Quote from Forum Archives on May 21, 2002, 7:10 pm

Posted by: balderman <balderman@...>

"LESSONS FROM THE LIFE OF ABRAHAM-ABRAHAM’S GOD"

GENESIS 12:7-8

INTRO: The focus of the message today is by no means meant to minimize the

greatness of Abraham, but the focus today is to magnify the great-

ness of His God. Abraham would be the first to tell us that if there

were any greatness, goodness or virtue in his character it was

because of the great God he served! Psalm 145:3 says, "Great is the

LORD, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable."

We can never talk about God behind his back. We cannot speak of

God in his absence. ... The God who is being discussed is also there.

The attitude people take to Him can never be merely theoretical. To

deny Him is to spite Him to His face. -- A. Skevington Wood in

Evangelism: Its Theology and Practice. Christianity Today, Vol. 36,

no. 12.

The Apostle Paul was indeed a mighty servant of the Living God, but

he attributed all his greatness to the Grace of God. He said in 1

Corinthians 15:9-10, "For I am the least of the apostles, that I am not

meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was be-

stowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than

they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me." We have

the same God as did Abraham and Paul. Let us see today just what

kind of God we serve. Note three things with me:

(1) ABRAHAM’S GOD IS REAL

ISAIAH 46:9-10—"Remember the former things of old: for I am God,

and there is none else: I am God, and there is none like me,

Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times

the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall

stand, and I will do all my pleasure."

ILLUS: Harry Emerson Fosdick was a national radio personality, a teacher

and preacher in the early part of the 20th century. He once did a

sermon entitled, "Why I Am A Theist." He said that when he was a

boy, he would look out the window and watch the branches and

leaves on the tree move. He would sense the wind blowing, and he

put it together. He concluded that it was the moving of the

branches that he could see that caused the movement of the wind

that he could not see. But he explained that when he grew to

adulthood, he understood it differently, discovering that it was the

wind he could not see that moved the branches that he could see.

So it is that this great, invisible God is as real as anything else we

count to be reality. Invisibility makes him no less real, no less

powerful, no less present. He's like the wind--the wind that blows

where it pleases and chooses, the wind that makes things happen.

He makes things happen. He is close; he is not distant. -- Leith

Anderson, "Valley of Death's Shadow," Preaching Today, Tape No.

131.

ILLUS: Do you remember when the cosmonauts made that primitive little

journey around the earth the first time? They came back with

thumbs under their suspenders bragging, "We have been in the

air. We have been around the earth, and we did not see God!" The

following Sunday W. A. Criswell, pastor of the First Baptist Church

in Dallas, made a classic statement. He said, "Ah, if those cosmo-

nauts had stepped out of their spacesuit, they would have seen

God!" (1)

*God is real and He has revealed Himself to us in many ways:

A. GOD HAS REVEALED HIMSELF THROUGH HIS WORD. Genesis 12:1

says, "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." The Word of God came to Abraham to instruct him, inspire

him, and to invoke him to praise. That is what God’s Word does for us!

God has revealed Himself through the His Word. We have the Word of

God. This Book, we call the Bible, is the pure, unadulterated,

unalterable, undeniable, Word of God. 2 Peter 1:21 says, "For the

prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God

spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." If God would come down

and stand here before us today, and we should ask Him to say some-

thing to us, He would say, "I have no further Word for you. It is right

there in that Bible." We need no further revelation. We just need to

believe and obey what we have.

If you recall that the rich man in hell wanted someone to go back to

earth and witness to his lost loved ones, and Abraham told him that they

had Moses and the Prophets, and if they would not hear them they

would not hear one even if he had risen from the dead. They had the

writings of Moses and the Prophets known as the Holy Scriptures.

ILLUS: Dr. R. G. Lee said, "If I had one hair in my head which did not

believe the Bible is the Word of God, I would pull it out as bad

as I need hair."

"The Bible does not argue for the existence of God. It reveals Him."—Roy

E. Swim (2) The purpose of the Bible is to show us God. What He is like

and what He desires for us.

B. GOD HAS REVEALED HIMSELF TO US THROUGH NATURE. The first verse in the Bible, Genesis 1:1, tells us about God, the Creator and

Sustainer of all, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."

