Heroes Of The Bible: Abraham Series

Heroes of the Bible: Abraham

Scott Bayles, pastor

Blooming Grove Christian Church: 7/18/2021

NOTE: This sermon was adapted from my book, Holy Heroes of the Bible. If it's a blessing to you, please consider buying my book which includes chapters/sermons on 17 additional Bible heroes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09SBNJTSZ

If you weren’t here last Sunday, we started a brand-new series on the Heroes of the Bible. From Hercules to Robin Hood to the Lone Ranger, history’s greatest stories and legends are a roll call of heroes. And no one does heroes better than comicbooks. For nearly a century, comicbook heroes like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Iron Man and Spider-man have captivated comicbook fans, and for the last two decades they’ve dominated the box-office, becoming some of the highest-grossing movies of all time. I think the unparalleled popularity of superheroes all around the globe reveals a spiritual hunger for heroes that’s woven into the fabric of the human heart as though God built us with a persistent longing for a hero who will save us and keep us safe.

The only drawback when it comes to superheroes is—they aren’t real. As real people with real hardships and hurdles, we need real heroes to inspire and encourage us, to model true heroism from a biblical perspective.

Lucky for us, the Bible is full of heroes—mighty men and women of God like Moses, David, Ruth, and others. Through their heroism, we can find the inspiration we need to follow in their footsteps and become holy heroes ourselves.

Last Sunday, we kicked off this series with the story of Noah.

Despite living in a corrupt and cruel world, Noah remained committed to the Lord. He walked in close fellowship with God and carefully carried out all God’s commands. Noah became a hero by being different, diligent, and devoted to God.

The next hero in our lineup is a true hero of faith—Abraham.

Chosen by God to become the spiritual and physical father of a whole new nation, Abraham’s place in Hebrew history is completely unrivaled. In the New Testament, Paul appeals to Abraham as the preeminent example in his authoritative argument for justification by faith apart from works (Romans 4). Similarly, James, the brother of Jesus, points to Abraham as verification that faith without action is useless (James 2). Abraham, in other words, is the quintessential example of faith in action.

Abraham’s sprawling story, recorded in Genesis 12-25, takes many twists and turns, so it would be impossible to touch on every aspect of his faith journey. Still, I’d like to highlight three qualities of Abraham’s faith that made him a hero of faith.

First, Abraham became a hero because he possessed a prompt faith!

• A PROMPT FAITH

Prompt means “ready in action; quick to act as occasion demands,” which is an excellent description of Abraham and his faith in God. His story begins with these words:

The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:1-3 NLT)

Abraham, who was known as Abram at this point in his life, came from the ancient Mesopotamian city of Ur. The ancient Mesopotamians worshiped a panoply of false gods, as did Abram and his family (see Joshua 24:2). So, when God told Abram to leave his home and travel to a far-off land, where God would make him into a great nation, Abram probably had a lot of questions.

Who is this God telling me to leave my country?

What about the other gods my family worships? Are they real too?

Where is this land? How far away is it?

To become a great nation, I need children. But how can that happen when I’m already 75 years old and my wife and I don’t have any kids?

Abram had countless reasons to say no to God. But instead, he promptly said yes. The very next verse says, “So Abram departed as the Lord had instructed” (Genesis 12:4 NLT). Rather than hesitate or hold back, Abram was ready and willing to answer God’s call to action and adventure. How could Abram just drop everything and promptly pursue God’s calling like that? Faith. The Bible later explains, “It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home” (Hebrews 11:8 NLT). Abram had no idea who this God was or what the future would hold. But he heard God’s call and promptly stepped out on faith.

In many ways, we’re not that different from Abram. Like Abram, you have been called by God. It’s probably not a calling to pack up all your belongings and travel a thousand dry, dusty miles on a camel, but it’s a calling from God nonetheless.