Introduction:
A. Let’s imagine for a minute that you are lost in the desert.
1. Your throat is parched and your tongue is dry.
a. You tell yourself, “Just one sip of water, I’d give anything for just one sip!”
2. Then you see something up ahead – a water pump is sitting there in the middle of the desert.
a. As you stagger closer, you see something hanging on a strap from the pump handle.
b. What is hanging there is a canteen and with the canteen is a message that says: “Beneath your feet is all the fresh, cool water you will ever need. But the pump will not work unless it is primed with water. The canteen contains enough water to prime the pump, but if you drink any of the water first, the pump will not work.”
3. You take the canteen in your hand, shake it, and feel the water sloshing inside.
a. Now what do you do?
b. Should you believe the promise written on the sign?
c. What if it is a hoax?
d. What if there is nothing but dry sand beneath the pump?
e. What if the only water for miles is in that canteen?
f. If you trust that sign, you could be pouring your life away.
4. A decision must be made.
a. Will you drink from the canteen or will you take the only water you have seen for days and pour it down the throat of that pump?
b. Will you put your trust in what you can touch and see, or will you have faith in a promise?
B. Abraham was a man who believed the promise of God.
1. Many times in his life, Abraham came to a point where all he had to go on was the equivalent of a canteen and a promise.
2. Yet, as we will see in this series, he was repeatedly willing to believe God’s promise, so he poured out his canteen and primed the pump of God’s blessing in his own life and in the lives of his descendants.
3. Abraham was an ordinary man with an extraordinary willingness to place his trust in the promises of God.
4. Nevertheless, as we will see, as extraordinary as he may have been, he was not perfect in his journey of faith, and like him, we won’t be perfect in our journey of faith, either.
C. Last week, we started this series by discussing the benefits of studying biographies, especially the biographies of biblical characters.
1. Today, I want us to look at the beginning of Abraham’s story and to see his first steps of faith.
2. As I said last week, the life of Abraham teaches us much about the matter of walking with God by faith.
3. And since that, after all, is the goal of the Lord for all His children, to walk by faith, Abraham can teach us how to do just that.
I. The Story
A. Abraham was originally called Abram, and it was not until years later that God changed his name to Abraham (his name change will prove to be deeply significant as we will see when we get to that part of the story).
1. Hopefully, we won’t be confused if I call him Abraham throughout our study.
2. We meet Abraham for the first time in the closing verses of Genesis 11 and the opening verses of Genesis 12.
B. The Bible says: This is the account of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. 28 While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth. 29 Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife was Milcah; she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milcah and Iscah. 30 Now Sarai was barren; she had no children.
31 Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there.
32 Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Haran.
1 The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. 2 “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
4 So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran. 5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.
6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 The LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." So he built an altar there to the LORD , who had appeared to him (Genesis 11:27 – 12:7)
C. It is important for us to understand that there was a time in the distant past, some 4000 years ago, when Abraham was a mere nobody.
1. Abraham had humble beginnings and was just another nameless face in the crowd of humanity.
2. Abraham was born in the Chaldean city of Ur in Mesopotamia and lived many years of his life in obscurity.
3. Ur was located in what we call Iraq today.
a. It was in the southeast corner of Iraq, some 75 miles north of the Kuwaiti border.
b. It was, at Abraham’s time, located at the place where the Euphrates River emptied into the Persian Gulf.
c. At that time, it was a bustling seaport.
d. History also says that this city was a center of intellectual activity.
e. A large public library has been unearthed that contained thousands of ancient texts written in clay.
f. That region was also well suited for raising flocks and herds - which may account for the fact that Abraham was, for the whole of his life, involved with sheep and cattle.
4. Another important thing we know from history about Ur is that it was a stronghold for idol worship.
a. Although everyone in the world had at one time known that there is only one God who created everything, over time people had begun to come up with their own gods.
b. People in ancient Mesopotamia worshiped a pantheon of mythical gods ruled by the moon god, Nanna, whom they regarded as “the lord of heaven” and “the divine creator.”
c. Like his relatives and neighbors, and before God appeared to him, Abraham likely worshiped idols and accepted mythology as truth.
d. Look at what Joshua, the man who succeeded Moses in leading Israel, said to the Israelites: “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your forefathers, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the River and worshiped other gods. But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the River and led him throughout Canaan and gave him many descendants.” (Josh. 24:2-3)
D. How wonderful it is to realize that God chose Abraham by grace.
1. It’s doubtful Abraham had even heard of the one true Creator God before that point.
a. By an act of pure grace, God dipped His hand into that idolatrous hole and selected Abraham out of all people.
b. The Lord chose Abraham for reasons known only in heaven.
c. God called Abraham out of the most wretched of conditions, spiritually speaking!
