LifePointe Christian Church

ORIGIN STORY: God Starts What Can't Be Stopped - When God Takes Too Long - Week 2

August 30th, 2026

Chris Delfs, Senior Pastor

We protect ourselves and stop believing because hope can hurt when you’ve been disappointed enough times.

God starts something, we mess it up, but God keeps moving His story forward

God often starts with people who don’t look capable of what He’s called them to do

Genesis 12:1
The LORD had said to Abram, ‘Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you.’ NLT

Genesis 12:2-3
‘I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.’ NLT

Hebrews 11:8
It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. NLT

Faith doesn’t need to know WHERE when faith knows WHO

When God’s timing doesn’t make sense, we’re tempted to step in and help God out

God’s faithfulness is bigger than our fear

Romans 4:18
Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping. NLT

Romans 4:19-21
And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb. Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. NLT

Faith and hope face the FACTS — they just don’t give the facts the FINAL WORD

Genesis 15:5
Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have! NLT

Genesis 15:6
And Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD counted him as righteous because of his faith. NLT

Genesis 15:8
O Sovereign LORD, how can I be sure that I will actually possess it? NLT

Faith and questions can coexist - faith knows WHO to take the questions to

COVENANT: If I break my promise, may what happened to these animals happen to me

Genesis 15:17-18
After the sun went down and darkness fell, Abram saw a smoking firepot and a flaming torch pass between the halves of the carcasses. So the LORD made a covenant with Abram that day. NLT

The strength of our hope is not determined by how badly we want something - it is determined by where we put our hope

Genesis 12:3
All the families on earth will be blessed through you. NLT

Abraham is thinking about one son. God is thinking about every family on earth

Every time Sarah said Isaac’s name, she was reminded: God did what sounded impossible

Genesis 22:2
Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you. NLT

God’s command seems to contradict God’s promise

Genesis 22:3
The next morning Abraham got up early………and set out for the place God had told him about. NLT

Hebrews 11:19
Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. NLT

Abraham doesn’t know HOW God will keep His promise - He just knows God WILL

Genesis 22:8
God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering. NLT

God’s promise to bless all families through Abraham ultimately finds its fulfillment in Jesus

Have I surrendered this to God, or have I surrendered my hope?

SURRENDER: Trusting God with the outcome
RESIGNATION: There is nothing left to hope for

Our confidence isn’t in getting the OUTCOME we want
Our confidence is in the FAITHFULNESS of God

If hope is in the outcome - it rises and falls with our circumstances
If hope is in God - we can trust Him even when story doesn’t go as we hoped

Where have you quietly stopped hoping because you can’t see God working?

Where is your confidence resting right now?

HOPE faces the facts without giving the facts the FINAL WORD
Our confidence is in God’s FAITHFULNESS