Genesis 12:1-20, The Plans Of God

turn your Bibles to Genesis chapter 12 we're going to pray and then I'm excited because we have a video that I'm going to show you by a group called the Bible project and what they do is they articulate and have created a video that basically encapsulates the first eleven chapters of Genesis within a couple minutes and they do it in an artistic way that's so creative and so what I'm excited for you guys is if you have missed any of our studies through the book of Genesis the first eleven chapters you're gonna watch it in less than a couple minutes which is exciting because some of you are thinking too bad you can't do that every single week gee you know I didn't I'm sorry you guys in here that's alright so let's come before the Lord let's pray and let's dig into Genesis chapter 12 sound good okay God we come before you knowing that not only are you so good to sing to the one who is sovereign and has the ability to save and redeem us it's just so precious and so sweet it is so good Lord you rejuvenate our souls when we're depraved of you you bring us joy when we feel joy lists and I prayed tonight simply that you would bring joy to the Saints and I pray for anyone that may not know you Lord that are skeptical but they're here Lord that you would meet them and that today would be such a powerful testimony of how the gospel works we thank you for the book of Genesis and we thank you what you're going to do through this this study as we continue and Lord we just look to you in Jesus name and everyone said amen so right now what I'd like to do is show you guys the Bible project encapsulating Genesis chapter 1 through 11 on the screen the book of Genesis it's the first book of the Bible and its storyline divides into two main parts there's chapters 1 through 11 which tell the story of God in the whole world and then there's chapters 12 through 50 which zoom in and tell the story of God and just one man Abraham and then his family and these two parts are connected by a hinge story at the beginning of chapter 12 and this design it gives us a clue to how to understand the message of the book as a whole and how it introduces the story of the whole Bible so the book begins with God taking the disorder and the darkness described in the second sentence of the Bible and God brings out of it order and beauty and goodness he makes a world where life can flourish and God makes these creatures called humans or Adam in Hebrew he makes them in His image which has to do with their role and purpose in God's world so the humans are made to be reflections of God's character out into the world and they're appointed as God's representatives to rule his world on his behalf which in context means to harness all of its potential to care for it and make it a place where even more life can flourish God blesses the humans it's a key word in this book and he gives them a garden it's like a place from which they began starting to build this new world now the key is that the humans have a choice about how they're gonna go about building this world and that's represented by the tree of the knowledge of good and evil up till now God has provided and defined what is good and what is not good but now God is giving the humans the dignity and the freedom of a choice are they going to trust God's definition of good and evil or are they going to cease autonomy and define good and evil for themselves and the stakes are really high to rebel against God is to embrace death because you're turning away from the giver of life himself this is represented by the Tree of Life and so in chapter 3 a mysterious figure a snake enters into the story the snakes given no introduction other than it's a creature that God made and it becomes clear that it's a creature in rebellion against God and it wants to lead the humans into rebellion and death the snake tells a different story about the tree and the choice it says that seizing the knowledge of good and evil are not going to bring death that it's actually the way to life and becoming like God themselves now the irony of this is tragic because we know the humans they're already like God they were made to reflect God's image but instead of trusting God the human sees autonomy they take the knowledge of good and evil for themselves and in the instant the whole story spirals out of control the first casualty is human relationships the man and the woman they suddenly realize how vulnerable they are now they can't even trust each other and so they make clothes and they hide their bodies from one another the second casualty is that intimacy between God and the humans is lost so they go and run and hide from God and then when God finds them they start this game of blame-shifting about who rebelled first now right here the story stops and there's a series of short poems where God declares to the snake and then to the humans the tragic consequences of their actions God first tells the snake that despite its apparent victory it is destined for defeat to eat dust God promises that one day a seed or a descendant will come from the woman who's going to deliver a lethal strike to the snake's head which sounds like great news but this victory is going to come with a cost because the snake too will deliver a lethal strike to the descendants he'll as it's being crushed it's a very mysterious promise of this wounded victor but in the flow of the story so far you see this is an act of God's grace the humans they've just rebelled and what does God do he promises to rescue them but this doesn't erase the consequences of the humans decision so God informs them that now every aspect of their life together at home and out in the field it's going to be fraught with grief and pain because of the rebellion all leading to their death from here the story then spirals downward chapters 3 through 11 they traced the widening ripple effect of the rebellion and of human relationships fracturing at every level so there's the story about two brothers Canaan eight kein so jealous of his brother that he wants to murder him and God warns him not to give in to the temptation but he does anyway he murders him in the field so Cain then