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Abraham - 5/6/26 - Meadows Baptist Church - Pastor Charlie Branch · Meadows Baptist Church Podcast

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Welcome to the podcast of Meadows
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Baptist Church of Walnut Cove, North
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Carolina. We're so glad you joined us
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today. If you enjoy today's message, be
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sure to subscribe, follow, and share
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with your friends. Now, let's join
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Pastor Charlie Branch with a word from
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God.
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All righty. Genesis chapter 12 tonight
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if you have a Bible. Genesis chapter 12.
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And uh
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we'll look here again this evening. And
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I've been looking forward to this today.
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And uh I realized on this past Sunday
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night I was preaching. I really didn't
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finish my message. And uh I was thinking
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about it. I posed the question uh on
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Sunday night u concerning u why
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rebellion brings confusion. I'll give
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you the outline. I ain't gonna preach it
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tonight. There's a whole another message
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here uh that I didn't deal deal with,
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but I'll give it to you. You might want
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to write it down. Go study it for
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yourself. But Genesis 11 where we
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preached that on Sunday night. I my
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outline was rebellion uh causes
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confusion. Of course, Nimrod is
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rebellion. And that confusion deals with
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the tower that of Babel. That city Babel
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means confusion. And Nimrod built that
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city. And so, uh we titled that
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rebellion why rebellion brings
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confusion. And I put these thoughts in
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my Bible here. Didn't preach them Sunday
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night, but uh number one, rebellion
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brings confusion because it's not our
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design. We weren't made to be rebellious
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against God. We were not made to be that
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way. We were made to be obedient and
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submissive to the Lord. And so
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rebellion, number one, is not our design
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from the beginning. God didn't make us
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that way. We were made in his image. And
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so number two, not only rebellion is not
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our design, but number two, rebellion is
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not desirable. You've never seen anybody
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living in rebellion that enjoyed it.
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That's right.
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>> Amen. Um it's not a fruitful life. It's
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not a faithful life. It's not an
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enjoyable life. And so rebellion's not
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our design. It's not desirable. And then
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thirdly, I thought about this. It's not
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only not our design and not desirable,
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but it's not our destiny.
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>> Right?
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>> And uh I'll say this about that. When
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God had to go and confound the language
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of those people in that city, you know
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what? God didn't want to do that.
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>> And he didn't have to do that. But
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because of their sin, he did.
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>> Right?
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>> They would have never had to do that if
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they'd have just been obedient to God.
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And you see tonight, you shape who you
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end up to be. What? But what became
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their destiny did not have to be their
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destiny. Amen. And so there's the
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outline that I gave you why rebellion,
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amen, causes confusion. So maybe next
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time I'll do a better job preaching.
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Amen. But Genesis 12, let's look here
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tonight and going to begin studying the
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life of Abraham uh this evening. We'll
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really begin reading in Genesis 11 and
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try to lay out the background of his
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life here in the text. Genesis 11 verse
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number Let's begin reading in verse
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number uh verse number 26 of Genesis 11.
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Your Bible says and Tara lived 70 years
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and begat Abram Nahor and Haran. Now
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these are the generations of Terara.
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Terara begat Abra Abram Nahor and Haran
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and Haran begat Lot and Haran died
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before his father Terara in the land of
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his nativity in of the Caldes. And Abram
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and Nahor took them wives. The name of
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Abram<unk>s wife was Sarai. And the name
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of Nahor's wife Milkeyi Mila the
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daughter of Haran the father of Mila and
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the father of Iska. But Sarai was
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barren. She had no child. And Terara
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took Abram<unk>s son. and Lot the son of
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Haran his son's son and Sarai his
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daughter-in-law his son Abram<unk>s wife
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and they went forth with them from the
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Caldes to go into the land of Canaan and
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they came unto Haran and dwelt there and
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the days of Terara were 205 years and
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Terara died in Haran chapter 12 and
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verse number one the Bible says now the
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Lord had said unto Abram get thee out of
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thy country and from thy kindred and
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from thy father's house unto the land
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that I will show thee, and I will make
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of thee a great nation, and I will bless
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thee, and make thy name great, and thou
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shalt be a blessing, and I will bless
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them that bless thee, and curse them
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that cursseeth thee, and in thee shall
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all families of the earth be blessed."
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So Abram departed, as the Lord had
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spoken unto him, and Lot went with him,
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and Abram was 70 and five years old when
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he departed out of Haran. Father, I ask
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you for just a moment, Lord, that you
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would help us tonight. I thank you for
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Bible study, but God, I just want it to
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be what you want it to be tonight. If
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you'd had me to preach, help me preach,
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Lord. And I just pray you'd help me to
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expound the word of God. Well, give me
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uncction, liberty tonight. Cleanse me of
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all sin. Father, use me. Make me fit,
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God. I pray that you'll help me tonight.
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Get all glory unto yourself. And I pray
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for each individual that's here tonight,
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Lord. I thank you, uh, God, for them
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being here. I pray you bless them for
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their presence. But God, I pray that
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they would receive a blessing from your
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word tonight, Lord. Some instruction,
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Lord, to help them go on another mile,
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some encouragement. Lord, I pray you'd
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help us tonight uh to be obedient to the
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word of God. Lord, you said obedience is
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better than sacrifice. And so, Lord,
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help us to hearken to the word of God
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tonight. Lord, we love you. Thank you
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for loving us in Jesus name. Amen.
