Sermon Central
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Abraham's Unwavering Faith (Part 2)
Contributed by Jimmy Dillon on Nov 14, 2011 (message contributor)
Summary: Meesage about keeping faith in the hard times
Abraham’s Unwavering Faith (part 2)
Review
Last week, when we examined Romans 4, we looked at the faith of Abraham
We saw that Abraham – Against all hope – He believed
He didn’t let the circumstances dictate his faith or belief in God’s promises
We also saw that Abraham Did Not Waver in his faith – he didn’t go back and forth
This morning I want us to finish this message up with two other things about Abraham’s unwavering faith
Read passage/ Pray
3. Give Glory to God
Now look at the second half of Romans 4:20 because it was an important step that enabled Abraham to receive from God:
“He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, GIVING GLORY TO GOD.”
I want you to notice that Abraham gave glory to God for the blessing before it ever happened.
Giving Glory to God means giving Him full credit…which He is due
That lines up with what the NT teaches.
You have to believe God & thank Him for the answer when you pray.
Philippians 4:6 – “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”
You can’t wait until you get the answer to praise God for it!
1 Thes 5:18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Today you may be facing obstacles or situations that have you in a box, so to speak.
You need to recognize the facts that exist, but don’t dwell them – only consider what God says.
It was Abraham’s giving glory to God that helped to strengthen his faith.
Now it’s very difficult to consider what God says, if you don’t know His Word.
Too many people are trying to receive from God, but they don’t know His Word for themselves.
Someone told them what God said or they heard a testimony of how God’s Word delivered somebody else.
But that’s not good enough.
If you’re going to consider what God said, you’re going to have to know His Word for yourself.
When you know the promise of God, you can Give Him the Glory for it…even in the worst of circumstances
4. Be Fully Persuaded
Abraham was strong in faith, so he didn’t consider the circumstances or stagger at the promise of God through unbelief.
He wavered not concerning what he believed. Why? Because he was fully persuaded.
Vs 21 “being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.”
You see, our position is to hope against all hope, waver not, give glory to God, & be fully persuaded—that’s our responsibility.
It’s God’s responsibility to do.
We don’t have to try to figure out how He’s going to do it either, because if God said it, He will do it!
Remember when the Apostle Paul was on a ship bound for Rome in Acts 27?
The wind & the waves tossed the boat back & forth so violently that the men on board the ship gave up all hope of being saved.
After several days, Paul encouraged them with a message that the angel of God had given him.
He said, Acts 27:25 “So keep up your courage, men, for I HAVE FAITH in God that it will happen just as he told me.”
Paul was fully persuaded that God would do just what He said!
It’s not feasible that a ship would go down during a violent storm without someone dying. But that’s exactly what happened (vv. 41-44).
I tell you, if God says He will do something for you, He will do it, if you’ll stay steady & not waver.
You may feel as if you’re in the middle of a violent storm & your ship is about to go under.
But if you will keep believing God, He will deliver you.
He may have to give you a new ship, but He will deliver you!
Some people think, “Well, if God was really in the situation, there wouldn’t be any problems or tests. There wouldn’t be any trouble.” No, the Bible never said that!
Paul, who wrote about Abraham in the Book of Romans, was beaten repeatedly & faced death many times.
Yet he said, “I thank God, I am always victorious in Christ!”
Often people say, “Well, I don’t understand why I’m having to go through this.”
My answer would be, “I don’t know either.
But keep believing God, because greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world!
Be fully persuaded that what God said to you will happen!”
I want to tell you how persuaded Abraham was.
He was so fully persuaded that even after Isaac was born & God told him to offer Isaac, he obeyed.
