We're having two readings this morning.
So the first is Genesis 12, 10 to 20.
And the second is Genesis 14, 14 to 24.
Now, there was a famine in the land.
So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there.
For the famine was severe in the land.
When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai,
I know that you are a woman, beautiful in appearance.
And when the Egyptians see you, they will say, this is his wife.
Then they'll kill me.
But they will let you live.
Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you.
And that my life may be spared for your sake.
When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful.
When the princes of Pharaoh saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh.
And the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house.
And for her sake, he dealt well with Abram.
And he had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys and camels.
But the Lord afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife.
So Pharaoh called Abram and said,
What is this you've done to me?
Why did you not tell me that this was your wife?
Why did you say she is my sister so that I took her for my wife?
Now then, here is your wife.
Take her and go.
And Pharaoh gave men orders concerning him.
And they sent him away with his wife and all that he had.
So before our next reading, some more chaos occurs with Abraham's nephew, Lot, being given the choice of where he might live.
And he chooses Sodom.
However, a little while later, the people of Sodom are then taken captive by surrounding kings.
So we move to chapter 14, verse 14, to see what happens next.
When Abram heard that his kinsmen had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men born in his house, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.
And he divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them and pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus.
Then he brought back all the possessions and also brought back his kinsmen, Lot, with his possessions and the women and the people.
After his return from the defeat of Chidolamah and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the valley of Sharek.
That is the king's valley.
And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine.
He was a priest of God Most High.
And he blessed him and said,
Blessed be Abraham by God Most High,
possessor of heaven and earth.
And blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand.
And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
And the king of Sodom said to Abram,
Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.
But Abram said to the king of Sodom,
I have lifted my hand to the Lord God Most High,
possessor of heaven and earth,
that I would not take a thread,
a sandal strap or anything that is yours,
lest you should say,
I have made Abram rich.
I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten
and the share of the men who went with me.
Let Eina, Eshkol and Mamre take their share.
Well, in the baptisms,
we've just had the joy of witnessing expressions of faith.
I want to ask the question,
what does the life of faith look like?
Like, what are they signing up for, in a sense?
I'm going to suggest first a few things it's not.
Some people find a church when life isn't going well.
And that's a really good move.
Like, that's a good idea.
If that's your motivation in coming to church,
maybe even today.
Like, God has all the time in the world
for people who aren't doing well
and know they need help.
Like, that's a great move.
You're surrounded by like-minded people.
We're all sinners struggling here.
We're rejoicing in Jesus.
But sometimes people look for a church
and I think sometimes there's a really wrong expectation.
And the thinking goes something like this.
If I add some religion,
if I add some volunteering in my life,
then God will restore my relationships
or God will free me from addictions.
God will help raise my kids to be good people.
It's seeing faith as like you add a bit of God in your life.
That's trying to bargain with God.
Faith is not about adding a bit of religion in.
There's a musical, The Book of Mormon.
I haven't watched the whole thing.
I've just been listening to a few of the songs lately.
And there's a song, I Believe.
And Elder Price, the main character, sings,
I believe that God has a plan for all of us.
I believe that plan involves me getting my own planet.
What?
Is that faith?
That you're working towards this enormous promise in the afterlife
as long as you sacrifice everything for God in this life?
I think some people view that's what faith is about.
It's not about your religious efforts.
That's what faith isn't.
God tells us.
He gives us definitions of faith.
But he does more than definitions in his word.
He gives us people.
He gives us people as examples.
And God calls Abraham the picture of faith.
He is the pin-up boy you should have in your bedroom of faith.
Abraham.
Just to underline where I'm getting this from,
Galatians chapter 3 says,
Know then that it is those of faith who are the children of Abraham.
Not just natural born descendants, but those of faith.
Those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham,
the man of faith.
He is the man of faith.
Abraham is the turning point in human history.
The rest of the world trying to make a good life for themselves apart from God.
And then Abraham.
He's the picture of faith.
When I made my wedding vows to Emma 11 or so years ago,
in those vows, there's no ifs or buts or maybes.
They're unconditional.
In sickness and in health,
but as long as you're kind to me.
