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Romans 4:17-25 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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We're in Romans chapter 4, if you guys want to flip there.
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This is your first time here.
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We are studying and going through the book of Romans.
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!
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Romans chapter 4, our text this morning is verse 18 through 25.
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Read along with me.
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In hope he believed against hope, he being Abraham,
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that he should become the father of many nations,
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as he had been told, so shall your offspring be.
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He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body,
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which was as good as dead since he was about 100 years old,
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or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb.
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No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God,
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but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God,
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fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.
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That is why his faith was counted to him as righteousness.
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But the words it was counted to him were not written for his sake alone,
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but for ours also.
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It will be counted to us who believe in him,
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who raised from the dead, Jesus our Lord,
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who was delivered up for our trespasses,
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and raised for our justification.
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When I was a kid, we used to get a magazine called Ranger Rick.
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I don't know if you guys have ever seen this.
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In it were stories about animals, nature, weather,
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you know, stuff that kids thought were cool before video games came out.
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My favorite part of the magazine was found on the last couple pages.
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One of the, it always had a picture drawn,
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tree or garden or whatever, house.
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And in that picture drawn were hidden things.
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And your job was to find those hidden objects,
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circle them, mark them off the list,
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and then go into the back of the magazine
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and check and see if you got it right.
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The other favorite of mine was the snapshot pictures.
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They would take a picture of something really, really, really close up,
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like a beehive or a rug or a cracker,
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and your job was to guess what that object was.
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Now, the problem was that that object was not in the environment
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that it normally is in.
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So you had no other clue except what you were seeing,
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what that object was.
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And you could go to the back of the book and cheat if you wanted to.
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You could try to figure it out.
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And even as a kid, I would know exactly what the answer was
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and I still didn't see it.
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I couldn't get it.
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The problem was that you're given such a small look at this object
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that you couldn't put it into the environment on purpose, of course.
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It's a problem to solve as a kid.
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And you would need help.
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I'm afraid that our theology has the same problem.
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Our view of God is so limited by what we can see
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or sometimes even feel.
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That's another whole subject we talk about later.
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Our view is so limited because we don't learn about God.
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We don't spend time with God.
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We don't trust Him more.
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That we get these little snapshots.
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Little blown, zoomed in pictures.
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And so when a struggle comes, and it will,
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when we lose a job or lose a loved one or fail a class,
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whatever it is, we give up.
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And we try to solve the problem ourselves
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instead of trusting the one who is faithful,
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the one who we can put our hope in,
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who will never leave us or forsake us.
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We give up because all we see is this tiny picture
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that we can't make out what it is.
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We have this one characteristic of God.
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One thing that God, that we know about Him,
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and that's it.
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And the life of Abraham,
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specifically two events can show us this
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in the writings of Scripture,
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can give life to words this morning.
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Paul clearly in Romans chapter 2
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is using the life of Abraham to make his argument.
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So quickly I'm going to kind of review
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the life of Abraham for us.
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Abraham was an idolatrous.
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We kind of got a review this morning.
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I didn't know Nathan was going to do that.
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So I'll just add to it.
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Abraham was an idolatrous pagan man
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who lived in the land of Ur of the Chaldeans.
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So pagan, idolatrous guy did not know God.
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And God picks Abraham,
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and at the time his name was Abram,
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and calls him out and says,
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pack up and go.
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Doesn't tell him where.
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And just like that,
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Abraham gets,
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Abram gets up and he goes.
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Abram, whose name means father of many,
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is what his name means,
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which is a good example of God's sovereignty
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and his providence,
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using things to work for his good.
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Abram's name meaning father of many.
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Abram was given a promise that God,
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from God,
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that he would be the father of many nations,
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all without having a child of his own.
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The constant reminder of his name,
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and the lack of not having a child,
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led Abram to follow his wife's advice,
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and take a child from,
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or with Hagar,
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who was Sarah's,
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his wife's servant.
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Doubt and despair crept in,
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and sin was the result.
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Well, I don't have a child,
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so I'm going to go this route.
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God hasn't come through,
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so I'm going to go this route.
