Old Age; Young Faith - Part B

What are you doing God's promises. You do the promises of God are so well I underline them in my Bible in yellow and pink and red and blue.

I have a little color code system for all God's promises wonderful, though I memorize them. Good health with your full answer should be taken to the bank � the Abraham had times when the streets drug still pushed on the steadfast faith that trusted God no matter what. Today on connect with skip-Skip shares how you can develop an unwavering faith by following the same convictions. Abraham before we begin want to tell you about an eye-opening resource that will help the kids in your life you can rest in the Scripture, the Bible is the most important information you can pass along to the next generation in your family and that can be a challenge right in this book, this Bible there are 66 separate some long some very long. Some very, very short 31,173 versus sound like a big book it is as if I success the Bible can seem overwhelming during your kids and grandchildren.

That's why you want a copy of his resource Skip is called soaring to the Bible gives kids between that overview of the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation. In a fun travel engaged all God has requested your copy soaring to the Bible differently resource you give a generous donation of $35 or more. This program going strong to you and others to God's word called out again hundred 92 1888. You can also give a life securely connectwithskip.com/offer Romans chapter 4. Get into the message with Skip eyes. Finally, we look at Abraham's faith examine that will take us from birth down to verse 21 or so you for characteristic of Abraham's faith Abraham believed God can do anything you believe circumstances aren't everything he believed challenges are nothing and he believed promises mean something that so I've outlined. Let me show you that you believe God can do anything. Look at verse 17. You know Michael Buckler but as it is written, I made you a father of many nations in the presence of him whom he believed, that is God who gives life to the dad. I love this and calls those things which do not exist as though they did.

Who, contrary to hope. This is Abraham not contrary to hope, and hope believed so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, so shall your descendents be. Graham especially believe God can do anything he brought God into the equation is our problem.

When something comes up when a problem arises. The first thing we try to do is work it out in our mind and see if I can figure this out. If we can figure it out, but all I believe if we can't figure it out. We kind of think God can't figure it out. Think of this 86 year old man hearing. This promises wife had been barren, their Homeric goddesses you have kids you believe God could do anything he brings God into the equation. In fact, if you were to follow the Genesis narratives, you discover that God talks about Isaac as if Isaac was living at the time, even though we were needing born yet he talks as though it already existed. So the issue you and I have is we we carry our limitations over on the God sort of superimpose our limitations on him so God told Abraham to have a son. Another time, you can have a son 12. Again, you can have a son different spacings in his life on one of those occasions when God made the promise, his wife Sarah was listening God spoke aloud enough so that Abraham and Sarah could hear it and Sarah had a response. Remember what it was. She laughed but she she really snickered she did it in relation like no way she thought nobody heard it. So God out loud, said right and Sarah laughed and laughed so human I didn't do it and got it, but you did laugh, and then he said, is there anything to hard for the Lord, Sarah, is there anything too hard for the Lord is old a release I can do anything is anything to hard for the Lord Jeremiah 32. I am the God of all flesh.

There is nothing too hard for me. We need a perspective adjustment. How do you get that well it helps to realize who you're dealing with who you're praying to be given example acceptor for a law was passed church cannot mention the name of Jesus anymore in the city of Jerusalem, or they will be arrested. Persecution came down hard and heavy. Several were arrested.

So they got together for prayer meeting they did not begin their prayer like this trouble. This is impossibly and how they prayed Lord you are God you made the heavens, dear. The sea, and everything that is in why was that important because they're about to ask God for a heavy request so that framing the perspective I realize I'm talking to the one who does this to the heavens. He made the heavens, the earth see and everything that is in them.

Therefore they come up with their request. Our problem is we let our circumstances block our view of God example the sun out there in the sky that's been making a really hot the last couple weeks here that little ball up in the sky is actually 864,000 miles in diameter so big it is. It is 109 times larger than the size of the earth 864,000 miles in diameter. My phone is only 4 inches in diameter.

But it came cover that son when I do this I see anything.

