Friday, April 21, 2006

By Faith... Abraham - Part I, Part 24 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. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude--innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore. These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, 'In Isaac your seed shall be called, concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense" (Hebrews 11:8-19).

IDEA: God never leads us into insecurity without providing Himself as security.

PURPOSE: To help listeners recognize that faith always casts us back on the word of God.

When you think of someone as a radical, what do you mean? The dictionary defines radical as something basic or fundamental. It comes from the Latin word meaning "root." Do you consider yourself to be a radical?

I. Would it be an overstatement to say that someone with a genuine faith in Jesus Christ must be a radical?

Can you have a vital faith and still conform to everything around you?

Does it frighten you to have a faith that makes you radical?

How might that affect your business?

How could that affect you in politics?

Most of all, how does that affect your life choices?

II. Abraham had a radical faith, Hebrews 11:8-19.

What were the choices that Abraham made? Do you think other people in his day admired him?

If he had made those choices on his own, without any word from God, would that have been radical faith or just stupidity?

Whenever Abraham trusted God's word enough to make a radical decision, God reassured him by giving him a promise.

Genesis 12:1 is followed by 12:3

Genesis 22:2 is followed by 22:18.

Conclusion: At key moments of his life, Abraham felt greater security in God's promises than he did in his circumstances.