Taking Great Risks!

Today was the final Sunday of our sermon series "Good to Great" at Elevate Church in Murphy, Texas.  Thank you again to Pastor Kalyn Brassfield for continuing to share the Word with us so faithfully, and in ways we can so readily apply to our lives.  This morning we talked about the 4th element of living a life that is 'great' in the eyes of God.  It's important to understand the distinction - we are not worried about living lives that are great in the eyes of men, but only in the eyes of God. 

 

As a very quick review, we live lives that are great in the eyes of God by:

 

1. Praying great prayers - authentic prayers, trusting prayers, prayers that come directly from our heart and trust God's goodness and His faithfulness to answer our prayers.

2. Choosing great attitudes - we choose every moment of every day whether or not we will have a great attitude or a bad attitude.  Our attitude is never the result of an outside force, but is always a matter of our own personal choice.

3. Dreaming great dreams - we move in the direction of God's destiny for our lives by dreaming great dreams and committing ourselves to step out in faith in pursuit of those dreams.

4. Taking great risks - finally, today, we are talking about taking great risks as part of living a great life.

 

In the New Testament book of Hebrews, we learn amount many great followers of God. In fact, many people refer to the 11th chapter of Hebrews as the "Hall of Fame" for people of faith! In Hebrews, chapter 11, we read about the faith of Abraham when he followed God and took at incredible risk! Here's what the writer of Hebrews says about Abraham's risk:

 

By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.  By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country...

 

If you happen to know this story from the Hebrew or Old Testament scripture, you might know this is the very beginning of the birth of the nation of Israel.  God called Abraham and told him to go to this foreign land that would be his land in the future.  Talk about a flying leap! To trust God and obey Him was a huge risk.  Abraham did not know where he was going.  He didn't know anyone in the land where God was sending him, but he obeyed and went!

 

Pastor Kalyn posed the question to us this morning: "Do you have an even though kind of faith?" If God calls you to go somewhere or do something, would you obey and go, even though you had no idea where you were going, or what it would lead to?

 

Is fear a problem for you like it is for me? Has God been nudging you about your giving, perhaps calling you to tithe?  Is the very idea of giving 10% of your earnings something that frightens you? If it is, I can relate! What if God is moving you to make a change in a relationship, to begin a relationship, or move away from a relationship, or perhaps to change your job or career?

 

For some people, fear isn't much of a factor, but for the majority of us, fear is a big challenge when it comes to making big changes, or taking steps that seem risky.  Pastor Kalyn talked this morning about how scary it was for he and his wife to move from Oklahoma to Wylie, Texas to plant a church.  Wylie, Texas.  A place where they had no connections, and didn't know a single person.  But thankfully, they came to Wylie and planted the church, even though they felt fear.

 

The important lesson is this - fear and faith are not always incompatible.  Yes, Scripture tells us that perfect love casts out fear, but there are also times when God calls us to take a step in faith, and we may have to take the step in the midst of the fear, trusting God to bring us through to the other side.

 

Some of your greatest steps of faith will happen in the midst of fear. -Kalyn Brassfield

 

So we see that with Abraham and so many other godly men and women, being a risk-taker is part of living a great live before God.

 

How can you and I become a godly risk-taker?

 

1. Remember your FOUNDATION

 

Hebrews 11:1-2

Our confidence is founded in what we hope for. Biblical confidence is founded in God. He is all powerful, all loving, and perfectly faithful to us in every way.

 

2. Reignite your FAITH

 

Hebrews 11:4

"By FAITH Abel brought God a better offering..."

 

One of the very first stories from the book of Genesis is the story of Cain and Abel, and we see in this story the importance of the little things.  Abel's offering was accepted by God because He brought it in faith, not because it was big or fancy. 

 

If you are struggling with your faith, and your desire to step out in faith is being hindered by fear...don't start with something huge. Instead, start with something small. Allow God to encourage and build you up by being faithful in the small things!

 

3. Reclaim God's PROMISE

 

Hebrews 11:6 is one of the most important verses you can know about the nature of faith, and the character of God:

 

And 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.

 

The entirety of the Judeo-Christian faith is wrapped up in this amazing promise. We cannot come to God unless we first believe that He exists!  And more importantly, we must know beyond a shadow of doubt that God rewards all those who diligently seek Him.

 

Know this - God is faithful. He keeps His promises - all of His promises.  The faith we profess is not some weak pipe dream or empty hope; our faith in Christ Jesus is described this way:

 

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

 

A faith that was certain of what he could not see was the kind of faith that empowered Abraham to follow God, even though he did not know where he was going.  His certainty was in the God who called him, and with certainty, he was able to take the risk.

 

God may or may not call us to something as enormous as His call to Abraham, but whether in big steps of faith or small, the important thing is to be certain of God's promise, and that we can take risks knowing He will always be faithful in everything He calls us to do.