There we go. Outstanding. But anyway, it's just a punishment for all the years of attitude I've had about, what are you whining about? Anyway, so. We just finished up our study on the disciples, and I really enjoyed that myself. I hope it was beneficial to everyone else. Today, we're gonna start a new session on a new series of lessons. It's titled The Journey Into Purpose. Now, in the time of Abraham, Abram and Abraham, there was no Bible. God had to communicate with Abraham and start the process of all of that coming into place. God's word is eternal, but man from the fall was without it. And that's important for us to realize. So the title of this first lesson is Initial Steps in Finding God's Purpose for Your Life. The reference, primary reference for the lesson is Genesis 12, one through 20. And so, when it comes to finding God's purpose for one's life, Abraham is a total pioneer. He is, by definition, the pioneer. Pioneers are always a breed apart because they venture into uncharted territory. Without a roadmap in your hand, i.e. a Bible, we'd be kind of stuck. We wouldn't have near the confidence and assurance that we have in whether or not we are in God's will. I think that's important. Abraham has no Bible, church, or pastor, yet he journeys into unknown territory and experiences the wonderful adventure of finding God's purpose for his life. Abraham's prominence in the Bible is evident by the amount of space devoted to him and the way his life is mentioned in the New Testament. For example, three times he is called God's friend. Second Chronicles 27, the Bible says this. Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham, thy friend forever? It's kind of cool to be considered God's friend. And we should be God's friend, for sure. Isaiah 41.8. And it reads as follows, but thou Israel, art my servant. Jacob, whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham, my friend. Once again, God declaring the friendship that he had with Abraham. And then finally in James 2.23, we also find The Bible says that the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness, and he was called the friend of God. I want to be God's friend. All of you want to be God's friend. I think it's really important that we are not at enmity with our Lord and Savior. So the first book of the New Testament traces the genealogy of Christ. To its spiritual beginning, Abraham, we see that in Matthew 1.1. The Bible says, the book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Right there, black and white, our Savior, God in flesh, is the son of Abraham. That's pretty impressive. Pretty impressive to know that that promise that God made to Abraham, way back there when the covenant was established, resulted in the salvation that we enjoy today. And that's important to us. According to Romans 4.11, why is the study of Abraham's life so important to us today? We read in the last part of the book, verse 11, that he might be the father of all them that believe. We're talking about Abraham. Though they be not circumcised, that righteousness might be imputed unto them also. That's what comes to us through that relationship, genealogy, back to Abraham. Because Jesus was that once and only sacrifice that was necessary to impute that righteousness to us. Without that, none of us have any righteousness that's fit to even look at. What's the Bible say about our righteousness? It's filthy rags, exactly. And that convicts me more than anything else. It's like anything that I can do, absolutely worthless. So in the Bible, Moses is the great lawgiver. David, the great king. Elijah, the greatest Old Testament prophet. You could never be a lawgiver like Moses. You could never be Israel's greatest king like David. You can never be a prophet like Elijah, but you can, like Abraham, be God's friend by finding and fulfilling his purpose for your life. In this lesson, we'll find that that takes four initial steps. So let's go to the Lord in prayer before we continue on with the lesson. Father, we just thank you so much for your word illuminates for us all of these truths that you've set down and sent down through the ages to us. Lord, we thank you so much for your word. We thank you so much for Jesus Christ who died for us on the cross and the salvation that we enjoy because of that sacrifice. We ask now that you'd be with us in the lesson, guide and direct us, give me the words to speak and Lord, just give us all ears to hear your word and eyes to see. These things we pray in Jesus' precious and holy name, amen. All right, so the first one of those initial steps is we need to activate when you hear God's voice, activate. So that's like, I'm driving up to my house. I wanna go in my house usually when I'm arriving there, and I have a little button. on my sun visor, I push that button and what happens? Something in that garage activates and that door opens up, it's pure magic. Really, it's what it would seem like to a person of, say, Abraham's time. It was a miraculous thing that happens. Anyway, we need to activate like that when we hear God's voice. That's the garage door opener for us. God tells us something, we find it in his word, we need to activate. Now Abraham is born around 2,160 years BC and is known as Abram until God changes his name to Abraham when he establishes the covenant of circumcision. Now this is found Genesis 17, five through 10. I'm gonna read what God's word says about this. Starting in verse five. