Faith, Altars, and Famine

Sunday March 12, 2017 Phone: 570.829.5216 Pastor David Miklas e-mail pdmikbbm@aol.com Message: Christian Life Text: Genesis 12:1-20; Hebrews 11:8-11 Faith, Altars, and Famine By now you have discovered that life is much like a pendulum. It swings: From times of JOY to times of DESPAIR, From times of BLESSING to times of SORROW, From times of VICTORY to times of DEFEAT, and From times of DELIGHT to times of DISCOURAGEMENT. In the Christian life, we rejoice and praise God for salvation and hope. But there are times of famine and dark hours when the sun goes down and our faith is sorely tested. There are FINANCIAL dark hours. There are PHYSICAL and DOMESTIC dark hours. There are PERSONAL and SPIRITUAL dark hours. There will be times where we will be walking in the center of God's will, and things will be going smoothly in the Lord's work and in our devotional and family life. Then all of a sudden, we will be hit with some trial, or with a time of spiritual famine. The result is tragic and all too common. Instead of going from faith to faith by continuous growth in grace, we go from faith to a world view as we start to decline in disgrace. Abraham is one of the greatest Old Testament Patriarchs. His prominence in God's overall plan for mankind is evident from the titles used to describe him, the amount of space used to record the events of his life and the way he is cited in the New Testament. On several occasions he is called the "Friend of God." Frequently the scriptures refer to the "God of Abraham." Twelve chapters in Genesis are devoted to describing his life. He is mentioned 308 times in the Bible - 234 times in the Old Testament, 74 times in the New Testament. The dominate chapters are Romans 4, Galatians 3, Hebrews 7 and 11, and James 2. Please follow as I read this extended passage from Genesis 11:27-13:4: Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot. (28) And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees. (29) And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah. (30) But Sarai was barren; she had no child. (31) And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there. (32) And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran. (12:1) Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: (2) And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: (3) And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. (4) So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went Page 1

with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. (5) And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came. (6) And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. (7) And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him. (8) And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD. (9) And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south. (10) And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land. (11) And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon: (12) Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. (13) Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee. (14) And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair. (15) The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house. (16) And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels. (17) And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife. (18) And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife? (19) Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way. (20) And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had. (13:1) And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south. (2) And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. (3) And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai; (4) Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD. This message is a family talk on some matters of which you and I need to be reminded from time to time. There are three key words in the outline; FAITH, ALTARS and FAMINE. FIRST: The FAITH of Abraham, Genesis 12:1-3: According to Acts 7:2-4, God had appeared to Abraham in the land of the UR of the Chaldees and told him to get out of his country and away from his family and go unto a land God would show him. This became an act of FAITH on Abraham's part. However, it was a delayed walk of faith. As you see from our text in the last part of Genesis 11, and the first part of Genesis 12, Abraham went from UR to Haran, and there he stopped until his father died. His father, who was an idol worshiper, no doubt held back Abraham from obeying God, as his father s name, Terah, meant "delay." Nevertheless, God spoke to Abraham again and gave Him seven promises found in Genesis 12:2-3. Abraham's walk of faith brought him to the Promised Land. SECOND: The ALTARS of Worship, Genesis 12:4-9: Now the most significant thing about Abraham found in these verses are the altars he built, first at Shechem, verse 7 and then at Bethel, verse 8. Page 2

