CHALLENGES To The VENTURE/JOURNEY Of FAITH-II—
Genesis 11:26—12:9
Attention:
Tom is applying for a job as a signalman for the local railroad & is told to meet the inspector at the signal box.
The inspector decides to give Tom a pop quiz, asking: "What would you do if you realized that two trains were heading towards each other on the same track?"
Tom says: "I would switch one train to another track."
"What if the lever broke?" asks the inspector.
"Then I'd run down to the tracks & use the manual lever down there," answers Tom.
"What if that had been struck by lightning?" challenges the inspector.
"Then," Tom continued, "I'd run back up here & use the phone to call the next signal box."
"What if the phone was busy?"
"In that case," Tom argued, "I'd run to the street level & use the public phone near the station."
"What if that had been vandalized?"
"Oh well," said Tom, "in that case I would run into town & get my Uncle Leo."
This puzzled the inspector, so he asked, "Why would you do that?"
"Because he's never seen a train crash."
Tom ventured forth in faith despite the challenges.
We all face challenges to our journey of faith.
Genesis records Abram’s encounter with YaHoWeH/the LORD/God & his resultant/subsequent actions of faith.
Encountering God calls us to a venture/journey by faith.
What limits/hinders the venture of faith?
What is challenged in a journey of faith?
12 challenges to the venture/journey of faith.
Earlier, we found 2 Challenges to our journey of faith lie in...
1. Our HOME(11:26-32)
2. Our RELATIONSHIPS (11:26-32)
3—A challenge to our journey of faith lies in...
Our COMMUNITY(11:27-28, 31)
Explanation:(11:27-28, 31) Land
:27—“This is the genealogy of Terah: Terah begot Abram, Nahor, & Haran. Haran begot Lot.”
:28—“And Haran died before his father Terah in his native land, in Ur of the Chaldeans.”
“Ur of the Chaldeans”
“It is called Ur of the Chaldeans even though technically, at the time of Abraham, it wouldn't have been Ur of the Chaldeans.” Moses, remember, is recording Genesis for the instruction of the children of Israel, “who are entering the Promised Land.” The events recorded here took place many hundreds of years prior to Moses’ recording of such. Thus both Moses & Israel know Ur as Ur of the Chaldeans. “Chaldean tribes, through its history, were later associated with it, & so it was that way known to Moses' people.”—John MacArthur
Archaeologists tell us that the supposed site of “Ur of the Chadeans” is now located some ~150(?) mi. from the coast but was probably a maritime city in Abram’s day located at the head of the Persian Gulf, as it would later be the major port for Babylonia.—Eastons’ BD, Smith’s BD
Sometimes our communities go through drastic changes so that they are no longer recognizable to us.
:31—“And Terah took his son Abram & his grandson Lot, the son of Haran, & his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, & they went out with them from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan; & they came to Haran & dwelt there.”
Don’t become a mere storage unit for your children’s sentimentality. Become a usable instrument of the Lord!
Argumentation:
Gen. 17:7-8—““And I will establish My covenant between Me & you & your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you & your descendants after you. Also I give to you & your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; & I will be their God.””
The faithful are to live as aliens in foreign land.Why?
Because As a Christian, our Community is the New Jerusalem:
Rev. 21:1-8, 22-27; 22:1-5—“Now I saw a new heaven & a new earth, for the first heaven & the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, & He will dwell with them, & they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them & be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true & faithful.” And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha & the Omega, the Beginning & the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, & I will be his God & he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, & all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire & brimstone, which is the second death.””.....“But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty & the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, & the kings of the earth bring their glory & honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). And they shall bring the glory & the honor of the nations into it. But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.”.....“And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God & of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, & on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God & of the Lamb shall be in it, & His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, & His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever & ever.”
Heb. 11:13-16—“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them & confessed that they were strangers & pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.”
