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Pastor Scott Applegate

“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. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore… By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.” Hebrews 11:8-12, 17-19 NIV

    • What made Abraham’s life move from ordinary to extraordinary? Faith
    • What is faith?  

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1 NIV

1. The extraordinary power of faith:

By faith…

  • We understand how the universe was made (Hebrews 11:3)
  • We are made right with God (Romans 4:3,  Galatians 3:6, Galatians 3:29, Genesis 15:6)
  • All things are possible (Mark 9:23)
  • We live and do everything (2 Corinthians 5:7)

2. How to develop extraordinary faith like Abraham:

  • Take a step of faith

“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.”  Hebrews 11:8 NIV

  • Look at the first step instead of the whole journey
  • Look at God instead of yourself
  • Look at the reward instead of the struggles

3. Continue to walk by faith  

“By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country … For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”  Hebrews 11:9a, 10

  • He built his present on the foundations of the future 

4. Wait for God by faith 

“…by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.” Hebrews 11:11-12 NIV

The 3 sons mentioned in Abraham’s life represent the 3 ways we can wait for God

Eliezer (Genesis 15:2-6), Ishmael (Genesis 16:1-2), Isaac (Genesis 21:1-3, 5-6)

  • We can settle for less (Eliezer)
  • We can take matters into our own hands (Ishmael)
  • We can choose to trust God (Isaac)

Trust is obeying God when you do not understand by doing what He says to do and leaving the consequences up to Him