The Footsteps of Faith

over time people have come / gone / who influenced our society / world / names you would recognize / da Vinci / napoleon / Cleopatra / Gahndi / Chistiano Ronaldo / tom Brady (only kidding on a few)

Few men (outside of JC) have had such an impact on the history of the world as did the man introduced to us in this passage of scripture / He is revered by over one-half the world's population / Even today Abraham is held in high esteem by Jews / Muslims / Christians / In WOG Abraham is presented to us as a man who lived his life by faith (Heb. 11)

This man's life was a special life / A great portion of Genesis is devoted to it / We are going to study of part of the life of this man / "Why take the time to study a man who lived 4,100 years ago?" / 1st the Bible takes the time to speak about him, so we should take the time to study him / 2nd The life of Abraham teaches us much about the matter of walking with God by faith / Which is after all / the goal of the Lord for all His children / What does that mean?

Genesis 11:27–32

This is the account of Terah’s family line.

Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth. Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milkah; she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milkah and Iskah. Now Sarai was childless because she was not able to conceive.

Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Harran, they settled there.

Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Harran.

Genesis 12:1 (NIV)

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

These are the early years of Abraham's life / How God found him / called him / promised to bless him / On the surface they may seem as though they have little to say to us in our day / however nothing could be farther from the truth!

Valuable lessons about God / His ways / and about what our response to Him should be

Since it is true / God HAS / IS calling each of His children to a life of faith / and since we have trouble living that kind of life day by day / we need to know what the Bible teaches us in these verses

I. His Past Obscurity

A. There was a time when he was a nobody / nameless face in the crowd (strange thought… every person begins as a nobody)

1. Came from Ur / modern day Iraq / near Kuwaiti border / where Euphrates empties into Persian Gulf

a. During his time / would have been busy seaport / lots of trade between India / Africa

1. History says a center of intellectual activity / Also a great place to raise flocks / herds (he did)

B. Problems in His Original Home

1. While it may have good financially / it was a perverted place / idolatry of all kinds

a. City was known for astrology / worship of stars and moon

Joshua 24:2 (NIV)

Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your ancestors, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods.

2. Gen 30 / Speaks of Abraham breaking free from Idolatry / family not so lucky!

a. Many Years later / Isaiah (Ch 51) reminds the people where they came from / spiritually speaking

C. The Pain of His Home

1. As we read a few verse / you will hear the wretchedness / hopelessness of his time in Ur

a. There was death / darkness / despair / surrounding his life

2. If we’re honest / we are no different / Oh I know / we don’t bow to stone gods / worship creation

a. But we are all trapped / in same darkness

Ephesians 2:1–3 (NIV)

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.

b. Thank God / He is able to reach into the blackest / barren heart / turn into greatest examples of power / faith

1. Regardless of where we came from / what baggage we carry / God can change us for His glory

a. No one is beyond the touch of the Lord / not even a pagan like Abraham

II. Wasted Years of Partial Obedience

Back in 1986 Iron a maiden wrote a song called wasted years it began / wasted years one two three… (so true ‘ that’s how it happens/ until we look back with at times regret / missed opportunities /

Genesis 11:31–32

Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Harran, they settled there.

Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Harran.

A. Call To Depart / God spoke to him / called him to a new path

1. Called to leave everything behind / his upbringing / relatives / old religion / this would be a difficult task

a. A call to leave / not knowing where life would lead him / where he was going / when he would arrive

1. A life of faith / trusting all matters in the hands of the Lord ( still strange to me how we struggle leaving the past life)

2. so Why Abraham? I don’t know…

a. Regardless of why God calls who He does / I thank God I responded / the day I heard the clear call to follow

1. Luke 10:20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”

3. Same is true for our calling / to sever all ties with the past / new life / new priorities / total commitment / FAITH

a. To follow without concern about how long / where we going / leave details to HIM / follow me!

B. The Compromise

31 …and they went out with them from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan; and they came to Haran and dwelt there.

1. Why did they stop in Haran? Why not continue to Canaan?

a. If you study further / Abraham didn’t completely follow until after the death of his father Terah

1. Fun Fact / Terah = A Station or Delay

b. His father became a roadblock between Abraham / Will of God

1. Not until roadblock was removed / was Abraham ready to move on in things of God

2. Terah can be a number of things in our lives / all the reasons / excuses we make no progress in things of God

a. Ever wonder why some people make little / no progress in their life / for glory of God? Terah

1. If you aren't exactly where the Lord wants you to be / you have a Terah / It needs to die!

3. We must also be careful / not to stand in the way of others doing the will of God

a. If you aren't careful / you just might find yourself being a Terah to someone in your life

1. Don't let you lack of faith / prevent someone else from following God fully!

C. Cost of the Delay

32 So the days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and Terah died in Haran.

1. He lost years of his life / lingering / when he could have been enjoying God’s best

a. Almost 6 years / grieved by sins of family / still in grips of idolatry

2. Time is too short / to waste / or to hesitate

a. Why settle for second best / while wasted years pile up in our lives?

