WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.120 gospel. And Lord, now we pray that the words of my mouth and the meditations of all of our hearts 00:00:06.120 --> 00:00:10.740 will be pleasing in your sight, Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen. 00:00:13.019 --> 00:00:16.679 Now, as I mentioned, we've been going through this sermon series, The Mission of God's People. 00:00:16.800 --> 00:00:22.580 Last week, we looked at the creation story, how God created Adam and Eve to live in the garden, 00:00:22.579 --> 00:00:30.419 to rule over creation, to rule and subdue and care for all that God had created. 00:00:31.219 --> 00:00:36.519 But today, we've advanced a little bit further in the book of Genesis. We know what happened to Adam 00:00:36.519 --> 00:00:42.780 and Eve, right? They sinned against God. They were taken out of the garden of Eden. And now they're 00:00:42.780 --> 00:00:50.859 suffering the curse that is experienced by all earth. And so now we see that this seems like a 00:00:50.859 --> 00:00:56.640 very quick spiral of humanity here, this downward spiral that's occurring. Wickedness is recounted 00:00:56.640 --> 00:01:02.659 over and over again in these first few chapters of Genesis. We see in Genesis 6, it actually says 00:01:02.659 --> 00:01:08.939 this about man at that time, that every inclination of the thought of human heart was only evil all the 00:01:08.939 --> 00:01:16.180 time. And so if you're familiar with the story that follows the story of Noah, where God decides he's 00:01:16.180 --> 00:01:22.180 going to destroy the world with a flood, but saves Noah and his family. However, this doesn't eliminate 00:01:22.180 --> 00:01:28.940 sin by any means. We see that sin persists in the hearts of man. And we come to the story of the Tower 00:01:28.940 --> 00:01:37.100 of Babel in Genesis 11, where man, again, is motivated by pride and selfish ambition until God comes and 00:01:37.100 --> 00:01:42.660 confuses their languages and scatters them all over the face of the earth. So this is the setting. 00:01:42.659 --> 00:01:49.640 When we walk into Genesis 12, what we're studying tonight, this is the setting, a rather bleak outlook. 00:01:50.439 --> 00:01:57.899 Man seems to be in a hopeless situation, corrupted by sin, worthy of God's judgment. And yet we see God 00:01:57.899 --> 00:02:06.519 enter in, come to a single man named Abram, and he promises to bless him. And so this is what I want 00:02:06.519 --> 00:02:10.699 us to focus on tonight, this blessing. Specifically, I want to think about three things. I want to think 00:02:10.699 --> 00:02:18.659 about the blessing as it is given, the blessing received, and the blessing extended. So let's look 00:02:18.659 --> 00:02:25.579 first at the blessing given. Now, if you've grown up in church or you're familiar with Bible stories, 00:02:25.699 --> 00:02:31.799 maybe you've heard of Abraham before. In this passage, it calls him Abram, but we know that God 00:02:31.799 --> 00:02:38.099 changed his name when he gave him this promise from Abram to Abraham. Maybe you've heard these stories of 00:02:38.099 --> 00:02:44.039 Abraham's faithfulness and obedience to God, but it's important to look at how Abraham's life started 00:02:44.039 --> 00:02:51.079 here. What was Abraham like when he came, when God approached him with this promise? Maybe you have 00:02:51.079 --> 00:02:56.180 this kind of Sunday school mentality of what Abraham was like, because we've heard all these great stories, 00:02:56.259 --> 00:03:02.359 right? So you may think, well, Abraham always loved God and God always loved Abraham. But that wasn't 00:03:02.360 --> 00:03:07.620 actually the case. That's not what the Bible says. When Abram and his family are introduced in Genesis 11, 00:03:07.700 --> 00:03:15.000 it says nothing of his virtue or his obedience or his faith at all. In fact, if we jump to Joshua 24, 00:03:15.160 --> 00:03:22.420 it says that Abraham and his family actually served other gods. And so Abraham did not stand out in his 00:03:22.420 --> 00:03:29.060 day among the other idolaters that he lived with. Abraham himself was a pagan. 