Continuing in Faith.

Steve Gentry

[0:00] Before we get into things this morning, [0:02] there’s a few things I wanna make you aware of. [0:04] Number one, if this is your first time here, [0:07] I wanna ask you to do me a favor. [0:08] There is, in your handout, a little section [0:11] that you can tear off, it’s called the Connect Card.

[0:13] If you wouldn’t mind filling that out [0:15] and passing it into the offering plate later in the service [0:17] or stopping by the Next Steps table [0:19] and dropping it off there later, [0:21] I would love the opportunity to shoot you an email, [0:24] get to know you a little bit better

[0:26] so that someone can contact you. [0:27] And if you’re interested in groups, mark that. [0:30] If you’re interested in serving, mark that. [0:32] And we’ll have the appropriate people [0:34] who actually know what goes on around here [0:35] contact you for that stuff.

[0:38] But secondly, right after the service [0:39] for about five minutes, right over here in this section, [0:42] we have what’s called Intro to the Village. [0:44] And that’s that if you’re new here, [0:46] if you’ve been here a few weeks and you have any questions [0:48] or you wanna know a little bit more about the church,

[0:50] one of the leaders of the church will be right over there [0:52] after the service to talk to you. [0:54] We’ll fill you in on some things about the church, [0:56] answer any questions that you have. [0:59] And if I’m the one over there today, [1:00] then man, you can ask a lot of questions,

[1:02] you don’t get a lot of crazy answers. [1:03] So be prepared for that. [1:05] Thirdly, this morning, I wanna let you know [1:07] that on Sunday night, December the 8th, [1:09] there’s something that we do every year [1:11] and we affectionately call it Village Palooza.

[1:14] It’s gonna be a night for international missions. [1:16] And we do this every year, [1:17] we’re just doing it on a different date this year [1:20] to coincide with what’s called [1:22] the Lottie Moon Christmas offering. [1:24] And if you don’t know what or who that is,

[1:27] show up that night and we’ll tell you all about it. [1:29] But what this is, it’s gonna be a night of worship, [1:32] it’s gonna be a night of just gathering together [1:35] to pray for missionaries around the world [1:38] and to give and sacrifice our time [1:41] as well as our money for missions.

[1:44] And so we’re gonna ask you to come that night [1:45] and come ready to be generous. [1:47] It’s the end of the year, so you got taxes to write off, [1:50] so go ahead and do it that night. [1:52] And what we’re gonna tell you is that 100% [1:55] of what we’re gonna take up that night

[1:57] is gonna go to the International Mission Board [1:59] to support missionaries in very hard places, [2:02] doing very hard things overseas. [2:04] And that’s one great thing that we have here [2:06] at Village Church and that’s partnerships [2:08] so that you understand that every Sunday,

[2:11] whatever’s given here, 10% of that [2:14] goes to international missions. [2:16] Another 10% goes to church planning [2:18] within the continental United States, [2:20] but another 10% of that goes to international missions. [2:24] And I wanna let you know that every dime you give,

[2:26] 10% of that goes overseas. [2:29] It goes to places like East Asia, [2:31] it goes to South Asia, it goes to Africa, [2:33] it goes all over the world to places [2:34] where the gospel’s not necessarily being preached, [2:38] where there are adults who’ve never heard the name of Jesus.

[2:41] And that matters to us and I pray that it matters to you. [2:47] And so we have the opportunity [2:48] with the International Mission Board [2:50] to partner with missionaries worldwide. [2:53] And that’s a great privilege to know [2:55] that right here in Midlothian, Virginia,

[2:57] some of what we do is impacting people all over the world [3:02] who may not hear the name of Jesus otherwise. [3:05] And we’re passionate about reaching the world [3:07] with the gospel, if you know anything about us, [3:10] know that we want to live the mission [3:11] and help as many people live the mission of Jesus

[3:14] as possible in our lifetimes. [3:16] And so we wanna do that financially. [3:19] If you wanna know where your heart is, [3:21] look at where your checkbook goes. [3:23] And so I want a lot of our checkbook to go overseas. [3:26] I want a lot of our checkbook to go

[3:27] to reaching the United States with the gospel. [3:30] I just want to reach the world [3:31] with the gospel of Jesus Christ. [3:33] I wanna read the stories of scripture [3:35] and then find how I can play a part [3:38] in this great history that we have

[3:40] of missions all over the world. [3:43] And before I die, I pray that I may see the gospel [3:46] through Village Church going to a place [3:48] where it’s never been preached before, [3:51] translated into a language that’s never been known before [3:53] to have the word of God.

[3:55] And Village Palooza is a start. [3:58] It’s a start of how we can be a part of that. [4:01] You gotta start somewhere. [4:02] Do we have all the answers? [4:04] Absolutely not. [4:06] But can we at least have somewhere to start?

[4:09] Yes, we can. [4:11] What I wanna tell you as a church is that December the 8th, [4:14] things like Village Palooza, [4:16] that’s the start of us getting serious [4:19] about taking the gospel all over the world. [4:21] And so I wanna invite you to be there.

[4:23] I wanna invite you to worship with us that night. [4:27] And I wanna let you know [4:28] that when we’re worshiping together, it’s for a cause, [4:31] and that is worshiping the name of Jesus [4:32] by proclaiming it all over the world. [4:36] If you have your Bibles,

[4:37] go ahead and open them up to Genesis chapter 12. [4:40] Genesis chapter 12. [4:41] We’re gonna join Abraham on the next leg of his journey [4:45] in seeing the gospel promised by God. [4:49] The story’s a little different this week. [4:52] The story sees Abram make some mistakes.

[4:55] The story sees Abram not living fully by faith. [4:59] But what I wanna let you know is [5:01] that the story that we’re gonna see this morning, [5:03] I think is basically the story [5:05] that we’re gonna find ourselves in tomorrow. [5:08] It’s a story that we find ourselves in

[5:10] as we’re continuing in faith of God’s promises. [5:15] The faith must continue. [5:18] Faith must move forward. [5:20] Faith must impact our everyday life. [5:24] Pray with me. [5:25] Father, we come before you expectant.

[5:31] Lord, that you would move in our lives, [5:34] that you would be worshiped by what we do, [5:36] what we say, what we sing, what we preach this morning. [5:40] Lord, give us words, soften our hearts. [5:45] May we be found as a people who are worshiping you today. [5:49] Lord, I pray that if there’s anyone in here

[5:51] that doesn’t know you, [5:52] that today would be the day that they meet you. [5:55] Today would be the day that they know the forgiveness [5:58] that’s available in you. [6:00] They know the life of purpose that’s available in you. [6:06] In the name of Jesus, I pray, amen.

[6:09] In Genesis chapter 12, starting in verse 10, we read, [6:15] now there was a famine in the land. [6:18] So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, [6:21] for the famine was severe in the land. [6:23] When he was about to enter Egypt, [6:25] he said to Sarai his wife,

[6:27] I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance. [6:30] And when the Egyptians see you, [6:32] they will say this is his wife. [6:35] Then they will kill me. [6:36] But they will let you live. [6:39] Say you are my sister,

[6:41] that it may go well with me because of you, [6:43] and that my life may be spared for your sake. [6:47] When Abram entered Egypt, [6:48] the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. [6:50] And when the princes of Pharaoh saw her, [6:52] they praised her to Pharaoh,

[6:54] and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. [6:57] And for her sake, he dealt well with Abram. [7:02] And he had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, [7:04] male servants, female servants, [7:07] female donkeys and camels. [7:10] But the Lord afflicted Pharaoh

[7:12] and his house with great plagues [7:14] because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. [7:16] So Pharaoh called Abram and said, [7:19] what is this you have done to me? [7:21] Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? [7:24] Why did you say she’s my sister,

[7:26] so that I took her from my wife? [7:29] And then here is your wife, take her and go. [7:33] And Pharaoh gave men orders concerning him, [7:35] and they sent him away with his wife [7:37] and all that he had. [7:40] Last week we started the story of Abram

[7:42] and we saw that God intervenes [7:44] in the life of an idol worshiper [7:46] and simply says, Abram, I exist, follow me. [7:51] I’m gonna bless you, I’m gonna make you a great nation, [7:54] I’m gonna make you a great family, [7:55] I’m gonna curse those who curse you,

[7:57] and throughout the world, your name will be great [8:00] because of what you do for me. [8:03] And so Abram gets up and he goes. [8:05] He leaves all that he’s ever known, [8:06] he leaves the family business, he leaves his house, [8:09] he takes everything and he moves.

[8:11] He begins a life of following God. [8:14] And when we see that story, we look and we say, [8:17] yes, that is the life that I want to live. [8:20] That is the life of faith that I need to impact my life. [8:23] I need to go where God calls me, [8:25] I need to do what God wants me to do,

[8:27] I need to not be held back by any doubt [8:30] in my life, but I’m going to be like Abram. [8:33] And the reality this morning is that’s right. [8:37] We need to trust God.

[8:40] But what Abram dealt with in his life [8:43] is that one moment of faith [8:47] does not equal a life of faith.

[8:51] That one moment of getting excited about God, [8:55] and getting excited about the story [8:57] that God wants to write through you, [8:58] about getting excited about what God wants to do through you, [9:01] one moment will not take you through the rest of your life. [9:10] Rather, faith, and this is number one this morning,

[9:13] faith is an everyday practice, not a one-time event. [9:18] I want you to understand that Abram took the first step [9:22] of faith in verse four. [9:24] Abram went and he did all that the Lord told him to do. [9:28] He went where the Lord told him to go. [9:31] But the reality this morning that you’re going to have

[9:33] to understand in your life to actually follow God [9:37] and the purposes that he has for you [9:39] is that the first step of faith is never the last step. [9:44] Unless you die after that first step of faith, [9:47] and then it was the last step of faith, [9:48] but regularly, I want you to understand this morning

[9:52] that your first step’s never your last. [9:54] The first step of faith that you’re going to take [9:56] in your life of following God, [9:59] of believing the promises that he has for you, [10:01] of believing that he is the Lord, [10:03] the only one that you can possibly follow,

[10:06] because if you follow anything else, that is your Lord. [10:09] That there’s going to be consecutive, [10:12] continuous steps right after that one. [10:16] And very early on in Abram’s journey, [10:18] and we see from verses five through verse nine [10:20] that Abram packs everything up.

[10:22] Abram takes his family, [10:24] Abram even takes some extended family, [10:26] and he goes and he follows God into the land of Canaan. [10:30] But when he gets to Canaan, [10:33] he begins to see that faith is not easy. [10:38] It says there in verse 10 that immediately,

[10:41] maybe not immediately, but soon thereafter, [10:43] a famine hit the land and it was a great famine. [10:47] And so what does Abram do? [10:48] Well, Abram goes to Egypt because at that time, [10:52] Egypt was the world power, Egypt was the place of wealth, [10:54] Egypt was the place that they had store houses full of food,

[10:58] so that’s where he goes. [10:59] We can’t look specifically in this story [11:01] and say that Abram’s move right there was necessarily a sin. [11:05] But what I can tell you is that even his descendants [11:08] would constantly struggle that when times got tough [11:12] in the promised land, in the lives that God promised them,

[11:15] that they were always quick to say, [11:18] we’ve got to find someone that can support us. [11:21] We’ve got to find someone that can help us. [11:23] Even in military times, if you read through the book of Isaiah, [11:26] one of the kings does sin because God says, [11:29] I’ll protect you and he says,

[11:30] my military is not big enough, I need partners. [11:32] And so he sins against God [11:33] by trusting in other military powers. [11:37] So what I can tell you is that Abram in this point [11:39] is already exhibiting a lack of faith in God [11:42] to provide for him in hard times

