Lesson 30

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Bible Study 1 - Genesis 12

 

Series # 4:   FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF FAITH

Lesson 30:  Genesis 12:4-9 ABRAM'S COMMITMENT TO A LIFE OF FAITH

 

Genesis 12:4-9 (KJV) “4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.  5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. 6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.  7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.  8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. 9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. ”

 

INTRODUCTION:

 

I remember when I was in school there would be students that would come into our school from various parts of the country.  Some would move in for a little while and then they would be gone.  Either their parents were in the military, or transferred to another job, or they were looking for work, or something else.  Many had moved around all of their life and never really had any permanency about their lives like my family did.  I felt then like it was quite unusual whereas today it is a common day occurrence. There are so many people who seem like Boat People floating on the sea of time, never knowing where they are going to dock next. However, when I read the Bible I discover very clearly, that the Christian life is also a pilgrimage. Peter wrote in 1 Pet. 2:11, “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.” Everyone of us that are saved is a pilgrim for the Lord. We are on a journey that began the day we received Jesus into our hearts and that pilgrimage will continue until the day we arrive in Heaven. This pilgrimage is, at times a wonderful thing, whereas at other times, it is difficult at best. Nevertheless, all the time it is a pilgrimage that is to be lived out through faith in the Lord.

 

In this study, I want to spend some time with the first pilgrim. This man named Abraham was the first one to leave everything behind, not knowing where he was going, to walk West kicking over the clods with the Lord by faith. His pilgrimage was not easy, though there were blessings along the way for Abraham. However, in his pilgrimage, Abraham sets the example for you and me. He shows us how to live out our lives in absolute faith in and total commitment to the Lord God Almighty.

 

Therefore, in this study let's journey along with Abraham as he sets the example for all of God's children down through the spaces and throughout the ages. It clearly appears to me that he teaches us a wonderful lesson in FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF FAITH. There are three clearly marked out sides to ABRAHAM'S COMMITMENT TO A LIFE OF FAITH that I want to try to bring across in this study. As is my usual approach, I will start with an interpretation, then an explanation, an application and then conclude as we study together. Before we begin please pray and ask God to fill our minds with his unhindered Word for our individual lives in order that we may be continually GROWING TOGETHER IN CHRIST’S LOVE.

 

INTERPRETATION:


ABRAM'S OBEDIENCE

 

 

Genesis 12:4-5 “So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.” 

 

It took a while, but Abraham finally came to the place of total obedience to the Lord. That is the same place the Lord wishes to bring each of His children.

  • We can see this clearly illustrated in 1 Samuel 15 when God told Saul in verse 3, “Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.”

  • However we learn in verse 9, “Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but everything that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.”

  • Then the Lord said in verse 11, “It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments.”

  • Trying to defend his partial obedience, which is total disobedience, Saul told Samuel in verses 20-21, “I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal.”

  • Nevertheless, as a result of his disobedience to the Lord we learn in verses 22-23, “Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.”  

 

OBEDIENCE INVOLVED HIS SEPARATION

 

The call of God had been for Abraham to separate from his relatives, and to follow God by faith in Genesis 12:1 where we read, “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.” Abraham was called upon to separate himself from everything that would hinder the progress of the walk of faith!

 

The Lord's call is the same for His children today! Anything that prevents us from progressing as He would desire is a weight that must go. That is the meaning of Hebrews 12:1-2 where we are instructed, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. ”

 

Most of the time, you will not be called upon to sever ties with your family as was Abraham. However, if you decide to walk by faith, there will be times when your family may not be sympathetic to what the Lord is leading you to do in your life, especially if they are lost. In times like those, the will of the Lord must be given the priority! However, the words of Jesus in this matter are these: in Matt. 10:32-39 Jesus said very clearly, “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. 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. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.”

 

OBEDIENCE INVOLVED HIS SUBSTANCE

 

Verse 5 tells us “And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.” When Abraham left to follow the Lord, he took "all his substance." In other words, when the Lord got Abraham, the Lord got everything he had! Abraham didn't leave anything behind for the world to use, but he took it all and went after God.

