ABRAHAM’S SEPARATION
Genesis 12:1-3
Genesis 12:1-3. (KJV)
1Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee:
2And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
God promised Abraham that he would be a blessing to every family on the earth.
INTRODUCTION: The theme for this meeting is: “Investing In America Through Our Family.” There are many ways one can invest in the lives of others. If we could take one family at a time and mold them into a good Bible believing, God fearing families, and then another and another, what a difference it would make.
If we could challenge every home to focus on building godly homes as Bro. Mike Stanley has told us, what a difference it would make.
Most families today are too interested in self purposes and self-focus to allow them to be used of God. We are more interested in:
Retirement – than investing in lives of people.
Financial advancement – than being a blessing to others.
Personal success.
Pleasure.
God promised Abraham that all the families of the earth would be blessed by his family. If Abraham had not allowed God to use him Isaac would not have been the seed promised, and Jesus Christ would have come through some other family line than Abraham.
Abraham’s life was filled with times of separation. Most of these were not separation from things that were evil. So we may well have to separate from some things that are not bad or evil if we are going to be an investment in other’s lives.
We may have to give up some of those favorite times or favorite things if we are to be a blessing to others.
Let us examine the things that Abraham had to separate himself.
I. SEPARATED FROM HIS COUNTRY
The first time God spoke to Abraham:
A. God’s First Word To Abraham Was – “...Get thee out…” “Leave”.
(Gen 12:1) "Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee:"
Leave your country.
Leave your people.
Leave your father’s household.
Leave your comfort.
Leave everything that is familiar to you.
Leave your desires.
Leave your preferences.
Leave your daily routine.
Leave your friends.
Leave the assurance of three meals a day.
Leave everything you have come to love and enjoy over the past seventy-five years of your life and go.
B. God’s Second Word To Abraham Was, “…..unto a land I will show thee…” “Go”. We had rather hear, “Come and get….”
Go to that land that I will show you.
Go to the unknown.
Go to the unfamiliar.
Go to the place where you will have to trust Me as you have never had to do before.
Go to where I will provide for you.
Go, and I will be your road Map.
Go and watch me be your Bread of Life.
Go and I will bless you.
It’s hard to hold on to the Lord when our hands are full everything that gives security and comfort.
Things will never satisfy, but God can.
People do not have the power to quiet the storm of our soul, but God can.
God alone must be our security.
God alone is enough.
Abraham Had To Re-Locate.
Move All That He Had To A Strange Land.
Make New Friends.
I have done that. I know the experience. Quit a lifelong job – sell a house – move 1000 miles to a strange land.
I think of Bro. Sam and Connie Kilmer – In their 50’s. Sam would have retired in 5 more years. Left his job – went on deputation – Left their family and friends then to Viet Nam as missionaries.
(Titus 1:1) "Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;"
Paul is saying: “I am a bond servant, a slave, of Jesus Christ. My life is not my own. My happiness is not my goal. My comfort is not my aim. My loss is Christ’s gain. I have been blessed to be a blessing to others.”
(Phil 3:8) "Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,"
The only problem is that apart from trusting God, apart from letting go of what we love most so that our hearts belong only to Him – there is no way for you or me to be a blessing to those around us. We will not be a blessing to others by holding on to the riches of this world.
Suppose for a moment that your first encounter with God was a command to “Leave” and “Go”? The first words you ever heard or saw spoken by God to you were “Leave – Go”.
That is really what salvation is! We must leave the old life – and go to a new life of following Christ with all of our being. When we turn our life over to Christ we are telling Him that we will “leave” the old life, and “go” to a new one. (2 Cor 5:17) "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
Abraham had to separate himself from his country.
II. HE SEPARATED FROM HIS HOME
A. When One Leaves Home He Loses Some Sense Of Security.
Being established in a permanent home seems to bring security to all family members.
B. It Seems Like God Is Not As Real, Or Maybe As Accessible At The New Location As Before.
New surroundings and new faces make the situation much harder to really be settled.
A new home – I remember our home in KY. We moved to Louisville in 1973 to go to Bible school. We unloaded the truck and the next day it rained. It came a gully washer. The house we had rented had a septic system. It rained so hard until the septic backed up in the basement. We had set up the three boys bed room in the basement. We had a pile of unlaundered clothes on the floor of the basement. When we looked in the basement it was flooded with raw sewage. I didn’t like KY. I wanted to move back to OK. Mary and I both knew that we had done the right thing in going there. You see, we were preparing ourselves so we could be a blessing to others. Our purpose was not comfort and security. Our purpose was not comfort and pleasure. Our purpose was preparation for God’s service.
During our stay there God became very close to us. We saw His hand in every facet of our life. It was during those days of separation from our home that God prepared us to be a blessing to others. Before going to KY I was a very self-eccentric person. I had no compassion or concern for anyone except my own family.
C. Abraham Had To Fight Battles That Weren’t His Own. Lot was kidnapped. Abraham took his own hired servants and went and rescued Lot.
This is an area you will be a blessing in helping folks – fighting battles that aren’t yours. You will get great satisfaction knowing you are being a blessing to others.
