Sunday, February 15, 2009
JOY COMES IN THE MORNING
Psalm 30:5
About a year and a half ago I preached a sermon entitled “Weeping for a Night.” It was based on the words found in Ps. 30:5, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” In that sermon, I tried to awaken us to the need for weeping. Jeremiah cried out, “Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!” (Jer. 9:1). Our Lord Jesus wept over Jerusalem. Surely the lack of weeping explains much of the powerlessness we experience today.
This morning we must explore the other side of that verse. Yes, there is a great need for weeping, but I want to talk to you about the joy that comes in the morning. Yes, I know that we are studying Genesis. I committed myself to preaching on Genesis each Sunday morning until we finished. But ultimately surrender to the Lord must trump any and all man’s commitments. Yes, Lord willing, we will continue to Genesis, but not this morning. Today we must discover more of that joy that comes in the morning.
Why? I’m not sure I can fully answer that, but I am deeply convicted that this is where the Lord wants us this morning. I cheated a little bit and read ahead in our devotional booklet, noticing that yesterday’s thoughts are about rejoicing in the Lord. I also had a conversation with someone this week where this theme surfaced. Then I had the privilege of preaching the funeral for Paul McAfee on Thursday. It was my privilege to focus on John 14:3, “And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also.” We talked about Jesus’ presence being the glory of heaven. We also talked about the fact that many (not a few, but many) will hear Jesus say in the last day, “I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matt. 7:23). Even as I talked about that ultimate tragedy, my heart was full of joy. What joy there was in finding at least a few who knew great joy in our Lord.
“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” Yes, we find it in our own experience. What weeping we experienced before the light dawned and we were reconciled to God. We experienced that godly sorrow that leads to repentance. If you didn’t experience that godly sorrow that leads to repentance, you have reason to question whether you are truly in Christ. Don’t misunderstand. I’m not talking about some emotional experience. The key isn’t outward tears, but inward sorrow that comes with the conviction of sin stirred by the Holy Spirit.
Yes, we have experienced the weeping that comes with difficult times in our own lives, when it seemed that God was far away. * Though we may not have been fully conscious of it, it was indeed a night of weeping. But then, because of the faithfulness and mercy of our Lord, joy came in the morning. Praise God!
I had been thinking about Ps. 30:5 all week, but I didn’t get a chance to actually sort out my thoughts and begin to write some things down until Friday morning. Actually, it was early Friday morning. I was in my office at 2:00. I was at this point in my thinking, when I noticed that I had an email. It was from a young man for whom I was greatly concerned and over whom I had wept. In his email, that young man shared how God was working in his life and how he had a renewed longing to know Him. For me, joy came in the morning, in the wee hours of the morning. That’s why these days I’m singing, “Before the rising of the sun til the going down of the same, the name of the Lord is to be praised!” I’m not changing the scripture; I’m just applying it to my life. Surely the reason the Psalmist wrote, “From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same” was because that represented the primary waking hours of a person. Because they didn’t have electric lights, they made the most of the hours of sunlight. Those were the principal waking hours of the day, and the Lord’s name was to be praised during those waking hours. But if you wake before the rising of the sun, the Lord’s name is to be praised then too!
I. A Darker Night
Now please listen carefully to me. It is certainly true that we can recall plenty of times when we wept for a night and joy came in the morning. Sometimes that night was brief; sometimes it was longer. Perhaps you are going through a night of weeping even now. Know that if you belong to Him, the Lord will bring joy in the morning. Praise God for His faithfulness.
Nevertheless, that is not the main thing I want to talk with you about this morning. I want to remind you of a much darker night than anything you have ever experienced. It occurred some 2,000 years ago and it began in a garden on the edge of Jerusalem. The primary character was Jesus of Nazareth. He had lived on this earth for some 33 years, but He had lived forever and ever. (John 1:1-5,14)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2. The same was in the beginning with God. 3. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not… 14. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Phil 2:5-7… "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6. Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7. But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men…
For those 33 years Jesus lived a life that pleased His Father in every respect. “And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sin; and in him was no sin” (I Jn. 3:5). His whole life was wrapped up in pleasing His heavenly Father. He could say, “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work” (John 4:34). Though men tried to make life miserable for Him, He continued to obey His Father and to love even the most despised of society.
There He was in the Garden of Gethsemane. Earlier that evening, Jesus had arranged for Him and His disciples to share the Passover meal together. It was there that He stooped down and washed their feet, even the feet of Judas Iscariot, who would betray Him. He then announced that one of those twelve would betray Him. When they asked who it might be, He told them it was the one to whom He would give the sop, when He had dipped it. Then He gave it to Judas. At that point Satan entered into Judas. We read in John 13:30, "He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night." Don’t miss those words – “and it was night.” Not only was this a physical phenomenon, but it was also a spiritual reality. The diabolical plan of Satan himself had been put into action. There was no turning back, a fact confirmed by Jesus’ words to Judas, “What you do, do quickly” (John 13:37).
II. The Prayer and the Cup
It was there in the Garden that Jesus prayed. What a sacred hour it was. Jesus left all His apostles, asking them to pray while He went on a little farther. He did take three of them with Him – Peter, James, and John. After walking a short distance, He then said to those three: “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death; tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt" (Matt. 26:38-39). Weigh those words carefully. “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death.” Remember that this is the Son of God. This is the One who had known all the glories of heaven. He was there at the creation and all things were made through Him. Forever and ever He had enjoyed the love and fellowship of His Father. No man on this earth can fully comprehend what that glory was like. But now His sorrow is so deep and crushing that He says it is unto death. How could the very Son of God be so burdened? How could it be possible? How could the Light of the world descend into such a deep shadow of night?
Now His prayer: “Oh my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me…” Now I ask you to remember an earlier scene. Jesus’ good friend Lazarus was lying in a tomb, where he had been for four days. Jesus had arrived at the tomb, accompanied by Mary and Martha and others who were mourning with them. Jesus told them to roll the stone away from the tomb’s entrance, and then He spoke these words: “Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.
And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me” (John 11:41-42). Jesus thanked His Father that He always heard Him. When Jesus used those words “hear me,” He is saying more than the fact that His Father heard the audible sounds from His lips. Jesus is saying that the Father always answered His prayers. And then He immediately proved it by saying, “Lazarus, come forth.” Now one and all would find out whether or not the Father always answered His prayers, because He had just commanded a man who had been dead for four days to stand up and walk out of that tomb. Listen to me. We’re not talking about some fairy tale. Jesus of Nazareth commanded a dead man, having assured everyone present that His Father would bring it to pass. You know what happened – Lazarus came out of that tomb, grave clothes and all.
This is the Jesus who prayed, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me…” But what was the cup? A cup is something from which you drink. Symbolically, it speaks of something a person experiences fully. For example, we read in Ps. 116:13, "I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD." Or Ps. 11:6, "Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup." In other words, this is what they will experience. Jesus was speaking of some experience that He dreaded in the worst way. There was something He wanted to avoid. What was it? It was the cross.
Yes, it was the cross, but that doesn’t fully answer our question. What was it about the cross that Jesus dreaded? Was it the nails that they would drive into His hands and feet? Was it the crown of thorns they would place upon His head? Was it the beating they would give Him before they hung Him there? Was it the terrible insults that would be hurled upon Him by those who watched? Was it the agony He would experience, as He pushed His body up against those nails again and again in order to get enough air to breathe? Was it the shame and humiliation that came with being looked upon as a common criminal?
We certainly wouldn’t want to minimize any of those, but all of them put together cannot begin to fill the cup of which Jesus spoke. Bear in mind that other men have suffered all those things. Jesus’ followers have been drowned in rivers, burned at the stake, beaten to death, and killed in dozens of other ways. They have endured excruciating torture in the midst of shame and humiliation. Surely Jesus wasn’t pleading to avoid what His own followers would have to endure. No, the cup of which Jesus spoke was unique to Him. No one else had ever been asked to drink this cup, nor would anyone ever be asked such in the future. So what was the cup? It was none other than the wrath of God. God’s wrath is His settled disposition against sin. The Father hates sin. He has zero tolerance for sin. No sin can be admitted into His presence. But now the Son, who knew no sin, was being asked to become sin for us (II Cor. 5:21). “All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Is. 53:6). When we read Is. 53:10, we begin to capture the idea of what Jesus was facing: “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise (crush) him…” The Father was pleased to crush His Son Jesus on that cross. Why? To fulfill the eternal plan for the redemption of His own and the glory of His Son.
Remember what Jesus said from the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46). There was no more fellowship because our sins were upon Jesus. Our sins separated between Him and His God, His Father (Is. 59:2). And what happened when the Father was cut off from the Son? In the previous verse we read these words: “Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour” (27:45). For three hours Jesus endured hell, in the sense that He was separated from the Father with whom He had been intimate for thousands and millions and billions of years. Though it was only three hours, that was the longest night in all eternity.
III. The Anticipated Joy
How could Jesus do it? We begin to see the reason there in the Garden. “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Matt. 26:39). Jesus dreaded that cup; He shied away from it; He pleaded with the Father that He might not have to drink it… but finally He said, “Father, not what I want, but what you want.” Remember that His meat was to do the will of Him that sent Him and to finish His work, and that is exactly what He did. Though He would do almost anything to avoid it, the one thing He would not do was to compromise the will of the Father.
We find another aspect of His willingness to go to the cross, when we come to Heb. 12:2, "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." Jesus knew the words of Psalm 30:5, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” But because of the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, counting the shame as nothing.
But what was this joy set before Him? John 17:4-5, "I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. 5. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was." No doubt, Jesus had in mind that glory which He had with the Father before coming to this earth, but that isn’t all. Let’s read from John 15:9-15…
As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. 10. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. 11. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. 12. This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. 13. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 14. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. 15. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
Notice verse 11, “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” He is speaking about the love between Him and His Father and how that love is going to be a reality for His disciples. Earlier, in the first verses of this chapter, He speaks of them abiding in Him and He in them. Now Jesus announces that He is telling them these things in order that His joy might be in them and that the resulting joy might be full and complete. The joy set before Him can never be totally separated from the joy He would implant in those who would trust Him.
It is His joy to give us joy, but we must never forget for a moment how it was that He brought us this joy. It was through the cross. Jesus endured the darkest night that we might have joy in the morning. No matter how much sorrow and suffering we may endure, that will never bring joy. Joy comes as a result of the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. It isn’t the night that produces joy; it is the work of Him who endured the night of the cross.
