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Abraham: A Model of the Enduring Faith | Hebrews 11:8-10 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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Well, church, today we're going to pause on our series and
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revelation, and I want to just share with you something that
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I've been meditating on, and I want to talk to you today about
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faith, trusting God, what that looks like.
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And it's common that when this topic is addressed, there is one
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very common passage that is referenced in the New Testament,
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arguably the most famous when it comes to this subject of faith,
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Hebrews Chapter 11. And you can turn there if you'd
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like. Hebrews 11 is quite amazing
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because when it comes to faith, it grants us a very concise
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definition of it, but it also gives us an extensive catalog of
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what faith looks like. It spends way more time
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demonstrating it than defining it.
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And one of the ways that it does this is that the Holy Spirit
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grants us notable figures from redemptive history that manifest
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what trusting in God should look like, and they do so within
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their unique contexts and circumstances.
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But if you pay even more careful attention, you'll see that out
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of this list of people, there are 16 of them who are
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explicitly named. And out of the 16, eight of
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them, exactly half of the total number are found in the book of
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Genesis alone. Seven men, one woman.
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Now we don't have the time to discuss all the potential
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reasons for that, but one subtle motive, I believe, of the author
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of Hebrews is again, he is dealing with these Jewish
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Christians who are overcome by the temptation of returning to
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the law as their basis of relating rightly to God.
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They want to embrace again the Levitical system, and he is
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pleading with them eloquently and theologically why that would
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be a grave mistake. And so one of the things that he
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does even in Hebrews 11 is that he shows them how even from the
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beginning, what God was looking for all along is simple, ongoing
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trust in him. And he does this masterfully,
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even with this list of names, because again, eight of them are
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found in Genesis. And Genesis clearly predates
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what the establishment of the law.
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And so he even plucks from individuals from before the
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floodlight. How much how much far back can
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you go to show? Do you see it?
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Do you realize it what God was searching for what God is asking
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of his creation, those who are crowned in his image is faith.
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And and that's just one of the things that make the book of
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Hebrews an absolute masterpiece. But that's not the main point of
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this passage. Just one of them, I believe,
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like a diamond. The author takes faith and he
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elevates it before the eyes of his readers, and he wants to
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show them the different facets of it that make it genuine.
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And one of the ingredients, one of the elements that showcases
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the faith that truly pleases God is that it is a faith that
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endures. It's ongoing, it's constant.
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And he illustrates this by reminding them of Abraham.
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And so let's read now from verse 8 down to verse 10.
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I want you to see what the Holy Spirit says about this man.
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By faith, Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place
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that he was to receive as an inheritance.
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And he went out not knowing where he was going.
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By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign
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land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the
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same promise. For he was looking to the city
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that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.
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Let's pray together, Lord. Just reading these verses
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excites our souls, but as we attempt to explain them, oh
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Lord, move us in a deep way, change us.
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We pray that every thought would infuse greater grace to our
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faith and that we would align ourselves to true faith, and in
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this case, a faith that endures, that you may be pleased with
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what you see in here in our lives.
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We ask these things by the help of your Holy Spirit and for the
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glory of the name of your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, whom we
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put our faith in. Amen and Amen.
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I want to ask you something. Is this the only time that
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Abraham is presented to us in the New Testament as a prototype
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of faith? Answer no.
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Paul and James are noted for using Abraham in their letters
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to communicate to their readers of what faith looks like.
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But interestingly, both Paul and James reference the same Hebrew
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verse, the same Old Testament reference to make their main
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point. It's in Genesis 15, verse 6, and
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you don't have to turn there. It's easy to memorize really,
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that Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as
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righteousness. Now we would think, as the
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author of Hebrew now Hebrews reintroduces Abraham to us, that
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he would do the same. He would fall in the same
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direction as as what we find in the letters of Paul and James.
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But he doesn't. To our surprise, he doesn't
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reference Genesis 15-6 at all, and there is a reason for that.
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And the main 1 is this, that both Paul and James as they,
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yes, reference that verse, which is a very strong and compelling
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verse. They're doing so because they
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are trying to make an argument and illustrate points around
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justification by faith, that we are made righteous before God
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because of our simple trust and what he has said about himself,
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what he said about his Son, and what that faith, that justifying
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faith, actually should do in US. The author of Hebrews, however,
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is not talking about justification by faith.
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You can draw principles of justification by faith from
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these verses, but that's not the main point.
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He wants to look at a different component of sincere faith.
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And here with Abraham, he wants to show that true faith is
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something that perseveres in the face of conflict and challenges
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that that that faith might cause in your life.
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And so he comes to Abraham. And by teaching about Abraham,
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he's essentially telling these Jewish believers who are
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experiencing immense persecution, crushing social
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pressure for their faith in Jesus of Nazareth as their
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Messiah. Did you ever consider you Jewish
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believers, of what one of your heroes in the faith had to
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endure for his trust in God? Do you think it was easy for him
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to go on believing? Do you understand what the
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Father of your nation endured? The Father of our faith in many
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respects had to undergo in his faith not just what he endured,
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but more than that, how He endured it.
