Our family story today is about Abraham, Father Abraham, because three major religions of this world look upon Abraham as their starting point. What we’re going to see today in this family story is how God chooses the most humble and the most unlikely and the most lightly regarded people – people who don’t even know that God can use them – people who don’t even know that God is using them – people who are just trying to be faithful – and we’re going to see how God moves through their life. 1876 years before Jesus is born Abraham is already an old man living on the family farm in a place called Ur. Out of the blue, with no warning, God speaks to Abraham. Genesis 12:1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” If you ever wondered what God’s great plan is, there is in print for you to see. And what is the plan? I will make a great nation of you - God is raising up people in the middle of the mess. I will bless you. God will provide. You will be a blessing. I will protect you from those who oppose you and curse you. The whole world will be blessed through you. Genesis 15:3 And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring... 15:5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness. If you’ve ever wondered how to start a relationship with God, it’s in this Scripture. And he (Abraham) believed the Lord, and he (God) counted it to him as righteousness. Believe God. Take him at his word. Fully lean your life upon him. Depend on him. Trust him. Let what he says be the final word. Take your stand on his truth and on his character. Abraham believed God. Abrahams simple response to God was to believe God even though he didn’t know how God was going to do it. The biggest test for Abraham was by far the fact that God promised to make a great nation out of him and he and his wife couldn’t have a baby. How could God make a great nation from a couple who couldn’t even have children? Paul writes about Abraham struggles with this whole baby thing in Romans 4. Romans 4:18 In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. 20 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. I think that it’s amazing that we’re told that Abraham kept believing and he was sure that God could do what he promised. And why was Abraham so sure? Rom. 4:17 (NLT) This is true before God, the God Abraham believed, the God who gives life to the dead and who creates something out of nothing. Abraham was sure, and this is the great hope of being a follower of Jesus, because God gives life to the dead and he creates something out of nothing. God gives life to the dead... And God creates something out of nothing... And that’s exactly what God did. Let’s see what GOD can do!