Conclusion
So now let’s come back to where we started. How can we ever weep, if we have the joy that Christ brought through His death and resurrection? This is a joy that cannot be dampened by the deepest trials, as we read in I Pet. 1:3-9…
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4. To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5. Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: 7. That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 8. Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: 9. Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
It is a joy that is beyond expression and full of glory. Surely there is no more weeping for the child of God.
Do you see that this joy is deepest when understood against the background of Christ’s suffering? The joy that Christ gives is not some shallow happiness that is ours because life is nice and comfortable. Rather, it is a joy that was forged in the depths of Christ’s suffering and will sustain us through every trial of life. If we don’t glory in the cross of Jesus Christ, then we don’t understand this joy. It is this background of Christ’s suffering and death that brings joy to its fullness in His children.
In the same way, weeping will never have its full meaning in the life of the believer until it is set against the deep joy that is found in Christ. In other words, joy in Christ doesn’t do away with our weeping; it enables us to weep. That is why Paul can say, “Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep” (Rom. 12:15). But I am commanded to rejoice in the Lord always. Understand that joy and weeping are not enemies; they are brothers. The more I rejoice in the Lord, the more effectively I will be able to weep with others. I will not be able to weep over the city with Jesus until I have drunk deeply of His joy.
I remind you that it was the Jesus who is the source of all joy who rebuked the Pharisees and scribes… Matt. 23:23-33 (NKJV)
23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. 24 Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! 25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. 27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. 29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30 and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’ 31 “Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt. 33 Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell.
It is common for people in our world to think that joy is like ice cream, always soft and fluffy and immediately tasty. Therefore, the joyful person must always be positive and upbeat. That reveals a misunderstanding of the joy of Christ. Jesus, the source of joy, was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He spoke far more about hell than He did about heaven. In the last day He will say to many, “I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matt. 7:23). The apostle Paul could thunder about the wrath of God in Romans 2 and then say in Rom. 5:11, "And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement."
As we met together to pray Friday morning, one of my brothers shared from II and III John. He noted there an emphasis both on God’s love and God’s truth. They are not mutually exclusive. As they were perfectly united in Jesus, so they will be in us who follow Him. It is the same with joy. As love does not exclude truth, neither does joy exclude weeping. It is the fullness of joy that leads us to weep for those who are without eternal joy. Amos sharply rebuked those who lived a life of luxury, boasting of a false joy, because they did not weep over the affliction of Joseph. They cared nothing that God’s people were being deceived and led astray by wicked religious leaders. They were empty of true joy, and they were unable to weep over the eternal issues of the soul.
No one can weep like the person who is full of the Lord’s joy. So it was with Jesus; so it was with Paul. The man who said, “Rejoice in the Lord always” was the person who could cry out in Rom. 9:1-3...
I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, 2. That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. 3. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:
Praise God for the joy we have in His Son. Praise Him just as much that we have the privilege of weeping over the things that grieve His heart.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Sunday, February 8, 2009
The Call of Abraham -- 2/8/09
Sunday, February 8, 2009
THE CALL OF ABRAM
Gen. 12; Heb. 11:8
We are in the book of Genesis, looking at chapter 12 and the chapters which follow. The primary character in this section of Genesis is Abraham. I believe it is safe to say that Abraham is the key human figure of Genesis. Last week we looked specifically at God’s choice of Abram. We won’t go back over that ground in detail, but if you weren’t here, I would encourage you to get the tape or read the notes on line. To put it in a nutshell, God chose Abram while he was an idolater. God’s choice was not due to anything at all in Abram. Abram was no different than anyone else when God chose him. And as God chose Abram, every true child of God was chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. You didn’t choose Him; He chose you. And why is it so? In order that no human being would ever have cause to boast. If anyone boasts, let him boast in the Lord.
Lord willing, these next three Sundays we will be looking at three very important events in the life of Abraham. In those messages, we will refer to various experiences of Abram. You will find those experiences in Gen. 12-24. I encourage you to read those chapters this week. We will not be going through all these chapters verse by verse. I will expect you to do that on your own. It isn’t a chore, as these chapters make fascinating reading.
The three events to which I refer are these…
… The call of Abraham
… The justification of Abraham
… The vindication of Abraham
The relation of these three events will become clearer as we progress in this study. This morning we are going to look specifically at the call of Abraham. As we do, we will also look at how Jesus calls people to Himself.
I. The Call to Abraham Was Clear (Gen. 12:1-3)
Let’s go back and read again Gen. 12:1-3…
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 show thee: 2. And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
We might question the clarity of that call. Note that the Lord made some great promises to Abram at this point...
… I will make out of you a great nation
… I will bless you
… I will make your name great
… You will be a blessing
… I will bless them that bless you
… I will curse them that curse you
… In you all the families (peoples) of the earth will be blessed
If you break them down in that much detail, there are seven promises. In verse 1, there is also the reference to “a land that I will show you.” Later on, the Lord will speak more directly about giving Abram’s descendants the land of promise. Did Abram understand all those promises? I don’t think so. No doubt, he took comfort in the announcement that God would bless him, but how would God bless him? He said He would make a great nation out of him and make his name great, but how would God do that? As we will see, that seemed to be a problem in light of the fact that he had no children at the time and didn’t seem to have any hope of children. I doubt he had any clue about how all the families of the earth would be blessed in him. So God gave Abram great promises, but they were difficult for him to understand at this time.
Nevertheless, God’s call to Abram was clear. God told Abram exactly what He wanted him to do. “Get out of your country and away from your kin folks and your father’s house, and go into a land that I will show you.” Again, the last part is a promise, rather than a command. The promise is both clear and unclear. It is clear in that the Lord says, “I will show you a land.” He didn’t say, “I’ll try to direct you to a certain land,” but “I will show you a land.” It is unclear in that the land is not identified. Abram had no GPS, and it wouldn’t have helped if he had, because God gave him no address.
On the other hand, the command is crystal clear. Abram, leave your country. Get away from your relatives and family home. Go. Go to the land I will show you. Abram did not need a translator to understand that. You may ask, “How did God speak to him?” It doesn’t matter how God spoke to him. The only thing that matters as that God did indeed speak to Abram in such a way that the command was clear to him. If God could speak the universe into existence, surely He could speak clearly to one of the people He created. He could, and He did.
God called Abram to leave what he knew and venture into the unknown. Ur was his home. As I mentioned last week, it was no hick town. At the time Abram left (or perhaps
shortly before that time), Ur was the leading city of that part of the world. A large library was there; it was a center of learning. No matter where Abram went, it would not be as culturally uplifting as his home town of Ur. He would not find a place as comfortable as where he was living. He would be leaving all the advantages of city life, culture, and religion. For what? For something less. Though he didn’t know where he would be going, he could be sure he wouldn’t find another place like Ur.
Now let’s do what we did last week. Let’s leave Abram and move forward to our day. Is the Lord still in the business of calling people? We saw last week that God does indeed choose people who are idolaters, just as He did with Abram. And yes, He still calls people to leave and go, just as He did with Abram. Let’s refresh our memory by reading some of the clear words of Jesus…
Matt. 16:24-26… Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. 26. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Luke 14:25-33… And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, 26. If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. 27. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. 28. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? 29. Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, 30. Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. 31. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? 32. Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. 33. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
Matt. 10:34-39… Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. 35. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. 36. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. 37. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. 39. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
Mark 10:17-25… And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? 18. And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. 19. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. 20. And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. 21. Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. 22. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions. 23. And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! 24. And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! 25. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
As God called Abram to leave what he had known in order to follow the way of his Creator, so Jesus calls men to follow Him. While the consequences of following Jesus may not be perfectly understandable at first, the command is clear. Leave where you are and follow me. But where will Jesus lead? We don’t know all the details. He doesn’t see fit to tell us all the details. But there can be no question about one thing – the one who follows Jesus must deny himself, take up his cross (which means death to self), and follow where he leads. No one can be a follower of Jesus, if he doesn’t love Him more than even the closest family member and more than even himself or herself. There are no exceptions.
Jesus says that a person must forsake all that he has, if he is going to follow Him. That is exactly what the Lord required of Abram. He commanded him to leave everything he had known. There was no assurance that the path would be smooth and that his future life would be comfortable. As a matter of fact, it would not be. Up to this point there is no evidence that Abram had known any real conflict, but there was plenty of conflict to come.
II. Abraham Obeyed that Call
Now comes the question: Did Abram obey God’s call to him? Yes, he certainly did. However, at this point, we need to backtrack a little bit and go back over some ground we covered last week. Where was Abram when God’s call came to him? Though the answer to that question may not be absolutely clear here in Genesis 11 and 12, it becomes clear when we look at other scripture. If we read only the Genesis account, we would have to conclude that the call came while Abram was in Haran. Let’s read it in Gen. 11:31-12:1,4...
And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there. 32. And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran. 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 show thee… 4. So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.
However, when we come to Stephen’s sermon in the seventh chapter of Acts, the Spirit of God reveals further information to us. Let’s read it again in Acts 7:2-4…
And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, 3. And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall show thee. 4. Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell.
Here we are clearly told that the Lord appeared to Abram while he was still in Mesopotamia (= Ur of the Chaldees) before he moved to Haran. At that time God told Abram to leave his country and get away from his kindred.
Now with that in mind, did Abram obey the Lord’s call? Someone asked me that question. Here’s the point. If his father and relatives were still with him when he went to Haran, how can it be said that Abram obeyed the Lord, who told him to leave not only his country, but also his relatives? Is it possible that he was still clinging to his father Terah until Terah died in Haran? That is one possibility. This idea is strengthened by the way Gen. 11:31 is worded, “And Terah took Abram his son…” The initiative seems to lie with Terah rather than Abram. It may be that Abram did not fully obey until his father died. On the other hand, we might understand that Abram heard the Lord and immediately readied himself to go. When his father and some of the close relatives heard and understood what was happening, they responded and wanted to go with Abram. I’m not sure we can dogmatically say which way it is, but I think it is important that I make us aware of the bigger picture.
Ultimately, it doesn’t make a great deal of difference. If Abram didn’t fully obey when he heard the call in Ur, he certainly did when he left Haran, for we read in 12:4, “So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him…” At least by this time, he has obediently left everything behind and followed the directions of his Creator.
Does this mean that Abram suddenly became a perfect man? No, it certainly does not. All we have to do is read a little bit more of a chapter 12. For the sake of time, let me just refresh your memory about the story in verses 10-20. In verse 10 we are told that a famine struck the land (that is, the land of Canaan). Abram headed for Egypt because the famine was very severe. What do you think about that? Notice that there is nothing about God’s guidance here. Though we are not specifically told, I suggest that Abram is demonstrating a lack of trust in God by going to Egypt.
