[0:00] the love of Jesus Christ is found at Calvary.
[0:11] Just want to remind you that it's not just Jesus's love, Jesus's love. It's a big smiley face on everybody. No, it's found at the cross where he laid down his life for us.
[0:22] That's where God commendeth his love toward us and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. That's where it's found. All right, so if you have your Bibles, go to John.
[0:35] I want to get you two places to start, John chapter 8, and also please find Romans chapter 4. And we're going to read a little bit here and try to extract a thought from these two passages, and then we're going to move on to a real famous chapter in the Bible in Hebrews chapter 11.
[0:53] To begin, John chapter 8, Romans chapter 4. So jumping right into this passage, in the Gospel of John, this is Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ, and he's got these religious Jews, these older men, these Pharisees in his face, and they're arguing with him like religious people do.
[1:27] They argue with the Lord Jesus Christ, whether you believe it or not. It's what's going on. And he's teaching them some things, some true things, and they're rejecting him. They're resisting him, saying, we're fine.
[1:40] We are Jews. We are God's chosen people. God called our father Abraham out and made a nation out of him, and that's us. And the Lord says this.
[1:50] I want you to notice in verse 39. They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, if ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham.
[2:05] But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth which I have heard of God. This did not Abraham. And what he's going to say, and we'll read in a moment, is that Abraham believed God.
[2:18] You're not believing God. God sent me here to tell you the truth, and you're not believing. You want to kill me. Abraham didn't act like that. Abraham had faith. Abraham believed God.
[2:29] If you were Abraham's children, then you would do the works of Abraham. And those works were Abraham exercised faith in what God said. Now, there's more in this passage, but I don't have time to spend on it.
[2:42] So let's turn now to Romans chapter 4. The works of Abraham is what Jesus Christ said. You would do the works of Abraham if you were the children of Abraham.
[2:55] Now, notice in verse number 3, Paul quotes the Old Testament scriptures, and he says, For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God.
[3:07] And it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now, skip down through this passage. We can't only take such a short part out of here, but I want to begin in verse 9 and read through verse 13.
[3:22] And what Paul's saying, just so you know while we're reading it, is that Abraham's the father of the Jews, of course. But what Paul's going to introduce and say that, no, before the nation, before the law, before all of that, Abraham believed God.
[3:36] He exercised faith in God. And that faith of Abraham preceded when Moses gave the law. And it preceded this circumcision that he talks about.
[3:48] And that was a token of a covenant that was given to Moses and so forth. Now, come to verse 9. And Paul's describing some blessedness that comes upon a man that believes, that exercises faith.
[4:01] And he says in verse 9, Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, the Jews only, or upon the uncircumcision also? Is it also available to the world? And he says, For we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.
[4:16] How was it then reckoned? Was it in circumcision or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but before the law, but in uncircumcision is a point he's making.
[4:27] And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised, that righteousness might be imputed unto them also, and the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised.
[4:58] For the promise that he should be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. Now, we're told in verse number 9, we're called a people, if we exercise faith in the gospel and we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, we're not Jews after the flesh or of that nation, but we're called those who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham.
[5:27] Do you see Paul telling Gentiles? He's writing to Romans, to Italians, and he says he's our father too, if we walk in that faith of our father Abraham.
[5:39] I want to preach a message to you this morning called, Following the Father of Faith. Walking in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham.
[5:52] Abraham gave us an example of living a life of faith. Look at why you're in Romans 4, so I can save time and not come back here later. Look at verse 20 through 22. Speaking of Abraham, it says he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully persuaded that what he had promised he was also able to perform.
[6:15] And therefore, it was imputed to him for righteousness. We want to follow the father of faith, Abraham. He was strong in faith, and he lived a life fully persuaded that what God said, God would do.
[6:30] So I want to preach to you tonight, or this morning, about following the father of faith. Let's pray before we go any further. Our father, I pray your blessing upon this next half an hour of time, that you'd still every heart and every mind, and cause us to think only upon your word, upon the truth of the Bible, and upon this example of a man that walked in faith.
[6:55] Lord, may we take from his example and apply it to our lives today, because you say without faith, it's impossible to please you. And we want to please you.
[7:06] We want to obey you. We want to be found in favor of you, and have you look upon us, and care for us, and love us. And so Lord, help us to walk by faith. We pray these things in Christ's name, for his sake alone.
[7:20] Amen. Please find now Hebrews chapter 11. And we're going to spend our majority of the time here in Hebrews chapter 11 now. The works of Abraham that Christ rebuked the Jews for was that they didn't believe God.
