Does reading Hebrews 11 (especially vv.8-12,17-19) make you feel: Uncomfortable? Unworthy? When you read of these great men and women of incredibly obedient.

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Presentation transcript:

Does reading Hebrews 11 (especially vv.8-12,17-19) make you feel: Uncomfortable? Unworthy? When you read of these great men and women of incredibly obedient faith, does it make you feel like a spiritual failure? Me too! DEVELOPING ABRAHAM’S UNWAVERING AND STRONG FAITH

LET’S START BY READING ROMANS 4: Did that make you feel any better? Me either! After all, here’s a man who, by faith, listened to and obeyed God by: Leaving his homeland, Moving some 1500 miles to a place he had never seen (or perhaps even heard of), To live a nomadic existence, Wait 25 years for a child God promised, and Then be willing to kill him when God said to do so! Feel better yet? Yeah I know, it didn’t help me either!

BUT LOOK CLOSER AT ROMANS 4:20…. Abraham’s faith was indeed amazingly unwavering (“staggered not” KJV) and strong, but exactly when did it become so? Rom.4:20 does not describe Abraham’s faith with these terms until the conception of Isaac! Now, here’s the first question we need to consider to correctly understand Abraham’s unwavering and strong faith: What has Abraham’s faith been like prior to this point? To answer this question, we’re going to have to dig into Abraham’s past (prior to Isaac’s conception) a little!

LET’S BEGIN WITH GOD’S ORIGINAL CALL OF ABRAM…. Which is not recorded in Gen.12:1-3. Gen.12:4 connects this call of Abram to Haran; but it was not God’s first command for him. Acts 7:2 plainly says that God appeared to him “when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran…” Gen.15:7 and Neh.9:7 further confirm this. So? How unwavering and obedient was Abram’s faith to this original call? “Well, he left Ur, didn’t he?” Yes, but what else did he do? Did he obey all that God told him to do in this initial command?

LET’S BEGIN WITH GOD’S ORIGINAL CALL OF ABRAM…. Look again at Acts 7:3 and consider a few questions: From whom did God tell Abram to depart? So why does Gen.11:31 say Terah and Lot were in Haran with Abram? (see also Josh.24:2) Also from Acts 7:3, where did God tell Abram to go? So why does Gen.11:31b say he “settled” in Haran? Was Haran the “promised” land? “Well, he left Ur, didn’t he?” Yes, but his faith at this point was evidently still far from being unwavering and strong, cf. Matt.10:34-35.

LET’S ALSO CONSIDER ABRAM’S SOJOURN IN HARAN… Haran was obviously not the land God promised to show him. So, why did Abram stop there? Back to Gen.11:31-32 for the answer. Although God called Abram, Terah is apparently still running the show for him, Gen.11:31a; And evidently continued to do so until he died, Gen.11:32  12:4-5. “Well, he had take care of his father (and family), didn’t he?” From whom was Abram supposed to depart? Acts 7:3 and Josh.24:2 Abram’s faith at this point was evidently still far from being unwavering and strong, cf. Matt.8:21-22.

“BUT WHAT ABOUT AFTER HE GOT TO CANAAN- HIS FAITH WAS UNWAVERING & STRONG THEN, RIGHT?” Well, not exactly- let’s look at Gen.12:1-9. So far, so good, but also see Gen.12:10-20…. Did Abram’s faith allow him to fully trust God yet? God had promised to make him a great nation and bless those who blessed him and curse those who cursed him, 12:2-3. So why is Abram fearful for his life, 12:11-12??? “Isn’t it only natural to be afraid and do whatever necessary to protect yourself?” Not when you’re a man of unwavering faith/trust in God and His word! Gen.12:2-3  Rom.8:28-31 Abram’s faith at this point was evidently still far from being unwavering and strong, cf. Matt.10:28-31.

“WHAT ABOUT AFTER EGYPT- HIS FAITH WAS UNWAVERING & STRONG THEN, RIGHT?” Well, not exactly- he still has a problem, Gen.13,14. God had told Abram to leave his family, Acts 7:3a; But he still has Lot, and all the problems associated with him. So, They separate….

Abram settles in Hebron, 13:18 Lot chooses the well-watered Valley of Siddim, 12:12-13 Or perhaps here, near Zoar, 12:10-11

“WHAT ABOUT AFTER EGYPT- HIS FAITH WAS UNWAVERING & STRONG THEN, RIGHT?” Well, not exactly- he still has a problem, Gen.13,14. God had told Abram to leave his family, Acts 7:3a; But he still has Lot, and all the problems associated with him. So, They separate, Gen.13. Then Abram has to go all the way up past Damascus to rescue Lot from Chedorlaomer and his allies (see Gen.14:14-15)….