00:03:29.060 --> 00:03:37.599 But we see that God still came to him and extends a blessing to him. And so we may ask them, well, 00:03:37.659 --> 00:03:43.780 why did God choose to bless Abraham? If he wasn't special in any way, why didn't he choose somebody 00:03:43.780 --> 00:03:50.659 else? Why did he choose to bless anybody at all? The fact is the Bible doesn't really give an answer 00:03:50.659 --> 00:03:58.520 to that story. It doesn't say why God specifically chose to bless Abraham. But we know as we go through 00:03:58.520 --> 00:04:05.460 the story and the whole arc of the gospel message in the Bible, the simple fact that God chose to love 00:04:05.460 --> 00:04:16.379 Abraham because God chose to love Abraham. And so that is what grace looks like. And that's what I want 00:04:16.379 --> 00:04:23.379 us to look at just for a second here. My minister in the States back in South Carolina, he, I remember 00:04:23.379 --> 00:04:30.000 him talking several times about his own understanding of grace and how it evolved over time. He said early 00:04:30.000 --> 00:04:37.480 on in his ministry, he defined grace as favor in the absence of merit. And that may sound like a pretty 00:04:37.480 --> 00:04:42.120 good definition, right? But he said that actually grace is so much more than that. He came to understand 00:04:42.120 --> 00:04:50.100 that grace is not just favor in the absence of merit. Grace is favor in the presence of demerit. 00:04:50.100 --> 00:04:58.300 Meaning not only has man done nothing to earn God's favor, we've actually done a lot that we should never 00:04:58.300 --> 00:05:05.740 deserve God's favor. If we look back at the, we looked at Genesis 12, if we go back to Genesis 11, we see this 00:05:05.740 --> 00:05:15.460 stark contrast between the acts of man and the promises that are coming of God. We see that over and over again in the 00:05:15.459 --> 00:05:27.399 story of the, of the, of the, the building of the tower of Babel, what did man say to themselves? Let us make bricks. Let us build a city and a tower. Let us make a name for ourselves. 00:05:28.219 --> 00:05:42.859 We see here that man is working by themselves and for themselves. There's no thought of God here. There's no desire to please him or to serve him or to know him. Yet God enters in and he shows his grace. 00:05:42.860 --> 00:05:55.500 And so the same is true for each of us. There's nothing good in us that God should be attracted to us. There's nothing that we can possibly do to earn God's favor. And maybe you struggle with this thought. 00:05:56.000 --> 00:06:11.860 Maybe you think that man is basically good, that God should be pleased with us because of something that we've done. Sometimes I'm tempted that way myself to think that God and I make a pretty good team, right? That, that God was pretty wise in choosing me because I have some redeemable quality about me. 00:06:11.860 --> 00:06:24.680 But that's not what the Bible says. That's not what God teaches us. It says that God chose you and me when we were dead. God chose you and me when we were enemies. 00:06:24.680 --> 00:06:33.680 And so it's only by his grace that he makes us alive. It's only by his grace that we can become sons and daughters. 00:06:34.800 --> 00:06:41.840 And so then it's worth looking at then. What is this promise specifically that God makes to Abraham and to his descendants? 00:06:42.660 --> 00:06:46.500 Well, first of all, we see that the promise is a promise of posterity. 00:06:46.500 --> 00:06:50.600 If we look at verse two, God says to Abraham, I will make you a great nation. 00:06:51.120 --> 00:06:53.579 I will bless you and make you a great name. 00:06:54.180 --> 00:06:57.120 If we jump a couple of chapters forward to Genesis 15, it says this. 00:06:57.220 --> 00:07:02.019 It says, God says to Abraham, he says, look to the north and to the south and to the east and to the west. 00:07:02.199 --> 00:07:06.819 All the land that you see, I'm going to give this land to you and your descendants. 00:07:06.819 --> 00:07:15.240 And so this little insignificant man from the land of Ur, God is promising a future kingdom. 00:07:15.240 --> 00:07:23.480 Not only that, we see that this promise is actually God is promising his own presence to Abraham and his descendants. 00:07:23.960 --> 00:07:31.759 We see throughout this promise here in Genesis 12 and onward, a lot of relationship language that goes with this blessing. 00:07:32.160 --> 00:07:40.180 We see that God, he's choosing to bless Abraham and he's going to bless those who bless him and he's going to curse those who curse him. 00:07:40.180 --> 00:07:45.579 We know that this blessing is extended not only to Abraham, but to his son Isaac and beyond. 00:07:46.079 --> 00:07:51.519 So if we actually look when God talks to Isaac about this blessing, Genesis 28 verse 15, it says this. 00:07:52.180 --> 00:07:55.340 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go. 00:07:55.980 --> 00:08:01.560 And I will bring you back to this land for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you. 00:08:01.560 --> 00:08:06.180 So we see in this blessing that God promises his nearness. 00:08:07.160 --> 00:08:10.579 God promises his loyalty to Abraham and his descendants. 00:08:12.019 --> 00:08:15.899 And lastly in this promise, we see that God promises people. 00:08:17.500 --> 00:08:27.000 He tells Abraham repeatedly that even though he is old and even though he is childless and even though his wife is barren, his descendants are going to number the stars. 