Title: The Journey of Faith
Text: Genesis 12, 15 and 22
Thesis: Faith in God pleases God and results in God’s blessing.
Series: The Bible in 90 Days Whole Church Challenge
We are beginning our The Bible in 90 Days Whole Church Challenge Series this morning. Those who have been doing the daily readings have completed the reading for the first week which took us from Genesis 1:1 through Exodus 40:38. In 90 days we will have read through the bible and experienced something of the scope of God’s eternal plan… a plan that chose us in Christ before the creation of the world. A plan that mercifully and graciously loves us and redeems us from sin and death. And a plan culminates with the realization of our hope of eternal life. We will have read cover to cover from Genesis 1 through Revelation 22.
This week we read some interesting and sometimes shocking stories of the people of God who lived their own journeys of faith. They are stories of God’s goodness and grace as well as stories of God’s righteousness and wrath. They are ultimately stories of how God wants his people to follow him completely and of his blessing when they do.
We are also part of God’s story and as we find ourselves a bit further along the time line or storyline, if you will, we can identify with what it means to be on our own journey of faith… a journey that will ultimately lead us to the bliss of eternal life and heaven. But as you know, though a journey may look like a straight line on a map, the journey of life is anything but direct.
When I get on an elevator and punch the button for the 4th floor I rarely get a direct flight. Sometimes I end up going down before I go up. Sometimes it stops on every floor prolonging my journey. Sometimes I get off on the wrong floor and have to get back on the elevator and recalculate my destination.
An elevator ride is like any other journey… it is supposed to be simple and straight forward but life isn’t like that. There are risks that cause us to fear, unpredictable situations that make us worry and failed expectations that compel us to dig deeper into the well of faith.
Introduction
The bible defines faith like this: Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1
Early in our reading this week, we happened upon the story of Noah… another story of a man who was challenged to embark on a journey of faith. As you watch this clip from Evan Almighty you will begin to get a feel for what it meant for one man to follow God completely in our contemporary culture.
Show Evan Almighty Clip – http://wingclips.com/cart.php?target=product&product id=16289 (underlined)
In our bible reading this week we also read about Abram and of how God asked him to embark on a different kind of faith journey. Perhaps the lessons we can lift from his story will be helpful to us as we find ourselves living outside of our comfort zones… when we are in uncertain territory where the sun does not shine, we do not feel love and God is silent. When we are challenged as was one who journeyed with God through Nazi Germany, wrote on a wall: “I believe in the sun, even when it is not shining. I believe in love, even when I don’t feel it. I believe in God, even when he is silent.”
This morning we will learn three lessons about faith. The first lesson we learn is that:
I. Fear needs security. Faith takes risks. Genesis 12:1-3
(Verse 1) The Lord 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 of the earth will be blessed through you.” Genesis 12:1-3
In a talk given in 2000 Billy Graham said, "I’m reminded today of Albert Einstein, the great physicist who this month has been honored by Time magazine as the Man of the Century. Einstein was once traveling from Princeton on a train when the conductor came down the aisle, punching the tickets of each passenger. When he came to Einstein, Einstein reached in his vest pocket. He couldn’t find his ticket, so he reached in his other pocket. It wasn’t there, so he looked in his briefcase but couldn’t find it. Then he looked in the seat by him. He couldn’t find it. The conductor said, ’Dr. Einstein, I know who you are. We all know who you are. I’m sure you bought a ticket. Don’t worry about it.’ Einstein nodded appreciatively.
"The conductor continued down the aisle punching tickets. As he was ready to move to the next car, he turned around and saw the great physicist down on his hands and knees looking under his seat for his ticket. The conductor rushed back and said, ’Dr. Einstein, Dr. Einstein, don’t worry. I know who you are. No problem. You don’t need a ticket.
I’m sure you bought one.’ Einstein looked at him and said, ’Young man, I too know who I am. What I don’t know is where I’m going.’" (John Huffman, "Who Are You, and Where Are You Going?" Preaching Conference 2002)
In our first story today Abraham was in a predicament similar to that of Albert Einstein. He knew who he was but he had no idea where he was going.
Most of us rather like the idea of feeling secure. We like to feel financially secure. We like to feel secure in or out of our relationships. We like job security. We like the securities of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. We like the security of rhythms and routines. We like the security of being young and healthy. We like the security of the hope of heaven and eternal life.
However… despite our great love for security, much of life is lived at risk and we can either live in fear of losing our security or by faith in and through the risks. Faith gives us the courage to live with risk and to take risks.
The movie Pearl Harbor tells of the events leading up to and immediately following the Japanese attack on the U.S. on December 7, 1941. The film follows the fictional lives of two fighter pilots, Raph and Danny, who have been inseparable friends since childhood and are stationed at the same base in Hawaii.
Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Raph and Danny are called into Colonel Jimmy Doolittle’s office. They had succeeded in downing seven Japanese planes. Colonel Doolittle stands behind his desk and addresses the pilots. "You’ve both been awarded the silver star. You’re just about the only pilots with combat experience. I need you for a mission I’ve been ordered to put together. Do you know what ’top secret’ is?" he asks.
Raph responds with a wry smile. "Yes, sir! It’s the kind of mission when you get medals, but they send them to your relatives."
Ignoring the remark, Doolittle continues, "Top secret means you train for something never done before in aviation history—and you go without knowing where you’re going. You do it on that basis or not at all."
Doolitttle’s Raid took place on April 18, 1942 and proved that Japan was vulnerable to Allied air attack.
In many ways, God recruits us to follow him in the same way that Doolittle recruited these pilots for that mission. God trains us in ways unique to us to fulfill unique purposes, and we know little or nothing about where we are going. We go on that basis, or we don’t go at all. (Pearl Harbor (Touchstone, 2001), rated PG-13, written by Randall Wallace, directed by Michael Bay; submitted by Greg Asimakoupoulos, Naperville, Illinois to PreachingToday.com)
If Abram could not or would not have been willing to go, he would have missed the blessing God had intended for him, his family and for us. But he did trust God and we are blessed through Christ because of him.
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… he lived in tents as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations whose architect and builder is God. Hebrews 11:8-10
Application: Whatever your place or point of insecurity today, God made a promise in scripture that transcends time and culture. God’s promise is as assuring today as it was on the day it was first given. And this is God’s promise to you: Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:8
• The first lesson is: Fear wants security. Faith takes risks.
The second lesson we learn about faith is that:
II. Worry wants predictability. Faith loves hope. Genesis 15:1-6
(Verse 2) But Abram said, “O Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” (4) Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man is not your son, but a son coming from your body will be your heir.” (5) He took him outside and said, “Look up at the heavens and count the stars… so shall your offspring be.” (6) Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. Genesis 15:1-6
We like predictability. We like knowing how things are going to turn out. And when we do not know how things are going to turn out, we are in a knot.
I’m in a fantasy football league with our son-in-law and our son and some of their friends. I did all of my homework and prepared my fantasy draft – compiling my top choices in QBs, RBs, TEs and WRs. I drafted my top choices in NFL Defenses. On the 30th we had our draft. True to my luck, my fantasy team does not look much like the fantasy team I envisioned. I ended up with Matt Cassel as my QB. Matt Cassel has a knee injury and will not likely start the season opener. The fantasy football people are telling me I need to be lining up a replacement. Darren McFadden is my primary RB and I think he has dropped every pass in preseason play. My other RB is averaging 2.1 yards per carry in preseason play. If I am in this kind of knot over fantasy football… I can’t imagine what Coach Josh McDaniels and Broncos owner Pat Bowlen are feeling.
I actually enjoy watching a game when I know the outcome. If I know the Broncos or the Packers or the Bears or the Vikings won big and there are tons of big plays, I enjoy sitting down and watching the game rerun. I can just relax enjoy the game as it predictably unfolds.
It is when life gets unpredictable that we neither relax nor stave off worrying. Abram’s life was not at all predictable.
The first test of Abram was in regard place… where it was he was to live. Keep in mind, Abram was seventy-five years old when he “pulled up stakes” and moved away.
The second test of Abram was in regard to people and the promise of a family. Remembering that Abram was seventy-five years old when he was led to risk his security of place, he was also seventy-five years old when learned he was to become a father. But, the promised son, Isaac, would not be born until Abram was one-hundred years old.
Abram and Sarah had no children. They had the promise but no family. Their lives were characterized by years and years of infertility. Any couple who has jumped through the hoops in hopes of having a family and cannot, knows how disappointing that wait can be.
When life is not going as predictably as we think it should, we tend to worry. When we have hopes and dreams and expectations and that aren’t happening… we worry. And sometimes if we are disappointed long enough we give up hope.
I think that is where Abram was in our story. In our story Abram reminds God that he still does not have an heir and that given that fact, he was willing his estate to his servant, Eliezer. Abram can’t see as far into the future as God wants him to see and it is hard to hope for what cannot be seen.
According to our nation’s Bureau of Standards, a dense fog covering seven city blocks to a depth of a hundred feet contains less than one glass of water. All of that fog, if it could be condensed into water, wouldn’t quite fill a drinking glass.
Compare this to the unpredictable things we often worry about. Like fog our worries can thoroughly block our vision of the light of God’s promises, but the fact is, they have little substance to them. (Brian Heckber, Southeast Christian Church, PreachingToday.com)
Abram was being asked to see the clear blue sky and the promise of God beyond the immediate fog of unpredictability that was clouding his faith and hope. And despite some wrinkles in the story, he saw through the fog and found faith in the promise of God for an heir.
