Every good story is marked by an integral turning point, which redirects the main character, or characters, back upon the very path they once began. In J. R. R. Tolkein\u2019s book The Hobbit<\/em>, we witness something similar. Thorin\u2019s company is sent on a mission to retake their lost homeland in the Lonely Mountain. Having passed through the treacherous mountains, they are met with chaos and confusion as enemy goblins snatch them up. Though they are rescued by Gandalf, they are once again separated as the main character Bilbo falls into a cavern. After tricking the creature Gollum and finding passage safely out of the mountain, the company is reunited. Yet, their backs are against the great cliffs of the mountainside until the great eagles rescue them at just the right time. From there, they are able to continue their journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a similar way, we have seen the trajectory of the Promised Seed come under assault. Cain kills Abel, the world is thrown into utter sin and depravity, Noah partakes of drunkenness, Ham violates his mother and has an illegitimate child, and now, the tower of Babel has caused all of the nations to be dispersed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It would seem that the purposes and plans of God have been thwarted through man\u2019s own efforts. However, this is not the case. Rather, God, in His sovereignty over all things, decreed before the foundations of the world to use Abram to be the one to bring forth the promised seed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just as it seemed the promise of redemptive history had its back pushed against the proverbial mountainside cliff, the Lord reinforces His redemptive plan in calling Abram to receive the blessings of the covenant of grace. From henceforth, the people of God will find their spiritual seed in Abraham.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite what may be thrown in the path of God\u2019s people, He still preserves them and ensures His promise comes about. Two primary points stick out from the text itself, which demonstrate God\u2019s sovereignty on display, first, in the people, and second, in the promise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (1) the people (11:10-32)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n (2) the promise (12:1-3)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In light of what is portrayed in the text itself, it only seems natural to demonstrate how this people and promise is fulfilled in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Therefore, we will look at Christ as the guarantor of the true and better covenant. Finally, in terms of application, we will view the way in which the Lord calls us and the similarities between our calling and Abram\u2019s calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (1) the people (11:10-32)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n As the text focuses upon the people, or individuals, who are used by the Lord to bring forth the promised seed, there are two natural divisions in the text. It has been stated frequently in Genesis that two literary changes in the Old Testament indicate that either something major will occur, or that something major has happened. They are not mutually exclusive categories either. They can feed off of one another. This comes by way of song, or poetry, and in the phrase \u201cThese are the generations of\u201d known as the toledoth<\/em>. Therefore, under the heading \u201cthe people\u201d we will take each transition together, starting with the descendants of Shem and finishing with the descendants of Terah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [1] The descendants of Shem (vv. 10-26)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n There is nothing remarkably significant in the text itself, meaning, it is straightforward. We are given another list of Shem\u2019s descendants. Though this time, we have an in-depth list as compared to Genesis 10<\/a>. Of note, however, is the ages in comparison to the pre-Flood days. People lived much longer then but now, the true effect of the Fall, death, is becoming more prevalent upon the lives of the peoples across the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It should be remembered that Shem was given special prominence in Noah\u2019s blessing to him. In fact, we see this played out in real-time through the remainder of Genesis. Noah tells of Shem, Genesis 9:26\u201327<\/a> \u201cHe also said, \u201cBlessed be the Lord, the God of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant. May God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant.\u201d\u201d Shem is given three important blessings. In fact, if you pay special attention to Genesis 12.1-3<\/a>, you will see these elements recapitulated. Shem is blessed by the Lord God, namely, the covenant name of God, Yahweh. Second, Canaan is to be Shem\u2019s servant insofar as the Lord declares to Abram in Genesis 12:3<\/a> \u201cI will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The struggle between the people of God and the Canaanites becomes a constant point of contention. Yet, through Israel\u2019s occupation of the land, they are to enforce the curses enacted by God upon the Canaanites. Third, Shem plays a distinct role in relation to the Gentiles, or the Japhethites. Once again, this coincides with the blessing of the Lord in 12:3, \u201call the families of the earth shall be blessed.