1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:17,360 Welcome to ECB's Weekly Sermon Podcast. ECB is an international church in Bangkok, Thailand, 2 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:23,260 with dozens of nationalities worshipping together. We invite you to connect with us from wherever 3 00:00:23,260 --> 00:00:31,120 you are through our website, ecb.asia, or our mobile app. And now we pray that you are blessed 4 00:00:31,120 --> 00:00:41,040 by this week's sermon. It is good to be together again. We are beginning the new year 2025. Can 5 00:00:41,040 --> 00:00:48,080 you believe it already? I'm going to start a new series today that is called Treasures of the 6 00:00:48,080 --> 00:00:53,280 Journey. Even though I am the one starting this series, I'm not the one preaching the whole 7 00:00:53,280 --> 00:01:03,920 series. We are going to have the ministry head of our young adults ministry, Zach. He's going to be 8 00:01:03,920 --> 00:01:08,200 sharing next week. Then we're going to have Pastor Phil, and then we're going to have Pastor 9 00:01:08,200 --> 00:01:17,760 Renee, each one of us taking a Sunday to share about a treasure of something that we have learned 10 00:01:17,760 --> 00:01:24,200 in our own walk with the Lord throughout the years that we just want to share with you. Because 11 00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:30,240 we're not the only ones in the journey. You are with us too. And if we can share something that 12 00:01:30,240 --> 00:01:37,880 we have learned that can be useful for you as you start this new year, then we pray that it will be 13 00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:46,040 a blessing. So before I start, let me pray for this particular space. Lord, this is the beginning 14 00:01:46,040 --> 00:01:54,400 of a new year for us. And it's a time in which we have plans and ideas and we come to you with 15 00:01:54,400 --> 00:02:01,760 hopes and expectations. We need you to guide, to provide. We need you to do things and we turn to 16 00:02:01,760 --> 00:02:17,680 you, especially today. But as we walk with you, help us grow. Help us become more mature, followers 17 00:02:17,680 --> 00:02:31,040 of Jesus that not only seek you, but that love you. So use your word today to speak to our hearts. I 18 00:02:31,040 --> 00:02:42,640 pray in the powerful name of our Lord Jesus. Amen. If you are in this season of beginning the new 19 00:02:42,640 --> 00:02:48,920 year and planning things, some of you already have new year resolutions and different things that we 20 00:02:48,920 --> 00:02:56,840 are planning. And therefore this is a season in which by default we're looking at the future. And 21 00:02:56,840 --> 00:03:06,920 as we look at the future, we realize that there's so much that we hope for, but there's also so much 22 00:03:06,920 --> 00:03:16,720 that we do not know. And the journey of faith, of following Jesus, requires for us to understand 23 00:03:16,720 --> 00:03:26,120 lots of different things that will help us go into this journey in a way that will help us do it in 24 00:03:26,120 --> 00:03:35,080 a way that is mature and that honors God. And what I want us to reflect on today is in the aspect of 25 00:03:35,080 --> 00:03:42,720 trusting God in this journey. And the main thing that we are going to learn that is my treasure of 26 00:03:42,720 --> 00:03:51,000 this journey is that I have come to understand that the most important question is not whether 27 00:03:51,000 --> 00:04:02,840 I can trust God, but whether God can trust me. And we start this reflection by looking at the life 28 00:04:02,840 --> 00:04:11,960 of Abraham. Because Abraham is known as the father of faith, it was because of his relationship with 29 00:04:11,960 --> 00:04:18,640 God and his following God and obeying God and taking these steps of faith throughout his life 30 00:04:18,640 --> 00:04:28,760 that everything that God had planned about this journey of salvation for humanity was made possible. 31 00:04:28,760 --> 00:04:36,760 And that's why Abraham is called the father of the faith. In the book of Hebrews chapter 11, 32 00:04:36,760 --> 00:04:45,600 it summarizes the significance of Abraham and it puts it this way, both him and his wife Sarah. 33 00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:53,800 Would you read it with me? It says it this way, by faith Abraham, when called to go to a place, 34 00:04:53,800 --> 00:05:02,360 he will later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was 35 00:05:02,360 --> 00:05:11,320 going. And by faith, even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children 36 00:05:11,320 --> 00:05:21,280 because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be 37 00:05:21,280 --> 00:05:28,160 called their God. If you are a system believer, you know the Lord for many years and you have grown 38 00:05:28,160 --> 00:05:34,160 in your faith, when you read Hebrews 11, you know, oh, Hebrews 11, everybody knows what Hebrews 11 39 00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:42,400 is about. So, well, not everybody. So let me tell you what Hebrews 11 is known for. It's the chapter 40 00:05:42,400 --> 00:05:49,880 that talks about the significance of faith as we follow God. And it's going to mention some of the 41 00:05:49,880 --> 00:05:58,160 key characters throughout the history of the faith in the Old Testament. And Abraham and Sarah were 42 00:05:58,160 --> 00:06:07,000 mentioned here. But one thing that strikes me about Hebrews 11 is that after he mentioned some of 43 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:14,320 these different names and he says this was the attitude that these people had, this is what walking 44 00:06:14,320 --> 00:06:23,360 by faith, this is what following God looks like. It says at the end, and when God looks at these 45 00:06:23,360 --> 00:06:37,200 people, he is not ashamed to be called their God. And I never put it that way. It's like, God, are 46 00:06:37,200 --> 00:06:44,320 you ashamed of being called my God? It's like when you see