Abraham, Father of Faith
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16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,
17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.
18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations; according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb:
20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
Introduction
Introduction
If you were to somehow learn the language of a tribe in the Amazon that had never been contacted by civilization, fly there in an airplane, take a boat to the village, and then try to explain to them how you got to their village, they might believe that you got there in a boat, but the airplane might be a step too far.
You’ve asked them to believe something that, with their limited understanding of civilization, is impossible. They would never follow you back the way you came.
If you are going to follow Christ in this hour you must have faith to believe something that is impossible for our finite minds to fully comprehend. If you do not believe it, you will never make the journey.
It’s a long way from Ur to Canaan. Without faith, it’s too long. No one thinking rationally would ever make the journey, but Abraham did. That is why he is the father of our faith.
6 And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
In Genesis Chapter 11 we have the story of the tower of Babel.
1 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.
2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.
They began to build cities and a tower under the leadership of Noah’s great-grandson Nimrod.
God confounded their language and they began to separate and spread out over the earth.
One of the cities they built in the plain of Shinar was the city of Ur.
Eight generations after Noah one of his son Shem’s descendants settled there, by the name of Terah.
27 Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot.
28 And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees.
This means Abram would have been born in Ur.
Ur was the New York City of its day. It was a city of idolators, and worshipped the moon god among many others.
The Bible says Terah was an idolater.
2 And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.
Abram wasn’t raised by Godly parents or in a Christian home.
He was an ordinary Chaldean.
They were an idol worshipping family.
(Example: Rachel stealing Laban’s idols)
This was Abraham and Sarah’s family, descended from Terah.
Idol worshippers. Babylonians.
He was just a Chaldean down there in the city of Ur, come down in the valleys of Shinar, from the tower of Babel, from idol-worship. I think his daddy was an idol-worshipper.
And I think Laban, after he got down there, proved it, he had them idols. Where could he have got them, if he didn’t come out of the tower of Babel? And out of Ham’s people come Nimrod. Nimrod set up the tower of Babel, which was idol-worship, the first idol-worship on the earth. 53-0326 - "Israel And The Church #2"
Look how Bro. Branham stresses this:
And in Genesis, we find a man by the name of Abraham…that came down, probably from Babylon, a idol worshipper, came down in the valleys of Shinar, dwelled in the land of Chaldea, the city of Ur. He was married to his half sister, Sarah.
And as they came down in this land, and all the peoples there was, everywhere, Abraham wasn’t any better than anyone else. But God, by sovereign grace and election, called Abraham, according to election.
Romans 1 could be a family history of Abram’s family:
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
There is a direct link between Babylon and Sodom. Idolatry and perversion.
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
Idolatry leading to immorality, the elevation of self-made gods and the elevation of self as a god.
No thing said that Abraham was any better. Don’t even say he was a believer, in the beginning, but God with His unmerited grace, Abraham was saved. 54-0814 - "The Unconditional Covenant That God Made With The People"
No wonder he is called the father of our faith.
Terah gets his family out of Ur, they make it as far as Haran.
31 And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there.
32 And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.
1 Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
Why Abraham? Because Abraham was chosen by God.
At this time, Abraham is 75 years old.
Why did God call Him? Why did he obey? Election.
Abraham had a deposit of faith in his life that he didn’t even know was there.
8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
He was tired of Ur and its corruption, something inside of him called for a better land.
Now, God by foreknowledge could set election. Therefore when He called Abraham, who was Abraham? Abraham was no more than any other man.
He came down from Babylon with his father, and his wife, Sarah, which was his half-sister, and He dwelled in the city of Ur, and the plains, and the valley of Shinar there.
And, supposingly, of a morning he went out and picked some berries and eat them, at noon he went into bush and killed meat, and lived a pretty long life, they did in those days, with the way his diet was considered and everything, and they did live a long life.