[11:44] because he says, God, I can’t trust you, [11:46] I’ve got to trust my own strategy. [11:48] I’ve got to go to the people [11:49] that look like they have plenty. [11:50] I’ve got to go to the people that look like they have much [11:53] and I’m going to live dependent on them

[11:55] and that’s not the call that God had on Abram’s life. [11:58] God said, I’m going to be the one that’s going to bless you. [12:01] I’m going to be the one that’s going to multiply you. [12:03] I’m going to be the one that’s going to carry you [12:04] through the hard times. [12:05] And Abram says, well, maybe it’ll be smart

[12:08] to go through Egypt. [12:09] Maybe I can get like the conduit [12:10] through which God’s blessing comes, [12:12] so I’m going to depend on me, [12:13] but I’m going to call it God’s promises [12:15] and just say, God gave me a message.

[12:20] Scripture doesn’t record that message. [12:22] But as soon as he gets to where he’s in sight of Egypt, [12:27] he takes a look at his wife and women, [12:30] she’s 65 years old and she’s hot. [12:34] All right, so there’s hope. [12:36] Don’t give up.

[12:38] Don’t give up. [12:40] He’s like, look, Sarah, you are a beautiful woman [12:43] and all the men are going to want you. [12:45] It’s like, what kind of culture? [12:47] I don’t know, some kind of serum, I don’t know. [12:50] But Abram looks at his wife and he says,

[12:52] honey, you’re beautiful and they’re going to kill me [12:54] because of you.

[12:57] See, he begins to see the domino effect [12:59] in his life of not trusting God. [13:02] He doesn’t trust God to provide for him [13:04] and then he doesn’t trust God to protect him.

[13:09] So he goes into Egypt and he’s starting to understand [13:12] that he’s got to strategize in a moral ways [13:14] just to protect himself. [13:16] This is the guy whom out of all of creation, [13:19] God looks at him and says, Abram, [13:20] I’m gonna give you the blessed life.

[13:24] And Abram says, well, I need a plan B [13:27] just in case plan A doesn’t work out. [13:29] There are no plan Bs with God. [13:30] You either trust him or you don’t. [13:33] And so Abram goes into Egypt and he begins to prepare [13:37] for hard times before hard times even hit.

[13:41] He begins to prepare to disobey God before hard times hit. [13:46] He’s not suffering, but he says, [13:47] if I’m going to suffer, I’m going to have to disobey God. [13:50] Why? Because Abram’s a coward.

[13:54] Abram is a coward. [13:55] This is why when we look at these Old Testament characters [13:57] and we’re like, what a man of faith, yeah, a man of faith. [13:59] He’s about to give his wife to someone else. [14:03] That’s a coward.

[14:05] A real man would die before he would do such a thing [14:08] and Abram’s doing it so that he won’t die. [14:11] It’s like a gunman comes and he hides behind his wife. [14:13] That’s not bravery, boys.

[14:16] All right, now I don’t know about you, [14:19] but I know that if a guy’s walking down the road [14:21] with his wife and a mugger comes out and holds a gun [14:24] and he jumps behind a trash can and says, honey, protect me. [14:27] I don’t think any of us would say [14:28] he’s fulfilling his gender role.

[14:32] All right. [14:34] And that’s what Abram does here. [14:37] Abram refuses to take the hit. [14:39] Abram refuses to protect his wife. [14:41] Abram refuses to do that, which he knows is right. [14:44] And Abram’s preparing for something

[14:45] that hasn’t even happened yet. [14:48] He’s not on the fly being threatened with his wife [14:50] and this is just something that he blurts out. [14:52] No, he says, honey, this is what I think’s going to happen [14:55] and this is how we’re gonna prevent it. [14:58] And he tells a half truth here.

[15:00] This is Old Testament, so times were a little different. [15:02] There weren’t as many people on the earth. [15:04] Sarai was his half sister. [15:07] So he looks to her and he says, [15:08] well, we’re gonna tell the Egyptians half of the truth. [15:11] We’re not gonna tell them about that whole covenant thing.

[15:15] So they go into Egypt and Abram looks [15:18] to the princes of Pharaoh and he’s saying, [15:20] can we come in, we’re hungry, we need help. [15:23] And he says, this is not my wife, this is my sister. [15:29] And immediately the princes go back to Pharaoh [15:31] and they say, Pharaoh, you’re gonna want this.

[15:35] And sure enough, he does. [15:37] Abram, excuse me, so Pharaoh takes Sarai into his household. [15:41] And Abram lives in Egypt apart from his wife as a coward.

[15:48] And so we see that when life actually hit Abram, [15:53] faith began to look a little different [15:55] than maybe he supposed it would. [15:58] I don’t know if you’ve ever had a moment of faith [16:00] where you’re just, I mean, you’re on fire. [16:02] It’s one of those moments when old school preachers

[16:05] would say you had the faith to charge hell with a squirt gun. [16:08] All right, I’ve had those moments in my life [16:11] where it’s just like I’ve been reading God’s word, [16:13] I’ve been in prayer, I’ve been in a service, [16:15] here in preaching, I’ve been singing some great music. [16:18] And it’s just one of those moments where it’s like,

[16:20] man, everything is hitting just right. [16:22] And you’re like, yes, I will follow God. [16:25] Yes, I will repent of my sin. [16:27] Yes, I will take risks in this world [16:29] for my faith in Christ. [16:30] I will do whatever it takes, God.

[16:32] I will go wherever you want me to go. [16:35] I will climb any mountain. [16:37] I will tell anyone the gospel that I come into contact with. [16:40] And then you leave that place, [16:42] you wake up the next morning and you’re ready. [16:44] And then you actually see how high the mountain is

[16:46] and you say, well, on second thought, [16:49] I’m just gonna go about life as usual. [16:52] I’m gonna do that, which comes natural to me. [16:55] I’m gonna live life as I should. [16:57] You meet that person that you said, [16:59] I’m going to give them the good news of Jesus.

