Father Abraham

Father Abraham

Pastor Jamie Wright * Maranatha Fellowship Church * 06-20-04

Father’s Day

Genesis 12:1-5 1 Now the Lord had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. 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."

4 So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan.

ABRAM was CALLED vs. 1 Now the Lord had said to Abram

It was a calling to leave residence, relatives and resources.

It was a calling of separation, surrender and sacrifice.

Calling of separation (vs. 1) Get out of your country

Earlier chapters in Genesis describe to us the conditions of the country Abram had been living in. Wickedness, evil etc…

2 Corinthians 6:17

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord,

Abram had to separate from his Father’s house (relatives)

And from his wealth (resources).

Calling of sacrifice (vs.1)

Abram was 75 years old when God called him to do this. He was not a young man he was set in his ways. He was leaving FAMILIAR THINGS. (Family and kin)

He was leaving the old for the new

Calling of surrender (vs. 1)

Abram left it all. He had to surrender everything he had to the hands of God. He wanted to obey God and follow God. He had to surrender his will.

ABRAM had a COVENANT vs. 2-3 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 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."

God made a covenant (contract) with Abram. It was an unconditional covenant. God did not say to Abram, “if you do this then I will do this.” God’s promises were unconditional. He was proclaiming Himself as an “I will God.”

It was a four-fold covenant:

a. God said, “I will make you a great nation

b. God said, “I will bless you and make you a great name.” (PROSPERITY)

c. God said, “I will bless those who bless you and I will curse those who curse you.” (PROTECTION)

d. God said, “I will bless all the families of the earth through you.”

God’s Covenant with Abram

It was a Simple Covenant- Very clear no strings attached

It was a Sovereign Covenant- Shows the power of God in His promises. We do not serve a “can do” God. We serve a “has done” God.

It was a Sizeable Covenant- Abram was concerned about having a son in his old age. God was more concerned with giving him more heirs than he could count. The blessing was so big it was going to blow Abram’s mind. More than the number of stars in the sky.

God’s covenant with Abram was about

1. A son Genesis 13:16, 15:5

2. A seed Genesis 15:5

I am promised the very same promises. I am in the Abrahamic Covenant.

Galatians 3:29 And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and now all the promises God gave to him belong to you.

Abram is 75 yrs old when God made this covenant with Him. The promise was

He would have many offspring (seed)

He would be blessed

He would have a great name Abram means "exalted father"; Ok name

Abram made some mistakes along the way…Ishmael

Romans 4:18-20 18 When God promised Abraham that he would become the father of many nations, Abraham believed him. God had also said, "Your descendants will be as numerous as the stars," even though such a promise seemed utterly impossible! 19 And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though he knew that he was too old to be a father at the age of one hundred and that Sarah, his wife, had never been able to have children. 20 Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God.

Because Abram did not waver or stagger at the promises of God, God began to fulfill the promise