1. Every day / one day closer to the grave / determine today / make every moment count / glory to God

3. Side note / God was patient in dealing with Abram / I know he was patient with me…

a. WAY better / hear His voice / respond immediately

1. Like fisherman / dropped their nets / Elisha burned his plow and oxen / Delay is dangerous / costly

III. The Wonder Years

Genesis 12:2 (NIV) “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.

Age 75 / He finally breaks from family / old way of life / starts adventure of faith / some wonderful years!!

A. Promise of God’s Presence

1. Means God leadings / showing us the way to go / God still promises to direct our paths / We need it!

a. Note: There is nothing in this world more precious than walking with God / by faith!

1. Complete dependance in God is good / Why? / Because our God does not fail / won’t let you down

b. Ps 37:19 They shall not be ashamed in evil time, and in the days of famine, they shall be satisfied

B. Seeing God’s Providence

1. Read again / all the things God promises to give to this great man

Gen 12:2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

a. New Home / Many Offspring / Blessings / Great Name / He will BE a blessing / God’s protection from enemies

1. All the world will be blessed because of his faith

2. At this point / Abraham has NO IDEA / how God will work all this out / but He knows God will do it

a. His faith is at a point / where he is willing to trust God / leave details to providence of God

1. He is willing to just do what he knows to do

a. He’s going to go to church when the doors are open

b. He’s going to read his Bible / Pray / be faithful / day in / day out

1. And allow the Lord to work out the plans / purpose for his life

Too often we do it backwards / we are so busy doing everything but the basics / we are busy planning / we are busy working hard toward retirement / working hard to make sure we are satisfied / while ignoring the simple steps of faith

3. Side thought / Everything God promised Abraham / He gave him / Kept his promise to the letter

a. This is where God wants to bring you and I

1. Place where we simply take Him at His word

2. Learn to be satisfied / in our hearts / that God will do what He has promised to do!

4. Regardless of what the devil / flesh / world tell us / we can trust God / every one of His promises is true

a. You can depend on Him to take care of you / if you will live your life by faith

1. Have you reached the place / where you are trusting God / faith is not a catch phrase / it’s an action

C. To Wonder At God's Purposes

Genesis 12:3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

1. As with any of us / we get saved / wonder how God could ever use someone like us?

a. I bet Abraham had the same fears / even died 175 years later without seeing the answer to every question

Genesis 15:5–6

He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

b. When he died / he still didn’t see how his one life / would touch the world / yet it did

2. See / you have to follow the lineage / through Abraham / all the way to Jesus / who was a blessing to all the earth

a. It was 2100 years later / when Abraham saw Jesus dying for sins of the world / did it finally make sense

1. Too often / we stop coming / stop doing what we ought / because we don’t have all the answers

2. Like Abraham / he left Haran / with unseen future / but hidden hope

3. He trusted God to take care of things / fulfill His promises

3. As we live this life of faith / while in this world / there will be times when we cannot see the way

a. There will be days when we too will wonder how God could ever do anything with the likes of us!

1. There will be times when we will have to walk by faith and not sight

b. Some people just can't do that! / If they can't see how it should be done / they won't do it!

1. If they can't explain it / then they avoid it / Those people never grow!

4. The people God uses greatly / are those who will walk obediently wherever the path of God leads them

a. Whether they understand it or not / whether they like it or not / whether they know what will happen or not

1. Those are the people who get to see the Lord part the seas / They see the multitudes fed

2. They get to walk on the water / They walk unharmed through the fiery furnaces / lion dens of life

3. They live life by faith and they get to see the Lord do the impossible over / over again

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." It took Abram a while, but he made that step. When he did, he saw God do things that amazed him until the day he died.”

I wonder, have you made that first step of faith? / Have you made the step of faith for salvation? It’s a step of faith to total surrender?

Have you made the step of faith that will take you beyond the hum drum / ordinary run of the mill life / into that other worldly realm where God operates / and uses people like us for His glory?

You and I will never be all we can be for Him until we cut our ties with this world completely / begin our journey of faith in God

what do you need to part ways with ‘ leave behind?

(We sang / At Calvary… Now I’ve given Jesus everything…. but have we?

what areas have you compromised? Half obedience is disobedience