goes on to build a city where violence and oppression reign and this is all epitomized in the story of Lamech he's the first man in the Bible to have more than one wife he's accumulating them like property and then he goes on to sing a short song about how he's more violent and vengeful than Cain ever was after this we get an odd story about the sons of God which could refer to evil angelic beings or it could refer to ancient kings who claimed that they descended from the gods and like Lamech they acquire as many wives as they wanted and they produced the Nephilim these great warriors of old whichever view is right the point is that humans are building kingdoms that fill God's world with violence and even more corruption in response we're told that God is broken with grief Humanity is ruining his good world and they're ruining each other and so out of a passion to protect the goodness of his world he washes it clean of humanity's evil with a great flood but he protects one blameless human Noah and his family and he Commission's him as a new Adam he repeats the divine blessing and Commission's him to go out into the world and so our hopes are really high but then Noah fails too and also in a garden he goes and he plants a vineyard and he gets drunk out of his mind and then one of his sons Ham does something shameful to his father in the tent and so here we have our new Adam naked and ashamed just like the first and the downward spiral begins again it all leads to the foundation of the city of Babylon the people of ancient Mesopotamia they come together around this new technology they have the brick and they can make cities and towers bigger and faster than anybody's ever done before and they want to build a new kind of tower that will reach up to the gods and they will make a great name for themselves it's an image of human rebellion and arrogance it's the garden rebellion now writ large and so God humbles their pride and scatters them now this is a diverse group of stories but you can see they're all exploring the same basic point God keeps giving humans the chance to do the right thing with his world and humans keep ruining it and these stories are making a claim that we live in a good world that we have turned bad that we've all chosen to define good and evil for ourselves and so we all contribute to this world of broken relationships leading to conflict and violence and ultimately death but there's hope God promised that one day a descendant would come the wounded victor who will defeat evil at its source and so despite humanity's evil God is determined to bless and rescue his world and so the big question of course is what is God going to do and the next story the hinge offers the answer but for now that's what Genesis 1 through 11 is all about it's good right doesn't really you yeah these guys are based out in Portland and they have numerous videos on line that you can watch pertaining to characters in the Bible books in the Bible the Bible project and so I was I was prepping because chapter 12 as we continue the next thirty nine chapters really encapsulates the biography of Abram and the families that are gonna come through it and then I was prepping for the next eleven chapters for the first eleven chapters of my own to show the video this is such an easier way to do it and they do a better job at it but chapters twelve on are unique unlike chapters one through eleven because chapters one through eleven really cover major events that took place yes it also covers names and if you want a really good laugh listen to the last week's podcast that I attempted to like pronounce over 70 names and it was hilarious but for the most part chapters 1 through 11 cover major events that took place but now from 12 on to chapter 50 it's gonna encapsulate the family of Shem which is gonna come Abram and from Abram is are gonna come the Jewish people the Israelites and they dominate all of the Book of Abraham Isaac Jacob Joseph these guys become the next main people of these conquering characters and I'm excited about it especially I'm excited because to help you understand the timeline the first 11 chapters of Genesis covers a little over 2000 years of history but the next 39 chapters that we're gonna cover is about 350 years we're beyond creationism we're beyond how the world came about we're now at a place where we're gonna focus on these men who are really gonna pave the way to help us understand everything because remember the Genesis is always complementary to the other books in the Bible's they're always gonna be consistent and sync with one another and now we're going to talk about Abram which you guys will know as Abraham the father of faith today we're gonna look at his story guys and we're gonna see even though he was this hero of the faith and he still talked about in the New Testament he didn't start out as a hero he like many of us can relate was a fickle man of faith but he becomes a really good type and picture for us to understand what obedience and faith looks like day to day in our own life so tonight we're gonna talk about what really the plans of God look like and for yourself to ask that question because each person in here have different plans we're all a part of the same major plan and that's that God desires that none should perish but all should come to repentance we're all a part of that plan God wants to see everyone gets saved but each one of us has a unique contribute way to contribute to the body of Christ and so I'm hoping tonight will encourage you guys so let's get started chapters 12 verse 1 in our text it says this now 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 stop there for a second as always it's noteworthy to dissect certain parts of the verse and if we could if we had time we would do so much more but the first thing that should at least pop out to you as it did for me as it says that the Lord had said to Abram the wording there implies that it was a past tense comment meaning what we're reading in verses 1 through 3 of chapter 12 God had already spoken he previously spoken it already to which some of us might ask well what did he say and when did What did he say and when did he say