WEBVTT 00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:06.160 Well, today we are beginning a new series, a really, really short series, only two or three weeks long. 00:00:06.480 --> 00:00:08.160 It's called It Depends. 00:00:08.560 --> 00:00:09.759 It depends. 00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:15.599 And we're calling this series It Depends based off of a scripture, Romans chapter 4, verse 16. 00:00:15.679 --> 00:00:17.519 And this is in the English Standard Version. 00:00:17.679 --> 00:00:20.800 It says, it just simply says, it depends on faith. 00:00:21.120 --> 00:00:23.199 It depends on faith. 00:00:24.239 --> 00:00:31.120 So much in our life depends 100% on our faith. 00:00:31.760 --> 00:00:36.960 That kind of makes sense because if we're people of faith, and I hope you would describe yourself as a person of faith. 00:00:37.039 --> 00:00:39.679 The reality is everybody has faith in something. 00:00:39.920 --> 00:00:42.880 Every person alive is a person of faith, right? 00:00:43.039 --> 00:00:44.960 All of you came in, you sat down in chairs. 00:00:45.119 --> 00:00:50.560 I didn't watch one of you like look at the chair, kind of be like, I don't know if you're gonna hold me up. 00:00:50.719 --> 00:00:54.960 I didn't see one person get down on the ground and make sure that all the screws on your chair were good. 00:00:55.119 --> 00:00:58.399 We actually, in retrospect, should have sabotaged one chair this morning. 00:00:58.479 --> 00:01:00.640 That would have been an amazing illustration. 00:01:00.799 --> 00:01:06.319 Could have gone terribly, we could have been sued, but just for this purpose, I could have been like, you shouldn't have had faith in that chair, right? 00:01:06.480 --> 00:01:07.840 No, none of us do that. 00:01:08.079 --> 00:01:12.159 Like when you go through a light and it's green, you have faith that that other light's red. 00:01:12.239 --> 00:01:12.959 You don't know. 00:01:13.200 --> 00:01:16.640 You don't know that that could have malfunctioned, but you're like, it's fine, I'm good. 00:01:16.799 --> 00:01:18.400 We all live by faith. 00:01:18.640 --> 00:01:22.799 But those of us that call ourselves Jesus followers, we live by a very different kind of faith. 00:01:23.040 --> 00:01:24.319 A much, a much higher faith. 00:01:24.400 --> 00:01:28.799 And if we're gonna be people of faith, then our faith is really important. 00:01:29.599 --> 00:01:33.599 Scripture teaches us that so much depends on our faith. 00:01:34.959 --> 00:01:36.480 Our right standing with God. 00:01:36.560 --> 00:01:39.680 That's something we spent a lot of time talking about in our previous series. 00:01:40.000 --> 00:01:44.480 The fact that we have a right relationship with God, that that depends on faith. 00:01:44.879 --> 00:01:48.799 That happens with us when we put our faith in Jesus. 00:01:49.599 --> 00:02:00.079 Scripture tells us that the mercy and the forgiveness and the grace and the justification-that's a word we talked about a lot just a few weeks ago, we receive that by putting our faith in Jesus. 00:02:00.879 --> 00:02:09.280 So much of the hope and the joy and the passion that we're supposed to have, we're supposed to live with, we receive it by faith. 00:02:10.240 --> 00:02:24.080 If I opened up scripture and began reading to you the New Testament, the number of times that the phrase by faith or through faith or because of faith or because we believe, the number of times that that phrase shows up, it would almost be too much to count. 00:02:24.400 --> 00:02:27.919 It's all over the place because our faith matters. 00:02:29.360 --> 00:02:31.680 So much of what we experience depends on our faith. 00:02:31.759 --> 00:02:35.280 And if that's the case, we better have a faith that we can depend on. 00:02:36.719 --> 00:02:41.840 If much of your life depends on your faith, you've got to have a faith that you can depend on. 00:02:42.000 --> 00:02:44.479 And sometimes, we can be honest, that's tough. 00:02:45.840 --> 00:02:50.560 Some of us here right now, some of us watching from home right now might say, My faith is stronger than it's ever been before. 00:02:51.120 --> 00:02:54.080 My faith has never been as strong as it is right now. 00:02:54.560 --> 00:02:56.879 And if that's you, that's awesome. 00:02:57.360 --> 00:02:59.759 I've been there, I've had those moments. 00:03:00.639 --> 00:03:05.199 Some of us, though, might be saying, you know, my faith's struggling a little bit. 00:03:05.439 --> 00:03:07.280 My faith's a little strained. 