Heaven’s Hero, Abraham, Part One
Abraham more so than any of Heaven’ s Heroes is recognised as a man of faith, an example to all who seek to trust God far the impossible, Abraham persevered through disagreement, doubt, disappointment and distraction continually trusting and depending in God, confident that God would bring to pass all that He had promised, The evidence of Abraham’s faith was simply his obedience to the call of God "TO GO AND TO LET GO".
FAITH & OBEDIENCE
Faith and obedience must always accompany each other in the living out of our Christian walk with God. Obedience is the natural outcome of faith in God, if there is no evidence of obedience there is probably no faith, Jesus said "by their fruit you will recognise them" the fruit Jesus said we should look for is obedience to the Father’s will.
Matthew 7:15-23
"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
"Not everyone who says to me, ’Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ’Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ’I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
The fruit of faith then is obedience, that is why Paul spoke of the obedience that comes from faith see Romans 1:5
Through him and for his name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.
Romans 16:26
but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him--
2 Cor. 9:13
Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.
Faith acknowledges God’s promises and His power to bring them to pass, obedience enables us to take the steps of faith that bring the fulfilment of God’s promises in our lives.
FAITH TO GO
Unlike Noah, who had clear directions from God on what to do Abraham was called by God to take a step into the unknown and un-experienced, to go into a new land with nothing more than God’s promise as his guarantee.
Abraham’s faith enabled him to respond spontaneously and to go out unconditionally because he believed that God was a God of His word.
A spontaneous unconditional response to God’s will is a quality of obedience that is sadly seldom found among God’s people. Few simply say as Peter said "because you say so Lord I’ll do it" Often people demand from God not just the commission but confirmation, a contract and of course it must be at their convenience.
God has commissioned His Church to go out and reach the lost with the Gospel, God commanded the Church to love one another, to do good unto one another, to be untied to one another and then God called His people to be holy as He is holy. There is no need to demand confirmation when God has already commissioned us in His word, we just need to go and do it, (however, we must always remember there are issues in life for which we do need to find God’s confirmation such as moving house, job, church....). However, there is no need for a contract between you and God, you do not need to say, "if you do this for me then I’ll do that for you" God is a God of His word.
’Our convenience’ very often is what stops us taking the opportunities that God sets before us, in other words we miss the moment because our lives are managed by the pressures and demands of this world. Abraham seized the opportunity to possess a land, gain an inheritance and have an heir by stepping out in faith taking God at His word, Abraham’s convenience was secondary to God’s call.
God gives opportunities to minister in the power of the Holy Spirit, to win the lost and spiritually build up the Church, God will bring the ’door of opportunity’ before us, we must therefore be prepared to enter that door, (Rev 3:8, lCor 16:9) we must be "ready in season and out of season to make the most of the opportunity" see
2 Tim. 4:2
Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction.
Col. 4:5
Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.
. If we don’t take the opportunities they will be taken from us, read what Jesus said at the end of the parable of the talents.
Matthew 25:27-30
Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
" ’Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
FAITH TO LET GO
’To go’ or take the opportunity when God calls often means making the sacrifice of ’letting go.’ Abraham let go of his family, home, culture, family inheritance and all that he was familiar with to live as a stranger in a foreign land. Abraham lived in tents because he was prepared to go when ever the opportunity or God’s call was set before him. God calls His people to let go of whatever or whoever holds them back and stops them taking the opportunities that He sets before them. God calls us to let go of the old and put on the new, the disciples left every thing to follow Jesus see
Matthew 19:27-29
Peter answered him, "We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?"
Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.
Luke 14:33
In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.
They left their old way of life to take up a new way, a new life, a new commandment, a new teaching (Jh 13:34, Jer 31:31, Mk 1:27, Heb 10:20).
God calls us to let go of lust 2Tim 2:22,
immorality lCor 6:18,
idolatry lCor 10:14,
evil lThess 5:22,
inequity 2Tim 2:19,
God even calls us to let go of friendship with a hot-tempered person Prov 22:24,
people who cause division Rom 16:17,
people who are idle 2Thess 3:6,
people who will not obey instruction 2Thess 3:14.
To let go of something or someone that may be close to you calls for a sacrifice, a cutting off, a leaving behind of the old. To let go of the old means you must by faith always look forward hoping, trusting, believing, depending, confident that God has some thing far greater in store than what you left behind. To look ahead means to never look back and long for the old ways, if we look longingly at our old ways we will not go forward in God and will soon turn back to the old, as Jesus said "No one who put, his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the service of the Kingdom" (Lk 9:57-62).
Abraham died without receiving the things promised yet Abraham was always looking forward to what God had promised He had in store for him. If we ever want to take a hold of what God has promised His church we must let go of whatever or who ever holds us back.
Remember three things come not back;
The arrow sent upon its track;
It will not swerve, it will not stay
Its speed, it flies to wound or slay.
The spoken word, so soon forgot
By thee; but it has perished not;
In other hearts tis living still
And doing works for good or ill.
And the lost opportunity
That cometh back no more to thee.
In vain thou weep’st, in vain dost yearn;
These three shall never more return
