GOD CALLS ABRAM. Genesis 12:1 9

Transcription

1 1 Dear Friend, this is a transcript of a sermon preached by Pastor Jeremy Tan from the pulpit of Amazing Grace Baptist Church Singapore. We are committed to expository preaching because we believe it is the most effective way to expose, explain and expound the Holy Scriptures. And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, [Jesus] expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself (Luke 24:27). Through careful systematic and sequential exposition, the preacher is able to declare unto you all the counsel of God (Acts 20:27), and Christians are blessed with a regular, well-balanced diet of God s Word. Expository preaching also helps us to have a high view of Scripture. We wish to extend a warm welcome to you to join us in our church services for a time of uplifting worship and helpful Bible study, which will bring rejoicing and refreshment to your soul. Do visit our church website at or write to us at amazingracebc@gmail.com. GOD CALLS ABRAM Genesis 12:1 9 There are two major sections in the book of Genesis. The first section (Genesis 1:1-11:32) is about Primeval History; this section begins with Creation and it ends with the days after the rebellion of Noah s descendants at the tower of Babel. The second section (Genesis 12:1-50:26) is about Patriarchal History, with the focus on the four patriarchs of God s chosen people: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. At the end of the first major section in Genesis 11:10-32, Moses introduces us to Terah and his family. Prior to this passage, God had been preserving the seed of the woman from which would come the deliverer to save fallen humanity. By His electing grace, God chose people and persons, from Seth to Noah, and then from Noah to Shem. When God had scattered the nations from Babel, He again acted in electing grace to call out a man from the line of Shem. Seventy families are named in the Table of Nations, but now God narrowed His focus to one man through whom all the nations would be blessed. This man is Abram, a descendant of Shem and the son of Terah. Terah and his family are idolaters who worshipped the moon. The moon was their god. They lived in southern Mesopotamia, in the city known as Ur of the Chaldees (Genesis 11:28, 31). Ur was a major city, and a centre of moon worship. The New Testament equivalent to Ur would be Ephesus, which was known for the temple of Diana. There was a ziggurat in Ur, a tower that the people and their priests climbed to get higher and closer to the moon they worshipped. Archaeologists have uncovered royal tombs in ancient Ur that included the remains of human sacrifice. So Ur was a city of spiritual darkness and gross depravity, where the people worshipped the moon and offered human sacrifices in their religious rituals. Let me point out that the name Ur of the Chaldees does not mean that the inhabitants were Chaldeans. In the days of Abram, the Chaldean people did not exist. The Chaldeans only arrived in this area of Mesopotamia during the last part of the second millennium B.C. or later. When Moses wrote the Pentateuch, the Ur that existed in Abram s time had long

2 2 been destroyed. Thus to locate Ur for his readers, Moses used the familiar name of a subsequent age to identify this ancient city, in this case the Chaldeans. Moses used the same editorial method in Genesis 14 where he recorded the war of the ancient kings, and he identified the places of the battlefield with the names of a later age. (Examples are Zoar in Genesis 14:2, 3, & 8; and Kadesh in verse 7). Genesis 12:1-9 is the central passage of the book, the foundation of the Abrahamic promises, and the beginning of the nation of Israel as a worshiping community. (Allen P. Ross, Creation and Blessing, p. 259). To understand Abraham as a subject, we have to give careful attention to this passage because each part shows us something important about him. There are four main points in our outline of Genesis 12:1-9. We begin with I. The Call to Abram. Genesis 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: In Genesis 11:27-32, we see the line of Shem narrowed to the family of Terah, and now it is further narrowed to Abram. This passage in Genesis 12:1-9 is about Abram. But in the first verse, God is the subject, not Abram. In Genesis 11, Terah moved out of Ur after the premature death of his son Haran, who was the father of Lot. It would seem that Nahor, the other son of Terah, remained in Ur, and only Abram and Sarai, and Lot, moved with Terah to the city of Haran. When Terah died at the age of 205 (Genesis 11:32), it was time for Abram to move out of Haran. But when did Abram hear the call of God? Did God call Abram in Ur, or in Haran? Genesis 12:1 seems to suggest that God called Abram in Haran. So when and where did Abram hear the call of God? We have the answer in Acts 7 from Stephen the deacon, when he was giving his testimony before the Sanhedrin. Acts 7:2-4 2 And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, 3 And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee. 4 Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell. So Stephen gives us the sequence. It was in Ur that God called Abram. Now that we have clarified the time and place of God s call to Abram, let me point out the doctrines of God s electing grace and effectual call to Abram. The Scriptures do not give us any hint that Abram was seeking, praying, and looking for the true and living God when he was in Ur. According to Joshua, Abram and his family served other gods (Joshua 24:2). They were moon worshippers. God had to reach out in His electing grace to call Abram. Ever since the fall of Adam, every person in the human race is born with the condition of spiritual death. Spiritual death is the reason why no one understands spiritual truths, and no one seeks after God (Romans 3:11). Being dead in the spirit, blind to God s truths and the

