Drift | Setting Sail: Where Am I Going and Why?
About this series:
Become anchored in purpose and discover how to live with intention in a world that pulls you off course.
The characters in Hebrews 11 stayed the course against all the odds. Against the tide of their cultures, against a tide of personal questions, even doubts, they remained focused on the purpose God had given them. This series will help us all assess whether we are drifting from our God-given purpose and, where we have, will challenge us to realign.
Here’s the journey ahead:
Setting Sail: Where Am I Going and Why? - January 5th
Against the Tide: How Do I Know Who To Listen To? - January 12th
Staying the Course: How Do I Stay True to My Purpose? - January 19th
Assembling a Crew: Who Do I Need on the Journey? - January 26th
About this talk:
At the start of the year, we all have an opportunity to ‘set sail’ again; to decide what sort of course we want to chart in 2025. This is more than a trivial New Year’s resolution, but a genuine opportunity to reassess.
The potential for drifting in life is enormous. Things happen to us and we drift with the current of their impact; culture gradually changes and we drift with it unquestioningly; our trajectory in life feels inevitable and wedrift, failing to really work out what life is about and what God intends for us.
This talk will introduce the people of Hebrews 11, help us understand what faith is (see v 1) and help us to recognise that we are all putting our faith in someone / something as we set out on a new year this year. The distinguishing mark of the men and women in Hebrews 11 is that they chose to place their confidence in the character of God and the truthfulness of what he had said, setting their course accordingly.
Abraham, from not being a believer in God, hears God’s call (Genesis 12:1) and obeys “even though he did not know where he was going” (v 8). Such was his conviction in the truthfulness of his encounter with God that the whole course of his and his family’s life is altered, creating a legacy that reverberates through the centuries. Four specific examples of his (and Sarah’s) faith are mentioned, vs 8, 9, 11 and 17:
v 8: he obeyed and went.
v 9: he made his home in the promised land
v 11: Sarah was enabled to bear children 1
v 17: when God tested him, he offered Isaac as a sacrifice
In each instance, a reason is given for Abraham’s (and Sarah’s) actions; a reason rooted in the faithfulness of God. He obeyed and went because of the reality of his encounter with God; he made his home in the promised land because he was an “heir of the promise” and “he was looking forward to the city with foundations” (vs 9-10); Sarah was enabled to bear children “because she considered him faithful who had made the promise” (v 11); Abraham offered Isaac because he “had embraced the promises” (v 17).
Abraham’s example teaches us not simply to set sail wherever we feel like going, but to obey God’s word because he is faithful. For those who are not Christians, the invitation is to become part of God’s better story. Following Jesus is never the easiest path, but He is the way, the truth and the life; His is always the better story to be part of.
Audio only
