Title: Living by Faith
Contents
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1. The LORD said to Abram, "Leave your country and your relatives and your father's house and go to the land I will show you.
2. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
3. Whoever blesses you I will bless, and whoever curses you I will curse, and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.
4. So Abram followed the word of the LORD, and Lot went with him, and Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.
5. And Abram, with his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all that he had gathered and acquired in Haran, set out to go to the land of Canaan, and finally entered the land of Canaan.
6. And Abram passed through the land and came to the oak of Moreh in the land of Shechem, where the Canaanites lived in those days.
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1. Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.
2. This is how the ancestors got the evidence.
3. By faith we know that the whole world was created by the word of God; for what is seen was not made out of things that are seen
4. By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than that of Cain, and he received evidence that he was righteous, for God testified of that gift. He died, but by his faith he still speaks.
5. By faith Enoch was taken away so that he might not see death, because God had removed him, and he was found no more. Before he was transferred, he received the testimony that he was a God-pleaser.
6. Without faith it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to God must believe that He exists, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Content
Title: Living by Faith
Text: Genesis 12:1-6, Hebrews 11:1-6
Faith is not only the foundation of the body of the Lord, the church (Matthew 16:18), but also the foundation of all meaningful relationships. Love, friendship, and reconciliation are only possible on the basis of faith. Because when mistrust intervenes, all relationships become corrupted. The tragedy of Paradise Lost was also caused by the serpent's temptation and distrust of God's love. This proves that the condition for salvation lies in the restoration of faith (John 3:16). Worship is the concrete expression of faith restoration. There is nothing more precious than worship in the life of a Christian who has come to realize the object of worship. So, the success or failure of worship determines the success or failure of our religious life. The book of Hebrews is a record of true worship. “Without faith it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to God must believe that He exists and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).
In the age we live in, the problem of trust is facing a serious crisis. Our situation in which the fear of radiation has become a reality is no exception. The problem of mistrust that is spreading not only in politics and economy but also in all areas of life is adding to the sense of crisis. The highest peak among distrust will be the distrust of religious people in the object of their faith. Just thinking about it is terrifying. How can I recover? It reminds me of Abraham, who is called the 'father of faith'. Examine the Old Testament text (Genesis 12:1-6). It is revealed in Genesis 15:6 that Abraham was recognized by God as the father of faith. So I think about the story of Genesis 12-14. Today's Old Testament text (Genesis 12:1-6) is the beginning of that story. 1) Abram heard the word of God (Genesis 12:1). It reminds me of the saying, “Faith comes from hearing” (Romans 10:17a).
This is the reaction that appeared after hearing God's plan to be fulfilled through Abraham (Gen 12:2-3). 2) This is the story of ‘Abram followed the word of the Lord’ (Genesis 12:4a). After hearing the word, the next reaction was to follow the word. The mention of age at departure (75 years old, Gen. 12:4b) indicates that it was an unsuitable reaction to the environment. Abram's third response follows the Old Testament text. 3) They built an altar and called on the name of the Lord (Genesis 12:7-9). Altar-building in the Old Testament corresponds to worship in the New Testament. And the life of Abram that follows (Genesis 12:10-14:24) is ordinary daily life that can exist. Then Abram is in trouble again. Even though we have won the tribal battle in Sodom, when we are trembling in anxiety, He gives us the necessary words along with a vision (Genesis 15). We receive the approval of our faith and justification in the sight of God (Genesis 15:6).
There is a process until Abraham's faith is acknowledged. There were unintentional mistakes in life, but God was with Abraham. So they used to give me the help I needed. You have fulfilled your promise of grace. A life that believes in God who is so faithful is a life of faith. The lives of the heroes of faith are all stories of faith (Hebrews 11). ‘Listening to the Word’ and ‘Following the Word’ are like two sides of the same coin, two sides of worship (Romans 12:1-2). A repeated expression of the letters to the seven churches of Asia Minor. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Revelation 2:7,11,17,29; 3:6,13,22). This is an invitation letter to the Messiah Feast. ‘Listen to me and hear me. Then you will eat good things...and you will find joy' (Isaiah 55:2b).