[7:34] And they thought they were okay. But the father Abraham exercised faith, and he lived a life of faith.
[7:48] And so we're coming to Hebrews 11. From start to finish, start to finish, the Christian life is rooted in faith. The Bible says, For by grace are you saved through faith.
[8:03] Righteousness is imputed. We didn't read it thoroughly, but in Romans 4, your righteousness is imputed by faith of Christ. Paul said it in Philippians 3, that he was seeking after the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ.
[8:20] In Romans chapter 5, verse 1, you're justified by faith. And so from start to finish, from the very beginning, it's all about you exercising faith in the gospel.
[8:31] And that Jesus Christ died for you, for your sins, that he paid for them, and you believe on him alone, for your personal salvation, and he can be your savior.
[8:42] The Christian life starts by faith, and your spiritual development, and growth over your Christian life, is dependent upon whether you do, or don't exercise faith.
[8:53] Whether you walk by faith. The Bible says, For by faith ye stand. The Bible says, We walk by faith. And it says a few times, The just shall live by faith.
[9:04] So faith is the vehicle, which carries us forward in our Christian life. If you're not in that vehicle of faith, you're not going anywhere. You might do some things, you might try some things for God, but if you're not exercising faith, and living by faith, and walking by faith, trusting God, you're not going anywhere.
[9:22] And if you're in a different vehicle of works, you're going the wrong direction. But faith is the vehicle that carries us forward. But faith in what? The pastor that I grew up under as a child, he used to say this all the time, faith is taking God at his word.
[9:41] Taking God at his, whatever God says, just believing it, and then living by it. That's faith. Faith is not some big thing. It can be little. It can be just little, obedient steps to the word of God, believing it to be right, and exercising faith, walking accordingly.
[9:59] Now in Hebrews chapter 11, this whole chapter has gotten a nickname. It's been called the Hall of Faith. The Hall of Faith, much like the Hall of Fame in baseball, or in any other sports, there's this, there's, you know, plaques and, and exhibits, showing all the things that these athletes have done in their careers, and all of the home runs, they hit all the stolen bases, their cleats that they wore in this World Series.
[10:22] There's all these exhibits in this museum. And, and this is what Hebrews chapter 11 is. It's the Hall of Faith. This is men and women from the Old Testament, and the, the things they have done, how they responded to the word of God, by believing and obeying his word.
[10:38] And they all did something by faith. And if we skim the chapter, you'll see verse four says, by faith, Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice that came. Verse five, by faith, Enoch. Verse seven, by faith, Noah prepared an ark.
[10:52] And then there's Abraham, and Sarah. And if you keep skimming through the chapter, you'll keep seeing these words, by faith, Isaac, by faith, Moses, Joseph, so many more, the whole chapter is, it's like little exhibits all over this hall, reminding us of these characters of the past.
[11:11] And what I want you to notice though, when we get to verse number eight, that from verses eight to 19, is Abraham's exhibit.
[11:21] And if we step back and notice 40 verses of this hall, this man has the biggest display than all of them.
[11:34] It's so big. It takes up near, it takes up 30% of the chapter by number 12 out of 40. Why? Even somebody like David just gets a shout out in verse 32 of David.
[11:49] Also, he just gets a little plaque on the wall. David, I mean, slew the giant, walked with God, gave us, but he just gets a shout out.
[11:59] Abraham, the father of faith. He gets the biggest display, the biggest exhibit in the entire hall. It's, you can't miss it.
[12:10] So I want us to consider that because he is the father of faith and his exhibit takes up so much space. It's broken down into sections. Notice verse number eight says, by faith, Abraham, and it talks about something.
[12:22] And then the next verse nine, by faith, he something else. Then it brings his wife in in verse 11 and talks about them. And then it goes down to verse number 17, 18 and 19, by faith, Abraham, again, more.
[12:35] His exhibit isn't just one little thing or one plaque on the wall, but rather he's got sections to the things that he did by faith. These are the steps. Paul said, walk in the steps of that faith of our father, Abraham.
[12:49] And so this morning, let's look at this chapter. Let's, let's dissect and let be revealed. These steps that our father of faith walked in verse number eight, verse number eight.
[13:03] The Bible says, by faith, Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place, which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed. And he went out, not knowing whither he went.
[13:16] By faith, Abraham. Obeyed. He obeyed. Of all the hall of faith, of all the characters, of all what they've done.
[13:28] The only person whose faith is defined by his obedience is father, Abraham. By faith, Abraham obeyed the step of obedience.
