Introduction
1. Illustration: The other day my wife and I went to the hospital for an appointment concerning Angela’s pregnancy. We had to park a long distance due to building construction. By the time we got to the information desk Angela was exhausted and was having contractions. The attendant invited us to get a wheelchair and so I wheeled Angela to the elevators. Of course we were about to be late and the elevators were taking their sweet time. Finally the elevator doors opened, and being the patient gentleman that I am I allowed an elderly lady to go first—however, she waited too, and the doors closed. I was mad—and my expression was giving me away. Eventually, after several minutes, the doors opened again—this time I wasn’t going to take any chances—I dashed Angela and me into the elevator—and then the elderly lady slowly walked into the elevator as well. The elevator lifted and the doors then opened—the lady walked off, turned around, and then said to me—“Dad, it’s going to be ok—don’t worry.” That pushed a button with me! “Don’t worry! I have been a dad three times over. I’m an expert at this! You don’t know what you’re talking about!” At least that is what I wanted to say.
2. So many times we are in a hurry—we are always in a rush to get to somewhere. But usually, it has no eternal consequence. Life is full of busyness, but it seems we are not accomplishing much. We go to work, we come home to eat dinner, and then we go to sleep. It appears that we become slaves to the mundane—and life becomes boring. Then we ask ourselves: “Is this it?”
3. The Psalmist wrote in Psalms 144:15 (NKJV) Happy are the people whose God is the Lord! In other words—life without God—without His purpose being fulfilled in our life—is a life of emptiness, frustration, and worthlessness. But, a life centered on Christ is a blessed life. When we live for ourselves—the worst come out. When we live for God—we live with purpose, gentleness, respect, and love.
4. This morning we begin a new journey—a new theme to tackle—a new lesson to learn. This morning I want to begin in new series of messages entitled: “The Life God blesses.” I believe God wants to bless your life—to give you a purpose—to give you understanding that your purpose is bigger, more fulfilling, and greater than you can ever think.
5. To kick this new series off, I go to one of my favorite people in the Bible—to Abraham—The Sojourner. As we look at his life—especially when he first encountered God—when his name was Abram—we will learn a valuable biblical truth in living a life that God blesses—a life that God wants to bless!
6. In an ancient time, long ago, there lived a family from Ur, the cradle of civilization. There was an elderly man, along with his wife, that God made a divine appointment.
7. Genesis 12:1-4 (NASB95) Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; 2 And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; 3 And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” 4 So Abram went forth as the LORD had spoken to him.
8. This morning, we are going to be introduced to five life-principles from God’s Word the will help us focus on a key truth that when embraced and practiced, will invite the blessings of God to be poured out onto your life.
Life-Principles
1. God is Personal
a. Genesis 12:1a (NASB95) Now the LORD said to Abram.
b. God is not an aloof, disinterested deity. He is the Creator, life-giver, and He is personal—He is interested in you! That is what Abram (Abraham) discovered: Now the LORD said to Abram.
c. God entered Abram’s world, confronted his sensibilities, and began a conversation that would not just change Abram’s life—but would change the course of human history.
d. God is personal—he created us for relationship and friendship. Just as He connected with Abram—He desires to connect with us.
e. God is personal.
2. God requires Detachment
a. Because God is personal, he knows us intimately. And, because God is all-knowing—He knows what is best for us—and that included Abram. And God said to Abram:
b. Genesis 12:1b (NASB95) “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you.
c. And, in this conversation that God began with Abram, He tells him to leave and to go—to detach from the familiar and embrace a life of faith.
d. This seems unfair—why should God tell Abram to leave his family, friends, and familiar surroundings?
e. I want to answer this question in two ways. First, from a natural illustration, and then second, from the Scriptural purpose of why Abram had to leave.
i. First, think of a baby in the mother’s womb. The baby is comfortable—every need met. She knows no hunger, no cold or hot. She is safe. And then, along about the ninth month of her existence—something radically changes. Through commotion and contractions—through pressure, she experiences sensations that bring panic. She takes her first breath—she is cold—she hears load noises—and soon she will experience hunger. If we stop there, it would seem unfair for this baby to be forced to leave the comfort and safety of the mother’s womb. However, we all know that it was essential for this baby to leave the womb and to experience the breath of life, to grow, and fulfill her purpose.
ii. Another way of answer this question of why God would have Abram leave his family, friends, and country, had to deal with the human condition. Abram was influenced by those around him. We know this by something Joshua had said to the people of Israel: “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘From ancient times your fathers lived beyond the River, namely, Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, and they served other gods” (Joshua 24:2 NASB95). Abram could not serve and follow God unless he was separated from the belief and worship of the gods his family honored. Abram had to leave.
f. I wonder what holds us back from fully trusting and following God. What influences us from believing God? Today we live in a culture that is all about self. Even believers can easily be caught up with things, and fame, and power—and all the while our view of God becomes dim and obscure. Listen to what a man by the name of Bill has to say about this. [VIDEO, 8, 984]
g. Bill is Bill Hybels, pastor of Willow Creek Community Church outside of Chicago—one of America’s largest churches. See what happened when he was able to let go—let go of the stuff, of the things—and let God have His way in life and service—the people and churches and communities that he has impacted for the cause of Christ!
h. God loves us too much to simply stand by and allow us to embrace a life that will lead to a bankrupt soul. So He tells us to leave—to leave our comfort zone—and to go into of life of faith—to experience relationship and friendship with God.
i. God requires detachment.
