This is Part 1 of a series of 6 sermons I will give on the life of Abraham. Abraham is often referred to as "The Father of the Faithful". We all have to learn to live by faith even as Abraham did. There are many valuable lessons we can learn from his life. In this sermon, we will look at his early years as a young man being brought up in Ur of the Chaldeans. We will discover who he knew and what information would have been passed down to him from those he knew. We will also look at the difficulties he faced long before he is first mentioned in the Bible, in Genesis 12:1. We will also discover that he had a major enemy and we will discover who that enemy was. Abraham's life and journey of faith has many parallels to the calling God has given to each and every one of us. There is much more in God's Word regarding Abraham than meets the eye. In this sermon, we will begin looking at Abraham's journey of faith, beginning with his early years.

Steven Shafer

Elder, United Church of God

Steve Shafer was born and raised in Seattle. He graduated from Queen Anne High School in 1959 and later graduated from Ambassador College, Big Sandy, Texas in 1967, receiving a degree in Theology. He has been an ordained Elder of the Church of God for 34 years and has pastored congregations in Michigan and Washington State. He and his wife Evelyn have been married for over 48 years and have three children and ten grandchildren.