00:03:07.520 --> 00:03:10.560 I've gone through some things, my faith's been tested, it's been challenged. 00:03:10.719 --> 00:03:13.199 I don't know if I can say that my faith is stronger than it's ever been before. 00:03:13.280 --> 00:03:14.000 I'm in a hard season. 00:03:14.159 --> 00:03:15.280 If that's the case, I get it. 00:03:15.360 --> 00:03:17.439 I've been there, I've been there as a pastor. 00:03:18.319 --> 00:03:24.159 And many of us find ourselves sort of in between, like, man, I don't think I'm on the mountaintop right now, but I'm not in the valley, I'm somewhere in between. 00:03:24.240 --> 00:03:30.879 And in those situations, sometimes it's the hardest because our faith has a tendency to stagnate, it just becomes routine. 00:03:31.439 --> 00:03:33.520 But we can't let our faith become routine. 00:03:33.680 --> 00:03:38.000 We can't let our faith stagnate because so much depends on it. 00:03:38.240 --> 00:03:40.800 We have to have a faith we can depend on in church. 00:03:41.280 --> 00:03:46.560 Our passion, our commitment to one another is to help each other grow in our faith. 00:03:47.439 --> 00:03:49.599 To help us develop deep roots. 00:03:50.479 --> 00:03:59.360 Roots that are so deep, that are so strong, that no matter what life throws at you, no matter what circumstances you encounter, no matter what happens around you, you have a faith that endures. 00:04:01.520 --> 00:04:05.360 And by the way, that is the language in scripture of a mature faith. 00:04:05.919 --> 00:04:08.319 It's not always a faith that's excited. 00:04:08.719 --> 00:04:11.599 Sometimes we see someone who's really excited about God, and that's good. 00:04:11.680 --> 00:04:12.800 It's good to be excited about God. 00:04:12.960 --> 00:04:14.000 I hope you're excited about God. 00:04:14.080 --> 00:04:15.360 I'm excited about God. 00:04:15.680 --> 00:04:19.120 But excitement is not the number one indicator of a mature faith. 00:04:19.279 --> 00:04:20.560 Endurance is. 00:04:21.600 --> 00:04:25.920 It's a faith that lasts, it's a faith that you can depend on. 00:04:26.160 --> 00:04:33.759 In these next few weeks, what we want to do is grow and develop more and more in each of us a faith that we can depend on. 00:04:34.079 --> 00:04:36.000 Because it depends on faith. 00:04:36.399 --> 00:04:41.120 We're gonna study Romans chapter four, the entirety of Romans chapter four in just a few weeks. 00:04:41.199 --> 00:04:47.120 And if you're new, uh reading an ancient document might not sound like a lot of fun, but it is. 00:04:47.360 --> 00:04:47.759 It is. 00:04:47.920 --> 00:04:51.040 Scripture's powerful, it's practical, it's profound, it's amazing. 00:04:51.120 --> 00:04:53.040 And we've been going through this book called Romans. 00:04:53.120 --> 00:04:55.600 It's a letter in the New Testament written by a man named Paul. 00:04:55.680 --> 00:05:00.560 He wrote it to a bunch of Jesus followers, many of whom were Jewish people who had converted to following Jesus. 00:05:00.720 --> 00:05:01.759 They're living in Rome. 00:05:01.920 --> 00:05:11.759 And Romans is interesting, it's probably the most comprehensive explanation of who Jesus is, what he accomplished, what it means for us when we put our trust in him and how we live in response to Jesus. 00:05:12.399 --> 00:05:17.279 If you understand Romans, you understand a lot about the Jesus life. 00:05:17.519 --> 00:05:22.560 And so we're going through Romans bit by bit, taking some breaks every once in a while to kind of come up for air. 00:05:22.720 --> 00:05:29.199 And for the next few weeks, we're going through Romans chapter 4, which tells us about what faith really is. 00:05:30.480 --> 00:05:37.360 And Paul is gonna use an example of a man named Abraham to uh to illustrate what real faith looks like. 00:05:37.519 --> 00:05:41.759 And so with that in mind, I want to go ahead and just start reading Romans chapter 4, verses 1 through 8. 00:05:41.920 --> 00:05:43.680 That's what we're gonna go through today. 00:05:44.000 --> 00:05:50.160 It says, Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. 00:05:50.639 --> 00:05:52.959 And what did he discover about being made right with God? 00:05:53.120 --> 00:05:56.800 If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have something to boast about. 00:05:57.040 --> 00:05:58.800 But that was not God's way. 00:05:59.040 --> 00:06:05.439 For the scriptures tell us Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith. 00:06:05.759 --> 00:06:10.000 When people work, their wages are not a gift but something they've earned. 