Old Testament Reading: Genesis 12:1-9

“Now the LORD said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And 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.’ So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your offspring I will give this land.’ So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD. And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb.” (Genesis 12:1–9, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Galatians 3:1-9

“O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.” (Galatians 3:1–9, ESV)

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Introduction

I think you would agree that the most famous verse in the Bible is John 3:16 — “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16, ESV). And it is no wonder that this verse is so well known and so greatly loved, for it is a marvelous little summery of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is a succinct presentation of the fabulous news that although the world is sinful, corrupt, and rebellious towards God, God has shown love to the world. And how has he loved the world? It is not that he has an affection for the sinful world, for how could he? But God loved the world by doing something gracious, merciful and kind. Specifically, he gave his only Son. 

There is an awful lot packed into that little phrase, “he gave his only son…” In brief, it means that God the Father gave Jesus the Christ, who was and is the eternal Son of God come in the flesh, over to death (not to mention all of the other pains and miseries of this life). And why did he do that? John 3:16 is clear: he did it so “that whoever believes [trusts] in him should not perish but have eternal life.” The Son was sent by the Father to die for the world. He died and rose again for a fallen and sinful world. He died and rose again for the whole world — and by that the scriptures mean, not for the Jewish race only, but for sinful and rebellious people from every tongue, tribe and nation. He died for all who would believe upon his name — for Jewish people and for Gentile people; for black, brown and white people; for males and females, rich and poor, young and old. Jesus died and rose again, not for a particular race, gender, type or class of person, but for the world. He is the lamb of God who took away the sins of  the  world. 

A careful reading of the New Testament scriptures reveals that the Apostles of Christ (those sent by Christ, who were all Jews by race, remember) initially struggled, but ultimately marveled and rejoiced over the fact that Christ was the Savior, not only of the Jewish people, but also the Gentiles. Evidence of this initial struggle, but ultimate joy, is found all over the New Testament. 

And their initial struggle it is somewhat understandable, isn’t it? Think of it! From the call of Abram (who would become Abraham) in approximately 2,000 B.C. to the death burial and resurrection of Christ, the kingdom of God was confined to the Jewish people. The Hebrews, the Israelites, the Jews — the physical descendents of Abraham, Issac and Jacob – were set apart in the world as distinct from the nations for approximately 2,000 years. In fact  They were God’s elect people, according to the flesh. To them belonged the covenants and the promisse. The law of Moses was imposed upon them. Through them the Christ would eventually come. From Abraham to the resurrection of Christ, one race from amongst the children of Adam, was set apart as unique. 

But when the Christ finally emerged from amongst the Hebrew people, what did he say? He said things like this:

“I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And 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” (John 10:14–16, ESV). When Christ spoke of having “other sheep that are not of this fold”, he was saying that the Father had given him people from amongst the Gentiles too, and not people from amongst the Jews. 

And what did the Christ say after he rose from the dead? Did he not most clearly command his Apostles, who were all Jewish by race, saying, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:19, ESV)? And remember that immediately before his ascension he spoke to them  again, saying, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth…” (Acts 1:8, ESV)

Brothers and sisters, this was a massive shift! You and I probably don’t feel it so much,  for we are 2,000 years removed from this transition from the Old Covenant to the New, but try to put yourself there! Try to immagine being a Hebrew in those days. Remember that as they looked back upon the previous 2,000 years of their history, what did they see? They saw saw the Kingdom of God, the covenants and promises of God, being confined to their people. You and I look back upon the 2,000 years of our history and we see the gospel of the Kingdom going to the nations, but they saw the opposite!  They saw God’s kingdom confined to the boarders of Israel. 

As I say this, Paul’s words concerning the Hebrew people come to mind. In Romans 9:1 he says, “I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen” (Romans 9:1–5, ESV). This is a wonderful summery of all that was given to the Hebrew people from Abraham to Christ — adoption, glory, covenants, the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh” the Christ came, who is God over all, blessed forever.

 But when the Christ came, what did we hear concerning him? John the Baptist was the first to introduce him, and what did he say? “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29, ESV).

The book of Acts (which is about the acts of the Apostles of Jesus Christ) shows us that the Apostles did get it. They came to understand that God the Father’s love was for the world, and not for the Israelite nation only. They went to the Gentiles with the Gospel of Jesus the Christ, and they were amazed at the response as the Spirit worked amongst them, just as he worked amongst the first to have faith in  Christ, who were Jews according to the flesh.

