Sent Week 1

INTRODUCTION

Series introduction

PRAYER

Water moving through a culvert vs. Water standing in a ditch

Transition to text

We are going to start at the beginning with Abram, or Abraham.

Genesis 12:1-9

Transition to Main Point

1. The Divine Call and Universal Purpose (Genesis 12:1–3)

God’s command to Abram requires radical detachment from every earthly source of security: his country (identity), his relatives (community), and his father’s house (inheritance and safety). The imperative to “Go” comes before the destination is revealed, demonstrating that biblical faith is rooted in the character of the Promiser rather than the clarity of the path. The promise contains a sevenfold blessing, but its structure reveals a critical movement: God blesses Abram personally so that he may function instrumentally. The ultimate horizon of the Abrahamic Covenant is global—“all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Election in Scripture is never an end in itself or a badge of exclusive privilege; it is a commission to service.

2. Faith Expressed Through Immediate Obedience (Genesis 12:4–6)

Abram records no verbal objection, counter-argument, or request for clarification. At seventy-five years old—an age associated with settling rather than pioneering—he gathers his household, packs his possessions, and sets out for Canaan. When he arrives, the text explicitly notes: “At that time the Canaanites were in the land.” Abram’s obedience does not drop him into an empty, easy environment, but into an occupied territory filled with spiritual opposition and cultural hostility. True faith obeys God’s command immediately, regardless of physical age, personal comfort, or circumstantial opposition.

3. Public Witness and Sacred Landmarks (Genesis 12:7–9)

As Abram journeys through the land, God appears to confirm that this territory will belong to his offspring. In response, Abram builds an altar at Shechem and another near Bethel and Ai. Building an altar in the ancient Near East was a public, physical act of devotion. By raising these stone altars and "calling on the name of the Lord," Abram stakes a spiritual claim for the one true God in the middle of pagan territory. His lifestyle is characterized by two symbols: the tent (showing he is a pilgrim dependent on God) and the altar (showing he is a worshiper witnessing to the world). His movement south into the Negev demonstrates a continuous, ongoing walk of faith rather than a static settling down.

4. Theological Shift: From Curse to Global Redemption

Genesis 12 marks the structural and theological hinge of the entire book. Genesis 1–11 records the tragic spiral of human sin and divine judgment—from the Fall in Eden, to the violence of the Flood, to the rebellion at the Tower of Babel, where humanity tried to make a "great name" for itself through self-exaltation. In Genesis 12, God counters humanity's curse with His grace. Instead of judgment, He initiates redemption. Where the builders of Babel failed to make a name for themselves, God promises to make Abram’s name great through divine grace. This passage establishes the foundation for the entire biblical story: God choosing one man, to build one nation, to send one Savior (Jesus Christ), to redeem a broken world.

MAIN POINT:When God calls us, we must obey

The direction is important

EXPLAIN

Background on Abram

Genesis Genesis 12:1

He was born in Ur about 2166 B.C. as the “Old Akkadian” age had just finished and the Sumerians, former rulers of the Mesopotamian world, had come back into power. This offers us one of those important historical pegs on which to hang our understanding of Abram’s era since we can link him with the famous Hammurabi.

Terah (Person)ManThe father of Abraham, Nahor, and Haran. Son of Nahor. Terah is associated with idolatry. He lived in Ur but migrated with his family to Haran where he died at 205. His descendants include the Israelites, Ishmaelites, Midianites, Moabites, and Ammonites.AllBiblicalLibraryTheologicalDiscover

God’s call to Abraham stands in sharp contrast to his family’s religious environment. Terah and his ancestors worshiped other gods beyond the Euphrates River (Josh 24:2–3), yet God appeared to Abraham in Mesopotamia and commanded him to leave his country and relatives (Acts 7:2–4). This divine summons created a fundamental tension: Abraham received a call to exclusive devotion to the God of Israel while embedded in a household steeped in idolatry.

Genesis Genesis 12:2–3

These two verses center on the blessing and offer a sevenfold promise. Although they are clear in the text, it may be worth listing them separately.

1. I will make you into a great nation.

2. I will bless you.

3. I will make your name great.

4. You will be a blessing.

5. I will bless those who bless you.

6. Whoever curses you I will curse.

7. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you.

Abram’s call relates to our life because we have been called into His purpose.