00:06:10.160 --> 00:06:14.560 But people are counted as righteous, which means you're right in the eyes of God. 00:06:14.800 --> 00:06:20.240 Not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners. 00:06:20.560 --> 00:06:26.319 David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who are declared righteous without working for it. 00:06:26.399 --> 00:06:31.279 Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. 00:06:31.439 --> 00:06:35.680 Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin. 00:06:37.199 --> 00:06:39.600 So Paul talks about this man Abraham. 00:06:39.680 --> 00:06:42.319 He also mentions David, who we'll mention in a little bit. 00:06:42.480 --> 00:06:53.360 But if you if you know the scriptures, if you know the Old Testament, and the people he would have been writing this to would have known it, just saying the name Abraham, it's like a hyperlink that would have flooded their minds with stories. 00:06:54.079 --> 00:07:01.040 All Paul would have had to say is, you know, like Abraham, have faith like Abraham, and they would have thought about all the stories, all the examples of Abraham's faith. 00:07:01.680 --> 00:07:06.399 He's definitely assuming that you know the story of Abraham, and I know that many of us do, and many of us don't. 00:07:08.399 --> 00:07:11.439 But he's using this as an example of what it really means to live by faith. 00:07:11.519 --> 00:07:21.199 So it's really important that we sort of understand who Abraham is, who he was, how he lived his life, what does it really mean to have faith like Abraham? 00:07:21.680 --> 00:07:29.360 And so today what we're gonna do is kind of kind of a crash course on what the faith of Abraham is like, because that's a faith that we're meant to have. 00:07:29.759 --> 00:07:31.360 This is really what faith looks like. 00:07:31.519 --> 00:07:34.160 Abraham's a pioneer, he's someone who sets an example for us. 00:07:34.240 --> 00:07:39.759 And so, what we're gonna do today is look at four really powerful truths about faith that we learn from Abraham. 00:07:39.839 --> 00:07:45.519 And we'll look at different parts of his story as we go through it because again, Paul's assuming that you just know Abraham. 00:07:46.319 --> 00:07:48.639 I want to encourage you this morning. 00:07:49.519 --> 00:07:50.959 Remember these four truths. 00:07:51.120 --> 00:07:54.399 If you have our mobile app, by the way, I'm always reading off the mobile app on stage. 00:07:54.639 --> 00:07:56.480 All of these statements are gonna be there. 00:07:56.639 --> 00:08:01.360 You can always look back on this message and remember these, but I really want to encourage you, like, write these down. 00:08:02.399 --> 00:08:04.959 Write them down later today if you don't do it right now. 00:08:05.120 --> 00:08:07.920 Post them somewhere where you can see them on a regular basis. 00:08:08.079 --> 00:08:14.480 Be reminded of these things often because these truths, they are powerful enough to get you through. 00:08:15.600 --> 00:08:18.240 Because again, we need a faith that we can depend on. 00:08:19.199 --> 00:08:20.800 A faith like Abraham. 00:08:21.439 --> 00:08:23.120 So let's start by looking at this truth. 00:08:23.279 --> 00:08:26.879 Number one, faith goes first. 00:08:28.879 --> 00:08:30.560 Faith goes first. 00:08:32.240 --> 00:08:34.240 Abraham's name wasn't always Abraham. 00:08:34.399 --> 00:08:37.279 God has a really interesting way of changing names in the Bible. 00:08:37.440 --> 00:08:43.440 In fact, interesting side note, it actually says that one day when we're in heaven, we all get new names. 00:08:43.759 --> 00:08:45.200 God gives each of us a new name. 00:08:45.279 --> 00:08:47.600 And you might be like, I love my name, I don't want a new name. 00:08:47.679 --> 00:08:49.039 I think God'll He'll do better. 00:08:49.200 --> 00:08:50.320 Don't worry. 00:08:50.720 --> 00:08:53.279 Some of us are like, Thank goodness, I hate my name. 00:08:53.440 --> 00:08:54.960 I've I've never, I wish I could change it. 00:08:55.039 --> 00:08:57.840 And you actually can, but then you feel weird, it's gonna offend your parents or whatever. 00:08:57.919 --> 00:09:00.240 You know, you don't want to do that, or you've chosen to go by a nickname. 00:09:00.320 --> 00:09:01.600 No, no, God gives us all new names. 00:09:01.679 --> 00:09:06.639 God has a tendency to give people new names in Scripture, very powerful names, because your name matters. 