Getting Started: The Journey of Faith. We will look at the life of Abraham who is the Father of the Jews, but also the Father of all that would come to Jesus by faith (Romans 4). What can we learn about faith and about God’s response to our faith.
The Story starts with a
Genesis 3:14-15 The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
First steps toward the promise. The
Genesis 12:1-3 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Starts his trek from Ur to Haran then eventually down to Canaan. This is how faith starts. We begin to take steps forward and outward even though we don’t see it all. (The land I will show you…)
Once he arrives in Canaan God makes another promise.
Genesis 12:7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.”
The three-fold promise God makes to Abram and again and again to the patriarch:
The moment of reckoning comes. Genesis 15. A
Genesis 15:1-5 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” 2 But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue[a] childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” 4 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son[b] shall be your heir.” 5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
Abraham’s Crisis of faith- I’m either going to believe this crazy promise the voice has been telling him or cut my losses and return to paganism.
In light of this, one of the key verses in the bible: Genesis 15:6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness. (Let it be established-firmness- amen)
The bottom line- even in the worst of times, when it isn’t going the way we hoped, are we going to trust God or just blow out?
God puts his righteousness in Abram’s account. (Khashav) God found Abram, through faith, to be without blemish, as in sacrifices in Leviticus. Trust in God alone is that which passes examination.
Romans 4:5, 23-25 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness. But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification
As we deepen in our faith and develop a courageous faith, we put all our chips in on God. Learning to trust him despite the outward circumstances and believe his word more than our experience.
What
Genesis 15:7-21 Next part is actually answer to Abram’s question
What token does God give us? How do we know he will be there for us if we put all our chips in on him? How do we know that despite what looks humanly impossible, that if he says it, it will happen? He dies for us. Creating a new covenant. A new way that God would relate to his people.
*Romans 5:1-5*R Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.