The Bible declares that God is behind everything. The universe is not

eternal nor did it just happen. The universe did not just come into being

by chance. Something did not come out of nothing. Nothing did not

produce nor give rise to something. There is a Creator—a Supreme

Person, a Supreme Intelligence and Force—who has created the

universe, and the Creator has given the universe purpose and meaning.

• Scripture does not argue God’s existence; it declares God’s existence.
• Scripture does not argue that the heavens and earth have a Creator; it declares that God created the heavens and the earth.

(Preacher’s Outline and Sermon Bible, Old Testament 1, Genesis 1

Commentary)

As we look at the sky on a starlit night, we see the work of God. Psalms 19:1 tells us, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the

firmament sheweth his handiwork." As we behold the beauty of a rose,

the smile of a child, the growth of flowers, and the changing of the

seasons, we see the hand of God!

ILLUS: Several years ago a scientist wrote an article entitled, "Seven

Reasons Why I Believe in God." He said, "Consider the rotation of

the earth. Our globe spins on its axis at the rate of one thousand

miles an hour. If it were just a hundred miles an hour, our days

and nights would be ten times as long. The vegetation would

freeze in the long night or it would burn in the long day; and

there could be no life." He said, "Consider the heat of the sun.

Twelve thousand degrees at surface temperature, and we're just

far enough away to be blessed by that terrific heat. If the sun

gave off half its radiation, we would freeze to death. If it gave off

one half more, we would all be crispy critters." He said,

"Consider the slant of the earth." I think he said twenty-three

degrees. "If it were different than that, the vapors from the oceans

would ice over the continents. There could be no life." He said,

"Consider the moon. If the moon were fifty thousand miles away

rather than its present distance, twice each day giant tides would

inundate every bit of land mass on this earth." He said, "Think of

the crust of the earth. Just a little bit thicker and there could be

no life because there would be no oxygen. Or the thinness of the

atmosphere. If our atmosphere was just a little thinner, the

millions of meteors now burning themselves out in space would

plummet this earth into oblivion. These are reasons," he said,

"why I believe in God." -- Frank Pollard, "Our Greatest Victory,"

Preaching Today, Tape No. 175.

Abraham’s God is REAL and He has revealed HIMSELF to us through

HIS WORD and through NATURE, but also,

C. GOD HAS REVEALED HIMSELF THROUGH OUR CONSCIENCE.

Romans 1:19-20 says, "Because that which may be known of God is

manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible

things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being

understood by things that are made, even his eternal power and

Godhead; so they are without excuse." Man’s inner sense, or innate

awareness, and instinctive knowledge of God are strong. Man is a very

capable creature. He has enormous power and mental capacity. Man

can reason and grasp that "God is [exists] and that He rewards those

who diligently seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6). Man can "know God" (Romans

1:19), even the "invisible things" of God (Romans 1:20); he can know to

such a degree that he is "without excuse" (Romans 1:20). However,

man chooses not to know God. He even chooses to take the truth that is

within him and suppress it. Man rejects the knowledge of God that is

within him. This is the first reason why God reveals and shows His

wrath. (Preacher’s Outline and Sermon Bible, New Testament 7, Romans

Commentary)

ILLUS: When Helen Keller was ten years old, her father asked the

Famous Boston minister, Phillips Brooks, to tell her about God.

He gladly did so. After their first conversation, Brooks was pro-

foundly moved by Helen’s response. She said that she had

always known there was a God, but she just had not known His

name."

In Romans 1:18-20, Paul answers a common objection: How could a

loving God send anyone to hell, especially someone who has never

heard the Good News of Jesus? In fact, says Paul, God has revealed

Himself to all people. Everyone knows what God requires, but no one

lives up to it…If people suppress God’s truth in order to live their own

way, they have no excuse. They know the truth, and they will have to

endure the consequences of ignoring it. Does anyone have an excuse

for not believing in God? The Bible answers an emphatic no. God has

revealed his existence in creation. Every person, therefore, either

accepts or rejects God (3). Warren Wiersbe said, "Man did not begin

with ignorance and gradually work his way up to intelligence; he began

with a blazing revelation of the power and wisdom of God and turned

his back on it (4).