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You see, led by the Spirit, the author wants to inspire these
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readers, these Christians, and one of the ways that he's going
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to do it is by reflecting on the testimonies of one of their
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greatest heroes in their history, Abraham.
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And we're going to benefit from it as well because this
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afternoon we're going to consider 3 outcomes of true
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faith, 3 realities of true faith and what it will produce in US.
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And here's what it should do for US.
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Number one, it will help us discern if we possess it.
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Do I actually have the kind of faith in God that the Bible
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speaks about? Well, Abraham's going to show
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us. And if we do have it, then like
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the Hebrew Christians who are receiving this letter, hopefully
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it will strengthen us to remain steadfast as Abraham was.
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And so the first thing that stands out from the first verse
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that we read in Hebrews 11 here in verse 8 is that faith obeys
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without knowing the full results.
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Look again with me verse 8. When we talk about living by
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faith, Abraham shows us that it is fundamentally built upon a
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positive response to God's will. Look at the 1st 4 words again in
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verse 8. By faith Abraham obeyed.
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Faith and obedience are not the same thing.
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But as you know, true faith will produce tangible obedience and
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that's what's shown here to say that one, for example, trust in
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the character and the expertise of their their doctor.
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But every time he prescribes a medicine, you refuse it.
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Well, your trust in who that doctor is is put into question,
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is it not? And like manner for us to say, I
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trust this God? But whenever he gives you
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something to do, when he gives you a clear command or call and
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you resist it or you hesitate to believe in it, your faith
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equally is called into question. And so faith right here, right
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away with Abraham is, is shown. It's proven through obedience
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ultimately. But that's not the main
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emphasis. He wants to show the extent of
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Abraham's obedience. He did obey, but to what point?
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Look again at the last part of verse 8.
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And he went out not knowing where he was going.
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Oh, that's spectacular. He obeyed, yes, but he obeyed
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into the unknown. He walked into the dark.
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He walked into uncertainty. And that's what the Holy Spirit
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wants to under score. So you have to remember that
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Abraham was called when he was in Mesopotamia.
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And according to the book of Joshua, this might shock you,
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but Abraham was an idolater. Abraham at one point, for most
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of his young life, worshipped false gods.
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And there's a point in his life where God appeared to him in
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Mesopotamia, commanded him something, and granted him a
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promise if he were to trust in this God, the true God.
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And that's elaborated more in Genesis chapter 12, where we see
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that God calls Abraham to leave his country, to leave his
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kindred, to leave his father's house, and to go into the land
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that he would show him. And more than that, he would
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make him into a great nation. Now, those instructions for
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Abraham are unique, but they do present a pattern that is
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familiar throughout the Bible. This pattern that when God does
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command us, he often attaches a promise with it, a reward in
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this life, a reward in the life to come.
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But the Holy Spirit also now instructs us and perhaps reminds
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us that there is another pattern that we often miss with
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Abraham's example. Yes, God, when He commands you
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something, He will often remind you of a promise with it, but
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also that when He commands you, the Lord does not give us exact
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details of what your obedience will lead to.
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True faith does not need a comprehensive map for the future
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in order to trustingly obey what God asks of you and I today.
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So let's great straight to the application in this.
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If you're sitting here today and you find yourself hesitating to
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obey God from a clear command that he has given you and
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convicted you about because you feel like you have the right to
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demand an explanation of the aftermath of your obedience or
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all the possible scenarios of your yes and your no, I say this
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in love. That is not true faith.
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That's not true faith to say, Lord, I'm only willing to go
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ahead if you tell me exactly what will happen when I do.
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That's something foreign to Hebrews Chapter 11.
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So if there is a believer listening to this and maybe
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you're pursuing a relationship that God has convicted you about
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because that person is unequally yoked, they don't know Christ,
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they don't love Christ, and God has been pricking your heart
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about that, yet you find yourself at a standstill because
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you fear, well, if I end this relationship, how or when will
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God bring me a believing spouse? That's not faith.
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That's not faith. Or if you have developed this
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habit now in your business dealings to do some shady things
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with money because it's a steady flow of income and your
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justification is, well, I'm providing for myself and I'm
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providing for my family. And if I stop this stream, what
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will happen to my finances? That's not faith.
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You know what's wrong, you know what's in God's been telling you
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about it, and in your mind you can't get yourself to make the
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right choice because you just don't know what will happen if
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you do. It can even come down to simple
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things like baptism, a clear command in the scripture for
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every professing Christian. And yet, oh, how many people who
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first find it within themselves to inquire of all their family
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members and all their loved ones to see if they will agree.
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Let me just test the waters, no pun intended, before I actually
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get in the water. Will they approve of my
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decision? That's not faith.
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That's not faith. Faith is not I will do this
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because this is what it will necessarily produce.
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Faith is I know the one who asked this of me and he deserves
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my obedience no matter what it leads to.
