Genesis pt. 3 | Father Abraham

Discover how embodying the presence of God over personal preferences can transform your worship experience. Join us as we take you on a spiritual journey through the life of Father Abraham, whose steadfast faith and obedience have left a lasting impact on believers. 

Transcript

Father Abraham's Obedience and Faith

Speaker 1 1:20

Today on the Extra Marcos Padilla , and I talk about Father Abraham and how he obeyed the Lord always Welcome to the . Extra . Hey Marcos , what's up ? What's happening man ?

Speaker 2 1:49

Not too much . Well , actually we got a lot going on at the church , but good things .

Speaker 1 1:53

Very good things . Wednesday nights are popping . We had our men's night of worship a couple nights ago .

Speaker 2 1:58

Men's night of worship was awesome .

Speaker 1 2:02

We had some of the folks from McDonough Christian Church .

Speaker 2 2:04

You men have what it takes to be not just a man , but a good man , a godly man .

Speaker 1 2:08

A man of God .

Speaker 2 2:09

Yes .

Speaker 1 2:10

You know , but we're going to talk about Father Abraham in this episode , but I just one of my favorite phrases that came from Sunday night was that when we're at church , we need to be people who are more concerned about the presence of God rather than our preference for what we might experience . Be presence-minded , not preference-minded . Whoo , hit me right between the eyes . That's something that I hope for our church that we would be people who just love being in the presence of God .

Speaker 2 2:40

Yeah , it's not about our favorite songs during worship . It's not about how you know our favorite songs during worship . It's not about you know how loud the music is . It's not about who is sitting next to us , but it is all about you know , while we are worshiping , are we focused ? Are we , you know , dialed into what God is doing ? Because I believe that God is doing a great thing in our world , but especially , I think , in Conyers , here at Crosspoint Christian .

Speaker 1 3:05

Absolutely . We had another baptism on Sunday . Yes , pretty , amazing stuff .

Speaker 2 3:09

Praise God for Kelly . Congratulations , if you're listening .

Speaker 1 3:12

Congratulations , kelly . I'll tell you there is one thing that matters when you go to church what , what shoes the preacher is wearing ? Oh , yes , they have to be at least five hundred dollars on stock . Um , someone , someone told me recently that they uh they look at my shoes , uh , to determine , like , what style shoes they should be wearing . And I just laughed out loud , because , I promise you , there is zero thought behind what pairs of shoes I have . I have , like , the oldest pair of nikes . I don't wear them often , though , so they're white and yeah , so they stay white , because I I never wear them outside of a Sunday morning , but like they were on sale at Academy one time Like that's so great .

Speaker 1 3:50

I'm not like there's no effort .

Speaker 2 3:51

Curtis , I look up to you mostly because you're taller than me .

Speaker 1 3:56

Well , that's true , All right , Father Abraham . Uh , this weekend I really enjoyed this message because , um , it was very meta .

Speaker 2 4:06

Do you know what I mean by that ?

Speaker 1 4:08

It was just it was a very big overview and just kind of hit on a larger theme of scripture and I get that . You know what . That might be a little frustrating for maybe the listener in the audience , but it was fun on Sunday to kind of take it out of the box and try and see something that we don't normally see from the Abraham narrative . I mean , it's only 12 pages long .

Speaker 2 4:31

But , of course , but I think that a lot of what you're doing is we're interpreting scripture the way Jesus did , and a lot of Trying to Trying to . That's the point I think that we're trying to make , though , is is , if everything does point to Jesus from A to Z , like , how did the apostles interpret the things that were happening in the Old Testament ? And I think that's what's super helpful about viewing these books as not just as the tiny part of text , but really as an entire narrative .

Speaker 1 5:02

Yeah , yeah , that's . The goal is to try and interpret it the way that Jesus did , which requires a lot of work to figure out what the first century context of the reader was . Okay , so let's not get too nerdy about some of those things . The sermon focused on the obedience of Abraham , that he obeyed God even though he didn't know where he was going when God called him to leave his land and go to Canaan . He obeyed God even though he didn't know how God was going to provide a son . Like his wife was barren Medically speaking , they could not have a child but Abraham believed and obeyed what God was calling him to do , even though he didn't know how .