Abram’s lived at Mamre, 14:13 But went all the way up past Damascus to rescue Lot, 14:14- 16!

“WHAT ABOUT AFTER EGYPT- HIS FAITH WAS UNWAVERING & STRONG THEN, RIGHT?” Well, not exactly- he still has a problem, Gen.13,14. God had told Abram to leave his family, Acts 7:3a; But he still has Lot, and all the problems associated with him. So, They separate, Gen.13. Then Abram has to go all the way up past Damascus to rescue Lot from Chedorlaomer and his allies! While these things do not impugn Abram’s faith, It does highlight the difficulties he faced that arose from his weak faith in not obeying God and separating from his family! Heb.12:3-11 Abram’s faith at this point was evidently still far from being unwavering and strong.

“WHAT ABOUT AFTER LOT’S RESCUE- SURELY HIS FAITH BECAME STRONG AND UNWAVERING, RIGHT?” Well, not exactly- though God did reassure him, Gen.15:1. God had told Abram he would become “a great nation” Gen.12:2, but he and Sarai are still childless, cf. Gen.11:30; And Abram is getting impatient, so… He offers to help God out (after all, nearly ten years has passed since he left Haran), Gen.15:2-3. Obviously, Eliezer was not God’s intention or plan, Gen.15:4-7. “Well, he had been waiting nearly ten years!” But in that nearly ten-year span, God had constantly blessed and protected him despite his weak faith, and yet Abram still doesn’t completely believe! Gen.15:8  vv Abram’s faith at this point was evidently still far from being unwavering and strong, cf. Acts 16:31.

“OK, BUT AFTER GOD RENEWED THE PROMISES WITH A VISION, HIS FAITH BECAME UNWAVERING, RIGHT?” Well, not exactly….though God had clearly spoken to Abram, He was still listening more to his wife instead, Gen.16:1-2. So, ten years after Abram left Haran, his faith was still not sufficiently strong to listen to, believe, obey, and wait for God, Gen.16:3. As usual, impatience with God has consequences, Gen.16: But, Ishmael was not God’s intention or plan, Gen.16: “Well, God wasn’t doing anything.” Not true! God was waiting for Abram’s faith to become strong and unwavering enough to trust and obey. Gen.15:16  17:1-2 Abram’s faith finally matured, Gen.17:3, and now God could fulfill His promises to him… well almost, 17:15-18!

“OK, SO NOW HE’S FINALLY THERE, STRONG AND UNWAVERING FAITH, RIGHT?” Well, not exactly….one more moment of weakness first. Despite the again renewed covenant, Gen.17:1-14; despite the specific promise of next year, Gen.17:21; despite Abraham’s obedience to God’s command of circumcision, Gen.17:23-27; and even despite over 25 years of patience and provision by God, Gen.12:4  Gen.17:1…. Abraham’s faith is still weak and wavering enough for him to repeat the same lie about Sarah he told 20+ years earlier! cf. Gen.12:10ff & Gen.20:1-16! And as an additional dose of “humble pie,” Abraham had to pray for Abimelech, whose sin he had caused by lying to him in the first place, Gen.20: “He was just afraid for his life- that’s why he lied.” Really? After over 25 years of God promising, prospering, and protecting him? Yep, that’s right! But this seems to be the final faltering step of Abraham’s faith, Gen.21:1-5 > Rom.4:18-21,22!

NOW, ALL OF THIS HASN’T BEEN TO BASH OR RIDICULE AN ICON OF FAITH…. It has been to show that Abraham’s unwavering and strong faith that allowed him to father a child at 100, and then be willing to kill him several years later (cf. Gen.22:1ff and Heb.11:17-19): Didn’t happen overnight when God called him in Ur of the Chaldeans; Took over 25 years of God’s promises, provisions, and patience to develop; and Included a lot of mistakes and missteps on Abraham’s part to mature into being strong and unwavering! So….

WHAT SHOULD WE LEARN FROM ALL OF THIS? 1.Unwavering and strong faith doesn’t come with our initial obedience to God in baptism- it must have time to grow, make mistakes, and mature. 2.Unwavering and strong faith can be matured even from a weak and faltering faith if we never “give up” on God, or ourselves, and quit- if we are always willing to get up and try again. 3.Unwavering and strong faith can be achieved if we are patient with God for Him to do in His time what He has promised. 4.Hope remains for folks like you and me to have an unwavering and strong faith like Abraham (and those other men and women of great faith in Heb.11)! Now, are you willing to patiently wait, diligently work, and try again and again to develop unwavering and strong faith like Abraham’s?