3 3 Gospel (2 Corinthians 4:3-4), and alienated from God (Colossians 1:21), sinners are completely lost. Therefore, God must seek lost sinners, and He must call out to them. Friend, sinners are lost people who cannot find the way to salvation on their own! If they could, they wouldn t be called lost. Their lost spiritual condition is the reason why Lord Jesus said in Luke 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. God had to seek lost Abram and call out to him. God s electing grace always includes His effectual calling. Another term for God s effectual call is irresistible grace. God always calls those whom He had chosen. When we understand the doctrine of God s effectual calling or irresistible grace, we begin to see it throughout the Bible. Let me point out some examples of this doctrine. At the time when God called Noah, God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually (Genesis 6:5). But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD (Genesis 6:8). Of all the people in the world, God called Noah by His electing grace. God called Moses when he was in the back side of the desert, tending to the sheep of his father-in-law. Moses had been a shepherd for forty years after his flight from Egypt. One day, Moses saw a burning bush that was not consumed by the fire. God caused this supernatural occurrence to get Moses attention, and from the midst of the fire, God called Moses and commissioned him. When Samuel was a young boy lying in his bed, he heard the voice of God calling out his name, and Samuel answered God, Speak; for thy servant heareth (1 Samuel 3:10). Then what about the young teenage girl from Nazareth named Mary? The angel Gabriel called her with a message from God, that she would bear in her womb the Son of the Highest, who is the Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 1:26-32). There were two brothers, fishermen who were casting their nets when the Lord Jesus came to them. The Lord called Simon and Andrew, and they left their nets and followed Him. It was the same with the other fishermen brothers, James and John (Mark 1:16-18, 19-20). The Lord called them, and they followed. A tax collector was sitting at his booth when the Lord came and said to him, Follow me. Matthew arose, and followed the Lord (Matthew 9:9). The immediacy of their obedience demonstrates God s effectual calling to them. In Acts 9, the Pharisee Saul of Tarsus was on his way to Damascus to arrest the believers in Christ when he was blinded by the light from Heaven and fell to the ground. Then Saul heard the voice of Christ calling out to him. The call of Christ so radically changed the life of this single-minded Pharisee that he was converted there-and-then on the road to Damascus, and he later became the apostle Paul. From the zealous enemy of Christ and fierce persecutor of the church of God, Saul became the preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I have one more example to point out to you, and it is the Lord s call to dead Lazarus. Lazarus had been dead four days when the Lord Jesus came to his tomb and called out to him, Lazarus, come forth. Immediately, he who stank with the rotting smell of death, and bound hand and foot in grave clothes, stepped out of his tomb (John 11:38-44). What a powerful demonstration of God s effectual call! What has the resurrection of Lazarus to do with God s call to sinners? The miracle of Lazarus being raised from the dead is not any