Illustration:
Particular style of Barbecue—Hickory smoked...Dry(not swimming in sauce—A McDonald’s McRib is an absolutely disgusting insult)...Vinegar-based sauce...Chopped, on a cheap hamburger style bun with BBQ(red) slaw...Fried okra...Sweet Tea/You can’t get that everywhere folks!/BUT—we can’t let our love for such a localized treat become a hindrance to God’s call/Our COMMUNITY
*My love for fresh sausage—My favorite is either Frank Corriher or Neeses/You can’t get that everywhere folks!/Really missed that when we lived in FL/In GA they had fresh sausage(everybody raved over Stripling’s Sausage but it wasn’t as good to me as Frank Corriher or Neeses/BUT—I never let that ‘love’ become a hindrance to God’s call/Our COMMUNITY
Going to the store for milk & bread before a snowstorm/Defines Rowan county/Our COMMUNITY
My accent/In GA & FL everybody there knew I was from somewhere in NC/Our COMMUNITY
When we moved back to NC from our stints in GA & FL, we moved halfway between Rockwell & Granite Quarry(my hometown)/We associate ourselves more with Rockwell/I can remember that someone was truly shocked that I would speak fondly of Rockwell as opposed to GQ in my conversations/We have always have considered ourselves a part of whatever community we lived/If you can’t let go of your community, it will always be a challenge to your faith journey/Our COMMUNITY
Application:
?Is COMMUNITY a daunting Challenge to your Journey of Faith?
?You overcome the Challenges to your Journey of Faith?
4—A challenge to our journey of faith lies in...
Our DIRECTIVE(12:1)
Explanation:(12:1) from God/God’s voice
:1—“Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you.”
Now that we know the players & their family situation(11:26-32), a story of great significance begins to unfold in the following verses.
We find that the LORD(YaHWeH) “had” spoken to Abram previously at some point(~2000 BC). The Qal Imperfect hints that God spoke at other times &/or will continue to speak to Abram in the future.
Indeed Stephen declares in Acts 7:2-4, that YaHWeH had spoken to Abram before his stint in Haran. Per Acts 7:2,5, & prior to God’s speaking to Abram, Abram was considered to be “in Mesopotamia” where “the land of the Chaldeans” is considered to be). Haran is located just outside of the northern area most modern scholars consider to be Mesopotamia. However, the term “Mesopotamia” literally means ‘between two rivers,’ that is, it comprises the land between the Tigris & Euphrates Rivers & thus would be, in actuality, much more limited than many hold.
Acts 7:1-4—“Then the high priest said, “Are these things so?” And he said, “Brethren & fathers, listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran, & said to him, ‘Get out of your country & from your relatives, & come to a land that I will show you.’ “Then he came out of the land of the Chaldeans & dwelt in Haran. And from there, when his father was dead, He moved him to this land in which you now dwell.”
The last chronological record of God’s speaking with any of His creation was when He established the rainbow covenant with Noah(Gen. 9:8-17).
God specifically called Abram to leave his current place/location & travel elsewhere. Abram was to “get out of” his present “country”(land) eventually going to another land. This command of God assumes further communication from God in that God states He will “show” Abram “the “land”(unfamiliar country) to which he will be personally led.
Very specifically, God called Abram to walk away from all that was most familiar to him. Abram was to distance himself from all that was native to him. These familiar things consisted of his familiar “country,” his familiar extended “family,” & from his own immediate family(“your father’s house”) minimally consisting of father, mother & siblings. God called Abram to leave his immediate family, those to whom he was closest & most obligated & who would have wielded the greatest weight upon his life.
Perhaps(?) such a distance would provide Abram an opportunity to be mightily used of God. Had Abram remained in his “family’s” presence, they would probably have held so much sway in his decisions that his relationship with YaHWeH would have been adversely hindered so as to be useless for accomplishing God’s will.
Abram was challenged by God to leave every security that he experienced & held to.
Heb. 11:8—“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.”
Abram was not given every detail. He did not need it. Neither do you!
Argumentation:
Mat. 19:16-24—“Now behold, one came & said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father & your mother,’ &, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have & give to the poor, & you will have treasure in heaven; & come, follow Me.” But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.””
Jn. 16:7-15—““Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, & of righteousness, & of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father & you see Me no more; “of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; & He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine & declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine & declare it to you.”
2Tim. 3:16-17—“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, & is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
1Cor. 7:29-35—“But this I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none, those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess, & those who use this world as not misusing it. For the form of this world is passing away. But I want you to be without care. He who is unmarried cares for the things of the Lord--how he may please the Lord. But he who is married cares about the things of the world--how he may please his wife. There is a difference between a wife & a virgin. The unmarried woman cares about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body & in spirit. But she who is married cares about the things of the world--how she may please her husband. And this I say for your own profit, not that I may put a leash on you, but for what is proper, & that you may serve the Lord without distraction.”