ARGUE

ILLUSTRATE

The different highways between San Francisco and Central Coast. (Highway 1 vs. Highway 101)

APPLICATION

True trust in God means following His call into the community rather than clinging to the safety of what used to be.

Question:

How can you identify areas in your life where God may be calling you to radical detachment from your current comforts?

Obedience requires faith

EXPLAIN

The Tony Evans Bible Commentary Genesis 12:4–9

Abram obeyed God’s command, leaving Haran with his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all of the other people (12:5) who were stepping out in faith with Abram. When he arrived at the oak of Moreh (12:6), most likely a Canaanite worship center, God promised to give this land to Abram’s offspring (12:7). Abram’s faith in action had led to further illumination.

This is God’s pattern: not only does obedience lead to blessing, but it also leads to greater clarity of God’s will, purpose, and direction in our lives. God speaks in concert with our obedience, not with our rebellion.

It does not matter our age or spiritual maturity. Followers of Christ must obey God through the mission of His Church.

Abram followed God to a land he didn’t know what it was.

Hebrews 11:8–10 CSB

By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and set out for a place that he was going to receive as an inheritance. He went out, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he stayed as a foreigner in the land of promise, living in tents as did Isaac and Jacob, coheirs of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

When we step out in faith means we trust God’s heart and character that he will never leave us.

Hebrews 13:5–6 CSB

Keep your life free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for he himself has said, I will never leave you or abandon you. (Joshua 1:5)Therefore, we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

ARGUE

Some people thing we need to understand what God is telling them in order to do it.

Our understanding is not required for obedience.

ILLUSTRATE

Because I said so

APPLICATION

We cannot pause evangelism or ministry until a new pastor arrives. The "Canaanites"—our lost neighbors, broken families, and unreached community—are in the land right now. Waiting to do gospel work is a failure of stewardship.

Question:

What does it look like for you to demonstrate immediate obedience to God's call in your current situation?

Honor God while taking ground

EXPLAIN

The Tony Evans Bible Commentary Genesis 12:7–9

Abram responded to God’s promise by building two altars to the true God—one at the oak of Moreh and another in Bethel (see 12:7–8). These altars represented public declarations of faith in the midst of a pagan environment. We may not build stone altars today, but we too should make public declarations of our faith in God—even when our society wants nothing to do with him.

Public Statements of Allegiance: Abram constructed visible stone altars at the oak of Moreh and near Bethel (Gen 12:7–8) as public declarations that he and his household belonged to the Lord, rather than the surrounding pagan deities.

Territorial Claims of God's Sovereignty: By dotting the Canaanite landscape with altars, the patriarchs staked spiritual territory, asserting God's ultimate ownership over the land and anticipating their descendants' eventual inheritance of it.

Response to Divine Revelation: At Moreh, Abram responded to God's direct promise of the land by building an altar; near Bethel, he built a second altar and publicly called upon the name of the Lord.

Application for Contemporary Believers: Modern Christians are called to make similar visible, open declarations of faith—living out biblical values and testifying to God's truth even in secular or culturally hostile environments that invite social resistance.

Abraham built an altar as a way of showing gratitude for the promise of the land.1 This suggests that altar-building functioned as an intuitive expression of worship and thanksgiving when encountering God. The building of the altars was spontaneous, and they were built on the occasion of the epiphanies, not for sacrifice but as enduring signs.1

The practice itself wasn’t unique to Abraham. Cain and Abel presented offerings to the Lord (Gen 4:3–4) and Noah built an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings on it (Gen 8:20)—both occurring before Abraham. This suggests that altar-building was an established religious practice among the patriarchs, passed down through family tradition. Abraham likely drew on this inherited knowledge of how to honor God through physical structures and acts of worship.

Rather than receiving explicit instruction, Abraham appears to have recognized that marking a location where God had revealed himself with an altar was the appropriate response. These altars were typically established in connection with a theophany that reviewed covenant promises personally given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.2 The altar served as both a personal act of devotion and a lasting memorial to God’s promise.

We need to take ground from the Enemy through how we live our life. We live in a dark and broken world that

ARGUE

ILLUSTRATE

4-Way Tug of War-Taking ground against the Enemy

APPLICATION

Our daily lives must serve as visible, active altars in this community—declaring God's presence and glory even while we are "in transit."

Question:

What 'altars' can you build in your own life as reminders of God's promises and presence?