Sunday, May 3, 2009

Abraham Obeyed....Will We?

Gen 12:1-4a Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." So Abram went forth as the LORD had spoken to him;

The word of God is astounding on so many levels. It is utterly consistent from beginning to end. God chose Abram to begin to develop a people for Himself. In the New Testament we see the exact same pattern displayed. Whenever I read passages of God's interaction with mankind I know why the Psalmist David wrote, "What is man, that Thou dost take thought of him and the son of man that Thou dost care for him?" God is looking for relationship and obedience. God calls Abram to follow Him and of necessity leave some things behind.

his country
his relatives
his father's house

He gives him some promises:

A land which I will show you
I'll make you a great nation
I will bless you
I will make your name great
You shall be a blessing
I will bless you and protect you
In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed

In the New Testament we see Jesus walking the shores of Galilee and calling his disciples to come and follow him. In Matthew 4:18 he calls two sets of brothers and immediately they left some things behind.

their nets
their boat
their father

In Mark 10:29-30 Jesus tell them that no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for Jesus sake and for the gospel's sake but that he will receive 100 times as much now in this life:


houses
brothers and sisters, mothers, children
farms
persecution
In the age to come....eternal life


Like Abraham we are called to a new land.


Phil 3:20 For our citizenship is in heaven,

Abraham was promised to become a great nation and so are we.

1 Pet 2:9 But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION,

God said, "I will make your name great," our name is great too.

Acts 11:26b "and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch."

God told Abraham, "I will bless you." So are we.

Eph 1:3 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,"

Abraham was promised that all the families of the earth would be blessed through him. The world is blessed through us.

Mat 5:14a "You are the light of the world.
Mat 5:13 "You are the salt of the earth;

Heb 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever. The unchanging ways of God are comforting and discomfiting at the same time. Is there anything that we are refusing to leave behind in order that we may inherit all that he has for us? If you don't know, then ask him. Abraham and the fishermen obeyed. Because they obeyed God could use them to change the world. Will we?

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