\u201d But more on this to follow. The main point is to see the promise of God come to fruition through the people He Himself has declared and decreed would bring about the seed of redemption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As Shem\u2019s lineage is concluded, until the focus is on Terah, there is another harkening back to the family tree from Adam. Remember, Adam had three sons who received prominence, Cain, Abel, and Seth. We are told as well that Noah has three sons of prominence, Shem, Ham, and Jatpheth. And now, as we turn to the lineage of Terah, he also has three descendants, Abram, Nahor, and Haran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [2] The descendants of Terah (vv. 27-32) <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n As with the previous genealogy, this one begins with the toledoth<\/em> formula, \u201cThese are the generation of.\u201d This time, however, the reader is given an zoomed in version of Abram and his people, with some brief introductions on the supporting characters. We are told that the people of Terah are from the \u201cUr of the Chaldeans.\u201d The exact location of \u201cUr\u201d is hotly debated amongst scholars. It seems, however, that the location was Southeast of Babel. We are likewise given an introduction into the family structure of Terah. Abram takes a wife, Sarai, but something complex and troubling is stated with their situation in marriage, \u201cSarai was barren; she had no child.\u201d As the genealogy becomes more descriptive, a warning flag should be raised, \u201cHow could Abram be the recipient of God\u2019s grace if his wife is Sarai?\u201d Perhaps it would be given to one who was able to have children. The Old Testament often introduces a person, or problem, or both, into the narrative and does not elaborate on it until later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After Abram\u2019s immediate family is listed, for unknown reasons, \u201cTerah took Abram his son and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram\u2019s wife, and they went forth together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan, but when they came to Haran, they settled there\u201d (Gen 11:31<\/a>). It is unknown whether or not the city Haran predated Terah\u2019s son, or if potentially the name of the city was called after the son. Regardless, the conclusion of the people of God ends as all other genealogies end, \u201cTerah died.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n If we were to read this initially, it would seem unlikely that the Lord would pick Abram. He is the one with the most problems and the least likely, physically, to provide a child. It seems also, from our worldly perspective, that Abram should not have been one to receive these promises. He was a pagan, living a pagan lifestyle and pagan religion. This is stated in Joshua 24:2<\/a> \u201cAnd Joshua said to all the people, \u201cThus says the Lord, the God of Israel, \u2018Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and they served other gods.\u201d Abram was least likely and least prominent individual to receive such blessings and promise. Yet nonetheless, in God\u2019s sovereign decree, he give these promises to Abram. This brings us, naturally, to the second main point, \u201cthe promise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n (2) the promise (12:1-3)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Why Abram? Why a pagan? Why someone with a barren wife? Well, we are told in Scripture, regarding one\u2019s effectual calling and God\u2019s decree, \u201cFor consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, \u2018Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord\u2019\u201d (1 Corinthians 1:26\u201331<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n God\u2019s promises are not contingent upon one\u2019s ability, one\u2019s works, one\u2019s foreseen faith, one\u2019s foreseen good works, or anything in the individual themselves. Rather, it is solely upon His decree, purpose, and will. God chose the least likely individual to bring about His sovereign purpose. And God continues to call the least likely, the lowly, the pagan sinner, unto Himself for His own glory. There are four points to consider as it relates to the promise: (1) decree, (2) land, (3) seed, and (4) blessing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [1] decree<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Genesis 12:1<\/a> \u201cNow the Lord said to Abram, \u201cGo.\u201d Here, we are given the covenantal name of God, as has been made manifest throughout God\u2019s distinct covenantal dealings with His people thus far. In God\u2019s decree, it should be obvious that He is the one initiating. Man does not stand in his current state, dead in sins and trespasses, a child of the devil, and so on, with the desire, ability, or will to seek God. Paul in Romans 3:10\u201311<\/a> quotes Psalm 14:1-3<\/a> and 53:1-3, \u201cas it is written: \u201cNone is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.\u201d Man is not equipped in his nature or state to accept or ascertain the things of God. Instead, God is the initiator, as is seen here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When the Lord speaks, something is done. This will be brought out further next week, but the Lord declares to Abram \u201cGo.\u201d This verb is an imperative. It is a command that requires an action. There is a big difference in parenting between saying, \u201cWould you clean your room,\u201d to \u201cGo clean your room!\u201d The imperatival force of this decree necessitates and action. Indeed, Abram, we are told, in Genesis 12:4<\/a> \u201cSo Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.