Series: The Nobility of God's Nobodies

Abram– The Importance of Biblical Faith

Genesis 12:1-5, Hebrews 11:1-2, 6, 8

PSBC 8/20/00

In a nutshell: If we are going to be people God can use, we must be building on a foundation of Biblical faith like Abram displayed: a dissatisfaction with the way we are; a belief in the reality of God; and trust that God can make the changes in us that we need.

I. Introduction

Bayocean, Oregon story:

In 1906, Thomas Irving Potter, discovered the Tillamook Spit. A spit is nothing more than a large finger of land that reaches out into the ocean. This particular spit was nearly four miles long. It was a half mile wide, and in its center was a 140 foot high tree covered knoll, with other stands of trees all along its length.

Potter and his father decided that this would be a great place to build "the Atlantic City of the West". They purchased the property and named it Bayocean. Because on one side was the ocean, and on the other side was Tillamook Bay.

The views were incredible, the beaches pure and unspoiled, the setting was as picturesque as could be. So plans began. Over the years, a three story grand hotel was built; a dance pavilion was constructed near the water's edge. A state of the art enclosed swimming pool that was 160 feet long was built right on the beach.

The Potters had a 150 foot yacht constructed to bring people from Portland to Bayocean. Soon, a railroad was built to take people to the resort. And not long afterward a road was constructed to allow the hundreds of investors and home owners to drive their automobiles to their new found resort.

Soon, merchants began setting up stores in Bayocean. A newspaper, called "The Surf" came out weekly. Restaurants were opened, a church and school were started, and by 1914, nearly 1600 lots had been sold, and hundreds of homes and cottages were being constructed and occupied. Bayocean was becoming the destination resort that the Potters had envisioned.

But in 1914, the Army Corp of Engineers began construction on a 5400 foot jetty (or rock wall) on the north side of the entrance to Tillamook Bay. Instead of building jetties on both sides of the mouth of the Bay, the citizens and the Corps of Engineers only had enough money to build the one side. But all parties concerned felt that at least one jetty would help keep sand from accumulating in the mouth of Tillamook Bay, and this would help ocean going commerce to use Tillamook Bay as a stopping point.

But what they didn't count on was what the change of currents, produced by the jetty, would do to the resort town of Bayocean.

Over the next forty years, the hard Oregon winter storms began pounding the narrow Spit of land like it had never pounded it before. Over those years the ocean took away sand from the Spit, but didn't replace it as it had done before. Soon, the homes built closest to the beach at Bayocean began having their foundations eroded, and one by one fell into the sea, never to be seen again.

The rate of erosion was calculated at nearly 16 feet per year.

Soon, the swimming pool and dance pavilion were swept into the sea. The grand hotel, which sat on the top of the 140 foot high tree covered dune eventually toppled into the sea, along with every house, driveway, utility pole and garden. In 1948, the sea was so furious that it actually breached the Spit and washed much of the center section away. The washout was so huge that large fishing boats could be navigated through the breach after the storm.

In the early 1960's, construction began on the south side of the jetty into Tillamook Bay. When it was finished, the currents stabilized to the point where beach erosion stopped on the Spit--But by that time, there wasn't much left of it.

About seven years ago, I stood on the Bayocean Spit. It's about a ½ mile long today. Instead of being the Atlantic City of the West, it's a wildlife refuge with only tall sea grass and short scrub trees growing on it. In fact, the only indication of human habitation is a sign telling the story of Bayocean, Oregon, and a portable toilet.

Hundreds of people lost their life savings, lost their futures, and some even lost their lives all because they put their hopes in something whose foundation was sand!

II. Abram: Genesis 12

From now until Thanksgiving ,we are going to be in a series of sermons that I'm calling, "The Nobility of God's Nobodies". At the heart of this series is that key phrase in our purpose statement– We will partner with each other to do Great Commission work in the Coachella Valley and the World.

You see, that statement says that by being a part of Palm Springs Baptist Church, each person in our church is going to be actively and intentionally doing something that will help the Gospel of Jesus Christ advance into the lives of the people that God puts in our paths.

Last week in the introduction to this series, we found out that there are no acceptable excuses for anyone not to participate. Because if we think we are too foolish, or too weak, or too lowly, or despised or that we have nothing to offer God to accomplish this task, then we are right were God wants us to be. When we come to that realization, then He can use us.

But friends, there is another fact that we must consider. In order to be effective in our usefulness, we are going to need some tools.

Illustration: My two favorite TV programs are on PBS–This Old House and The New Yankee Workshop. The reason I like them so much is because they teach me about tools and how to use them to turn out projects that I'm proud of. So, over the years, because I watched those programs, I have acquired tools and I've learned how to use them properly and skillfully.

Because you need good tools in order to be a good woodworker. So over the years I've watched and learned how to use a variety of tools from Norm and Steve and the guests they have had on their shows.

Well, that's something akin to what this series or sermons is going to be all about. If you've admitted to God that you have nothing to offer Him to help Him advance His kingdom, except a desire to be involved in what He's doing..., then you're ready to begin acquiring and being trained in the use of some very important tools.

