The Bold Pilgrimage: Walking by Promise

• Abraham's Honor 00:38:26 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor introduces Abraham as a figure honored by Islam, Judaism, and Christianity, citing titles like 'God of Abraham' and 'father of the faithful.'
• Abraham's Background 00:40:54 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor describes Abraham's life in Ur of the Chaldeans and Haran, noting his wealth, large family, and status as a respected religious figure before his call.
• Faith Lessons 00:43:35 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor transitions to focusing on 'faith lessons' derived from Abraham's life, specifically highlighting a 'pilgrimage of faith' starting with God's call in Genesis 12.
• Faith Lesson 1: Living by Promises 00:48:42 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor defines the first faith lesson as living by God's promises rather than seeking explanations for every circumstance, citing Abraham's obedience despite not knowing the destination.
• Faith Lesson 2: Definition of Faith 00:55:20 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor defines faith as believing God's promises and acting upon them, referencing Hebrews 11:8 to illustrate Abraham's obedience.
• The Price of Bold Faith 00:56:59 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor discusses the costs of bold faith, specifically the loss of country, comfort, and familiarity, using Abraham's departure from Ur as the primary example.
• Separation from Paganism 00:58:44 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor explains that God demands a shift from old patterns of living, such as the moon worship of Ur, to a new life in Christ, citing 2 Corinthians 5:17.
• Bold Faith and Comfort Zones 01:00:22 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor contrasts the human desire for familiar surroundings with the biblical call to bold faith, which involves leaving comfort zones.
• Partial Obedience 01:04:29 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor explains that Abraham's stop in Haran represented partial obedience, describing it as a 'halfway house' that must be left to achieve full obedience.
• Obstacles in the Life of Faith 01:09:39 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor identifies difficulties and obstacles, such as the Canaanites, as inevitable parts of the believer's journey that require faith to overcome.
• Divine Reward for Obedience 01:11:33 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor asserts that when believers obey God, it is God Himself who greets and meets them, serving as the ultimate reward.
• Communion and the Body of Christ 01:20:35 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor recounts the Last Supper, emphasizing Jesus taking, blessing, and breaking the bread as His body, and instructs the congregation to share this truth with neighbors.
• The Blood of the New Covenant 01:29:06 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor explains that Jesus' blood was shed for the remission of sins for 'many,' clarifying that while the blood is sufficient for the world, it is effective only for those who repent and come to faith.
• The Day of Decision 01:38:05 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor frames the current moment as a critical opportunity for response, urging the congregation to acknowledge Jesus as King and live in bold faith.

• Sermon Illustration 00:35:02 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor uses the analogy of a 'school of faith' where life is the classroom, Hebrews 11 contains the professors, and Abraham is the dean.
• Sermon Illustration 00:41:41 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor describes Abraham's previous life in Haran as a 'thriving metropolis' near Babylon, highlighting his wealth, servants, herds, and beautiful wife to contrast with his later spiritual state.
• Sermon Illustration 00:50:14 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor uses a hypothetical scenario where Abraham tells his wife Sarah they are moving the next day without knowing where, and then withdraws all his money from the bank in Ur without knowing where to deposit it, illustrating the absurdity of faith to the world.
• Sermon Illustration 01:13:16 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor recounts the story of the Rogers family, specifically seven-year-old Jimmy Rogers, who expressed his confidence in heaven by shouting 'Here!' when his name was called, and later died after saying the same word to his grieving family.
• Sermon Illustration 01:20:35 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor references the historical event of the Passover meal in the upper room where Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to the disciples, identifying it as His body.
• Sermon Illustration 01:28:37 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor references the biblical account of Jesus taking the cup after the meal, giving thanks, and identifying it as the blood of the new covenant shed for the remission of sins.
• Sermon Illustration 01:37:25 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor references the disciples singing Psalms after the Passover meal, specifically noting the psalm 'this is the day that the lord has made,' connecting it to the events leading to the crucifixion.

• Pastoral Charge 00:35:28 ▶️ 📄
  > Stand and read Genesis 12:1-8 aloud with the pastor.
• Pastoral Charge 00:37:38 ▶️ 📄
  > Pray with the pastor for God to open the windows of heaven and speak truth to the congregation.
• Pastoral Charge 00:38:26 ▶️ 📄
  > Sit down after the prayer.
• Pastoral Charge 00:43:35 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor asks the congregation to mentally focus on the concept of bold faith.
• Pastoral Charge 00:44:07 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor instructs the congregation to write down the faith lessons being presented.
• Pastoral Charge 00:44:43 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor directs note-taking students to focus on the specific topic of Abraham's pilgrimage.
• Pastoral Charge 00:44:58 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor instructs the congregation to underline a specific phrase in their Bibles.
• Pastoral Charge 00:55:20 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor commands the congregation to write down the definition of faith.
• Pastoral Charge 00:57:51 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor instructs the congregation to write down the reference to Joshua 24:2 regarding Abraham's family's idolatry.
• Pastoral Charge 01:18:03 ▶️ 📄
  > Bow heads, close eyes, and reflect on bold faith.
• Pastoral Charge 01:19:37 ▶️ 📄
  > Pray in silence for guidance and alignment with God's calling.
• Pastoral Charge 01:18:03 ▶️ 📄
  > Bow heads and close eyes in preparation for prayer.
• Pastoral Charge 01:23:27 ▶️ 📄
  > Whisper to the neighbor receiving the bread that Christ's body was broken for them.
• Pastoral Charge 01:23:28 ▶️ 📄
  > Agree to perform the action of whispering the witness to neighbors.
• Pastoral Charge 01:38:44 ▶️ 📄
  > Stand up from their seats.