Later, there is another story about a famine in the land of Canaan. It is in the book of Ruth, where Elimelech left Bethel to go to Moab. There it seems clearer that the move reveals a lack of trust. The key is in the names. Elimelech, my God is king, left Bethel, the house of bread. Surely the God who is king of the universe could have fed him in the house of bread. Or call to mind the other familiar story about someone going to Egypt. It certainly isn’t always a bad idea to go to Egypt, because our Lord Jesus went to Egypt when he was very young. But why did He go to Egypt? Matt. 2:13, "And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him." There is no evidence that the Lord directed Abram to go to Egypt.
Someone may say, “But surely he wouldn’t go to Egypt, if the Lord didn’t direct him to do so. After all, he left his homeland to obey the Lord.” While Abram certainly had left his homeland to obey the Lord, fear still played a large part in his life. The rest of Genesis 12 reveals that death through famine was not the only fear that got the best of him. As Abram and his wife Sarai traveled to Egypt, he had lots of time to think. Sometimes that can get us in trouble. Out of fear, he says to his wife: “Sweetheart, you are beautiful, and these Egyptian men are going to notice. They are going to desire you, and where will that leave me? Surely they will kill me and take you for their own. So here is what I am asking you to do. Tell them that you are my sister. Then they will treat me well on account of you.”
Was Abram wrong to do such a thing? Did he lie? Was Sarai his sister? Later, when he used this same strategy, he defended himself by saying that she was indeed his sister, explain that she was the daughter of his father but not the daughter of his mother (Gen. 20:12). She was his half-sister. But that makes no difference. His intent was to make them think that she was not his wife, when he knew full well that she was his wife. He lied to save his own skin. He cared little for his wife, but only for himself.
So what kind of man was this Abram? Was he totally selfish? Obviously not, or he wouldn’t have left his country and family for the unknown. Furthermore, let’s go back and read Gen. 12:5-9…
And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came. 6. And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. 7. And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him. 8. And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD. 9. And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south.
After Abram arrived in the land of Canaan, the Lord said to him, “Unto thy seed will I give this land.” Abram himself would not take possession of the land, but his descendants would do so. At that announcement, Abram built an altar unto the Lord. Later on in verse 8, we see that he again build an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. We are not given much information about this building of an altar, but it is important. Abram was aware that the Lord Himself had appeared to him, and he responded with the building of an altar.
There was a lot of conflict with Abram. On the one hand, he was responding to the Lord God. On the other hand, he was having trouble trusting the Lord, as evidenced by his fears. He wasn’t sure the Lord could provide for him in the land where he had brought him. And he surely didn’t think the Lord could preserve his life, if the Egyptians knew that Sarai was his wife. He demonstrated a measure of obedience, but he had much to learn about trusting the Lord.
III. The Call Is Still Ringing Out Today
Now let’s turn to Hebrews 11. As we look at the life of Abram, we are going to be referring to Hebrews 11. Do you remember what this chapter is about? It is the roll call of the faithful, sometimes known as “the faith chapter.” Here we find some of the great heroes of the faith, and Abraham has a prominent place among them. This morning we are going to look at Heb. 11:8, "By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went." We have already seen his obedience. Now we want to focus on those last words: “and he went out, not knowing where he went.”
Let me emphasize again that this was no small thing. How could a man leave everything he had known? Remember that Ur was a thriving city, a leading city of the middle East, if not the leading city. There he found all the educational and cultural advantages of his day. Best we can tell, he lived a comfortable life. How could he turn his back on that? Surely he must have been going to another place that would have similar advantages. Though maybe not quite as advanced as Ur, surely the place to which he was going must have been among the ten best cities of the area. The fact is that Abram didn’t even know where he was headed. Let those words sink in: “not knowing where he went.” All he had were the promises of God – that He would show him a land, make a great nation of him, bless him, make his name great, bless those who blessed him and curse those who cursed him, and bless all the families of the earth through him. Great promises, but Abram had no guarantee except the word of the Lord Himself. That was it! Before you get too hard on Abram and his failures, take time to consider the faith of Abram to turn his back on all he had known and trust God and His promises.
Now let’s move forward again. When Jesus calls a person, what does that person know? When Jesus says, “Follow me,” does the follower know where He will lead? No. Like Abram, we have many wonderful promises from the Lord. Above all else, He promises to be with us. “If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be…” (Jn. 12:26). What a promise! As it was with Abram, so with us. We are promised the presence of the Lord.
Now listen to me. Just as surely as Abram left what he had known in order to seek the Lord who had called him, so it must be with us. The great temptation in our day is for a person to think he can follow Jesus and still go where he chooses and do what he wants. Let’s suppose that Dad tells his 5-year-old son, “Follow me, son. This path is kind of narrow and steep. It’s important that you stay right behind me.” The boy doesn’t know where Dad is going to lead, but he knows that it is important that he follow. Suppose Dad looks back and his son is 20 feet behind him, venturing off on a side trail. Is he following his dad? Obviously, not. If he is going to faithfully follow Dad, he will have to set aside any plan of his own. Following Dad and doing his own thing are mutually exclusive; he can’t do both.
So it is with following Jesus. No one can follow Jesus, while doing his own thing. You recall that Peter and Andrew were fishing in the Sea of Galilee. The day came when Jesus said to them, “Follow me.” Did they continue fishing? No. We read, “And they straightway (immediately) left their nets and followed him” (Matt. 4:20). If they had continued fishing on the Sea of Galilee, they wouldn’t have been following Jesus.
Because following Jesus is not a physical thing but rather a spiritual venture, people tend to lose the concept of following. Since we cannot physically follow Jesus as Peter and Andrew did, then following Jesus must be a vague thing that allows me to go where I want to go. Oh yes, I’m following Jesus, but I have the freedom to live where I want to live. Oh yes, I follow Jesus, but I choose the job I think best. No. Let’s read it again from 1 Cor 6:19-20…
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20. For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
We no longer belong to ourselves. Our Lord has purchased us with His own blood and we are His bondslaves. If we no longer belong to ourselves, then we have no right to make our own decisions. As a slave looks to his master for direction, so we must look at our Master.
“Not knowing where he went.” Isn’t that an adequate description of the true follower of Jesus. Though we know our ultimate destination, we don’t know where we are going in this world, because we don’t know where He will lead. Though we might look at this truth in a negative sense, may God open our eyes to its positive beauty. Listen to me. What freedom there is in following Jesus, even though we don’t know where we are going. Who made this world? God the Father created this world through the agency of His Son. He knows every inch of it. There is no place you can go and escape His presence. Do you see? We don’t need to know where we are going, as long as He is there. That does test us, doesn’t it? What is it you are looking for? Are you looking for your own comfort, your own ambition, your own fulfillment? Or, are you looking for the presence of Jesus?
I love Psalm 16. Let me read you the last part. Ps. 16:8-11…
I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. 9. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. 10. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. 11. Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
Fullness of joy is not in fulfilling our plans; it is being in His presence. Yes, this certainly speaks of heaven, but that is not where it starts. “He will show me the path of life.” There are pleasures at His right hand, as we follow Him on the path of this life. No, we don’t know where we are going, but we know that we are going with Him. Did you ever take a trip with your spouse, having no real destination? You didn’t really know where you were going to travel, but you knew you would be traveling together, and that’s all that mattered.
Conclusion
Jim Elliot didn’t know where he was going. He didn’t know where the Lord would lead him. But as a young man, he set his heart to follow Jesus. His longing was to follow the direction of the Lord, no matter where He led and no matter what he was called to do. That attitude led him to South America to work with the Auca Indians. His work was brief, because those Indians killed him. You say, “See there, that kind of following Jesus is dangerous. A person has to exercise some common sense.” Why? What was dangerous about that? He got killed. So? Where do you think he went after they killed him?
Do you see? It all depends upon our perspective, upon what we really desire. Jim Elliot desired the presence of the Lord. So did he miss the Lord because he was killed in Ecuador? No. It was then that he entered fully into the presence of His Lord. Surely his testimony had been, “Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee” (Ps. 73:24-25). It has been well said: “The safest place in all the world is the center of God’s will.” So it was for Jim Elliot. To live was Christ, and to die was gain (Phil. 1:21). May we be encouraged by that well-known quote from Jim Elliot: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”
When we think of Abram going out, not knowing where he went, may we rejoice in the Lord that we can do the same. Let’s praise God that this world is not our home, that our joy is not measured by what this world can offer. Instead, we find fullness of joy in His presence, though we know not where His presence will lead us in this world. I challenge you with that testimony from the Psalmist: “Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory” (Ps. 73:24).
THE CALL OF ABRAM
Gen. 12; Heb. 11:8
We are in the book of Genesis, looking at chapter 12 and the chapters which follow. The primary character in this section of Genesis is Abraham. I believe it is safe to say that Abraham is the key human figure of Genesis. Last week we looked specifically at God’s choice of Abram. We won’t go back over that ground in detail, but if you weren’t here, I would encourage you to get the tape or read the notes on line. To put it in a nutshell, God chose Abram while he was an idolater. God’s choice was not due to anything at all in Abram. Abram was no different than anyone else when God chose him. And as God chose Abram, every true child of God was chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. You didn’t choose Him; He chose you. And why is it so? In order that no human being would ever have cause to boast. If anyone boasts, let him boast in the Lord.
Lord willing, these next three Sundays we will be looking at three very important events in the life of Abraham. In those messages, we will refer to various experiences of Abram. You will find those experiences in Gen. 12-24. I encourage you to read those chapters this week. We will not be going through all these chapters verse by verse. I will expect you to do that on your own. It isn’t a chore, as these chapters make fascinating reading.
The three events to which I refer are these…
… The call of Abraham
… The justification of Abraham
… The vindication of Abraham
The relation of these three events will become clearer as we progress in this study. This morning we are going to look specifically at the call of Abraham. As we do, we will also look at how Jesus calls people to Himself.
I. The Call to Abraham Was Clear (Gen. 12:1-3)
Let’s go back and read again Gen. 12:1-3…
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 show thee: 2. And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
We might question the clarity of that call. Note that the Lord made some great promises to Abram at this point...
