What I’m Thinking About When I’m Making a Mess
August 11, 2016 | by: Bill Burns | 0 Comments
Posted in: Guest Writers
Early in the life of Abraham, when he was still ‘Abram,’ and Sarah was still ‘Sarai,’ we read about Abram’s call by God to
“Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.” (Genesis 12:1)
In the great “Hall of Faith” chapter of the New Testament, we read that,
“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise…” (Hebrews 11:8-9a).
Elsewhere in the New Testament, we read how Abraham is the Father of the Faithful. Paul puts it famously:
“In the same way, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God. What’s more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would declare the Gentiles to be righteous because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, “All nations will be blessed through you.” So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith.” (Gal. 3:6-8 NLT)
One of the things I love about the Bible, especially the Old Testament, is how the characters of the great men and women of the Bible are real, living people like us. After Abram obeyed, and he and Sarai were in Canaan, they were driven by a famine there, to go to Egypt, to sojourn there (Genesis 12:10). Right as they were about to enter Egypt, though, listen to what Abram says to Sarai:
“’I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance, and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me, but they will let you live. Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake.’”
Wait. What?! “…that it may go well with me because of…” Sarai? ‘My life may be spared for…Sarai’s sake?” What’s going on here?
Well, Abram’s doing exactly what I do when I’m busy making a mess of my life. Like James puts it, he’s walked away from the mirror of God’s word. He’s forgotten what sort of man he is (James 1:24). He’s put his faith in something beside God. He’s forgotten exactly Who has called him out of Ur of the Chaldees. He’s forgotten that, as Hebrews 11 puts it…
“he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.”
He’s forgotten the God of Promise.
That’s you and me, isn’t it? I mean, if God is the designer and builder of our destination city, don’t you think it’s going to be unimaginably beautiful and awe inspiring? If God has promised, won’t He keep His promises? If Abram lost sight of that vision, what hope do you and I have?
But, this is a picture of each of us, isn’t it? It is particularly so when we walk away from the mirror of God’s word, and when we forget the God who promises us Christ, and who reminds us of this promise every time we hear the Word of God, or see a baptism, or observe the Lord’s Supper.
It’s what it means to understand that all sin is unbelief. We are warned by the Holy Spirit to
‘see to it…that none of you has a wicked heart of unbelief. Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.’ (Hebrews 3:12).
When we sin, we’re demonstrating, like Abram, that we don’t believe God sees us. We say to ourselves, “perhaps he’s not there at all. I can’t wait on His timing; I need what it is I’m coveting, and I need it now. I might die if I don’t ask my wife to lie for me.”
I don’t know about you, but I love that despite Abram’s faults (and Adam’s, and David’s, and Moses’…et al), and mine, that
‘…though we are faithless, He remains faithful.’ (2Timothy 2:13).
We are great sinners. But we have an even greater Savior; and God can restore our faith, for
“…faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17)
Come and see for yourself this Lord’s Day!
