Finding the Faith of Our Heroes
Part 4: Abraham and Sarah
Hebrews 11:8-16; James 2:23; Genesis 17:4-8;
Genesis 17:15-22; Genesis 18:9-15
Sermon by Rick Crandall
(Prepared September 9, 2023)
MESSAGE:
*James Merritt once said, "Everybody has faith in something. An atheist drinks water out of a faucet, believing it is safe. He drives his car in highway traffic, believing the brakes work. He submits to the surgeon's knife, believing the doctor knows what he is doing.
*But there is a big difference between that kind of faith and biblical faith. The value of faith depends on the object we are trusting. You see, the water might actually be poison. The brakes could fail. And the surgeon can make a mistake. But as Christians, we put our faith in the one true God who cannot lie, cannot fail, and never makes a mistake." (1)
*In Mark 11:22 Jesus tells us to "Have faith in God," and of course we should have more and more faith in God. But why is faith necessary? Why do we need faith in God?
1. FIRST: FAITH MOTIVATES US TO MOVE FOR GOD.
*Abraham was motivated to move for God, and vs. 8-9 show us how:
8. By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would afterward receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.
9. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise;
*By faith Abraham was motivated to move for God, and that's the way faith works. God calls. We listen. God leads. We follow. Why? -- Because we trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. And we trust in the Lord God, because He is worthy of our trust! All good relationships are built on a foundation of trust. And nobody is more worthy of our trust than the Lord!
*In Revelation 5:9-12 John saw a vision of the multitudes in Heaven singing about Jesus:
9. And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
10. and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.''
11. Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands,
12. saying with a loud voice: "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!''
*Jesus Christ is worthy of our trust for a million reasons and more. But above all, Jesus is worthy of our trust, because He was slain on the cross for our sins. Our crucified and Risen Savior is worthy of our trust, and faith in Him motivates us to move for God.
*Real faith always takes us to new places in life. It motivates us to take that first step of faith to open our hearts and receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Faith motivates us to leave the old ways behind, and start walking in the ways of the Lord. Faith motivates us to walk with the Lord in a close, personal relationship. Faith even motivates us friends with the Lord, and that's what happened to Abraham. James 2:23 tells us that "'Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.' And he was called the friend of God."
*Here is an amazing truth: The God of the whole universe wants us to be His friends! Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords, wants us to be His friends! -- But the only way we can be God's friends is by faith.
*Rick Warren went on a mission trip to Communist China back in 2000. Their team got to meet with some of the professors at Peking University. Every Communist leader in China is educated there.
*After the meeting they took the number two leader of the university out to lunch. Rick called him "Joe." He had been a math professor there for 50 years. They began to talk, and Rick discovered that Joe was dying of a brain tumor. At that time, Rick's dad was also dying of cancer, so he said, "Professor Joe, my dad is dying of cancer, but he's not afraid to die, because he's made his peace with God. He knows where he's going when he dies."
*Then Rick began to tell him a story about a man who took his son and his son's 3 best friends to the carnival. Dad bought a roll of tickets, and at each ride, he would give a free ticket to his son and his son's 3 best friends. But after a few rides, he looked down and saw a new hand reaching out for tickets.
*Dad looked down at this little boy and asked, "Who are you?" The boy said, "I'm your son's new best friend. And he told me that if I was his friend, his father would give me a free ticket." That's exactly what the smiling father did.
*Rick Warren told that story, and then he said this to the dying teacher: "Professor Joe, our Heavenly Father, God, has a ticket for you to heaven. It is a free ticket. You can't earn it. You can't buy it. You'll never deserve it. It is free. The only way you'll get it is by being a friend of His Son, Jesus Christ."
*Rick looked over at that atheist who had been a Communist leader for 50 years. And with great conviction, the old professor said: "I would like one of those tickets." Right there they joined hands, and that professor invited Jesus Christ into his life. By faith, he became a friend of God. He took the first step of faith, and then he began to walk with the Lord. (2)
2. THAT'S WHY FAITH IS SO IMPORTANT IN OUR LIVES: IT MOTIVATES US TO MOVE FOR GOD. BUT FAITH ALSO WINS THE FIGHT AGAINST OUR FEARS.
*God is going to call us to new places in life, and faith gives us the courage to follow where the Lord leads. Again in vs. 8-9:
8. By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would afterward receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.
9. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise;
*It must have taken a lot of courage for Abraham to leave home and go to a place he had never been. Think about it. When Abraham left home, he didn't even know where he was going. All he knew for sure was that God had called him away. And Abraham followed. How did he do that? How did Abraham overcome his fears? -- Only by faith.
*God calls all of His people to new places in life. Sometimes they will be wonderful places filled with beauty and excitement, new friends, new adventures. Other times God will call us to strange places, hard places, places we don't want to be, places we never expected to be.
*How will we get the courage to go forward? -- By faith. King David had that kind of faith. That's why in Psalm 34:4 David could say, "I sought the Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears." In Psalm 56:3-4, David also said, "Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?"
*Stephen Funderburk gave this great testimony about faith overcoming fear: "A young lady was flying to be on the Oprah show to talk about living life in fear. A local television group was interviewing her as she left. At the end of the interview, I walked up to her and her husband, and said, 'You can be secure; you can be safe, in Christ alone. I am flying out of this airport today, and I will arrive back in Montgomery, Alabama, or I will arrive in Heaven. Either way I am sheltered in the arms of God.'
*Her husband got saved on the spot. They both got involved in a local church. And later they sent me a letter telling how they were working in a youth group and felt a call to youth ministry." That young couple found the faith that can overcome our fears, and by faith they followed God's call. (3)
3. THAT'S WHY FAITH IS SO IMPORTANT: IT WINS THE FIGHT AGAINST OUR FEARS. BUT FAITH ALSO PUTS US IN TOUCH WITH GOD'S POWER.
