In Our Last Lesson: The Tower Of Babel.
We Saw That Human Hearts Are Bent Toward Self-Glory.
Our Attempts At Greatness Are Lowly Compared To The Surpassing Greatness Of The Lord.
We Saw That God Judged And Punished Humanity By Confusing Languages And Spreading Families Throughout The Earth.
Today: Lineage Of Life:
Key Takeaway: God Is Steadily Moving In History To Accomplish His Plan Of Salvation.
Text Explained: Genesis 11: 10-32:
God Preserves a Family (11:10-26).
God Starts Something New (11:27-32).
INTRODUCTION:
A. From This Point In Genesis, God Begins To Deal With The Nation Israel.
His Dealings Are With Four Individuals: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob And Joseph.
B. The Main Emphasis Is Upon Abraham.
He Was God’s Chosen Channel To Fulfill The Divine Purpose Of Bringing Redemption For The Whole Human Race.
Through This One Individual, God Would Bring Blessing To The Whole World.
C. God Altered All Human History Through Abraham.
From Him God Gave A Nation That Completely Reshaped The History Of The Human Race.
D. Abraham Has The Unique Distinction Of Being Called THE MAN OF FAITH.
He Stands Out As The Supreme Example Of The Faith Life.
Although He Occasionally Falters, His Life Was Characterized By Faith.
E. Abraham Is Honored By Jews, Christians And Muslims As The Father Of Faith.
INTRODUCTION
TO ABRAHAM:
GOD PRESERVES A FAMILY.
A. HIS ANCESTORS (11:10-26):
This Genealogy: God Gave A Record Of Abraham’s Tree.
Abraham Lineage Was Traced Back To The Line Of Shem.
The Line Of Shem Was To Bless The World Religiously.
Abraham Was Fully Qualified By His Blood Line.
Abraham Becomes Vital To God’s Religious History.
GOD
STARTS TO DO SOMETHING NEW.
B. HIS PAST HISTORY (11:27-32): SUPPORTED IN ACTS:
Terah, The Father Of Abraham, Was An Idolater.
It Stands To Reason: ABRAM WAS ALSO AN IDOLATER.
Abram Was Called By God To Leave His Idolatry.
Abram Was Called To Follow The True God.
The God Of Glory Appeared To Our Father Abraham.
Abraham Was In Mesopotamia Before Haran.
The Lord Said To Him:
Go Out From Your Land And From Your Kindred.
Go Into The Land That I Will Show You.
God Promised To Give It To Him As A Possession.
God Also Would Give This Land To His Offspring.
NOTE: This Is Before Abraham Had Children.
Abraham Took Terah, His Father, And Sarai And Lot.
Abraham Took Extended Family But Was To Leave Them.
Abraham's Father Was An Idolater.
So He Went To Haran.
As Long As Abram Was Here, God Could Not Use Him.
He Was Not Separated From The Idolatry Of Terah.
Apparently Abram Lived In Haran Quite A Long Time.
Apparently He Did Not Pursue God’s Will Until Terah Died.
Apparently Abraham Put His Father Before The Lord.
So God Could Not Use Him.
God Will Not Use A Believer Until Totally Committed.
God Did Take Away His Father So God's Will Was Done.
THE
GOD OF HISTORY AND YOU:
To Show Us God IS The God Of History.
To Show Us God IS Working Out His Eternal Plan.
To Show Us God IS Accomplishing This Plan Thru Us.
His Movements Sometimes Seem Slow By Our Standards.
But He Is Steadily At Work.
And This God Of History Is Our God.
He Has Called Us And Will Use Us In His Eternal Plan.
KNOWING THIS IT GIVES MEANING TO OUR LIVES.
GOD
IS STEADILY MOVING IN HISTORY TO ACCOMPLISH HIS PLAN OF SALVATION.
THE NEW TESTAMENT USES ABRAHAM:
To Explain The Doctrine Of Salvation By Grace.
To Explain Salvation Is Through Faith Apart From Works.
To Refer To The God Of ABRAHAM, Isaac, And Jacob.
Abraham Stands As The Father Of The Jewish Nation.
Abraham Is The Forefather Of Jesus Christ Through The Lineage Of Mary The Mother Of Jesus.
Abraham Holds An Important Place In Heaven Which Jesus Referred To As Abraham’s Bosom.
THE LINEAGE FROM SHEM TO ABRAHAM.
WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THIS GENEALOGY?
WE
CAN LEARN HOW GOD IS AT WORK IN HISTORY TO ACCOMPLISH HIS PLAN OF
SALVATION:
1. GOD’S PLAN OF SALVATION IN HISTORY INVOLVES GOD'S CHOICE:
Chapter 10 Lists The Three Sons Of Noah.
God Chose Shem As The Lineage To Bless The World.
Of Shem’s Five Sons (10:22), God Chose ARPACHSHAD.
From Noah Through Shem To Abraham Eventually Christ.
God’s Choice IS UNVEILED Through History.