… I will make out of you a great nation
… I will bless you
… I will make your name great
… You will be a blessing
… I will bless them that bless you
… I will curse them that curse you
… In you all the families (peoples) of the earth will be blessed
If you break them down in that much detail, there are seven promises. In verse 1, there is also the reference to “a land that I will show you.” Later on, the Lord will speak more directly about giving Abram’s descendants the land of promise. Did Abram understand all those promises? I don’t think so. No doubt, he took comfort in the announcement that God would bless him, but how would God bless him? He said He would make a great nation out of him and make his name great, but how would God do that? As we will see, that seemed to be a problem in light of the fact that he had no children at the time and didn’t seem to have any hope of children. I doubt he had any clue about how all the families of the earth would be blessed in him. So God gave Abram great promises, but they were difficult for him to understand at this time.
Nevertheless, God’s call to Abram was clear. God told Abram exactly what He wanted him to do. “Get out of your country and away from your kin folks and your father’s house, and go into a land that I will show you.” Again, the last part is a promise, rather than a command. The promise is both clear and unclear. It is clear in that the Lord says, “I will show you a land.” He didn’t say, “I’ll try to direct you to a certain land,” but “I will show you a land.” It is unclear in that the land is not identified. Abram had no GPS, and it wouldn’t have helped if he had, because God gave him no address.
On the other hand, the command is crystal clear. Abram, leave your country. Get away from your relatives and family home. Go. Go to the land I will show you. Abram did not need a translator to understand that. You may ask, “How did God speak to him?” It doesn’t matter how God spoke to him. The only thing that matters as that God did indeed speak to Abram in such a way that the command was clear to him. If God could speak the universe into existence, surely He could speak clearly to one of the people He created. He could, and He did.
God called Abram to leave what he knew and venture into the unknown. Ur was his home. As I mentioned last week, it was no hick town. At the time Abram left (or perhaps
shortly before that time), Ur was the leading city of that part of the world. A large library was there; it was a center of learning. No matter where Abram went, it would not be as culturally uplifting as his home town of Ur. He would not find a place as comfortable as where he was living. He would be leaving all the advantages of city life, culture, and religion. For what? For something less. Though he didn’t know where he would be going, he could be sure he wouldn’t find another place like Ur.
Now let’s do what we did last week. Let’s leave Abram and move forward to our day. Is the Lord still in the business of calling people? We saw last week that God does indeed choose people who are idolaters, just as He did with Abram. And yes, He still calls people to leave and go, just as He did with Abram. Let’s refresh our memory by reading some of the clear words of Jesus…
Matt. 16:24-26… Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. 26. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Luke 14:25-33… And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, 26. If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. 27. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. 28. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? 29. Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, 30. Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. 31. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? 32. Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. 33. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
Matt. 10:34-39… Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. 35. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. 36. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. 37. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. 39. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
Mark 10:17-25… And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? 18. And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. 19. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. 20. And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. 21. Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. 22. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions. 23. And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! 24. And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! 25. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
As God called Abram to leave what he had known in order to follow the way of his Creator, so Jesus calls men to follow Him. While the consequences of following Jesus may not be perfectly understandable at first, the command is clear. Leave where you are and follow me. But where will Jesus lead? We don’t know all the details. He doesn’t see fit to tell us all the details. But there can be no question about one thing – the one who follows Jesus must deny himself, take up his cross (which means death to self), and follow where he leads. No one can be a follower of Jesus, if he doesn’t love Him more than even the closest family member and more than even himself or herself. There are no exceptions.
Jesus says that a person must forsake all that he has, if he is going to follow Him. That is exactly what the Lord required of Abram. He commanded him to leave everything he had known. There was no assurance that the path would be smooth and that his future life would be comfortable. As a matter of fact, it would not be. Up to this point there is no evidence that Abram had known any real conflict, but there was plenty of conflict to come.
II. Abraham Obeyed that Call
Now comes the question: Did Abram obey God’s call to him? Yes, he certainly did. However, at this point, we need to backtrack a little bit and go back over some ground we covered last week. Where was Abram when God’s call came to him? Though the answer to that question may not be absolutely clear here in Genesis 11 and 12, it becomes clear when we look at other scripture. If we read only the Genesis account, we would have to conclude that the call came while Abram was in Haran. Let’s read it in Gen. 11:31-12:1,4...
And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there. 32. And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran. 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 show thee… 4. So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.
However, when we come to Stephen’s sermon in the seventh chapter of Acts, the Spirit of God reveals further information to us. Let’s read it again in Acts 7:2-4…
And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, 3. And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall show thee. 4. Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell.
Here we are clearly told that the Lord appeared to Abram while he was still in Mesopotamia (= Ur of the Chaldees) before he moved to Haran. At that time God told Abram to leave his country and get away from his kindred.
Now with that in mind, did Abram obey the Lord’s call? Someone asked me that question. Here’s the point. If his father and relatives were still with him when he went to Haran, how can it be said that Abram obeyed the Lord, who told him to leave not only his country, but also his relatives? Is it possible that he was still clinging to his father Terah until Terah died in Haran? That is one possibility. This idea is strengthened by the way Gen. 11:31 is worded, “And Terah took Abram his son…” The initiative seems to lie with Terah rather than Abram. It may be that Abram did not fully obey until his father died. On the other hand, we might understand that Abram heard the Lord and immediately readied himself to go. When his father and some of the close relatives heard and understood what was happening, they responded and wanted to go with Abram. I’m not sure we can dogmatically say which way it is, but I think it is important that I make us aware of the bigger picture.
Ultimately, it doesn’t make a great deal of difference. If Abram didn’t fully obey when he heard the call in Ur, he certainly did when he left Haran, for we read in 12:4, “So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him…” At least by this time, he has obediently left everything behind and followed the directions of his Creator.
Does this mean that Abram suddenly became a perfect man? No, it certainly does not. All we have to do is read a little bit more of a chapter 12. For the sake of time, let me just refresh your memory about the story in verses 10-20. In verse 10 we are told that a famine struck the land (that is, the land of Canaan). Abram headed for Egypt because the famine was very severe. What do you think about that? Notice that there is nothing about God’s guidance here. Though we are not specifically told, I suggest that Abram is demonstrating a lack of trust in God by going to Egypt.
Later, there is another story about a famine in the land of Canaan. It is in the book of Ruth, where Elimelech left Bethel to go to Moab. There it seems clearer that the move reveals a lack of trust. The key is in the names. Elimelech, my God is king, left Bethel, the house of bread. Surely the God who is king of the universe could have fed him in the house of bread. Or call to mind the other familiar story about someone going to Egypt. It certainly isn’t always a bad idea to go to Egypt, because our Lord Jesus went to Egypt when he was very young. But why did He go to Egypt? Matt. 2:13, "And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him." There is no evidence that the Lord directed Abram to go to Egypt.
Someone may say, “But surely he wouldn’t go to Egypt, if the Lord didn’t direct him to do so. After all, he left his homeland to obey the Lord.” While Abram certainly had left his homeland to obey the Lord, fear still played a large part in his life. The rest of Genesis 12 reveals that death through famine was not the only fear that got the best of him. As Abram and his wife Sarai traveled to Egypt, he had lots of time to think. Sometimes that can get us in trouble. Out of fear, he says to his wife: “Sweetheart, you are beautiful, and these Egyptian men are going to notice. They are going to desire you, and where will that leave me? Surely they will kill me and take you for their own. So here is what I am asking you to do. Tell them that you are my sister. Then they will treat me well on account of you.”
Was Abram wrong to do such a thing? Did he lie? Was Sarai his sister? Later, when he used this same strategy, he defended himself by saying that she was indeed his sister, explain that she was the daughter of his father but not the daughter of his mother (Gen. 20:12). She was his half-sister. But that makes no difference. His intent was to make them think that she was not his wife, when he knew full well that she was his wife. He lied to save his own skin. He cared little for his wife, but only for himself.
So what kind of man was this Abram? Was he totally selfish? Obviously not, or he wouldn’t have left his country and family for the unknown. Furthermore, let’s go back and read Gen. 12:5-9…
And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came. 6. And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. 7. And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him. 8. And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD. 9. And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south.
After Abram arrived in the land of Canaan, the Lord said to him, “Unto thy seed will I give this land.” Abram himself would not take possession of the land, but his descendants would do so. At that announcement, Abram built an altar unto the Lord. Later on in verse 8, we see that he again build an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. We are not given much information about this building of an altar, but it is important. Abram was aware that the Lord Himself had appeared to him, and he responded with the building of an altar.
There was a lot of conflict with Abram. On the one hand, he was responding to the Lord God. On the other hand, he was having trouble trusting the Lord, as evidenced by his fears. He wasn’t sure the Lord could provide for him in the land where he had brought him. And he surely didn’t think the Lord could preserve his life, if the Egyptians knew that Sarai was his wife. He demonstrated a measure of obedience, but he had much to learn about trusting the Lord.
III. The Call Is Still Ringing Out Today
Now let’s turn to Hebrews 11. As we look at the life of Abram, we are going to be referring to Hebrews 11. Do you remember what this chapter is about? It is the roll call of the faithful, sometimes known as “the faith chapter.” Here we find some of the great heroes of the faith, and Abraham has a prominent place among them. This morning we are going to look at Heb. 11:8, "By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went." We have already seen his obedience. Now we want to focus on those last words: “and he went out, not knowing where he went.”
Let me emphasize again that this was no small thing. How could a man leave everything he had known? Remember that Ur was a thriving city, a leading city of the middle East, if not the leading city. There he found all the educational and cultural advantages of his day. Best we can tell, he lived a comfortable life. How could he turn his back on that? Surely he must have been going to another place that would have similar advantages. Though maybe not quite as advanced as Ur, surely the place to which he was going must have been among the ten best cities of the area. The fact is that Abram didn’t even know where he was headed. Let those words sink in: “not knowing where he went.” All he had were the promises of God – that He would show him a land, make a great nation of him, bless him, make his name great, bless those who blessed him and curse those who cursed him, and bless all the families of the earth through him. Great promises, but Abram had no guarantee except the word of the Lord Himself. That was it! Before you get too hard on Abram and his failures, take time to consider the faith of Abram to turn his back on all he had known and trust God and His promises.
Now let’s move forward again. When Jesus calls a person, what does that person know? When Jesus says, “Follow me,” does the follower know where He will lead? No. Like Abram, we have many wonderful promises from the Lord. Above all else, He promises to be with us. “If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be…” (Jn. 12:26). What a promise! As it was with Abram, so with us. We are promised the presence of the Lord.
