Abram - Faith and Obedience
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The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran.
He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.
Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land.
The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him.
From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.
Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev.
Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe.
As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know what a beautiful woman you are.
When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live.
Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.”
When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was a very beautiful woman.
And when Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace.
He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels.
But the Lord inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram’s wife Sarai.
So Pharaoh summoned Abram. “What have you done to me?” he said. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife?
Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!”
Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had.
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.
By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.
By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.
For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise.
And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.
People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own.
If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return.
Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son,
even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”
Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.
By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.
By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.
By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.
For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise.
And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.
People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own.
If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return.
Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son,
even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”
Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.
By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.
By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.
For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise.
And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.
Series Preface
This morning we are continuing on with our new series in partnership with Yarmouth Wesleyan called follow the Leader - Part 2.
Let me make a distinction again here this morning. You might be wondering why it’s called Part 2.
Let’s just say that the process and point of us coming to faith in Jesus and making a decision to be baptized is part 1. This season of our lives is usually very exciting and we sense all the new things God is doing in our lives.
Part 2 is where we learn to walk in obedience to Jesus.
Part 2 is where we learn to walk in obedience to Jesus.
In this series we are going to look at a number of different stories found in Scripture of people who walked in obedience to Jesus despite some of the circumstances they faced.
Hook
I want to begin this morning by going back to the story of how God called me here. I know I have told this story here a few times but I think it really drives home what I feel like the Lord wants to communicate today. It was Winter 2016 and my wife and I were at the point where we felt like the Lord was leading us into ministry. We met with the DS who actually will be coming this week to meet with the board. He’s coming this week to meet with the board to evaluate how things are going. As you may or may not be aware my initial call was a 2 year call and how it works in the Wesleyan Church, which I think is super healthy, is the DS comes in approaching that two year term just to assess how things are going and provide some feedback. He’s meeting with the board this week and myself to help with that process.
But 2 years ago let just say Woods Harbour Wesleyan was not on my mind at all. We had met with Peter and we told him we wanted to go to a city. I remember sitting there at Montana’s and Peter asked the question “so let me be totally clear; you want to go to urban context and not a rural church context”. We both looked at each other and said yup as God sat back and laughed his heart out.
I can just see him now sitting in that room with us - BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
As some of you know, a week or two later, we had a big ice storm in New Brunswick that knocked out power and cancelled churches on one particular Sunday. Marty and Melissa Swim from the Agape Cafe happened to be up in Sussex and asked us to go out for breakfast at Smitty’s. We were out to breakfast and they told us that we should move to the Barrington area and do ministry. And I said the words that God would later make me eat - “Well, if Pastor Rod decides to move on I will take that church in a heart beat.” I remember looking back and thinking to myself two things.
I don’t felt like I meant it
Why in the world would I say a thing like that
I went home that afternoon and spent some horizontal fellowship with Jesus in the form of a boss old nap and woke up with a phone call from Melissa Swim saying, “You’re not going to believe this but Pastor Rod resigned.”
Immediately God’s Spirit began to deal with me and speak to me about being called to step out in faith and move to Woods Harbour. And God also immediately started giving me a vision for not just Woods Harbour but our region. God gave me this vision back in February 2016
“To increase the witness of Jesus in Woods Harbour, Barrington and Pubnico by the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.”
And so God gave me the faith and confidence to know I was called to this church and to these communities and God also gave me a vision and a mandate. The Spirit of God deposited those things in my spirit and its something that beats in my bones every single day.
Introduce Subject
Hebrews 11:620
I had my ideas of what I thought I wanted to do but God had other plans.
God called me out and gave me the faith and confidence to walk in obedience to his call.
Introduce Subject
This morning I want to talk about the role faith has in walking in obedience.
The bible teaches us in
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
You see God gave me the confidence that I was called here. And let me tell you here this morning after being here for 1 year and half there is no doubt in my mind God called me to come here to this specific church, for this specific season to do a very specific work. Isn’t it amazing how God can give us that kind of confidence.
Well, faith is the confidence of what we hope for. It’s this inward knowing that the Lord gives us so we can step out with confidence.
It’s also the assurance of what we hope for.
It’s the sense that we get that we are confident that what God said is actually going to happen.
Illustration
When I was called here I was confident that God called me and I was also assured that the vision that God gave me was going to happen. And by faith in what God spoke to me I earnestly work towards that vision that God put in my spirit.
Do you see how faith works?
Faith gives you the gumption and the confidence so that you can pour your passion, energy and time into something you know matters for eternity.
Faith gives you the confidence to walk in obedience even when it is difficult, when there is resistance and when the way is not clear.
Faith will give you the ability to perserve in the face of conflict because deep in the depth of your being you have this unwavering confidence knowing; this is just what has to be done.
Do you think we need faith?
Fallen Condition Focus
I think many of us lack faith and confidence. We lack God’s vision for our life.
When I worked in admissions and even now as I counsel people I think we can have confidence in our decision making. While the path ahead often is not clear as to how everything works itself out I am confident that God will give us the measure of confidence we need to push forward.
The Bible says in
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
So if we need wisdom to know what to do God promises he will give it. We don’t have to be tossed to and fro without any confidence in life.
This gets real practical in our lives. We tend to question a lot and not have confidence.
But when we ask God for wisdom and he provides it we can be confident in our decision making and even deeper in what we do for a living.
In this book I am reading called Gaining by Losing it highlights something so key that I want you to hear this morning.
Often times we think people in ministry have the “Higher calling” and those of us who do “regular work” have the lesser job or the job that is not as spiritual as the other.
Reason to Hear
I want to burst that bubble this morning.
Listen, whether you cut hair, are lobstering, work in a tank shop or you are retired and serving Jesus your job is just as spiritual and just as important in the kingdom of God as mine.
When we can start to look at our job as something God has called us to I think it becomes a game changer because we start to have the confidence that God has called us by faith and we can put the faith in confidence into what we do for a living.
Now with that, we always need to be open to God calling us out of everything like the Rich Young Ruler.
But I think we lack faith in what we do and we don’t look at what we do for a living as something God has actually called us to.
Does that make sense?
So no wonder we don’t have faith or confidence and are unable to walk in obedience. Many of us don’t believe the thing we spend most of our time doing is something God has called you to.
Let me be clear - there is a reason God prepared some of you to be fishermen and all the different things that are represented here. What you do is so important to the kingdom and you need to put your faith in that? Can I get an Amen?
The other area that I want to point out this morning is that I think some of us lack clear direction and vision both individually and corporately.
Individually maybe you’re someone who wants to be used of God but you don’t know how to serve. Maybe you come to church and you have a desire to serve but don’t know how or what you could do.
Two real practical things.
Ask God for Wisdom
Talk to me - I’d love to pray for wisdom with you and process how God may want to use you
The Bible says in
Where there is no vision, the people perish: But he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
Not just in the church but in businesses and organization I think often times there is a lack of corporate vision of Why that organization exists.
For the church often times I think the reason a church gets stuck is because there sometimes can be a lack of vision of what God has called a particular church to do.
The two prerequisites to successful Christian living are vision and passion, both of which are born in and maintained by prayer. Leonard Ravenhill Why Revival Tarries
While I can tell you the vision for our church and where God is taking us it is so much more powerful when God speaks to you individually in a personal way and gives you the confidence with me to pursue the dreams God has for us.
While I can tell you the vision for our church and where Godis taking us it is so much more powerful when God speaks to you individually in a personal way and gives you the confidence with me to pursue the dreams God has for us.
If we want the faith and confidence to pursue the vision God has for us with passion we have to seek him in prayer.
If you want to walk out your individual calling with boldness and confidence and passion you need to ask God for a passion for a vision.