2. And when you get right down to it, you and I are no different than Abraham.
a. We might not have served stone gods and worshiped the heavenly bodies, but we were all trapped in the same darkness that enveloped the life of Abraham!
b. It thrills me to know that we serve a God Who can reach into the blackest heart and turn on the light of His glory and presence.
c. I praise God that He can take a life that was so hopeless and barren and can turn it into one of the greatest examples of the power of faith and grace that can be found anywhere!
3. And so the point I hope we realize is this: regardless of where we came from or of what baggage we carry with us now, God is able to come where we are and change us for His glory.
a. No one is beyond the touch of the Lord! Not even a pagan idolater like Abraham!
E. The Scriptures pass over Abraham’s early life in Ur with only a brief mention.
1. It is as if God wants us to know that the real life of Abraham didn’t truly begin until his momentous encounter with God.
2. In Acts 7, Stephen, the first Christian martyr, gave a speech in which he told us about that time when God appeared to Abraham and called him to walk by faith.
3. Stephen said: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran. 3 ‘Leave your country and your people,’ God said, ‘and go to the land I will show you.’ 4 “So he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After the death of his father, God sent him to this land where you are now living.” (Acts 7:2-4)
F. We are not told how the call came to Abraham, but we are told that God spoke to this man in his darkness and called him into the light to follow a new path.
1. Abraham was called to leave behind everything he loved and everything that had shaped his life up to that point.
2. He was ordered to leave his region, his religion and his relatives behind.
a. For this man, and for anyone, that would be a difficult task.
3. He was to leave his home, not knowing where he was going, or when he would arrive.
a. He was to leave all such matters in the hand of the Lord!
4. When the call of God does come to a life, it is a call for that person to sever all ties with the past life.
a. God’s call is a call to a new life with new priorities and a new Lord.
b. God’s call requires total commitment.
c. God calls us to leave the old life behind and to begin a new life of faith, where every moment is lived in utter dependence upon the Lord alone for our every need.
d. God calls us to follow without being concerned about the destination, we must leave the details to Him.
e. God calls us to follow Him regardless of what it costs, where it leads or how much it hurts.
f. It is a daily, moment by moment, journey of faith!
G. When we look at Abraham’s call and his response to that call, it appears that Abraham failed to fully submit to God’s call.
1. Remember, God’s command was: “Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.” (Gen. 12:1)
2. The Bible says that they came to Haran and dwelled there.
a. If you look at a map, you will find that Haran is northeast of the Promised Land.
b. This was not where God called Abram to be! He had not gone all the way for the Lord.
3. Also, we notice that he failed to separate from his family.
a. He took his father with him and his nephew lot as well.
b. We notice that Abraham did not leave Haran and fully follow the Lord’s command until the death of his father Terah – in that sense, Terah was a roadblock between Abraham and his doing the will of God.
H. I would encourage each of us to ask ourselves: What has the Lord told me to do that I haven’t done?
1. Have we fallen short in the obedience department?
a. I know first-hand that not all of God’s commands are easy to obey.
b. Some are difficult, some are frightening and some are costly, but all are to be obeyed without question by the child of God who wishes to walk by faith and be found pleasing to the Lord.
2. Let’s allow Terah to represent the flesh and other things that hinder our progress in the things of God.
a. What is your Terah this today?
b. If we aren’t exactly where the Lord wants us to be, or if we aren’t doing what the Lord wants us to do, then we have a Terah.
c. We have a roadblock between us and our doing what the Lord has told us to do.
d. What is the thing that is holding us back this morning?
3. Additionally, we all need to be careful that we do not stand in the way of others doing the will of God.
a. If we aren’t careful, we just might find ourselves being a Terah to someone in our lives.
b. Don’t let your lack of faith prevent someone else from following God fully!
4. In the end, I would encourage us to always remember that partial obedience is simple disobedience!
a. Until we have done all God says to do, we haven’t done what God said to do!
b. Thankfully, God was patient with Abraham and finally brought him along to complete obedience.
c. And thankfully, God is patient with each of us as well as we move toward complete obedience.
d. But, it is far better for us to hear God’s voice and respond in immediate obedience, then it is for us to delay and disobey!
I. As we near the conclusion of our investigation of this part of Abraham’s story, I want us to notice the promises God gave Abraham.
1. The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. 2 “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (Gen. 12:1-3)
a. God promised that He would make Abraham into a great nation (many offspring).
b. God promised that He would make Abraham’s name great – His name is great today.
c. God promised to protect Abraham throughout the process.
d. And God promised to make Abraham a blessing to all the people on earth.
2. Consider the fact that Abraham didn’t know how God would work it all out, but Abraham trusted that God would do it.
3. God wants us to have that same kind of faith so that we can trust in all God’s promises, even though we have no idea how God will fulfill them.
a. God wants us to come to the place where we can simply take Him at His Word and be satisfied in our hearts that He will do what He has promised to do.