me as I follow you, what do you think of 47 00:06:44,320 --> 00:06:52,760 me? I know I'm saved by grace. I know that Jesus paid for all of my sins. I know that God sees me 48 00:06:52,760 --> 00:06:59,720 and sees Jesus in me. I know the whole thing about justification. I understand it. But I'm talking 49 00:06:59,720 --> 00:07:13,120 about when I'm following God, do I follow God like these people did? This is like a father that looks 50 00:07:13,120 --> 00:07:22,720 at his child and feels blessed and proud that this child is my child. Because Proverbs says that 51 00:07:22,720 --> 00:07:31,680 the wise son brings joy to the parents, but the foolish one doesn't. What kind of follower am I, 52 00:07:31,680 --> 00:07:41,360 God? And suddenly when you start shaping your journey from that whole different perspective, 53 00:07:41,360 --> 00:07:52,120 something starts to change. And what we discover in the life of Abraham is that as he began that 54 00:07:52,120 --> 00:07:59,760 journey of faith, he went through these phases. And as he goes through these phases, we can identify 55 00:07:59,760 --> 00:08:08,360 with them very easily because that's what following God looks like. Now, just to be fair, 56 00:08:08,360 --> 00:08:14,680 the whole story of Abraham is super long. So we're not going to study the whole thing. Chapters 12 57 00:08:14,680 --> 00:08:21,280 to 25 of Genesis, if you have not read this whole section, go home and read the whole thing so you 58 00:08:21,280 --> 00:08:27,440 become familiar with it. But we're going to look at certain sections that highlight these moments 59 00:08:27,440 --> 00:08:35,400 in which Abraham is following God. And what does the text say about him? Now you might know that 60 00:08:35,400 --> 00:08:43,640 his name was Abraham and his wife was Sarai. And these two names changed later in the story to 61 00:08:43,640 --> 00:08:52,160 Abraham and Sarah because the meaning of that change highlighted what God had promised to them 62 00:08:52,160 --> 00:08:58,320 in that journey of faith. So at moments as we read, you're going to read the name Abraham, 63 00:08:58,320 --> 00:09:04,120 and then at moments he will read Abraham. It's the same person. So don't be confused as you read them 64 00:09:04,120 --> 00:09:10,400 if you are not familiar with these passages. But look at what it says. The first section that we 65 00:09:10,400 --> 00:09:18,480 see in his journey of faith as he followed God was the invitation to follow God. And that's how 66 00:09:18,480 --> 00:09:25,320 our journey begins for all of us. We hear about God and we start seeking and suddenly we realize 67 00:09:25,320 --> 00:09:31,760 that God loves us and he sent Jesus. And suddenly now we become followers of Jesus. And as we are 68 00:09:31,760 --> 00:09:40,360 following God, now we responded to that invitation. What was that invitation like for Abraham? It tells 69 00:09:40,360 --> 00:09:52,640 us right there on chapter 12 verse 1. The Lord has said to Abraham, go from your country, your people, 70 00:09:52,640 --> 00:10:02,880 and your father's household to the land I will show you. Remember Hebrew says he went without 71 00:10:02,880 --> 00:10:08,800 knowing where he was going? Yeah, precisely because God didn't tell him. God said, I want you to leave 72 00:10:08,800 --> 00:10:13,600 where you are, your country, your people, and you're going to go in a place I'm going to show you, 73 00:10:13,600 --> 00:10:24,560 but you'd never been there before. And then he says, I will make you into a great nation and I 74 00:10:24,560 --> 00:10:34,400 will bless you. I will make your name great and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who 75 00:10:34,400 --> 00:10:45,800 bless you and whoever curses you, I will curse and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you. 76 00:10:45,800 --> 00:10:55,920 Abraham, I have plans for your future that you do not understand, but I'm going to turn you into a 77 00:10:55,920 --> 00:11:06,280 blessing to many. All nations of the earth will be blessed through you, but before that happens, 78 00:11:06,280 --> 00:11:19,760 I need you to follow me. If you follow me, then we'll get into business. So we are told that Abraham 79 00:11:19,760 --> 00:11:31,840 went as the Lord had told him. He left his country, his people, his family, and he went. And also Lot 80 00:11:31,840 --> 00:11:47,400 went with him who was his nephew. Abraham was 75 years old when he set out from Haran. Wait, he was 81 00:11:47,400 --> 00:11:57,520 not just graduating from college. This guy was old, 75 years old, past retired age in today's 82 00:11:57,520 --> 00:12:06,240 standards. Now I already feel old and I'm just 50. Imagine God saying you are 75, I have plans for 83 00:12:06,240 --> 00:12:15,320 your future. What future? There's a lot of future ahead of you. And in fact, in the case of Abraham, 84 00:12:15,320 --> 00:12:30,160 he died at age 175. So from this point on, he walked with God for a hundred years of faith. So 85 00:12:30,160 --> 00:12:38,120 you're not really that old if you're in your seventies. God has plans for you. And he calls 86 00:12:38,120 --> 00:12:50,040 Abraham and he says, come. And he goes. And now we are told that he took his wife Sarai, his nephew 87 00:12:50,040 --> 00:12:57,240 Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated, all the people they had acquired in Haran, and they 88 00:12:57,240 --> 00:13:04,760 set out for the land of Canaan and they arrived there. He took the whole thing with him. It was a 89 00:13:04,760 --> 00:13:11,320 big move. If you have moved internationally, you know how hard it is to move. He didn't leave his 90 00:13:11,320 --> 00:13:20,560 possessions behind. He took all his possessions and everything and he went. And this is how it 91 00:13:20,560 --> 00:13:30,920 begins. We know that Abraham was from Ur of the Chaldeans. This city is where his father was from. 92 00:13:30,920 --> 00:13:36,880 This is where he was born and this is where he grew up. And then his father moved from Ur to 93 00:13:36,880 --> 00:13:44,320 