Genesis 12
Theme: Our theme for this week is “Abraham”. Even though the earth was still filled with rebellion against God, God’s grace still shines through. God chose Abraham’s family to “bless” the world through. Abraham’s faithfulness to God’s call is foundational in the rescue plan of the world because it would be someone from his lineage that would save the world: Jesus. God’s call on Abraham’s life is a picture of what it means to know & follow the call placed on our life by God.
Major Points:
(The Call of God) It’s important to notice that when God placed the call on Abraham’s life he wasn’t exactly “in a good place”. He was living in a world filled with idolatry and rebellion against God, yet God called him out of that and into a relationship with himself. This is the process for us also. God meets us in our darkest place and calls us to himself by His grace. Therefore, looking to God’s call of Abraham we get a picture of what this call looks like. The three things to note are: 1. He called Abraham out idolatry 2. He called Abraham out of comfort 3. He called Abraham into a promise.
God will always bring us face to face with our idols in order to help us lay them down and come wholeheartedly back to him with our worship.
God never promised that following him would always result in comfort. He called Abraham to leave everything he ever knew in order to follow God. Living in a sinful world only complicates this even more because to follow God today means to live counterculture to the rest of the world making it seem even more uncomfortable.
God promised to use Abraham to build God’s kingdom, and through it bless the world. We learn from Abraham that our willingness to follow God is directly related to our trust in his promises for our life.
(The faith of Abraham) Abraham never looked to his own wisdom, effort, or experiences to control his life, only God. He simply listened to God and did what he said- The opposite of faith is control and we see Abraham give full control to God. The idea of Abraham obeying God’s commands shows us that he wasn’t living on his own understanding but trusting the promises of God and acting on faith. Abraham’s blind faith was the only thing that sustained him throughout this journey. He fought the same battles we do today but because of his faith in the promises of God, he was able to withstand it for the long haul.
(The promised blessing) God promised that all nations would be blessed through Abraham. This promise was for Abraham, it was for me, it was for you & for all people. This blessing would one day come in the form of Jesus who pays the penalty due for our sin in order to bring us back into a relationship with God. It’s our job to continue sharing that blessing with the world.
Question Bank:
How has your week been spiritually? / What is God teaching you?
What sins are you struggling with that you need to confess?
There’s a universal call placed on every Christian life & each Christian has a unique role to play in that call. What is the universal call put on Christian lives?
What unique role has He called you to play?
If your life was the example of faith in Genesis 12 instead of Abraham, what examples of faith would the reader see?
What are some things in your life that distort your faith in God? How can you address these issues?
How has God’s commitment to his promise changed how you live your life? In light of God’s fulfilled promises, what can we commit to this week in order to honor God?