Abraham Series
What Will Stop You from Following God?
Sunday a.m. 1/7/06
Gen. 11:26-32/ Acts 7:2/ Heb. 11:8-10
I. Names defined:
Abram--exalted father
Abraham--father of many nations
Sarai--my lady
Sarah--Princess of many nations
Haran--Mountaineer or Sanctuary:
Haran--as a city: Main Road
Nahor--one who snores (named after his grandfather)
Terah--delay
II. Some beginning facts:
vs. 28 Haran dies first, possibly the 1st born
Dies in Ur
vs. 29 Abram’s wife: Sarai
Nahor’s wife: Milcah
vs. 30 Sarai was barren, unable to have children; main point!
vs. 31 All move to Haran except for Nahor
Their original destination however was Canaan! main point!
They settled however for Haran
(As a main city on the main road, a trading route, and high in population. Money, possessions and popularity are the reason they remained. cf 12:5)
4 major reasons we will forsake the calling of God;
1. Money;
2. Power;
3. Position;
4. Possessions.
vs. 32 Terah dies in Haran
Now that the “delay” is removed, there are no more excuses for Abram to not complete his call from God.
B.I. Only God knows the multitudes of Christians that have left Ur, bound for Cannan, only to get bogged down in Haran.
Settling for Second Best, Or Doing God’s Will, MY WAY
The Catastrophic Consequences of Compromise
Sunday 2/28/99 p.m.
Text: Genesis 16
I. What Leads to Compromise? vv.1-3
A. Our unwillingness to wait on God to accomplish His will. v.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. v.2b
C. We agree with the solution, knowing it is contrary to the word of God. v.2c
1. Out of fear of embarrassment, we agree to an unbiblical solution.
(Ex. Abortion, sex, peer pressure, lying, etc.)
2. Out of a fear of being wrong, we sturbbonly stick to a bad decision.
3. Out of a fear of change we will stubbornly hold to tradition!
II. The Sickening Results of Compromise; vv.4-6
A. Deep down, we never get over the guilt of settling for second best. It haunts us, v.4
B. Misunderstandings; People interpret things the wrong way when they sin, it is called justification. v.5a
C. Inner guilt breeds shame, anger, and bitterness. v.5b
D. Abraham refuses to do the right thing, the hard thing, and properly deal with the sin. v.6
III. The Innocent Victims of Compromise; vv.7-12
A. A tendency to run from conflict, and trust in God. v.7-8
B. Hagar’s sin exposed: she was refusing to submit to Sarah’s authority! v.9
1. A lack of submission is rebellion in the heart.
2. Hagar used her position of “favor” with Abram, to frustrate Sarah’s position as her leader. Sarah interpreted it as being despised by Hagar.
C. The victim list grows:
1. They who will descend from this child will be to great to number; v.10
2. Ishmael, “God hears” v.11
3. He will be wild as a wild donkey, stubborn, uncontrolled, unwilling to submit to authority. v.12
4. He will be against EVERYONE! v.12
5. EVERYONE will be against him! v.12
6. These people will be independent of the rest of the world. To the East of Israel are
the Arab nations! v.12
IV. God knows your situation! vv.13-14
A. God sees your situation; “El-Roi” v.13
1. He may see it differently than you!
2. We need to ask HIM!
B. We need to return to the well! v.14
1. Beer (the well)- lahai (of the living one)- roi (the one who sees 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!!!
V. The Sickness Does not go Away Overnight, vv.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!
7 Biblical Facts About the Backslider
(Taken From the Story of Lot and God’s Dealings With Sodom and Gomorrah)
Genesis 19
I. They are W/O Excuse;
They Realize their Backslidden State! 19:1-3
Fact 1: v.7 Lot refers to these people as his brothers!
a. Either in relation;
b. Or through spiritual birth;
c. Some sort of commonality.
Fact 2: vv.4-6 The whole city was given over to the sin!
a. v.4, The use of all, and young and old
b. v.5, They (the men of the city) desired to have sex with Lot’s visitors.[1]
Fact 3: v.6 Shutting the door behind him showed some sense of shame;
The ungodly do this when they hide their beercans, talk and withhold their cussing, justify immorality, or suddenly talk about being in church before.
II. A Loss of Morals, and Biblical right and Wrong, 19:8
v.8 “Here, take my virgin daughters”; The Carnal Sin of Compromise!
Fact #1: Lot knew that the 2 visitors were from God;
Fact #2: Lot should have turned to the visitors for help;
(When people turn from God, their pride turns them away from God’s people.)
Fact #3: Lot offers a carnal solution. Why? All that he knows is a carnal lifestyle.
III. Loss of True Friendships; The Trap is Set! 19:9-10
The People Whom The Backslider Thought Were their Friends, Turn Against Them When They “Waffle” in Their Beliefs:
Fact #1: They challenge his authority, “stand aside”
Fact #2: They accuse and threaten, Who made you our judge, we’ll come get you next”
Fact #3: They physically try to overpower him.
v.11 God intervenes, by using the 2 angels to pull him back into the house, and judging the Sodomites.