[17:02] I’ve built a relationship with them. [17:03] They know that I love them. [17:05] They know that I care for them. [17:06] And so today is the day where I’m going [17:08] to give them the gospel and you get in the conversation [17:11] and you say, well, maybe next week.

[17:14] Today’s not the day.

[17:17] Or maybe you go to work and you say, [17:18] today is the day where I invite people to lunch. [17:21] I begin to form relationships that might lead to redemption [17:25] and the work piles up and then the lunch hour [17:28] just seems to come too fast. [17:30] Next week.

[17:33] You look at it and you say, [17:34] I cannot risk my reputation for my faith.

[17:39] If I do this, I won’t get the promotion. [17:42] If I do this,

[17:46] I gotta think about my family here. [17:50] I gotta think about practical living. [17:53] I gotta think about the real world [17:55] because that’s not the real, [17:56] faith is not the real world. [17:58] There is a separation.

[17:59] The reality is that is exactly what Abram was dealing with [18:03] right here and right now. [18:04] And the consequence of his disobedience came from the fact [18:07] that he tried to put a separation up [18:09] between physical living and following God.

[18:14] And what God is calling out to us to say this morning [18:16] is that you need to tear down that wall [18:18] and you need to realize that there is no divide [18:21] between the real world and the life of faith [18:23] because God owns it all.

[18:26] The whole world belongs to him. [18:28] Faith belongs to him. [18:30] Physical reality belongs to him.

[18:35] And Abram deals with a moment in his life [18:39] where he sees the consequences of following Jesus.

[18:48] I look at this story and it’s easy for me to say, [18:51] what was Abram thinking?

[18:55] God has literally just told him [18:57] that he will curse those that curse him [19:00] and now he looks to Pharaoh who, yes, in this world, [19:03] is a very powerful man and he says, [19:07] I don’t know that God’s gonna curse that guy.

[19:11] But how often in our lives [19:12] do we respond that way practically? [19:15] Yeah, we may not have someone like Pharaoh in our life [19:18] but how often do we not follow God [19:20] in ways that we know we should follow God [19:22] and then we use excuses like,

[19:23] well, I need a little more discipleship [19:25] or I need to grow my faith a little more. [19:27] I need to know a little bit more about the Bible. [19:29] I need to know a little bit. [19:29] Remember when we said last week, [19:31] Abram knew nothing but hey, God exists.

[19:37] And God’s calling him to exhibit great faith [19:39] in a time of famine as well as in a time [19:42] when his life is being risked because of his wife.

[19:51] Faith must translate into our practical living. [19:56] The question you’ve gotta ask yourself this morning is, [19:59] how do we disobey God before anything difficult [20:03] even happens because it might happen?

[20:08] How are we preparing in our lives? [20:10] Not for faithfulness but how are you practically preparing [20:13] for unfaithfulness?

[20:17] Many of the plans and the schemes [20:19] that we come up with in life [20:20] are actually setting the stage so that we ensure [20:24] that we will not exhibit faith in God [20:27] by the way that we actually live, [20:29] whether it be that you make yourself completely dependent

[20:31] on the job that you have so that if you get fired, [20:35] everything will absolutely fall apart. [20:39] We riddle ourselves with more debt [20:41] than anyone has ever known in history [20:45] because we wanna be absolutely dependent on this world.

[20:50] And when God actually calls you to exhibit faith [20:52] in your life, you are a slave to every boss [20:55] and every creditor in your life [20:57] so that you can do nothing for God. [20:59] That kind of debt is ungodly.

[21:05] We riddle ourselves so dependent on the systems [21:08] of this world that we are incapable as a people [21:12] for living full-fledged for the gospel [21:14] and we use it as an excuse when it is sin.

[21:20] And we use our commitments, we use our families, [21:24] we use all of these things as reasons [21:27] why we cannot follow God and God looks to Abraham [21:30] with one of the most extreme examples [21:32] that you’ll ever see in scripture [21:34] of a time to exhibit faith and that is when

[21:36] because of how well he married, he’s going to be killed. [21:40] In that moment, he was probably thinking, [21:42] I wish I had married a less beautiful woman.

[21:47] The reality was is he simply needed to exhibit [21:50] what real faith in God actually is. [21:52] It is so simple in a worship service to have faith.

[21:58] It is so easy in a village group to have faith.

[22:04] It is so easy on Sunday morning to gather together [22:07] and sing the songs and praise God [22:10] but it’s another story in our Monday through Friday. [22:13] That is when life must hit the road running [22:16] where faith is concerned.

[22:24] The promises and the faith that we must have [22:27] are no different than the faith Abraham needed. [22:31] In John chapter 15, quickly Jesus looks to his disciples [22:35] and he says, abide in me, depend on me, [22:40] put faith in me and I’m gonna multiply you, [22:42] put faith in me and you’re gonna multiply

[22:45] a hundred fold in your faith. [22:46] Put faith in me and you’re gonna bear much fruit [22:49] in your life, you need to depend on me, [22:51] you need to follow me, you need to stay close to me [22:54] and I’m gonna give you my spirit to empower you [22:56] to live every day for me and then in John 16, 1,

[23:00] he gives them the reason why he gave them John 15. [23:04] In John 16, 1, he looks to them and he says, [23:05] I have said all these things to you [23:07] to keep you from falling away. [23:11] They will put you out of the synagogues. [23:14] Indeed the hour is coming when whoever kills you

[23:17] will think he is offering service to God [23:20] and they will do these things because they have not [23:22] known the Father nor me. [23:24] But I have said these things to you [23:26] that when their hour comes, you may remember [23:29] that I told them to you, I did not say these things

[23:32] to you from the beginning because I was with you.