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Because Abram at that moment
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did not have a kingdom view,
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did not have a big God view.
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He had a small God view.
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He didn't necessarily believe God.
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Time had gone.
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Years had passed.
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It took 40 years for the promise to be fulfilled.
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God made good on his promise to Abraham
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by giving him a son, Isaac.
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When, as Paul says in our text,
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Abraham was as good as dead,
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since he was about a hundred years old.
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Or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb.
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See, God was preparing Abraham.
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Abraham.
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Preparing Abraham to,
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giving him this kingdom view,
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revealing himself to him.
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So that when,
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when the time came for Abraham
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to take Isaac up onto the mountain
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and sacrifice his only son,
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he did it because he knew
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that God was faithful.
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He knew
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that God would fulfill his promise.
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We read last week,
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Hebrews 11,
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about Abraham.
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It says,
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By faith Abraham,
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when he was tested,
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offered up Isaac.
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And he who had received the promises
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was in the act of offering up his only son,
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of whom it was said,
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Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.
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So,
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the very son
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that the promise was going to come through,
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Abraham believed God,
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had a big picture of God,
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and offered up Isaac
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as a sacrifice.
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He considered
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that God was able
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even to raise him from the dead,
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from which,
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figuratively speaking,
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he did receive him back.
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So God knew,
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or Abraham knew,
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who God was.
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God had worked in his life
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and revealed himself to Abraham
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so he could trust in the God
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who is faithful.
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Abraham was faithful.
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He was faithful because
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he had a big picture
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of who God is.
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Faith is not a step into the unknown.
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We joke around about
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the Indiana Jones Temple of Doom,
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have you guys seen it?
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Where Indiana Jones has to step out
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into the void
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and picture is that's faith.
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Well, that's not faith.
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Faith isn't just jumping out
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into something we don't know.
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It is complete confidence
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in the God
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who issues the command or promise.
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Faith is not full understanding,
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but full trust.
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And Abraham trusted God.
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Didn't understand why
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he was going to sacrifice his son,
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but he trusted God.
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See, some of us in this room
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will pray,
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God, increase or strengthen my faith.
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My question to you is,
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why are you praying that?
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Is it for more understanding,
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which isn't faith at all,
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it's just knowledge?
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More understanding of life,
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or is it the ability to trust him more
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because he is Lord?
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That is faith.
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Abraham is celebrated because of his faith,
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and that faith came from God,
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and God revealing himself to Abraham
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through his 40 years of waiting.
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This morning,
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there's two points.
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Next week,
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there'll be two points
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from this same text.
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Your view of God
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determines how you live.
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Your view of God,
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big view,
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little view,
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your view of God
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determines how you live,
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and it determines what you believe.
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Two simple points this morning.
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So are you looking at a small,
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tiny picture,
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a zoomed-in picture
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of who God is?
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Or are you looking at a much bigger,
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broader picture
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that you can take comfort in
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and find joy in?
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That's the question this morning.
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As I studied this week
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and as I prepared,
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it became more and more clear to me
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that there's a lot of information
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that I think is good to share with you.
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So this text,
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we'll cover again next week
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with two more points.
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So let's dig in.
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Your view of God
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determines how you live.
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Your view of God
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determines how you live.
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So your actions are determined
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by your view of God.
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This is found in verse 18 and 19.
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It says,
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In hope he, Abraham,
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believed against hope
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that he should become
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the father of many nations.
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As he had been told,
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so shall your offspring be.
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He did not weaken in faith
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when he considered his own body,
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which was as good as dead,
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since he was about 100 years old,
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or when he considered
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the barrenness of Sarah's womb.
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In hope he believed against hope.
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The New American Standard says,
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In hope against hope he believed.
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The New King James Version says,
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Who against hope believed in hope.
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Paul in this statement
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puts hope against hope.
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What in the world does this mean?
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It's very poetic.
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It sounds really good,
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but what is he trying to say?
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In verse 17,
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he's just finished saying
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that Abraham believed in God
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who gives life to dead
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and calls into existence
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the things that do not exist.
