WHAT DO I BELIEVE: ABRAM’S EXAMPLE
GENESIS 15: 1-21
JULY 25, 2004
INTRODUCTION: The content of belief is important: Jonathan Whitfield was preaching to coal miners in England. He asked one man, "What do you believe?" "Well, I believe the same as the church." "And what does the church believe?" "Well, they believe the same as me." Seeing he was getting nowhere, Whitfield said, "And what is it that you both believe?" "Well, I suppose the same thing."
Jonathan Whitfield.
SEEING IS BELIEVEING, OR IS BELIEVEING SEEING? (TOM HANKS CHRISTMAS MOVIE)
TRANSITION THOUGHT: This morning, I want us to start on a journey together of discerning just what we believe. This is a journey of faith. BUT, what is faith? What is real faith? What does it mean to believe? Today we embark on a journey and Abram will be our tour guide. The text Tony read places us a few years down the road in the life and times of Abraham. To this point he has not experienced a name change, but he has experience the name changer. And in so doing, has believed the promiser of the promise!
THESIS SENTENCE: Belief is not based on the information, but on the giver of the information!
I. FAITH IS A GOD ENCOUNTER VV. 1, 4, 9, 17, & 18
A. A GOD ENCOUNTER IS HIS WORD! VV. 1 &4
B. A GOD ENCOUNTER IS THE MESSAGE! V. 1
C. A GOD ENOUNTER IS HIS PRESENCE! V. 17
D. A GOD ENCOUNTER IS MEETING WITH GOD! V. 18
ILLUSTRATION: Gene Mims in Kingdom Principles for Church Growth said, “The purpose of worship is to come before the Lord in obedience to praise Him, to hear from Him, to confess to Him, and to commit our lives to Him. Every worship service is to be an encounter with the Lord, transcending our feelings, desires, and even our abilities to perform.” Contributed by: Dan Cormie
TRUTH: FAITH IS WRAPPED UP IN MEETING WITH GOD!
QUESTION: ARE YOU READY TO RENDEZVOUS WITH GOD?
II. FAITH IS A QUESTION ASKED VV. 2-3, 8
A. A QUESTION ASKED IS FRUSTRATION?
B. A QUESTION ASKED IS CLARITY?
C. A QUESTION ASKED IS REALITY!
D. A QUESTION ASKED IS MORE THAN AN HEIR!
ILLUSTRATION: JUST LISTENING
Dan Rather, CBS anchor, once asked Mother Teresa what she said during her prayers. She answered, "I listen."
So Rather turned the question and asked, "Well then, what does God say?" To that Mother Teresa smiled with confidence and answered, "He listens".
SOURCE: As quoted in Just Like Jesus, Max Lucado, p. 71.
Contributed by: Darren Ethier
Stanford Research Institute was studying the differences in vocational perceptions. They devised a short but succinct test. The first to be tested was an engineer. The researchers asked him: “What does two plus two make?” The engineer simply said, “In absolute terms: four.” After making their notes and dismissing him, they called an architect. To the same question, he responded, “Well, there are several possibilities: two and two make four, but so does three and one -- or two point five and one point five -- they also make four. So, it is all a matter of choosing the right option.” The researchers thanked him and made their notes. Finally, they called an attorney. When he heard the question, he looked around slyly, asked if he could close the door for privacy, and then came over close, leaned toward them and said, “Well, tell me, what would you like it to be?” Contributed by: Greg Yount
TRUTH: GOD ALLOWS US TO SEEK UNDERSTANDING THROUGH QUESTIONS!
QUESTIONS: ARE YOU AFRAID TO ASK GOD? DO WE LISTEN? DO WE ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS?
