Some Closing Comments On the Life of Abraham

Sunday 4/29/07 a.m.

What Does the Life of Living By Faith Teach Us?

I.          A Person of Faith Is Aware of the 4 Major Reasons That Cause the Forsaking of the Calling of God, Gen. 11:27-32.

                                    1.         Money;

                                    2.         Power;

                                    3.         Position;

                                    4.         Possessions.

B.I.      Only God knows the multitudes of Christians that have left Ur, bound for Cannan, only to get bogged down in Haran.

• A person with faith will stay focused on obeying God’s will;
• A person of faith will believe God’s promises;

II.                A Person of Faith Pulls Away In Order to Hear God Clearly, 12:1

                  Abram, IF you will separate yourself from those things which tempt and try you                            to be separated from Me. If you get out (imperative), then you’ll get blessed!

                  This is usually the 1st sign that we are committed to God, we leave our “things”.

Abram was told to leave several things:

his “country,” his people, and his father’s household (Gen. 12:1).

But he was told nothing about the land to which he must go.

His departure required an unparalleled act of faith.

III.             A Person of Faith Has Learned That There Are No Acceptable Excuses for Following God! 12:4-5

Why would we want seek an excuse from obeying God?

IV.       A Person of Faith Knows That the Journey Away from God Leads Them Toward Ruin and Worldliness, 12:9

            Does Abraham’s  journey further south insinuate that he was moving further away from                            God, which ultimately would result in compromising God’s will?

V.        A Person of Faith Does Not Live By Sight, 12:14-20

            A.        A Jeopardized Promise, 12:14-15

            B.        Worldly gain instead of spiritual strength, 12:16

            C.        A Ruined Witness, 12:17-20

• Faith takes God at His word and obeys Him, without compromise.
• Bethel and Hai asks the Christian whether they are feeding their Flesh or their Faith.
• Which of these do you turn to when you make your decisions? See Gal. 5:16-18

VI.       A Person of Faith Has Learned The 5 Step Recovery Program from the Works of the Flesh:

A.                First step: confess that I am following My Flesh, 13:1-4

B.                 Second, Repent of the Works of My Flesh

This is a true picture of repentance!

Acts 26:20 – turn from sin, turn towards God, works always follow repentance!

C.                Third Step, Recognize the Works of the Flesh! 13:5-8

D.                Forth Step, Do Not Be Tricked By Your Three Enemies! 13:9-13

 “And Lot lifted up his eyes,”

E.                 Fifth Step, Be Satisfied With Faith! 13:14-18

Get used to this battle; You will have to fight it until the day you die, or the day you are raptured!

VII.     A Person of Faith Knows That Believing God Is A Journey Filled With Peaks and Valleys, 15:1

A.        Warning; Great victories are usually followed by depression and valley’s.

B.        Why is this so? We put all of our energies into accomplishing a task.

VIII.    A Person of Faith Knows What Leads to Compromise, 16:1-3

            A. Our unwillingness to wait on God to accomplish His will. 16:2a

                        1. Society of instant gratification.

                        2. Telling God what to do, instead of relying upon God.

                                    (God knows what to do, and when is the best time to do it)

            B. Out of impatience, and unbelief we take it upon ourselves to “help” God accomplish                                        His will. 16:2b

            C. We agree with the solution, knowing it is contrary to the word of God. 16:2c

                        1. Out of fear of embarrassment, we agree to an unbiblical solution.

                                    (Ex. Abortion, sex, peer pressure, lying, etc.)

Situational Ethics sets in and suddenly IT interprets the Bible!

                        2. Out of a fear of being wrong, we stubbornly stick to a bad decision.

                        3. Out of a fear of change we will stubbornly hold to tradition!

IX.       A Person of Faith Believes That God Is Aware of Their Situation! 16:13-14

            A. God sees your situation; “El-Roi” 16:13

                        1. He may see it differently than you!

                        2. We need to ask HIM!

            B. We need to return to the well! 16:14

                        1. Beer (the well)- lahai (of the living one)- roi (who is continually seeing me).

                        2. The well is the place where the Spirit is, “a spring of living water”

                        3. Instead of trusting in ourselves, we need to submit to the leadership of God’s                                        Spirit, who is  always at one with God’s will!!!

X.        A Person of Faith Teaches Others That the Consequences of Compromise Do Not Go Away Overnight, 16:15-17:1

            A. Abraham was 86 at the birth of Ishmael, an everlasting reminder of his compromise!

            B. 17:1 it was 13 years before God spoke to Abraham again!

XI.       A Person of Faith Knows What Makes A Person Righteous, 17:1-4

            7 characteristics in the lifestyle of a righteous person (not in order with the text):

                        1.         Is in a covenantal relationship with God

                        2.         Intimate fellowship with God

                        3.         Trusts in God to meet His needs, “El-Shaddai”

                        4.         Walks with God

                        5.         Is maturing in their faith

                        6.         Is actively believing that God through them is multiplying His kingdom

                        7.         Worships God

XII.     A Person of Faith Knows What God Says About Them Behind Their Back, 18:16-19

XIII.    A Person of Faith Is Aware of the Results of Becoming Backslidden:

A.                A Loss of Morals, and Biblical right and Wrong, 19:8

B.                 Loss of True Friendships; The Trap is Set! 19:9-10

C.                Divided Loyalty’s; It is Hard to Leave a Life of Sin, 19:15-26.

D.                A Lack of True Repentance, Leads to a Debased Lifestyle, 19:30-35

E.                 Bad Examples Curse the Generations That Follow, 19:36-38

XIV. A Person of Faith Believes In God and His Promises:

Lesson #1:  God fulfills His Promises on HIS timing not ours!

Lesson #2:  Others can be jealous of God blessing you, (Hagar and Ishmael) 21:8-21

Lesson #3:  God desires not what we own, He just wants people who are willing! 22:1-14