Abraham: Friend of God
The story of Abraham & Sarah is not just some Middle Bronze Age story about a nomadic patriarchal, tribal couple. This is the story of the father of faith, of the journey of faith, of the family of God. And, if you have heard the promise of God, are on the journey of faith, consider yourself a child of God… this isn’t just Abraham's story. It’s yours. This is our family history. In this series, we will explore how these ancient stories speak to our present struggles and guide us forward on our journey with God.
Week 1: You Are Just Like Your Father. Genesis 12
The story of Abraham & Sarah is not just some Middle Bronze Age story about a nomadic patriarchal, tribal couple. This is the story of the father of faith, of the journey of faith, of the family of God. And, if you have heard the promise of God, are on the journey of faith, consider yourself a child of God… this isn’t just Abraham's story. It’s yours. This is our family history. In this message, we'll meet Abraham & begin to see how his heroic faith (& heroically bad sin) shapes our present and guides our future.
Week 2: Two Ways of Seeing. Genesis 13-14
Our desires can blind us. The promises of wealth, success, and pleasure can stop us from seeing the promises of God. In Genesis chapters 13-14, Lot and Abram show us two very different ways of "seeing." Lot looks at what he thinks is paradise and moves his family straight into hell. Abram surrenders his desires to God and sees the promise of life with God. In this message, we'll explore why some things can only be seen on the other side of surrender.
Week 3: Look Up & Count the Stars. Genesis 15
How do you know that you can trust God when you cannot comprehend what He is doing? In Genesis 15, we find Abram, the father of faith, afraid and full of doubt. He's trying to make sense of God's promises, but they still do not make sense. Here, in this place of darkness and doubt, God says to Abram, "Look up at the night sky and count the stars." And Abram believed God. In this message, we'll explore how this profoundly simple story shows us what it means to have full faith in God even if we cannot fully understand Him.
Week 4: The God Who Sees Me. Genesis 16
What do you do when you are gripped by fear and powerless to change things? When we pick up the story in Genesis 16, Abram and Sarai are beyond desperate. They have been waiting more than a decade for God to fulfill His promise, so Sarai decides that God needs her help. She tells Abram to sleep with her servant, Hagar, and what follows is a tragedy: wounded people wounding people. This too is part of the journey of faith. But, thankfully, there is a God who knows you by name, seeks you out, and finds you when you are running away. He is "the God who sees me."
Week 5: The DTR (Define the Relationship) Talk. Genesis 17
In Genesis 17, God stops everything. The storyline comes to a screeching halt. God wants to have a DTR (define the relationship) talk with Abraham. This chapter is a foundational text. It gives us language for what it means to have a personal relationship with God. As such, it will not only shape & define Abraham's relationship with God, it will give shape and definition to your relationship with God.
Week 6: Eat, Laugh, Pray. Genesis 18
At first glance, Genesis 18 appears to be a random story about three men who unexpectedly show up at Abraham's tent for a late lunch so that they can tell Sarah something. But then, about half way into the chapter, we pick up that these aren't just men... and this isn't just a meal. This is a picture of what it means to be a "friend of God." If we want to know what “friendship with God” looks like, this might be a good place to start.
Week 7: Dragged Kicking & Screaming to Salvation. Genesis 19
In Genesis 19, the story of how God judges Sodom and saves Lot... and we aren't sure which is more shocking. The only thing more shocking than God's judgement is His mercy. At least, the destruction of Sodom was just and justified. But, why would God save Lot? He does not appear to be a particularly upstanding person. His moral judgement is suspect. His offer to let his daughters be raped… is unthinkably evil. And we're not even sure that he wants to be saved. In the end, the angels have to drag him out of Sodom… and then, along the way, he’s trying to negotiate so he can keep a little bit of his Sodom lifestyle. What kind of God saves a man like Lot? Please note: This sermon contains adult themes that are not suitable for children and might be triggering to victims of sexual violence.
Week 8: Fear Threatens Everything You Love. Genesis 20-21
In Genesis 20 and 21, we come to what should be the climax of Abraham’s story. The long-awaited promise of a son is going to be fulfilled! And yet, at the very moment when Sarah & Abraham receive the miracle they’ve waited for their whole lives, they both become gripped with fear. A terrible fear. The kind of fear that makes you selfish, defensive, and sinful. The kind of fear that threatens to ruin everything and undo the very thing that God has promised to do… In this place of fear, the question emerges: Can my fear undo the very promises of God?
Week 9: When God Asks You to Make an Unthinkable Sacrifice. Genesis 22
In Genesis 22, God politely asks Abraham to sacrifice his beloved son, and Abraham does it. This is a story that has been called absurd, abusive, and immoral... and yet, it remains a story that we cannot shake off or just ignore. There's a reason for this: We need it. We cannot come to peace with God, ourselves, or the journey of faith without this story. This is the story of a God who provides what we cannot provide and sees what we cannot see. The question is: Can we follow a God that we cannot understand?