Alpha and Omega, Part 16
Abram, the Father of Faith
Genesis 11:27-32 and 12:1-3
Introduction
- 2023 has been led with “one purpose”: To know there is a God!
-- Continuing our series, “Alpha and Omega”; examining the beginning to the end
- Last week we examined the Tower of Babel, and that it stood as a symbol of:
• The people’s name
• their worldwide religion/politics
• it was a representation of their own works and effort
- This same attitude still exists today: “Let’s show everyone how great we are!”
-- SEE: There is nothing wrong with success and nice things … until …
-- SIN: When it becomes about our abilities to do things vs. what God has done
- God’s interceding was done to prepare them to raise up a godly people
-- BIG: Always, in the background, God is working to draw us to Himself!!
- This morning, we begin to unpack the life of Abram (a.k.a. Abraham)
-- Lots of scripture from NT reflects on Abram life … and for good reason!
-- Is considered the father of the faith … we’d be wise to pay attention to his life
- Need us to not glaze over the many things God does with Abraham
-- EXP: I had planned to do that very thing; God changed my heart!
-- Why? Critical for us to know, and celebrate, who we get to serve also! (God)
- Let’s dive in … Read Genesis 11:27-32 and 12:1-3 / Pray
- TR: Our first point today is to understand …
Point 1 – Abram’s purpose
- Abram’s belief in God was clear, so strong that there was no doubt in him
-- It is obvious he would have been a rich man, coming from means (rancher)
-- Also, he would have amassed a bit of an inheritance; and God tells him to leave
- APP: He would have to separate from the world he knew TO fully follow God
-- In fact, he had to be willing to sacrifice his life, his world, and all that he had
- If Abram believed/responded to God, God would do three specific things
-- Need to us to see the promises that Abram was given from God …
-- It truly is what moved Him to trust and to respond to God
Promise #1: God promised to give Abram the promised land (v1)
- This is the land of modern-day Palestine, it is the nation of Israel
-- But also refers to Heaven; the promised land of Canaan (the image of heaven)
-- He is literally promising Abram the whole world can be inherited
-- BIG: Romans 4:13, “Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith.”
-- It was a promise filled with assurance of personal inheritance, a new country
- God’s promise included the eternal, permanent possession of a promised land
-- Hebrews 11:9-10, “And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.”
- It refers to the heavenly Jerusalem, the capital of the new heavens and new earth
-- Hebrews 11:13-16, “All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. Obviously, people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.”
-- v10 & 16 of this tells us where Abram’s heart was focused: Heavenward
-- It shows us that God was granting two promises: life and afterlife
- It would be a place of great rest, a promise to dwell eternally with God
-- Consider: Full-time spiritual rest in the presence of God – that was the promise
-- APP: That alone ought to make God attractive to us – to know we WILL be His
- Interesting: the spiritual victory of Abram shows the same rest of the believer:
-- The promise given to Abram is outlined in Gen 12:2-3
-- And the promise given to the believer (you and I today) is shown in:
-- Matthew 11:29, “Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
-- God’s promise of a rest, a home, a place of comfort is here and available!
- TR: Considering this promise of a promised land, what more could he need?
-- RE: There are three promises given to Abram, let’s unpack the next two
Point 2 – Abram’s calling
Promise #2: God promised to give Abram the promised seed (people)
- Abram was promised to be the father of a great nation (v2)
-- This is a reference to a physical (literal) people who God would give to Him
-- But it also refers to a spiritual people: that he would help raise a new people
-- A people focused on truth, genuine believers, who would follow God
- Not only follow – but be disciples of, willing to give of themselves
-- Why? Because followers would be considered children of Abraham also
-- Romans 4:11-14, “Circumcision was a sign that Abraham already had faith and that God had already accepted him and declared him to be righteous - even before he was circumcised. So, Abraham is the spiritual father of those who have faith but have not been circumcised. They are counted as righteous because of their faith. And Abraham is also the spiritual father of those who have been circumcised, but only if they have the same kind of faith Abraham had before he was circumcised.
Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith. If God’s promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary, and the promise is pointless.”
- It is a literal and physical promise that God gives him, all in one calling!
-- We have the same! Galatians 3:14, “Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith.”
