Quote from Forum Archives on May 21, 2002, 7:37 pm

Posted by: balderman <balderman@...>

"LESSONS FROM THE LIFE OF ABRAHAM-STAY AT YOUR BETHEL"

GENESIS 12:10-20; 13:1-4

INTRO: Bethel! Just the sound of the word should gladden the heart and soul

of the saint of God. Bethel means "the house of God; the place where

God meets with His people. We must not reason within our hearts

that Bethel is simply a building, which we commonly call the church

house. Wherever the church meets, whether it be in a church

building, in an old barn, down in the woods, in a old run down store

building, in someone’s home or any other place—that is Bethel if God

meets with His people there. Bethel is not the place we meet, but

Bethel is the Person we meet wherever we are.

There is no place as sweet and wonderful on this planet as Bethel.

What kind of place is Bethel?:

• It is a place of prayer. Abraham built an altar there (Genesis 12:7-8). Verse 8 says, "…he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD." There is a song which goes: "Are you living where God answers prayer?"
• It is a place of God’s presence. It is the place where we have an encounter with God. Abram needed God, needed God to meet him face to face once again. There was strong opposition to his claiming the promised land, and Abram did not know what to do. Abram needed God’s presence: His explanation, direction, and guidance. Abram needed assurance, God’s assurance. He needed God to reconfirm the promise of the promised land and seed. And the glorious truth is this: God always meets the need of His dear follower. Whatever the believer needs, God meets that need to the maximum. (Preacher’s Outline and Sermon Bible, Old Testament 2, Genesis 2 Commentary) We need the assurance that God’s presence is with us every day. Daily we need to spend time at Bethel and have a fresh encounter with God!
• It is a place of God’s peace. Someone has said, "Peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of God no matter what the conflict" (1). This encounter with God gave Abraham the peace he needed to go on for God. Philippians 4:6-7 tells us, "Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. I am sure Abraham’s mind was overwhelmed with concerns, cares, and questions, but at Bethel, God gave him peace. When we enjoy fellowship with God, we have peace because we feel His presence there with us.
• It is a place of God’s protection. Happy and strong and brave shall we be--able to endure all things, and to do all things--if we believe that every day, every hour, every moment of our life is in God's hands. -- Henry van Dyke in The Upward Path. Christianity Today, Vol. 40, no. 1. Bethel is a place where we can shut out the distractions of the this world and spend time in devotion with Almighty God! Psalm 91:1-7 says, "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Not for the pestilence that walketh in darkness: nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee."
• It is a place of God’s power. Bethel is the place where we are strengthened that we might be able to survive Satan’s onslaughts that we face on a daily basis. Day by day as we face the temptations and trials of life we need to spend time at Bethel so we can be strengthened and not grow weak. Paul prayed for the Ephesian believers in Ephesians 3:16, "That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his spirit in the inner man." Oliver B. Greene, in his commentary on Ephesians states, "Paul was not praying that they would be strengthened in the flesh. I know God does strengthen believers in the flesh—and we need to be strengthened in our body; but we need strength in the inner man (2).
• It is a place of God’s provision. It is at our Bethel that we receive every thing we need to service God acceptably and grow in His grace. Philippians 4:19 says, "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Paul believed in the providence of God, that God was in control of events and that He was able to meet every need (Romans 8:28). When the child of God is in the will of God, all of the universe works for him; but when the child of God is out of the will of God, everything works against him. This is the providence of God (3).

It is at Bethel that we enjoy fellowship with God. It is at Bethel that

we are strengthened to overcome the temptation and trials of life. It is

at Bethel that God becomes real to us. We need to stay at our Bethel

because when we get away from Bethel it is then that the pressures,

problems, and pains of life begin to overwhelm us. Let us see what

happened to Abraham when he got away from Bethel. Notice four

things with me:

(1) THE FAMINE IN THE LAND

GENESIS 12:10—"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."

A. THE SEVERE FAMINE IN THE LAND. There was a literal, physical

famine in the land. Our text says the famine was "grievous." This

would indicate that the famine was long and had really devastated the

food supply. Adding to the grievousness of the famine for Abraham

would be his situation. To start with, he was a stranger in the land;

and, as any traveler knows, trouble away from home is more grievous

than trouble at home. Also, he was living amongst hostile people; and,

therefore, he would not find much help from them. Furthermore,

Abraham had many under his care which in time of famine would

Increase the burden of the famine. Besides his wife and Lot, Abraham

Also had many servants plus large flocks of animals who depended on

him for their sustenance. All these things would add much weight to

the already burdensome famine (4).

