When GOD APPEARS, BUILD AN ALTAR S1e69 Gen12:4
Blessing of the people of God
12 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the landthat I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Miraculous in itself---that God would care, and come
We’ve been awed by Creation, Fall, Flood EPICNESS
Now microtize to a man; to a man’s family, future family
HE HAS NO FAMILY
Tension of trust BEFORE the Promise******
Trusting in the person of God before the promises of God are evident.********
FATHER exhalted has no kids.
People of Abraham, People from EBER Hebrews
BUT WAIT, THERE’s MORE
Watch for activity of people NOT (yet) of God
Who all the families of the earth. All of them. All
Only plan, only people,
If you want a blessing from God, YOU HAVE TO COME THROUGH THIS FAMILY*********
If you want a blessing from God, you have to come through this God***
So offensive?
(4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, 6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.8 From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. 9 And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb. )
Abram went. As the LORD HAD TOLD HIM
God is in this from the first step.
v.7 1st appearance. To patriarchs. Abraham Isaac Jacob
2nd ‘appearance’ after obedience.
Perhaps we can learn to be obedient first before revelation
Faithfulness, yielding before sight.
Abram gets more and more sight. Less faith in a sense.
Promise
Appearances are assobiated with PROMISES, because whatever God says is currently true, past true or future true and can be relied upon 100%
To your OFFSPRING= 0. Faith before sight
Trust before sight
LAND: absolute association with acreage.******
Response
Appreciation: Altar to the One who Appears****
At shekhem, under the oak of Moriah
Smack dab in the center of Israel today.
Put a dot right there
No central sanctuary. No temple. No tabernacle.
I AM GOING TO GIVE MY PRAISE TO YOU RIGHT HERE*****
Moves 25 miles to Ai, on east, Bethel on west 1 mile apart
Another place, another altar******
Conclusion
If you want a blessing from God, YOU HAVE TO COME THROUGH THIS FAMILY*********
If you want a blessing from God, you have to come through this God***
Cannot take lightly the THEOPANY: the appearance of God Himself to Abraham. Observable manifestation. Burning bush.
Remember when Jesus was born and heavenly host was seen
This is of that order. Big moment in Earth/heaven relationship
When God appears, when you hear from God, make an altar
Stop, give praise. Right here. Right now.
Hey, I saw God. I heard from God.
I built an altar right here. Something happened right here.
I saw You in this place. I heard You in the Word. I heard from you in your church. I was convicted as I thought about something.
Embrace conviction. “build an altar”
When GOD APPEARS, BUILD AN ALTAR
Place of recognition. Place of statement of who I am . Who YOU are.
Appreciation: Altar to the One who Appears****
I AM GOING TO GIVE MY PRAISE TO
