Rev. David Holwick A
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
January 3, 1993
Genesis 11:27 - 12:4
|
I. Abraham was one of greatest individuals of all time.
A. A pivotal figure in Judaism, Islam and Christianity.
B. Greatest designation is given him: "The friend of God." Jam 2:23
C. Simple reason: God called him, and Abraham obeyed.
1) No reason is given for the choosing of Abraham over others.
2) Part of mystery of God's grace.
II. God's call required Abraham to leave his old home.
A. Leave country, people, household. Gen 12:1
1) This would have been a high price for Abraham to pay.
Verse 4 makes it sound like he was in a city called Haran,
but other passages like Acts 7 make it clear that the
actual call of God came while Abraham was in city of Ur.
Ur was a fabulous city.
It was near the Persian Gulf, over by Iran, and even in
2000 BC it had an advanced culture.
Back in the twenties and thirties Sir Charles Leonard Woolley
excavated Ur and came up with some of the greatest
treasures of archeology.
In Ur's royal cemetery they found 16 tombs, each one filled
with golden headdresses and gold and silver harps.
Each tomb also contained up to 74 bodies of servants who
were buried alive with the king.
Woolley's excavations also revealed that the houses in Ur
were 2 stories high and were whitewashed to be pleasing
to the eye.
The larger homes had up to 20 rooms, with well-equipped
kitchens, good plumbing and sanitation.
Their schools taught mathematics, astronomy and medicine.
Abraham was not a Yahoo from the back side of the desert
who didn't know anything.
He probably had a very comfortable life in the most advanced
culture of that time.
He was also in his golden years.
#2215
2) Ur was prosperous, cultural - and idolatrous.
a) Ur's original religion put its faith in one god.
b) As time went by, a multitude of gods were added.
c) Abraham's own family worshipped idols. Joshua 24:2
3) National and ethnic bonds still have a tight hold.
a) Reason behind much strife in world today.
b) God's call is higher than human bonds.
c) More important than patriotism, family, etc.
B. Christian faith requires "leaving." (separation)
1) Leaving religious practices that are unbiblical.
a) That something is "religious" doesn't make it right.
b) False religion is pervasive today.
2) Leaving relationships that pull you down.
3) Leaving sinful practices and worldly attitudes.
"Street Stories" program.
Ed Bradley interviewed a young black athlete, Charlie Ward.
(Heisman winner in 1993)
Ward had become a born-again believer as a child and was
aggressively Christian.
Bradley suggested that the athlete's outspoken faith in Jesus
would cost him endorsement money.
The athlete agreed, but stuck to his guns.
A faith that doesn't cost us something, isn't much of a faith.
#28908
C. Abraham's left, but not right away. [place after section III?]
1) He didn't make a clean break in leaving his family.
a) He apparently took his father and others along.
b) They brought idols, and compromised the family. Gen 31:19
c) Abraham didn't take a direct route in going.
1> They spent several years in Haran, and maybe Damascus.
2) Compromise may be "human," but it always costs us.
III. God's call required Abraham to go to a new home.
A. Christians also have a goal or "focus" in life.
1) We are not wandering aimlessly - we have a purpose in life.
2) Heaven is our real home.
B. Abraham never really arrived. Hebrews 11:13
1) He did not receive all the promises in this life.
2) Neither will Christians.
a) Wrong to compare ourselves to others.
b) Things won't always go our way.
c) Many of our questions will be unanswered.
IV. Abraham's faith can be our faith.
A. More than a great man - all peoples blessed through him. Gen 12:3
1) Judaism remains a small faith.
2) Only in Christ is there complete fulfillment of promise.
B. To follow Abraham's example, we must obey God as he did.
1) "He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."
2) Accepting Christ puts us on the same pilgrim path.
Copyright © 2024 by Rev. David Holwick
Created with the Freeware Edition of HelpNDoc: Free HTML Help documentation generator