[00:10:37] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:10:37] Our service with the hymn, the beautiful hymn, In Christ Alone. Let's stand together as we worship. It is good to see you here in the Lord's house on this beautiful Lord's Day that He's given us just to praise His name, to glorify Him, and we are thankful that you have gathered in this place, in this hour, to truly honor the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Grateful for who He is and grateful for the impact He's made in each of our lives.
[00:14:35] you're here. Listen, if you're visiting with us today, we want to bid you a warm welcome in the name of the Lord and on behalf of our Trinity Baptist family. In fact, our deacons have some
[00:14:44] gift bags that they would love to slip into the hands of those of you that are visiting with us.
[00:14:48] And there's some things in the bag that we'd love for you to take home that'll help remind you of your visit here today as our gift to you. But there's a guest card on that bag or in that bag,
[00:14:58] and we want you to take a moment and fill it out, place it in the offering plate when it comes by just a little bit later in the service so we'll have a record of your visit here with us this
[00:15:07] morning and i'm grateful that you've chosen to be a part of it so if you are visiting just lift your hand about like this as they make their way down the aisle and hold it up high enough and long
[00:15:17] enough and they will just slip this into your hand if you're visiting with us or joining us via live stream we want to welcome you into the sanctuary at trinity baptist church here in Mooresville, North Carolina, as we are just gathered in His house to honor His name and to
[00:15:32] search His Word and let His Spirit speak into our lives this very morning. And we just want to invite you to participate in every aspect of that. So when we sing, just like we've been singing,
[00:15:44] you sing along with us. When we go to the Lord in prayer, we invite you to join along with us.
[00:15:49] And then in a few minutes, we're going to turn in God's Word to the book of Genesis, the 12th chapter. And I'm going to invite you to find your way there as well at home. So grab a
[00:15:58] copy of God's Word if you can, wherever you are. And in fact, if you're watching a hotel room, just grab the Bible right out of the drawer next to the bed. And we would love for you to follow
[00:16:09] along with us as we are just searching the truths of God's Word today to speak into our hearts.
[00:16:14] Well, we have a special guest that wants to make a brief presentation to us today, and that's Noel Williamson. He is the executive director of the missionary here in the South Yadkin Baptist Association that we're a part of, and we're very honored. Give Noel a warm
[00:16:30] welcome today as he comes to share with us this morning. Thank you, Noel.

[00:16:36] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:16:36] Well, it's my privilege today on behalf of the South Yadkin Baptist Association and North Carolina Baptist to recognize Trinity Baptist Church for your faithful generosity to the North Carolina Baptist state mission offering. And this offering is an important part in helping churches
[00:16:54] across North Carolina share the gospel, start and strengthen churches, reach our communities, do disaster relief, and support missions throughout our state. Trinity Baptist Church, thank you for your faithful partnership. Your generosity is making a difference in the lives
[00:17:12] of people who need to know about the love of Jesus Christ. And I also want to personally thank you for your continued support of the South African Baptist Association. We are so grateful for your partnership, your prayers, your generosity, and your willingness to work together with other
[00:17:31] churches to fulfill the Great Commission. We truly believe that we can do more together than that we can do alone, and we have a wonderful partner in you, Trinity Baptist Church. So thank you so much.
[00:17:43] So it's my honor to present these certificates as a small expression of our appreciation for your faithful giving and partnership. Thank you, Trinity Baptist, for investing in the kingdom of God and for being a blessing to so many. So the first certificate I have, it says Award of
[00:18:00] Excellence presented to Trinity Mooresville for leading the South Yadkin Baptist Association and total giving for the 2025 North Carolina Missions offering with your gift of $28,540 signed by Richard Brunson on Baptist on Mission and Todd Unzinger from NC Baptist. So thank you
[00:18:19] so much for that. Thank you. Praise God. So not only did you lead the SYBA in giving, you were number three in the entire state. Wow. All right. Thank you. Thank you, Trinity. Thank you so much.

[00:18:36] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:18:36] Congratulations. Thank you, Noel. Well, Brother Noel, thank you so much. And I accept this on behalf of the trinity baptist family because it is the faithful giving it is the mission-mindedness of this church that i think has allowed us to not only have led in this association
[00:18:56] but to be third in the state now the challenge of that is this was for 2025 now this is september of 2026 and september is when we collect the uh state missions offering again all of those things
[00:19:10] you heard that Noel shared that this is a part of and how this offering goes to help from disaster relief to getting the gospel throughout our state in a very very special way so let me encourage you
[00:19:22] if you haven't yet given to the state missions offering we encourage you between now and the end of the month which is this week to make sure that you do that and again there's a special envelope
[00:19:33] for that in your packet of envelopes or you can just simply use an envelope in the pew rack in front of you and write on it, North Carolina Missions Offering, and we'll make sure that it
[00:19:42] gets to where it needs to be. So let's go to the Lord in prayer as we open up our service this morning. Father, we do thank you for the opportunity just to celebrate and to give
[00:19:55] thanksgiving for the honor and privilege that this church has had to be a leader, not only here in our region and our community but lord across our entire state and in making sure that uh we
[00:20:12] meet the needs to the state missions offering that have been set before us and father this is a church that that loves you a church that understands the principles of your word we understand we can't out give you and and lord as we embark on so many different way in so many
[00:20:31] different ways to carry the gospel of christ here at home throughout our state and literally around the world we just thank you for what you are doing through the people the men and women who are part
[00:20:46] of the trinity baptist family we just ask you to bless our time together we've gathered here on this sunday for worship we've gathered on this first day of the week to honor the king of kings
[00:20:56] and Lord of Lords, and that's exactly what we desire to do today. We come to search your word and let your truth speak into our lives today. And Father, we just ask that we would just come
[00:21:08] honestly and openly before you. I pray that you would remove any distractions from the week before or even the distractions of concerns for what we may have for the week ahead. Lord, let us just set
[00:21:20] aside all of that so that in this hour we might truly meet with you we might truly be open to the prompting of your holy spirit in this worship today we love you and we praise you and we lift
[00:21:35] this prayer in jesus name amen well if you have children with you preschool through third grade we want to invite them to come and be a part of our children's church so in a moment you're going
[00:21:47] to stand up and greet one another. And when you do, let those children make their way right here to my right and your left. Ms. Terry will meet them and get them to Children's Church. So let's
[00:21:56] all stand to your feet right where you are. Make each other welcome. Turn around, shake a few hands, hug a few necks, make each other welcome in the house of the Lord.