00:08:27.000 --> 00:08:33.799 And not only that, but through his family, through his descendants, all the nations of the world are going to be blessed. 00:08:35.220 --> 00:08:37.840 Think about how unbelievable that would have been to Abraham. 00:08:38.000 --> 00:08:42.120 That would have been, I mean, naturally would have thought that story is too good to be true, right? 00:08:43.620 --> 00:08:45.960 And so that brings us to our second point. 00:08:46.100 --> 00:08:49.620 How is this blessing received by Abraham? 00:08:50.799 --> 00:08:56.080 Well, we know that this covenant is talked about more than just in Genesis 12 where we just read. 00:08:56.080 --> 00:09:03.580 If we jump forward to Genesis 15, we actually see the inauguration of this covenant, this covenant ceremony that's performed. 00:09:04.800 --> 00:09:07.580 And we see that God tells Abraham, he tells him to do this. 00:09:07.639 --> 00:09:10.560 He says, take a calf and a goat and a ram. 00:09:11.139 --> 00:09:15.580 And I want you to cut them in half and lay them out with a walkway between. 00:09:17.040 --> 00:09:19.680 And this would have been part of the ceremony that was performed. 00:09:19.679 --> 00:09:27.919 In fact, it sounds weird to us, but in that day, this would have been a custom that would have been known by two people that are making a contract or a covenant with one another. 00:09:28.019 --> 00:09:31.000 That these animals are split, their carcasses divided. 00:09:31.120 --> 00:09:35.579 The two people meet in the middle and make this covenant, make this agreement. 00:09:35.719 --> 00:09:42.679 And it symbolizes that if either of them broke this covenant, that they should suffer the same result as those animals. 00:09:42.679 --> 00:09:46.799 And so we see here that something different happens, though. 00:09:47.699 --> 00:09:53.139 Abraham is given this instruction to lay out these animals, but he doesn't go to meet God in the middle. 00:09:54.139 --> 00:09:56.859 We see that God puts Abraham into a deep sleep. 00:09:57.719 --> 00:10:06.079 And God then sends this smoking pot and this flaming torch that crosses through those animals all the way to Abraham. 00:10:06.080 --> 00:10:15.060 And so we see this imagery, it symbolizes, it shows us that God has taken this covenant upon himself. 00:10:15.320 --> 00:10:17.520 That he will be the one to fulfill this covenant. 00:10:17.700 --> 00:10:21.980 And if the covenant is broken, he is the one that's going to pay the penalty. 00:10:23.680 --> 00:10:30.660 And so we read further in Genesis where it talks more about this covenant between Abraham and God and Abraham's descendants. 00:10:31.440 --> 00:10:35.320 And we learn that there's a condition that Abraham has to keep as well. 00:10:35.320 --> 00:10:38.060 Genesis 17, verse 10, God says to Abraham, 00:10:38.180 --> 00:10:41.680 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep. 00:10:42.140 --> 00:10:45.240 Every male among you shall be circumcised. 00:10:46.180 --> 00:10:47.580 He continues in verse 14, 00:10:47.700 --> 00:10:53.580 Any uncircumcised male who has not been circumcised in the flesh will be cut off from his people, 00:10:53.860 --> 00:10:55.840 for he has broken my covenant. 00:10:57.480 --> 00:10:59.020 You may think this is kind of weird, right? 00:10:59.020 --> 00:11:04.120 Why in the world would we have a condition of a covenant that's going to be fulfilled by God, 00:11:04.120 --> 00:11:06.299 symbolized by something like this? 00:11:07.159 --> 00:11:10.139 But we see, in fact, that this is talked about in the New Testament. 00:11:10.259 --> 00:11:12.379 We read from Galatians earlier here in Romans. 00:11:12.519 --> 00:11:15.600 Paul is also giving an answer to the sign. 00:11:16.700 --> 00:11:16.980 He says, 00:11:16.980 --> 00:11:19.740 Abraham received circumcision as a sign, 00:11:19.860 --> 00:11:25.060 a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. 00:11:25.059 --> 00:11:32.639 So we see circumcision was a picture of receiving righteousness by faith. 00:11:33.019 --> 00:11:36.719 And so this condition that's given to Abraham is not just the circumcision itself. 00:11:36.859 --> 00:11:39.939 It's that he needs to have faith. 00:11:41.039 --> 00:11:41.879 And so that's why it says, 00:11:42.019 --> 00:11:43.139 Genesis 15, 6, 00:11:43.239 --> 00:11:47.579 Abraham believed the Lord and it was credited to him as righteousness. 00:11:47.580 --> 00:11:50.200 And so this may confuse you. 00:11:50.759 --> 00:11:53.000 We just finished talking about the grace of God, right? 00:11:53.020 --> 00:11:54.400 There's nothing that we can earn. 00:11:54.700 --> 00:11:56.520 There's nothing we can do to earn God's favor. 00:11:57.300 --> 00:11:59.620 But yet now, as a condition of the covenant, 00:11:59.920 --> 00:12:01.280 Abraham has to have faith. 