He Won’t Fail, Even When We Do

Introduction

Recap

As we return to the book of Genesis, I want to recap since it has been several weeks.

Our focus has been on the thread of hope that is being weaved throughout the book. God’s plan of redemption that will be fulfilled in Jesus is present throughout.

It began in Genesis 3:15, it was seen in that promised offspring of Eve who would crush Satan.

We watched as sin ravaged us a people on a global scale. Murder and family brokenness, society breaking down, and the Lord issues judgment for sin.

Yet, through Noah, redemption was provided in the ark. We watched as Noah navigated life without a world filled with sin, yet it was still found in his own family.

The thread of hope continued to be weaved, even in their brokenness. Once all of humanity was separated by language and geography due to their embracing of sinfulness together, we ended our time with Abram.

Now the thread of hope would come through one man, who would be the father of a nation to be a blessing to the world.

Abram was called from his homeland and led by God to the Promised Land that was his inheritance from God. Through Abram was the promise of blessing, hope, redemption.

Now we come to our text and that promise of hope is threatened. Not by the world, not by Satan (directly), not by pagan peoples, but by the choices of Abram.

Have you ever wondered if a decision you have made was too much for God?

Have you ever wondered if you messed up so bad that the very plan of redemption for your life or the lives of others was now ruined?

Our text and the narrative of Abram will teach us that cannot be so.

Genesis 12:10-20

Truth 1

The text begins with a tough circumstance and a choice by Abram. Famine in the land of promise. Famine that Abram believes will be short lived since they go to Egypt for a time.

One scholar connected this event with ancient Egyptian writings of a massive 300 year drought that occured during a portion of Abram’s life. It is possible this moment is a part of that.

So Abram makes a choice to go. I appreciate what scholar Allen Ross said concerning this decision,

One cannot fault him for this, except that there is no indication Abram was operating in faith.

The circumstance has led to a choice- to trust God and His promise or take matters into his own hand.

This is true of us too.

Our circumstances lead to a choice- trust God and His promises or take matters into our own hands.

Life itself often drives us to either trust God or trust self. One is supreme and sovereign, the other is not. So often we can choose the lesser, even if momentarily.

I can remember when our boys were younger and it was difficult to zip up their jackets for themselves. Getting that little dohicky into the other thingmajig required some more nimble work.

They would get frustrated and Jenny or I would offer to help them get it started and we would often hear, no I can do this. Of course we want them to be independent of us and to do things on their own, but how much easier would it be for them to surrender to someone more capable?

Abram doesn’t pray or seek the Lord on what is best. Abram was promised by the Lord to be made into a great nation and to be blessed to be a blessing. This is a moment to faithfully step toward the Lord when perhaps question of the promise is present.

I don’t want to make Abram out to be some horrible guy, but the consequence of his choice complicates life a lot.

Have you found yourself choosing self over the Lord in a circumstance that has not complicated things?

These moments are designed by the Lord to lead us to press into Him, toward Him; not move further away.

Truth 2

V.11-13 presents to us a moment of deceit and sinful choice by Abram. Ultimately it is about self-preservation too.

Abram seems to believe that Sarai will be okay in the situation, but his life is potentially in danger. Why?

If a man, other than Pharaoh, seeks Sarai as a wife, Abram would have to negotiate all of it. He could wheel and deal his way out of it.

But, Abram did not count on the one man who could take Sarai without permission or negotiation to be a factor.

Trust in self begets selfishness usually in the end.

The result was endangering himself, Sarai, the purity of their marriage, and the thread of redemption being weaved through them.

When we are pressed in faith, sinful action is not the proper course.

Abram lied, deceived others and asked his wife to deceive, and put his marriage in jeopardy.

Maybe Abram thought it was okay because it was a half-truth. Sarai was Abram’s half-sister. So they aren’t completely lying.

Yet, when Abram became self-reliant, he became reliant upon the sinful man. Choices of sin are never the proper course of action when we are pressed in faith.

Jenny and I were watching the new Little House on the Prairie and there was a scene where Mr. Ingals and a young man are digging a well on the Ingall’s property. The rule was the further you dug, you had to take a candle with you. If the candle burned it was safe to dig. If it went out, then there were gasses being released from the soil that could harm you.

The young man was digging alone and of course forgot the rule and passed out. Mr. Ingall’s quickly goes down to get the young man out.

When we choose sin as a way to move through our circumstances it is like digging that well. At first it might seem like its alright, but usually we have to keep digging. The deeper we go the more dangerous it gets that can result in more damage, ruin, and spiritual death in our lives.

We must pursue faith and holiness as believers.

Truth 3

The Blessing

It is interesting that God blesses Abram with riches in this situation. He sinned and God still allowed blessing? Why?

Abram deserves no blessing yet God does it anyway. The wealth will actually help establish the nation of Israel through Abram. Though it will come with a healthy reminder of the price of his choice. This wealth will bring strife- with Lot and perhaps this is where Hagar enters the picture.