[13:41] And it's a big step. And it's a scary step for Abraham to obey, not knowing what's coming next, not, not knowing where, that's a step of faith.
[13:53] Now it's not blind faith for him. It might seem like it because he doesn't know the future or where he's headed. As it says, not knowing whether he went, it's not completely blind, blind in the sense he can't see the future, but he had the word of God.
[14:06] He had God, the person of God telling him to do it. So his faith was in the person of God. So he wasn't completely blind. The one that spoke to him, that told him to go out, he went out.
[14:18] Now, if I could keep your place here, but come back to Psalm 37. And I don't, I don't seek to do this often, but I feel it's the right thing to do now. Is I don't, I want to give a little personal testimony here.
[14:32] in regards to a step of obedience. About two and a half years ago, Carla and I flew out here for the first time to Los Angeles.
[14:55] And, and, and, uh, within the next two weeks, I was voted in as the pastor of Bible Baptist Church, or within the week.
[15:06] And then within two weeks after that, I wrestled with it, prayed about it, fasted, sought the Lord, sought counsel, and prayed, and prayed, and prayed, and read my Bible, and just sought an answer from God.
[15:17] And thank the Lord, we were having revival meetings at the church at that time. And so we were in church at night, through the one week, and the Lord was really just speaking to me, and opening my eyes, and helping me out. And so I surrendered, and committed to it.
[15:30] And, I made the phone call, and said, I'm in. And, uh, we had to just sort out some of the timing situation, as you well remember. And so we've decided, and I decided, that this is of the Lord.
[15:42] And, one of the scriptures was, that became very real to me at the time, was Proverbs 3. Everybody knows it. 5 and 6. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart. Lean not on the understanding. I knew all of that stuff.
[15:54] In all thy ways acknowledge him. He shall direct thy paths. This is what you need. And, yeah, that's what everybody needs. But at that moment, it was like, trust in the Lord. With all thine heart, Toby.
[16:07] Trust him. Lean not to thine own understanding. Don't try to figure it out. Trust him. In all thy ways, acknowledge him. He shall direct.
[16:17] That became, like, that got in me. And the Lord started to use that to say, I'm telling you. Trust me. I'm telling you. And so I surrendered to it. Agreed to it.
[16:27] And as some months went by, or actually it was just a few weeks, I believe, just maybe two weeks later, it was still very fresh, and very scary, and very, you know, we just announced it to our church, and to all of our friends and family, and things were going to start, you know, turning our hearts and minds toward what was going to take place, to the move across the continent.
[16:50] And so, one morning, I took Samuel out hunting, and we were out, in the early morning, we got up, we went out, and it's dark, and he, we parked, and he walked down to this tree stand that he climbed up in, he's sitting in the tree stand, and so I went way up about 200 yards away, and was sitting at the top of a little bit of a hill, overlooking a meadow, where a deer would come out in the morning early, and it was still dark out, and I'm just sitting there, brushed up against a tree, kind of tucked in some brush, and just waiting, and waiting, and waiting for light to break, and it started breaking, the sky got a little bit, slowly got lit, and I could see my hand, and then I thought, let me get my Bible out, I have a Bible in my book bag, and I love to sit out there and read it, and it's just something about that, man it's good, and so I'm sitting there, and I'm reading through the Psalms, and I'm in Psalm 32, and 33, and 34, and 35, and 36, and just ripping through the Psalms, the sky's getting colorful, and beautiful, and nice cold air around, hallelujah, and I was enjoying that morning, and just enjoying being out there, enjoying reading my Bible, and I got into Psalm 37, and I got to verse 3, which reads, trust in the Lord, and when I read those four words, it just, it smacked me, it just, it's the same thing happened again, from the Proverbs 3, where the Lord's like,
[18:14] I'm telling you, trust in me, and I kept reading, it says, and do good, and so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed, one of the things I was wrestling with, was God, we can barely make ends meet here, how are we going to go to the third, if California was a country, they say it's the third richest country in the world, how are we going to go live out there, we were looking at the housing, we were looking at the private schooling, we were looking at those things online, and just thinking, nope, can't do it, well what are we going to do, and the Lord said, trust in me, and you'll dwell in the land, and he said in verse 4, delight thyself also in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thy heart, commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass, and I read through those other psalms that morning, and they didn't speak to me, there was nothing just screaming off the page, but when I hit verse 3,
