11.14.2010 The Story of the Bible - Faith and Redemption (and Baby Dedication)

11.14.2010 Grace Summit Sermon - The Story of the Bible - Faith and Redemption from Grace Summit on Vimeo.

11.14.2010 Grace Summit Worship (and Miles talking about Grace Park) from Grace Summit on Vimeo.

11.14.2010 Grace Summit Baby Dedication from Grace Summit on Vimeo.

SermonAudioSermonAudio^^^^^^^

Thank You that You are a kind God – one who loves us with all of Your heart – we appreciate that – we are grateful that we are part of Your family – we long to listen to You and to have lives that are in touch with You and connected that we might know what You are doing inside of us – and humble that we might receive what You have to give us. May we receive Your frce, mercy, and love that You wish to pour out in our lives. May we receive it without guilt, shame, or fear. May we walk in boldness knowing that Christ paid our debt.

As we have been going through the Story of the Bible – we recognize it tells the story of redemption – where God loves His people and wants to bring them back when they stumble.

As we look at the covenants – there are many -

First, the covenant given to Noah – and there is usually a sign – the rainbow – He has put His bow in the sky – He will never again destroy the earth by water.

In Hebrew, it gives the sense of an archer's bow – that God is defending the earth.

The second is the covenant of Abraham – the sign is circumcision – they belong to God.

Moses – Mosaic covenant – the sign of the Sabbath – the sign of the Passover – God reminds Israel what He has done for them.

The New Covenant – that Jesus inaugurated at the Last Supper -

What I would like to propose – do this in remembrance of Me. And God put up the bow as a sign. It is important to have things that cause us to remember what God has done for us.

In the Old Testament – they would pile rocks – and when they would pass it – that is where God spoke to Jacob – There is a pile at the bottom of the Jordan!

These signs we have are valuable and very important. It can become rote – but it is important that we remember to be grateful. When we lack thankfulness, we slip and fall in other areas.

Abraham – First – we have Creation – then in the second week, we looked at alienation – the Fall – God created this wonderful world with much freedom and one prohibition. And of course, Adam and Eve ate from that tree. Then they were cast out of the garden for their own protection.

Then we see further alienation when Cain murders Abel – and then we see in Chapter 6, the whole world is alienated – and only one man, Noah, (and his relatives) find grace.

Then there is re-creation – Noah comes out of it – the world is different – things changed dramatically – after the flood, people only lived to be 120. Man started eating animals after the flood. He sets up government.

There is this pattern of creation/alienation/re-creation.

In chapter 11 – we see the Tower of Babel – and we see that there is alienation again.

And now, in Chapter 12, we have a new re-creation.

12:1 The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. 2 "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

God starts again with this man, Abraham. God will create a new community – a new People of God. We will come to know these people as The Jews, God's Chosen People. This is the first that Abraham pops onto the scene – he is from Ur – who would want to live there?! God calls Abraham – by His grace – by no special thing that Abraham had done.

This is the pattern of the Bible – God chooses people by His grace and favor.

Eph. 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

Do we understand that deeply in our hearts? There is nothing we did to get God to choose us. He has called us by His grace. When we understand that we are completely undeserving of what Christ did on the cross – we are grateful.

He calls Abraham by His grace – but he is called to obedient faith.

In faith, he must obey God.

Abraham! Get up! Leave home, to a place I will show you!

Where?!

I will show you! Eventually!

And that requires faith – to leave everything and to follow.

When Jesus called the disciples in their boats – Follow ME! Not a lot of explanation!

God calls us to obedient faith – that is what salvation is – we are called to follow Him – wherever He leads and wishes us to go.

That is determined by Him – not by us.

He calls the shots and wants us to be ready and available – and that takes a lifetime of faith.

Abraham/Isaac/Jacob – are called the patriarchs – God is known as the God of Abraham/Isaac/Jacob.

Each, Abraham/Isaac/Jacob, receives a similar promise – a land – a home – a place. Abraham is living in Mesopotamia – but God has a separate place for him. He is promised a people – a great nation – a community – and I will bless you and your descendents. Your name, Abraham, will be great! You will be known!! You will be a blessing – I will bless those who bless you.

Through Abraham, God will bless the world. It is through Abraham that the world is blessed – the Messiah comes from Abraham. “First to the Jews, then to the Greek” - Through them, the world has been blessed.

They are given a land – they are charged as His representatives. It is true for us – we have a land – it is not this land – we have been called blessed and chosen and are His representatives in this world.

