhyme      to remember. They needed to remember that God works, and God is worthy of praise. 

The translation loses a bit going from Hebrew to English. The text says to praise the Lord, give thanks with the whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation. Praise is something everyone can see, when you are praising God there should be no question what you are doing. And then the hallelujah there for praise is one that the "Halle" is repeatable and gets louder before we get to the yah part. Like a child calling out to their parent over and over again. Dad, dad, dad, dad, dad dad!! There is no doubt about who they are talking to and whether or not they are excited about it. There is real genuine praise coming forth. 

What are things were they praising God for? God provided food for them. God gave the Israelites manna while they were traveling in the wilderness and took them into the land overflowing with milk and honey. God made sure the people back then had food to eat, and he is making sure we have food to eat now. God works, praise him. 

God gave them the promised land; God took them from slavery to possessing the land. God works, praise him. You may be oppressed in your current situation. The oppressors have been keeping you down so long you cannot even think about getting up let alone see it. But the Lord will fight your battles just like he fought the Israelites battles. The Lord will make your enemies your footstool. God works, praise him. 

God protected them; there were plenty of times the people of God could have and should have been eliminated but were protected. Sometimes I think about the phrase I heard growing up about being protected from dangers seen and unseen. These people knew that God protected them before and can do it again. God Works, Praise him. 

God made a covenant with them, a promise. God promised to redeem the people, and the text says that he commanded this covenant forever. God is not a man that he should lie nor the son of man that he should seek a cause to repent. If God said he is going to do it, his word is good. God works praise him. The text started and ended with praise. We can start and end with praise. I think about a song by Marvin Sapp from time to time called Praise Him in Advance. 

I've had my share of ups and downs

Times when there was no one around

God came and spoke these words to me

Praise will confuse the enemy

So I started singing, I started clapping

I started dancing people were laughing

They knew my problems, they knew my pain

But I knew God would take them away. 

Sometimes we have to praise God in advance, praise God beforehand. We have to make an effort to remember how good God is and how good God has been to us. Remember all the times God worked for us before and hold on to them until we see him work again. Even if it isn't happening fast enough for our liking or doesn't come the way we want it to God's track record is more than enough reason to praise God. God Works, Praise Him! 

Alpha and the Omega, -Beginning and the end, Creator of everything -Dominion and power

Excellent in all his ways-Father to the Fatherless-Great and Greatly to be praised

Holy -Immaculate -Just-King of Kings- Lord of Lord-Magnificent in all his ways

Near us at all times-Omnipresent, Omnipotent, and Omniscient -Powerful beyond measure

Qualified to run my life-Righteous-in Him, I put my Trust-Unchanging-Victorious

Wonderful in all his ways-Xristos -His Yolk is easy and his burden light-Zenith of all creation

God Works Praise Him

We praise him because God is God all by himself! We praise Him because of His grace, God provides and protects, and promises us out of grace. We could never be obedient enough that we deserve anything from God. The obedience is for us to be better believers, his grace is a reason to glorify him. 

Imagine what your spiritual life would look like if we remembered reasons to praise God more? I would like everyone who is hearing this message to write down 1 thing to praise God for, and look at it at least one time for the next seven days. This is more than a gratitude journal. It’s a practice of praise, of remembering how God works and why we praise him.

Faith, Triumphs, Tests, and Trust August 7, 2016