Sermon Cloud

WPM, 1-23-08, CLC

Abraham: Faith leaves the past behind.

Summary: Abraham was blessed because of his faith, not who he was. We are blessed today through faith, not who we are, where we come from, who our parents are, or anything else in the flesh. Abraham was a man of faith and of love. To get into the blessing that the Lord had for him, Abraham had to leave his family, his old way of doing things. For us to get into the place of blessing that God has for us there will need to be that separation also. Maybe not literally, but we need to separate from our old way of thinking and acting. Once we are born again, a transformation should take place. If you always do what you've always done, you'll always have what you've always had. Be brave enough to launch out when He says go, it will be better than you ever dreamed.

Abraham was a man of faith.

Galatians 3:13-18, 23-29

13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us-for it is written, "CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE"-

14 in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

15 Brethren, I speak in terms of human relations: even though it is only a man's covenant, yet when it has been ratified, no one sets it aside or adds conditions to it.

16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, "And to seeds," as referring to many, but rather to one, "And to your seed," that is, Christ.

17 What I am saying is this: the Law, which came four hundred and thirty years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise.

18 For if the inheritance is based on law, it is no longer based on a promise; but God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise.

23 But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed.

24 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.

25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.

26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to promise.

The things that belonged to Abraham belong to us, by faith.

Abraham was a man of love

Galatians 5:6

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.

Genesis 11:25-32

25 and Nahor lived one hundred and nineteen years after he became the father of Terah, and he had [other] sons and daughters.

26 Terah lived seventy years, and became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran.

27 ¶ Now these are [the records of] the generations of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran; and Haran became the father of Lot.

27 ¶ Now these are the records of the generations of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran; and Haran became the father of Lot.

28 Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans.

29 Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and Iscah.

30 Sarai was barren; she had no child.

31 Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife; and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans in order to enter the land of Canaan; and they went as far as Haran, and settled there.

32 The days of Terah were two hundred and five years; and Terah died in Haran.

Terah

Had Abram when he was 70

Died when he was 205

Abram was 75 when he left Haran

This would have meant that Terah was 140 when Abram left Haran, which means that Terah lived in Haran at least 60 years.

For whatever reason, Terah didn't finish what he started.

Genesis 12:1-3 Amplified

1 NOW [in Haran] the Lord said to Abram, Go for yourself [for your own advantage] away from your country, from your relatives and your father's house, to the land that I will show you.

2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you [with abundant increase of favors] and make your name famous and distinguished, and you will be a blessing [dispensing good to others].

3 And I will bless those who bless you [who confer prosperity or happiness upon you] and curse him who curses or uses insolent language toward you; in you will all the families and kindred of the earth be blessed [and by you they will bless themselves].

One reason God called him out from his family was to get him away from the influence of them. We may need to separate ourselves from negative influences in our lives. They may be the very thing that is holding us back. We have to remove from them physically, but also mentally. Change our way of thinking.

Abraham had to surrender his way of life to get in the plan of God for him. He had it pretty good in Haran.