III. FAITH IS A PROMISE VV. 4-5, 7, & 18-20
A. A PROMISE IS AN ANSWERED QUESTION V. 4
B. A PROMISE IS “YOUR OWN BODY” HEIR V. 5
C. A PROMISE IS A REMINDER OF THE START V. 7
D. A PROMISE IS A COVENANT WITH GOD VV. 18-21
ILLUSTRATION: Writer and speaker Lewis Smedes says:
Yes, somewhere people still make and keep promises. They choose not to quit when the going gets rough because they promised once to see it through. They stick to lost causes. They hold on to a love grown cold. They stay with people who have become pains in the neck. They still dare to make promises and care enough to keep the promises they make. I want to say to you that if you have a ship you will not desert, if you have people you will not forsake, if you have causes you will not abandon, then you are like God. What a marvelous thing a promise is! When a person makes a promise, she reaches out into an unpredictable future and makes one thing predictable: she will be there even when being there costs her more than she wants to pay. When a person makes a promise, he stretches himself out into circumstances that no one can control and controls at least one thing: he will be there no matter what the circumstances turn out to be. With one simple word of promise, a person creates an island of certainty in a sea of uncertainty. When a person makes a promise, she stakes a claim on her personal freedom and power.
When you make a promise, you take a hand in creating your own future. [Keeping Promises, Citation: Lewis Smedes, "The Power of Promises," A Chorus of Witnesses, edited by Long and Plantinga, (Eerdmans, 1994)] Contributed by: A. Todd Coget
TRUTH: WE ARE TO STAND ON THE PROMISES OF GOD!
QUESTION: DID YOU KNOW GOD HAS MADE US PROMISES?
IV. FAITH IS A SACRIFICE VV. 9-12
A. SACRIFICE IS A COMMAND V. 9
B. SACRIFICE IS OBEDIENCE V. 10
C. SACRIFICE IS PERSEVERANCE V. 11
D. SACRIFICE IS A DEEPER EXPERIENCE V. 12
ILLUSTRATION: Adoniram Judson was a great missionary. He once said about serving God, and success:
"There is no success without sacrifice. If you succeed without sacrifice it is because someone has suffered before you. If you sacrifice without success it is because someone will succeed after." Contributed by: Russell Brownworth
TRUTH: FAITH IS ACTION, ACTION IS OBEDIENCE AND OBEDIENCE IS SACRIFICE!
QUESTION: ARE WE WILLING TO TAKE ACTION, BE OBEDIENCE AND MAKE RIGHT SACRIFICES FOR OUR GOD?
V. FAITH IS A FUTURE VV. 13-16
A. A FUTURE IS A KNOWN CERTAINTY V. 13
B. A FUTURE IS DIFFICULT V. 13
C. A FUTURE IS PUNISHMENT AND REWARD/ CONTROLED V. 14
D. A FUTURE IS COMING PEACE V. 15
E. A FUTURE IS COMING HOME V. 16
ILLUSTRATION: Two years ago, in an issue of Time Magazine, there was a most revealing article. Who would ever think that such a nationally known magazine would have this unique subject on its cover page and inside? (Issue: July 1, 2002)
“The Bible & the Apocalypse! Why more Americans are reading and talking about THE END OF THE WORLD!” Nancy Gibbs authored the article entitlted: Apocalypse Now. “What do you watch for, when you are watching the news? Signs that interest rates might be climbing; maybe it’s time to refinance. Signs of global warming, maybe forget that new SUV. Signs of new terrorist activity, maybe twice about that flight to Chicago. OR SIGNS THAT THE WORLD MAY BE COMING TO AN END, AND THE LAST BATTLE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL IS ABOUT TO UNFOLD? We seem to be born with an instinct that the end is out there somewhere. We have a cultural impulse to imagine it – and keep it at bay.”
For many years the Church and Bible scholars have used the word “Apocalypse” and even said we live in such an age.
The word actually means in Greek: “Revelation or Lifting of the veil.” Time Magazine writer (Nancy Gibbs) says, “In an apocalyptic age, people feel that the veil of normal, secular reality is lifting, and we can see behind the scenes, see where God and the devil, good and evil are fighting to control the future.” The article continues by pointing out that even the pre-Christian is thinking about the future. Recent polls suggest that 35% of Americans say they are paying closer attention to news events and how they relate to the coming of the world since the terrorist attacks of September 11th. 17% of Americans believe the end of the world will happen in their lifetime. 36% of Americans believe that the Bible is the Word of God and is to be taken literally. 59% believe the prophecies in the Book of Revelation will come true.