it and it's actually in Genesis 11 31 it won't be on the screen and again for the sake of time you could just highlight it as to what that was but they were told Abram and his family were told to leave or go to Canaan and the problem was that Abraham or Abram he decided well I'm gonna reside in Iran actually for a number of years and Abram when he was living in the city of Ur it was at the age of 50 and he was doing well for himself economically financially but the thing with the place of Earth that he stayed and longer that he should have left was a it was a polytheistic culture it was a place of idolatry it was a place that he was called to come out of and that's weird to some of you maybe because Abram we know him this is the father of faith were talking about Abraham means that father of faith friend of God but it didn't start that way and it's so unique as you study each character in the Bible certain men and women who we look as heroes of the faith they were just like us they were men and women that desperately wanted to understand the reverence of God and through this thing called sanctification God daily works in us to understand how to live for him it is it's a daily grind but here we are and I want to actually just point out again as with Abram I didn't start that way he wasn't always the father of faith look at the screen at joshua 24 1 through 2 we get a little glimpse of the area that he resided in joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem he called for the elders of Israel for their heads for their judges and for their offices they presented this house before God verse 2 Joshua said to all the people thus says the Lord of God of Israel your father's including Torah the father of Abraham that's who we learned about in the previous chapter 11 verse 31 the father of Abraham and the father of nahor dwelt on the other side of the river in old times and they served look at the wording guys other gods lowercase G in the plural form false gods multiple gods again they resided in a place that was polytheistic it was idolatrous it was a place that loved any and everything pertaining to false worship and God and Abram he was raised in that environment and I wonder how many of you can kind of relate with Abram in that way where maybe you grew up in a home that wasn't the best example you grew up in a home or your parents didn't exhibit godliness and it became kind of a prototype for you I understand that we can watch how our families conduct themself but like Abram guys we too can observe observe the goodness and mercy of God and come to our own conclusions like Abram will that God is merciful that he is gracious and we have to come to that place where we recognize that that that through faith that Jesus is the only way and actually won't be until the fifteenth Tapp chapter of Genesis that we get the ever famous verse that we're all familiar with that Abram believed in the Lord and accounted to him for righteousness it's easy to remember that about Abram but he started out that way God's calling him out of ur out of ur of the chaldeans and again it was his land swelling with perversion and then God tells him to transition into this thing called not just hey I need you to get out of her but now I'm calling you to believe in the plans that I have for you just like he calls us to believe in the plans that he has for us but what are the plans for Abram what is it exact cailli verse one we were told it was to show him a land it was a land that I will show you that God promises Abram and not only that but look at verse 2 now in our text on the screen it says I will make you a great nation I will bless you I will make your name great and you shall be a blessing it makes sense that phrase I will make you a great name next to the name Jesus Christ Abram or Abraham is one of the most popular eyes familiarised names in all the world because we're not just talking about the Evangelical Church of Christianity we're talking about a group of people all around the world we have the Jewish culture we have Arabs we have again the Evangelical Church knows the name of Jesus but all three of these groups have something consistent where they look at Abram as the father of faith and again each one is different because obviously if you study or know anything about the book of Quran you're gonna know that the writings of Abram they have the story a little bit different that when it comes to Abraham Isaac and Jacob the Quran is gonna take Isaac kind of out of the picture and Ishmael is gonna become the promised son but God he promises to Abraham as we're reading the powerful living text of the holy words that I'm gonna make your name famous but then notice in verse 3 what else God promises in our text and we can look at the screen he said I will bless those who bless you and it will curse him who curses you and you and all the families of the earth shall be blessed again you're probably going to notice in those three verses the amount of times the wording that you see I will I will bless you I will make a name grave to you five times in just those three verses that phraseology takes place and unlike chapter 11 where it encapsulates the plans of man chapter 12 of Genesis talks about the plans of God the plans that he has for Abram and his families and the families to come verses one through three of chapter 12 explains how God promised Abraham a land a nation and a blessing and the first plan of God was to direct Abram out of his current land Horan even though he was originally from earth to a land that I will show you and he doesn't know this yet guys but God's referring to the promised land of Israel it's so interesting when God makes us sweet promises to us through his word personalized promises and plans that a lot of times it doesn't happen the way we see it in this moment so what we're gonna be talking about tonight really is what faith looks like how we can believe and trust in the plans of God like Abram did and also we can learn from Abraham's mistake to not do what he did when it comes to trusting in the plans of God because remember God told him to leave her to head to Canaan but unfortunately he's like I'm gonna take