00:09:07.039 --> 00:09:14.000 Abraham was originally called Abram, and Abram was a name that meant exalted father. 00:09:14.960 --> 00:09:16.399 Exalted father. 00:09:16.639 --> 00:09:17.919 There was just one problem, though. 00:09:18.159 --> 00:09:21.200 Abraham didn't have any kids, or Abram rather, didn't have kids. 00:09:21.600 --> 00:09:23.679 So he's called Exalted Father. 00:09:23.919 --> 00:09:26.080 And he he's well into his adult years. 00:09:26.159 --> 00:09:34.799 Like he's well past the age when people would have been having children and his society and his culture, that was a really big deal because if you didn't have kids, you had no one to pass your inheritance on to. 00:09:34.879 --> 00:09:38.639 And Abram has lived his entire life being called exalted father. 00:09:38.799 --> 00:09:39.519 Everyone knew what that meant. 00:09:39.600 --> 00:09:44.000 And when people said, Oh, exalted father, tell me about your children, he'd say, I don't have any. 00:09:44.399 --> 00:09:47.919 Would have been a sense of a source of shame in his life. 00:09:48.240 --> 00:09:52.000 But God shows up one day and speaks to him, Genesis chapter 12. 00:09:52.320 --> 00:09:57.600 The Lord said to Abram, Leave your native country, your relatives, your father's family. 00:09:57.759 --> 00:10:00.240 Go to a land that I will show you. 00:10:00.559 --> 00:10:02.720 I will make you into a great nation. 00:10:02.960 --> 00:10:06.879 I will bless you and make you famous, and you'll be a blessing to others. 00:10:06.960 --> 00:10:10.320 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. 00:10:10.480 --> 00:10:16.720 All the families on the earth will be blessed through you, and all the families on the earth have, because Abram becomes the father of the nation of Israel. 00:10:16.879 --> 00:10:18.639 Israel is where we get Jesus. 00:10:18.960 --> 00:10:22.240 So he really has blessed everyone through Abram's family. 00:10:23.840 --> 00:10:26.000 So he calls Abram to leave and he gives him a promise. 00:10:26.080 --> 00:10:27.200 He says, Well, two promises. 00:10:27.279 --> 00:10:30.639 I'm gonna give you a land that's your own, a promised land. 00:10:31.279 --> 00:10:33.440 He says, I'm gonna give you a family. 00:10:34.000 --> 00:10:36.559 You're gonna have a family that turns into a great nation. 00:10:36.639 --> 00:10:38.799 And so Abram does what God says. 00:10:39.039 --> 00:10:40.159 He leaves. 00:10:40.960 --> 00:10:45.279 He takes a step of faith, and he takes his whole family with him, his wife, all of his servants, all that they own. 00:10:45.360 --> 00:10:46.399 They're very wealthy. 00:10:46.639 --> 00:10:49.200 And they begin to travel, they become nomads. 00:10:49.919 --> 00:10:53.919 And years go by, and nothing's really changed. 00:10:54.399 --> 00:10:56.080 In fact, we we get to this. 00:10:56.320 --> 00:10:57.519 Oh, I got out of the app. 00:10:57.679 --> 00:10:59.360 This is why you don't want to use the app live. 00:10:59.440 --> 00:10:59.840 There we go. 00:10:59.919 --> 00:11:00.720 It's so easy to use. 00:11:00.799 --> 00:11:01.279 I'm right back there. 00:11:01.360 --> 00:11:01.840 Here we go. 00:11:02.080 --> 00:11:14.080 Genesis 15 says, sometime later, and this sometime later, by the way, it's years later, it says, sometime later, the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you. 00:11:14.240 --> 00:11:15.440 And your reward will be great. 00:11:15.600 --> 00:11:20.240 But Abram applied, Oh, sovereign Lord, what good are all your blessings when I don't even have a son? 00:11:20.559 --> 00:11:26.159 Since you've given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth. 00:11:26.399 --> 00:11:29.759 You've given me no descendants of my own, so one of my servants will be my heir. 00:11:29.919 --> 00:11:35.200 And the Lord said to him, No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir. 00:11:35.440 --> 00:11:39.600 And then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, Look up in the sky, count the stars if you can. 00:11:39.679 --> 00:11:41.679 That's how many descendants you will have. 00:11:41.840 --> 00:11:45.759 And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith. 00:11:46.000 --> 00:11:50.639 He believed God, and God said, You are righteous because of your faith. 00:11:51.360 --> 00:11:52.960 It depends on faith. 00:11:53.440 --> 00:11:55.039 So God reiterates the promise. 00:11:55.120 --> 00:11:56.799 He says, Hey, Abram, I'm gonna give you a kid. 00:11:56.879 --> 00:11:58.480 And then years go by and nothing's happened. 