Sermon Manuscript

[Video:  “Made for Mission - Bumper” - 0:26]

Nicknamed “The James Bond of Philanthropy”, Charles Feeney was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, in 1931.  During the Great Depression.  His mother was a nurse and his father was an insurance underwriter.  In 1960, at the age of 29, he founded an airport company called Duty Free Shoppers and before long he had amassed a fortune through both his success in business and his frugality.  He had accumulated Billions and Billions of dollars.  But along the way he read a famous essay written by Andrew Carnegie called Wealth in which Carnegie said, “To die rich is to die disgraced.”  To die rich is to die disgraced.  It was a statement that would haunt him for several years.  But it led to an interesting goal in life.  He wanted to “die broke”.  

So Chuck Feeney established a philanthropic organization called The Atlantic Philanthropies in order to give away his billions and billions of dollars to charities, projects, and organizations around the world.  And for the first 15 years he donated in secret.  Thus, his nickname of “The James Bond of Philanthropy”.  Because while most philanthropists tell the world about what they are doing Feeney went to great lengths to keep it a secret.  And he was able to do so for 15 years.  But in 1997 people caught on and began to discover who he was and what he was doing.  Eventually, his example ignited a fire storm of radical generosity by other people with wealth and power.  Over time he pioneered an idea known as Giving While Living which is the idea of donating most of your fortune while you are living instead of creating a foundation to oversee it when you die.  And now more than 210 Billionaires have signed what is known as “The Giving Pledge” in which they pledge to give away their fortunes while living.

Chuck Fenney, in a report from his organization, described why this is so important to him.  He said, “I see little reason to delay giving when so much good can be achieved through supporting worthwhile causes.  Besides, it’s a lot more fun to give while you live than give while you’re dead.”  Very true!  Hard to argue with that!  It makes much more sense and is a lot more fun to give away your money while living than to leave it for others and hope they use it wisely.

You see, within his lifetime Chuck Fenney learned to think and act differently.  To think and act differently from all of his peers and from many other people within our world.  And the same is true for us as Christians.  God wants us to learn how to live differently.  And today we’re going to examine a passage of Scripture in which God will challenge a man to do just that.  His name is Abraham.  And as we listen and learn from his story we will see how God’s message to him will speak to us as well.  Because we’re going to be challenged to be like Chuck Fenney.  And to think and act differently from others.

So let’s get started.  If you have your Bibles, turn with me now to the book of Genesis chapter 18.  Today we’re going to be in verses 1-21 and if you would like to follow along with us online you can do so by using our app called Church Center.  Simply open it up and then click on Sunday Services, followed by Message Notes, and you will find everything that you need for our time together this morning.  As you turn there this morning let me quickly remind you of where we have been over the past three weeks.

Three weeks ago we began a series of messages called Made for Mission where together we are learning how you and I are made for mission.  God has a mission to reach this world and He has called us to be a part of it.  But to be part of it we need to complete some tasks and the first one is to know His story.  The story of God.  Because in Acts 13, Paul spoke to a group of Jews and Gentiles and explained to them that God’s desire has always been to reach all people.  Paul knew the story of God well.  And we need to know God’s story too.  In week two, we talked about how the story of God begins and ends with creation.  And in Genesis 1, after Adam and Eve are created in God’s image, God gives to them the responsibility of caring for His creation.  And that, too, is part of our mission.  We need to know the story of God but also care for God’s creation.  And then last week we examined the story of Abraham and his calling.  Because in Genesis 12, God said to Abraham, “If you will make Me your god and go to the land I will show you then I will bless you and bless all people through you.”  And Abraham agreed.  It was an important passage which became known as the Abrahamic Covenant.  And it taught us how Abraham was blessed in order to be a blessing to others.  And we have been blessed to be a blessing to others too.  And we can bless others in many ways but the biggest way is by showing them our faith and teaching them how to live our lives for Jesus.

And today we’re going to continue within that idea.  Because if you will recall from last week when Abraham was told that Sarah would give birth to a son he was told later in life.  He was 75 years old when God first spoke to him.  And Sarah had been unable to have children her whole life.  And they would have to wait 25 years until this miracle took place.  But today we’re going to see how that miracle was announced by God just one year before.  Here’s how it took place.  In Genesis 18, beginning in verse 1, we read this.  Moses writes:

1 And the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. 2 He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth 3 and said, “O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. 4 Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, 5 while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.” 6 And Abraham went quickly into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quick! Three seahs of fine flour! Knead it, and make cakes.” 7 And Abraham ran to the herd and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to a young man, who prepared it quickly. 8 Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree while they ate.