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That's faith, and this is a question we have to ask
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ourselves. Then what led Abraham to do
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this? I mean, you were in a distant
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land with Pagan gods and other people who worship different
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deities, and all of a sudden now you're willing to go into a
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different land with no plan for your future, Just this general
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kind of idea. I'll make you into a great
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nation. I'll tell you how Stephen tells
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us how when Stephen speaks about Abraham in Acts Chapter 7.
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Go there with you, with me in your Bibles and notice what
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Stephen says at the introduction of this sermon when he is
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confronted by the religious leaders of his time.
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I mean the sermon was so good he was killed for it.
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Acts 7. Look at verse 2 with me and
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Stephen said, Brothers and fathers, hear me.
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The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in
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Mesopotamia before he lived in Haran and said to him, go out
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from your land and from your kindred and go into the land
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that I will show you. This must have been shocking to
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his audience. The God of glory.
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You're talking me, you're telling me that God's glory
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appeared somewhere apart from Israel.
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You're telling me that God's glory manifested in a different
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place apart from the the temple in Jerusalem?
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Oh, this must have been sobering.
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Yeah. God's glory is not confined to a
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nation. It's not something you Jewish
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people can contain, though. Yes, there is an element of
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God's glory being introduced to you.
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Oh, I want to show you that God's glory went somewhere else
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and it appeared to a certain man who is our father.
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Now, we don't know exactly how God appeared to Abraham, but all
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I know from this verse is that it was glorious.
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It was glorious. There was something about God's
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glory. I'm sure it was a it was an
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element of his beauty, of His Holiness, of His Majesty, and
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maybe it was his compassion. Whatever it was, there was an
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element of God's glory that compelled Abraham to move out in
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faith. And I argue that's what you and
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I need. If we find ourselves hesitant to
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trust God because we don't know all the details on the other
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side of that faith, you need to know God more.
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I need to know God more. I need, I need to so understand
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who He is, His heart, his mind, His ways, his consistency, so
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that when he does ask me of anything, I can trustingly walk
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ahead. I don't need a blueprint.
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I don't need what my five year future plan is going to be.
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If you give me the word, if I see it in here, I will go
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because I know you. I've caught enough glimpses of
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your glory. I'm absolutely persuaded that
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you are trustworthy, and you are so amazing that if this is
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what's going to please you, then I'll give it to you and I'm
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going to believe that you'll take care of everything else.
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That's faith. Faith obeys when it doesn't know
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the full results of that obedience #1 number two, true
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faith. If you want to deserve.
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Do I have Abraham's faith? Do I have Hebrews 11 faith?
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Well, ask yourself this. Does your faith make you a
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Pilgrim in this world? True faith will cause you to
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live more and more detached from this life, and here's how that's
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communicated in Hebrews 11. Look again at verse 9.
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By faith he went to live in the land of promise as in a foreign
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land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the
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same promise, living in tents. That's what the Holy Spirit
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wants to tell us about Abraham's story, at least at this point.
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He lived not in a home, not in a castle, but in a tent regularly
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throughout his life. How does that help us?
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Well, again, by faith, he lived in tents.
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And one way to understand this is that even though God promised
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Abraham a land, even though God promised them a people, Abraham
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didn't treat it as his final home.
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He had a different perspective. Living in a tent means means he
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was a nomad, he was a sojourner, he was a traveler.
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The opposite of of living in a tent is being a settler, that
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you plant your roots in one place, that you own property.
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But for him to live in tents means something very
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significant. This was a man showing us that
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he traveled lightly in this world.
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He understood that there was promises pertaining to this
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world, but he didn't live as though this was his home.
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And so he chose to live in tents.
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And this must have been a very helpful reminder for the Hebrews
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who were reading this. You know why?
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Because the same author and the the chapter before commends them
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for how they started in their faith.
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They were so strong and they paid a very high price for
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trusting in Jesus as their Messiah, and He reminds them of
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that as they're becoming weary. Look at Hebrews 10 for a moment.
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Look at verse 34 of Hebrews 10. It says here, for you had
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compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the
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plundering of your property. Joyfully accepted the plundering
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of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better
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possession and an abiding one. Imagine that.
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The cost of following Christ in this context with these
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believers is that people knocked on the door, the authorities and
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saying, oh, you've abandoned the Jewish faith.
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You've abandoned the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
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We're taking this away from you. And now they come to Hebrews 11
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and the author reminds them, do you know that Abraham lived in
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tents. He wasn't too attached to his
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property either. I'm sure that bless some, but
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there's even more to say about why Abraham lived in tents and
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why that's significant. That made him a sojourner, That
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made him an exile. So you have to understand that
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even his living situation communicated something to the
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neighbors and Canaan. Abraham didn't walk into an
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empty real estate. There were people living in the
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land at the time. He had neighbors and they didn't
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believe in the true God, but in their understanding of watching
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Abraham's life, they knew, OK, he's just traveling by.
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And that was a reflection of his spiritual condition that he was
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just traveling by. He was not making his home here.
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When you watch them, you realize he's living for someone and he's
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living for something beyond this life.