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Okay?
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So that's kind of where
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we're coming from.
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And now Paul wages hope
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against hope.
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What we have here
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is two different types of hope.
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Okay?
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A better way to say that
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is that the object
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of the hope changes.
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Okay?
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So follow me.
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In our text from the ESV,
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it says,
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In hope,
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he believed against hope.
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Well, this first hope,
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in hope,
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is God's hope.
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It's hope that is in God alone.
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This hope never changes.
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It is constant.
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And it works
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outside of our understanding.
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So,
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we,
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as human beings,
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have a limited understanding
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of who God is.
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We have gravity.
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We have these rules
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that we have to follow.
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And God doesn't necessarily
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have to follow those same rules.
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We're all going to die.
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God does not work that way.
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It definitely doesn't work
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the way we want them to.
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Or the way that nature
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or reason says to.
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If we were to take
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a logical view,
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a logical view
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at the life of Abraham
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and some other stories
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through Scripture,
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nothing happened
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that was logical.
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Logic and reason says
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it is impossible
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for Abraham and Sarah
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to have a child.
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99 years old
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and she was barren.
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Logic and reason says
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there's no hope
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for a son.
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So,
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what does Abraham
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and Sarah do?
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Sarah says,
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here's my servant Hagar.
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Have a child.
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His name will be Ishmael.
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The rest is history.
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Logic and reason says
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it is impossible
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to walk on dry ground
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in the middle
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of the Red Sea.
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I agree.
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But God doesn't work
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within our limited understanding.
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Logic and reason says
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that no one person
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can live a perfect,
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sinless life.
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But He did.
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Christ did.
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Logic and reason says
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that no one person
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dies for the sins
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of the world.
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logic and reason
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is right,
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but Christ did.
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Logic and reason
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says that
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no one can resurrect
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from being dead
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three days.
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But He did.
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All of this happened.
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Now,
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I am not preaching
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against logic and reason.
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It has its place.
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There are times
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and places
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for it.
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Just ask Paul.
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We are in the midst
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of a logical argument
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that Paul is laying out
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through Romans.
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What I am trying
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to communicate
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is that God
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does not always act
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within our logic
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and reason.
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See,
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here is the problem.
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You can use logic
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and reason
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to prove God,
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but you can also
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use logic and reason
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to disprove God.
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As far as I am concerned,
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those two
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counter each other
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and knock each other out.
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God does not work
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inside our little box
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of understanding.
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And in Abraham's case,
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in hope,
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he believed
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against hope.
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So this is against hope.
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This is man's hope.
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This is our hope.
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This is our understanding.
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Our minute minds
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can only grasp
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certain things
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with certain limitations.
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As I have already
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pointed out,
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from our standpoint,
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from our vantage point,
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there is no way
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that Abraham
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has a child.
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And yet,
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Matthew 19,
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it says,
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with man,
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this is impossible.
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Speaking of the camel
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going through the eye
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of the needle.
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With man,
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this is impossible.
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With God,
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all things are possible.
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And right before that,
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Jesus is talking about
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the rich man
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entering heaven.
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All things are possible.
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The question is,
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do you have hope
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that is counter-cultural?
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Do you have hope
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that is the antithesis
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to logic and reason?
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Or is your hope
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still limited
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by your
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little box?
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because when
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logic and reason
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no longer
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exists
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or solves
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your problem
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or makes a solution,
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what do you have left?
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What do you have left
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when logic and reason
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are gone?
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Do you have faith
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to hope against hope
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or does
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God no longer
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exist to you?
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And you can probably
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think of people
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who have
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left the church
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or stopped
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attending
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or stopped
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being a Christian
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or whatever
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the case may be
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because
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logic and reason
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ended.
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God told
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Abraham
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he would be
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the father
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of many nations.
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It took
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40 years
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from the first
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promise.
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And in God's
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perfect timing,
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40 years,
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Abraham
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hoped
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against hope.
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See what Paul
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does here
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is he measures
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God's given
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hope,
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he measures
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God's hope
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with man's
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hope.
