Character Studies - ElectronicGospel

Abrahama character study by Jeff S. SmithIntroductionAbraham is a bible character who is almost as prominent in the new testament as he is the old where heactually lives. Jesus comforted us by telling us that we could join Abraham in paradise and Paul used hiscase many times to illustrate the saving power of the faith of man. As taught in Hebrews 11, Abraham’sstory is one of faith, obedience and hope (cf. Hebrews 11:8-16).DiscussionI. FaithA. The Nature of Faith (Hebrews 11:1-3)1. my little daughter is fascinated with textures (cf. stickiness, roughness, woolliness, etc.)a. she loves to touch and handle things to feel for the first time what they are likeb. to some degree, we all like to know the texture of a thing to be certain that it is real or it isoursc. the fictional character, Silas Marner, hoarded his gold and kept it hidden near the hearth, sohe could take it out and handle it every nightd. the Hebrew writer says that faith is that texture, that substance, of something abstract andinvisible and future, which we cannot literally handle to assure ourselves2. further, he argues that faith is a sort of circumstantial evidence of something we cannoteyewitness in lifea. our faith in the history and promise of God is the confidence or evidence in which we makeour judgmentsb. he does not say faith is blind, but that it is constructed upon hope and logical trust thatdates to God’s creationB. By Faith, Abraham1. in verse 7, we learn that Abraham reacted to God’s word by faith (he trusted in what God toldhim (Genesis 12:1-4)2. thus Abraham began what was to be a 1500 mile journey along the Euphrates River and thenthe coast of the Mediterranean3. the Lord made him three promisesa. to give him a land of promiseb. to make of a great nation of descendantsc. to bless all the world through his seed4. on the basis of these three promises and Abraham’s trust that God could deliver, he set out forCanaan with all his family and possessionsC. The Faith of Christians1. faith like Abraham’s, if found in the heart of a man, will save him from his sins, justifying himin God’s court (Romans 4:16-25)a. contrary to all man’s reasoning and science, Abraham believed that God would give himand Sarah a childb. though a hundred years old and married to a barren woman, his faith was not weakenedand he did not waver at this most unlikely promisec. Abraham was fully convinced that God was able to fulfill his promise2. faith in Jesus, like Abraham had in Jehovah, leads to righteousness and justification before thegavel of the Lord3. do you have a faith like Abraham’s?a. is it marked by unwavering trust, implicit obedience and unquenchable hope?b. if so, it is a saving faithII. ObedienceA. Despite Risk and Sacrifice1. when Abraham decided to leave Ur, it required him to sacrifice three meaningful thingsCharacter Studies! 31