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He's living as though his treasure is not in this world.
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And now that observation is brought from Genesis here in the
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New Testament, and it's projected on the believers.
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This is what true faith looks like.
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And we find this theme throughout the New Testament, do
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we not? Do you remember what Peter said
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in First Peter 211 when he says, beloved, I urge you as
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sojourners, I urge you as sojourners and exiles, when's
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the last time you talked to a Christian like that?
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I don't remember the last time somebody looked at me and said,
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hey, exile. Hey, Sojourner, beloved, I urge
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you as sojourners, as exiles, to abstain from the passions of the
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flesh which war against your soul.
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Do you see it? Do you see the connection
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between being a sojourner and that being a means of
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consecration and separation and purification?
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It's no different with Abraham. He's living in a tent and that
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radiates this truth that he was not a part of this world.
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He was separate. And I want to, I want to really
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reinforce this point. It's going to take us to Genesis
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and it's going to take a careful eye to see something.
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Let's go to Genesis. I want you to see just how
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significant it is for Abraham to be living in tents and what that
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says about his faith. There's a pattern in Abraham's
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life. It's found in Genesis 12, verse
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8. Let's start there.
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Genesis 12 verse 8 reads From there he moved to the Hill
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Country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent with Bethel
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on the West and AI on the east. And there he built an altar to
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the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord.
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Now go to chapter 13. Look at verse 3.
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And he journeyed on from the Negev as far as Bethel, to the
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place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel
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and AI, to the place where he had made an altar at the 1st.
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And there Abram called upon the name of the Lord.
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One more place. Genesis 13.
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Look at verse 18. So Abram moved his tent, and
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came, and settled by the oaks of memory, which are at Hebron, and
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there he built an altar to the Lord.
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So pause for a moment, what have we gathered so far about Abraham
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living in tents #1 it showcases that true faith will cause us as
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Christians to live light in this life and to also be distinct
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from the customs and the convictions of those around us.
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And if we don't have those two things, we don't have the faith
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that pleases God. But did you see a pattern here
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with with Abram, later known as Abraham?
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Every verse that we read of the early movements of this man in
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this new land is that he would pitch his tent and then he would
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build an altar. Now, I'm sure the altar is very,
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very direct in its symbolism. It speaks of worship.
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Here's what we take from this number one.
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Wherever Abraham went, he worshipped, no matter where, his
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faith, even faith of the unknown, never diminished his
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adoration of God, his love for God.
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So wherever he would pitch his tent, he would also build an
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altar showing us that even as you go on trusting God and don't
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know the next step, one thing should be certain about you and
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me. We should be worshiping.
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I worship you, I trust you, I love you.
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I don't love you because of my circumstances.
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I love you for who you are. This is what Abraham is showing
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us. But oh, do you see a pattern in
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the verses that we read? Do you see the order?
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What's the order? The tent was pitched first, or
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at least mentioned 1st, and then the altar.
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Virtually every time we see Abraham and his tent, it's found
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in this exact equation which shows us what you and I can't
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truly worship unless we are first separate from the world.
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We have to be tent dwellers before we have altars built for
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God. And there are some people who
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don't build tents. They are way, way too connected
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to this world, the beliefs of this world, the systems of this
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world, the pleasures of this world.
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And they think that they can build a legitimate altar and
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offer pleasing sacrifice. You can't.
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It can only come from the decision of being a sojourner.
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Only exiles can build true altars to God.
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And if we're not like Abraham in this sense, then not only are we
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forfeiting true worship, we might be actually entertaining a
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faith like Lot. You remember Lot, the nephew of
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this man Abraham, whom we are observing.
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You know, Lot had his own tent, right?
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He did something very different with his tent, however, in
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comparison to his uncle. Can I show you?
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Go back to Genesis 13 with me, Genesis 13, and look at verse
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10. Now Abraham, yes, his faith is
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praised, but it was an imperfect faith and that should encourage
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us. So the Lord told him leave the
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land, but leave your family. And He didn't do that.
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He brings a lot with him. Did that help Abraham?
27:13
Did that cause him problems? Cause him a lot of problems?
27:15
And here's what's happening in this chapter.
27:17
They become so prosperous that their herdsmen and their
27:20
managers are now fighting in bickering.
27:22
So they have to come to this decision.
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All right, we got to go our separate ways.
27:25
And Abraham gives him the right to choose first.
27:29
Which direction do you want to go?
27:30
And notice what Lot decides in Genesis 13, verse 10.
27:36
And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was
27:41
well watered everywhere, like the garden of the Lord, like the
27:45
land of Egypt in the direction of Zor.
27:49
This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.
27:54
You know what's so interesting here?
27:55
Before Abraham and Lot have come to this point, Abraham made a
27:59
foolish decision and going to Egypt.
28:01
Remember that? Where he went down to Egypt
28:03
because there was a famine and he had a lapse of faith, and he
28:05
takes Lot with him. But then Abraham, he's
28:08
convicted, he leaves Egypt, he returns to the altar, he returns
28:13
to his original faith, and he goes on, he moves on.
