and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or
by the hearing of faith?
righteousness. 7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the
children of Abraham. 8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen
through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee
shall all nations be blessed. 9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
Here are principles to be followed; if we follow God will bless again. God blesses a nation according to what individuals do; it's not Washington; it's by what we do or not do. We have a voice. That voice or that vote matters. It matters to the church as well. We are the determining factor. It's up to our faith in God and our faithfulness. Faith comes from our belief.
Abraham is called many things in the Bible. James calls him the friend of God. Verse 7 says he is the father of faith. Verse 9 calls him faithful Abraham. Can people put "faithful" before our name. Are we people of faith–a life changing faith? Are we dedicated? Faith and faithfulness are the keys. God blessed faithfulness in Abraham. God's blessings are not always free. We are still blessed even though we don't get it right all the time. We are fragile, foolish human beings who need God. But some of God's blessing come from our response to Him. Before we need the joy and peace we need God to be the Lord of our lives. We want all the blessings, but we won't believe further. If we want to eat at the table of His blessings, we need to let Him be Lord. We take and take and yet won't follow. We want all the blessings anyway.
We cannot serve two masters. We can't be in and out. We must be faithful. God doesn't bless because we are members of Adwolfe Free Will Baptist Church. Who is your Lord? You or God? Churches today are changing as it was in the time of the judges in the Old Testament. Everyone does what is right in their own eyes. It's not others who bless us. It's God. God didn't bless Abraham because of who he was; it was because he was faithful.
We must pay attention to God. America must pay attention. We must pay attention to God, not others. Abraham believed God and God alone. He believed God for who He is. We have to believe there is a living God behind the Word of God and pay attention to what He says. At a very low point in Abraham's life he could have quit doing the commandments of God; he could have given up. God came to him in the darkness and told him not to worry for through him would all the nations be blessed. We owe a lot to Abraham. We owe our own blessing to him and his faith and faithfulness. From Abraham a long way down to a descendant named Mary came our Savior. By His living, dying and resurrection, Jesus completed the way for people of all nations to serve God because Abraham was faithful. He is the father of our faith. When the beggar died he saw father Abraham. Who is the father of our nation? It's not George Washington; it is God.
What kind of faith do you have in God and His Word. How faithful do you want to be? It's a three-part thing.
(1) We have to be faithful with our personal commitment to God. It's our prayer life, our Bible study, our own personal living with God.
(2) When have to commit ourselves to worship where God has placed us and be faithful to that. Others can count on us to be here. God can count on us.
(3) The only way to see a church grow is when a committed person is faithful in witness to others.
It's a personal commitment to be personally faithful to the church and be a personal witness to others. When we do, God blesses us. God blessed the church. God blesses America. What brings that blessing is faith and faithfulness. Be blessed with faithful Abraham.
We said the pledges to the flags and the Bible. A pledge is a promise. Listen to what you said.
American Flag: I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. One nation under God, indivisible—not divided—with liberty and justice for all—treat all with respect—.
Christian Flag: I pledge allegiance to the Christian flag and to the Savior—Jesus—for whose kingdom it stands—to the very kingdom of God—. One Savior, crucified, risen and coming again–Jesus, his death, burial and resurrection—with life and liberty for all who believe—He will save us.
The Bible: I pledge allegiance to the Bible, God's holy word–my loyalty to the Holy Word—I will make it lamp unto my feet—do what I should–a light unto my path—illuminate my path and follow its direction—. I will hide its words in my heart—learn—that I might not sin against God.
It's more than glancing at a Sunday school book. We have to be faithful and put our heart into it. It's through faith and faithfulness. Live the pledges. Be faithful. Faithfulness is an uplift to us. It pleases God.
The fate of a nation is in your hands. The fate of the church is in your hands. The fate of your soul is in your hands. My future depends on how faithful I am. Instead of standing to say our pledges maybe we should kneel. Truly give our heart in faith and faithfulness to our Lord and His word. That's when God will bless America again.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 