GENESIS 12:1-13:4
INTRODUCTION
About 1800 B.C. after the tower of Babel, before there were people called the Jews. God called a 75 year old man called Abram to settle in a new land, to build a great Nation and be a personal blessing to all the families of the earth. The promise of the father of nations is clear. He settled in the Promised Land, the Hebrew Nation began and the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
Abram’s father, Terah, initiated the long 1000 mile, 1600 Km trek from Ur of the Chaldeans. Terah died in Haran, 400 miles (640km) away from the destination. After Terah died, God said to Abram leave the country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you;
- I will make you a great nation
- I will bless you
- I will make your name great
- You will be a blessing
- I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you.
- All the people of the earth will be blessed through you (Gen.12:1-3)
So Abram along with Sarah and nephew Lot made the journey to Canaan. When they arrived there was a famine. Abraham followed his heart and left Canaan for Egypt. He did not pray, he almost paid a heavy price, but God intervened.
What does God require of those who follow Him? How can we avoid the danger of falling behind, losing the way or turning aside?
Let us learn:-
I. GO FORTH AND TRUST IN THE LORD (12:4-5)
- God’s call to Abram, like ours is to trust and obey Him.
- Abram followed one step at a time, one day at a time, one place at a time.
- Abram did not know the direction, location, how long but he knew who was leading (Hebrews 11:8-10)
- Abram left- family, friends, business etc. He lived among strangers called Canaanites a cursed people (Gen.9:25-26) Enemies were his neighbours, there was fear but quiet trust was in Abram’s heart.
- L Moody said “trust yourself and you are doomed to disappointment, trust your friends and they will die and leave you, trust in God and you will never be confounded in time or eternity.
II. GO FORTH AND TESTIFY TO OTHERS
- Testifying to others is telling them, life before salvation, what Christ has done for us and life after being saved.
- Abraham erected altars wherever he went- Shechem (12:7) Bethel (12:8) Hebron (13:18) Moriah (22:9), Noah (8:20) Isaac (26:25) Abram built more altars than anybody else.
- Abram built altars as worship markers, public witness marker and practical whereabouts markers.
III. GO FORTH AND TELL THE TRUTH (12:10-13:14)
- Lying is addictive: Abram’s sister act- “she is my sister”
- Abram told this lie twice in his lifetime (Gen 12:13;20:2)
- Technically Sarai was Abram’s wife and sister from a different mother (20:12)
- Abram was legally inaccurate and morally wrong
- “Half a fact is a whole falsehood”
- We lie because we want the easy way out. We lie because we are in the wrong place; Hagar factor (Gen 12:10, Gen 13;1-4)
- Hagar was one of the servants Abram acquired from Egypt (Gen 12:6)
- Abram loved himself more than his wife (12:13)
- Pharaoh acted more honourably than Abram!
- The Egyptian were better people, they kept their word, they loved their king (12:15) Abram kept all the gifts(12,16)
- Abram was made speechless by the questions (12:18-19)
CONCLUSION
- God saves us, leads us and blesses us, so that we may bless others by what we do, say and how we live for Him.
- Hardships of life, enemies and needless worries hinder us, however, we fail the test not because He is not able or willing to help us, but because we love ourselves too much.
- Self-contradiction prevents God from helping us.
- The true test of our sincerity, virtue and faith is demonstrated by our willingness to trust and obey Him even when troubles come, people threaten, and circumstances change- TRUST AND OBEY.
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