Abraham, Friend of God

Following God

Genesis 11:27-12:4 HCSB These are the family records of Terah. Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran, and Haran fathered Lot. 28 Haran died in his native land, in Ur of the Chaldeans, during his father Terah's lifetime. 29 Abram and Nahor took wives: Abram's wife was named Sarai, and Nahor's wife was named Milcah. She was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milcah and Iscah. 30 Sarai was barren; she had no child. 31 Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (Haran's son), and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram's wife, and they set out together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there. 32 Terah lived 205 years and died in Haran. 12:1 The LORD said to Abram: Go out from your land, your relatives, and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, I will curse those who treat you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you. 4 So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran.

I. Abraham was one of the greatest individuals of all time.

A. A pivotal figure in Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.

B. Greatest designation is given him: “The friend of God.” (James 2:23)

C. Simple reason: God called him, and Abraham obeyed.

1) No reason is given for the choosing of Abraham over others.

2) Part of mystery of God’s grace.

II. God’s call required Abraham to leave his old home.

1. Leave country, people, household.
• Genesis 12:1 HCSB The LORD said to Abram: Go out from your land, your relatives, and your father's house to the land that I will show you.

1) This would have been a high price for Abraham to pay.

a) Verse 4 makes it sound like he was in a city called Haran, but other passages like Acts 7 make it clear that the actual call of God came while Abraham was in the city of Ur.

b) Ur was a fabulous city. It was near the Persian Gulf, over by Iran, and even in 2000 BC, it had an advanced culture.

c) Back in the twenties and thirties Sir Charles Leonard Woolley excavated Ur and came up with some of the greatest treasures of archeology.

d) In Ur’s royal cemetery they found 16 tombs, each one filled with golden head-dresses and gold and silver harps. Each tomb also contained up to 74 bodies of servants who were buried alive with the king.

e) Woolley’s excavations also revealed that the houses in Ur were 2 stories high and were whitewashed to be pleasing to the eye. The larger homes had up to 20 rooms, with well-equipped kitchens, good plumbing, and sanitation.

f) Their schools taught mathematics, astronomy, and medicine.

g) Abraham was not a Yahoo from the back side of the desert who didn’t know anything. He probably had a very comfortable life in the most advanced culture of that time. He was also in his golden years

2) Ur was prosperous, cultural – and idolatrous.

a) Ur’s original religion put its faith in one god.

b) As time went by, a multitude of gods were added.

c) Abraham’s own family worshipped idols

· Joshua 24:2 HCSB Joshua said to all the people, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'Long ago your ancestors, including Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods.

3) National and ethnic bonds still have a tight hold.

a) Reason behind much strife in world today.

b) God’s call is higher than human bonds.

c) More important than patriotism, family, etc.

2. Christian faith requires “leaving.” (separation)

1) Leaving religious practices that are unbiblical.

a) That something is “religious” doesn’t make it right.

b) False religion is pervasive today.

2) Leaving relationships that pull you down.

3) Leaving sinful practices and worldly attitudes.

3. Abraham left, but not right away.

1) He didn’t make a clean break in leaving his family.

a) He apparently took his father and others along

b) The brought idols, and compromised the family

· Genesis 31:19 HCSB When Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole her father's household idols.

c) Abraham didn’t take a direct route in going. They spent several years in Haran, and maybe Damascus.

2) Compromise may be “human,” but it always costs us.

III. God’s call required Abraham to go to a new home.

A. Christian also have a goal or “focus” in life.

1) We are not wandering aimlessly – we have a purpose in life.

2) Heaven is our real home

B. Abraham never really arrived.

· Hebrews 11:13 HCSB These all died in faith without having received the promises, but they saw them from a distance, greeted them, and confessed that they were foreigners and temporary residents on the earth.

1) He did not receive all the promises in this life.

2) Neither will Christians.

a) Wrong to compare ourselves to others.

b) Things won’t always go our way.

c) Many of our questions will be unanswered.

IV. Abraham’s Faith can be our faith.

A. More than a great man – all peoples blessed through him.

· Genesis 12:3 HCSB I will bless those who bless you, I will curse those who treat you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.

1) Judaism remains a small faith.

2) Only in Christ is there complete fulfillment of promise.

B. To follow Abraham’s example, we must obey God as he did.

1) “He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

2) Accepting Christ puts us on the same pilgrim path.