Introduction

God’s Call
Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your country,And from your relatives,And from your father’s house,To the land which I will show you;2 And I will make you a great nation,And I will bless you…And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” 4 So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him; Now Abram was seventy-five years old… Gen. 12:1-4

God’s Unconditional Covenant
And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” 6 Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness…

reckoned = added to his account

“Bring Me a three year old heifer, and a three year old female goat, and a three year old ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, and laid each half opposite the other…12 Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold… 17 It came about when the sun had set, that it was very dark, and behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a flaming torch which passed between these pieces.
18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying,
“To your descendants I have given this land,From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates: Gen. 15:5-18
…My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you. Gen. 17:6-7

God’s Correction
Now, it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.”
3 So Abraham rose early…and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 4 On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance… 7 Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and…said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” 8 Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.”
9 Then they came to the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”
12 He said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”
13 Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. 14 Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the Lord it will be provided.” Gen. 22:1-14

God’s Care
8 Abraham breathed his last and died in a ripe old age, an old man and satisfied with life; and he was gathered to his people. 9 Then his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, Gen. 25:8

So What?!

Hebrews 11:8-19

#1. Be Reverant
11 By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised.12 Therefore there was born…as many descendants as the stars of heaven in number, and innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.

#2. Be Resolute
8 By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out…and he went out, not knowing where he was going.

#3. Be Reliable
13 All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them. Hebrews 11:13&16

Everybody Qualifies
Genesis 12-25, Pastor Ed Kemp
June 1 & 4, 2023

Prayer Requests:

Group Discussion: What was the most stressful home move you’ve ever made?

Read aloud: The Scriptures in Genesis from Sunday’s message.

What would have been the most difficult part for Abraham when God commanded him to leave Ur and move to Canaan? What about the most difficult for Sarah? What do you think their conversations about this move were like? Abraham was 75 years old when he made his dramatic relocation, do you think it’s easier to move at a younger age or older age? Why? Have you ever had to have conversations about important moves?

Isn’t it interesting, in Genesis 15, Abraham was pronounced righteous, not for any particular action, but for simple belief that what God was telling him was going to come true. We come to God the same way Abraham did, by putting our faith in God’s Son Jesus Christ. When we accept Jesus we are pronounced righteous by God because all of our past, present and future sins are forgiven. When did you accept Jesus as your Savior and how did that happen? Did you experience a great sense of forgiveness or relief?

Think about how the worship of God had gone through Genesis 1-11. Genesis 4 says Cain slew Abel because Abel worshipped correctly and Cain was jealous and angry so he killed Abel. In Genesis 8:20 Noah worshipped correctly. In Genesis 11 Babel occurs because of wrong worship. So, in Genesis 22 God teaches Abraham not to worship with human sacrifice but provides a ram to sacrifice and worship correctly. Today we worship God through Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. What parts of Church are worship to you and what does it mean to you and how does it impact you? What is God expecting of you in worship?

Read: Hebrews 11:8-19. From your sermon notes: How is considering God faithful, reverence? How is obeying God being resolute? How is believing God’s promises being reliable?

Family Time: Abraham was commanded by God to name his son Isaac (Gen. 17:19) and his name means “laughter” because when God told Abraham his wife would have a son she laughed at the idea. Talk to your kids about why you chose the name you chose for them.