I'm turning to Genesis 12. Last week we looked at verses 1 to 3. This week I want us to look at the whole chapter. Genesis 12 verse 8 of the church Bible.
So we got our first gold at the Winter Olympics on Friday night, didn't we? Matt Weston won gold in the skeleton. I hope we just won another gold today. The momentum is slowly building, isn't it?
Think about winning Olympic gold. There's nothing like it, is that? Olympic gold, it's just the pinnacle of sporting glory, isn't it? Your name forever goes down in history. Matt Weston, he already films the headlines. You become a national hero.
But the road to that glory is pretty unglorious, isn't it? We see Matt Weston on the podium with that gold around his neck and all the cheers. But what was the journey to that podium like?
It's all the unglorious stuff that we don't see. It's the early mornings, the early bedtimes, the brutal gym sessions, the lonely runs in the rain, the chicken, rice and broccoli every day.
It's all those Saturday mornings as a teenager, his dad driving him to Sheffield and back, all the training. It's being that nobody for years and years, just hoping for that podium.
The right to glory is pretty unglorious. In fact, it is no glory at all until you actually get there.
And that is just like God's promise of glory here in Genesis. In this cursed and fractured world, God came down to Abraham and laid out his plan of how to save all of this.
He set out his plan to bring this unglorious world to glory.
That's what we saw in Genesis 1-3 last week.
So to a lonely, scattered world, God says, I promise to make a new family.
To a world cast out of Eden, God says, I'm not going to give you a new home.
And to a world under the curse, God says, I'm not going to bless you.
And you see in verse 2, God promises to make Abraham's name great.
This is the promise of glory.
And this is ultimately the promise of glory in the new creation.
That that was what Abraham was being promised.
It was something beyond Canaan, beyond the Middle East, beyond what we can see here.
It is a restored world and a redeemed people, all under the blessing of God in a new creation.
That's God's plan set up right here in Genesis 12.
And it's the plan each and every one of us is longing for.
It's the end of this curse.
The end of sin.
It's the promise to finally belong to God again.
God is promising the podium right here.
But how do we get there?
Well, as we look at what God is doing with Abraham right here in this chapter,
God is showing us how each and every one of us can get there.
You can think of Abraham.
Abraham is like the model of how we come into this family and get to glory.
So last week we looked at the plan.
Now I want us to look at the man.
And like Olympic gold, we are seeing today that the journey to glory is actually pretty unglorious.
And glory, it doesn't just come straight away.
But unlike the Olympics, for those a part of this plan, glory is guaranteed.
There is no disappointing missed gold here.
No.
Glory is certain.
And unlike the Olympics, this glory isn't for the best or for those who have worked hard and earned it.
No.
As we look at Abraham, we see God is calling the unlikely to glory.
So if you want to be a part of God's plan to bless this world, to save it, and undo this curse,
this is how you get to glory.
God is calling the unlikely.
That's my first point today.
God is calling the unlikely.
How does all this road to glory begin with Abraham?
It begins with a call.
That's why.
Now the Lord said to Abraham, go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you.
So how is God restoring this world?
How is he undoing this curse and bringing salvation and starting this new family and bringing them to glory?
He's calling.
God speaks to Abraham and calls him into this plan.
And it's a surprising call, in fact.
Because actually, Abraham is one of the unlikeliest people to call at this point.
If you know Abraham, if you know your Bible at all, and you can just have a picture of Abraham in your head,
we know that Abraham, he's a great example of faith in the Bible.
But he wasn't in ways.
At this point, at this call, Abraham is a complete pagan.
In the book of Joshua, it says, it references Abraham, it says, Abraham is worshipping idols when this call comes to him.
He's not a spiritually obvious choice.
And also, look at his age as well, verse 4.
How old is he?
75 years old.
And on top of that, what's his family like?
It's he and Sarah, and they have no children.
He is the least obvious choice to start a nation with.
So it's not like Abraham is the godliest man on earth, and he's young, and he has a big family, and he can grow even more, and he's ready to go.