Illustration:
Do you remember ‘River Dance’/1996 the Irish dance troupe became a world-wide phenomenon/of upwards of 20+ dancers/All step-dancing in perfect rhythm so that they make their own music, each receiving cues from either the other dancer(s) OR from the music itself/Our DIRECTIVE
Without the music, there is no Directive, no synchrony, no rhythm, no glory, no dance, no purpose...nothing worth anyone’s attention.
If I do not act on the Directive of the God of Scripture, the God of my salvation in Christ, then there is no synchrony, rhythm, glory, purpose, or dance with others who are blood-bought(& those who are not)...There is then no glory given to the Director of the dance!
Application:
? DIRECTIVE/Direction a daunting Challenge to your Journey of Faith?
?You overcome the Challenges to your Journey of Faith?
5—A challenge to our journey of faith lies in...
Our ABILITY To BLESS(12:2)
Explanation: (12:2)Integrity
:2—“I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.”
God tells Abram that He will be made into a great nation.
God also tells Abram that He “will” bless Abram.
Abram’s “name” will be made “great” because God will make it so.
Because of the “greatness” received of YaHWeH, Abram himself will be considered “a blessing.”
What an amazing statement! That a single person can be considered “a blessing.” Through God’s work in Abram, Abram himself would become something he could never attain in his own strength. As a result of the blessings which Abram is due to receive per God’s graciousness toward him, Abram will be a blessing to others. Abram will not be one who holds God’s blessings as something to be hoarded or kept for his pleasure alone. Abram will live according to God’s abundant graces, & thereby properly extend the blessing he has experienced to those around him--within his sphere of influence. Others will benefit from Abram’s God-ordained benefit. God uses chosen obedient people to declare His glory.
What does it mean to be a blessing in God’s perspective?’ or in what way can a person can become such a blessing?
It seems that all of the current blessings(which Abram will experience in his lifetime) are tied to the far-reaching blessings upon “all the families of the earth”(:3).
A wonderful side effect of blessing others is that we ourselves become blessed!
Argumentation:
Prov. 25:13—“Like the cold of snow in time of harvest Is a faithful messenger to those who send him, For he refreshes the soul of his masters.”
Mat. 11:28-30—““Come to Me, all you who labor & are heavy laden, & I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you & learn from Me, for I am gentle & lowly in heart, & you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy & My burden is light.””
2Tim. 1:16-18—“The Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, & was not ashamed of my chain; but when he arrived in Rome, he sought me out very zealously & found me. The Lord grant to him that he may find mercy from the Lord in that Day--& you know very well how many ways he ministered to me at Ephesus.”
Mat. 28:19-20—““Go therefore & make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father & of the Son & of the Holy Spirit, “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; & lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”
2Cor. 5:18—6:1—“Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, & has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, & has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.”
1Cor. 3:11-17—“For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; & the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. Do you not know that you are the temple of God & that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.”
Gal. 4:8-11—“But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods. But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak & beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? You observe days & months & seasons & years. I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain.”
1Pet. 4:7-11—“But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious & watchful in your prayers. And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory & the dominion forever & ever. Amen.”
Illustration:
‘Jump Shipp’ TV show(secular!)/The host-Josh Shipp-finds people who are miserable doing what they are doing...too concerned with mortgage payments, etc. & accruing creature comforts to move away from the job that affords them/Josh encourages them to ‘jump ship’ as it were, & live their passion/One young man had convinced himself that his work wouldn’t be ‘good enough’ that he relegated himself to simply doing it as a hobby/Josh Shipp contacted professional people to evaluate the young man’s work-ability & they offered him a job!/Our ABILITY To BLESS
How do you bless God?...Others?
Application:
? ABILITY To BLESS a daunting Challenge to your Journey of Faith?
?You overcome the Challenges to your Journey of Faith?
6—A challenge to our journey of faith lies in...
Our FUTURE(12:3)
Explanation: (12:3)All the families of the earth shall be blessed
:3—“I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.””
God will bless others who bless Abram.