00:11:58.559 --> 00:12:00.320 And so Abram does what many people in Scripture do. 00:12:00.399 --> 00:12:01.039 He says, You know what? 00:12:01.200 --> 00:12:01.840 This isn't working. 00:12:02.000 --> 00:12:04.000 Maybe we need to find another way. 00:12:04.240 --> 00:12:05.600 Maybe we need to help God out. 00:12:05.840 --> 00:12:07.519 Anyone here ever try to help God out? 00:12:07.759 --> 00:12:10.000 Like you're like, I don't know if God really knows what he's doing. 00:12:10.159 --> 00:12:11.679 So I'm gonna kind of nudge him. 00:12:11.759 --> 00:12:14.480 I'm gonna do something to sort of help him fulfill his promises. 00:12:14.639 --> 00:12:15.840 We all have a tendency to do that. 00:12:15.919 --> 00:12:17.440 It never goes well, by the way. 00:12:17.600 --> 00:12:19.759 God does not need any help being God. 00:12:20.559 --> 00:12:23.279 But Abram says, you know, I gotta have a son. 00:12:23.600 --> 00:12:25.679 Sarah, my wife, this isn't, it's not happening. 00:12:25.759 --> 00:12:26.639 We're really old. 00:12:26.799 --> 00:12:29.279 And so he ends up having a son, but not with Sarah. 00:12:29.440 --> 00:12:30.639 It's kind of a messy story. 00:12:30.720 --> 00:12:32.080 He has a son named Ishmael. 00:12:32.480 --> 00:12:39.919 And uh, and by the way, if you're new to the whole scripture thing, one of the greatest things about the Bible is it doesn't, it doesn't like wash over all the messy parts. 00:12:40.159 --> 00:12:45.279 It doesn't do a PR spin and tell us all the good things, but make all the people out to be saints who have no issues. 00:12:45.360 --> 00:12:48.000 In fact, it often highlights the worst aspects of their life. 00:12:48.080 --> 00:12:49.840 And we say this pretty often at his hands. 00:12:50.000 --> 00:12:54.240 It's because the Bible is not the story of amazing people doing great things for God. 00:12:54.639 --> 00:12:59.039 The Bible is the story of an amazing God who uses broken people to do great things. 00:12:59.200 --> 00:13:01.919 And that should give us so much hope because we can be broken people. 00:13:02.080 --> 00:13:04.639 But even when we're broken people, it doesn't mean God can't use us. 00:13:04.799 --> 00:13:06.879 He uses broken people all the time. 00:13:07.120 --> 00:13:08.720 Abram was one of those. 00:13:09.039 --> 00:13:10.639 So Abram has a son, Ishmael. 00:13:10.720 --> 00:13:15.120 He goes kind of sideways on God's plan, but now at least his name makes sense. 00:13:15.360 --> 00:13:15.679 Right? 00:13:15.759 --> 00:13:20.720 Now at least when people say, Oh, Abram, exalted father, tell me about your kids, he can say, Oh, let me tell you about my son Ishmael. 00:13:20.799 --> 00:13:21.600 He's amazing. 00:13:21.840 --> 00:13:24.480 Finally, in his life, he has a name that actually makes sense. 00:13:24.559 --> 00:13:27.919 But but God shows up again and says, No, Abram, this was not my plan. 00:13:28.720 --> 00:13:32.720 I'm gonna give you a son with your wife, Sarah. 00:13:32.960 --> 00:13:34.320 Just like I've I've promised. 00:13:34.399 --> 00:13:35.120 I'm gonna follow through. 00:13:35.200 --> 00:13:37.600 And so we get this interaction in Genesis 17. 00:13:37.840 --> 00:13:44.480 When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, I am El Shaddai, God Almighty. 00:13:44.559 --> 00:13:45.919 That's what El Shaddai means. 00:13:46.080 --> 00:13:48.320 Serve me faithfully, live a blameless life. 00:13:48.480 --> 00:13:52.720 I'll make a covenant with you by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants. 00:13:52.879 --> 00:13:57.039 And at this Abram fell face down on the ground, and God said to him, This is my covenant with you. 00:13:57.279 --> 00:13:59.759 I will make you the father of a multitude of nations. 00:13:59.919 --> 00:14:01.600 What's more, I'm changing your name. 00:14:01.679 --> 00:14:03.120 I'll no longer call you Abram. 00:14:03.279 --> 00:14:07.200 Instead, you'll be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations. 00:14:07.360 --> 00:14:09.679 I will make you extremely fruitful. 00:14:09.919 --> 00:14:13.679 Your descendants will become many nations, and kings will be among them. 00:14:13.840 --> 00:14:18.639 And so you got to know at this point, Abraham is super frustrated. 00:14:19.519 --> 00:14:23.360 Because the name Abraham means father of a multitude. 00:14:23.600 --> 00:14:25.279 And he has one kid. 00:14:25.679 --> 00:14:29.279 He spent his whole life having a name that means exalted father with no children. 