Unconditional Faith!
a sermon based on Numbers 21:4-9
by Rev. Frank Schaefer
  
There is a lot in this passage that hasn't changed, even over the course of 3000 years. This morning we can learn a few things from the people of Israel. One of the first things we notice is something we struggle with to this very day:

Impatience: --We live in a society in which instant gratification or instant results are virtually demanded. The promise of freedom and finding the promised land sounded great to the Israelites at first, but the way toward it was not peachy.

Then and now it is human nature that: If we don't see results, we are prone to abandon faith in a leader or a situation and turn against the leader and/or God.


Bad attitude, grumbling, complaints when expressed in the community will lead to the loss of vision/direction

In our text, we read that people started to gossip, to openly complain, to undermine the authority of Moses and the leaders, and of God. All of a sudden, the great miracles God did on behalf of the people didn't matter any more. The negative had swallowed all the positive. They remembered the meat they used to enjoy in Egypt. "Yes we were slaves and mistreated but we had decent food!" And maybe that's understandable, too. The Israelites didn't like the Manna God provided.

I don't know, had I been there, I think I would have been tempted to grumble too. I do get moody, downright nasty if I don't get my chocolate. Honestly, sometimes I have to make a chocolate or candy run to the convenient store late in the evening.

What about us? Do we ever complain or talk negatively about things here? Noooooooo! Not us. Seriously, what are some of the gripes and frustrations of church people? What about the temperature? Too low, too high? What about the services? Too early, too late? Don't like to have two? The music? Too loud? Not the right hymns? What about the preacher?

There is an interesting expression people use in this area. When they say that they had the preacher for lunch, they did not have a meal with the preacher, but instead had him as a topic of conversation over lunch--but it's all good with this preacher, I'm sure. Interesting how people often start complaining about the leader or pastor, when they really have an issue with God. That's certainly what happened with the people of Israel in the wilderness as they tore into Moses.

Have you heard about the chain letter on how to find the perfect Pastor one church mailed out?

• The Perfect Pastor
  ....The Perfect Pastor preaches exactly 10 minutes. He condemns sin roundly, but never hurts anyone's feelings. He works from 8 a.m. until midnight, and is also the church janitor.
  ....The Perfect Pastor makes $40 a week, wears good clothes, drives a good car, buys good books, and donates $30 a week to the parish. He is 29 years old and has 40 years' worth of experience. Above all, he is handsome.
  ....The Perfect Pastor has a burning desire to work with teen-agers, and he spends most of his time with the senior citizens. He smiles all the time with a straight face because he has a sense of humor that keeps him seriously dedicated to his parish. He makes 15 home visits a day and is always in his office to be handy when needed.
  ....The Perfect Pastor always has time for parish council and all of it's committees. He never misses the meeting of any parish organization, and is always busy evangelizing the unchurched.
  ....The Perfect Pastor is always in the next parish over!
  If your pastor does not measure up, simply send this notice to six other parishes that are tired of their pastor too. Then bundle up your pastor and send him to the parish at the top of your list. If everyone cooperates, in one week you will receive 1, 643 pastors. One of them should be perfect.
  Have faith in this letter. One parish broke the chain and got its' old pastor back in less than three months.
  -by Father McGinn

 

On a more serious note: what really happens when people in a community start talking negatively? It's easy to imagine how the faith of the entire community will be challenged and might actually erode. It can lead to the loss of vision and direction and, according to our passage, it can lead to the death of the community. The death of the community is symbolized in this story by the poisonous snakes killing the people with their venom.

What can we learn from this "bad example?" My mom always used to say: "everybody can be an role model--even if they serve as an example of how not to do things."

The bad attitude of the people of Israel came from their lack of faith. Lack of "unconditional faith." Now, if everything was peachy, you wouldn't need faith or trust. Unconditional faith--by definition--comes into play when we do not see clearly; when things are rough. Otherwise it is a conditional faith-- trust on the condition that things go well.

God's way of teaching us to get out of the complaint mode: copper snake on a pole

Only when the people start looking at the copper snake with faith that's when the bites don't hurt them anymore. Sounds like a silly idea to look at a copper snake for healing. Would I have looked at the snake? Probably. When we find ourselves in trouble, we grasp at straws, silly as it may seem.

What is the meaning of this copper snake? Well, it is God's way of teaching us that we need get away from the venom of negativity and gossip and the mode of complaint, before it swallows us whole. The only thing that can save us is applying the little faith we have.

God taught the people of Israel a lesson; and God teaches us a lesson as well. Unless we start showing faith, we are doomed to go south (and I don't mean Florida). We are to put unconditional faith in God, or we won't have a chance at survival. You would look with faith toward the copper snake if that meant for you to live, wouldn't you? Well, you need to do the same in the grind of everyday life--especially if problems hit hard. God asks you and I to look toward . . . .the cross.

NT symbolism: Christ on the cross
Just as foolish as it may have seemed to the people of Israel to look up to the copper snake on the pole, it may seem foolish to us to look toward the symbol of the cross which stands for the salvation God has brought to us through Jesus Christ.

It's ok to believe in the cross when everything's peachy, but what if we find ourselves stuck in the wilderness? God encourages us not to give up, not to loose vision, not to let the bad attitude sneak in. God asks us to look to the cross exactly when we are in this hard place.

Unlike our culture, God is not into the instant reward thing. He says: trust me, put your faith in me. Look to the cross even if you don't notice a difference right away, even if the hardship continues. Why? Well, look at the cross. Suffering is part of Christ, part of God, it's part of the nature of life, even the Christian life! But . . .  look at the outcome!

We either trust God blindly or not at all. If God says we need to stop complaining and look toward the cross, that's what we'll need to do. For our community's sake, for God's sake, for our own sake.
   
Application:

How can we get unconditional faith in God? How do we know that God will care for us?

It may seem that God forgets us at times; or it may seem that God is indifferent toward our circumstances. How can we have unconditional faith in those circumstances?

What if God is not really all powerful, what if God is kind-of-like a janitor of the universe? Trying to fix things, but not always able to? Well, even if that was true, God would still be the most powerful being and entity, and I would still put my trust in this God. It's either trusting in the powerful janitor of the universe or not have anybody up there helping me.

One way our unconditional faith can be strengthened is to learn about how others have trusted in God . . .

Scripture Examples of  "Unconditional Faith:"
  
Daniel 3:17-18-- Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego had "unconditional faith" when they refused to bow their knees to King Nebuchadnezzar's god. They told him: "Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, we want you to know, O king, we want you to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

Job 13:15-- Job expresses his "unconditional faith" in God as follows: "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him."

You may say, that's great, it worked for these people, but they were special people.  How do I know that God really cares for me too?  O what if God isn't really the kind of caring God, or loving God we think God is? Does God really love me, personally? One way of getting answers to those kinds of questions is by getting to know God better through the promises in God's Word:

One of those passages I use to encourage people that are facing illness or an operation, or difficult times is from Isaiah 43: 1-3b.

Isaiah 43: 1-3b
But now, this is what the LORD says—
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
For I am the LORD, your God, 
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;

Here it is, like in many other passages: God knows each of his creatures personally and intimately; God knows your name too. God wants us to know, that he has personal love for us and that he wants to personally care for us--in all situations. Let us close this service with an affirmation of our faith--small as it may be--faith in God, faith in the fact that he does know me and that he does love me. Amen.