But now I'm not talking about the physical tools that are associated with woodworking. I'm talking about the spiritual tools associated with being a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ–and someone who can partner with others to do Great Commission work in the Coachella valley and the world. And God has chosen to equip us with these tools through an array of special guests that we'll be studying each week who will teach us about important tools needed to be useful in accomplishing God's purposes.

So, this week we are going to look at the first person in our series–a fellow by the name of Abram, who later had his name legally changed to Abraham. And the tool he's going to teach us about, is foundational to any work we do for the Kingdom of God–its called, faith.

A. The Call

Please turn in your Bibles to Genesis (first book in the Bible), chapter 12...

Genesis 12:1
1 The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.

Now, lest you think God was being unreasonable, by asking Abram to uproot his family and go to another county, you need to look at the next two verses. You see, whenever God asks us to do something for Him, there is a very profound and intentional reason. Look at verses 2 and 3

Genesis 12:2-3
2 "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

So, what did Abram do? Look at verses 4 & 5...

B. The Obedience

Genesis 12:4-5
4 So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran.
5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.

When God told this man to leave his home town of Ur, Abram obeyed. He went to his local Eddie Bauer outlet and bought some tents, backpacks, a Swiss army knife, and some camping cookware (that's found in the marginal reading in your Bibles), and he obeyed what God asked him to do.

Friends, you must understand this. Abram left everything that was precious and dear to him to follow God, so he could receive this blessing that God was promising...
–he left all his security and the things that were familiar.
–he left his family; he left Sarah's family;
–he left friends, his home land, and his house,
–and he packed up whatever he could; learned a new vocation; and traveled 1000 miles to a country he had never visited; to a land that was promised to him, but wasn't his; to a people who were a different race; a different culture; and a different language...
...and pitched his Eddie Bauer 12 man tent there, and lived in that land like God asked him to do.

Why? Why did Abram do all this?

Well, the passage in Genesis doesn't tell us why. It just tells us what God spoke. It tells us what God's intentions were. And it tells us that Abram obeyed. So, to find out why Abram was willing to make such a radical change in his life we have to go to the New Testament book of Hebrews, chapter 11.

C. The Faith

The writer of the book of Hebrews tells us the why in verse 8...

Hebrews 11:8
8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.

It was faith that caused him to obey. But what is this faith that Abram had? Because this is one of those spiritual tools we all have to learn to use so the product of our lives is something God can use to accomplish His purposes. Faith is defined for us in three verses in chapter 11...

Hebrews 11:1-2, 6
1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
2 This is what the ancients were commended for.
6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Faith is what makes followers of Jesus Christ different from anyone else. The eccentric philosopher and nature lover of New England, Henry David Thoreau, once said, "If I seem to walk out of step with others, it is because I am listening to another drumbeat." Well friends, that's a good description of faith: Christians walk the walk of their lives by listening to a different drumbeat.

In my experience though, I find that a lot of people, including Christians, don't really understand what faith is. Because they've never exercised or experienced, or understood it..., many people have come up with some very non-Biblical definitions. For instance... Faith is not positive thinking. Faith is not a hunch that is followed. Faith is not hoping for the best or hoping that everything will turn out alright. And Faith is not a feeling of optimism.

When we're talking about faith, as Abraham demonstrated it, and as it's described in the Bible, we are talking about only one kind of faith–that is a faith in God. What we're going to look at this morning is the only definition of faith in the entire Bible.

III. Definition of Faith

A. Things hoped for

The definition of faith starts out with things hoped for. I don't know if you've ever stopped to analyze that statement, but starting out with things hoped for means that you start out with discontent. In fact, you can never have faith unless you are dissatisfied with the way you are now and looking for something better.

If you don't feel dissatisfied with the way you are, it will be impossible for you to exercise any faith. If you don't believe me, look at the history recorded in the Bible. The single greatest enemy of faith is complacency–being satisfied with the status quo.

But if you're dissatisfied, if you're looking for something better, if you're not content to be merely a cow on life's hillside...living out your life by merely eating, sleeping and amusing yourself...and eventually dying... then you're in a position to exercise faith.

In fact, that's exactly the point of the phrase in verse six that says, "...anyone who comes to him...". In other words, faith is referring to someone who is looking for more of life than is visible on the surface. It means that a person of faith is not satisfied with shallowness–all length and breadth, but no depth. A person of faith wants to find something that deepens life. That's the first part of faith.

And quite frankly friends, I think that's why we haven't expanded beyond a church of 2 acres, when God has given us 5! It's because too many of us are too comfortable and satisfied with the way things are.
-Retirements are solidified,
-Investments are paying good dividends,
-You have a nice house you live in
-You have all the friends you want inside the walls of this church
-Your job is going well, and you're making a good living
-you have a nice family and a good dog or cat and take nice vacations
-you own all the toys you really want or have time to play with
In other words, you're satisfied. But friends understand this first key principle. When you're satisfied, you don't need any faith. And your Christianity consists of merely fire insurance from Hell and you have nothing else to show for your life. Have I offended anyone, yet?

