201 lines
8.8 KiB
Markdown
201 lines
8.8 KiB
Markdown
Bible Chapel of Shawnee
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September 29th, 2019
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**Rhetorical theme**: Faith in the life of Abraham
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**Full theme**: There are many observations we can make about walking in faith by observing it in the life of Abraham.
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1. Introduction
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1. I ask myself questions somethings, sometimes hear others asking the same things
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1. I wanted to do this thing, does that mean it's of the flesh--not walking by faith?
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2. I did all my homework, sought counsel, read my Bible, prayed, weighted the pros and cons, but never felt like I got a specific answer from God. Does that mean I don't know God's will yet? Do I need to wait?
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3. Where does God's will come into play when I don't seem to hear His specific answers to my questions and prayers?
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2. All questions of what it looks like to walk in faith
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4. All questions motivated by _wanting_ to walk in faith
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6. Abraham a great study for answer to what it means to walk in faith_[Abraham's life slide]_ 3. Walking in faith is a process of growth
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1. See how God speaks to Abraham_[Handout of the three pairs of God's communication with Abraham]_
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1. Phase 1: Simple command (go), then lots of repetition and expansion of God's promises
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2. Phase 2: Difficult command (covenant), then more repetition and expansion of God's promises
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3. Phase 3: Impossible command (sacrifice), then more repetition and expansion of God's promises
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2. Each command is more difficult
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4. Each command is achievable
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1. Certainly challenging
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2. But, God had built the foundation for Abraham to be able: His proven faithfulness.
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5. Take the long view
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1. We are all somewhere along the process desires for us
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2. First thing God asked of Abraham was to just continue the journey his father started
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3. Greater things, more challenging, more rewarding may come later 5. Walking in faith will include mistakes
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1. Several mistakes recorded about Abraham
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1. Twice feared for his life because of Sarah
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1. With Pharaoh
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1. Thought he would be killed to get her
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2. Very early on, young in faith?
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2. With Abimelech
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1. Thought he would be killed to get her
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2. Much later, old habits die hard?
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3. Not hard to figure out this was a mistake
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1. Pharaoh - early on, yes, but how could God make him a father of many nations if he was dead?
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2. Abimelech - much later, heir specifically promised through Sarah, what was he thinking??
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1. After Isaac had been promised within a year
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2. Sarah potentially pregnant at this time
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3. Was he thinking: God doesn't need me anymore???
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4. The Lord rescued him both times
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1. Great plagues for Pharaoh and his household
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2. A dream to Abimelech
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5. Consequences still
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1. Hard times with Sarah? Not told, but seems likely!
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2. Kicked out of Egypt
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3. Strained relationship with Abimelech
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4. Not mention
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1. Plagues brought on Pharaoh!
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2. Barrenness brought on Abimelech!
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2. Took Hagar when Sarah was barren
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1. Clearly not God's way: descendants named through Isaac
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2. The Lord rescued him
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1. Blessed Ishmael too
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2. Told Hagar to submit to Sarah
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3. Consequences still
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1. Problems between Hagar and Sarah
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2. Problems between Ishmael and Israel
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2. Nothing derailed God's fulfillment of His promises
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4. Knowing this, we should not fear
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1. Of course, can't be lazy to do well
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2. We know difference between
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1. Intentional sin
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2. Mistakes and lapses 7. Walking in faith will include living with mystery
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1. Many things Abraham did not know
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1. "Go" without knowing where to stop
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2. Promised the land while many nations still dwelt there
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3. Rescued Lot with no guarantee of success
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4. Promised a son with a barren, old wife
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5. Told to sacrifice without knowing how God would let him live
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2. Why things this way?
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1. Difference between being told and experiencing
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2. Experience is the better teacher
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3. Teachers, mentors, bosses: ever purposefully not explained something?
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4. Parents
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1. Even with warnings, experience is often the final teacher
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2. Take them to Grand Canyon instead of just describing
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3. Christmas: keep gifts a secret
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3. The hard part: why didn't God just tell Abraham how his son would be born?
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1. Led to messing up with Hagar?
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2. Avenue for us to accuse God?
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3. First, let's be clear: sort out responsibilities
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1. Abraham's choice to take Hagar
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2. Pretty easy to know it was wrong: God's way from the beginning was one man, one woman, produce family
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4. Let's not pretend like God "could have prevented some huge tragedy"
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1. What huge tragedy?
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2. God blessed Ishmael
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3. Millions of people born through Ishmael, many nations
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4. Abraham not somehow responsible for choice of Ishmael's descendants
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5. By not knowing
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1. Abraham experienced first-hand God's
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1. Power over nature (Isaac's conception)
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2. Power to redeem through failure
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2. Prepared to trust God's miraculous power with offering Isaac 9. Walking in faith is done mostly without specific direction from God
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1. Three instances of specific direction in entire 175 year life_[Slide of God speaking to Abraham]_
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1. Go out of Haran (75)
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2. Keep the covenant (99, 25 years later)
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3. Sacrifice Isaac (115? 15 years later?)
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4. One of the most significant characters in Scripture it only tells us of three times God gave him direction
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2. Only two with lasting elements of obedience
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1. Live in Haran, direction for the rest of his days
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2. Keep covenant, activity for the rest of his days
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3. Significant things in rest of his life
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1. Going to Egypt
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2. Deceiving Pharaoh about Sarah
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3. Separating from Lot
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4. Going to war, rescuing Lot
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5. Having Ishmael with Hagar
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6. Pleading with the Lord about the righteous in Sodom
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7. Deceiving Abimelech about Sarah
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8. Burying Sarah, negotiating the burial plot
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9. Finding a wife for Isaac
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10. Marrying Keturah
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4. Many other intervening years we know nothing about with no specific direction from the Lord, as far as we know
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6. Point is this:
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1. If God needs to accomplish as great of things through you as He did through Abraham
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1. Birth a nation
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2. Start the line of the most significant person in all of history (Christ)
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3. Establish a pattern of righteousness through faith for all generations afterwards
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2. He won't need to tell more than 3 specific things
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4. If on the same schedule as Abraham, but live to 100, you're going to hear from him at 42, 56 and 65--and that's it!
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6. What are you going to be doing the rest of the time??
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1. Waiting for Him to tell you what to do next?
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2. Does He do that?
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3. Instead: grow in wisdom and knowledge of God to take action accordingly. Each of Abraham's "non specific" actions:
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1. Either done well by knowing something of God (ex. separating from Lot accomplished peace)
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2. Or done poorly by failing to act according to the knowledge of God (ex. Marriage being avenue of children, not Hagar!)
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7. More likely we are like Ruth or Esther: no specific direction from God, but must rely on His wisdom and knowledge of who he is 11. Conclusion
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1. Walking in faith is a process of growth
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2. Walking in faith will include mistakes
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3. Walking in faith will include living with mystery
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4. Walking in faith is done mostly without specific direction from God |