While Abraham delayed in Haran, God's promises and blessings did not come to Abraham. It appears that while Abraham was close to his father, experiencing the security of family, he found it easy to forget God's call. But God's call once again dominated Abraham's thoughts. Now begins a true test of faith! God was leading Abraham to a place he had never been before. Hold on! I wonder if I am speaking to someone who has felt the call of God to this ministry to perform some aspect of the work of God? Perhaps God has spoken to you about being a witness and testimony to someone. Yet, you are still back in Haran, being held back by family, friends and your past life. Maybe, you have read about the blessings of God from the Word of God, and even though they are real, you are not experiencing them. Perhaps you have wondered why God doesn't seem real to you, why He seems far removed. I dare say that I am speaking to believers that have known the precious truth of redemption, but are still in Haran instead of stepping out and walking by faith. God honored Abraham's faith and obedience, as He always does. Once he arrived at the place where God had led him, the Lord once again appeared to Abraham and confirmed His divine promise in verse 7, "Unto thy seed will I give this land." This was the Land of Promise, Canaan. It was here that Abraham built his first ALTAR. Note: Abraham was noted as a builder of altars, Isaac was noted as a well digger, and Solomon was noted as the builder of the temple. Abraham built his first ALTAR in Shechem and the second at Bethel. Building an altar signified his COMMITMENT to God. Let me pause and say a number of things about what we could call the "ALTARS of LIFE." An altar is a place of great significance. It is a place where man worships God, and where God reveals Himself to man. You and I need to be busy building altars into our lives. These are sacred places to which we come and to which we choose to return time and time again. There is the Altar of Salvation. Do you have a place in your life where you have built an altar of salvation? Do you remember that special place where you found Christ as Savior? I do! I can still remember that place in my life. It was on the 30th day of June 1950, in my grandmother s living room, where I used her sofa as an altar. It was there that I bent my knee and bowed my head and asked Jesus to be my Savior. That sofa became an altar, a sacred place in my life. The replacement sofa for the original became mine upon my grandmother s home going. Over the years, until we got rid of it, I often sat on it or knelt by it remembering the sacred time during which I came to receive Christ as Savior. There is the Altar in the House of God. What happened to the days when people would come forward during the invitation and settle matters with the Lord? That s the purpose of the invitation, to confirm on your knees a decision God has laid on your heart. As often as you like, you are welcome to come forward. Don't resist the Holy Spirit by hanging on to the pew, come to the Altar! Unfortunately, most of our young people have never seen their parents, or any other adults for that matter, come to the altar during the invitation. Then we wonder why our youth Page 3

don't get under conviction. They may simply need adults to be examples for them to follow. There is the Altar of Surrender where you surrendered your life to Jesus Christ. For me, it was in the Billy Sunday tabernacle in Winona Lake, Indiana, during the summer of 1957 where I knelt and made a commitment to surrender my life to the will of God in a full-time gospel ministry. There is the Altar of Marriage where you come to express your love for one another. It is an altar where you come to promise, before those present and before God almighty, that you will keep your vows, until death do you part. There is the Altar of Child Dedication. If you have children, it is a privilege to present them before the Lord in an act of dedication. You humbly pledge to bring him or her up in the admonition and discipline of the Lord, and you seek early to bring them to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, and to raise them for His glory. There is the Altar of Conviction. Each time God impresses a conviction upon your heart from the Word of God, you ought to create a place, an Altar, and confirm that conviction with God. You may want to say that by the grace and power of God you will live by that conviction. There is the Altar of Personal Devotions. There ought to be a place in your home, as it is in mine, where you can be alone with God for a time of fellowship, prayer and listening to Him as you read the Word of God. There is also the Family Altar. In Deuteronomy 6:4-9 we read, Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: (5) And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. (6) And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: (7) And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. (8) And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. (9) And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. A family altar gives you an opportunity to take your family through a daily time of worship, praise, prayer and meditation using the Word of God. I could go on and on here, but my point is there are some altars that deliberately need to be built into our lives. Abraham eventually arrived in Canaan. He enjoyed the blessings of God. He walked by faith in the center of God's will. Surely in this place and at this time there should be no problems, conflicts or adversity. However, welcome to the real world. When we THINK all is right: Either God TESTS us to prove and mature our faith, Or the Devil ATTEMPTS to drive us from our faith. In verses 4-9, Abraham enters the land of Canaan, the land of promise, where he enjoys the blessings of God, builds the altars and worships God freely. THIRD: The Famine, Genesis 12:10-20. Now we come to verses 10-20 and find Abram in the land of Egypt. Notice verse 10, And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land. Abraham now faces temptations from Satan in Egypt as there is a famine in the land of Canaan. Here, He abandons his altars and is faced with nothing but trouble. Page 4