\u201d When Abram leaves, he is not merely going into a better area in the world. In fact, he has no idea what lies in the west. But Abram is called to do something very important, not just to go to the land the Lord is showing him, but to leave his kin and father\u2019s house. To leave a \u201chouse\u201d in Hebrew is not a reference to one\u2019s living quarters. No, to leave one\u2019s house means to forsake the heritage of your family. Abram denounces all of his temporal wealth to follow the Lord\u2019s command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many outside the bounds of orthodoxy and Scripture tend to make the faulty assumption that works play an integral role in one\u2019s salvation. In fact, I\u2019m sure many turn to this to make such a presumption. You see, God said and Abram did. It is only later in Genesis 15:6<\/a> where we are told, \u201cAnd he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.\u201d Therefore, his works must have been the thing to justify him. However, this is not only an errant understanding of the totality of Scripture but also an improper understanding of where Scripture speaks more clearly on a matter. Hebrews 11:8<\/a> \u201cBy faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Abram\u2019s obedience was solely based upon the fact that God granted him the gift of faith in order to believe. This is such a crucial point to understand because anything else that places man as the sovereign over any action of God makes God equal to or less than man. And this preposterous presumption is precisely the punishment the people of Adam received at Babel. This is why Paul confidently writes, as inspired by the Holy Spirit, \u201cFor by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast\u201d (Ephesians 2:8\u20139<\/a>). Abram had no grounds to boast for God electing Him. In fact, there was nothing special about Abram other than the fact God decreed to save him and bring through him the Messiah. God\u2019s decree is unchangeable and immovable. What is the content of this promised decree? Often, theologians categorize the promise as land, seed, and blessing, which are the remaining four points under the promise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [2] land<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Genesis 12:1<\/a> \u201cNow the Lord said to Abram, \u201cGo from your country and your kindred and your father\u2019s house to the land that I will show you.\u201d The Lord purposes to give His people a land to live in. The very land, as we are told, which is flowing with milk and honey. What is more prominent about this land being given to Abram is its directional location compared to that of Haran. Remember, the significance of eastward movement in the Old Testament. Adam and Eve are pushed eastward away from the presence of God in Eden. Cain is pushed even further eastward from them. The people of Babel travel eastward to erect their city and monument. But what we have from Abram is not a push further east away from the presence of God. Instead, he is returning from the east. It is from the place of exile and excommunication. Abram is entering into a land that represents the Edenic paradise wherein Adam and Even shared in mutual religious fellowship with the Triune God. Not only will God bless the land, but also the seed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [3] seed<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Once again, it is important to point out Sarai\u2019s barrenness. To promise descendant to a married couple who cannot have children seems to be almost like a cruel joke. Yet, as the unfolding of Genesis continues, we are given insight into the miraculous power of God to bring about His will despite man\u2019s capability. The Lord promises to make out of Abram a great nation. As we see Genesis unravel and redemptive history move closer to the culmination even in Jesus Christ, Abram becomes the father of Isaac, the child through the promise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The seed is integral to understanding the workings of God and the place of faith. You see, Abram lamented Sarai\u2019s barenness to the Lord in Genesis 15<\/a>, assuming that the Lord would be unable to fulfill His promises. Yet, the Lord \u201cdoubles down,\u201d if you will, on His promises by unilaterally entering into a self-malediction covenant with Abram. In Ancient Near East (ANE) covenants, there was always a suzerien (king) and a vassel (lower king, or servant). They would both walk through severed animals together and take upon themselves the curses of the covenant if they were unfaithful. Essentially, they would say, \u201cDo unto me as is done to these animals if I disobey the covenant.\u201d Now, what is remarkable about God entering into a covenant with Abram, is that He is the only one who walks between the severed animals and takes upon Himself the curse of disobedience. In fact, Christ Himself takes the curses of our disobedience even though He was utterly faithful to the Law of God in its totality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even still, Abram attempts to achieve the covenant promises on his own effort and of his own merit. This is one of the fundamental problems with man. He thinks he is able to ascend to God, or to produce works of obedience to earn favor or merit. Therefore, Abram has an illegitimate child with Hagar, named Ishmael. Ishmael, though Abram\u2019s seed, would not be part of the promise; but it would come through Isaac, the true promised child. Paul articulates this point in Galatians 4:21\u201328<\/a> \u201cTell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise. Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. For it is written, \u201cRejoice, O barren one who does not bear; break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than those of the one who has a husband.