[23:36] Jesus looks to his disciples and we may say, [23:38] put you out of the synagogues, so what? [23:41] But then when they get to the kill part, [23:43] we’re like, oh, okay.

[23:45] But here’s why that was such a serious thing. [23:47] Here’s why Jesus gives one of really [23:49] the most popular chapters of scripture [23:51] that we have in John chapter 15 [23:53] to fill our faith up in Jesus. [23:55] But he looks to them and he says,

[23:56] the reason I gave this to you is, [23:57] you know the social center of your life? [24:01] You know the religious center of your life? [24:03] You know the place that you go to network for business? [24:07] Yeah, that was the synagogue.

[24:10] The synagogue was the center of their teaching society [24:13] and as a faithful Jew in that culture, [24:16] it was second only to the temple. [24:17] But if you were put out of the synagogue, [24:19] you could not go into the temple.

[24:23] And Jesus looks to them and he says, [24:25] I’ve said these things to you because hard times are coming.

[24:30] I’ve said these things to you [24:31] because you’re going to lose things. [24:34] I’ve said these things to you because everything [24:37] that you have been building your life on will be gone [24:41] if you actually follow me. [24:43] Sounds very similar to what he said to Abram, did it not?

[24:45] He says you’re going to lose it and he says, [24:49] more than that, they’re going to start killing you.

[24:54] He says and then they’re going to kill you [24:56] and after they’ve killed you, [24:58] everybody’s going to praise my name because of it, [25:00] because they thought they’re going to think [25:01] they’ve done a service to the world as well as to me [25:03] and your comfort is in the reality

[25:06] that they’re not following me but you are.

[25:10] In other words, Jesus looks to him and he says, [25:12] your comfort is knowing that you’ll be in heaven with me.

[25:17] Your comfort is knowing that you get my kingdom. [25:19] Your comfort is knowing that I’m on your side. [25:22] Your comfort is knowing that you will see me face to face [25:25] in the next life and you will be a part [25:27] of me restoring my kingdom. [25:28] But Jesus never looks to them and says,

[25:31] a life of faith will bring you leisure, [25:33] a life of faith will bring you comfort, [25:35] a life of faith will bring you no sickness, [25:37] a life of faith will bring you every advantage financially, [25:41] a life of faith will bring you all of the dreams [25:43] that you’ve ever had before.

[25:44] No, Jesus says the opposite. [25:46] This is going to make life hard [25:48] and you’re going to have to exhibit real faith [25:50] because real faith in me looks different [25:53] than what you’ve been living for.

[25:56] And yet in our age, we somehow think God [26:01] is the author of the American dream.

[26:06] We somehow think that if we lose a little bit of money [26:10] on Tuesday, we obviously weren’t following them on Monday. [26:15] Now, while that may practically be true, [26:17] understand that God has never looked to you and said, [26:20] you’re going to get the easy life with me, bro. [26:21] No, Jesus says in John chapter 15,

[26:23] he says, if I was persecuted, don’t you think you will? [26:26] Do you think you’re better than me?

[26:30] Jesus died on the cross for our sins. [26:32] He did not take an easy path and he’s saying [26:35] that trusting in me will not give you an easy path. [26:38] It will give you a blessed path [26:39] because you have the life of God [26:41] and you have the strength from God to have faith

[26:43] and you have the strength from God [26:44] to be a part of restoring his kingdom.

[26:51] Reality number two this morning is that [26:52] we must constantly trust God’s promises [26:56] over all other promises.

[27:01] This world has many promises to offer to us.

[27:06] Sometimes even on infomercials, they get really good. [27:09] It’s like, do your pancakes stick to the pan? [27:12] Not anymore.

[27:15] And it’s only $19.99 and I get a bonus.

[27:21] There’s always more.

[27:25] This world has promises that if you work hard, [27:27] you’ll be rewarded. [27:30] If you work hard, you’re going to have [27:33] every Saturday to play golf. [27:36] If you work hard, nothing bad will ever happen to you. [27:39] If you work hard, the government will take care of you.

[27:42] If you work hard, your company will take care of you. [27:45] If you work hard, your kids will never rebel. [27:48] If you work hard, you’ll never get sick. [27:50] We’ve got medicine. [27:51] If you work hard, you will have the good life. [27:55] And no matter how many times we see those promises

[27:58] not followed through on, no matter how many times [28:03] we’re disappointed by this world and the promises that it may, [28:06] no matter how many times the silver bullet gives me [28:10] tomato sauce rather than salsa, I keep putting things in there [28:14] and saying, but I think the promise is going to come true [28:16] this time if I try it this way, if I depend on it this way,

[28:21] maybe it will happen. [28:22] And God says the only thing that you can depend on is God.

[28:28] He’s the only one that comes to you in truth and in honesty [28:31] and says, I will give you the life, not necessarily [28:35] that you’re looking for, because God knows Abram wasn’t looking for it. [28:40] God doesn’t say he’s going to give you what you’re looking for. [28:42] He says he’s going to give you what he designed you for. [28:46] He’s going to give you what his purpose is for you.

[28:50] He’s going to give you the blessed life of following God [28:53] and proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ in our day.

[28:58] And Jesus is pretty clear. [29:00] He says it could cost you absolutely everything.

[29:07] But then look, Chapter 12, one of my favorite verses, [29:11] because it’s like this is Jesus hardcore. [29:13] He says, don’t fear him who after killing you, he can’t do anything. [29:16] I’ll tell you who to fear. [29:17] Fear him who after killing your body can damn your soul forever. Fear him.

[29:28] When we follow the promises of this world.

[29:33] We understand. [29:35] That our faith is not in God.

[29:39] We need the promises of God for two things. [29:42] First, we need the promises of God for hard times. [29:46] Life’s going to be hard. [29:49] Life’s going to be difficult. [29:50] Life’s going to be disappointing. [29:53] There are going to be things that are going to happen that you did not see coming.

