Faith and the Test of Prosperity // October 8, 2023

READ Gen 13:1-18

Abram means “exalted father,” and Abraham means “father of a multitude.” These two names tell us that he is the founding father of all who believe. His journey can teach us what it means to live by faith from beginning to end, especially when our faith is tested. Abram’s story is told as a series of tests. We have seen the test of his call and the test of famine, but this chapter tells us about the test of prosperity. 

1. The Test of Prosperity

The test of prosperity is one most of us would sign up for any day! But the bible cautions us. Prosperity is a gift of God, but it is also one of the most difficult tests, greatest dangers, and threats to living by faith. The passage tells us that both Abram and Lot had become so wealthy that they could not stay together. In v. 7, we see quarreling between the herdsman of Abram and Lot. They are left with a choice to separate (v.8). This choice becomes a significant turning point in both of their lives.

This test is not only one for Abram and Lot but for us today. The Bible tells us in many places that prosperity can increase our pride, decrease our reliance upon God, and even lead us to destruction. All this should be a flashing warning lot for anyone living a culture of prosperity like ours. 

2. Lot’s Choice

Abram gives Lot the first choice of the land. Lot chooses the entire plain of the Jordan for himself. His choice makes sense because it is lush, fertile, and great for livestock, but there’s something Lot didn’t see or chose to ignore. Lot decided to go to the very edge of the promised land near Sodom, where the people were described as “evil, sinning immensely against the Lord.” Lot thought something we all do: “I could be dangerously close to evil, but it will never affect me.”

Why would Lot put himself in this situation? The text reveals Lot’s perspective, who saw the land was “watered everywhere like the Lord’s garden” (v. 10). It wasn’t just about material prosperity, but a way back to the garden of Eden. Prosperity isn’t bad or sinful in itself; it’s what we believe our prosperity will do for us that leads us away from God. Here Lot looked and saw what looked like the garden of the Lord, but one thing was missing… The Lord! His choice is a lot like the first temptation in the garden: you can have all you want and even more without God and His rule, His word, or His boundaries.

3. Abram’s Choice

Abram faced the same choice as Lot, but his response was not only counterintuitive but countercultural. As the head of the family, including Lot, and the one initially promised the land, he could have simply chosen the best land for himself. Abram let go of the opportunity to advance himself, his wealth, and his riches. There are a few reasons for this:

• Abram valued his relationship with Lot more than his wealth.

• Abram valued his relationship with God more than his wealth.

No one would ever say aloud, “I value money more than my relationships,” but we often act like it in how we live. Our pursuit of security and significance ends up squeezing out all our time or leaving us so empty we have nothing left to give those we love or God Himself. Abram let it all go so he could preserve his relationship with Lot and the Lord. 

4. Our Choice

Lot chose the garden without the Lord over the Lord of the garden. The result for him was ruin. By contrast, the result of Abram’s choice was God promising to give it all back to Him - not just for him alone but for all his descendants (v.14)!

Abram here points us to his greater Son, Jesus, who passed an even greater test of prosperity and earned an even greater blessing for his family.

He left His Father's throne above,

So free, so infinite His grace.

Emptied Himself of all but love,

And bled for Adam's helpless race.

In our sin, we chose the garden without the Lord. On the cross, Jesus took the judgment of that choice in our place – a life apart from God. Now, we can come back to the Lord of the garden and find the safety, security and significance we long for in him. This sets us free from the “hook” of prosperity so we can live countercultural and counterintuitive lives like Abram. We can become poor (by letting go and being generous) so others can be enriched. By doing so, we bear witness to the One who gave it all up to restore our relationship to Him. 

QUESTIONS

1. What about the sermon most impacted you or left you with questions?

2. How can prosperity be a gift of God and also something that leads us away from God? How does this relate to our faith? How have you seen this play out in your life? 

3. Look up Deut. 8:12-18, Prov. 30:8,9, Mk. 10:23, 1 Tim. 6:9-10. What practical insights can you take from these passages regarding having prosperity or wanting more of it?

4. When Lot saw prosperity - he was blind to the evil he was getting dangerously close to (in Sodom). How can this happen in our pursuit of success, wealth or prosperity?

5. How is a desire for prosperity looking for a “way back to the garden without the Lord”? Why doesn’t it work? How is it like the bait on a hook that draws us away from God? 

6. Abram made his choice because he valued his relationships with Lot and with God more than gaining more wealth/success. How can our desire for prosperity, quest for more security, safety, significance harm our relationships? How have you seen this in your life? 

7. Jesus passed an even greater test and earned an even greater blessing for us. How does Jesus letting it all go, emptying himself, and giving everything up for us set us free from seeking prosperity as our “god”? 

8. How might Jesus be calling you to look at your own financial situation, needs and pursuits differently? How might He be calling you - like Abram - to give something up to be free and bear witness to his promise?