God will steer you to folks that are experiencing things that you have already been through and can help them through their battle.
The uncertainties of a new land bring new fears.
You will not be a blessing to others until you become willing to separate yourself from the comfort of your home.
III. HE HAD TO SEPARATE FROM HIS HOUSEHOLD
A. He Took His Father With Him Part Of The Way.
B. He Took Lot With Him Which Was A Great Mistake.
C. He Left Everyone Else In His Household Behind. He never saw them again. (Heb 11:15 KJV) "And truly, if they (Abraham and Sarah) had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned."
This verse would indicate that they never returned to the old home land. Abraham wouldn’t permit the thoughts of the old home place to hinder him from being a blessing or investing in others.
Jesus commands us to give up the family members to be the kind of servant and disciple He wants us to be. (Luke 14:26 KJV) "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple."
Matt 10:37 “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”
You will not be much help to God in the work of investing in others lives until you separate yourself from your household, and family members.
IV. WE WILL HAVE TO SEPARATE OURSELVES FROM A LIFE OF EASE AND PLEASURE
A. The Pulse Of This Whole Country Is That Of Pleasure, Past Time, And Spending.
B. The Average Christian Is So Wrapped Up On The Pleasures Of This World That They Don’t Have Time To Do Anything For God.
I’m not referencing things that are evil. We participate in those things which are considered to be acceptable in all Christian ranks of activity. But, if we intend to be a blessing to others, then most of our past time and pleasure will have to go on hold, or total cancellation.
We can’t be a blessing to others unless we separate from the pleasures of the world. We can’t be a blessing and partake of every pastime available. That’s why I never started golfing. I knew I would like it. I sold my fishing tackle. I sold my shot gun. I knew I would be tempted to go and involve myself in the pastime of the pleasure. I had to separate from that if I was to be a blessing to others.
Self has to die and never be resurrected again.
Paul had this concept in mind when he said:
(1 Cor 9:27) "But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway."
We have discussed Abraham’s Separation – Now it is our time.
V. WE WILL HAVE TO SEPARATE OURSELVES FROM OUR FAMILY AND HOME
I am not saying to ignore family, or to turn away from them. I am saying that this going once a month out of town to visit some family member will have to be stopped. You will not be the blessing God has in mind for you if you are gone every other weekend. We have some people that go every other weekend to see family members. It is like they hadn’t seen them for 10 years when it was just two weeks that they last saw them. We have people in our church that consider dad, mom, grandma, and grandpa to be more important than God is. They spend more time and money going to and from their family’s place than they do going to church, or in serving God. That kind of activity won’t please God and sure won’t produce a blessing to others.
Abraham said goodbye to his home and family.
He said goodbye to his homeland.
He said goodbye to all that was dear to him.
There is a time when we must say goodbye to our family. We will have to say goodbye to our home place.
(Mat 10:37 KJV) "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me."
We will not be a blessing to others until we become willing to get involved in the lives of those whom we do not know.
Often times we are too clannish – we only associate with those we are acquainted. You will not be a blessing to others with that attitude.
VI. ABRAHAM KNEW THAT GOD WAS ABLE TO DO WHATEVER WAS NECESSARY
(Heb 11:17) "By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son."
(Heb 11:18) "Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:"
(Heb 11:19) "Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure."
Listen very closely; Abraham knew that God was able and actually had everything worked out for his family and their life.
You will not be tested to the degree as was Abraham.
Let me give you a worldly illustration: The 2001 Orange Bowl – The University of Oklahoma and Florida State University. FSU was picked to win by two touchdowns. As the game went into the middle of the fourth quarter OU was leading by six points. Every fan of OU was biting fingernails and sweating out the finish, hoping OU could hold on. The final score was Oklahoma 13 – Florida State 2. OU Won. What an experience that was – my hands were sweaty – my heart was pounding – my excitement level was sky-high. (Remember I told you this was a worldly illustration) Since that game I have watched the rerun several times and have not had a knot in my stomach. As a matter of fact I leaned back in my recliner with my feet up with no anxiety at all. Why? I knew the outcome. I didn’t have knots of anxiety or fear. I knew what was going to happen.
Suppose for a moment that you and I could enter into the will of God with that same assurance that the outcome would always be good? If we could actually look into the future and see that God was going to be faithful in guiding our path. If we could look through a telescope of time and know that we were going to be financially secure. If we knew that the problem that seemed so huge now would work itself out. Wouldn’t that be great? We could go off blood pressure medication. We could put our feet up and sail right on through knowing that the outcome was going to be OK.
That’s not how we look at the will of God. God assured Abraham of what that He would be with him. He understood that God had said that He would bless him and make him a great nation, but he could not see how God was going to do that. Abraham could only experience the finish by faith in the present. It is one thing for God to tell us something, and quite another to understand how He is going to accomplish it.
We want the details and know the outcome before we really put our feet up and relax.
We know God said in (Isa 30:21 KJV) "And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left."
The Lord told Abraham, (Gen 15:1 KJV) "After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward." Can we rest with that same assurance? Let me leave you with this one thought:
Others Lord, yes others,
Let this my motto be,
Help me live for others
That I might live for Thee.
INVITATION
