Father Abraham
Pastor Jamie Wright * Maranatha Fellowship Church * 06-20-04
Father’s Day
Genesis 12:1-5 1 Now the Lord had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."
4 So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan.
ABRAM was CALLED vs. 1 Now the Lord had said to Abram
It was a calling to leave residence, relatives and resources.
It was a calling of separation, surrender and sacrifice.
Calling of separation (vs. 1) Get out of your country
Earlier chapters in Genesis describe to us the conditions of the country Abram had been living in. Wickedness, evil etc…
2 Corinthians 6:17
Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord,
Abram had to separate from his Father’s house (relatives)
And from his wealth (resources).
Calling of sacrifice (vs.1)
Abram was 75 years old when God called him to do this. He was not a young man he was set in his ways. He was leaving FAMILIAR THINGS. (Family and kin)
He was leaving the old for the new
Calling of surrender (vs. 1)
Abram left it all. He had to surrender everything he had to the hands of God. He wanted to obey God and follow God. He had to surrender his will.
ABRAM had a COVENANT vs. 2-3 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."
God made a covenant (contract) with Abram. It was an unconditional covenant. God did not say to Abram, “if you do this then I will do this.” God’s promises were unconditional. He was proclaiming Himself as an “I will God.”
It was a four-fold covenant:
a. God said, “I will make you a great nation
b. God said, “I will bless you and make you a great name.” (PROSPERITY)
c. God said, “I will bless those who bless you and I will curse those who curse you.” (PROTECTION)
d. God said, “I will bless all the families of the earth through you.”
God’s Covenant with Abram
It was a Simple Covenant- Very clear no strings attached
It was a Sovereign Covenant- Shows the power of God in His promises. We do not serve a “can do” God. We serve a “has done” God.
It was a Sizeable Covenant- Abram was concerned about having a son in his old age. God was more concerned with giving him more heirs than he could count. The blessing was so big it was going to blow Abram’s mind. More than the number of stars in the sky.
God’s covenant with Abram was about
1. A son Genesis 13:16, 15:5
2. A seed Genesis 15:5
I am promised the very same promises. I am in the Abrahamic Covenant.
Galatians 3:29 And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and now all the promises God gave to him belong to you.
Abram is 75 yrs old when God made this covenant with Him. The promise was
He would have many offspring (seed)
He would be blessed
He would have a great name Abram means "exalted father"; Ok name
Abram made some mistakes along the way…Ishmael
Romans 4:18-20 18 When God promised Abraham that he would become the father of many nations, Abraham believed him. God had also said, "Your descendants will be as numerous as the stars," even though such a promise seemed utterly impossible! 19 And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though he knew that he was too old to be a father at the age of one hundred and that Sarah, his wife, had never been able to have children. 20 Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God.
Because Abram did not waver or stagger at the promises of God, God began to fulfill the promise
Abram’s CONFESSION Genesis 17:5
What’s more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram; now you will be known as Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations.
Abraham means "father of many." Now he is 99 years old. He begins to confess the name God gave him. Father of many nations. He didn’t see the fulfillment of the promise, yet he confesses it. He doesn’t confess his age. He doesn’t confess God is unable to do it. He confesses for 12 months I am Abraham.
Despite what others called him. He called himself blessed. Despite how others referred to him, he called himself Father of many nations. He called himself what God saw him as.
What are you confessing?
Isaac is finally born when Abraham is 99 and Sarah is 90. So God has been faithful to his promise. His covenant is being manifested to Abraham.
Remember it was four-fold:
God said, “I will make you a great nation--- out of Isaac comes Jacob whose name is also changed to ISRAEL---a great Nation
God said, “I will bless you and make you a great name.” (PROSPERITY)- God changed Abram’s name to a great name.
God said, “I will bless those who bless you and I will curse those who curse you.” (PROTECTION)- Always has been true
God said, “I will bless all the families of the earth through you.”-continues in us
One other promise in this covenant according to Genesis 12:1 unto a land I will show thee.
Abraham was looking for a CITY Hebrews 11:8-10 8 It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. 9 And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith – for he was like a foreigner, living in a tent. And so did Isaac and Jacob, to whom God gave the same promise. 10 Abraham did this because he was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.
Abraham dwelt in Canaan as a foreigner and he did it by faith. He lived in tents. He was a sojourner. Just a pilgrim passing through. He never owned or occupied any property or built a house. He was a stranger in that land.
The only land he occupied was a burial plot. Why? He was looking for a city whose builder and maker was God.
The only land you will end up occupying here on this earth is a burial plot.
Because Abraham was looking for a city-Heaven He went from a burial plot to a blessed place. It was the promise of God to Abraham
NOW IT IS MY PROMISE…I am looking for that country whose builder and maker are God.
Walls of Jasper
Streets of gold
River of life
No death no sorrow no pain. No tears are in the eyes for he shall wipe all tears from our eyes
All the saints are there and my loved ones too
We will get to see Moses and David
We will talk with Paul and Timothy
I will even get to be with Abraham Isaac and Jacob
But Oh How I want to see Jesus
For he is the one who died for me.
That is the city I am looking for. It is the CITY ABRAHAM was promised.