Listen to the sermon on SoundCloud here.

Leadership By Faith // October 1, 2023

bible passage: Genesis 14

As we celebrate the ordination and installment of our new elders at Trinity, we consider the relationship between faith and leadership. The story of Abram is not only about him learning to live a life of faith for himself but also about leading by faith as one called to bring God’s blessing to all nations. His example of leadership in a challenging context of kings, conflicts, and family provides three leadership lessons for our new elders and for us.

1. The Motive for Leadership

In the midst of a conflict, Abram is pressed to help his nephew Lot ( and others) trapped in a terrible situation. We find Abram is willing to go out on a long and dangerous journey on their behalf. Why would he go through that? 

The answer is found In v.14. The word for kin or relative is the same word for “brother” from Cain’s infamous question, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Abram’s motive for taking leadership is simply that Lot is his brother, his family. Despite previous tension and the fact Lot got himself into this situation, he saw Lot as his brother, which meant looking out for him in all circumstances. 

Abram’s response ultimately points us to Jesus, whose motive to take leadership for our redemption was the same. He did it for his family, his “brothers and sisters” (Heb 2:14-17). The example of Jesus reminds us that church is family, and our leaders are called to be, in essence, like older brothers. Elders are the first to say, “I will be your keeper,” in the way that Abram did for Lot and the way that Jesus did for us. The motive for leadership is not whether or not others “deserve it” or even whether we “feel like it”. The motive for leadership is the value and importance we place on other people. If they are family - their needs are ours, their predicament ours. 

2. The Call to Leadership

We often think of the call to leadership as the call to take charge, get people to take orders, and be at the top while others do the hard work from which you have earned your way out. The Bible presents a very different picture of the call to leadership. Abram’s call to lead was not a call to comfort and safety but a call to risk, suffer, step out; to make himself vulnerable when he could have chosen otherwise. The other leaders (kings) mentioned in this passage risked much by going to war, but they did it to take advantage of spoils for themselves. Abram even refused the spoils of victory, displaying the sincerity of his leadership.

For Abram to be his brother’s keeper meant he had to choose situations that would bring him pain instead of staying nice and safe in Mamre, where things were well. The call of leadership for him, our elders, and all Christians is to take risks, become vulnerable, and suffer on behalf of others. The Bible teaches us that this  how God chooses to bless others through us. We see this in Jesus, for whom the call to lead was the call to serve and give his life as a ransom for many.

3. The Choice of Leadership

We carry a lot of suspicion and lack of trust these days toward leadership. It doesn’t help that stories about abuses in leadership abound, whether political, corporate, or religious. The behavior of several kings in this passage reminds us that this issue goes far back in history. Most bad leaders don’t begin with intentions to harm others, so how do they get there? The answer is recognizing that every kind of leadership comes with a choice (or temptation). What did Abram choose? He made a vow to the righteous king, Melchizedek, over the king of Sodom, who represents the world’s way of leadership. He vowed that no one except God would get the glory for his leadership success.

Immediately after his call to ministry, Jesus faced the same choice in the wilderness. He could have led by the world’s ways, taking his place as Most High over the splendor of all the world’s kingdoms by making a vow to Satan. No. Jesus made a vow to God - “Not my will, but yours be done.” He chose to empty himself of all divine rights to be made a servant, humbling himself to the lowest point possible, choosing to become a gift to bless others. 

Melchizedek taught Abram a fundamental lesson, one that is central to all Christian leadership: we are not the hero; God is. God deserves all the glory. It is not our wisdom, gifts, abilities, strategies, skills, meetings, or decisions that win the victory. Our greatest victory is pointing people to Jesus – the real hero – with our lives of faith and our leadership in faith. Our elders made significant vows before the congregation, choosing not to receive glory but to give it all to the Lord and become a blessing for others. May they be filled with the grace of God to live out this high calling and help us to do the same.

QUESTIONS

1. What about the sermon most impacted you or left you with questions?

2. What kinds of motives drive people to seek and take positions of leadership? How is Abram’s motive for taking leadership different? 

3. If leadership according to the Bible is the being the first to say in a community (family) I am my brother/sisters’ keeper, what does this look like practically?  

4. How does Hebrews 2:14-17 describe the motive of Jesus in becoming our leader for our salvation? How might this passage from Hebrews provide us with a description/traits of biblical  leadership? Come up with as many traits as you can from the text. 

5. How does a leader's willingness to suffer, be vulnerable and risk pain for you relate to your ability to trust that leader? How is this true of your ability to trust in Jesus’ leadership over your life? How should this look in church leadership? other forms of leadership (parents, workplace, coaches)?