*God has the power to do the impossible in our lives, and in vs. 11-12 we see a great example of the Lord's infinite power:
11. By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.
12. Therefore from one man, and 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.
*That was a miracle, plain and simple. And it was a small thing for God to do, because all good things are possible with God! Back in Genesis 17:4-8, Abraham was 99 years old, when the Lord appeared to him and said:
4. "As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations.
5. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations.
6. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.
7. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you.
8. Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.''
*Then in Genesis 17:15-22, God also gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision:
15. Then God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.
16. And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her.''
17. Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, "Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?''
18. And Abraham said to God, "Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!''
19. Then God said: "No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him.
20. And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.
21. But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year.''
22. Then He finished talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.
*Abraham is one of the greatest faith heroes of all time, but at first, he definitely had some doubts. Abraham fell on his face laughing, because both he and Sarah were way too old to have children. Sarah laughed too, and we see this in Genesis 18. There, God appeared again with two angels, and Abraham invited them to stay for dinner. Then in Genesis 18:9-15,
9. . . They said to him, "Where is Sarah your wife?'' And he said, "Here, in the tent.''
10. And He said, "I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.'' And Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.
11. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.
12. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, "After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?''
13. And the Lord said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying, `Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?'
14. Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.''
15. But Sarah denied it, saying, "I did not laugh,'' for she was afraid. And He said, "No, but you did laugh!''
*Of course God knew that both of them were going to laugh. That's why the Lord had already told Abraham to name their new son Isaac. That name means "laughter," or "God made me laugh."
*At first, neither Abraham nor Sarah fully believed God, because what He promised them seemed too good to be true. But then they realized that nothing is too hard for the Lord, so they believed. And when little Isaac was born, they must have laughed again, overflowing with joy that God had done the impossible in their lives.
*But this miracle could only happen by faith. As Hebrews 11:11 says, "By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised." The word picture for "receive" in that verse is "taking a firm grip on something." And original word for "strength" here is "dunamis." That's where we get our word dynamite. And the strength in this verse is the miracle-working power of God. So, we could say, "By faith Sarah took a firm grip on the miraculous power of God to conceive seed. Sarah took a firm grip on both the infinite power of God, and the unbreakable promises of God. Therefore, "she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised."
*Now God wants to do things in our lives that are too good to be true. God wants to do the impossible in our lives. And He can do it, because all things are possible with God. But all of these things must be received by faith.
4. THAT'S WHY FAITH IS SO IMPORTANT IN OUR LIVES: IT PUTS US IN TOUCH WITH GOD'S POWER. BUT FAITH ALSO MAKES US WILLING TO WAIT ON THE LORD.
*God has made hundreds of promises to us. But many times we have to wait on the Lord to see those promises fulfilled. Faith makes us willing to wait. Faith takes God at His Word, trusting that He can and will do what He says He will do, even if we have to wait. Faith takes God at His word, trusting that He always does the right thing at the right time. And He always does!
*This is the main point God makes to us in vs. 9-10:
9. By faith he (Abraham) sojourned in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise;
10. for he waited for (or expectantly looked for) the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
*By faith, Abraham was willing to wait on the Lord. God's Word makes the same point in vs. 13-16:
13. These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
14. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland.
15. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return.
16. 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.
*God always keep His promises. But many times we will have to wait on the Lord. Isaiah 40:30-31 says this about us waiting on the Lord: "Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."
*Christians: Many times we will have to wait on the Lord. And how can we do that? -- Only by faith.
*Scott Harrison learned this faith lesson from one of his favorite dogs. Scott said:
-"Sam was my best dog, ever, a field trial dog who found birds and pointed them with contagious enthusiasm. Sam taught me the joy of becoming part of nature. He was so much more than a bird dog, though.
*Late one afternoon, Sam and I became separated (in an unfamiliar area). I called and whistled. No sign of Sam. I had to get back to town for an important appointment, but how could I leave Sam? If he finally came back and I wasn't there, would I lose him for good?
*Then I remembered a trick an old dog trainer had passed on. I unbuttoned my jacket, removed my shirt, and laid it on the ground under the branches of a small bush. I worried all night. But when I returned the next morning, there Sam was, curled up with his nose under the sleeve of my shirt. He looked up and wagged his tail. 'Where've you been friend?' his eyes seemed to say. 'I've been waiting for you all night, but I knew you'd come back.'
*Later I wondered: 'When I feel alone and confused, do I have the faith to look for part of God's Word to rest and wait by? Do I have the faith to wait patiently, knowing that my Friend will find me, if I just wait on Him.'" (4)
*Church: God will always keep the promises He gives us in His Word. But we must be willing to wait on the Lord. And by faith, we can.
CONCLUSION:
*That's why faith is so important in our lives. It motivates us to move for God. It wins the fight against our fears. It puts us in touch with God's power. And it makes us willing to wait on the Lord. Let's ask the Lord to increase our faith today. And if you have never received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, call on the Lord to save you now, as we go back to God in prayer.
(1) Adapted from Sermons.com sermon "You've Gotta Believe" by James Merritt - Hebrews 11:1-40
(2) Adapted from "Forty Days of Purpose - Week 6" by Rick Warren
(3) Adapted from SermonCentral sermon "God of Wonderful Change" by Stephen Funderburk - Psalm 40:1-3
(4) KERUX ILLUSTRATION COLLECTION - ID Number: 14742 - SOURCE: Fredericksburg Bible Illustrator Supplements - TITLE: Waiting On God's Word
