Faith and Grace in Fractured Families

There are no picture perfect families they do not exist and that will be a comfort to you to help to you right from the off um if you have carried in your mind the sense that there's uh there's fracturing in me and there's fracturing in us but everyone else seems to be just fine put that idea out of your mind straight away. [00:01:55]

Faith is for fractured families it's the only kind of families there are in this world and over these next four weeks we're going to to look at four scenes from The Book of Genesis um we're going to look today at Abraham uh the flawed father um the next week God willings Sarah the perplexed wife we're going to look at Hagar the single mother and then we're going to look at ish M who I'm describing as the troubled son. [00:04:30]

The Bible regularly makes clear that Abraham was a great man of Faith he was wonderfully blessed uh by God um but it it is always important to remember that men at their best are simply the raw material on which God's grace begins a redeeming work uh the best Christian uh including the Christian who is sitting next to you is a sinner who is in the process of being redeemed. [00:05:49]

Abraham was a man of faith I mean God calls him God gives him this command he's to move to another place and we read in verse four these wonderful words so Abraham went That's The Obedience of faith if it's in the Bible if it says it if it's clear to me I do it and that is what Abraham does God says to him you're to move and he goes. [00:07:32]

Abraham's faith is tested in a profound way some of you know what this is like Lord I can't figure this out I have extended myself to follow you in faith and in obedience I've taken on responsibilities in leadership I I've made sacrifices of time and of money I pushed myself I've given everything that I've got to Ministry I spent myself I I've done at personal cost what I thought was right in order to do to honor you and now this. [00:15:06]

The problem begins when they get near to Egypt and Abraham comes up with a plan now in order to understand what's happening here you need to know that in ancient culture a single woman was under the protection of her father but in the absence of a father a single woman would come under the protection of her brother who would take the place of the father. [00:17:12]

When the princes of pharaoh saw her they praised her to pharaoh and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house by the way the if you're the king of Egypt you don't need to put your profile up on e-harmony or Christian Mingle um because what we're being told here is that the King has a whole team of Scouts who are out there looking to find suitable candidates to be his wife. [00:23:07]

And then God steps in you know the New Testament puts it at the right time when we were still powerless God sends his son and when both Abraham and Sarah are in this situation of absolute hopelessness I mean what could Abraham do he's only one man what could Sarah do she's only one woman how in all the world could this marriage be rescued and be restored. [00:27:31]

A mature Christian knows that the problem of sin runs very deep in the human personality and it doesn't go away with a decision to follow Jesus what that means is that a Christian marriage a Christian marriage is the union of two sinners in the process of recovery that's why I love the title of that book that's been brought out about Christian marriage what did you expect. [00:35:05]

Look for miracles of Grace I mean think of it here's Abraham and Sarah and it looks like their marriage is over how can they ever even meet again now that they've been separated and she's captive as it were to to the Pharaoh in in the palace in Egypt their situation is impossible what in all the world can ibim do now he's one man he can't storm the palace what can Sarah do she's one woman she's got no one to protect her she's got no means of Escape she is absolutely powerless the situation is hopeless until God steps in. [00:36:59]

Stand firm in faith and in obedience Sarah lived in a culture that was very very different from our of course but think about this with me seriously if Sarah was living today and uh she was um uh part of our culture what do you think she would be saying to Abraham after the incident in Egypt I'll tell you Abraham I am so out of here after that incident in Egypt we are done d n e and don't talk to me about going to see a counselor. [00:37:46]

Persevere in your calling because when you feel badly the easiest thing in the world to do is to give up you know this don't you and I do too give up on yourself give up on God slink off into wasting the rest of your life and thank God Abraham doesn't do that God had promised to bless him and he steps out in The Obedience of faith and after all the trials and the traumas in Egypt he just keeps going that's what you need to do that's what all of us need need to do when you feel your failure you mess up your testimony bring pain into the lives of others you persevere with your calling and you do it in the name and for the sake of Jesus Christ. [00:43:53]