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And if you're
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going to measure
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the two,
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God's hope
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is going to win
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every time
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because with
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God,
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all things
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are possible.
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Don't
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limit your
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view of
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God
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by putting
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Him in
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your little
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box of
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understanding
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that you
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open up
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once a
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week
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when you
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attend
18:42
church
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or when
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you hang
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out with
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your
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friends
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who
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are
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nice
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and
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good
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and
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Christians.
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Don't do
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it.
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God is
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much
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bigger
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and
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greater
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than
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that.
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Reason
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and logic
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are good,
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but God
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created us
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and gave
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us brains
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to use
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it,
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but faith
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is more
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than
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arguments
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and
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statistics.
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Faith
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is confidence
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in the
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Creator
19:13
who,
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as we've
19:15
seen,
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defied
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death
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and
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defeated
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sin
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against
19:18
all
19:19
logic
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through
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Jesus
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Christ.
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So look
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at verse
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19.
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He did
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not weaken
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in faith
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when he
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considered
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his own
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body,
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which was
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as good
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as dead,
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since he
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was about
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a hundred
19:34
years old
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or when
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he
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considered
19:36
the
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barrenness
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of
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Sarah's
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womb.
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If you're
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like me,
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and
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hopefully
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you're not,
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but if
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you are
19:44
like me,
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you probably
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chuckled a little
19:48
the first time
19:48
you read
19:49
this.
19:49
I kind
19:50
of
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snickered
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and chuckled
19:52
a little
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bit.
19:52
Paul's a
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funny guy.
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Abraham
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was nearly
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dead.
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That's
19:56
pretty funny.
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See,
20:00
in our
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time,
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that's
20:01
a joke.
20:03
That's
20:03
an insult,
20:03
something.
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And when
20:06
we read
20:07
scripture,
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we tend
20:07
to read
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in and
20:09
kind of
20:09
put our
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emotions
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and our
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views with
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the text,
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our feelings
20:16
and our
20:16
perspective.
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But in
20:18
this case,
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Paul is
20:19
not insulting
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Abraham.
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He's not
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making a
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joke about
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Abraham.
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He's using
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Abraham's
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life to
20:26
make a
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point.
20:27
Abraham's
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life to
20:30
Abraham's
20:30
life to
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be
20:31
away.
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He's
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way past
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having
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kids.
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And Sarah
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was barren.
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Or in
20:37
the Greek,
20:38
her womb
20:39
was dead.
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Yet,
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he did not
20:42
weaken in
20:43
faith.
20:45
Abraham's
20:46
faith was
20:46
rooted in
20:47
the truth
20:48
of God,
20:48
and he
20:49
had a
20:49
large view,
20:50
a big
20:50
view of
20:51
God.
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and his
20:54
life showed
20:54
it.
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That's why
20:56
he's in
20:57
Hebrews 11,
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the faith
21:00
hall of fame,
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if that's
21:01
what you
21:01
want to
21:01
call it.
21:04
He didn't
21:05
weaken in
21:06
faith because
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what verse
21:08
17 says,
21:11
look at
21:11
it,
21:12
says of
21:13
the God
21:14
in whom
21:14
he believed,
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who gives
21:16
life to
21:16
the dead,
21:17
the Greek
21:18
says that
21:18
Sarah's
21:19
womb was
21:20
dead,
21:20
and calls
21:22
into existence
21:22
the things
21:23
that do
21:23
not exist.
21:25
Isaac
21:26
did not
21:27
exist.
21:28
Abraham
21:28
believed
21:29
this God.
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And both
21:33
Abraham
21:34
witnessed
21:35
firsthand
21:36
and both
21:39
God used
21:39
to strengthen
21:40
Abraham
21:41
and not
21:43
weaken his
21:44
faith.
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So if we
21:45
have a
21:46
big God
21:47
view,
21:48
if we
21:48
have a
21:49
perspective
21:50
of God
21:51
and try
21:51
not to
21:51
limit God
21:52
and say,
21:53
okay,
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God,
21:54
you're
21:54
greater than
21:55
this,
21:55
you're
21:56
greater than
21:56
what I
21:57
can see,
21:59
we will
22:00
live
22:00
different
22:01
lives.