[19:21] God arrested my attention, I felt it in my heart, when I read verse 4, it blossomed again, when I read verse 5, it just grabbed me, and God, there wasn't an audible voice, but inside of my heart, he was saying, I'm telling you, this is the way I want you to go, trust me, he shall bring it to pass, I got it, and I sat there, and just thanked the Lord, and praised him, this step of faith, is a step that I need to do, I need to obey now, it's a step of faith, it was a big step for me, and for the family, and there it was out there, now what I'm, this was for me, this was personal, but you know what Abraham, went through, Abraham's step obedience, it beats mine, hands down, it's not even close, I've been out here, I've seen the land, I knew the area, or at least, had an idea of where we're going, I had contacts with you, you know, the relationships were starting, to develop and build, and the Lord was beginning to work, but what Abraham did, the Bible says, he went out, not knowing whither he went, hey Sarah, pack up honey, we're moving, we're moving, oh, great,
[20:39] I can't wait to get out, from your father's house, your father's country, I'm so excited, praise the Lord, finally God has answered my prayers, we're moving, where are we going, we're going, we're going west, good, I heard it's wonderful out there, I heard it's wonderful, in the west, where are we going, I don't know, you know what Abraham, had to tell that woman, pack up, I don't know where we're going, God told me to leave, oh, what's going on Abraham, what's going on, is it because, because I can't bear children, is that what this is about, is it about me, is it about, you're getting old, you can't stand being around here anymore, you're not happy, you need to move on, to something else, you're going to drag us all over there, it's not an easy move, understand he's a man of substance, a man of wealth, a man of servants, trained servants, hundreds of them, that could handle weapons, and war, he's a, he had quite an established thing, but he had no children, and he told Sarah, pack up, we're moving, and they moved, he went out, not knowing whether he went, talk about a step of faith, the children's song, says obedience, is the very best way, to show, that you believe,
[21:59] Abraham, by faith, Abraham, obeyed, by the way, the song continues, doing exactly, what the Lord commands, the step of obedience, it was a big step, for Abraham, but I want you to know, that maybe God doesn't call you, to move across the continent, and maybe he does, but maybe it's just, little things, all obedience to God, all obedience to God, is a step of faith, it's a display of faith, it's displaying, that you believe, not only that he exists, but that his way is right, that his word is for you, and that what he commands, is for you to obey, and when you exercise faith, in the word of God, and do what you know, pleases him, that is faith, that is obedience, it's a step of obedience, and we are to walk, in the steps, of that faith, of our father Abraham, maybe somebody here, needs to take a step, of obedience, to obey God, and God may not, lay it all out, in front of you, he doesn't always do, rarely, if ever does he do that, because he expects, you to trust him, and when he has your trust, and your surrender, and your commitment, he can start to work things out, in front of you, and start to lead you, and open doors, but I had to learn it myself, more than once, and I had to come to that understanding, that God's not going to show me, the whole thing, he's going to expect me, to trust him, and obey, so first we see, a step of obedience, now come down to verse number nine,
[23:36] Hebrews chapter 11, and verse number nine, in this great exhibit, there's another section, another story of his life, another portion, in verse number nine, and ten, by faith, he sojourned, in the land of promise, so he didn't just, he went out, but he also stayed out, he sojourned, in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles, with Isaac, and Jacob, the heirs with him, of the same promise, for he looked for a city, which hath foundations, whose builder, and maker, is God, this second step, we'll call the step, of patience, he sojourned, in the land of promise, looking the whole time, for a city, dwelling in tabernacles, not establishing anything, not building a town, a city, and calling it after his name, he certainly could have, but no, this was the step, of patience, it may not sound like, a step to you, just stay and put, but it was, it demonstrated, clearly, his faith,
[24:45] Abraham never, went back home, Abraham stayed, in this land, and consider with me, what did he get, he is just, patiently, awaiting, what God promised him, and sad, I don't know, if I should say sadly, but he never saw it, in his lifetime, Abraham didn't go, into that land, and conquer the land, and claim it, because God promised, this to me, no, he dwelt in tabernacles, temporary things, moving around, you don't need to turn, I want to run quickly, to Acts chapter 7, this is where, Stephen preaches, a message to, the Jews, and he starts, with Abraham, and here's what he says, he says, he went, out of the land, of the Chaldeans, and dwelt in Karen, and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him, into this land, wherein ye now dwell, and watch this, verse 5, and he gave him, none inheritance, in it, no, not so much, as to set his foot on, that's Abraham's life, in the new land,
