Message topic: A Man of Faith and Peace
Scripture text: Genesis 12: 1-7
I do believe that a large percentage of Christians do agree that the Bible can be thought of as a road map to God’s eternal kingdom, and that whosoever will diligently follow it, will end up in the presence of God.
We also believe that as we travel this roar, we will find the names of many who has traveled this road and their names are symbols indicating to us that we are on the right tract that leads to the everlasting kingdom of the All-mighty God who is waiting to receive all who seek His forgiveness of their sins against Him.
This road is called the road of faith and peace: this morning we are going to follow the steps of one man who was called to exercise his faith and peace and to see if he ever gained what he hoped for.
The name of this man whom we are going to follow is Abram, but who was Abram? And why do we chose to follow him on his journey of faith and peace? We also know that Abram was not a God- fearing man, but was called by God who told what to do.
First, when God called him, he made it clear to him that his family was not welcome: God was calling him to a complete separation from his past and everything he held dear: this must have been a terrifying prospect to him to leave the ones whom he knew and loves.
Leaving his own homeland, culture and family to become an unprotected wanderer abroad, in addition, in a society where one’s culture and family were of the highest importance and held in the greatest esteem, this could not have been easy for Abram to have to reject his father’s pagan values and standards.
The question may be asked, why did God choose Abram out of all the people of the earth to become the one through whom He would bring about a holy nation unto Himself?
Abram is honored by the Jews, Muslims, and Christians as a great man of faith and peace for which it was it was counted to him for righteousness: but in what way did he follow and serve God before being called by Yahweh?
Abram was born and raised in Ur of the Chaldees, which is in Iraq, near Nasiriyah in the southeastern part of the county. In Joshua 24: 2 says that Abram and his father worshiped idols. We can make some educated guesses about their religion by looking at the history and religious artifacts from that period.
In Geneses 12 starting at verse 4, we find these words, so Abram departed as the Lord had spoken unto him: and Lot went with him and Abram was seventy- five years old when he departed out of Haran.
He took with him his wife Sarai and Lot his brother’s son Lot, and all their substances that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan.
Before they reached the land of Canaan there was a change in their company, he had to demonstrate peace among them-selves.
We find these words in Genesis Thirteen starting at verse five: and Lot also which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents, and the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together.
There were strife between the herdsmen’s of Abram’s cattle and between the herdsmen’s of Lot’s cattle: then Abram said unto Lot, let there be no strife, I pray thee between me and thee, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, because we are one.
Is not the whole land before thee? Separate thyself, I pray from me: if you will take the left hand, then I will go to the right. Abran was known as a man of faith and peace, and when he saw that conflict was creeping in among the people in there company, he did what was necessary to keep the peace in pleasing God.
After Lot had separated from him: God said to him, lift up your eyes now and look from the place where you are northward, southward, eastward, and westward, for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever: and I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. Arise, walk in the land through its length and width, for I give it all to you.
Now Abram’s faith in God grew even more as God is telling him that even though he is an old man, his descendants will one day be in number as the dust of the earth.
We find these words in (Hebrews 11: 9-10) by faith he dwell in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundation, whose builder and maker is God.
It is listed in Hebrews 11 that the actions of Abram faith in God and as a peace maker who demonstrated his faith in God, was counted to him for righteousness: this makes him a righteous man, a man of faith and a peace maker.
I believe at this point there was something on Abraham’s mind, as he was told that his descendants would be as the dust of the ground: He was now eighty six years old, and there was no children, his wife’s handmade was offered to him to produce a child for his wife Sarai, but God told him that his descendants would come through he himself and his wife Sarai.
God the All Mighty always keep His promises, when Abram was 100 years old and his wife Sarai 90 old a son was born to them whom they named Isaac through all the descendants of Abraham would come.
In the days of Abraham, one of the ways to give thanks to God was to offer sacrifices to Him. The greatest test of Abraham’s faith from God would come to him when his son Isaac was between 12 and 13 years old, to offer his only son to God as a sacrifice.
Did he have such a faith in his God whom he had been trusting all these years? Was he willing to offer the sacrifice which God asked of him? the answer is yes:
There is no straight answer to the time it took them to travel from Ur of the Chaldeans to Cannan, keeping in mind that they had no defined path for their flocks and herds through the wilderness, and God had provided for them and kept His promises to him.
Abraham was told that his descendants would be in number as the stars which he could not count, or like the sands of the sea, and this would come through his and Sarah’s loins, now he was told to offer Issac his only son as a sacrifice to God, would he willingly do this through his faith in God.
After three day’s journey to mount Maria which God told him to offer the sacrifice, he said to the servants who was with them, tarry here while I and the lad will go and offer the sacrifice and we will be back.
He believed that if he would give to God what He asked of him, He would in some miraculous way bring him back to me, and his plans would be fulfilled.
Can you and I have such a faith as Abram? Are we ready to do the task he is asking us to do with-out fear or doubt? Is the God of Abraham the same we called our God Today?
Abraham was called a righteous man because of his faith and peacemaker, what will you and I have to do to be called a righteous person?