Sermon Tone Analysis

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.