SERMON SUMMARY
Sunday, April 22,
2007
The Year of the Invitation : What Did Abraham Find?
Sermon given by Senior Pastor, Dan Tabolt
My thoughts went
back to my boyhood this week and of the incident that happened to my
brother Joey in one of our many days of play. My father was a farmer, but
he also whitewashed barns as a side job. After his death, what used to be
his whitewash truck, sat back of our barn and just began to rot away. We,
as boys, used to play for hours in the truck pretending to drive all over
the world. We made great truck noises; which seem to be a talent of boys.
On one of these days, we had quite an awakening to what can happen to
equipment when it is no longer in use. The doors no longer worked on the
truck, so we had to crawl in through the window. Joey jumped in one day
and began to bounce around in there not realizing that a nest of wasps had
made the truck seat their new home. Screams of pain began to come out of
the truck as my brother could not get the doors open and had to roll down
another window to get out. A spiritual picture began to form in my mind of
the dangers of the lack of use and moving of the equipment and a promise
of God that’s given to the Christian. The only safe Christian is a moving
Christian. The only living faith is an active faith. Because of the lack
of usage or response to the relationship we now have in Christ Jesus we
can find torment in our lives that were never meant to be.
Last week's word ended with what I feel was a very prophetic Scripture
from the Lord to us. It was:
2 Cor 6:17 Therefore "Come out from among them And be separate, says the
Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you." 18'I will be
a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the LORD
Almighty." NKJV
Let us look a little closer at what is being said here, going back to
verse 11,
2 Cor 6:11-16 Be Holy O Corinthians! We have spoken openly to you, our
heart is wide open. 12 You are not restricted by us, but you are
restricted by your own affections. 13 Now in return for the same(I speak
as to children), you also be open. 14 Do not be unequally yoked together
with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness?
And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ
with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what
agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the
living God. As God has said:
"I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God,
And they shall be My people." NKJV
I. Finding that Right Relationship with God.
Rom 4:1-4 Abraham Justified by Faith (Gen 17:10)
What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the
flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast
about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham
believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." 4 Now to him
who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. NKJV
Paul, a true Apostle of Christ, is attempting to bring a people from a
false security religion to a true and living relationship with God. He
takes us and them all the way back to a man who is called the “Father of
Faith”; Father Abraham. He asks the question, “What did Abraham find?”
A. What had happen to the Faith?
1. It had become a religion of works you do to get right with God.
2. It became a fear based religion, not a faith based relationship.
3. Human reasoning replaced God revelation.
3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish
their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.
Luke 11:42 "But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all
manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. NKJV
II. What Abraham Found!
Gen 12:1-3 Promises to Abram
Now the LORD had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, From your family
And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you.
2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name
great;
And you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, And I
will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth
shall be blessed." NKJV
"Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness."
A. Abraham’s belief brought “separation.”
1. New Headship Lordship.
2. New Family.
3. New Land Kingdom.
B. Abraham’s belief brought about a sense of Greatness and Blessing.
Manmade religions have tendencies to bring man to a place of belittling
and condemnation of yourself and others. This is due to the fact that man
looks to himself as the source. Christianity should be a place of
forsaking those things that were before Christ and having all the faith
needed in God to pursue those things that are now ahead of you in Christ.
Our faith is in an almighty God, not in ourselves.
So what did Abraham find? We must listen to what God’s says, do what God
says, and believe what God says.
III. There is Works to Be Done.
So how do we work the Works of God?
John 6:28 Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the
works of God?" 29 Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of
God that you believe in Him whom He sent." NKJV
A. Different Types of Works.
1. Dead Works: The Peril of Not Progressing
Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ,
let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance
from dead works and of faith toward God, Hebrews 6:1
14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit
offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead
works to serve the living God? Heb 9:13-14
B. Good Works:
Matt 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good
works and glorify your Father in heaven. NKJV
Now that we have believed in Christ, not in ourselves, we serve God not
out of fear but from the motivation of love and reward. All that we do
from a stance of gratefulness and love in Christ becomes acceptable to God
in Christ.
Eph 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good
works , which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Titus 2:6-7 7 in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works
;
Titus 2:14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every
lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for
good works .
Titus 3:8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm
constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to
maintain good works
Titus 3:14 And let our people also learn to maintain good works , to meet
urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful.
Heb 10:24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and
good works
Establishing the Law of Christ.
Rom 3:30-31 Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On
the contrary, we establish the law. NKJV
Matt 5:17 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I
did not come to destroy but to fulfill. NKJV
A tape recording
of today’s message is available from the church. To get your cassette tape
recording of this message, just send $5 (to cover costs of tape and
postage) to:
Attn.: Tape
Ministry
Abundant Life Fellowship
P.O. Box 22
Boonville, NY 13309-0022
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