GOD’S CHOICE IS ACCORDING TO GRACE, NOT MERIT:
GOD CHOSE ABRAHAM.
According To Joshua 23:
Abraham Came From A Pagan Family.
Abraham Was Probably An Idolater Himself When God Called Him.
GOD’S SOVEREIGN CHOICE NEVER DEPENDS ON HUMAN MERIT.
GOD ALONE CHOOSES AND CALLS SINNERS TO HIMSELF.
ABRAHAM WAS A SINNER.
GOD CHOSE HIM SIMPLY BECAUSE OF GRACE.
GOD CHOSE HIM APART FROM ANYTHING GOD FORESAW IN ABRAHAM.
OR ABRAHAM COULD HAVE TAKEN CREDIT FOR IT.
ALL OF THESE MEN AND THEIR DESCENDANTS:
HAD KNOWN ABOUT GOD THROUGH THEIR ANCESTORS.
BUT THEY HAD SUPPRESSED THE TRUTH IN UNRIGHTEOUSNESS.
BUT REJECTED GOD'S REVELATION OF HIS ATTRIBUTES AND POWER THROUGH CREATION.
Mankind Is Responsible For Choices Made.
There Are Consequences For These Choices.
These Nations Were Going Their Own Way.
God Gave Them Up To Their Sin.
He Permitted Them To Go Their Own Ways.
God Could Not Choose A Good Man | There Was Not One.
He Chose Abraham To Demonstrate His Grace.
He Doesn’t Choose Anyone Because They Deserve It.
He Only Chooses Sinners Who Deserve His Judgment.
You Can Only Come To God Confessing Your Sin.
You Can Only Come To God Begging For Mercy.
He Will Grant Salvation Because He Is A Merciful God.
God’s Plan Of Salvation Involves His Choice Of Grace.
2. GOD’S PLAN OF SALVATION IN HISTORY INVOLVES TIME:
This Genealogy Shows God’s Time, Both With The Nations And With Individuals.
A. GOD’S PLAN INVOLVES TIME WITH THE NATIONS:
The Time Between Noah And When God Chose Abraham.
Many People Were Born And Died During Those Years.
The Nations Spread Out Over The Earth.
Most Of Those Nations Had Strayed From God's Truth.
God Waited To Issue His Covenant TO BLESS ALL NATIONS THROUGH ABRAHAM.
B. GOD’S PLAN INVOLVES TIME WITH INDIVIDUALS:
God’s Timing Is Often Not In Line With Ours.
Even After God Called Abraham, He Grew Slowly.
God Had Originally Called Him When He Was In Ur.
He Got As Far As Haran And Settled There Until His Father Died (Acts 7:2-4).
That Seems To Be Wasted Time Yet God Still Used Him.
That’s An Encouragement To Me.
How Much Time Have We Wasted Yet God Still Uses Us ?
GOD'S PLAN FOR SALVATION INVOLVES HIS CHOICE AND HIS TIME:
3. GOD’S PLAN OF SALVATION IN HISTORY INVOLVES INDIVIDUALS:
A. GOD’S PLAN INVOLVED ABRAHAM:
We Do Know That God Used Abraham In His Plan Of Salvation In The History Of The Human Race.
ABRAHAM RESPONDED TO GOD’S CALL IN FAITH AND OBEDIENCE.
Millions To Choose From But God Chose Him.
His Life, Obedient To God, Made A Difference.
An Individual Life Yielded To God’s Purpose Can Make A Tremendous Impact On The Course Of Human Events.
Perhaps None Of Us Will Be Used To Shape History To The Extent That Abraham Did.
But We Can Know That God Is Weaving Our Lives Into The Tapestry Of History If We Are Obedient To His Call.
We May Not See The Final Results Even In Our Lifetime.
But We Can Know That Our Lives Are Not In Vain If We Walk With God.
B.
GOD’S PLAN INVOLVES YOU:
God’s Hand Was Upon Abraham, So His Hand Is On You.
Like Abraham At A Specific Stage In His Life, You And I Can Be Faithful And Obedient To Him.
CONCLUSION:
The Important Thing Is, Wherever You’re At, To Yield Yourself To The Lord.
If You Will Yield Your Life To Him And Walk With Him Every Day,
He Will Use You In His Movement In History To Bring About His Great Plan Of Salvation For The Nations.
There Is No More Significant Way To Spend Your Life!
SO WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED IN GENESIS?
GOD HAS REVEALED HIMSELF THRU SCRIPTURE.
GOD HAS REVEALED HIMSELF TO US THRU HISTORY.
GOD HAS REVEALED HIS NATURE TO US.
HIS NATURE IS: LOVING, KIND, GRACIOUS, MERCIFUL, FORGIVING, REDEMPTIVE AND MORE.
HE HAS REVEALED THAT HIS WILL IS ALWAYS DONE.
HE HAS REVEALED THAT HE DESIRES A RELATIONSHIP WITH THOSE WHO LOVE HIM AND TRUST HIM.
HE HAS REVEALED THAT HE HATES SIN AND JUDGES SIN.
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