Sermon in a Nutshell : Faith Demonstrated

Isaiah 55:1-9, Psalm 63:1-8, Luke 13:1-9, and 1 Corinthians 10:1-13.

From the prophet Isaiah we hear God’s gracious invitation:
"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters….

The psalmist responds, confessing faith in God and admitting a spiritual longing as strong as the thirst of a person wandering in the desert.
O God, you are my God, I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you….

In this instance faith is demonstrated with a confession of weakness! A hard message for us to hear because we want to see ourselves as self-sufficient, independent, needing no one! But the psalmist recognizes his own insufficiency and quickly admits it.

The psalmist responds to his spiritual longings by seeking the Lord, gathering with other worshippers in the sanctuary. Their worship together reminds him of the Lord’s steadfast love and he responds to God’s unfailing love with praise and prayer, contentment and joy, acknowledging the Lord’s help and provision--faith demonstrated and strengthened in worship--faith that is lived out in day to day living.

Jesus tells a tale about a fig tree that bears no fruit. The owner of the unfruitful tree has his axe at the root of the tree, ready to cut it down, when the gardener steps in and asks for one more year to nurture it. The gardner hopes to save the tree. Is this a parable for us? Is Jesus interceding for the church today because we are not bearing the fruit of righteousness and faithfulness?

The Apostle Paul encourages us to learn from God’s interaction with Israel in ages past.