The Act of Consecration The Five Separations Abraham Experienced Part 2

1. The Act of ConsecrationThe Five Separations Abraham ExperiencedPart 2

2. Isaiah 9:6–7 (NKJV) 6For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

3. The First Separation that Abram had to face was in regards to his family and friends. • It is separating ourselves from our place of origin so that we can have a new identity and a new beginning and a new origin.

4. Genesis 12:1–2 (NKJV) 1Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. 2I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.

5. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV) 17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. • When we truly can grasp that we are a new creation in Christ and the old things have passed away we are no longer defined by our past but by who we are in Christ.

6. Abraham did not only come to know the Lord as the Almighty God, as the Saviour, as the King of Kings but as his Eternal Father.

7. This first separation enables us to experience and understand and express God’s love. • As we see God as our Father a confidence and security develops in us.

8. The Second Separation that Abram had to face was in regards to his nephew Lot. • It is a separation from a false sense of responsibility.

9. Genesis 13:1 (NKJV) 1Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South. • Abram failed to fully obey God’s commandment of “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house”. • Abram’s failure to fully obey God’s commandment was not rooted in rebellion but in a false sense of responsibility.

10. Abram’s family had pagan roots and even though Lot had followed Abram in his faith in the Living God, Lot was not totally committed to the Lord.

11. Our first and primary loyalty must be to the Lord. • If our loyalty is not firstly to the Lord then it will lead us into compromise.

12. Genesis 13:5-7 (NKJV) 5Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents. 6Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together. 7And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land.

13. 5Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents. • Lot had his own possessions and his own way of doing things. • Lot brought his own tents with him – his own way of living. • God wanted to teach Abram a new way to live. • It would be a way of faith and trust based solely on the goodness of God.

14. “6Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together” – the land was not able to support them both. Matthew 6:24 (NKJV) 24“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

15. God has created us in such a unique way that there is not enough room in our hearts to serve two masters and if we try it leads to inner conflict.

16. “7And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock.” – the result of compromise is always conflict. • The conflict represented both a physical and a spiritual one.

17. “The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land.” – the Land of Promise still had enemies to overcome. • The word “Canaanites” come from the Hebrew meaning “humiliation” or “to bend the knee” and can signify bondage and the humiliation that bondage produces. • The word “Perizzites” come from the Hebrew meaning “rustic” and comes from the Hebrew root meaning “to separate”. This can speak about the spirit of the world that brings strife and carnal division.

18. Matthew 10:34–39 (NKJV) 34“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. • “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth” - An interesting statement for the One who is called “The Prince of Peace”. • Jesus came to expose and destroy any false peace so that we can experience the true abiding peace of God that passes all understanding.

19. 35For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; 36and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ • The battle is for truth in the midst of a world that desires to bring compromise. • ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ – our greatest enemies are the ones within us – our fleshly selfish sinful desires.

20. 37He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. • Our loyalty must firstly be to God and not to others or ourselves otherwise we will end up betraying the Lord.

21. 39He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it. • Abram was willing to lose everything he had to find God. • Lot was seeking to please himself and ended up destroying everything God had intended for him.

22. Genesis 13:8-17 (NKJV) 8So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. 9Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.” • Abram took full responsibility for the problem. He realized he had not obeyed God and he was willing make it right. • Abram had to make a step of faith and accept God’s counsel and release Lot into God’s hands.

23. 10And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar. 11Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other.

24. The condition of Lot’s heart was revealed once Abram released Lot to leave him. • Lot was motivated by covetousness.

25. 12Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom. 13But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord. • Lot chose the most sexually immoral and selfish place, which really reveals the attitude of heart that he possessed.

26. 14And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are— northward, southward, eastward, and westward; 15for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever.

27. “And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him” – Abram could only once again hear God’s voice clearly after he dealt with this area of compromise. • “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are” – once again Abram could begin to see the wonderful promises of God that He had spoken to him.

28. 16And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. 17Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.” • God told Abram to walk through the Land of Promise – “Arise, walk through its length and breadth and experience and enjoy all that I am preparing for you.” • In the midst of the struggles that Lot would go through Abram had to take his eyes off of Lot and put them on the God and His promises.

29. Matthew 11:28–30 (NKJV) 28Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

30. Joshua 24:15 (NKJV) 15And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” • Abram made a similar decision as Joshua – “Lot, no matter what you decide I am going to serve the Lord fully.”

31. Lot only half heartedly wanted to walk with God.

32. There is a difference between a false sense of responsibility and true responsibility.

33. Some people have a false sense of responsibility and become co-dependent. • Others write people off and become hard hearted toward them. • In Abraham’s dealing with Lot we find the godly balance.

34. In Genesis 14 we see Abram coming to Lot’s rescue. • When Lot was in a life-threatening situation Abram intervened to help him. • However, Abram did not try to persuade Lot to return with him.

35. In Genesis 18 when God showed Abraham that judgment was going to fall upon Sodom, Abraham began to intercede for Sodom and Lot. • Therefore we see that even though Abraham had to separate from Lot, he still loved and cared for him. • Abraham cared for Lot and he prayed for him and tried to help him but he did not allow Lot’s bad decisions to grieve him to such a point that it hindered him from enjoy God and learning to walk with Him.

36. 2 Peter 2:6–9 (NKJV) 6and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; 7and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked 8(for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)— 9then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment,

37. Who grieved Lot’s righteous soul? • Lot grieved his own soul by listening and seeing ungodly behavior. • The end result for Lot was that his life was devoid of God’s purposes. • Lot is a picture of a believer who fails to bring forth good fruit.

38. 1 Corinthians 15:33 (NKJV) 33Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” • Do not fellowship with those that will weaken you spiritually.

39. 2 Thessalonians 3:6 (NKJV) 6But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us. 2 Thessalonians 3:14–16 (NKJV) 14And if anyone does not obey our word in this epistle, note that person and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed. 15Yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother. 16Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all.

40. God’s purpose is always redemptive and we need to see each believe in the light of God’s grace. • “do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed”- We are not to interfere with God personal dealings in someone’s life but allow God to deal with them. • “Yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother”- We are not here to punish or judge others but to see them restored.

41. 1 Corinthians 5:9–12 (NKJV) 9I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. 10Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner— not even to eat with such a person. 12For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside?

42. Thing that will keep us in balance in dealings with others is God’s love. • Self-righteousness and judgment are two things that can defile us if we fail to understand God’s grace and love. • It is only by God’s grace are we saved and it is only by the grace of God that we have any measure of victory and freedom in our lives.

43. Which name of Jesus Christ found in Isaiah 9:6 best describes the separation from a false sense of responsibility that Abram had to pass through? • Counselor • Counselor in Hebrew means, “to give advice, give counsel” but it also means “determine a plan, i.e. to come to an informed, deliberate conclusion on a matter and take action.”

44. Matthew 12:18–21 (NKJV) 18“Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit upon Him, And He will declare justice to the Gentiles. 19He will not quarrel nor cry out, Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets. 20A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench, Till He sends forth justice to victory; 21And in His name Gentiles will trust.”

45. The tenderness of God is seen in the statement, “A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench.” • The power and wisdom of God’s counsel is seen in the statement, “Till He sends forth justice to victory.”

46. Galatians 6:1–5 (NKJV) 1Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. 2Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. 5For each one shall bear his own load.

47. “We are to bear one another’s burdens” – we are to walk with people through the process of restoration when they are willing to. • “Each one shall bear his own burden” – we are not to try to shield people from the consequences of their actions but walk with them through the process of restoration so that they can experience fully the redemption of Christ in every area of their lives.