Now listen to me. Just as surely as Abram left what he had known in order to seek the Lord who had called him, so it must be with us. The great temptation in our day is for a person to think he can follow Jesus and still go where he chooses and do what he wants. Let’s suppose that Dad tells his 5-year-old son, “Follow me, son. This path is kind of narrow and steep. It’s important that you stay right behind me.” The boy doesn’t know where Dad is going to lead, but he knows that it is important that he follow. Suppose Dad looks back and his son is 20 feet behind him, venturing off on a side trail. Is he following his dad? Obviously, not. If he is going to faithfully follow Dad, he will have to set aside any plan of his own. Following Dad and doing his own thing are mutually exclusive; he can’t do both.
So it is with following Jesus. No one can follow Jesus, while doing his own thing. You recall that Peter and Andrew were fishing in the Sea of Galilee. The day came when Jesus said to them, “Follow me.” Did they continue fishing? No. We read, “And they straightway (immediately) left their nets and followed him” (Matt. 4:20). If they had continued fishing on the Sea of Galilee, they wouldn’t have been following Jesus.
Because following Jesus is not a physical thing but rather a spiritual venture, people tend to lose the concept of following. Since we cannot physically follow Jesus as Peter and Andrew did, then following Jesus must be a vague thing that allows me to go where I want to go. Oh yes, I’m following Jesus, but I have the freedom to live where I want to live. Oh yes, I follow Jesus, but I choose the job I think best. No. Let’s read it again from 1 Cor 6:19-20…
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20. For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
We no longer belong to ourselves. Our Lord has purchased us with His own blood and we are His bondslaves. If we no longer belong to ourselves, then we have no right to make our own decisions. As a slave looks to his master for direction, so we must look at our Master.
“Not knowing where he went.” Isn’t that an adequate description of the true follower of Jesus. Though we know our ultimate destination, we don’t know where we are going in this world, because we don’t know where He will lead. Though we might look at this truth in a negative sense, may God open our eyes to its positive beauty. Listen to me. What freedom there is in following Jesus, even though we don’t know where we are going. Who made this world? God the Father created this world through the agency of His Son. He knows every inch of it. There is no place you can go and escape His presence. Do you see? We don’t need to know where we are going, as long as He is there. That does test us, doesn’t it? What is it you are looking for? Are you looking for your own comfort, your own ambition, your own fulfillment? Or, are you looking for the presence of Jesus?
I love Psalm 16. Let me read you the last part. Ps. 16:8-11…
I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. 9. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. 10. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. 11. Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
Fullness of joy is not in fulfilling our plans; it is being in His presence. Yes, this certainly speaks of heaven, but that is not where it starts. “He will show me the path of life.” There are pleasures at His right hand, as we follow Him on the path of this life. No, we don’t know where we are going, but we know that we are going with Him. Did you ever take a trip with your spouse, having no real destination? You didn’t really know where you were going to travel, but you knew you would be traveling together, and that’s all that mattered.
Conclusion
Jim Elliot didn’t know where he was going. He didn’t know where the Lord would lead him. But as a young man, he set his heart to follow Jesus. His longing was to follow the direction of the Lord, no matter where He led and no matter what he was called to do. That attitude led him to South America to work with the Auca Indians. His work was brief, because those Indians killed him. You say, “See there, that kind of following Jesus is dangerous. A person has to exercise some common sense.” Why? What was dangerous about that? He got killed. So? Where do you think he went after they killed him?
Do you see? It all depends upon our perspective, upon what we really desire. Jim Elliot desired the presence of the Lord. So did he miss the Lord because he was killed in Ecuador? No. It was then that he entered fully into the presence of His Lord. Surely his testimony had been, “Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee” (Ps. 73:24-25). It has been well said: “The safest place in all the world is the center of God’s will.” So it was for Jim Elliot. To live was Christ, and to die was gain (Phil. 1:21). May we be encouraged by that well-known quote from Jim Elliot: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”
When we think of Abram going out, not knowing where he went, may we rejoice in the Lord that we can do the same. Let’s praise God that this world is not our home, that our joy is not measured by what this world can offer. Instead, we find fullness of joy in His presence, though we know not where His presence will lead us in this world. I challenge you with that testimony from the Psalmist: “Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory” (Ps. 73:24).
Sunday, February 1, 2009
God's Choice of Abram -- 2/1/09
Sunday, February 1, 2009
GOD’S CHOICE OF ABRAM
Gen. 11:10-12:4
Who is the great man of faith in the Bible? It is Abraham. Listen to this statement from Dr. Lewis Jordan…
It is difficult to find a merely human character who plays a more important part in the Bible than Abram, the patriarch. In the New Testament, Abram is the great example of faith. In the 11th chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews when we have that long string of names who are designed to exemplify faith, the greatest space is devoted to the life of Abram. It would seem as if the author of that epistle regarded him as the extreme example of faith.
We can easily expand on that. Who is the great example of a man who was justified by faith rather than by works? It is Abraham. Paul speaks of the blessing of Abraham coming on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ. And when our Lord Jesus told the story about the rich man and Lazarus, where was Lazarus taken? To the bosom of Abraham. In the New Testament, believers are not referred to as the children of Isaac or the children of Jacob, but as the children of Abraham. Yes, he is indeed a key figure in God’s plan.
By the way, this man is introduced to us as “Abram” here in chapter 11 of Genesis. Later his name will be changed to “Abraham,” which is more familiar to us. You will probably find me using the names loosely. Forgive me when I call him “Abraham” before his name was changed.
This morning we come to the last part of Genesis 11, where we find another genealogy. This genealogy is important because it contains the lineage of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, the Savior. But how are we going to get from here to there? Remember the history from Adam to Noah, from innocence to the place where even the thoughts of their hearts were only evil continually. We thought things would be better when those eight people stepped off the ark. And they did begin well, building an altar and offering burnt offerings to the Lord, but it didn’t last long. That was in Genesis 8. By chapter 11 and two or three centuries later, the human race was once again in rebellion against its Creator. In 11:1-9 we saw that rebellion crystallized at Babel, where they desired a city, a tower to reach to heaven, and to make a name for themselves. Of course, the Lord was well aware of their scheme. He brought judgment through confusing their language and scattering them over the earth.
We might get the impression that this is going to be an endless cycle – man’s sin multiplies, God’s judgment comes, they make a new start, sin multiplies, God’s judgment comes again, etc. But here in the last part of chapter 11 and the first part of chapter 12 we are introduced to a new aspect of God’s plan. Something is about to change. Before we talk about it, let’s read it from God’s Word. Read Gen. 11:10-12:4...
These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood: 11. And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. 12. And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and begat Salah: 13. And Arphaxad lived after he begat Salah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters. 14. And Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber: 15. And Salah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters. 16. And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg: 17. And Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters. 18. And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu: 19. And Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat sons and daughters. 20. And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat Serug: 21. And Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters. 22. And Serug lived thirty years, and begat Nahor: 23. And Serug lived after he begat Nahor two hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. 24. And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah: 25. And Nahor lived after he begat Terah an hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters. 26. And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran. 27. Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot. 28. And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees. 29. And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah. 30. But Sarai was barren; she had no child. 31. And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there. 32. And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.
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 show thee: 2. And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. 4. So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.
I. The Genealogy of Chapter 11 -- Shem to Abram (11:10-26)
Remember that we read the list of Noah’s descendants in chapter 10. You will also remember that the account of Shem’s descendants was brief in comparison with that of Ham and Japheth. Furthermore, follow Shem’s line in 10:22-25… Shem > Arphaxad > Salah > Eber > Peleg and Joktan. No sons of Peleg are listed, while 13 sons of Joktan are recorded. There is no reason to list Peleg’s descendants in chapter 10, because they are going to be listed here in chapter 11. Most likely, Shem was not the youngest of Noah’s sons, but he is listed last because that makes it natural to move directly form Shem to Abram. That is important because Abram is the most important human character in the book of Genesis. Chapters 12-50 are all about Abram (Abraham) and his descendants – Isaac, Jacob, and Jacob’s twelve sons.
Let’s just note a couple of things about the genealogy here at the end of chapter 11. First of all, it is truly a genealogy. Notice that the ages are given, where they weren’t present in chapter 10. Here there is great precision. You will also note that only the one son of each man is listed. For example, we know from chapter 10 that Eber had two sons, Peleg and Joktan, but here in chapter 11 only Peleg, the oldest son, is mentioned. The great concern is to preserve the lineage of Abraham, and ultimately of Christ.
Another feature that is hard to overlook is the fact that the life spans are decreasing dramatically. Just take a look at the ages of 11 generations…
Noah....................... 950
Shem...................... 600
Arphaxad............... 438
Selah....................... 433
Eber........................ 464
Peleg....................... 239
Reu......................... 239
Serug...................... 230
Nahor..................... 148
Terah..................... 205
Abram................... 175
What a decrease. In the space of a little more than 300 years the life spans went from Noah’s 950 years to six generations that averaged just over 200 years.
You will also note that they were having children at a much younger age. Noah was 500 when he began to have children. Shem was a hundred. After that, the first child was born when the father was in his 30’s or younger (with the exception of Terah and Abram).
II. The Immediate Family of Abram (11:27-32)
When we come to 11:27, you will notice that familiar phrase “Now these are the generations…” That is how chapter 10 began: “Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah – Shem, Ham, and Japhetht” (10:1). Then we find the same phrase in 11:10, “These are the generations of Shem…” Now in verse 27 we are introduced to the generations of Terah. With Terah we come to the immediate family of Abram. And what relation was Terah to Abram? That’s right, he was the father of Abram. Perhaps the easiest way to grasp the relationships of verses 27-29 is through the use of this little chart… [I was not able to capture the proper format for the chart. However, I think the notes below will communicate what is necessary]
Some believe that the Haran who was the father of Milcah was the same as Haran, the son of Terah. It is possible, but we are not told. It seems to me that it that were the case, the text would tell us so.
You will notice that Haran died before his father Terah. That is likely why Haran’s son Lot is mentioned. In a sense, he takes the place of his father. Though the sons of Nahor are not listed here, we know the names of the eight sons born to him and Milcah from Gen. 22:21-22. And Bethuel, of course, was the father of Rebekah, who would later marry Abram’s son Isaac. But at this time, the main family members are Terah, Nahor, Abram, and their nephew Lot.
In verse 26 we are told that Terah lived 70 years and begat three sons. In the order listed, they are Abram, Nahor, and Haran. That does not mean that Terah and his wife had triplets. It simple means that they had the first of their sons when Terah was 70. There is some question about which son was the oldest. Were we given no other information, we would assume that Abram was the oldest, because he is listed first. However, we are given some more details.
