A. WHAT ARE STUMBLING BLOCKS TO WALKING BY FAITH?
1. Walk by sight. “We walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7).
2. Doubts. “Walk in faith” (Rom. 4:12).
3. Tell lies. “Walk in truth” (2 John 4).
4. Controlled by the flesh. “Walk not after the flesh” (Rom. 8:1).
5. Give into the temptations of lust of flesh, eyes and pride.
6. Drawn away by satan (sin).
B. TWO OUTWARD PROBLEMS FACING ABRAM
1. An enemy. “The Canaanites were in the land (Gen. 12:6).
a. God promised the land to Abram, but they had it.
b. He didn’t fight, “journeyed on” (13:4).
2. The environment. “There was a famine in the land . . . the famine was severe” (12:10).
a. Can God take care of His own in hard times?
b. For a solution, Abram left the land God promised to him.
C. THE INWARD PROBLEM: ABRAM’S INNER WEAKNESS
1. When you leave God, it is always spiritually down. “Abram went down to Egypt” (12:16).
2. Abram planned staying outside God’s place for him. “To dwell there” (12:10).
3. The farther we get from God, the more likely we are to sin. “When he was close to entering Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife . . . ‘Please say you are my sister’” (12:11, 13).
4. We get into trouble when we become the rule-makers, “I know you are a woman of beautiful countenance . . . they will kill me” (12:11-12).
5. Half-truth becomes wholly wrong when we cause another to believe a lie.
a. Later Abram told the whole truth that Sarai was his half-sister. “Indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife” (20:12).
b. Abram did it for self-protection, not thinking of Sarai, “That it may be well with me” (12:13).
c. There’s always a reason when we sin, “That it may be well with me” (12:13).
d. We usually never sin alone, we drag someone with us, “That I may live because of you” (12:13).
6. Abram caused Egyptians to sin ignorantly, “The Egyptians saw the woman that she was very beautiful . . . was taken to Pharaoh’s house” (12:14-15).
D. DIVINE INTERVENTION AND DELIVERANCE
1. Unknown. What happened when “the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house” (12:17)?
2. His wife was restored according to God’s original plan. “Here is your wife, take her and go” (12:19).
3. Abram was sent back to Canaan, the land God originally promised him. “Pharaoh commanded . . . sent him away” (12:20).
a. The world acts decisively. “They took him away immediately” (12:20, ELT).
b. God uses unsaved to help believers find God’s will for their life.
4. Abram reluctantly returned to the Promised Land. “Abram went up from Egypt . . . on his journey from the south to Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning” (13:1-3).
5. God had promised to bless him with temporal blessings. “Sent him away with his wife and all that he had” (12:20). “Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold” (13:2).
6. Abram dragged Lot to Egypt. “Lot with Him” (13:1). Abram brought Lot out of Egypt, but he never got Egyptian lust out of Lot.
E. THE TWO SYMBOLS OF ABRAHAM’S FAITH: THE TENT AND ALTAR
1. The altar stands for fellowship with God. “Abram went up from Egypt . . . to the place of the altar” (13:1-2). The blood sacrifice always deals with our sin and brings us back to God.
2. The tent stood for separation from the world. “Abram went up from Egypt . . . to the place where his tent had been” (13:1, 3).
3. When Abram was backslidden in Egypt, there were no altars or tents.
4. Just as Abram went down into Egypt, so he “went up from Egypt.” Backsliding does not have to be permanent.
If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:
Dear Lord, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. I personally want to welcome you to the family of God and rejoice with you.
All PBC lessons are available online at trbc.org/pbc. Go to www.Hopenow.tv for the current program schedule.
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Dr. Towns' email is ELTowns@liberty.edu
Dr. Towns’ web address is www.elmertowns.com