00:12:01.379 --> 00:12:05.240 So isn't having faith, in a way, a means of earning God's favor? 00:12:06.879 --> 00:12:07.740 Well, think about it this way. 00:12:08.440 --> 00:12:09.700 When I was growing up in the States, 00:12:09.879 --> 00:12:11.300 I liked to play football. 00:12:11.680 --> 00:12:12.780 Of course, we called it soccer. 00:12:13.500 --> 00:12:15.939 Probably a lot of you grew up playing as well. 00:12:16.379 --> 00:12:19.159 And one thing I remember growing up 00:12:19.159 --> 00:12:22.299 is that professional soccer was kind of coming into its own. 00:12:22.419 --> 00:12:24.779 It was a new league had just formed when I was young. 00:12:24.899 --> 00:12:26.039 The major league soccer. 00:12:26.579 --> 00:12:28.299 Certainly a far cry from Champions League 00:12:28.299 --> 00:12:29.620 or any sort of European soccer, 00:12:29.740 --> 00:12:31.639 but it was big for us in the States at the time. 00:12:32.339 --> 00:12:34.699 And I remember the closest team to where I lived, 00:12:34.759 --> 00:12:36.100 it was the Tampa Bay Mutiny. 00:12:37.039 --> 00:12:39.879 And they were playing an exhibition game before a season 00:12:39.879 --> 00:12:41.159 in my town where I lived. 00:12:41.159 --> 00:12:43.980 And so I went with a lot of my friends 00:12:43.980 --> 00:12:45.519 from my soccer team and my family, 00:12:45.659 --> 00:12:47.079 and we watched this exhibition game. 00:12:47.279 --> 00:12:50.419 And at halftime, they were giving away season tickets 00:12:50.419 --> 00:12:51.480 to the Mutiny. 00:12:51.740 --> 00:12:52.799 They were doing this raffle. 00:12:52.919 --> 00:12:54.679 So you had to look at your ticket that you came in with, 00:12:54.699 --> 00:12:55.699 and they read out the ticket number, 00:12:55.959 --> 00:12:58.019 and I actually won the raffle. 00:12:58.159 --> 00:12:59.919 I won these season tickets to the Mutiny. 00:12:59.980 --> 00:13:02.539 I got to go down to midfield and receive this certificate, 00:13:02.879 --> 00:13:05.019 and I got to go to every single home game 00:13:05.019 --> 00:13:07.600 that Mutiny had that season for free. 00:13:07.600 --> 00:13:09.920 Now, if you think about it, 00:13:09.980 --> 00:13:13.139 that having a ticket would have been a necessary condition 00:13:13.139 --> 00:13:16.060 for me to get into the stadium to watch them play, right? 00:13:17.080 --> 00:13:19.220 I could fulfill that condition 00:13:19.220 --> 00:13:21.700 because I had those season tickets. 00:13:22.420 --> 00:13:24.320 But I hadn't actually earned those tickets. 00:13:24.420 --> 00:13:25.980 Those tickets were given to me for free. 00:13:26.420 --> 00:13:28.519 So being able to fulfill that condition 00:13:28.519 --> 00:13:31.639 wasn't based on anything that I had actually done. 00:13:31.639 --> 00:13:35.319 And so that's a picture of what faith is like for us. 00:13:35.659 --> 00:13:39.039 Faith is a necessary condition for our salvation. 00:13:39.199 --> 00:13:43.340 But the fact is, faith itself is a gift from God. 00:13:44.279 --> 00:13:45.439 Ephesians 2.8.9 says, 00:13:45.580 --> 00:13:47.480 For by grace you have been saved through faith. 00:13:47.539 --> 00:13:48.639 This is not of yourselves. 00:13:49.139 --> 00:13:50.179 It is a gift of God, 00:13:50.259 --> 00:13:52.179 not by works that no one can boast. 00:13:53.199 --> 00:13:56.340 And so we see that Abraham received God's blessing 00:13:56.340 --> 00:13:57.939 through faith. 00:13:57.940 --> 00:14:00.020 So the question is, 00:14:00.100 --> 00:14:01.860 what did he have faith in, right? 00:14:03.980 --> 00:14:06.140 It shows that Abraham had faith 00:14:06.140 --> 00:14:08.020 that God would keep his promise. 00:14:08.160 --> 00:14:10.360 Obviously, Abraham was long before 00:14:10.360 --> 00:14:11.760 the coming of the Messiah, Jesus. 00:14:12.660 --> 00:14:14.380 And he didn't know exactly how that promise 00:14:14.380 --> 00:14:15.300 was going to be fulfilled, 00:14:15.400 --> 00:14:18.280 but yet he had faith that God would keep his word. 00:14:19.260 --> 00:14:21.080 And we know how that promise was fulfilled, 00:14:21.160 --> 00:14:23.180 that God would send his son, Jesus, 00:14:23.420 --> 00:14:24.860 who lived a perfect life, 00:14:24.860 --> 00:14:27.780 who offered his own body on the cross, 00:14:27.940 --> 00:14:30.460 as a penalty for our sin. 00:14:31.720 --> 00:14:33.400 And so if we go back to that picture 00:14:33.400 --> 00:14:35.220 that we talked about in Genesis 15 00:14:35.220 --> 00:14:36.580 of this covenant being made 00:14:36.580 --> 00:14:38.460 between God and Abraham, 00:14:38.980 --> 00:14:40.420 the splitting of these animals 00:14:40.420 --> 00:14:41.580 that were walked between, 00:14:42.360 --> 00:14:43.540 we see this relationship 00:14:43.540 --> 00:14:45.860 between death and the covenant. 