How do we do this? How are we doing at representing Christ – at work, in the family, in the world? - Do you represent Him well?

Abraham/Isaac/Jacob are an example of all of this – and we will look at how they lived lives of faithfulness.

Here is the most encouraging part – these guys were really really really regular guys – maybe even a little lower – real struggles/faults/flaws.

I decided to re-read the chapter on Emotionally Healthy Spirituality.

Here are our examples of faith:

The family was a bunch of liars – they couldn't help themselves – He lied twice about Sarah – She ended up in a harem because of it – God protected her.

Isaac and Rebekah's marriage was characterized by lies!

Jacob lied to almost everyone – Even 'Jacob' means deceiver.

10 of his children lied about Joseph's death – faking a funeral – and keeping a family secret for over 10 years.

Each father displayed favoritism. Every brother has a rivalry! Isaac/Ishmael – Jacob/Esau – Jacob's sons with Joseph. Think about their marriages – they were promised children – and at times, each wife was barren. Sarah – 90's. Rebekah – 20 years of childlessness. Jacob – his two wives – at times were barren – especially Rachel – for a long time. They also experienced a lot of outside pressure. Abraham/Isaac/Jacob are examples of living by faith in a hostile environment.

When all around us is hostile, we are to live faithfully. The world is continually trying to push us to NOT live this way. All this other stuff is okay, they say, but God is calling us to a narrow road of faithfulness to Him.

Abraham/Isaac/Jacob at times experienced famine. They had enemies. They also were promised a land – but none of them really got to experience it. They lived as aliens and strangers. They wandered as nomads – homeless type folks living in tension.

Alienation and blessing.

They had to walk that fine line. Jesus comes into the world and demonstrates exactly how to do it. He demonstrates how to live as a citizen of God's kingdom. You don't have to shrink away from this kingdom to be in God's Kingdom. We have to walk the fine line – to not become corrupted by the world. We can only do it through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Heb. 11:11 By faith Abraham, even though he was past age--and Sarah herself was barren--was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. 13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised;

That is one of the most difficult, startling verses in Scripture. They lived lives of faith, but did not receive the things promised.

they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.

Hebrews is written to people living in our covenant, our time – and all this blessing that comes through Christ – we won't get it – we'll experience it dimly – like a shadow – like looking at the reflection in the water – you can kind of see – but there is no detail there – no color. It is just a shadow. That is what their lives were like – a partial experience – while the full image is seen through Jesus. He made is clear – though we are given the blessings and the promise – we will have trials and tribulation – and He wants us to live by faith – and faithfully.

God called – chose – Abraham – what a blessing! He blessed Abraham – from the whole world – You are my guy! And it is through you that I will bless.

He has called – chosen – YOU! You are mine! I will bless you! This world will be blessed through you! What an honor to view ourselves that way! ON THE other hand – Abraham/Isaac/Jacob never experienced that in full form – they lived as aliens and strangers. In the same way – so do we.

We have to live this world for the next – where we will fully experience those blessings! Are we like they were -

14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country--a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. 17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." 19 Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.

Are you longing for a better country? When I am in trouble, I claim all kinds of promises – most you claim out of context, but who cares? We need to pray and ask God to help us, but we should be looking for the other country – and living for it.

Willem VanGemeren (Progress of redemption)

They were God's objects of blessing as well as His instruments of restoring His blessing to the nations – but they were also God's subjects on the stage of redemptive history.

He was doing all this stuff in redeeming this alienated world – to TEACH US HOW TO LIVE BY FAITH – and what that really looks like

Their faith, love and hope in the face of crises and testings brings the promise down to the world of reality in which blessing and alienation coexist.

He wants to bring us back to reality.

Through Abraham, we have a window into the life of faith.

I think what happens – there are times where we experience God's presence and power – we have those times – A/I/J had that – going through infertility – but they also experienced the power of having a baby at age 90! Some experience it more than others. Why is that some people – God seems to do all kinds of stuff? It has nothing to do with their faith – it has to do with God's choice. Everyone has the faith of a mustard seed! That is not the issue.

Sometimes God just chooses to demonstrate power through a unique way.

This is where the lesson goes – the story of the Bible.

Faith is about faithfulness! The two words are used interchangeably. Faithfulness in the presence of great hardship – shutting the mouths of lions – but there were those who died – and remained faithful though great challenges, hardships, and difficulties