SermonStudio

How much faith does it take to follow? How much trust in God must we have? What does it mean to be part of the kingdom? How can we be born again? That's the question that Nicodemus asked. That's the theme for our time together this morning. How much faith does it take to follow? I came across an interesting idea this past week. I read an article about businesses that reward their employees when they make a mistake. Have you heard about this new trend?

A temporary office-help agency in Washington DC recently began offering a $100 bonus to the employee who makes the biggest mistake of the month. He doesn't get a reprimand. He doesn't get demoted. He gets a $100 bonus. I read about an executive for a company called Sara Lee Direct who thought he was getting a great deal on a shipment of belts, so he acted quickly and bought a whole warehouse full. Only later did he discover that what he bought was not manufacturing belts for the conveyor system at the factory, but a bunch of those three-inch-wide paisley belts from the 1960s. Instead of getting fired, he was awarded a bronze plaque that proudly commemorated the "Worst Buy of the Year."

When I read these stories, I had two reactions. My first was: Are these businesses nuts? Have they gone crazy, or what? And then my second thought was that maybe I could talk the church council into adopting a similar policy. Maybe there could be a bonus for the worst sermon of the month. I could use some extra cash!

Seriously though, there's a strategy behind rewarding mistakes. The president of that temporary help company explained it this way: "The object is to get people to take risks." An official at Sara Lee Direct where the employee got promoted instead of fired for making that terrible purchase put it this way, "If you don't go up to the plate and swing hard, you're never going to hit a home run. If you're not willing to make a mistake, you're not really trying."

The bottom-line is that risk-taking is the only road to success. And companies are finding that it's worth rewarding a few mistakes along the way if it encourages their people to take the kind of risks that can bring huge rewards. And the same is true for people of faith.

How much faith does it take to follow? How much risk are we willing to take? That's the crux of the discussion between Jesus and Nicodemus. That's what Jesus meant when he said you must be reborn. For birth is an inherently risky procedure. And if you don't believe that, ask any pregnant woman entering the labor and delivery room. In spite of the advances in prenatal care, in spite of the wonders of medical science, find me a woman who is not anxious as she is wheeled in to give birth. For every expectant mother knows that birth is a risky adventure. Because giving birth requires commitment. Giving birth requires all that we have.

With that in mind, Jesus tells Nicodemus that being part of the kingdom of God requires the same. Jesus tells Nicodemus that following God takes the same kind of commitment; that being part of the kingdom of God demands giving all that we have. Remember what Jesus said? "I assure you, unless you are born again, you can never see the kingdom of God." In other words, no one can be a follower of God unless he is willing to take a risk. No one can be part of the kingdom of God unless he is ready for commitment. We must be willing to let the old life go and trust in God for a new birth.

"You must be born again" is the way Jesus put it. You must take the risk to start again. For taking risks is the only way we grow -- not only in business, but in our personal and spiritual life, as well. Either we take a reasonable risk and expand the horizons of our life, or we become stagnant and, in the end, live a life of regret.

Did you know that when people over the age of 95 are asked in a survey what changes they would make if they could live their life over again, one of the top three responses they always give is that they would take more risks. It seems that at age 95 people are more willing to be born again.

But you don't have to be 95 to look back on life and wish you'd been more of a risk-taker. Think back to high school days. Don't you wish you had taken the risk to try out for the school play or the cheerleading squad or the football team? When you look back on some of your friendships, don't you wish you'd taken the risk of being more honest and open with the people you love? Many of us can look back on businesses or investments or personal ventures and wish we'd hadn't played it so safe at the time.

No one can go back to seize opportunities time has already snatched away. No one can live life again. But we can go forward. We can take a risk of trusting Jesus. We can look to God to lead. So, let's take a moment and look at what risk is all about, and why spiritual risks are so well worth taking.

First, let's ask: What is risk? Well, risk is simply the ability to stretch beyond the usual limits in reaching for a goal. Risk involves facing a fear, chancing failure. Maybe it's the fear of the unknown, the uncomfortable, the unacquainted. Or maybe it's the fear of physical harm or emotional hurt. Whatever it is, risk always involves adventure.

When I was a child, I had a little, old motorcycle. It was primarily designed for off-road use, but sometimes I'd ride it on the streets of the town where I grew up. Going twenty miles an hour (because that's as fast as the old thing would go) down the smooth streets in town was pretty boring. There wasn't much risk involved in that. But when I'd take that old scooter of mine and go zipping off road, into the deep weeds, down twisting dirt trails, dodging trees and bushes -- places where there was some risk of falling and going out of control -- then riding became an adventure.