[29:58] And there’s going to be things happening in people’s lives that you love that you didn’t see coming. [30:02] You’re going to be treated poorly by many people. [30:06] You’re going to be deceived. [30:08] You’re going to be betrayed. [30:11] You’re going to live through times of mourning. [30:14] You’re going to live through times of sickness.

[30:17] You’re going to live through times in which it looks like life is not what you ever thought or ever envisioned that it would be. [30:26] Because sin exists in this world. [30:29] Therefore, this world has a curse. [30:32] And you do not need to live very long into even adolescence to understand that.

[30:38] But the reality is that Abram was facing one of those hard times. [30:42] And rather than going to the God of the universe.

[30:47] He goes to the God of what he thought was the physical world. [30:51] He goes to Pharaoh. [30:53] He throws all in on Pharaoh. [30:55] And he says, Pharaoh, protect me. [30:57] Pharaoh, do for me what I cannot do for myself. [31:01] Supply me with an abundant life.

[31:04] And I hope he gave everything. [31:06] Did he not?

[31:08] Psalm 112 verses 6 through 8 says, For the righteous will never be moved. [31:13] He will be remembered forever. [31:15] He is not afraid of bad news. [31:18] His heart is firm, trusting in the Lord. [31:23] His heart is steady. [31:25] He will not be afraid until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.

[31:31] See, rather than throwing his lot in with Pharaoh. [31:34] Abram should have gone and said, I’m going to tell Pharaoh about the kingdom of God.

[31:40] Abram should have said, God’s going to vindicate me if not in this life than in the next.

[31:46] Abram should have been a righteous man of faith who was actually following after God. [31:54] But we often believe the same lie that Abram believed that as long as his cupboards were full, his life was full.

[32:05] We believe the message that taking care of our family to our fullest potential materially and physically trumps fulfilling God’s mission to our fullest potential. [32:15] Which leads to us abandoning hope in God and fulfilling it in other things. [32:24] What you live reveals what you believe. [32:27] But secondly this morning, faith is also necessary for good times. [32:32] Look in verse 16 real quick.

[32:35] This is a part of this story that we often overlook. [32:39] In verse 16, just at the beginning when Pharaoh takes Sarai into his house, this is what the scripture says. [32:46] And he for her sake dealt well with Abram.

[32:54] Abram abandons his wife.

[33:00] And then his life gets exponentially better because of it. [33:06] Sometimes you look at your life and this is a temptation. [33:08] I think we all have it. [33:10] We sit in the Lazy Boy and we look at our stock shelves. [33:13] We look outside and we see a nice car. [33:15] We see the kids playing with all the new toys.

[33:17] We see everything life is really good. [33:20] And we say, man I am blessed.

[33:24] Regardless of what you sacrifice to get it, you see it as a blessing. [33:29] And this is all over our culture today. [33:31] We have rappers who profane the name of God and even give it to themselves. [33:35] And yet they look out in their bentleys and they say, God has been good to me. [33:38] Obviously he loves me.

[33:41] And we say, well that is ridiculous.

[33:45] But then often times we fail to look at our lives and look at what we are sacrificing for the things that we have where God is concerned. [33:51] And we call it a blessing.

[33:55] See faith exists for good times. [33:57] Faith exists so that we look at the good times and we say, this is from God. [34:04] Therefore I must follow God if my blessings are going to be legitimate because the devil can bless me too.

[34:13] God wasn’t blessing Abraham materially, the devil was. [34:16] He was just using Pharaoh to do it. [34:18] Gives us a list of things that we really wouldn’t want in our backyards as riches. [34:22] But in that time those donkeys and those camels were big time riches.

[34:27] So Abraham looks at his life and he says, glad I lied. [34:32] And you say, I would never do that. [34:33] But I think some of us would.

[34:37] I think every one of us are capable of exchanging what God gave us so that we can have exactly what we want. [34:44] See Abraham wanted riches. [34:46] Abraham wanted the easy life. [34:49] And Abraham was willing even to sacrifice his own wife to get it. [34:53] How do we know that? [34:54] Because he did it.

[34:59] Material blessings can come from God. [35:01] Material blessings can also come from sin. [35:04] But the reality this morning is that only you when you are laying in bed at night know the source of your blessings. [35:13] Only you by yourself know the motivation for why you live. [35:18] See we have a nice look in Abram’s life that no one else really had in that day. [35:26] See in that time Abram could have looked at everybody and said, hasn’t God been good?

[35:30] And lots of people would have believed it. [35:32] Caught an episode of the Preachers of LA this week and those are people who are saying God has blessed them while he has not.

[35:40] But only you know the times and the moments in your life that you have sacrificed giving your life over into the mission of Jesus, living fully for him, risking it all for his sake so that you could have the material things of this world.

[35:58] Only you know that. [36:01] The reality is it doesn’t matter what I know. [36:03] What matters is what God knows. [36:05] Because he knows your heart. [36:09] He knows it all. [36:10] And you cannot fool him.

[36:13] We can even lie to ourselves.

[36:17] Faith exists for hard times. [36:19] But faith also exists and is absolutely necessary in the good times so that we will not be deceived by the material blessings of this world into throwing our hat in with worshiping those things.

[36:36] Understand me clearly.

[36:39] God owns it all. [36:41] And if he gives it to you, then it is your duty in faith to leverage those riches for God’s glory.

[36:52] The question is how you use what God has given you reveals your heart.

[36:58] And in our culture, especially in the history of the world, we are a blessed culture physically.

[37:05] We have to prepare for good times with faith or our good times will absolutely deceive us. [37:15] That’s why Jesus says things like it is harder for a rich man enter the kingdom of heaven than it is for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. [37:24] Because Jesus understands our heart. [37:27] He knows that our default mode is to be deceived by it all. [37:31] But the reality is that everything that you have, look and you say it exists for God. [37:38] And I must get it by following God and by doing what is right, by doing what is moral.