If you have followed the book market you will note that the “Left Behind” Series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins are some of the best sellers. They have written 10 books in the series and have sold approximately 36 million copies.
While I do not know when Jesus Christ will return, I do know this: the Bible says that He will. And in light of what is happening today, it is time for us to do some serious thinking about the Future. When we look at Jesus’ life and ministry, we see that He spent considerable time talking about the future events. Even the disciples had many questions regarding the future. The Apostles in their writings, especially Paul, spent considerable time speaking about the future events. While the Book of Revelation speaks of the seven Churches of Asia Minor, its main emphasis is on the future. Jesus reminds us in this passage of Scripture (Matthew 24, 25 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) that we are to “watch” and “be ready.” He emphatically states it over and over. One cannot read these words without feeling a sense of urgency and expectancy today. As someone has written: “The improbable happens just often enough to make life either disturbing or delightful.” Growing up as a teenager, I heard a lot about the future. I think more then than I do now. Our prayer meetings and Sunday evening services were noted for messages and studies on “prophecy.” What will happen in the future was the topic over and over. Revival meetings resounded with message about the Future and the end of the age. What has happened? Whatever happened to the guy who walked up and down the streets carrying signs warning “The End Is Near?” What has become of teaching and preaching on the Second Coming of Christ? Has this Biblical message fallen into one of those recurring sinkholes of history that gobble up truth when we aren’t looking? Could it be that we have become pessimist? That the Good News is no longer the Good News? Could it be that we lost our perspective? We need God’s help! Paul Harvey tells the story of an 8 year old boy leading His Sunday School Class in prayer. “God bless our mothers and father and our teachers and our brothers and sisters - and please God take care of yourself; if anything happens to you, we’re stuck.” Contributed by: Rick Shockley
TRUTH: GOD HAS A FUTURE PLANNED FOR EACH OF US!
QUESTION: ARE YOU A PART OF GOD’S FUTURE?
VI. FATIH IS ACCEPTANCE V. 6
A. ACCEPTANCE IS MORE THAN INFORMATION
B. ACCEPTANCE IS BELIEF NOT EFFORT
C. ACCEPTANCE IS ACTION BASED ON BELIEF
D. ACCEPTANCE IS REWARDED AS RIGHTEOUSNESS
ILLUSTRATION: Difference between a conviction and a preference, according to the U.S. Supreme Court: A preference is a very strong belief, held with great strength. You can give your entire life in a full-time way to the service of the preference, and can also give your entire material wealth in the name of the belief. You can also energetically proselytize others to your preference. You can also want to teach this belief to your children, and the Supreme Court may still rule that it is a preference.
A preference is a strong belief, but a belief that you will change under the right circumstances. Circumstances such as: 1) peer pressure; if your beliefs are such that other people stand with you before you will stand, your beliefs are preferences, not convictions, 2) family pressure, 3) lawsuits, 4) jail, 5) threat of death; would you die for your beliefs? A conviction is a belief that you will not change. Why? A man believes that his God requires it of him.
Preferences aren’t protected by the constitution. Convictions are. A conviction is not something that you discover; it is something that you purpose in your heart (cf. Daniel 1, 2-3). Convictions on the inside will always show up on the outside, in a person’s lifestyle. To violate a conviction would be a sin.
David C. Gibbs, Jr., Christian Law Association, P.O. Box 30290, Cleveland, Ohio 44130.
Contributed by: Donnie Martin
TRUTH: FAITH IS ACCEPTING ALL GOD HAS TAUGHT US!
QUESTION: HAVE YOU ACCEPTED GOD AND HIS TRUTH FOR US?
CONCLUSION: What do we believe is the most important question we must ask ourselves. For Abram, he believed God! In reality, it was all he needed! What do we say we believe? Do we really believe what we say? Do we have faith? What would Jesus say to each of us today?
BENEDICTION: I TIMOTHY 1:17