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Genesis 11 begins here the genealogy. It
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began with the study of this city of
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Babel in the text and then it leaves off
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in verse number 10 with the generations
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of Sheim. Now, if you know anything
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about the Bible, the origin of Israel,
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the godly family comes through the
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Shemmites. And so, when you hear the
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phrase, I don't know, you probably
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already connected this, but we you hear
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the phrase in our country a whole lot
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today of anti-semitism.
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And what that is is that Seemetic the
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Seemetic people are Shim's children.
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That's what that refers to. And so
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people anti-Semites are people who are
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against Shim's children. That's what
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that means. And so Shim's genealogy is
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given in chapter number 11 verse number
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10 down through uh the end of the
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chapter ending up with the death of
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Terara, Abram's father in the text. Now
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Abram of course in this text would go on
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to be Abraham. Sarah, Sarah, his wife,
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would go on to be Sarah. But this is the
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beginning portion of Abram's life. And I
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want to just lay the history of his life
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out of this text. Try to draw
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correlation and connect all of this
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together. Let me say this tonight. The
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first 12 chapters of the Bible encompass
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some 2,000 years. What we've read about
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here in chapter number 11 has
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accomplished some 2,000 years of
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history. And from Genesis 12 on through
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the rest of the Old Testament would be
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another approximately 2,000 years. And
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so without these first 12 chapters of
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the book of Genesis, you would miss a
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big picture really where all the uh the
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uh knots and loose ends are tied up
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throughout the Old Testament. All the
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principles that we find in the law of
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Moses and everything that goes on from
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that comes from these 12 chapters. And
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so this beginning portion is important
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and I definitely want to highlight here
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Abram's life. I want to give you just
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some things concerning Abram here in the
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text. When Abram comes on the scene in
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Genesis 12, the first thing that's
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mentioned in Genesis 12 verse number one
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is notice those first five words.
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There's a word that comes from God. Look
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what the Bible says. Now the Lord had
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said, now to put this in a timeline
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period, it's been 422 years since God
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spoke to Noah in Genesis chapter number
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N and verse number one. And so Noah has
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been dead approximately 75 years or
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maybe a little more than that at this
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point in time because he lived 350 years
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after the flood. And so to tie all of
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this together, I want you to think about
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this with me for just a minute. When the
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earth was divided, when the languages
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were scattered, according to the text,
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Noah was still alive.
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Noah was still alive. Noah was alive.
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Sheam and Japheth were alive. You can
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read that according to chapter number
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10, if you notice in verse number 25 of
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Genesis 10, the Bible says in in verse
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25, "And unto Eber were born two sons.
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The name of one was Pelleg. For in his
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days was the earth divided and his
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brother's name was Jockan. And so Pleg
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was in that line of Shin. And that's
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just a few generations down from Noah in
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this text. And so Noah was still alive
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at the dividing days in those days. And
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you say, "How is that, preacher?" Well,
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Noah witnessed everything that
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transpired. And you think about this.
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The sin that we preached on in Noah's
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life, Noah watched the people that he
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had saved off of the ark. He watched
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them go down. You're
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>> right.
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>> And so what we discover in our text
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where Terara is finding himself in verse
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number 27, the Bible says in verse 27,
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"Now these are the generations of
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Terara. Terara began Abram, Nahor, and
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Haran. And Haran begat Lot. And Haran
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died before his father." Notice this. in
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the land of his nativity. All right,
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that's the land of its birth. Look at
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this. In of the cowes. Now, if you look
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up that land of the cowes, that is
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literally another city in the plain of
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Shinar. When you look at the text in
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chapter number 11, verse number two,
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those uh Babel people, amen, those ones,
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those the people that had came there
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with Nimrod, they f found a plane in the
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land of Shinar. And so obviously
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Terara's family when the dispersion took
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place was not one of the families that
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was sent out. Okay? And because in this
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text the Bible said in verse number
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eight that the Lord scattered them
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abroad. So obviously Terara and his
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children all I know this is deep. All
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right? But just stay with me. Okay?
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Terara and his children obviously stayed
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right there in the city. They stayed
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right there local to the plane of
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Shinar. They stayed in this place. And I
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want to give you a few things about
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Abram's life. You see in this text uh
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four things by way of introduction. I'll
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give you one point. We'll be done. What
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I notice about Abram's life. First of
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all, we see in this land that he is
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living here in the text is is that Abram
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is already it's already presented to us
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that Abram is living amidst blasphemy.
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>> Right?
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>> You say, how can you prove that? Well, I
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can prove it scripturally by this text.
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First of all, notice what the Bible says
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in the book of Joshua. Joshua chapter
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number 24.
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This record is given.
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Joshua chapter number 24 and verse
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number two. All right. I'm going to give
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you the proof from the wording in the
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text, but this is Bible proof. You can't
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argue with this. All right. Joshua 24
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and verse two. The Bible said Joshua
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said unto all the people, "Thus sayaith
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the Lord God of Israel, your fathers
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dwelt on the other side of the flood in
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old time, even Terara, the father of
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Abraham and the father of Nore." Notice
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that last phrase, what does it say? And
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they served other gods. So they're
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according to Joshua, they're serving
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other gods. But I can tell you from a
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proof number one by their location,
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they're living in of the Caldes. It was
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a place of moon worship. When you look
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up that word, it was a central point of
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astrology. And uh I what's the other
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word you you use for that? Soothsaying I
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guess would be the word that you would
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use. There was moon worship and
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stargazing that went on here. Doesn't
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that sound familiar with that tower that
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whose top would reach unto heaven, amen,
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to the skies. And so this land, this
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whole plane of Shinar was engrossed in
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this sin. And when you look up that
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word, it doesn't only speak of a center
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of moon worship, but it also means it
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literally means a flame, a burning. Now,
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what did we talk about that city of
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Babel? They were making brick in verse
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three, burning them thorly. The Bible
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says it was a place of great industry.