00:14:29.440 --> 00:14:30.720 Finally, he has a son. 00:14:30.879 --> 00:14:33.840 His name actually makes sense, and God's like, no, I'm gonna change it. 00:14:33.919 --> 00:14:35.759 And now your name means father of a multitude. 00:14:35.840 --> 00:14:39.519 So he walks up to someone and says, Hi, I'm Abraham, and they say, Oh, how many kids do you have? 00:14:39.600 --> 00:14:40.879 And he's like, One. 00:14:41.120 --> 00:14:44.240 And they look at him going, You got the wrong name. 00:14:45.759 --> 00:14:49.200 Isn't it amazing, though, that God changed his name first? 00:14:51.120 --> 00:14:54.720 Before he gave him another child. 00:14:57.759 --> 00:14:58.960 He didn't bless him with a son. 00:14:59.120 --> 00:15:01.519 He ends up having a son with Sarah named Isaac. 00:15:02.159 --> 00:15:06.639 Isaac isn't born, and then God says, Hey, now that you have multiple children, change your name to Abraham. 00:15:06.720 --> 00:15:08.240 And Abraham's like, That sounds nice. 00:15:08.480 --> 00:15:11.200 I like it because I got two kids, and you know, this is good. 00:15:11.279 --> 00:15:11.759 No, no, no. 00:15:11.840 --> 00:15:13.600 He's like, I want you to change your name now. 00:15:14.159 --> 00:15:17.679 On the front end of the fulfillment of my promise. 00:15:19.360 --> 00:15:21.519 And Abram does. 00:15:21.919 --> 00:15:23.200 He responds in faith. 00:15:23.440 --> 00:15:25.600 He says, Fine, I'll be called Abraham. 00:15:26.480 --> 00:15:28.159 Because faith goes first. 00:15:29.519 --> 00:15:38.320 See, we tend to be people that naturally want to see the blessing, the fulfillment of the promise before we put our faith in God. 00:15:39.039 --> 00:15:42.799 I mean, how many times we've thought to ourselves, God, I would believe if you would just do this. 00:15:43.440 --> 00:15:47.039 Lord, if you would do this miracle, if I could see something happen, then I would believe. 00:15:47.120 --> 00:15:48.399 And sometimes that happens. 00:15:48.480 --> 00:15:52.720 Sometimes God is gracious enough to give us that, but very often it's the opposite. 00:15:52.879 --> 00:15:55.519 Very often it's we believe first and then we see. 00:15:56.080 --> 00:16:01.039 In fact, there's a man who followed Jesus very passionately, who lived a very long time ago. 00:16:01.120 --> 00:16:02.639 He's known now as Saint Augustine. 00:16:02.720 --> 00:16:07.919 We're talking well over a thousand years ago, and he once wrote that faith is to believe what you do not see. 00:16:08.399 --> 00:16:12.559 The reward for faith is to see what you believe. 00:16:13.279 --> 00:16:16.559 The reward for faith is to see what you believe. 00:16:16.960 --> 00:16:19.039 Abraham teaches us that faith goes first. 00:16:20.480 --> 00:16:22.720 First, you go all in with Jesus. 00:16:22.799 --> 00:16:27.279 You put your faith in him, and then often you experience the fulfillment of everything he promises. 00:16:28.639 --> 00:16:30.480 But faith, it goes first. 00:16:30.639 --> 00:16:32.879 And so I want you to get practical for a second. 00:16:33.919 --> 00:16:35.679 What do you need to see happen in your life? 00:16:35.840 --> 00:16:37.279 What are you praying for? 00:16:38.080 --> 00:16:40.799 And if you're not praying for something, I want to encourage you, pray for something. 00:16:40.960 --> 00:16:42.080 Pray for something big. 00:16:42.320 --> 00:16:43.679 We have a big God. 00:16:43.919 --> 00:16:45.840 So pray big prayers. 00:16:46.159 --> 00:16:47.919 But what do you need to see change in your life? 00:16:48.000 --> 00:16:50.080 What blessing are you waiting for? 00:16:52.559 --> 00:16:54.799 What do you really need to happen? 00:16:56.320 --> 00:16:58.399 My question is, do you believe it will? 00:17:00.480 --> 00:17:01.840 Do you believe it will? 00:17:02.960 --> 00:17:13.599 In fact, do you believe it so much that you're willing to do something right now in your life to change something, because you believe that this is obviously going to happen. 00:17:13.680 --> 00:17:15.839 You know, Abram changed his name to Abraham. 00:17:16.319 --> 00:17:18.720 Because he's like, clearly, God's gonna follow through. 00:17:18.880 --> 00:17:20.720 I'm gonna have multiple kids. 00:17:21.839 --> 00:17:38.720 I knew a man once, met him, great, great guy, really smart, really intelligent, really successful, written many books, and he talked about when he was a young adult, you know, past the age of school and all of that, had a great job, really good income, had a really nice house, but the one thing he didn't have was a wife. 00:17:38.880 --> 00:17:40.400 He wanted a wife really badly. 