Blessing can happen despite our sinfulness, but often not without consequence.

The Intervention

Not only blessing, but intervention happens. V. 17-20 shows God’s direct involvement with saving Abram and Sarai.

By God’s grace the Lord breaks through the circumstance, the situation and sin of Abram to put a stop to what endangers His plan.

Understand, God’s intervention is not for Abram alone, but for His name, His reputation, His work that is on the line. Genesis 12:1-3 God says, “I will make you…I will bless…”

There were times in the experience of the nation of Israel, however, when God did not deliver His people from their predicaments, especially if their sin has been prolonged and rebellious…God at times may deliver His people, but He may not. In this passage the predicament was such that, if there was to be any deliverance, any way out, the Lord would have to provide it. And He did it because His Word was a stake.

Our sin and selfish decisions will not stop the plan of redemption.

The most beautiful truth present in this passage: despite our failures and short comings, our selfish choices, our bone-headed decisions, and momentary lack of faith- we can never thwart God’s plan of redemption in our lives and in general!

It should break us when these moments happen, but praise God we don’t have power over His plans. He may let us learn the hard way, but He will not fail or fail us in this way.

Christ Connection

As we have been doing throughout this series is making connections to Jesus. Sometimes they are very direct, other times they are ways in which Jesus is opposite of what our text reveals.

Our connections today are 2 fold:

Christ never gives us up or trades us for something better

The infamous Rick Astley song says,

Never gonna give you up Never gonna let you down Never gonna run around and desert you Never gonna make you cry Never gonna say goodbye Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you

Now its stuck in your head, I’m sorry.

Abram traded his wife for safety, for security, for a bonehead way to ensure the promise of God to continue.

Sometimes we can feel as though in our failures and sin after we have received Jesus as Savior and Lord by believing the gospel truth that He lived a perfect life, died on the cross for our sins, and resurrected to defeat sin and death and grant unto us new life; that the Lord will simply trade us away.

We do this with cars or TV’s or other electronics. Does anyone remember the Zune? Probably not. It was Microsofts answer to the Ipod by Apple. It was cheaper, but worked great.

I held onto my Zune for as long as I could. I wasn’t going to trade up for something “better” or up to date or something that was Apple cause Apple was the Nike of electronics.

The Lord, Jesus Christ, will not trade you for something or someone better. He will make you better. He will see you through your breakdowns and failures. How do I know?

Romans 8:31–39 “31 What, then, are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He did not even spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us everything? 33 Who can bring an accusation against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies. 34 Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the one who died, but even more, has been raised; he also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us. 35 Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: Because of you we are being put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered. 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Don’t believe the lie that the Lord will trade you out in your sin, failure, and breakdown. Trust in the eternal truth of the gospel.

God’s redemption in Jesus is permanent.

Abram’s momentary lack of faith and bonehead decision didn’t stop God’s thread of hope of redemption being weaved. His plan stands for eternity. Many a faithful follower has fallen- some deeply, some not- but the plan of redemption moves forward through it all.

How do I know? I’m glad you asked…

Hebrews 9:12 “12 he entered the most holy place once for all time, not by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.”

Ephesians 1:13–14 “13 In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. 14 The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.”

Psalm 111:9 “9 He has sent redemption to his people. He has ordained his covenant forever. His name is holy and awe-inspiring.”

Hebrews 10:14 “14 For by one offering he has perfected forever those who are sanctified.”

1 Peter 1:3–5 “3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead 4 and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you. 5 You are being guarded by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.”

Sin must still be dealt with and confessed. Consequences may need to be walked through. Brokenness may last for a time or the results of it, but none of these cancels our redemption in Jesus.

I love what our speaker for youth camp said in relation to this:

“There is nothing you have done, are doing, or will do that Christ’s blood won’t cover for those who believe in Jesus.”

He then asked a poignant question:

Are you worried you will lose your free gift of salvation on a technicality?

The Scripture says you can’t.

Conclusion

What do we do with this?

Over camp we had some who made decisions for Jesus. They recongized their sin for what it is. A nature and actions that separate them from God. That Jesus by His life, death, and resurrection took care of that separation and when we confess and believe.

You might be here and you feel like Abram x10. You have been running your life and it is like digging a well. Deeper and deeper you go and you cannot get out of it.

All you need to do is call on the name of Jesus for salvation today.

We also had a young man who felt as though he drifted from Jesus. Some things in his life just pulled him away. He even felt a bit like the salvation he once claimed felt far. Perhaps you feel that way. Maybe you feel like Jesus has given up on you or that your salvation is not secured for eternity.

That young man simply confessed before the Lord what was one his heart. He spilled his guts before Jesus and walked away stronger in Him.

Maybe that’s what you need to do today at this alter or on this front pew.

As we sing in response, may you embrace the truth of the gospel in your life.