[00:22:06] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:22:06] This is a time in our service when we bring our tithes and offerings as the Lord's commanded us

[00:27:53] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:27:53] for the work of the Lord here at Trinity.
[00:27:56] And those that prefer to give online can do so by going to trinitybaptist.com or you can mail it in to the address that you see up there or drop it in the box in the hallway.
[00:28:09] So let's pray.
[00:28:10] Father in heaven, we just continue with our worship here by bringing our tithes and offerings into the storehouse as you've commanded us to do.
[00:28:17] You've also commanded that we give of our talents and gifts and time.
[00:28:21] And Lord, I just pray that we'll be found faithful in doing just that and being doers of the word and not just hearers.
[00:28:27] We have so many gifted teachers, workers, choir members, and others here at Trinity that just seek to serve you every week.
[00:28:36] Just as the saints of old, Noah and Abraham, are obedient to your leading and guiding, I just pray that we'll be found faithful in following your direction for us both as a body of believers here at Trinity and individually.
[00:28:48] and we do give thanks for the many blessings that you just continue to pour out upon us we thank you for this day that you've given us together with fellow believers to praise and to worship you and father we just feel your hand of blessing upon us and i'll just pray that we'll
[00:29:02] never take that for granted we do pray for those on the mission field that we're supporting with our offerings and we pray that for their safety their boldness and proclaiming the gospel and i just pray that we'll be found faithful in spreading the gospel message to others and be good stewards
[00:29:18] of what you've entrusted us we ask that you be with our life group meetings this evening with the services and activities for the remainder of the week here at the church and just ask that you
[00:29:29] bless and multiply our tithes and offerings for the expanding of your kingdom and bringing others to the saving grace and knowledge of our lord and savior jesus christ to speak to us today let us
[00:29:39] feel your presence for the remainder of the service as the pastor brings the message with boldness and clarity and just let us draw closer to you and be better prepared to be your witnesses and to share that good news with those that we come in contact with. It's in the name of our

[00:29:54] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:29:54] Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that we offer these prayers. Amen. Amen. Thank you so much choir for