6. It was said in the sermon - all leadership comes with a choice. 1) Use the position for your own advantage/glory OR 2) Use the position to give glory to God? Do you agree? How have you seen this play out? 

7. We see how Abram was able to make the choice to give glory to God by the intervention of Melchizedek. He reminded Abram of the central lesson of spiritual leadership - God is the hero, not us. How might this truth help us in our leadership to be a blessing to others (and not take from them)? to make it about God and not ourselves? 

Listen to the sermon on SoundCloud here.

The Journey of Faith // September 24, 2023

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

1. What about the sermon most impacted you or left you with questions?

2. 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?

3. How do you feel the pressure to “arrive” spiritually? How can this mindset be damaging to our faith? How can expecting a journey help?

4. How does expecting trials in your faith help you prepare for trials in your faith?

5. 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?

6. 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?

7. 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.

8. 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.

What Faith Is // September 17, 2023

Bible Passage: Gen 12:1-9

For most people, faith is just a common word used in a positive spiritual context. Perhaps someone has told you to have “more faith” in a situation as if it were akin to magical power. Even for Christians who claim to be saved by faith, justified by faith, and called to walk by faith, can we even describe it clearly? A great definition would help, but nothing beats a living, breathing example of faith in action. That’s where Abraham comes in. In this text, we will explore what faith is and how Abraham’s example directs us not inward but outward to the powerful promise of God’s Word. 

1. Where Does It Come From?

Last week, we learned about Abraham’s background. His family worshipped the moon god, and there were no apparent signs of faith in the one true God. Where did his faith come from suddenly at this turning point in Genesis? In 12:1, we see that it came from the call of God, who commanded him to “go.” Heb 11:8 clarifies, “By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed…” Abraham’s faith wasn’t the result of an inward search. In the same way, we don’t work it up or generate it. The source of genuine faith is the powerful, personal call of God in His Word. 

Don’t think to yourself, “Well, if God spoke to me as he did to Abraham…” The apostle Paul reminds us that we are in a better place now! “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ” (Rom 10:17). The Bible tells us not to expect faith or find it magically within if there is no hearing or listening to the Word- the message of Jesus Christ in the Gospel. By His word, God calls us and calls forth faith in Him.

2. What Are Its Qualities?

How do we know if faith is genuine? We must test its qualities or what makes it up, like trying to determine if something colored gold is real gold. Two essential qualities in Abraham’s initial act of faith are the same for us:

Go From - Our modern context might prevent us from seeing that Abraham’s choice to obey cost him everything - his land, his relatives, and his father’s house. Faith in God would mean faith in Him alone. Lest we think this is only the case for poor Abraham, consider Prov 3:5, “trust in the Lord with all your heart.” Or look to Jesus, who called his disciples to follow him and lose their livelihoods and lives for his mission. Faith always has a going from, and this turning of trust we call repentance - turning our faith from anything that is not God to God alone.

Go To - Where are we going, Lord? “To the land I will show you” (12:1). Heb 11:8 tells us Abraham “went out, even though he did not know where he was going.” Can’t we have a picture, a timeline, or maybe a well-delivered PowerPoint presentation? No. The only faith worth having is one whose quality has been tested. If God had shown Abraham everything he would have gone through, there is a good chance you would not be reading this today. Only in the “go to” and the “go through” do we learn to trust in God alone. 

3. How Do I Get It (And Grow It)? 

Biblical faith is not a floating spiritual force we tap into to increase obedience, force success, or generate a positive attitude. Nor is it a blind leap devoid of a reasonable nature. By definition, every instance of faith requires an object, and the strength or depth of faith depends upon that object. That object makes a promise or covenant with us, leading to a promised future. So how did Abraham have faith to “go from” and “go to?” By sheer grace, God gave Abraham the strongest possible object for his faith: a perfect promise (12:2-3) given by a perfect Promiser. 

All Abraham had to do was receive what was promised. Today, we have even more reasons to trust the Promiser and receive the promise. Gal 3:8-9 reminds us that our gracious God “proclaimed the gospel ahead of time to Abraham” so that “those who have faith are blessed with Abraham, who had faith.” The perfect promise is yours by faith in Christ, for “if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to the promise” (Gal 3:29). You don’t need to “get faith” because you already have faith in something. The question is what is the object of your faith? What promises are you trusted will deliver you the future you want? The gospel offers us an unparalleled promise guaranteed by a Promiser who came to fulfill and guarantee it’s completion. 

QUESTIONS

1. What about the sermon most impacted you or left you with questions?

2. The way we often talk about faith, it seems many believe the source of our faith is within us. How does Abram’s story point us to a different source? How does this speak to us when we feel we can’t “garner up” the faith we want?  

3. If the source of faith is the powerful and personal call of God’s Word, then how could you be more receptive to hearing God’s Word in your life? 