a 15-year pitstop in her on and I was thinking about it as I was prepping and studying for this how often we do that with the Lord where he tells us something that we know we need to pursue and I started thinking about God's sovereignty God's goodness God's omnipotence his ability to understand things before they happen and I can delay the plans of God my sin my pride can delay what God wants to do in my life and that's why it's so unique because we have promises in Scripture and you can look at the screen and Jeremiah 33:3 or where it says things like call to me and I will answer and I will show you great and mighty things that you don't know God wants to show you these plans he wants to reveal himself to you in a way that's not just unique but powerful affirming that he knows what's best for us and Jeremiah 33:3 and Genesis 12 have something in common both require and deal with faith on our part on you and I that God gives each person that's in here and in Haitian to believe in his plans or are you ready for this or not believe him he can tell you something and you could say yes that's exactly you you're exactly right you do have a plan and a hope and for my future or you can believe no that's not true God's against me and here's a question I want everyone to kind of really dig in ask yourself this question do you believe in the plans of God enough to say I'm willing to drop everything in my life in order to follow him and I'm not saying that people in here need to be responsible and quit your jobs and be like John said I can do it I knew it no because the Bible also says the workman is worthy of his way to you who doesn't eat Hugh doesn't work doesn't eat there's a proper thing called you need to work to live I'm not saying that but there are things that maybe require you to rethink your life in a dramatic way that God has been telling you for some of you maybe for only a couple days for some of you for years and I believe that God as you're thinking about what what does that mean well I know he has great plans for your marriage if you're married God has great plans for your marriage he instituted we just read were in Genesis guys not only did he Institute it but we see one of the plans that he has for you so you protect your purity that your eyes are only for one another that you make yourself only to your spouse and her alone in him alone he wants to protect you in those areas those are a part of his plans and some of the great and mighty things that he wants to show you is is first rooted in living by faith in the promises that are currently in your hands right now we're so eager to want to know the future guys I am so impatient I am I know it like from the pulpit it's like you gotta believe in Jesus well I do but I want to know the outcome now I mean let's be honest my daughter Jaden it was amazing because she she wants to be a gymnast and a worship leader like her mom and a couple weeks ago she said this and it was so I just love Jaden and I love all my kids of course but Jaden she's so sincere with her questions and the way her thought process goes she goes you know what dad I wish I can look into the future and see if I'm a gymnast worship leader and I was like what she's like I just need to know if like I wish I couldn't get in a time machine and see if I'm a gymnast worship leader and it was so it was so sweet because she's like us guys we're in the same boat where it's like I wish I had a time machine to see if we're gonna make it if I'm gonna find my spouse if I'm gonna get through this obstacle or whatever it is faith is a day-by-day testing and believing that God knows the outcome and that's good enough and sometimes that's not good enough for us to believe that not only does God know the outcome raw faith means letting go of what we know and trusting that God knows what's best or another way to think about it is this way by war and where's be because again every war and where's the coat is gold look at the screen were in where's we said we do not understand and obey that's instruction we obey by faith and then we understand that's illumination I completely agree I completely agree that's why we have Bible verses that say things like you know a man plans his way oh but it's the Lord that directs his step or you know and how do it how does he direct our steps well he does it through the word and that's why we have verses that says things like your word is a lamp unto my feet it's a light to my path God illuminates our steps and faith requires that we believe that the steps were taking he's in control every step every step that we take and maybe some of you feel discouraged because you know that sounds great John but I lack faith hey I love that that you can be honest and say even say safe that and the best way to get this thing called a good dose of faith this injection of faith it's not just like I need faith it's not like Michael Scott on the office where he's like I declare bankruptcy it doesn't work like that I declare faith the Bible says that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word your faith builds up when you of zorp the Word of God when you eat it up when it refreshes your soul when it rejuvenates your very being so when you're in a joyless stay and you're honest with God like I don't care and I don't have faith you can open the word and it says if you lack wisdom he'll give it to you he'll supply you with faith he's a rescuer he really is so right now in Genesis chapter 12 God's great plan Abram I want to show you this land I want to show you this land and we're gonna find out though that Abram that and we too like Abram can partially believe you know in the plans of God and we think sometimes that partial obedience is full of beedi ins and it's not in Abram he's gonna learn the hard way and guys I hope that encourages you I hope Abram becomes an example to encourage you that he was a man who was a giant in the faith but guys he didn't start out that way he wasn't starting out as a hero he made mistakes like you and I but he becomes a type Abram becomes a type in a picture of what growing in faith and obedience and what it really looks like the text tells us God promising Abram