Reason to Hear
My hope this morning is that you would
Be inspired to believe God for greater things
Realize that your calling matters
Believe that God is calling us to step out in faith as a church
Transition to Text
Next to Jesus I think the best example we have of faith is to look no further then Father Abraham.
I love the story of Abraham and there are two particular aspects of his story that help us to see the role faith has in obedience.
The account of how God called Abraham out of his home land into a land he had never been
The account of God commanding Abraham to sacrifice his Son Isaac.
I want us to spend a little bit of time looking at this account today and try to understand a little more the role faith has in obedience.
We could spend a whole series on the life and faith of Abraham but today I would like for us to hone in on how God called Abraham in
So let’s start off by reading
Unpack the Text
Unpack the Text
The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
V. 1
So the Lord calls this guy named Abram who will be later named Abraham
The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
So let’s walk through this here.
God calls Abraham to leave his country (culture), his people and his family to a place that God says he would show Abraham. Now, just as a side, his name is Abram here but he goes through a name change so I will call him Abraham.
God’s command comes with a promise!!
What is it?
Verse 2
Great Nation
Blessing
Name Great
Be a Blessing
Bless those who bless you
Curse those who curse you
All People blessed through you
So God gives this command to go and leave and make this major and I am talking major step of faith but deposits these things in Abraham’s heart to give him
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
Abraham had the confidence to step out and do what God had called him to do because why?
He Believed God’s promise!
He’s like, despite the fact that this is going to be challenging, lonely, trying, there is going to be people who curse me, I’ll never see some of my family again and I have no idea what I am doing or where I am going I am going to do it.
Faith gives you the deeply rooted confidence to step out and follow through despite the things stacked against you.
Illustration
People wonder why I am so excited all the time and contrary to popular belief it is not the amount of coffee I drink or how my Montreal Canadiens are performing even though I have got to say they are doing not to shabby this year.
No, that is not why I am so excited and passionate.
I am excited and passionate because God has deposited some promises for me both as an individually and as a church and these promises are amazing.
God has amazing stuff in store for my life and already has blessed me beyond what I can even think or imagine. What gets me is the thought that God has more.
And it makes me want to ask God - God, how can you have more? As I was preparing this in a coffee shop this week I was starting to get emotional because just think about how blessed we are and yet God wants to bless us even more.
Just makes you shake your head.
But God loves us and wants to bless our lives and ultimately blessed us beyond measure by giving us His precious Son Jesus. That if we would put our faith in Him we could experience blessing beyond measure that lasts for all eternity. Amen.
I know God has promises for us as a church. What do you suppose God is speaking to us about as a church? Have you ever asked God?
What do you suppose God would say to us? What is God promising us as Woods Harbour Wesleyan Church?
Is God calling us to step out in faith in areas for a greater kingdom purpose?
I just want us to be ready if the Lord would make it clear that he is calling us to step out in faith to follow his lead.
If God is genuinely calling us to step out in faith don’t you want to follow.
God may bring us to that cross-roads at a point in time and the choice won’t be whether we want to or not; it will be the choice of obedience and disobedience.
Obedience will result in us walking into the blessing he is calling us into.
Disobedience will result in us missing out on the blessing of God.
Illustration
There is this new saying that came out in the last few years and it’s called FOMO. Can y’all say FOMO?
Don’t worry it’s not a bad word or anything. But it just means fear of missing out. In our culture we have FOMO. Nobody wants to miss anything which is probably not a healthy philosophy to live by because the grass is always greener on the other side.
But when it comes to the promises of God, FOMO is a great philosophy to live by.
The Bible says in
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
There is a certain reverence or a high level of respect we have towards God but very practically, part of the fear of the Lord is fear of missing out on God
So like FOMOOG.
It’s the fear of missing out on the precious things that God has promised that keeps me on the straight and narrow day after day after day.