B. THE SPIRITUAL FAMINE IN THE HEART. This literal, physical

famine led to a spiritual famine for Abraham. Often that is what

happens in our lives. We do fine serving God until things go wrong.

But then hardships come, sickness and other problems that are

common to man come along, and we tend to get away from God. A

spiritual famine is when:

• The Joy of salvation is lost. When we encounter a spiritual famine because we leave our Bethel; it is then that the joy of salvation is lost. William Barclay said, "The one thing that all men need to learn about joy is that joy has nothing to do with material things, or with a man’s outward circumstances. It is the simply fact of human experience that a man living in the lap of luxury can be wretched, and a man in the depths of poverty can overflow with joy" (5). Abraham suffered a spiritual famine and lost his joy because he succumbed to his circumstances instead of resting in the Lord. Where does a person find joy? Possibly the best explanation comes from an acrostic using J.O.Y. The ‘J’ represents Jesus, the ‘Y’ stands for You, and the ‘O’ signifies zero or nothing. Joy is found when "nothing" comes between "Jesus" and "You." (6) When a spiritual famine occurs then joy of salvation is lost.Prayers are not being answered. Psalm 66:18 tells us, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me." Matthew said, "Sin, regarded in the heart, will spoil the comfort and success of prayer…" (Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary) When we have sin in our lives, when we are far away in fellowship from God, when our hearts have grown cold; then our prayer life is hindered. Trial and troubles draw our minds away from the Lord. The severity of the famine caused Abraham to go down into Egypt. Bad times in our lives really challenge our faith and dedication to the Lord. Many folks are willing to obey God when it results in good times; but if disobedience brings upon them rough experience, they are ready to quit (7). Charles Spurgeon said, "When you have no helpers, see all your helpers in God. When you have many helpers, see God in all your helpers. When you have nothing but God, see all in God; when you have everything, see God in everything. Under all conditions, stay thy heart only on the Lord" (8). We start walking by sight and not by faith. Abraham allowed circumstances to dictate his actions. Instead of keeping his eyes on the Lord and following Him he followed his own wisdom and went his own way. Many times our most severe trials come after our greatest spiritual victories. This trial came upon Abraham right after he had reached a new high spiritually in his life. He had built altars in plain sight of the heathen and worshipped God declaring allegiance to Him. These trials come for two reasons: first, so God might humble us, lest we become too proud, and second, so Satan might tempt us when our guard is down. That is why it is so important we keep our eyes on the Lord and give Him all the glory for all things. The Bible recognizes no faith that does not lead to obedience, nor does it recognize any obedience that does not spring from faith. The two are at opposite sides of the same coin. -- A.W. Tozer. Leadership, Vol. 12, no. 4. It is walking by faith that pleases God. When we start walking by sight, we are facing a spiritual famine.

ILLUS: Constructed to give people the illusion of walking on air,

"The Walk of Faith" is a platform of laminated glass at

the top of a 385-foot tower in Blackpool, England. An

Associated Press photo showed a woman at the edge of

the invisible walkway, fists clenched against her face, trying

to summon the courage to take a step. She had been told

the platform was safe, but she was still afraid. Sometimes

we feel that way about our circumstances. Perhaps a

serious health problem has caused us to question the power

and presence of God. It’s encouraging to note that Paul’s

familiar words "We walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Cor. 5:7)

occur in his discussion about being "absent from the body

and …present with the Lord" (v.8). He used a poweful

metaphor, calling our body an earthly house that’s being

destroyed, yet he said we have a heavenly building made by

God…He concluded that no matter what circumstances we

face, we should make it our goal to please the Lord (v.9).

Our walk of faith can be challenging and sometimes scary.

But because God is powerful and present, we can step out

in confidence today (9).

Sometimes an entire Church body encounters a famine. The devil is

out to destroy the church. There are times when the church grows

cold and the Spirit doesn’t work as strongly as we would like to see.

Souls are not saved, members are not added, finances are not coming

in. People become unhappy and want a change or they decide to

move their membership to another church.

(2) THE FAILURE OF ABRAHAM

GENESIS 12:10b—"..and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn

there; for the famine was grievous in the land."

A. THE INCREDIBLE FAILURE. The physical famine caused a spiritual

famine and then the spiritual famine caused him to make a bad choice.

Verse 10 says, "..And Abram went down into Egypt…" Egypt is a

picture of the world, the flesh, and the devil. That’s where people go

when they leave God behind, and leave Him out of their decisions.

