Living by Faith

Living by Faith

17 August, 2025

Thesis: Obedience to God's revealed will is essential for spiritual growth and receiving further divine guidance.

Summary: The sermon, drawing from Genesis 12, details Abram's journey of faith, beginning with his obedient departure from Ur and his subsequent travels through Canaan. The speaker highlights Abram's actions—wandering, walking, witnessing among the Canaanites, and worshipping God through altars—emphasizing his reliance on God's word and promises. The discussion then transitions to the symbolism of Abram's "tent and altar" life, representing the believer's pilgrim status on earth and a life of continuous worship. The sermon concludes by connecting Abram's journey and God's promises to the fulfillment found in Jesus Christ, who is presented as the greater Son of Abram and the ultimate object of faith.

Sermon

Thank you, Cousin Bruce. That's good. He's Cousin Bruce now, by the way. I've heard other people call him that, and I was like, well, I guess we can be cousins too. Cousin Bruce. It's stuck.

All right, guys, we're going to be in the book of Genesis chapter 12 this morning, beginning in verse 1. I want to thank you all for coming out. Thank you for worshiping the Lord with us this morning. I don't know about you, but I enjoy being in God's house. I look forward to it. It blesses my soul. I look forward to fellowshipping with you guys, to praying, worshiping, singing, and, of course, preaching to you. But if you weren't here, I would have no one to preach to. So thank you so much for being here.

It's also good to see Lucas and Emily and the baby. So I want to welcome you guys back. We've missed you, but I hope you've got some rest. I know how it is to have a newborn. But we praise God for you. Thank you for being here.

All right, guys. So just to recap, we talked about the call of Abram last week in Genesis 11 and 12. Remember that it was a sovereign call, and it was a surrendering call, and it was a satisfying call. God calls Abram out of Ur of the Chaldees. God makes five promises to Abram in the Abrahamic covenant, and God promises him a new people, a new place, and gives him a new purpose. And what does Abram do? He heeds the call and leaves Ur, and then he begins his journey of faith.

So let's begin here, Genesis 12, beginning in verse 1. The Bible says, And the Lord said to Abram, Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to the land that I will show you, and I will make you a great nation. I will bless you, and I will make your name great, and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. There are the five-fold blessings of the Abrahamic covenant.

Now, picking up today, Abram follows the path of faith. Verse 4, So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. Then Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and all the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan.

Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. Some translations may say the oak tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land. Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, To your descendants I will give this land. And there he built an altar to the Lord who had appeared to him, and he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the Lord, and called on the name of the Lord. So Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south. We will look at those verses this morning.

One thing, if you've noticed, is that Abram obeys as the Lord had told him. Now we talked about the pit stop in Haran until his father Terah's delay died. Then he finally obeys and goes to the land of Canaan. Who does he bring with him? He brings Lot. Remember, Lot got him into a lot of trouble. And then Sarai, his barren wife. And how old is he? How old is he, guys? What does verse 4 say? He was 75 years young when he left Haran. And he embarks on a new adventure. Friends, this proves that it is never too late to start following God. If Abram started following God at 75, you can follow Him at 5 or 7, or 75, or 85, or 100. It doesn't matter. If God is calling you right now, this is the time to step out by faith and begin following Him.

Verses 1-4 show us how Abram found the path of faith. Verses 5-8 show us how he followed the path of faith. So let's talk about this journey of Abram, and we'll call it Living by Faith. As we see, Abram journeys deeper into the land of promise, and he arrives at a place called Shechem. Now if you want to write this down, Shechem means shoulder, and it's a symbol of strength. So Shechem means shoulder equals strength. And he camps near the oak of Moreh. Now Moreh means instruction. Think of teaching. Some scholars believe this was also a Canaanite high place where pagans worshipped, where pagan worship and rituals were taking place. And Abram makes his camp here among the godless Canaanites. But this is no accident in Scripture, friends. This is a vivid picture of spiritual progress. As Abram walks in obedience, he grows in strength and he receives divine instruction.

