The Thread of Life – Part 5 (Abraham and the gift of faith)

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The Thread of Life – 31 Stories that point to Jesus

(Part 5 – Abraham and the gift of faith)

Welcome to Jesus Church. (You should welcome me)

Awhile back we started a series going thru the Bible

• First we went through how to read/understand the Bible
  • Asking questions like what is the Bible
    • Is it relevant to us today
    • Is it authoritative in my life (super important questions)
• Then we dove in starting with Gen. 1:1
  • And we last left off after Gen. 11 – Tower of Babel
    • With a look at the ancient book of Job (ancient poem)
    • And wrestling with Free will and the Problem of Evil
• When Jesus prays that Gods “Will be done on Earth as in Heaven”
  • Jesus assumes that God’s will is not always done on Earth
    • However it is done n Heaven…
    • And our prayer is for when Jesus returns
    • And He brings Heaven to Earth with Him

TAG: This week – move to Gen. 12: God building a people to rep Him

[PRAY]

Story

Over last year – Our family has done a ton of new stuff

• Started playing board games – Obsessed with Settlers of Catan
  • Right now it is set up in the middle of our living room
    • But its fun and something we can do as a family
    • Although Lyla isn’t too fond of it yet
• One other thing we really got into is puzzles (anyone else)
  • As you get good at puzzles you have to challenge yourself
    • We started getting HUE puzzles
    • Anything to make it more interesting

Have u ever tried putting together a puzzle w/o looking at the picture

• Much harder to make sense out of something w/o the big picture
  • B/c it can be impossible to understand the individual pieces
    • Trying to figure out how do these pieces connect
    • Is that part of a boat… or a house… or a tree
• W/O the big picture its hard to make sense of individual pieces
  • This is what we hope is happening as we read thru the Bible
    • We read Bible as a unified story… which it is (unified by Jesus)
• But each week we look at some pieces
  • That put together a beautiful tapestry of the story of God
    • And how we relate/live in that story

This week we start with the Beginning of God’s nation

• Main significance of this nation: Out of it the Messiah was born
  • God came to man b/c man couldn’t make it to God
  • And this Messiah would free people from their sins
• Tons of characters & names are thrown at us
  • All starts with a man who has forgotten who he is… Abraham
  • Abraham comes from the family of Noah – 1000 years later
  • Abraham – So important that he’s mentioned in the NT 75x
• God makes a covenant w/ him to become the Father of His people
  • And the story begins with God telling Abraham to move
  • To a place God wants him to start this life… ministry

Gen 12:1-3

Now the Lord had said to Abram, “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and I will curse him who curses you and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

• Notice God’s incentive to Abraham is greatness (Heb – Gadal)
  • Which is a wrestling term to have strength & force (endurance)
  • When you walk into what God is calling you to do
    • Not only will he give you the strength to start
    • He will give you the force (endurance) to see it thru
• How many know… starting a project doesn’t mean anything
  • If you don’t have the endurance to see it through
  • Wives are think of our ½ done home improvement projects
  • But regardless of what it is… not just strength – but force
• Has God called u to a new season in ur life… God will make u great
  • And realize there is nothing wrong with a longing for that
  • B/C in God’s mind he created you with a plan for greatness
  • Jesus said “Greater things will you do that I have done”

Gen 15:5 (God is gonna double down on this idea)

Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the starts if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”

So God promise to make Abraham great – Strength & Force

• But that doesn’t mean its gonna be easy…
  • If God has to give you strength & force – Probably a reason
    • Right away there are a ton of problems
    • Just like we see in our own journey with God
    • There are things we have to work out to get there
      • And this becomes a trend w/ everyone God has ever used
• B/C struggle in the world isn’t just ur story… its a human story
  • Abraham’s dad built idols to false gods
  • Abraham was super insecure
  • His son Isaac was even more insecure
  • Isaac’s son Jacob was a con-artist
  • Jacob’s son Joseph was arrogant
  • Moses stuttered and had an awful temper
  • David was a murderer and unfaithful to his wife
  • Jonah was disobedient and vengful
  • John the Baptist had an eccentric personality
  • Peter was impulsive
  • Paul was in poor health and killed Christians
    • List goes on and on… not one who would fit the criteria

2 Cor. 12:9

He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, my power (strength) is made perfect in our weakness.

• The beauty of weakness is that your victory shows God’s strength
  • For everyone who feels unqualified…
  • God shows you that you can/should be a part of His story
• Neighborhood build by stay at home mom
  • Family built by father who grew up without father
  • Christian kids bringing light to a dark school campus
• God builds his church and his name with all sorts of people
  • So it shouldn’t be surprised that he chooses you
  • Why? Because he can…

Is something special about these people?

Something special about Abraham… Ya: Faith

Rom 4:18-21 (ESV)

In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be. He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promises of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.

• Growing up I loved Thundercats… Lion-O… and this little dagger
  • But then it would transform into this super sword
  • Look at these super heros… they have something we don’t
    • So we could never do what they do…
• But here’s what’s powerful… I might not have power Lion-O did
  • But I do have the power of Abraham…
  • B/C the power of Abraham had very little to do with Abraham
  • And everything to do with God

Eph. 2:8 (ESV)

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God..