It's dark over here. There must never not even be a sign in existence because I have allowed this to get so close to my eyes that I don't get the right perspective. If I were to throw this out in the space where the sun is first of all, I could never use it again but it would show how small my phone is in comparison to the 864,000 mile diameter globe called the son, and we often go through life letting those things block our view of God. Abraham decided at 86, let God be God and believe that he can do anything. Second, he believed that circumstances aren't everything there. There they look pretty tough, but they're not everything. Look at verse 19 and not being weak in faith. He did not consider his own body already dead. A better translation of that would be he didn't consider his own body as good as dead as it is good. Is that what is at me while look at the next little part since he was about 100 years old. I think I might live much longer. I'm as good as dead next part and the deadness of Sarah's womb. Okay God said hey you have kids, he's 86. Eventually, he gets to be 99. Still no kids, Abraham, Pam looked in the mirror every day now to know that he had mirrors the lessee just looked in the mayor and he's looking in the mirror that 100-year-old kind of wrinkly thing and have kids. I don't think so. What or how about this, Abraham's 99 years old. Take Sarah to the gynecologist to get a pregnancy test was the gynecologist in the state do give it up.

She went through menopause. 50 years ago right physiologically.

It's impossible.

She's always been barren, and you think that's going to turn around now you think it's going to get better not worse. You're as good as dead and she's never been able to have a child. She's not far behind you� Let's actually spice the story up a little bit and and is true. I'm not making this part of I said Abraham was 8086 and God made the promise I didn't say the whole story.

He Abraham was 86. Abraham was 86. I was his first name, not Abraham, Abram, ABR a.m.

I was his name since he was a kid, Abram. Abram is a name that means exalted father and embarrassing name when you've never had kids. So imagine the caravans coming through town and he weighs from the tent and the caravan leader says hi what's your name, and he says my name is exalted father and the caravan leader says oh congratulations, how many kids do you have none. Okay, you knew that he got teased all his 86 years. Okay to make matters worse when he turns 99 years of age 13 years of pastoral no kid God says you're stuck and have a kid got Saddam to change her name no longer even to be called Abram exalted father, you have a new name, father of a multitude that can you just picture Abraham hanging his head going God, please. Hopefully these do I have to father of a multitude. But he did take that name that became his new name. That's how he would introduce himself father of a multitude since they call me father want to be father fake Amani father poser said no you call me father of a multitude, and that became his new name that is an act of faith. He wasn't thinking of the frailties of the flesh is much as the faithfulness of God, natural impotence is nothing next to the font divine competence three believe that because God can do anything. Circumstances aren't everything. 1/3 component of this faith people he challenges are nothing that follows right of God can do anything and circumstances aren't everything that a challenge to God is so what Scott verse 20 he did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God. Waver means vasodilator doubt some of you who are Bible students might be thinking now wait a minute I read Genesis and it sure seems like Genesis. The Genesis account shows Abraham wavering in his faith in unbelief explained Genesis 15. He's 86. You have a lot to kids and that I believe you chapter 16 Sarah his wife says like this. Bobby is never going to happen. So just take Hagar my handmaiden go in and have a child with her. I'm barren and will call that the son of promise or they had Ishmael member Ishmael. So it sounds like you sort of waiver. It was Sarah's idea, but he went along with it fast for chapter 17 chapter 17 God comes and begins this promise is still good. You are going to have a child.

Abraham applies. Will his Ishmael. We had Ishmael not to service writers because all that Ishmael might live before you just make your promise live through him. And God said no, but Sarah your wife is going to have that son, I promise.

At 99 years of age.

That's when he got the prompt, so you might think. It sure sounds like he's vacillating a little bit and wavering. Let me answer that by saying struggling is not the same as doubting.

You can struggle through your faith. I struggled many times with issues of faith and it always has strengthened my faith as I work through them struggling with your faith is not the same as unbelief is not the same as doubting sort of like temptation isn't the same as sin.

Get tempted.

While tempted when you yield to temptation that it become sin, but temptation is not the same as sin and then the second thing I would say is that at age 99. I mentioned this under sort of putting the stories together, age 99.

After God promised them again Abraham got circumcised going to explain all that how difficult that would be for a 99-year-old man ago okay I'll do that but he did it as a sign a seal that he believed God's promises so like the text says he was strengthened in a Scott I think of this world got 86 turning 87 every birthday 88 9299. Every year, another birthday candle in the baklava.

He's blowing it out. He's 99 years old, no kids over these 99 God finally says within a year by this time next year you will be 100.

Your wife Sarah is going to have that baby boy while challenges are nothing Billy Sunday said we have a God who delights in impossibilities. Do you think God ever goes. This is hard. I've done a lot of stuff, not at all. Jesus said, with God nothing shall be impossible to talk about staying young is the kind of faith that says bring it on. When you live life like that life is an adventure. What is it all begin what is all that faith begin faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. That's where it all begins which takes me to my last of the four characteristics of Abraham's faith examine he believed promises mean something.

Look at verse 21 being fully convinced that what he had promised that fully convict not.