Are you dissatisfied that your neighbors don't know Jesus Christ?
Are you dissatisfied that Palm Springs and the surrounding area has been mired in secrecy and evil for years?
Do you care that this is a town known throughout the world as a haven for hetero and homo sexual lust and temptation and greed?

Faith has to start with a dissatisfaction with the way things are. Abram realized this in Ur. And that's when God went to work. If you take that attitude, that's when God will go to work in you.

B. Certain of what we do not see

The second part of faith is being certain of what we do not see. Not only does a person of faith desire something better, but that person is aware that something else exists–something invisible–yet something very real.

That invisible something is what the apostle Paul refers to several times in the book of Ephesians that we're studying on Sunday nights, as the "heavenly realms". It means that a person of faith is aware that the things that we can see and touch and smell and weigh and manipulate are not the whole explanation of life. There is a spiritual kingdom that exists.

This is so beautifully seen in the words and teachings of Jesus. He speaks of God the Father as though He were standing right there–invisible, yet present. Jesus speaks of the heavenly realm as a great family home in which there is a Father, with a perfect and loving father's heart, welcoming us. Jesus doesn't see the universe as some impersonal machine that grinds and clanks along. He sees it as an invisible, but very real, spiritual kingdom.

Again, this is stated in a different way in verse 6. "...because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists."

But a lot of people I've talked to over the years have said, "That's the hard part. That's what is difficult about faith." But I disagree. The easiest thing in the world is to believe that God exists. In fact, it requires a lot more effort to disbelieve in God than to believe in Him.

I was a Children's Pastor for 15 years. I had contact with literally thousands of kids over those years. And I can say without a doubt that children start out believing in God, and they have to be trained to disbelieve in Him. That's because the light of God comes streaming in from every direction, at all times, and in all circumstances. We just have to open our eyes to it.

If the concept of God weren't natural, then it would be extremely difficult for a child to grasp, since God cannot be seen or touched. But the amazing thing is that children have no difficulty believing that God exists. That's because it's the natural way of belief. Its like the guy who took an atheistic course in philosophy at a community college. When he was all done, he proudly proclaim, "Thank God, I'm an atheist." No matter where you go, you can't get away from the God who dwells in the heavenly realms.

C. Sure of What We Hope For

The third ingredient of faith is being sure of what we hope for. Simply put, faith is the assurance that the things you're hoping for, the things that you're longing to have, the better man or woman you would like to be, the chance to be of use to God in His Kingdom purposes, will be achieved by reliance on the things unseen.

In a sermon I recently heard, the pastor read a letter from a missionary who had gone into the jungles of New Guinea:

"Man it's great to be in the thick of the fight, to draw the old Devil's heaviest guns, to have him at you with depression and discouragement, slander, disease! He doesn't waste time. He hits good and hard when a fellow is hitting him. You can always measure the weight of your blow by the one you get back. When you're on your back with fever and at your last ounce of strength, when some of your converts backslide, when you learn that your most promising inquirers are only fooling, when your mail gets held up and some don't bother to answer your letters, is that the time to put on your mourning suit?

"No Sir! That's the time to pull out the stops and shout hallelujah! The old fellow's getting it in the neck and he's giving it back. And all of heaven is watching over the battlements: 'Will he stick it out?' And as they see who is with us, as they see around us the unlimited reserves, the boundless resources, as they see the impossibility of failure with God, how disgusted and sad they must be when we run away. Glory to God! We're not going to run away. We're going to stand."

Friends, that's being sure of what we hope for!

D. Put it all together

So, putting it all together, faith starts with...
...a longing to be something better, and
...an awareness that within the universe there is something else, and that something or Someone else has revealed itself to us.
...And as we act on that revelation we will achieve the things we are hoping for–the something better.

That's the story of Abraham's life. And the promise from the word of God is that it can be the story of your life as well.

IV. Conclusion

Illustration: What I didn't tell you at the beginning of the sermon is that just around the bend of the ocean--literally a stones throw from the location of Bayocean is the town of Oceanside. It has been around almost as long as Bayocean, yet it has remained and grown and is one of the most beautiful towns I have ever seen. What's the difference? Oceanside was and is built on solid rock--not shifting sand.

The question I want you to think very hard on is this, What am I building my life on today? If you're building on anything but the solid rock of Biblical faith, as it's described in the only place faith is defined in the Bible–Hebrews 11–you're building on sand. And sand is unreliable, dangerous and about the worst foundation you could ever choose.

Remember at the beginning of the message, I said that whenever God asks us to do something for Him, there is a very profound and intentional reason? Would you like to hear the reason God wants the people of Palm Springs Baptist Church to have this Biblical faith. Look again at verses 2 and 3 of Genesis 12 (on the front of your bulletins). But instead of talking to Abram, God is now talking to us...

Genesis 12:2-3 (paraphrase)
2 "I will make Palm Springs Baptist Church into a great church and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and the peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

And that brings us full circle to that fourth part of our purpose as a church– we will partner with each other to do Great Commission work in the Coachella Valley and the world. That purpose will only be accomplished if we are men and women of Biblical Faith.

Amen.