He almost loses everything that God had promised to him. He leaves Canaan and goes down into Egypt. This is the first mention of Egypt in the Bible. In scripture, EGYPT is pictured as a type of worldliness, a symbol of dependence upon some human source apart from God. In Isaiah 31:1 we read, "Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help...and trust in chariots...and in horsemen...but...look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the Lord." Christians "go into Egypt" spiritually speaking, when we leave our altars and: Start depending upon the banks to bail us out, or Start depending on people to give us guidance instead of God, or Start depending more on the world than upon the God who has promised to bless us. Let me summarize the story we have read from verses 10-20. Out of a fear of starvation, Abraham goes into Egypt. He abandons God s directions to him. Had God told him to go into Egypt? No! Had Abraham asked God about going into Egypt? Again, No! Now, out of fear for his own safety, and because of his wife's beauty, he passes her off as his sister. Actually, that was a half-truth, as Sarai was his half-sister. Regardless, King Pharaoh planned to marry Sarai, but was plagued by God and eventually found out about Abraham s deception. Pharaoh became angry, and rightfully took Abraham to task for this. After his period of disobedience that was frustrating and dangerous, Abraham returned to Palestine, "WHERE HE SHOULD HAVE STAYED IN THE FIRST PLACE." What does this story say to us today? While in Egypt, Abraham did not build any new altars. Rather, he abandoned the altars he had previously built, and relied upon his own wisdom. As a result, he faced nothing but trouble. How many of us in times of crisis, spiritual famine, and trial have fled to the world? Instead of going back to the altars we have previously built, we have sought the advice of people instead of God, or relied upon our own wisdom or ingenuity to bail us out. Perhaps you are facing spiritual famine, and have abandoned your Altar of Salvation, and backslid into the world. Backsliding does not cause you to lose your salvation. Thank God our salvation in Christ is a once and for all, forever, salvation. But backsliding causes your spiritual joy to disappear. You go out into the world, thinking you are enjoying the world. So perhaps you say, What is wrong with worldliness? MY FRIENDS, WHILE IN THE WORLD, YOU ARE FAR FROM GOD. THAT IS WHAT IS WRONG WITH WORLDLINESS. Perhaps during times of spiritual famine you have abandoned the Altar of Surrender. As you slip into enjoying the lusts of Egypt, the dedication of your life to Christ also slips. Perhaps you have abandoned your Marriage Altar because there is some misunderstanding. You go on and on with a bitter, unforgiving spirit in your soul. Or perhaps the zip in your marriage has gone out and you are looking around in the world for something better. Perhaps you have ignored your Altar of Family and Personal Devotions with Page 5