As Abram takes the initial step of faith and starts following God in obedience, then his faith begins to grow and mature, and he becomes stronger. And then, and only then, does he receive further divine instruction. The Bible says in Proverbs 1:7, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." That is, respect for God is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom. That is the fountainhead. That is the source of knowledge. And Peter tells us as believers to grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I want to ask you believers, do you want to be stronger in the faith? Do you want to know more about Jesus? Will you walk with Him in obedience, day by day, as Abram did? I want you also to know, friends, in verse 7, the Bible says, then the Lord appeared to him. Then the Lord appeared to him and said, to your descendants I will give this land. Notice that it is only after Abram obeyed God's initial instruction that He appears to him again and reaffirms the promise to give him the land. This is the second time that God speaks to Abram, but only after he obeys the initial command.

Now, some people might ask, well, how did God speak to Abram? How did He give him instructions to leave earth? Can I give you a deep theological answer? This is what I learned in seminary. Are you ready for this? I don't know. Somehow God spoke to him. Did God speak audibly out of heaven? Was there still small voice inside? Well, the Bible doesn't say. It simply says God spoke to Abram in whatever way God decided to do that. However, we do know God spoke to Abram and God still speaks today. God still speaks today.

Now, what do I mean by that? People say, well, how so? I've never heard the voice of God. Can I tell you? I've never heard the voice of God speak audibly out of heaven. So how does God speak to us today? How do we receive instruction in our journey of faith? I'll answer that here in just a moment. But let's set the stage. Let's set the problem. How many times have you heard somebody say, or maybe you've said it yourself, if only God would speak to me, if only I could hear His voice, if only God would show me His will, if only God would write out His plans in the heavens, then I would obey Him. Then I would have confidence to step out in faith. Then I could believe. Can I tell you something, friends? We have something far better than that. Amen.

We have something far better this morning than if God spoke out of heaven to us right now. You know what it is? It is a completed canon of Scripture. We have 66 books of inerrant, infallible, inspired Word from God. If you want to know the will of God, you must get into the Word of God. So to answer the question, how does God speak today? He speaks through His Word, the Word of God, penned by men who were superintended by the Holy Spirit.

So friends, if you need guidance, if you need direction, if you need help making decisions, if you want to know God's heart and God's nature, if you want to understand God's will for your life, if you desire, friends, to know objective, absolute truth, then we go to the source of all truth. We go to God's Word. God's Word is where He has spoken, where He has invested His power.

Now some people think that God's will is some lost, ethereal, mystical, abstract concept. They say, "I'm just seeking the will of God," as if God's will was lost. Friends, God's will has never, ever been lost. You say, "Well, give me scripture." Okay. God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to the truth. Number one, what's God's will for your life? That you be saved. Number two, Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians, and I'll give you all these verses later, if you want me to. I'll just send you the whole document. It's God's will for you to be sanctified. It's God's will that you possess your vessel in honor. Peter writes that it's God's will that you suffer for doing good and suffer graciously.

So what is God's will for your life? That you be saved. That you be sanctified. That you walk in the truth. That you suffer graciously. That you be conformed to the image of Christ. What did God predestine you for? To be conformed to Christ's likeness. So what is God's will for your life? Number one, it's to be saved. So if you are not saved, you are outside of God's will. You need to repent of your sins and believe the gospel. You need to take the first step of faith in obedience. Number two, if you are a believer, it is God's will that you be saved, now set apart, now sanctified. That you grow in grace and knowledge of Christ. That you live a life of honor to the Lord. It's His will that you be conformed to the image of Christ.

Now, some people would say, well, the Bible doesn't have all the answers. It doesn't tell me who to marry. It doesn't tell me what school to go to. It doesn't tell me what I should do about this job situation. And guess what? You're right. You're not going to find your name written in Scripture and says, "You shall work at this job." But guess what? The principle still applies. If you seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, all these other things will be added to you. What things? Who to marry? Where to live? What school to go to? Because if you delight yourself in the Lord, He will give you the desires of your heart.