Stop here for just a moment.  Let’s take a look at a couple of key insights before we continue.  We were told in verse 1 that the LORD appeared to Abraham at this moment while he was taking a break in the heat of the day.  The LORD.  Capital L-O-R-D.  That’s significant.  When you see that in the Old Testament it’s what’s called the Tetragramma or the letters Y-H-W-H or what we call Yahweh.  This is the unspeakable name of God.  God’s name was so holy that the Jews wouldn’t add vowels for fear of misusing God’s name.  So it was unspeakable.  So here God Himself appears to Abraham and He appears as “three men” in verse 2.  That’s interesting.  We know God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit so this could be a reference to the “Trinity”.  Either way God appears to Abraham and somehow he knows these three men are different.  Because he runs to meet them and bows down before them in verse 2!  Then in verse 3 he calls himself their servant and in verses 4 and 5 he offers to bring them water to wash their feet and food to refresh themselves and they agree.  So he then runs to tell his wife Sarah and then runs again to speak to a young man about preparing a calf to be eaten!  That’s a lot of running!  He must have had a good nap!  Kind of like the one many of us will take later this afternoon!  But he prepares all of this quickly, gives it to them, and then stands by them while they eat.

Kind of a strange story at this point if we’re honest.  I mean.  Did Abraham know this was the LORD?  Had he met the LORD before in this manner?  Did he hope to be blessed by them if he quickly served them?  Or was this just the way ancient people displayed hospitality?  We could come up with a lot of questions.  Strange.  But equally strange is what happens next.  Because they will have a strange conversation.  Check this out.  Verse 9 says:

9 They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “She is in the tent.” 10 The LORD said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?” 13 The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” 15 But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.”

I love that.  Let’s be honest.  That’s a real conversation between a husband and wife.  “Why did you laugh?”  “I didn’t laugh.”  “Oh, yes, you did!!!”  Classic.  But the reason Sarah laughed was because of the conversation that she had overheard.  Because as the three men were eating they turned to Abraham and said, “Hey, where’s Sarah your wife?”  And unless he already knew them that’s a bit of a strange statement.  I mean.  If I met a complete stranger and they said, “How’s Debbie doing?  How’s her class this year?” I would be like, “Do I know you?”  

But Abraham doesn’t respond in that way.  He says, “She’s in the tent.”  And then the LORD (notice again the capital letters) makes a promise and a prediction.  He says, “I will come back at this time next year (not we but I - interesting) and Sarah your wife will have a son.”  Now at this point Abraham is 99 and Sarah is 89.  So these three men say, “Congratulations!  By this time next year you’re going to be a father and she will be a mother!”  Again, if Abraham didn’t know who they were this would have been a very strange statement!  I think I might pass out if three strangers told me that a year from now Debbie would be pregnant!  But Abraham doesn’t.  And neither does Sarah.  She simply overhears the message, laughs, and says to herself, “No way!  That can’t be possible!”  And then this strange conversation gets even stranger when the LORD says to Abraham, “Why did she laugh when I said that?  Is anything too great for the LORD?”  (There it is again.  Capital L-O-R-D)  Interesting.  I mean.  Did she laugh out loud so that they could hear her or just to herself?  We don’t know.  But the LORD confronts her and so too does Abraham.  She tries to deny it but he says, “Oh, no, no, no!  You laughed!”

Funny.  Verse 16 then continues in this way.  And this is the part of the story I want us to focus upon.  Because we read this.  It says:

16 Then the men set out from there, and they looked down toward Sodom. And Abraham went with them to set them on their way. 17 The LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, 18 seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.” 20 Then the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, 21 I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.”

Alright.  So as the men leave they look down and see a city called Sodom.  This is key.  In fact, it’s the reason why they are there in the first place.  Earlier in Genesis 13 we read that when Abraham and Lot, his nephew, had reached a point in which they had become so prosperous that the land couldn’t handle all of their livestock that they agreed to separate and go in different directions.  And Abraham gives Lot his choice of where to go.  So he goes toward a land that was lush and green and good for his livestock.  But it was also a land filled with wicked and evil people.  And in Genesis 13:13 we are told that “the men of Sodom were wicked” and “great sinners against the LORD.”  The city was filled with evil, wicked, men.

And God was going to see what was going on for Himself.  But in verse 17 we read an interesting question that God asks Himself.  We read that the LORD said (there it is again, all caps), “Should I hide from Abraham the real reason I’m here?  Should I hide from him what I’m about to do?  And how I’m about to judge and punish the people of Sodom?  Should I hide from him what I’m about to do to the city located near where his nephew lives?”  And then we read in verse 18 a repeat of the promises that God made to Abraham last week in Genesis 12:1-3.  The promises which were made to him as part of the Abrahamic Covenant.  You might even recall how I mentioned last week that God repeated those promises to Abraham 4 times and here’s one of them.  Verse 18.  Because God says that He will bless Abraham and all people through Him.”  Just as He has said before.