Or if work isn't busy.
There's no ifs or buts.
They're unconditional.
Now the big difference between me and God is
God completely is faithful in keeping his promises.
He gives unconditional promises to Abraham.
No ifs, no buts, no maybes.
I will bless you, Abraham.
I will make your name great.
I will make a massive family out of you.
I'm going to give you land as a permanent home.
I'm going to treat others according to how they treat you.
I'm blessing you, Abraham, that through you,
I'm going to bless the entire world.
Full stop.
No ifs, no buts, no maybes.
Now imagine if God said to you,
I will bless you forever.
Full stop.
Wow.
What a promise to live by.
And that's why I'm quoting Galatians 3
because I'm not sure about you,
but I haven't had God audibly give me a promise like that.
But the promise to Abraham is for you and I.
We're called to believe in the same promise.
Galatians 3 also says this.
And here's the connection to baptism.
I'm not going to go into how all this works.
I'm not even sure I understand how all this works,
but just see the connection.
As many of you as were baptised into Christ
have put on Christ.
And if you belong to Christ,
then you are Abraham's offspring,
heirs according to promise,
heirs of all the blessing according to promise.
If you belong to Christ,
the promises to Abraham, they're yours.
If you belong to Christ.
So don't go from Abraham to you.
Go from Abraham to Christ to you.
That's important.
So in these stories of Abraham,
we're going to see what faith looks like,
what the life of faith really looks like.
I'm going to define it like this
from what I think the passage is saying.
Faith is when God's promises are even bigger
than his own failures,
than other people's failures,
even bigger than his opportunities to gain.
God's promises are the biggest reality in Abraham's life.
That's what the life of faith looks like.
So imagine if...
So Emma and I go to event cinemas at Glendale.
We see a movie.
It ends late, like 11 o'clock.
It's dark.
And we're walking back to the car,
arm in arm,
really at peace and having enjoyed the movie.
And a guy with a knife approaches us.
And I just grab Emma
and I put her in front of me
in between me and the knife.
What would you think of me?
That's the kind of cowardice
we see in Abraham here.
I think it's actually worse
because it wasn't just a momentary instinct.
He came up with a plan.
There's a famine.
God said to stay in this place.
I'm going to bless you.
He goes to Egypt.
That's not a good sign.
And Sarah is so attractive.
He's afraid they're going to kill him
so that they can have her.
That must have been a corrupt place,
like if he's fearing that.
But still,
that fear drives out
all the promises he's just heard.
And in his fear,
he lies.
He pressures Sarah to lie.
Say,
you're my sister.
Sarah,
I'm going to give you up for a time.
Men might use your body.
They might.
It's crazy what he does,
isn't it?
So that I will be safe.
His faith in God
to look after him
failed big time,
putting Sarah in harm's way.
God had promised to make him and Sarah
into this massive family,
and he put it all at risk,
letting Pharaoh take her.
But God intervenes.
He rescues Sarah.
He rebukes Abraham.
Don't miss that.
He rebukes him through Pharaoh.
What is this you have done?
But God protects Abraham's life,
even though Pharaoh must have been
pretty angry.
So he does protect Abraham.
And then Abraham leaves Egypt
more rich than when he arrived,
despite this failure.
Not because of the failure,
but because God kept his promises.
There was no ifs,
buts,
or maybes.
Now,
Abraham,
I reckon,
he could have used,
that went okay,
that further.
He could have used that
as an excuse
to keep on doing
the wrong thing.
But we didn't read this section,
but the thing he does
straight after this
is
he goes back
to the place
where God
had made
his promises to him.
I think it was a
demonstration
of repentance.
repentance.
The riches
he came away with
out of Egypt
weren't the main thing
that was on his mind,
but the rebuke.
He goes back
to the place
where God
had promised him.
So God's promises
to Abraham
were even bigger
than such a massive failure
of his faith.
His promises
were bigger.
I think there's
things that we do
as Christians,
things we say
and do,
they're just
massive failures
of faith.
What does faith
look like
when your faith
massively fails?
If that sentence
makes any sense.