In other words, if you live seeking His kingdom and His righteousness, you will naturally find your heart lining up with His. Your desires will be conformed to His desires. If you are walking in the Spirit, the Spirit of God will lead you in the right direction. But it starts with taking the first initial step and obeying God in the areas that He has already made clear. Are you saved? Are you sanctified? Are you suffering graciously? Are you being set apart in conformity to the Lord Jesus Christ? And if you're not doing those things, do not expect God to give you further revelation. Step out in faith. Walk in what He has clearly revealed to you. Seek first His kingdom. That means God is priority number one. Not just first in a list of priorities. He is the priority. Your life belongs to Him. Seek first His kingdom. That is, you're seeking His reign over your life. You've bowed the knee to the Lord Jesus Christ and you submit to His authority. And now everything you say and do is leveraged for His kingdom. You seek His righteousness. You seek to live in a way that's pleasing to Him. And if we do those things, everything else will fall in place. I promise you it will.

When I was younger, I used to worry about what am I going to do for a job? What school should I go to? What program should I enter into? And I found such rest in this simple principle. If I will follow God's direction, if I will love Him, if I will leverage my life in obedience to Him, He's going to work everything out. Everything else will fall right into its place. You say it can't be that easy. It can. It can. We just got to take the Bible at face value and obey its precepts and its commands.

So how do we know the will of God? We know it by the Word of God. How does God speak to us today? He speaks to us through the Bible. Remember, we have something far greater than Abram had. Abram had no Bible. He had no covenants until God made one with him in verse 1 through 4 of chapter 12. He had no completed canon of Scripture. We have all of these things. Therefore, we have no excuse for ignorance. We must read the Bible. We must submit to its authority.

I want you to listen, friends. The Bible is God's Word to the extent that when the Bible speaks, God speaks. Amen. And I credit Brother John Calvin for that. I didn't come up with it. So, if you want to hear God speak this morning, read your Bible. If you want to hear God speak out loud, then read your Bible out loud, and you will hear the voice of God speaking to you.

Now, our job is not just to be a hearer of the Word, but a doer of the Word. We submit to its authority, and we willingly obey its instructions. So, for those who long to hear God speak, read your Bible. Unfortunately, many long to hear God speak and have yet to obey what He's already said. If you want to write this down, God's guidance for the future typically follows our faithfulness to obey Him in the present. Jesus said in Matthew 13:12, the one who has, more will be given.

So, as Abram walks in obedience, he grows stronger in the faith. As he follows God's call, he begins to receive divine instruction because obedience precedes revelation. Also, notice that Abram recognizes that God's presence brings God's promises, and God's promises bring the power to obey His Word. Notice also where Abram lives. He's living between Bethel and Ai, and it is symbolic of the pilgrim life.

Now, as Abram moves through this land of promise, he pitches his tent between Bethel. Bethel means "house of God" (Beth-el). So, he is between the house of God and Ai. Ai means "heap of ruins"—a dump. So, he is literally between the house of God and a trash heap. Does that not symbolize the believer's current status? We dwell between the kingdom of God in heaven and the ruin of this present age—being citizens of the kingdom of God, yet here on a fallen, corrupted earth. Citizens of heaven, yet sojourners on earth. We live between the promise and its fulfillment, between eternity and brokenness, waiting for the day when God makes all things new, including this earth. Our citizenship is in heaven, and we await the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, to take us to be with Him. But right now, we dwell on the earth in the time between now and eternity. So, what are we to do? We are to walk by faith the same way Abram did.

Now, as Abram journeys through Canaan, we find him doing four activities. Verse 5: Abram wanders. Abram wanders from Ur toward the land of promise. Abram gathers his wife Sarah, his nephew Lot, and all their servants. They set out for the land of promise. Now, think about this, guys. Can you imagine that initial conversation with Sarah? Imagine telling your wife, God spoke to me and told me we are to uproot everything and go to a land that He will show us. How do you think that went over? You're leaving everything behind. Family and the familiar. You're leaving behind home and heritage because of a God I've just met. There's no map, no details. There's only a promise. He's going to make us a great nation. And through us, somehow, all the nations of the earth are going to be blessed. Can you imagine the skepticism of his neighbors? Abram, you've got a successful life here in Ur. Why blow this? You've worked hard. They must have thought he was a fool for following God's direction. Nevertheless, he was God's fool. Amen. And so must we be.

