03-22-15 UR to take the first step

Scripture:    Genesis 5-9

          What will your last step be?  My parents had great last steps.  Abraham, at the end of his unique journey had great last steps.  Genesis 25:7-8 Altogether, Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years. Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people.

          Abraham was gathered to his people – who were his people?  How did he end up with a “people”?        Genesis 15:2-6   But Abram said, "O Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?  You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir."  Then the word of the Lord came to him: "This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir." God took Abram outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars — if indeed you can count them.  So shall your offspring be." Abram believed the Lord, and God credited it to Abram as righteousness.  Faith was the guiding principal of his unique journey.  If you want your last steps to end well make sure the first step and each one after are steps of faith.

          The Bible shifts its focus in Genesis 12 from the history of the entire human race to a man named Abram, the first Hebrew, and he lived in Ur of the Chaldees. Later God appeared to Abram and promised him that if he would leave his country and journey to a land that he has never seen, God would make of his descendants a great nation and through them the Savior of the world would come, through his "seed." Later God changed his name to Abraham which means "father of many nations" and he obeyed God and took a unique journey to the land of Canaan-the land of Promise.

Genesis 12:1-5     The Lord had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.  I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." So Abram left, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran.  He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.

          Interesting – how old was Abraham when he died? How old when God called him?  How many years did Abraham’s Unique journey last? 100 years. How many years did it take Noah to build the ark?  100 years.  What are the maximum number of years you have to live out your unique journey? 100 years – probably less.

Let’s look at the 17 places Abraham went on his Unique Journey of Faith.

The Journey (Abraham Visits 17 Locations)

On his journey to Canaan there were seventeen places that Abraham visited important in the history of Israel.

1. Sometime around 1900 BC the Lord told Abram to leave his home and country and go to a land that He would show him. He obeyed and departed from Ur of the Chaldees with his father Terah and his nephew Lot. (Gen. 11:31; Acts 7:2-4).

2. Haran in Mesopotamia was the first stop. They dwelt here until after the death of his father Terah, and in Haran the Lord called Abram again (Gen. 12:1-4; Acts 7:4).

3. They moved southward and passed by the city of Damascus. (Gen. 15:2).

4. Shechem was the first place where Abram came to in Canaan. The Lord appeared to Abram again and confirmed his promises, and it was here at Shechem that Abram built the first altar to the Lord (Gen. 12:6, 7).

5. Abram continued his journey southward and came to a mountain near Bethel, where he built a second altar (Genesis 12:8).

6. Abram and his family journeyed southward through the land of Canaan and a major famine hit they migrated to Egypt. In Egypt Abram deceived the King in order to save his own life (Gen. 12:9-20). The king of Egypt feared Abram because of a dream and allowed him to leave with all of his possessions.

7. Abram and his nephew Lot returned to their former home at Bethel, but on account of strife between their herdsmen they parted each other’s company as friends. (Gen. 13:1-9).
8. Lot chose the warm climate and lush plains of the Jordan Valley toward Sodom, and Abram went to Hebron in Mamre where he heard again from the Lord and built an altar (Gen. 13:10-18).

9. Four kings of the east came to Canaan and made war against the five kings of Canaan. In their conquest of the Jordan Valley they captured Lot as a prisoner of war, and when Abram heard of it he pursued the four kings and overtook them at Dan and defeated them with the help of the Lord (Gen. 14:1-4), Abram had assembled an army of 318 men. The city of Dan was located in the north between Hazor and Damascus.

10. Abram and his army of servants smote the army of the 4 kings and chased them to Hobah, which was located near Damascus. Lot and all the people with them were rescued including their belongings (Gen. 14:15, 16).

11. On his return Abram passed through Salem (Jerusalem) and was met by a man named Melchizedek whose name means "king of righteousness". Melchizedek was a mysterious man regarded in the Bible as the priest and king of Salem, and he gave to Abram bread and wine. The Bible also mentions that Abram paid him 1/10th of all his spoils from the war as a "tithe".

12. When Abram finally returned to Hebron God reminded him of his covenant with him and changed his name from Abram to Abraham (Gen. 15:1-21; 17:1-27). While in Hebron Ishmael was born (Gen. 16: 1-16) and the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed (Gen. 18:1 - 19:38)

13. Abraham left Hebron and for a time journeyed among the Philistines in Gerar which was in southern Canaan west of Beersheba. It was in Gerar that Abraham deceived King Abimelech (Gen. 20:1-18).

14. Abraham remained at Beersheba for some time. During this time he made a covenant with king Abimelech. It was here, Sarah, in her old age, gave birth to his son, Isaac.  When Isaac was born Ishmael was expelled with his mother Hagar (Gen. 21:1-34).

15. It was in Beersheba that Abraham received the command from the Lord to take his only son Isaac to Mount Moriah, a mountain of Salem, to offer Isaac as a burnt offering (Gen. 22:1-18).

16. Abraham returned to Beersheba and dwelt there for some time.

17. Abraham bought the cave of Machpelah in Hebron as the family sepulcher and buried his wife Sarah there (Gen. 23: 1-20). At the age of 175 Abraham died, and, with Sarah, was also buried in the cave at Machpelah.

          Now that you have seen how God was working almost 4000 years ago, let me assure you His steps are faithful and He continues to walk with us in our unique journeys in a similar fashion. And requires of us the same thing – Perfection? No! Faith? Yes! Just like Abraham, our journey begins with the first step.  What if you never take that first step of faith?...

You would not be here if your parents had not taken the first step of dating. This church would not be here is Mrs. I.B. Perrine had not initiated spiritual gatherings for Baptists.

APPLICATION

     If the first step would not have been taken the Israelites would not have crossed the Red Sea, or the Jordan river, the walls of Jericho would not have fallen, Peter would not have walked on water, the 12 would not have become disciples if they had not dropped their nets, left their tax books or gotten out from under that tree; and taken that first step when Jesus said “Follow Me”.  Jesus said “FOLLOW ME” which indicates he is calling the disciples to follow him on what? A unique journey.  Imagine if they had not followed. They could have lived peaceful lives and we would not even know their names. Did everyone who was called by Jesus follow him? No? What was the name of the person who didn’t follow him?  What became of their life? 

 Matt 19:16-22   Another day, a man stopped Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"  Jesus said, "Why do you question me about what's good? God is the One who is good. If you want to enter the life of God, just do what he tells you."  The man asked, "What in particular?"  Jesus said, "Don't murder, don't commit adultery, don't steal, don't lie, 19 honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as you do yourself."  The young man said, "I've done all that. What's left?"  Jesus replied, "If you want to give it all you've got, go sell your possessions; give everything to the poor. All your wealth will then be in heaven.  Then  come  follow  me."   That  was  the  last thing the young man expected to hear. And so, crestfallen, he walked away. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and he couldn't bear to let go.

Following Jesus is costly – not for the faint of heart or those looking for an easy road: Luke 9:57-62   As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go."  Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."  He said to another man, "Follow me."  But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."  Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God."   Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family."  Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."    Luke 14:27   And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.