The letters of Paul and the other Apostles also prove that they got it, for it is in the letters to the churches that this theology of God’s love  for the nation is worked out. 

Take for example Paul’s words to the Christians in Ephesus, who were mainly Gentiles by race. To them he wrote, “Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord” (Ephesians 2:11–21, ESV).

These are beautiful words. And they prove that the Apostles of Christ got the message — “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16, ESV). This is why Paul also said, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16, ESV)

But here is the question that I have — was this idea that God’s love is for the whole world a new one in the days of Jesus? Was this message that God would provide salvation for all nations a novel idea invented by Christ and his Apostles? 

Some would say, “yes”! And it is not hard to understand why some would have this view.  For it is true that the Apostles of Christ, who were Jews who knew the Old Testament scriptures well, struggled to understand this at first. And it is also true that the vast majority of the Old Testament scriptures were written by and about the Hebrew people. Take the scriptures sometime and open to Genesis 12 and put your thumb there. And then open to the end of Malachi (the last book of the Old Testament) and put your finger their. Pinch those pages together and look at all of that scripture. All of that has do to with, in one way or another, the Hebrew people. And it is also true that Paul the Apostle referred to this truth that the Gentiles would be reconciled to God through faith in the Messiah as mysterious. 

Listen to Paul in Ephesians 3:1: “For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel” (Ephesians 3:1–6, ESV).

Paul called the fact that the Gentiles would be made “fellow heirs”along with Jews a “mystery”. But when he called it a “mystery” he did not mean that this truth was nowhere to be found, absent, or lacking in previous generations. Instead he meant that is was less clear. Listen carefully again to his words: “When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.” 

What was once dimly revealed — what was once relatively hard to see and understand under the Old Covenant and in theOld Testament scriptures  — has now been made abundantly plain and clear, now that the Christ has come and the Spirit has been poured out.

Our family planted a small garden a few months back — kale, spinach, lettuce, and chard, mainly. And I’m glad that the seeds came packaged with labels. I’m sure it’s possible, but I would have had a very difficult time knowing what was what by looking at the seeds. Knowing what was what would have been a mystery to me were the seeds not labeled. And when we put the seeds into the ground we put little stakes at the  start of each row the name of the crop written on them. And I’m  glad that we did that too. When those little plants started to sprout it was still very difficult to tell which was which. I’m sure that I could have figured it out by doing some research and by examining the plants closely — for indeed, kale seeds do look like kale seeds, and kale sprouts do like kale sprouts. But in general, those spouts all looked the same. Their identity would have been a mystery to me were it not for the labels. But when those plants were  full grown, I knew what they were. The kale was always kale. It was either kale seed, a kale sprout, or a full grown kale plant. But from my persecutive, the kale was mysterious to me while it was in it’s developmental stages. And so it is with God’s plan of redemption. His plan never changed. It was the same plan from beginning to end. But it came to maturity over time and in stages. That God’s plan was to save a people for himself from every tongue tribe and nation was mysterious at first, but the plan was there from beginning. And that plan is easy to see now that the Christ has come. 

Here is what I would like for you to undestand today as we consider Genesis 12:1-9. This wonderful news that “God so loved the world… was not brand new when John the Apostle penned those words nearly 2,000 years ago. This good news that God would love the world — that his plan was to save a people for himself from  every tongue, tribe and nation — was not a novel idea that broke on to the scene when Jesus was born. Far from it. Though mysterious and less clear at the start, the good news of the Father’s love for the world, is older than Abraham. 

Let us now consider Genesis 12:1-9 in three parts. First, the call of Abram. Second, the promise of God to Abram. And third, the faith of Abram. 

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The Call of Abram

In verse 1 we hear God’s call to Abram. There we read, “Now the LORD said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you’” (Genesis 12:1, ESV).

One question that we should ask is, of all the people living on earth, why did God call Abram? 

I think many assume it was because Abram was a good and godly man. Many assume that God called Abram because he looked down from heaven and saw that Abram was upright, moral, and filled with faith more than any other. But in fact, the scriptures point in a different direction. 

As we will see in the weeks to come, the narrative of Genesis will emphasize Abram’s flaws. Were there things about Abram to be admired? Yes,  of course there were. But the story of Genesis seems to emphasize his shortcomings and sins more than his strengths and successes. 