Abraham’s God is REAL and He has REVEALED HIMSELF through His Word,

through NATURE, and through our CONSCIENCE.

(2) ABRAHAM’S GOD IS RIGID

HEBREWS 10:31—"It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the

living God."

HEBREWS 12:29—"For our God is a consuming fire."

A. GOD IS DUE OUR REVERENCE. By rigid I simply mean that God is

not only real but He is awesome, and is to be respected, reverenced,

and feared. His name is to be respected (Exodus 20:7). His day is to

be honored (Hebrews 10:25). And His Word obeyed (Ecclesiastes 12:

13-14).

ILLUS: "Oh, My God!"

by Charles Broyles

Hardly a day goes by that we do not hear someone exclaim,

"Oh, My God!" Whether at work or school, the bank,

supermarket, or even the church parking lot, we hear this

expression repeatedly. Television, no doubt, is the chief

offender, with nearly every game show, soap opera, situation

comedy, prime time drama, and movie featuring the phrase.

"Oh, My God!" has become a faddish and clever saying. It is

used to register alarm, surprise, delight, dismay, sarcasm, and

almost every kind of response. Probably some cannot imagine

why. Why does "Oh, My God!" grate so upon our ears?

We do well to consider the faith and devotion manifested by

men and women from the long ago; several of these are singled

out and presented as examples for Christians today (Hebrews

11). They insisted on using reverence and humility while

addressing Deity. Abraham approached God with these words,

"Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord,

which am but dust and ashes" (Genesis 18:27). Jacob marked

each place that the Lord spoke to him with a stone or altar,

recognizing that even the plot of ground was sacred because

the Lord had revealed Himself there (Genesis 28:17). Can you

imagine the patriarchs referring to God in the offhanded

manner that is prevalent today? Jehovah God is to be

reverenced (Hebrews 12:28); woe if we respect not God (Isaiah

45:9)!

Although we are not under the Law of Moses today (John 1:17),

we worship and serve the same God revealed to the Hebrew

fathers. We should have the posture of godly fear and awe that

were shown by Peter before Jesus (Luke 5:8) and the apostle

John on Patmos (Revelation 1:17).

The Jews sought to protect and preserve the sacredness of

God's name. In the centuries before the birth of Jesus, they

decided to stop pronouncing it altogether so that its usage

would not become common and ordinary. Should we show less

respect and regard for our Heavenly Father?

If "Oh, My God!" is not a vain usage of God's name, what in the

world is? Our speech reflects our character and attitude

(Matthew 12:34-35). Let us refuse to be guilty of showing an

empty and low regard for the God of Heaven! "Let no corrupt

communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is

good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the

hearers" (Ephesians 4:29). ( Bellview's BEACON Volume XXIX,

#2, January 10, 2000)

B. GOD WILL GIVE DUE REWARD. What fools there are in this world who think they can ignore God, rebel against Him, break all His

commandments, and blaspheme His Holy Name, without suffering

terrible consequences. Hebrews 10:31 says, "It is a fearful thing to fall

into the hands of the living God." Hebrews 12:29 tells us, "For our God

is a consuming fire." Oliver B. Greene, in his commentary on Hebrews,

commenting on Hebrews 10:31 says, "To fall into the hands of the

living God denotes, as the preceding verse points out, vengeance fierce

and fearful—judgment such as the Old Testament believer did not

deserve because HE did not have the light, the knowledge, and the

opportunities that WE have in this marvelous day of grace. God will

judge men according to the light they have rejected, the truth they

have renounced, the opportunities they have had and refused to grasp.

It is indeed a fearful thing to disregard and dishonor God’s mercy, love,

and grace. Those who are guilty of so doing will fall into the hands of

the living God, and they will face terrible judgment! They will be con-

signed to the lake of fire (5).

God is the same yesterday, today, forever. He was a consuming fire in

the day of Moses. He is a consuming fire today, He will be a

consuming fire tomorrow. All who refuse His love and ignore His grace

will fall into the hands of a living God, to be cast into the lake that

burns with fire and brimstone. Jesus declared, "…Then shall He say

also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into ever-

lasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matthew 25:41) (6).