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Here's the sad story. Abraham goes to Egypt.
28:19
He brings his family with them. And what I read here is that
28:22
though Lot followed Abraham out of Egypt, Egypt didn't leave
28:26
Lot. And that's a lesson for leaders.
28:30
Be very careful. Your decisions and mine we may
28:32
be able to recover from, but not those who are under our
28:35
leadership. May God help us.
28:38
He has Egypt in his heart. He looks ahead and he goes, oh,
28:41
that looks like Egypt. And even says here that it
28:43
looked like the garden of the Lord.
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That's a warning to us. Sometimes things look like
28:46
they're from God and they're not.
28:50
It's like the garden of the Lord, it's like Egypt.
28:53
And then he goes on to do this. Verse 11 So Lot chose for
28:57
himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed E Thus they
29:02
separated from each other. Abram settled in the land of
29:06
Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley.
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This is the part you want to highlight.
29:12
And moved his tent as far as Sodom.
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Now the men of Sodom were wicked great sinners against the Lord.
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God saw Sodom differently than Lot did.
29:25
Huh? But it doesn't end there.
29:27
So he's now pitching his tent in the direction of Sodom.
29:31
Bad news. It only gets worse,
29:34
unfortunately. Look at Genesis 14 in this next
29:37
chapter. There's this interesting account
29:39
of these kings going to war with one another.
29:42
One of those kings is the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah.
29:46
Well, we find out that Lot gets himself in trouble and Abraham,
29:50
his uncle, has to rescue him. But how did he get himself in
29:53
trouble? How did he get himself in the
29:55
middle of this mess? Genesis 1411 tells us, and verse
30:00
12 as well. So the enemy took all the
30:02
possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their
30:04
provisions and went their way. They also took Lot, the son of
30:08
Abraham's brother, who was dwelling in Sodom, and his
30:13
possessions and went their way. Oh, so he went from pitching his
30:19
tent as far as Sodom to now doing what?
30:22
Living in Sodom? He moved into the city because
30:28
he moved in, he was recognized as one of the citizens of Sodom.
30:32
So when they were conquered, he too was conquered.
30:36
It's a very dangerous thing to live in Satan's territory.
30:40
I've heard of scary stories of people who thought that they can
30:44
visit the domain of the evil one, thinking that they can
30:49
remain and come back unscathed. Sometimes you get scars that
30:53
you'll never recover from. God will forgive you, yes, but
30:56
those scars may remain So he's, he's ransacked, He's taken, and
31:03
then he's rescued. You would think you learned your
31:05
lesson, huh? You can't live in Sodom and
31:09
expect God's blessing. Oh, he doesn't learn his lesson.
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Go over to Genesis 19. Now look at the first verse.
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This is when the Lord had determined enough is enough.
31:24
It's time to judge Sodom and Gomorrah.
31:27
And he sends two of his angels. He dispatches them to
31:29
investigate, but more than that to answer Abraham's and
31:33
Abraham's intercession for his family.
31:34
There. Look at Genesis 19 verse one.
31:36
The two angels came to Sodom in the evening and Lot was sitting
31:40
in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to
31:45
meet them and bowed himself with his face to the earth.
31:47
Now be careful, this is more than just a coincidence, A
31:52
providential thing where you know, Lot happens to be at the
31:55
gate at the entrance. And as the angels walked in,
31:58
they crossed paths. And the story goes on.
32:01
No, no, no, no, no, no gates in ancient times, in biblical
32:07
times, where where laws were determined, where judicial
32:13
matters were settled, where civil cases were clarified,
32:17
where legal transactions were established.
32:21
And you would have elders at the gate, sitting at the gate
32:24
overseeing in terms of leadership.
32:28
So what does that say about Lot? Lot sitting in the gate means he
32:31
now becomes the leader or one of the leaders of Sodom.
32:35
Can you imagine this? He went from pitching his tent
32:38
as far as Sodom to dwelling in Sodom to now becoming one of the
32:41
leaders of Sodom. What a contrast between him and
32:48
Abraham. Here's Abraham constantly living
32:51
in in tents. And when he pitches his tent, he
32:54
builds an altar. When he comes to new place.
32:55
Oh, I'm going to, I'm going to elevate something here.
32:58
I'm going to erect this thing. I want to worship the Lord.
33:00
And what's happening to Lot? He's walking further and further
33:06
away from the Lord. He's becoming more and more
33:09
comfortable and established and embedded in a hedonistic flesh
33:15
satisfying God hating culture. Now here's the thing, if I was
33:20
just left with the book of Genesis, I would think there is
33:22
no way that Lot is saved. Then you read Peter and second
33:26
Peter and what do you find out? That the Bible by the Holy
33:28
Spirit calls this man righteous. Have you read that?
33:33
After I when I came to that passage for the first time, I
33:35
reread it over and over and over.
33:37
Is there a different definition of righteous that I'm not aware
33:39
of? Righteous, yes.