And this theme goes beyond the pages of Genesis. Joshua, who was Moses’ successor and  the one who lead the people of Israel into the land of promise, spoke to the people of Israel in this way concerning their forefathers: “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and they served other gods’” (Joshua 24:2, ESV). Joshua 

Why would Joshua emphasize that Israel’s ancestors were idolators? And why would the Genesis narrative draw attention to Abram’s flaws? Is not to  demonstrate that Abram, and all of Israel for that matter, were called by the grace of God and not because of their own merit? The Apostle Paul emphasizes the same thing as it pertains to the New Covenant people of God when he says, “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” (1 Corinthians 1:27–29, ESV). When God called Abram it was not because he was worthy. Instead, it was because God was gracious.  

And what did God call Abram to do? He spoke to Abram saying, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you”. 

Nothing at all is said concerning the mode of this revelation. Did Abram hear God’s voice? Did he dream a dream,  or see a vision? The text does not say. But the call was clear. Leave your country, your people and your fathers house and sojourn to land that I will show you. 

That is quite a call. To obey would require great faith. And this is what the writer to the Hebrews emphasized when he said,  “By 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. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.” (Hebrews 11:8–10, ESV)

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The Promises of God to Abram

In verses 1 through 3 we see that Abram was not called to walk blindly into the unknown, but he was also given the promises of God. Let us now consider the promises of God made to Abram in verses 1 through 3.

“Now the LORD said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And 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” (Genesis 12:1–3, ESV).

God promised to give three things to Abram. 

One, God promised to give Abram land. “Go… to the land that I will show you”, God said. Also, the LORD promised to make Abram into “a great nation.” To be a nation, one must have land. 

Two, the LORD promised to give Abram people. The one man Abram would become a great nation. To be a great nation requires land and also people. But do not forget what we have already been told concerning Abram’s wife Sarai. She was barren. 

Thirdly, the LORD promised to bless Abraham, and all of the nations of the earth through him. Specifically the LORD said, “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” 

The LORD promised to bless Abram and to make his name great, but notice that this was “so that [he would] be a blessing.” The LORD determined to bless Abram not for the sake of blessing  Abram, but so that he himself would be a blessing to others.

The LORD promised to bless those who bless Abram and to curse those who dishonor him. 

This will indeed play out in the narrative of Genesis. Those who are kind to Abram (who bless his name) are indeed blessed, whereas those who do wrong to Abram (who dishonor him) are cursed. This will also play our in the rest of the narrative of the Old Testament. Those who bless Israel (the descendents of Abram according to the flesh) are  bless, whereas those who do wrong to Israel are cursed. 

But Paul makes it abundantly clear that ultimately to bless Abram means to have the faith of Abram. All who have the faith of Abram are the true children of Abraham. They, along with him, are justified by faith. There is no higher blessing than to have ones sins pardoned, to be adopted as a child of God, and reconciled to him through faith in the Christ. Hear again the words of the Apostle as interprets this very passage, saying, “Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘In you shall all the nations be blessed.’ So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith” (Galatians 3:7–9, ESV).

The LORD promised to bless those who bless Abram and to curse those who dishonor him. And the LORD also plainly declared that the purpose for calling Abram and blessing him so richly was so that all the families of the earth would be blessed in him. And this is why I have said that the good news that God’s love is for the world is no new news, but very old news — this good news was preached even to Abram who lived 2,000 years prior  to the birth of the Christ. Let it be thoroughly understood that God plan has always be tisane a people for himself from every tongue, tribe and nation through the Christ who would  come from the loins of Adam, Seth, Noah, Shem,  Eber, Peleg, Terah, and finally Abram. The Messiah would come from the Hebrews, but he was to be the Savior of the world. This was always the plan. 

Before we move on to consider the response of Abram to this call, it must be emphasized that these words from God to Abram were promises, and not stipulations. This is incredibly important. These were promises from God which Abram was to receive by faith.

Notice the repetition of the words, “I will” in this passage. God spoke to Abram saying, “I will, I will, I will”. 

Go “to the land that I will show you. And 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” (Genesis 12:1–3, ESV).  

These are promises, and not stipulations. This is gospel, and not law. 

Law sounds like this. “Do this and you will live;  do that and you will die.” Law sounds like this “if you do such and such, then I will do this and that”. 

