Blessed to be a blessing III

Galatians 3: 6 Consider Abraham: “He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” 7 Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham.

He believed God
those who believe are children of Abraham

Review

Abram had to leave all to follow God
Abram had to learn to trust God and not move till he said. (Go to the land I will show you)

Abram had to separate from things that were hindering him from receiving the full blessing of God.

Genesis 13: 4 and where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the Lord. 5 Now Lot, who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. 6 But the land could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together. 7 And quarreling arose between Abram’s herdsmen and the herdsmen of Lot. The Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land at that time. 8 So Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are brothers.

9 Is not the whole land before you? Let’s part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.” 10 Lot looked up and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan was well watered, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, toward Zoar. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company: 12 Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. 13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord.

The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him

The lord waited for Lot to leave before he gave him the rest of the promise, WHY?

The Lord never intended for Lot to come with Abram. Gen 12:1-3 were some great blessings, do you think that Lot wanted a part of them?
Lot was eating up the blessings of Abram.

2 Peter 2: 7 and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men 8 (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)—
Lot was a righteous but, selfish, man.

What made him righteous? He believed God too, but for the wrong reason. The promise was to Abram, all he heard was I will bless you…( Iguess he didin’t hear the part that he would use Abram to BE A BLESSING!

Why would he stay in a place like this?

It was easier than moving?
Familiar? He had been there so long? He had to depend on other people to make it?

What is it the Lord wants to separate from us?

The part that wants to hold onto God just for the blessing and never become a blessing to others.

It seems to be possible to be blessed and never come into the greatest blessings until this selfishness is gone.

Sometimes our strengths are our weaknesses.

Pride from own abilities, and possessions.
Temptations of control by the possessions of others. (The inheritance of his family)
God wanted to be the only one that gets the Glory and be the only one that Abram was depending on. So in the end he could say “It was the Lord that made him great”

Leave this country: The place of familiarity: “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you
People: The place where he could depend on people for help: I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing
Father’s household: I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

Next week

14 The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, “Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. 15 All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. 16 I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. 17 Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.” 18 So Abram moved his tents and went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar to the Lord.

Lift up your eyes

from where you are * and look

Go

walk through the length and breadth of the land,
for I am giving it to you.”