05/29/23 BE SURE TO CONTINUE IN THE FAITH

05/29/23 BE SURE TO CONTINUE IN THE FAITH

In my Sunday Bible Class I pointed out that though Abraham is known as the Father of the Faithful and although the Bible refers to him three times as the "Friend of God," he was not flawless in his life.

When God called him to leave his homeland and most of his family ties in Ur, he obeyed, though he did not know where he was actually going. He must be commended for his obedience and trust in God. After he had lived for a while in Haran, God called Abram to leave his home and other family members, to travel down to the land of Canaan. Again Abram obeyed.

As he followed God, he pitched his tent, dug wells and built altars. He was living the life of faith faithfulness. Then he faced a famine.

There is no record that he sought God's will and no record that God directed him to leave the area, but Abram took his family and went to Egypt.

This appears to have been an act of fear and the flesh rather than an act of faith. In fact, the fear factor grew even greater and the disobedience became more pronounce when he got to Egypt. He lied about his relationship with Sarai. The Pharaoh knew enough moral truth from his Noahic background and/or as it was written on his heart, to not take another man's wife. He confronted Abram and Abram returned to the place God designated. He not only returned to the location, he returned to the altar and resumed his walk with God.

There were other occasions that Abram distrusted and disobeyed God. He trusted in the flesh for an heir (appointing his servant and then through Hagar having his child). And, for a second time he feared a king and lied about his relationship with Sarai.

My point is not to demean Abram, though there was no excuse for such disobedience and failure. My point is that after his failures Abram would return to a faith relationship. It was in his faith walk that God called Abraham His friend.

When faced with the greatest challenge of his life, Abraham was called by God to offer his son, his only son, whom he loved. 

Abraham not only offered Isaac, he got up early in the morning, packed up his gear and headed up the mountain with Isaac. Fully planning on making a complete sacrifice of his son, Abraham knew that God would restore Isaac's life because he told his servants that he and Isaac would return from their sacrificial errand.

My point in this lesson was to encourage folks NOT TO FALTER, but if the do falter, DON'T HESITATE TO REPENT. Though Abraham is a man among men and though he has an exalted place among the godly, the fact is that we have more spiritual benefits than he had.

We have the written word of God.
We have the heritage of Old and New Testament miracles, prophecies, teaching and the model of godly believers.
We have the record of the life of Christ.
We have the fellowship of the present day church.
We have the fullness and cleansing and constantly abiding presence of the Holy Spirit.

We should walk in such a way that God is pleased with us and in such a way that He is not ashamed of us, but rather, that He calls us His friends. 

1 John 2:1-6
1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.
4 He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.
6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. 

1 John 3:22-24
22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.
23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.
24 Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us. 

Hebrews 2:10-18
10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
11 For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,
12 saying: "I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You."
13 And again: "I will put My trust in Him." And again: "Here am I and the children whom God has given Me."
14 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,
15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
16 For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham.
17 Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
18 For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.