[00:34:18] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:34:18] blessing us this morning. Turn in your Bibles if you will to the book of Genesis and the 12th chapter. The book of Genesis and the 12th chapter is where we find ourselves this morning as we
[00:34:31] continue in our series through this great book of Genesis, chapter by chapter and verse by verse.
[00:34:38] And again, I'm thankful for your presence here this morning. You know, as you're turning there, the moment you're saved, you are immediately enrolled in the school of faith. Have you ever thought about that? I mean, the school of faith is a big deal. Life is the classroom.
[00:35:02] The professors, well, they're found over in Hebrews chapter 11. But the dean of this school of faith is this fellow known as Abraham in the Bible. In fact, I really do believe Abraham may have been one of the greatest men in the history of the human race. Would you stand in honor of
[00:35:28] the reading of the Word of God? I want you to read with me the first eight verses of Genesis chapter 12, and we'll get started. It said, now the Lord had said to Abram, get out of your country
[00:35:43] from your family and from your father's house to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing. I will bless
[00:36:01] those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you. And in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed. So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him.
[00:36:19] And Abram was 75 years old when he departed from Haran. Then Abram took Sarah his wife and Lot his brother's son and all their possessions that they had gathered and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan.
[00:36:42] So they came to the land of Canaan. Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem.
[00:36:50] so far as the terebinth tree of moreh and the canaanites were there in the land then the lord appeared to abram and said to your descendants i will give this land and there he built an altar
[00:37:05] to the lord whom had appeared to him and he moved from there to the mountain east of bethel and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to
[00:37:23] the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. Will you pray with me? Father, I do pray in these next few minutes as we begin to open up this 12th chapter that you would open up the windows of
[00:37:38] heaven and that you would speak truth into the life of every man and every woman under the sound of my voice. And Father, I just pray that we would be responsive to exactly what you say to us as
[00:37:51] individuals. You know the needs of our lives. You know the situations we face. You know the circumstances that we're under today. And Lord, I just pray this morning that you would touch the need of each heart that's gathered in this place. Lord, I pray personally that you let the
[00:38:11] words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, Lord, let them be pleasing in your sight. For it's in Jesus' name I pray. Amen. You may be seated. I said a moment ago that Abraham may in fact
[00:38:26] be one of the greatest men in history of the human race. In fact, did you know that Abraham is honored by the three major religions of the world? That's right. He's honored by Islam, he's honored by Judaism, and he is honored by Christianity. And think of what the Bible says
[00:38:49] about him. If you were to just think of what you've heard throughout your lifetime. I mean, for instance, God referred to him as the God of Abraham. Think about that. That's quite a statesman and statement about somebody. Abraham is also known as the father of the Hebrew race.
[00:39:09] Jewish people look to him and to Abraham as the beginning of their entire race.
[00:39:15] The New Testament teaches us that believers look back to Abraham as well. Those who have received Jesus by faith, are literally walking in the steps of Abraham, and he's indeed known as the father of the faithful. But I think probably James in your New Testament may have made the
[00:39:36] most amazing statement we ever read of Abraham when it says in James 2, 23, Abraham was a friend of God. Now I want to tell you something, that's a testimony, amen? A friend of God.
[00:39:51] I don't know about you, but that's how I'd love to be known.
[00:39:54] I'd love to be known.
[00:39:55] People say, you know that Mark Harris, dude, that man is a friend of God.
[00:40:01] And that's what the Word says about Abraham.
[00:40:05] But this morning, as we dive into this 12th chapter, I'm especially interested in the statement that Abraham was the father of the faithful.
[00:40:16] In other words, everyone who chooses to go through life walking by faith is walking, frankly, in the example of this great man.
[00:40:30] I mean, there's so much material that needs our attention that I really want us to just, we're actually going to take today and next Sunday to get through this 12th chapter.
[00:40:38] but I want you to walk with me into this scene that we've just read this morning in the 12th chapter of Genesis. Now you saw the scene begins that Abraham is living in the Ur of the Chaldeans.
[00:40:54] You find that back in verse 31 of chapter 11, the previous chapter we were in before we got to this place today. It says, and Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran,
[00:41:10] and his daughter-in-law Sarah, his son Abram's wife, and they went out with them from the Ur of Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan. And they came to Haran and they dwelt there.
[00:41:26] So you find that in verse 31. We also know that he had a very large, there in the city of Haran was a large prospering city near the Persian Gulf. In fact, that town where they settled
[00:41:41] was about 125 miles from the city of Babylon itself. And it was a thriving metropolis in that day. And if you really look at where Abraham's life was at that particular point, here's some of the things you'd have to note. Abraham was an extremely wealthy man. Abraham had lots of
[00:42:07] servants. There were many, many people that were tending to him and taking care of him.
[00:42:12] He had all kinds of herds, all kinds of cattle that he owned.
[00:42:18] He had a gorgeous wife.
[00:42:20] I mean, she was a knockout.
[00:42:22] And he had quite a great heritage in his own right.
[00:42:28] So if you were to really just kind of zone in and say, how would you describe Abraham?
[00:42:35] He was rich, he was respected, and he was religious.
[00:42:42] And yet, that same Abraham was a lost sinner who was headed to a devil's hell.
[00:42:54] That was Abraham.
[00:42:56] And it was into this sort of situation, if you will, into this dark place where you'd hardly imagine that God would ever go, and yet God steps in to the life of Abraham.
[00:43:15] And he calls Abraham to himself.
[00:43:17] and he uses abraham to become this great example of what faith really is and that's the part i want to focus on for a few minutes this morning as we even prepare our hearts to come to this table
[00:43:35] i want you to think with me for a moment about a faith that is bold a faith that is bold. And as you dive into this man's life and you dive into his experiences, I really do believe
[00:43:54] that you and I can learn incredible things about what it means to walk by faith and to live by faith every day. And in fact, as we walk through this together, I'm going to highlight on the
[00:44:07] screen for you several what I call faith lessons that we all need to make sure we jot down and that we don't miss, because there's some serious faith lessons that you don't want to miss this
[00:44:20] morning. Where do we start with Abraham? Well, if you're a note-taker, we start by looking at this pilgrimage of faith. He begins with a pilgrimage of faith. God called Abraham, and in faith, Abraham responded, and the pilgrimage began. Notice what it says in verse 1 of chapter 12.