11:32 tells us that Terah died in Haran (likely named after his deceased son) at the age of 205. 2:4 further tells us that Abram was 75 when he left Haran. Now if Terah was 70 when Abram was born, that would mean that Abram was 135 when Terah died. It certainly seems that Terah died in Haran, and then Abram departed from Haran when he was 75. The picture becomes even clearer when we read the words of Stephen in Acts 7:4, “Then came he out of the land of the Chaldeans and dwelt in Charan (= Haran); and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land wherein ye now dwell.” When Terah died at 205, 75-year-old Abram left Haran. That, of course, poses a problem. If Abram was born when his father was 70, he would have departed Haran at age 135, not 75.
It seems best to understand that Nahor was born when Terah was 70 and that Abram was born 60 years later, when his father was 130. Then why is Abram listed first in Gen. 11:26? Surely it is simply because Abram will be the main character throughout the rest of the book of Genesis. Abram is the focus of this genealogy.
III. God’s Sovereign Choice of Abram
When we began this morning, we were considering the idea that God is about to reveal a new aspect of His plan. He would not go on continually wiping out the world or scattering its inhabitants every time mankind rebelled against Him. No, the Lord had something else in mind. It is with the introduction of Abram that we are exposed to that plan. To put it briefly, God is going to choose one man through whom He will bless the world, and that one man is Abram. This is the reason for the careful details of the genealogy in chapter 11. You will notice that the genealogy stops at Abram. Moses takes us carefully from Shem to Abram, because Abram is the man through whom God is going to work in an unusual way. The introduction of Abram’s family sets the context for the story that will unfold in the following chapters.
Let’s read again 12:1-4…
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 show thee: 2. And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. 4. So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.
We are not going to take the time this morning to develop the details of the promises the Lord made to Abram. What I want to emphasize is God’s choice of Abram. This is the man God chose to be the father of the nation, which would come to be known as Israel. In this man Abram all the families of the earth would be blessed. It would be difficult to overemphasize the importance of this single individual Abram (Abraham).
Look again at 12:1, “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 show thee.” When did the Lord speak to Abram and tell him to leave his country and kindred? While the King James (and NIV) translates it “The Lord had said,” other translations (ESV, NIV) render it simply “The Lord said.” Did the Lord speak to Abram while he was in Ur? Or was it when he was in Haran? There is a difference of opinion about the answer to that question. This is one of those times when we need to take a look at other passages of scripture, particularly Acts 7:2-4…
And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, 3. And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall show thee. 4. Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell.
Clearly God spoke these words to Abram when he was in Ur of the Chaldees. Some believe that the Lord spoke again to Abram after his father died in Haran. In other words, these verses in Genesis 12 constitute a second call to Abram. I don’t think such a second message was necessary, but ultimately it doesn’t matter. What is important to know is that God first appeared to Abram in Ur.
So what was life like in Ur? History and archaeology tell us that Ur was a highly developed city. Leon Wood makes this statement: “Further, it is altogether likely that the time of this leaving occurred either during or shortly after the period when Ur was actually the leading city of the Middle East, which means that any other locality God might choose had to present less cultural advantages” (Genesis: Study Guide Commentary, p. 58). It had a large library and was a center of learning. Religiously, Ur was a center for the worship of the moon god. Hebrew scholars even connect the name “Terah” with the Hebrew word for moon.
So what does this mean? Was Abram’s family a bunch of idolaters? The scripture is not silent concerning that question. Let’s read Josh. 24:1-2...
And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God. 2. And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.
“Beyond the flood” simply means “beyond the river,” and the reference is to the great river, the Euphrates. He is not talking about them living before the flood of Noah’s day, for they certainly didn’t live on the other side of that flood. But they had lived on the other side of the Euphrates River. The important fact is that Abram’s family, including his father, served other gods. Yes, they were idolaters.
Now let me ask you another question: What about Abram himself? Was he also an idolater? Some would say, “No, surely he was a worshipper of God, and that is why God chose him.” What do you think about that? This brings us squarely to a subject that we must address, the subject of election. On what basis does God choose people? What was his basis for choosing Abram? We see in this whole section that Abram is the focus. This long genealogy is important because it leads up to this one man Abram. It is through this individual that God will set aside a people for Himself. But why Abram? Why not Nachor? Why not some other man in a previous generation?
This is not a trivial question that has no bearing on life. No, it is a question that leads to other questions. If you are a child of God, how did that happen? Did God choose you? If so, on what basis did He choose you? It is difficult to talk about God’s choice of Abram without also considering His choosing of people down through the centuries.
I want to strongly suggest to you that Abram was an idolater just like the rest of his family. Do you find it unusual that God would choose a man who worshipped idols? Let’s make one thing clear -- every person here this morning who is a child of God was chosen out of idolatry. 1 Thes. 1:8-9, "For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing. 9. For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God." Now we can certainly see how the Gentiles who lived in Thessalonica would have turned from idols, but what about the Jews? Acts 17 makes it clear that Paul began his ministry in Thessalonica by preaching in the synagogues, and some of the Jews believed. How is it that these Jews turned from idols? We must understand that all people have participated in idolatry. Your idols may not have been the kind you make with your hands and to which you physically bow down, but you nevertheless had your idols. Even in the Old Testament, we can read about idolatry among Jews… (Ezek. 14:3-6)
Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be inquired of at all by them? 4. Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols; 5. That I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols. 6. Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Repent, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.
Do you see? They were guilty of setting up idols in their hearts. Anything which looms larger than God is an idol, though it may have no physical representation.
You see, there are some who believe that God wouldn’t choose Abram, if he were an idolater like all those around him. But I remind you that God is still choosing idolaters. What is it that causes God to choose a person to be His child? What did God see in Abram that caused Him to choose Abram to be the father of His holy people?
Turn with me to John 15. Let’s read John 15:16, "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you." Let’s apply that directly. You did not choose Jesus; Jesus chose you. As Jesus put it in John 6:44, "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day." As with us, so it was with Abram. Abram didn’t choose God; God chose him.
The biblical term for this teaching is “election.” Though it is not popular in some circles, nonetheless election is a very crucial biblical doctrine. One of the key texts is Eph. 1:3-7…
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4. According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5. Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6. To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 7. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
We who belong to God were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. God elected us to be His. And those who have been chosen by Him were predestined to be His children through Jesus Christ. We find the same truth in Rom. 8:28-30…
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
Many people get bent out of shape concerning predestination. In reality, predestination is not the issue as much as election. Those whom God elects (chooses), He predestines to be conformed to the image of Jesus. From the beginning, God has planned and ordained that those who are His be made like Jesus. But the only ones who will be made like Jesus are the ones God has chosen from the foundation of the world.
But wait a minute. Aren’t Christians those who repent and believe in Jesus Christ. That is absolutely correct. Come back to Eph. 1. After talking about how we have been chosen in Him from the foundation of the world, Paul then says that we have redemption, even the forgiveness of sins, through the blood of Jesus Christ. There is no contradiction between election and saving faith in Jesus Christ. Those who have been chosen by God will repent and believe. There are no exceptions.
God chose Abram, and God has been choosing people ever since. But now we must come to the question at which we have been hinting: Why did God choose Abram? On what basis did He make His choice? For that matter, why does He choose anyone? Child of God, why did He choose you? The prevailing view among evangelicals today (according to Dr. Lewis Johnson, and I would certainly agree with him) is this: God looked down through time. He saw that Ron Tyson would believe in Jesus Christ. And so God chose Ron Tyson on the basis of that foreseen belief. That view is often supported with passages like the one we read in Rom. 8:28-30, where we read, “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son” (29). But a view of the entirety of scripture teaches us that this is not the meaning of foreknow in this passage. Paul isn’t talking about mental knowledge of future actions. Rather, he is talking about the kind of knowledge he wrote about in Phil. 3:10, “That I may know him…” This is not mental knowledge about something, but rather the personal knowledge of personal acquaintance. Apply this kind of knowledge to God. Ps. 1:6, “For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.” He is not saying that the Lord has mental knowledge about the righteous, for He certainly has the same mental knowledge of the ungodly. The Lord knows the righteous in the sense that He chooses to set His love upon the righteous. Back to Rom. 8:29. When Paul says that God foreknew them, he is saying that God set His love, His choice, on them beforehand. The “foreknew” of Rom. 8:29 is the election of Eph. 1.
So why did God choose Abram? Because He as the Sovereign God chose to do so. That’s it. But didn’t he see something good in Abram? Didn’t he detect something in Abram that he didn’t detect in those around him? No. God instilled in Abram something that wasn’t in those around him. It is the same today. Didn’t God see something in you that He didn’t see in those who would reject Him? No. A thousand times NO. He instilled something in you that was not present in those around you, and that something is life, His life.
Do you see the problem with the view that God chose us because He knew ahead of time that we would repent and believe? That view misses the whole purpose of election. And what is the purpose of God’s election? We find that purpose revealed in I Cor. 1:26-31…
For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27. But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28. And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 29. That no flesh should glory in his presence. 30. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 31. That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
Why does God choose those whom He chooses? That no flesh should glory in His presence, that if anyone boasts, He must boast in the Lord. In other words, God’s practice of election based on nothing in the man He chooses removes every ground of pride within man. If God chose me because He foresaw that I would repent and believe, then I have room to boast. I can still say, “Yes, salvation is of God, but I still had the good sense to choose to follow Jesus. I did something that many others haven’t done.” When we truly understand God’s election, there is no longer room for boasting.
Do not misunderstand. Election does not do away with the need to repent and believe. There will not be a single person in heaven who did not repent and believe. The key is in understanding why a person repents and believes in Christ. Does he do it because he has the good sense to do so? What the scripture teaches is that no man in himself is capable of repenting and believing in Jesus Christ. That is why Jesus says, “No man can come to me except the Father draw him” (John 6:44). This truth is emphasized in Eph. 2:1-3. There Paul declares that we were all dead in our trespasses and sins. We all were children of disobedience and were under the wrath of God. We certainly needed to escape God’s wrath, but the problem was in the fact that we were dead. We weren’t sick; we weren’t disabled; we weren’t weak… but we were dead. After making this statement, would Paul then say, “BUT there were a few who were able to rouse themselves up and crawl out of the grave”? No. Read what he says in Eph. 2:4, “BUT GOD…” The only one who wasn’t dead in trespasses and sins was God Himself. The God who was alive gave life to us who were dead. That is the context in which we then read Eph. 2:8-9, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9. Not of works, lest any man should boast." That which we know as repentance and faith is a gift from God. God granted that gift, and it wasn’t based on anything in us.
