The Price Of A Weak Faith Series

Introduction

- 2023 has been led with “one purpose”: To know there is a God!

-- Continuing our series, “Alpha and Omega”; examining the beginning to the end

- Last week we saw several questions for ourselves related to calling of Abram

• Do we follow God’s calling?

• Do we take time to reflect on/worship what God has done?

• And do we allow ourselves to be centered to God’s will and calling?

- This morning we’ll look at the marriage of Abram and Sarai

-- It is important to note, Abram wasn’t always a pillar of faith (he was human)

-- His devotional to God was clear, and usually he was obedient to follow

-- But he certainly did not always make best decisions – he too sinned!

- This passage is the record of one of those events

-- It is here for our encouragement, to learn from, and to adjust our ways

- Let’s dive in … Read Genesis 12:10 – 13:4 / Pray

- TR: Spoiler: Abram had several moments of weak faith in his life

-- He forgets the promises of God, and instead takes the lead on “fixing things”

-- For our insight today, we’ll see five things found in a weak faith

Point 1 – Life will always have trials

- What can often lead us to having a weak faith is a difficult challenge, a trial

-- It’s the greatest opportunity to turn our back on what we should do

-- What should we do? Pray, worship God, read the bible, fellowship, etc.

- This is exactly what happens to Abram: he is facing a great famine (v10a)

-- This means that there is devastation in the land – no food is available

- Here’s his challenge: Even though he has wealth, eventually it’ll deplete

-- He will have to lean into his own savings just to survive (wealth = comfort)

-- RE: He is traveling with his entire household (family, servants, etc.)

-- Truly, the struggle to survive becomes very real for him

- So, the challenge he faces is this: Do we stay, or do we go?

-- Bigger (not considered): Do I obey God or take matters into my hands?

-- RE: What God said: “Go to the land I will show you …” (v1)

-- Abram: Maybe we should leave the promised land and go where its comfy?

- We all face these same trials today, especially in obedience to God

-- Writer of Hebrews: Hebrews 10:23, “Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.”

- TR: Quite possibly, many of us would have struggled in this same situation

-- Big Q: Do I obey God, or do I try to help Him out a little bit?

-- Here is the lesson in 2023 for you and I …

Point 2 – We can’t turn to the world for guidance

- When we turn to the world for provision, we neglect God

-- This is where we leave ourselves open to all kinds of suggestions

-- For example, in the Garden of Eden: “Did God really say you’d die?”

-- It was an innocent question, with everlasting consequences behind it

- Abram makes the choice (v10b) to depart and travel down to Egypt

-- Certainly, there would have been pressures that added to this

• By his family, his household, his laborers

• By the thought of losing his wealth (herds) and financial security

• By the thoughts of laborers leaving, which means he’d do the work

- So, what does he do? He caves to the pressure and chooses to leave

-- But – we need you to see this – does he even once check-in with God?

-- EX: Does he pray? Sacrifice / worship (for us: go to church)?

-- The bible tells us that he does none of these things, he just goes!

- Need to level set a bit about Egypt

• Egypt, in the bible, usually represented the worldly construct

• It was being outside of God’s promise, and always has implications of:

• Ungodliness, secularism, humanism, self-sufficiency, worldly religion

-- EX: Pharoah certainly thought a lot of himself (set up as a deity)

- So instead of trusting God, Abram thinks it better to depart for comfort

-- Lesson for us: trusting our gut, or what we think, is not always the best thing

-- Yet, with a weak faith, the world’s options/solutions seem pretty good

- Gee whiz: Isaac (Abram’s son) gets this same kind of lesson later:

-- Genesis 26:2-3, “The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt, but do as I tell you. Live here as a foreigner in this land, and I will be with you and bless you. I hereby confirm that I will give all these lands to you and your descendants, just as I solemnly promised Abraham, your father.”