Let me tell you, you are a fool for Christ. At least you should be. In the eyes of the unregenerate, they don't understand you. They don't understand your principles, your standards, your values, your affections. They don't understand why you get up early and come to church on Sunday morning. You should be mowing your yard, or doing a barbecue, or resting. They don't understand why you seek God so passionately. Can't you just say you believe in Jesus and go into heaven? Why are you so radical? Why do you want to share your faith with others? Why are you serving in the church? You're a fool. But you're a fool for Christ. I'd rather be a fool to them and be wise in the eyes of God, wouldn't you? They might not understand, but be like Abram and follow anyway.

Notice also, Abram leads his family. He doesn't wait for anyone else to take the lead. God has spoken to him, and he steps up as the man of his house, as the spiritual leader of his home, and he says, we're going to obey God. Men, that is your position. No one else can fill it for you. If they do, they're out of line. Lead your family. It's that easy. The easiest of spiritual disciplines is showing up to the house of God. Praying, reading your Bible, leading your family in devotion, living the life before them. Men, it's up to you. It's up to me.

Now, women have a great role in the household of God as well, but, friends, God has appointed you as the spiritual leader of your home. And Abram's walk was a witness to all who observed his faithful obedience.

Secondly, Abram walks. Abram wanders from Ur to the Promised Land. In verse 6, Abram walks through the Promised Land. Now, the Bible often uses the term walk to describe our relationship with the Lord, or our journey of faith. Our walk describes our spiritual progress and our daily conduct. So, to walk with God is to live in continual fellowship, trust, and obedience to Him. Now, remember, there are two people in Scripture that say walk with God. Number one is Enoch. Number two is Noah. Now, while this text doesn't explicitly say that Abram walked with God, it is implicit that he walks with God because he lives a life of obedience, faith, and trust.

And just as these men of old were called to walk with God, friends, New Testament believers are called to walk with God. Colossians 2:6 says, "As you therefore have received Christ as Lord, so walk in Him." Ephesians 4:1, "I urge you brothers to walk in a manner worthy of the calling which you've been called." Ephesians 5:1-2, "Be imitators of God as beloved children and walk in love." Galatians 5:16, "I say walk by the Spirit." First John 1:7, "Walk in the light." Romans 6:4, "God has raised us with Christ so that we may walk in newness of life."

So I want to ask you, how was your walk with God this morning? I asked our deacons in the deacons meeting—I threw a wrench in the whole meeting again. The reason why you're late getting home—well, thank me for that. It's usually not my fault, but this time it was. I asked them all individually, "How is your walk with God?" Why? Because sometimes we need to take some time to have some self-examination: Am I walking with Him, or have I simply made a profession and now I'm just coasting? Is there growth? Is there intentional driving ahead? Is there a goal? Is there a clear-cut objective that I am working toward? Are you engaged in the spiritual disciplines? Are you praying regularly? Are you in the Word of God? Are you witnessing? Are you discipling others? Are you faithful to serve and work in the local church? Are you growing, or are you coasting? How was your walk with God this morning?

Abram moves farther into the land of promise, but how does he do that? How does he step out in obedience and walk through this great land of promise? Let me give you a deep theological answer: one step at a time. How do we walk? How do we go anywhere? We put one foot in front of the other. Friends, the progress of our spiritual journey, the way our faith grows, is most of the time not with great leaps. It's faithful, consistent walking with God day by day, one step at a time. It's by faithfulness and consistency.

So let's talk about our own journey with Jesus. Perhaps some of you need to step out by faith and take the first step. Maybe you're lost this morning—you need to repent of your sins and believe in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. God is calling you to take that first step of total surrender in Christ alone, placing your faith in Him alone, giving up control of yourselves, living in obedience to Him.

