Lessons from Father Abraham (Genesis 15:1-6; 21:1-7; 24:1-7)

Sermon for Milledgeville & Whitestown UMC Lessons from Father Abraham (Genesis 15:1-6; 21:1-7; 24:1-7)

A wife wanted to get her husband a special gift for Father’s Day. He was hard to please and she really wanted to delight him. She hired a graphic designer to make a necktie based on his passions: movies and dad jokes. On one side was a text cloud, with some of his favorite dad jokes. The other side looked like an epic movie poster with funny things like the Terminator high-fiving Chewbacca. She gave the gift, excited to see his reaction. He opened it and had a look. "Well?" she asked. "Which side do you like better?" He said, “Eh, it's a tie” Happy Fathers Day! According to Britannica.com, Father’s Day, originated with Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington. She had the idea in 1909 while listening to a sermon on Mother’s Day. Soon after Anna Jarvis organized the very first Mother’s Day service in 1908, Sonora Smart Dodd began seeking support for a Father’s Day observance. The first Father’s Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910, the birth month of Dodd’s father. In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge gave his support to the observance, and in 1966 Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson issued a proclamation that recognized the day. But Father’s Day didn’t become officially recognized as a national holiday until 1972, when Pres. Richard Nixon signed legislation designating the third Sunday of June as Father’s Day. What took us so long? At Scout camp, we’d sing Father Abraham Father Abraham had 7 sons 7 Sons had Father Abraham And they never laughed, and they never cried. All they did was go like this: Bada bada bada badum Right Arm! To celebrate Fathers Day, I thought we’d look to Father Abraham. Abraham’s story begins in Genesis chapter 12 when God calls him to leave his father’s home and country and follow God to the land of Canaan. The Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Gen 12:1-3) Abram followed God’s call and it led him to a blessed land that the Lord promised to give to Abraham’s descendants. Lesson number one: Follow God’s call into promise. Somewhere along your journey through life, you heard the call to faith in Christ. You put your trust in Jesus. God promised you the free gift of eternal life. (Romans 6:23) Eternal life is more than heaven. The promise of eternal life is everlasting, transformative power from God. The more we learn to follow the voice of our Savior, the more we will think, speak, and love like Jesus. The promise of God’s call is to make your life complete in Jesus Christ. Follow God’s call into promise. Abram’s journey to promise included many struggles. The Lord was faithful to Abram through them all. As a wandering shepherd, he was met with inhospitality in Canaan. Shepherds drove his flocks away from wells that Abram and his men dug with their own hands. God led them to new wells to dig, until one was officially recognized by the Philistine ruler as Abram’s property. A famine hit Canaan, so Abram traveled to Egypt to avoid starvation. Because of her beauty, Abram’s wife, Sarai, was taken into the harem of the Egyptian Pharaoh. God intervened and Pharaoh released Sarai without anyone laying a hand on her. Abram’s nephew Lot was taken captive by raiding kings from the north. God granted Abram victory over these kings and restored his nephew and all the other captives. The king of Sodom offered Abram all the booty, but his men took only their equal share. Abram looked only to God for reward. When God calls and you follow, God will be with you through every trial and every blessing. Fathers, there is no higher calling than raising godly sons. Godly men, there is a great need for mentoring. Share your faith and godly wisdom with the people God places in your life. Who might you mentor at work, in your family, in your neighborhood? God promised to bless Abram to be a blessing to the whole world. How might God bless you as you mentor others? Follow God’s call into promise. Lesson number two: Wait patiently on the promise. Abraham and his wife, Sarah, remained childless for years. Sarah grew impatient and urged Abraham to sleep with her Egyptian handmaiden, Hagar. Sarah hoped to gain children through her. Hagar bore Ishmael, Abraham’s first son. This led to tension between Sarah and Hagar. Sarah mistreated Hagar and Hagar ran away, but the Lord spoke to Hagar and encouraged her to return. God finally opened Sarah’s womb when Abraham was 99 years old. She bore a son, Isaac. They waited a very long time for God to fulfill his promise. The apostle Paul wrote, Hoping against hope, Abraham believed that he would become “the father of many nations,” according to what was said, “So shall your descendants be.” He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), and the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. (Romans 4:18-21) Sarah later demanded that Abraham send Hagar and Ishmael away. Can you imagine the pain Abraham felt? He loved Ishmael. I’m sure he held affection for Hagar as well. Abraham prayed to God about what to do. God told Abraham, “Do not be distressed because of the boy and because of your slave woman; whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for it is through Isaac that offspring shall be named for you. As for the son of the slave woman, I will make a nation of him also, because he is your offspring.” Abraham had to trust God with the future of his son Ishmael and let him go. How often fathers, have we had to let our children go? We entrust them to the Almighty. Wait patiently in hope for God to fulfill His promises. Some promises you will see fulfilled, but some are fulfilled in later generations. Abraham never saw the promised land become the possession of his descendants. That promise would not be fulfilled until Joshua led Israel in the conquest of Canaan, hundreds of years later. By not giving into doubt and despair, you will be strengthened in faith just like Father Abraham. Lesson three: Invest in future generations Abraham sent his servant to acquire a wife for Isaac. He gave his servant clear instructions and trusted the Lord to lead the way. Nowadays we don’t practice arranged marriages, but that doesn’t mean we don’t care about our children’s future. Fathers, pray for God to provide your children loving spouses. Loving fathers support their children. He prays for them faithfully. When need arises, he jumps in to help. When advice is sought, he gives it. When it is not, he holds his tongue. All these acts of love are an investment in the future of your child. Above all, a godly father sets a good example for his children. He won’t be perfect, but he will be faithful. Fathers, invest in the future of your children and grandchildren by openly sharing your faith in Christ, exhibiting what it looks like to follow Jesus. Serve the disadvantaged side by side. Welcome the stranger. Love the outcast. Show hospitality to the foreigner. Give without thought for reward. Your children and grandchildren will learn from your example. Pray for them always. Invest in future generations. Abraham experienced a great testing. When Isaac was still young, God told Abraham to offer his son in sacrifice. Unbelievable! Abraham obeyed, as hard as it was. Abraham didn’t understand why God asked him to sacrifice Isaac, but He trusted God nonetheless. Abraham bound Isaac and laid him upon an altar. He lifted the blade ready to shed his son’s blood, but the Angel of the Lord stopped him. In the bushes, a ram was caught by its horns. Abraham substituted the ram in place of his son. God provided the sacrifice. This event reveals Abraham’s incredible faith, and God’s ultimate mercy for us all. For God sacrificed His only Son, so that we might live. In a metaphorical sense, I’ve had to surrender my children’s lives. I’ve had to let them go to live their lives as they choose. I would not make the choices they have made. I made different mistakes. And God was faithful to me through all my idiotic choices. When, like a prodigal son, I ran away from God, God remained faithful ready to take me back home, when I came to my senses. Fathers, perhaps your own children or grandchildren have made choices that are difficult for you to embrace. But we set them free to live their lives and wait for God to restore them. We learn to show them grace. And like the father of the prodigal son, when they return home, we welcome them with open arms. I am grateful that our Father in heaven has loved us so. No matter where you are in your journey in life, remember the faithfulness of Abraham. • Follow God’s call into promise • Wait patiently in hope for God to fulfill His promises • Invest in the future generations through prayer, service, and mentorship And love, just as our father in heaven loves us, waiting patiently for each child to come home. Happy Father’s Day!