Faithful Father Abraham

HFL

JAN. 31, 2010

HEBREWS 11;8-13, 17-19

8By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

11By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

17By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” 19Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.

WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT, ADAM, AND NOAH, NOW WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT ABRAHAM. WE USED TO SING THIS SONG, FATHER ABRAHAM, AND IT WAS A FUN LITTLE SONG TO SING, BUT WE PROBABLY REALLY MISSED THE POINT. THE POINT IS; WHEN WE TRACE OUR LINEAGE, ABRAHAM IS CALLED THE FATHER OF THE FAITHFUL.

WE HAVE BEEN IN THE BOOK OF GENESIS, BUT THESE FEW VERSES IN HEBREWS GIVE US A SNAPSHOT OF THE LIFE OF ABRAHAM. IN THIS SNAPSHOT WE SEE A GREAT PERSON OF FAITH.

THE FIRST STEP OF FAITH THAT WE SEE IN ABRAHAM’S LIFE WAS WHEN GOD TOLD HIM TO GO, HE WENT. TO REALLY SEE THIS, WE NEED TO LOOK AT GEN. 12; 1-3.

1The LORD had said to Abram “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.

2 “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you;

I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.

3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse;

and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

GOD HAD A PLAN FOR ABRAHAM, AND PART OF THAT PLAN

MEANT HE HAD TO LEAVE. IN THESE VERSES WE SEE THE

PROMISE GOD MADE TO ABRAHAM. THIS IS A COVENANT, AND

IT IS CONDITIONAL. IF ABRAHAM DOES NOT LEAVE, HE WILL

NOT GET THE BLESSING. GOD SAYS, I WILL MAKE YOU A

GREAT NATION, I WILL BLESS YOU. YOUR NAME WILL BE GREAT, YOU WILL BE A BLESSING. BLESS THOSE WHO BLESS YOU, AND CURSE THOSE WHO CURSE YOU. NOW CATCH THIS LAST PART, IT IS IMPORTANT, IN FACT OF ALL THE BLESSINGS IT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT. ALL PEOPLES WILL BE BLESSED THROUGH YOU. THAT IS ALL PEOPLE. NOT JUST JEWS.

LOOK AT THE VERY FIRST THING THAT THE NEW

TESTAMENT SAYS. MATT. 1:1, 2

1A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham: 2Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob,

SO, WHEN GOD SAID, A BLESSING TO ALL PEOPLE, HE MEANT THRU JESUS. IT WAS THRU THE LINE OF ABRAHAM THAT JESUS WOULD COME. THIS IS OUR BLESSING THRU ABRAHAM, AND WHY WE ARE CALLED THE CHILDREN OF ABRAHAM.

I WANT TO TALK JUST FOR A MINUTE ON THIS LEAVING. ABRAHAM WAS WELL ESTABLISHED, HE WAS SUCCESSFUL, HIS FAMILY WAS ALL HERE, BUT GOD SAYS, GO. IF GOD TOLD YOU TO GO TODAY, COULD YOU DO IT? I ONCE WAS TOLD; YOU NEED TO BE L AND M. I SAID WHAT IS L AND M? HIS REPLY, LIQUID AND MOBILE. I DON’T KNOW IF ABRAHAM WAS L &M, BUT HE WAS OBEDIENT. GOD SAID GO, AND HE WENT. HE WENT TO A LAND THAT HE KNEW NOTHING ABOUT, BUT IT WAS THE PROMISED LAND. THE LAND OF ISRAEL, THE HOME OF JESUS. ABRAHAM WAS FAITHFUL AND OBEDIENT IN LETTING GOD LEAD HIM. THE SECOND AREA THAT ABRAHAM WAS FAITHFUL IN WAS THAT OF BECOMING A FATHER.

ABRAHAM WAS PAST THE AGE. THERE COMES A TIME IN LIFE WHEN YOU STOP HAVING BABIES. FOR ME IT WAS AT 41. NOW CAMERON TELLS ME, KIDS AT SCHOOL ASK, IS THAT YOUR GRANDFATHER. I DON’T KNOW WHAT THAT MAGICAL AGE IS, BUT GOD PROMISED ABRAHAM CHILDREN. GEN.15:5

5He took him outside and said, “Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” ABRAHAM WAS GOING TO HAVE HIS QUIVER FULL.