\u201d Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n What is important with regard to the seed is that the seed, the children of Abraham, are not mere descendants but those who rely upon the promises of God by faith alone. God promises a great people who will rejoice and glorify Him from the nations themselves, which reaches its culminating point in the New Testament. And those people are the objects of God\u2019s blessing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [4] blessing<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Lord declares in Genesis 12:2\u20133<\/a> \u201cAnd I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.\u201d\u201d A few minor points on God\u2019s declaration. First, He says His blessing will come to Abram. This is quite clear in the Lord\u2019s voluntary condescension. To be the recipient of God\u2019s blessing is to be part of His covenant community. Abram reaps the rewards of the seed of faith sown in his own heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Second, the Lord declares, \u201cI will make your name great.\u201d Inextricably tied to the Hebrew word for \u201cname\u201d is \u201creputation.\u201d Abram\u2019s reputation will be great amongst all peoples. In fact, all of those in Christ are the spiritual offspring of Abraham and receive those covenant blessings. Galatians 3:27\u201329<\/a> \u201cFor as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ\u2019s, then you are Abraham\u2019s offspring, heirs according to promise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Third, \u201cthe families of the earth shall be blessed.\u201d How does this come to realization? Through Jesus Christ. In fact, all peoples are blessed by the arrival of the Messiah, in His death and resurrection. It is solely through Christ that one receives the blessings of God. And this third point brings us to our doctrine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Doctrine – Christ the Guarantor of the True and Better Covenant<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Hebrews 7:22<\/a> \u201cThis makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Those who are in Christ receive the same spiritual blessings of Abraham and it is under those three headings, which we will look as it relates to Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [1] land<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n There has been much debate on how the land of Israel relates to the people of the New Testament. From Scripture\u2019s perspective, the New Testament fulfills the land of Israel and its occupants one step further, the entire world. The extent of Christ\u2019s salvation is not placated to a small topological area in the Middle East. In fact, as we saw the reversal of Babel last week, we viewed just how prominent God\u2019s salvific plan is. It is to every tribe, tongue, and nation. It is for all who call upon the name of the Lord. It is for the Jew first, and also for the Gentile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And the land that the sons of God occupy is not a small sliver of the earth. Rather, it is the entirety of the world as we know it. From this, Satan is bound, no longer able, by God\u2019s permission, to subvert the nations. Christ\u2019s Gospel is able to go forth and break through cultural and familial barriers. Where the first covenant was marked by a small location, the better covenant with better blessings and better promises is marked with the globe. Hence, John can say with confidence in John 3:16<\/a> \u201c\u201cFor God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n [2] seed<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n We alluded to this above but even the seed of Abraham is far greater in its extent in the New Testament. It is of utmost importance to see how the New Testament interprets our understanding of the Old Testament. The Old Testament was not about Israel and the New Testament about the church. Rather, the Old and New Testament are about the Church. To be part of the promised seed is to be the recipients of God\u2019s gift of faith. This is scattered all throughout the New Testament. Some prime examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Galatians 3:7<\/a> \u201cKnow then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Galatians 3:16<\/a> \u201cNow the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, \u201cAnd to offsprings,\u201d referring to many, but referring to one, \u201cAnd to your offspring,\u201d who is Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Galatians 3:28<\/a> \u201cThere is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Romans 4:16\u201321<\/a> \u201cThat is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring\u2014not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, as it is written, \u201cI have made you the father of many nations\u201d\u2014in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, \u201cSo shall your offspring be.\u201d He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah\u2019s womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In fact, John even declares that Christ Himself came to a people that were not of flesh and blood, or the children of Abraham.<\/p>\n\n\n\n John 1:11\u201313<\/a> \u201cHe came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n John 10:16<\/a> \u201cAnd I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n And Paul elaborates once again that to be in Christ is to be a child of Abraham.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Romans 9:7\u20138<\/a> \u201cand not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but \u201cThrough Isaac shall your offspring be named.