September 01, 2024

FAITH WORTH FOLLOWING: GOD’S PLAN, OUR DOUBT

September 01, 2024

Pastor Jonathan Falwell

Today we begin a new series and church-wide study of the book of Genesis—the Book of Beginnings. Besides the story of the creation of the world, Genesis is Moses’ account of the birth of civilization, of mankind, and particularly of individuals who started their journeys with God, some successfully and some with disastrous results. We begin today with Abram (Abraham), the father of Israel’s covenant with God. And even though he was not perfect, Hebrews 11 says “…He waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. And it is good to keep in mind the statements of Jesus in Luke 24 and John 5, as He tells the people to be careful how you speak of Moses, as “he wrote of Me.”

 

Focal Passages: Genesis, Chapters 12-14

God’s Call:

  • Read Gen. 12:1-4. What was the first command God gave Abram? Did He tell him where he was going? What did it take for Abram to do what God told him? When was God going to “show him” where he was going? Did God ask Abram if he wanted to go? What was he to leave?
  • What were the first four promises God gave him? Did God need Abram to pay for the trip, get a job, or have a route mapped out? What strikes you about these promises? What were the other three promises? Are these still in effect for Israel?
  • Did Abram go? Was anything different in his going that was not commanded? Read 5b. Where did they stop? Imagine a circle divided with east-west, north-south lines. Where did Abram settle? What did the names of Bethel and Ai mean? Where did Abram continue later?
  • Do you feel God has called you somewhere? Are you waiting until He shows you everything (cost, way, destination, etc.) before you pick up and leave? Based on the story of Abram, what should be your response? What is the only thing God wants?

Doubt from Fear of Others:

  • Read Gen. 12:10-13. What situation had Abram placed himself in at verse 8? Was he wholeheartedly following God? What happened in Canaan? What could he have done in the famine? Was he being tested? Where did Abram go? What did he do there?
  • What emotion overtook him? How did God continue to protect him? Why does God continue to protect us when we don’t deserve it?
  • What causes us to fear? If you are going through health issues, moving issues, financial issues, or relationship issues, what is it that is the basis for the fear you are experiencing? Are you doubting God’s protection for your life in any way?

Doubt from the Place of Self-Reliance

  • Read Gen. 13:1-4. When Abram left Egypt, where did he go? Why do you think he went back to where he had originally been? Had he learned a lesson? (Think for a moment: who probably had he added to his household while in Egypt?)
  • Read Genesis 13:14-18. In vv. 15 and 17, what does God promise again? What financial condition was he in when he returned to Canaan? What were his choices now? Could he have continued to be self-reliant? In vs. 18, what did he choose? Why?

Doubt from the Potential for Greed

  • Read Gen. 14:16. Can someone tell the story of the rescue of Lot? What was offered to Abram? What was his response? Could he have patted himself on the back for acquiring more “stuff” by getting Lot back? Who had he decided to trust for his future?
  • What was he wanting his testimony to be now?
  • What about you? Are you satisfied with what God has done for you, or do you desire more money, more stuff, more __________? How does 1 Cor. 10:31 fit here?

ACTION POINTS:

  • Work hard to hear His call: Why is it so hard to hear today?
  • Don’t allow the noise and distraction to diminish your trust: What calls you louder than the voice of God?
  • Don’t let the “spoils” of the world tempt you: It is easy to let the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life grab your attention.

Close: There are many lessons that can be gleaned from these chapters in Genesis, but we must see how they apply to us. When God gave Abram the instruction to “get out of your country,” he took his wife and left Haran. God added, “get out from your family,” so he left his father, Terah, but took his nephew Lot. We do not know why. In chapter 11:31, Terah, the father, had taken Abram, Sarai, and Lot, who could have been under Abram’s care, and left Ur for Canaan. They stopped in Haran, where Terah remained until he died. This is where Abram was when he got the call from God to leave his family and go on to Canaan. Was taking Lot, who later fathered Moab and Ammon—top enemies of Israel—a fruit of partial obedience? We do not know, except to guess. But had Abram left Lot in Haran, those boys possibly would not have been born, and many wars against Israel might have been avoided. What we do see, though, is that God blesses obedience when He calls us. He does not give us all the details but wants our trust. If famine comes, He does not ask us to fix it, go to Plan B (Egypt), but trust Him to provide. God often tests us through trials to see if we will remain faithful. Let’s stand firm, obeying blindly and trusting implicitly!

By Sandy Day

September 01, 2024

 

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