Text: Genesis 13:1-18 Introduction Genesis 12 closed with Abram being deported from Egypt. Genesis 13 opens then with Abram’s actions afterward. Will Abram continue in fear, or will he learn his lesson and live by faith? In Genesis 13, we see a different kind of test—not one of famine in the land, but of great prosperity in the land—and we are reminded again of the drastic difference between the life of faith and the life lived by sight. We see in Genesis 13 Abram’s restoration, but Lot’s separation.
God’s Call to Abraham
Text: Genesis 12:1-20 Introduction Abram (who later came to be known as Abraham) is one of the most important people of the ancient world. In Genesis, through Abraham, God reveals his purposes and goals for the universe. God reveals that he has a plan, and makes covenant promises that show us history’s direction. God’s redemptive covenant with Abraham reminds us that the universe is personal because God made it, and it is purposeful because God controls it. We see Abram’s hugely significant story beginning to unfold in Genesis 12 with… I. God’s Covenant with Abram (vv.1-3) v.1 the Lord said—The
Babel’s Confusion, God’s Preparation
Text: Genesis 11:1-32 Introduction Genesis 11 represents both an end and a beginning. Primeval history comes to its climactic ending in the fruitless labors of the people of Babel, and the nation of Israel begins with the life of Abraham. Both stories unfold in Genesis 11. I. The People of Babel Try to Make a Name for Themselves (vv.1-4) The great sin of Babel is not tower-building, or unified labor toward a societal goal. The sin of Babel is the sin of seeking independence from God. The tower-building endeavor, we are specifically told, was an enterprise in self-sufficiency/proud self-confidence: v.4 “let
And God Blessed Noah and His Sons
Text: Genesis 9:1-10:32 Introduction The opening verse of Genesis 9 summarizes the action that unfolds in the next two chapters: “And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.” Chapters 9-10, as we might expect, conclude the story of the great Flood, and transition us into the major themes of the rest of the book of Genesis: the tower of Babel, and the stories of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They do this by describing for us how the small family of Noah becomes 70 nations… I. God Makes a Covenant
The Wickedness of Man Was Great in the Earth
Text: Genesis 5:1-6:8 Introduction Genesis 5:1 to 6:8 serves to connect the Creation and Fall events with the Flood. How do we get from Adam to Noah? What happened in the meantime? What made the Flood necessary? This passage serves as a bridge between these two great historical eras. Interestingly, the Bible is much more interested in the spiritual elements leading up to and following the Flood, than it is with the geological or even social elements. This is not to say there are not obvious geological and sociological impacts from the Flood, even today, but this is not what
Isaiah Saw Him
This is the 7th and final message of a series I taught in Peru, entitled “Jesus In the Old Testament.” As Isaiah records for us, from his vision, Jesus is the holy, holy, holy God.