 

You can gauge the level of a person's commitment to the Lord by how much of that person's "stuff" has been dedicated to the Lord! We get hung up on the tithe.  I believe that a person ought to tithe. But, what you do with the other 90% is just as important to the Lord as what you do with His 10%. You see, God doesn't just want His part, He wants your part too! He gives us what He does so that we might use it for His glory and for His kingdom's work. That's why some folks don't ever have anything! They peel off a dollar for the Lord and spend the other nine dollars on themselves and the things of the world without any thought of God’s will but God won't bless that! When God has you AND your checkbook, He can bless you in ways you have never imagined. By the way, most do not believe or understand this but, the way to get is to give. Jesus told us in Luke 6:38, “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” By the inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit Malachi said in Malachi 3:10, “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. ” That is not the motive for giving to the Lord and in His name, but it is a benefit! How much of our stuff does the Lord have? Or, do we have what we call  "our pile" and "God's pile"? If we do, I'll guarantee you that our pile is bigger! we had better be careful, God just might blow on our pile away. If He ever does, there won't be anything left. We are told in Hag. 1:5-11, “Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; CONSIDER YOUR WAYS. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. Thus saith the LORD of hosts; CONSIDER YOUR WAYS. Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD. Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. WHY? SAITH THE LORD OF HOSTS. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house. Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit. And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labor of the hands.”

 

By the way, if you have a problem with your tithes and offerings, you really don't have a problem with your tithes and offerings. You have a problem with your heart! Of course, this thing is bigger than just God wanting our money. He wants all of our stuff to be dedicated to Him. He might want to use your house or your car. He just wants you to surrender all to Him so He can do with it what He will!

 

OBEDIENCE INVOLVED HIS SURRENDER

 

The Bible tells us in verse 4, “So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him…” Abraham learned early on that the secret to pleasing God is simply doing what He says, to the letter! Even though the Lord's call upon his life would be difficult, it was the only course of action that made sense. You see, faith builds no barriers! Faith simply does what it is told and trusts God to take care of the rest!

 

As we progress in faithful obedience our faith is built through our own pilgrimage with the Lord, the sooner we learn that lesson the better! The only way to enjoy the Christian life to the fullest is to come to the place of total surrender, where our everything is on the altar. That is the reason Paul said in Romans 12:1-2 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” You might think, as you read the life of Abraham, that God wanted Abraham's stuff. Friend, God didn't need Abraham's stuff and He isn't interested in your stuff either! All God ever wanted from Abraham was Abraham! That's what it all was all about. Everything this man endured was about getting him on the altar. That's where the Lord wants us too!

 

EXPLANATION:

 

ABRAM'S OPPOSITION

 

Verses 4-6 “So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came. And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.”

 

Abram wasn't going to find everything "smooth sailing". There would be difficulties in his pilgrimage, just as there will be in ours. Let's notice a few obstacles that Abraham faced as he journeyed.

 

THE DAYS OPPOSED HIM

 

Verse 4 says that “Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.”  That's about the age when some people begin to seriously think about slowing down. Many these days don’t even make it to that age and if they do some are so physically banged up they feel they can hardly go to the nursing home. Not this man! He set out at the age of 75 to follow the Lord as if he was a “Spring Chicken.” I'll guarantee you some of his kinfolks probably thought he had lost his mind. I can almost hear them as they try to reason with him and  talk some sense into old Abram, but, he is determined to follow the Lord in spite of his age.

 

May I just remind you that THERE WILL NEVER COME A DAY when you can turn in your traveling shoes and your walking staff for a rocking chair? There may come a day when you Can't Teach Anymore. There may come a time when you Can't Preach Anymore. There may come a day when you Won't Even Be Able To Attend Church Anymore. But, until we go home to glory, THERE WILL NEVER BE A DAY when we will have the liberty To Sit Down On The Lord An Quit! Don't let your age, whether you are young are old, stop you from serving the Lord.  If you want proof, Titus 2:2-3 says, “That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; ” We find that 1st  Tim. 4:12 has no limitations to age when it says, “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”

 

THE DARKNESS OPPOSED HIM

 

Verse 6 says, "And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land." That statement reveals much about the country that Abram was moving into. The Canaanites were a godless people, trapped in a system of religion that involved the worship of many gods. They practiced human sacrifice, various fertility rites, and had no regard for morality and decency. Abram was headed into hostile territory, where no one would be sympathetic to his lifestyle or to his God. Yet, he was determined to follow God regardless of the opposition from darkness that he faced!

 

Nothing has changed since Abraham's day! Those who determine that they will live a life of total dedication to the Lord soon discover that "the Canaanite is still in the land." The world, the flesh and the devil have no sympathy whatsoever with our desire to live for the Lord. If you choose to live a life of total dedication, you might as well know up front that there will be opposition because 2 Tim. 3:12 tells us clearly, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” Of course, if the Lord Jesus faced opposition and difficulty when He walked in this world, why should be expect any better treatment?

 

Jesus said in Matthew 10:16-23, “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.”  

 

Jesus also said in John 15:20, “Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.”

