Pastor Tim Patoka Build On The Rock 3: June 17, 2018 An Altar By A Tent Genesis 12:1-9 1) In a tent because of an impressive promise 2) By an altar because of a wonderful promise Growing up, my family never lived all that close to my extended family. Whereas they lived in Wisconsin, we always lived at least a 1,000 some miles away from them. Yet my parents didn’t let the distance stop us from seeing my family in Wisconsin. Once a year we would pack our bags, jump in the car, and drive the long distance to see them. But still, a 1,000 some miles is a long way to go. Rather than try to cram it into 1 day, we would often make a trip out of it and go camping along the way. It was because of our camping and s’mores experiences that I was willing to put up with the marathon car trips every year. Yet no matter how much I enjoyed camping, I never wanted to be a permanent camper. I would rather live in a house than in a tent. It’s nice to have a place that won’t fly away with a gust of wind. It’s a luxury to have walls that block out sounds or a bed that isn’t on the floor. And I’m willing to guess that I’m not the only one here who thinks this way. If you had the choice between living in a tent or living in a house, which one would you choose to be your home? The house with 4 walls and a roof. That’s what makes the central figure of our verses for this morning so interesting. We’re looking at Abram when he left his family’s land in Harran to go to the unfamiliar land of Israel. And throughout the last century of Abram’s life, you know what he called his home? A tent. A tent that was set up and taken down every time he moved. But you know what Abram did take the time to permanently build by his tent? An altar to the Lord. It is that altar by his tent that we’ll be looking at this morning. For it was because of an impressive promise that Abram lived in a tent. And it was because of a wonderful promise that he built an altar by his tent. 1) In a tent because of an impressive promise Listen to the impressive promise that the Lord said to Abram. “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:1-3). God commanded Abram to travel around 550 miles to get to the land of Israel. To give you a bit of perspective, that’s further away than it is from here to Los Angeles or to Albuquerque. That’s a sizeable distance today and especially then. But more impressive are the 4 things that God promised to Abram. 1st in that God would make Abram the father of a great nation. 2nd in that Abram would be greatly respected. 3rd in that God would have Abram’s back. Whoever blessed Abram would be blessed by God and 1
Pastor Tim Patoka Build On The Rock 3: June 17, 2018 whoever cursed Abram would be cursed by God. Finally and most importantly, that Abram would be one of the earthly ancestors of the Savior through whom all peoples on earth would be blessed. There’s no other way to say it – God’s promise to Abram was nothing short of impressive. Yet it took great courage and a strong faith for Abram to receive that impressive promise. He had many obstacles. He had to leave almost all his family behind and whatever roots he had put down. The Lord promised that Abram was going to be the father of a great nation, but he and his wife Sarai, who was known to be barren, were past the age range for a young family. And there was also the high degree of importance that God was giving to Abram. Abram was going to be famous and blessing to all people on earth. If he was the least bit shy, being put in the spotlight would make him uncomfortable. And yet Abram willingly faced the obstacles to receive the Lord’s impressive promise and to live out his days in a tent. What God promises today is no less impressive than what it was for Abram so many years ago. While we won’t go into detail how exactly God fulfilled each of his promises to Abram, I do want to highlight the closing promise he made because that is the one that we benefit from today. The promise where the Lord said, “all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:3b). The only way all people can be blessed is if we are helped with the problem we all have – the problem of sin. Each and every one of us struggles with this. To do what we should and not do what we shouldn’t. As you follow the history of the Old Testament, you will see how Abram’s lineage leads to the fulfillment of this promise. This is none other than our Savior Jesus Christ. Whereas Abram trusted in the promise of what Jesus was going to do, we benefit from the promise of what Jesus has done. A perfect and innocent death on a cross so as to receive the full punishment for our sins. A resurrection from the grave that assures us of our forgiveness. It is a faith that trusts in this impressive promise about Jesus Christ which makes a Christian a Christian. A believing heart that finds its salvation in Christ’s death and resurrection alone. Yet this impressive promise brings with it a number of obstacles for those who believe in it. We are so quick to doubt if God’s impressive promise of our Savior’s forgiveness is for ourselves. We know our hidden faults. We remember all the wrongs that we have committed. Many times our self-identification as Christians will separate us from those around us. Not everyone in our family shares our faith. And from these divisions within the family come active or passive persecution. And it’s not just within the family that this separation shows itself. It also happens among our peers, our coworkers, and our circle of friends. It’s tempting to leave aside God’s impressive promise of our Savior in light of the many obstacles it entails.
