Let’s Gooooo Week 1: Faith

Big Idea: God’s call often requires faith.

Primary Scripture: Genesis 12:1-9

Supporting Scripture: Hebrews 11:1, 8-9, 1 Chronicles 16:12, Mark 9:24

CAPTURE (Why should students pay attention to and care about your message?)

We’re kicking off a new four-week series called “Let’s Goooooo!” in which we’ll examine four different Biblical accounts of calling by giving you an opportunity to discern God’s calling on your own life.

We will look at the calling of Abram, who was full of faith…

Esther, who was courageous and honored God in the face of death…

The woman at the well, who met Jesus and reflected on the sin in her life while also having hope that Christ could call her to something more…

The call of the disciples, who accepted the call to something much bigger than themselves..

Video clip of kid awkwardly saying “Okay let’s go!”

https://youtu.be/AWM5ZNdWlqw?si=EMb7l2I3FAV7TdGg

Phil Knight story

Nike founder who wrote a book about challenges he faced launching Nike. In that book he talks about getting people to believe in his vision.

“Let everyone else call your idea crazy … just keep going. Don’t stop. Don’t even think about stopping until you get there, and don’t give much thought to where ‘there’ is. Whatever comes, just don’t stop.” – Phil Knight (Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike)

In 1962, he began traveling the globe, looking for the perfect company to help him change the world. He eventually found the Onitsuka shoe factory in Japan, which made shoes called Tiger shoes.

As soon as they showed him the track and field shoes they had designed, he knew he was on to something.

“They showed me three different models of Tigers. A training shoe, which they called a Limber Up. ‘Nice,’ I said. A high-jump shoe, which they called a Spring Up. ‘Lovely,’ I said. And a discus shoe, which they called a Throw Up. Do not laugh, I told myself. Do not… laugh.” – Phil Knight (Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike)

Phil began the process of building his shoe empire under the name Blue Ribbon Sports. He borrowed money to make his first order and sold them anywhere he could for $7. Progress was slow, and even though Phil was convinced that he was onto something, most other people thought he was destined for failure.

But he had a dream, a passion, an idea he couldn’t let go of. He had faith that he was headed in the right direction, so he just kept going. He just didn’t stop. Fast forward sixty years, and that Blue Ribbon Sports is now named Nike and is worth roughly 140 billion dollars.

None of that would have been possible if Phil Knight had given up. Let’s goooooo! Over the next few weeks, we’re going to look at four different people in the Bible who were called by God to do something extraordinary and what it looked like for those people to follow that call.

SCRIPTURE (What does God’s Word say?)

We’re looking at a guy named Abram who said “yes” to God’s call on his life.

1 The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. 3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:1-3 – NLT)

God spoke to 75-year-old Abram, telling him to abandon his land, his home, and his extended family. God promised his family would somehow become an entire nation, but he and his wife were years past the time of having children. What was Abram’s response? “Let’s goooooo!”

4 So Abram departed as the Lord had instructed, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. 5 He took his wife, Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all his wealth—his livestock and all the people he had taken into his household at Haran—and headed for the land of Canaan. When they arrived in Canaan, 6 Abram traveled through the land as far as Shechem. There he set up camp beside the oak of Moreh. At that time, the area was inhabited by Canaanites. (Genesis 12:4-6 – NLT)

The oak of Moreh is a tree where other significant things would happen later in Israelite history, something ancient readers would recognize, so it’s kind of a “this is where it all began” moment. They traveled about 500 miles so at a minimum, it would have taken about a month to make the journey on foot.

Would you walk 500 miles with sandals and no destination? God stayed with Abram the entire way:

7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your descendants.” And Abram built an altar there and dedicated it to the Lord, who had appeared to him. 8 After that, Abram traveled south and set up camp in the hill country, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. There he built another altar and dedicated it to the Lord, and he worshiped the Lord. 9 Then Abram continued traveling south by stages toward the Negev. (Genesis 12:7-9 – NLT)

Abram’s faith in stepping out was rewarded.

This time God didn’t just speak to Abram; He actually appeared to him in some way. Abram brought his nephew Lot.

It’s possible Abram had originally thought that God would build a nation for him through Lot. God was promising an elderly, childless couple would have a child. Abram responds by building an altar and worshipping God. There will be times in Abram’s story where he’s definitely going to need to remember God’s promises… but that’s a story for another time.

Today, we’re just looking at how Abram’s story got started. And it all started with Him responding to God’s call with a loud and clear…“Let’s goooooo!”

INSIGHTS (What might this Scripture mean?)

1. Abram showed incredible faith.

Abram had plenty of reasons to say, “no.”

It’s easy for us to take for granted how hard this decision was, because some of us already know the end of the story.

8 It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. 9 And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. (Hebrews 11:8-9a – NLT)

At point in the story, God changes Abram’s name from Abram to Abraham. That’s why the author of Hebrews calls him by that name. We find the definition of faith in Hebrews 11:1

1 Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. (Hebrews 11:1 – NLT)

Faith is living firmly grounded in reality, but just like in Abram’s case, it can be a reality that has no evidence we can see.

2. When Abram showed faith, God showed up.

Abram showed real faith when he followed God’s call.

God’s response was to show up

7a Then the Lord appeared to Abram. (Genesis 12:7a – NLT)

In this moment of faith, God showed up to Abraham in a way he could see.

A relationship with Christ is a genuine dialogue between heaven and earth, with either side capable of initiating a given exchange.

God wants to spend time with us and if we love Him we should want to spend time with Him.

If you have faith, God WILL show up.

3. When God shows up, it’s worth creating a reminder.

Abram built altars to worship God and to establish a reminder of the moment God showed up.

Later in the Old Testament, God actually commanded His people to go out of their way to remember the incredible things He had done:

12 Remember the wonders God has performed, his miracles, and the rulings he has given. (1 Chronicles 16:12 – NLT)

There is power in remembering the times God has shown up.

I was called to youth ministry 19 years ago.

My office is decorated with reminders of how good God has been to me over the past 19 years…

*show pics/memorabilia*

ACTION (How could we live this out?)

1. Ask God to give you stronger faith each day this week.

The reality is that doing something big and important often takes faith.

So, how do we get more faith?

I know this sounds overly simple, but… we ask for it. In the Gospel of Mark, there’s an incredible moment where Jesus tells a man to have faith, to believe that his son will be healed.

The man’s response is an amazing moment of honesty.

24 The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24 – NLT)

I want to challenge you to pray a similar prayer at least once each day this week: “God, please help me to grow stronger in my faith.” If faith in God is something new for you, I want you to know that it’s okay to have questions.

Please feel free talk to me, your small group leader, or any of our adult leaders. We’ll do our best to help you find the answers you’re looking for.

2. Do something this week that requires faith.

God called Abram to step out in faith.

What might God be calling you to do?

Write it down or set it as reminder on your phone so that it sends you a notification sometime later this week. This is your chance to be like Abram and embrace the risk to follow God’s call. If you’re having trouble coming up with something, don’t worry. We’ll make sure you have time in your small group to bounce some ideas around.

3. Create a “monument” to remind yourself of how God has shown up in your life.

Have you experienced a moment like Abram did where you suddenly realized that God had shown up in a profound way?

Create a monument to remember how God showed up. There are many ways to do this:

Journal, artwork, phone wallpaper, write on stones, etc. There isn’t one right way. The point is simply to remember. This week, do whatever you can to create a reminder for yourself of something incredible that God has done in your life. Let’s goooooo!