[25:51] God didn't give him, any inheritance in it, not so much, as to set a foot on, none of this, is his yet, yet he moved away, from his home, from his, everything he had, and knew, and came to this strange country, and never got any of it, for himself, he's a complete stranger, in the land, as we read, God moved him there, but what's God, God's looking, big picture, God's looking, down the road, and what he's doing, with Abraham, is just, moving one piece, to get the thing started, God's never, in a hurry, and he's working, something, of his own pleasure, and Abraham's, just a piece, and he moves him, he calls him, out of that land, away from that land, and into a new land, he said, this is the land, I'm going to give you, and to your seed, but you're not, going to get it, you're just going, to dwell there in tents, for the rest of your life, but Abraham, obeyed, and then he stayed, in this step of patience, he, the whole time, exercised faith, that this is what God, wanted for him,
[26:57] God moved him, to this land, and he gave him a son, that he didn't have, in his old age, and that son grew up, and he gave him a son, that was Isaac, and then gave him Jacob, and from Jacob, he grew into a family, and then he sent them, down into Israel, or sorry, to Egypt, for 430 years, and they came out, of Egypt, a nation, millions, and God then, guided that nation, through the wilderness, and brought them, eventually, into that land, of promise, the land he promised, to Abraham, hundreds of years, generations, generations later, but Abraham, had to go there, and sojourn there, as just one little piece, of God's plan, God's promise, was good, but what was Abraham's role, in all of this, it was just to go there, just get there, just getting it started, Abraham, just go there, and stay, and so he stayed, and he sojourned, and he never had, and he never had, anything of his own, he just, lived out the rest, of his days, the faith, is exhibited here, and proven here, by his patience, look back, at chapter 6, of Hebrews, look at chapter 6, and verse number 12,
[28:21] Hebrews 6, verse 12, Bible says, that ye be not slothful, but followers of them, who through faith, and patience, inherit the promises, there's patience, attached with it, isn't it, it's waiting on God, notice what he said, in that verse, oh no, verse 13, it goes right into Abraham, God made promise, to Abraham, and, I'll keep reading that, so verse 13, for when God had made promise, to Abraham, because he could swear, by no greater, he swore by himself, saying surely blessing, I'll bless thee, and multiplying, I will multiply thee, and verse 15 says, and so, after, after, pay attention to that word, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise, look now at chapter 10, and watch it happen again, chapter 10 of Hebrews, verse 36, the Bible reads, for ye have need, of patience, that after, ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise, and then back in chapter 11, we already read verse 8, by faith Abraham, when he was called to go out, into a place, which he should, after receive, for an inheritance, obeyed, it's always after, now, this is the step of patience, because Abraham, just obeyed, and patiently waited, and stayed put, until he had further instructions, he patiently waited, on God, and what we read, in verse number 10, was that he looked, for a city, he's looking, for what's after, not for this, city here on earth, a city, whose builder, and maker is God,
[30:17] Abraham, waited patiently, with the eyes of faith, on what's after, in Psalm 40, I want to read, another passage to you, I'm going to get there, and just go, in Psalm 40, the Psalmist David says, I waited patiently, for the Lord, and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry, he brought me up also, out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings, and he put a new song, in my mouth, even praise unto our God, many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord, blessed is that man, that maketh the Lord, his trust, and respecteth not the, this man, had to patiently wait, I waited patiently, for the Lord, what was he doing, he was trusting him, he was exercising faith, I believe you God, I know you're going to fix this, I know you're going to get me out, of this mess, of this horrible pit, David, he was in some messes, and he exercised faith, it's the, it's the step of patience, it doesn't sound like a step, but it's a real exhibit of faith, believing that what God said,
[31:22] God will make happen, and bring it to pass, sometimes it's a, it takes great faith, not to react, to unfavorable circumstances, to just patiently wait, on the Lord, and to exercise, and your trust be in him, and not on your own understanding, what we're tempted to do, is we see a problem, we got to fix this, or we got to make the adjustments, and not sit back and say, God, what are you doing here, God you said, you'd take care of me, so, I'm trusting, you're going to take care of me, I'm trusting God, that you're not just going to, if you directed me, then you're taking care of my family, you know them, you know their needs, and sometimes a man, or woman will, seek to make a move, and they'll make a mistake, when they don't exercise faith, and the step of patience, and wait for God, to accomplish his work, do you know how long, Abraham had to wait, do you realize, that the hundreds of years, in between the promise, and the fulfillment, but the promise was good, and so there was the step of patience, now we're looking at his exhibit still, and there's another one, and this one I'm going to call, the step of conveyance, and what I mean by conveyance, is that Abraham's example of faith, was communicated to others, to his family, and this step shows, that his testimony of faith, was so great, that others saw it, and gravitated toward it, and laid hold of it, for themselves, look with me, in this passage, in chapter 11, in verse number 11 now, through faith also,
