¾ From Disgrace to Genesis 13:1-10

Abraham: A Test of Faith Series on the Patriarchs – Part II Genesis 12:10 – 13:12 – March 20, 2011

No failure is faith.

Acts 7:2-4 II Corinthians 4:18 Romans 10:17

Psalm 9:10 Psalm 37:5 Psalm 56:3 Psalm 56:11

Those that want to have a relationship with God must base that relationship on . Hebrews 11:6 ¾ From Trusting to

Wrap Up

(Genesis 12:10)

Proverbs 3:5-6 Two things to observe 1st – The famine is a faith-

in the school of I John 1:9

Romans 6:15 Don’t

from your trials!

James 1:2-4

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I Peter 1:7 1st – Our tests are designed to 2nd – Our tests are designed to

our faith our faith

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2 – The famine is not designed to

him

I Corinthians 10:13 ¾ From Trusting to Genesis 12:11-20 Proverbs 29:25 Psalm 112 1st – Living outside of the will of God was a waste of and rewards. II Corinthians 5:10 I Corinthians 3:12-15 2nd – He lost his

My NEXT STEP for this Week:

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Come tonight to hear from our elders!

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Pray for the devastated people of Japan and the Houlettes as they minister to them.

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Write (below) a few lines about the test God is allowing you to take in His school of faith, OR email it to [email protected].

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Abraham: A Test of Faith Series on the Patriarchs – Part II Genesis 12:10 – 13:12 – March 20, 2011 Intro: In Genesis 12 … God introduces His strategy to reach the nations with the gospel. Mankind failed every previous opportunity to do what was pleasing to God. So God will initiate a plan to save sinners through a man by the name of Abraham. Luke recorded the sermon by Stephen who gave some details about God’s call of Abraham. Acts 7:2-4 And he said, "Hear me, brethren and fathers! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, 7:3 and said to him,' Depart from your country and your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you.' 7:4 "Then he departed from the land of the Chaldeans, and settled in Haran. And from there, after his father died, God removed him into this country in which you are now living. Abraham believed without seeing. •

The same is true in our life of faith. II Corinthians 4:18 “…for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

We are to believe without seeing … without having to understand all of what God has planned. It’s God’s department to work out the details. It’s our department to trust Him without all the facts! Some observations before we continue … Back then … God spoke directly to Abraham. Today God speaks the truth of salvation through His word … Romans 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. Transition: God appeared to Abraham … and since a major detractor to his faith is removed – the death of Abraham’s father … and with a sinful influence removed … God will reiterate the promise He gave earlier. Genesis 12:7-8 The LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the LORD who had appeared to him. 12:8 Then he proceeded from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD. “he built an altar to the Lord”

2 An altar is a place of worship. What we learn When you experience God’s grace you will respond in WORSHIP Those that want to have a relationship with God must base that relationship on TRUST Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. Transition: Here’s a good question … If you can trust God for your eternity … can’t you trust Him for your TOMORROW? We should readily agree … and I think Abraham would have agreed too before a disturbing circumstance occurred. This circumstance that frightened him was a famine! His trust in God went out the window … as we observe …

From Trusting to SLUMPING Genesis 12:10 Now there was a famine in the land; so Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land. Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. 3:6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. We are leaners. We’re to lean on God – another word for trust. But we prefer whatever makes us comfortable. We’ll flee problems more readily than we will face them. It appears Abraham and Sarah assumed that their new location would be also a place of peace and quiet. They had arrived and all would be easy from here on out. Warren Wiersbe … well said Comfortable Christianity is opposite the life of faith. Pilgrims and strangers must face new circumstances if they are to gain new insights about themselves and their Lord For just a brief moment – Abraham is a super-saint. He leaves idolatry. He trusts the living God. He moves to the land God promised He sets up an altar and worships He calls upon the name of the Lord … And then Abraham panics. My friends, the famine did not catch God off-guard! God did not move Abraham and Sarah to kill them by starvation. Application: If you face a famine … do not be surprised!

