This evening, I need to invested some energy with the primary pioneer. This man named Abraham was the first to abandon all that to stroll with the Ruler leaning on an unshakable conviction. His journey was difficult, however there were favors en route for Abraham. Abraham, on the other hand, serves as an example for you and me this evening through his pilgrimage. He tells us the best way to carry on with out our lives in outright confidence in and complete obligation to the Ruler God All-powerful.
This evening, let's travel with Abraham as he sets an example for all of God's children throughout time. This evening, in The Commitment to a Faithful Life, he teaches us a lesson. I want to talk about three aspects of Abraham's commitment to a faith-filled life tonight.
I. V. 4-5 ABRAM'S OBEDIENCE (Ill.) It took Abraham some time to reach the point where he was completely obedient to the Lord. He intends to bring each of His children there the same evening, Illinois 1 Sam. 15:22-23.)
A. Involved His Separation: According to Genesis 12:1, God had called Abraham to leave his family and follow God by faith. Abraham had to get away from everything that would stop him from moving forward in his faith walk!
(Note: This evening, the Lord's call is the same for His children! A burden that must be lifted, Heb, is anything that prevents us from progressing as He would have us do. 12:1-2.)
(Note: More often than not, you won't be called upon to disavow your family as was Abraham. But if you choose to walk by faith, there will be times when they won't understand what the Lord is telling you to do, especially if they are lost. The Lord's will must take precedence in times like these! Ill. What Jesus said about this matter in Matthew 10:32-39.)
B. Involved His Substance - Refrain 5 lets us know that when Abraham left to follow the Ruler, he took "all his substance." All in all, when the Master got Abraham, the Ruler got all that he had! Abraham took everything and went after God, leaving nothing for the world to use.
(Note: How much of a person's "stuff" has been dedicated to the Lord can tell you how committed they are to Him! We become fixated on the tithe. Furthermore, I accept that an individual should give. However, the Lord is just as concerned with what you do with the remaining 90% as He is with what you do with His 10%. Clearly, God desires your participation as well as His own. He gives us what He does with the goal that we could us it for His brilliance and for His realm's work. That is the reason a few people never have anything! They give the Lord one dollar, but they spend the remaining ten dollars on themselves and the things of the world—God will not bless that! At the point when He has you and your checkbook, He can favor you in manners you have never envisioned. Coincidentally, the method for getting is to give, Luke 6:38; Mal. 3:10. That is a benefit, not a reason to give to the Lord and in His name! What amount of your stuff does the Ruler have? Or on the other hand, do you have "your heap" and "God's heap"? Assuming you do, I'll promise you that your heap is greater! You would be advised to be cautious, He could blow on your heap. Hag, nothing will remain if He ever does. 1:5-11. Incidentally, on the off chance that you dislike your offerings and contributions, you truly don't disapprove of your offerings and contributions. Your heart is not working right!
Obviously, this thing is greater than just God needing our cash. He wants us to dedicate everything to Him. He should utilize your home or your vehicle. He simply believes that you should give all over to Him so He can do with it what He will!)
C. Included His Surrender: According to the Bible, Abraham gave in "as the Lord had spoken to him." Abraham learned almost immediately that the key to satisfying God is essentially doing what He says, exactly! Despite the fact that the Master's call upon his life would be troublesome, it was the main game-plan that seemed OK. Confidence constructs no boundaries! It essentially does everything that it is said and confides in God to deal with the rest!
(Note: The sooner we understand that lesson, the better our progress on our own pilgrimage will be! The only way to fully experience the Christian life is to come to the place of total surrender, where everything is sacrificed to Christ, Rom. 12:1-2. When you read about Abraham's life, you might think that God wanted his possessions. Friends, neither Abraham's nor your possessions are important to God. Abraham was all that God ever wanted from Abraham! That is the thing everything was about. All that this man got through was tied in with getting him on the raised area. The Lord also wants us to be there!
II. V. 4-6 ABRAM'S OPPOSITION (Ill.) Abram knew that not everything would be "smooth sailing." His pilgrimage would be fraught with difficulties, just as ours will be. We should see a couple of impediments that Abraham looked as he traveled.)
A. v. 4 The Days Opposed Him: According to verse 4, Abram left on his pilgrimage when he was 75 years old. Around that age, some people start seriously considering slowing down. Not this man! At that age, he decided to follow the Lord. Some of his family members, I'm sure, thought he had lost his mind. I can nearly hear them as they attempt to talk some sense into old Abram, be that as it may, not entirely set in stone to follow the Master in demonstrate hatred for if his age.