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham. For a father of many nations have I made thee, and I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee, and I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations. for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee and to thy seed after thee the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God. And God said unto Abraham, thou shalt keep my covenant therefore thou and thy seed after thee in their generations. This is my covenant which ye shall keep between me and you and thy seed after thee. Every man child among you shall be circumcised. Abraham grows up in Ur. My son has actually been to Ur, my oldest son, and he said it was kind of, they went to the gate of the city, he was in southeast Iraq where he was stationed at the time, and the chaplain took a group of the guys and they went out to the city of Ur, which is really kind of, There's nothing specific about the city of Ur that is any great exposition of God in that place. But it gives you a sense of knowing now where Abraham and where all of this began. And he said it was kind of a moving experience to just stand there in that gate and watch the sun come up and realize Abraham himself had stood right there. seen that very thing. But he grew up in Ur with his father Terah and two brothers, Nahor and Haran. Haran becomes the father of Lot. And Genesis 11, 27 tells us, so now these are the generations of Terah. Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran. And Haran begat Lot. After his brother Haran dies, Abram, his wife Sarai or Sarai, some different pronunciations that I could find for it, his father Tira and his nephew Lot leave Ur and settle in Haran. Now there is a map in my guidebook here, but if you look at your Old Testament in your Bible, you have maps that are associated with it. You see, where Ur is at, the Abrahamic travels and those kinds of things. There usually is a map in every Bible that provides you with that. So you can get an idea of the lay of the land. But in Genesis 11, 31 to 32, we find this. And Terah took Abram, his son, and Lot, the son of Haran, his son's son, and Sarai, his daughter-in-law. his son Abram's wife, and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees to go into the land of Canaan. And they came unto Haran and dwelt there. And the days of Terah were 205 years, and Terah died in Haran." So at that point, Abraham is the patriarch for that family. God's call initially became to Abraham while living in Ur in Acts 7.1-2. But now God speaks to him again in Haran in Acts 7.1-2. Then said the high priest, that's what we're talking about in the times following the crucifixion of Christ, are these things so? And he said, men, brethren and fathers hearken, the God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Sharon. So right there in the Bible we see again, God has appeared to Abraham. God also says he will make him a great nation, make his name great, and make him a blessing. In Genesis 12, 2, we read, and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee and make thy name great, and thou shalt be a blessing. God has three very important purposes for his call on Abram. First, he has a land he wants to show Abram. Second, he wants to make Abram's seed a great nation. This promise was fulfilled physically since Abraham is the father of the Hebrew race. But how is it also fulfilled spiritually according to Galatians 1, 7? We read, know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same, just by being in faith, the same are the children of Abraham. Technically, children of Abraham, why? Because we're adopted into God's family through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. That's an amazing thought to me. Third, God says he will make Abram's name great. These promises are amazing because when God makes them, Abraham is 75 years old, and Sarai is barren, his wife is barren, and she's very nearly the same age. This is found in Genesis 11.30, but Sarai was barren. She had no child. So God's promising to make us great nations and kings and everything else are gonna come out of that lineage, but he has no descendants. So in Genesis 12.5 we read, and Abram took Sarai, his wife, and Lot, his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered Oh, excuse me, I forgot a little bit here. However, God makes the promise, Abraham believes, and then he leaves, taking Sarai, his wife, and Lot, his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran, and goes to Canaan. So Genesis 12, five, and Abram took Sarai, his wife, and Lot, his brother's son, all that, and the souls they had gotten in Haran, and they came forth to go into the land of Canaan, and into the land of Canaan they came. What makes Abram's obedience so remarkable according to Hebrews 11.8? In 11.8 we read, by faith Abraham, this is from the 11th chapter we all know as the Hall of Fame, the Faith Hall of Fame. But it says, by faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should, and after receive for an inheritance, obeyed and he went out. not knowing where there he went. He didn't have a clue about what Canaan was like, and he didn't even really know anything about the countryside as he was going along. So he was, by day, having to live by faith. All God tells Abraham is to go to a land that I will show thee, and that's found in Genesis 12, one. Now the Lord had said unto Abram, get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee. God says, I want you to leave, but I'm not telling you your destination. Have you ever taken a trip and not known where you're going to wind up? We are not that way. I tell you, for me, if I'm going someplace, I have a route already laid out, maybe even have it written down as to how this trip is going to go and where we're going to stop. Of course, that makes spontaneity a little problematic. But anyway, I try to be more spontaneous, don't I, April? She's not listening to me now. Anyway. God says I want you to leave, but I'm not telling you where we're going. And to find God's will is for the present, not knowing where it might lead. That's for us. Finding God's purpose for your life is like steering a car. You can't steer it unless it's moving. Actively serving the Lord by attending worship services, Bible studies, and any other available opportunities where we are likely to hear God's voice. We find God's purpose one step at a time. God never reveals the whole deal in the beginning. We must be faithful in the little, everyday things. We know this because of this statement Jesus made in Luke 16.10. And in Luke 16.10 we read, he that is faithful in that which is least is faithful in much. And he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. So we have to be faithful. Initial steps in finding God's purpose are, we have to activate