But then He says something very interesting.  He gives a reason for why He feels like He should share with Abraham what He’s about to do.  “For”, He says, “I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice so that the LORD (or I Myself) may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.”  In other words, God says, “The reason I feel obligated to share what I’m about to do is because I am now in a special relationship with him.  I have chosen him and he has chosen Me.  And I have chosen him to command his children and his household on how to keep My ways and to live according to My laws and the way they will do that is by living according to My character.  By doing what is right and what is just - so that I may bless him and all the world through him.”  And this passage then comes to a close by God basically telling Abraham what He’s going to do.  He says, “Listen.  Because of the outcry I have received I’m going to go and see what is really going on so that I will know for sure.”

Now, quick side note.  This is not to say that God didn’t already know.  But by speaking and acting in this way God is showing Abraham that He’s not going to act irrationally or quickly.  He’s going to verify all of the “rumors” for Himself.  But Abraham knows they’re wicked.  And so in the rest of chapter 18 he tries to convince God not to destroy Sodom.  He says, “God, if you find 50 or 45 or 30 or even 10 who are righteous will you destroy them all and even the good with the bad?”  And each time God says, “No, if I find that many I won’t destroy them.”  But “spoiler alert” He won’t find that many.  And Sodom and Gomorrah will be destroyed by raining fire down upon them.  But God will save Lot and his family by sending them two angels.  So in the midst of this story of judgment we read about a story of redemption and blessing.  God remembers His promises to Abraham despite the fact that He’s going to quickly destroy two cities and all who live within them.  

But for our time together I want us to focus upon what God says in verse 19.  Because God says that Abraham has been chosen by God to “command his children and his household” to “keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice”.  In other words, Abraham was chosen by God to walk differently.  To walk with God and for God throughout his life.  Abraham was going to be used by God to show others what it looks like to live a life that is different.  To live with righteousness and justice towards others.  To live as God intended all people to live.

And that leads us to a fourth task.  Because if we are “made for mission” and going to complete the mission God has given us then we are going to need to live differently.  We are going to need to walk differently.  Because as the Church we walk differently.  We walk differently for God and for Jesus.  We walk differently than our world.  We walk differently than our culture.  We walk differently than the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah in our world.  We walk differently.

We walk differently from people within our world in order to produce faith.  Both inside and outside of the church.  In fact, that’s how Paul described his own ministry.  Because in Romans chapter chapter 1, verses 5 and 6, Paul said this about Jesus.  He wrote: through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, 6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,

So Paul says that he received grace from God and the role of being an Apostle in order “to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations”.  And then he says, “including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.”  In other words, Paul viewed the purpose of his mission in life and his ministry on this earth as bringing about the obedience of faith to all - including both people inside and outside of the church.

So with that in mind I want us to think about this morning how we can walk differently for God in order to help other believers in Christ.  Other believers here within our church.  And I want to give to you four steps that each come from just one verse and just one statement God made about Abraham in verse 19.  Let’s think about this.  Four steps we can take to walk differently.

Step number one is to remind believers how God chose them.  Because the first thing God said in verse 19 was “For I have chosen him”.  Abraham was chosen by God to be blessed by God and to be a blessing to others.  And that is true of you and me too.  We, too, are chosen by God to be blessed in Jesus.  And people need to hear that.  In fact, turn to the person right now and say that to them.  Tell them, “You were chosen by God to be blessed in Jesus.”  Doesn’t that just sound amazing?  People need to hear that.  You do and so do I.  People need to hear that they were chosen by God to be a parent or a grandparent.  They were chosen by God to lead or serve within a ministry.  They were chosen by God to be part of this group of believers at this time within their lives.  They were chosen by God to make a difference in other people’s lives and to make a difference for all Eternity.  When we stop and consider the fact that the God of this Universe, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, chose to save us, redeem us, and set us free from sin through His Son that is an amazing truth.  If we want to walk differently for God then we need to speak differently for Him.  So do that.  Remind believers how God chose them.

