From the moment you become a Christian, God enrolls you in His classroom of faith because He desires to develop your relationship with Him and show you life at its best. Dr. Stanley teaches you the five indispensable requirements of living in full reliance and submission to the Father.
Sermon Outline
Abraham was willing to do whatever God said—but he didn’t start out that way. In this week’s sermon, Dr. Stanley explains how the father of Israel grew to trust the Lord over time, just as we do.
Key Passage: Genesis 12:1-7
When you became a Christian, you entered the school of faith.
► “The development of faith isn’t a straight line upward. We stumble. We falter. That’s okay as long as we’re still making progress.”
Faith is confidence that God will do what He says He’ll do and will fulfill His promises. Always remember …
God wants to speak to every one of His children where they are. That is the reason Jesus gave His disciples the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-19).
When we trusted Christ as our Savior, we took the first step into a life of faith.
The Lord wants to guide us and work through us, but we must follow and trust Him.
What is required for us to walk in faith? We must learn to …
1. Listen to God.
This is how we know where to go and what to do.
It’s the way we learn to recognize when God is speaking to us.
Listening for God’s voice is a skill that must be practiced.
Listening and obedience go hand in hand.
2. Obey God.
Obedience happens through a process of trial and error.
When we experience the consequences of disobeying, we learn the importance of submitting ourselves to God.
Our path isn’t always easy or straightforward, but the Lord makes His will clear. When we follow it, we’ll experience blessings.
3. Depend on God.
Remember, Jesus often told His disciples to trust Him. Obedience is a natural outpouring of trust in the Lord.
Whenever you don’t feel the need to depend on God, you’re heading in the wrong direction. In Him, there is safety.
► “It is by the grace of God that you can breathe two times in a row. Nothing in your life is apart from Him.”
4. Wait upon God.
This is an act of worship. By waiting, you acknowledge Him as Lord.
Always remember that God acts on behalf of those who wait for Him (Isa. 64:4).
Abraham’s failure to wait led to the birth of Ishmael, a deeply consequential mistake.
5. Acknowledge faith failures, repent, and learn from them.
This requires a willingness to grow.
Abraham’s faith reached its peak when he was asked to sacrifice Isaac. He was willing to obey God even at the cost of the most precious thing he had.
His trust in God was proven when Abraham told the servants he and the boy would return after worshipping on the mountain.
As with Abraham, God’s tests show us how obedient we are.
After Watching
Consider these thoughts and questions in response to the sermon:
What about Abraham’s faith inspires you the most—his successes, which show us what’s possible? His failures, which encourage us to look beyond our own? Or something else?
When was the last time you knew God was communicating with you? What happened?