Haran. And today is fascinating because the British Museum, as well as the Iraq Museum, 94 00:13:44,320 --> 00:13:51,720 has a large archaeological collection of these ancient cities. If you are ever in those places, 95 00:13:51,720 --> 00:13:59,480 check it out. It will expand your understanding of the biblical events. But we know that Ur of 96 00:13:59,480 --> 00:14:07,200 the Chaldeans was in the region of South Iraq. And that is where he grew up and that is where they 97 00:14:07,200 --> 00:14:17,040 moved to the area of Turkey, which is Haran. And that is where God talks to him and invites him to 98 00:14:17,040 --> 00:14:24,440 follow him. And then he moves from there. He's going to live in different regions in areas that 99 00:14:24,440 --> 00:14:32,360 today are called the West Bank and also Israel. And in this whole area, as he travels following God, 100 00:14:32,360 --> 00:14:37,920 you can map it. Actually, I went to Google Map and I looked and I said, how long would it take to walk 101 00:14:37,920 --> 00:14:48,240 all this time? It's like a lot of time. And this is what Abraham did. With all his crowd, he went 102 00:14:48,240 --> 00:14:54,320 through all of those places. And it's interesting because today, most of the time that we hear the 103 00:14:54,320 --> 00:15:00,880 names Israel or the West Bank of Turkey, of Iraq, is because of the war that is going on in the 104 00:15:00,880 --> 00:15:10,040 Middle East. But all of these places are ancient. And when we talk about this man named Abraham, 105 00:15:10,040 --> 00:15:21,680 he lived in that whole region. And God calls him with an invitation to follow him, but he has no 106 00:15:21,680 --> 00:15:30,200 idea what the destination looks like. Welcome to the journey of following God. That's how it is. 107 00:15:30,200 --> 00:15:36,920 How many of you imagine that you will be here today living in Thailand? If you are a foreigner, 108 00:15:36,920 --> 00:15:43,840 perhaps this was not part of your long-term projection. And things led to one another, 109 00:15:43,840 --> 00:15:51,400 to another, to another, and you ended up being here. God leads us always to a place that he has 110 00:15:51,400 --> 00:16:00,440 in mind and we follow. And that's cool. That's how Abraham begins. And I remember that I was 18 111 00:16:00,440 --> 00:16:05,640 years old when God called us to leave Chile to go to Mexico. And I was excited, but I had never 112 00:16:05,640 --> 00:16:12,160 been in Mexico before. I didn't know anything about Mexico, people, nothing. So my parents 113 00:16:12,160 --> 00:16:17,140 went to visit, and then they came back and they said, yeah, we're going. And we went. And it was 114 00:16:17,140 --> 00:16:22,080 hard to leave our family behind, some of my siblings that we left behind, all my relatives 115 00:16:22,080 --> 00:16:29,240 behind, my country, my people, my food, my language. So that was the beginning of my journey of leaving 116 00:16:29,240 --> 00:16:36,160 my comfort zone into a journey of faith that God was calling us to pursue as a family. And I never 117 00:16:36,160 --> 00:16:44,600 imagined that part of that journey meant you're going to be working with ECB in Bangkok. So that's 118 00:16:44,600 --> 00:16:51,960 the beginning. But it's in that beginning, and as he responds to God, that now he enters the next 119 00:16:51,960 --> 00:17:01,600 phase, which is the struggle. The struggle is now that aspect in which it's like, God, I believe in 120 00:17:01,600 --> 00:17:09,360 you. That is not the problem. The problem I am facing is that I don't think I trust you. Because 121 00:17:09,360 --> 00:17:14,880 believing in God is one thing. Yeah, Jesus is my Savior. Yeah, yeah, if I die, I'll go to heaven. 122 00:17:14,880 --> 00:17:22,480 Yeah, awesome. But to follow you and to leave my people and now to go into the unknown, I have so 123 00:17:22,480 --> 00:17:31,120 many questions. I have so many fears, so many doubts, so many things. And sometimes they keep 124 00:17:31,120 --> 00:17:38,840 me up at night and I'm trying to do the math and I'm trying to figure it out. And welcome to the 125 00:17:38,840 --> 00:17:46,400 journey of faith. It's the wrestling, the struggle of trusting God. And that is where Abraham is 126 00:17:46,400 --> 00:17:55,040 going to find himself in. He's going to have fears. Because God had told him, leave. I want to make 127 00:17:55,040 --> 00:18:02,720 your descendants just huge number of people and you'll become nations. And the only problem is 128 00:18:02,720 --> 00:18:11,680 that he had no son. So what descendants? So at this moment now we encounter Abraham in a different 129 00:18:11,680 --> 00:18:20,960 season of his life of following God. And the beginning of chapter 15 says this, after this, 130 00:18:20,960 --> 00:18:30,760 the word of the Lord came to Abraham in a vision. Do not be afraid, Abraham. I am your shield. 131 00:18:30,760 --> 00:18:44,000 You're a very great reward. If God comes to you and says, you know what, chill, don't be afraid. 132 00:18:44,000 --> 00:18:50,760 It's because you're freaking out and you are afraid. And God encounters him in that space where 133 00:18:50,760 --> 00:19:01,000 he's thinking all these things. Abraham, it's okay. It's going to be okay. You are so concerned about 134 00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:06,720 figuring out how is this child going to work out, how is it going to happen. You're getting older. 135 00:19:06,720 --> 00:19:18,040 I know. But Abraham, you have to understand that this is not about the child. It's about me. I am 136 00:19:18,040 --> 00:19:30,640 your reward. It's not what you are going to get out of following me. It's me. It's encountering me, 137 00:19:30,640 --> 00:19:43,960 knowing me, partnering with me. I am your reward. I am your security. I'm your shield. But he didn't 138 00:19:43,960 --> 00:19:52,520 know God yet, as he will later in his life. He's still in a stage of his faith that is not mature. 139 00:19:52,520 --> 00:19:59,280 So when he hears God saying, it's about me, I'm your reward. I'm your security. I'm your shield. 