A New Start

We’re in the process of finding a new car at the moment, so I’m going through a crash course (probably not the best way of putting it!) in motor-manufacturer-speak. Here’s an example from a brochure, describing a car that is (I quote): "… more attractive than ever. And the biggest change is under the bonnet. Two new common rail [whatever that means] dCi diesel engines, including a 136PS unit that offers the most power in its class, to ensure that once you get started, you won’t want to stop."

What about you? You may or may not be more attractive than ever, but that’s not my point here. What is the engine that drives your life? Because I want to talk to you about an engine that ensures you won’t want to stop.

Over the next few weeks we’ll be learning from the life of Abraham. This evening we are thinking about the new start for the world that is marked by the call of Abraham. You will find that in Genesis 12, which is on p 13 of the Bibles in the pews. Do have that open in front of you.

Before we go any further, we need to back-track and remind ourselves of what’s happened up to this point, in chapters 1-11. I think the first 11 chapters of Genesis, up to the point where Abraham appears on the scene, could be summarised like this: God creates the world; God creates man; man tries to destroy God; man begins to destroy himself; God nearly destroys man; God begins to save man; man again tries to destroy God; God shatters man’s plan; God continues his own plan; God calls Abraham.

Earlier in chapter 11, man has tried to do three things, all of them without reference to God. Take a look at 11.4:

Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

First, they tried to build themselves a city – Babel. It would not be built by God, it would be built by them. But it would reach to the very throne of God. It would be as great as him. Indeed, it would topple him from his throne. Secondly, they would make a name for themselves. They would glorify themselves. Thirdly, they would make themselves a united people. A united front, against God. And God saw that they were unloosing a monster of evil. So he shattered their city. He smashed their self-glorification. And he scattered them across the earth, destroying their unity.

Attempts at civilisation, and greatness, and peace will all end in the dust as long as the Lord who is the source of all these things is rejected, excluded and ignored. He will not allow us to succeed without him for more than a moment, because he loves us. It would be the worst possible thing for us. We would be selling our souls to Satan. The end of it can only be chaos and collapse.

But because God loves us, he wants us to be citizens of the city where he is King. He wants us to share in his glory. He wants us to be his people. Because he loves us, he will not abandon us to our fate. Because he loves us, he has a rescue plan. It is an impossible plan, conceived by a God who makes the impossible happen. And phase 1 of the plan is Abraham.

So Abraham is the first link in the chain of God’s plan of salvation that leads to the key to it all: Jesus Christ. The work that the Lord accomplished in Christ we can see set in train and foreshadowed in what he did in Abraham. And that gives an answer to one question that may be in the back of our minds as we start this series: Why bother with Abraham?

OK, so he’s there in the Bible. But why bother so much with this one man? Why spend weeks studying his life? There are at least three reasons why.

First, we study God’s dealings with Abraham in order to get to know Christ better. Jesus is the seed of Abraham and in him all the promises to Abraham are fulfilled.

We heard earlier, from Galatians 3, how Paul talks about the promise given to Abraham. He calls it “the gospel in advance”. And as he explains the significance of the death of Christ on the cross he says:
[Christ] redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles [that is, non-Jews] through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

We cannot understand Abraham without understanding Christ. But at the same time our knowledge of Jesus is deepened if we know the roots from which he came. We appreciate him more if we have traced the golden thread of God’s amazing plan of salvation down through history, from its origin with the promise given to Abraham, all the way up to its climax and fulfilment in Christ.

Secondly, we bother with Abraham in order to know ourselves better. If we live by faith in Christ, then Abraham is our ancestor. Paul says in Galatians 3.7:

Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham.

Why? Because we are heirs of the same promise of blessing and salvation that was given to him. God’s grace, God’s choosing, God’s calling and God’s gift of faith to Abraham are all part of the spiritual genetic code of faith passed down the centuries, not by blood lines, but by spiritual birth – by the transmission of the gospel. Understand Abraham, and we understand ourselves better. We are in the same family.

Then thirdly, it is worthwhile grappling with how God guided and taught Abraham, because we can learn from his example. God is the same now as he was then. The lessons that Abraham learned we need to learn as well. The traps he fell into will be in our path too, if in a different form. The mistakes he made, we are in danger of making too. The radical faith that he demonstrated, we need to demonstrate too. We are on the same journey as him. The view of the road ahead that we have is a great deal clearer than the one he had. The coming of Christ has cleared away the thick fog that Abraham had to travel through. But his destination was the same as our destination.

Why bother with Abraham? Because when we have got to grips with God’s dealings with Abraham, we will see where we fit into God’s plans (and that will give us purpose and make us useful); we will have had the opportunity of learning some of the lessons he learned (and that will strengthen our faith); and we will know Christ better (and that’s the best thing of all);.