4 4 more miraculous than God calling spiritually dead people unto regeneration. We are all spiritually dead at the time of our physical birth. If we are not spiritually dead from our first birth, there would have been no need for us to be born again! The new birth is spiritual regeneration, not spiritual reformation. To become spiritually alive, we must be born again in the spirit. We cannot determine our birth, or give birth to ourselves, anymore that a baby decides or plans his own birth; God the Holy Spirit must do it for us. Now in Genesis 12:1, we find three commands in God s call to Abram. First, God called Abram to leave his country, then to leave his kindred, and third to leave his father s house. Abram had to leave everything behind that was near, dear, familiar and familial to him, to go to a place that God would show to him. Many people want more information so that they can make an informed decision on where to live, where to study, about buying a house, making an investment, and so on. Abram had no information to make a decision about God s call. God did not tell Abram about Canaan until he got there. God did not describe to Abram or paint him a picture of the land, nor did God let Abram know the destination and its whereabouts, or how long it would take to get there. God only said, I will show you when you get there. Abram had to obey God s commands by faith, and then God would show him the place. God s call to Abram to forsake everything is very much like the call of the Gospel. We read the call of the Lord Jesus to follow Him in Matthew 10: He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. 39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. When God calls us to Christ for our salvation, we must leave the world behind us and put all our hope in Christ and in God s Word. Abram s clear vision of God s call and the future detached him from the world, just as it will always detach God s people from grounding their lives too deeply in the present. (R. Kent Hughes, Genesis: Beginning and Blessing, p. 186). To follow the call of God, we must not ground our lives too deeply into this present world. God s call to Abram leads us to II. The Covenant with Abram. Genesis 12:2-3 2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. The initial imperative or command in Genesis 12:1 for Abram to get out is followed by three promises. These three promises of God to Abram are to make of him a great nation, to bless him, and to make [his] name great. These three blessings lead to a second imperative, Thou shalt be a blessing. This second imperative then leads to another three promises. Central to God s promises to Abram

5 5 is the theme of blessing. The words related to bless occur five times in Genesis 12:2-3, which makes this a key word in God s covenant with Abram. God is binding Himself to Abram with these promises, thus He must safeguard His servant. Therefore, those who blessed Abram would receive blessing from God. Conversely, those who cursed Abram would be cursed. The Hebrew word translated cursed means to hold in contempt, speak lightly, or curse. This means that anyone who disrespects Abram, and treats his faith lightly or with contempt, will be removed from the place of God s blessing. Abram would be the channel of God s blessing to the whole world. How is this blessing fulfilled? There is no blessing to the world apart from the blessings given through Abram and his seed. The seed of Abram is the Lord Jesus Christ. In Matthew 1:1, the genealogy of Jesus Christ begins with the declaration that He is the son of Abraham. In Galatians 3, the apostle Paul cites God s covenant promise to Abram about all families of the earth be blessed. Galatians 3:7-9 7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. 8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. 9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. Galatians 3:16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. God s Abrahamic blessings to the world are fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ. Next, the narrative leads to III. The Commitment of Abram. Genesis 12:4 So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. Think of Abram s situation for a moment. Abram s faith was not a simple act of just believing. He was advanced in years, probably prosperous and settled in Ur. He had to give up everything that was near and dear to him, in order to follow God at His bare word. Abram obeyed God by faith, and his faith was a life-changing act. Abram is the example of faith for the people of God. He did not wait for more information. Asking for details before making an informed decision is not faith, but factfinding! If God has to give us all the information before we would follow Him, what is the need for faith? There are people who have enough information, yet they have not acted at all! God s people are called to walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). Let us be reminded in Hebrews 11 about the definition of faith. Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

