Friday, April 28, 2006

By Faith... Abraham - Part I, Part 29 of 56

TEXT: By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going" (Hebrews 11:8).

IDEA: The Bible gives an inordinate amount of emphasis to a single person because that person is important to God.

PURPOSE: To help listeners appreciate how the biblical writers underline important subject matters as they write.

In 2004 the film The Passion of the Christ made a great stir. What was its focus?

Some critics responded that Mel Gibson should have focused on Jesus' teachings rather than on his death. Some went on to say that's the emphasis of the gospel writers. How would you respond to that? Is the teaching of Jesus the major emphasis of the gospels?

I. We can gauge what is important to a writing by how much space the author gives to certain events.

In the accounts of Jesus' life by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, where do they put the emphasis?

Over a third of the content that they cover deals with the last week of Jesus' life on earth. Obviously they thought that was crucial.

II. The amount of space points to what is crucial to other biblical authors.

When you go back to the book of Genesis, notice the emphasis based on space.

How much space does the author give to the creation of the world?

He gives two chapters for all that took place in creating the universe and humanity.

How much space does he give to a single individual, Abraham?

About 15 chapters.

In Hebrews 11, the author gives a long list of people who lived by faith. Who gets the largest amount of space?

III. What is it that distinguished Abraham and caused the writers of Genesis and Hebrews to give him that much space?

Do you think that has anything to do with us?