Introduction to Abraham

April 14, 2024

Last Sunday, Pastor Patterson began our new sermon series, “Faithfulness,” going through the story of Abraham. Join us on Sundays at Thelo Church (2800 Trotter Rd., Hopkins). Below is an introduction to Abrahamas we enter this series.

Faithfulness: The Story of Abraham

I remember when I was pregnant with our daughter, and we had just finished a family trip in Orlando. We were driving back home when Jonathan and I decided to use that time to settle on a name for our girl. While he drove, we talked and I looked up the meaning of names, wanting her to have a name that meant something. It was an eight hour drive and we used most of it to create a list until we finally settled on her name, Samantha.

You’ll Say His Name

We believe names mean something, just like words. Our name is how we are known. Abraham was named Abram, meaning exalted father, until God gave him a new name. In that, we remember the covenant that God established every time we say Abraham. Abraham means “father of many.” God told Abraham that he would have more descendants than stars he could count, and while I have parented fourteen children to date, I cannot touch the record he holds.

Now, Abraham was born to a family of pagans – they did not worship God. So in Genesis 12, when God speaks to Abraham and tells him to leave – it’s outstanding that he listens and obeys. This is the first record of Abraham’s faithfulness to God, and his first step is a big one. He follows a God he has not known, and in his reward, he has a name that we remember from generation to generation.

But what is faithfulness?

Pastor Jonathan has titled this series Faithfulness, and while we won’t go through all of Genesis in this series, we will dig into the chapters where Abraham’s story is told. When I look up faithfulness, I keep seeing words like loyal, dependable, faith, consistency, righteous, and trustworthiness. One dictionary says: “characterized by steadfast affection or allegiance (to someone or something).” It is one of the Fruits of the Spirit, mentioned in Galatians, and yet, way back in Genesis, we see Abraham described as a man of great faithfulness. His confidence and commitment to God, as well as his obedience, led God to make him the father of many and to record his story to be told for all of time.

Y’all, there is so much to uncover in these few chapters in Genesis about Abraham. I won’t deep dive here, you’ll just have to join us on Sundays and Wednesdays!