Believers, perhaps God is calling you to keep walking with Him faithfully—to daily be faithful in the small things and in the great things, in the supernatural and in the mundane. Now we read through Genesis and we think, "Man, Abram—God is always speaking to him." Not so many years and years pass in between when God speaks to him. You know what He's doing in between all that time—the same thing we're doing in between all that time. He's working, He's eating, He's making a living, He's dwelling with His family. Oftentimes there's not going to be this great explosion of supernatural things over and over and over again. Most of the time it's just being faithful to God as we mow the yard or as we raise our kids or wash the dishes or go to work. It's about putting one foot in front of the other and just walking with Christ through the mundane things of life.

Maybe you need to be faithful to lead your family, maybe you need to be faithful in discipling other believers. You see a young believer in this church—you need to welcome them, you need to invest in them, you need to pour into them, you need to help them in their own journey of faith. Perhaps it's a challenge for you to be faithful to the local church. Let me tell you, there is nothing like being faithful to the local church. Being plugged in—not just showing up on Sunday because you hold an office—it is plugging in, doing life with each other, walking hand in hand with your brothers and sisters in Christ. It is a Christian life. It is not a one-hour social club on Sunday morning. It is being faithful because you love Christ and you love His people. It is walking step by step with God, walking in the Spirit, being faithful to the local church, faithful in your journey with Jesus, friends.

So how's your walk with the Lord this morning? Verse 6 through 7, Abram also witnesses to his pagan neighbors. Notice, Abram passes through Shechem. And the Bible says, and the Canaanites were then in the land. As Abram arrives in the land, he finds the wicked Canaanites, the descendants of Noah's cursed grandson, Canaan. Remember, we talked about him way back in chapter 9. He sees godlessness. He sees immorality. He sees pagan high places and altars for human sacrifice. And yet, he remains faithful to God. Right there in the midst of a corrupt society, God appears to him again, and He reaffirms His promise. Abram, even though the Canaanites are here, it is to your offspring I will give this land. And what does Abram do? Abram builds an altar, verse 7, to the Lord who had appeared to him.

What does Abram do? Right there in front of all the Canaanites, he builds an altar to the Lord. He doesn't build this altar in private. He doesn't do this in secret. Right there in front of them all, he worships the one true God. He doesn't compromise to fit in with the Canaanites. He doesn't blend in to avoid conflict. He doesn't build political alliances with idolaters. He draws a line in the sand right there and says, I call on the one true God. You might worship Baal. I worship Jehovah. His life, his worship is a powerful testimony to the Canaanites. Perhaps through Abram's witness, the Canaanites, at least some of them, may turn to the one true God.

So just think about this, friends. How might God be using you, where you are, to reach unbelievers? Perhaps it's in your workplace. Maybe it's in your school. Maybe it's in your neighborhood, at sporting events, or your favorite restaurant. We've all got them, especially if you're Baptist. Wherever you find yourself, you will find yourself surrounded by lost people who need the Lord. You will find yourself surrounded by the Canaanites. So what are you to do? You are to witness to them, build your altar, call upon the name of the Lord, worship Him openly, talk of Him publicly, and proclaim the gospel with both word and life. You are to let them see your light shine and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Friends, your relationship with the Lord, it's personal, but it is never private. Everyone is to know. Let the redeemed of the Lord do what? Let them say so. Let them live like it. If you love Jesus, He will be your all-consuming passion. You won't be able to shut up talking about Him. That's the reason why I preach so long. I love Jesus. I love to talk about Him. And I want other people to know Him. It's not because I'm some uber great Christian. It's because it's real.

Abram witnesses. So who might God have placed in your life to witness to? You might be seeking to get out of somewhere. Maybe you don't like your school or your job or your community and you just can't get out. Maybe that is exactly where God has you right now to witness to someone. Maybe God has you right where He wants you. And there's some Canaanites you need to witness to.

Verse 8: Abram worships. He worships the true God. He moves to a mountain east of Bethel and pitches his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he builds another altar and calls on the name of the Lord. Remember, he's living between the house of God and the heap of ruins. Remember, God called him and now he calls on God. And that's the same pattern. God initiates and we respond. Abram is living on the mountaintop of faith. He's wandered from Ur into the promised land, walks through it, and worships there. He's witnessing to the Canaanites and now worshiping the true God. He's trusting God's promises and soon by faith he will inherit these promises.