22:05
We will
22:06
not be
22:06
weak,
22:07
but we
22:07
will be
22:07
strong in
22:08
our
22:08
faith.
22:08
God's
22:09
love
22:10
love
22:11
love
22:12
and
22:12
love
22:13
love
22:13
!
22:14
God's
22:14
need
22:15
love
22:15
and
22:15
love
22:15
and
22:15
love
22:15
and
22:16
love
22:16
!
22:14
God's
22:15
view of
22:16
view of
22:19
view of
22:23
view of
22:26
Our actions more than likely are going to be God-honoring and God-pleasing and Christ-exalting,
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no matter the situation, no matter the suffering, no matter what we are dealing with.
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So question, do you think our brothers in India or Iran or China or North Korea,
22:48
being beaten for proclaiming Christ, have a big God-view or a small God-view?
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See, the American church is filled with small God-view Christians.
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And I'll be honest with you, and I know Nathan will be honest with you,
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we refuse to be one and refuse to teach you to be one.
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We serve a big God, King of kings, Lord of lords, who is worthy of all praise.
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The rocks cry out to Him for crying out loud.
23:21
He has given us His Word, and through it, our story after story of God doing unreal, unbelievable things.
23:36
And let's be honest, things that are not logical.
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So let's pray in your life, and in my life, and here at Christ Family Church,
23:48
that God would do something illogical.
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Something outside of our understanding for His glory and our good.
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Hear me clearly.
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It's not about what God can do for you.
24:08
Let's not pray that.
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It's not about what God can do for you, what He can provide for you.
24:12
It is about what He has already done, and what you do in light of that.
24:17
And all that, that comes from a big God view.
24:25
That comes from seeing God, seeing the big picture, learning about Him, reading His Word,
24:31
loving, spending time with Him.
24:35
So not only does your view of God determine how you live, but it also determines what you believe.
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Verse 20 and 21 says,
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No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God.
24:52
But he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God,
24:56
fully convinced that God was able to do what He had promised.
25:02
Now, Abraham, from a world's perspective, had every reason to doubt God.
25:07
Every reason to waver in his faith and in his belief.
25:15
But he didn't.
25:17
Because Abraham had a big God view, and the result was his belief in God.
25:23
Specifically, his faith was strengthened.
25:26
We just read that in our text.
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Our view of God determines what we believe.
25:32
It's like the thermostat of our beliefs.
25:38
Thermostat controls the air temperature in a room.
25:41
It doesn't take the temperature.
25:42
It controls the temperature.
25:46
Likewise, our view of God controls what we actually believe about God.
25:50
So if you have a small view of God, if you think that God is limited, follow me here.
25:58
Then your beliefs about Scripture, your beliefs about Jesus, your beliefs about sin are affected,
26:06
and a lot of times end up unbiblical.
26:09
Back to the text.
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No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God.
26:21
Now, we can rejoice in this.
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Abraham was human.
26:25
He wasn't superhuman.
26:26
He wasn't this incredible, faithful guy.
26:29
He was faithful because God made him faithful.
26:32
Which means that Abraham being human, like you and like me, there were times of doubt in his life.
26:43
There were times of anxiousness.
26:45
Hagar is a good example.
26:48
But none of that, none of those emotions or feelings, it says, made him waver.
26:56
No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God.
27:02
Abraham secured himself to who God is.
27:08
He gave in to sin.
27:15
That inner struggle, that battle that wages on in all of us, was overcome by the promise of God.
27:25
Abraham's view of a big God.
27:27
Now, this inner struggle, it says, no distrust made him waver.
27:31
Remember, the Greek word means to be divided in one's own mind.
27:35
To be divided.
27:38
Abraham was not divided.
27:40
There was a conversation inside his head.
27:43
I'm sure, if he's human, there had to be.
27:46
Do we do this?
27:46
Do we not?
27:47
Do we do this?
27:47
Do we not?
27:48
But he never wavered.
27:49
He never turned from the promise of God.
