We learned last week from Hebrews 11:1 that "Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."
Last Sunday we talked about how difficult a life of faith can be because we continually try to take back control of our life.
When we talk about Faith…the question we are normally trying to answer is "CAN I TRUST GOD?" But this morning I want to ask an even more difficult question, "CAN GOD TRUST YOU?"
This morning we’re moving on to Hebrews 11:8-10, and over the next two Sundays we’ll dive into the story of Abraham and see How God used him in an extraordinary way when He chose to Follow God in faith.
Hebrews 11:8-10 - By 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.
LET’S PRAY AS WE MOVE FORWARD...
I’ve entitled this morning’s message "When God Says Go" based on the 8th verse of Hebrews 11. "By 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."
What does verse 8 tell us about Abraham’s story:
1. God Called Abraham to a place he had not yet seen
2. Abraham Obeyed by Faith
This morning, God is calling you to GO in some area of your life. It might be to do something helpful for a neighbor, it might be to be an encouragement to a co-worker, it might be to begin a ministry that you don’t really feel qualified for. God might even be calling you to go across the world to share the Gospel with those who have never heard.
Here’s the truth about Faith:
1. God sees things that you don’t see, and knows things you don’t know.
2. God has a plan for your life that is WAY beyond what you can imagine.
3. God doesn’t care about your qualifications, he cares about your heart.
Turn in your Bibles to Genesis Chapter 12.
Genesis 12:1 - The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. and I will bless you;
Leave Your Country and Father’s People - He didn’t really obey that. He left his country, but he took his people with him. In fact, most people believe that it was this very thing that caused Abram to delay. I don’t even think it’s a concidence that God does not make his covenant with Abraham until AFTER he and Lot separate in chapter 13.
God didn’t have anything personally against Abram’s family, but he had a plan for Abram and Sarah, and God knew that his family could hold him back…and in fact they did.
Here’s why that command was so important: The first 11 chapters of Genesis are story after story of people’s disobedience to God. And Abraham was living in a city called UR. (Actually Abraham and I have something in common, He’s from UR and I’m from GRUR). Inside the city of UR was a temple dedicated to Nannar the Moon God. It was a pagan city and in reality it was a pagan world.
God had a plan for a future for Abraham, but it would require his full obedience.
Go Where I’m Taking You. - "To a Land that I will Show You"
Now this is where me and God would have had to have a little talk. :) God…you want me to leave everything I’ve ever known. You want me to follow you to WHERE? To a land that you will Show me? I’m sorry God, but that’s just not good enough. I’m a planner, I want to know where we’re going. I want to get on hotels.com and find a nice place to stay once we get there. Otherwise God, do you realize that we’ll have to stay at some brokendown campground! You can’t just show up in a strange city without a reservation!
Look back at verse 9 of Hebrews 11 to see what God thought about that: "By 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."
Abraham obeyed. Do you have the kind of faith that moves you to say: "Wherever I am, No matter what I must sacrifice, As long as God is Here with me, He’s all I need!"
ILL - Eric Liddel was the subject of the movie "Chariots of Fire". Even before the 1924 Olympics in Paris, Liddel was committed to leaving as a missionary to China, but stayed back in order to compete in the Olympics. The movie shows his sister Jenny as she tries to pursuade him to give up his olympic dreams for the "Greater Good" of mission work. Eric’s response was "God has made me fast, and called me to run". His famous stand came as he forfeited his chance to win a metal in the 200 meter dash because the final race was set for Sunday, and he felt convicted that God didn’t want him to race on Sunday. That morning, as the starter pistols fired for the race he was favored to win, he was preaching in a Paris church.
That gives you a little glimpse into his character, but what most people don’t know is that Liddel went on to China and as he worked with children in a Japanese concentration camp, no one knew of his olympic success, only that he came with the heart of a servant. He was apponted Math teacher, and led a sports program for children. He awoke early every morning to study his Bible, and he was a shining light in a very dark place. Liddel died at the age of 43 of a Brain tumor. His last words to the nurse as she held his hand was "It’s complete Surrender"
You don’t have to be famous or skilled or perfect to be used by God…only willing and obedient. "It’s Complete Surrender"
The next VERSEs give us a little more insight into what God had in store for Abraham.
Genesis 12:2-3 - "I will make you into a great nation 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 tells Abraham, "I’m gonna make you famous" I’m going to make your name great. You are going to be a blessing. And I’m going to not only bless you, but I’ll bless all who bless you"
The key here is that this would have nothing to do with Abraham’s effort, It wouldn’t be about his intellegence or his wit, his good looks, or his charm. God said "I WILL make your name great"
Just one chapter before, the people decided that they would do something great to make themselves famous. And God punished them for this kind of thinking...
Genesis 11:4 - Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth."
Do you see the difference? The people said "Let’s make a name for ourselves". God said "I will make your name great"
Psalm 127:1 - Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.
It doesn’t matter if it’s a career or a family, or some other goal you have in life, if God is not in the Center of it, you’ll find yourself at the end of a long road with nothing to show for the journey.
God told Abraham, to Leave his country and his father’s people, go to a land that he would show him, and he promised his blessing along with his presence. Abraham could have ignored God, but what if he had? It was through Abraham that he would make a reality of the Jewish People, from which would come the Messiah, from whom we would receive salvation. It was a huge vision and it required from Abraham…Complete Surrender.
Genesis 12:4-8 - So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran. 5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there. 6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 The LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him. 8 From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD.
So Abraham obeyed and God made promise after promise…all promises he would keep. He says “To your offspring I will give this land”
Remember we said that Faith is the “substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen”. This one little line about Abraham’s offspring posed another faith issue, because Abraham and Sarah had no children. And Sarah could have no children!
We’ll learn about that next week…
But I think the more important thing for us to see this morning is in verses 7 and 8. “So he Built an ALTAR” (vs. 7)…”There he built and altar” (vs. 8)
It is so significant that with only one exception, EVERY PLACE Abram pitched his Tent, he Built and Altar…because it was His way of saying, “God, I’m completely surrendered to you. You can trust me. Where are we going today?”
Maybe your altar is at the kitchen table in the morning before anyone else gets up. Maybe your altar is in your vehicle during your lunch break. Maybe your altar is a family altar at a bedside where you go each night and talk to God. YOU WILL NOT HEAR FROM GOD IF YOU DON’T BUILD AN ALTAR IN YOUR LIFE AND SAY “God, I’m completely surrendered to you. You can trust me. Where are we going today?”
Genesis 15:1 - After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward. [b] "