Now, let’s remind ourselves of what happened to Abraham. He left Ur, the great city of his birth, with his father Terah, and settled in a place called Haran. With Abraham (who was then called just Abram) was his wife Sarai (later called Sarah). They were childless, and Sarah was barren. They settled in Haran, and Abraham’s father died there. Then Genesis 12.1-4 says:

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 Abraham left, as the Lord had told him…

Abraham is called to leave behind his old life. God promises to bless him by giving him exactly the three things that the creators of the tower of Babel had tried to snatch for themselves without reference to God: a land; a great nation; and a great name. God says that the fate of other people will depend upon how they respond to Abraham. And he promises that Abraham will be the key that unlocks blessing for all the families of the earth. Then in response to this, Abraham goes, as he has been instructed.

At this point the promise that God will give the land to Abraham is implied by the command to go there. But the promise is soon made explicit. Verses 5-7:

[Abraham] 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. Abraham travelled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him.

But what does all this mean for us? I want to draw out three lessons for us from Abraham’s experience. First, it was faith that drove Abraham forward – and faith should drive us forward too. Secondly, Abraham knew that his true home was in heaven – and we need to know that too. Thirdly, God keeps his promise. He is faithful despite Abraham’s unfaithfulness – and despite ours too.

First, IT WAS FAITH THAT DROVE ABRAHAM FORWARD – AND FAITH SHOULD DRIVE US FORWARD TOO

One thing Abraham could not escape: God had spoken to him. And he knew that this was not a voice that could safely be ignored. He did not know where he was going. What God had promised him was impossible. How could he have any kind of family when he could not have children? He had to leave behind all the familiar places; all the familiar people; and all the security of the people and things of home. But he had God’s promise, and that was all he needed.

We too are called. And as it was for Abraham, so it is for us. We are to be ready to leave everything for the sake of Christ. Do we have that kind of faith? Our lives will show whether we do or not.

Abraham believed God’s promise. Abraham obeyed God’s call. Now it’s very important to understand that that kind of faith is itself a gift from God. Paul makes this point in Romans 4.2 where he says:
If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about - but not before God.
In other words, Abraham could not take any credit at all for what happened to him. He had nothing to boast about – because it was all God’s gift.

So who is the main character in this story? Who can take the credit for what happened? This is not a story starring Abraham. This is a story starring God. In fact everything that counts for anything is done by God. What happens to Abraham is God’s gift to him.

I remember seeing a film version of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Kenneth Branagh adapted the play, and produced the film, and directed it and starred in it as Hamlet. So it is with all that happens to Abraham. Abraham is not up for any Oscars here. God wrote the screenplay. God produces. God directs. God takes the starring role.

Abraham has nothing to boast of. The glory goes to God. It is by the grace of God that Abraham believed.

And notice this as well: faith is the key to a fruitful life.

Abraham – and Sarah with him – were given a promise about what God would do through them. He would give Abraham a land; make him a great nation; and bless the whole world through him.

And Abraham believed the promise. And it has happened! Not because Abraham was faithful, but because God was faithful. Sarah was barren. What is that to God? Faith is all about what you cannot see. It is not about what we see now before our eyes. We may be confined by our circumstances, but God is not.

Just think of the fruitfulness of Abraham and Sarah: the whole nation of Israel, from which Christ himself came; and the millions of spiritual children of faith.

And what about us? Do you want your life to be fruitful? Do you want a life that counts in eternity? We cannot make our lives count. On our own we are nothing. But faith is the key to fruitfulness. And as Christians we inherit the same promise that was given to Abraham. Revelation 7.9 describes…

… a great multitude that no-one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne [of God] and in front of the Lamb.

By faith we find our place in God’s plan to bring that about. Faith is the key to a fruitful life. A life that counts.

So that’s the first lesson. It was faith that drove Abraham forward – and faith should drive us forward too.

Secondly, ABRAHAM KNEW THAT HIS TRUE HOME WAS IN HEAVEN – AND WE NEED TO KNOW THAT TOO

At first glance the promise that God gave Abraham could be seen as purely earthly and materialistic. But its scope in fact goes far beyond any mere patch of Middle Eastern land and any gathering of blood relatives. And the New Testament makes it clear that Abraham knew from the start that any blessings he might experience in this life were strictly provisional. They were just a foretaste of his eternal and heavenly future with God. So he could never settle down. He could never be complacently content. His eyes were always lifted beyond where he had already reached, beyond life itself.

He knew he was an exile. He knew he would not receive the full blessings before his death. So he’s constantly on the move. Verse 6: he “travelled through the land.” Verse 8: “From there he went on … and pitched his tent.” Abraham’s earthly home was a tent – strictly temporary accommodation. Verse 9: “Then Abram set out…” Chapter 13 verse 3: “… he went from place to place…”

And Hebrews 11.9-10 explain why:

By faith [Abraham] made his home in a foreign country; he lived in tents… For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

And verse 16:

… [he] was longing for a better country – a heavenly one.

