There’s a children song I’d like you to sing with me this morning. It’s a fairly long drawn-out action song with quite a few body motions, so I’m only going to ask you to do a couple of the hand motions with me this morning. It’s called “Father Abraham” and it only has one verse. Sing it with me:
“Father Abraham had many sons, Many sons had Father Abraham. And I am one of them, and so are you. So let’s just praise the Lord. Right arm (the audience should start pumping their arm in the air until the verse has been resung, at which point, I’d say “Right arm, left arm” and they’d pump both arms in the air)
The song ends each verse with another motion. There’s Right Arm”; then “Left Arm”; then “Right Leg”; then “Left Leg”; then “Turn Around;” and finally “Sit Down.”
Little kids really love that song because it’s fun, it’s fast, and it’s a chance to act really goofy. But it’s more than that! It’s also a song that teaches a deep Biblical truth. And that truth is this: Everyone who believes in Jesus Christ is a child of Abraham. If you belong to Jesus Christ, you are son/daughter of Abraham.
That’s what Paul tells us in Romans: “(Abraham) received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had BY FAITH while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe… That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring — not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, as it is written, "I have made you the father of many nations.” Romans 4:11, 16-17
What Paul was saying was Abraham was the father of those who all those have had faith in God. First for the Israelites under the Old Testament, and for all those who believed in Christ in the New Testament. And it was through Jesus that the promise to Abraham was fulfilled that he would be The Father Of Many Nations.
The focus is on FAITH. God wants us to be a people of faith, and he chose Abraham to be an example of what faith looks like because he was going to be the Father of all those who believe.
So what is it about Abraham’s faith that we need to copy? Well 1st it’s important to realize that it wasn’t what Abraham DID - it was WHY he did what he did that made him our example.
You see, just like with Abel and Enoch who we preached about a couple weeks back, Abraham didn’t really DO all that much. He didn’t build any massive mansions or temples or great cities. He didn’t even own any property except a cave at Machpelah that he bought from the Hittites so he could bury his wife Sarah. Hebrews 11:9 tells us that “By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents.” He lived in a tent!!!!… That’s all he had to live in because he was literally living in a “foreign land.”
But IF he didn’t HAVE all that much and didn’t DO all that much, why does God think he was all that impressive? Hebrews 11:8 says it this way “By faith Abraham OBEYED when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.”
He believed and THEN he obeyed. And he obeyed EVEN THOUGH he didn’t know where he was going.
Now, here’s the thing…. II Chronicles 16:9 says “the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him….” God was looking for a man like Abraham. He was looking for someone who’d be “loyal to Him.”
What does it mean to be loyal? Well, a loyal friend is someone who will BE THERE when I need them. I can count on them. If I ask for help they’re the people I know who will SHOW UP.
Abraham was the kind of guy who would “show up.” Who would “be there” for God. If God said “I want something done” Abraham was the kind of guy who’d ask WHERE? and WHEN?. So when God told him “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you” (Genesis 12:1) that’s exactly what Abraham did!
But let me repeat - Abraham obeyed God even when he didn’t know where he was going. God called Abraham to leave his comfort zone and do something for Him.
So the question for you this morning is this: IF God called you to do something for Him… would you do it? Would you leave your comfort zone and do something challenging because you were LOYAL to God?
I just came from camp, and I met the some of the most interesting people. And they all have something in common. They had gone somewhere God wanted them to go and it caused them to sacrifice something and leave their comfort zone.
• Justin & BJ (a husband and wife from our congregation) felt the call to Dean the Jungle Huts at camp about 8 years ago, and they’ve been doing it ever since. They had to spend the time to plan the activities/ lessons. They had to line up workers (4 of them, youth from our church). And they had to give up a week of their vacation time to invest in kids. They left comfort zone sacrificed to be there.
