Faith and the Unknown

If you have your Bible, and I hope you do. I’d like for you to join me in opening them up to Acts chapter 2. It’s been one of those weeks. This past week has been tough for me. It's been a week of doubt, of week of questioning, and even moments of frustration. And, I found myself asking God why certain things were happening, and at times, I wondered why He seemed to be silent when the world around me is so loud.

Perhaps some of you can relate to that. It's in these moments of struggle and uncertainty that our faith is tested, and we're confronted with the reality of our limitations. I hate being limited at times… I like the all or nothing mindset. I bet We've all had weeks like that. We've all faced moments of doubt, fear, and questioning. It's a part of our journey of sanctification. And the good news is that we have a God who understands our struggles and walks with us through every step of the way.

Amen? And come to think about it… aren’t you glad God’s presence is with us… Amen? I was thinking this week, life is unpredictable. Life sometimes seems to throws curveballs and lemons our way when we least expect it. Every day, every moment we face challenges, disappointments, and uncertainties that can leave us feeling lost and confused. And In those moments, it's easy to question if God is truly present. I’ve been guilty of times when I wonder if He sees my struggles, if He hears my prayers, or in my case this week, has God heard my groanings, and I sometimes wonder if He cares about my pain.

That was me on Monday… On Monday I was just absolutely defeated. I felt rejected all day. I felt like it was the bottom of the barrel and I felt like I had no support, no friends, I have no one to encourage and be there for me… until…… God’s presence broke through the clouds of my pity party and he rescued me, well from myself. There’s truth in the statement, You’re greatest critic is yourself.

Monday night I went to Abby’s choir concert upset, and I sat there with my arms crossed and then the singing starts, and all of sudden a few songs in, these kids being singing this song called Child of Peace… They sang peace in, I believe 7 different languages and every time they would say the word peace, it was like a hammer hitting the hard shell surrounding my heart. Every time…

peace… hammer… Shalom… hammer, Lay-Pan… Hammer.. Then something amazing happened… in the moment, I stopped focusing on myself, and looked around and realized that I was in place packed with people, and I realized God was there in that room. God’s presence unveiled himself in that auditorium, and he just began to love on this tired, grumpy and wayward heart of mine. Can I just testy that our God is not a distant God!

Amen? God spoke to my heart Monday night and when I got home here’s the word that I wrote down that I believe He wanted me to share with you this morning… Are you ready….??? Is Faith really faith if I’m unwilling to step out into the unknown. Could you say that with me… Do you believe that? Hebrews 11 tells us.. “Faith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of what we cannot see.” I was having a discussion with Alicia just the other day in our living room, And I siad, Hunny….

Do you remember the song Danger Zone from Top Gun? Kenny loggins sings these words, ( Revvin’ up your engine, Listen to her howlin' roar, Metal under tension, Beggin’ you to touch and go, (Now, listen to this… ) Highway to the Danger Zone, Ride into the Danger Zone ) I was telling Alicia… ya know what… when it comes to faith, if we’re not willing to step out into the unknown, can it really be called faith?

Right… Do you know how different the movie Top Gun would have be if Kenny Loggins would have changed the lyrics, to highway to the comfort zone….. ride into the Comfort zone… ???? I mean, what song ever sings… let’s stay where we are and in the comfort zone?????… Even Elsa from the Disney cartoon sings, “into the unknown”…. And it was meant to brush off, or turn away from the old way of life and to embrace who she really was inside…

To me, that sounds a whole lot like holiness. To turn from the old me, and to embrace and cling to the life giving Spirit that God has put into me…. Which His very presence… Could you Imagine if we lived life solely in our comfort zones. If we were content to stay where we are, never taking risks, never venturing into uncharted territory. Never stepping out into the unknown or trying new things.

What kind of faith would that be? Or how about this… What kind of story would we tell with our lives if we never lived by radical faith that requires us to step out by faith into situations that we have no clue what the outcome would be? Wouldn’t, our lives would be stagnant if we lived the way? In the comfort zone?, wouldn’t we lack enthusiasm? I mean there can be growth in the comfort zone..…

but, the typically the only growth we see most times when we stay put, and we’re unwilling to change or move, is dust and rust. I want to read a verse to you, and then just camp out here for today.. is that ok? Acts 2, and you should already be there, and find with me verse 14. “14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.” There’s so much that has happened before this moment.

