The Abraham family
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Hebrews 11: 8 – 10
Hebrews 11: 8 – 10
Introduction: the Antarctic summer
of 1908-9,
Sir Ernest Shackleton
and three companions
attempted to travel
to the South Pole
from their winter quarters.
They set off
with four ponies
to help carry the load.
and
Weeks later,
their ponies dead,
their rations
all but exhausted,
they turned back
toward their base,
their goal
not accomplished.
now
Altogether,
they trekked
for 127 days.
and
On their return journey,
as Shackleton records
in The Heart of the Antarctic,
they spent their time
talking about food
-- elaborate feasts,
gourmet delights,
sumptuous menus.
and as they staggered along,
suffering from dysentery,
not knowing
whether they would survive,
every waking hour
was occupied with thoughts
of eating.
But in sharp contrast
Jesus,
who also knew
the ravages
of food deprivation,
said,
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for RIGHTEOUSNESS."
But that being said
We can understand
Shackleton's obsession with food,
But how we need
To have an obsession
For righteousness
And Abraham did
And with that in mind
Let’s read our text
For tonight
As I’ve already mentioned
It is in the book
Of Hebrews
Hebrews 11
The Bible says
In Hebrews 11:8–10 “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. 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: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”
Let’s pray
(Pray)
I. Abraham was a regular man
Declaration
Now
As we think about
The text
That we read a moment ago
We can’t help
But consider
That Abraham
Was a man of faith
he
Obeyed by faith
He journeyed
By faith
We are told there
And in the Bible
Abraham
Is one
Of the most
important individuals
That we can ever read about
his
Family
Including Isaac
Jacob
And Joseph.
But Abraham’s family
Teaches us
lesson
After lesson
After lesson
And
For the next several weeks
We’re going to be studying
Those lessons.
But be that
as it may
We’ve been looking
At family lessons
That is
Families
From the Bible
Who teaches life lessons
For our Christian life.
And we began this series
Just a few weeks ago
By studying
The Adam family
And
We learned that
Satan is subtle.
he Is deceitful
And his goal is
To very dutifully
Tempt us..
To disobey the Word of God
And to disobey
The Lord
So
We would do well
To resist the devil
And stay close
To the Lord our God
Then
Last week
We looked
At the Noah family
and we found +
that Noah
Had a boatload
Of faith
In that
As a very righteous man
he
Even though he couldn’t see
Any signs
Of a flood
He labored tenaciously
for 75
to 100 years
Even though no one
Believed
Noah’s message
That God was about the judge
The world.
See
Noah believed God
And
his Faith
in the Lord his God
Led to his faithfulness
For the Lord
his God
And our faith in God
Will likewise lead
To our faithfulness
As well
But
This evening
As we continue this study
On family lessons
I want to begin tonight
Talking about
The Abraham family
And
As I’ve already mentioned
There are four key figures
In his family.
Abraham himself
His son Isaac
His grandson Jacob
And Abrahams great-grandson
Joseph
But
I want to begin
Tonight
By sharing a lesson
About Abraham
Himself
And
As I read our text
Tonight
One keyword
Stands out
Above all the rest.
It is the word faith
(Hebrews 11:8–10 “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. 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: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”
But
As I read this text
I remember
That the narrative
Is found
In the book of Genesis
Put a marker here
Because at the end
Of this sermon
Will come back to this passage
But
Turn all the way back
if you would
To the book of Genesis
Genesis 11
Abraham is first introduced
To us
In Genesis 11
and in this chapter
the stage is set
for
the Biblical narrative
by introducing Terah's family
and their journey
from Ur of the Chaldeans
to Haran,
Terah
Was Abraham’s daddy
In fact
Read with me
Versus 26 to 31
The Bible says
(Genesis 11:26–31 “And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot. And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees. And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah. But Sarai was barren; she had no child. 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.”
But
As we turn the page
To chapter 12
And then all the way through
The chapter 25
We read about
The life of Abraham.
And
I want us
To first of all
Consider
That
Abraham
Was a regular man
See
We sometimes get the idea
That people like Abraham
People
Like Noah
People
Like Joseph
Or Samuel
or king David
We somehow
Have the idea
That these men
And others like them
Were superhuman
But
Let me say!
That just isn’t so
Not at all
All of these men
Were just regular people
Just
Flesh and blood people
They were people
Number 1
Who had the sin nature
Abraham
Was a sinner
Like you and me.