No.
Abraham is completely unlikely to be part of this plan.
Yet what does God do?
He calls him.
And God says, I'm choosing you, Abraham, to be a part of my plan to save the world.
This is how God brings people to glory.
This is what God is doing in this cursed world.
He is calling the unlikely.
So if you are wanting to know how to get to glory, you need to hear this call.
And Abraham heard this call, and maybe it was audible.
Maybe he heard a voice from heaven.
But if we need to hear this call, where do we hear it?
Where do we hear this call?
Well, this call, it's in the gospel.
The gospel is God's voice into this world.
God's call to a cursed and broken humanity.
A call to be a part of this grand plan.
To have these promises.
The call to be blessed in this new family.
It's the call to glory.
Just think, what did Jesus do as soon as he began his ministry?
He called.
What are some of the first words he says?
Follow me.
And who are the types of people Jesus calls?
It's the unlikely.
It's fishermen.
Tax collectors.
It's sinners.
It's the Abrams that are described.
It's not those who have got their act together with a perfect life.
The obvious shining choice.
No, Jesus calls the undeserving.
It's the unlikely from his calling.
Those are the ones he is calling to glory.
And it's the same call that began with Abraham.
And it's the same call that continues today.
God is calling us today to come and follow his son.
Belong to this grand plan and this eternal family.
Have these promises.
And come and belong to glory.
And you don't need to have your act together.
No, God says, I am calling you.
I am calling you the unlikely.
And for those of us who have heard this call.
We know that's true, don't we?
We see how God has called us into this family.
Promised this glory.
And we know what we were like when God called us.
And we look at our lives and we can't help but say,
I am the least of his choice.
Yet, God calls.
Whatever state your life is in.
If you are in any doubt about this,
just speak to any Christian here tonight.
God really is calling the unlikely.
But the question is, will we follow this call?
And we see it all right here with Abraham.
Abraham.
That this is how you get to glory.
And so wonderfully, the road to glory,
it's not like the Olympics.
It is not about us putting in the hours
and earning glory in my power.
No, you can only reach glory because of God.
Because of his grace in first calling.
God, he could have kept silent.
Abraham could have just kept living his life.
And the curse could have just continued into this world.
And God would have kept silent.
But God spoke and everything changed.
And if you hear God's call and you follow it,
everything changes for you.
And what does God say in his call?
Verse 1.
Go.
Abraham, get up and go.
Go to these blessings.
Go and belong to the renewal of this world.
Go and head to glory.
Go and go.
And so do you see that this call involves something?
This call involves going from something
and going to something.
If you want to get to glory,
we need to see that God is calling us
to go to a world unseen.
That's my second point today.
God is calling us to go to a world unseen.
And did you notice where Abraham was when God called?
Look at the end of chapter 11, verse 31.
Abraham was living in Ur of the Chaldeans.
And this is significant because Ur was a big city hub at the time.
It was kind of the London of the day.
That's where Abraham's whole life was.
And God says,
Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house
to the land that I will show you.
This is the call that he hears.
Go from your people and your life and your comfort and your security
and everything you know.
Abraham, leave that behind and go.
Go to a land that you haven't even seen yet.
And I promise you a people who aren't even born yet.
And I will bless you and make you great.
There will be glory.
But that glory and that greatness,
you won't even live to see.
Abraham, just listen to my voice.
Leave your life behind and go.
Go to a world unseen.
And with remarkable faith, he just goes.
Verse 5.
He takes his wife, Sarah, his nephew, Lot,
packs their bags and he goes.
And what does he go to?
An empty land.
Canaan.
With no greatness.
No people.
In old age, 75, unlikely calination come from him.
The whole thing just seems pretty impossible.
God has promised Abraham a glorious world.
But right now, that world is unseen.
The road to glory is very unglorious for Abraham.
It is a life living with the promise of glory,
waiting for it, hoping for it,
expecting the impossible,
but without ever seeing it.
