Lesson 28: Keeping the Faith (Through Transitions)
“Never will I leave you; or never will I forsake you.” –Hebrews 13:5
“The LORD Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do
not be discouraged.” –Deuteronomy 31:8
But you keep your head up in all situations, endure hardships, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of
your ministry…I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.-2 Timothy 4:5,7
The Story of Abraham --Genesis 12:1—25:18
-called out of his homeland
-3 promises (1. Possession of land 2.father of many nations, 3.blessing to all nations)
- How long it took for God’s promise to manifest (IsaacJacob (Israel)12 Tribes…Jesus)
-but he remained faithful
The Story of Joseph --Genesis 37:1—50:26
-Joseph the dreamer and Jacob’s favorite
-Joseph sold into slavery (37)
-Joseph thrown in jail (39) **he was in charge b/c the hand of God was upon him
-Joseph placed in charge of Egypt (41) **after 2 + years of imprisonment
- Joseph was sold into slavery at approx. 17; he was placed in charge of Egypt when he was 30
*what matters is not so much the events or circumstances of life, but your responses to them; with God’s help, any
situation can be used for good, even when others intend it for evil
The Story of the Hebrews’ Exodus --Exodus-- Deuteronomy
-slaves in Egypt
-God uses Moses to deliver them
-**Genesis 13:17** **pillar of a cloud/pillar of fire**
-Crossing the red sea (Ex. 14:10-16; 29-31)
-complaining in the desert (Ex. 15:22-17:7)
-Spies sent to Canaan (Num. 13)
-40 years of wandering b/c of disobedience and rebellion (Num15:1-21:35)
-They enter the promise land under the leadership of Joshua (Joshua)
-**God remained with His people and provided for them even in spite of their constant rebellion and complaining
**eventually they became a blessing to all nations (through Jesus Christ)
Abraham had a promise from God that he would be made the father of many nations. But God's promise
to Abraham took many years to be fulfilled. Have you ever felt like God spoke a promise into your life like
Abrahams promise but it has taken a very long time for it to happen? I know I have. Sometimes I even
get to the point of doubting or not believing God for the promises He has made for me, especially when
I've waited a long time or when things don't look favorable for me. I wonder how many times while
Abraham was waiting did he doubt that he had heard God's voice?
You see God's promise to us is alot like Abrahams promise. God enters into a covenant with us which is
another word for an agreement that cannot be broken. In Abraham's day a covenant was serious
business!! Two people would 'cut covenant' or cut an animal in two and both of them would walk in
between the two halves of the animal to signify that they were making a covenant. The significance of this
was that they understood that if they broke their covenant or promise to one another after walking
between the two halves of a sacrificed animal, they would die. No wonder they always keep their covenant
or agreement with one another! Today we live under a new covenant which no longer requires us to walk
in between two animal halves. However God still expects us to keep our promises or covenants with one
another.
This can be hard for us to understand because today many people make promises or tell
us that they will follow through on things. However some of them never do and others promise without
ever intending to follow through and the agreement is broken. But it doesn't work that way for God. When
He makes a promise He always delivers. We can always rely on God to keep His word and never break His
promises to us. But that doesn't mean He will deliver on His promises right way.
Just as God had made a covenant with Abraham, to fulfill Abrahams promise, He is also keeping His
promises to us. You see God's promise to Abraham is alot like His promise to us. But that doesn't mean
He will deliver on his promise right away. Many times God is trying to build character in us and it requires
us to wait a little longer than we would like! But don't lose heart, this exercise in patience is only meant to
make you stronger. Why, you may ask do I need to be stronger? Because God has some big plans for you
when He makes good on his promise. Just as He made good on the promise to Abraham.
Abrahams promise from God was to have many children or descendants from his son Issac. Remember
when God told him to try to count all the stars in the sky, his descendants would outnumber these stars?
God wants to fulfill your promise but He needs to wait until you are ready to receive your promise from
Him. What, you say you are ready to receive it right now? Well, maybe you should think about that for a
minute. Many times God makes us wait for the promise because He is trying to build character in us:
patience, long suffering etc. If you received your promise right away you probably wouldn't appreciate it
as much, may not be able to handle the responsibilities of it and might even take it for granted or think
YOU were responsible for it happening so quickly! And you know that God wants to make sure you aren't
glorified for the blessings He provides for you. He wants to make sure that He is glorified!
These big plans God has for us require that we are ready to walk in His promises and sometimes this is
difficult when we are immature or young Christians. So God needs to walk alongside us and work out the
character He needs in us. This happens so He can fulfill His goals for us. And, oh yeah, the promise you've
been waiting for, just like Abrahams promise, will be the fulfillment of this assignment. What better
reward for our patience and obedience to God!
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