(Note: I just wanted to remind you that you will never be able to trade in your walking sticks and walking shoes for a rocking chair. There might come a day when you can't instruct any longer. You may eventually be unable to preach anymore. You never know when you might even be able to go to church anymore. In any case, until we return home to greatness, there won't ever be a day when we will have the freedom to plunk down on the Ruler a quit! Titus 2:2–3 says, "Don't let your age, whether you are young or old, prevent you from serving the Lord." 1 Tim. 4:12.)
B. V. 6: "And the Canaanite was then in the land" refers to the darkness that stood in his way. That assertion uncovers a lot of about the country that Abram was moving into. The Canaanites were a people who didn't believe in gods and were stuck in a religion that required them to worship a lot of gods. They had no regard for morality or decency and engaged in a variety of fertility rituals and human sacrifice. Abram was about to enter hostile territory, where neither his God nor his way of life would find support. However, not entirely settled to follow God no matter what the resistance from dimness that he confronted!
(Note: Since the time of Abraham, nothing has changed! "The Canaanite is still in the land" is soon discovered by those who decide to live a life of total devotion to the Lord. The world, the tissue and Satan have no compassion at all with our craving to live for the Ruler. 2 Timothy says that if you decide to live a life of complete devotion, you might as well know right away that there will be opposition. 3:12. Naturally, if Jesus Christ encountered opposition and difficulty while walking this earth, why should we anticipate better treatment? Sick. Matt. 10:16-23; John 15:20.
Even though the world is against the child of God, we should still decide in our hearts that we will live for the Lord no matter what it costs us personally as long as we have breath. Who cares if we are opposed, ridiculed, mocked, or detested? Who cares if we face persecution? We must faithfully stand firm in the face of all opposition if we are to live a life of total commitment, 1 Cor. 15:58; Eph. 6:10-18 - Stand!)
C. V. 5-6 The Distance Went against Him - From Haran to Beersheba, in the south of Canaan was around 500 miles. That isn't excessively incredible a distance today, however at that point with groups, crowds, workers, family merchandise and the wide range of various things they had with them, this was truly an excursion. It without a doubt would have been enticing for Abram to avoid going as far as possible. However, these verses indicate that he continued. In point of fact, he just kept going until he had seen everything in Canaan, verse 9. He wanted to see everything because God had promised it to him!
(Note: What a valuable lesson this evening for the child of God. How frequently would we say we are enticed to unfasten and exit the race? How frequently do the heaps of life get weighty and the lifestyles get harsh? Isn't there an inclination for us to get tired and need to stop? Allow me just to support you my companion: remain competitive! Everything will work out just fine all when we return home. The path becomes difficult right now. At the point when it does, you can depend on the way that God is simply attempting to develop you. Make a firm commitment in your heart that you will never give up until you have seen everything that God has planned for you in your Canaanland! Simply continue onward on with the Master. We will one day reach the end of our journey and enter glory when we leave Canaan, but until then, just keep going for the Lord's glory!)
D. V. 5: The Obligations He Had Abram was a man with many obligations. He looked after his nephew Lot and his wife Sarai. He was responsible for his servants, flocks, herds, and everything else that came with them. He would have believed, like the majority of men, that it was his duty to feed the entire group and meet their requirements. He had to have a lot of faith to put the unseen ahead of the seen and believe that God would take care of all of his needs. However, that is exactly the very thing he did!
(Note: God also intends for us to reach that point. He believes us should show up where we enthusiastically leave the seen for the inconspicuous at the order of the Ruler. He believes us should come to where we realize that we have what He has guaranteed us, in any event, when we can't see it, Heb. 11:1. Matt., He desires that we travel to the location where He places all of our future plans, requirements, anxieties, concerns, and issues at His feet. 6:25-34. When it comes down to it, as pilgrims seeking the Lord, you and I only have one requirement: trust Him and pass on every one of the subtleties to God!)
III. V. 7-9 ABRAM'S Amazing open doors
(Note: While this man was approached to live with conviction to a concealed spot, he was given open doors that others didn't know anything about.)