Egypt was not where Abraham was supposed to be. He was to stay in

Canaan. When our faith fails, it is then that we begin walking by sight

instead of by faith. It is then that we find ourselves in places God

never intended for us to be. Abraham instead of following the Word of

God as he had every step of his journey until now; followed two other

guides: Circumstances and Self-preservation. His circumstances in

Canaan and the circumstances in Egypt surely dictated he move down

into Egypt. Robert Candlish said, "The temptation [to go to Egypt] was

a severe one. Egypt was at this time a flourishing nation; the fertile

valley of the Nile supported a considerable population; and the country

was already assuming the character which it afterward bore as the

granary of the world." Food and pasture—the things that Abraham

needed—were abundant in Egypt (10). But circumstances can be

deceiving. Our circumstances must be interpreted in the light of the

Word of God. Every circumstance, no matter how favorable it may

seem to be, must be examined by the Word of God, or else we will go

astray. Self-preservation also played a role in Abraham’s decision.

Abraham thought that if he remained in Canaan he and all that were

his would surely perish. But Abraham was called to go to Canaan, not

Egypt. Therefore he would be safer in Canaan in the midst of the

famine than in Egypt in the midst of plenty.

ILLUS: If a man is centered upon himself, the smallest risk is too great

for him, because both success and failure can destroy him. If

he is centered upon God, then no risk is too great, because

success is already guaranteed--the successful union of creator

and creature, beside which everything else is meaningless. –

Morris L. West in The Shoes of the Fisherman. Christianity

Today, Vol. 33, no. 3.

Abraham’s faith failed because he was thinking only of himself and his

circumstances instead of looking in faith to God for his supply.

B. THE INEVITABLE FOLLOWING. Abraham, when he went down to

Egypt, took his family and all his belongings with him. A person never

goes down without taking others with him. Many fathers have left God

out of their lives and they have taken their families down with them.

ILLUS: Take heed to yourselves also because there are many eyes upon

you. So there will be many who observe your fall. If you

miscarry, the world will also echo with it. It is the same as the

eclipses of the sun in broad daylight--they are seldom without

witnesses. -- Richard Baxter in The Reformed Pastor.

Christianity Today, Vol. 40, no. 2.

Our actions surely influence others. William George Jordan said, "Into

hands of every individual is given a marvelous power for good or for

evil-the silent, unconscious, unseen influence of his life" (11).

(3) THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD

2 TIMOTHY 2:13—"if we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he

cannot deny himself."

A. THE AMAZING GOODNESS OF GOD. It should never cease to amaze

us how good God is even when we turn on back on Him. The Lord will

stay by our side even when we have endured so much that we appear

to have no faith left. We may be faithless at times, but the Lord

remains faithful to His promise to be with us always. He has promised

us in Hebrews 13:5-6, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that

we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man

shall do unto me." Abraham had left the place of blessing, Bethel, and

went down into Egypt. But even there God was with him. God

protected Abraham and even went so far as to plague the king for his

sake. Genesis 12:17 tells us, "And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his

his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram’s wife." God has

a special eye on His own.

B. THE AMAZING GRACE OF GOD. God is so good that He will not let

one of His own get away from Him and stay there. He always calls us

back to our Bethel. God allowed things to go wrong for Abraham just

so he would be glad to get out of Egypt and get back to home. The

main reason that Abraham was able to get out of Egypt and back to

Canaan was God’s Grace. Abraham certainly did not deserve to be

extracted from the snare he got himself into in Egypt; for he had

deliberately left the place where God wanted him to be, he allowed

his wife to be taken from him and become part of Pharaoh’s harem, his

personal conduct was characterized by fear and dishonesty and

selfishness, he was a problem to society, and his worship of and

witness for God were simply non-existent. God would have been

justified if He had left Abraham to die in his troubles in Egypt rather

than seeing to it that he return to Canaan. But God did not do that.

His grace ordered circumstances ("plagued Pharaoh and his house

with great plagues") to come about that would free Sarah and send

Abraham and all that he had back to Canaan. Abraham could say

what the Psalmist said centuries later and what we can also say, "He

hath not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to

our iniquities" (Psalm 103:10) (12).

ILLUS: God will take nine steps toward us, but he will not take the

tenth. He will incline us to repent, but he cannot do our

repenting for us. -- A.W. Tozer, Christian Reader, Vol. 32, no.

5.

Abraham left his Bethel and acted faithless, but God remained faithful to Abraham. He remains faithful to us even when we are unfaithful. We can truly say with Jeremiah the prophet, "..Great is thy faithfulness." (Jeremiah

3:23b).

(4) THE FELLOWSHIP RESTORED

GENESIS 13:3-4—"And he went on his journeys from the south

even to Beth-el, unto the place where his tent had been at

the beginning, between Beth-el and Hai; Unto the place of

the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there

Abram called on the name of the LORD."

