NEW BEGINNINGS
FROM ABRAM TO ABRAHAM
Pastor Chuck La Porte 01-02-2008
(Abraham came from the family of Shem (son of Noah) Genesis 11)
God was willing and able to change the identity of a man by the name of Abram to Abraham a name of promise = “the father of many”
God did so because Abram was willing to allow God to change him. Are you willing today to allow God to change you?
Genesis 17:1-14 Read
Lessons From The Life Of Abraham: we will look at a point in time prior to chapter 17… and going into chapter 18 = but the first thing we need to see about the willingness of Abram to be obedient to God is that Abram would…
1. Look Toward The HORIZON Genesis 12:1-8
the eyes of God searched to and fro the earth, to find a man whose faith would respond to heaven’s call, he found Abraham… he was instructed to leave his home and everything he knew as familiar. To go to a land that God would later put his name upon, he needed a man of faith to fulfill this purpose.
The condition of God’s blessing rested upon Abrams departure from the familiar, so that by faith he would obtain the riches of the unknown…
He had no map of the promised land, no travel brochures and no guide other than God Himself. (all he had was the raising of the son on each new day)
In order to embrace the promise (father of many) he had to release everything that he trusted in and trust God for his next camp, meal and next breath.
Success in the Promised Land depended on Abraham looking toward the horizon of the next day…
By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as an inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the Promised Land… he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. Hebrews 11:8-10
He was asked to leave that tangible security of this earth to embrace the city whose architect and builder was God. Are you willing to leave the comforts of the life you know and step into the calling of God that is unknown?
Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what lies ahead, I press toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Phil. 3:13-14
Paul understood this Biblical principle of forgetting what is behind and pressing forward to the horizon. Christians today must, by faith, walk away from the false security of our UNGODLY CHARACTER and set their eyes toward the horizon of Kingdom life.
The promised land of God’s blessing lies before you, and the darkness of this present world lies behind you, will you travel the path of Abram.
Another lesson from Abraham was that he was willing to…
2. EMBRACE THE KNIFE
the knife of circumcision. In Genesis 17 God makes this covenant deal with Abram and seals it with the sign of circumcision. Removal of the foreskin is a very intimate act to show us that God desires an intimate relationship with us.
What I am talking to you about tonight is not just the circumcision of foreskin…. But of your heart… as the original Hebrews were physically circumcised to show that they would daily walk in the ways of the God of Israel… an inward sign of an outward commitment.
Abraham was willing to embrace the knife not only for himself but for his entire family as well, he would endure this in order to become the spiritual leader in his own home
“as for me and my family we will serve the Lord?” you need to be willing to embrace the SYMBOLIC knife for your family as well
The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live. Deut. 30:6
Embracing the knife in the O/T was a physical act of obedience, but in the N/T it becomes a spiritual act of obedience.
It is the circumcision of the heart, made without human hands but with human consent. In other words Christians make their own choice, to embrace the knife and walk in conformity with Jesus, or to refuse the knife and walk in their own free will.
In Him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men, but with the circumcision done by Christ. Col. 2:11
To choose the knife is to choose the path of maturity. To refuse it is to live a life of carnality and failure.
Romans 2:28-29
In the O/T failure to embrace the knife was paramount to expulsion from the camp, in the N/T those who refuse to circumcise the heart are destined to follow Jesus from a distance.
The point of the knife to the human will produces intimacy and uninhibited fellowship with the savior. Every Christian was redeemed to walk close to Jesus. Embrace the knife and walk in His blessings
The third lesson from Abraham was that…
3. NOTHING IS TOO DIFFICULT
Then the Lord said, “I will surely return to you this time next year and Sarah your wife will have a son.” Genesis 18:10
Abraham and Sarah are old & advanced in age. Abraham loved Sarah but her womb was closed. No heirs stood in line to carry the family traditions…
The situation seemed impossible, no hope remained… (sound familiar = marriage, family relationships seems hopeless)
They were too old and could only think about what might have been, we think it is too late for change in our lives and we sulk in “what might have bee.”
This is where Sarah and Abraham are… but then God comes on the scene. And when the Almighty appears anything can happen – the Lord promised them that the impossible was about to occur, they would not only have a child but a son… AN HEIR
“Ah sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth… nothing is too hard for You.” Jeremiah 32:17
Nothing is impossible when God is involved, regardless of how hopeless the situation may seem, because God specializes in what men deem impossible.
What is it in your life that seems impossible, what mountain seems too high, with God all things are possible
“With man this is impossible, but with God nothing is impossible.” Matt. 19:26
Abraham was a man of faith, his faith was rewarded by his son Isaac. Isaac would become the father of his grandson Jacob (who would later be changed to Israel) and Jacob would become the father to Abrahams great-grandsons who would become the 12 Tribes of Israel… a great nation fathered by Abraham a promise by God, sealed with a covenant, marked by circumcision… looking toward the horizon, nothing was impossible.
Faith sees beyond obstacles and touches the invisible. Faith says if God promised it, than He will fulfill His promise. Faith is yours for the asking.