I'm crossing my fingers. I am hoping God can do this being fully convinced that what he had promised, he was also able to perform and therefore it was accounted to him for righteousness. In other words, to Abraham, the promise was as good as the performance God said it could happen, but here 99 didn't happen, but your 99, but I'm getting circumcised is I believe it's gonna happen. Have a question for you what you do with God's promises would you do the promises of God. You might say, well, I underlined them in my Bible in yellow and pink and red and blue. I have a little color code system for all God's promises wonderful little seated while I memorize them. That's good, that's helpful, but your full answer should be, I take them to the bank and cash them. I say amen to them I apply them. I live by them. There's an old song written in the 1800s.

You probably heard of it, standing on the promises of God my Savior standing on the promises of God.

Some of us if we were going to sing that today could not legitimately honestly saying those words, we would have to say creeping on the promises of God my Savior, or not even that we definitely sitting on the premises, not even standing on the promises Peter call them exceedingly great and precious promises. One of the books that was very helpful for me as a young believer in my earliest 20s was an autobiography about George Mueller.

He wrote himself, George Mueller ran not one but several orphanages in Bristol, England all by faith he believed he would leave and shouldn't even tell anybody his financial needs that God knew the guy would supply the need he would just live a life of faith stories he told us when you live life like that you have plenty of opportunities to trust God. So on one occasion, all the kids were tucked into bed at night. He and his wife are going to bed, turned his wife that honey little FYI here we have no milk for tomorrow's oatmeal for breakfast. He grabbed her hands to the spray. They prayed not long afterwards. A knock on the door at Baker and Townsend got a know it is literally due on my heart.

I baked a bunch of bread for the kids for breakfast tomorrow morning and brought it in the next day the oatmeal had been made. Again, there's no milk for the oatmeal they get ready to eat bread. They sit down and pray and thank God for the meal. Another knock comes out the door. It is a milk man whose milk truck had broken down a block away and said the spoil can you use the milk Soviet story after story he wrote in his journals to talk about God's faithfulness and how he said if you walk with God and look to him. He will never fail you contrast the great faith of George Mueller with a not so great faith of Skip Lightsey true story. I'm in my early 20s, reading books like that, but obviously didn't sink in, because I was going through school and money was tight and I one point was living on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches till I got some more money coming up and that week. The bread ran out didn't have a breaker knocking on my door. Now I have a jar of peanut butter and the spoon.

That's what I'm living up during that time I'm reading my Bible and reading the promises of God. But I'm getting pretty disappointed pretty dejected. I go to the mailbox.

There's a check from the IRS. It's my tax return.

I got up I got so stoked so elated. I think I even danced around my apartment that day and I just hallelujah and then it was like the Lord was just tapping on my shoulders, you can pretty sided with the government check.

How come you didn't get that excited when you read this week in my word that I would take care. How do you know that checks catchable.

How do you know the governments but also government trust the government but not me. Ha, I just felt so under the conviction that I should have. As I read that week. Those promises of God eating my spoons of peanut butter God is going to provide and he did with the excitement should've come earlier rather than later. Abraham said amen. In other words, he cashed the check before it arrived, he cashed the check before it arrived. That said, you see stay young.

I close with this one author wrote Lord I crawled across the barren this to you with my empty cup uncertain in asking any small drop of refreshment. If only I had known you better, I'd have come running with the bucket how you live like this so hard God. This is hard for your bucket.

God you can do anything because the book of Hebrews said if God didn't spare his only son, but freely gave him up for us all, how shall he not been with him freely give us all things Abraham with the life of faith, old age, young faith, do you know that what you believe about God is the most important thing about you circumstances will not make you or break you. They will just expose you they reveal you, what you believe about God is the most important thing about you. It determines what you believe about everything else.

So Abraham stepped up and said he and then later on I'm getting older another candle. Amen.

99 as good as dead. Amen neck kicking got good that Skip the message from the series partnership you Skip to share how you can keep these messages going strong to connect more people to the gospel of Jesus. God's truth is best foundation you can build your life on in our goal here is to empower your life with his truth through these Bible teaching so would you please consider giving a gift today to keep the messages coming to you and to help more people build their lives on God's word here so you can give a gift to help more listeners like you build an unshakable faith vision connectwithskip.com/donate to give a gift that's connectwithskip.com/donate or call 892 to 18 8809 22. Thank you for your generosity and come back tomorrow Skip shares about some of the credible heavenly and earthly benefits are concentrically Castillo may Skip presentation of connection communications to God's unchanging truth, ever-changing time