00:17:40.559 --> 00:17:41.680 He didn't have a spouse. 00:17:41.920 --> 00:17:43.440 So he began to pray for that. 00:17:43.759 --> 00:17:45.200 God, give me a spouse. 00:17:45.440 --> 00:17:46.880 Give me a wife. 00:17:47.359 --> 00:17:48.960 Many of us are praying for that right now. 00:17:49.119 --> 00:17:49.680 You want a spouse. 00:17:49.759 --> 00:17:50.960 Maybe you're watching from home and you want that. 00:17:51.039 --> 00:17:53.119 I will challenge you, be more specific in your prayers, okay? 00:17:53.200 --> 00:17:54.400 Like, pray specifically. 00:17:54.480 --> 00:17:55.519 What kind of spouse do you want? 00:17:55.599 --> 00:17:57.039 You know, but like pray, pray for that. 00:17:57.200 --> 00:17:58.720 That was supposed to be funny, it didn't land. 00:17:58.799 --> 00:18:00.480 I'll take that out the next time I preach this. 00:18:00.720 --> 00:18:04.319 Um of you maybe didn't know you could laugh. 00:18:04.400 --> 00:18:05.839 Be specific, right? 00:18:07.039 --> 00:18:09.680 So he's praying, he's like, God, give me a spouse. 00:18:10.880 --> 00:18:13.359 And the Lord told him, I will. 00:18:14.559 --> 00:18:17.920 But I need you to take a step of faith first. 00:18:18.160 --> 00:18:20.960 And so he he cleared out half of his closet. 00:18:21.759 --> 00:18:22.559 He said, You know what? 00:18:22.640 --> 00:18:28.240 I'm gonna clear half my closet out because if I have if I have a wife, she's gonna need that space. 00:18:28.319 --> 00:18:32.559 And those of us who are married that are men, we know that he should have cleared out so much more than half of his closet. 00:18:32.640 --> 00:18:33.359 Like, come on, man. 00:18:33.440 --> 00:18:34.319 But he he didn't know. 00:18:34.480 --> 00:18:37.839 He didn't know he was single, you know, at least three-quarters of the closet. 00:18:37.920 --> 00:18:39.279 You gotta clear that out. 00:18:40.000 --> 00:18:47.519 But before he ever met his wife, he cleared out the space in his closet for her to be there. 00:18:48.079 --> 00:18:49.759 That's a step of faith. 00:18:50.400 --> 00:18:52.880 That may not seem like a big deal, but it is. 00:18:52.960 --> 00:18:54.240 It is to God, it matters to him. 00:18:54.480 --> 00:18:55.599 Faith goes first. 00:18:55.759 --> 00:18:56.559 That's the first truth. 00:18:56.720 --> 00:18:57.599 Remember that. 00:18:58.720 --> 00:19:01.039 Number true, number two, which is true. 00:19:01.440 --> 00:19:04.319 Faith, faith looks forward. 00:19:05.680 --> 00:19:07.599 Faith looks forward. 00:19:08.720 --> 00:19:12.240 Hebrews chapter 11 is a really interesting chapter in the Bible. 00:19:12.319 --> 00:19:14.400 It's often referred to as the hall of faith. 00:19:14.799 --> 00:19:18.000 Kind of like the hall of fame, and it lists out these people who are people of great faith. 00:19:18.079 --> 00:19:22.240 And I think it's interesting that there is no hall of discipline in the Bible. 00:19:22.640 --> 00:19:27.200 There's no hall of intelligence, there's no hall of talent. 00:19:28.000 --> 00:19:29.839 I'm not saying that discipline isn't important. 00:19:29.920 --> 00:19:33.440 I'm not saying that it's really good to be intelligent to think things through. 00:19:33.519 --> 00:19:34.880 I'm not saying that God doesn't give us talent. 00:19:34.960 --> 00:19:42.640 It's just that there's only one characteristic that has an entire sort of hall of credentials given to it in Scripture, and it's faith. 00:19:42.799 --> 00:19:44.559 Faith really matters to God. 00:19:45.119 --> 00:19:55.279 In Hebrews chapter 11, it talks about the faith of Abraham, and it says that it was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave his home and to go to another land that God would give him as an inheritance. 00:19:55.440 --> 00:19:57.279 He went without knowing where he was going. 00:19:57.599 --> 00:20:01.680 And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith. 00:20:02.160 --> 00:20:04.960 For he was like a foreigner living in tents. 00:20:05.279 --> 00:20:08.000 And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. 00:20:08.160 --> 00:20:14.240 Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God. 00:20:14.480 --> 00:20:18.319 It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and too old. 00:20:18.480 --> 00:20:20.319 She believed that God would keep his promise. 