It looks like
believing
that
God's promises
are even bigger.
true faith
doesn't take
God's guarantees
of forgiveness
and just use it
as an excuse
to keep on
doing the wrong thing.
It doesn't try
and blame
I was afraid
so I did the wrong thing.
It doesn't try
and blame things.
It doesn't try
harder to repay.
I think like Abraham
goes back
to the place
where God
has made
those promises
and for us today
that place
is the cross.
We go back
to the cross
and see
that God's
promises
are bigger
than even
my greatest,
greatest failures.
His promises
are bigger.
That kind of faith
when you go back
to the cross
and see
God's promises,
that faith
you'll hear
God's rebuke
even while
you're praising
him for
his rescue.
So that's
what the life
of faith
looks like
when you fail.
What about
when others
fail you?
What about
other people's
failures?
Now we didn't
read chapter 13
for the sake
of time.
I'm going to
give you
like this
30 second
highlights reel.
Abraham
and his nephew
Lot.
Lot has been
with him
the entire
time.
They're getting
too rich
and that's
the problem
and they need
to separate
and buy
rich.
It's not
bank accounts
like our
days but
it's animals
and people
working under
you to look
after the
animals.
That guaranteed
your future.
They needed
more land
to separate.
Now Abraham
is the head
of the family.
He could
have gone
Lot,
you're my
nephew,
you go
there,
I'm going
to take
the best
for myself
but he
doesn't do
that.
He's
humble.
I think
he's trusting
God and
he gives
his nephew
Lot the
choice.
Lot chooses
the best
for himself
which is
I think
a little
dodgy.
I'm not
sure the
text definitely
says this
but it
seems a bit
dodged.
Lot is rich
because of
Abraham and
then he takes
the best
for himself
but the
worst thing
that the
text really
points to
is that
he compromises
his relationship
with God.
We hear
that Lot
goes and
sets up
camp at
Sodom.
Like Sodom
and Gomorrah,
I don't
know if
you're
visiting today
if you
know about
the Bible,
Sodom is
just the
picture of
not wanting
anything to
do with
God.
Just
absolute
selfishness.
What on
earth is
Lot doing
there?
He's trying
to get
rich.
More
rich.
He's doing
partnership
there.
It's like
someone in
your family
getting the
family inheritance
and then doing
business with
people who are
being investigated
by the
federal police.
They're
suspected of
laundering money
through the
pokies.
They're known
to own
brothels.
You're taking
the family
inheritance and
you're partnering
with these
people.
What are you
doing there,
Lot?
What are you
doing there?
He's not
necessarily said
to be doing
the wrong
thing but
he's partnering
with these
kinds of
people.
What are
you doing?
Now all
that is
background for
chapter 14.
Lot gets
caught up in
a war and
he's captured.
Abraham hears
about it.
Now what
does Abraham
do?
Abraham is
safe.
Lot has
made this
choice to go
to Sodom.
Like,
you deserve
it.
You made
your bed.
Lie in it.
You reap
what you sow.
Abraham could
have, you
deserve it,
Lot, getting
caught up with
these people.
But
incredibly,
Abraham,
God's promises
to Abraham are
even bigger than
whatever disappointment
he feels,
whatever
offence he
feels from
Lot.
they're
bigger even
than the
risk of
the
personal loss
and Abraham
goes after
him.
He pursues
him.
He enters
the war.
He enters
the risk.
He enters
the mess
to rescue
him.
Maybe
fresh in
Abraham's
mind is
that God
had just
rescued him
from his
failure.
Yeah.
Abraham
trusted
God's
promises
and he
pursued
Lot
to rescue
him
despite
his
failure.
I wonder
who has
offended
you?
Who has
acted in
a way
that you
just cannot
respect?
In our
prayer time
a small
group,
one of
the guys
reminded
us that
when
someone's
wronged
us and
really
greatly
failed,
we might
pray as
Christians,
we might
pray for
those who
have been
harmed
through this
person's
actions,
we might
pray for
those who
have been
harmed
because of
this
person,
we might
pray for
things to
be restored,
oh God
please just
put things
right,
we might
pray for
justice to
be done,
but do
we pray for
that person
to be
rescued,
that person
you can't
respect,
do you
pray for
their
rescue?
