THE JOURNEY TO THE PROMISE
Genesis 12:1-5
Genesis 12:1-5
1 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.
2 “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. 3 I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”
4 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.
NIV
Noah died 2108 BC. Abraham was born 2160 BC. Abraham lived 52 years before before Noah’s death. It is very possible that Abraham learned the righteousness of God from Noah. If so Abraham learned about the building
Of the Ark, the events of the flood, the promise God gave to Noah and the
Start of a new generation from Noah’s family.
Both attitudes of righteousness and sin came out of the Ark. The generations of Noah’s younger son Ham was cursed and became the inhabitants of Canaan Ham son was named Cannan who became the enemy of God worshiping idol gods.
Abraham is a descendant of Noah’s son Shem. Abraham became known as the father of righteousness. Haran is said to be in Turkey which is the
Country where the Noah’s Ark landed.
I want emphasize four points in this text,
God got a call on your life
The call requires a journey
The call begins and ends with a promise
You are part of God’s master Plan
Let me suggest having lived with Noah, Abram knew the plan of God to populate the earth. He had witness other generation being scattered across the Earth. He had faith that God would lead him and his family to the right place. I believe Abraham had faith that God would provide and protect His family. Abraham had been blessed by God and responded out of gratitude and obedience.
GOD’S GOT A CALL ON YOUR LIFE
God’s prepares you for His call by putting people and influences in your life
That directs you to Him. Any athlete has to be prepared for the big day with years of training by different coaches. It is a journey that leads to the big race. It does not happen overnight. It takes years of strenuous exercise,
Discipline and commitment.
Abram was the tenth generation from Noah living in Haran which is a place
In Turkey it is the same county where the Ark landed. According to the timeline, Abram could have spent the first 52 years of His life learning from Noah before he died. God proclaimed Noah at 500 years old as a righteous man. God later claimed Abram as a righteous man. He was trained to know God’s Word, His power, grace and mercy. He had learned to hear the voice
Of God.
When God called he was ready for the call. Abraham responded to the call
To leave his country. His fathers house, his people and travel to a location unknown to him. To serve God require a commitment to go and do as He
Directs.
God promised that Abraham would be blessed and a blessing to others.
God sees us with potential for greatness not according to man but according to His plan.
God’s call comes with divine protection. He would be blessed by others
And curse others who curse him. If God is for you, no one can stand against you.
As believers we have the power to bless others with our mouths and resources. All generations can be blessed by what we do for God.
GOD’S CALL REQUIRES A JOURNEY
The journey is a growth path of righteousness, obedience, commitment and trust. The journey will take you to places you have never been, put you in contact with different people and new experiences. It will not always be easy but with God it will be successful.
At 75 years old, God told Abram to leave his father, relatives and country then go to a place he had not been. Sometimes God has to remove the distractions from your life to trust and focus on Him. God uses people who will commit to the journey.
Abraham’a father Terah set out with his family to Canaan but got distracted
And settled in Haran.( According to Acts 7:2-4 the call was to Abram who went with his father from Ur of the Caldeans to go to Canaan but stopped at Haran). Agan, God call Abraham out Haran to go to Canaan. It is
Very possible that people of Haran were not followers of God.
You have to separate yourself from people who distract you from the plan of God. It may be parents, friends and relatives and it could be the location.
GOD’S JOURNEY WILL REQUIRE SACRIFICES
Genesis 12:5-9
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.
The travel to Canaan was not as simple as packing some bags getting in
Car and driving few hours. This was a journey on foot with people
Animals and household items. The distance is estimated to be 400 miles
And may have taken 4 to 5 months. Not only was Abram traveling with
His family but also with Lot, his nephews family and belongings.
I can imagine it was with daily problems and family issues. Like children
On a trip, when we are going to eat and when we are going to get there.
THE JOURNEY BEGINS WITH A PROMISE AND CONTINUOUS IN THE PROMISE
6 Abram traveled 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. 7 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.
The journey started with the promise of a land, a people and a kingdom.
God keeps His promises. From time to time we need to stop and reflect
On what God has done in our lives. Let me suggest that the journey
Started with a relationship with God, prayer, worship and obedience.
We don’t always know where the journey with God will take us, but we
Do know the one who is in charge.
Notice. God promise was fulfilled to Abram in parts. The land of Canaan was given to Abram’s offsprings. Abram and Sarah had no children at
That time. Second, the land was occupied by the Canaanites. The completion of the promise of the land would take place after Abram’s
death.
THE JOURNEY WITH GOD WILL BE SUCCESSFUL
8 From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. 9 Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev.
In the text we do not find anything that stopped the progress to the promised land. God’s promise of protection and provisions was continuously fulfilled,
In gratitude, praise and worship Abram built an altar in the name of the Lord. We should continue to give God credit for our journey, Major accomplishments require a time set aside to praise the Lord. We must
Come to realize that each day is a day of worship Just as God rested after
Six days of creation, we ought to use this as a way to put God first in the
Accompaniments of our lives
YOU ARE PART OF GOD’S MASTER PLAN
The journey with God is never complete. Abraham was given the command by God to go to the promised land. The Canaanites occupied
The fertile part of the land. After worship at altar, Abram continue to Negev which was a desert area of Canaan. He settled his family in the desert.
It makes no sense to me for God to make you a promise of a possession
That will only be fulfilled by your descendants. However on the other hand
It is comforting to know that your faith and obedience paves the way for the success of your children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and beyond.
Even though Abram did not see the fulfillment of the entire promise, he believed it to be true. The promise of a great name would be fulfilled in
Future generations through Jesus Christ.
The promised land for believers today is not a location on this earth but a destination in God’s grace and mercy.. We live our lives In the desert of darkness until God reveals His Word to us. The promised land for believers after the death of Jesus is the new Heaven and New Earth.
God’s master plan is for us to grow in wisdom and knowledge through
The power of the Holy Spirit. Knowledge of His Word and wisdom to
Apply it to our daily lives. The promised land is filled with unknowns that’
God reveals to us as we become capable of understanding. God’s master
Plan is that we learn to trust Him in all situations.
The Plan in the Garden of Eden was victory through adversity.
Satan would bruise the woman’s seed (Jesus) on the heal, but
The woman’s seed would bruise Satan on the head
The head bruise is fatal. Jesus is the victory. You and I are part of God’s Plan of victory over sin.
SUMMARY
GOD’S GOT A CALL ON YOUR LIFE
THE CALL REQUIRES A JOURNEY
THE CALL REQUIRES A SACRIFICE
THE CALL BEGINS AND CONTINUES WITH PROMISES
YOU ARE PART OF GOD’S MASTER PLAN
REV M. MITCHELL