You might have heard of the 12-year-old Australian boy,
Austin Appleby, in the news recently.
It's an incredible story.
A few weeks ago, Austin and his mum and his two siblings,
they got stranded miles out to sea,
off the coast of Australia,
on their paddle boards.
And they were out there for ages,
in the hot sun,
and they were getting desperate.
And so, Austin,
he swam back to shore to get help.
And so, over the course of four hours,
Austin swam four kilometres
through shark-infested waters in the hot sun,
back to the beach.
He reached the beach,
ran two kilometres to the phone,
called for help,
and saved his family.
And rescuers said,
what he did was superhuman.
And it really is.
Try swimming four kilometres,
in open water,
dehydrated with sun straight.
It is impossible.
He did the impossible.
And just think about Austin's mum
in those four hours.
Four hours of floating,
staring at an empty horizon,
knowing what her son has to do,
and waiting for the impossible to happen.
Well, that's just like Abraham.
He heads to Canaan,
staring at an empty horizon of a barren land,
staring at an empty family,
no glory to be seen,
just floating in the unknown,
and waiting for the impossible to happen.
And that is what God has called Abraham to do.
This is what God's call to glory looks like.
It is a call to go to a world unseen.
And that is the Christian life.
That is what the gospel has called us to do.
That there is a world waiting for us.
Rescue is over the horizon.
And it may all just seem impossible.
We are here just trying to faithfully serve God,
here on this earth,
following the Lord Jesus.
But it all just seems so very un-glorious, doesn't it?
Even mundane.
I'm called to glory,
but look at my life.
I'm just feeling my life changing endless nappies.
I'm promised glory,
but my life, what does it look like?
It's just going to another geography class.
It's sitting at a desk,
eight hours a day,
again and again.
I go to church,
I follow the Lord Jesus,
I know these promises,
but look at my life,
it is far, far from glorious.
God has called us,
yet life just feels small,
and irrelevant,
and pretty mundane,
and that's not even to mention
all the darkness of the Lord.
And the idea of a new creation,
it just seems so far off, doesn't it?
I can't even imagine how that will happen.
I can't even picture how I will exist without sin,
or have a resurrected body,
or not feel pain anymore.
But the idea of Christ returning from heaven,
with his angels,
and that actually to be justice in this world,
and sin to end,
it can almost feel like fantasy,
can't it?
Like we're floating in the ocean,
staring at the horizon,
and it just seems like God has promised the impossible.
But this is when we need to realise what we are called to.
God has not called us to glory now,
God has called us to wait.
Wait,
and trust in his promises,
trust in God,
that though we cannot see that glorious world yet,
we must trust that he is bringing us there.
And so this life,
this life we live now,
this is a life walking by faith,
and not by sight.
So just think of all the ways the Christian life is described.
We're on a pilgrimage.
We're in the wilderness.
We're running a race.
We're in a war.
We're exiled.
We're a bride betrothed to Christ,
but the wedding isn't here yet.
The groom hasn't returned.
So just as Abraham walked the land of Canaan
with no glory to be seen,
just a promise ringing in his ears.
Well, for those following Christ,
we now walk this earth
with no glory to be seen,
or with a promise ringing in our ears,
a promise that glory is just over the horizon.
And that is what faith is.
Faith is not just vaguely thinking something is out there.
Faith is not just a blind leap into the dark.
No.
Faith is knowing there is something unseen up ahead.
Faith is knowing God has told me
that there is a world I cannot see yet,
but he's told me it's coming.
Faith is knowing God's promises are certain,
and faith is clinging to those promises,
waiting for that world to come,
even though I cannot see it,
even though it seems impossible.
And so God calls us today,
leave behind whatever is keeping you
from following Christ.
Leave behind thinking this world is all that there is.
Leave behind a life thinking this world is our home,
and this is where we can find blessing and greatness.
Leave it all behind,
and go to a world unseen.
And God says,
I promise you it's there,
and I promise you it is all yours.
Just by faith,
wait for it.
And how do we wait?
We wait by worshipping.
