Developing Abrahamic Faith Pt. 2
Pastor Samuel Tyler
Genesis 12:1 God tells Abraham to leave his country and relatives. Without God moving on Abraham’s heart the clarity of the message to him would have been distorted. He could have discerned that he was to leave but it’s possible that he would have went to the wrong destination. Jesus said go into all the world. The Holy Spirit has to lead you to the part of the world that He desires of you. The second process of developement in the faith of Abraham was the persecution by Nimrod. Jesus said, Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:10-12 NKJV) The Lord was developing Abrahamic faith because Jesus is stating that He wants the kingdom of heaven manifested in the earth. The Lord also was seeking to bless Abraham in the highest manner. This test can not be found in the OT. There are two references in the OT that refer to a book that both Joshua and David read. It is a valuable source of knowledge. It is called the book of Jasher. (Joshua 13:13 ; 2 Samuel 1:18) A link to the book has been provided that will help as we continue to peer into the faith of Abraham. http://m.ccel.org/ccel/anonymous/jasher/home.html Both Joshua and David felt this book was reliable as evidently the scripture states for our enrichment. The book of Jasher gives great detail into the life of Abraham facing Nimrod and the other processes needed to develop Abrahamic faith. Abraham displays his faith by the actions taken in his life. Abraham was aware of the consequences of refusal to bow to Nimrod. Due to the purity of his heart he was able to face a world ruler and eventually defeat him. As stated in Genesis 14:1 later Abraham defeated Nimrod(Amraphel of Shinar) in war while rescuing Lot. The Spirit of God instructed Abraham to leave his family as the third step in the development of his faith. As stated If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. (Luke 14:26, 27 NASB) Jesus must be Lord of our lives. Family and friendship love that we normally display is not the love of god. It is a natural human love than all men are capable of expressing. If Jesus is not Lord then unholy soul ties to our family will result. If the Lord would ask of us something that would conflict with family values or desires and we choose it rather than Him then it says to Him that they are more important to us. Luke16:27-28 states that a man in hell being tormented had concern for his family in the earth. Abrahamic faith is displayed by his obedience to leave his family and homeland. Abraham tried to leave his family but his relatives hindered him in his separation. He moved through the hindrances obeying the voice of the Lord. I’ve noticed that all the great acts of faith were performed when God dealt with His people in supernatural ways. The supernatural affects the emotion and will giving us the power to move beyond natural limitations. That is the reason we posted other articles to help you open up to God’s ways. In our own lives we received direction from the Holy Spirit to leave where we lived and move to our present location in 1985. We had to resist the concerns of people to obey the Lord. When I spoke to my mother about it she went silent. I had a family to be responsible for but my wife was also fully persuaded by the Holy Spirit. The Lord moved supernaturally to provide for us financially to fulfill His will. Then all realized it was the leading of the Lord that we were following. The fourth step in the development of Abrahamic faith was the famine in Canaan. Before his arrival the adversary put up a contradiction of Abraham’s expectations in order to see if he would return home or remain faithful. The Lord said that he was going to bless the development of Abrahamic faith. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. (Hebrews 11:15 NKJV) Isaac his son stayed in Israel during famine and prospered at the Lord’s direction. Genesis 26:12 Is it possible that Abraham taught Isaac what he learned about God in the development of his faith life. Abraham went into Egypt imperiling the life of Sarah and himself. Though he went to Egypt, his relationship due to his faithful obedience enabled the family the protection of God. Sarah was rescued by a visitation of God to the king. The more committed one is to the Lord the more he treats you like a good husband would a loving wife. Isaiah 54:5 For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called. The Lord of host(armies) implies Him as our protector. All of the developements that have been examined up to this point were before God and Abraham cut covenant. The fifth process of developement was the rescue of Lot from the confederation of kings which included Nimrod (Amraphel). Genesis 14:1 This war is one of the most overlooked miracles in all of God’s word. Evidence of Abraham the teacher is the training of his servants for war. Later you find him circumcising the whole household which included the servants that engaged in that war. Trained in God, Abraham took a 318 servants and defeated an army of thousands without loosing a single person. Before we proceed further it should be noted that Abraham had much more of the knowledge of God than is apparent. Here is a scriptural reference that is overlooked but informative. Because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” (Genesis 26:5 ESV) The scripture states that he had commandments, statutes, and laws. Much has been said about Abraham giving tithes to Melchizedek, but tithing was a practice that was well established in he earth. This scripture hints at an ongoing system of worship established by God. Extra biblical books like the book of Jasher are great sources of insight. Melchizedek was priest of the most high God and Abraham knew to present his gift to him. Let’s follow the Lord in the development of Abrahamic faith by honoring the Lord with our increase. Love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your being, and all your strength. (Deuteronomy 6:5 CEB) The word strength in Hebrew is define by Hebrew people as finances. How we handle our treasure is the barometer of our heart love for Him. Abraham brought his increase to God and honored the Lord an God presented him with a covenant meal. Let’s walk in the Abrahamic faith and bring heaven to earth as did Father Abraham.
