As Promised to Abraham

Genesis 12:1-3

“Blessing”

TURN: We all want to be blessed…

God promised to bless Abraham and to make him a blessing to all peoples (Genesis 12:1-3)

EXPLANATION: God promised to make a great nation from Abraham’s descendants. He promised to bless them, which means to pour out material and spiritual riches upon them. He also promised to bless all the families of the earth through Abraham (or, as in Genesis 22, Abraham’s descendant)…

ILLUSTRATION: The wealth of Israel under Solomon’s rule…

Problem #1: How could Abraham’s descendants earn that blessing?

EXPLANATION: Blessing comes from a personal relationship with God. After God told the Israelites what they needed to do to be worthy of his presence, the Israelites routinely failed to live up to the standard…

Problem #2: How can non-Israelites share in this blessing?

EXPLANATION: The Israelites were God’s special nation. He chose them—they were his people, and he was their God (ostensibly). How could all the other peoples experience the same blessing?

Main Idea: As promised, Jesus blesses all peoples by offering salvation to all

APPLICATION: (1) Place your faith in Jesus; (2) Make disciples of all nations…

CONCLUSION: We are blessed. Let’s enjoy our blessings and extend the blessings to others by proclaiming Jesus.