I'm gonna make you a great nation this is crazy to me because Sarah who's gonna later become Sarah is at this point barren and infertile she can't have kids and I only have can she not have kids we're gonna find out here in a moment the text that she's 65 years old and of course we've gone through Genesis 1 through 11 we understand that a lot of people pre-flood days were able to have kids in their hundreds but time has changed life expectancy and timeframes has changed childbearing and birth has changed but even though she's infertile God is still going to give them enough children and grandchildren to populate an entire nation and it's and it's wild I'm gonna bless you we're told and get this God promises and I will bless those who bless you and I will curse him who curses you and it says and you and all the families of the earth shall be now that's a unique statement in and of itself because as we look at the history and the decline of Empires in certain areas attacking the nation of Israel how God was in fact in favor even though it did seem historically a time that he was a part of it God intervened for a lot of the Jewish nation like for example when the Greeks over in Palestine and desecrated the altar in the Jewish temple they're soon going to be conquered by Rome but when Rome comes they're gonna kill Paul and a ton of other people and destroy Jerusalem under Titus Rome is gonna fall at that point and then Spain is going to be reduced to a fifth-rate nation after the Inquisition against the Jews Hitler's Germany is gonna give this demonic propaganda a message of this anti-semitic view of killing every and any Jewish person in the world and they're gonna be overtaken as well Britain is gonna lose its empire when she broke her faith in Israel and guys this is what this this is why as a nation we need we need to be in support of the nation of Israel number one because God has unfinished business with the people of Israel but number two it's interesting historically nations that support the nation of Israel there's conflict but God's in favor it was the same with David it was the same with the Israelites it was the same as God promised the children of Israel that if they don't succumb to idolatry he was in he was with them and he helped them every step of the way even when it seemed impossible we need to be a nation that supports the need we as the United States need to be a supportive nation to Israel moving on to verse four so Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him and lot went with him and Abram was 75 years old when he departed from her on at that that means Sarah or Sarah at this point is 65 years old he left her on 15 years after the Lord told him to leave his country he partially obeyed the Lord told him to leave his family we just found out right now he partially obeys because what does he do he brings a lot with him and the only reason he finally decided to leave her on is because his dad gonna die let's move on to verse 5 then Abram took Sarai his wife and lot his brother's son and all their possessions that they had gathered and the people whom they acquired her on they departed to go to the land of Canaan so they came to the land of Canaan now Canaan geographically and historically is important for numerous reasons it's interesting as I was studying that how it encapsulates the importance of the scriptures and how again I fell into this trap like we're going to do one to two chapters a week I'm only gonna do a couple but Canaan is important this is where Abraham Isaac Jacob are gonna come out the patriarchs are gonna come out of here God's gonna deliver the the Jewish people out of the bondage of the Egyptians the land of Canaan is gonna be known as Israel there's gonna be a monarchy that's gonna develop under Saul David Solomon but today guys we just came back from Israel in March and just man Israel technologically economically is just killing it it's it's insane and not only are they killing economically and just what has come out of Israel Israel at this point has about 8.5 million people living there 6.5 million of those people are Jews it's a ten billion dollar a year economy it's number four in the world and exporting citrus fruit to all over the world which by the way if you go there and you actually have their fruit it's so good it's so lush and it's number three in the world for exporting flowers it's beautiful get beautiful things coming out of Israel so it makes sense when God says things to Abram how we see it reflected today I'm going to make you a great nation now we still see the promises of that coming all together it all started in the land of Canaan another thing to know in order for us to understand the whole picture of Genesis chapter 12 again it's good to look to the old the New Testament in terms of what it talked about especially here in Genesis 12 itself so Acts chapter 7 we get a little glimpse in picture acts 7 2 through 4 look at the screen Stephen is recounting some Jewish history he said brethren and fathers listen the god of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia before he dwelt in Haran verse 3 and said to him get out of your country from your relatives come to a land that I will show you and then he came out of a land that the Chaldeans and dwelt in Horan and from there when his father was dead he moved him to this land in which you now well so let's piece it together this is what happened God is appearing to Abram before he is Abraham when he was in heir of the Chaldeans where he was raised and God's gonna say things like listen your you're gonna do three things that's all I need you to do leave home leave your family leave your relatives go to a land that I'm gonna show you and unfortunately he partially obeyed in all those things he partially obeyed and he prolonged the plans of God and it is for some of you that's a hard thing guys have trust in the plans of God now it's difficult in knowing and trusting that God's plans are gonna come happy to come about I can believe it I can trust it it's hard for us to wrap our mind around that but I promise you guys that partial obedience it leaves you frustrated it leaves you unsatisfied and I mean