27:52
With a small view of God, with a little picture of who God is, there would be wavering and a divided mind.
28:01
Because there's no foundation.
28:04
There's no truth.
28:07
To talk you off the ledge of despair and hopelessness.
28:10
There was no wavering.
28:15
It says, instead, he grew strong in his faith.
28:19
This grew strong is like a muscle grows stronger with strain and with weight, constantly working those muscles.
28:27
Faith is strengthened by those strains and struggles within and from without.
28:32
So, you go through a hard time and God gives you a promise and you trust him, your faith is strengthened.
28:44
You don't trust him, but God works that out.
28:49
Your faith is strengthened.
28:51
Abraham's faith was strengthened through his life.
28:57
Now, if question number two of the Logos questions is, why did God make you?
29:04
It's from the Westminster Confession of Faith.
29:07
And the answer is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.
29:11
While we were created, God made us to glorify him and enjoy him forever.
29:17
If that's the reason God made us, then we should look around and see how we can glorify God.
29:26
How can we bring God honor and glory?
29:29
If that's what we were created to do.
29:32
Well, in our text, we have an example of that.
29:40
Look at it.
29:48
Verse 20.
29:50
No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God.
29:53
But he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God.
29:59
Finish it out.
30:00
Fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.
30:06
Abraham glorified God because of who he was, God, and what he was going to do.
30:12
God.
30:14
Verse 21.
30:15
He was fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.
30:21
Can you say that about your life?
30:23
Can you say that you're fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised?
30:30
I hope you can.
30:32
This verse, verse 21, is the epitome of having a big view of God.
30:36
This epitomizes what it means to believe in God.
30:43
Abraham was fully convinced.
30:46
No room for anything else.
30:48
He was fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.
30:53
In other words, God does what he says he's going to do.
30:56
God has the power.
31:01
The inner struggle, the battle that wages on in all of us was overcome by the promise of God.
31:15
God does what he promises.
31:18
How could he do less and still be God?
31:23
Think about that.
31:23
How could God do less and still be God?
31:29
This verse 21, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised,
31:36
is the root of what our view should be of God.
31:41
Fully convinced.
31:43
It doesn't matter.
31:45
It doesn't matter what it looks like in the end.
31:47
God is going to fulfill his promises.
31:49
Have you guys read Revelation?
31:51
There's a lot of illogical things in that book.
31:56
It doesn't matter.
31:57
God is going to fulfill what he says he's going to fulfill.
31:59
He's going to do what he says he's going to do.
32:04
We should be fully convinced that what we read in Scripture is true.
32:09
That what he says will happen.
32:13
We should never ask the question, will God?
32:16
If it says he will, he will.
32:20
But we do ask that when we choose logic and reason over what Scripture says.
32:29
When we choose and say there's no way that the earth was created in so and so six days.
32:36
There's no way.
32:38
Illogical.
32:39
Scripture says that we have to believe it.
32:49
Will Jesus come back for his bride, the church?
32:53
Yes.
32:54
Will Jesus destroy the enemy?
32:57
Yes.
32:58
Will our bodies be perfected?
33:01
Yes.
33:01
Will sin be destroyed?
33:03
Yes.
33:04
Will God keep his promises?
33:06
Yes.
33:06
Is hell a real place?
33:08
Yes.
33:09
Will people who do not know Jesus be sent to hell?
33:12
Yes.
33:13
Is heaven a real place?
33:15
Yes.
33:16
All are promises, spoken words of God from his word.
33:22
How about a personal side?
33:23
Will God hear my prayers?
33:26
Yes.
33:26
If you're a child of God, he will hear your prayers.
33:30
Will God answer my prayers?
33:31
Yes.
33:32
If you pray in his will.
33:34
Does God judge me for my sin?
33:36
No.
33:37
If you're a believer, Christ has already been judged for your sin.
33:42
Am I accepted by the Father?
33:44
Yes.
33:44
You have been adopted because of Christ.
33:47
Does God love some people more than me?
33:50
No.
33:51
Can God love me any less?
33:54
No.
