If you and your family God is about (wants) to do A NEW THING IN 2023. 

DIGGING DEEP NO. 971 – February 7th, 2023 ABRAHAM – A STUDY OF FAITH IN GOD (PART 1) Gen.12: 1- 9; 4: 1- 6.

Except for the account in chapters 1 and 2, the first eleven chapters of Genesis record one failure of man after another; failures that are being repeated today. The first man and woman disobeyed God and were cast out of the garden (Chapter 3). Cain murdered his brother Abel and lied about it (Chapter 4). Humanity became so corrupt that God cleansed the earth with a flood (Chapters 6- 8). Noah got drunk and exposed himself to his son Ham (Chapter 9). In defiance of God, men built a city and a tower; and God had to send confusion to end the rebellion (Chapter 11). Disobedience, murder, deception, drunkenness, nudity, and rebellion sound pretty familiar. God had every reason to wipe them off the face of the earth again and start over again; instead, God called a man and his wife to leave their home and go to a new land, so that He might give humanity a new beginning.

Where would we be today if Abraham and Sarah had not trusted God? Abraham and Sarah ultimately gave to the world the Jewish nation, the Bible, and the Savior.

The call – Gen.12: 1. Salvation comes because God calls in grace and sinners respond by faith Ephe.2: 8- 9, 2Thes.2: 13- 14. God called Abraham out of idolatry; he did not know the true God and had done nothing to deserve knowing Him, but God graciously called him Jh.15: 16.

Abraham was 75 years old when God called, so age doesn’t need to be an obstacle to faith. He trusted God for 100 years Gen.25: 7. Abraham and Sarah were childless, yet God used them to find a great nation Is.51: 2. Why would God call such an unlikely couple for such an important task? Apostle Paul gives us the answer in 1 Cor.1: 26- 31.

Why God called – there are at least three reasons why God called Abraham and Sarah;

1. In His love; God was concerned about their salvation; so He revealed His glory and shared His gracious promises with them.

2. God’s purpose in blessing the whole world. This was accomplished when God sent His Son into the world through the Jewish nation 1Jh.2: 2; 4: 14 and wanted His church to tell the good news to the whole world Mk.16: 15.  

3. The life of Abraham is an example for all Christians who want to walk by faith. Abraham was saved by faith Gen.15: 6, Rom.4: 1- 5, Gal.3: 6- 14, and lived by faith Heb.11: 8- 19, and his obedience was the evidence of his faith Jam.2: 14- 26. Abraham obeyed when he did not know where, how, when, or why, and so should we. Abraham and Sarah were not perfect, but their walk was generally characterized by faith and faithfulness. When they sinned, they suffered for it; and the Lord was always ready to forgive when they repented. The victorious Christian life is a series of New Beginnings, as we study the life of Abraham and Sarah, we will learn what faith is and how to walk by faith. You will discover that when you trust God, no test is impossible and no failure is permanent.

Gen.12: 1- 3 – God did not give Abraham reasons or explanations; He simply gave him promises: “I will show you”; “I will make you”; “I will bless you”; “I will bless them that bless you”. God promised to show him a land, make him into a great nation, and use that nation to bless the whole world. God blesses us that we might be a blessing to others, and His great concern is that the whole world might be blessed.

Let us notice the contrast between Gen.11: 1- 9 and Gen.12: 1- 3.

At Babel, men said, “Let us”! But to Abraham, God said, “I will”.

At Babel, men wanted to make a name for themselves; but it was God who made Abraham’s name great.

At Babel, the workers tried to unite men, only to divide them; but through Abraham, a whole world has been blessed, and all believers are united in Christ Jesus.

At Babel, it was confusion, but at Pentecost, in one accord everyone understood each other. Pentecost could not have occurred apart from God’s covenant with Abraham Gal.3: 14.

In Conclusion – It must have seemed incredible to Abraham and Sarah that God would bless the whole world through an elderly childless couple, but that is just what He did. From them came the nation of Israel, and from them came the Bible and the Savior. If you and your family God is about (wants) to do A NEW THING IN 2023.