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Let me say this, the reason where our
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country began to go off the rails is
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when prosperity took hold of our nation.
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You can go back and see the days of the
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industrial revolution is when wickedness
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began to run rapid in this land. You can
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look at early society. Some of you may
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know a little bit about this. I I
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enjoyed studying it coming up. Not
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because I enjoyed studying about sin,
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but I remember studying about the
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roaring 20s. Anybody ever heard about
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the roaring 20s and everything that went
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on in those days? the days prohibition
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days and everything that went on that
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all of that was birthed out of a country
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who had become prosperous industrially
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and what this land here represents is a
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prosperous place. Yes, God dispersed the
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people and so he divided them up, sent
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them all over the face of the earth, but
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this city still became a central point
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for sin. And I remind you again, Babel
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all the way through the Bible to the
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book of Revelation, today's yet future
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from us is still going to be a wicked
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city.
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>> You're right.
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>> Still, it's system is still here.
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There's going to be a Babylonian revival
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in the end of the days. And that the
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Assyrians, they're going to rise up
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again. Amen. And reappear on the face of
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the earth. I'm not preaching that
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tonight. But what I'm telling you is
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when this started, it did not end.
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>> You're right. When wickedness took hold,
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it did not end. And so Terara and his
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family are living in this land of the
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Caldes. It's a land Abraham was Abram
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was dealing with blasphemy. So his
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religious background is not good. Okay?
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He's he's living amidst wickedness. But
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I noticed this. Not only there's
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blasphemy in his life, but I'll say this
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to make matters worse. There's
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barrenness in his life. Look what the
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Bible says. Verse 29, Abram and Nahor
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took them wives. The name of
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Abram<unk>'s wife was Sarai, and the
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name of Nahor's wife, Mila, the daughter
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of Haran, the father of Mila, and the
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father of Iska. But Sarai was barren.
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She had no child. Now, it interests me
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why that God puts that out there on the
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very first. One of the first things that
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he says about Abram is that Sarah was
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barren. Well, you understand everything,
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and I'm not going to get ahead of myself
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here, but everything that has to do with
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Abram's life, everything that God tells
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him is hinging upon her barrenness.
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You're
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>> right.
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>> And you understand barrenness in this
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day was a lot bigger deal than it is
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now.
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>> You're right.
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>> I'll say this, there's some families
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that uh some ladies that are barren, and
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it is a big deal to them, but our
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country almost celebrates barrenness
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anymore, seeming like. I don't
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understand that. Amen. But when you look
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at this culture, the only thing that
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these ladies had to be honored because
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women were not highly esteemed the way
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that they are in our day and time or the
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way they should be. I believe they are
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in good bible believing churches. This
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this time if she could not bear
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children, she was rendered useless by
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society. This is Abram's wife. So
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they're living amidst blasphemy. His
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wife is barren in the text and then
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there's a barrier in his life. Notice
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what the Bible says in verse 31. What's
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that first phrase of verse 31? And Terra
15:31
what? Took Abram. He's got a daddy
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that's got a hold of him.
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He's controlling his life. All right,
15:42
don't lose that thought. Okay, notice
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the text. Tara took Abram his son and
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Lot the son of Haran his son's son and
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Sarah his daughter-in-law his son
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Abram<unk>'s wife and they went forth
15:54
with them from the Caldes to go into the
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land of Canaan and they came unto Haran
15:59
and dwelt there. Now what happens in
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this text is as they make a journey out
16:05
of the Caldes and to go unto the land of
16:08
Canaan would be several hundred miles uh
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to leave the Caldes to get unto Canaan.
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And so they go just a short distance,
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probably uh 100 or so miles. I don't
16:18
know exact distance, but they leave the
16:20
Caldes and go unto Iran and they stop
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there. And and obviously it's because
16:25
Terara in his old age according to verse
16:27
32. Look what the Bible says. And the
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days of Tara were 205 years and Tara
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died in Haran. And so uh Abram's father
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has held him back. He's journeying to go
16:39
to Canaan. They're headed there, but his
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family is holding him back. And if
16:44
that's not enough, he is living amidst
16:47
blasphemy. His wife is barren. His
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father's a barrier barrier unto him.
16:52
Verse 32, you think about the brokenness
16:54
of his family.
16:56
He loses his debt.
16:59
He's already lost a brother. Notice the
17:01
text. Haran's already died. Nahor he
17:05
left behind in the cowes. And so the
17:09
family here in the text, according to
17:11
the text, he's lost everything except
17:13
his wife. And now he's got to take care
17:15
of Lot, his nephew. And so his family's
17:18
broken up. And you say, "Why are you
17:21
telling us all of that?" Well, this is
17:23
the story of Abram.
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>> You're right.
17:25
>> This is his story. But you see, it all
17:28
begins to change in chapter 12. And I
17:30
just want to remind you tonight, where
17:32
you're at is not the end.
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>> You're right. Right.
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>> Amen. Just because your story is broken
17:37
right now, don't mean it's going to be
17:39
broken forever. Amen.
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>> Notice the text. Now the Lord had said
17:43
unto Abram, "Get thee out of thy
17:45
country, from thy kindredom, from thy
17:47
father's house, unto a land that I will
17:50
show thee." Now, I want to deal for just
17:52
a few minutes tonight with the call of
17:53
Abraham here in this text. All right?