140 00:19:59,280 --> 00:20:09,520 He goes like, and he responds to that. Now with the, oh God, thank you. I needed to hear that. Thank 141 00:20:09,520 --> 00:20:17,840 you for reminding me of that. No. You know what he says instead? Let's read it. He says, but Abraham 142 00:20:17,840 --> 00:20:29,440 said, sovereign Lord, I know you're sovereign. You're God. If you want to know exactly how I'm 143 00:20:29,440 --> 00:20:36,840 feeling, this is what I'm thinking. What can you give me? You, God, sovereign, what can you give me? 144 00:20:36,840 --> 00:20:44,800 Since I remain childless. And I already figured out the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer 145 00:20:44,800 --> 00:20:54,640 of Damascus, my servant. Because legally in their culture, they could make one of their servants 146 00:20:54,640 --> 00:21:02,640 the person that will inherit everything. If you don't have children. So he has no child. He's 147 00:21:02,640 --> 00:21:09,400 growing old. He is freaking out. And then he says, ah, I know what God is going to do. Eliezer. 148 00:21:09,400 --> 00:21:17,400 That's how God is going to do it. So God, I know you're not going to give me anything. What can 149 00:21:17,400 --> 00:21:27,080 you do? And Abraham said, look, I've been following you all this time and you have given me no 150 00:21:27,080 --> 00:21:36,280 children. So a servant in my house will be my heir. And then the word of the Lord came to him. 151 00:21:36,280 --> 00:21:51,480 This man will not be your heir. But a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir. That 152 00:21:51,480 --> 00:22:01,360 is my plan. He took him outside and said, look up at the sky, count the stars. If you need, you can 153 00:22:01,360 --> 00:22:12,320 count them. And then he said to him, soul shall your offspring be. Now, it's very easy to look 154 00:22:12,320 --> 00:22:17,680 back in the story from this side of the events and say, oh yeah, Abraham, you had no idea. Another 155 00:22:17,680 --> 00:22:27,440 thing is to be on his shoes, childless, old with an old wife that cannot have children. Hearing God 156 00:22:27,440 --> 00:22:34,440 say, look at the sky, look at the stars. Yeah, yeah. It's like I'm trying to reach the moon here. 157 00:22:34,440 --> 00:22:47,200 It's like trying to reach the stars. Unreachable. Really? A son out of my own flesh and blood? As 158 00:22:47,200 --> 00:22:55,760 numerous as the stars? Is that what you were thinking? I thought you were going to do my 159 00:22:55,760 --> 00:23:05,360 servant here. Really, God? And at that moment something happens. It says that Abraham believed 160 00:23:05,360 --> 00:23:17,120 the Lord and he credited to him as righteousness. He believed enough in God to follow him, but 161 00:23:17,120 --> 00:23:27,440 now he believes in God in a deeper way. Not only that God can be followed, but God is trustworthy. 162 00:23:27,440 --> 00:23:35,320 And if he said he was going to do something, he will figure it out. And at this moment, 163 00:23:35,320 --> 00:23:42,040 this passage, this verse right here is going to become a significant verse in the New Testament 164 00:23:42,040 --> 00:23:49,400 later in the letters of the apostle Paul when he talks about justification by faith. This is the 165 00:23:49,400 --> 00:23:59,520 source of it. Abraham believed in God and he became justified. God credited him with his 166 00:23:59,520 --> 00:24:09,400 righteousness at that moment. And here we are told that on that day the Lord made a covenant with 167 00:24:09,400 --> 00:24:16,440 Abraham and said, to your descendants I give this land from the body of Egypt to the great river, 168 00:24:16,440 --> 00:24:26,160 the Euphrates, the land of the Canaanites, Kandumites, Hittites, Parasites, Rafaites, 169 00:24:26,160 --> 00:24:36,400 Amorites, Canaanites, Jerigoshites, and Jebusites. All of these people, all of these cultures, 170 00:24:36,400 --> 00:24:45,280 all of these people groups that inhabit all this land, I am going to give you all of that land 171 00:24:45,280 --> 00:24:58,200 to you and to your descendants. And now you can imagine Abraham is no longer in Turkey, 172 00:24:58,200 --> 00:25:06,040 now he is down in Hebron. He is in the region that today is known as Israel. He is there. 173 00:25:06,040 --> 00:25:13,240 But that was not a country yet. That was an area populated by lots of different people groups that 174 00:25:13,240 --> 00:25:19,560 eventually we know their idolatry and their social corruption reached levels that demanded 175 00:25:19,560 --> 00:25:28,080 God's justice to bring judgment upon them. And none of those cultures exist today. They were all 176 00:25:28,080 --> 00:25:38,800 one extent. And it's in this moment that God makes a covenant with Abraham because he believed in 177 00:25:38,800 --> 00:25:46,360 what God promised. And it's in this moment that in that covenant God says, I'm going to tell you 178 00:25:46,360 --> 00:25:54,160 what I have in mind. You see that river over there? You see that river over there? All that land I'm 179 00:25:54,160 --> 00:26:03,280 going to give to your descendants. Me? I'm a foreigner in this area. That's what you have for 180 00:26:03,280 --> 00:26:10,600 me. Which by the way, this is a passage that brings into all these theological discussions 181 00:26:10,600 --> 00:26:15,640 and reflections about what is the nation of Israel today? How does that correlate with 182 00:26:15,640 --> 00:26:21,640 biblical prophecy and all of these things and who owns that land and who has the right over this 183 00:26:21,640 --> 00:26:30,920 land and all those questions? These are the verses that are significant in all of that 184 00:26:30,920 --> 00:26:41,480 theologizing. But then what happens is that it's in this season that Abraham is struggling, 185 00:26:41,480 --> 00:26:48,280 struggling, struggling. And the only question that he's been focusing on is the same question 186 00:26:48,280 --> 00:26:54,840 that you and I focus on all the time. God, can I trust you with this? God, are you really going to 187 00:26:54,840 --> 00:26:59,480 do this? God, how do I know that you are going to lead me in a good way? Can I really follow you? 188 00:26:59,480 --> 00:27:03,440 Because I'm kind of not trusting you. You failed me in the past. Are you going to fail me again? 