pg. 1 At the close of chapter 11 we looked at FAITH as the spiritual story within the historical account. As Gary said, This is history: HIS-STORY. We need to see, understand, and embrace, the spiritual with the historical because it is God who is giving us both. From the very beginning, faith is woven into the text of the Bible. Laws, rules, regulations, acts of personal works, are not the primary subject matter. In the New Testament we learn that a person is not saved by the Law or by works. Eph. 2:8-9 states For by grace you have been saved through FAITH; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. Hebrews 11:1-40 is the chapter on FAITH. * (v.1) Now FAITH is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen * (v.3) By FAITH we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible. * (v.4) FAITHʼS worship OF God through Abel. * (v.5) FAITHʼS walk WITH God through Enoch. * (v.7) FAITHʼS witness FOR God through Noah. Now in the life of Abraham we are going to see; * (v.8) FAITHʼS obedience TO God through Abraham. The Call (v.8) The Sojourning (v.9) The Trial (v.17) Chapter 12 V. 1 * Leave your country, home, family. --- Godʼs call is not always easy to follow. * God stresses the difficulties that Abram will face but in the next two verses God gives Abram promises. * Abram knows where he is going in general, but not where he will settle in particular. He must depend on God completely. (Hudson Taylor, Watchman Nee, others). * This is not Abramʼs first call to leave his old life behind. While in Haran, with his dad who has just died, God renews His call to Abram which had been given years earlier while he was still in Ur [according to Stephen, in Acts 7:2-4]. This time Abram obeyed without further delay. * Acts 7:2-4 says The God of glory APPEARED to Abraham. A vision or a theophany? Did Jesus appear to Abram in bodily form? The same Greek word is in Acts 13:31 and Luke 22:43. * Why the delay in Haran? --- Wait for the death of his father. Matthew 8:21-22? * Why leave family, home, and country? --- Family influence (good or bad reasons), the safety of old familiar places, security in established business and income, Evil influences. Joshua 24:2-3?
* Nehemiah 9:7 states that God brought Abram out of Ur. NOTE: If I SENT you to another place you go out alone as I remain behind but if I BRING you out of a place I am going with you as WE go to another place together. pg. 2 V. 2-3 * God promises to provide, protect, and fulfill His promise to bring salvation to all nations [Genesis 3:15] through the family of Abram. * These are unconditional promises assuming that Abram would move to Canaan as God had told him to. V. 4 * Abram obeyed God but not fully. God said to (leave) go from your relatives but Abram did not stop Lot [his nephew] from coming along. * Age is not a factor in disobeying God! Young or old. V. 5 * It would appear that Abram is a very rich man. Wealth is measured in animals and servants. * Canaan is southwest from Haran by 400 miles. V. 6 * Abram continued on to the middle of the land and stopped at Shechem. V. 7 * The Lord appeared --- A theophany, the Pre-incarnate Jesus. * If Acts 7:2 is Jesus appearing to Abram, in Ur, then Abram would recognize Jesus as the God who spoke to him years earlier. This appearance reaffirms Godʼs continued involvement in Abramʼs life and God also promised to give the land to ABRAMʼS DESCENDANTS. V. 8 * About 35 miles south Abram stopped again at a mountain east of Bethel. * Abram built an alter and called on the name of the Lord. Did he ask for help, guidance, confirmation? Did he give thanksgiving, praise, worship? Both? * Remember, Abram is in a land full of wicked, evil, violent, godless people and Abram has no one to turn to but God Himself. * Abrams experiences are not unique but common to all of us who seek to follow Godʼs will. Godʼs promises to us often seem long delayed, and we must simply continue following God day by day, trusting God and knowing that His timing is always right. Daily we have opportunities to serve and witness wherever we are as we wait for Godʼs ultimate will in our lives. * True faith is based on the Word of God [it is not based on feelings, though the emotions are certainly involved] and leads to obedience.