Did you see what Abraham did
when he reached Canaan?
Verse 6.
He stops at a place called Shechem,
the battle in the north of Canaan.
Verse 7, what does he do?
He builds an altar at Shechem.
And then verse 8,
I'm going to look,
he heads to Bethel in the south,
and again,
builds an altar.
In this empty land,
no people,
no glory to be seen,
just God and his promise,
what does Abraham do?
He worships.
That's what these altars are,
that these are places of worship.
But they are also more than that,
that they are also like
little flags
planted in the ground of Canaan.
It's like in these altars,
God is slowly
claiming the land,
claiming this one little patch,
bit by bit.
And though Abraham can't see it,
as he worships at these altars,
he is recognising and trusting
that one day,
all of this will be claimed by God.
But this is how Abraham
waits for that world unseen.
He worships.
And that is just like us do.
As we worship God
Sunday by Sunday,
here in this room,
we are recognising
that glory is not here yet.
But one day it will be.
But that's what we're doing right now.
We are all here
standing on God's promises,
it's ringing in our ears,
knowing something unseen
is coming over the horizon.
We are gathering as Christ's body
because we know
he will one day return.
And so right now,
God has planted his flag,
his kingdom has already
come into this world,
into our lives.
The flags are here,
and as we worship,
God is saying,
one day,
an unseen kingdom
is going to be seen,
and it's going to fill this world.
And how do we wait for it?
We worship.
But it's not easy,
is it?
So many things
can make us believe
that that unseen world
isn't coming.
We can float in the ocean
and think,
no one's coming back.
I need to do something else there.
And we are not alone
in feeling that
because that is exactly
what Abraham went through.
As we keep following this man
in this chapter,
we see,
yes,
we are called to go
to a world unseen,
but fear keeps us
here in this world.
That's my third
and final point today.
Fear keeps us
in the world here.
This next section
of Genesis,
from verse 10 to 20,
it might have felt
a bit odd
if you read it.
You might be wondering,
what's it doing here?
We get in the plan
and now this story
about Egypt.
But I want us to see
that this section
is Abraham,
out of fear,
doubting all of these promises.
So look what happens,
verse 10.
Now there was a famine
in the land,
so Abraham went down
to Egypt
to such a man
for the famine
was severe in the land.
Now,
where did God say to go
at the beginning
of this chapter?
But where did God say
to wait for the promise
of glory?
It was Canaan.
But a famine
hit Canaan
and Abraham thought,
no,
this isn't right.
God has brought me here
but now I'm just going
to die here
but there's no blessing here.
It's kind of like
Austin's month,
thinking there's no way
Austin can return.
And so out of fear,
what does Abraham do?
He leaves Canaan.
He leaves the promises
behind
and tries to maybe
get to glory
another way.
So he pushes
God's plan
off the table
and he starts
drawing a new one.
What does he do?
What does he say?
Okay,
me and Sarah
will go down
to Egypt.
Maybe we'll find
a blessing there.
And so off they head,
leaving the land
behind.
There's a problem.
That's another.
Abraham knows
that his wife
is very beautiful.
And so he gets
scared
and thinks,
well,
if they know
I'm her husband,
they're just going
to kill me
and take her.
Well,
how about,
we don't say
I'm your husband,
let's just say
we're brother and sister.
Then they won't touch me.
But what happened
when they entered Egypt?
Pharaoh saw
Sebaid
and took her
to be his wife.
And yes,
Abraham did live.
And he even found
blessing with Pharaoh.
Pharaoh gave him
a fortune.
Do you see that
in verse 16?
Sheep,
oxen,
donkeys,
servants,
he gets them locked.
But what's the problem here?
The blessing
is meant to come
through Abraham's
offspring.
And with Sarah
gone,
Abraham's just
shut that off.
If his family
is meant to be
the stream of blessing
into this world,
this is like Abraham
putting a dam
in the stream
and stopping it all.
And so out of fear
and because of a famine,
Abraham abandoned
the land,
abandoned the offspring
and settled
for blessing
with another king.