 

In spite of the fact that the world is against the child of God, we should still determine in our hearts that as long as there is breath in our bodies, we will live for the Lord, regardless of the personal cost. Who cares if we are opposed, mocked, hated or ridiculed? Who cares if persecution comes our way? A life of total commitment demands that we stand faithfully in the face of all opposition, 

 

That is the reason Paul said in 1 Cor. 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”

 

Furthermore Paul added in Eph. 6:10-18, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to STAND against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to STAND. STAND therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;” STAND!

 

THE DISTANCE OPPOSED HIM

 

V. 5-6 “And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came. And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.”

 

From Haran to Beersheba, in the south of Canaan was about 500 miles. That isn't too great a distance today, but then with flocks, herds, servants, household goods and all the other things they had with them, this was quite a journey. It surely would have been tempting for Abram to stop short of going all the way. But these verses tell us that he didn't stop. In fact, he just kept on going until he had seen everything there was to see in Canaan land. Verse 9 says, “And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south.” God had promised it to him and he wanted to see it all!

 

What a lesson for the child of God today. How often are we tempted to unhook and drop out of the race? How often do the loads of life get heavy and the ways of life get rough? Isn't there a tendency for us to get weary and want to quit? Let me just encourage us all to stay in the race! It will be worth it all when we get home. Right now, the way gets hard. When it does, you can count on the fact that God is just trying to grow us. We need to determine in our heart that we will never stop, never pull up short and never quit until we have seen everything that God has for us in our Canaan land! Just keep going on with the Lord. One day we will reach the end of the journey and step out of Canaan into glory, but until then, we must just keep on keeping on for the glory of the Lord!

 

THE DUTIES OPPOSED HIM

 

V. 5 “And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran…”

 

Abram was a man with many responsibilities. He had his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot to look after. He had servants, flocks, herds and all that came along with the to look after. If he was like most men, then he would have believed that it was his responsibility to feed that whole crowd and to provide for the needs that arose. It took great faith for him to place the unseen ahead of that which was seen and trust God to take care of all the needs of life. Yet, that is just what he did!

 

That is the place God wants us to reach as well. He wants us to arrive at that place where we willingly abandon that which we see for the unseen at the command of the Lord. He wants us to come to the place where we know that we have what He has promised us, even when we cannot see it. Heb. 11:1 tells us that is what faith is all about when it says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” He wants us to come to the place where all of our tomorrows, all of our needs, all of our fears, cares, worries and problems are left at His feet. Jesus said in Matt. 6:25-34,  “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” When you get right down to it, you and I only have one requirement as pilgrims for the Lord: trust Him and leave all the details to God!

 

APPLICATION:


ABRAM'S OPPORTUNITIES

 

V. 7-9 “And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him. And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD. And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south.”

 

While this man was called on to walk by faith to an unseen place, he was given opportunities that others knew nothing about.

 

THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPERIENCE GOD'S PROMISES

 

Verse 7 “And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.”

 

This man could travel as a pilgrim in Canaan knowing in his heart that every square inch of ground was his and his children's forever! They are fighting over that patch of ground this very day, but I've got news for you, that ground belongs to the Jew! As he traveled, Abraham enjoyed the future, though it still remained unseen! What an example he sets for the children of the Lord! Even as we continue on our pilgrimage toward glory, we can see the future by faith, as though it were a reality today! We need to keep traveling for Jesus because we are as sure for Heaven as if we were already there if you are saved. 

 

Paul said in Ephesians 2:4-7, “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. ”

 

THE OPPORTUNITY TO ENJOY GOD'S PRESENCE

 

Verses 7-8 “And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him. And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.”

 

As he journeyed, Abraham had a companion that excelled all others. That companion was God who walked with him every step of the way!

 

HE ENJOYED GOD’S PRESENCE IN HIS WORSHIP

 

Verse 8, “And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.”

 

It seems that whenever Abraham pitched his tent he also built an altar. He took the time to worship as he journeyed. His altars give loud testimony to the condition of this man's heart. The fact that he built them in the center of Canaan, where all around the people were enveloped in the gross darkness of idolatry, says much about his love for the Lord.

 

God's people should be known for their altars! Not just in church, but everywhere our path takes us. We should mark our days with prayer and with time spent in His presence. We must make worship a priority in our lives, Jesus said in  John 4:23-24, “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. ” When we build our altars and are not ashamed of the God we serve, it stands as a powerful witness to those around us! There is nothing wrong with telling people about the Lord, and we should all be vocal witnesses. However, when you get right down to it, if you have to tell someone that you are different, that you are a Christian, then something is wrong. Our devotion to Him should make us stand out from the world around us!

