THE L.I.F.E. PLAN GOD S COVENANT WITH ABRAHAM BLOCK 2 THEME 1 - ABRAHAM LESSON 2 (38 of 216)
BLOCK 2 THEME 1: ABRAHAM LESSON 2 (38 OF 216): GOD S COVENANT WITH ABRAHAM LESSON AIM: Show the far-reaching extent of God s covenant with Abraham. SCRIPTURE: (Genesis 12:1-3) God called Abram out of a situation in his life that was not an environment that would help him grow closer to God. His family lived in an idolatrous city where the people were worshipping many false gods. God called him away from this place because he wanted to do a special work through him; a work that would be a benefit to all the peoples of the world. Before God could do this work through him, however, he had to do a work within him. This inward work is represented in the fact that God changed his name from Abram to Abraham. We can refer to this work as the process of spiritual growth. It shows Abram progressing from the person he was when God called him to become the person God wanted him to be. God did a spiritual work of transformation in Abraham because his plan was to use him to eventually bring the Messiah into the world. Abraham shared a very special relationship with God. He is referred to as the friend of God. In addition to the fact that God loved Abraham so much and that he had a special purpose for his life, God made a special agreement with him. We call this agreement a covenant. God s covenant with Abraham included three things. First, he promised to give to him and to his descendants a certain territory of land. Second, God promised that Abraham s family would be very large. And third, God promised that he would bless all the people of the earth through Abraham s offspring. This covenant was very important to God and to Abraham, but it is also important to us today as well. God is still in the process of fulfilling this promise he made to Abraham some 4,000 years ago. When we study what the Bible reveals about this covenant we learn that is has at least three applications in history. To begin with, it had an immediate fulfillment. The land of which God spoke was the land of Canaan. Today we call it the Holy Land. It had specific borders that God mentioned which can be found in the Bible. The descendants God mentioned were a brand new race known as the Hebrew people, or the Jews as we know them today. God blessed them by being their God and allowing them to be his people. The covenant also had an intermediate fulfillment. We know this from the unfolding of the plan of God in Scripture as it relates to all the other people on the earth other than the Hebrews. These other people are called Gentiles. The pieces of the covenant had a spiritual application for them. The land referred to was a spiritual and an abundant life in Christ. The descendants were those people from the Gentile races who believe on Jesus as the Messiah. These people are also said to be
Abraham s offspring in the Scriptures. In this way, as the Messiah s salvation comes to people from all tribes and tongues and kindred and nations, God is blessing the families of the earth. Finally, there is an eschatological fulfillment of God s covenant with Abraham. This fulfillment has two applications. The promises will be fulfilled first in the Jewish nation during the Millennial Reign of Christ on the earth in the future. The Jews will live in the full extent of the promised land. They will flourish as a people at that time in every way. And they will finally live on the earth in peace and safety and under God s rule and blessing. This fulfillment will be unlike anything the Jews have ever known in the history of the world. A second application of the eschatological fulfillment of God s covenant with Abraham has to do with eternity. The land will be a new heaven and a new earth. The blessing of descendants will be seen in all people groups of the earth. And the blessing will be that we will all live forever in the presence of God. God s covenant with Abraham, although realized in time in different ways also has a fulfillment that is still in the future and one that will never end. God s call on Abram s life in the beginning might have seemed hard and unreasonable. It would be hard to leave everything you have ever known to go out in search of something of which you only had a promise. This very thing was the thing that made the difference in Abram s life: he believed God through his words and promises and God made him righteous in the process. Although Abram had to give up some things in the beginning, he received far greater things than he had, not only for himself, but for all peoples of the earth. This blessing to all peoples was fulfilled through the offspring of Abraham. We know this descendant of Abraham as Jesus, the Son of God, the Lord s Messiah. This example of Abraham is the kind of thing God is doing in all of our lives today. Writer, John Eldredge, put it this way, The history of man s relationship with God is the story of how God calls him out, takes him on a journey, and gives him his true name. In summary, this is what God is doing in your life even now. What is he calling you away from? What is he calling you unto? Will you go? Whatever you leave behind in order to follow God will not be worthy to be compared with what you will find as you follow God all the days of your life. Do as Abraham did. Go with God.