3. God has a Plan
a. When God told Abram to leave his family and country, and go to an unknown land He would show him, God did not leave Abram without hope or understanding. God gave Abram a promise!
b. Genesis 12 2 (NASB95) And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing.
c. God had a plan for Abram—its effects would be both immediate and long-term.
i. God planned that Abram would father a great nation—even though at the time Abram had no children and he was old.
ii. God planned that Abram would be blessed. During his life he experienced wealth and power at a regal scale.
iii. God planned that Abram would have a great name—a name that would last through the ages.
iv. God planned that Abram would be a blessing to all mankind.
d. God’s plan for Abram was greater than anything Abram could imagine or think. And the same God has a plan for your life too.
e. God said: Jeremiah 29:11 (NASB95) ‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.
f. God has a plan for you—a purpose—a reason for being. And, it is a good plan—it is an awesome purpose (based on Psalms 23).
i. He wants to be your Shepherd—to meet your every need.
ii. He wants to provide for you, to restore you, and to lead you.
iii. Even when life gets tough and you feel enclosed in loneliness and despair, He wants to comfort you.
iv. He wants to bless you, even when those that want to shame you look on—He wants to bless you beyond measure.
v. He wants you to dwell with Him forever.
g. God has a plan.
4. God will protect
a. And, so God revealed to Abram His promise—His plan. And through this revelation, God expanded His promise:
b. Genesis 12:3 (NASB95) And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
c. God inspired, encouraged Abram to step out in faith—to believe. God would enable Abram to fulfill the purpose—God would protect Abram.
d. Abram knew all too well that life was dangerous. Living the sojourners life brought with it many risks. Beyond sickness and weather, there were many dangerous people out there—robbers, rogue nations, and murderers that would make the journey treacherous, if not impossible.
e. God would provide the way—divine protection. Those that welcomed Abram would be blessed. However, those that would desire to harm Abram would be as good as dead.
f. There are two lessons to be learned from this truth:
i. First, is from the promise to Abram itself. We would do well to honor and bless the family of Abram. It amazes me, even fifty years after the horror of the Holocaust, that there are many that have contempt and distain for the Jews. [VIDEO, 10, 1031] I say this respectfully, if we as a nation show contempt for Israel and the Jews, we will invite the curse of God upon us all.
ii. Second, how can this apply to us? Today? For the believer, we have been adopted into the family of Abram (Abraham), and have experienced to final part of God’s promise: the families of the earth will be blessed. It is through Jesus Christ that the believer has received God’s saving grace, received through faith in Him.
iii. Obviously, we can feel overwhelmed, even frightened as God calls us to leave our comfort zone, and go. But, for whom God calls, He enables: Isaiah 41:10 (NASB95) ‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
iv. God has promised and He keeps His promises.
g. God will protect.
5. God gives a Choice
a. God confronted Abram—told Him to leave his family and go to an unknown land. God promised to bless and protect Abram. Now Abram had a decision to make. God gave Abram a choice. And what did Abram do:
b. Genesis 12:4a (NASB95) So Abram went forth as the LORD had spoken to him.
c. Abram had a choice to make. He could have played it safe. He could have stayed with his family, his friends—and he would have drifted into obscurity. We would have never known this great man. But what made Abram great was that he obeyed God. It may have not made complete sense to Abram, but Abram listen and went to follow God.
d. I think of a young wealthy man who went to Jesus one day. Matthew 19:16-22 (NASB95)“Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?” 17 And He said to him, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 18 Then he said to Him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER; YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY; YOU SHALL NOT STEAL; YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS; 19 HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER; and YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” 20 The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22 But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property. The young man made a choice. He chose to play it safe. He liked his things more than he wanted to part with them. He enjoyed his life more than joining up with Jesus.
e. What is your choice? Not easy is it. Joshua, the leader of Israel following Moses, was old and his life was near its conclusion. The people that he led often wavered between following God they could not see and worshipping the idols of the neighboring nations. Joshua drew a line in the sand: Joshua 24:15 (NASB95) “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
f. God gives a choice.
Conclusion
1. As I look at the life of Abram, whom God would change is name from Abram, meaning “exalted father” to Abraham, meaning “Father of a Multitude,” I see a living example of a man who dared to follow God. Abraham followed God, in spite of having to leave the comfortable and familiar, and go into the direction of the unknown—only have a hold on trusting in God to lead him.
2. The writer of Hebrews underscores this fact: Hebrews 11:8-12 (NASB95) By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; 10 for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore there was born even of one man, and him as good as dead at that, as many descendants AS THE STARS OF HEAVEN IN NUMBER, AND INNUMERABLE AS THE SAND WHICH IS BY THE SEASHORE.
3. The chief lesson we can learn from Abraham is that he obeyed—he trusted in God.
4. And, there is the principle of becoming a person that God blesses. God blesses those who obey Him. When we do life God’s way—when we follow Him as His Word directs, we are given the promise and blessing of salvation. For it is through Abrahams descendant that a baby was born in a manger—who gave grace and truth—who taught us how to life—and died to make us free—who rose again to demonstrate His saving power—and it is through the Christ—Jesus—that we have life and life more abundantly.
Response
1. If I were to ask you, “Do you want to live a life that God blesses?” what would your response be. I would imagine that the response would be a resounding “Yes!” If that is the case, then “Are you willing to do what is necessary to be blessed by God?”
2. If so, the starting point is obedience—and obedience requires surrender—surrender to things, to position, to fear, to being comfortable—and obedience requires trust—trust in God, His Word, and His plan and purpose for your life.