 

HE ENJOYED GOD’S PRESENCE IN HIS WANDERINGS

 

Notice that as he journeyed, Abraham and God enjoyed sweet communion and fellowship. God spoke to him and Abraham worshiped the Lord. It seems that Abraham was determined to include God in his pilgrimage.

 

Far too many people attempt to leave God out of their journey. That is a recipe for disaster! Whether you acknowledge Him or not, God is always there with you as you travel. The writer of Hebrews 13:5 said, “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. ” If you include Him in your life by listening to Him when He speaks and by worshiping Him as you travel, it makes the miles shorter and the trials easier to bear.

 

HE ENJOYED GOD’S PRESENCE IN HIS WAYS

 

Verse 8, “And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east…”  The word Bethel means "House of God." It was at Bethel that the patriarch Jacob would later meet God one lonely night, according to Genesis 28.  Te name Hai or Ai means "A Heap of Ruins".

 

It was here that Israel would later learn a valuable lesson about faith, obedience and the destructive power of sin. I find it interesting that as Abraham journeyed, he seems to be moving away from "A Heap of Ruins" toward the "House of God". This symbolizes the fact that Abraham was moving away from what he used to be, toward that which God desired for him to be! That's what happens when a person sets out to walk with the Lord!

 

When we determine that we will walk in the paths of the Lord, He will begin the process of transforming this "Heap of Ruins" that is our life before Him, and He will transform us into a "House of God" for His glory according to 1st Cor. 6:19 where Paul asks, “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? ” That is why He says in 2nd Cor. 4:7 "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the Excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us." God takes us like He finds us and He changes us into His image. Paul said in 2 Cor. 5:17, “And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.” Paul also said in 1st Cor. 15:49, “And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. ”

 

CONCLUSION:

 

ABRAHAM ENJOYED THE OPPORTUNITY TO ENTER GOD'S PLACE

 

This passage closes with Abraham journeying on with the Lord. He was headed somewhere. He may have pitched his tent at many addresses in Canaan, but in his heart, Abraham was already living in a far away country. He had already looked away by sight and had entered a land called Heaven. The writer of  Heb. 11:8-16 said, “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Through faith also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the    earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for He hath prepared for them a city. ”

 

Friends, that is why the life of Abraham is a study in successful living. Why? Because He lived on a higher plane than other men. He lived in Heaven while his feet walked on the earth! He had plenty of things, but his things didn't have him. He held this world with a loose grip, trusting God to give and take as He saw fit. That is how you make successfully through this life!

 

May the Lord help us to get our eyes and our hands off this world! When we begin to live on a higher plane, we will see the things of this world become less and less important. When we determine that we will be heavenly minded, it will transform our walk down here. As Paul said in Colossians 3:1-3, “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” It will take us away from thinking that we have this or that. We will be satisfied with Jesus! When that happens, we are on the path to certain victory in our spiritual journey.

 

Abraham sets the example of a man who was totally committed to a life of faith. Can you say the same thing about your journey? In which country are you more firmly planted, earth or Heaven? God is still looking for those He can call to a life of faith and use them to astound the world. Are you willing? Are you that one God can use at this time to touch the world for His glory? If there are needs, God’s altar is always open, no matter where you are, no matter where you make it and He is there to bless you!

 

DO YOU NEED SOME HELP?

 

To find more help in receiving Jesus Christ as your personal Savior please go to the Bible Study Title Page “ETERNAL LIFE.” Please send me an email and let me know about any decision for Christ you make so that I may pray for you. Feel free to send me any questions, comments, or responses you may have as well. For those who are already Christians I invite you to also please let me know of any decisions you make in your Christian life for Jesus. Please send me your questions, comments, or responses and let me know if the Bible Studies are helping you.

<rfdenning1951@gmail.com>

 

ALWAYS REMEMBER!

 

The support of your local Church ministry and the ministry of your Pastor should be the first priority of your Christian life and your service to the Lord. Be faithful to prayerfully prepare and attend Sunday School and Worship Service this Sunday and participate in worship as your Pastor preaches the Word. Do not forget to give the Lord at least your TITHE through your local church from your gross income – that is your first fruits. Any other other giving is an offering to a ministry unto the Lord. Honor the Lord in all you do and with all that you have. Always remember that everything you have and all you are belongs to the Lord. It is on loan to you – so manage it well! There will be an audit one day! Make sure the Books Balance!

 

All Bible Studies Are Prepared by Pastor Frank Denning And May Be Be Used By Permission.