33:56
Can God love me any more?
33:59
Absolutely not.
34:00
Absolutely not.
34:00
Can we believe the entire Bible?
34:04
Yes.
34:04
We must.
34:06
We must have a big view of God.
34:09
Not so that we can do things better or have nicer things or be a better speaker or be more popular.
34:17
But so we can bring the most glory to God.
34:20
So that our faith can be strengthened like Abraham.
34:28
And so our actions proclaim the goodness of God instead of our actions proclaiming our unbelief and insecurities.
34:36
Jesus Christ lived an illogical life.
34:44
How can a man be 100% human and 100% God?
34:49
The math doesn't work.
34:51
Illogical.
34:52
But he was.
34:53
How can he live a perfect, sinless life?
34:56
Seems impossible to me.
35:00
But he did.
35:02
Why would he die for the sins of a people who crucified him?
35:08
I don't know.
35:11
I wouldn't.
35:12
But he did.
35:13
How does his death and resurrection affect you?
35:17
Illogical.
35:20
Because without Christ, everything is logical.
35:25
Without Christ, you're a sinner and you deserve hell and that's where you're going.
35:30
You're a sinner created, born into it.
35:36
It's logical.
35:37
You can do nothing that is God honoring without Christ.
35:41
Logical.
35:42
You are guilty for the sin that you commit, that you live and breathe.
35:47
Logical.
35:48
Without Christ, there is no hope.
35:51
Logical.
35:53
But.
35:55
While you were dead in sin, Christ died for you.
35:59
Which means.
36:00
He took on the sin of you and me and the world.
36:04
The wrath and punishment that we deserve was all put on him.
36:08
Illogical.
36:10
He died a gruesome death.
36:13
Three days later, rose from the grave.
36:16
Illogical.
36:19
This act.
36:21
Being resurrected, defeated death and sin.
36:25
Which means.
36:25
Because of Christ, we have a living hope.
36:29
That we can live with him forever.
36:32
We can cling to a promise.
36:34
To come.
36:35
Next week.
36:36
Next year.
36:37
Forty years from now.
36:38
It does not matter.
36:40
Because he is faithful.
36:43
And we can have complete confidence.
36:47
Fully convinced.
36:48
If you do not know Christ, you must repent.
36:55
And believe in Jesus Christ.
36:58
Not reasonable.
37:00
No reason.
37:01
Not logical.
37:04
But in the illogical.
37:06
God is most glorified in the illogical.
37:08
Because only he can do it.
37:11
Only he can do the illogical.
37:14
Pray with me.
37:27
Father, I thank you for your word.
37:29
God.
37:30
I pray that you are pleased.
37:34
Plead with you that.
37:35
That hearts.
37:38
Were touched by your spirit.
37:41
That you used the word spoken this morning.
37:43
And thank you, God, that you don't work in my limited understanding of you.
37:51
That you are so much greater.
37:52
So much bigger.
37:55
So much more than what I can imagine up.
38:01
Create in my mind.
38:02
God.
38:04
I thank you, God, that you had the foresight to create what you've created.
38:10
This earth.
38:12
And this land.
38:13
And just everything that we see has been created by you.
38:17
God, we thank you for it.
38:20
I thank you for Christ.
38:21
That you had a plan A for mankind.
38:25
That you were willing to sacrifice a life for many.
38:34
I thank you that life sacrificed was also raised from the dead so that we can have life.
38:41
God, I pray that Christ is exalted by not just our listening here.
38:51
Not just your word being preached.
38:53
But our actions leaving this place.
38:57
And God, as we get ready to worship and celebrate what Christ has done by partaking of the Lord's Supper.
39:06
I pray that you're honored by our hearts and our intentions.
39:08
And God, as we move from that to worshiping in song.
39:15
I pray that we worship with pure hearts.
39:23
Worship in truth.
39:25
Celebrate what you have done for your people.
39:31
Your grace overwhelms me.
39:35
Your mercy blows me away.
39:38
And you show it day after day after day.
39:43
To you be glory and honor.
39:45
In Jesus' name.
39:46
Amen.