A. THE REPENTANCE. Christians enmeshed in the world cannot be

happy with themselves. They must go back to the very place where

they abandoned the Lord. This is repentance and confession, to feel

sorry for sin and to make amends. Abraham could not have confessed

his sins and remained in Egypt! No, he had to get back to the place of

the tent and the altar, back to the place where he could call upon the

Lord and receive blessing. This is a good principle for Christians to

follow: go nowhere in this world where you must leave your testimony

behind. Any place where we cannot build the altar and pitch the tent

is out of bounds (13). We see Abraham’s repentance in verse 1, "And

Abram went up out of the Egypt…" Every believer who is weak in faith

and wanders off needs to repent and return to God. By repenting and

returning to God, the believer will, over a period of time, become strong

in faith. God always receives the repentant believer and blesses him

richly, ever so richly. God always forgives sin, no matter how terrible

the sin has been, if the person repents—truly repents—and turns to the

Lord and begins to follow Him. This is exactly what happened to

Abram. Note that Abram returned to God and the promised land. He

could have returned to Ur of the Chaldees or to Haran or even to some

other country and land. Unquestionably, he and Sarah were

discouraged and downcast, feeling deep guilt, shame, and

embarrassment. They were probably gripped by dread, apprehension,

and even some fear, hating to face the members of their household and

the laborers of their herds. But Abram and Sarah did exactly what was

needed (Preacher’s Outline and Sermon Bible, Genesis 2 Commentary).

B. THE RESTORATION. Even though God forgave Abraham because He

repented of his sin, Abraham still had to live with the consequences of

his sin. There is always a price we must pay for our disobedience. It is

certain that God forgave Abraham and restored him to fellowship, but

God could not overrule the sad consequences of the trip down into

Egypt. Look at some sad results of Abraham’s disobedience:

• Lost Time. The time that Abraham and his household were away from the Lord were lost and could never be redeemed. We should pray, "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom."
• Lost Testimony. Was there any way that Abraham could witness to Pharaoh the of the true and living God after he had deceived him? Probably not. How sorrowful it will be when we stand before the judgment seat of Christ and discover how many souls have gone to hell because to the poor testimony of carnal Christians!
• Hagar’s place in the family. Sarah’s maid, Hagar. came from Egypt (Genesis 16:1ff), and brought untold trouble to the family. Of course, the suggestion that the she bear a child came from Sarah, but the presence of Hagar helped to bring about the carnal scheme. Whatever we bring with us form Egypt (the godless world) will ultimately cause us trouble. We must be crucified to the world and make sure the world is crucified to us (Gal. 6:14).
• Lot’s enjoyment of Egypt. Lot developed a taste for Egypt after spending some time there. Even though Abraham took him out of Egypt, he could not take Egypt out of Lot. What a shame it is when mature believers lead weaker believers astray! In Genesis 12:8, Lot shares Abraham’s tent and altar, but when Lot comes out of Egypt, he has only tents, no altar (Genesis 13:5). Is it any wonder Lot gravitated toward Sodom—and ended up a moral and spiritual wreck (14).

CLOSING: Abraham’s problems did not really start until he left Bethel, the

place of blessing. Even though the famine was severe, God would

provided for Him, because he was where God wanted him to be, if

only he had stayed in Canaan. We must stay at our Bethel.

Canaan was for Abraham was God’s place, God’s precept, and

God’s plan. In Egypt, there was no altar, no calling on God.

People’s devotion does not do well when they are out of the place

where God wants them. No backslider, no worldly Christian will do

well in true devotion to the Lord (15).

Friend, are you abiding at Bethel? or Have you left the place of

blessing? You can always repent and return. If you have left your

Bethel, will you return to Bethel?

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

Classical. p. 152.

2. Oliver B. Greene. The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the

Ephesians. p. 128.

3. Warren W. Wiersbe. Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the New

Testament. p. 572.

1. John G. Butler. Abraham: The Father of the Jews. p. 40.
2. Wells. p. 103.
3. Raymond McHenry. The Best of In Other Words. p. 146.
4. Butler. pp. 38-39.
5. Wells. p. 210.
6. David C. McCasland. Our Daily Bread. Volume 44. Number 5.

August 24, 1999.

10. Butler. p. 43.

11. Robert J. Morgan. Nelson’s Complete Book of Stories,

Illustrations, & Quotes. p. 276.

1. Butler. pp. 49-50.
2. Wiersbe. pp. 40-41.
3. Wiersbe. p. 41.
4. Butler. p. 55.