Bible Passage: Gen 12:4-13:4
Even though Abraham lived thousands of years before Jesus Christ, the New Testament presents his story like a map for Christians to use to follow in his footsteps as our father in the faith (Rom 4:12). Without a good map (or any map), we might find ourselves disoriented, confused, or lost along the way. This passage doesn’t give us the whole map, but it does give us three things we must know about living by faith.
Expect a Journey
What did it look like for Abram after he heard the call of God, took a radical step of faith to obey, and left everything behind? These verses tell us what it looked like – “he set out” (v. 5), “he passed through the land” (v. 6), he “moved on” (v. 8), and “journeyed by stages to the Negev” (v. 9). The passage reveals something we should expect: a “journeying-by-stages faith”. Faith is not just for the beginning of the Christian life; it’s for the whole journey. The faith that begins the journey grows, matures, and deepens as we journey through stages.
So much spiritual discouragement and disappointment comes from losing sight of the journey for the enticing idea of arrival. When Abram obeyed in faith, he did not immediately arrive in the Promised Land as if his faith was accomplished. We will see that his journey is anything but straightforward – he sinned, doubted, failed, feared, and even questioned God. For Abram, the journey of faith was a learning to trust God that lasted his whole life. The same is true for us.
Expect Trials on the Journey
What happens after Abram responds to the call of God with a radical step of faith? In our passage, we read that “there was a famine in the land” (v. 10). So Abram stays and faces it head-on with the power of faith, right? Not even close. He went to Egypt, which is never a positive step in the Bible. He also lied about his wife, Sarai, to protect himself and jeopardized her and his offspring by letting her be kidnapped. As a whole, this short passage paints a picture of a lack of faith in an unexpected trial. Instead of being a blessing to the nations, he brought further affliction to them (v. 17-20).
We might not rejoice when faced with trial, but we can certainly be encouraged by the Bible’s honesty. One of the greatest acts of faith by the “father of faith” was followed by an immediate lack of faith and failure. Like Abraham, we can expect trials and even failure, but this is never a disqualification. We are told that he resumed his journey by returning to where he started (13:1-3). On a map, we would call this a U-turn or repentance. As Christians today, we must not forget that our map does not teach that we will avoid trials but will go through them for the refining of our faith.
Expect God’s Faithfulness Throughout the Journey
This is a story of Abram and his journey, but more importantly, it’s a story about God and his faithfulness. God wasn’t going to allow Abram’s failure to thwart his covenant promise. He used Pharoah and Abram’s fearful disobedience to accomplish his purpose and advance His promise. He rescued Sarai, gave Abram more resources to get him back on track, and, more importantly, back to Him. Our God can use our lack of faith, fear, and sin to teach us, deepen our faith, and show us his grace. We see a transformation in Abram, who not only came back but “there he called upon the name of the Lord” (13:4). The Lord heard and received him back.
Expect God’s faithfulness throughout the journey. When all you can see is famine - bank on it. When you drift into a whole new territory - count on it. Even when you cave into deceit, lying, and selfishness - receive it. When we enter into a relationship with God by faith in his promise, our lives are joined to Him forever. No matter what happens, it’s never just about us but about His faithfulness.
When Paul faced his final trial, he told Timothy, "Remember Jesus Christ… This is my gospel… if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself” (2 Tim 2:8, 13). For Jesus not to be faithful to his promise would be for Jesus to disown himself, which is impossible! To be united to Jesus by faith in the gospel is to have the greatest guarantee of God's faithfulness we could ever imagine. Our lives become a demonstration of his faithfulness. We are inseparably joined to Jesus. No matter what happens on the journey, we can always expect God’s faithfulness in his promise to us, through Christ, will bring us to the end.
QUESTIONS
What about the sermon most impacted you or left you with questions?
Try to examine your own faith as a “journeying-by-stages.” What stages can you identify that (a) took you off course? (b) changed your outlook? (c) strengthened your faith? How would you describe the stage you are in now?
How do you feel the pressure to “arrive” spiritually? How can this mindset be damaging to our faith? How can expecting a journey help?
How does expecting trials in your faith help you prepare for trials in your faith?
It was said in the sermon that God allows trials (or tests) of faith in order to 1) show us what our faith/trust is really in and 2) to prove his faithfulness to us. Have you found this true in your journey? How so?
When we experience failure, why do we tend to focus on our own faithlessness instead of God’s faithfulness? How does it change things to read this story as a story of God’s faithfulness to Abram and his promise?
When our lives are united to Jesus by faith in the gospel, we have an astounding promise - Jesus is faithful to us even when we are faithless (lacking trust in him). To not be faithful to us would be for Jesus to disown himself.
What would it look like for you to believe this for the trial you are in now? for the whole (unknown) journey ahead of you? What difference would it make?
Listen to the sermon on SoundCloud here.