33:42
Righteous positionally. But Lot is a picture of a
33:44
worldly Christian who is not consecrated, who's not
33:51
comfortable living in tents. He's more comfortable living in
33:54
Sodom. Can I ask you something?
33:57
Which faith out of the two reflects yours?
34:01
Are you striving more and more to be like Abraham?
34:06
That you refuse to be shackled by the sins of this life, by the
34:11
attractions and the thrills of this life that want to keep you,
34:14
that want to drag you? And notice?
34:16
It's always a slippery slope, isn't it?
34:18
It's just peeking over from a distance and you get closer and
34:23
then you immerse yourself and then you find yourself
34:25
comfortable in the company of the wicked.
34:28
Do you find your, do you find your tent?
34:30
Do you find your faith becoming stronger in the area of
34:33
believing God, loving God, looking ahead?
34:36
Or do you find yourself month after month, year after year,
34:39
being accustomed and comfortable in this age and those who
34:45
represent it? Abraham, as one said, shared the
34:53
soil of Canaan, but not the soul of the Canaanites.
35:00
And that must be true of you and I.
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You know what's interesting? If you come back to Hebrews 11
35:05
verse 9, it doesn't just highlight how Abraham lived in
35:08
tents. Did you notice that?
35:09
Look again, by faith he went to live in the land of promise as
35:13
in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob.
35:18
We're talking about Abraham here, but the Holy Spirit wants
35:20
to also inform us that Abraham lived in tents, yes, but with
35:23
his son and his grandson. Now, why are we being told about
35:26
Isaac and Jacob? I think one thing that is
35:29
obvious is that we're told here that Isaac and Jacob followed in
35:34
the steps of Abraham in this regard, that they also were tent
35:37
dwellers. But remember, Abraham has the
35:41
spotlight at this point in Hebrews 11.
35:44
So this something, this says something more about Abraham
35:46
than it does Isaac and Jacob. What does it say about him what
35:52
God said about Abraham in Genesis 18?
35:55
Go there with me. This is before the Lord with the
35:58
2 angels. We're making their way towards
36:01
Sodom and Gomorrah. And the Lord asked if He should
36:07
reveal what He was planning to do to those cities, to Abraham.
36:10
But there's something in there that complements this truth.
36:14
Look at Genesis 18, verse 17. The Lord said, Shall I hide from
36:20
Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham shall surely
36:24
become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of
36:27
the earth shall be blessed in him.
36:29
Now pay attention to verse 19, for I have chosen him.
36:34
That's how the ESV renders it. For I have chosen him, that he
36:37
may command his children and his household after him to keep the
36:43
way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so
36:47
that the Lord may bring it to Abraham what he has promised
36:50
him. You see that first part of verse
36:52
19, the Hebrew word for chosen more accurately means to know.
36:59
So there are some translations that may be in the translation
37:01
that you're holding where the verse actually says, for I not
37:05
have chosen and for I know Him, for I know Him that He will
37:10
command his children and his household after him.
37:14
What a precious thing for God to say about any man or any woman.
37:18
I know that He will command his children.
37:22
I know that He will command his household.
37:24
I know that He will do this. I know that He will instruct
37:27
them. I know that he will lead them.
37:32
Does it not speak volumes of Abraham's faith?
37:35
It does. Here's what it teaches.
37:37
If faith actually makes us pilgrims in this world, it will
37:41
also shape the way we live in our homes.
37:45
How old was Abraham when he had Isaac?
37:47
According to the Bible, he was 100.
37:48
A hundred years old. That's an old dad, 100.
37:53
How old was he when he died? 100 and what, 75?
37:58
Abraham was 175 when he died, so how old would that made of?
38:02
Would that made of Isaac at the point of Abraham's death?
38:04
75 years old, right. How old was Isaac when he got
38:09
married 4040? Did he have children right away?
38:15
No. In that same chapter of Genesis
38:18
25, we learned that he was 60 when Jacob and Esau were born.
38:24
So how old would have Jacob been at the point of Abraham's death?
38:28
15 years old. So this this strongly suggests
38:32
something. They were all alive at the same
38:34
time. And even Jacob was old enough to
38:38
hear the stories of Abraham. Even Jacob was old enough to be
38:43
instructed by Abraham. Can you imagine it?
38:46
Abraham sitting there in his old age and Jacob is sitting on his
38:49
knee. Let me tell you what it means to
38:52
walk by faith. Let me tell you how we got.
38:54
Let me tell you why we're living in tents.
38:58
And there's Jacob listening. He didn't get it right away.
39:00
I mean, you read Jacob's live. He, he was a troublemaker to
39:03
start with. But all those seeds of faith,
39:07
they were not in vain, huh? They were not in vain.
39:09
So here's what that tells me. This man who was a he was a
39:11
Pilgrim. He was in exile, but he lived
39:15
like it at home. You know what's amazing about
39:18
Abraham? Was he wealthy or was he not
39:20
wealthy? He wasn't just wealthy.
