Don't Be A Stoner... Be A Transformer Series

DON’T BE A STONER…

BE A TRANSFORMER!

Genesis 17:1-6; 32:24-28

Review:

Last week we began this two part message: “Don’t be a stoner… Be a transformer”, and I would like to recap a little of that message before we begin today.

We were in John 8:1-11 last week, and saw how absolutely incredible the Lord Jesus Christ was in how He manifested God to us in this life.

Last week we focused on the Pharisees and how they Received and Responded to “God in the flesh” and I was amazed that any group could be so unaffected by Christ.

Remember: they set Jesus up with the woman taken in adultery and brought her before Him for a potential stoning. Then, after Jesus ignores them, and completely convicts them of their own sin, they walk away, only to be ready at the end of the chapter to potentially stone HIM!

(Starts) POTENTIAL STONING -- POTENTIAL STONING (Ends)

DON’T BE A STONER!

BE A TRANSFORMER – ONE WHO “IS” TRANSFORMED BY THE POWER OF GOD!

Seeing how this man was a topic of discussion last week:

John 8:58-59 58Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. 59Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

I WOULD LIKE TO LOOK AT ABRAHAM AS THE FIRST OF TWO EXAMPLES OF PEOPLE WHO WERE TRANSFORMED BY THE MIGHTY POWER OF GOD!

1.) THE AFFIRMATION OF ABRAM

WE FIRST SEE ABRAM COME ON THE SCENE BACK IN GENESIS 11

Genesis 11:27-31 27Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot. 28And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees. 29And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah. 30But Sarai was barren; she had no child. 31And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there.

NOTICE: HIS NAME IN THIS PASSAGE IS ABRAM, NOT ABRAHAM – NOT YET.

INTERESTING THING ABOUT THE NAME “ABRAM” IT MEANS:

“HIGH” OR “LOFTY” FATHER

JUST ONE LITTLE PROBLEM WITH THAT – ABRAMS WIFE SARAI IS BARREN AND SHE DOESN’T HAVE ANY CHILDREN – THE HIGH AND LOFTY FATHER HAS NO KIDS!

WHAT HE DOES HAVE THOUGH, IS SOME INCREDIBLE FAITH IN GOD, LET’S LOOK AT THE TESTIMONY OF THIS MAN: ABRAM.

Genesis 12:1-3 1Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

SO GOD SAYS: HEY ABRAM, I WANT YOU TO PACK UP AND LEAVE EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE YOU KNOW AND LOVE AND TAKE OFF FOR A PLACE I’LL SHOW YOU!

What would your response be to this command?

Ahhhhh, where again did you say you wanted me to go God?

Because I need to really make sure that I am willing to follow – so could you repeat that one more time, PLEASE.

NOT ABRAM – He had way too much FAITH to wait for all those LIFE-ALTERING DETAILS:

Genesis 12:4-5 4So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. 5And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.

IN ABRAM’S LIFE TIME AND AGAIN WE SEE HIM TAKE THE SELFLESS “HIGH ROAD” (LITERALLY) AND FOLLOW IN OBEDIENCE TO GOD’S COMMANDS.

Genesis 13:5-9 5And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents. 6And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together. 7And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdmen of Lot’s cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land. 8And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren. 9Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.