So God chose Abram. Does that mean that God chose all of Abram’s descendants? Let’s read it in Romans 9, where Paul pours out his concern for his fellow-Jews. Rom. 9:1-13…
I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, 2. That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. 3. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: 4. Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; 5. Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen. 6. Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: 7. Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. 8. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. 9. For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sarah shall have a son. 10. And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; 11. (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) 12. It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. 13. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
No, not all Abraham’s descendants were chosen. In verse 8 Paul makes it clear that God’s election was not based on physical descent, but rather upon the promise of God. And then he gives a powerful illustration. Abraham’s daughter-in-law Rebecca was pregnant with twins. Before the children were ever born, God said to her, “The older shall serve the younger.” History would reveal that the older twin Esau would become a servant to the younger twin Jacob. It was through Jacob that God’s purpose would be carried out and that the Messiah would be born. Paul maintains that it is highly significant that the Lord revealed this to Rebecca before the children were even born. But why is that important? Verse 11, “For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth.” In other words, let it be clear that God’s election is not based upon anything in man; it is totally of the Sovereign God who calls whomever He will. And if you think that makes God unjust, you are not the only one. Paul anticipated that objection in verse 14, “What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid (may it never be).” In dealing with this objection, Paul then gives us this great truth: "For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 16. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy" (Rom. 9:15-16).
Of course, there are still many people who cry out in the face of election: “It isn’t fair.” That is true; it isn’t fair. If God were fair, He would send every person in this universe to hell, because we were all rebellious, self-absorbed God-haters. That would be fair. No one could accuse God of injustice. Praise His holy name that He has chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world, just as He chose Abram out of a pagan culture and made him the father of a great nation.
As we will see later, God’s choice of Abram and His choice of us who are now in Christ are closely connected because of the close connection between Abraham and Jesus. But we will save that for a later time.
I encourage you to be reading Genesis 12 and the chapters that follow, which give us some of the details of Abram’s life. Also, please read what Heb. 11 says about Abraham. We will likely be talking about that next week.
GOD’S CHOICE OF ABRAM
Gen. 11:10-12:4
Who is the great man of faith in the Bible? It is Abraham. Listen to this statement from Dr. Lewis Jordan…
It is difficult to find a merely human character who plays a more important part in the Bible than Abram, the patriarch. In the New Testament, Abram is the great example of faith. In the 11th chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews when we have that long string of names who are designed to exemplify faith, the greatest space is devoted to the life of Abram. It would seem as if the author of that epistle regarded him as the extreme example of faith.
We can easily expand on that. Who is the great example of a man who was justified by faith rather than by works? It is Abraham. Paul speaks of the blessing of Abraham coming on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ. And when our Lord Jesus told the story about the rich man and Lazarus, where was Lazarus taken? To the bosom of Abraham. In the New Testament, believers are not referred to as the children of Isaac or the children of Jacob, but as the children of Abraham. Yes, he is indeed a key figure in God’s plan.
By the way, this man is introduced to us as “Abram” here in chapter 11 of Genesis. Later his name will be changed to “Abraham,” which is more familiar to us. You will probably find me using the names loosely. Forgive me when I call him “Abraham” before his name was changed.
This morning we come to the last part of Genesis 11, where we find another genealogy. This genealogy is important because it contains the lineage of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, the Savior. But how are we going to get from here to there? Remember the history from Adam to Noah, from innocence to the place where even the thoughts of their hearts were only evil continually. We thought things would be better when those eight people stepped off the ark. And they did begin well, building an altar and offering burnt offerings to the Lord, but it didn’t last long. That was in Genesis 8. By chapter 11 and two or three centuries later, the human race was once again in rebellion against its Creator. In 11:1-9 we saw that rebellion crystallized at Babel, where they desired a city, a tower to reach to heaven, and to make a name for themselves. Of course, the Lord was well aware of their scheme. He brought judgment through confusing their language and scattering them over the earth.
We might get the impression that this is going to be an endless cycle – man’s sin multiplies, God’s judgment comes, they make a new start, sin multiplies, God’s judgment comes again, etc. But here in the last part of chapter 11 and the first part of chapter 12 we are introduced to a new aspect of God’s plan. Something is about to change. Before we talk about it, let’s read it from God’s Word. Read Gen. 11:10-12:4...
These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood: 11. And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. 12. And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and begat Salah: 13. And Arphaxad lived after he begat Salah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters. 14. And Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber: 15. And Salah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters. 16. And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg: 17. And Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters. 18. And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu: 19. And Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat sons and daughters. 20. And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat Serug: 21. And Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters. 22. And Serug lived thirty years, and begat Nahor: 23. And Serug lived after he begat Nahor two hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. 24. And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah: 25. And Nahor lived after he begat Terah an hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters. 26. And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran. 27. Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot. 28. And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees. 29. And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah. 30. But Sarai was barren; she had no child. 31. And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there. 32. And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.
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 show thee: 2. And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. 4. So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.
I. The Genealogy of Chapter 11 -- Shem to Abram (11:10-26)
Remember that we read the list of Noah’s descendants in chapter 10. You will also remember that the account of Shem’s descendants was brief in comparison with that of Ham and Japheth. Furthermore, follow Shem’s line in 10:22-25… Shem > Arphaxad > Salah > Eber > Peleg and Joktan. No sons of Peleg are listed, while 13 sons of Joktan are recorded. There is no reason to list Peleg’s descendants in chapter 10, because they are going to be listed here in chapter 11. Most likely, Shem was not the youngest of Noah’s sons, but he is listed last because that makes it natural to move directly form Shem to Abram. That is important because Abram is the most important human character in the book of Genesis. Chapters 12-50 are all about Abram (Abraham) and his descendants – Isaac, Jacob, and Jacob’s twelve sons.
Let’s just note a couple of things about the genealogy here at the end of chapter 11. First of all, it is truly a genealogy. Notice that the ages are given, where they weren’t present in chapter 10. Here there is great precision. You will also note that only the one son of each man is listed. For example, we know from chapter 10 that Eber had two sons, Peleg and Joktan, but here in chapter 11 only Peleg, the oldest son, is mentioned. The great concern is to preserve the lineage of Abraham, and ultimately of Christ.
Another feature that is hard to overlook is the fact that the life spans are decreasing dramatically. Just take a look at the ages of 11 generations…
Noah....................... 950
Shem...................... 600
Arphaxad............... 438
Selah....................... 433
Eber........................ 464
Peleg....................... 239
Reu......................... 239
Serug...................... 230
Nahor..................... 148
Terah..................... 205
Abram................... 175
What a decrease. In the space of a little more than 300 years the life spans went from Noah’s 950 years to six generations that averaged just over 200 years.
You will also note that they were having children at a much younger age. Noah was 500 when he began to have children. Shem was a hundred. After that, the first child was born when the father was in his 30’s or younger (with the exception of Terah and Abram).
II. The Immediate Family of Abram (11:27-32)
When we come to 11:27, you will notice that familiar phrase “Now these are the generations…” That is how chapter 10 began: “Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah – Shem, Ham, and Japhetht” (10:1). Then we find the same phrase in 11:10, “These are the generations of Shem…” Now in verse 27 we are introduced to the generations of Terah. With Terah we come to the immediate family of Abram. And what relation was Terah to Abram? That’s right, he was the father of Abram. Perhaps the easiest way to grasp the relationships of verses 27-29 is through the use of this little chart… [I was not able to capture the proper format for the chart. However, I think the notes below will communicate what is necessary]
Some believe that the Haran who was the father of Milcah was the same as Haran, the son of Terah. It is possible, but we are not told. It seems to me that it that were the case, the text would tell us so.
You will notice that Haran died before his father Terah. That is likely why Haran’s son Lot is mentioned. In a sense, he takes the place of his father. Though the sons of Nahor are not listed here, we know the names of the eight sons born to him and Milcah from Gen. 22:21-22. And Bethuel, of course, was the father of Rebekah, who would later marry Abram’s son Isaac. But at this time, the main family members are Terah, Nahor, Abram, and their nephew Lot.
In verse 26 we are told that Terah lived 70 years and begat three sons. In the order listed, they are Abram, Nahor, and Haran. That does not mean that Terah and his wife had triplets. It simple means that they had the first of their sons when Terah was 70. There is some question about which son was the oldest. Were we given no other information, we would assume that Abram was the oldest, because he is listed first. However, we are given some more details.
11:32 tells us that Terah died in Haran (likely named after his deceased son) at the age of 205. 2:4 further tells us that Abram was 75 when he left Haran. Now if Terah was 70 when Abram was born, that would mean that Abram was 135 when Terah died. It certainly seems that Terah died in Haran, and then Abram departed from Haran when he was 75. The picture becomes even clearer when we read the words of Stephen in Acts 7:4, “Then came he out of the land of the Chaldeans and dwelt in Charan (= Haran); and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land wherein ye now dwell.” When Terah died at 205, 75-year-old Abram left Haran. That, of course, poses a problem. If Abram was born when his father was 70, he would have departed Haran at age 135, not 75.
It seems best to understand that Nahor was born when Terah was 70 and that Abram was born 60 years later, when his father was 130. Then why is Abram listed first in Gen. 11:26? Surely it is simply because Abram will be the main character throughout the rest of the book of Genesis. Abram is the focus of this genealogy.
III. God’s Sovereign Choice of Abram
When we began this morning, we were considering the idea that God is about to reveal a new aspect of His plan. He would not go on continually wiping out the world or scattering its inhabitants every time mankind rebelled against Him. No, the Lord had something else in mind. It is with the introduction of Abram that we are exposed to that plan. To put it briefly, God is going to choose one man through whom He will bless the world, and that one man is Abram. This is the reason for the careful details of the genealogy in chapter 11. You will notice that the genealogy stops at Abram. Moses takes us carefully from Shem to Abram, because Abram is the man through whom God is going to work in an unusual way. The introduction of Abram’s family sets the context for the story that will unfold in the following chapters.
Let’s read again 12:1-4…
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 show thee: 2. And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. 4. So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.
We are not going to take the time this morning to develop the details of the promises the Lord made to Abram. What I want to emphasize is God’s choice of Abram. This is the man God chose to be the father of the nation, which would come to be known as Israel. In this man Abram all the families of the earth would be blessed. It would be difficult to overemphasize the importance of this single individual Abram (Abraham).