[00:44:43] 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. Underline that first phrase. He said to Abraham, get out of
[00:44:58] your country. Now I want to make sure that you see at this point something extremely important.
[00:45:07] God made the first move.
[00:45:11] Did you notice that?
[00:45:13] God made the first move.
[00:45:17] It was God that initiated this situation.
[00:45:20] It's always God who makes the first move.
[00:45:24] It's God who steps in to the darkness of man.
[00:45:28] It's God who calls a man or a woman unto himself.
[00:45:33] So the Lord speaks to Abraham.
[00:45:35] In other words, God reached into the human race, out of all of the men living in the world, God isolated this one man, Abraham, and set him apart from the rest of the world, and used this man to bring into this earth the promised seed that one day would result in the
[00:45:59] Savior of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ himself. Now keep in mind, Abraham is not a spring chicken at this point. He's 75 years old. And can you imagine what all of this has to mean to him?
[00:46:18] I mean, here's a man who is obviously very well established. Here's a man who has everything that we could imagine that this earth would actually give a man and yet in the midst of all of that
[00:46:33] God says to Abraham get out of this land and go to a land that I will show you God didn't even tell him where he was going God didn't even tell him what it was going to be like
[00:46:55] when he got there. God offers no details whatsoever in this situation. You find here simply the call of God to a destination unknown. But notice what God does here. God says, i will show you last few words of verse one you're going to a land i will show you
[00:47:33] and then notice what he says in verse two i will make you a great nation i will bless you verse 3 i will bless those who bless you in other words as god initiates this situation
[00:47:58] he says to abraham i'm going to make some promises to you for one act of obedience abraham in return i'm going to give you a seven fold blessing that's what we find here God says, get out of this place, and I will, I will, I will, I will, I will.
[00:48:31] By the way, faith lesson number one.
[00:48:35] You ready to write?
[00:48:37] Faith lesson number one, it's right here.
[00:48:42] We live by promises, not by explanations.
[00:48:47] We live by promises, not by explanation.
[00:48:56] You say, what do you mean, pastor? I mean, the child of God moves forward on the basis of the promises of almighty God. You okay out there? Look like a bunch of deer in headlights at this moment.
[00:49:16] Let that sink in for a minute. I mean, we move forward on the basis of the promises of God.
[00:49:23] There's a lot of things that you don't understand in this life. There's a lot of things I don't understand in this life. And God doesn't explain a lot of things along the way, but that's okay
[00:49:39] because we don't live by explanations. We live by promises. And so God issues the call to Abraham and Abraham, the Bible says, responded. In fact, he complied with the call of God.
[00:49:58] can i ask you to just stop for a minute and think with me what it must have been like as abraham responded i mean i can almost imagine that morning he walks from the bedroom to the kitchen for
[00:50:14] breakfast sarah's already got a bowl of oatmeal there prepared for him he sits down to eat and about the third bite of oatmeal he puts down his spoon and he says sarah honey i want you to get
[00:50:29] everything packed up, pack up all the dishes, pack up all the utensils. I want you to call a moving company. You can try two men and a camel. I think they may be available. And I want you to
[00:50:43] see what they can do for us. Call Sarah. We're moving from here tomorrow. Now I can only imagine that Sarah must have looked at him and said, excuse me, have you absolutely lost your sanity?
[00:51:05] What do you mean moving?
[00:51:07] We're well established here.
[00:51:11] Abraham says, I know that.
[00:51:14] I know that.
[00:51:16] But we're moving from here tomorrow.
[00:51:20] Well, Abraham, where in the world are we moving to?
[00:51:23] Where are we going?
[00:51:26] Honey, I don't know.
[00:51:30] I have no idea where we're moving.
[00:51:37] I mean, can you even just imagine that conversation?
[00:51:40] and imagine how Abraham goes down to downtown to Ur that morning he goes to the first bank of Ur and he goes into the teller and he says by the way ma'am he said I'm Mr. Abraham and I would like to
[00:51:53] take out all of my money from the bank well that's obviously when a man like Abraham shows up that's not something that an average teller is going to be able to handle she says well if you'll
[00:52:03] just wait one minute and she goes back and she says to the vice president we've got a little situation out here. Mr. Abraham wants to withdraw all of his money from the bank of Ur. And so you
[00:52:15] imagine the vice president comes out. He greets Abraham, and he takes him back to a suite, and he begins to speak with him. He says, Abraham, has our service been satisfactory to you? Oh, yes,
[00:52:26] Abraham said. It's been great. Well, are you pleased with how we've handled your money?
[00:52:31] Absolutely. You've done a great job. Well, the teller tells me that you want to take out all of your money. That's right. Well, are you putting it in another bank, if you don't mind me asking?
[00:52:44] Well, eventually I will, but I'm not sure which one. Well, Mr. Abraham, what do you have in mind?
[00:52:54] And Abraham looks at him. He says, well, God has spoken to me. He's made some tremendous promises to me. And sir, I just believe God, and I'm going to step out by faith, and I'm going to go where
[00:53:12] God wants me to go. Now the reason I even ask you to go through that exercise of imagining what that would be like is because, let's be honest, that kind of lifestyle is considered by this world
[00:53:30] to be absolutely foolish, absolutely fanatical, and beyond reason. When you start daring to live by faith, when you start daring to walk by faith, when you start daring to trust the promises of God and not your sight and not just what you see and not just the way you see things, I got news
[00:54:04] for you. This old world will look at you and say, you must have lost your mind. You've gone crazy.
[00:54:15] so why is it why is it that abraham was willing to face that kind of ridicule why is it that abraham would be willing to face that kind of judgment why is it that abraham would even do
[00:54:32] that well i think the answer is found over in hebrews chapter 11 if you want to turn over there for a minute go to hebrews 11 as you hold your finger here in genesis because we're coming right
[00:54:42] back but look at the eighth verse of hebrews 11 and look what it says how did abraham do that what is verse 8 what's the first two words of verse 8 of hebrews 11 say it loud by faith
[00:55:02] by faith abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance, and he went out not knowing where he was going. Which, by the way, that leads me to
[00:55:20] faith lesson number two. Got to make sure you write this down. It's actually a definition of faith. Faith is believing the promises of God and acting upon them. It's one thing to say you believe it's another thing for your actions to demonstrate a genuine real life belief
[00:55:46] i mean get the scene in your mind god says abram go out i will bless you i will make you a great nation i'll give you a great name i'll do all of these things and you know abraham deep down in
[00:56:14] his heart and his soul i think probably had to say i don't understand it i don't have all the explanations here but at the end of the day i do believe god and so abraham begins this pilgrimage
[00:56:42] of faith but but listen i want you to secondly notice not only this pilgrimage of faith but the second part in this chapter i want you to notice the second movement in this passage is the price