this is the most loving way and I'm not trying to say it in a harsh way to come down on you it damages your relationship with Jesus partial obedience it always does he wants to reveal himself to you guys and as I was prepping for this and I was thinking about you guys and thinking about myself it's like God loves you so much that he wants to reveal the promises to you not once a week on Wednesdays her Sundays daily he wants you to hold on to the promises to the point that when you eat it up and it becomes food and Irishman to your soul everytime you feel discouraged his work comes up to your mind again as the scriptures say your word I've hid it in my heart that I might not sin against you Kasane wants you to disbelieve in the promises of God in the plans of God and he does that with Abram for our period because he was fresh fruit he was impatient just like a lot of us but look what it says now in verse 6 Abram he passed through the land of the place of Shechem as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh and the Canaanites were then in the land Shechem is also an important place geographically we're gonna learn about the place of Shechem with Jesus in a certain Samaritan woman at a certain well we're gonna find out that Jacob is going to buy a plot of land he's gonna build a well there and then you fast forward now into the New Testament Jesus is gonna feel parched and he's gonna see a woman in the place called citecar the land of Samaria and there they're going to start talking about the very well that Jacob dug up himself and they're gonna have a little history lesson in that moment and it's in that moment that she's gonna look at him and she's gonna say are you greater than our Father Jacob who gave us this well it's a very very very important place geographically now verse 7 of chapter 12 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 stop there for a second I want you to notice the the phraseology and verse 1 of chapter 12 and verse 7 of what I just read the Lord had said to Abram in verse 1 but then he transitions to verse 7 but then the Lord appeared to Abram and this is some people argue the first encounter geez a broom has with the person of Jesus Christ in this moment God said to Abram at the beginning but now Jesus appears himself to Abram and again he's going to do it in chapter 17 verse 1 in chapter 18 verse 1 and every single time it's gonna calm hands gonna rejuvenate him and I was thinking about that even for myself guys as the Bible makes it clear that no one has seen God no one can see God we've seen Jesus who is the person of God who makes up the Tri unit the Trinity of the Father the Son of the Holy Spirit he was God in the flesh but no one has seen God at any time I get that but what's interesting is and this isn't the next point as you read the word guys and as you look at other Saints in the church other people in the church that love Jesus youyou see Jesus through their lives through their faith in Christ through the reading of the word and it makes sense and every single time like Abram when Jesus appears to him I hope it rejuvenates your soul hey man I hope it not only rejuvenates your soul but you want more of it every time you know it's like that wow that was amazing oh I'm not satisfied with just that one encounter I want to see and feel and be a part of Jesus every single day and it here's my point the Lord appeared to Abram to remind him of the promise when we read God's Word it's the same thing he reminds us of his promises of his sovereignty and maybe some of you need that reminding tonight that I forgot you maybe some of you have forgotten the promises of God you've abandoned it you're on the end of your rope but you need to remember the promises that he hasn't left you or forsake you you remember the promises that the Bible says if you humble yourself he will lift you up the Bible says the in his presence is the fullness of joy and not only that but he's faithful to help us escape any and every temptation he sealed you with the promise of the Holy Spirit guys he knows the plans that he has for you guys they're plans for good they're not for disaster to give you a future and a hope in the verse that I love O so much and fill in Philippians when Paul tells the church at Philippi that you can be confident this very thing that he who begot a good work in you is gonna complete it God is so good with his promise so that's why we that's why we absorb the promises of God because get this guy's if you believe in the promises of God it's gonna help you see the plans of God unfold hear what I said you if you believe in the promises of god he's gonna remove it if you believe in the promises of God he will reveal to you his plants notice again what God says in verse 7 to your descendants I will give this land that is a promise that is the plan I want to give it to you Avram that's what I've wanted to do from the beginning and Abram he had a lot of descendants but who do we know of that came from this guy do we know two important ones we know Ishmael and we know Isaac you move ahead into the story as we're gonna go through Genesis God's gonna be very selective he's gonna say I'm giving this land to you Abram but not to Ishmael but to Isaac and his descendants and then you fast forward into the future now and and Isaac's gonna have a couple kids and God's gonna later again say the same thing he's gonna be selective I'm gonna give this land to Esau and I'm gonna get her excuse me I'm not gonna give it to Esau I'm going to give it to Jacob and then Jacob we're gonna find out are gonna come to twelve tribes of Israel through his sons and then we look at verses 8 through 9 back in our text of Genesis 12 and he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and a eye on the east there he built an altar to the Lord he called on the name of the Lord verse 9 so Abram journeyed look at this wording guys going on still toward the south he builds an altar to the Lord he calls them the name of the Lord but he journeyed going on still toward the south we got to move forward we got to move toward the promises of God and Paul actually talked about that church at Philippi look at the screen