The Ishmael Idea (4 of 4)
Series: Worldly Solutions to Moral Problems
Jeff Strite
Genesis 16:1-16
OPEN: Henry Ward Beecher was a very famous preacher in his day. When he was a boy, it is said that the teacher in the school he attended asked a classmate a question The boy answered, but his teacher became visibly upset with his answer and cried testily: ''Sit down!''
This frightened the boy... and he just sat down.
Several boys were asked the same question - gave the same answer- and promptly became confused when the teacher voiced his unexplained disapproval.
Finally, Beecher was called upon and gave the same answer as the other boys. ''Sit Down!'' roared the teacher.
But Beecher didn't sit down. He held his ground and he insisted that the answer was correct. For a few moments the teacher stormed at him, but after a few moments, he smiled and said: ''Boys, you were all correct, but Beecher was the only one sure enough to stand up for it.''
APPLY: Standing up for what we believe... it's not always an easy thing to do.
Sometimes there's a price to be paid.
Sometimes you face rejection or humiliation
OR sometimes you can even lose something... or someone you love and hold dear.
AS A RESULT: many good men and women would rather not stand up to begin with. It's so much easier to just duck your head and let the storm pass. It's safer and it's a lot easier. It's more comfortable.
That's what Abraham did. Abraham was faced with an opportunity to stand up for what he knew was right. But he realized that, if he did, life was going to get really uncomfortable at home.
I've been told... and I believe it's true... that it's very hard for a man to get his way in marriage. How many of believe that to be true?
ILLUS: One woman related that at a family gathering, some of the husbands began teasing their wives about how the women always seemed to get their way in their marriages.
Responding to the teasing, one woman said: ''Honey, when I g ...
Series: Worldly Solutions to Moral Problems
Jeff Strite
Genesis 16:1-16
OPEN: Henry Ward Beecher was a very famous preacher in his day. When he was a boy, it is said that the teacher in the school he attended asked a classmate a question The boy answered, but his teacher became visibly upset with his answer and cried testily: ''Sit down!''
This frightened the boy... and he just sat down.
Several boys were asked the same question - gave the same answer- and promptly became confused when the teacher voiced his unexplained disapproval.
Finally, Beecher was called upon and gave the same answer as the other boys. ''Sit Down!'' roared the teacher.
But Beecher didn't sit down. He held his ground and he insisted that the answer was correct. For a few moments the teacher stormed at him, but after a few moments, he smiled and said: ''Boys, you were all correct, but Beecher was the only one sure enough to stand up for it.''
APPLY: Standing up for what we believe... it's not always an easy thing to do.
Sometimes there's a price to be paid.
Sometimes you face rejection or humiliation
OR sometimes you can even lose something... or someone you love and hold dear.
AS A RESULT: many good men and women would rather not stand up to begin with. It's so much easier to just duck your head and let the storm pass. It's safer and it's a lot easier. It's more comfortable.
That's what Abraham did. Abraham was faced with an opportunity to stand up for what he knew was right. But he realized that, if he did, life was going to get really uncomfortable at home.
I've been told... and I believe it's true... that it's very hard for a man to get his way in marriage. How many of believe that to be true?
ILLUS: One woman related that at a family gathering, some of the husbands began teasing their wives about how the women always seemed to get their way in their marriages.
Responding to the teasing, one woman said: ''Honey, when I g ...
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