[00:56:59] of bold faith the price of bold faith because listen if you really do choose to have a faith that is bold it does cost you something there's a cost involved in fact it cost abraham several
[00:57:15] things and and in fact they're all listed right here in verse one you can underline them number one, it cost him his country. We already said the Ur of Chaldeans was a very prosperous place.
[00:57:29] But it was also, listen to me, it was also the center of moon worship. You say moon worship?
[00:57:37] Yeah, yeah. There was a temple that was located there in the Ur of Chaldeans that was a temple dedicated to the worship of the moon. In fact, that temple was filled with some of the vilest
[00:57:51] forms of idolatry and indulgence that you could even imagine. In fact, the Bible says over in Joshua chapter 24, verse two, jot that down. You can look at it later, but it says that Abraham's
[00:58:04] father, Terah, that he and he himself were worshipers of these gods. They went to the temple of worship for the moon god and it's now that god is saying to abraham get out of this country
[00:58:24] i'm going to change your worship get out of this country i'm going to change your focus let me just tell you when a person comes to faith in jesus christ don't miss this god demands
[00:58:44] a shift from your old patterns of living to a new kind of life. Amen? See, Abraham's faith separated him from the paganism. Abraham's faith separated him from the unbelief, and it started him toward a new land, and that faith started him toward a new life. That's why 2 Corinthians 5,
[00:59:15] 17 is so awesome for if any man be in Christ he is a new creation a new creature old things are passed away behold all things become new it cost Abraham his country he had to leave he had to
[00:59:38] leave but it also cost him his comfort did you notice in that first verse he had to give up kin folks, and he had to give up familiar surroundings. Listen, I've noticed that just about everybody
[00:59:54] likes familiar surroundings, don't we? We like the familiar. We all like our comfort zones, don't we? Have you ever had to go to a new school, maybe meet all new people, not knowing a soul?
[01:00:10] None of us seem to relish that, going into a new situation where it's all new people and we don't know a soul well i got news for you that's the kind of faith that's bold that's the kind of
[01:00:22] faith that's described here as bold because real salvation brings separation from the world and one of the miracles of our salvation is how god works into your heart and in your mind and he places within us a willingness to leave behind everything that is not pleasing to him
[01:00:48] has it ever dawned on you god can't lead us into new ways of living until he leads us out of the old and what you and i need to be saying as men and women of god is we need to be saying to him
[01:01:04] Lord, I don't know what all you're doing with me, but Lord, I'm going to set aside these old things. You and I need to be saying as men and women of God, Lord, I don't know what you're
[01:01:18] going to substitute for this, but I do know I'm going to let them go. What is it that God called you to let go? What is it that God asked you to lay aside? What is it that God has put on your
[01:01:37] heart that you've got to remove the weight that is weighting you down. For some of you, it's the bitterness that you're carrying from some situation that you're dealing with in your life. And you've let this bitterness, this root of bitterness build up within you and it's there. And God's telling
[01:01:56] you, you got to set it aside. You got to let it go. Can I tell you something? Giving up the old life is one of the greatest obstacles for anyone coming to Christ. It just is. It's one of the
[01:02:20] greatest obstacles to living for Christ once you are saved. And it cost Abraham his comfort.
[01:02:31] But not only did it cost him his country and it cost him his comfort, but it also cost him his commitment. You say, what do you mean his commitment? Well, look again in verse 1.
[01:02:40] he was told to leave from your father's house. Underline that. In other words, you're going to walk by faith, and the Lord is saying, Abram, I'm going to be first in your life.
[01:03:01] I'm going to be first in your life. You see, one of the surest marks that worldliness and self are dying in you is when there is a change in your loves, when there is a change in your desires.
[01:03:27] Because you see, as you grow in Jesus, there are a lot of people in church today that have never grown in their faith. They've never grown in Christlikeness. They may have gotten saved along the way, but there's never been that discipleship. There's never been that growth. There's never been
[01:03:41] that becoming more like Christ. And so the reality is, as you grow in Jesus, as you grow in your love for him, your love for the things of this world will begin to diminish. They start to lose their
[01:03:55] luster. They start to lose their attraction. So there's indeed a price for Abraham to do this.
[01:04:10] But I want you to notice something with me. I want you to notice something you may have never seen before at this particular point abraham had only had a partial obedience to god you say what
[01:04:29] do you mean a partial obedience well notice in verse one you may have just kind of skipped over it when we read it but it says now the lord had said to abraham circle that word had said you see
[01:04:44] that? That means a previous time God had said. And if you go back to chapter 11, just above this in verse 31, you begin to find out what happened. And Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot,
[01:05:04] the son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarah, his son Abram's wife, and they went out with him from the Ur of Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan. And they came to Haran and dwelt
[01:05:18] there. So what you're dealing with right here is what? Partial obedience. God had said, go to the land I will show you. That land was not Haran. That's not where he wanted them to go.
[01:05:41] God wanted Abram and that family to go down to Canaan and that's why what you're seeing at this point has been only partial obedience some folks have said Haran actually represents the halfway house to obedience wow the halfway house toward the will of God
[01:06:10] in fact that leads me to faith lesson number three that popped up on the screen partial obedience represents a halfway house toward the will of god and i have no doubt there's some of you that are listening to me this morning who are in the halfway house of the will of god
[01:06:34] you've responded to the call of faith you've received jesus as your savior and lord and and you know what you've done you've stopped at some halfway house and you've allowed some attachment to this world to keep you from going all the way to the will of god you know what happened to aaron
[01:07:06] the last verse of chapter 11 tells us what happened so the days of terah that's abraham's dad were 205 years, and Terah died at Haran. You see what happened there? There had to be a funeral
[01:07:32] in order to free the faith of Abraham. Very important that you don't miss that.
[01:07:46] There had to be a funeral in order to free the faith of Abraham. You see, sometimes God allows some things to die in our lives in order to completely loose us from all the attachments
[01:08:05] and get us ready to totally obey the lord and you see that right here so here's abraham he's going out he knows not where if you read on here in chapter 12 he gathers some souls verse 5
[01:08:25] says there's lot he's one to the lord lots caught the vision he's going to go up there uh along with his uncle abraham so they move out by faith but down in verse six notice it says something that