Speaker 1 5:42

He obeyed God even though he didn't know when the promise was going to be fulfilled . And it actually goes deeper into that . I was reading even this morning in Genesis . I'd have to go back and look . But when God makes the covenant with Abraham , saying that this land will be yours , when he actually changes his name from Abram to Abraham , he makes a promise that his descendants would inherit the land of Canaan and that it would be four generations later , like from the time of captivity in Egypt , like God even said .

Speaker 1 6:17

I know that your people will live as foreigners in the land of Egypt and be slaves , and for 400 years they would not have this land . But four generations later they are going to come into this land of Canaan . So Abraham obeyed God , even though he didn't know when God was going to fulfill that promise of the land .

Speaker 1 6:39

And he obeyed God , even though he didn't know why God was asking him to do some of these things . And he obeyed God even though he didn't know why God was asking him to do some of these things , like when he finally got his son Isaac his promised son from his wife Sarah . God told him to go and sacrifice Isaac on top of what was the name of the mountain .

Speaker 2 6:57

Mount .

Speaker 1 6:57

Ararat . No , oh man , no-transcript . Okay , so it's a .

Speaker 2 7:35

Yeah , it was the land of Moriah , mount Moriah , yeah , mount Moriah .

Speaker 1 7:39

Which is actually the land of Jerusalem . Yeah , no , it ended up being Jerusalem Some scholars think that the mountain or the hill that Jesus was killed on is maybe in the same vicinity , or possibly even the same mountain that Abraham almost killed his son .

Speaker 2 8:02

They also look at it , if you want to get super meta , as the same place that Adam was formed from the earth , which is why it's called Golgotha , or the place of the skull .

Speaker 1 8:13

Yeah , but that does okay , we're going to get super nerdy . The garden was in between Tigris and Euphrates .

Speaker 2 8:20

That's not in the same vicinity . I know there are certain traditions who hold to that Not in my tradition .

Speaker 1 8:27

Okay , so Abraham had faith and obeyed , even though right , and we read from John , chapter eight and the Israelite people not the . Israelite people , the Jewish people listening to Jesus , kind of bucked up a little bit like Jesus . What do you mean ? We're slaves . We're not slaves to anything . We belong to Abraham . And Jesus called him out and said if you really were Abraham's descendants , you would do as Abraham did .

Speaker 1 8:50

And so what ? I think I would like to spend the rest of the time on this podcast Marcos is talking about . If we skip down to John 8 and what is it verse ? Maybe start in verse 54 and read through those three verses , we might get a better picture of how Jesus fits into this .

Speaker 2 9:11

Jesus says if I glorify myself , my glory is nothing . My father , about whom you say , he is our God , he is the one who glorifies me . You do not know him , but I know him . I would be a liar like you , but I do know him and I keep his word . Your father , abraham , rejoiced to see my day . He saw it and was glad .

Speaker 1 9:33

Read that verse 56 one more time , because I really want that part to hit home .

Speaker 2 9:37

Your father , abraham , rejoiced to see my day . He saw it and was glad .

Speaker 1 9:41

So in Hebrews , chapter 11 , it says these people died having faith . They died while still having faith of the things that were yet to come .

Speaker 2 9:51

Yeah , and Hebrews 11 , 1 talks about faith being the assurance of things not seen , and so they were looking forward to the day and they would have totally looked forward to Jesus . However , the Pharisees are saying we are sons of Abraham , we're sons of God . You're saying that you are , but we're the real and true sons of God , and you're actually a Samaritan , is what they're saying . And so Jesus is like well , if you were children of God and you're actually a Samaritan , is what they're saying . And so Jesus is like well , if you were children of Abraham , you would be looking at me , knowing that Abraham was looking forward to my day .

Speaker 1 10:29

Absolutely , they were missing it .

