Episode #18: Unshakeable Faith and the Power of Works (Part 3)

Can unwavering faith really lead to greatness? Discover the profound journey of Abraham, a pillar of faith, as we explore his life through the lens of Hebrews 11 and Genesis 22. In this thought-provoking episode, we promise you'll gain a deeper understanding of what it means to live by faith. We start by examining the essence of faith from Hebrews 11:1 and 11:6, emphasizing how crucial faith is to pleasing God and the importance of combining belief with action.

Embark on a compelling narrative that recounts the pivotal moment when Abraham's faith was put to the ultimate test with the command to offer his beloved son Isaac as a burnt offering. Witness Abraham's remarkable obedience and unyielding trust in God's provision, even during a three-day journey filled with potential doubt and fear. This episode is a powerful testament to how true faith is demonstrated through both belief and action, leading to the fulfillment of God's promises. Tune in to be inspired and challenged by Abraham's incredible story of faith in action.

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:01

Hello , my name is Stephanie . Welcome to the All Is Well podcast . My mission is to teach people the Word of God and emphasize its importance in their daily lives . I'm glad you decided to join me today . Let's get started . Welcome to episode 18 .

Speaker 1 0:22

In this episode I'm going to continue the message of faith and dive into Abraham's life , and we'll see how his faith propelled him into greatness . So let's begin . Let's turn on over to our Bibles , to Hebrews , chapter 11 . So in Hebrews , chapter 11 , verse 1, . Now , faith is the substance of things hoped for , the evidence of things not seen , for by it the elders obtained a good testimony Verse 1 . Let's go down to verse 6 . But without faith , it is impossible to please him , for he who comes to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him . So remember , to please God , we need to have faith , we need to believe what he says in his word , and we need to do it . And then let's go down to verse 8 . By faith , abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance , and he went out not knowing where he was going . So at the beginning of verse 8, . It states by faith , abraham obeyed . So faith without works is dead . By faith he believed . But he didn't just stop there . He obeyed . If you obey , you're moving , you're going . Action is involved . So when he did that , he left to the place that he needed to be and he received an inheritance and he went out not knowing where he was going . So remember , faith without works is dead . So let's dive in deeper into his life . Let's turn on over to Genesis , chapter 22 . So in Genesis , chapter 22 , verse 1, .

Speaker 1 2:22

Now it came to pass , after these things , that God tested Abraham and said to him so at this point Abraham already received his promise , which was his son Isaac , and he said to him here I am . Then he said Take now your son , your only son , isaac , whom you love , and go to the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burned offering on one of the mountains of which I shall . So , hearing this command instruction that God gave Abraham , he didn't question it , he didn't doubt it , he didn't tell him . No , he didn't say are you crazy ? Look on verse 3 . It says so Abraham rose early in the morning . He took action , he moved , he went . So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey and took two of his young men with him and Isaac , his son , and he split the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him . Then , on the third day , Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off . So at this point he had been traveling for three days already . So anyone in his position would have said , okay , that's plenty of time for you to think . He may have thought , okay , maybe I didn't hear God right , I'm not going to do this . This is my son , this is who son , this is who he promised me . He promised my son to me , so I'm just going to head on back . He didn't think any of that , so it says .

Speaker 1 3:53

Then , on the third day , abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off . And Abraham said to his young men stay here with the donkey , the lad and I will go yonder and worship and we will come back to you . So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac , his son , and he took the fire in his hand and a knife and the two of them went together . But Isaac spoke to Abraham , his father , and said my father . And he said here I am , my son . Then he said Look the fire and the wood , but where is the lamp for a burnt offering ? And Abraham said my son , god will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering . So Abraham was speaking faith right here .

Speaker 1 4:41

So the two of them went together Verse 9 . Then they came to the place of which God had told him and Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order . And he bound Isaac , his son , and laid him on the altar upon the wood in order . And he bound Isaac , his son , and laid him on the altar upon the wood . And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son . So he's doing everything that God told him to do . He is preparing him for the burnt offering . He's about to slay his son . He has the knife in his hand . So there is no doubt he believed what God told him to do .