Law puts forward stipulations — “if, then” is the pattern. But the good news of the gospel is not grounded in the law, but in promise.

The blessing of the law are obtained through obedience. The blessings of the gospel can only be received by faith. 

Paul makes much of the fact that the first words spoken by to Abram were gospel, not law — promises without stipulations. This he does  both  in Romans and Galatians in order to prove that salvation has never been obtainable through the keeping of the law,  but only through faith in the promises of God. For  even Abram, the father of the Hebrew people, “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? 

Brothers and sisters, to pursue right standing before God through obedience to the law of God is futile. No one, except Christ himself, can do it,“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23, ESV). If we hope to be justified — declared not guilty and cleansed of all our sins — it must be received by faith alone in Christ alone. This is how it has always been. 

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The Faith of Abram

Lastly, and very briefly, let us consider the faith of Abram. 

In verse 4 we read, “So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your offspring I will give this land.’ So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD. And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb.” (Genesis 12:4–9, ESV)

Much of what is said here is self explanatory. The details concerning who traveled with Abram, Abram’s age, and their destination set  the stage for the narrative that will follow. But consider three specific things about this account of Abram’s faith and obedience.  

One, notice the phrase, “at that time the Canaanites were in the land.” This is an important statement given the promise that God had given to him. God promised to  give him this land,  but there was a problem. The Canaanites were there. This  little statement should also remind the reader of the blessings and curse pronounced upon the  son’s of Noah. Shem, the Father of Abram, and Japheth were blessed, whereas Canan, the son of Ham was cursed. 

Two, notice that the LORD appeared again to Abram and repeated his promise concerning the land and offspring. Verse 7 : “Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your offspring I will give this land.’” God was gracious  to Abram, as he is to us. Not only did give Abram his word of promise at the start, but he was kind and faithful to remind Abram of his promises. 

Three, notice the response of Abram was to engage in public worship. Verse  7b: “So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him.”  And again in verse 8: “From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD” (Genesis 12:8, ESV). To call upon the name of the LORD is to worship God and to express faith in him and in his promises. Abram built these alters in public. This he did in at places associated with pagan worship — at Shechem, the oak of Moreh. This was probably a religiously significant place for the Canaanites. But it was there in plain view that Abram “built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD.”

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Application  

Let me now make a few suggestions for application as we conclude. 

Again, I will simply urge you to stand in awe of the grace of God and his faithfulness to bring about his promises. These promises to bless Abram, and to bless the nations of the earth through him were made some  4,000 years ago. And yet here we are today, Gentiles according to flesh, but children of Abram by faith and according to the Spirit. Indeed, we call Abram blessed. We share his faith in the promised God and in the promised Messiah. And we have indeed been blessed in and through him.      

Secondly, I ask have you been called by God? Abram was called in a special way. The LORD appeared to him and called him to leave his land and to sojourn to another one. But you and I, if we are in Christ, have also been called by God. He has called us, not by appearing to us,  but by  his word and Spirit. And we too have been called to leave something. We have been called to leave the world behind; to leave our sins behind, along with every other attachment  that would take the place of God in our hearts. 

Have you been called by God, friend? And have you answered that call? Have you come out from the world and renounced all of the honors and pleasures of this life as rubbish in  comparison to the surpassing worth of having Christ as Lord?

And not only have we been called to leave something, to sojourn towards something else. In Christ we are to pursue the glory of God in all things. We are to live, not for this world, but for the world to come. “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19–21, ESV).

Thirdly, are you walking as Abram walked at first — by faith and not by sight. If Abram would  have acted according to what he saw with his natural eyes, he would have never left Ur. And even if he left Ur and made it Haran, he would have never left that place to sojourn towards Canan. And even after coming into Canan, Abram would have certainly turned back if he were living his life based upon what he saw with his natural eyes. God’s promise was that he would have many descendents with the land of Canan as their own. When he looked at his wife, he saw a women well advanced in years who was barren.  And when he looked at the land around him, he saw that it was filled with Canaanites. 

But Abram is here seen walking by faith and not by sight. He is here living his life based, not upon what he sees with his natural eyes, but with the eyes of faith. Abram believed in the promises of God and lived accordingly. Brothers and sisters, may we be found living every moment of our lives trusting in the promises of God’s words.  May we live, not according to what we see, but what we know to be true according to God has reveled in his word.