But notice, Abraham was no different from no one else, but God by election called Abraham, for he was no more than anyone else. 56-0223 - "God's Covenant With Abraham And His Seed"
God called Him, and gave him an unconditional covenant.
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
The Jews relied on being Abraham’s children for their blessings. John the Baptist rebuked them for it:
9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
Jesus as well:
39 They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham.
40 But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.
56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.
How did he see it? By Faith.
6 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.
We are Abraham’s seed by faith.
You’ve got to believe or you’ll never make the journey.
Abraham’s entire lifestyle changed, from a city dweller to a nomad who lived in tents.
Now, before you can become a Christian, God called you. Not you calling God; God called you. Now, He called Abraham, and he’s the father of us all, the faith. 53-0325 - "Israel And The Church #1"
And that was the very beginning of our salvation that was given to man, when He called him, and elected him, and predestinated him, and give him a promise, and made a covenant with Abraham and his Seed, forever. 53-0325 - "Israel And The Church #1"
Now, Abraham the patriarch come down out of Shinar, away from the tower of Babel. He and his father journeyed down into the plains.
And there, Abraham, at the age of about seventy-five years old, God called Abraham, by election, and sent him out of his own country, telling him that he was going to have a child by his wife, Sarah, who was sixty-five years old at the time.
God promised. I want you to see how God’s promises are so real to those who will accept it. And He told him what He was going to do. And he moved out, not knowing where he was going, but sojourned in a strange land. 54-0404E - "God Has A Provided Way"
Now, Abraham, God called him by election. He wasn’t any better than anybody else.
(Came from Idolatry)
But he came down into the land of Shinar, in the city of Ur, and there they sojourned in there, and God, by sovereign grace, called Abraham. Not Abraham calling God, God called Abraham and give him the covenant. 55-0222 - "Jehovah-Jireh"
Now notice, Abraham just an ordinary man, but God, by election, sovereign grace, called Abraham, when there’s many young men in the land in that day. There was probably some more capable of doing the job, as the world would think than Abraham was, but God knows the heart. 56-0613 - "Jehovah-Jireh"
And we’ll kinda review the life of Abraham just a little, because he was an outstanding character. And he was a man who believed God. And now, he had no great background to believe God, because it’s commonly believed that he was from a family of idolaters.
He came down from Babylon, his family, dwelt in their land of Chaldea, the city of Ur, the valleys of Shinar, and was just an ordinary man. He wasn’t no Angel. He was just a man like you and I.
And God looking over the earth to see for a men that He could put confidence in, that would believe Him regardless of circumstances, He found Abraham, and called Abraham by election. 56-0815 - "Faith"
Now, Abraham came down to the land of Chaldea to the city of Ur to dwell there, and they probably lived a pretty fair life in those days. He probably picked berries for his breakfast, and go in the bush and kill a animal for his noon day, and then eat some more berries at night, and so forth. And he fared pretty good.
But one day while Abraham was walking around at seventy-five years old…And he had married his half sister, Sarah, when she was just a girl. And she was sixty-five years old. She was ten years younger than Abraham.
And Abraham walking around, God called Abraham by grace, by election. He called Abraham and chose him among all the men in the world. God called Abraham, because He wanted to give to Abraham His covenant. 56-1208 - "Abraham"
Now, look, Abraham was just an ordinary man, perhaps come out of a family of idolatry. ’Cause they came down from Babylon, the land of Shinar where they worshipped all kinds of different things and roots and so forth, and had all kinds of “isms.”
Let’s take his life for a few moments. Here he comes; he’s just an ordinary man. He lived in the city of Ur, the land of—in among the Chaldeans, and just an ordinary man. And but God, by foreknowledge knowed Abraham’s heart. That’s the reason He called Abraham.
If you’re a Christian, that’s why He called you. He foreknew you. The Scripture says so, Ephesians 1—1 and 5: “God knowed us and ordained us before the foundation of the world.”