The disciples have just experienced the amazing resurrection of Jesus Christ! They've spent, face to face time with Jesus, receiving further instructions and promises of the Holy Spirit to come. And so, they gathered together in the upper room, and they began together, pressing in with prayer and seeking God's face. Days turn into nights, and nights turn into days, and still, they’re waiting. But here's the catch: their waiting isn't passive.

No, this is active waiting! They are expectant, preparing their hearts for the unknown. Here is a life principle we all need to understand… “preparing doesn’t mean standing still”… to prepare… it means to make preparation… You see, waiting is not about inactivity; it's about active preparation. The disciples understood this. They knew that the fulfillment of God's promise required their preparation and participation. So what did they do.. well, we know from just before this moment, they all participated in prayer……they sought the promised Spirit, fervently, seeking His guidance, and His presence.

Their waiting was marked by prayer, by worship, and by aligning their hearts with God's purposes. I love what Oswald Chambers writes, "Prayer does not change God, but it changes him who prays.” Do you understand what Oswald is saying??? Prayer changes me… Not the situation… prayer changes me and then, it prepares me for any situation. You see, church, waiting is not a passive state of existence. It’s not finding the comfort zone, or the easy groove and making “no” attempt at anything new or different.

Prayerful waiting is an opportunity for us to surrender our will, and our desires, and our timelines to Jesus so that he can take our everyday, ordinary life and make it His life, in us and through us. We should be having upper room prayer life experiences everyday… I was at the park on Tuesday and in my moments of my upper room moment with God, he sends this Butterfly and it’s just flying around, in all of it’s grace and beauty.

There’s a message in that butterfly… Spiritually, I believe God sent that butterfly to remind me of my encounter in Israel where God told me to be still, and to be patient….. Where the person I met told be about how a caterpillar undergoes metamorphosis in its cocoon. To us on the outside, it may seem like a stagnant and confining existence. But within that hidden space, a miraculous transformation is taking place.

The caterpillar is being transformed into a beautiful butterfly, destined to soar the skies with grace and beauty. Those outside of our prayer life don’t always see what’s going on in our prayer room. So they dont always know what God is saying to us. But When it comes to receiving godly advice from others, there's at least one telltale sign that sets apart whether they are giving you spiritual counsel or just mere human wisdom – and it is this…

“is there a willingness to wait in the prayer room with you.” Think about the story of Job? Job was a man who faced unimaginable trials and suffering, but he had friends who came to offer their perspective and counsel. They begin to offer explanations for his suffering, after awhile, they began to say it to his own wrongdoing or lack of righteousness. What we read and learn from the book of Job, is that his friends failed to grasp this one profound spiritual truth that I think we all forget……

“Just by being present with others is the most compassionate advice we can give without saying anything.” Just be present with others… When Jobs friends we’re telling Job of all the things he’s done wrong, guess who waited with him? God! God Himself waits with Job, listens to his cries, Hears his questions, and understands his frustrations. That’s compassion. And God doesn’t rush to give an immediate explanation but instead, he invites Job into a deeper understanding of His sovereignty and wisdom.

And what we realize in the book of Job, and in my life at the park… is that God is always there, he’s always with his… and he is always inviting us into a deeper relationship, with him. True godly advice is not a rush to provide answers but a patient journey of empathy and compassion. It's about being present which says without words, "I'm here with you, and we will prayerfully wait together until clarity emerges." That, my friends, is the mark of genuine friendship and godly counsel.

And I had to learn that truth this week myself. God used Abby’s song, child of peace to speak to my heart.. God was saying, I’m with you… I got you… Matthew, just focus on me… not on what others are saying.. not on what you think you should do who are outside of the situation… Matthew, I am here with you and when you focus on me… clarity will emerge…

Paul tells the corinthians.. God is not the author of confusion but of peace and whenever you feel confused, you can be sure that God is not part of it. Paul writes in Romans 12:15 (NIV): "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” You see, Romans 12:15 is Godly Counsel… I am here with you when you cry tears of joy and I am here with you with you cry and mourn…

I'm here with you, and we will prayerfully wait together until clarity emerges." That’s what Peter and the 11 did.. they found clarity on what they had to surrendered to the power of the Holy Spirit, read with me again in verse 14… Peter stood up with the eleven… Peter and the 11 had every reason to be afraid…. But because of prayer and God’s presence they stood together in the peace the Spirit gave to them.…

What’s so significant about this? What’s so significant about waiting, and preparing with others… … well it led them into transformation. Into transformation….. What that means is this… Stepping out by faith into the unknown always leads to change. One main reason why we fear the unknown… Let’s just be honest.. we fear the unknown because deep down, we know, that when we go into the unknown, it will change us.