- Additionally, this promise would make Abram’s name great
-- Not for self-reputation, but as a man who followed God and obeyed
-- Consider: even today, his name is revered, respected, and honored by all
-- Muslim, Jewish, Agnostic, etc. … they all recognize the faith of this man
-- Whether they follow God is not the same thing – but they KNOW him
-- This is why he becomes a blessing to others – he led the way to us to follow
-- SEE: His life was worth more than his wants, and all he needed was God
- Abram’s life also gives us two great people: the Arabs and the Jews
-- What Abram specifically gave them was a great faith, a blueprint to follow
-- IMP: Whether they did that is another matter; God’s promise is still upheld
Promise #3: God promised to give Abram the promised seed (Messiah)
- We know about the first prophecy of a coming Messiah (ref Gen 3:15)
-- Now, we have the second prophecy of a Messiah to come given to Abram
-- Re-read Genesis 12:3 (emph. on v3 blessed through you: promise to come later)
- All families are (can be / opportunity) blessed through Abram’s lineage
-- Very imp to note this and understand: Abram is not to be worshiped
-- His bones are in his grave, buried by his sons Isaac and Ishmael (Gen 25:9)
- But through Abram, comes a promise that affects you and I today
-- Abram’s son Isaac received it: Gen 26:3-4, “Live here as a foreigner in this land, and I will be with you and bless you. I hereby confirm that I will give all these lands to you and your descendants, just as I solemnly promised Abraham, your father. I will cause your descendants to become as numerous as the stars of the sky, and I will give them all these lands. And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed.”
-- Jacob also received it: Gen 28:14, “Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth! They will spread out in all directions—to the west and the east, to the north and the south. And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants.”
- And even the NT confirms this same promise, relating back to faith’s origins
-- Acts 3:25-26, “You are the children of those prophets, and you are included in the covenant God promised to your ancestors. For God said to Abraham, ‘Through your descendants all the families on earth will be blessed.’ When God raised up his servant, Jesus, he sent him first to you people of Israel, to bless you by turning each of you back from your sinful ways.”
- TR: The call of Abram was specific, and unique as he was called to be a father
-- A father who would carry on the godly line of believers to bring the Messiah
-- Through Abram, we would receive the Messiah, Jesus, to bring redemption
- REMEMBER: time and time again … God had to intervene in human history
-- We’ve seen it several times already in Genesis (garden, flood, and here)
-- TODAY: This calling of Abram is unique - it is specific, it is a revelation of …
Point 3 – God’s life plan for humanity
- In Genesis 11, we see that humanity once again descends into depravity (Babel)
-- And yet, His love for us is so great that once He intervenes again … why?
-- 7 quick things (and scripture) to show us how God feels about humanity
- Big Q: Why would God use a man like Abram, a descendent of chaos?
-- Why would God, merciful & great, use an ordinary man to speak to you and me?
1) God wanted a people who would worship, who would honor Him completely
-- Genesis 17:7, “I will confirm my covenant with you and your descendants after you, from generation to generation. This is the everlasting covenant: I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you.”
2) God wanted a people who would be a missionary force to the world
-- Genesis 22:18, “And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed - all because you have obeyed me.” (We would carry this msg on)
3) God wanted a people that He could send His son through
-- Galatians 3:16, “God gave the promises to Abraham and his child. And notice that the Scripture doesn’t say “to his children,” as if it meant many descendants. Rather, it says “to his child” - and that, of course, means Christ.”
4) God wanted a people whom He could give His written word
-- We’ve rcv’d, and have it: 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.”
5) God wanted a people He could demonstrate how to live for God to His world
-- How? By showing them that life and salvation are not OF this world!
-- This world is constantly decaying, and the help we need does not come from it!
-- Isaiah 51:6, “Look up to the skies above, and gaze down on the earth below. For the skies will disappear like smoke, and the earth will wear out like a piece of clothing. The people of the earth will die like flies, but my salvation lasts forever. My righteous rule will never end!”
6) God wanted to demonstrate that life and salvation are spiritual and eternal
-- John 3:5, “Jesus replied, “I assure you; no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.”
-- 2 Corinthians 5:17, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”
7) God wanted to demonstrate that life and salvation are secured by faith alone
-- Ephesians 2:8-9, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”
Conclusion
- See, it is right here – in Gen 12 – we see God’s plan for us:
1. We are called to live intentionally … to desire to know who loved us most
2. Means we live fully for Him, and He gives us a model (and a promise) to follow
-- IMP: It’s not to exalt another man – but to live for God because of His promises
- It is why Abram can be SUCH an encouragement for us, even in 2023
-- Not only to honor the sacrifice of Jesus, but to know God’s plan is in effect
-- Today, I need to ask: Who are you living for? Is life about you?
-- Are you willing to leave the comfort of what you “prefer” for God?
- If you know Him: are you committed to sharing, loving, and honoring Him?
-- This is what we’ll unpack over the next few weeks, with Abram as our guide
- Pray
