Abraham

Genesis 12:1-9, 17:1-8

Faith for the promise

Main Point-faith isn’t always easy, but because of who makes the promise that we believe in, we push by reliance on our faith to obey even when it is uncomfortable.

Abraham is our example today, we want to look at how he used faith to do three things: faith to obey, faith to be uncomfortable and faith to be rewarded.

Faith to obey

• What: read vs 8
  • Can you imagine how his wife took that
  • Babe, pack up, God said we leaving, lol, where we going, he said he would tell me later, but its going to be dope
  • As Christians we are called to obey
    • Luke 11:28 “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
    • John 14:15 If you love me, keep my commandments
    • Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
  • By faith, Abraham obeyed, by faith we obey
    • Certain things we don’t necessarily need faith to obey
    • Certain things you kinda got under control
    • But it is certain things that you absolutely need faith to obey
    • Definition of faith + obedience
    • Because of what I believe about God, what I am convinced of, what I am sure of, I will obey, I can obey
      • In fact, I have to press into what I believe to give me the ability to obey
      • There are times when your faith is all that you will be able to stand on
      • When you get that diagnosis and you are obedient in trusting God through it
      • When everything in you wants to sin with your words towards your spouse, a co-worker, your adult kids, you need faith to be obedient
      • When you are facing a sin that you are struggling to be obedient
      • When you have a situation in your life that you just don’t understand you need faith to be obedient
      • Like Abraham, we have to rely on what we believe about God to be obedient
      • Is there an area of your life that you are not being obedient? Is there an area you are having trouble trusting?  Is there something you are being led to do by God, but you haven’t been obedient?  By faith, obey God.

Faith to be uncomfortable

8By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 

• • Talk about the what
    • Home town, House to tents. Safety to enemies. Stability to nomad
  • By faith he went to live as in a foreign land and in tents
  • By faith he was uncomfortable
  • By faith, by what he believed, by what he was convinced of, by what he was assured of he had the strength to be uncomfortable
  • Same with us, as believers we aren’t called to comfortablility
  • Our culture, our americanism doesn’t allow for uncomfortableness, thats why we don’t want to wear masks (one of the reasons)
  • In fact, we are taught the opposite as believers
  • 2 Corinthians 1:3-11

• Psalm 23

• Psalm 119:50 This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life.
• James 1:2-4 2 Count it all joy, my brothers,[b] when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
• The pattern we see here is that in this life, we will be uncomfortable, but we have the God of all comfort that will provide His comfort and that we must push through, by faith!
• Anyone uncomfortable?  What does your faith say about it?

Faith to be rewarded

• Abraham had faith to obey, he had faith to be uncomfortable, why?  11:6 He was looking for his reward, for his promise, that is what he held his faith on
  • The promise of God was the rope that he held onto

8By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 10For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. 

• City of promise, founded by the promise of God and His establishing, designed by Gods intentions, and built by God.
• Isn’t that what we want?  Don’t you want your life to have its foundation in God, its design by God, built by God?
• How do you do it?  By faith.  By having faith to obey, faith to be uncomfortable, and faith in His promises to reward you
• The greatest reward, genesis 17

End with ch.12:18-close

By Faith Abraham Sermon Outline