pg. 3 V. 9 * The wilderness area of southern Israel. It is approximately 4,500 square miles of dangerous desert. V. 10 * God called Abram to the land of Canaan not Egypt. * Egypt is approximately 175 miles southwest from his present location. * Godʼs promises to Abram have not changed but Abramʼs circumstances are changing. * Abram needed to learn to trust God not only when all his needs were being supplied freely but also when it appears that suffering and privation were imminent. * It would appear that Abram was not yet ready to face the test before him. * The test is to trust God. The temptation is to take matters into his own hands, to lean on his own understanding. He finally made the decision to move to Egypt. NOTE: We have one of three options; 1. Abram moved to Egypt without calling on God for guidance. 2. Abram called on God but did not hear a yes or no answer. 3. Abram called on God, heard an answer but choose to go his own way. * We need to remember that Abram is progressing in the school of faith. We need to look at ourselves, for we too, are progressing in the school of faith. The tests that Abram will face [in the chapters to come] are the same tests we face today. They are in the area of circumstances, people, and things. How are we doing? * Getting saved, becoming a Christian, does not end all our troubles. Faith in Jesus brings to us a whole new set of problems. The difference between us and the world is that we no longer have to face our problems alone because the Lord is with us. * Faith moves in the direction of peace and hope but unbelief moves in the direction of restlessness and fear. God ALLOWS tests for our good and His glory [Romans 8:28]. * God alone is in control of circumstances. Abram is safer in a land of famine IN HIS WILL than in a land of plenty OUT OF HIS WILL. The same goes for us today! V. 11-15 * In verse 4 Abram is 75 years old when he left Haran. In chapter 17:17 we find out that there is a 10 year difference between Abraham and Sarah. So in verse 11 we know that Sarai [Sarah] is 65 years old and very beautiful. * Abram must already know that the practices of the land are very ungodly to say the least when it comes to the taking of women from another manʼs house. Abram fears for his life. By leaving Canaan he has placed himself in great danger. Because of his fear of man he asks his wife to lie.!!!!!!! WHAT DO WE DO WITH THIS ISSUE CALLED LYING / HONESTY?!!!!!!! 1. The moral nature of a lie should be determined by the situation and not by an absolute standard. Yes or no? 2. Lying is good and necessary if it keeps someone from being hurt. Yes or no? 3. People in the Bible lied, so it must be okay! Yes or no?
pg. 4 4. Isaac lied about his wife [Genesis 26:6-10]. 5. Rachel lied about her physical condition [Genesis 31:33-35]. 6. The midwives in Egypt lied about not killing the Hebrew babies [Exodus 1:15-22]. 7. Michal lied about David being sick [I Samuel 19:14]. 8. Rahab lied about the spies [Joshua 2:1-6]. * These people lied as a means to a good end but what does the Bible say about lying?! We find no support in Scripture that lying is okay under any circumstances.! In all these references God is silent on what has taken place.! Peter lied about not knowing Jesus [John 18:25-27].! Ananias and Sapphira lied to Peter and the Holy Spirit and died [Acts 5:1-11]. So what does God have to say about lying? * Exodus 20:16 -- Do not bear false witness against your neighbor. * Leviticus 19: 11-13 -- You shall not lie to one another. * Proverbs 6:16-19 -- The Lord hates a lying tongue. * Proverbs 12:22 -- Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord. * Proverbs 14:5 -- A trustworthy witness will not lie. * Colossians 3:9 -- Do not lie to one another. * Titus 1:2 -- God, who cannot lie. * Hebrews 6:18 -- It is impossible for God to lie. * I John 2:21 -- No lie is of the truth. GOD IS A GOD OF TRUTH, REALITY, AND FAITHFULNESS, AND HIS PEOPLE ARE ALSO TO BE SO CHARACTERIZED. To adopt a lifestyle of deceit and dishonesty [lying] is to embrace a man-centered view of truth, one that relies on human ideas - rather than divine standards - of truth and morality. * Godʼs negative command against lying reflects a positive principle and the principle serves to protect all who stay within its boundaries. * The principle is HONESTY and HONESTY is defined by what it will not do. * Honesty is a virtue that springs from the nature and character of God. * Truth is not something God does, it is a part of who He is. * Because God is true, lying is an offense against His nature. * Why is lying wrong? -- How would most people answer this question? 1. Question: Why is lying wrong? -- Answer: Because the Bible says it is wrong. 2. Question: Why does the Bible say its wrong? -- Answer: Because God commanded it. 3. Question: Why did God command it? -- Answer: I donʼt know?!!! Because God is truth. Truth comes from His nature and whatever is contrary to Godʼs nature is sin. God does not want us to be involved with sin. Sin breaks / interferes in our relationship with God and each other.