In fact
although
there were
20 generations
between Adam
and Abraham
yet
Adam passed his sin nature down
To all
Of his posterity
and therefore
Abraham
Was a sinner
as well
In fact
Let’s read together
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: 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: 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. So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.
So apparently
God called Abraham
To go to Canaan
And he went
But
The Bible says
In verse 10 there
(Genesis 12:10 “And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.”
So think about that
God
Knowing every detail
Of Abraham’s life
Knowing
Every part
Of his journey
Through the land of Canaan
Knowing full well
That a famine
would take place
In that place
Yet
God led him
To Canaan.
That was God’s perfect will
For he
And his family.
But when Abraham saw
This famine
He set aside
God’s sovereign plan
In order to do
What he thought
Was best.
In the moment!
And
How much
Abraham is
Like us sometimes
Who when
After God has led us
To a certain place
Or to do
A certain thing
Yet
When trials come
Our way
Sometimes we too...
Leave the will of God
Because of those things.
And when that happens
Do you know what it is
Do you know
What it is
When we don’t trust God
And His leadership?
When we don’t act in faith?
It is sin
In fact
The apostle Paul wrote
In Romans 14:22–23 “Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth. And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”
I’m
Just saying
That Abraham
Was a regular guy
Flesh and blood!
And as a regular guy
With flesh and blood
Then just like you and me
Abraham
Sinned
on occasion
There was
Another time
Here in this passage
That Abraham sinned.
Read with me
Verses 11 – 17
The Bible says
(Genesis 12:11 – 17
And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon: Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee. And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair. The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels. And the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram’s wife.
Now
Think about that
Abraham
Made his wife
Lie for him.
So in effect
Abraham
told a lie
And
Speaking of lies..
Bearing false witness...
Is a sin
(Exodus 20:16 “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.”
And that wasn’t the only time
That Abraham sinned
In this manner
In fact
Turn ahead
To chapter 20
And read with me
Versus 1 – 2
The Bible says
Genesis 20:1–2 “And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar. And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.”
So here
Abraham himself
Tells the same lie.
By the way
It was a 1/2 lie
But a half lie
Is a whole sin.
But he did!
So
I’m just trying to get you
To see
That Abraham
Wasn’t superhuman
He wasn’t
ultra ultra spiritual
Abraham
Was like all of us
he
Had flesh and blood
And because he had this flesh
This old sin nature
Then
he sinned
From time to time
And while lying
Seemed to be
His besetting sin
And
Although the Bible
Doesn’t record it...
We know that Abraham
In all likelihood
sinned
On other occasions
Even though
We don’t read about them!
And
Aren’t you glad
That our sins
Aren’t widely publicized either
I mean
Can you imagine
If our sins
All of them
Were put on display
For the whole world
to see?
My
That would be embarrassing
Wouldn’t it?
But thank the Lord
This evening
That our sins
Are under the blood of Christ
In fact
Psalm 103:12 “As far as the east is from the west, So far hath he removed our transgressions from us.”
Praise God
Psalm 103:13–14 “Like as a father pitieth his children, So the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust.”
I’m so glad
God remembers
Our fleshly nature
And is merciful!
But
Just like you
Just like me
Just like all of us
Abraham too
Was a sinner
he Had the sin nature
number 2
Not only
did Abraham
Have the sin nature
But his family
Needed sustenance
And nourishment.
And turn with me
To chapter 13
Here in Genesis
And
Let’s read
Versus 1 – 2
The Bible says
(Genesis 13:1–2 “And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south. And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.”
Now think about that
Abraham
Initially
Went down into Egypt
Because of a famine
he
Obviously went there
In search
Of sustenance
And nourishment
But the time came
When he decided
To trust God again
and return
to Canaan
And
God
In His grace and mercy
Provided graciously
And abundantly
For Abraham
And his family
God gave him cattle
Silver
And gold
in abundance
And
There is a lesson there
For all of us
and the lesson is this
God knows what we need
God is able
To provide
All that we need!
He
Knows we need
Sustenance
And nourishment
And God is able
To provide sustenance
And nourishment
For us as believers
And
All we need to do
Is to simply
Put Him first
In our life
I am reminded
Of the words of Jesus
In Matthew 6
Let me read them for you
Jesus said
In Matthew 6:25 – 33
Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Now
Did you see that statement
In verse 32?
Your heavenly Father
knoweth
That you need all these things?
And your heavenly Father
Is able to provide them
For you?
