I was packed and ready to go to college. I was leaving my folks, my church, my friends, my job, to go to a place I had only been once. To go to a college where I only knew two other people.

I was leaving a job and moving to a place where I did not have a job. I was going away from free room and board to a place where I would have to pay for not only my room, my food, my tuition but all of my expenses. It was finally all on me and I was a bit scared.

Soon, 500 miles would separate me from everything I had known in the last six years of my life.

Like thousand of other graduating seniors, I left for college.

Over the next couple of Sundays I want to share a story with you about another person who left home. He was far older and more settled than I was when he left. He didn’t go alone but took his whole family.

While I knew where I was going – this poor guy didn’t have a clue.

Abraham comes on the scene in Bible history in Genesis chapter 12, but here in Hebrews chapter 11, because of His Faith, he is in the Cooperstown of Bible History.

Abraham became a man of outstanding faith, because when life grew complicated:

He chose to put his life, his future, his family, and his plans into the hands of Almighty God - and our outstanding God was able to give us Abraham, a man of outstanding faith to be a mentor for each of us today.

I want to be clear - this church serves an Outstanding God!

Our city needs to see Abrahams living their lives for God as extraordinary men and women of Faith.

Our children and grandchildren need to see faith lived out before their eyes - faith that is so thick that they can reach out and almost touch it.

This neighborhood around our church building - and the neighborhood where you live - need to witness a life of faith – a life of faith that has taken the next step to live like Abraham – the Father of the Faithful.

I want this series of messages not merely to be taped on audio and CD, put in booklet form, and shared for 30 minutes, but I want the content of this material, to change my life – and I hope it will change your life too.

I believe God wants all of us to go for the Gold in Faith!

Hebrews 11:6 says, "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." (KJV)

Alan, isn’t the faith the size of a mustard seed – enough? Didn’t Jesus say that? Yup, he sure did.

While faith the size of black pepper is great, we need to go for the gold. Go for the Academy Award.

Let’s look at the first part of Abraham’s story in Hebrews 11:8-10:

8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. (NIV)

As we have read this passage, I think we can divide it into two simple thoughts – see if you agree. The first…

I do not know what challenges God will place in your life to assist you in growing your faith – but I do know that He will allow challenging circumstances to cross your path - circumstances that have the potential to make you either an incredibly bitter and unhappy person or an awesome son or daughter of faith.

Abraham's challenge at first glance may seem like an adventure, like a trip to Disney World, but I doubt Abraham viewed it quite that way.

It’s as if God were saying, "Abraham, my dear, settled friend. It’s time to pack it up – we’re going on a trip. No, you don’t get to pick and you can’t ask, "Are we there yet?"

You are going to a place with a lot of sand. Not only have you never been there, but I’m not prepared at this time to even tell you where it is, and frankly, there are going to be days you will probably long for home.

In this land in which you will never own anything – except the tomb you will buy for Sarah, you will always be a stranger. You’re not going to actually fit in well Abraham.

Your home will be, well, a tent. A nice tent, but still a tent. No home, no mansion, no duplex, no apartment. Nope, just a tent. But, did I say a nice tent? And it will be that way my friend until later, when you trade the tent in for a coffin.

When our faith is incredibly challenged – we will discover it growing with extraordinary speed.

For you and me – I don’t know the challenging circumstances we will be called upon to face, but I'm convinced that God isn't finished growing our faith yet.

Because of this, it is very important to see how Abraham responded to God’s Call.

In verse 8 if there is just one word to underline, it is the word "obey."

Abraham obeyed – even though he did not know where he was going!

He did what God said to do. His faith was growing.

It might be just a good time to toss a definition of faith your way. It kind of puts a handle on the word so you carry it with you.

Faith is absolute confidence in the character and integrity of God.

We’re going to see this again and again in the life of Abraham. But what’s more exciting than that is we’re going to get a glimpse of it in the lives of people in our day, too. In the life of our husband or wife, our children. We’re going to see it in our fellow Christians as they face the challenges of life . We'll hear about it coming out of devastation in New Orleans and Biloxi. We've heard about it in the lives of many after 9-11 and from many of the families who have sons and daughters in Iraq.

But what will be the icing on the cake is when someone sees this in you my friend – your faith moving you to actively obey God and as a result you are becoming to a larger degree the person God wants you to be.

Before we look at the second thought this morning – there is something here in the original language the book was written in that you got to see:

In the Greek, the phrase, "he was called" is in what is referred to as a present participle and means that as soon as he understood what God was saying, he started packing his bags and getting ready to go. It may have taken several months to get ready, but his was an instant obedience to what God had to say.

Abraham’s faith required a willingness to leave – but there’s more.

Faith is belief in action. It is stepping out on our belief. Our belief leads us to a growing faith.

I have to ask because my thinking process works this way – what was it that motivated Abraham to "head ‘em up and move ‘em out?"

Couldn’t Abraham have served God in Ur?

Couldn’t He have been a man of faith without leaving town?

People knew him in Ur. He was established there. He had a reputation there. He was well thought of in Ur.

Why trade all this for a road-trip paved with sand and a lodging in a tent?

Could I have done this?

Could you have done this?

Although it does not say specifically in our text, I believe Abraham was given a vision along with the call from God.

Look again at verse 10:

10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. (NIV)

The land was in sight, but it wasn’t in hand.

The key to Abraham’s believing was his assurance and hope of the promise of God.

Abraham this incredible man of faith, our mentor, shares with us that while the hardest part is the "waiting" for it to happen - the "in-between" time from start to finish – he waited – he believed - because he understood the value of the City of God.

Abraham was willing to leave and he was willing to believe.

Listen to verse 1 of the chapter – this is Abraham and I want it to be me.

I have to say as well – "That’s what I need in my life!"

Here are a few thoughts about living a life of Abraham-like faith…

#1. There are only two ways to live this life. One is by far the most common – living by what we can see with our eyes, touch with our hands, and experience. The other, is far less common. It is to base our life primarily on things we cannot see and touch, and hold in our hands – and this less traveled way – is the life of faith knowing due to experience, ours as well as Abraham’s that God can be trusted.

Which of these two ways are you living? Which of these two ways do you want to live?

As a child of God wanting to grow into an Abraham like faith which of these is your strongest and your weakest attribute?

Which of these needs some time in prayer seeking to fine-tune so we can be men and women of true faith?

#3. Our faith will be seen in tangible actions.

If we believe our city needs to see first hand the faith of present day Abrahams – then we must be prepared to demonstrate it to them:

Our city needs to see these streets full of our cars on Sunday mornings and Sunday evenings. They need to see us walking into this building at every opportunity. They need to see our smiling faces as we leave. They need to see this building full to the max with standing room only.

"How is that going to help?" you ask. As our city sees a Church is not just playing church, not just doing its Sunday duty, but it sees lives transformed by the power of God moving us to give of our money, give of our time, give of our talents, give of our giftedness – well, we are faith on display.

This is not a "guilt trip" this is a "walking by faith trip"

They need to see it as desperately as we need to see Abraham.

I challenge you to be men and women of faith – 24/7/365.