Philippians 3:13 through 14 he says but one thing I do what is it Paul forgetting those which are behind and I'm reaching forward toward those things that are ahead I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus Abram was going on still Paul was reaching forward he was looking ahead he was pressing toward the goal in the prize but here's the thing guys you can't press toward the goal in the prize if you don't believe in the promises of God yeah I mean why would God reveal himself to you if you don't even believe that that's what I'm saying you believe in the promises of God who will reveal to you the plans that he asked for you every single time guys you want to move forward you want to move forward you want to move forward in your faith not stagnant or looking behind and God's plans always involve that looking ahead and not behind verses 10 through 13 of Genesis 12 there was a famine in the land Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there for the famine was severe in the land and it came to pass when he was close to the to entry into Egypt that he said to Sarah his wife indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance therefore it will happen when the Egyptians see you that they will say this is his wife and they'll kill me but they'll let you live he must been so calm when he said that verse 13 please say you're my sister that it may be well with me for your sake and I may live because of you I did again I don't know how you can't read scripture sometimes and just laugh as you're reading it because it's just here's Abram use that hey baby what's up hey I do I hope you know you're a knockout you are eye candy but the thing is we're coming into Egypt and I need you to lie that we're brother and sister because they're going to murder me if you don't keep in mind Sarah is 65 years old in the text at this point and she was a very attractive 65 year old according to tradition cuz you read that you're like how did it where did that even come from wait he's just entering talent they're gonna kill me if they find out we're married according to tradition a man could kill a husband take his wife however if she was not married custom demanded that she has to deal with the family with her family to have her was a longer process it wasn't just like they're married she's mine kill done it was a little more extensive and thank God we don't have that process anymore still today in fact Carolyn and I when we were dating when we were like 16 17 years old people thought we were brothers and brother and sister like all the time like weird ways for them to conclude that and I mean like we would be holding hands and like tickling each other and they're you know just saying things like it's so sweet to see brothers and sisters like play like that what the heck is wrong with it it's my girlfriend man I'm gonna marry her I'm gonna put a ring on it that song didn't exist when we were 16 but again it was his sight we're digressing let's move on so anyways Abraham or Abram in the text here the sin that he had guys is he's not trusting in the Lord he's not trusting in the planet and the promises of God because you just told him I'm gonna make you a great name out of you is gonna come a great nation and now he he just had community and communicated with Jesus himself and he's entering Egypt and all of a sudden he forgets all the plans it forgets all of the promises so the sin that he commits right here is he's not trusting in God that his word isn't sufficient enough and God's promises he's gonna bless Abraham and not only that remember I'm gonna bless those who bless you and I'm gonna curse those who curse you you know what that's code for I'm gonna protect him in and you gotta believe that and that has to be sufficient guys when we rationalize our actions while in the heat of sin we always fall flat on our face every single time simply put you ready for this sin makes us stupid it does we do silly things when we're in the heat of our flesh and it's like why did I say that to my wife why I say that's my husband why did I just lose it because we rationalized the things that we're doing that it's okay but simply put like Abram here we live in a stupid way when we know we're not in in correlation with what God wants us to do Abram he thought he was acting wisely but he wasn't and then the same way the more we steer away from the Word of God from communicating with Jesus guys from authentic worship is when we make impatient choices we do there's this thing called discernment and good judgment for a reason so that we can have the ability when we make a mistake to say God correct me when I when I make a silly choice like that again and I guys I'm the same way I make stupid choices sometimes and I but the my choices don't exist for me to just wall on it like hair cares I need to learn from them and Abram he is gonna learn from him even though in this moment he thinks he's being wise he's not but if Abram truly fully believed in the promises of God than us guys a pharaoh a measly Pharaoh can do nothing to him and if God is for us then who can be against us and that's another promise you need to hold on to get it and I understand looking ahead at the impossibilities of our circumstance but guys we serve a God who takes impossibilities and makes impossible every time in Abram again he's gonna learn the hard way but he will learn moving on 14 through 16 so it was when Abram came to Egypt that the Egyptians saw the woman she was very beautiful very beautiful 65 year old verse 15 the princess of farrell also saw her commended her to pharaoh and the woman was taken to Pharaoh's house I mean Abram was right in all this and verse 16 he treated Abram well for her sake he had cheap oxen male donkeys male and female servants female donkeys and camels know at this point Abram is probably again like I'm kidding away with that this is it and I'm still being blessed by it understanding the place Abram and Sarah and where they're at in order for us to understand the what God's redemptive plan is that the big plan we have to realize how serious this is because Abram is about to hand his wife over to essentially potentially get married by an