You
Don’t have to try
To figure it out
Yourself
You don’t have
To try to get it
On your own
All you need to do
Is
To seek God’s kingdom first
That is
To put God first
And if you do
Then all the things you need
Like sustenance and nourishment
But all the things you need
Shall be added
Unto you
But again
Abraham
Was a regular man
Just a regular guy
He didn’t walk on water
He wasn’t perfect
No
Like you and me
He had the sin nature
So he sinned
From time to time
And just like you and me
He and his family
Needed sustenance
And nourishment
And
Like you and me
His heavenly Father
knew
That he and his family
Needed nourishment
And sustenance
Discussion
But
Being a regular guy
Not only
Did Abraham
Have the sin nature
And not only
Did Abraham
Needs sustenance
And nourishment
But
At the same time too
Like you and me
Abraham
had special needs.
We read about them
In our text
When we first began tonight.
Let’s
Read it again
(Hebrews 11:8–10 “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. 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: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”
Now think about that
He didn’t know
Where he was going
So what he needed
Was to walk by faith
That’s a special need
a need
By the way
That all of us has
We too
Need to walk by faith.
Because let’s be honest
Apart from the help of God
We really don’t know
Where we are going
And
Because that’s true
We need to follow the Lord
Because God knows
The best way for us
And
Abraham
Understood that
And because he did
He didn’t dwell
In a permanent place here
He dwelt in tents
Because he was looking
For a better place
And
That is the kind of attitude
We ought to have
As believers today
see
like Abraham
We are just regular people
And although we are people
With the sin nature
And although we are people
Who needs sustenance
And nourishment
Yet
We too are people
With some special needs
We need God’s help.
I’m reminded
Of what Solomon said
In Proverbs 20:24 “Man’s goings are of the Lord; How can a man then understand his own way?”
Now
Do you know
What that is saying
It is a promise
that God will guide
and direct our steps
if we trust
and acknowledge Him
So
Let me ask you
Let me ask us...
Do we acknowledge Him
Which means simply
To recognize Him
For who He is?
But
Do we acknowledge Him
In all our ways
Like we are commanded to...
In Proverbs 3:6
In all thy ways acknowledge him,
And he shall direct thy paths.
Do
We trust Him
Enough to follow Him?
I hope so!
but Again
Like you and me
Abraham
Was flesh and blood
He was just
A regular man.
A regular man..
Who had the sin nature
He needed sustenance
And nourishment
And he was a man
With special needs
So are we!
II. Abraham was a righteous man
Declaration
But
Not only was Abraham
a regular man.
But at the same time too
Abraham
Was a righteous man
In fact
The Bible says
Of Abraham
That
In Genesis 15:6 “And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.”
Now
Think about that
Because he believed the Lord
God counted his belief
As righteousness
Morally uprightness.
Now
We’ve already mentioned
That Abraham
Wasn’t perfect
But yet
When God looked
at Abraham
God considered him
To be righteous
And
Let me share
Some of the characteristics
Of Abraham’s righteousness
That I hope
Will be of benefit
To each of us
This evening
Number 1
Abraham
Heeded
The call of God
In fact
Look with me again
In Genesis 12
And let’s read
Versus 1 – 3
The Bible says
(Genesis 12:1–3 “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: 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: 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.”
Now
Do you see
God’s calling
Upon Abraham?
It is clear.
God said Abraham
I know you’re living
In Haran
now .
Ancient Harran
by the way
was
located
in southeastern Turkey,
near the modern-day
Syrian border.
But God said
Abraham...
I want you...
I am calling you
to
Pick up
And move your entire family
Away from Haran
And I want you to go
To the place
That I will show you!
So God’s calling
Was Fairly clear
And then
Notice verse 4
The Bible goes on to say
(Genesis 12:4 “So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.”
So here’s the picture
Abraham was living
in Haran
With this family
But God told him
To move
To another place
And
Let’s not forget
Why God called Abraham.
In verse two
God said to him
Genesis 12:2 “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:”
So Abraham was to move
Away from Haran
So that he could receive
God’s great blessing
And in the process
Be a great blessing
To many others
So
Because of his righteousness
Because he believed God
Abraham answered the call.
There is no indication
That he was reluctant
Or that he argued
Or that he delayed
No
When God’s call came
He obeyed.
All because
Of his righteousness!
But
What about us
Tonight
How righteous are we
When it comes to our willingness
To follow the call of God?