00:20:20.480 --> 00:20:28.559 And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead, a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there's no way to count them. 00:20:28.720 --> 00:20:31.440 And all these people died, still believing what God had promised them. 00:20:31.519 --> 00:20:36.240 They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. 00:20:37.119 --> 00:20:39.200 Faith looks forward. 00:20:39.359 --> 00:20:41.440 Faith propels us forward. 00:20:42.319 --> 00:20:46.319 And that, by the way, is the way that we're meant to go, right? 00:20:46.720 --> 00:20:48.319 We're meant to go forward. 00:20:48.559 --> 00:20:50.319 That's just like basic human biology. 00:20:50.400 --> 00:20:54.240 God put our eyes in the front of our head so that we could go forward. 00:20:54.559 --> 00:20:57.920 Like we are we are way better at going forward than backward, right? 00:20:58.720 --> 00:21:00.000 Going backward is dangerous. 00:21:00.079 --> 00:21:04.160 I have I've got kids, and I would never recommend any of them go backwards at all. 00:21:04.240 --> 00:21:06.799 They're barely good at going forward without hitting things and knocking them over. 00:21:06.880 --> 00:21:08.160 We're good at going forward. 00:21:08.319 --> 00:21:10.720 But we often live our lives looking backward. 00:21:11.440 --> 00:21:12.720 It's normal. 00:21:13.599 --> 00:21:16.160 I'm not saying it's it's not valuable to look back from time to time. 00:21:16.319 --> 00:21:17.519 Hindsight is 2020. 00:21:17.599 --> 00:21:21.200 I spend time reflecting on things that have happened and what did I learn from that? 00:21:21.279 --> 00:21:22.960 What could I have done differently? 00:21:23.200 --> 00:21:25.839 How can I grow from that experience? 00:21:27.359 --> 00:21:30.720 But I'm not supposed to look backwards nearly as much as I look forward. 00:21:32.160 --> 00:21:41.279 It's kind of a cliched example, but there's a reason that you have a rearview mirror in your car, because sometimes you gotta look back, but there's also a reason that it's much smaller than your windshield. 00:21:41.759 --> 00:21:44.319 Because most of the time you're supposed to look forward. 00:21:46.000 --> 00:21:51.200 But life has a funny way of making us look look back, keeping us bound to the past. 00:21:51.359 --> 00:21:54.240 I've told this story before, it's one of my favorite stories in the world. 00:21:54.319 --> 00:21:55.359 I'll tell it till I die. 00:21:55.519 --> 00:21:57.839 I love my wife, she's amazing, she's on, she's awesome. 00:21:57.920 --> 00:22:01.039 And one of the things I love about her is she she's got a good Sense of humor. 00:22:01.200 --> 00:22:04.960 And so uh when I was in college, I was hanging out with my little brother who was in high school. 00:22:05.039 --> 00:22:06.319 I was I was visiting from the holidays. 00:22:06.400 --> 00:22:07.279 Megan was with me. 00:22:07.359 --> 00:22:09.759 And we had just gotten married, maybe been married for a few months. 00:22:09.839 --> 00:22:14.640 And my brother had gotten a DVD of a movie that he heard was really funny. 00:22:14.880 --> 00:22:18.000 And it was a movie that my mom would not would not approve of. 00:22:18.160 --> 00:22:19.119 And he's watching it. 00:22:19.200 --> 00:22:20.640 And I was just downstairs in the living room with him. 00:22:20.799 --> 00:22:22.400 Megan was too, and he's watching it. 00:22:22.480 --> 00:22:23.920 And uh my mom comes in the room. 00:22:24.000 --> 00:22:24.720 It was really late at night. 00:22:24.799 --> 00:22:26.079 He thought she was in bed. 00:22:26.400 --> 00:22:33.039 And so she sits down and he kind of looks at me across the living room with just this facial expression that just says, Help, help me. 00:22:33.200 --> 00:22:34.240 Like, help me. 00:22:34.400 --> 00:22:39.039 I'm he knows what's about to come in the movie, and my mom is she's gonna lose it, right? 00:22:39.200 --> 00:22:40.880 And so uh he's like, What? 00:22:41.440 --> 00:22:45.279 And I just went, Oh, I think I'm gonna go to bed. 00:22:45.839 --> 00:22:48.640 And so I just went upstairs. 00:22:48.799 --> 00:22:53.039 Megan came with me, and then he comes up like 10 minutes later, like, thanks a lot, dude. 00:22:53.599 --> 00:22:54.799 Thanks a lot. 00:22:55.039 --> 00:22:56.559 I was like, dude, it's your movie. 00:22:56.640 --> 00:22:57.279 That's not my movie. 00:22:57.440 --> 00:22:58.720 I wasn't well, I was just downstairs. 00:22:58.799 --> 00:22:59.440 You're watching the movie. 00:22:59.519 --> 00:23:02.000 You know, mom, like you know her, you knew what she was gonna do. 00:23:02.079 --> 00:23:02.640 It's not my fault. 00:23:02.720 --> 00:23:05.200