[01:08:39] happened it says at the end of what says in verse six abram passed through the land to the place of shechem as far as the terebinth tree of moreh and underline this last part of verse six and the
[01:08:53] Canaanites were there in the land. Abraham didn't expect that. He didn't know there were going to be enemies there. And folks, Canaanites, just so you know, they were some of the vilest people on earth. Their lifestyle was so depraved that when the children of Israel would go there at
[01:09:21] a later time, God would give the order that they were to eliminate the Canaanites from the face of the earth. But back to Abraham, he did not expect to see these Canaanites right in front of
[01:09:39] him. Here's a difficulty. Here's an obstacle. And there's some of you that are hearing me this morning. You've recently come to Christ perhaps, and you've turned your life over to him. I want you to listen to me very carefully this morning. In the life of faith, there will be difficulties.
[01:10:05] Amen? In the life of faith, there will be obstacles. It may be a situation at work. It may be a situation at home. It may be somebody on your job. It may be a family member. It may
[01:10:21] be a serious health issue you're facing. Whatever the case is, there's going to be obstacles and difficulties that we face as believers in our journey of faith. But don't miss what happens in verse 7. Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, to your descendants I will give this land.
[01:10:49] And there he built an altar to the Lord who had appeared to him. Which, by the way, that's the third movement in this thing not only from the price of bold faith but we see the promise of
[01:11:04] bold faith and here's the promise god said abraham i'm taking you out of er get out and when abraham obeys and he goes down to canaan and he faces those canaanites who's there to greet him the lord
[01:11:33] the Lord see that's the faith lesson number four when you obey God it's God who will greet you when you obey God it is God himself that will stand for you when you obey God it is God
[01:11:57] who will meet you and that's why in Genesis 12 7 God just adds to the promise for Abraham and by the way let me ask you to leave there as I close and go back over to Hebrews 11 because I
[01:12:11] want you to go back up and look at verse 6 of Hebrews 11 and I want you to look at what it says this is where I close and it segues to this table but without faith it is impossible
[01:12:29] to please him talking about pleasing God for without faith it is impossible to please God for he who comes to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently
[01:12:48] seek him. The pilgrimage of faith, the price of faith, the promise of faith. You know, I heard about a family, they're called the Rogers family. They were devout Christians and they built a strong family and and the dad always had a special interest in knowing that his children's faith had
[01:13:16] become their own and that they understood what it meant to have a relationship with jesus christ and they would go around the table at dinner and he might call on one and ask them to kind of share
[01:13:27] a little bit about and one day it was seven-year-old jimmy rogers turn to kind of give his understanding and express how he knew that he was saved and had eternal life and jimmy told this
[01:13:42] version he said i think it'll be something like this in heaven one day when we all go to heaven it will be time when the big angel will read from the book keep in mind he's seven years old
[01:13:53] he'll read from the book all the names of all the people who will be there he will come to the rogers family and he will say daddy rogers and daddy will say here he'll say mommy rogers
[01:14:08] and mommy will say here and the angel will come on down and he'll say suzy rogers and mavis rogers and they'll both say here he paused with a deep breath and then he said and finally that big angel
[01:14:25] will read my name jimmy rogers and because i'm little and because he may miss me i'm gonna jump and shout real loud here to make sure he knows i'm here about three weeks after that fun time
[01:14:49] at dinner as a family little jimmy was on his way to catch the bus he was struck by a vehicle and severely injured they took jimmy to the hospital they put him on life support
[01:15:06] all of that family gathered around the doctors had done everything that they could do and they told them that jimmy probably was not going to make it till morning the family prayed late into that night and the little boys seemed to be stirring a bit
[01:15:26] and mavis saw that and he got everybody to come closer and little jimmy's lips moved just one word but that one word that jimmy would share was something for a grieving family being left behind that nobody would ever forget because it was clear it was loud enough
[01:16:00] for everyone to hear it when a little jimmy said here and he was gone and that was god's message to that family of knowing that little jimmy was in his care now because you see when
[01:16:33] you obey by faith we have the promise that it will be god himself who will greet you god himself who will meet you when you think about those promises and you think about this table and you
[01:17:03] think about the faith the bold faith as we remember when jesus took the bread and jesus took the cup and it was that bold faith that today we look back and remember this is his body
[01:17:31] broken for you this is his blood which is shed for you maybe in our own hearts today like little jimmy we need to say here here here would you bow your head and close your eyes right
[01:18:03] where you are please as we prepare to come to this table this morning i just want to ask you to use these next few moments as a time to reflect in your own heart of this faith that is bold
[01:18:27] it is a pilgrimage there is a price but praise god there's also a promise and right now with your heads bowed and eyes closed if there's anything on your heart that you need to set
[01:18:56] right with the lord this is the moment to do that you want to come to him with a clean heart you come to this table with a heart of repentance a heart of brokenness a heart that's received
[01:19:16] His forgiveness in a heart that has never been the same since Jesus came into your life.
[01:19:37] Father, would you just guide every heart and mind in the silence of this moment and help us to be exactly who you've called us to be. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.
[01:20:35] That night, the Scripture says, as they gathered for the Passover meal in the upper room, that in the midst of that dinner, as they were eating, Jesus took the bread, He blessed it, and He broke it.
[01:20:53] He gave it to the disciples and said, Take, eat, this is my body.
[01:21:00] Today, a step of bold faith that you can go back and remember.
[01:21:08] When Jesus came into your heart, the forgiveness of sin, the hope of glory, all of that was because of christ jesus his life his death his burial and his resurrection and that night before he went to the cross in the midst of the passover meal the bible says
[01:21:38] i just read it he took the bread blessed it and broke it and gave it to the disciples and said take eat this is my body would you pray with me father as we receive the bread today
[01:21:58] may we be reminded and may we never forget of the sacrifice of jesus who was nailed to a cross whose body was beaten and broken and all but left for dead even before they nailed him to the cross
[01:22:29] and that the judgment of sin was placed upon Him.
[01:22:40] May we remember this morning the body of Christ broken for us.
[01:22:49] For it's in Jesus' name we pray.
[01:22:53] Amen.
[01:22:54] And as you receive the bread today and you pass the tray to your neighbor, would you just simply whisper to them the body of Christ was broken for you.
[01:23:27] Would you do that today?