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Pastor Tim Patoka Build On The Rock 3: June 17, 2018 2) By an altar because of a wonderful promise But just as it was for Abram, so it is for us. Just as God’s promise was impressively wonderful for him, so it is impressively wonderful for us today. Because it assures us of that which we can never get for ourselves or find anywhere else. A clean slate before an almighty and perfect God who knows every wrong that has ever been committed. The very same Lord who looks down on us and says that we are in the clear for he finds us holy and blameless in his all-seeing sight. This is the blessed result of the promise that God made to Abram. We can be sure that we are now in this state of forgiveness because we look back at the promise of a Savior that has already been fulfilled. Abram looked forward to a wonderful promise yet to be fulfilled. And we see how Abram showed his thankful heart for God’s promise with the altars he built by his tent. Listen to our words from Genesis where Abram builds his altar by his tent. “Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. The LORD appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your offspring I will give this land.’ So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him. From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD” (Genesis 12:6-8). The altars that Abram built by his tent served a dual purpose. They were first of all his way to worship God. Israel was a pagan land at this time and there were no altars to the true God yet. So if Abram was going to worship God and show his thanks, he had to build an altar first. But secondly those altars also served as a public witness to the pagan nations around to show them who the true God was. He wasn’t found at the altars and temples built by the Canaanites. He and his wonderful promise of a Savior were only found at an altar by Abram’s tent. The wonderful promise found at an altar by Abram’s tent continues to be wonderful for us today. But we show our thanks to God in a different way than Abram did. We don’t build altars out in the open, we build them in our churches. We don’t use them in the same way the Old Testament believers did. Yet we can “build our altar,” and I’m using air quotes here, when we live our lives in light of God’s wonderful promise of our Savior. As Abram built an altar by his tent because of a wonderful promise from God, so we also need to renew ourselves in the wonderfulness of God’s promise. When your sinful memories come up and remind you of who you are by nature, don’t listen to their accusations. Look back to the cross and see your sins nailed there. Behold your crucified Savior who died for your flaws so that you don’t have to. Explore the empty tomb and be assured that God’s promise is wonderful for you for it assures you that you are forgiven, holy, and blameless in the sight of God. Remind yourself of this wonderful promise whenever you’re tempted to think you’re something else.
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Pastor Tim Patoka Build On The Rock 3: June 17, 2018 And also don’t be afraid to “build your altar” by letting your light shine. If you’re going to call yourself a Christian, other people should be able to notice by the way you organize your life so that your priorities point towards heaven. Make time for God’s Word whether it continues to be with us on Sunday morning or by getting into your Bible. You can do it on your own or with a bunch of other brothers and sisters in Christ here throughout the week. Let others see you “build your altar” with a heart and mind that knows that heaven is your home. Don’t get caught up in the world’s rat race of wealth and possessions. Trust in God’s promise that he will make sure you have what you need. Take comfort in that you will receive more than you can ever imagine in the heavenly realms itself. Don’t let politics lead you to pointless worry or to a gossiping tongue. Your Lord is in control of all things and will bring you home to him regardless of what happens here on earth. When you get burned or rejected by others, let God’s wonderful promise of your Savior’s love show itself in your life. Continue to pray and reach out to those still under Satan’s sway. Forgive others their sins just as Christ has forgiven you all your sins. Because no matter what we call our home, whether it be a tent or a house, all Christians benefit from the Lord’s promise. Abram received an impressive promise when he left his extended family in Harran to immigrate to Israel. God was going to make him the father of a great nation, give him an honored reputation, have his back, and send the Savior through his descendants. Although his obstacles were many, Abram clung to God’s impressive promise to live in a tent the rest of his life. And as you looked at Abram’s tent, you would also see an altar nearby. Abram built that altar to give thanks to God for choosing him to be the recipient of the wonderful promise and to let his light shine to the pagan nations around. We too share in the promise God gave to Abram, we too look to the Savior who came to bless all peoples on earth. This is a promise that is more impressive than anything the world can promise us. This is a promise more wonderful than anything else for it assures us of our forgiveness and salvation before God. And it is the faith that is built on this wonderful promise that leads us to “build our altar,” to realign our priorities so that our focus may be on and come from our promised home in heaven. Amen.
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