Egyptian get and I mean we're reading the text kind of like let's just pass through a brother and sister but we don't realize what's happening in here is the very act is he's basically giving his wife away but the problem is God's plan is through Sarah is gonna come to the nation of Israel through a Jewish man not an Egyptian but through Abram because that's the promise the promise is through Avram nothing less because the Messiah is gonna come through this family land and through the line of these descendants so look what the Lord does in verses 17 through 19 but the Lord plagued Pharaoh in his house with great plagues because of Sarah aber Abraham's wife Pharaoh called Abraham in he said what is this that you've done to me why did you not tell me that she's your wife so somehow he found out why did you say she is my sister I might have taken her as my wife now therefore here is your wife take her go your way and what you guys to understand and it's something that I think that the majority of you know but when we sin we never do it alone and what I mean by that is your sin and my sin affects everyone it affects everyone there are ramifications far above and beyond what we can imagine to the people that we love even though we might think it's like it if you think about Abram he's with his wife they've made this plan but what they're not realizing and she went along with it is that now Pharaoh's house is affected by it and then you see other parts of Scripture where that happens remember Jonah God tells him go to Nineveh cry out against it and Jonah's like I wanna and he goes to Tarshish but he makes his way onto a boat and in his perfect mind I'm going to bed on you know in the cabin and God sends a storm and now you have all these sailors on this boat freaking out because of this trench 'el storm that's coming it's the same thing for us that our sin affects every single person around us and so here's Abram he's standing before this unbelieving King might I add an Egyptian King and what makes this story even more ironic is that the unbelieving King rebukes the man of faith she's your wife are you kidding get out of here and look at the last verse verse 20 so Pharaoh commits commanded his men concerning him they sent him away and his wife and all they had now Abram has a lot to learn and this is the first of his mistakes but there's lessons we can learn from it in fact I'm gonna read to you a quote it's not gonna be on the screen I found it before I could give it to the guys this quotes an unknown source but it says but God is in the business of growing Abram into a man of great faith and this requires circumstances where Abram must trust God faith is not a mushroom that grows overnight and damp soil it is an oak tree that grows for a thousand years and under the blast of wind and rain still remains I know and I can imagine there are a lot of us in here who are struggling with believing in the plans of God because it's hard to see them come to fulfillment we want to see it right now but don't forget what the word says that your words a lamp to my feet it's a light to my path that means and simply put guys in trying to understand God's will listen carefully outside of reading the Bible is like trying to tune into your radio but the radio is turned off it's frustrating nothing's gonna happen from it but what if you lived today and tomorrow in such a unique way that was in faith in the boldness that I am gonna trust in the promises of God and when I'm paralyzed by fear I'm gonna go back to the scriptures that recount the verse that says and perfect love casts out all fear because it involves torment when you cling on to the promises of God that's what causes Satan to flee have you ever wondered that where the Bible says like where it talks so how do I flee from Satan it's not just simply like get back in no read the word recount to him the promises of God that's what causes him to flee you know what God is never gonna leave me or forsake me if I humble myself in the heat of my pride if I humble myself the Lord is gonna lift me up in his presence is always the fullness of joy that he's always faithful to provide a way of escape for me that guys I'm sealed by the Holy Spirit I'm a new creation Satan has no foot hole in my life death has no claim on my life because of Jesus believe in the promises of God helps us to see the plans of God let's pray God we come before you knowing that I'm the first the men and women and here are the first to say we need you and we lack faith sometimes and I prayed that we wouldn't in a adolescent stubborn way just yell to the sky I need faith I lack faith but God we would be students of the word that we would find our nutrition from the promises of your word that we can trust that you're good that you know the outcome that you're sovereign that you do have a plan and a future for us not of despair and disastrous things but of a future and a vow and of hope things that are good and I'm the first to recognize that we have fickle bodies that are failing us daily but you're still good that our mind and our faith is just damaged humph sometimes but you renew our strength and we can say with the glad heart I shall rejoice I shall rejoice gladly help us to be sincere and for some people in here they have no ounce to rejoice but I pray as we're about to go into a reflection time of worship that he would meet us exactly where we're at and we can with our arms raised high I believe in your plans and believe that you have a promise and that you're gonna hold to that you're at God not of Hope only but you're a god that has to fulfill his promises that if you tell us something and you promise it it's gonna happen and I pray that your spirit would reside in this room and that we would come together as Saints in a body worshiping the one and true Living God and in Jesus name and all God's people said amen let's worship

Channel: Calvary South Denver

Views: 7,008

Rating: 4.9111109 out of 5

Keywords: Calvary Chapel, Christianity, Bible Study, The Bible Project, Jon Geraci, Denver, Colorado, Calvary South Denver, Calvary CSD, Church

Id: Y1fj3a1Jzjk

Length: 55min 2sec (3302 seconds)

Published: Thu Aug 09 2018