Speaker 2 10:30

They were standing in front of Jesus , seeing what Abraham hoped for , but they didn't recognize it , even though they saw it with their own eyes , yeah , and there's another place where Jesus says that the Pharisees , and really the Jewish people of that time , they searched the scriptures thinking that in them that they will have life , but they were missing Jesus throughout the entire thing . Yeah , and so we have to look at like , okay , if you were children of Abraham and you would do the things that Abraham did , then if you were truly walking in faith , you don't just believe in God , but you believe God . You believe the things that God says about life . You believe in faith that , hey , if I obey God , then God will bless me and God will make me into a new family and a new nation and all of these things . And we have been grafted into that nation as the church now .

Speaker 1 11:27

Absolutely . And so if the motivation for Abraham was to like , the motivation to obey , was that there was something coming in the future that was worth obeying for .

Speaker 2 11:37

Am I are you tracking with me on ?

Speaker 1 11:39

that . So if there was this great thing coming that made it worth obeying in the moment , then I think we can also say the same things for ourselves that we can live like Abraham lived obey , even though we might not know where or how or when or why or whatever , because we're looking forward to a day that has not yet come

Walking in Obedience by Faith

Speaker 1 11:59

.

Speaker 2 11:59

Yeah , I look at it as , growing up , my dad was a really big Dairy Queen ice cream lover type of person , and so- .

Speaker 1 12:08

Got to get a parfait man , Come on .

Speaker 2 12:11

We were blizzard , people loved it and something that I remember especially very little like , hey , if you guys are good , like I have a surprise for you at the end of this right , and the way I look at really life in obedience to God is like we have like an extra large blizzard , really , but something that is so much greater than that that we can find in Christ that doesn't leave our stomach hurting at the end either .

Speaker 1 12:39

Well , I love the part where they , like they , turn it upside down . You order the blizzard and it has to be proven that it won't fall out of the cup . I went to Dairy Queen recently and I forgot that they did that , and so the lady stuck it out and like turned it upside . It was a huge surprise . Like this is awesome .

Speaker 2 12:52

Yeah .

Speaker 1 12:52

That's what God's going to do he's going to turn Jesus upside down .

Speaker 2 12:56

Maybe not , I don't know . He will turn our lives upside down . Way to bring it back .

Speaker 1 13:02

Way to bring it back . Dude , that is such a great point that , yeah , we have something to look forward to . It's a reward that's do for us . If even in , like the trial moments , the moments where it's really hard to obey , if we would center our focus on that great prize , that big dairy queen in the sky that's coming later on , is that sacrilegious ?

Speaker 2 13:29

No , I don't think so , but I think that it's a good illustration of things and remind me of your question one more time we're thinking about ice cream .

Speaker 1 13:38

How would life change , how would our perception change or the way that we act during the trials of life , if we were focusing our attention on that big prize that's coming at the end ?

Speaker 2 13:51

I think it gives a lot of purpose , especially to our suffering and the things that we go through , especially to our suffering and the things that we go through , knowing that we shouldn't be surprised when we suffer , because we follow a God who did also suffer as well . And so it gives a lot of meaning and purpose to our suffering . And we don't always have to be answering the questions of you know , is it because somebody is guilty that I'm suffering ?

Speaker 2 14:15

A lot of the ways that Job's friends kind of try to answer the question of the problem of evil and suffering and all these other things . But we can know that even the things that don't make sense , eventually one of—a pastor who I worked under he kind of described life as like a tapestry and right now , the way that we live , we're almost like looking at the backside of it and it's kind of being weaved and it looks kind of messy on the backside of it . But really when we get to be with Jesus we get to see the other side of the tapestry , which is a big and beautiful picture . And sometimes it is painful to go through and obedience is not easy , but it's always worth it Absolutely .

Speaker 1 14:59

Let me bring I'm going to start in 2 Peter 3 , in verse 12 . It's the second half of verse 12 . That day , meaning the future day that we're talking about , that day will bring about the destruction of heavens by fire and the elements will melt in the heat . It's a big day that's coming , yes , but in keeping with his promise , we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth where righteousness dwells . Okay , I'm not done yet , but let me you know me , I like to take things verse by verse .

