WEEK EIGHT

MEN ARE MADE BY Relationships that shape Choices they make Paths they take Circumstances they need to navigate Core commitments they keep or break

THE BIG QUESTION When It’s All Said and Done, What Is the Summary Statement of Your Life?

ABRAHAM: THE FATHER OF OUR FAITH “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” ROMANS 4:3

Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not. ROMANS 4:16-17

Abraham’s Faith (Romans 4:3, Hebrews 11) Faith - Actively Trusting God To Do What He Says He Will Do

The Call and Promise of God (Genesis 12:1-7)

The Covenant Relationship with God (Genesis 15 & 17) Grace is God’s part of the covenant relationship. Faith is our part of the covenant relationship.

Abraham’s Faults A real man rejects passivity, accepts responsibility, leads courageously, and seeks the greater goal of God’s glory and reward.

Passivity, Lack of Responsibility, Fear Regarding Sarah Genesis 12:10-20, Genesis 20 Passivity, Trusting Flesh Regarding Hagar Genesis 16 Struggle to Believe Regarding Isaac (Laughter) Genesis 17:15-22 Genesis 21:1-7

Passivity and Confusion Regarding Isaac and Ishmael Genesis 21:8-21

WEEK EIGHT

ABRAHAM’S FAITH FORMATION From Abram (“Exalted Father”) to Abraham (“Father of Multitude”) The life of faith involves leaving, losing, letting go, and learning in order to gain what is promised.

Leaving Genesis 12:1-5 Leaving His Father’s House

Genesis 13 Loosing the “Good Land” by Losing Letting Lot Choose

Genesis 17:22 & Genesis 22 Letting Go of His Plan Letting Go Letting Go of Isaac Romans 4:18-25 Learning Hebrews 11:8-19 James 1:21-24

WHAT DOES SCRIPTURE SAY “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” ROMANS 4:3 NIV

“ . . . his faith was regarded by God to be His approval of Abraham.” ROMANS 4:3 (God’s Word Translation)

So how do we fit what we know of Abraham, our first father in the faith, into this new way of looking at things? If Abraham, by what he did for God, got God to approve him, he could certainly have taken credit for it. But the story we’re given is a God-story, not an Abraham-story. What we read in Scripture is, “Abraham entered into what God was doing for him, and that was the turning point. He trusted God to set him right instead of trying to be right on his own.” ROMANS 4:1-3 (The Message)

ABRAHAM - Lessons Learned from the Legacy He Left Behind There are no great men of God, only men God uses greatly. The “finished product” of our life is not visible until we cross the “finish line” of our life. Faith is expressed in practical, tangible acts of obedience and trust. (James 2:21-24) Our faith, expressed in faithful living, blesses those who follow us. (Genesis 25:11, Genesis 26:2-6) Our faults can become fractures in the foundations of those who follow us. (Genesis 26:7-11) Every man must trust in God’s grace to fill in the faults created by our lack of faith. (Genesis 26:23-25, Romans 4:16-17)

QUESTIONS FOR AROUND THE TABLE What is one thing about Abraham’s life that most inspires you? What is one thing about Abraham’s life that most surprised you? What is one struggle in Abraham’s life with which you can relate? How do you think Abraham would define success after his journey? What would the answer be to today’s big question regarding your life?