By 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 made the promise… Hebrews 11:11-12
Application: Whatever your point of unpredictability today, God assures us that though we cannot see through the fog – he can. God assures us that it is going to be okay. In Ecclesiastes we are reminded that God makes everything happen at the right time. Jesus instructed, “Do not worry about tomorrow… God knows what you need.
When I am about to officiate a wedding we generally plan a rehearsal the evening before the ceremony. When we go through the rehearsal I always say this to the couple and the wedding party. “If you don’t know what to do, don’t do anything!” Essentially I am saying “don’t do anything, just stand there” which is totally contrary the “don’t just stand there, do something” we tell people in a crisis.
When you are in a fog of unpredictability, God’s counsel to you is this: Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret. [Rather, have faith.] Psalm 37:7
• The first lesson is: Fear wants security. Faith takes risks.
• The second lesson is: Worry wants predictability. Faith loves hope.
The third lesson this morning is:
III. Self-reliance holds on tight. Faith lets go. Genesis 22:1-14
(Verses 1-2) Some time later God tested Abraham. He said, “Abraham, take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on the mountain I will tell you about.” (3) Early the next morning Abraham got up and took two servants and his son Isaac. When he had enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place…” Genesis 22:1-14
The first test of Abram was in regard place… where it was he was to live. God had asked Abram to part with his past and move away.
The second test of Abram was in regard to the promise of a family. God had asked Abram to be patient and hope for a son despite the fog of unpredictability.
The third test to Abram was in regard to possessing the promise when it was fulfilled. God had given him his son and how God was asking him to give up his son.
We tend to want to hold on tight to what we have… we do not readily give up the things that are dear to our hearts. At one point Abram seemed to be fairly detached from the promise of God and willing to just let his servant inherit his estate. But now he had an heir in his son Isaac. He was in full possession of everything he had ever hoped for and now God was asking him to let the promise go.
It seems to me to be a terrible test that God asked of Abram. I can’t really conceive of it and neither could Abram. It seems that down deep in his heart, he knew that the God who had given and kept his promise, would not be so cruel as to take it away.
By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice… Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking , he did receive Isaac back from death. Hebrews 11:17-19
But sometimes we find ourselves in those horrible circumstances when we have no choice but to let whatever it is we are holding onto go – trusting God for whatever the outcome.
In December of 2005, Foxe’s apartment building in the Bronx caught on fire. With flames quickly engulfing her third floor bedroom, she was forced to contemplate the unthinkable. Outside, a group of onlookers had gathered some 30 feet below her open window, and they watched with growing concern as smoke billowed around the mother and her 1-month-old child. With no fresh air in the apartment, Tracinda leaned out the window with her baby.
Finally, with all other options exhausted, Tracinda let go. The infant tumbled three stories down into the waiting arms of Felix Vazquez, a Housing Authority employee and catcher on a local baseball team. A former lifeguard, Vazquez performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on the baby until paramedics arrived, which saved it’s life.
Moments later, Tracinda was rescued from her apartment by firefighters, and was reunited with her child. Neither was seriously injured. Asked later about the painful decision to drop her baby from the window, Tracinda said: "I prayed that someone would catch him and save his life…. I said, ’God, please save my son.’" (Catherine Donaldson-Evans, "The Good News of 2005," Foxnews.com, 12-30-05, PreachingToday.com)
Application: One of the things I never liked about school was the dreaded “pop-quiz.” The whole idea of a pop-quiz is to see how well prepared you are for the finals. What is your pop-quiz today? What is it you are afraid of losing or giving up. What is it that you need to let go and let God take care of it?
Whatever it is, God has made you a couple of promises: First, with God all things are possible. It may look impossible to us but nothing is impossible for God. Matthew 19:26 God can be trusted to catch you if you are being dropped from a burning building. And second, given the fact that with God all things are possible, you can let go. Paul reminds us that we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength. Philippians 4:13
• The first lesson is: Fear wants security. Faith takes risks.
• The second lesson is: Worry wants predictability. Faith loves hope.
• The third lesson is: Transition: Self-reliance holds on tight. Faith lets go.
Conclusion
These have been snippets from the life of one man who was on a journey of faith. Of course our journeys will be different from Noah’s and Abraham’s… but they will be similar. We like them, know our ultimate destination but what we do not know is all the twists and turns along the way that will call for us to completely trust and follow God.
We may all be certain that God is at work in our lives and in some cases that work calls for changes that will take faith.
It takes faith to take a risk and leave your security behind.
Is God asking you to GO?
It takes faith to hope when your plans don’t go as predicted and God is silent.
Is God asking you to WAIT?
It takes faith to release the things you usually depend on.
Is God asking you to LET GO?
So as you go… Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:8