00:14:46.760 --> 00:14:48.380 These animals had to die 00:14:48.380 --> 00:14:50.840 in order for this covenant to be made. 00:14:50.840 --> 00:14:53.100 And now we have Jesus 00:14:53.100 --> 00:14:54.800 who fulfills this promise 00:14:54.799 --> 00:14:56.719 by offering his own body 00:14:56.719 --> 00:14:58.139 and his own blood 00:14:58.139 --> 00:14:59.500 as a sacrificial victim 00:14:59.500 --> 00:15:01.679 for this covenant curse. 00:15:02.779 --> 00:15:04.799 And so this is what we're going to be celebrating here 00:15:04.799 --> 00:15:05.240 in a little bit, 00:15:05.279 --> 00:15:05.859 the Lord's Supper. 00:15:05.979 --> 00:15:07.359 This is what we are remembering, 00:15:07.479 --> 00:15:09.919 the sacrifice of our Savior Jesus, 00:15:10.579 --> 00:15:13.299 who willingly gave of his body 00:15:13.299 --> 00:15:14.659 and his blood. 00:15:14.740 --> 00:15:15.779 The blood that he says 00:15:15.779 --> 00:15:17.000 is of the covenant 00:15:17.000 --> 00:15:18.479 that was shed for many, 00:15:18.639 --> 00:15:21.000 and he invites us all to drink of it. 00:15:21.000 --> 00:15:25.639 And so just like Abraham, 00:15:25.799 --> 00:15:28.419 he received this blessing 00:15:28.419 --> 00:15:30.480 through faith in the promise of God. 00:15:30.559 --> 00:15:32.519 He was looking forward to the promise 00:15:32.519 --> 00:15:33.700 and how it would be fulfilled. 00:15:34.700 --> 00:15:36.700 And so the same holds true for us then. 00:15:36.840 --> 00:15:38.480 If we are going to have faith, 00:15:38.820 --> 00:15:40.820 we have faith in the promise 00:15:40.820 --> 00:15:42.419 that God has given us. 00:15:42.500 --> 00:15:44.259 We can look back to how that promise 00:15:44.259 --> 00:15:46.419 has been fulfilled in the life 00:15:46.419 --> 00:15:47.820 and death of Jesus 00:15:47.820 --> 00:15:50.180 who ushers in a new covenant 00:15:50.180 --> 00:15:51.460 in his blood. 00:15:52.600 --> 00:15:54.280 And so it doesn't end there, right? 00:15:54.740 --> 00:15:56.200 We talk about how this blessing 00:15:56.200 --> 00:15:57.400 is given by God, 00:15:57.480 --> 00:15:59.879 how it's received by us through faith, 00:16:00.240 --> 00:16:01.520 but there's that third element 00:16:01.520 --> 00:16:04.080 of how this blessing is then extended. 00:16:05.700 --> 00:16:06.740 You know, as we've already read, 00:16:06.820 --> 00:16:08.420 God, he tells Abraham 00:16:08.420 --> 00:16:10.640 that he, at the very beginning of chapter 12, 00:16:10.700 --> 00:16:11.020 he says, 00:16:11.340 --> 00:16:13.360 I'm going to make you a great nation. 00:16:13.900 --> 00:16:16.000 All nations through you will be blessed. 00:16:16.000 --> 00:16:19.639 So although God is choosing this one man, 00:16:19.720 --> 00:16:21.159 in no way is this promise 00:16:21.159 --> 00:16:23.299 or this blessing supposed to be exclusive. 00:16:23.740 --> 00:16:25.200 It's not something that Abraham 00:16:25.200 --> 00:16:26.460 is supposed to hoard. 00:16:27.480 --> 00:16:28.600 John Piper puts it this way. 00:16:28.679 --> 00:16:30.059 He says that Abraham was meant 00:16:30.059 --> 00:16:32.379 to be a conduit of God's blessing 00:16:32.379 --> 00:16:33.659 and not a cul-de-sac. 00:16:35.580 --> 00:16:36.600 And so how was it then 00:16:36.600 --> 00:16:37.960 that Abraham and his descendants 00:16:37.960 --> 00:16:40.740 were supposed to spread this blessing 00:16:40.740 --> 00:16:43.200 to all people in all nations? 00:16:43.200 --> 00:16:45.560 Well, if we look at the very beginning 00:16:45.560 --> 00:16:46.460 of Genesis 12, 00:16:46.560 --> 00:16:48.300 before God even gives this promise 00:16:48.300 --> 00:16:48.920 to Abraham, 00:16:49.340 --> 00:16:51.720 he first gives Abraham a command. 00:16:53.040 --> 00:16:53.340 He says, 00:16:53.540 --> 00:16:54.259 Go from your country, 00:16:54.379 --> 00:16:54.879 your people, 00:16:55.000 --> 00:16:55.820 and your father's household 00:16:55.820 --> 00:16:57.160 to the land I will show you. 00:16:58.140 --> 00:16:59.080 Continuing in verse 4. 00:16:59.140 --> 00:17:00.060 So Abraham went, 00:17:00.160 --> 00:17:01.080 as the Lord had told him, 00:17:01.360 --> 00:17:02.360 and Lot went with him. 00:17:03.220 --> 00:17:05.160 Abraham was 75 years old 00:17:05.160 --> 00:17:06.259 when he set out from Haran. 00:17:06.500 --> 00:17:07.900 He took his wife Sarai, 00:17:08.120 --> 00:17:08.860 his nephew Lot, 00:17:08.920 --> 00:17:10.319 all the possessions they had accumulated, 00:17:10.440 --> 00:17:12.100 and the people they had acquired in Haran, 00:17:12.099 --> 00:17:14.279 and they set out for the land of Canaan, 00:17:14.359 --> 00:17:15.139 and they arrived there. 00:17:16.279 --> 00:17:17.019 But it doesn't end there. 00:17:17.119 --> 00:17:17.519 Verse 6. 00:17:17.619 --> 00:17:18.839 Abraham traveled through the land 00:17:18.839 --> 00:17:19.879 as far as the site 00:17:19.879 --> 00:17:22.219 of the great tree of Morah at Shechem. 