How To Face Uncertainty of Tomorrow

How To Face Uncertainty of Tomorrow

Scripture: Romans 4:13-25

How to face the uncertainty of Tomorrow

· How do we face the uncertainty of Tomorrow because what we have is a tomorrow that we don’t know about?

Since 2017, we have been living in uncertain times; the reason I said 2017 is because that is when Trump was elected president.

· One thing I can say is that even in these times of volcano eruptions

· Fires burning in the west

· Flooding and storms in the south

· Just everyday essentials prices are through the roof

· The with drawl from Afghanistan

· The crisis at the border with the Haitians

· It may seem as if God has dropped the mic and walked off the stage.

· But God is still God and is on the thrown

Intro:

Paul, in this text, is writing to the church in Rome, Rome is an ungodly place, but there is this church in Rome.

· He wanted to highlight how Abraham, the father of faith, was able to face Tomorrow in uncertain times

· Abraham had to wait 25 years for the promise that God had promised him.

· We live in a culture where people don’t want to wait 25 seconds for what God has promised them.

· In Genesis 18, God promised him at the age of 75 that he would have a son, and he would be the father of many nations; however, the promise never came through till he was 75.

· 25 years later, the promise came through

When God has spoken to you on something, and you are waiting for Him to come through, what do you do?

· You’ve been waiting on God to come through, and it hasn’t happened yet

· I have a word for you that “That there is a promise for you in uncertain times.”

· What do you do?

· The Apostle Paul tells us what Abraham did in verse 18: make it through uncertain times until the promise came through!

· And I know that it is easy to lose hope because you have been waiting and waiting, and God hasn’t come through!

o But how many of you know that God doesn’t work on our timetable?

Verse 18: who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken[1]

· In spite of the circumstance that he was facing was contrary of Hope: Against all Hope

· In other words, everything that was in front of him said it was not going to happen

· All the circumstances said it wasn’t going to happen.

· In spite of the circumstances that said it wasn’t going to happen, in Hope, he believed!

o You got to have Hope!

First Point: Have Hope – vs18

o That word Hope means to anticipate.

o To have expectations

o It means to have confidence

· In other words, you have to have confidence that in due season and in due time.

· That the God we serve will somehow is going to step into the domain of your promise and make that promise come to reality

o But you have to have confidence

o You cannot doubt Him

o But deep inside you got to know, that you know, that you know

o It is because of this Hope that he had!

o He had Hope

Look at vs.19: 19 And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.[2]

Second Point: Know What Not to Consider – v.19

· Sometimes we give weight to stuff that we should not give weight to!

· We give considerations to stuff that we should not give consideration to!

What did he not give consideration to?

· Vs.19: he did not consider his own body already dead (since he was about a hundred years old),[3]

· In other words, he was past the age that he could father a child.

· And we sometimes look at the circumstances that look dead

o We look at what people say

o We look at what the boss said

o We look at what the economy said

But what Abraham did, he looked past what the circumstances said to know what not to consider!

· We have to stop giving weight to things that we have no business giving weight to!

· Stop listening to what the news says

· Stop listening to what they say!

· Because when God is going to move on your behalf, we will be hit with things consistently that will tell us that they aren’t going to happen.

· But God is able to do!

But not only: he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.[4]

· But Sarah’s womb was dead

· That’s dead-on top of dead!

· But we serve a God who can wake up what’s dead.

First point: Abraham had hope

Second point: Abraham knew what not to consider

Third Point: Don’t Waver at the Promise!

Vs.20: He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God[5]

· Don’t waver

· Don’t withdraw

· Don’t hesitate

· Don’t pull back

· God is looking for those who will not waver

· You have to have the confidence to know that God will bring it to pass!

Not only did Abraham not waver in vs.20: “But was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God.”[6]

· We have to keep our faith strong in God and not waver

· But God is looking for people who will not wait till the battle is over, but who will give God glory while in the midst of the battle!

· It’s easy to shout after you see the “A” on the paper, but can you shout before you take the test?

· Don’t waver but give God the glory!

Look at vs.21: and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform[7]

· We have to be fully convinced

Fourth Point: Be Fully Convinced – vs. 21 that what he had promised, he was able to perform it!

· What I am trying to say is that the God we serve has your back!

· God is able to do what he says he will do!

· And He’s going to fulfill what He says he promised!

God is going to fulfill everything He says He will do. God is able!

Don’t give up on God because He will not give up on you!

[1] The New King James Version. (1982). (Ro 4:18). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. [2] The New King James Version. (1982). (Ro 4:19). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. [3] The New King James Version. (1982). (Ro 4:19). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. [4] The New King James Version. (1982). (Ro 4:19). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. [5] The New King James Version. (1982). (Ro 4:20). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. [6] The New King James Version. (1982). (Ro 4:20). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. [7] The New King James Version. (1982). (Ro 4:21). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.