Sermon Tone Analysis
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Adoration Verse:
Where are we going?
We’re forming a new membership.
We’re in a basics series.
We talked about scripture last week.
This week we’re talking about the people of God, who they are, and what they do.
Next week we’ll talk about baptism and it’s ongoing purpose in the life of the believer.
After that we will spend 2 weeks looking at the offices of the church.
Elders.
Deacons.
Then Rod Hugen will come and preach to us about membership in a body.
Also in the season of Lent.
Considering the wilderness journey of Christ.
He goes before us in wilderness.
For we are HIS people.
Who are the people of God?
In our passage this morning we read about a promise made to a man named Abraham.
He was promised a nation.
As we read the bible we the people of God moving from nation, to church.
But there’s always a family undercurrent to the whole situation.
We’re a church.
What kind of church?
We say that we are Christians.
We say that the Bible is true.
We believe it is good to be in a church family with other people.
We believe it’s good to sing songs and hear God’s word preached.
That’s all well and good, but just saying you’re a christian doesn’t make you one.
We say that Jesus Christ is Lord and that he rose from the dead.
That’s what we call faith.
We could say that is “our” faith.
One of the greatest truths of scripture is that membership in God’s family is marked off by faith.
In Hebrews chapter 11 we see this amazing passage as the author of Hebrews walks through all of time, highlighting the faith of the people of God.
He starts with Abel, one of the first humans, and he ends with us.
In this list we see Jews, Gentiles, violent warriors, prostitutes, and just plain ordinary people.
It’s beautiful.
As we read the Bible, we learn that God has used different means throughout history to mark these people.
So as we dive into the word this evening, we are going to trace the people of God through the biblical story, paying careful attention to the “whys” and the “hows”.
Why were they the people of God?
Or better yet, “for what purpose?”
and also, “How were they the people of God”
or better yet, “What did they DO as the people of God?”
Why should we care about this?
Because God is a God of covenant.
Meaning he has made promises to people.
Promises that require things from Him,
but there are also requirements for us.
If we want to be God’s people we should have an understanding of who they are and what they do.
Not only 3000 years ago, but today, in the 21st century.
In 85741.
We will examine the people of God because we are the people of God and we want to act like it.
Abraham:
Abraham
Abraham is the father of our faith.
An idol worshipper.
(Talk about Mesopotamia)
Prone to failing.
Example/Story
Yet the one God chose.
God chooses the foolish and the weak things of this world to display His glory all the more clearly.
What we see in Abraham, however, through all the foolishness, through all the failure, through all the loss of faith, is a constant return to faith.
He knew enough about Yahweh to trust him.
In Scripture, when we see people falling and failing, it is often because they don’t understand the heart of God.
This dude Abraham really blows me away.
He spent a huge chunk of his life worshiping idols.
the man was 75 years old when God said,
“Go from your country to the place that I will show you.”
When we fast forward 25 years in his life.,
he’s in the land that God told him to go to,
he’s been given a son against all odds.
Literally all odds.
What are the odds of an 80 something year old woman who was barren her whole life having a child?
None.
The odds are none.
Abraham defining moment of faith was not even the mountaintop situation with his son Isaac that we’ll talk about in a moment.
It was when God showed him the stars and said “so shall the number of your offspring be.”
Abraham believed him and credited to him as righteousness.
Why did he believe him?
He had spent 7 and 1/2 decades worshipping idols.
He had faith because God was keeping his promises to him.
Abraham was told to go, and he went.
God met him there to confirm his obedience.
Abraham was told he would be the father of a great nation and he gave him a son.
God is the waymaker through the impossible in order to highlight his ability to keep his promises.
Think of the kindness of this.
God’s created order shouldn’t require God condescending to draw out faith.
The way God made things involved mankind living in shalom with God.
Shalom meaning completeness.
Compare to the affectionate longsuffering care needed to take care of an Alzheimer's patient.
That’s the kind of care God extended to Abraham.
Someone who should have known him but spent 75 years in a state of forgetfulness.
Isn’t that how God cares for you?
When we finally get to the part of the story where Abraham is told by God to sacrifice his son, he’s ready to obey.
Why?
Because he believed this God who had provided for him every step of the way so far.
This God hasn’t lied to me yet, he’s kept all his promises so far he must be planning to raise my son from the dead.
And God says “I’m going to raise my son from the dead, so ALL the sons of Abraham can be raised from the dead.”
Abraham understood the heart of God.
And he got a grip on it pretty fast honestly.
He was an old codger when he started following God.
This is good news for us!
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