Likewise, God “will curse” those who themselves “curse” Abram.
God’s blessing to Abram will be so thorough that all mankind will “be blessed.” This will not occur within Abram’s lifetime but the rest of Scripture bears out that thru Abraham Israel will arise as proclaimers of the true God, YaHWeH.
Thru Abram, the Messiah(Christ) will arise from His people Israel. Thus there every people group will have opportunity to rejoice in the blessing of God.
This “blessing” is unconditional, universal, & eternal. The manifold implications of this “blessing” are not fully grasped until fulfilled thru the Cross-work of Christ securing the Holy Spirit to indwell the believer.
If Abram was able to apply these promises to generations beyond himself, he must’ve lived his life in a continual state of humility & responsibility. Abram must’ve weighed every situation by these promises.
Such far-reaching & unimaginable blessing must have seemed ridiculous to Abraham as he had to have recognized himself as unworthy & unable to measure up to this promise. However Abram also must have realized that the very God who had promised would lead him to attain what was promised so that YaHWeH’s design for humanity would be satisfied.
Thus Abram must’ve been empowered to easily act on God’s direction. He was merely charged with leaving all that he knows regarding family(:1). This is a difficult command(for the unconvinced), yet for the godly, obedience is not only very easy but very exciting, considering the One who has ordered such.
Heb 11:12 “Therefore from one man, & him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude--innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.”
Gen. 15:5-6—“Then He brought him outside & said, “Look now toward heaven, & count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” And he believed in the LORD, & He accounted it to him for righteousness.”
Gen. 22:15-18—[After Abraham’s faith was tested thru Isaac]“Then the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, & said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, & have not withheld your son, your only son-- “blessing I will bless you, & multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven & as the sand which is on the seashore; & your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.””
“Bless”3X(See :2)—Krb baw-rak'—1) To bless, kneel; 2) (TWOT) To praise, salute, curse. Strong—a primitive root; To kneel; by implication--To bless God(as an act of adoration), & (vice-versa)man (as a benefit); also by euphemism--To curse(God or the king, as treason).
“Curse”—rra aw-rar'—Qal Imperfect—1) To curse. Strong—a primitive root; To execrate.
“Families”—xpvm mish-paw-khaw'—1) Clan, family. Strong—A family, i.e. Circle of relatives; figuratively--A class (of persons), a species (of animals) or sort(of things); by extension--A tribe or people.
“Earth”—hmda ad-aw-maw'—1) Ground, land. Strong—Soil (from its general redness).
Argumentation:
Acts 3:26—[Peter preaching to the Jews]““To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.””
Rom. 4:9-13—“Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised. And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also, & the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised. For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.”
Gal. 3:7-9—“Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.”
Eph. 1:1-14—“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, & faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you & peace from God our Father & the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy & without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom & prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven & which are on earth--in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”
Rev. 12:10-11—“Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, & strength, & the kingdom of our God, & the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day & night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb & by the word of their testimony, & they did not love their lives to the death.”
Heb. 11:32-40—“And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon & Barak & Samson & Jephthah, also of David & Samuel & the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again. And others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings & scourgings, yes, & of chains & imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins & goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented-- of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts & mountains, in dens & caves of the earth. And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.”
Heb. 10:12-14—“But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.”
We must consider the generations(s) before us in our Future! They too are part of God’s work thru Abram, which cannot occur without us!
Rom. 10:8-15—“But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth & in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus & believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, & with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew & Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.” How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!””
I am the preacher...You are the preacher...Every Christian is the preacher. Have you been sent?
Illustration:
Term Life Insurance/An attempt on the part of one person to provide sustenance in their absence/Concern for the future/Our FUTURE
What future are you securing for others?
Application:
?Is the FUTURE a daunting Challenge to your Journey of Faith?
?You overcome the Challenges to your Journey of Faith?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Like Uncle Leo watching the train crash.
Action:
A challenge to our journey of faith lies in...
3. Our COMMUNITY(11:27-28, 31)
4. Our DIRECTIVE(12:1)
5. Our ABILITY To BLESS/Integrity(12:2)
6. Our FUTURE(12:3)
1. Our HOME(11:26-32)
2. Our RELATIONSHIPS (11:26-32)
Presented 01/20/2012pm to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
