From Faith to Famine.

What do you do when your faced with a very hard situation?

What do you do when there are no easy answers?

Abraham faced aced this when he was given a great promise from God, but then came a great problem.

English Standard Version Chapter 12

The Call of Abram

12 Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

4 So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, 6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. 8 From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD. 9 And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb.

Abram and Sarai in Egypt

10 Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land. 11 When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance, 12 and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake.” 14 When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. 15 And when the princes of Pharaoh saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. 16 And for her sake he dealt well with Abram; and he had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels.

17 But the LORD afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 18 So Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife; take her, and go.” 20 And Pharaoh gave men orders concerning him, and they sent him away with his wife and all that he had.

PRAY!

Part I: Faith

Verse 1. God said GO!

To a land I will show you. He didn’t reveal where, just to start moving. God doesn’t always map out everything, cause we wouldn't need faith then.

Verse’s 2-3. Abraham was promised to become a great nation

Abraham was promised he would be the father of a great nation and he was to blessing to all families of the Earth (Jesus Christ.)

Gen 26:4 “I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed,”

Canaan= Isreal, gaza and the west bank, Jordan, Southern parts of Syria and Lebanon.

Part II: Famine

Verse 10. Abraham leans on his own understanding.

Prov 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

Prov 14:12 “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.”

Verse 11. Fear instead of Faith.

Lack of faith produces fear, which distorts the truth.

Verse 13. Here comes “the flesh.”

“That it may be well with me.”

A bit of selfish agenda, wouldn't you say?

Verse 14. “The Numbers 14:28” effect. “So it was.”

Abrahams lack of faith led to sin, and sin has consequences.

Abrahams decisions led to:

Verse 15. His wife being led into adultery

Verse 17. Utter calamity and plagues for Pharoah

Verse 18-20. Shame and banishment for Abraham and family.

So Abraham and his family left The land of Egypt, but Egypt never really left poor Lot.

Gen 13:10 “And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)”

Lot settled in Sodom. At first in a tent outside the gate of the city, then to a house inside the city...

In Gen 14 Lot was led into captivity.

In Gen 16, He lost his wife. She was turned into a pillar of stone.

In Gen 19 He had drunken incest with his 2 daughters.

But Abraham had Egypt issues of his own.

In Gen 16 were told that Abraham had an illegitimate child with his wife's Egyptian servant.

She bears him a son “Ishmael” Who became the founder of Islam.

God Told Abraham that his wife shall bear you son.

Gen 17:19 “God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.”

The 4 main lessons:

The God who calls us, will be faithful to sustain us.

God would have provided.

1 Thess 5:24 “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.”

2. God doesn't leave us, even when we leave Him.

Isa 41:10 “fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

God brought Abraham to very place his tent was in the beginning. Thank God for do overs!

3. Every famine is a test of our faith.

God told Abraham He was giving this land to Your descendants, Abraham didn't have any descendants at that time. The promises of God’s word couldn't have been fulfilled if he had been killed in Egypt. He was never in danger of being killed, He got fished..

James 1:2-4 “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

4. God is faithful to redeem us.

In chapter 17 of Genesis Abraham gets back on track.

2 Tim 2:13 “if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.”

Rom 4:3 “For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.””

Hall of Faith shutout to Abraham.

Heb 11:8 “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.”

CALL WORSHIP TEAM

In closing, Thank God He is a God of 2nd chances. There have been many heavyweights in the Bible who utterly failed but God faithfully redeemed each one of them.

Abraham went back and built an altar.

Moses was a murderer who went on the run for at least 40 years and made every excuse in the world about why he couldn't do what God wanted him to do.

Elijah had so much anxiety and depression that he asked God to take his life. “Suicide by God.”

King David was an adulterer who had his mistress’s husband murdered.

And don't forget Peter who we talked about on Easter, who failed Jesus like none other.

PRAY!