* The precept states; do not lie and the precept points to the principle. * The principle is; He wants us to be honest and the principle points to the person. * The person is God; because it is a reflection of who He is, TRUTH, and He wants us to be an accurate representation of Him; The One who lives within us. What are the benefits of telling the truth? * Protection from guilt. * A clear conscience. * An unbroken relationship with God. * Protection against shame and embarrassment. * A sense of accomplishment. * Protection from entrapment in a cycle of deceit. * Provides a reputation of integrity. * Protects against ruined relationships. * Provides for trusting relationships. V. 16 * Is this where Sarah gets her maid Hagar? * Abram is getting richer but at the expense of a lie and much danger. V. 17-20 * God protects Sarai from being violated, sexually, by bring plagues Pharaoh. * Did Sarai tell Pharaoh that she was Abramʼs wife? * Pharaoh was being more honest in his actions than Abram. * Abram leaves Egypt in disgrace and shame. pg. 5 Additional notes on chapter 12 * Our goal is to think BIBLICALLY. The world, Satan, our friends, our enemies, sometimes our families, and our own flesh, will try to get us to lean on our own understanding, to think independently from God or His Word. * Living for God, walking out the truths of the Bible, can be very difficult at times but the rewards of trusting in Godʼs Word far out way the dangers of going our own way without Him. * We need to be encouraged. Peter lied in Mark 14:66-72. The fear of harm took control and Peter gave in to a human emotion that is very real and powerful. Now look at Luke 22:31-32 then go to Romans 8:26-31. Getting save, becoming a Christian, does not end all our troubles; The truth is, faith in Jesus brings to us a whole new set of problems, but the difference between us and the world is we donʼt have to face our problems alone. The Lord is with us and intercedes for us.
* Faith moves in the direction of peace and hope, unbelief moves in the direction of restlessness and fear. * God allows tests fro His glory and our good. * Abram is safer in a land of famine In Godʼs will than in a land of plenty out of His will. The same is true for us today. * God is able to keep us! Daniel 3:16-18 & 6:20 ; Romans 14:4 ; I Cor. 10:13 ; Eph. 6:11&13 ; II Tim. 1:12 ; Heb. 2:18 ; Jude 1:24. * Brother Andrew: You can make blind eyes see, now I pray make seeing eyes blind. pg. 6 V. 8 * Abram pitched his tent near a mountain to the east of Bethel. Bethel was on his west and Ai [Hai] was on his east. * Bethel means the house of God. * Ai means ruins or a heap of ruins. * TODAY YOU AND I MUST TEMPORALLY CAMP BETWEEN TWO WORLDS; WE MUST CHOOSE BETWEEN TWO WAYS OF LIVING, TWO WAYS OF THINKING, TWO WAYS OF BEHAVIOR. * Today and for the rest of our lives we will find ourselves between these two places; 1. Bethel the house of God and Ai the place of ruins. 2. To which one are we closer? [ I Timothy 3:15 ]. As we learn how to conduct ourselves in the Church, we will learn how to conduct ourselves in the world. V. 10 * Food for thought: Famines should drive us to God. Famines should not drive us to the world. * James 3:13-18 1. Godly wisdom is pure, peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. 2. There is another kind of wisdom that is earthly, natural, demonic. 3. We need to go about our earthly business but we want to do it Godʼs way. 4. Where we camp affects how and what we hear. As we will continue to see in chapter 13.!!!!!!! Ex. 33:13..teach me Your ways so I may know You..!!!!!! 1. The Bible leads us to the precepts [positive and negative Laws / commands]. 2. The precepts lead us to the principles [the why behind the command]. 3. The principles lead us to the Person behind the principle, God Himself. He is revealing to us His character and nature that we may KNOW HIM.! The negative command [precept] do not lie expresses a positive principle [the why] which is HONESTY, which in turn reveals to us the character of God, which is TRUTH.
pg. 7 * As we embrace Godʼs laws, He extends to us His protection and provision: * [Does that mean we will never be sick or poor or hurt or persecuted but we will always rich, liked, without problems? NO]. Paul experienced both of these situations and gives us the answer on how we are to approach life [Phil. 4:11-14]. * So if we are not always protected from hard times and we are not always given the best this life has to offer; What are the protections and provisions for being honest? PROTECTION FROM: 1.Guilt 2.Shame 3. Cycle of deceit 4. Ruined relationships PROVISION FOR: 1. A clear conscience. [Is this not worth more than a bank full of money?] 2. Sense of self worth. [Is this not worth more than worldly friendships without persecution?] 3. Integrity. [Is this not worth more than food, fame, health, compromise, political correctness?] 4. Trustworthiness. When we walk out in our lives the truth of Godʼs Word we reflect to the world what the world needs. The one and only true God, the God of the Bible.