But one thing we notice about Abram is that he is a man of the tent and the altar. Now when we read through Abram's life, there are two items that he always has with him. Most of the time. Except for when he gets in trouble. And there's a reason for this. We'll see next week. Two items always accompany Abram: a tent and an altar. Let's talk about both of them specifically.

A tent symbolizes the life of pilgrimage. He's not settled down; he's a sojourner wandering from place to place. Peter reminds us that we too, as believers, are strangers and pilgrims passing through this land. Peter likened his earthly body to a tent—a temporary dwelling that would soon be taken down. 2 Peter 1:13-14 He says, "I think it right as long as I am in this tent to stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance, since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon." Paul likewise reminds believers to look forward to a building made by God—that is, an eternal, permanent dwelling not made with hands. 2 Corinthians 5:1 We know that if this tent, our body, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to that. As believers, we have the hope of inheriting a new home and a glorified body. Praise God for that.

Abram didn't settle in cities. He lived in tents. He was always moving. Why? Because he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Hebrews 11.10 So the tent reminds us this earth is not our home. We're not settlers. We're sojourners. We're people longing for a better heavenly country. In the New Testament, 1 Peter 2.11 Peter writes, Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Philippians 3.20 Our citizenship is where? In heaven. And from it we await the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. We might be citizens of Surrey County or Stokes County temporarily. If you are a believer, though, your name is in the Lamb's Book of Life, and your citizenship is in heaven. Here we have no continuing city. We seek one to come. And the pilgrim life is marked by hope in what is eternal, and what is temporary.

So as pilgrims, we're not home here anymore. We walk by faith. We bear witness and we look ahead to the New Jerusalem. And I want to camp right here just for a few moments, guys, and we'll be done. The main reason you don't feel at home here is because you're not home here. That longing desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far greater, is a testimony that your citizenship is in a heavenly country. Have you ever felt like something's missing? I want to ask you. I want to get real personal because I have. Have you ever felt like something is missing in your life? Now, you love your spouse. You find joy in watching your children grow and learn. You enjoy the blessings of God like health and strength. You find pleasure in a good cup of coffee in the morning, iced sometimes, sometimes not. You rest in the satisfaction of a job well done, but there's something more and you can't quite put your finger on it.

Let me encourage you this morning. If I find within myself a longing that nothing in life or experience can satisfy, when every joy still leaves me yearning for more, the truest explanation is that I was made for something greater. I was made for something eternal. I was made for more than what this life can give. And friends, we as believers know that place to be called heaven. We know that every good thing we taste in this life will be glorified there. Every blessing we have is just an appetizer for what is to come. Because in heaven we're going to experience the fullness of joy, of unhindered joy and fellowship. No sin, no corruption, decay, disease, or death. In glorified bodies we will dwell forever in perfect fellowship with our Savior and with the saints of all ages. We'll live in harmony, purpose, and delight. We'll find joy in the culture and food and music and in life itself. Because we don't just have a new heaven. Friends, we have a new earth that we're going to inherit with new glorified bodies. We're going to get to live life the way we were created to live it way back in Eden.

So the greatest thing about heaven, friends, it's not going to be the streets of gold, the mansions, the river of life, or even the reunion of loved ones. As great as all those things are, it's going to be that God is there in all of His glory and we will celebrate in His presence forever, living in eternal fellowship, friends. I can't wait to lay this tent down and enter into the house that God has for me. For those who live by faith like Abram, they walk lightly on this earth. They don't drive their tent stakes too deep. They find their safety in God's promises, their satisfaction in God's provision, and their identity in His proclamation of who they are, not what they accomplish in this life. And this is the path of obedience to God's revealed will, for it is in walking by faith that we align our lives with His purposes and find true spiritual growth and divine guidance.