Because I so deeply believe in the amazing things God has in store I don’t want to do anything to mess with that because I also believe we can mess with it and we can indeed miss it.
Does that make sense?
Abraham had FOMOOG - He had a fear of missing out on the promise of God and that led him to take a deep breath, gulp and say Ok God, I know you have incredible things in store for me so I am going to step out in faith and believe you.
Hear me this morning - I want God to get us to the point where if God, the Lord Almighty himself, wants to call us out and step out in faith, we will be ready like Abraham to take a deep breath, gulp and say ok God, we don’t know what the future holds except that we believe this way is the way of blessing.
Amen?
Illustration
Cortes Story - Glenn Stanton
Scholars have long researched and written on the fascinating life of this Christianizing explorer and conqueror and have remarkable detail and knowledge of Cortes's exploits in the Americas. Among these scholars, it is well documented and common knowledge that the historical record does not indicate Cortes actually burned his boats, as folklore popularly has it, nor removed any chance of retreat.
He did not burn his boats at all, but scuttled them—at least most of them. As ordered, the crew ran all but one aground and physically stripped the vessels of all their rigging, sails, weapons, and tackle, using the materials and timbers to build the necessary houses for the troops. Cortes explained in his own writing that the “we're all in and there's no turning back” part of the story is largely true in sentiment if not in actuality. After dismantling their ships, each man, as he reports, “then had nothing to rely on, apart from his own hands, and the assurance that they would conquer and win the land, or die in the attempt.”
The scuttling was not motivated by bravery and commitment, but solely to prevent Cortes's men from escaping the trials and dangers ahead in their conquest by leaving for the safety and resources of Cuba. And they did leave that one ship intact, kept for riches and treasures to be sent back to their king in Spain. The boat also afforded a remaining opportunity for the higher-ranking men to beat a hasty retreat if things turned really bad.
But Thomas and other scholars show that Cortes himself, writing his account of the experience, explains that it was a deliberate grounding and dismantling, not a burning, that destroyed nearly all of his ships.
Application
We don’t get to this point overnight but wouldn’t it be something if God did call us to step out in faith sometime and we were ready and willing to have that kind of confidence of calling.
That God would bring us to the point where we willing to scuttle the ships and use the ships to rebuild our new homes in the promise land God is calling us into.
I believe that we are stepping into some of the most exciting days this church has ever experienced and its nothing we can boast in - We want to give God all the credit and all the glory because he is
Leading us
Guiding Us
Directing Us
And unfolding his ultimate plan and purpose to see these communities reached.
God is unfolding his mission in our communities and he is CALLING us by FAITH to believe in the unique mission God has called us to and step out to full-fill that mission.
And listen, as we step out in faith, like Abraham, there going to be all kinds of obstacles, questions, resistance and everything we can imagine stacked up against us that are going to try and tell us, you shouldn’t do that.
But let’s let the promise of God take a DEEP ROOT in the bottom of our being so we can have the inner faith, the inner strength, the inner confidence, to press forward with the mission God has for us.
Can I get an Amen?
Conclusion
God has called us Higher.
I want to play a song in response this morning to what God is doing.
It would be easy for us to just to form our own little Christian club and feel real good about ourselves. But this song challenges us that God has called us Higher and Deeper and this song represents a call to go where he leads us.
And I am wondering this morning, are you willing to go where God may lead?
Is there resistance in you to where God may lead you as an individual?
Are there things in your life you know you need to let go of because they are causing you to miss out on God’s promise?
Maybe you need God to affirm in you that what you do for a living is more than just a job but it is a calling?
I have to be honest, one of the things that gets me sometimes is we have this time where we might hear this message and be inspired but when we have this opportunity to respond to God himself who I hope is speaking we just leave it there.
I don’t want this to be a moment where the Pastor preached a good message but a moment where God speaks and we respond.
So what is God speaking to you about and how can you respond to God in prayer RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW to that call?
I challenge you with all my heart to respond to what God is calling.