Sermon Tone Analysis

The Call of Abram

Last week ‘s lesson was entitled a welcoming invitation.

The Spirit and the bride say , Come.

And let him that heareth say , Come.

And let hm that is athirst come.

And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.We learned that no one should add to this words of the angel’s prophecy or take away from it.

We can take away from this verse that God considers it a serious issue to distort the Word of God.

A dual warning is given against adding to it or subtracting from it.

How great will be the judgment of those who despise this book and does not heed this warning .

A lot of time people will shy away from reading Revelation , but probably no other book of scripture more sharply contrasts the blessed lot of the saints with the fearful future of those who are lost.

No other book of the bible is more explicit in it’s description of judgment on the one hand and the Saint’s eternal joy on the other.

What a tragedy that so many pass by this book and fail to fathom its wonderful truths, thereby impoverishing their knowledge and hope in Christ Jesus .Gods people who understand and appreciate these wonderful promises can join with John in his prayer , Come, Lord JESUS .

As stated in Hebrew 9:28 we know that Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many , and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation .

This week’s lesson we learn about the promise God made to Abram who he renamed Abraham.

The main Thought:And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said , Unto thy seed will I give this land:and there builded he an altar unto the Lord ,who appeared unto him .

(Genesis 12:7, KJV)

UNIFYING PRINCIPLE: The reality of our circumstances does not always match our expectations .

How do we respond when circumstances and expectations conflict ?

conflict?

Abram put his confidence in God, and God reassured him .

LESSON AIM: TO understand that Go graciously makes promises and dutifully keep promises.

LIFE AIM : To learn the importance of patience and honesty in deepening our relationship with our promise making/keeping God.

READ TEXT

I. OUTLINE The Duality of God’s call:A Promise made(12:1-5, 7)

1 VERSE Genesis 12:1 “Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:”

After the flood Genesis 6-10. the descendants of Noahs’s son Shem Gen.11:10-25.

This genealogy culminated with Terah , the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran Gen. 11:26 “And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran.”

Terah outlived Haran , the father of Lot Gen. 11:27-28 “Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot.

And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees.”

Terah’s other sons Abram and Nahor were both married .

However , Abram and his wife Sarai were unable to conceive Gen.11:29-30 “And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah.

But Sarai was barren; she had no child.”

The family lived in Ur of the Chaldees Gen. 11:31 “And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there.”

This ancient Mesopotamian city was located on the banks of the Euphrates River Modern archaeological discoveries have provided insight into the city’s wealth, culture and pagan religious practices.

The family’s connections to the city likely ran deep and at one time they took part in the city’s pagan religious practices, See Joshua 24:2 “And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.”

However the family did not stay in Ur.

Terah led Abram , Sarai and lot toward Canaan , a land bordering the western edges of the Mediterranean sea Gen. 10:19, but Terah did not complete the journey .

He settled and died in Haran, which is a important city on a major trade route between Mesopotamia and Canaan, Gen. 11:31-32 “And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there.

And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.”

In this narrative the direction of the book changes.

This passage records how God called Abram out of pagan world and made astounding promises to him , promises that later became part of the formal Abrahamic Covenant.

Get thee out was a trying precept.

He was tried whether he loved his native soil and dearest friends, and whether he could willingly leave all, to go along with God.

His country had become idolatrous, his kindred and his father’s house were a constant temptation to him, and he could not continue with them without danger of being infected by them; therefore nsaid Get thee out, lk-lk—Vade tibi, Get thee gone, with all speed, escape for thy life, look not behind thee.

THIS FIRST imperative was to get out or leave your country and go to a land, which was a promise the land of his future posterity.

2 Verse Gen.12:2 “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:” This passage of scripture mentions the second imperative which is literally be a blessing .

It is imprecisely rendered in many versions , including the niv as a prediction you will be a blessing , but literally it is the imperative or command “ Be a blessing .”

Abram’s leaving started a chain of reactions .

If Abram would get out of Haran , God would do three things for him, so that he could then be a blessing in the land , which is the second imperative, and he had to be that blessing so that God would do three more things for him .

This symmetry should not be missed for it strengthens the meaning .

Abram’s calling had a purpose :his obedience would bring great blessing.

Three promises were based on God’s call for Abram to leave his land: 1.

A great nation.

2. A blessing for Abram and 3. A great name.

These promises would enable him to be a blessing which again I’ve already alluded to is the second imperative.The Lord had only spoke to Abram about being the head of one nation , It turned out that many nations came out of Abraham because of Ishmael Gen. 16:4 “And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.”

And Esau Gen. 25:21-23 “And Isaac intreated the Lord for his wife, because she was barren: and the Lord was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.

And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus?

And she went to inquire of the Lord.

And the Lord said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, And two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; And the one people shall be stronger than the other people; And the elder shall serve the younger.

Abram name was changed to Abraham in Gen. 17:5 “Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.”

God gave Abram a greater name .

Abraham obeyed , and it is frequently mentioned in the New Testament as a striking instance of his faith .

3 Verse Gen.12:3 “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”

This passage of scripture is the results Abram will obtained for being obedient 1. God will bless those who blessed him .

2. curse anyone who would treat him lightly and 3. bless the families of the earth through him .

TO bless or curse Abram was to bless or curse Abram’s God.

How much more for us today after the cross.

This third promise takes on its greatest fulfillment in the fact that Jesus Christ became the means of blessing to world.

This promise points to the Messiah in whom all promises are yea and amen.

Jesus Christ is the great blessing of the world .

He is a family blessing , and by him salvation is brought to the house.

How are all the families of the earth blessed?

In Christ Jesus See Lu.19:9 “And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.”

See Gal.

3:8 “And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.”

And Gal. 3: 16 “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made.

He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.”

and also Rom. 9:5 “Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever.

Amen.”

It was Abram’s honour to be his father by nature .

It will be our honor to be his brethren by grace.

see Mt. 12:50 “For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.”

4 Verse Gen.12:4 “So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.”

There were several obstacles that Abram would have to overcome to fulfill the promise.

First, Abram was 75 years old, well beyond conventional childbearing age.

Secondly , the land that he was promised was inhabited .

Abram would receive more than he would have, had he remained in Haran .

The land God promised is Canaan.

It is this promise that is being referred to or called the Promise Land.

God makes the promise for the land at this juncture , He does not fulfill that until hundreds of years later when the Israelites entered the land after having been slaves in Egypt for 440 years .

5 Verse Gen.12:5 “And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.”

While God’s call was specifically for Abram, the call included more than him alone.

He took his wife, others that had been born during their stay in Haran .

He also took his wealth .

Gen. 13:2 .Abram was disobeying God by taking Lot , he was suppose to leave his land and brethren, Acts 7:2-4 “And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee.

Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell.”

It could be that Abram felt like a father to Lot who had lost his father, Haran which was Abram’s brother .It may have been as simple as Abram feeling responsible for Lot and trying to be a positive influence.

What did Abram accomplish by disobeying God, Lot wound up in Sodom and saw at least two of his daughters and son-in -laws destroyed.

Gen. .19:14.

; His wife turned into a pillar of salt Gen.19:26.