Faith

I have been speaking recently about real and active faith. For those who have heard these messages, the following are some more references and thoughts to follow on from my preaching:

Abraham
Genesis 11:27-32 ‘This is the account of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth. Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah; she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milcah and Iscah. Now Sarai was barren; she had no children. Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there. Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Haran.’

We know that Abraham is an example of great faith. According to Genesis 12 he leaves his home, in obedience to God and just goes, towards a land that is yet to be revealed. Howvwer, in the previous chapter we learn that Abraham’s father terah was also supposed to go to the same place, Canaan. Did he have the same opportunity as Abraham to be the father of a great nation and fall short of this? Did he fail to walk into everything that God had for him?

In fact it is an interesting question to ponder. Was Abraham the father of a great nation because he was the only one chosen, or because he was the only one who responded? Will we respond to whatever God has called us to do, or will we settle like Terah?

What caused Terah to settle? Here are 3 possible reasons for camping at Haran

1.Fear
Gen 12:6 "The Canaanite was in the land".
We can settle where it is safe.
2. Sorrow
Haran had died. Perhaps Terah’s sorrow meant he no longer wanted to continue.
3.Satisfaction
Maybe it was the fullness of Terah’s home, that made him content with partial obedience whereas Abraham was prepared to abandon everything because he was not satisfied with Sarah’s barrenness.

Hebrews 11

The eleventh chapter of Hebrews gives some ideas of what constitutes faith:

Faith Is Rational
By faith we “understand” that the universe is not self-existent; rather, it was designed by the Creator (v. 3). The notion that one cannot be intelligent without being anti-religious is a myth propagated by those who hate God. Logic and faith are companions.

Faith Depends upon Revelation
The Lord speaks to us (Heb. 1:1).

Faith Involves Trusting Our Maker
When Noah was warned of God, though he had never seen a flood, he prepared the ark (v. 7). Abraham left Chaldea “not knowing whether he went” (v. 8). Clearly, trusting the unseen God is a vital component of true faith.

Faith Is an Action Word
Faith is not merely intellectual assent, faith must have action. By faith Abel “offered” a sacrifice (v. 4), Noah “prepared” an ark (v. 7), and Abraham “obeyed” the Lord (v. 8). Faith, divorced from obedience, is dead (James 2:26).

Faith Chooses
It chooses the spiritual over the material, the eternal over the temporal. Moses chose heavenly riches over the treasures of Egypt (v. 26).