[33:04] Sarah herself, received strength, to conceive seed, you realize that, in this, in all these others, they're doing things, offering this, or preparing an ark, or obeying, and sojour, but by faith, Sarah herself received, she's just receiving, she's on the receiving end, of something, it's not something that she did, but something she received, and why is that, well the verse, continuing the verse says, and was delivered of a child, when she was past age, because she judged him faithful, who had promised, where did she get the concept, that this God is faithful, and that she could trust, what he said, I know where she got it, from the one, who she's been following, from the one, who she's been obeying, her Lord, according to 1 Peter 3, Abraham, look with me, I want to show you something, here in this passage, in verses 8, 9, and 10, it's all about Abraham, by faith Abraham, when he, the pronoun is always, singular, masculine, as he was called, he went out, not knowing whether he went, by faith he sojourned, verse 10, he looked for a city, and his faith, was communicated, or conveyed to his wife, so that she herself, received strength, and it says, she judged him faithful, who had promised, verse 12, therefore sprang there, even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars, of the sky in multitude, as the sand, which is by the seashore, innumerable, that's the nation, that sprang of him, and her, and now the plural, verse 13, these all died, in faith, not having received the promise, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they, were strangers, and pilgrims on the earth, for they that say such things, to care plainly, that they seek a country, earlier it was,
[35:03] Abraham, he looked for a city, but no, now it's they, together, seek for a country, and truly, if they had been mindful, of that country, from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity, to have returned, but now they desire, a better country, that is in heavenly, wherefore God is not ashamed, to be their God, for he hath prepared, for them, it was Abraham, looking for a city, but no, Sarah got it, connected with this thing too, the faith, here I'm describing, of Abraham, as the step of conveyance, where not only, does his wife get it, but also, his children, did you notice, notice that in verse 20, it goes on to, by faith Isaac, bless Jacob, do you see in verse 21, by faith Jacob, his grandson, his great grandson, in verse 22, these are generations, that all point back, to the faith, of Abraham, and it's all in line, with that faith, and what God had started, with Abraham, in Romans chapter 4, we read that, Abraham was strong, in faith, and when we look, at his exhibit, we're forced to realize, something, our faith, goes all the way, back to Abraham, he was strong, in faith, and I get in on that, you know how important, it is, for a dad, and a mom, to walk by faith, and to display it, in their life, and when things, don't go according, to plan, to stick with it, and to completely, exercise faith, and trust God, and continue, to walk with him, and seek him, you know how important, that is, it can be conveyed, it can be passed on,
[36:45] I think the greatest, there's no question, the greatest example, in my life, of faith, is my mom and dad, there's no question, I was gifted, this one, I've watched them, as I grew up, serve God, in the ministry, they grew up, in Chicago, in the Chicago area, the suburbs, in Catholic country, and they both, grew up in good homes, and they met, they married, they got saved, and they felt God, moving in them, and they got a hold, of something, and they got directed, by the Lord, to move to Florida, and it was a problem, in the family, their parents, didn't want them, moving to Florida, to go to a Bible school, what in the world, but they did it, and they went to Florida, and they went through, Bible school, and when they graduated, and finished that up, the Lord opened the door, for them to move, to Pennsylvania, to a place, they've never heard of, and never been, but went, met the pastor, and saw that he needed help, and the church was growing, and it was a good work, and he prayed about it, and he felt the Lord saying, go to Pennsylvania, and so he, by faith, went to Pennsylvania, again, this didn't sit well, with their brothers, and sisters, and with their parents, and with the whole family, because they're just, traveling, chasing some religious thing, it's all they could understand, and then after 19 years, the Lord deals with his heart, about the people of Poland, over in Poland, and how they're lost, and how they're not believing on Christ, how they're trusting their baptism, and their works, and their mass, and their gifts, and their candles, and their beads, and they're not putting their faith, in what the Bible says, and they're blind, they don't know what the scripture says, they're not even reading it, and studying it, and believing it, they're blind, they're kissing, they're kissing some man, that's getting, walked on a throne, down the streets of the city, on the holy days, and they're so deceived, and so they left, by faith, and went to Poland, for nearly 20 years, and served the Lord there, and what I got to see, as a child, and a boy, and teenager, and young man, was a mother, and father, that exercised faith, and that obeyed, what God said, and believed it, in their hearts, that this is, the Christian life, this is what God's called us to, and we will obey, and follow wherever, he sends us, and that example, was communicated to me, because I get it,