• Ed and Becky have been running the Mephibosheth camp for mentally and physically handicapped people for 20 years now. Becky told me she’d worked in the schools when she met 2 Down’s Syndrome and decided – from that day on – that she wanted to work with handicapped children. But that meant she had to settle for lower pay and benefits. But over the years she and her husband developed that passion into three 3-day session at camp for these folks. It’s so much a part of the lives of these disadvantaged people that many of them pack their bags 2 or more weeks ahead of time. Ed and Becky wouldn’t have it any other way, but it hasn’t always been easy, and it caused them to leave their comfort zones and sacrifice to serve God.
• Then there was the Missionary couple for this year at camp. Six years ago they decided that they wanted to be missionaries for Christ. They initially signed up through the camp to train for the mission field, and they’ve worked with Muslim refugees in Dallas, TX, a church in Israel, and now they’re going to Manhattan to work among those from the Dominican Republic, bringing the love of Jesus to them. But to go into the mission field, they had to quit their jobs – he as a Counselor and she as a Commercial Property manager. At one point in their training, all they had in the bank was $500. The point is, they left their comfort zones and were willing to sacrifice to serve God.
• Jim and Amanda and most of their kids serve as leaders at the Mephibosheth camp. Jim is a volunteer firefighter who was approached several months ago by a friend of his about the idea of building and selling pools made from shipping containers. His friend had the connections with people who wanted such a product, and Jim had the connections to get the product made. But this wasn’t just a money-making scheme – they went into this venture with the idea of dedicating a major portion of their profits to digging wells for people in 3rd world countries. They wanted to make money to serve God by reaching out to the poorest peoples in the 3rd world. They sell the shipping container pools for between $40 to $80 thousand each and ship all over the country. Their product has become so popular that in less than a year, they’re financially in the black. In fact, they’ve become so popular that they’re going to be featured on an episode of “This Old House” (PBS) as well as the program’s internet program (which has about 3 million viewers). They plan to feature their mission effort during that show. But Jim shared with me that this was an intimidating undertaking. He’s had to quit his job to work on this project and he is continually having to buy bigger and more expensive equipment to meet the demand. But he and his wife agreed this was something they were willing to sacrifice the time and effort to accomplish… and they were willing to step out of their comfort zone to serve God.
Each the people involved in these ministries – left their comfort zone, and were willing to sacrifice to serve God. And they’ve all expressed the excitement of being used by God to do things for others. God’s eyes had been roving to and fro throughout the earth looking for someone just like them.
Now, you might say “I can’t do stuff like that. I can’t go to the mission field; I can’t weld shipping containers; I’m not even physically able to go to work a week of camp.” And that’s alright… Abraham didn’t do stuff like that either. God didn’t send him to a mission field; God didn’t ask him to weld anything or work a week of camp. God just asked Abraham to do something he COULD do.
SO, WHAT COULD YOU DO FOR GOD??
This past week, we’ve had people go out to the Camp to serve food and wash dishes for the campers - you could do that.
Or you could help in various ministries here. There’s the prayer chain ministry (you’ll be contacted by email or phone whenever there’s a prayer need); the clothing ministry (they meet every week to sort clothing to give to the needy); the Free lunches that are offered to the community once a month (4 hours, once a month); and there’s the Food Pantry.
If you like to teach, you could help by relieve our regular teachers… or if you don’t like to teach, you could host an in-home Bible Study where all you have to do is open your home for people to come and watch a Bible study and discuss what they’ve seen. Or you could volunteer to work with the Children on Wednesday nights at JAM; or on Sundays for our Junior Church. You could drive the bus on Wednesdays or Sundays. You could help lead in singing. You could wow grass or help back in the sound booth. (Sign up sheets are available in the foyer area).
Someone once wrote a poem about this kind of thing (Edward E. Hale) “I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And because I cannot do everything I will NOT refuse to do the something I can do.”
The question is this: Can God count on you to do that SOMETHING? Can you be loyal to your God and step up and step out of your comfort zone?
Now it might seem a little selfish to ask “What’s in it for me?” But that is a legitimate question. What is “in it” for you?