when you hear God's voice. And number two, We need to communicate with God. This is found Genesis 12, six through nine. When Abram arrives at his destination, Canaan, he is surprised to find there are Canaanites in the land. What, you mean you're sending me someplace that's already occupied? Exactly. In Genesis 6, 12-6, we read, and Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sikkim, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. The Canaanites were descendants of Canaan, who was the son of Ham, one of Noah's sons. You can find this in Genesis 9.22, and it says, and Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brethren without. They were extremely immoral, violent people, the Canaanites. This had to be very upsetting for Abram, but the Lord appears to him and says, unto thy seed will I give this land, in Genesis 12.7. And that reads, and the Lord appeared unto Abram and said, unto thy seed will I give this land. And there builded he an altar unto the Lord who appeared unto him. At the Lord's Supper, referring to his betrayal, Jesus says, but that the scripture may be fulfilled. He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me. John 13, 18. I speak not to you all, I know whom I have chosen, but that the scripture may be fulfilled. So Abram builds an altar to the Lord. Abram then travels southward and sets up camp in the hill country between Bethel on the west and Hai on the east. This is Genesis 12.8. And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west and Hai on the east. And there he builded an altar unto the Lord, and called upon the name of the Lord. About 10 miles north of what is now Jerusalem, that's where this happened. There he again builds an altar and calls on the Lord. The Hebrew word translated altar is mizbeach, means place of slaughter or sacrifice. Anytime we begin to search for God's purpose for our lives, there will be sacrifices to make. We live today in a Canaanite society. Am I wrong in saying that? I think we're very much There's a lot of immorality and ungodliness that is around us every day. But we live in this Kenyanite society with sexual immorality, pornography, profanity, and violence. In fact, I would bet you there's not a lick of difference between those heathens and our heathens and us. Therefore, we all need an altar where we can regularly obey this command found in Romans 12.1. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Finding God's purpose always requires offering ourselves to God as living sacrifices. This means we have an altar, a suitable place where we can be alone with God and commune with him without interruptions. In Genesis 12.8, the Hebrew word translated is kerah. It has the idea of accosting a person or intrusively calling out to someone. Things weren't working out like Abram thought they would, so he begins to pray intensely. When we follow God's direction, we expect everything to be hunky-dory. But it seldom is. Sometimes when we are obeying God as best we know how, our lives get more rather than less difficult. After praying, Abram continues toward the south under the dry desert country in southern Canaan. This is found in 12.9, and it's very straightforward. The Bible says it like this, and Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south. Now, that southern heading is going to wind up being a problem for him a little later. Many times when we are seeking or fulfilling God's purpose for our lives, we must spend some time in the desert. Immediately after the Lord Jesus was baptized, which was the inauguration of his earthly ministry, what do we read in Matthew 4.1? Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. So to find God's purpose for your life, you must take these initial steps. Activate when you hear God's voice and communicate with God. Third step in this pathway is anticipate problems. Any of you ever had no problems? happen every day, don't they? So we should be anticipating problems. It should not be a surprise to us when we have problems, especially as believers, because that's the pathway we're on. Sometimes we mistakenly put the great heroes of faith on pedestals of perfection as if they are superhuman. However, This is not how God's word describes its key characters. With shocking candidness, God tells the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth to us in his word and about his great saints. He writes about Noah's getting drunk. Well, that's not something that we're proud of Noah doing. Samson's weakness for women. Another bad way to go, Samson. And David's adultery. Man after God's own heart. Even the greatest of all Old Testament prophets, Elijah, had lapses of faith. And why was this? According to James 5.17, we read, Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are. Well, there's a shock. You mean this famous, wonderful prophet of old times that we revere by what we read of his writings in the Bible? He was just like we are? Yeah, that's the way it works. And he prayed earnestly that it might not rain. And it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. So here he is, he's a frail man, he has light kinds of ways that he is, like we are, and yet he has the faith and the ability to pray to God, and God grants his prayer, and it didn't rain in Israel for three years and six months. Since Abram is also human, just like us, when he faces starvation during a famine in the land, he didn't consult the Lord, but he goes on down into Egypt to sojourn there. For the famine was grievous in the land. That's found Genesis 12.10. That paraphrasing is almost exactly as what the Bible says. Because his well-being and life seem in jeopardy, Abram panics. Now God's scorched promised land doesn't look nearly as good as the fertile banks of the Nile River. So without asking God, Abram goes to Egypt. Following God's purpose for our lives doesn't mean an end to our trials. Even in the midst of fulfilling God's purpose, there may be a financial pain or relationship problems, various other personal struggles. At this point, we must remember These words of Jesus in John 16, 33. These things have I spoken unto you that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. That's amazing promise right there. Knowing his wife Sarai is beautiful even at the age of 65. Abram anticipates having a problem when he enters Egypt. Because she looks so young and beautiful, she could do a facial cream commercial today. Abram now knows the Egyptians would kill him to have her. Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister, that it may be well with me for thy sake, and my soul shall live because of thee. This is found in Genesis 12, 13. This was at best a half-truth, because she is his half-sister. Genesis 20, 12, we find that. But she is also his wife. Now, to us, that sounds a little odd. But you've got to remember that there's not as many folks around. And sometimes, I mean, where did the sons of Adam get their wives? It just had to happen at some point. Perhaps Abrams thinks if he is thought to be her brother, any marriage arrangements would have to be made with him, and he could negotiate with them until the famine was over, and he could beat feet back to the promised land, or to Canaan. Sarai agrees, and when they arrive in Egypt, the Egyptians see Sarai is a very beautiful woman. So in Genesis 12, 14 we read, And it came to pass that when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman, that she was very fair. But things get much worse when Pharaoh's officials see her, because they praise her beauty to Pharaoh. And what happens? She's taken into Pharaoh's house in Genesis 12, 15. The princess also of Pharaoh saw her and commended her before Pharaoh, and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house. Now what happens when you're taken into the king's house in these kinds of situations? She's technically being made his wife. This means she became one of Pharaoh's wives, Genesis 12, 19. As a result, Pharaoh rewards Abram with several kinds of livestock and servants. found in Genesis 12, 16. And this is a pretty interesting checklist. It says, and he untreated Abram well for her sake. And he had sheep and oxen and he asses and men's servants and maid servants and she asses and camels delivered up to Abram. So Abram just made a killing. And he's got, this is all new. His riches just increased probably double, which is, not actually something that would be very pleasing to the Lord. Abram's deceit seems to be paying off, as it must seem to some of us when we get over on things. But we know it's not right. That's about to change. So initial steps again, review, activate when you hear God's voice, communicate with God, and anticipate problems, which Abraham did. He came up with this lie, but it was not the way he should have handled it. And then four, we need to capitulate to God's discipline. Found Genesis 12, 17 through 20. Abram is apparently happy as he ignores God's purpose for his life and counts his sheep, cattle, and servants. Yeah, I did okay here, didn't I? However, in the midst of Abram's sin, God doesn't forsake him, but intervenes and inflicts Pharaoh and his household with a great plague because of Sarai. Genesis 12, 17. Pharaoh knows the plagues are some kind of curse, and somehow discovers Sarai is Abram's wife. As sad as it is, we now see a pagan ruler acting with more integrity than Abraham does. Pharaoh calls Abram and says, why did you do this? He said, why did you say she is my sister? And Abram, of course, says, well, I might have taken, so I, and of course, Pharaoh's saying, I might have taken her to meet wife. I mean, he didn't want to have that adultery in his record. He says, though, continuing in the 19th verses, why did sayest thou, she is my sister, so I might have taken her to meet a wife? Now therefore, behold thy wife, take her and go thy way. Which is pretty generous, they're leaving with their lives. but it's gonna get better than that. Before we come down too hard on Abram and Sarai, we need to remember they came out of a land and lived in a pagan culture. They had no guidelines on this than the morality of it at that point in time. Their morals were not based on the Bible because they never had one. So we shouldn't act holier than thou. Given the right circumstances, none of us are beyond any kind of sin. And remember, Abram was fearful for his life. That's why the Bible gives us this warning in 1 Corinthians 10, 12. Wherefore, let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. So we're bearing judgment on Abram and Sarah. We're not right. One of the wonderful things about our gracious God is even when we get off course in his purpose for our lives, he doesn't forsake us. When we get out of God's will, he often sends a storm, as he did with Jonah. In the case of Abram and Sarai, to change our course and get us back on track, Pharaoh was God's storm. He orders Abram, to be sent on his way with his wife and all he has. In Genesis 12, 20 we read, and Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him, and they sent him away and his wife, and here's the key part, all that he had. That includes the stuff that Pharaoh had just given him. This is a wonderful example of this abomination found in Hebrews 12. It reads like this. and ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, my son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord. It's an abomination if we despise our chastening. Nor faint when thou art rebuked of him. So we need to keep that in our minds too. If we're chastened, we should be thankful. Thank you, Lord, for reminding me what my status is. And, This is, if we go on, four initial steps were found in finding God's purpose. Activate when you hear God's voice, communicate with God, anticipate problems, and capitulate to God's discipline. Which of these have been most difficult in finding God's purpose for your life? And maybe you'd think, I mean, this is for reflection, and maybe why. So now, next Sunday, we will be continuing on with our journey into purpose, or finding God's purpose for your life. We will be studying the life of Abraham still, and the second lesson is titled, Making Good Decisions. I think that'll be a fun lesson. Anyway, thank you very much for your attention. Let's go to the Lord in prayer.