4. So, regardless of what the devil, the flesh and the world tell us, we can trust God - Every one of His promises is true!
a. We can depend on God to take care of us as we live by faith.
II. The Application
A. I want to end today’s lesson with the two commands we find couched in God’s promises to Abraham.
1. God’s gave Abraham two and the first command was “Go.”
B. God commanded Abraham to go, it meant for him to leave the known and familiar for the unknown and the unfamiliar.
1. When God commands us to go, it often means we have to let go and put our trust in God.
2. I like the story told of the man who was hiking one day and fell off a steep cliff.
a. As he fell downward he grabbed onto a branch which temporarily stopped his fall.
b. To his horror, he saw that the canyon fell straight down for hundreds of feet.
c. He knew he couldn’t hang on the branch very long and there was no way to climb up the steep wall, so he began yelling for help.
d. After yelling for some time for help and hearing no reply, the man finally heard someone say his name.
e. The voice said, “Jack, can you hear me?”
f. Jack replied, “Yes, I can hear you. I need your help. Who are you?”
g. The voice replied, “Jack, this is God and I can help you. Do you trust me, Jack?”
h. Jack said, “Yes, I trust you, God, and if you get me down from here safely, I will do anything for you.”
i. God said, “Easy on the promises, Jack. Let’s just get you down from there. Now here is what I want you to do. Listen carefully. I want you to let go of the branch.”
j. Jack said, “You want me to do what?”
k. God said, “I said, ‘let go of the branch.’ Just trust me and let go and I will catch you.”
l. After a long silence, Jack yelled, “Help! Help! Is there anyone else up there who can help me?”
3. That is a lot like what God asked Abraham to do when God said, “Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.”
a. Abraham may have asked, “But exactly where are we going? And how long will it take to get there? Etc. Etc.”
b. And God likely said, “Do you trust me? Then just let go.”
4. I also get a chuckle when I think about the conversation Abraham must have had with his wife, Sarah.
a. Abraham likely said something like: “Honey, time to pack up. We’re moving.”
b. Sarah said, “Where we moving to?”
c. Abraham replied, “I have no idea where we are going?”
d. Then Sarah asked, “Have you lost your mind?”
5. Sometimes God calls us out of our comfortable, convenient spots, so we can be more productive, and when the call comes, we must go and we must let go.
6. When is the last time you tried something new in your Christian walk and service?
a. Is God trying to get you to move out of your comfort zone and to try something new?
b. Are you willing to trust God by going and by letting go?
C. The second command God game Abraham was to “be a blessing.”
1. As we answer God’s call and as we go, let’s be a blessing along the way.
2. God promised to bless Abraham, but God did so in order that Abraham might be a blessing.
a. God doesn’t bless us so that we can hoard God’s blessings for ourselves alone.
b. Rather, God wants us to be a channel of blessing to others.
3. When Robert Louis Stevenson, the great Scottish novelist, was 12 years old, he was looking out into the dark from his upstairs window one night watching a man light the streetlamps.
a. Someone came into Stevenson’s room and asked him what he was doing looking out the window, and he replied, “I am watching a man cut holes in the darkness.”
4. That’s exactly what God calls us to do: to “cut holes” in the spiritual darkness of our world.
a. God wants us to be a blessing to those around us and we can do it wherever we are or in whatever position we are in.
b. We can be a blessing in our families, workplaces, school, neighborhood, or anywhere.
c. We can be a blessing in both big ways and little ways.
5. I like the story of the boy walking along the seashore throwing starfish back into the ocean.
a. A man stopped him and said, “But there must be tens of thousands of starfish on this beach. I’m afraid you won’t really be able to make much of a difference.”
b. The boy bent down, picked up yet another starfish and threw it as far as he could into the ocean. Then he turned, smiled and said, “I made a difference to that one!”
D. There is an old saying that goes, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”
1. It took Abraham a while, but he made that step, and when he did, God began to bless him and make him a blessing.
2. What steps of faith have you made so far in your faith journey?
3. What steps of faith do you and I need to make today so that we can be blessed and be a blessing?
4. Let’s be like Abraham and answer God’s call and obey God’s commands to go and to let go, and to be a blessing.
Resources:
Abraham – One Nomad’s Amazing Journey of Faith, by Charles Swindoll, Tyndale, 2014.
Friend of God – The Legacy of Abraham, Man of Faith, by Ray Stedman, Discovery House, 2010.
Created to Be God’s Friend, by Henry Blackaby, Nelson, 1999.
The Call to A Life of Faith, Sermon by Carl Allen, SermonCentral.com
Go and Be A Blessing, Sermon by C. Philip Green, SermonCentral.com