39:21
It says he was very wealthy. But you know what Isaac saw in
39:27
his dad? Oh, he's living for something
39:30
else. He walks with God.
39:36
Jacob, his grandson, observed that.
39:39
That's why Hebrews is telling us is that he lived in tents with
39:42
Isaac and Jacob. It was his faith wasn't private,
39:45
it wasn't weekly. It was real.
39:50
It was real to the Canaanites who said, who's that tent
39:52
dweller? He has a lot of, he has a lot of
39:55
money, a lot of herd, a lot of cattle.
39:56
But why is he living in a tent? Because he's not living like
40:00
this world is his home. And here Isaac and Jacob in the
40:05
tent, that's the real deal. That's the real deal.
40:12
They had hiccups in their own faith.
40:14
And Isaac learned some bad things from his dad, as you
40:16
know. But Hebrews praises Abraham for
40:21
his consistency and his conviction.
40:24
He was a Pilgrim in this life and it shaped the way he lived
40:26
at home. May God help us do the same.
40:29
Yes, may our faith be generational, may be passed
40:34
down. May the greatest inheritance
40:35
that you leave your children and their children is a walk with
40:38
God. Amaze them with God.
40:42
Show them the beauty of the Bible.
40:43
Show them the beauty of a holy life.
40:44
Show them how how much of A joy it is to be a part of the local
40:47
church. It's a privilege not dragging
40:49
your feet. OK, we got to get to church.
40:51
We get to go to church, we get to go with God's people and sing
40:56
to the living Christ and hear from him.
41:01
Abraham, he lived in tents. He didn't live alone with Isaac
41:06
and Jacob. Which brings us to our final
41:08
point of what true faith produces.
41:12
True faith obeys, even if it doesn't know the results.
41:15
True faith makes us pilgrims in this world.
41:19
And lastly, true faith will cause you to anticipate the life
41:22
to come. Hebrews 11 verse 10 for he was
41:26
looking forward to the city that has foundations whose designer
41:32
and builder is God. So true faith will not only stir
41:36
you to be separate from this world.
41:38
It will also cause you to yearn for the world to come.
41:42
That's how you that's how you can check the pulse of your
41:43
faith. Where do things go downhill for
41:47
lot. Remember what we read.
41:49
He lifted up his eyes and he looked into the horizon of the
41:52
Jordan Valley and he saw that it was well watered.
41:54
He thought it was like the garden of the Lord.
41:56
It was like the land of Egypt. He lifted up his eyes.
41:59
It was his perspective, it was his evaluation.
42:05
And so while Lot is looking towards Sodom, which led his
42:08
heart towards Sodom, where is Abraham looking?
42:11
According to verse 10, he's looking to another city, and
42:16
this city clearly speaks about a heavenly city.
42:20
Who's the designer of it? God.
42:22
Oh, what a city that's going to be.
42:24
No mistakes, no issues, no problems, no matter what
42:28
direction you look. It's gorgeous, it's splendid.
42:31
It's a reflection of his nature and his character.
42:33
This is where Abraham is looking.
42:35
He was looking toward and forward to the city.
42:39
And so yes, this man lived in tents, but we learn how he was
42:43
able to abide, how he was able to remain, how he's able to
42:46
become steadfast living in tents because he was constantly
42:50
looking. The eyes of his heart were
42:53
yearning. And the word for looking here is
42:54
an intense gaze, like you're looking forward to your
42:58
anticipating it, not just like, you know, glances every Sunday
43:03
when you're reminded that there's an eternity.
43:04
No, he lived looking. He lived looking.
43:09
And here's what's amazing. He's wealthy, however, he
43:12
understood that there was something infinitely more
43:14
pleasurable, infinitely more lasting, infinitely more perfect
43:18
than whatever he had in his possession.
43:23
He held things with a very loose grip in this world because his
43:27
eyes were looking to the world to come.
43:30
One of the things that you learn about Abraham, by the way, the
43:32
more I study them, the more I. The Bible has hundreds of
43:36
references to this man. It's it's a call for us to
43:39
really dig deep into his story. And here's one of the things
43:43
that I discovered recently. He always looked ahead.
43:49
He always had a revelation of what's to come, even in ways
43:53
that you might not have considered.
43:56
Do you remember what Jesus said about Abraham and John 856 when
44:00
he's been confronted by the religious leaders about his
44:03
identity, his divine identity, He makes this point in John 8
44:07
verse 56. Your father Abraham rejoiced
44:10
that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.
44:18
We don't have time to look at where, where Abraham had that
44:22
revelation, but at some point in his life, God granted this man
44:26
insight about the person and work of Jesus Christ.
44:29
He perceived it clearly. He saw it, and Jesus affirms
44:32
that he saw it. And here's the part that moves
44:35
me the most. He saw it and was glad, which
44:41
teaches me that knowing certain things about the future and
44:45
believing them can impact your joy today.
44:49
So he had this perception not just of heaven, but of the
44:51
person of Christ. This man had the habit of
44:55
looking ahead and it stabilized him in the in the now.