3 A famine … unemployment … a disastrous health problem … a foreclosure …is not a sign of God’s anger. God will not waste your circumstance. He’s at work to improve you not to destroy you. God wants to root you deeper and deeper in confidence in Him. But you won’t put down roots if you run from your problem. And one of the ways you run from your problem is to complain … to tell God He’s unfair … unkind. It is tempting for me to be a great critic of Abraham at this point in his life. We all have a tendency to think that great men of God are different than us – and don’t struggle with the same issues as us. We’re put godly men on pedestals. We look up to them. But God sees them as they are … and the Bible doesn’t sugar-coat their spirituality. The reality is … godly men and women are still very human. And with this awareness … let’s remember … GODLY PEOPLE FAIL! Chuck Swindoll “To admire, honor, and respect those whose lives effectively touch others is biblical. But to deify any man or woman is not. When you exalt someone, you will begin to expect perfection … and that expectation promises only disillusionment. In studying this time in Abraham’s life … I have to admit I came face to face with my own failures … my own humanity … which brought about my own shame and disappointment. All of this reminded me that, like Abraham, I’m in need of God’s grace. And with that grace each day is a new day complete with God’s fresh mercies (Lamentations 3:16). My friends … the Christian experience is a series of fresh starts Abraham panicked … and enters a long list of believers who failed! Two things to observe 1st – The famine is a faith-TEST God wanted to build Abraham’s faith. The only way to BUILD faith is to test it. Here’s something to be mindful of … Tests often follow triumphs! Consider the history of Israel after leaving Egypt No sooner had they been delivered from Egypt … The Egyptian army chased them and cornered them … and God delivered them That great victory was followed by no water … and God miraculously provided water … That victory was followed by hunger … and then an attack by the Amalekites TESTS FOLLOW TRIUMPHS! When the famine struck all around Abraham … • There is no hint of prayer

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4 There is no hint of turning to God

Abraham’s circumstances determined his response … he’s off to Egypt His faith should have determined his response … Going down to Egypt is a parallel to the world system and bondage. Going down to Egypt means doubting God’s promises. When you doubt God’s promises you’ll run to the world for help. But also note … There was no immediate reaction by God … and God did not stop him. That’s often the case when our convictions are abandoned with compromise following A faith that cannot be TESTED cannot be TRUSTED (Warren Wiersbe) I Peter 1:7 “… the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; When God tests 1st – Our tests are designed to VALIDATE our faith 2nd – Our tests are designed to PURIFY our faith One commendable thing here At least Abraham did not go back to Mesopotamia … back to Ur … for relief and food 2nd – The famine is not designed to DEFEAT him In a famine – God was giving Abraham a test to strengthen his faith … not to destroy him. God does the same work in us today … Faith is developed in the classroom of life. There is no way to pass school without having tests. Examinations are a way of life in school … and a way of life in our Christian experience. If you want to pass in the school of faith you need to take exams. But a wonderful thing about the tests God puts our way … they are all passable. I Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. Warren Wiersbe You are safer in a famine in His will than in a PALACE out of His will. My friends:

5 Salvation automatically enrolls you in the school of faith. And in the school of faith you are cannot drop out because of one failure … or two failures … or twenty failures. Transition: Since moving to Egypt was out of the will of God … one failure will lead to another. If you run away from one test … you will soon face another.

From Trusting to SCHEMING (Genesis 12:11-20) Genesis 12:11-13 It came about when he came near to Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, “See now, I know that you are a beautiful woman; 12:12 and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. 12:13 “Please say that you are my sister so that it may go well with me because of you, and that I may live on account of you.” Abraham’s first test was CIRCUMSTANCES-test. His next test is a PEOPLE-test. But he’s afraid of people … Proverbs 29:25 The fear of man brings a snare, But he who trusts in the Lord will be exalted. The fear of God is a fear that conquers all other fears (Psalm 112) Something to note Sarah was 65 when they went to Egypt. At 65 she was stunningly beautiful! She’s gorgeous! She lived to be 127 … so she’s only half the age she was when she died. Sarai was Abraham’s half-sister (the daughter of his father but not the daughter of his mother) (20:12) Abraham is telling a half-truth ... but a half truth is a half-lie. It’s a deceptive ploy. What’s happening to Abraham? Since he lost his faith … he lost his courage. Rather than protect his wife … he schemed to protect himself. His favorite restaurant was MIMIS … just spelled a little differently. He lied so it might be well with ME-ME-ME My friends … Sarah was compliant and perhaps commendable to some degree … but she plays into the snare of deceit. (Linda, if I ever try this one on you … don’t let me get away with it☺) Genesis 12:14-16 It came about when Abram came into Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. 12:15 Pharaoh’s officials saw her and praised her to Pharaoh; and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. 12:16 Therefore he treated Abram well for her sake; and gave him sheep and oxen and donkeys and male and female servants and female donkeys and camels.