00:17:23.019 --> 00:17:23.699 Goes further. 00:17:23.779 --> 00:17:24.159 Verse 6. 00:17:24.219 --> 00:17:25.319 From there he went onward 00:17:25.319 --> 00:17:27.099 toward the hills east of Bethel 00:17:27.099 --> 00:17:28.199 and pitched his tent there 00:17:28.199 --> 00:17:29.759 with Bethel on the west 00:17:29.759 --> 00:17:31.039 and Ai on the east. 00:17:31.740 --> 00:17:32.740 Then again, verse 9. 00:17:32.859 --> 00:17:34.099 Abram then set out 00:17:34.099 --> 00:17:36.319 and continued toward the Negev. 00:17:37.419 --> 00:17:39.039 Now, if you're familiar with the story, 00:17:39.159 --> 00:17:40.359 I think the significance 00:17:40.359 --> 00:17:41.419 can really be lost. 00:17:41.519 --> 00:17:42.439 But consider this. 00:17:43.059 --> 00:17:44.859 Consider how significant 00:17:44.859 --> 00:17:46.240 of a command this is. 00:17:46.299 --> 00:17:47.319 Because Abraham, it says, 00:17:47.379 --> 00:17:49.179 is 75 years old. 00:17:50.039 --> 00:17:51.619 He's not 22 years old 00:17:51.619 --> 00:17:53.000 just graduating uni 00:17:53.000 --> 00:17:55.679 with this desire for adventure. 00:17:55.859 --> 00:17:56.919 He is an old man. 00:17:57.019 --> 00:17:58.339 He has been settled in Haran 00:17:58.339 --> 00:17:59.419 his entire life. 00:18:00.240 --> 00:18:01.740 He has an aging wife 00:18:01.740 --> 00:18:03.219 that he has to take with him. 00:18:03.859 --> 00:18:05.459 He has an elderly father 00:18:05.459 --> 00:18:07.039 that he has to leave behind. 00:18:07.039 --> 00:18:09.799 And so though Abraham 00:18:09.799 --> 00:18:10.960 is promised blessing 00:18:10.960 --> 00:18:11.619 in the future, 00:18:11.720 --> 00:18:13.639 it's not without disruption 00:18:13.639 --> 00:18:15.759 and heartache in the present. 00:18:16.460 --> 00:18:17.500 There's nothing easy 00:18:17.500 --> 00:18:18.339 or convenient 00:18:18.339 --> 00:18:19.859 about this command 00:18:19.859 --> 00:18:20.740 that he receives. 00:18:21.799 --> 00:18:23.319 And so thinking back again 00:18:23.319 --> 00:18:24.659 about my minister in the States 00:18:24.659 --> 00:18:25.779 who he's friends with, 00:18:25.839 --> 00:18:26.339 one of the things 00:18:26.339 --> 00:18:27.339 that he would always stress 00:18:27.339 --> 00:18:28.220 to us as a church 00:18:28.220 --> 00:18:28.859 is actually something 00:18:28.859 --> 00:18:29.619 I got to share 00:18:29.619 --> 00:18:30.920 with community group leaders 00:18:30.920 --> 00:18:31.799 not too long ago. 00:18:31.799 --> 00:18:34.720 is this desire and intention 00:18:34.720 --> 00:18:35.480 that we should have 00:18:35.480 --> 00:18:36.159 within the church 00:18:36.159 --> 00:18:37.879 toward disruption. 00:18:38.099 --> 00:18:38.759 That disruption 00:18:38.759 --> 00:18:40.200 should be a key point 00:18:40.200 --> 00:18:41.460 in our Christian lives. 00:18:42.980 --> 00:18:43.779 Because the sooner 00:18:43.779 --> 00:18:44.480 that we realize 00:18:44.480 --> 00:18:46.059 that God is not committed 00:18:46.059 --> 00:18:46.940 to our comfort, 00:18:47.240 --> 00:18:47.819 the better. 00:18:48.079 --> 00:18:49.500 How often do we try 00:18:49.500 --> 00:18:51.379 to fit into our own 00:18:51.379 --> 00:18:52.299 little Christian bubbles? 00:18:53.220 --> 00:18:54.579 We want to be surrounded 00:18:54.579 --> 00:18:55.819 by our Christian friends. 00:18:56.419 --> 00:18:57.779 We don't want the awkwardness 00:18:57.779 --> 00:18:58.740 of having to deal 00:18:58.740 --> 00:19:00.000 and have these encounters 00:19:00.000 --> 00:19:00.579 with others 00:19:00.579 --> 00:19:01.399 that aren't believers 00:19:01.399 --> 00:19:02.379 because of our faith. 00:19:03.639 --> 00:19:04.679 We certainly don't want 00:19:04.679 --> 00:19:05.019 to think about 00:19:05.019 --> 00:19:06.139 the possibility of God 00:19:06.139 --> 00:19:07.539 calling us to leave jobs 00:19:07.539 --> 00:19:08.740 or homes or families 00:19:08.740 --> 00:19:10.619 for the sake of the gospel. 00:19:12.899 --> 00:19:13.879 And so ultimately 00:19:13.879 --> 00:19:14.679 the problem is 00:19:14.679 --> 00:19:15.240 that even though 00:19:15.240 --> 00:19:16.259 we want to focus 00:19:16.259 --> 00:19:17.119 on the blessing 00:19:17.119 --> 00:19:19.279 that God has given us, 00:19:19.980 --> 00:19:21.480 we often overlook 00:19:21.480 --> 00:19:23.299 the command for obedience 00:19:23.299 --> 00:19:25.859 that accompanies it. 00:19:27.299 --> 00:19:28.419 And so the reality is 00:19:28.419 --> 00:19:29.339 that those two things 00:19:29.339 --> 00:19:30.019 go together. 00:19:30.019 --> 00:19:30.920 God's command 00:19:30.920 --> 00:19:32.279 and blessing to us 00:19:32.279 --> 00:19:33.139 is accompanied 00:19:33.139 --> 00:19:34.099 by that command 00:19:34.099 --> 00:19:34.819 for obedience. 