IV. God is Faithful to Have Someone Praying for You!
Abraham’s Bargaining Remembered; cf. 18:32 & 19:12-14
Fact #1: “Whom else do you have here?”
God allows for sons (other children), son-in-laws, friends who he has influenced.
Fact #2: Notice that the backslider has lost their “influence”
He lost influence in his marriage;
He lost influence as a father;
He lost his witness to those within his realm of influencibility.
V. Divided Loyalty’s; It is Hard to Leave a Life of Sin, 19:15-26.
A. v.15 God’s messengers (the angels) urged him to obey.
We are God’s messengers, therefore we should be confronting and pulling the backslider back into obedience.
B. v.16 “But he hesitated” (notice that God’s favor was on him and not his family)
C. vv.18-22 Lack of faith; backslidden Lot should have obeyed and trusted the Lord! But he tried to work out a deal.
D. vv.23-26 Looking back once you have decided to obey reveals disobedience in the core of the heart!
God keeps His promises! vv.27-29
VI. A Lack of True Repentance, Leads to a Debased Lifestyle, 19:30-35
Where did Lot’s daughters learn this perverted lifestyle?
1. No reliance and faith in God;
2. drunkenness;
3. sex out of wedlock;
4. Perverted incest.
FROM THEIR PARENTS!!!
VII. Bad Examples Curse the Generations That Follow, 19:36-38
Moabites
Ammonites
Both of these nations of peoples become 2 of the greatest enemies of Israel!
How do I fix this vicious cycle?
1. Realize That on Your Own, It is Hard to Leave a Life of Sin
2. Divided Loyalty’s Will Turn You Away From God
3. A Lack of True Repentance
4. Bad Examples Must be Confessed!
“A Lesson About God and His Promises”
Sunday p.m. 4/11/99
I. God Remembers His Promises, Gen. 20.
It has been 25 years since God promised Abraham that he would Bless him physically, 12:4.
God restated His promise a year earlier to Abraham, 17:15-17.
God Remembers His Promises even when we forget, Gen. 20.
Abraham commits the same sin of lying and deception again!
In order to assure that Sarah does become pregnant by another man, God shuts the wombs of all the women in the nation! 20:17-18.
God fulfills His Promises on HIS timing not ours!
II. The Promise Fulfilled, Gen. 21:1-7.
Issac means “laughter”, both Abraham and Sarah laughed at the promise.
Others can be jealous of God blessing you, i.e. Hagar and Ishmael, 21:8-21
III. The Promise is Tested, Gen. 22:1-14.
A. v.6 The wood was laid on the back of the Son;
B. v.6 The two, Father and Son walked up the hill together;
C. v.6 The Sacrifice was on top of a hill or a Mountain;
D. v.8 God said that He would provide either the sacrifice, or provide Himself as the sacrifice!
E. v.9 The Son was the sacrificial Lamb.
F. v.9 The Son offered no resistance to the sacrifice.
G. v.9 The Father laid the Son on the wood, and bound Him to it.
H. v.13 God’s provision was an adult Lamb (a ram) whose head was hung in thorns.
I. v.13 God’s sacrificial replacement was in place for the son.
God desires not what we own, He just wants people who are willing!
IV. The Promise is Restated, Gen. 22:15-19.
A Bride for Jesus
Sunday p.m. 4/18/99
Text: Gen. 24
This story is called a “type”; it is an OT story that can be interpreted into a NT reality.
Last week we did this with the story of Abraham offering up his son Isaac and related it to the cross.
I. God desires a bride for His Son
II. 12 Characteristics of the Bride
1. She must not be an idolater, 24:3
2. She must be related to Me, 24:4
3. The Bride must come to the Son, 24:5;
a. First an angel will go and find the bride, 24:7a; 1 Thess. 4:16; Rev.4:1
b. You will take the wife from the land, 24:7b.
C. The Son will not return back to the land, 24:8 (he does not have to die again)
4. She must be a hard worker, 24:12-14. (To refuel 10 camels with water alone!)
5. She must be willing to serve, 24:12-14
6. She must be a vessel who pours out the Spirit, 24:12-14
(Water is symbolic of the Spirit)
7. She is Beautiful to look at, 24:16.
8. She must not have had divided loyalties (virgin) 24:16
9. She must be in a hurry to go meet her Groom, 24:56-58
10. She must desire to be fruitful and multiply, 24:60
11. She must be covered in prayer, 24:65
(this veil was a shawl; symbolic of the prayer shawl of the Hebrews)
12. She must be submitted to the Lordship of the Son, 24:67
III. How do You Measure Up?
Are You:
1. Pure from an idols?
2. Saved and related to God?
3. In the “Land” (of blessing surrendered to the Lord)?
4. Working hard for the Lord?
5. Filled with the Spirit?
6. Serving the Lord by serving God’s people?
7. Clothed in beauty? (Spiritually clean and prepared to see the savior)
8. Not divided in your loyalties?
9. Expecting the Lord’s return at any moment?
10. Bearing much fruit and multiplying the church?
11. Living a life of prayer, covered in prayer?
12. Submitted fully to the Lordship of Jesus?
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[1] They thought that Lot would share the visitors with them in a sexual orgy when Lot was finished.