Genesis 12:1 God tells Abraham to leave his country and relatives. Without God moving on Abraham’s heart the clarity of the message to him would have been distorted. He could have discerned that he was to leave but it’s possible that he would have went to the wrong destination. Jesus said go into all the world. The Holy Spirit has to lead you to the part of the world that He desires of you. The second process of developement in the faith of Abraham was the persecution by Nimrod. Jesus said, Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:10-12 NKJV) The Lord was developing Abrahamic faith because Jesus is stating that He wants the kingdom of heaven manifested in the earth. The Lord also was seeking to bless Abraham in the highest manner. This test can not be found in the OT. There are two references in the OT that refer to a book that both Joshua and David read. It is a valuable source of knowledge. It is called the book of Jasher. (Joshua 13:13 ; 2 Samuel 1:18) A link to the book has been provided that will help as we continue to peer into the faith of Abraham. http://m.ccel.org/ccel/anonymous/jasher/home.html Both Joshua and David felt this book was reliable as evidently the scripture states for our enrichment. The book of Jasher gives great detail into the life of Abraham facing Nimrod and the other processes needed to develop Abrahamic faith. Abraham displays his faith by the actions taken in his life. Abraham was aware of the consequences of refusal to bow to Nimrod. Due to the purity of his heart he was able to face a world ruler and eventually defeat him. As stated in Genesis 14:1 later Abraham defeated Nimrod(Amraphel of Shinar) in war while rescuing Lot. The Spirit of God instructed Abraham to leave his family as the third step in the development of his faith. As stated If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. (Luke 14:26, 27 NASB) Jesus must be Lord of our lives. Family and friendship love that we normally display is not the love of god. It is a natural human love than all men are capable of expressing. If Jesus is not Lord then unholy soul ties to our family will result. If the Lord would ask of us something that would conflict with family values or desires and we choose it rather than Him then it says to Him that they are more important to us. Luke16:27-28 states that a man in hell being tormented had concern for his family in the earth. Abrahamic faith is displayed by his obedience to leave his family and homeland. Abraham tried to leave his family but his relatives hindered him in his separation. He moved through the hindrances obeying the voice of the Lord. I’ve noticed that all the great acts of faith were performed when God dealt with His people in supernatural ways. The supernatural affects the emotion and will giving us the power to move beyond natural limitations. That is the reason we posted other articles to help you open up to God’s ways. In our own lives we received direction from the Holy Spirit to leave where we lived and move to our present location in 1985. We had to resist the concerns of people to obey the Lord. When I spoke to my mother about it she went silent. I had a family to be responsible for but my wife was also fully persuaded by the Holy Spirit. The Lord moved supernaturally to provide for us financially to fulfill His will. Then all realized it was the leading of the Lord that we were following. The fourth step in the development of Abrahamic faith was the famine in Canaan. Before his arrival the adversary put up a contradiction of Abraham’s expectations in order to see if he would return home or remain faithful. The Lord said that he was going to bless the development of Abrahamic faith. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. (Hebrews 11:15 NKJV) Isaac his son stayed in Israel during famine and prospered at the Lord’s direction. Genesis 26:12 Is it possible that Abraham taught Isaac what he learned about God in the development of his faith life. Abraham went into Egypt imperiling the life of Sarah and himself. Though he went to Egypt, his relationship due to his faithful obedience enabled the family the protection of God. Sarah was rescued by a visitation of God to the king. The more committed one is to the Lord the more he treats you like a good husband would a loving wife. Isaiah 54:5 For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called. The Lord of host(armies) implies Him as our protector. All of the developements that have been examined up to this point were before God and Abraham cut covenant. The fifth process of developement was the rescue of Lot from the confederation of kings which included Nimrod (Amraphel). Genesis 14:1 This war is one of the most overlooked miracles in all of God’s word. Evidence of Abraham the teacher is the training of his servants for war. Later you find him circumcising the whole household which included the servants that engaged in that war. Trained in God, Abraham took a 318 servants and defeated an army of thousands without loosing a single person. Before we proceed further it should be noted that Abraham had much more of the knowledge of God than is apparent. Here is a scriptural reference that is overlooked but informative. Because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” (Genesis 26:5 ESV) The scripture states that he had commandments, statutes, and laws. Much has been said about Abraham giving tithes to Melchizedek, but tithing was a practice that was well established in he earth. This scripture hints at an ongoing system of worship established by God. Extra biblical books like the book of Jasher are great sources of insight. Melchizedek was priest of the most high God and Abraham knew to present his gift to him. Let’s follow the Lord in the development of Abrahamic faith by honoring the Lord with our increase. Love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your being, and all your strength. (Deuteronomy 6:5 CEB) The word strength in Hebrew is define by Hebrew people as finances. How we handle our treasure is the barometer of our heart love for Him. Abraham brought his increase to God and honored the Lord an God presented him with a covenant meal. Let’s walk in the Abrahamic faith and bring heaven to earth as did Father Abraham.
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