In the
hope God
rescues
them.
For
Abraham,
he returns
victorious,
God was
with him,
he trusted
God's
promise,
God kept
his promise,
he brings
Lot back,
but not
only Lot
and all
his people
and the
possessions,
he brings
all the
people of
Sodom back
and their
animals and
possessions.
Abraham,
in this
moment,
he has
huge
opportunities
to gain.
He's just
made a
huge risk
and he's
got a
huge reward,
a rightful
reward,
it's his
reward.
God.
And then
we've got
two kings
come out,
we've got
Sodom,
we've already
met Sodom,
and then
Melchizedek.
Let's focus
on Sodom
first.
Sodom
says,
the king
of Sodom,
give me
all the
people,
but you
keep the
goods for
yourself.
So Abraham,
give me my
people back,
you keep the
possessions.
Now he's
not being
generous,
that's just
protocol.
He would
have nothing
if Abraham
didn't bring
all the
people back.
He's not
being generous,
he's giving
Abraham what
he deserves
for his
reward.
And Abraham
says,
no, he
refuses,
he refuses
in a pretty
confrontational
way.
He says,
I'm not going
to take a
shoelace from
you.
He does
the very
opposite of
Lot.
Lot,
wanting to
gain wealth,
went into
partnership,
compromising
his relationship
with God.
Abraham is
willing to
lose great
opportunity to
gain a reward
he's entitled
to, to not
go into
partnership.
relationship.
He doesn't
want to
compromise his
relationship with
God, even
if the gain he
rightly could
get is right
there on the
table.
I'm not having
a shoelace,
no way.
It's the
opposite of
Lot.
It's strange.
He could have
got so much
out of that
situation.
It's
strange
behaviour.
It's
costly.
I talked
to a man
once where
he was
wanting to
know more
about
Christianity
and what
had motivated
him is
the girl
he loved,
a girl who
would express
love for
him,
broke it
off.
because she
basically said
to him,
I love
Jesus more.
He knew
she loved
him.
But he's
just like,
what?
Who is
this Jesus?
Because she
was willing to
break it up.
It was very
costly for
her.
It's
strange.
But you
do that sort
of thing when
you don't want
to lose
God.
And then
Abraham does
a second
costly thing.
Remember,
he deserves
the reward.
He deserves
the reward.
This is
where
Melchizedek
comes in.
And there's
so much in
the Bible
about
Melchizedek
in small
groups.
Do a
deep dive
in that.
I am
going to
glance over
it.
Melchizedek
brings
supplies.
He brings
bread and
wine.
No doubt
the fighting
men are
hungry.
He brings
supplies.
And this
time,
Abraham
gladly partners
with
Melchizedek.
I'm in
your camp.
I'm with
you,
Melchizedek.
Why?
Because they
share the
same faith
in the
Most High
God.
They both
give credit
for Abraham's
victory where
it's due.
Not to
Abraham,
but because
God delivered
your enemies
into your
hand.
God kept
his promise.
They were
both rejoicing
in God's
promises and
God's
character.
Abraham was
rejoicing in
Melchizedek,
giving all the
glory to God,
not him.
And then he
does something
weird.
He gives
Melchizedek
10% of
all he
has.
He's just
got this
reward.
Melchizedek
brings a
meal.
He's not
paying for
the meal.
10% is a
high price.
He's not
doing that.
He's not
paying for
the meal.
Why?
Why does
he give
10%?
If you
gave 10%
of everything
you owned,
what's he
doing?
I think
it's a
way of
completing
Abraham's
joy in
God and
his promises.
It's a
way of
expressing that
God
himself,
his promises
are more
precious than
the possessions.
It's
costly.
It's
strange.
It's
costly.
when God's
promises are
so precious
to a person
that they
freely give.
It's
strange
behaviour.
I heard
of a
businessman
who was
travelling
internationally.
He's a
big shot,
big name,
worth millions
of dollars,
and he
gave it
up to
spend more
time with
his family
and with
his local
church family,
and part of
his reasons
was because
the youth
group needed
more leaders.