LESSON OUTLINE BLOCK 2 THEME 1: ABRAHAM LESSON 2 (38 OF 216): GOD S COVENANT WITH ABRAHAM LESSON AIM: Show the far-reaching extent of God s covenant with Abraham. I. THE FACTS OF THE COVENANT A. Land (v1) B. Posterity (v2a) C. Blessing (v2b-3) II. THE FULFILLMENT OF THE COVENANT A. The Immediate Fulfillment (The Jews) 1. Land - Canaan, The Promised Land (Gen 13:12a; 14-15) 2. Posterity - The Hebrew Race (Gen 13:16) (Ex 1:7) 3. Blessing - You are my people; I am your God (Ex 19:3-6) B. The Intermediate Fulfillment (The Gentiles) 1. Land - Spiritual Life (John 10:10) 2. Posterity - Gentile believers are Abraham s seed (Eph 2:11-3:6) (Gal 3:7,29) 3. Blessing - Salvation for all peoples (Gal 3:8-9) C. The Eschatological Fulfillment 1. The Millennial Reign (Jews) a. Land - The full extent of the promised land (Eze 36:21-28) b. Posterity - A flourishing people (Eze 37:21-28) c. Blessing - Live under God s rule and blessing (Is. 12) 2. Eternity a. Land - New heaven and earth (Rev 21:1-4) b. Posterity - All Nations (Rev 21:24) c. Blessing - The Presence of God (Rev 21-22) (Rev 21:22-27) SCRIPTURES TO BROADEN YOUR UNDERSTANDING 1. God s Covenant with Abraham Genesis 12 Genesis 15 2. Abraham s Seed Matthew 1:1 Romans 4 Galatians 3 3. Heaven Revelation 21-22
LINES OF THEOLOGICAL CONNECTION 1. ESCHATOLOGY The Millennial Reign of Christ Heaven The New Jerusalem Eternity 2. CHRISTOLOGY Genealogies of Christ Messianic Prophecy 3. DISCIPLE-MAKING Name changes reflecting the disciple-making process: Abram to Abraham - Sarai to Sarah - Jacob to Israel - Levi to Matthew - Simon to Peter - Saul to Paul 4. ANTHROPOLOGY God s calling 5. THE DOCTRINE OF GOD God s purpose God s plan God s foreknowledge LESSON GLOSSARY 1. Covenant An agreement between two or more parties 2. Eschatology The branch of theology which is the study of last things, or end time events. QUESTIONS ANSWER KEY 1. List the three facts of the covenant between God and Abraham. A specific land; a large family; and a blessing to all peoples of the earth 2. List the three different ways this covenant is fulfilled. Immediately, Intermediately, Eschatologically
3. Have you ever realized that as a believer in Christ, you are part of the fulfillment of this covenant that God made with Abraham? Student response 4. The nation of Israel is still fighting today to have control of the land that God promised them. What does it mean to you that this current event goes back to this Biblical covenant? Student response 5. The Bible describes the heavenly city called the New Jerusalem. The only way to see it in the future is to believe on God s Messiah, Jesus Christ. Have you done this in your heart? Student response
BLOCK 2 THEME 1: ABRAHAM LESSON 2 (38 OF 216): GOD S COVENANT WITH ABRAHAM QUESTIONS TO INSPIRE THOUGHT 1. List the three facts of the covenant between God and Abraham. 2. List the three different ways this covenant is fulfilled. 3. Have you ever realized that as a believer in Christ, you are part of the fulfillment of this covenant that God made with Abraham? 4. The nation of Israel is still fighting today to have control of the land that God promised them. What does it mean to you that this current event goes back to this Biblical covenant? 5. The Bible describes the heavenly city called the New Jerusalem. The only way to see it in the future is to believe on God s Messiah, Jesus Christ. Have you done this in your heart?