He knew his real home was the heavenly city. And that’s not all. He was also in some way longing for the coming of Christ. Jesus himself said of Abraham:

“ Your father Abraham rejoiced that he saw my day; he saw it and was glad.” (John 8.56)

In some way, Abraham knew that one day he would see Christ. And that was enough for him. He would trust and obey, and leave the rest to God.

We too are to fix our eyes on Christ in heaven at the right hand of God. Do we know that our home is not here, but in heaven? Our lives will show whether we do or not.

There was an American missionary couple who were returning by sea to America after many long hard years of missionary service abroad. They happened to be on the same ship as the U.S. President who was returning home from a holiday. When the ship docked there was all the razzamatazz to greet the President – crowds and flags and brass bands and speeches. Not a single person came to meet the missionaries, and the husband found himself praying bitterly to God, “Lord, after all we’ve done, does nobody care? Is there nobody even to meet us off the ship now that we’ve come home?” But he was stopped short because he felt God saying to him, “But this is not where you belong, my son. You are not home yet.”

Have you begun to grasp by faith the inheritance that awaits you? It is such a tragedy if Christians go through life with bitterness and dissatisfaction in their hearts because they simply have not understood what God has in store for them.

Abraham never stopped looking to the horizon with the eyes of faith. And God did not let him down. Nor will God let us down. God’s plan for us is that we too should die still living by faith – unless Christ returns first. We need to determine to learn the lesson from Abraham, and consistently to long for the life to come.

Where have we got to? First, it was faith that drove Abraham forward – and faith that should drive us too. Secondly, Abraham knew that his true home was in heaven – and we need to know that too. Then:

Thirdly, GOD KEEPS HIS PROMISE. HE IS FAITHFUL DESPITE ABRAHAM’S SIN – AND DESPITE OURS TOO

If God is the central character in these events, then his central characteristic is his faithfulness. If God promises, it happens. We can be sure of that, even if we see nothing yet. If God promises, then he will do it. At times, Abraham didn’t act consistently with his faith. He did stupid and disobedient things. But God kept his promise, come what may.

So 12.10-20 tell how Abraham went down to Egypt to escape a famine. He was afraid – as if God couldn’t take care of him. So he passed off Sarah as his sister and not his wife, thinking that would secure good treatment. Pharaoh liked the look of her and took her into his harem, unaware that she was another man’s wife. And it took a plague on Pharaoh’s household and a royal deportation order on Abraham and Sarah for the Lord to get Abraham back on the rails again. But get him back on the rails he did.

God’s purpose will not be thwarted. God’s promise is a rock. We will never shake it. Do you know that, right to the core of your soul?

We will never know the security and the peace and the joy that is our birthright as Christians until we understand that God blesses us despite ourselves. Not because we’re good enough. Don’t look at the way that you live, don’t look at your character, and ask yourself: “Is this good enough for God to keep blessing me? Is this good enough for God to love me? Is this good enough that I will be able to take up that place in heaven that the Lord has reserved for me?”

It’s the other way around. We learn to do good, by the grace of God.

Saving faith - this faith which God has given us and which depends on him and not on us - is unwavering faith in Christ as Saviour and Lord, despite our weaknesses, and whatever our circumstances. In the final analysis, despite all his sin, that is the kind of faith that Abraham had..

There may be times in your life when it looks to you as if the Lord is not providing for you. So it must have looked for Abraham as that famine sucked them dry of all their food supplies.

Maybe you have failed God. You have not behaved or reacted in a Godly way in the face of certain pressures. So it was with Abraham.

We feel helpless. We suffer. We fail. We grow impatient. So did Abraham. But the point is this: God does not fail us. He does not let us go. He does not withdraw his Spirit from us. He does not let our faith fail. He strengthens us. He convinces us that what we have tried and failed to do, he can do in us.

And we will find ourselves clinging to Christ through success and failure, prosperity and hardship, happiness and grief. As it was for Abraham, so it will be for us. We may feel the heat. But when we belong to Christ we can know this: He has rescued us and he will rescue us. He has promised it. And that will be enough for us.

Those, then, are the three big themes of Abraham’s experience here. First, his faithful obedience. Secondly, his longing for his heavenly homeland with the God who had called him. And thirdly – most important of all – the faithfulness of the God who spoke those clear promises to the one he had chosen to be the next link in the chain of salvation.

We will meet those themes again and again in the coming weeks. Look out for them. And ask yourself: Is it my faith in the promise of God that drives me forward through life? Do I know deep down that my true home is in heaven? And am I confident that God will keep his promise – despite what I’m like?