\u201d This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The key message of the New Testament is that if you are in Christ you are the spiritual seed of Abraham and recipients of the better covenant, the covenant with better blessings, and better promises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [3] blessing<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Still, the form of blessing upon the people of God is far greater in the New Testament. In fact, it goes one step beyond because through the Gospel, \u201call the nations of the earth shall be blessed.\u201d Once again, in turning to Acts 2<\/a>, we see just how this blessing unfolds. There is no more dividing wall, or ethnocentrism required. I would actually argue that it was never the case. Many in the Old Testament became part of the covenant community of God through faith and were ingrafted. Nonetheless, the idea that one\u2019s heritage is equated with receiving the blessing is no longer prominent. The blessing in the New Testament is far greater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How else is the blessing exceeded through Christ? Both male and female receive the sacramental sign. Where circumcision was only to be given to infant males in the Old Testament, now in the New Testament, baptism is to be given to infant males and females. Why else is this considered a better covenant if the promises are not extended beyond what was required in the Old Testament. That baptism replaces circumcision, and baptism is to be given to children of at least one believing family member, indicates clearly that the blessings of the New Covenant with Jesus as the guarantor thereof, remains an important practice. Scripturally, we see this declared by Peter in Acts 2:39<\/a> \u201cFor the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The blessing is for the immediate recipients, their children, and for those who are strangers to the Gospel, those whom God effectually calls by His Spirit. In summary, Christ achieved the blessings of the covenant of grace in its dispensation to Abraham in ways that exceed the expectations of the Old Testament church. The land is of greater extent. The seed is those who have been gifted faith. And the blessing extends not only to infant males, but all infants. And these should be a great encouragement in the life of a Christian, which brings us to our practical application.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Application – The Usefulness of the Lord Calling You<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Use 1. Forsake what is dear to you.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Genesis 12:1<\/a> \u201cNow the Lord said to Abram, \u201cGo from your country and your kindred and your father\u2019s house to the land that I will show you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Lord tells Abram to sacrifice, literally, everything. I wonder how much success the church would have if we lived a life sacrificially. If we took those which we cling so dearly to and cast them away. This is by no means to say we ought to live lives as a monk, we are to be active in the world and in our vocation. But imagine if we took the mindset of Paul. Philippians 3:4\u20137<\/a> \u201cthough I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Imagine if you, who are in the military, said, \u201cAll of the badges, accolades, and ribbons I get to wear on my uniform (which you certainly deserve, don\u2019t get me wrong), I count those as rubbish compared to knowing Christ.\u201d Imagine if you, who are single, said, \u201cAll of my efforts and attempts in life to build a career for myself, to have better things, to find a spouse, I count those all as rubbish compared to knowing Christ.\u201d Imagine if you, as a parent, said, \u201cAll of my successes or failures as a parent, I count as rubbish compared to knowing Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n You see, to forsake what is dear to you is to properly align your mind with the will of God. Because indeed your chief end is to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever. And here\u2019s the thing, if you are in Christ, you do<\/em> get to enjoy Him forever. He promises that he will never leave us nor forsake us. All that the Father gives to Him will come. No one will snatch them out of His hand, for He and the Father are One.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You are called by God in the Christian life to sacrifice. You are to die to yourself. You are no longer the main character of your biography. But Christ is. Because He is worthy and deserves the all of the glory. We bring filthy rags, He brings fruit. We bring sin, He brings redemption. Forsake what is dear to you for the Lord has called you to Himself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Use 2. Have a living and active faith.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n We have to jump ahead only one verse, but Abram demonstrates the genuine display of his faith by responding. Genesis 12:4<\/a> \u201cSo Abram went, as the Lord had told him.\u201d Sometimes the Lord calls us to places we would rather not go. Perhaps not a physical location, but something that we would rather not do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A living and active faith naturally bears fruit. Matthew 7:17\u201320<\/a> \u201cSo, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.\u201d Do you want unbelievers to recognize you by your active faith? You have the great privilege, Christian, to show the unbelieving world the Gospel through your actions as well as your words. The idiom, \u201cActions speak louder than words\u201d applies here well. When the world sees your life and all the struggles, you have the perfect opportunity to be a genuine witness, so show forth the hope of the Gospel in you own hearts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Abram had a living and active faith. And this is James\u2019 main argument in James 2<\/a>. If you have no living and active faith, how can you say its genuine? If you see someone without clothing or food and you say \u201cthoughts and prayers\u201d without doing anything, do you really have faith? And James compares Abraham\u2019s faith to being living and active as he verifies it in offering Isaac.