A. v. 7 To Experience God's Commitments - This man could go as a traveler in Canaan knowing in his heart that each square inch of ground was his and his youngsters' for eternity! They are fighting this evening over that area of ground, but I have good news for you: the Jew owns that area! Abraham enjoyed the future as he traveled, even though he had yet to see it!
(Note: What a role model he sets for the Lord's children! Indeed, even as we progress forward with our journey toward magnificence, we can see the future leaning on an unshakable conviction, like it were a reality today! Keep traveling for Jesus, friend; if you are saved this evening, you are as certain of reaching Heaven as if you were already there. 2:6!)
B. V. 7-8 To Partake in God's Presence - As he traveled, Abraham had a friend that succeeded all others. God strolled with him constantly!
1. In His Worship: It would appear that Abraham also constructed an altar each time he pitched his tent. As he traveled, he took the time to worship. His special stepped areas give clearly declaration to the state of this man's heart. His love for the Lord is exemplified by the fact that he constructed them in the center of Canaan, where the populace was surrounded by gross idolatry.
(Note: God's kin ought to be known for their raised areas! not only in church, but also in every place we go. We ought to punctuate our days with time spent in His presence and prayer. According to John 4:23–24, we must make worship a priority in our lives. It is a powerful witness to those around us when we construct our altars without remorse for the God we serve! We ought to all be outspoken witnesses, and there is nothing wrong with sharing the gospel with others. Yet, when you get directly down to it, on the off chance that you need to let somebody know that you are unique, that you are a Christian, then, at that point, something is the matter with the as well! We ought to stand out from the rest of the world because of our devotion to Him!)
2. In His Wanderings: Abraham and God shared sweet communion and fellowship as he traveled. He worshiped the Lord and heard from God. Abraham seems determined to accompany God on his pilgrimage.
(Note: Unreasonably many individuals endeavor to avoid God with regard to their excursion. That is a catastrophe waiting to happen! God is always there for you as you travel, Hebrews, regardless of whether you acknowledge Him. 13:5. By listening to Him when He speaks and worshiping Him while you travel, you can include Him in your life, making the distances shorter and the trials easier to bear.)
3. In His Ways - Section 8 lets us know that Abraham set up his shelter among Bethel and Hai. The word Bethel signifies "Place of God." Jacob, the patriarch, would later meet God in a lonely night at Bethel, according to Genesis 28. Te name Hai or simulated intelligence signifies "A Store of Remains". Israel would later gain a valuable lesson about obedience, faith, and the destructive power of sin from this location. It is fascinating to me that as Abraham traveled, he appeared to be heading toward the "House of God" rather than "A Heap of Ruins." This is a sign that Abraham was turning away from who he had been and toward what God wanted him to be! That happens when an individual embarks to stroll with the Master!
(Note: The Lord will begin the process of transforming this "Heap of Ruins" that is our life in front of Him into a "House of God" for His glory once we decide to walk in His ways, 1 Cor. 6:19. According to 2 Corinthians, "We have this treasure in earthen vessels," 4:7. 2 Cor. says that He takes us as He finds us and molds us into His image. 5:17; 1 Cor. 15:49!)
C. To Enter God's Place: Abraham continues his journey with the Lord at the end of this passage. He was going some place. He might have set up his shelter at many tends to in Canaan, yet in his heart, Abraham was at that point living in a distant country. By sight, he had already turned and entered a place Heb called Heaven. 11:8-16! Friends, this is why Abraham's life is an example of successful living. Why? because He had a higher level of existence than other men. While his feet were on the ground, he lived in Heaven! He had a lot of possessions, but his possessions did not possess him. He trusted God to give and take as He saw fit as he held this world loosely. That's how you get through life with success!
(Note: May the Ruler assist us with getting our eyes and our hands off this world! At the point when we start to live on a higher plane, we will see the things of this world become less and less significant. At the point when we confirm that we will be magnificent leaning, it will change our stroll down here, Col. 3:1-3. We will stop thinking that we have this or that because of it. We will be happy with Jesus! When that occurs, we are well on our way to certain spiritual victory.)
Conc: Abraham sets the case of a completely dedicated man to an existence of confidence. Can you similarly describe your journey? Which nation are you more firmly rooted in—heaven or earth? God is still looking for people He can use to amaze the world by calling them to a life of faith. Is it safe to say that you are willing? Is it true or not that you are that one God can use as of now to contact the world for His brilliance? This altar is accessible for those in need!