Step number two is to teach believers how to keep God’s way.  Because God said in verse 19 “that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord”.  Abraham was chosen to command his family to follow the way of the Lord.  To learn how to listen to His voice and obey His commands.  And that is true of us as well.  As believers, we need to learn from one another on how to keep God’s way.  Young people need to know how to keep the way of the Lord when it comes to decisions about who to date, what type of behavior is appropriate, how to serve God within their jobs, and how to use their money well.  Young adults need to know how to keep God’s way when it comes to remaining faithful to their spouse, being a good mom or dad, giving and saving their money, and using their talents and abilities to serve the Lord.  Older adults and retired adults need to know how to keep the way of the Lord when it comes to stewarding their money well, being generous with their time, and setting an example for younger believers on how to love the Lord later in life.  All of us need examples.  At every stage of life.  You do and so do I.  Abraham was told to command his family on how they can obey God and follow His ways.  And we need to teach each other within the family of God how to do the same.  So let’s do that.  Teach believers how to keep God’s way.

Step number three is to show believers how to treat others fairly.  Because God said in verse 19 that Abraham was to help his family keep the way of the Lord “by doing righteousness and justice.”  In other words, they were going to keep the way of the Lord by learning to treat one another fairly - with right behavior and justly.  And God wants us to teach each other the same.  As believers we need to show one another how to treat others fairly.  We need to show others how to properly strengthen and encourage one another, how to properly respect and love one another, and how to properly confront and challenge one another.  Because when we treat one another with righteousness and justice it affects our church positively and people outside of the church take notice.  But when we do not the opposite takes place.  So let’s do that.  Let’s show believers how to treat others fairly.

And then the fourth and final step is to encourage believers with future rewards.  Because God said in verse 19 that Abraham was to teach the way of the Lord “so that the Lord might bring to Abraham what he has promised him.”  In other words, the blessings and rewards that would be given to him.  Abraham had to be faithful and teach others to be faithful so that he could receive the rewards God promised him.  And we can do the same.  We can encourage people when they are hurting or struggling or facing difficulty in life.  We can say things like, “I’m sorry that you are feeling that way or that this has happened to you but don’t forget your best days are still ahead!  Your best days are still to come!  Because God has promised us incredible rewards and incredible blessings!  Just like He did to Abraham!  So be encouraged!  Remember what’s still to come!”  You see we can do that!  So let’s do it!  Let’s encourage one another with those words.  Let’s encourage believers with future rewards.

That’s four steps based upon one verse.  Four steps which will help us walk differently for God in order to help other believers in Christ.  So when we remind believers of how God chose them, teach believers how to keep God’s way, show believers how to treat others fairly, and encourage believers with future rewards we will walk differently and impact our world like never before.  We will impact our world and accomplish amazing goals for Jesus.

We will accomplish amazing goals like Chuck Feeney did.  Do you remember him?  The Billionnaire who had made it his goal to donate all of his money before he died.  Well, over the course of over four decades he gave away over 8 Billion dollars.  And rather than living in luxury he chose to live in an apartment in San Francisco that was decorated like a Freshman dorm room.  When Forbes magazine visited him they said that he had little more than a few inkjet pictures of friends and family on the walls and a little plaque that said, “Congratulations to Chuck Feeney for 8 Billion of philanthropic giving.”  And on September 14, 2020 Feeney completed his mission and shut down his organization.  An organization that at its height had over 300 employees and ten global offices across seven time zones!  Wow.  Can you imagine?  Amassing a fortune of over 8 Billion dollars and then giving it all away?  And he did.  Because on October 9, 2023 Chuck Feeney died having achieved his goal.  He died having given everything away.  He died broke.  Warren Buffett, who for a time was the world’s richest man said this.  He said, “Chuck’s been the model for us all.  If you have the right heroes in life, you’re 90% of the way home.  Chuck Feeney is a good hero to have.”  

We all need “heroes” in life.  People who set examples worth following.  You do and so do I.  We need examples of people like Chuck Feeney and Abraham who chose to walk differently in life.  People who chose to walk differently and teach others how to do the same.  People who when they come to the end of their lives reach a point in which they can say, “I gave it all away.”

So I guess that’s the challenge.  Are you that type of person or not?  Will you be that type of person in your life or not?  Will you choose to walk differently for the Lord or not?  Will you teach others how to do the same?  And will you, when you reach the end of your life and step into eternity and see Jesus face-to-face be able to say to Him, “Lord, I gave it all away.  I gave my life and all that I had completely over to you.”

Because if you and I can say that at the end of our lives we might die “broke” by the world’s standards but we will die “blessed” according to God’s standards.  All because we made a decision to live differently.  A decision to walk differently for God.  So will you walk differently for God within your life?  Will you walk differently for Jesus within your life?

Because that’s our challenge and we can summarize it in this way…

Walk differently by giving your life away and teaching others to do the same.

Let’s pray.

[Prayer:  For God to help us to walk differently for Him and give our life away for Jesus.]

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