Look again at 12:1, “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 show thee.” When did the Lord speak to Abram and tell him to leave his country and kindred? While the King James (and NIV) translates it “The Lord had said,” other translations (ESV, NIV) render it simply “The Lord said.” Did the Lord speak to Abram while he was in Ur? Or was it when he was in Haran? There is a difference of opinion about the answer to that question. This is one of those times when we need to take a look at other passages of scripture, particularly Acts 7:2-4…
And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, 3. And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall show thee. 4. Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell.
Clearly God spoke these words to Abram when he was in Ur of the Chaldees. Some believe that the Lord spoke again to Abram after his father died in Haran. In other words, these verses in Genesis 12 constitute a second call to Abram. I don’t think such a second message was necessary, but ultimately it doesn’t matter. What is important to know is that God first appeared to Abram in Ur.
So what was life like in Ur? History and archaeology tell us that Ur was a highly developed city. Leon Wood makes this statement: “Further, it is altogether likely that the time of this leaving occurred either during or shortly after the period when Ur was actually the leading city of the Middle East, which means that any other locality God might choose had to present less cultural advantages” (Genesis: Study Guide Commentary, p. 58). It had a large library and was a center of learning. Religiously, Ur was a center for the worship of the moon god. Hebrew scholars even connect the name “Terah” with the Hebrew word for moon.
So what does this mean? Was Abram’s family a bunch of idolaters? The scripture is not silent concerning that question. Let’s read Josh. 24:1-2...
And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God. 2. And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.
“Beyond the flood” simply means “beyond the river,” and the reference is to the great river, the Euphrates. He is not talking about them living before the flood of Noah’s day, for they certainly didn’t live on the other side of that flood. But they had lived on the other side of the Euphrates River. The important fact is that Abram’s family, including his father, served other gods. Yes, they were idolaters.
Now let me ask you another question: What about Abram himself? Was he also an idolater? Some would say, “No, surely he was a worshipper of God, and that is why God chose him.” What do you think about that? This brings us squarely to a subject that we must address, the subject of election. On what basis does God choose people? What was his basis for choosing Abram? We see in this whole section that Abram is the focus. This long genealogy is important because it leads up to this one man Abram. It is through this individual that God will set aside a people for Himself. But why Abram? Why not Nachor? Why not some other man in a previous generation?
This is not a trivial question that has no bearing on life. No, it is a question that leads to other questions. If you are a child of God, how did that happen? Did God choose you? If so, on what basis did He choose you? It is difficult to talk about God’s choice of Abram without also considering His choosing of people down through the centuries.
I want to strongly suggest to you that Abram was an idolater just like the rest of his family. Do you find it unusual that God would choose a man who worshipped idols? Let’s make one thing clear -- every person here this morning who is a child of God was chosen out of idolatry. 1 Thes. 1:8-9, "For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing. 9. For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God." Now we can certainly see how the Gentiles who lived in Thessalonica would have turned from idols, but what about the Jews? Acts 17 makes it clear that Paul began his ministry in Thessalonica by preaching in the synagogues, and some of the Jews believed. How is it that these Jews turned from idols? We must understand that all people have participated in idolatry. Your idols may not have been the kind you make with your hands and to which you physically bow down, but you nevertheless had your idols. Even in the Old Testament, we can read about idolatry among Jews… (Ezek. 14:3-6)
Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be inquired of at all by them? 4. Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols; 5. That I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols. 6. Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Repent, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.
Do you see? They were guilty of setting up idols in their hearts. Anything which looms larger than God is an idol, though it may have no physical representation.
You see, there are some who believe that God wouldn’t choose Abram, if he were an idolater like all those around him. But I remind you that God is still choosing idolaters. What is it that causes God to choose a person to be His child? What did God see in Abram that caused Him to choose Abram to be the father of His holy people?
Turn with me to John 15. Let’s read John 15:16, "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you." Let’s apply that directly. You did not choose Jesus; Jesus chose you. As Jesus put it in John 6:44, "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day." As with us, so it was with Abram. Abram didn’t choose God; God chose him.
The biblical term for this teaching is “election.” Though it is not popular in some circles, nonetheless election is a very crucial biblical doctrine. One of the key texts is Eph. 1:3-7…
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4. According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5. Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6. To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 7. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
We who belong to God were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. God elected us to be His. And those who have been chosen by Him were predestined to be His children through Jesus Christ. We find the same truth in Rom. 8:28-30…
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
Many people get bent out of shape concerning predestination. In reality, predestination is not the issue as much as election. Those whom God elects (chooses), He predestines to be conformed to the image of Jesus. From the beginning, God has planned and ordained that those who are His be made like Jesus. But the only ones who will be made like Jesus are the ones God has chosen from the foundation of the world.
But wait a minute. Aren’t Christians those who repent and believe in Jesus Christ. That is absolutely correct. Come back to Eph. 1. After talking about how we have been chosen in Him from the foundation of the world, Paul then says that we have redemption, even the forgiveness of sins, through the blood of Jesus Christ. There is no contradiction between election and saving faith in Jesus Christ. Those who have been chosen by God will repent and believe. There are no exceptions.
God chose Abram, and God has been choosing people ever since. But now we must come to the question at which we have been hinting: Why did God choose Abram? On what basis did He make His choice? For that matter, why does He choose anyone? Child of God, why did He choose you? The prevailing view among evangelicals today (according to Dr. Lewis Johnson, and I would certainly agree with him) is this: God looked down through time. He saw that Ron Tyson would believe in Jesus Christ. And so God chose Ron Tyson on the basis of that foreseen belief. That view is often supported with passages like the one we read in Rom. 8:28-30, where we read, “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son” (29). But a view of the entirety of scripture teaches us that this is not the meaning of foreknow in this passage. Paul isn’t talking about mental knowledge of future actions. Rather, he is talking about the kind of knowledge he wrote about in Phil. 3:10, “That I may know him…” This is not mental knowledge about something, but rather the personal knowledge of personal acquaintance. Apply this kind of knowledge to God. Ps. 1:6, “For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.” He is not saying that the Lord has mental knowledge about the righteous, for He certainly has the same mental knowledge of the ungodly. The Lord knows the righteous in the sense that He chooses to set His love upon the righteous. Back to Rom. 8:29. When Paul says that God foreknew them, he is saying that God set His love, His choice, on them beforehand. The “foreknew” of Rom. 8:29 is the election of Eph. 1.
So why did God choose Abram? Because He as the Sovereign God chose to do so. That’s it. But didn’t he see something good in Abram? Didn’t he detect something in Abram that he didn’t detect in those around him? No. God instilled in Abram something that wasn’t in those around him. It is the same today. Didn’t God see something in you that He didn’t see in those who would reject Him? No. A thousand times NO. He instilled something in you that was not present in those around you, and that something is life, His life.
Do you see the problem with the view that God chose us because He knew ahead of time that we would repent and believe? That view misses the whole purpose of election. And what is the purpose of God’s election? We find that purpose revealed in I Cor. 1:26-31…
For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27. But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28. And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 29. That no flesh should glory in his presence. 30. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 31. That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
Why does God choose those whom He chooses? That no flesh should glory in His presence, that if anyone boasts, He must boast in the Lord. In other words, God’s practice of election based on nothing in the man He chooses removes every ground of pride within man. If God chose me because He foresaw that I would repent and believe, then I have room to boast. I can still say, “Yes, salvation is of God, but I still had the good sense to choose to follow Jesus. I did something that many others haven’t done.” When we truly understand God’s election, there is no longer room for boasting.
Do not misunderstand. Election does not do away with the need to repent and believe. There will not be a single person in heaven who did not repent and believe. The key is in understanding why a person repents and believes in Christ. Does he do it because he has the good sense to do so? What the scripture teaches is that no man in himself is capable of repenting and believing in Jesus Christ. That is why Jesus says, “No man can come to me except the Father draw him” (John 6:44). This truth is emphasized in Eph. 2:1-3. There Paul declares that we were all dead in our trespasses and sins. We all were children of disobedience and were under the wrath of God. We certainly needed to escape God’s wrath, but the problem was in the fact that we were dead. We weren’t sick; we weren’t disabled; we weren’t weak… but we were dead. After making this statement, would Paul then say, “BUT there were a few who were able to rouse themselves up and crawl out of the grave”? No. Read what he says in Eph. 2:4, “BUT GOD…” The only one who wasn’t dead in trespasses and sins was God Himself. The God who was alive gave life to us who were dead. That is the context in which we then read Eph. 2:8-9, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9. Not of works, lest any man should boast." That which we know as repentance and faith is a gift from God. God granted that gift, and it wasn’t based on anything in us.
So God chose Abram. Does that mean that God chose all of Abram’s descendants? Let’s read it in Romans 9, where Paul pours out his concern for his fellow-Jews. Rom. 9:1-13…
I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, 2. That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. 3. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: 4. Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; 5. Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen. 6. Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: 7. Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. 8. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. 9. For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sarah shall have a son. 10. And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; 11. (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) 12. It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. 13. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
No, not all Abraham’s descendants were chosen. In verse 8 Paul makes it clear that God’s election was not based on physical descent, but rather upon the promise of God. And then he gives a powerful illustration. Abraham’s daughter-in-law Rebecca was pregnant with twins. Before the children were ever born, God said to her, “The older shall serve the younger.” History would reveal that the older twin Esau would become a servant to the younger twin Jacob. It was through Jacob that God’s purpose would be carried out and that the Messiah would be born. Paul maintains that it is highly significant that the Lord revealed this to Rebecca before the children were even born. But why is that important? Verse 11, “For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth.” In other words, let it be clear that God’s election is not based upon anything in man; it is totally of the Sovereign God who calls whomever He will. And if you think that makes God unjust, you are not the only one. Paul anticipated that objection in verse 14, “What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid (may it never be).” In dealing with this objection, Paul then gives us this great truth: "For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 16. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy" (Rom. 9:15-16).
Of course, there are still many people who cry out in the face of election: “It isn’t fair.” That is true; it isn’t fair. If God were fair, He would send every person in this universe to hell, because we were all rebellious, self-absorbed God-haters. That would be fair. No one could accuse God of injustice. Praise His holy name that He has chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world, just as He chose Abram out of a pagan culture and made him the father of a great nation.
As we will see later, God’s choice of Abram and His choice of us who are now in Christ are closely connected because of the close connection between Abraham and Jesus. But we will save that for a later time.
I encourage you to be reading Genesis 12 and the chapters that follow, which give us some of the details of Abram’s life. Also, please read what Heb. 11 says about Abraham. We will likely be talking about that next week.
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