6 Abraham’s fear … was followed by deceit … and Sarah was put in danger. And once again we learn another lesson about deception. When we practice it … our family suffers. The man to whom … all the families of the earth shall be blessed … becomes a curse! Genesis 12:17-20 But the LORD struck Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 12:18 Then Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? 12:19 “Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife, take her and go.” 12:20 Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they escorted him away, with his wife and all that belonged to him. We can applaud Pharaoh … he does what is right! But we should boo Abraham. He’s a temporary embarrassment. Warren Wiersbe When we don’t let God rule, He overrules and accomplishes His purposes; but we pay dearly for our disobedience I suspect that Abraham discovered that he would have been better off trusting God in a famine than dealing with people in Egypt. Let’s consider what you lose when you move outside of the will of God. 1st – Living outside of the will of God was a waste of TIME and rewards II Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. I Corinthians 3:12-15 Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 3:13 each man’s work will become evident … the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. 3:14 If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. 3:15 If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. 2nd – He lost his TESTIMONY God had called Abraham to testify to the true God before the unsaved. Instead, Abraham disgraced God before the unsaved. Abraham was to be a blessing to the world … but now he’s an embarrassment!

7 The one who was supposed to be a blessing to others … brings judgment Notice what Abraham GAINED He gained WEALTH that would lead to his next TEST Genesis 13:1-2 So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, he and his wife and all that belonged to him, and Lot with him. 13:2 Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver and in gold. Abraham went down into Egypt a shepherd and came out a cattleman. But his wealth would be the cause of his next test … BUT A TEST HE WILL HANDLE MUCH BETTER Transition: We now observe Abraham moving …

From Disgrace to TRUSTING NOTICE WHERE ABRAHAM WENT … Genesis 13:4 {He went} to the place of the altar which he had made there formerly; and there Abram called on the name of the LORD. Abraham went back to his tent and to his altar. He returned to fellowship with God … He realized that compromise is not worth the consequences! When you fail … when you leave the will of God … go to the Lord and make a new beginning. Lesson learned: No failure is PERMANENT in the school of faith I John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Even in our failures … Philippians 1:6 “… He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. WHAT DOES FAITH LOOK LIKE? WHAT DOES TRUSTING GOD LOOK LIKE? I observed it last week … Story of a pastor from Ohio who was about 54 years old …

8 During one of the breaks at the Shepherds Conference last week … I sat next to another pastor – a little younger than me … *and entered into a conversation. To talk with him I had to hold my transistor radio like hearing device. I told him of my hearing loss … and shared how God’s grace is always sufficient in times of loss. He agreed and shared how God had made this real to him. He told me that he had 6 children … but two had died. He then pointed to his left leg and said … 7 years ago I was in a car accident and they had to amputate my leg. He was wearing a prosthesis … which I wouldn’t have noticed had he not said something Then he said … 5 months ago I got a call from my daughter that my wife … out of the clear blue … had a seizure and I needed to get home. When he arrived he was told a cat-scan revealed a mass on her brain. 10 days later she died. I said to him, John, how are you doing – really?! I love his response. He said … IF I DID NOT BELIEVE IN THE ABSOLUTE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD I’D BE IN TOTAL DESPAIR. I BELIEVE GOD KNOWS WHAT HE’S DOING and I TRUST HIM. WHAT DID ABRAHAM LEARN? He learned that self-gratification … taking care of his own needs was not acceptable. He learned that trusting God when trials come is not only a good thing … it brings about the best things in a man of faith. A range war was starting between Lot’s herdsmen and Abraham’s herdsmen … Genesis 13:7 And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock … Notice how self-gratification … self-seeking is no longer a pre-occupation. Self-centeredness is the twin of instant gratification. Graciousness became gain for Abraham. (Abraham says to lot) Genesis 13:9-12 “… Please separate from me; if to the left, then I will go to the right; or if to the right, then I will go to the left.” 13:10 Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the valley of the Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere— 13:11 So Lot chose for himself all the valley of the Jordan … (THAT WHICH LOOKED BEST TO THE EYES) 13:12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan … At first glance … Lot got the best … but that would not be the case in the long haul. Abraham’s response reveals that he understood that God would fulfill His promises … regardless! There is a faith necessary for salvation Ephesians 2:8-9

9 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 2:9 not as a result of works, that no one should boast. Fix your faith on the only Savior of mankind – the Lord Jesus Christ! Acts 16:31 "… Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved … And there is faith necessary after salvation … which is trusting God … obeying His Word Psalm 9:10 And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, For You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You. Psalm 37:5 Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. Psalm 56:3 When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. Psalm 56:11 In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?

Wrap Up •

Never presume upon the GRACE of God Romans 6:15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be!

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Don’t RUN from your trials! James 1:2-4 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 1:3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 1:4 And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.