45:00
He was able to live in tents. In this way.
45:04
Abraham constantly meditated. He constantly dreamed.
45:07
He constantly talked about, I'm sure with his son and his
45:09
grandson of this city to come. And if we want to imitate this
45:13
kind of faith that pleases God, listen very carefully.
45:16
I say this with love you and I have to look where He looks and
45:18
long for what He longs for. Do you know how I know that?
45:23
Go to Hebrews chapter 13. Look at verse 14 with me.
45:28
Hebrews 13, verse 14. The same author at the last
45:32
chapter of this book gives his final instructions to these
45:36
Hebrew Christians and notice what he says to them and to us.
45:39
Hebrews 1314 for we have no lasting city, but we seek the
45:44
city that is to come, not just Abraham.
45:47
We do you. Just a few final reflective
45:56
questions for us today. In these 3 verses we looked at 3
46:02
components of true faith, what it will produce, what it looks
46:04
like. So I want to ask you today, is
46:09
there something that God has been pressing you about a clear
46:12
command from His word that relates to a situation in your
46:15
life that you are trying to silence and suppress because you
46:20
have fear? Fear, fear of persecution, fear
46:22
of loneliness, fear of provision not being there.
46:28
You making any demands on God to know all the answers of your
46:32
obedience is not faith. And so if the Lord is calling
46:38
you to get up and leave, get up and walk in a different
46:40
direction. Oh, I, I charge it today.
46:43
Give him true faith, Abraham, like faith and believe him even
46:47
though you don't know where you're going necessarily, even
46:49
though I don't know where this is going to lead me, but I know
46:51
the one who called me. It's there in his word.
46:54
I will trust and obey. That's true faith.
46:59
Where do you find yourself inching closer and closer
47:02
towards Sodom instead of building an altar?
47:05
As you go on in this life, is your worship steady and
47:09
increasing, or do you find yourself drawn and magnetized
47:13
towards the things that grieve God's heart?
47:14
Here's one way you know the things that used to bother you.
47:19
You listen to it on whatever format, the language that they
47:23
use, the scenes that they project.
47:26
Nah, At one point you would recoil.
47:28
At one point you would look away.
47:29
Now you're like, that's it. Just keep watching.
47:35
You find your zeal for serving God, living for God, knowing
47:38
God, dwindling, Dwingling, and all these other passionate
47:41
things that are overtaking what once was so bright and strong.
47:45
And they're trivial things. They're carnal things,
47:48
borderline sinful things. You might be pitching your tent
47:53
closer and closer to Sodom, and if you're not careful, you might
47:55
be living there sometime soon. As the years go by, do you find
48:04
your heart excited and longing for that city to come?
48:12
Or is it becoming more and more dim because of all the other
48:14
things that are trying to get in the way and it clips your
48:16
vision? Ask God today to strengthen your
48:18
perception to live ahead. Abraham saw Christ's day and was
48:24
glad there is a day for us to meet Christ.
48:27
There is a revelation of Christ yet to come.
48:30
And the one who really has this kind of a faith thinks about it
48:33
and lives by it and strengthens it.
48:36
Use this message today to walk out of here with a stronger
48:39
faith for what's promised to you and I because of Christ.
48:45
Abraham, a model of enduring faith.
48:50
Let us follow him as he followed Christ.
48:53
Let's pray. Lord, we stand amazed at how you
49:17
can say so much in such a short passage of Scripture in the same
49:25
chapter. We know that faith pleases you,
49:28
so give us faith so that we could please you.
49:35
May you reveal yourself in Your glory in such a manner that it
49:39
would burn away all obstacles and hesitations to our faith.
49:46
May we not only be tent dwellers, but altar builders
49:50
that are. No matter what season of life
49:51
we're in, we will build our worship towards You and Lord.
50:00
We know that the secret ultimately to Abraham's enduring
50:03
faith was looking to the reward ahead, the world to come.
50:07
Lord, we pray that eternity would be more real to us than
50:11
this life, that the treasures and the promises of that world
50:16
to come would be more exciting than anything we inherit in this
50:18
world. Only You can help us strengthen
50:23
this perception that holds so much promise.
50:26
So Lord, today, no matter where we are, we ask for the same
50:30
thing. Give us faith.
50:32
And like Abraham, as we wait on You, help us trust in You.
50:36
Help us worship while we wait. Help every father, every mother
50:39
here bring their faith home. Model that faith before their
50:43
children. Help them be encouraged that
50:45
even Abraham was very imperfect and how he trusted you, and yet
50:49
You still honored him because his heart's desire was to do so.
50:53
So Lord, we just pray for every parent here that they would not
50:56
grow weary, they would not put into question what their faith
50:59
can do in their progeny, in their offspring.
51:05
Lord, we love you. We thank you for speaking so
51:07
clearly to our hearts. Now we speak to you in song and
51:09
rejoice for how you love us and how you speak to us and guide us
51:15
in our faith. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
51:19
I stand together. Let's worship the Lord.