God & Abraham
Notes
Transcript
This morning we come to God and Abraham
I joked with a friend of mine after I told him what I was preaching on that I only had a few options to preach on when it came to God and Abraham
Church their are far more than a few
Maybe when you think of Abraham you immediately go to the song
Father Abraham, Had many sons and many sons had Father Abraham
As I prepared for this sermon I was sort of stumped
What do we talk about
There is almost to much to cover
Which direction do we take it
In the book of James
Abraham is referenced
23 and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God.
James is quoting an older scripture from Genesis that highlights Abraham’s faith
This man had some faith when I don’t know about you but I struggle in my own faith at times
It says that Abraham believed in God and it was created to him
Because Abraham believed in God it was created to him as righteousness
People looked at Abraham and heard about his belief in God and realized that was a good thing
Then James says that Abraham was called a friend of God
We can look at Abraham's life and see he was a friend with God because he trusted God
He had faith in God and of course he spent time with God
Those are the qualities it takes to be a friend of God
But notice that James is sort of saying that everyone knows that Abraham was a friend of God
As Christians we are to be Christ like to do the things Christ did
And as we read scripture we can look at the men of women of faith and see how they lived their lives
Not to be like Abraham but to be closer in our walk with Christ and to be a friend of God we can see how Abraham lived his life and if there are things he did that will bring me closer to God
Abraham had faith in God it is evident when God called him
1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; 2 And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; 3 And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” 4 So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
God called Abram because God had a plan for Abram’s life and to bring salvation to the entire world
To do that He would use a people group
He tells Noah who happens to be 75 yrs old to leave his home town
To leave his home country
With no family to go ahead and leave
And that He would make him a great nation
A great name
All at the age of 75 and with no family
Essentially God is saying that where ever I send you I will go with you
We read that else where in scripture and we see that when God went to prepare a place for us in Heaven He sent us the Holy Spirit
To be with us to go with us as we are obedient to what He has called us to do
Just like He called Abram to leave his home town
So He chose Abram to call
And much like Noah we see Abram respond with obedience
And Abram went forth
He left as directed by God Himself
Church again it should shock us when we read accounts of people hearing direction from God and then being obedient
We see this throughout scripture and we even see it throughout the History of our church
We have seen people receive direction from God and then went and did it
But Church we see obedience as part of being a friend of God
How in the world would you expect to friends of God if we can’t or won’t be obedient to what He has for us to do
10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
We know that God has our best interest at heart
We know that whatever God has for is better than we could ever come up with
And yet we still struggle to be obedient because we are afraid or it is awkward
And then we wonder why we aren’t as close to God as we would like to be or as close as other people talk about being close to God
Church its because we havn’t been obedient when we were given direction
Please hear me this is not a Abram was perfect so go forth and be perfect like Abram
This is a looking over the life of Abram we see him being obedient and then there are times when we see him not be so obedient
But in this particular instance he was obedient and we should be obedient when God calls us
It will fair better for us than if we are not obedient
Thus growing our relationship with God thus leading us to be friends of God
Then we see through their relationship that God tells Abram
You are going to have a son
1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great.” 2 Abram said, “O Lord God, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir.” 4 Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.”
God tells Abram
That once again where you go I will be your shield
I will go with you as you be obedient to what I have called you to do
And because of that your reward will be great
Church if the God of the universe the speaker of stars the breath of life giver says your reward will be great you won’t be able to guess it it will be that awesome
Because of their relationship Abram says what in the world could you give me I don’t have an heir and this servant who has been born in my house will take all my belongings
He will fulfill your promise God of making me a great nation
Then God reminds Him of the promise He had told Him
Church there are times we need to be reminded that God is faithful to fulfill His promises
That when God says I will not leave you nor forsake you we can know that to be true
Even when it feels like we remind ourselves that feelings don’t dictate truth
And so when God said Abram I am going to make you a great nation
I am going to give you a son
Because it is God Abram can trust that it will happen
We know what happens right
God promises a son to Abram
Abram listens to Sarah instead of God
1 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife had borne him no children, and she had an Egyptian maid whose name was Hagar. 2 So Sarai said to Abram, “Now behold, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Please go in to my maid; perhaps I will obtain children through her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.
As a side not there is far more to Abram than his son
Church when God promises you something and you are walking with Him please don’t go and listen to someone else
Abram is married and God has promised him a son
They are advanced in years and still no son
So I want to believe in good intentions Sarai says take my maiden and go into her and have a child and it will be mine through her
Remember though God has been with Abram and been a shield for him and prospered him in stuff and safety and favor with the many people
God has promised him a son and then Abram says oh this might be how God wil accomplish it
even though that is not what God said
Like we said earlier we see Abram being obedient and at times being disobedient or attempting to take things into his own hands
In the midst of walking with God and hearing from God we see Abram listen to an outside voice
Church it is in those moments that we are called to take ever thought captive
5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,
When we hear from God and then the outside voices start to sound off
It is our time to destroy them but taking ever thought captive and filter it through scripture
We are to seek the Lord through His word to ensure we are hearing directly from Him
Then we can also find out trusted brother and sister who are also walking with God and have them help us pray through it
Then church we go back to being obedient to the Word of God
We know what else happened with Abram right
There is some division in his house between Sarai and Hagar because of Ishmael
And in the midst of it God still promises to give Abram a son
God changes the name of Abram to Abraham
Which literally means father of many nations
1 Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless. 2 “I will establish My covenant between Me and you, And I will multiply you exceedingly.” 3 Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying, 4 “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, And you will be the father of a multitude of nations. 5 “No longer shall your name be called Abram, But your name shall be Abraham; For I will make you the father of a multitude of nations. 6 “I have made you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come forth from you.
Abram goes from Abraham to confirm that he will be the father of many nations
Remember the son
Father Abraham had many sons and many sons had father Abraham
I am one of them and so you are
We know the lingage of Jesus Christ
We know that the scripture says if we have repented and trusted in Jesus we are co heirs with Christ
We are graphed into the family through Christ
Church we see Abraham have faith in God
through everything that went on Abraham was a man of faith
8 By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; 10 for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore there was born even of one man, and him as good as dead at that, as many descendants as the stars of heaven in number, and innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore. 13 All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. 15 And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them. 17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; 18 it was he to whom it was said, “In Isaac your descendants shall be called.”
Notice how it all starts with Abraham
By Faith
Abraham had faith in God and church that is what is required to be a friend of God
Scripture says it is impossible to please God without faith
Abraham was faithful without having the Scriptures to give him strength
We have the scriptures we have those spiritual Giants who have gone before us to watch their lives
Church We are to have faith and be obedient to God when He calls us
When we have faith
And yes I know sometimes it must be exercised maybe you are called to go and plant a church in a small town
Maybe you are called into a new job
Maybe you are called to step into a leadership role at work or at church
Maybe you are called to and fill in the blank
Whatever it is as long as it is from God then we are to be obedient
When we do that church I know we grow in Christ
And we become friends with God
Our faith will be scene by others and church it is our goal they see our faith and come to know Christ personally
Church as we come to a close this morning
Maybe you are here this morning and you do not know Jesus personally
This morning Maybe Jesus is inviting you to have faith for the first time
Would you be obedient to come to the front and speak with someone
Or maybe you have a personal relationship and you simply need to spend sometime in prayer at the altar
Would you be obedient to come down to the front and just spend sometime in prayer with God this morning
Or maybe there is some other decision to make this morning would you respond obediently
The alter is open
Abram promised a son
Abram believed and had faith
Abram friend of God