6 6 God promised Abram that he would be a great nation. But how is that possible when Abram and Sarai are advanced in years, and Sarai was barren? The answer is faith. Genesis 12:5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came. The souls that they had gotten in Haran are not slaves that were acquired or purchased, and they certainly are not children because Sarai was barren. The possible meaning is proselytes. If these are proselytes, then it means that Abram had been sharing his conversion as a believer in God with the people in Haran, and some of those that listened to him believed and followed him. What about us? Are we sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with people where we are? There are people or someone to whom we can easily share the Gospel; they may be the members in our family, or those in our workplace, our school, and our circle of friends. Have we shared the Gospel with them? Sinners can be saved only when they have heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. God s elect people are saved only when they have heard God s call through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When they hear the Gospel, God will apply His effectual call to them. Genesis 12:6 And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. The name Moreh means teacher in Hebrew. The plain is not a place but a tree, often used for idol worship. The Canaanites would come to this place to consult their priests, who would then pronounce their soothsaying according to the rustling of the leaves of the tree. Later in the Scriptures, God charged the Israelites for adopting this Canaanite practice. Hosea 4:13 They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense upon the hills, under oaks and poplars and elms, because the shadow thereof is good: therefore your daughters shall commit whoredom, and your spouses shall commit adultery. Moses makes it known to the readers that the Canaanites were present in the land. We recall in Genesis 9:25 that God s curse is upon the Canaanites. The Canaanites are the antagonists to God s people, and their presence means that there is opposition to Abram and his life of faith. The Canaanites would not be welcoming Abram with open arms. Likewise, we should not expect too much hospitality from this world and those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord Jesus warns us about this in John 15:19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Whether the world is hospitable or hostile toward you depends on your relationship with it. IV. The Confession of Abram.

7 7 Genesis 12:7 And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him. Abram only heard the call of God when he was in Mesopotamia, but when he arrived in Canaan God appeared to Abram and spoke to him. Now in Canaan, God confirmed that this was the land promised to Abram s seed. Just as it was with Abram, God will confirm His promises to His faithful people. Believers in Christ find the confirmation of God in His revealed Scriptures. 2 Timothy 3: All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. The Bible is God s sure Word. When we do not read and study God s Word we will become poor in doctrine, and we will lack His reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness. It is through the Bible that God s people become perfect, which means to become mature. Notice Abram s response to God s appearance to him. We read in Genesis 12:7 that after God had appeared to him, Abram built an altar dedicated to the LORD. Genesis 12:8 And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Beth-el, and pitched his tent, having Beth-el on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD. An altar implies that sacrifices are offered to God. Abram s worship of God at the altar also involved proclamation. The expression called upon the name of the LORD is first used for the Sethites in Genesis 4:26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD. Reading and preaching the Bible must be central in our worship service. God promised to make Abram s name great, to make him famous. So now in Canaan, Abram responded by proclaiming the name of the LORD, to make God s name famous, as it were. Since the plain of Moreh was the place where the Canaanites gathered, Abram was there to preach to them about the true and living God. Martin Luther also interpreted this event as Abram preaching God s name to the Canaanites in the area. Genesis 12:9 And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south. Abram s journey to the south would take him to the region of the Negev, the land that leads to Egypt. Our journey with Abram continues next time. Conclusion Abram is not just an example for our faith, but it is his attitude and life of faith that is our encouragement.

8 8 Hebrews 11: By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: 10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. God called Abram, and Abram obeyed. Friend, is God calling you? If you are not a believer in Christ, the Gospel preached to you is God s invitation to you to be saved. Will you repent by leaving worldliness and sin behind, and lay hold on God s promise of eternal life through faith in Christ? If you are a believer in Christ, are you faithfully following God s will for your life? Charles R. Erdman makes the following comment. Yet the life of faith does not consist of one act of obedience in a single journey to some distant scene. It is an experience continually related to the unseen and the eternal. Its symbol is a tent, its secret is an altar. So it was with Abraham. (Quoted by John J. Davis, Paradise to Prison, p. 170). Regular attendance in church for worship, and daily prayers and the reading of God s Word are essential to our faith, but faith is always best expressed through obedience. If you do not know the will of God for your life, listen carefully when you read God s Word or hear it preached, and obey His clear commands. As God finds you faithful in the small things, He will lead you to greater things and blessings. Permission: We share our materials with you as a blessing from the ministry of our church. You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format, provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and you do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be explicitly approved by Amazing Grace Baptist Church. Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: Copyright: Amazing Grace Baptist Church Singapore. Website: Used by permission as granted on website.