God. The sad truth is that many a Christian, in times of spiritual famine in life, in family, in job and in ministry, abandons their previously built altars and goes into the world. In times of prosperity, be busy BUILDING altars of worship. In times of famine be busy FLEEING to those altars! Because of Abraham s disobedience to God, he went into Egypt and thus paid a price with tragic results: He grieved God. Sin will always grieve God. He weakened his own faith. In Genesis 20 we read where Abraham failed God again in the same matter of lying about his wife. After we once commit a sin, the second time becomes much easier. He became a poor testimony to his nephew Lot. Some of Abraham s disobedience rubbed off on Lot with tragic results as we read in Genesis 13 and 19. He caused the Pharaoh to be afflicted, verses 17. Sometimes the children of the world suffer for the sins of Christians. Please notice Pharaoh's rebuke to Abraham in verses 18-19. There are few sadder situations in the world than when an unbeliever is justified in his rebuke of a Christian for some wrong action. He picks up Hagar, in Genesis 16:3. She is the Egyptian handmaid who would later become Abraham's mistress and give birth to Ishmael, the father of the modern Arabs. Thus the agony of the world's most troubled spot, the Middle East, was caused in part by Abraham's sin some 39 centuries ago. He provided a bad example for his son, Isaac. Even though unborn at the time of Abraham's lapse into sin, Isaac doubtless was told of it as a young man. Later in life, Isaac failed God in the same way as Abraham by lying about his wife Rebekah, Genesis 26. Then along came Abraham s grand-son, Jacob, who was a chronic liar, as his name means conniver, sneak. Unfortunately, the sinful actions of fathers pass down to the second and third generation. Oh, my friends, lest we forget, our sins always affect others. God had called Abraham unto Himself, given Him some tremendous promises and waited patiently for Him to respond. Abraham did respond by faith, and there in the place of God's calling, he built altars of worship. Famine came and Abraham fled into the world instead of fleeing back to his altars and waiting on the promises of God in faith. As a believer focus your attention on building altars in your life. Then during times of spiritual famine, trial, problems, adversity and temptation stay focused on those altars, flee to them. Let me offer a few closing thoughts about faith. Let s face it; we all fail by making poor judgments and wrong decisions. But when we fail, don't blame God for your failure, seek His help. Confess your failure or wrong decision. Let the times of failure, the dark hours of life, and the times of spiritual famine draw you closer to the Lord. Page 6

God's Word will never fail, His promises are sure. By faith, realize that He walks by your side. God upholds you in the dark hours, and in the times of adversity, and in the times of spiritual famine. Trust Him by faith every step of the way. Perhaps this message has struck a chord in your life. Like Abraham, you have built some Altars in your life. But in time of Famine you have abandoned them. Do you need to return to the Altar of Salvation this morning? Do you need to return to your convictions? Do you need to return to the Marriage Altar? Do you need to build or return to the Altar of Dedication? Do you need to build or return to the Altar of Personal Devotions? Do you need to build or return to the Altar of Family Devotions? Do you need to bring your children to the Altar? Or perhaps you are here and in need of a redemptive experience by trusting Christ for your soul s eternal destiny through Christ s finished work on the cross of Calvary. Today, let me ask you: By the Grace of God are you worshipping and living at the Altars of your life? Or are you in the land of Egypt, enjoying the things of this world, but losing the blessing of God? *********************************************** If God has spoken to your heart after reading the sermon "Faith, Altars, and Famine," then right now talk to God about what He has spoken to you. Do you have the assurance that one day you will go to heaven? If you have no assurance that you know Jesus Christ, then I trust you will decide to accept Him as your personal Savior. The Bible tells us in Acts 16:31,...Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved... Romans 10:13, For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. This prayer is here for those who need to ask Jesus to be their personal Savior: I do want to go to Heaven. I know I am a sinner, and I do believe Jesus Christ died for me. I realize I cannot buy this great salvation, nor can I earn it. Knowing Jesus died on the cross and arose from the grave to pay my sin debt and to purchase my salvation, I do now trust Him as my Savior, and from this moment on I am completely depending on Him for my salvation. If you made the decision to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, let me know. Please send an e-mail to, pdmikbbm@aol.com and I will send you some literature that will help you in your Christian life. The Weekly SERMON was sent as a ministry of Bible Baptist Ministry, 48 Alexie Rd., Hanover Township, PA 18706. Privacy policy: your e-mail address will not be sold, or shared with any third party. Copy write permission: Because the Weekly SERMON will be reproduced into other formats, PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THE FOLLOWING: The Weekly SERMON in its original form, without any changes, may be copied and re-transmitted by electronic mail, and copies may be printed for individual or ministry purposes, provided that such copying, re-transmission, printing, or other use is not for profit or other commercial purpose. Any copying, re-transmission, distribution, printing, or other use of the Weekly SERMON must set forth in full the heading that is given before each Weekly SERMON. Any other request for use, please contact Bible Baptist Ministries at pdmikbbm@aol.com or by phone at 570.829.5216. Page 7