It is important for us to have faith in God. Not only are we saved by putting our faith in Jesus Christ, we can remain strong in life because of faith in God. Faith is the first thing that Peter said we need in 2 Peter 1 (theme). To grow strong and bear fruit for Christ, we must first of all, trust Him.
The Bible says in Heb 11:6 "without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him." Notice, it is not our good works that pleases God. By our own, we cannot be good. The Lord knows apart from Him we cannot bear much fruit. Dear friends, life is without meaning and purpose unless you come to put your faith in God, who made you.
God wants us to put our trust in Him. You may be a great person, but without faith, it’s impossible to please God. You may do all sorts of great things in your life, but without faith it’s impossible to please God. God is not interested in what man can accomplish. He wants us to develop a relationship of faith with Him.
Today, we want to learn from Abraham. He has been viewed throughout the centuries as a model of faith - not just by Christians but by two other religions. Muslims, Jews, and Christians all look to Abraham as a model of faith. In fact, Genesis 15:6 tells us, "And Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD declared him righteous because of his faith." James said, "he was called God’s friend." (James 2:23).
In Heb 11, no one person gets more attention than Abraham. In fact, Heb 11 mentions 3 episodes in Abraham’s life that point to him as a man of faith. We will look at the first one today.
So let us meet Abraham in Heb 11:8-10. God gave Him a promise. He was called to leave his home, and "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. 9 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. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God."
FAITH IS OBEYING EVEN WHEN I DON’T UNDERSTAND IT
This is the first lesson we can learnt. We may have doubts, we may question God, we may want to find out why… but ultimately, we must obey God even before we understand everything.
Abraham was then living in his home in Ur, in the area we called Iraq today. He was 75 years old. And then God comes along and tell him to move. God told him in Gen 12:1, "Leave your country, your relatives, and your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you." And promised him He will make him into a great nation.
Abraham may have asked, "God, where am I going?"
God just says, "I will show you…"
No place was given. No time was given. God seemed to say, "Leave that to Me!"
How then will Abraham know if he has reached the land? He knew it only when he has reached that land! Gen 12:7 revealed to us God appeared to Abraham and tell him so when he was standing IN that land.
It’s like you asking me… "How will I know when I’m there?" And I say, "I’ll tell you when you are there." You just have to trust me.
God was asking Abraham to make a major move with very little information to go on.
It’s the same today, bros/sis. Would you do it? Would you obey what God says, even when you do not understand or know everything? Abraham obeyed when he did not understand it, and he really became the father of a great nation, as God promised him. Many people were blessed because he obeyed even when it didn’t make sense to him.
Bro/sis, many of us are in a similar situation. We do not know what God’s plan is for us. You may be facing a problem, a difficulty. Or you may be struggling through some hurt and pain. You wish you know everything. We want immediate answers. And God just say, "Trust me!"; "You’re moving along well."; "I’ll tell you when you reach it."
Sometimes, we lack the courage to go on… to move out the way Abraham did. The Bible says Abraham "took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired… and they set out…" (Gen 12:5). It’s a big move. And without much information, Abraham took the first step of faith and walked out.
Even when Abraham reached the land God promised him, God did not give it to him straightaway. In fact, Gen 12:6 tells us "at that time the Canaanites were in the land." Stephen in his speech to the Jews in Sanhedrin says, "[God] gave [Abraham] no inheritance here, not even a foot of ground. But God promised him that he and his descendants after him would possess the land, even though at that time Abraham had no child." (Acts 7:5). When Israel finally conquered Canaan, it was almost 700 yrs after Abraham stepped onto this land.
Abraham had to wait. Not only did he have to wait, but his children and grandchildren had to wait. Abraham held on to what God has said. He took his whole family and left his home for the unknown, even though he didn’t understand. WHY? Because he had the firm assurance that God is in control of the future and that He will keep His promises to him.
Today, God has a plan for your life. Each of us. God has a purpose for us. Reveal to us in the Bible. We may not fully understand everything, but God has not changed. His promises to us have come true, and for some, will come true in the future. Some of us want a guarantee of success before we obey God… when we read something in the Bible - God tells us to do something and we say, "OK, God, once you guarantee it’s going to work, then I’ll do it."
God says, "That doesn’t require any faith. I want you to believe when you don’t see it and I want you to obey when you don’t understand it." Faith in Him is what pleases God. It’s the same with us… on a human level, if someone comes to you and say he does not trust you, or "you cannot be trusted." - that hurts. You feel offended. Do you remember when your parents or grandparents ask you to do something that made no sense to you as a child? We obey without fully understanding the benefit of it. On hind sight, you will understand - they did it out of love and concern for you.
Here’s the point:
Learn to do whatever God tells you to do (the Bible) even when you do not fully understand everything. God can bless your life.
On the other hand, if you ignore what God says to do – if you say, "I don’t believe that stuff. I’m going to do what I think is best. I’m my own god, and solve my own problems…" then you will miss out on all the great things and blessings that God has planned for your life and has given you to enjoy. You’ll miss them all.
Chinese proverb: "He who deliberates fully before taking a step will spend his entire life on one leg." When you obey, even when you don’t understand, God honours that obedience.
CONCLUSION
We must become strongly established in faith. Whatever God has promised us will not be accomplished solely by our own efforts and works. God’s plan for our life can fulfilled by His power and in His perfect timing.
Abraham learnt that through his life, and today we learnt it through Abraham’s testimony. Faith takes God at His word and obeys Him.
What has God called you to do that you don’t understand? Do it today. Maybe you need to go home today and say, "God, today, I’m taking that step of obeying You even though I don’t understand. I’m going to do as You say. I will be blessed."
If you take this step, you won’t miss all the blessings that God has planned for your life.
Prayer:
If you’ve never invited Christ in your life, you can take that step today. Pray these words in your heart: "Dear God, help me to trust you. Today I turn away from my sins, and ask for the forgiveness that Jesus Christ provided for me. I want to get to know you. And I want You to manage and bless my life and teach me how to live by faith in You. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen."
"Dear God. Help me to remember that you are the God of the impossible and whatever it is You want me to do You will provide the way for me to do it. Please do your work through me today. In Jesus’ name."