189 00:27:03,440 --> 00:27:14,960 And we are trying to follow God from a place of mistrust. Can I trust you, God? Can I trust you, 190 00:27:14,960 --> 00:27:25,800 God? He had to go through tough moments in that journey because he grew so insecure that at moments 191 00:27:25,800 --> 00:27:35,240 he made very poor decisions. He became a liar. He deceived. And then he tried to take things on 192 00:27:35,240 --> 00:27:43,560 his own hands and make it happen by his own plan. And then he messed up. And he had children outside 193 00:27:43,560 --> 00:27:53,000 his marriage to Sarah. And he became controlling and fearful. And he had to mature through all of 194 00:27:53,000 --> 00:28:01,680 that. Because when we follow God from that place where the only question that we're asking is, 195 00:28:01,680 --> 00:28:09,520 God, can I trust you? You are going to suffer through those dysfunctions of making decisions 196 00:28:09,520 --> 00:28:18,240 that are not aligned with God. But as he went through those years and he learned through his 197 00:28:18,240 --> 00:28:28,320 mistakes, if you asked him later, so, Abram, can you really trust God? He can look at you with his 198 00:28:28,320 --> 00:28:36,360 child in his arms and he says, oh yeah. There was a time in my life in which I thought, it's 199 00:28:36,360 --> 00:28:43,440 impossible. God, there's no way you're going to give me a child. So, Elias will be the guy. And 200 00:28:43,440 --> 00:28:55,280 now, holding this child in my arms, can I trust you? Oh yes, I can. You have proved yourself to be 201 00:28:55,280 --> 00:29:08,760 trustworthy. And those experiences marked you. I remember that for a period of time in counseling, 202 00:29:08,760 --> 00:29:16,040 I was working with a person that had so much debt. And as the person was going through this 203 00:29:16,040 --> 00:29:22,080 process of inner healing and we were doing the math and God was healing all these different things 204 00:29:22,080 --> 00:29:30,840 that had led to all those decisions and all that debt and all that healing taking place. I remember 205 00:29:30,840 --> 00:29:39,640 writing the numbers on the whiteboard and we were saying, God, for this to happen, you will have to 206 00:29:39,640 --> 00:29:48,060 provide a lot of money and lots of jobs. And from that place, it was like, there's no way this can 207 00:29:48,060 --> 00:29:56,240 happen. So we prayed standing, looking at that whiteboard and saying, God, we cannot do this. 208 00:29:56,240 --> 00:30:05,760 This is too much unless you do it. And we believe that you are calling us for healing and that you 209 00:30:05,760 --> 00:30:16,500 desire for this debt to go away. So we are praying for you, provide. And those are hard prayers to 210 00:30:16,500 --> 00:30:24,240 pray because you are praying it from a place of impossibility. But then God provided and a year 211 00:30:24,240 --> 00:30:32,840 later, as we met to look back, we only had words of praise because God had provided all the jobs 212 00:30:32,840 --> 00:30:42,360 and all the salary to get out of that debt. Those experiences make it much easier for you to trust 213 00:30:42,360 --> 00:30:51,320 God because God has shown in a material way that he is trustworthy. But the reality is that he's 214 00:30:51,320 --> 00:30:58,160 trustworthy whether you have experienced it or not. You are just a little bit behind the story, 215 00:30:58,160 --> 00:31:09,400 wait until the right time comes and then you will see. But it's in this season that Abraham now enters 216 00:31:09,400 --> 00:31:18,040 a new season in his journey with God. And this is the season where everything clicks for me. I call 217 00:31:18,040 --> 00:31:28,360 it the switch. Because there's a very obvious switch in the approach in which Abraham has towards 218 00:31:28,360 --> 00:31:36,160 God. To God, I believe you so I can follow you, but I don't trust you really that well, so I'm 219 00:31:36,160 --> 00:31:45,880 fearful. Will you really fail me or will you really fulfill your promises? To now, okay, you fulfill 220 00:31:45,880 --> 00:31:52,960 your promises, I know I can trust you. But there's something that is going to happen in this season 221 00:31:52,960 --> 00:32:03,200 of his life where the whole concept of trust is going to turn around. The question is no longer 222 00:32:03,200 --> 00:32:18,680 going to be, God can I trust you? But Abraham, can I trust you? And that's very different. Very 223 00:32:18,680 --> 00:32:25,920 different. I tell you why. Because if I ask God, God can I trust you? The answer is obvious. Yes, 224 00:32:25,920 --> 00:32:33,640 he's holy, as we were singing. Even in the worst case scenario, we'll praise your name, 225 00:32:33,640 --> 00:32:39,040 you know, because you are good. We know who you are. You're trustworthy, so can I trust you? Yeah, 226 00:32:39,040 --> 00:32:46,960 of course I can. But God, can you trust me? That's a whole different story. And it's in this place 227 00:32:46,960 --> 00:33:00,080 that Abraham becomes the father of the faith. Not when he left Ur and Haran, not when he saw the 228 00:33:00,080 --> 00:33:11,880 stars, no. It's in this season when he became trustworthy. God is going to ask him to do 229 00:33:11,880 --> 00:33:21,520 something. God is going to say, Abraham, this son that I had given you, Isaac, I want you to take 230 00:33:21,520 --> 00:33:29,200 him with you to this place I'm going to show you, and I want you to sacrifice him as an offering to 231 00:33:29,200 --> 00:33:36,000 me. I remember one of the first times I read that, that didn't sit very well with my heart. It's like, 232 00:33:36,000 --> 00:33:44,880 God, that's what pagan people do. Astecs sacrifice children to worship their gods. The very 233 00:33:44,880 --> 00:33:52,040 Canaanites that you are going to