He couldn't figure out
how that unseen world
could come.
He got scared
and so he settled
for the world here.
And it looks like
a little bit of glory,
doesn't it?
And fear
can have that effect
on us.
When the Christian life
is not just
unglorious,
but it seems like
it's just not worth it
at all.
You know
your promised glory,
but when the heat
of work
just increases,
the heat of school
increases
because of your faith,
or the online mob
starts coming
for our church,
we can think,
oh look,
this isn't right,
this isn't worth it.
This is too much hassle,
let's just settle
in Egypt.
Or we can fear
God has asked me
to give up too much.
Leaving behind
my old life,
it's too hard
and this call
is too much
and it's like
there's just
a famine of joy
in my life.
And we can just think,
what is the point?
I can go and find
happiness
in so many other ways
right now.
And so we walk
away through the
crisis
and we just
settle in Egypt.
It is astounding
at how easily
we can give it all up.
Just out of fear.
But look how God
deals with us
when we do.
Look what he does
with Abraham
verse 17.
He sends a plague
on Pharaoh's house
to make Pharaoh
realise what's going on.
And he does,
doesn't he?
And so Pharaoh
quickly returns
Sarai
and gives Abraham
everything
and sends him
away quick,
going back to Canaan.
And do you realise
what God is doing
here in this moment?
This is God
protecting his promises.
This is God
graciously
dealing with a man
who has walked away.
This is God
calling a man
an unlikely man
filled with
fears
and doubts
and who could have
ruined everything.
And God is
protecting this man
and making sure
he is going
to get to glory.
And that goes
for all of us.
While we are
called to go
by faith
to a world unseen,
we are not
going in our
own strength.
God
in his power
and his grace
he is bringing
all those
whom he is.
He is bringing
us to that
world unseen.
You are not
going alone
as you walk
this earth.
God is
bringing you
there
every step
of the way.
And so you
can have
great confidence
that when God
calls you
and you
trust in
his promises
he will
without a doubt
bring you
to that world.
God is
and we
can be sure
of that
most of
all
because Christ
has already
prepared the
way for you.
Because it
is Christ
who walked
this earth
with a promise
bringing in
his ears
the Father's
promise of a
people to be
his own,
his bride,
the church.
And a promise
for this world
to be all
his kingdom,
the nations
to be his
inheritance.
And the promise
of greatness
that every knee
should bow to
him and all
the blessings
of God
to belong to
him,
that was the
joy that was
set before him.
But on earth
all of that
was unseen.
Instead he
walked this earth
living such
an unglorious
life.
A man of
sorrows
acquainted with
grief,
despised
and rejected.
His life
threatened because
of God's
call.
You could say
he walked
through a
famine every
day of his
life.
And it
would have
been far
more comfortable
for him to
abandon these
promises.
He had every
opportunity to
fear and
doubt the
glory to
God, but
he never
did.
But instead
because of
the joy
that was
set before
him, he
endured that
unglorious
life, endured
it even to
the cross.
And he
came out the
other side and
entered into
that unseen
world.
He saw
that glory to
come.
And so how
can we be
sure that that
glory is coming
when Christ
has already
gone there for
us?
And he
didn't just
go for
himself.
He went
ahead to
prepare the
way and to
prepare a
place for
all those
whom he has
called.
For those in
Christ, as he
emerged from
that grave and
entered into the
glory of heaven,
he won for us
a new home, a
new people and
all the blessings
of God.
And he is
right now, this
moment, he is
seeing what we
cannot see
that.
And he is
waiting there
to bring you
home.
And so as we
float here,
waiting in the
ocean, be
assured, Christ
is there just
over the
horizon, coming
for you.
And he's
protecting you
every step of
the way until
you're finally
home.
And so God
is calling,
calling us to
a one-one
seed.
And so by
faith, follow
this call.
But even
then, when
you fear your
faith may fail,
Christ can
hold you
fast.
Let's pray.
Thank you.