17:56
So, it's been 420 years since God has
17:59
spoken audibly to somebody. Genesis 9,
18:02
he spoke there unto Noah. And we know
18:05
that it's recorded on the pages of
18:07
scripture and and it is very well
18:09
possible that God spoke unto the people.
18:12
I don't know. He may have spoke unto
18:13
Eber or Pleg there in the text when he
18:16
divided the languages. I don't know. We
18:18
can't verify that. But we know it's been
18:20
some time since God has spoken to these
18:23
people. He's distanced himself because
18:26
of their sin. But the Bible says in
18:28
verse number one that God's speaking
18:30
again. Boy, aren't you thankful when
18:32
it's been a while? Amen.
18:34
>> Amen. When you ain't heard his voice in
18:37
a while, he's got something to say,
18:38
>> right?
18:39
>> And I'll tell you this, I'm thankful I
18:41
know his voice.
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>> Amen.
18:43
>> He said, "My sheep know my voice."
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>> And Abram here in the text, God calls
18:48
out to him for the first time. Of
18:51
course, we remember Abram's living in a
18:54
s amidst a sinful world. He's his wife
18:56
is barren. There's there's been great
18:59
anguish because of the death of his
19:01
father. And then I noticed this phrase
19:04
in verse number one. Now the Lord, what
19:06
your Bible say had said. It doesn't say
19:10
the Lord said. It said the Lord had
19:12
said. So what that reveals is that there
19:15
was a command that had been given unto
19:16
this man.
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Now let me say this. All right. What do
19:21
we know from the Bible about obedience?
19:23
Delayed obedience is what? Disobedience.
19:28
Just because when when you think about
19:31
the fact that you've been commanded to
19:32
do something and and you're waiting. All
19:34
right? You're refusing to do that thing.
19:36
You're delaying. All right? The whole
19:38
time that you're waiting, you're in
19:40
disobedience.
19:41
>> You're right.
19:41
>> Well, I'll go on and do it. Well, you
19:43
can't get back all those days that you
19:45
wasted.
19:45
>> You're right.
19:46
>> You get what I'm saying? Well, what we
19:49
notice in this text here is that God had
19:51
already spoke to Abram. Now, there's
19:53
some writers that would want to argue
19:54
this fact, but the New Testament sheds
19:57
some light on this. Turn with me to the
19:59
book of Acts, chapter number 7.
20:02
Acts, chapter 7. I want you to listen to
20:04
Stephen's sermon. All right. Stephen's
20:06
going to be stoned. We know the story.
20:09
Stephen's going to get stoned for
20:11
preaching the gospel. But thank God,
20:12
he's going to preach from Genesis to to
20:14
all the way to where he knows. Amen.
20:16
Before he gets stoned. Amen. And I like
20:19
it. Praise God. Genesis 7. Listen to
20:22
what he says. Look where he begins in
20:23
Genesis 7 verse number two. All right.
20:27
Genesis 7 and verse two. And he said,
20:30
this is Stephen speaking. Men, brethren,
20:33
and fathers hearken, the God of glory
20:36
appeared unto our father Abraham when he
20:39
was in Mesopotamia before he dwelt in
20:41
Haran, and said unto him, Get thee out
20:44
of thy country, and from thy kindred,
20:46
and come into the land which I shall
20:48
show thee. Then came he out of the land
20:51
of the Chaldanss and dwelt in Haran and
20:54
from thence when his father was dead he
20:56
removed him into this land wherein ye
21:00
now dwell. So this reveals to us here in
21:03
the text that God had spoke to Abraham
21:05
back when he was in the land of the
21:07
Caldes. God had come to him and said all
21:10
right you need to get out of here. Well
21:12
the Bible says they make their journey.
21:13
But in verse 31 of Genesis 11, the Bible
21:16
says, "And Terara took Abram." Is that
21:19
not what your Bible said? And so the
21:21
reason I want you to wanted you to
21:23
remember that is because somebody had a
21:26
bigger control on Abram than God did.
21:29
>> You're right.
21:30
>> You got to be careful about who you let
21:31
get control of your life.
21:33
>> If you're not careful, your your
21:35
husband, your wife can get control of
21:37
you. Your children can get control of
21:39
you. You're
21:39
>> right.
21:40
>> And when God speaks, you know what you
21:41
do?
21:43
you locked down. Abram went as far as
21:46
Tara could go and didn't go any farther
21:49
until Tara was gone. And I noticed from
21:52
what Stephen said in chapter 7, look
21:55
what he says. He said, "Our father," he
21:57
appeared unto our father Abraham when he
21:59
was in Mesopotamia, that's the land of
22:01
the counties. He appeared to him back
22:04
there when he was in the plain of the
22:05
land of Shinar and spoke to him. God had
22:08
said to him to go, but you know what?
22:10
Abram didn't go because his daddy wasn't
22:13
ready to go. I wonder what's holding
22:16
people back in our church. I I wonder
22:19
what's holding you back from going all
22:22
the way with God.
22:24
>> You see, I don't know. You say, "Well,
22:25
preacher, this really is Abram's
22:28
salvation." Well, if you want to be
22:29
truthful about it, Abram's salvation
22:32
came the moment that God spoke to him.
22:34
>> Right.
22:35
>> And so, he was given a command to obey.
22:39
All right. He was given a command to
22:42
obey and we believe that Abraham
22:44
believed God. All right. We we do that.
22:46
All right. We believe that. We know that
22:48
according to Genesis 15 and verse number
22:50
six. And I understand salvation. The Old
22:53
Testament. I realize every bit of that.
22:55
But you understand it's still by faith.
22:57
>> Right.