Secondly, in the land, he builds an altar. And the altar is indicative of a life of worship. Almost everywhere Abram goes, he builds an altar. In fact, the trail through Canaan, his journey of faith, is marked by a trail of altars. Abram's journey is accompanied by worship and sacrifice. The Bible tells us, New Testament believers, that through Him, that is Christ, let us continually offer up to God a sacrifice of praise. Hebrews 13:15. Paul writes in Romans 12:1, that we are to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to the Lord. Everywhere Abram goes, he is sacrificing. He is serving. He is worshiping. He is daily calling upon God in worship. He's calling upon God for direction and guidance. He's in constant communion with the Lord.

So day by day, friends, we are to lay ourselves on the altar. We are to say, Lord, here am I. Send me, use me, consume me for Your glory. Likewise, our paths should be marked by altars, by worship, by praise, by thanksgiving. We should daily, like Abram, call upon the Lord in prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving. Likewise, we should never make a move or decision without consulting God in prayer. Everywhere Abram goes, he is calling on the name of the Lord, and God is guiding him through the land of promise.

So here's some application questions. Are you pitching your tent towards the house of God or towards the heap of ruins? Are you building altars of worship in every season of your life? Are you trusting God to guide you in these seasons? Is your daily walk characterized by prayer and worship, by thanksgiving and gratitude? Do you spend time daily at the altar in prayer and worship and communion? Have you laid yourself upon the altar in full surrender? Do you, like Abram, trust God's promises and rest in His provision? And are you living as a pilgrim here with all your affections set on things above? Or have you attempted to drive your tent stakes too deep and become too earthbound and attached to temporary pleasures and concerns?

Abram's journey reminds us, friends, sanctification begins with obedience. Maturity grows through faithfulness. Revelation comes to those who follow God's voice. And hope is sustained by those who live as pilgrims with a heart full of hope and worship.

I'm going to end by reading you a passage in Hebrews 11. Verse 8 through 16. By faith Abram obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance, and he went out not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise. For he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Verse 13. These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off. They were assured of them. They embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. And friends, that same city is prepared for you and I who follow Christ by faith the same way Abram did.

As they come and give us a hymn of invitation, as in all these sermons, we must make a beeline to the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, we respect Abram. His journey of faith was an adventure. But his journey points to the greater Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Just as Abram was called to leave his country, the Lord Jesus, Abram's greater Son, left his home in heaven. He left his father's side to come to this country, this earth, and obey the Father's will in perfect and unbroken obedience. Just as Abram lived in tents in the promised land as a sojourner, Jesus came as a pilgrim in the hostile land. He came to his own, but his own received him not. He had no place to lay his head. And He lived as a pilgrim, setting His face towards the sufferings of the cross and the joy and glory that would come.

In verse 7, God promises Abram, to your offspring I will give this land, and Paul writes in Galatians 3:16, this offspring is Christ. Abram looked forward to his future descendants, to whom all the nations of the earth would be blessed. Abram looked beyond the physical country. He knew this promise extended far beyond this life. God was not just giving him a physical land of Canaan. He was looking forward to the heavenly homeland. Likewise, Jesus came from that heavenly homeland, and He has returned where He makes a place for us. And if He has gone away and prepared a place for us, He will come again and receive us to Himself.

We see Christ as the true temple and altar, the true meeting place between God and man. And just as Abram worshipped at an altar, Jesus Christ gave Himself as a sacrifice once for all, not upon an altar of stone, but upon a cross. We see Christ as the true possessor of the land. Abram walked through the land of promise. But the land promised—finally, God's fulfillment in Christ, and the future hope of creating a new heaven and a new earth. Christ's fulfillment of God's promises to Abraham. Abram worshipped God among the Canaanites. It was a foretaste of the global worship that the Lord Jesus Christ will receive from all nations.

Jesus is the greater son of Abram. And in Him all the promises of God are fulfilled. So maybe this morning, God is calling you to reach out and seize the promise of salvation, to repent of your sins and believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Or maybe God is calling you believers to a closer walk with Him, to be a person of the tent and the altar. If so, this altar is open.