4. John Newton describes faith as “a renouncing of everything we are apt to call our own.” What are some ways God is calling you to “go from” in your faith? What’s holding you back? 

5. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.” Is this encouraging blind faith? Why or why not? Where is God calling you to go to something unknown in faith? 

6. The power of sin often draws us into false promises that can only be countered by a greater promise. What is a false promise or a faulty object of faith you have given into before? How is the Gospel of Jesus a far better promise? What reasons do we have to trust the promise of the gospel?

Where Faith Begins (and Revives) // September 10, 2023

What is it about Abraham and his story that speaks to so many people throughout human history? The apostle Paul tells us clearly that it is his faith (Rom 4:11-12). Perhaps more than any other place in the Bible, Abraham shows us what it looks like to live by faith in real, everyday life. This Fall, we look to the story of Abraham to bring us into a season of new and renewed faith. We begin by looking at where such a model and example of faith came from. By looking at Abraham’s “origin story”, we can learn some surprising lessons on where God brings about and renews our faith when we ask: Where (ie in what kind of place, in what kind of people, through what kind of plans) does faith begin, get strengthened, go deeper, and revive?

1. In Places of No (or Little) Faith

The story of Abram (later renamed Abraham) begins at a turning point in the book of Genesis. After the Fall into sin, the Flood, and the scattering after the Tower of Babel, it is no surprise to find humanity is in a very depressing place. But our God loves to work in such places. David Clines reminds us that “no matter how drastic man’s sin [or situation] becomes, destroying what God has made good and bringing the world to the brink of uncreation, God’s grace never fails to deliver man from the consequences of his sin… God’s commitment to his world stands firm.” God called Abram and his family out of a place of no (or little) faith, right where most of us would not expect. God can bring about faith in places where we see none. 

2. In People without Resources

If God were to pick any couple to begin a great nation of people, it certainly doesn’t seem Abram and Sarai (later renamed Sarah) fit the description. Something painfully emphasized in v. 30 is Sarai’s barrenness. Anytime the Bible mentions barrenness, it points to something very personal and painful but also to something very central about how faith works. As George Mueller once proclaimed, “Faith begins where our power ends.” Abram and Sarai could not look to their own situation, power, or resources for help. God blessed them with His resources. We might be prone to forget this today, especially for people who have a lot of resources. We must become “barren” (poor in spirit) for our faith to turn away from self to God.

3. In Plans that Didn’t Work Out

We must never forget that this is a family story, albeit a troubled one. Their origin story could be called a  “dark introduction.” We see a family of confused religious convictions, a father who failed to take them where he intended, a marriage without the promise of children, and even death among family members. However, what seemed to Abram like a failed plan for a troubled family was an essential part of God’s plan for a bright future. As we have seen elsewhere in the Bible, God loves to act where human plans have failed. God can work in plans that look like failures to us to bring about renewed faith and preparation for His plans.

4. Through Someone Willing to Pioneer

It wouldn’t be a turning point without Abram’s response to a hopeless situation. The Lord told Abram to “go,” and we read the action that changed human history forever: “So Abram went” (Gen 12:1, 4). All it takes is one willing to pioneer, to blaze a trail of faith when everything seems wrong. Abram did this not by looking inside himself but outside to God. The first lesson of faith is that it begins or revives by looking beyond ourselves. 

Hebrews reminds us that Abraham was the pioneer of faith and that he points us to a greater pioneer, Jesus Christ. God the Father commanded Jesus the Son to “go” to a place of no faith, letting go of all his resources in order to carry out a plan that would appear to be an utter failure. So Jesus went. Should we find ourselves discouraged, we need not look to our place, resources, or plans. We look to Jesus, whose joy in enduring the cross was to pioneer for us a faith that will endure forever.

QUESTIONS

1. What about the sermon most impacted you or left you with questions?

2. How would you describe the place you are right now in your faith? struggling faith? strong faith? doubting faith? no faith? How does it encourage you to know Abram’s “backstory” that he came from a place of no (or very little) faith in God? 

3. How would you describe the place our culture is at when it comes to the Christian faith? How can Abram’s story give us hope when living in a place that is hostile or indifferent to faith in Christ? 

4. Why does the text emphasize the barrenness of Sarai? Why does God choose a couple that can’t have children to be ones he will through whom he will build a great nation? What does this teach us about the nature of faith?

5. Do you have an example of a “Plan A” of yours that isn’t working out now or didn’t work out (in the past)? How does Abram and Sarai’s story help us gain perspective on what God might be doing? 

6. Out of such a bleak situation, Abram became a pioneer. How did he go in faith despite it all? He looked outside of himself. How is Jesus the greater Pioneer and Perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-2)? What difference does it make when our faith is weak and struggling to know he’s gone before us and blazed a trail? What might this look like to do this for you now?