God Builds A Nation
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Welcome back to our second week of “The Story”!
We will begin in a little bit in Genesis 12, if you’d join me there.
Pew Bible: Page ____
Last week
Began in Genesis 1:1
established that the God of the Bible is the Creator and Sustainer of everyone and everything.
Day 1—Light and Dark
Day 2—Sky and Water
Day 3—Land
Day 4—Sun and Moon/stars
Day 5—Birds and Sea creatures
Day 6—Animals and human beings
God places mankind in the garden and provides for every one of man’s needs for the purpose to fellowship with Him.
Genesis 3 - the fall
Adam and Eve chose to disobey and eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (sin breaking God’s law)
Both cast out of the Garden
Both cursed
All of humanity cursed and suffers the consequences of sin
Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—
Genesis 4-9 - Manifestation of this new innate sin nature -
Cain and his brother Abel go to make sacrifices to God
Cain disobeys God’s instructions about sacrifices
Cain gets angry about God’s judgement on his disobedience
Cain kills Abel out of anger and jealousy
Sin ran rampant
Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.
Genesis 6-7 - The Flood
So the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
God preserves humanity through Noah’s family
God gives Noah a countdown of 120 years until the flood, and once Noah and His sons began building it took roughly 55-75 years to build
Build the ark 510 feet long, 85 feet wide, and 51 feet high
Along with his sons Ham, Shem, and Japheth
God boards the necessary animals, supplies, and Noah’s family
The rain begins and it continues 40 days and 40 nights.
The entire world is flooded for an estimated 370 days.
Noah and family unload off the boat and begin repopulating the earth.
Gen 11 - Man in Sin continues to live apart from God
Tower of Babel - humanity, with one common language, wanted to build a tower to the heavens to prove they didn’t need God!
God confounds the languages
We learned a clue last week that if there is going to be a restoration to our relationship with God, it will not be found in people.
GOD BUILDS A NATION
GOD BUILDS A NATION
1. The People of His Nation (Gen. 11:27-32)
1. The People of His Nation (Gen. 11:27-32)
A. The Persons (Gen. 11:27-30)
A. The Persons (Gen. 11:27-30)
Terah - the father of Abram
Abraham - the first Old Testament patriarch
Sarah - Abraham’s wife
B. Their Progression (Gen. 11:31-32)
B. Their Progression (Gen. 11:31-32)
Ur - ancient southern Mesopotamian city where Terah (Abraham’s dad) moved his family from
Haran - the northern Mesopotamian city where Terah moved his family to.
Canaan - ancient east Mediterranean coast, a territory which includes Palestine, much of Lebanon, and the Syrian coast
This is the promised land from God to His people.
2. The Plan for His Nation (Gen. 12:1-4)
2. The Plan for His Nation (Gen. 12:1-4)
A. A Purposed Strategy
A. A Purposed Strategy
1.) God will make a great nation (v. 2a)
2.) God will bless Abraham and make his name great (v. 2b)
3.) God will bless all who bless Abraham and curse the one who curses Abraham. (v. 3a)
4.) God will bless all the nations of the world through Abraham and the new nation. God will use the new nation to reveal his heart and his plan to redeem the lost. (v. 3b)
B. A Problematic Choice
B. A Problematic Choice
Was there something inherently good about Abraham to become God’s choice?
His upbringing was pagan.
And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Your fathers, including Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, dwelt on the other side of the River in old times; and they served other gods.
Abraham and Sarah were unable to have kids - therefore not able to father a whole nation
But Sarai was barren; she had no child.
God didn’t choose Abraham because he was inherently good, or that he already was seeking after God. Abraham’s background was paganism. He served false gods.
God didn’t choose Abraham because he had a lot to offer. God’s plan to procreate a huge nation was directed to a couple who couldn’t have kids.
Why did God choose Abraham? Simply because He wanted to choose him!
God often uses the weak to show His strength; the least to prove His greatness; and the ignorant to make His wisdom known.
God uses those who will deflect the most glory!
This problematic choice in the lower story is actually perfectly placed in God’s upper story.
Remember what God Says in:
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.
3. The Prelude of His Nation (Gen. 16, 18, 22)
3. The Prelude of His Nation (Gen. 16, 18, 22)
The start to God’s great nation starts out pretty rough. Beginning in Gen. 16:
A. Trouble - Abraham And Sarah Take Matters Into Their Own Hands (Gen. 16)
A. Trouble - Abraham And Sarah Take Matters Into Their Own Hands (Gen. 16)
Sarah gives Abraham her maid to bring about the child God promised but that she couldn’t give.
As the story unfolds:
results in Sarah’s bitterness toward Hagar
Eventually Sarah kicks Hagar and her son out of the family
Ishmael grows up without his father
B. Tidings - Despite Circumstances God’s Will Prevails (Gen. 18)
B. Tidings - Despite Circumstances God’s Will Prevails (Gen. 18)
The Lord appears to Abraham and tells him that Sarah will have a son. At 100 years old and 90, respectively.
Sarai laughs at this preposterous word
the supernatural boy who is born to them is named Isaac which means “laughter.”
C. Testing - Abraham Proves His Faith To Be True (Gen. 22)
C. Testing - Abraham Proves His Faith To Be True (Gen. 22)
God severely tests Abraham by commanding him to offer Isaac as a sacrifice.
Abraham obediently responds believing that God could raise his son to life from the dead
By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,” concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.
Isaac is spared and a ram is offered in sacrifice.
Centuries later another beloved Son will be sacrificed and is not spared
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Conclusion:
God is at work in the world, fulfilling His plan to reconcile sinners to His righteous requirement. He is preparing an unlikely people group to profess His perfect plan and proclaim His glory.
Application:
There is hope in how God uses unlikely circumstances and the inability of people to deflect the most glory to Himself. All He requires is obedience. Will you allow God’s strength to be seen in your weakness; His greatness to be seen in your deficiency; and His wisdom in your ignorance?