[39:14] I believe it, if they didn't follow Christ, and the will of God, I'd probably just, well, what's in this world for me, what should I be doing, and how should I please myself, but they taught me, you please God, that's who you follow, and please, that's something, I want to communicate, to my kids, I want my faith, to be evident to them, that they pick it up, themselves, and say, following Jesus Christ, is the best thing there is, he's right, where he leads, I will follow, no turning back, I'd love for them, to pick that up too, this is a, a great section, of this exhibit here, of our father of faith, because like I said, it reaches you, his faith was conveyed, to his wife, it was conveyed, to his children, it passed on, it went on down, but he becomes our father, of faith, who believed God, and it was counted, to him for righteousness, in Romans chapter 4, remember, it speaks of a people, who walk in this, in the steps of that faith, of our father Abraham, he's called the father, of us all, for it is written,
[40:17] I made thee, a father of many nations, the step of conveyance, how important that is, and now one more, we've got to finish, back to Hebrews chapter, 11, there's one more, portion, of this exhibit, where our father of faith, has something on display, for us, and perhaps, the hardest one of all, verse 17, by faith, Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac, this is Genesis chapter 22, you can read it, on your own time, and he had this, and he that had received, the promises, offered up his, only begotten son, of whom it was said, quote, that in Isaac, shall thy seed be called, so Abraham, had the script, had the word of God, I should say, God promised, that Isaac is the seed, that I'm going to bless, and going to make, as the sand, upon the seashores, and the stars in heaven, and the dust of the ground, that's, that's the one, but then God tried him, and told him, to offer him up, as a human sacrifice, what a thing, and verse 18, of whom it was said, that Isaac shall be, that in Isaac, shall thy seed be called, accounting, that God was able, to raise him up, even from the dead, from whence he also, received him, in a figure, this is much more, than just moving, packing his things, and moving, or just dwelling in tents, through hard times, this is more than, just complying to instructions, but he's been called, to take the life, of his only son, to offer him up, back in verse 4,
[42:04] Abel offered, unto God, a more excellent sacrifice, than Cain, but that wasn't, his only begotten son, this is a whole different, ballpark, that we're dealing with, with this offering, this is Abraham, the father of faith, this far exceeds, what anyone else, before him, has been asked to do, or has done, taking the life, of his own son, the one that God said, would be the blessed seed, this test, leaves Abraham, completely powerless, Abraham can't fix it, Abraham, if he obeys, he can't resurrect him, he can do nothing, God never promised him, another son, what a horrible test, this must have been, for the man, but what a wonderful, what a superb display, of faith, it says in verse 19, that when he did that, accounting, he was accounting, he was thinking, and figuring, and weighing it out, accounting that, God's able to raise him up, if God said, this is the one, that's going to be blessed, and then he tells me, to kill him,
[43:11] I guess, God's able to raise him up, I can't tell God no, I can't argue with this, with my maker, or he gave me, the instructions, what a horrible test, this is the test, or the step, of total dependence, because Abraham, has nothing he can do here, but trust, what God said, it was in this event, that he displayed, obedience, and total dependence, upon God, believing what God said, it says so in verse 18, and trusting fully, that God's right, and that God would see it through, accounting that God was able, to raise him up, God never, I'm sorry, Abraham never witnessed, God raise anybody from the dead, he didn't have any experience, to draw on for this, he didn't have any scriptures, to draw on for this, all he had, that God said, that's the one, I'm going to bless, now, I want you to offer him up, as a sacrifice, up there on the mountains, of Moriah, this is, a step of total dependence, by obeying, by faith, what a thing, if I could segue, just for a moment, there was a moment in time, when the Lord Jesus Christ, as a man, was in total dependence, upon the word of God, as well, there was a time, when he, in essence, became powerless, when he hung on the cross, and the sins of our, our filthy sins, were placed on him, and he said, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me, the Bible says, in Isaiah, he made his soul, an offering for sin, and as the sins, of the, the filthiness of mankind, was placed on the soul, of Jesus Christ, as he, offered himself, as the sacrifice, he was no longer, that holy, pure, innocent, son of God, he was now, made to be sin, as the scripture says, he hath made him, to be sin for us, who knew no sin, and what did he have, in that moment, as he's dying, as a condemned sinner, with the sins, on his soul, what does he have, how does he know, the father just forsook him, how do I have, where's my out, he had the word of God, thou wilt not leave, my soul in hell, he had that, he had the scripture, you're not going, to leave me there,