Someone said
well Preacher
I am not as spiritual
As Abraham was
And I don’t have any call
From God
Well
I disagree
Because the fact is
Every person here tonight
That is
Every Christian
In this auditorium
And even those Christians
Who were listening in
On the Internet
All of us
Has
Both a general calling
And a specific calling
For our lives.
from the God we serve!
And consider first
God’s general calling
For all of us.
As believers
We have been called
to Salvation
And discipleship
through faith
In Jesus Christ
likewise
A core part
of God’s general calling
is to love God
with all our being
and to love our neighbor
as ourself!
The Bible says in Matt 22:35-38
Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.
And
In verse 39
Jesus said
Matthew 22:39 “And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”
And
Not only that
But with regards to Christ’s
general calling
God wants us to strive
for holiness,
and to do justice,
and to walk humbly
with God.
Micah 6:8 “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; And what doth the Lord require of thee, But to do justly, and to love mercy, And to walk humbly with thy God?”
So
In addition
To being called
To love God supremely
And to love our neighbor.
In addition
To being holy
God
Has given us as believers
The Great Commission.
The Bible says
in Matthew 28:19 “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:”
So when it comes
To a general calling
For every Christian
We all have a calling
of Sharing the gospel
But
Let me ask you
Does your faith in God
Lead to righteousness
Enabling you
To share the gospel?
Or maybe
Your faith is weak
And therefore
You don’t share the gospel
Well
As for Abraham
God called him..
And he went!
But
In addition
To a general calling
That all of us
As believers have.
Well
at the same time too
Every Christian
Has a specific calling
from God!
see
Every Christian
has a unique purpose
or path
That God is leading them to
such as
a specific vocation,
A specific place
of ministry,
or a role
within the church.
For some
Perhaps for most
God is calling you
To engage
in part time ministry here
Maybe
As a Sunday school teacher.
As a musician...
On some level.
Or maybe
As a fill in preacher,
Or something else.
So
Are you like Abraham
Who because
he believed in God
Because he believed
That God was sovereign
And
As a result of his belief
He was credited
With righteousness...
And because of his righteousness
With God
He obeyed God’s calling.
So are you
like Abraham?
Or
Maybe you’re not submitting
To God’s calling.
Well listen please.....
Those who are righteous...
Will!
And I hope we will
As well
Discussion
But
When it came
To Abraham’s righteousness,
Not only did he submit
To the calling of God...
But at the same time too,,,
He was willing
to be content
in God
In fact
Turn the page
To chapter 13
Here the book of Genesis
And let’s read together
The first 12 verses
The Bible says
In Genesis 13:1 – 12
And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south. And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. And he went on his journeys from the south even to Beth-el, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Beth-el and Hai; Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the Lord. And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents. And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together. And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdmen of Lot’s cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land. And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren. Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left. And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other. Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.
Now
When I read that text
And consider
The spiritual application
I realize
That there are two kinds
Of Christians
There
Are those
Who are like Lot...
And there are those...
Who are like Abraham!
So let’s talk about Lot
For just a moment
When
Because of all their properties
And possessions
Abraham and Lot
Had to separate...
well...
Lot wasn’t content
With having just a little
no
Lot
Wanted a lot
he
Wasn’t satisfied
With dwelling in tents
He wanted to dwell
In palaces
And as a result
He chose the well watered plains
Of Sodom
And
In time
He got all he wanted
And more.
But at the same time too
He got far more
That he bargained for...
In a very negative way!
Oh but
While there was Lot
who.. was not content.
Well...at the same time to
Here in Genesis 13
There was Abraham
Who is just content
To have
What God wanted him
To have
what God
wanted him
to have
And
As I said a moment ago
There are two kinds of Christians
There are those
Who are like Lot
And there are those
Who are like Abraham
but see
Abraham
Found contentment
In the Lord his God
But Lot
Was not content!
But what about us?
are
you content
with what God
has provided?
I am
Reminded
Of the words
In Hebrews 13:5
The Bible says
(Hebrews 13:5 “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
Now
Think about that
If you would please
The Bible says
Your manner of life...
That is your conversation...
Ought to be
Without covetousness
But instead
You ought to be content
With whatever God gives.
Because no matter what you have
Our God will never leave us
Nor forsake us
See
That’s what righteous people
Do.
That’s how they live
They are willing
to take
Whatever God gives.
and whether
It is little
Or much
That isn’t the point!
They know that God
Is always with them.
And if God
Is always with them
Then they will have
Whatever they need
See
Those who are righteous
are contented Christians!
