We’ve all experienced a case of the “If Only’s” at one time or another in life. Here’s what I mean by that… Perhaps you’ve said something like this before to yourself:

“If only this were to happen in my life…”

“If only I were to get that job…”

“If only I made that much money…”

“If only we could pay off our house…”

“If only they would do this…”

“…THEN I’d be happy!”

Sometimes people might call this the “Grass Is Always Greener” syndrome. We assume that the grass is always greener on the other side. We are tempted to think that there will be an undoubtedly better life for us when some circumstance changes. Now of course, things like financial stability, healthy relationships, and achieving your goals can be quite enjoyable. But the mistake comes when we fall into the trap of believing we can find true happiness apart from God. Instead, we need to be relying on God for our fulfillment.

I bring this issue up because this is one of the reasons Christians might struggle with waiting. We want results right now, instead of developing Godly character or a successful future over time. As we saw on Sunday in Genesis 8, Noah persisted through waiting on the ark until the whole ordeal was over. That is certainly a virtuous example for us to follow!

If you think that the grass is always greener on the other side, or that “if only I could have this…” you will miss out on what God is doing right now. In John 10:10, Jesus promised us abundant life. Notice that Jesus didn’t say “life at sometime in the future.” Jesus promises us a fulfilling life right now. He can change and guide us, regardless of our situation. Even in the midst of waiting, we can always depend on Jesus to give us strength, patience, and endurance.

Have you ever wondered if biblical stories are actually true? Many people have wrestled with this question in one way or another. Perhaps if you have a more skeptical nature about yourself, you might wonder if someone tampered with the words of scripture, inserting or taking away stories to fit some certain agenda.

For questions like these, biblical scholars have studied the issues extensively in order to explore the true nature of scripture. For example, researchers will often compare ancient biblical fragments of passages with other copies. They will usually try and figure out the dates of ancient scrolls, hopefully getting as close as possible to an old event.

There is another interesting idea in biblical studies called the “criterion of embarrassment.” This phrase was coined by Catholic priest and scholar, John Meier. He basically argues that if there is something embarrassing about a certain story, chances are it would be true (otherwise, why would the author share something that might be humbling or shameful to them personally?). We find this many times throughout the bible. For instance, the disciples in the gospels are often clueless as to the nature and mission of Jesus. Even after they hear Jesus proclaim the values of God’s kingdom, they go on to argue with one another about who will be the greatest! (I imagine Jesus felt the same frustration teachers might feel, when their students don’t “get it!”). Many of Jesus’ followers also denied and abandoned him before the crucifixion.

These disciples went on to spread the church later in the New Testament, but stories of earlier “embarrassment” kind of tarnish their own reputation. The rationale is that these events must have occurred historically because why would a disciple include a self-deprecating story about how they once abandoned Jesus?

The story of Noah also has this aspect, too. We talked on Sunday how all the other flood stories throughout ancient history had prominent heroes in them. Noah’s story is radically different, however, because it never once mentions or praises Noah for his humanly strength and endurance. According to the world’s standards, Noah is just an average kind of guy. Instead, Noah simply “walked with God” and followed divine directions.

The wonderful truth of the bible is that there are truly few heroes in the story. Instead, we don’t have to worry about having it all together. We don’t even have to fret about making it all on our own. We don’t have to develop superhuman strength or become righteous all by ourselves. We don’t have to accomplish anything to earn God’s forgiveness.

Instead, at the center of our bible we find a promise from God: God will never leave us nor forsake us. This message comes to a climax with the coming of Jesus Christ. He ought to be our only hero.

You don’t have to be a hero for God to love you. God has already redeemed you and eagerly seeks a relationship with you. As a follower of Christ, we are called to abandon our pride and submit to the kingdom of God. When we do that and let go of all our human tendencies and sinful desires to be the superhero of our own life, we finally find freedom.

If you ask me, I’m truly grateful that the bible doesn’t have a lot of “heroes” in it, compared to other books. It means that I only have to rely on Jesus–our one and only true guide for life.

To listen to Sunday’s sermon audio, click here.

As we saw yesterday, “pre-flood” Noah taught us that we need to lead a life that testifies to who God is.

Unfortunately, however, we sometimes shy away from telling our faith story to other people. Perhaps you might worry about rejection… I know I certainly have had this worry in the past before! Other times, we might be afraid to speak or share with someone about Jesus because we doubt our own skills and abilities. Maybe we convince ourselves to be silent because we don’t feel like we are good enough at communication.

But one of the most common “excuses” (or worries) I’ll hear about evangelism is this: “I don’t really have a story to tell.” It is a tragic, yet prevalent thought when it comes to the struggles Christians face. It is so easy to feel lukewarm in our faith, perfectly content in our own little bubble, rather than stepping outside of our comfort zone in order to share the love of Christ. So how can we get energized to share the good news?

The truth of the matter is that God has impacted every one of us in incredible ways. As you think about your own experiences with evangelism (or sharing your faith story with other people), consider the two following questions:

1. Why am I a Christian?
2. What difference has Jesus made in my life?

How would you personally answer those two questions? Think about that for a moment.

I believe so many Christian struggle with evangelism because they haven’t thought much on either of these questions. For instance, if we have been raised in the church our whole life, we might be so used to how things go for Sunday morning and bible studies that we haven’t taken ownership of our faith in God. And if we have been lukewarm in our faith (neither hot nor cold), then we don’t really identify any areas of our live that Jesus has made a difference.

So this week, ask yourself “Why am I a Christian?” Are you a Christian just because your parents or relatives were? Or is it something deeper? Are you a Christian because you’ve encountered the saving power of Jesus Christ, and there is absolutely nothing like that precious gift?

And also ask yourself “What difference has Jesus made in my life?” As Christians, our relationship with Christ ought to be everything. Think about how Jesus has impacted you. Has Jesus changed you? Did Jesus help you during a tough time in life? Did Jesus help you develop righteous character over time?

I truly think that if we take time to reflect and answer on questions like these, then evangelism just comes naturally. In recognizing the goodness and grace of God, we in turn develop a passion for sharing that with others.