ILLUS: Someone has said, "Better never to have been born at all, than

never to have been born again." (7)

Abraham’s God is REAL, Abraham’s God is RIGID, He is due our Reverence and will give due Reward, and finally…

(3) ABRAHAM’S GOD IS RIGHT

PSALM 145:17—"The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy

in all his works."

A. GOD’S WISDOM IS UNSURPASSED. Perhaps Abraham, being human,wondered why God called him to pull up his roots, leave his homeland,

and those loved ones, friends and things he held dear, and go forth

without so much as telling him where he was to go. All God said was,

"Get thee out…I will show thee where." I am so glad God’s wisdom is

so much higher than ours. I praise Him that He knows the end from

the beginning.

ILLUS: First, He brought me here, it is by His will I am in this strait

place: in that fact I will rest.

Next, He will keep me here in His love, and give me the grace

to behave as His child.

Then, He will make the trial a blessing, teaching me lessons

He intends fore me to learn, and working in me the grace He

means to bestow.

Last, in His good time He can bring me out again—how and

when He knows.

Let me say I am here,

1. By God’s appointment
2. In His keeping
3. Under His training
4. For His time.

--V. Raymond Edman, In Quietness and Confidence (8)

God is RIGHT, His WISDOM is UNSURPASSED, He knows where we

need to be, at what time, and for how long we need to stay there.

B. GOD’S WAY IS UNEQUALED. No doubt a thousand and one questions came into Abraham’s mind. Questions like:

• What will people think?
• How will I make a living and feed my family?
• Why my wife understand?
• What kind of place is it I am going to?
• Will I encounter enemies and problems there?

No doubt Abraham’s mind was flooded with these questions, but

God simply said, "Go and trust me." Psalm 37:5 says, "Commit thy

way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass."

It is when we follow our own way instead of God’s way that we find

ourselves in trouble.

ILLUS: There are very few who in their hearts do not believe in God,

but what they will not do is give Him exclusive right of way. ...

They are not ready to promise full allegiance to God alone.

Many a professing Christian is a stumbling-block because his

worship is divided. On Sunday he worships God; on week days

God has little or no place in his thoughts. -- Dwight L. Moody

in Weighed and Wanting. Christianity Today, Vol. 41, no. 11.

Abraham’s God is REAL, RIGID, and RIGHT! The question I have for you today is, "Is Abraham’s God your God?"

CLOSING: Friend, God has a plan for your life. If you are lost He desires you

to be saved! 2 Peter 3:9 says, "The Lord is not slack concerning his

promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-

ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to

repentance." If you are saved, He desire you to serve Him out of a

heart of love. Jesus said in John 14:15, "If ye love me, keep my

commandments." Edwin Arlington Robinson wrote, "The world is a

kind of spiritual kindergarten where bewildered infants are trying

to spell God with the wrong blocks." Two men were traveling

together by plane. While one napped, the other remained busy

working a crossword puzzle. He nudged his friend in the ribs and

asked, "What is a word of three letters, with the letter O in the

middle, meaning, man’s best friend?" The friend mumbled, "Dog."

But dog didn’t fit the puzzle. The man kept working at it and

finally said, "The last letter is D." But they never did come up with

the right answer, that the first letter was G. And in the puzzles of

life, many people never realize that their best friend is God (9).

NOTES: 1. Charles R. Swindoll. The Tale of the Tardy Oxcart and 1,501 Other

Stories. p. 232.

1. Albert M. Wells, Jr. Inspiring Quotations-Contemporary &

Classical. p. 16.

2. Living Letters from the Life Application Bible. p. 14.
3. Warren W. Wiersbe. Wierbe’s Expository Outlines on the New

Testament. p. 364.

4. Oliver B. Greene. The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews.

pp. 420-421.

5. Greene. p. 568.
6. Wells. p. 141.
7. Swindoll. p. 244.
8. Robert J. Morgan. Nelson’s Complete Book of Stories, Illustrations

& Quotes. p. 353.