Hebrews 11:6 tells us “he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is A REWARDER of those who diligently seek Him.” In other words, God rewards those who diligently seek Him. And, He rewards those who DO THINGS for Him.
For example, notice what God promises Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3 “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. AND I WILL MAKE OF YOU a great nation, and I WILL BLESS YOU and MAKE YOUR NAME GREAT, so that you will be a blessing. I WILL BLESS those who bless you, and curse those who curse you and in you all the families of the earth SHALL BE BLESSED.”
Now, there are at least 5 promises here. And essentially God was telling Abram, “If you do THIS for me, I’ll do THAT for you! So, what will God do for you if you do stuff for Him? I haven’t got a clue! But, I’ve got to tell you, if I had a loyal friend who was willing to do things for ME and I found that they needed something… I’d find a way to help them.
Paul wrote the Philippians and praised them because “I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. And my God WILL SUPPLY EVERY NEED OF YOURS according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:18-19
Now this isn’t a “health and wealth” kind of promise. It’s simply saying – when you do stuff for God, God notices! And He WILL reward you (he’ll meet your needs).
Now, another thought here - Abraham’s objective was to enter the Promised Land. (We put a picture on the screen) This picture shows an ancient gate of a city on the north side of Israel. It’s the oldest known gate in the Promised Land, and they call it “ABRAHAM’S GATE.” (Some scholars suspect this gate was part of a city Abraham would have passed as he pursued the four kings who’d taken Lot prisoner after a battle). It’s a major tourist attraction, and (as you can see) they have created a roof over it to shield it from the elements. And you can also see that they have a small model in front of it that shows how the gate might have looked when it was first built.
(We put a map of the area, highlighting the trade routes of the day, with a star where this gate would have been) There were 3 major trade routes leading through Israel, and this gate is along one of those routes. As you may notice the middle route makes an almost direct line between Haran and the region of Sodom and Gomorrah, so it seems to me that this might be the most likely route Abram would have taken. If so, it’s possible that Abraham MIGHT have passed through this gate (Abraham’s gate) as he made his way down to the Promised land.
Now, I’m going to take a little liberty here there was a WAY for Abraham to enter the Promised Land - maybe along this trade route – or maybe along a different one. and there was probably a GATE he would have passed through along the way - perhaps this one or perhaps a different one. But, there was a way and there was a gate to Abraham’s destination. And that WAY was the only way (because God led him along it) and that GATE was THE GATE that Abraham was going to have to enter to make it to the Promised Land.
Jesus said “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. But the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” Matthew 7:13-14
Jesus was saying – there is a way… and there is a gate. Make sure you pick the right one.
Now here’s my point – I don’t know which GATE Abraham would have entered along his way, and I don’t know which WAY Abraham took to get to his destination. But I do know this: there’s only one way to get to heaven, and there is only one gate to get into heaven.
Jesus said “I tell you the truth, I AM THE GATE for the sheep” John 10:7 (NIV); and Jesus said “I AM THE WAY, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
If you want to go where God wants you to go, you’ve got to go by HIS WAY, and thru HIS Gate. And Jesus is the ONLY Gate and the ONLY Way!!!!
And my last point is this: Hebrews 11:10 (Abraham) was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.” All his life Abraham lived in a tent. He lived in a temporary home because even the place God led him to wasn’t his final destination. He was looking forward to a HEAVENLY city whose designer AND builder was God. In other words, for Abraham (and for us) it was like the difference between spending a few nights in a Motel 6 vs. spending eternity in an Elegant Mansion.
We have a song we sing about that
“This world is not my home, I'm just passing through; My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue; The Angels beckon me from Heaven's open door; And I can't feel at home in this world anymore. (Chorus) Oh Lord, you know I have no friend like you; If Heaven's not my home then Lord what will I do; The Angels beckon me from Heaven's open door; And I can't feel at home in this world anymore.”
INVITATION