[01:23:28] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[01:23:28] to share that witness all across the sanctuary the body of christ was broken for you that night

[01:28:37] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[01:28:37] this is my body which is broken for you take ye and eat ye all of it scripture says he then took the cup and gave thanks and gave it to them saying drink from it all of you for this is my blood of
[01:29:06] the new covenant which is shed for many for the remission of their sins when jesus took that cup that night you think about that statement that he made that this is the blood of the new
[01:29:23] covenant which is shed for many for the remission of their sins but wasn't the blood of jesus shed for everyone wasn't the blood of jesus for the whole world indeed but not everyone will repent
[01:29:45] of their sins not everyone will come to faith in christ not everyone will surrender to him as lord and kneel at the cross so he says this is my blood of the new covenant which is shed for many
[01:30:05] would you pray with me father we ask you to bless this cup we ask you to bless the witness that goes across the sanctuary and outside the sanctuary from all of those that are gathered
[01:30:25] here today. Father, even as we receive the cup, may we share with our neighbor today the blood of Jesus was shed for you. Thank you, Lord, for loving us so much as to shed your own blood

[01:30:47] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[01:30:47] that we might be forgiven. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Please sing with me. This is my blood of the

[01:36:59] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[01:36:59] new covenant which is shed for many for the remission of their sins take ye and drink ye all of it we know that after passover meal was completed that night that the disciples went out
[01:37:25] singing as a matter of fact in fact we know the psalm that they were singing is this is the day that the lord has made it's hard to believe when you stop and consider that indeed that was the day
[01:37:40] um there that passover night that would lead to within the next 12 hours the fake trials the sentencing the execution of the cross of the lord jesus christ uh that would all play out on golgotha's hill within a few short hours from the time they were gathered but this is the day
[01:38:05] this is a day of decision this is a day of responding this is a day for every one of us here to know that jesus christ is king to the glory of god the father and that we because of who he
[01:38:22] has shown us live our lives in bold faith each and every day knowing knowing knowing would you stand to your feet right where we are are the grants going to come and lead us in a hymn of invitation
[01:38:44] as we sing together this is your opportunity to respond to whatever God has placed on your heart and this altar is open as we worship him together

[01:38:54] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[01:38:54] amen and amen

[01:41:02] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[01:41:02] God bless you thank you for your faithfulness and as we've gathered here for worship today we pray that the Lord has spoken to your heart and encouraged you let me also remind you of life groups
[01:41:12] that are meeting this evening and by the way if you're a life group facilitator and you do not have the questions yet there's some copies right inside the office there on the desk you can pick
[01:41:23] up a copy of those discussion questions tonight if you're a life group leader stop by and you can do that if you did not receive those quite yet brother robert's going to come and give us a
[01:41:32] closing word and then brother grant's going to sing us out and i trust that you have a great and meaningful week as you walk with the Lord.

[01:41:41] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[01:41:41] Yes, sir, amen.
[01:41:42] Thank you so much, Pastor Mark, for a powerful word from the Lord.
[01:41:46] Church, one really quick announcement.
[01:41:47] We've been celebrating giving all day.
[01:41:49] Praise the Lord.
[01:41:50] We have raised $7,000 for the Walk for Life, which helps four moms choose life.
[01:41:56] This Sunday is the last day we are collecting for that.
[01:41:59] However, you can give in person on October 3rd at the Walk, and if you have any questions, please see Ms. Gloria Kiefer.
[01:42:05] Our benediction today comes from the book of Romans in the fourth chapter 13th verse. This is the word of the Lord For the promise to abraham and to his offspring that he would be the heir of the world
[01:42:17] Did not come through the law But through the righteousness of faith For if it was the adherence of the law who would be heirs Faith is null and the promise is void for the law brings wrath
[01:42:31] But where there is no law there is no transgression so that is why it depends on faith in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all of his offspring not only to the adherence of the law but also to the one who shares in the
[01:42:48] faith of abraham who is the father of us all as it is written i have made you the father of many nations in the presence of god in whom he believed who gives life to the dead and calls into existence
[01:43:01] the things that do not exist in hope he believed against hope that he should become the father of many nations as he has been told so shall your offspring be he did not weaken in faith when he
[01:43:14] considered his own body which was as good as dead since he was nearly a hundred years old or when he considered the barrenness of sarah's womb no unbelief made him waver considering the promise of god but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to god let's pray father in heaven
[01:43:36] that is our prayer this morning that trinity baptist church would grow strong in their faith in your promises and that we would give glory to the god who gives them thank you lord for this
[01:43:49] day that you have made let us truly respond to it and rejoice and be glad in it having received these promises, Lord. Help us to go out here on these highways and byways and share the good news
[01:44:00] of Lord Jesus Christ, that the righteous shall live by faith. And it's only by your grace that that's made possible. In Jesus' mighty name we pray. Amen.