destroy, these children's child sacrifice, why are you asking 234 00:33:52,040 --> 00:34:02,400 Abraham to kill his son? It makes no sense to me. It makes me not want to like you. And there's so 235 00:34:02,400 --> 00:34:08,320 much more that's going on that I understood at that moment. It makes me remember the story of the 236 00:34:08,320 --> 00:34:15,000 guy that was allergic to chocolate. He liked it, but he couldn't eat it. And then he has a child, 237 00:34:15,000 --> 00:34:23,800 a daughter that loves chocolate, and she can eat it. And her favorite ice cream was not strawberry 238 00:34:23,800 --> 00:34:29,800 ice cream, not vanilla ice cream, but chocolate ice cream. So one day they buy this chocolate 239 00:34:29,800 --> 00:34:38,440 ice cream for the girl, and she is still young, and she's so excited. So the dad looks at her and 240 00:34:38,440 --> 00:34:46,920 says, can I have some? And the mom looks at him like, what are you doing? You're allergic to 241 00:34:46,920 --> 00:34:56,480 chocolate. Why are you doing that? Just, you know, can I have some? And the little girl goes, 242 00:34:56,480 --> 00:35:06,200 sure. And he goes, yum, yum, yum, yum, yum, yum, yum. He doesn't taste it. He knows he can't. But 243 00:35:06,200 --> 00:35:12,640 then after that, the wife says, you know, why did you do that? I was not wanting the chocolate. I 244 00:35:12,640 --> 00:35:18,120 just wanted to see what kind of daughter I have. What is this kind of self? It's like, no, mine. 245 00:35:18,120 --> 00:35:24,400 What is she going to give it to me? I just wanted to see her heart. That's all I wanted to do. It's 246 00:35:24,400 --> 00:35:36,840 like, ah, bingo. That's exactly what God is doing with Abraham. And we know, because God later tells 247 00:35:36,840 --> 00:35:43,240 him, no, no, no, no, don't hurt the child. I don't mean for you to really sacrifice him. Don't, don't 248 00:35:43,240 --> 00:35:50,280 touch the child. And he provides a ram for the sacrifice. We know that. What Abraham doesn't 249 00:35:50,280 --> 00:35:58,160 understand is that for this covenant to become a blessing to all nations, all the peoples of the 250 00:35:58,160 --> 00:36:05,240 earth will be blessed through you. Because what God was doing is that he was trying to find a human 251 00:36:05,240 --> 00:36:12,320 that he could partner with in order to bring salvation to all humanity. He needed someone 252 00:36:12,320 --> 00:36:18,280 that he could use his family line to bring the Messiah down the road, Jesus. Because one day, 253 00:36:18,280 --> 00:36:24,040 the son of God was going to come through that family line, and that son of God, his one and only 254 00:36:24,040 --> 00:36:32,680 son, was going to be sacrificed to bring forgiveness of sins for all the peoples of the earth. And 255 00:36:32,680 --> 00:36:41,200 because that is what God was going to do, he needed someone that will align with his heart. 256 00:36:41,200 --> 00:36:52,960 So Abraham, do you have the heart that I need to see before we'll sign this deal? Because this deal 257 00:36:52,960 --> 00:37:07,480 is forever. And we are told that Abraham obeys God. And this season is important because as you see 258 00:37:07,480 --> 00:37:15,360 this picture, it's like Abraham has no idea at this point what God is going to be doing later. No 259 00:37:15,360 --> 00:37:21,920 idea. He doesn't understand the whole thing about Jesus and dying on the cross and all of these 260 00:37:21,920 --> 00:37:30,960 things. But later, the Word of God tells us if you read 1 John, the Apostle John chapter 4-9, 261 00:37:30,960 --> 00:37:38,760 read it aloud with me just to get the language. This is what God was planning to do. And this 262 00:37:38,760 --> 00:37:46,000 is what he accomplished, and he did, through Abraham's descendants. Read it with me. This is 263 00:37:46,000 --> 00:37:53,360 how God showed his love among us. He sent his one and only son into the world that we might live 264 00:37:53,360 --> 00:38:02,800 through him. This is what God wanted to do. Did you pick on the phrase, his one and only son? 265 00:38:02,800 --> 00:38:10,400 Pay attention to that. Let me go back to Genesis. Because now that Abraham has obeyed God, God 266 00:38:10,400 --> 00:38:17,800 talks to Abraham and says, do not lay a hand on the boy. Do not do anything to him. Now I know 267 00:38:17,800 --> 00:38:28,800 that you fear God. Because you have not withheld from me, who? Your son, your only son. Now I know 268 00:38:28,800 --> 00:38:37,840 it has become evident. You have shown yourself to be trustworthy. I can see your heart. I can trust 269 00:38:37,840 --> 00:38:46,640 you now with this plan. I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this, I have 270 00:38:46,640 --> 00:38:55,000 not withheld, who? Your son, your only son. I will surely bless you and make your descendants as 271 00:38:55,000 --> 00:39:02,080 numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sun on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession 272 00:39:02,080 --> 00:39:08,160 of the cities of their enemies. And through your offspring, all nations on earth will be blessed 273 00:39:08,160 --> 00:39:20,960 because you have obeyed me. Now that you are trustworthy, I can trust you. And now that I can 274 00:39:20,960 --> 00:39:28,160 trust you, we can go on with the plan. Let's sign the deal. Here sign deal. 275 00:39:28,160 --> 00:39:45,240 Abraham, the father of the faith, experienced the switch. The question was no longer can I trust 276 00:39:45,240 --> 00:39:59,120 God, but can God trust me? And it is of the most significance in our walk with God, as we look at 277 00:39:59,120 --> 00:40:04,280 this year ahead of us, that we understand that you can trust God. God is not going to fail you. 278 00:40:04,280 --> 00:40:13,600 The problem is, are you going to fail God? Can he trust you with the vision that he has for your 279 00:40:13,600 --> 00:40:21,120 life? I can trust you with the plans that he has for you. When the time comes, are you going to 280 00:40:21,120 --> 00:40:36,120 obey him? This