22:57
>> Abraham had to believe the word of God.
23:00
I think Abraham believed when God came
23:03
to him when he was in, but he just
23:04
wasn't willing to go yet.
23:06
>> You're right.
23:07
>> Amen. I think he received it, but he
23:09
wasn't ready to put it in practice. And
23:11
you know what? I've seen people, there's
23:12
a young man that tonight, he's probably
23:15
about three years younger than me. He
23:16
grew up with him. He lived on my road.
23:18
And uh I remember we we grew up together
23:22
and uh played ball, rode bicycles,
23:24
four-wheelers, all that other stuff. We
23:25
grew up on the little farm over there.
23:27
And and he didn't have no family, bless
23:29
his heart. At one point, mom and dad
23:31
even tried to tried to adopt him
23:33
different things. It was just just a lot
23:35
of different stuff when I was growing
23:36
up. But I remember this young man, no
23:38
family, his great-grandmother was
23:40
raising him and and uh we he come into
23:42
our home, pretty much lived with us and
23:44
we took him to a revival meeting one
23:45
night and he got saved. I remember it
23:48
just like it was yesterday. I remember
23:49
watched him pray that night and it
23:51
wasn't probably I don't know, it was
23:53
just weeks after that. He disappeared.
23:56
I didn't see him no more and broke my
23:59
heart cuz I loved him. He was my friend.
24:01
But you know what? I I really believe
24:03
that boy saved. But I just believe
24:06
because he had no home life.
24:08
>> He had nobody to guide him. He had
24:10
nobody to give him aid when he got away
24:13
from us. He had no support.
24:14
>> You're right.
24:15
>> And so, you know what? He went out and
24:17
he's probably I don't know where he
24:19
could be tonight. I heard several years
24:20
ago that he was in jail for a time. I
24:22
don't know. But this is what I'll tell
24:24
you. I believe that boy's saved, but I
24:27
think there's a lot of people like that
24:28
that are saved. And I think this is what
24:30
happened to them. I think when they get
24:32
saved, the devil comes immediately and
24:34
he says, "All right, I'm going to ruin
24:35
their testimony."
24:36
>> You're right.
24:37
>> So, they can never do anything for God.
24:39
They'll spend the rest of their life
24:41
wondering. They'll spend the rest of
24:42
their life and won't. They'll be
24:43
miserable because of it if they are
24:45
saved. Amen. Somebody say, "Amen."
24:47
They'll go out there and they'll live
24:49
the rest of their life in that mess. And
24:50
they'll go to heaven when they die. But
24:52
the truth is, they never had a chance to
24:54
grow because something or someone held
24:58
them back.
24:58
>> You're right. I'm convinced there's
25:00
church people that sat in a church pew
25:02
their whole life that's allowed one
25:04
event in their life of bitterness to
25:06
keep them from going forward with God.
25:08
>> You're right.
25:10
>> You'll never do anything for God because
25:12
he's holding you. What is it that's
25:13
holding you? I don't know what that I
25:15
don't know why I'm on that. But but
25:16
Abram was held up by his father. Terara
25:20
had a grip on him. But when Tara died,
25:23
the Bible says in verse 12 and verse
25:25
number one, now the Lord had said the
25:28
call has been given. The place is
25:31
revealed. The call was given to him
25:33
while he was in. And we see Abram's
25:35
procrastination.
25:37
He waited. Why did he wait? Let me ask
25:41
you this. How long do you think Abram
25:43
waited?
25:45
Abram waited a long time.
25:48
Notice what the Bible says in verse
25:49
four. So Abram departed as the Lord had
25:52
spoken unto him, and Lot went with him.
25:54
Notice this. And Abram was what?
25:58
705
26:00
years old. He was 75 years old in the
26:04
text. And from what I've read in the
26:06
scripture, I can't remember exactly. I
26:07
tried to find it this afternoon, but I
26:09
think Abram lived to be somewhere
26:11
between 120 and 150. So at best, he's
26:15
already lived half his life,
26:17
>> and he spent a lot of it waiting. I
26:20
notice here in this text the place his
26:23
procrastination God told him, he said,
26:25
"Get out." Look at that. Get out of thy
26:28
country, from thy kindred, from thy
26:30
father's house unto a land that I will
26:32
show thee. What is God, what was God
26:34
telling Abram? He was saying, "All
26:35
right, you've got to leave the fields."
26:38
>> All right, that plain shower, you're
26:39
going to have to leave the fields.
26:41
You're going to have to leave the
26:42
family. Look at that. And from thy
26:44
kindred, Nahor was still there.
26:48
That family was left behind because you
26:50
understand Nahor's children were the
26:53
wives for Isaac and for Jacob. You're
26:56
>> right.
26:56
>> Nahor's children. Nahor's daughters.
26:59
They stayed behind. But God told Abram,
27:02
"Look, you're going to have to leave.
27:04
You got to get out." Look what Look what
27:06
the Bible said. From thy kindred, from
27:08
thy father's house, he had to leave the
27:10
fields. He had to leave the family. And
27:12
you know what? He did do that. But where
27:14
did he stop? He couldn't leave the
27:16
father,
27:17
>> right?
27:18
>> When a when when when when Tara got to
27:21
as far as he could go to Haran, that's
27:23
as far as Abram went.
27:26
And then I noticed this. You know what I
27:29
also didn't leave behind? Because he
27:31
didn't leave Tara. He didn't leave the
27:33
false religion either.
27:36
You see, Terara brought that with him.
27:37
>> You're right.