00:19:35.019 --> 00:19:35.460 So it says, 00:19:35.759 --> 00:19:36.700 Christopher Wright says this 00:19:36.700 --> 00:19:37.000 in the book 00:19:37.000 --> 00:19:37.940 that we've been following 00:19:37.940 --> 00:19:38.960 as our guide 00:19:38.960 --> 00:19:39.539 through this series. 00:19:39.660 --> 00:19:39.940 It says, 00:19:40.180 --> 00:19:41.059 if we are to inherit 00:19:41.059 --> 00:19:42.000 God's blessing, 00:19:42.420 --> 00:19:43.639 we also inherit 00:19:43.639 --> 00:19:44.720 God's mission. 00:19:46.160 --> 00:19:47.200 And so from the time 00:19:47.200 --> 00:19:47.859 of Abraham, 00:19:47.980 --> 00:19:48.920 we see that this mission 00:19:48.920 --> 00:19:50.940 has not changed at all. 00:19:52.200 --> 00:19:52.680 Right? 00:19:52.720 --> 00:19:53.980 This mission is 00:19:53.980 --> 00:19:55.900 for God to see 00:19:55.900 --> 00:19:57.200 the nations blessed 00:19:57.200 --> 00:19:59.100 through his people. 00:19:59.720 --> 00:20:00.600 And so we see 00:20:00.600 --> 00:20:01.299 that this command 00:20:01.299 --> 00:20:02.360 that God gives Abraham 00:20:02.360 --> 00:20:03.539 is actually mirrored 00:20:03.539 --> 00:20:04.259 in the New Testament. 00:20:05.259 --> 00:20:06.559 We see that Jesus 00:20:06.559 --> 00:20:08.420 gives this very similar command 00:20:08.420 --> 00:20:09.180 to his disciples 00:20:09.180 --> 00:20:10.100 before he ascends 00:20:10.100 --> 00:20:10.480 to heaven. 00:20:10.539 --> 00:20:11.240 It's what we call 00:20:11.240 --> 00:20:12.100 the Great Commission. 00:20:13.700 --> 00:20:13.819 Right? 00:20:13.900 --> 00:20:15.380 God tells Abraham 00:20:15.380 --> 00:20:16.100 to go, 00:20:16.660 --> 00:20:18.440 to trust and obey 00:20:18.440 --> 00:20:19.220 so the nations 00:20:19.220 --> 00:20:20.059 would be blessed. 00:20:20.059 --> 00:20:21.500 Likewise, 00:20:21.819 --> 00:20:23.859 Jesus gives his disciples 00:20:23.859 --> 00:20:24.839 and he gives us 00:20:24.839 --> 00:20:25.519 the same command 00:20:25.519 --> 00:20:27.440 to go and make disciples 00:20:27.440 --> 00:20:29.079 and baptize them 00:20:29.079 --> 00:20:30.059 and teaching them 00:20:30.059 --> 00:20:30.879 to obey, 00:20:31.339 --> 00:20:32.079 remembering that 00:20:32.079 --> 00:20:33.480 I am with you always. 00:20:35.139 --> 00:20:35.799 And so what does this 00:20:35.799 --> 00:20:36.779 look like for us? 00:20:38.720 --> 00:20:40.700 We receive the same blessing 00:20:40.700 --> 00:20:41.419 that's been given 00:20:41.419 --> 00:20:42.419 to Abraham. 00:20:43.379 --> 00:20:45.200 We receive it through faith 00:20:45.200 --> 00:20:46.099 and now we are called 00:20:46.099 --> 00:20:46.720 to extend it. 00:20:46.779 --> 00:20:47.539 So what does it mean 00:20:47.539 --> 00:20:49.079 to bless the nations? 00:20:49.079 --> 00:20:50.279 We've talked a lot about this 00:20:50.279 --> 00:20:51.019 as a church recently. 00:20:51.099 --> 00:20:52.279 I really think this is important. 00:20:52.659 --> 00:20:53.119 This is something 00:20:53.119 --> 00:20:53.619 that we should have 00:20:53.619 --> 00:20:54.879 the forefront of our minds. 00:20:54.960 --> 00:20:55.859 This should be our mission 00:20:55.859 --> 00:20:56.659 as a church 00:20:56.659 --> 00:20:58.279 to see the nations blessed 00:20:58.279 --> 00:20:59.379 starting right here 00:20:59.379 --> 00:21:00.919 in the Southside community. 00:21:03.139 --> 00:21:03.960 Especially now. 00:21:04.579 --> 00:21:05.879 We think of all that's gone on 00:21:05.879 --> 00:21:06.539 with this pandemic 00:21:06.539 --> 00:21:07.759 over the last 18 months 00:21:07.759 --> 00:21:08.500 with isolation 00:21:08.500 --> 00:21:09.179 and frustration 00:21:09.179 --> 00:21:10.039 that we've experienced 00:21:10.039 --> 00:21:11.179 and now we're starting 00:21:11.179 --> 00:21:12.159 to feel this return 00:21:12.159 --> 00:21:13.319 to normalcy, right? 00:21:14.839 --> 00:21:15.159 And you know 00:21:15.159 --> 00:21:16.139 what's accompanying that? 00:21:16.980 --> 00:21:18.039 Ministry opportunities 00:21:18.039 --> 00:21:19.000 abound. 00:21:20.059 --> 00:21:21.000 Relationships that need 00:21:21.000 --> 00:21:21.439 to be made. 00:21:21.599 --> 00:21:23.019 People that are hurting. 00:21:23.119 --> 00:21:24.099 We've heard over and over again 00:21:24.099 --> 00:21:24.799 these last few weeks 00:21:24.799 --> 00:21:26.079 of all the ministry opportunity 00:21:26.079 --> 00:21:26.939 that's happening 00:21:26.939 --> 00:21:27.819 within our church. 00:21:28.379 --> 00:21:29.659 Serve with the praise team. 00:21:30.099 --> 00:21:31.500 Attend the women's Bible study. 00:21:31.639 --> 00:21:32.819 Help with university students 00:21:32.819 --> 00:21:34.279 or international students. 00:21:34.399 --> 00:21:35.839 Help with children's church. 