Speaker 1 15:34

In keeping with his promise , abraham met a . That's a call back to Abraham . He made a promise to Abraham and Abraham was looking forward to that promise . So , just like Abraham , in keeping with his promise , we now are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth where righteousness dwells , no more evil , no more unrighteousness , no more sin Verse 14, . So then , dear friends , since you are looking forward to this , make every effort to be found spotless , blameless and at peace with him . It continues on , and I could keep going . We'd have a longer podcast . There it is . We , just like Abraham , have been given a promise , and that promise is motivating to remain faithfully obedient .

Speaker 2 16:20

Yes , and may I add that when Abraham was called , he wasn't just told to stay where he was , but it was a walk , and as we continue to walk in faith that God will be trustworthy to keep his promise , the only way that we receive that promise is by continuing to walk in faith , because I think a lot of times the way that we view faith is we don't want to be works-based or anything like that .

Speaker 1 16:47

And that's not what we're saying . But a lot of times I way that we view faith is .

Speaker 2 16:48

You know we don't want to be works-based or anything like that , and that's not what we're saying . So you know . But a lot of times I think that sometimes you know , we look at , you know walking in obedience , and you know we can point at something like , oh , that's works-based . But actually the reason that we do our works is to continue to walk in faith , to continue to walk in the grace that God has provided for us , and the path that has already been provided has been paved by Jesus and all of his work and his death on the cross and through death , the resurrection that we will once see at the end of time .

Speaker 1 17:20

What you're getting to is what James says in James 2 , verse 14 . What good is it , my brothers and sisters , if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds ? Can such faith without deeds save them ? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food . If one of you says to them go in peace , keep warm and well fed , but does nothing about their physical need , what good is it ? In same way , faith by itself , if not accompanied by action , is dead . But someone will say you have faith , I have deeds . Show me your faith without deeds and I will show you my faith by my deeds . You believe that there is one god good . Even the demons believe that and shudder . Jesus says the same thing in Matthew chapter five , and it's actually a verse that I used in the sermon Matthew five and verse . Bear with me . I know myself If I try and take a stab at it without just looking at it , I'll .

Speaker 2 18:17

I'll .

Speaker 1 18:17

I'll botch it . Matthew five , and I'm just going to read 13 through 16 . You are the salt of the earth . But if the salt loses its saltiness , how can it be made salty again ? It's no longer good for anything Except to be thrown away and trampled underfoot . You are the light of the world . A town built on a hill cannot be hidden . Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl . Instead , they put it on its stand and it gives light to everyone in the house In the same way . Here's he wraps it all up . Let your light shine before others . Let your faith have deeds .

Speaker 2 18:50

Yes .

Speaker 1 18:51

That they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven . Praise God , all right . So what are we taking away today , marcos ?

Speaker 2 18:59

I think that it is not enough to just observe or see the things that Jesus did , or see the things that Abraham did and , yes , we can claim that promise in faith but in the same way , we also ought to walk the walk .

Speaker 1 19:18

Because that faith should change you into a new person .

Speaker 2 19:21

Yes , change us from just sitting there and really doing nothing meaningful and with our lives and walking the walk that we can really walk towards God and towards Jesus . Walkity , walk , walk , walk , walk , walk , walk , walk .

Speaker 1 19:37

Faith in Christ should change you .

Speaker 2 19:40

And that's really what we're getting at .

Speaker 1 19:42

And the message of Abraham is obey because of your faith . And the message of Abraham is obey because of your faith . And yeah , I hope that that's what we do today , even though we don't know why or where , or how or when , but we look forward to that day , just like Peter says , when we will see a new heaven and a new earth .

Speaker 1 20:00

Let that be your motivator today . Marcos , Amen , Amen . Thanks for joining us on the Extra today . Hope you'll join us next week as we continue our walk through Genesis . We're getting to Exodus soon . We're going really fast through Genesis , but you know what ? Next week is Joseph and we're going to have a great time . Thanks for joining us . I'm Curtis . I'm Marcos . Yeah , that was really really good , Marcos . See you guys next week .