27:39
>> Terra carried that with him out of the
27:42
Caldes. And so it was present in their
27:44
lives. You understand that what'll
27:48
happen to you is God will speak. But if
27:51
you're not careful, you'll let that
27:52
brokenness, that barrier in your life
27:55
and that blasphemy will hang around.
27:58
What I found is a lot of times and
28:00
really all the time when there is a
28:02
barrier, when somebody, here's what
28:04
happens, okay? And I don't know why I'm
28:05
hung up on this, but I'm just going to
28:06
hang with it till God says get done.
28:09
When somebody gets stopped, you know
28:11
what happens in your Christian life when
28:13
you get stopped?
28:15
>> You don't sit still.
28:16
>> You're right. You're right.
28:18
>> There's no such thing as sitting still
28:19
in the Christian life.
28:21
>> Come on.
28:21
>> You know what you do when you stop? You
28:23
go backwards. You're
28:24
>> right.
28:25
>> Because when that barrier comes up, you
28:27
know what was along with that? All of
28:29
that blasphemy that his father had
28:31
raised them boys in. Remember, that was
28:33
the land of their nativity. This is who
28:35
they are. And so because he's still
28:38
there, he's still stuck with that, God
28:41
said, "You got to leave it all." You
28:42
say, "Preacher, what is that an image
28:44
of?" Well, it's just like when you take
28:46
that marriage vow. When that marriage
28:48
vow, what's it say? Forsaking all
28:50
others.
28:50
>> You're right.
28:51
>> Salvation, Christ, and the church. It's
28:53
the image of that marriage vow. And when
28:55
you come to him, what are you doing? You
28:57
leaving it all behind. Jesus said this.
29:00
If any man come unto me and hate not his
29:02
father, his mother, his children, his
29:05
wife, yay, and his own life also. What
29:07
did he say? He cannot be my disciple.
29:10
>> You're right.
29:11
>> He wasn't speaking in the sense that
29:12
you've got to hate your family. But he's
29:15
saying that you've got to love God so
29:16
much that it doesn't matter what anybody
29:18
else says in your life.
29:20
>> You're right.
29:21
>> And if you love God the way you're
29:22
supposed to, you'll love them in a way
29:24
you never could have.
29:25
>> You're right.
29:26
>> But Abram got held up. And because of
29:28
that, not only Abram was held up, but
29:31
you know who else was held up? Sarah was
29:32
held up.
29:33
>> You're right.
29:34
>> And Lot was too. Now, we could argue
29:37
that maybe Lot wasn't supposed to go
29:39
with him. But I think I think Abram
29:41
wanted to help Lot. I think Abram could
29:42
have helped Lot. And I think Abram's
29:44
mistake is what caused Lot's sin. But
29:46
I'm not preaching on that tonight. I'm
29:48
saying procrastination
29:50
held him up here in this text. It held
29:52
him up. He The father kept him. This
29:55
false religion kept him according to
29:58
Joshua 24 and verse two. They worshiped
30:01
other gods. His father served other
30:03
gods. That's obviously pinned somewhere.
30:06
Joshua wrote it down. And so I noticed
30:10
this. All right. And I'll be done this
30:12
evening. I see the the place of the
30:15
call. It was when he was there in the
30:17
Cales. I see the procrastination
30:20
of this call. Abram was not obedient to
30:23
go directly. But I'll say this. I think
30:26
if there's anything we could get from
30:27
this tonight, it's it would be this
30:29
encouragement. If the call is still
30:31
present, you need to go now.
30:32
>> You're right.
30:33
>> Look what the Bible says. Verse number
30:35
four. What's them first three words? So
30:38
Abram departed.
30:40
>> Yeah, he's 75 years old now, but you
30:42
know what? He's decided to go on. I know
30:44
a man right now, and I'm going to get
30:47
back to the text in a minute, but I know
30:48
a man right now running from the call to
30:50
preach his entire life. got on up in his
30:52
70s and and I remember telling me this.
30:54
I went and preached a revival in the
30:56
church he was in. He told me this. He
30:57
said, "You know, I've run from it my
30:58
whole life." He said, "I feel like the
31:00
best thing I can do is do it what time I
31:02
got left." Said, "I regret wasting all
31:04
them years, but this is what I know. God
31:07
didn't never take the call from me."
31:09
>> Amen.
31:10
>> And so, I'm going to do it what time I
31:12
got left.
31:14
See, the emphasis here is is that Abram
31:17
was still obedient. We know that God
31:18
used him in this text. And I'll say more
31:21
about that in just a minute. But when we
31:23
think about all that Abram's been
31:25
through, remember this, the blasphemy in
31:27
his life, the barrenness of his wife,
31:30
the barrier with his father, the
31:32
brokenness of his family. But then you
31:35
see after obedience and only after
31:39
obedience, what what does the Bible say
31:41
in verse two? and I will make of thee a
31:43
great nation
31:45
and I will bless thee.
31:51
You know when that promise came
31:54
when he obeyed.
31:55
>> You're right.
31:57
>> When he obeyed. Now you say, "Preacher,
32:01
but the Bible says God had already told
32:03
him that." Well, you understand Abram
32:05
never got a grip on that
32:07
>> until he walked away.
32:09
>> Amen. You see some things in your life,
32:12
you're ne it's never going to be really
32:13
real to you until you step in it. You're
32:15
>> right.
32:16
>> The reason why that so many people I
32:19
believe who are saved and they struggle
32:21
with their salvation, I say it all the
32:22
time, the reason they struggle with it
32:24
is because they've never stepped into
32:25
it. They're saved but they don't know
32:27
how to enjoy it.
32:28
>> Yeah.
32:29
>> Abram didn't get the effect of this
32:31
promise until he stepped out.
32:33
>> You're right.
32:34
>> He didn't know the blessedness that God
32:36
spoke of in this text. And the Bible
32:38
says, "I will make of thee a great
32:40
nation, and I will bless thee, and make
32:42
thy name great, and thou shalt be a
32:44
blessing." So much preaching in these
32:46
verses, you understand God is setting up
32:49
a people. Abram is the father of Israel.
32:54
But Abram is more than that. Abram is
32:58
the father of what you and I are doing
33:00
tonight.
33:01
>> You're right.
33:02
>> Turn with me to the book of Romans,
33:04
chapter 4.
33:06
And this is how I want to begin our
33:08
study of Abram's life.
33:13
Romans chapter 4.
33:24
The Bible says
33:27
Romans chapter 4 and verse number
33:30
I really just need to preach the whole
33:32
chapter to you, but I'm going to give
33:33
you this. All right? and and we'll deal
33:36
with this at a later date. Romans 4,
33:39
Paul is describing to the church at Rome
33:42
faith and works. Now, many writers have
33:45
said that Paul in the book of Romans and
33:49
James in the Epistle James disagreed
33:52
about faith. But here's what I'll say
33:54
about that. When James was saying faith
33:56
without works is dead, he was not
33:57
talking about our salvation. And he was
34:00
talking about the outpouring of the of
34:02
the spiritfilled life in a Christian.
34:04
Paul said himself in Romans 5, he said,
34:07
"And the hope is shed and sh the love of
34:09
God is shed abroad in our hearts by the
34:11
Holy Ghost which is given unto us." And
34:13
so that faith in us is going to have
34:15
some evidence outside. You're
34:17
>> right.
34:18
>> Amen. If you're saved, there will be
34:20
some evidence of that. But Paul says in
34:24
Romans 4, he talks about works. And he
34:28
reminds them in chapter number three
34:30
that it's not by the deeds of the law.
34:32
He says in verse number 28 of Romans 3,
34:35
"Therefore, we conclude that a man is
34:37
justified by faith without the deeds of
34:40
the law." And so, it wasn't the keeping
34:42
of the law that saved anybody because
34:44
Abram was saved long before the law was
34:46
ever given. The law came by Moses. But
34:48
how was Abram the father of the faith if
34:51
it requires the law to be saved?
34:53
Well, the Bible says in Romans 4, notice
34:56
this. The Bible says in Romans 4 and
34:59
verse number one, "What shall we say
35:01
then that Abram our father as pertaining
35:03
to the flesh hath found? For if Abraham
35:05
were justified by works, he have to
35:08
glory, but not before God. For what
35:11
saith the scripture, a quote of Genesis
35:13
15:6, Abraham believed God, and what?
35:16
And it was counted unto him for
35:19
righteousness. It was his faith. It was
35:21
not his works. It was not what he did
35:24
that saved him, but it was him believing
35:26
in the words of God. You're
35:29
>> right.
35:29
>> And his faith was evidenced by his
35:32
works.
35:33
He lived his life in obedience unto God.
35:38
Listen to what he says here in Romans 4
35:41
verse number 20.
35:44
Romans chapter 4 and verse 20. Skipping
35:46
over so much truth here, but I I want
35:48
you to get this. Okay? Romans 4:20, the
35:51
Bible says verse number 19, he being not
35:54
weak in faith, considered not his own
35:56
body now dead when he was about a
35:58
hundred years old, neither yet the
36:00
deadness of Sarah's womb, he staggered
36:02
not at the promise of God through
36:04
unbelief, but was strong in faith,
36:06
giving glory to God, and being fully
36:08
persuaded that what he had promised, he
36:10
was able also to perform.
36:14
He was convinced that God was going to
36:16
do what he said. You're
36:17
>> right.
36:19
And you know, the only thing that
36:20
Abraham ever saw
36:23
as a fulfillment of his promise, look
36:25
with me back in Genesis chapter 12
36:27
again. Everything that's revealed in
36:30
this text, and I wasn't going to deal
36:32
with this tonight, but I'll just briefly
36:33
touch on it this evening. He says, "I
36:36
will make of thee a great nation." Well,
36:37
that brings up a problem. His wife's
36:40
barren.
36:43
The promise that God gave to him, "I'll
36:45
make of thee a great nation." and his
36:48
wife is barren. He says, "I'll bless
36:50
thee. I'll make thy name great, and thou
36:52
shalt be a blessing." Everything that
36:54
God is saying to him, Abraham would
36:56
never see the land. He would never see
36:59
the blessing of God. He would never see
37:01
all of this coming into fruition. But
37:03
you know what he would see? He would see
37:05
that son.
37:06
>> You're right.
37:07
>> And you understand that the blessing of
37:09
God's promises, you may never see all
37:11
that they entail on this side.
37:13
>> You're right.
37:15
Some people in here know that very well.
37:18
I was thinking about that just today. I
37:20
think about your mom all the time,
37:22
Brother Steve. I think about the prayers
37:24
she prayed. She never saw them answered
37:26
on this side,
37:28
>> but she knows they're answered now.
37:29
>> You're right.
37:30
>> And I want to give you this tonight, and
37:32
I'm done. Okay, I told you I wanted to
37:33
really just tie this in with chapter 11
37:36
at first. I want you to notice verse two
37:39
again or verse number one. He says
37:42
number one, verse number one, he said,
37:44
"Get thee out of thy country, from thy
37:45
kindred, from thy father's house, unto a
37:47
land that I will show thee." Notice
37:49
that, "A land." Verse two, "I will make
37:52
of thee a great nation. I will bless
37:54
thee and make thy name great." What was
37:59
everything that the Babylonian people
38:01
were seeking for in chapter 11?
