Sermon Tone Analysis

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This morning, we’re going to continue in our study, which is largely based on Hebrews 11.

As we study Abraham.

But As we start this morning… I thought I would share the story with you, the condensed version on how Kim and I ended up in Kenton Ohio.

Some of you may know the story, but I think for many of us, it will be new.

I remember driving initially to Conway, New Hampshire to Journey Church which is part of the Christian and Missionary alliance… and while on the way there, God had placed it on my heart that we wouldn’t necessarily be there a long time.

I knew God was calling us at some point to step into a role as a senior pastor.

And that was just under 3 years ago.

And in the moments, between that calling and coming to Kenton… there were a lot of twists and turns.

You see, just about a year Ago… God placed it on my heart that we would be leaving New Hampshire soon.

And at one point, I actually thought Kim and I may be moving to California, or to South Carolina, or perhaps to Florida.

You see the calling was right, but the destination was wrong.

And so, after applying to a handful of job applications, and the lord shutting the door.

Kim and I got to a point back in the springtime where we were just frustrated.

I mean, we knew God was moving us… He had put a burden on us, but we took it upon ourselves to figure out the destination, instead of just trusting God for his will.

I remember telling Kim at point: “I know God is getting ready to move us, but the same old approach isn’t working…” “I’m going to switch approaches and not apply to anything and let the Lord open the door.”

Several months went by, moments of continued frustration and uncertainty… And then, one Thursday morning at the beginning of July, I got an email from Jeff Miller the Ohio Valley District Superintendent.

who informed me that he found my resume on the Alliance website.

Which by the way, I still have no idea how it got there…?

But he told me about a church hiring in Ohio and asked if I was looking to move here.

I told him Ohio wasn’t necessarily on my radar, but that I was open to whatever God would have….

As you guys know, Kim and I ended up flying out to Kenton the weekend of Sunday the 15th.

And by the way We already under contract to sell our home in New Hampshire, and so on Monday the 16th… when we flew back home, we loaded the back of our U-Haul with all of our items, and we waited to see if that U-Haul would be getting unloaded in Ohio or somewhere else…

And while You guys know how the story went from there, the point is that I had to come to a point where I stopped trying to do things in a way that made sense to me and shift to a point where I was completely relying on the Lords lead and not my own.

Some of us this morning can perhaps relate with me.

Maybe you find yourself in seasons of life where things don’t make sense.

Others of us this morning have been trying to do things are way, and things aren’t working out the way we thought.

And maybe some of us this morning are going through life, and things are difficult… and we feel like we’re going through life along.

And all the while God is pouring out his love and letting you know that he’s walking beside you.

This morning, God is calling us to live a life of unwavering faith.

And if you do so, it will change the outcome of not only this life.

That takes us to this morning’s sermon points as we study the Story of Abrham 1) Unwavering faith provides a firm foundation.

2) Unwavering faith leads to fellowship and 3) Unwavering faith leads to forgiveness.

Unwavering leads to a firm foundation.

If you have your bibles with you this morning, turn with me first to Hebrews 11 and then we’ll come back to our primary text which is Genesis 12 here in just a few minutes.

But turn with me to Hebrews 11:1 as we look at the definition of faith which reads: “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.“

By the way, the word assurancethat we see here in the Greek is the word hypostasis, which is uses building terminology in its definition, is defined as a substructure, a foundation or a thing put under foot… So, assurance is not only the foundation in which you build your home, but also your life.

It goes on to say in verse 8 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.

9 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.

10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

You see, what’s interesting is on this side of heaven Abraham wasn’t about building a large home or great wealth on earth.

Now the Lord did bless him with many life stock and possession, but when God called him to Go, he actually lived in tents and made his home and traveled wherever God would lead him… You see, he had a willingness to trade in the foundation on earth for a real foundation to come.

One that wouldn’t burn or be destroyed, but one that would endure forever.

You see in studying this week on the idea of a firm foundation.

I came across a website for a construction company website.

And this company specializes in the foundation and building of homes.

but the website states this about building a house without a foundation… it says: “so, can you build a house without a foundation?

The simple answer is that of course, you can- as long as you don’t need it to stand for long.

Historically, houses without foundations have tended to be simple affairs, built around an earth floor, which weren’t designed to last.

Although a building may be able to support the downward thrust of its load without a foundation, it’s the sideways motion that creates the problem.

As the ground changes temperature with the seasons, it expands and contracts, causing instabilities that make the building lurch.”

You see friends, we can build our lives without a foundation, but it won’t last long…

The question becomes: when the storms in life hit?

How well does a building without a foundation stand up?

And when life goes sideways, the building is someday destroyed… if there wasn’t a foundation in place… what remains?

For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.

1 Corinthians 3:10-15 explains: “10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it.

But each one should build with care.

11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.

12 If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, 13 their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light.

It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work.

14 If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward.

15 If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.”

I can’t help but think of the 3 Little Pigs, where one little pig built his house out of straw and one little pig built his house out of something else, but it was only the 3rdlittle pig did just what he was told to do a who built his house out of stone, who had a firm structure that wasn’t eaten.

You see friends, there is no other foundation except for Jesus Christ.

Any foundation in life that is not Jesus Christ is no foundation at all.

And yet some people will be quick to run to different things in life.

Perhaps drugs or alcohol, or relationships, maybe even a job or a social status… and yet the only foundation is Christ.

You see, once a foundation is laid in place… God can then begin to lay out the blueprints for our lives, and he can build a masterpiece.

I know firsthand, that when you fully submit to the Lords will in your life, you end up in places that you never thought you would live… You go places that you never thought you would Go, and you live a life truly worth living…

But building a foundation may cost us something.

Genesis 12:1-3

12 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

2 “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.

3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth, will be blessed through you.”

And so, God wanted to do amazing things through this man, here in these few verses he extend a covenant to Abraham, and later scripture, he also promises to give him children as numerous as the stars….

But Abraham had to give up the old way of life for the new.

There was a cost.

You see, there was this moment of trust.

This moment of saying yes to God and answering the call or not.

Which we don’t see it here in genesis, but in Joshua 24:2 we see a glimpse of what Abraham was giving up.

2 Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your ancestors, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other god.

This is a small detail, but Abraham was called to leave this culture of idol worship and the comforts of home.

And go to a new place that he knew nothing about.

And don’t think this call didn’t come without persecution.

You can imagine as he was making preparation to travel on from there onto where God would lead him, that there was adversity… and ridicule.

I mean just imagine the type of puzzled faces he would have gotten from his family and from Sarah’s family?

“You’re doing what with my daughter?”

You’re moving her where?

What do you mean you don’t know where you’re going?

Your gonna put her up in tents and live like a boy out camping in the woods?

You see, we don’t see the conversations that take place between Abraham and his family or Sarah’s family, but I promise they weren’t easy…You see, when God prepares to move you, and there is a God-sized mission in front of you… There are those, who question what in the world you are doing.

And yet Abraham was faithful because he followed God’s lead.

Matthew 16:24-26 explains: 24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

25 For whoever wants to save their life[f] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.

You see friends, Abraham answered the call… He was willing to Go, wherever God would lead… even when he didn’t know the details… He put his complete faith in God.

I wonder for us this morning; would we be as daring as to follow God’s lead even if we didn’t know the details.

Even when things didn’t make sense?

Even when others laughed at the idea of us simply follow the call of God on our lives….