00:21:35.939 --> 00:21:36.799 Whatever it may be. 00:21:37.220 --> 00:21:38.720 Get involved in community group. 00:21:39.879 --> 00:21:40.599 But the fact of the matter 00:21:40.599 --> 00:21:42.500 is that the mission of God 00:21:42.500 --> 00:21:44.039 is not just centralized 00:21:44.039 --> 00:21:45.419 on the programs 00:21:45.419 --> 00:21:47.220 that we have here at Buclue. 00:21:47.220 --> 00:21:48.640 It's so much more than that. 00:21:49.779 --> 00:21:51.660 And so we need to ask ourselves 00:21:51.660 --> 00:21:52.940 what are we doing 00:21:52.940 --> 00:21:55.360 to show love to our neighbors? 00:21:56.860 --> 00:21:58.299 How are we going to care 00:21:58.299 --> 00:21:59.059 for the vulnerable 00:21:59.059 --> 00:21:59.920 in our community? 00:22:01.100 --> 00:22:02.420 How are we going to profess 00:22:02.420 --> 00:22:04.160 the truth of the gospel 00:22:04.160 --> 00:22:06.299 to those who are lost? 00:22:06.299 --> 00:22:09.460 I mentioned at the beginning 00:22:09.460 --> 00:22:12.019 this video of this Olympian 00:22:12.019 --> 00:22:13.339 who is trying to get people 00:22:13.339 --> 00:22:14.220 to run on this treadmill 00:22:14.220 --> 00:22:15.299 willing to give them 00:22:15.299 --> 00:22:16.019 some free money. 00:22:17.220 --> 00:22:18.399 And while the video showed 00:22:18.399 --> 00:22:19.039 a lot of these people 00:22:19.039 --> 00:22:20.039 who just walked by 00:22:20.039 --> 00:22:21.379 refusing to do this challenge 00:22:21.379 --> 00:22:22.019 because they just thought 00:22:22.019 --> 00:22:23.079 it was too good to be true, 00:22:23.240 --> 00:22:23.859 eventually there were 00:22:23.859 --> 00:22:25.019 these people that recognized 00:22:25.019 --> 00:22:26.700 the value in doing this 00:22:26.700 --> 00:22:28.779 who hopped on that treadmill, 00:22:28.940 --> 00:22:29.859 ran for 30 seconds, 00:22:29.940 --> 00:22:31.139 and walked away with $100 00:22:31.139 --> 00:22:32.359 or more in their pocket. 00:22:32.359 --> 00:22:34.219 But it's interesting 00:22:34.219 --> 00:22:34.979 because it's not only 00:22:34.979 --> 00:22:35.879 those people that did it, 00:22:35.939 --> 00:22:36.919 but then the video shows 00:22:36.919 --> 00:22:37.459 a lot of these people 00:22:37.459 --> 00:22:38.059 that complete it 00:22:38.059 --> 00:22:38.839 then pick up their phone 00:22:38.839 --> 00:22:39.379 and call their friends. 00:22:39.459 --> 00:22:41.439 Hey, come down here. 00:22:41.539 --> 00:22:42.159 There's this challenge. 00:22:42.240 --> 00:22:43.019 You can get some free money 00:22:43.019 --> 00:22:43.939 but just run on a treadmill. 00:22:44.219 --> 00:22:44.919 People that left 00:22:44.919 --> 00:22:46.039 to go get their coworkers 00:22:46.039 --> 00:22:46.979 in return 00:22:46.979 --> 00:22:47.899 because they didn't want them 00:22:47.899 --> 00:22:48.979 to miss this opportunity. 00:22:50.939 --> 00:22:52.539 And so let that be 00:22:52.539 --> 00:22:54.139 our desire as well. 00:22:55.199 --> 00:22:56.639 May we experience 00:22:56.639 --> 00:22:58.519 the blessing of the gospel 00:22:58.519 --> 00:23:00.099 and desire to share 00:23:00.099 --> 00:23:01.819 that goodness, 00:23:02.019 --> 00:23:03.480 that treasure that we have 00:23:03.480 --> 00:23:05.419 with those around us. 00:23:06.240 --> 00:23:07.759 May we desire to participate 00:23:07.759 --> 00:23:09.199 in God's mission 00:23:09.199 --> 00:23:10.759 to bring all people 00:23:10.759 --> 00:23:11.679 from every nation, 00:23:11.779 --> 00:23:12.599 from every tongue 00:23:12.599 --> 00:23:13.559 and every tribe 00:23:13.559 --> 00:23:16.319 into new relationship 00:23:16.319 --> 00:23:17.319 with God the Father, 00:23:17.419 --> 00:23:18.759 this everlasting covenant 00:23:18.759 --> 00:23:20.279 that we receive 00:23:20.279 --> 00:23:22.799 through the blood of Jesus. 00:23:25.599 --> 00:23:27.059 Maybe you aren't a Christian. 00:23:27.899 --> 00:23:29.459 Maybe this is all new to you. 00:23:30.099 --> 00:23:31.779 The truth is 00:23:31.779 --> 00:23:32.779 that this promise 00:23:32.779 --> 00:23:35.119 is being openly extended to you. 00:23:35.199 --> 00:23:36.619 The blessing of the gospel 00:23:36.619 --> 00:23:38.219 is available to all. 00:23:40.339 --> 00:23:41.719 And so come. 00:23:42.579 --> 00:23:43.619 You are welcomed 00:23:43.619 --> 00:23:45.059 by the blood of Jesus 00:23:45.059 --> 00:23:46.679 to be an everlasting covenant, 00:23:46.879 --> 00:23:47.959 everlasting relationship 00:23:47.959 --> 00:23:49.939 with a God who loves you. 00:23:50.919 --> 00:23:51.779 Let's pray. 00:23:55.959 --> 00:23:57.199 God, we thank you 00:23:57.199 --> 00:23:58.839 for your promise to Abraham. 00:23:58.839 --> 00:24:01.319 We thank you 00:24:01.319 --> 00:24:02.359 that you were the one 00:24:02.359 --> 00:24:03.959 who fulfilled that promise 00:24:03.959 --> 00:24:04.839 through Jesus.