[45:41] I'm going there, to fulfill this, I know, I understand, but now it's real, now it's on me, but he had the scripture, and he was in, total dependence, upon the word of God, from start to finish, Christian, your Christian life, is rooted in faith, is dependent, it's the vehicle, as I said, that carries us forward, and these steps, that we've witnessed, here on display, in the life of Abraham, and his wife Sarah, and family, it's evidence, of the great faith, of our father Abraham, and then we're called, to walk in those steps, walk in the steps, of the faith, of our father Abraham, we walk by faith, faith, these steps, are for us to imitate, for us to cultivate, as a way of life, I wonder if you know, somebody who's strong, in faith, you know what you need to do, is get around that person, and learn from them, learn how they trust God, and walk, with the Lord Jesus Christ, one more thing,
[46:54] I want to say, before we close here, is I want to make a note here, that in this hall of faith, that we're reading about, where Abraham's exhibit, takes up more than anybody else's, you know what we don't see, we don't recall, the flaws of Abraham, we don't see the flaws, of Sarah, do we, we just see their faith, well we can read, their life story, if you don't, haven't already, you know in Genesis, that he messed up, more than once, so did she, why do we, what do we know about Sarah, she laughed, that's the truth, that's recorded in the scripture, it's history, but it's not mentioned here, she judged him faithful, who had promised, we see her faith, we don't focus on, where they messed up, we don't allow those moments, to define our Christian lives, when we walk in faith, when we walk in obedience to God, the blood of Jesus Christ, his son cleanseth us, from all sin, God forgives our sins, and rewards our faith, now the devil, puts it backwards, and he tells you, that God's going to, reward your sins, that is he's going to, punish your sins, and you can never, live up to God, you don't have enough faith, he beats you on not having, but God, he shows a different side, he shows the faith, he emphasizes, rewards the faith, and forgives the sins, the Bible says, their sins and iniquities, will I remember no more, but God records, as we see, the life, of faith, he focuses on the faith, he sees where you trust him, and calls you to come this way, and trust him more, he sees you as his child, and calls you to live by faith,
[48:34] Abraham's our father of faith, I believe this morning, we all need to follow, the father of faith, if you've never been saved, and don't know Jesus Christ, as your savior, that's the first step really, that's what Abraham did, he believed God, and it was counted to him, for righteousness, and you can have righteousness, imputed unto you, the same way Abraham did, by believing, in the Lord Jesus Christ, believing that his death, was for your sins, that religion can't save you, family can't save you, no thing, deed you can do in this life, can save you, or forgive you, or get any acceptance, with a holy God, you need the blood of his son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to cleanse you, to wipe the slate clean, for eternity, you put your faith in him, he'll receive you, you put your faith in him, and show him what else you're doing, it's not going to work with God, he doesn't want it, he doesn't want anything, you have to offer, he'll accept his son, if you'll take his son, he'll accept you, it's that easy, if you need to be saved, today's a good day for that, today'd be a great day, it could be your spiritual birthday, if you've never been born again, if you have been saved, this is the life you're called to live, dependence, upon your father, trusting, him every step of the way, waiting on him, to move you, to give you light, to give you instruction, patiently staying put, if need be, until God opens the door, until he gives you the green light, and living by such strong faith, that it's conveyed to your children, and God willing, to their children, and God willing, to their children, it's a life of faith, we walk by faith, let's walk in the steps, of our father Abraham, let's bow our heads together,
[50:26] I know I went a little longer, than normal, but thank you for bearing with me, I think the subject's, pretty important, it's your Christian life, is what it is, if you even have one, are you a Christian, is your faith in Jesus Christ, for the salvation of your soul, alone, nothing else, if you've never been born again, or don't know what this is about, I'd love to sit down, and open up a Bible, and show you just what it says, only what the Bible says, not with this church, or any church, or nothing, just the Bible, what God said about your soul, and show you how you can trust Christ, and be forgiven of your sins, and on your way to heaven, Christian are you walking by faith, has God put his finger on something, in your life, and you know you've been fighting it, or struggling with it, or avoiding it, or what about dad and mom, is your faith strong enough, do your children see it, do they see that you believe it, that it's real to you, that you're in this thing for life, or are you just in it on Sunday, are you walking by faith, we've discussed the examples this morning, it's going to be up to you, to respond, there's a step of obedience, there's a step of patience, a step of conveyance, and a step of total dependence, those are the steps,
[52:04] I trust that if God speaks to your heart, you'll deal with it, you'll respond, we're going to sing a song number 228, I want to invite you to stand with me, and we'll have a time here, that you can come and pray, or come and talk to the Lord, or come and get some things right, if you need.
[52:22] Thank you.