The Ups and Downs of Walking by Faith (2)

Intro: Sometimes we can possibly be too critical of Abram. We can sit here and look back and say: Oh how could you do such a thing. Weren’t you a coward? Didn’t you have faith. The other end of the spectrum will try to make a reason for every misstep.

I don’t think either option is really the most profitable. Abraham is obviously considered a very righteous man by God and the NT authors. Yet, that doesn’t mean he was a perfect man either. God chose to reveal himself through real people in real circumstances.

Abram obeys God

God called Abram while he was still in Ur.

Acts 7:2-8

We don’t know how many years were between God’s call in Ur and actually leaving Haran.

The death of Terah was obviously a point of release to leave Haran.

Abram might have been saying I need to go. God called me.

It may have taken as much faith to stay in Haran, until he was released to go.

Abram was 75

Contemporary culture tends to put more value on youth than age.

Sure youth are important.

But so are older people.

Older people have much to contribute.

We should build a culture of respect toward age.

Abram in Egypt

What happens when Abram gets to Canaan.

We don’t know how soon this famine started.

But get the point.

I mean Ok, here we are, but why? to starve or something?

I can’t blame him for going to Egypt.

But maybe God would have worked something else out.

Some say, well God didn’t tell him to go, so it was a lack of faith.

God doesn’t always tell us everything and we do the best we can.

Sometimes we make choices and we don’t always know if it was right or not.

We can question, if we should have done this or that.

Some of my choices I know this was good. God worked things out.

Others I still don’t know.

Lesson here.

When God calls us to something it isn’t always easy.

Think about it: Very important!.......

We experience trouble in life. Then we are tempted to say: I am doing the right thing, why am I having these problems.

Or maybe wonder if am I am doing the right thing?

Bruce Waltke says it so well: Suffering and the Test of Faith pg. 216

Abram chooses to be deceitful.

Yes technically Sarai was his sister.

But really the intent was to deceive.

Now this isn’t necessarily saying that he had no regard for Sarai, or she had nothing to say.

The options might not have been so great as we might think.

What Abram thought would happen did happen.

They did like Sarai, she indeed caught their eye.

Abram ended up getting rebuked by Pharaoh!

Pharoah is like: Why didn’t you just tell me.

Altars in our Journey

Do you have them?

Different points along the journey.

Abram 12:7 Built an altar

Gen. 13:4 Abram calls on the name of the Lord.

This was the same place he did before.

After all that took place, he was back at this place calling on God.

It’s important for us to have these altars in our life.

When we repented and decided to follow Jesus.

These initial points.

As we go along, we have more of these.

Somewhat Memoralized.

These points that God taught us or affirmed something.

Maybe rebuked us.

They build a memory of where, when and how God worked.

They build faith and patience.

We remember them.

The altar of yielding.

Abram exemplified this.

Gen. 13:8 “for we are brethren”

Matt. 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called the sons of God.

Matthew 5:40–41 NKJV

40 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. 41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.

Ephesians 5:21 NKJV

21 submitting to one another in the fear of God.

James 3:16–18 NKJV

16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. 18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

1 Corinthians 6:1–8 NKJV

1 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? 2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3 Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life? 4 If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge? 5 I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren? 6 But brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers! 7 Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated? 8 No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren!