God had not acted according to Abram’s schedule so Abram began to feel that he had to act according to his own schedule. If anything was going to happen then Abram had to make it happen via his own plans and arrangements. Said another way, Abram struggled with trusting the promises of God. As a result, he fell into despair and distress. Is that a picture of you? If so, don’t miss God’s response to Abram’s anguish. It just might change your life.
In Genesis 14 Abram is called the Hebrew. This term gives reference to someone from the opposite side or from beyond. It contains the idea of being semi-nomadic, a non-citizen and even that of being a warrior and/or rebel. As believers we do not belong to this world but our citizenship, as Paul wrote, is in heaven. Abram and Lot demonstrate the differences between believers, one who identifies himself as belonging to this world and one who belongs to the world beyond.
Genesis 13 unveils the first instance of wealth in the Bible, and its mention is congruent with a serious problem that developed as the result of that wealth. Indeed, trouble is always attached to wealth and the greater the wealth the greater the trouble. Instead of being the end to trouble wealth almost always has trouble and problems clinging to it, especially when various family members lay claim to that same wealth. Does the Bible address family squabbles over money? Yet bet! Check out how madness over money can actually be transformed into majesty.
Abram not only became one of the wealthiest men of his day but also one of the most generous men in the history of recorded time. How did that happen for him, and how can it happen for me? Whatever you do, don’t miss this message. Your life just might be on the verge of becoming super-charged!
Lot moved his family to the garden district. Sounds beautiful, doesn’t it? Sounds cozy and safe, doesn’t it? Sounds as desirous as it does delectable, doesn’t it? The finest people live there, don’t they? The choicest restaurants and boutiques are located there, aren’t they? That’s what Lot thought, then, the perils lurking in the garden district overtook him and his family. How did Lot, referred to as righteous, end up in Sodom? What was he thinking? Discover the answer in this message and, perhaps, save yourself from what creeps in the garden.
In the first 9 verses of Genesis 12 Abram takes a giant step forward in his relationship with the Lord. In the remaining part of the chapter, however, he takes a giant step backward. In fact, he actually takes six giant steps backward. What are those steps? Is it possible to avoid taking those same steps? More importantly, can a person come back from taking so many steps backward?
Is it possible that some terrific experience has been missed due a fear to accept change and challenge? Have you been miserable because your heart is in the past rather than the present? Is your work for the Lord without fervor and earnestness? When is the last time you knew the joy of a daily encounter with God? Maybe it’s time to move back to the future through an old enough old-time religion.
I often heard my father talk with pride about being the pastor of an old-fashioned, old-time church. Each week as he welcomed the guests he said: This is an old-fashioned, New Testament Baptist church where we love a fella and preach the Bible as it is for men as they are. It was clear to all who walked through the doors that we were old-time and old-fashioned. Like my dad, I’d like to suggest that we go back to an old-time religion, but that we go beyond grandfather and great grandfather all the way back to Genesis 12 where we encounter God’s version of an old enough old-time religion. Perhaps, you’re ready to go back to the future.