is the treasure of the journey. And I'm no Abraham. I'm not a hero of the faith. I'm 281 00:40:36,120 --> 00:40:45,040 just a follower of Jesus, a sinner saved by grace with all my faults and scars. But in this journey 282 00:40:45,040 --> 00:40:54,120 of faith, as God took me out of my country and my people and then moved me to Mexico City to work in 283 00:40:54,120 --> 00:41:01,400 church plant with my family in those years, then moved to Dallas and then start studying there and 284 00:41:01,400 --> 00:41:07,960 suddenly become an American citizen and then become a pastor and then have years of ministry 285 00:41:07,960 --> 00:41:14,120 and become a professor at a doctoral program with a Christian university in the U.S. And all of that 286 00:41:14,120 --> 00:41:21,960 that I did then, forgot to say, I want you to now live all of that a second time and now I want you 287 00:41:21,960 --> 00:41:28,640 to move to another continent, another country, another community altogether. That journey of 288 00:41:28,640 --> 00:41:37,400 faith that has taken me through different countries has also reflected this that I see in Abraham. 289 00:41:37,400 --> 00:41:45,840 The faces of responding to God's invitation and then wrestling and then experiencing this switch. 290 00:41:45,840 --> 00:41:56,160 That this is not about me but about you. And there are four obstacles that I want to take you 291 00:41:56,160 --> 00:42:06,320 through briefly that I have experienced that I realize God cannot trust me if I don't overcome 292 00:42:06,320 --> 00:42:15,440 this obstacle. I have to overcome it. The first obstacle is going to be related to this aspect of 293 00:42:15,440 --> 00:42:23,520 control. Because you see, being saved, being a follower of Jesus, is an invitation to go into 294 00:42:23,520 --> 00:42:31,600 the unknown. You have no idea what tomorrow brings. But Jesus is inviting you to follow him. 295 00:42:34,720 --> 00:42:42,720 And in this following Jesus, these obstacles were going to come. Control. I just want to know the 296 00:42:42,720 --> 00:42:47,360 whole plan exactly how it's going to work because you know that makes it much easier to trust. 297 00:42:47,360 --> 00:42:53,600 And I remember when I was in college, I'm thinking I really want to do grad school and a master's 298 00:42:53,600 --> 00:42:58,480 and I want to do all these things but I don't have the money. How am I going to do this? Would it be 299 00:42:58,480 --> 00:43:05,280 possible? What is going to happen? And I am fearful. I'm anxious. And I'm writing this paper in 300 00:43:05,280 --> 00:43:11,520 the library at college and then I grab this book from the shelves and I open the book as I'm 301 00:43:11,520 --> 00:43:16,320 filled with anxiety about all of these things that may happen in my future. I'm in my early 302 00:43:16,320 --> 00:43:20,880 twenties at that time and as I open the book, there's a little bookmark that says don't worry 303 00:43:20,880 --> 00:43:29,840 about the future. God is already there. And that's exactly what I needed to hear. Why do I want to 304 00:43:29,840 --> 00:43:42,080 know how this is going to work out? Because that gives me control, you see. Feeling in control gives 305 00:43:42,080 --> 00:43:50,240 you a sense of safety, of security, but that's false. The only security is God. And therefore, 306 00:43:50,240 --> 00:43:56,720 you can obey God because he knows best. And what's interesting is I've been reading during these 307 00:43:56,720 --> 00:44:03,440 weeks during this break this book called True North that is about leadership by Bill George 308 00:44:03,440 --> 00:44:09,600 and I found something intriguing. He says the most dissatisfied people I have known had a clear 309 00:44:09,600 --> 00:44:16,800 career plan. It is important to be flexible and venturesome in stepping up to unexpected 310 00:44:16,800 --> 00:44:24,480 opportunities. If you're only interested in advancing your career, you will wind up dissatisfied 311 00:44:25,120 --> 00:44:31,840 because you will become controlling. You want exactly everything to happen your way, your time, 312 00:44:31,840 --> 00:44:36,800 and that is not how we follow God. Not only you're going to be miserable, but people working with you 313 00:44:36,800 --> 00:44:46,480 will be miserable too. You can trust God. You can obey him because he knows best. Go into the unknown 314 00:44:46,480 --> 00:44:53,040 this year. Go for it. As long as the Lord is leading you, go for it. The second obstacle that I've 315 00:44:53,040 --> 00:44:59,920 experienced is the obstacle of cost. Leaving our ministry and community in Dallas coming here had a 316 00:44:59,920 --> 00:45:06,000 cost involved and I was wrestling with that. I was thinking, God, why would my team be so 317 00:45:06,000 --> 00:45:11,600 bad? Why would my team think? Why would our church think? Why would my mother-in-law think? 318 00:45:13,120 --> 00:45:19,280 What is going to happen with these things? It's like the aspect of you are so focused on what 319 00:45:19,280 --> 00:45:26,000 you're leaving behind that is holding you back from following God into the future. 320 00:45:27,440 --> 00:45:32,880 I was wrestling with that. God didn't use a bookmark, but he actually used his word. 321 00:45:32,880 --> 00:45:36,800 I was reading Philippians that, I mean, look at that time, 322 00:45:38,000 --> 00:45:42,000 and I'm wondering, you know, should we go to Thailand? What about this? What about that? 323 00:45:42,000 --> 00:45:47,120 But this and that and this and that, you know, all the questions. I'm analytical. I cannot turn that 324 00:45:47,120 --> 00:45:58,400 off. You know, this is what God said. Will you read it? Why did you call me Lord, Lord, and do not 325 00:45:58,400 --> 00:46:10,320 do what I say? It's like, okay. Right. It's like I was asking the wrong questions. The only question 326 00:46:10,320 --> 00:46:20,800 that mattered was this. God, is this you? Because if you're calling us to go, we'll go. Simple. You 327 00:46:20,800 --> 00:46:34,560 see, if Jesus is really my Lord, then we go. We