He knew every spirit, He’s infinite. He knowed who would and who would not. And if He’s called you, and you know He’s called you, why let the devil push you around? That’s all keeping you from having perfect victory.
That’s what’s the matter with the church tonight. They’re called of God. I believe they are. But the devil just makes a puppet out of them to push them around from place to place. Toe the mark with him and call the Scripture on his hand. 59-0415E - "The Faith Of Abraham"
Every one of us has to have that solid ground. God called me!
The devil would like you to live your life as a victim of circumstances, but how can you be a victim if God called you?
30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
And Abraham, one day, when he was perhaps out in the field, hunting or whatever he was doing, picking berries, or whatever his job might have been, he met God. And from that time, he was changed. He could call things that was not, as though they were, because he had met God.
He had knowed the minute and the hour that he met God. It changed him. And God called him to be the father of many nations. And believed God and believed His promise, because he had met God.
Twenty-five years later, they were discussing, trying to disgust him, tell him that he had believed something was wrong. But the Bible said, “He got stronger all the time, giving praise to God.” Because, he knowed that God had to keep the promise.
He knew he had nothing to do with it.
Legalism destroys faith. If my works got me in, then my works could take me out. If I chose to be a believer, I could choose to be an unbeliever.
Abraham met God by God’s choice. The place and the time were known by God, but completely unknown by Abraham. You met Him the same way.
That’s when a man meets God. It changes his make-up. It gives him a super sense. As I was speaking the other night, the natural man only has the five senses. But, the believer, when he meets God, he gets something different.
It’s a super sense that lifts him up above the shadows. It makes him believe things that’s impossible to come to pass. He still believes they will come to pass, because God said so. When a man meets God, something takes place. 59-1231 - "And From That Time"
God called Abraham by grace. Not because he was a different person; he was just Abraham, just an ordinary man. Not because he was a priest or a dignitary; he was just a farmer. He come down from the city of the Babylon Tower, with his father, and they had went to Chaldea, Ur of Chaldea. 62-0705 - "Jehovah-Jireh #1"
And the first thing you know, maybe he was a, oh, a field man, or a sheepherder, or something, and one day he was out in the field when he was seventy-five years old, his wife, Sarah was sixty-five, and God met Abraham and told him of another Land that was far beyond that.
And He told him he was going to have a baby by Sarah, and she was past the age of bearing, and had been sterile all of her life, and, oh, he was, too, but what was going to take place? God was going to perform something.
And that man for year after year, as long as he lived, he professed that he was a pilgrim and a stranger, looking for a City whose Builder and Maker was God. Amen. It changes a man when he hears God speak to him.
By election God spoke to Abraham. What is this Message? It is the voice of God to you. Not Bro. Branham’s voice, but the Word is God’s voice.
1 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, And is become the habitation of devils, And the hold of every foul spirit, And a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, And the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, And the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, That ye be not partakers of her sins, And that ye receive not of her plagues.
The second voice is the voice of predestination.
Oh, listen this week, listen for the Voice of God to speak to you, It’ll change you, It’ll take all the doubt out of your mind, knowing that our Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
When we see Him come into the meetings, begin to do the same things that He did when He was here on earth, then you want to listen close for that little Voice, that Something that’ll change you, and say, “Yes, God, that’s exactly what the Scripture says, that’s Word by Word what the Scripture says.”
Go home, take your Bible, reason it out, see if it’s right, search through the Scripture, it has to come from Genesis to Revelation, tie through the Bible.
That’s exactly your promise, then hear God, it’ll change you, it’ll give you faith to believe.
Them crippled hands will come loose, those legs will come loose, that cancer will vanish away, those blind eyes will open, and the things that God promised will be made manifest. 60-0729 - "What It Takes To Overcome All Unbelief: Our Faith"
6 O come, let us worship and bow down: Let us kneel before the Lord our maker.
7 For he is our God; And we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice,
Harden not your heart.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Have you met Him? Like Abraham, have you heard His voice?