And by the way
Do you know that word
Content means
There in Hebrews 13:5
It means essentially
to be satisfied
But again
Righteous people
Submit
To the calling of God
I hope we do to
And righteous people
Are contented
With the provision of God
Deliberation
And
Number 3
Righteous people
Are willing to endure
The consternation
Of waiting
On God
Consternation by the way
is feelings
of anxiety
And
Turn to chapter 15
If you would please
And read with me
Versus 1 – 6
The Bible says
(Genesis 15:1 – 6
After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. And, behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
Now
By the way
In Bible days
Children
were everything.
And Abraham
Wanted a son
Sarah did
As well
In fact
In chapter 16
The Bible tells us
In verses 1 – 2
(Genesis 16:1–2 “Now Sarai Abram’s wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.”
So they got a little impatient
Something which by the way
They paid for dearly
But
Abraham
Was willing to endure
A little consternation
the comes in waiting
Because he believed
in God
In fact
From the time
That God promised Abraham
A son
Till the time
God delivered
On that promise
Was 25 years
And
Remember
Children were important
Extremely important
To people
In those days
So
When God promised Abraham
A son
And when dad after day
went by
When month after month
And year after year
Went by
Do you think
Abraham and Sarah
Became a little anxious?
I’m sure!
But God No doubt
Wanted for Abraham to learn
To wait on the Lord.
But then
There is us
and
How are we
When it comes to waiting
on God?
See
God makes promises
To us too!
But He wants us
To learn to wait
On Him.
I am reminded
Of what Isaiah wrote
In Isaiah 40:31 “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings as eagles; They shall run, and not be weary; And they shall walk, and not faint.”
Now
Think about that
If you would please
Those who are willing
To endure
The consternation
Of waiting
Waiting on the Lord
They
By the good grace of God
Will have renewed strength
Because they are learning
To lean on God
And
At the same time too
They shall mount up
On Eagles wings
That
like an eagle soaring effortlessly
on air currents.
symbolizing
being lifted above troubles
by God's power,
and
gaining a new perspective,
and finding enduring strength,
resilience,
and freedom
from worldly burdens
that’s what God does
for those
who wait on Him!
What
Tremendous results there are
That come from waiting on God
They shall Run
And not be weary
And they shall walk
And not faint.
And
Listen please
That’s what righteous people do
They wait on God
They
Are willing
To heed the calling
Of their God
They are contented
With the provision of God
There willing to endure consternation
As they wait on God
Demonstration
And
Number 4
They will accept the challenge
Of obeying God.
And Abraham did!
In fact
In chapter 22
We know the story
The Bible says
In Genesis 22:1–2 “And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.”
My
How challenging
That must have been
To Abraham’s heart.
because..
He
Waited 25 years
In order to have a son.
And now he’s being called upon
To give that son
As a sacrifice.
And
Let me say
As a father myself
There is no way
Abraham
Could understand that
But yet
Because of his righteousness
The Bible says
(Genesis 22:3–5 “And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.”
In other words
Because of his righteousness
Which came about
As a result
Of his belief in God
Abraham
Accepted the challenge
He was willing
To give his son
As a sacrifice!
And
Then there is us.
When God calls upon you
To sacrifice something
So important to you..
Are you willing?
Or do you hold back?
Well
It all depends
On your righteousness
Which comes
From your trust in the Lord.
But see
Abraham
Was a regular man
He had the sin nature
He needed sustenance
And nourishment
And he had special needs.
Yet
Though Abraham
Was a regular man...
Well at the same time too...
Abraham
Was a righteous man
Who
Submitted
To the call of God
He was willing
To be contented
With the provision of God
He was willing to endure
Consternation
While waiting for God
And he gladly accepted
the challenge
Of making an impossible sacrifice
Because of his belief
In the Lord his God
So Christian
Let me ask you
This evening
Are you willing
To submit
To God’s calling in your life
Both
His general calling
For you
And His specific calling
For you?
You
Might need to come
To the altar
To pray about that
Are you
Content
With what God gives you?
With where God?
Has placed you?
You might need to come
to the altar
To ask the Lord
To help you
Be contented
Are you
Waiting patiently
For the Lord
For the fulfillment
Of His promises
To you?
Are you accepting the challenges
That He gives you?
When
The music begins to play
I want to invite you
To come to the altar
And spend a little time
With the Lord
About these things
I hope you will
Conclusion: Let’s close in prayer