• I don’t know how many gifts you’ve received in your life
  • I’ve never been given a gift that I get to take credit for
  • Because if you take credit it isn’t a gift… it’s a purchase
  • And YOU didn’t purchase anything… Jesus paid it ALL!!!!
• If you have made Jesus ur savior… you have all the power you need
  • To walk in the greatness God has called you to
  • Every one of these stories is a story empowered by faith

Look at Abraham… God says: Just go & I’ll tell you later where ur going

• Was it part of their plan… No but what did Abraham do???
  • Gen. 12:4 – So Abram left…
    • Just did it in faith
  • Heb. 11:8 – By faith Abraham, when called
• Here is a great definition of faith
  • Obeying God, even when you don’t know where you are going
  • Abraham has no answers… but obeys the one w/ all answers
• This is a Handyman home improvement book (Illustrate)
  • I like it because it has STEPS and PICTURES
    • But reading this book won’t fix my house
    • Book is pointless without application
    • This book isn’t written for information… but application
  • We could learn and discover
    • But if all we I do is learn Gods story
    • Yet nothing changes in my story
    • All that is is a waste of time… b/c I’m missing the point
      • Abraham hears and responds
  • The Bible isn’t just about learning… its about living
    • Not just information but application
• God promised > Abraham received > And he applied that to his life

Gen 15:6

And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.”

• Nothing in the situation would give him faith in this situation
  • But he applied the faith he was given
  • Against all hope Abraham believed
• Faith – Believing God against all hope
  • Your story comes down to 1 simple question: Do u believe God?
  • How you answer can change outcome of your story
    • In letdowns
    • In generosity
    • In compromising in a relationship
    • In pain and suffering… WHO DO YOU BELIEVE
• Abraham believes God is God… Even when the road is uncertain
  • Faith isn’t believing God will do what I want him to do
  • Thinking if I believe He’ll do what I want… not biblical faith
  • Biblical faith is: God will do what he said when it’s best

But even with a man like Abraham… still a struggle

Gen. 16:1-2

Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar. So Sarai said to Abram, See now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her. And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai.

Did they believe… ya they knew it was gonna happen…

• But even when operating by faith… at times we get ahead of God
  • And we modify based on a couple ways of thinking…
    • No way – I believe you… but your way just won’t work
    • Half way – Ok God… lets collaborate… compromise
    • My way – Your way works… my way is better
• This is what happens with Sarah and Abraham
  • When it comes to believing in what God says…
  • What will do you with the faith you’ve been given
  • Because it won’t always be easy… sure easy to say I trust you
    • But when the story you read differs from story u think
    • Who are you going to trust… they messed up

Abraham messed up… but he never gave up

Gen 22:1-2

Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am” Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love and go to the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”

• So God is walking Abraham through this test
  • Sure doesn’t’ look like the story I would write
  • But what does he do???

Gen 22:5

And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and WE will come back to you.”

• “WE”
  • Hebrews tells us that Abraham believed God could bring his son
  • Even if his son were to die as a sacrifice
• Again: Faith is trusting God even when a story doesn’t make sense

When reading a novel… u can be frustrated w/ where author is going

• But if you’ve read the author before… you trust him
  • So you keep going on that journey with him
  • Because you believe in where he is gonna take you
• Sometimes u have to trust the story not b/c what u see in present
  • But because of the one who has seen your future
  • I might not have eyes to see… but God be my eyes to see

This doesn’t make sense right now… I don’t want to stay w/ this story

• But I trust the author more than I trust myself
  • And even if it seems like the story is over
  • My God can add pages where there weren’t pages before
• I might sacrifice my son… but my God can bring him back to life
  • I might sacrifice my promise… God can bring it back to life
  • I might lose my finances… but God can bring them back to life

Gen 22:9-13

When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, Here I am.

• Angel of the Lord
  • He says…. You have not withheld from “ME”
  • Angel of the Lord identifying himself as God
  • Either Jesus or Holy Spirit

He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.

Piece of the big picture

• Foreshadowing: Author gives hint of what’s to come later
  • This is the same place Jesus would later be crucified
  • Father asked to sacrifice son as a test
  • Abraham knew the author was trust worthy
    • Even if Son were to die… God could raise him from dead
• Which is exactly what God would do with His son
  • Why… because God is an author that we can trust
  • He sacrificed his son so that the story would end: Us & Him
    • And that story carries on to you and I today

Abraham is one part of the puzzle… that makes the beautiful picture

• The faith God gave … promise of greatness… fulfillment of promise
  • But just like Abraham was just a piece of the puzzle
  • So are you… so am I
• Frustrating when you’re almost done and missing one piece
  • Notice when the one piece isn’t there
  • You can still see the picture… understand what it is
    • But that piece is missing
• Is your story a missing piece from Gods story…
  • A Story of faith
  • A story of trial
  • A story of redemption
• We were made to play a part in His story
  • Abraham was called to be part – Live in greatness of God’s call
  • God is calling u to do the same – Be the piece God made u to be

[PRAY]