follow. So you can obey God. You can trust him, 328 00:46:34,560 --> 00:46:42,160 going to the unknown because he's asking. And if the Lord is asking, we go. But then the other 329 00:46:42,160 --> 00:46:48,960 obstacle was the obstacle of identity. But God, I am this. I have this role. I have this 330 00:46:48,960 --> 00:46:56,800 experience. I have this projection. And you're asking me to change all of that. It makes no 331 00:46:56,800 --> 00:47:04,880 sense. It's not the right career move. And suddenly, God used that season to make me realize, 332 00:47:04,880 --> 00:47:12,720 Pablo, you are confusing your role with your identity. You are not your job. You are not your 333 00:47:12,720 --> 00:47:20,960 title. You are not your paycheck. You are not your function. That is not who you are. And I remember 334 00:47:20,960 --> 00:47:28,960 those days I was reading Philippians. And this is what I read. Your relationship with one another 335 00:47:28,960 --> 00:47:36,080 have the same mindset as Christ Jesus, who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with 336 00:47:36,080 --> 00:47:42,640 God something to be used to his own advantage. Rather, he made himself a servant of God. 337 00:47:42,640 --> 00:47:50,080 Nothing. By taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And when I read 338 00:47:50,080 --> 00:47:57,920 that, you know what stood out of that passage, which was this word servant. It's like, Pablo, 339 00:47:59,200 --> 00:48:06,720 you are my servant. That is who you are. Your roles will change throughout the years. 340 00:48:06,720 --> 00:48:14,320 But you are never your roles. But you are always my servant. And when that clicked, it was like, 341 00:48:14,320 --> 00:48:21,680 oh, silly me. That's right. It doesn't matter what God is calling you to do. Move, change, 342 00:48:21,680 --> 00:48:30,800 change roles, change positions. As long as it's the Lord, go for it. Because what you do is not 343 00:48:30,800 --> 00:48:39,200 your identity. You can trust and obey God because he positions you. Today here, tomorrow like that, 344 00:48:39,200 --> 00:48:46,800 tomorrow in the middle. It doesn't matter. And the last obstacle was the obstacle of value. 345 00:48:49,680 --> 00:48:56,560 All of us want to be in a context where we are valued, not taken for granted. When you start 346 00:48:56,560 --> 00:49:05,200 feeling undervalued, underused, undercompensated, it's very hard to follow God. It's like, God, 347 00:49:05,200 --> 00:49:11,520 you know, I have so much more I could do. God, you know, I could be making so much more money. 348 00:49:12,160 --> 00:49:19,040 God, you know, so when you feel underpaid, undervalued, underused, it's a place where you 349 00:49:19,040 --> 00:49:26,880 wrestle. But in that period of my life, God took me back to Philippians and he says, 350 00:49:26,880 --> 00:49:36,560 Paul, you missed the first part. Who being in very nature of God did not consider equality with God 351 00:49:36,560 --> 00:49:43,520 something to be used to his own advantage. I know what it is to be undervalued, 352 00:49:43,520 --> 00:49:55,680 underestimated, underused. To have the attitude of Christ, did you know what it was for God 353 00:49:57,120 --> 00:50:02,800 to be accused of serving Satan? Did you know what it was for God 354 00:50:04,880 --> 00:50:11,280 to be misjudged, like he had no power to do anything? Jesus was the one who was 355 00:50:11,280 --> 00:50:22,000 the power to do anything. Jesus was God incarnate. Yet he was willing to be undervalued and 356 00:50:22,000 --> 00:50:29,360 underused and underpaid. He was willing because he was aligning himself with God's plan. 357 00:50:30,880 --> 00:50:37,200 And this is where God had to make me realize, Pablo, even if I'm asking you 358 00:50:37,200 --> 00:50:41,680 to be in a place where you feel underused, undervalued, under everything, 359 00:50:42,000 --> 00:50:52,160 would you still do it if I'm asking you? Would you? And at that moment, what shifts 360 00:50:52,880 --> 00:51:03,120 is that the value is not about you. You follow God because he is the valued one. 361 00:51:03,120 --> 00:51:13,200 He is the reward. He is the shield, the great reward. So at that moment of wrestling, 362 00:51:13,680 --> 00:51:19,680 it's like, yes, you can follow God. You can stay there. You can continue to be undervalued 363 00:51:19,680 --> 00:51:25,520 or underused because if Jesus is asking you to do it, he is worth it. 364 00:51:25,520 --> 00:51:32,320 Unless we overcome these obstacles, we cannot become trustworthy followers of Jesus. 365 00:51:33,600 --> 00:51:41,840 So as we look at this year and the plans that we have ahead, I'm here to remind you 366 00:51:43,040 --> 00:51:49,040 that as much as we want to look for God's blessing and direction, the most important 367 00:51:49,040 --> 00:51:55,440 question of this journey is not whether we can trust God, but whether he can trust us. 368 00:51:56,720 --> 00:52:00,960 So I want to leave you with this question. Can God trust you? 369 00:52:04,480 --> 00:52:07,520 Lord, as we are following you this year, 370 00:52:07,520 --> 00:52:13,520 thank you that you're not asking us to go ahead of you into the unknown, but to follow you into 371 00:52:13,520 --> 00:52:23,040 the unknown. And as long as you go before us, we know that we will always end up in the right place 372 00:52:24,000 --> 00:52:30,400 because you never mislead us. And we know that you will always end up in the right place. 373 00:52:30,400 --> 00:52:37,120 We know that we will always end up in the right place because you never mislead us. 374 00:52:40,400 --> 00:52:41,200 Strengthen us. 375 00:52:46,960 --> 00:52:54,560 Strengthen us. And if there's any fear that is holding us back, break its power over us. 376 00:52:54,560 --> 00:52:58,080 We love you Lord and we pray in the powerful name of Jesus. Amen. 377 00:53:24,560 --> 00:53:29,600 God is calling you to support our ministries. You will find giving options on our website. 378 00:53:29,600 --> 00:53:54,160 And remember to join us next week. God bless you.