RISING FROM THE ASHES

This passage says God gives life to the dead and creates something out of nothing. Abraham believed He would have a child. For that to happen Abraham believed that God would have to create something out of nothing because of his circumstances. And God gave Abraham the faith to believe that. That’s how it works. God gives us a promise for something He’s going to do. And then He gives us the faith to believe it. And then we act on it, and God comes through.So you see it’s nothing we do – it’s all comes from God.
Some people think Abraham used what is called “positive thinking”, but that is not the case. “Positive thinking” works fine in situations where you have control. For example, let’s say you need to change your attitude about something. Positive thinking can help you do that, and that’s biblical. Romans 12:2 says be transformed (be changed) by the renewing of your mind. Positive thinking can renew our minds, depending on what we put in.
But if you are in a situation that’s out of your control, positive thinking is worthless. In fact it’s just wishful thinking. It has no power to control what you can’t control. When you face things that are out of your control, you need something more than a positive mental attitude. You need faith in God, because He can control what you can’t. And that covers almost every situation of life. Take a look at Luke 18:27.
“What is impossible with men is possible with God.” Luke 18:27
God specializes in the impossible – it’s called miracles. And ONLY God can do miracles.
A second thing Abraham did was RELY ON GOD’S PROMISE.
Take a look at Romans 4:20-22:
“Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises.” Romans 4:20-22
Abraham believed God, and that gave him hope. Hope is very important, because we can’t live without it.Hope lets us look beyond our present circumstances to see what is possible. So let me ask you, how’s your hope level right now? Is it dead? How do you know when hope is dead? A good clue is when you start using the word “never”. I’m never going to get married. I’m never going to get well. I’m never going to get out of debt. I’m never going to be able to change….
What should we do when our hope dies? We need to do what Abraham did – we need to keep on hoping. That sounds like a circular argument, but if you hang on to hope, it’s NOT going to die. It’s about as simple as that. Take a look at Romans 4:18 in your notes:
“Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!” Romans 4:18
When you are at a dead end, you need to look at the Bible. You need to study it. Memorize it. Think about it. Write it down. Nothing else is going to give us hope like the Bible. When you rely on the Word of God, you won’t panic when you hit a dead end.Yes, you know things are out of your control – but they are not out of God’s control. And that is what gives us hope. A dead end is nothing more than a test of faith. Take a look at Hebrews 11:17-19:
“It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.” Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.”  Hebrews 11:17-19
When God told Abraham to sacrifice his promised son, Abraham didn’t even blink an eye. He didn’t panic, because he remembered what God could do, and he relied on what God had promised him – the two things we just talked about. Abraham actually expected God to raise his son back to life. So when they were walking up the hill to make the sacrifice, Abraham said to the servants, “We’ll be back.” And then Isaac asked him “Where’s the sacrifice?” Abraham said, “The Lord will provide.” That’s faith. That’s big time faith.
Let me ask you a question. What would you do you if God asked you to give up your most precious dream? Could you do it? Abraham had the child God had promised. That child that was going to start a new nation. And now God is asking Abraham to give him up. That must have seemed like a dead end. How would Abraham start a nation if Isaac was dead? But Abraham said he would do what God asked. And that’s when God disclosed, “Abraham, I was testing you.” Some of you may be at dead ends now, and it doesn’t look like there is any way out. Things may seem bleak. But that’s from our human viewpoint. It’s not God’s viewpoint.
A good example is the disciples. They had followed Jesus for three years, and then Jesus was arrested and executed. That must have seemed like a dead end. From their viewpoint the dream was over. But God had a bigger plan. Easter Sunday was only three days away, and we know the rest of the story. The promise God made to Abraham did get fulfilled. The Jewish nation did come forth through Isaac. A promise is only as good as the character of the person who makes the promise. The Bible says God cannot lie. So when God makes a promise, we know He’s going to keep it. It will happen exactly as He says. And that’s what Abraham believed.
Well, let’s stop here. Next week we will look at two more things Abraham did when he reached a dead end and was waiting for deliverance. Have a great week………………….
We would like to hear from you.  Contact:  bob@riverrecoverychurch.com or Visit:  http://riverrecoverychurch.com