[37:45] And if in doing those right and moral things I don’t get it, then God doesn’t want me to have it so that it won’t deceive me. [37:53] But if you have it, friends, if you have it, I plead with you. [37:59] Number one, ensure that you’re getting it by godly means, not by the means Abram had. [38:06] Don’t sacrifice your family for it. [38:10] Metaphorically or literally.

[38:14] But then number two, don’t let your riches deceive you into depending on them. [38:20] Depend on God because only then can you steward it through generosity to use it for him. [38:27] Second Timothy, Chapter four, verse ten, Paul had had a man following him on his journeys and helping him named Demas. [38:35] And this is what he says about a man named Demas. [38:38] He says for Demas in love with this present world has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. [38:45] Crescent has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.

[38:49] We only know one other thing about Demas. [38:51] And that is that in Colossians and elsewhere Paul says Demas is with me. [38:57] Demas is helping me. [38:58] But here we have Demas’ obituary because this is the last thing we know about him. [39:03] Paul writes to the church, to one of his pastor friends, and he says Demas has deserted me because he was in love with this present world. [39:12] So what’s he saying about Demas?

[39:15] Saying the same thing about Demas that happened in the life of Abram. [39:18] And we don’t know the specific timetable of this, but we know that Demas was either desperately afraid of the persecution that Paul was under. [39:28] And he was afraid that he was going to be killed with Paul, so he ran.

[39:33] Or Demas looked at the sacrifices that Paul was making to follow the gospel and to live the mission. [39:38] And he said I would rather have comfort and leisure. I’m out. [39:43] Those are the two possibilities and I believe that it was a combination of both. [39:48] But we know that what Demas is accused of here by Paul is the same thing that John says in 1 John chapter 2 verse 15 is something that means you don’t know the Father. [39:59] That he was in love with the present world.

[40:04] Understand that we must have a heart and a life that exists for God purposes above our own. [40:13] And every one of us have them. [40:16] Every one of us have dreams that have nothing to do with the kingdom of God. [40:22] All of us. [40:23] And what God is saying is that you either need to redeem that for my mission or you need to reject it because what I’ve got for you is better.

[40:36] Thirdly, this morning. [40:39] Understand that grace must lead to repentance in times of disobedience.

[40:48] See if this was a story from a movie. [40:52] I think a lot of the Old Testament stories make great action movies.

[40:57] But what would happen is that Abram would be out there right outside of Egypt with all of his riches and all of his donkeys and somebody’s feeding him grapes or something. [41:04] And he’s like what in the world have I done? [41:06] Or is it you know and he’s going to charge in Egypt kill half the army with a knife and then he’s going to kiss Sarai and then the story’s over. [41:15] Unfortunately when you’re dealing with a bunch of sinners that typically doesn’t happen unless your name is Jesus. [41:19] All right. But what happens at the end of this story is that Pharaoh simply gets sick. [41:28] What was he sick with? I have no idea.

[41:30] But note how the story ends. [41:31] But the Lord afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai. [41:38] So we know I don’t think it was one thing. [41:40] I don’t think that everybody just got strep throat or something one day and he’s like oh my goodness Sarai.

[41:47] No it says plagues multiple. [41:50] In other words a lot of bad things start happening not only to Pharaoh but everyone in his household started becoming afflicted with many plagues. [42:00] And somehow we don’t know how but he looks down and he says there’s only one new thing around here and that’s Sarai.

[42:09] So he looks to her. [42:11] He says she’s the reason it’s here. [42:13] And then look what happened. [42:16] So Pharaoh called Abram and said what is this that you have done to me? [42:20] Do you know that Pharaoh laid blame at the right place?

[42:25] That the one who said he trusted God the one who was on a journey of faith it was his fault. [42:33] And Abraham and Pharaoh goes and says what have you done to me? [42:37] Why did you not tell me she was your wife? [42:42] I don’t know how he found out but he did. [42:45] Why did you say she’s my sister so that I took her for my wife? [42:49] Now then here is your wife take her and go.

[42:52] And Pharaoh gave men orders concerning him and they sent him away and his wife and all that he had. [42:58] This is one of the greatest moments of grace in all of scripture. [43:04] And you say that doesn’t look like grace but it is. [43:08] God looks to Abram and he says I’m going to get you out of there even if you don’t want out of there. [43:15] See we tend to define gain in our lives based on a belief that the world is all that exists. [43:22] So we look at it like Abram did and he says man I’ve got it good here so I’m going to have it good forever.

[43:27] But God has a different story and Abram’s thrown his life in with someone that’s not God and the real God didn’t appreciate it. [43:33] And so God says oh you think his kingdom is great? [43:36] Cool I’m going to send plagues on all of them. [43:38] He’s a little God. I’m the real God.

[43:42] And so God goes into a kingdom that is tiny and he looks in Pharaoh’s kingdom and he sends plagues into it. [43:49] So that Abram and everyone else will know that when you depend on things in this physical world for only that which God can give you’re depending on the wrong things. [44:00] That God is the God of the entire world not just the God of the spiritual realm.

[44:08] God exists and he controls it all. [44:12] Therefore building on anything else is absolutely foolish.

[44:19] And so why was this grace?

[44:23] It’s grace because Abram lived.

[44:28] In what Pharaoh which understand that Pharaoh saw himself as God. [44:35] In what world do you lie to that man send him your wife he gets sick and encounters tons of plagues in his kingdom. [44:43] And then he looks to you and he says can you just leave? [44:45] No in that case you’re executed.

[44:49] If he was going to kill him just because his wife was pretty imagine how mad he is because he lied to him. [44:56] And so God in his grace spares the life of Abram. [45:02] Was it through hardship? Was it through plagues? Absolutely. [45:05] But that suffering was the grace of God to redeem Abram back to the purpose that he had. [45:13] But Abram’s response had to be repentance and so must ours. [45:18] God disciplines those he loves.

