Title: Life of Victory (Hebrews 11:8-12)
Content We can learn many good lessons from watching sports.
That is why the Apostle Paul seems to have often compared our lives to athletics, especially to running races.
When all the players come to the starting line, they all come out with the hope of winning first place.
No one wants to be last.
Some of them have practiced day and night, others who have gone to various places to train, and others who have been trained by great coaches.
But not all of them win.
Everyone wants to win
Not everyone wins.
Some players win and some losers.
It is the same with our lives and our faith.
There are those who succeed and those who fail.
Who wants to fail in life
Who would want to fail in their faith?
Everyone wants to win, everyone wants to be successful, but the reality is that not everyone wins and succeeds.
But there is a way to a successful life for those who live a successful life.
Success is not something that can be obtained by chance or given as a gift.
Those who have lived a successful life have a cause and a way that have made their life triumphant and successful.
Also, those who fail have causes and reasons for failure.
That's because it's rare to fail unexpectedly or unexpectedly.
The victor has a way to victory, and the unsuccessful has a cause for failure.
Some of the characters in the Bible have succeeded while others have completely failed.
If Abraham was successful, his nephew Lot was a failure.
If David was a successful king, Saul was a failed king.
If Peter is the victorious disciple, Judas Iscariot is the disciple who has completely failed.
Among them, Abraham is a representative figure of victory.
He is the father of faith, the father of blessings, and a person who has succeeded enough to be a model for all believers.
Of course, even these characters in the Bible have clear reasons and reasons for their successes and failures.
In particular, there is a clear reason and reason that led to success in life as a believer.
This morning, I would like to share with you the principle of Abraham's successful life.
Because we want our members to live a successful life like Abraham.
It is because we too can live a successful life like Abraham.
1. First of all, the reason Abraham was able to live a successful life was because he was a man of inspiration who knew how to distinguish and listen to God's words.
In Genesis 12, Abraham left the Chaldeans because he could hear the word of God.
According to Genesis 12:1-3
The LORD said to Abraham, "Leave your land and your relatives and your father's house and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you. I will curse whoever comes down and curses you, and all peoples on the earth will be blessed in you. He said.
A person of God must be able to hear the voice of God.
Because only then can we live according to the will of God.
It is this very voice of God that has been given to us as the Word of God.
You must have the inspiration to hear the voice of God from the words of the Bible.
Abraham had a successful life because of his inspiration to understand God's Word.
Therefore, those who want to live a successful life must have the inspiration to understand the Word of God.
In the 2nd chapter of Kings, before Elijah ascended to heaven, Elisha risked her life for double inspiration.
It was this inspiration that enabled Elisha to successfully fulfill the mission of the prophet.
If we want to have this inspiration
1. Inspiration must be valued the most (like Elisha, more precious than life).
2. You must have a deep understanding of the Bible. (Isaiah 34:16, persistently asking )
3. We must pray continually in the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 6:18).
Only when we have the inspiration to understand and listen to this precious word of God, we can live a life of obedience, a life of hope, a holy life, and a life of success.
Ex) The prophet Balaam, Jonah, the people of the world in the days of Noah, and the sons-in-law of Lot...
Now, I hope that all of you will be inspired by this wonderful inspiration and live a successful life in the fullness of the Word.
2. The second reason that Abraham lived his life successfully was because he lived a life of obedience that followed the Word of God.
Abraham left his hometown when God told him to leave his hometown.
When he told me to leave my father's house, when he told me to leave my relative's house, I left.
He took an Egyptian woman named Hagar as a concubine and left her.
In the end, even his dear only son, Isaac, was about to be sacrificed on Mount Moriah.
Abraham's life was truly one of obedience.
He thoroughly bowed down to his will, and if it was God's will, he followed God's word.
It is not only through understanding and knowing the Word, but also through the process of obedience to bear fruit.
You cannot receive the promised blessings without obedience.
A life of faith is a life of obedience to the Word of God.
A life without obedience is not a life of faith.
Abraham's life was a life of obedience, and Amen's life was a successful life.
There is no such thing as a good person who disobeys the word of God.
Adam and Eve disobeyed the Word of God and entered the Garden of Eden.