Speaker 1 5:19

So in verse 11, . But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said Abraham , abraham . So he said here I am Verse 12, . And he said Do not lay your hand on the lad or do anything to him . So but he knew , since he was taking it through the whole process , he knew how much that he loved God , because he wanted Isaac so much and he loved Isaac so much and he was going to do this then . That meant that he loved God so much .

Speaker 1 6:05

Verse 13, . So what Abraham believed . In verse 8 , he says my son , god will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering . So he already spoke that God will provide the lamb for a burnt offering , and he did . In verse 13 . There was a ram caught in a thicket by its thorns . So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son . So God will provide . When we believe , when we speak , when we take action , god will provide . 14 . And Abraham called the name of the place the Lord will provide . As it is said to this day in the mount of the Lord , it shall be provided .

Speaker 1 6:58

Verse 15, . Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven and said by myself , I have sworn , says the Lord , because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son , your only son . Blessing I will bless you and multiplying I will multiply . Your and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies In your seed . All the nations of the earth shall be blessed because you have obeyed my voice . Because with faith we need to obey as well . With obeying there is action .

Speaker 1 7:43

So not only did Abraham believe what God was going to do in his life , but he took action , and at the beginning he didn't fully know what God was going to bring into his life . That's the same way in our life . God will give us instruction of what we need to do and we may not understand it . He doesn't always tell us the play-by-play , everything that's going to happen . But when we listen to that first instruction , we show him that we have faith and we're believing and we have confidence in his word . Then we do that thing , and then we do the next one , and then the next one , and then he blesses us Because there is something on the other side that he has for us . But you will only get that , you will only get to that point if you lay hold of the promises that he has for you , but not only just keep them within you , but to take action and obey . He's always moving .

Speaker 1 8:39

There is this pastor evangelist from some time ago , and this is a phrase that he always said God doesn't sit with the sitters , he goes with the goers . So God wants you to move , god wants you to go , god wants you to leap . There's things that he wants you to do . God wants you to go , god wants you to leap . There's things that he wants you to do . It's not just to sit around and just to wait , it's to move , it's to go . And so when you go and you move , then God can bless you because he's ready to take you to the next place . So , just as it said we're going to read it again . And then , because it says , by myself , I have sworn says the Lord , because you have done this thing , because he there is action involved in his faith .

Speaker 1 9:20

So Abraham did what God told him to do . So God said because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son , your only son , god knew how precious his son was to him . He said blessing , I will bless you . You know , with God there's no lack , there's an overflow , there is an abundance . With God , that is how he wants to bless us , but we are the only ones that are preventing him from fully blessing us . He says blessing , I will bless you and multiplying , I will multiply your descendants . He didn't say I'm going to add one or two or five . Multiply and multiply . He said Blessing God will bless you and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore , and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies In your seed . All the nations of the earth shall be blessed because you have obeyed my voice . So think of when you obey God's voice and you tell him and you do what he's asking you to do , and you do what he's asking you to do . It's not just for yourself , it's for other people as well too , just in the case with Abraham too .

Speaker 1 10:36

So what I would recommend for you to do is meditate on these faith scriptures . Build your faith up . We need to keep hearing the word of God to build our faith . It's just the same way when people just are around gossip people who gossip or hearing negative news then you start to feel like that and then you start to complain . But God doesn't say that . He says you need to fill yourself with the word of God . You need to keep hearing and hearing by the word of God to build up your faith .

Speaker 1 11:09

So when God tells you to do something . You'll go for it . You'll do what he says and then have that faith . But not only have that faith , but to move , have action and do what he says , and then you will see the blessings come over your life . And remember , not just a little blessing , not just one time , but he will multiply and he will overflow you to the abundance . So meditate on these scriptures , keep believing God the abundance . So meditate on these scriptures , keep believing God for more , keep meditating on these scriptures and you will see the blessings come over your life . Thank you for tuning in . Say this salvation prayer with me . I'm glad you prayed that salvation prayer . Make sure that you plug yourself into a Spirit-filled church and read the word of God . Well , I hope you enjoy the message and thank you for tuning in .