Without a shadow of a doubt, we know I am going be different when I come to other side… and sometimes, we’re just happy where we are. I believe the familiar is wonderful until the familiar keeps us from what God is trying to unveil in our life…. All Throughout history, whenever someone stepped into the unknown by faith and with faith, something incredible happened. Noah stepped into the unknown and witnessed the unveiling of a world-transforming flood and a rainbow promise.

Abraham stepped into the unknown and experienced the unveiling of a promised land and a lineage as numerous as the stars. Moses stepped into the unknown and witnessed the unveiling of God's mighty power, parting the Red Sea and leading the Israelites to freedom. And let's not forget about the ultimate unveiling. Jesus, the Son of God, stepped into the unknown of Calvary, bearing the weight of our sins, and through His death and resurrection, He not only tore the veil unveiling access to God, but he unveiled the greatest act of love and redemption the world has ever known.

And sometimes, we may not see or realize it at first… it may be shrouded in darkness.. it may be hiding behind something… or it may not be clear to us… But it’s there… hidden and waiting to be unveiled by God….. but it can only be unveiled if we’re willing to trust in God, and walk with God by faith to where he wants to unveil himself to us. When I left for Colorado for my very first plane ride in 2008.

I flew into Denver international airport under the cover of clouds and rain… and I was like… man, what’s so special about this place.. The next morning in my hotel room, I woke up and flung the curtains open and to my surprise… there in all of its glory, as if God had just painted it over night… the Colorado mountains… towering above everything, snow glistening in the sun… and it was amazing…

Every unknown brings about changes, but behind every 'unknown' lies an 'unveiling'! Church, let me remind us of something amazing before I close… faith doesn't require having it all figured out but it does require us to step out of our comfort zone. It's not about creating our own detailed manual or a step-by-step guidebook. Faith is about taking that leap into the unknown, even when you have no clue what you're doing.

Faith is stepping into the unknown of forgiveness, not knowing whether or not the other person will want to reconcile. But yet, when we ask God for forgiveness and others to forgive us, we’re changed. Our faith deepens. Reconciliation happens when they are changed as well, and we can’t force them to change. Faith is stepping out into the unknown of being honest about our sin. And asking God to root around in our hearts, to root out of our hearts anything that is not his Son, Jesus.

Faith is stepping out into the unknown with others because we pray with one another and for one another, and when it comes time to step out and do, we can do so in the Spirit of Christ, together. Peter and the eleven disciples stood up, and in that moment, they had no hymnals, no bulletins, and no established order of service. They didn't have all the answers, but they had something far greater: They had each other ……And more importantly, they had power of the Holy Spirit within them….

Here's the beautiful truth: we are not alone. I’m not alone, you’re not alone. Just as the early disciples had each other and the Holy Spirit, we too have a community of believers and the same Spirit dwelling within us. The power of unity, of standing together in faith, is immeasurable. We don't need to have all the answers or a perfectly planned script on how to do church. What we need is the courage to pray with one another, and then when God wants us to, step out hand in hand, trusting one another and trusting The holy Spirit within us, to lead us through the unknowns.

That's why I'm wearing this sweater, it’s a reminder of the word the Lord gave me this year: "prepare." It's a call to be ready for whatever lies ahead. And in this moment, as we face major changes and the unknowns of ministry, I ask each and every one of you to let go of any fear of the unfamiliar and embrace faith with me. And here’s one final thought I have…

we’re going to get scars when we step out by faith into the unknown together… we will get hurt, and we may get buried… But also remember Jesus, staggering on his broken feet out of the tomb toward the Resurrection, bearing on his body the proud scars of the defeat which is victory, all by faith, he stepped into the unknown of death, and in the end God the father unveiled life to us…

Its Jesus… he’s our life… but we can only have Jesus as our life…. If we’re willing to come to him by faith… We can have as much of Jesus as were willing to receive…. And we can have as much as faith as were willing to trust… You see, the unknown might not be known by us… but you can know, the one who has already been there… and done that…because.…

He’s the way maker.. and the miracle worker, the promise keeper… Jesus is the light in the darkness… That is who He is…. Let’s pray… *