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Use 3. Live a life of blessing.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Genesis 12:2<\/a> \u201cAnd I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, this is not a \u201clive your best life now\u201d prosperity \u201cgospel\u201d-esque appeal. We reject such notions. However, we ought to live lives that demonstrate we have received all the blessings of Christ. Look at what Paul writes in Romans 8:29\u201330<\/a> \u201cFor those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n All of those are past-tense verbs. Meaning, they are present realities if you are in Christ. Therefore, we must live lives as one who has been justified. Meaning, you don\u2019t fall back on sinful practices but rely upon the Spirit of God to mold and shape you. To conform you to the image of Christ Jesus. Will it play out perfectly? Of course not! But when it doesn\u2019t play our perfectly, you can take confidence of your position in Christ. Thomas Watson writes, \u201cGod gives [believers] three jewels more worth than heaven – the blood of His Son, the grace of His Spirit, and light of His countenance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Does your life resemble one who holds those truths dearly? Do you cling to the reality of Christ\u2019s blood shed for you? Meaning, you have been forgiven of all of your sin. As far as the east is from the west so also is God\u2019s grace, redemption, and forgiveness. You have been washed clean of your depravity and deadness. You have been made alive unto Christ Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you cling to the unending grace of His Spirit? The One who resides in you. The One who is conforming you to the image of the Son. The One to whom enables you to cry out to God \u201cAbba, Father!.\u201d When you feel the weight of sin encompass you, do you turn to the Spirit of Truth? His Spirit is at work in you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you cling to the light of the Father\u2019s countenance? That is, do you hold fast to the glorious splendor of His immense light shining upon His own? You have the privilege of doing so even in this life as you await for the New Heavens and New Earth when you will see His glory shown manifestly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Live a life of blessing because you have been blessed by God. He does not curse you. Instead, He takes the curse upon Himself and declares you as righteous in His sight only for the righteousness of Christ which is imputed to you and received by faith alone. Serve Him and love Him with eager hearts and a fervent spirit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This sermon we looked at the text in two ways in which God demonstrates His sovereignty, in the people, the generations of Shem and Terah, and in the promise, manifest in his decree, in land, seed, and blessing. We saw how this culminates in the person and work of Jesus Christ as the guarantor of the true and better covenant from Hebrews 7.22<\/a>, and we looked at how to live a life as one who has been called by God, in forsaking what is dear to you, having a living and active faith, and living a life of blessing. May God grant these gifts to you as you endeavor to a new life of obedience and servitude to Him.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Abram\u2019s Introduction: A Preamble to the Promise Every good story is marked by an integral turning point, which redirects the main character, or characters, back upon the very path they once began. In J. R. R. Tolkein\u2019s book The Hobbit, we witness something similar. Thorin\u2019s company is sent on a mission to retake their lost […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[164,117,171,151,169,167,170,160,121,122,172,168],"class_list":["post-30322","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-covenant-theology","tag-faith-and-works","tag-galatians","tag-genesis","tag-hebrews-722","tag-jesus-christ","tag-new-covenant","tag-old-testament","tag-reformed","tag-reformed-theology","tag-romans","tag-toledoth"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cfcstuttgart.org\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30322","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cfcstuttgart.org\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cfcstuttgart.org\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cfcstuttgart.org\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cfcstuttgart.org\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30322"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cfcstuttgart.org\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30322\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30323,"href":"https:\/\/cfcstuttgart.org\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30322\/revisions\/30323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cfcstuttgart.org\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30322"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cfcstuttgart.org\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30322"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cfcstuttgart.org\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30322"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}