[45:21] Three times in scripture we see that exact phrase but in Revelation chapter 3 verse 19 John writes it this way. [45:27] And so those whom I love God speaking I reprove and discipline. [45:32] So what’s our response? Be zealous and repent.

[45:38] Turn from your false hope. Turn from your false security. [45:41] Turn from that idolatry that you have of material gain. [45:45] Turn from questioning God in times of suffering. [45:48] And follow God with your life when he comes down and makes himself known to you. [45:55] Through this action of judgment God makes himself known to Abram. [46:02] Did he deserve it? No.

[46:07] God’s already revealed himself to Abram in ways that he didn’t reveal himself to anyone else.

[46:13] Yet God continues to be gracious. [46:18] God’s grace he restores Abram to the purpose that God had for him.

[46:26] Friends there will be times in life when we will trust things, people, messages and promises from this world more than we believe God.

[46:39] Every one of us are going to do it. [46:42] I’m going to do it. You’re going to do it. [46:44] You may be doing it right now. [46:48] But the reality is that in those moments for God’s children he looks to you and he says, [46:56] Repent and return to me. [47:00] That’s what he does to Abram.

[47:02] That’s the beauty of the gospel. It covers the past. [47:05] It covers the present. [47:07] And friends it covers your future sins as well. [47:10] It covers every moment of sin. [47:12] Every moment of disbelief. [47:15] Every moment that you lack faith in God and put it somewhere else.

[47:18] That is what the gospel does. [47:21] For those who love God his restoration does not serve though as an opportunity to continue in sin. [47:30] But it reveals itself as a glorious opportunity to keep repenting so that we can keep trusting God. [47:38] Faith is a journey of struggle. [47:42] And you are going to blow it the way Abram did. [47:46] But praise God this is not the end of Abram’s story.

[47:52] Today is not the end of yours. [47:55] Yesterday was not the end of your story.

[47:59] The beauty of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that when he hung on that cross, [48:04] he took every sin in my life to the moment that I met him. [48:11] But I think some of us have this crazy theology where we think that’s all he took.

[48:16] No.

[48:19] He took the sins of the past.

[48:24] He took the sins that I had in my life at that moment.

[48:28] And friends at 33 years old I’m telling you right now no matter how long I live, [48:32] Jesus took the sins I haven’t even thought of yet.

[48:37] We serve a gracious, gracious God.

[48:42] Where we will feel his discipline. [48:45] And it will often feel like the weight of all the judgment and wrath of God is falling on you. [48:52] But in that moment God says look to the cross.

[48:56] Because I’m not condemning you. [48:58] I’m just a dad looking to his son saying stop hurting yourself.

[49:04] Come home.

[49:06] And so when Abram leaves Egypt,

[49:10] it’s because God was calling him to come home. [49:14] Get back on the path because our God is a God who forgives.

[49:19] I know some of you and I’ve heard some of your stories. [49:23] I know some of you struggle with so much burden of your past, [49:28] so much guilt of the things that you’ve done. [49:32] I know some of you the things that you’re involved with right now. [49:36] And it is on top of you like a load of bricks and God is looking to you. [49:41] And he’s saying I’m giving you my discipline.

[49:44] I’m laying it down on your life. It’s something. [49:46] I don’t know what it is but God’s not laying it on your life. [49:49] So you can sit there under a ton of bricks. [49:51] God’s laying it on your life so that you’ll look to the cross. [49:55] He’s laying it on your life to let you know you can come home again. [49:58] He’s laying it on your life saying I’m the father that always forgives.

[50:02] He’s laying it on your life saying you can repent and you need to. [50:05] He’s laying it on your life so that you’ll look to him and you’ll say, [50:08] Father I love you because you keep loving me.

[50:15] Friends, there’s no greater God.

[50:20] There’s no better God.

[50:23] The God that always looks to me. [50:27] When I don’t believe him.

[50:31] When I don’t trust him. [50:35] And he says Steve, come home again.

[50:41] This morning he’s looking to all of us and he’s saying, come home and keep trusting me. [50:52] Tomorrow morning when you wake up, when you face life, he wants you to keep trusting his grace.

[51:08] As the band comes up I want you to know that we need God because his promises are always better. [51:19] We have a great picture of that.

[51:25] And something that we do every week is called the Lord’s Supper. [51:28] I like to refer to that, you can call it that, you can call it communion. [51:33] But I like the Lord’s Supper because what it represents is a moment when God says, [51:38] How great is my grace for you. [51:41] It’s so great that I want you to come to my table and I want to share a meal with you. [51:48] In the history of the world, in all society, there’s no greater fellowship than when people sit down and share a meal.

[51:56] That’s how friendships are formed, that’s how relationships are forged, that’s how dates go. [52:04] And God says, I want you to come home and I want you to sit at my table. [52:11] And I want you to feast on the sacrifice of my son. [52:17] For you.

[52:19] This morning, the bread represents the broken body of Jesus, the cup represents his shed blood. [52:27] That his life was poured out and you can metaphorically through this take it into yours.

[52:34] And what it is, it is you proclaiming to everyone around you, I want to keep trusting. [52:41] I want to keep following. [52:44] And it’s another sign. [52:45] See, it’s not just you, it’s God. [52:49] And it’s God saying that he will keep forgiving, that he will keep giving you grace, that his promises are for you. [53:00] If you’ll just keep trusting.

[53:03] If you’ll just keep repenting. [53:05] If you’ll keep turning to follow him. [53:09] If you don’t know that God, today is the day of salvation. [53:15] I’ll be right over here, I’d love to talk to you. [53:19] Not because you need me, you just need to trust God through Jesus Christ this morning.

[53:26] But if you do know him, I want to invite you to come when you’re ready.

[53:31] And keep trusting.