The same can be said for living a life of faith. It's when we face our fears and take a risk that we experience the thrill of following Jesus. For faith and risk are intertwined. It is only when we stretch the horizons of our lives, it is only when we venture away from the comfortable to follow Christ that faith takes on its true dimension. That's what Jesus was trying to tell Nicodemus. You must be born again. You must risk a new beginning. You must trust yourself to a new birth in God to truly be part of the kingdom of God. As long as you hold on to the old, as long as you are afraid to follow, as long as you are unwilling to risk your life for God, you will not be part of God's great adventure.

And that adventure is all around us. For instance, when we follow God's teachings on honesty despite the fear of the price it may cost us, that's spiritual adventure. When we ask God to open doors for us to make a difference in the lives of others around us despite our fear of where that may lead us, that's spiritual adventure. When we talk to someone about our faith, in spite of our fear of what they may think of us because of it, that's spiritual adventure. When we think enough about God to want to be in worship in spite of the inconvenience it may cause us, that's spiritual adventure.

Those are the times when we leave the smooth, paved road, when we abandon the boring residential streets for the adventure of unmarked trails -- that's when faith becomes real and that's the new birth that Jesus is promising us. Faith means being born again as a new person, leaving the comfortable behind to adventure with God.

Dear friends, God asks us to be risk-takers for Christ. God calls us to follow Jesus on paths that are unknown. God invites us to venture forth in faith beyond the ordinary and mundane. How much faith does it take to follow? In Matthew 17, verse 20, Jesus answers that question. He says, "If you have faith even as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain: Move from here to there, and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." The question is not how much faith does it take to follow; it is whether we will use the faith we have. It is whether we will put our faith into practice and (ad)venture forth with God. The Bible says in Hebrews 11:6 that "God rewards those who seek him." Rewards come to those who take the risk of faith. Adventure awaits those who decide to follow. New life is ours when we consent to be born again. But the first step begins with us. We must take the risk.

Begin this morning by praying a new prayer to God. Begin by offering the prayer that Nicodemus was unable to make. Begin by saying, "God, I want to take the adventure of faith with you. I want the new beginning that comes with being born again. I want to get serious about my faith. Use me like you've never used me before."

This is the kind of prayer that says, "I want to be part of the action." This is the kind of prayer that says, "I want to grow in my faith." This is the kind of prayer that says, "I want a new birth in my following. I want to adventure with you, O God."

It's a risky prayer, I admit, and a prayer that God will answer differently for each person. For some, it will mean devoting ourselves to beginning a new routine of Bible reading and prayer, deepening our faith through spiritual discipline, committing ourselves to faithfully be present in worship and prayer.

For others, it will mean asking God to use us as a blessing in the lives of others, starting a conversation about values and faith, sharing our faith with others and helping them to new birth as well.

For some, it may mean that God has basic training in mind -- time to get serious about Bible study and building a more solid foundation for our faith. It may mean setting aside some bad habit, or being more loving at home.

Friends, it's a risky topic this morning -- this question about how much faith it takes to follow. Because it really isn't about how much faith we need to follow, but whether we'll use the faith we have. For when we ask God to use us, God will bring us a new beginning. God will give us a new birth.

Think of the alternatives before us -- letting God give us a new birth in following Jesus, risking adventure with a faith that is alive, or living a comfortable life, maintaining a non-threatening existence, holding on to the old life that is ours. It's the choice that faced Nicodemus and the choice that faces each of us. But remember the choice we make determines the life we will live. Let me tell you what I mean.

The man looked around and saw people love each other. He saw that love made strenuous demands on them. It required sacrifice and self-denial. It produced arguments and anguish. It involved risk and hurt and the man decided that love cost too much. He decided not to allow himself to be hurt. The risk was too great.

The man looked around him and saw people strive for great goals. He saw men and women pursuing high ideals, but he saw that the striving was frequently mixed with disappointment and the ideals often carried a great cost. And the man decided that great goals and high ideals were too costly for him. He decided the risk was too great.

The man looked around and saw people serving others. He saw them giving money to the poor and spending time in their care. And he saw that the more they served, the more they were needed. He saw ungrateful receivers and tired out workers. And he decided not to waste his life with serving. The risk was too great.

And when the man died, he went up to heaven and offered his life to God. Undiminished, unburdened, unsoiled, his life was free of the hurts and worries of the world around him. The man said proudly to God, "This is my life, safely lived and risk free." And God replied, "What life? That's not life that you lived!"

How much faith does it take to follow? How much are you willing to risk? For however much you risk is how much your life is worth. Remember Jesus said, "I assure you, unless you are born again, you can never see the kingdom of God." In Jesus' name. Amen.