38:04
Look what the Bible says. Verse number
38:07
four. And they said, "Go to let us build
38:09
us a city and a tower whose top may
38:13
reach us reach us up unto heaven, and
38:15
let us make us a name, lest we be
38:18
scattered abroad on the fl." Verse two,
38:20
and they found a plain land of Shine,
38:23
and they dwelt there. Everything that
38:25
they wanted, they lost.
38:28
>> But God comes to somebody who's just
38:30
unsuspecting.
38:33
Oh friend, if this don't help you, you
38:35
don't have to remember nothing else I
38:37
said tonight, but you better not forget
38:38
this. God come to somebody who was not
38:41
looking for anything.
38:42
>> You're right.
38:43
>> And said, "Here, I'll give it all to
38:45
you."
38:45
>> Amen.
38:48
>> Them people that went seeking for it,
38:51
searching for it, trying to attain it on
38:53
their own. You know what God did? Said,
38:55
"You can't have it." That's
38:56
>> right.
38:58
>> Aren't you thankful? It's not of works,
39:01
>> lest any man should boast.
39:03
>> Right?
39:04
>> And when they started strutting their
39:06
chest out, talking about the tower,
39:08
talking about the city, talking about
39:10
the name of Babel, God left him in a
39:13
dismay and said, "It's just all
39:15
confusion."
39:16
>> But to Abram here in this text, though
39:18
his whole family was sinful, God says,
39:20
"I'm going to pick you out."
39:21
>> You're right.
39:22
>> You're going to be mine, and I'm going
39:24
to give you everything that they wanted
39:26
but couldn't have.
39:27
>> Amen. and I'll give it to you with no
39:28
cost to you.
39:30
>> Amen.
39:31
>> I don't know the greater picture of
39:33
salvation.
39:34
>> He's given you everything that you can't
39:36
even fathom.
39:37
>> That's right.
39:38
>> Do you realize that you don't really
39:40
understand the fact that all your sins
39:42
is forgiven?
39:43
>> Right.
39:43
>> That your life when it ends on this side
39:46
that this is just a a dot
39:50
>> in the universe of eternity.
39:51
>> You're right.
39:52
>> We have no idea
39:54
>> what is waiting for us. Amen.
39:57
>> And God says, "I'll promise it to you."
39:59
There's the land. There's the nation.
40:03
There's the name. You think about it.
40:05
We've got it tonight. We've got a land.
40:09
We've got a nation that we're part of.
40:10
The church of the living God,
40:12
>> right?
40:12
>> And we've got a name.
40:13
>> Amen.
40:14
>> A new name.
40:17
>> Written down in glory.
40:18
>> Right.
40:19
>> And it's mine. Amen. I'll tell you this.
40:22
All this stuff ties up a lot. Get a lot
40:24
closer than you think it does. I want to
40:26
encourage you tonight. Don't forget the
40:27
promise. You say Abram lived 75 years.
40:31
The Bible says 75. Can you imagine that?
40:34
I think about it all time. Say it all
40:36
the time. Probably Jeremiah preached for
40:38
70 years. Never saw anybody turn to God.
40:40
But you know what? He's seeing things
40:42
right now that we're going to be seeing
40:44
for long.
40:45
>> Amen.
40:46
>> We may not ever see things turn out the
40:48
way we want it to. But you just don't
40:50
know. You can you you can know this. You
40:52
can expect the unexpected,
40:54
>> right,
40:54
>> from God. Amen. God will show up and h
40:58
the cowes. Aren't you thankful for that?
41:01
Amen. He'll show up for those people
41:03
that's unwanted. Amen. For the most
41:04
part, unwilling. Amen. But I'm I'm
41:07
thankful for what little bit of faith.
41:08
Amen. He said, "If you just had faith as
41:10
a mustard seed." Amen.
41:13
>> Just believe. Amen. Trust the Lord.
41:15
Father, thank you for this time. Thank
41:17
you for this truth tonight. God, I thank
41:19
you, Father, that you chose to bless
41:22
Abraham. And Lord, we'll look at on next
41:24
time, Father. Know we'll look there at
41:26
his ministry and the missionary that he
41:29
was and God, what you designed him to
41:32
be, Lord, as the father of the Israel,
41:35
but the father of the faith. Lord, the
41:36
father of all that believe and trust in
41:39
you, God. May we just trust you, God. We
41:42
know, Father, there's days, Lord, it
41:44
feels like we can't track you, but God,
41:45
I know that we can still trust you. Help
41:47
us trust you, be obedient to you. And uh
41:50
Lord, I pray you'd help us take these
41:51
truths and apply them to our hearts and
41:53
lives. Lord, we love you. Thank you for
41:54
loving us. We ask it in Jesus name.
41:57
Amen.
41:58
>> Thank you for joining our service today.
42:00
We'd love it if you join us in person
42:02
the next time you are able at Meadows
42:05
Baptist Church. Our physical address is
42:08
2988
42:09
Stewart Road in Walnut Cove, North
42:12
Carolina. Our service times are Sunday
42:15
school at 10:00 a.m., Sunday morning
42:17
worship at 11:00 a.m., Sunday evening
42:19
worship at 6:00 p.m., and Wednesday
42:22
evening Bible study at 700 p.m. For more
42:25
information, visit us at
42:26
meadowsbaptisturch.com.
42:29
Thanks again for tuning in.