That's
weird.
That is
weird behaviour.
That is
weird behaviour.
When people
give up their
Saturday morning
to willingly,
dare I say
joyfully,
clean the
church toilets,
that is
weird.
You are
weird people.
That's
strange behaviour,
people giving
freely,
when they
could be
gaining for
themselves.
It's
weird when
people choose
a house
that's not
as good as
what they
possibly could
get so
that they
could stay
close to
their local
church.
It's just
weird.
Things,
people who
love the
promises of
God,
they do
costly things,
but they
don't do it
begrudgingly.
It's weird.
It's
strange.
It shows
there's
something bigger
in their
life.
Something is
more precious
to them.
So I
think in
Abraham,
the man of
faith,
faith isn't
just about
adding this
little bit of
religion into
your life.
Faith isn't
trying to
earn a
reward in
the afterlife.
Christian
faith is
when God's
unconditional
promises to
bless you
are just
big.
God's
promises just
fill your
thoughts and
every nook and
cranny of your
life, his
promises, they're
just big, they're
just how you
see everything.
like what
could be a
better thing to
build your
life on than
the most
high God who
possesses heaven
and earth, who
cannot lie, saying
I will bless you
forever through
Jesus.
He's got all the
control, he
keeps his
promises.
could you
build your
life on
something better
than that?
Something
interesting with
Abraham is we
see massive
failure, right?
And it's not the
only one.
As we keep
reading Genesis, he
does something very
similar and other
things.
He fails again.
But interestingly, you
keep reading
scripture and it's
as if those
failures are
washed away.
What's focused on
is his faith.
God focuses on the
moments of faith.
How can God do
that?
I think because
Abraham is not
just the picture
of faith, he's
not just the
pin-up boy of
faith, he points
to the one who
is the answer.
He's the
answer to all
God's promises.
Jesus Christ, the
most high God,
possessor of heaven
and earth.
Jesus never uses
people to save
his own skin.
Like Abraham
used Sarah.
At the cross of
Jesus, we see our
faithful husband laying
down his life for
his bride, his
people.
His cross is
bigger than my
failures.
Remembering my
sins no more,
washed away,
continually putting
me back on my
feet.
He just remembers
my faith.
Wow.
All because of the
cross.
I see myself in
Lot.
I don't know who
you're identifying
with in this story,
I identify with
Lot.
Getting myself into
such damaging and
hopeless situations,
relationally in all
sorts of ways,
because I'm pursuing
my own interests.
So foolishly.
But the cross is
even bigger because
it shows Jesus
didn't just leave me
to what I
deserved.
He pursued me.
He risked
everything to
rescue me and
bring me back.
His resurrection
is bigger than
any opportunity to
gain here and
now.
What good is it if
someone offers you
the whole world and
yet forfeit your
soul?
The resurrection
says that I have
the most high
God, the
possessor of
heaven and
earth.
I belong to
him and all
his promises are
for me,
unconditional.
Opportunities to
gain?
Can't compare.
If you know
who we have,
you're going to
do strange
things.
You're going to
do costly
things, freely,
gladly, joyfully.
So in
Abraham we see
the man of
faith and he
points us to
Jesus Christ
where we see
at the cross
all the promises
of God.
Imagine if God
said to you,
I will bless
you forever.
That's exactly
what he said to
us at the cross.
No ifs, no
buts, no
maybes.
The life of
faith is the
promises at the
cross being
big in our
thinking and in
our life.
So know
then that
those who are
of faith are
blessed along
with Abraham,
the man of
faith.
And if you
belong to
Christ,
then you are
Abraham's
offspring,
heirs
according to
promise.
Let me pray.
Let's pray.
Lord, help us
believe that you
are the kind of
God that wants
to bless us,
not based on
anything we do
or don't do,
but purely
because that's
the kind of
God you are.
Lord, I pray
that you
would increasingly
draw us to
the beauty of
yourself seen
at the cross so
that your
promises would
grow to the
size that they
actually are in
our hearts and
minds so that we
live in a way that
pleases you.
In Jesus' name I
pray.
Amen.