October 4th, 2009...One Year: Covenant

Introduction: In Genesis 3, in one fell swoop, all of humanity is lost. Granted it was only two people but the entire human race was condemned to death. God had created Adam and Eve to tend the Garden and to enjoy a relationship with Him. They were the first citizens of God’s Kingdom. They were to fill the earth with more people but when sin entered the world through their disobedience paradise was lost and God set into motion the restoration of the relationship through the process of redemption. In some small but significant ways God shows His grace towards Adam and Eve at first and then to other humans. Even though sin increases tremendously God continues to move towards salvation and reconciliation. From chapters 3-11 of Genesis the promises that God makes and keep come in general and somewhat universal terms. As we enter into God’s Holy Word in Genesis 12 He zooms in with a very specific person and a specific promise. Whereas the door of redemption was only a crack open in chapters 3-11 now it is swung wide and we see through the threshold a journey of epic proportions. The door is open and we see with a wide angle lens all of the Bible accounts we have ever learned in Sunday School…look there is Adam and Eve, Noah and the Ark, Abraham with his son Isaac walking up a mountain, there is David standing over a dead giant, Ezekiel looking up in the sky at some fantastic wheel spinning, Ezra building a wall, Queen Esther outside the King’s door, Joseph with Mary riding a donkey, Jesus speaking with Peter James and John in a garden, Paul preaching on Mars Hill, John alone on an Island. And then we turn and focus on Genesis 12 and the wide angle lens moves into a close up where everything else is blocked from our view. Zooming in we see a man??? Not exclusively, for the man is not the main character, God is the main character and God speaks to a man…because

Essential Impact: God is the one who takes the initiative in the story / chronicle / account / narrative / history / journal / saga of redeeming a people unto Himself. Redeeming a citizenship of His Kingdom.

How He does this is by instituting a pledge [covenant, promise, assurance, guarantee, vow, oath, word of honor, security, sworn pronouncement] with one man whose name is Abram.

We know virtually nothing about Abram for the first 75 years of his life and then again virtually nothing about the last 75 years of his life. The information we have and are deeply interested is, where God is decidedly at work in his life, from the time he is 75 until he is 100.

Genesis 12-50 covers the “lives” of four people Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. We will cover Isaac and Jacob briefly but most of our time this morning will be spent with Abram and Joseph.



Main 1: God initiates with Abram and reveals how He works to bring about faith / faithfulness.
a. Genesis 1-11: examples galore of faithlessness
b. Contrast with Abram: Human attempt11.4 “name for ourselves”
God’s initiative 12.2 “I will make a name for you.”
c. The Covenant begins specifically:
1. Go
2. “I will…” 5 times the Lord takes action upon Abram et. al.
3. Genesis 12.2-3: “All the families of the earth will be blessed…”
Illustration: 1988 My call to ministry because God is still taking the initiative. Thus, when God made this covenant with Abram my future, our future, was set into motion in the past. Interesting food for thought.
d. Redemptive history begins with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob but does not end with them. They stand for us with an emphasis upon the Divine Promise maker, God
e. We see in Abram both faith, which leads us to applaud Abram, and folly which moves us to applaud God for continuing to keep His promise.
f. Genesis 12.1-3 = Divine Initiative
Genesis 12.4 = Faith response…if it was recorded before the promise then it would indicate that the promise was made based upon obedience…and then works would take center stage in salvation but God’s initiative work is at the center of salvation by grace through faith. Important truth.
g. David Clines outlines 19 passages in Genesis where Divine promises are involved. 13 of them towards Abram, 3 towards Jacob, 2 towards Isaac, and 1 towards Hagar.
h. When we actually look at the content of the promise made to Abraham we see that their fulfillment is mostly future. Abraham didn’t “get” the promise kept it’s it fullness. So what did he get? He got the God of the promise…Friend of God.
i. Not all lollipops and gummi bears. There were lapses in faith for Abraham.
1. Has his wife lie to Pharaoh to save his own life
2. Employs the same tactic with the Philistines
3. He goes to be with Hagar and Ishmael is born
j. But there is ample evidence of faith as well
1. chapter 12 = hears voice of God and goes
2. chapter 13 = when in Egypt he asserts his own thinking and strife ensues but when it comes to Lot and the land he trusts the hand of God
3. chapter 14 = militarily defeats the big guns…
“I will curse those who curse you…”
4. chapters 15 + 17 = Conversation with God where Abraham speaks very little…God speaks…inititative
5. chapters 18 + 19 = He intercedes for the wicked
6. chapter 20 = prays for his wife’s barreness.



Main 2: God initiates with Isaac and reminds us the He will fulfill His promise.
a. Human fulfillment is Hagar + Ishmael
b. Son of Promise is still God’s prerogative…Isaac is born when it’s physically impossible
c. Chapter 26 God reiterates His promise…Abraham and Isaac.

Main 3: God initiates with Jacob and shows us the need for divine change / transformation.
The Need for Transformation…
a. from the very beginning…the struggle in the womb and God explains…at birth he grabs at his brothers heel.
b. exploits his brother and gains Esau’s birthright…family strife
c. deceives his father and gains a blessing.
The Preparation for Transformation…
a. at Jacob’s first meeting with God at Bethel he wakes and is afraid…he has a guilty conscience…unlike Abraham, Isaac and even Lot who all welcome the Lord. Jacob is like Adam who hid because he was afraid.
b. God shows Himself to Jacob at Bethel then God show Jacob himself through Laban and all of the trickery and deceit…
c. then when returning home Jacob tries to manipulate the meeting with Esau…who would you say Jacob truly needs to meet Esau or God?
The Transformation…
a. at Bethel 20 years earlier Jacob was alone and afraid of God
b. Jacob once again finds himself alone and wrestles with the messenger of the Lord. He is weak and clings on for dear life as they wrestle. Where he once was the “winner” by his deceit and manipulation now he is the “losing” party but holds on.
c. Asks for a blessing
d. “What is your name?” = Jacob = supplanter, trickster…
d1. Given a new name = transformed = Israel = strives with God
c1. Given a new blessing = 32.29
b1. Left with a reminder = bum hip

Main 4: God initiates with Joseph and shows us how He works all things for good.
a. Joseph the dreamer makes his family jealous…his father didn’t help
b. He was sold into slavery and his brothers were content to treat him as dead
c. Rises to prominence in Potiphar’s house…enter the wife
*importance of his purity*
d. Placed in prison and used but forgotten again.
e. Was remembered and able to interpret dreams for Pharaoh
f. Position of power given to him to save multiple thousand
g. Which include his own family and the line of the Messiah
h. After Jacob dies the brothers fear retribution and from the mouth of Joseph we get the jewel of God’s machinations and the results of His initiatives. Genesis 50 15-20
APPLICATION:
God initiates to bring about faith:
1. The distinct voice of God.
For me it was my call to ministry and then a 7 year wait.
Maybe God is / has / will call you to vocational ministry.
2. God’s promise(s) to His children
Has He promised you Health? Wealth? Forgiveness? His presence?
3. Life’s rhythms, trouble and our attempts to fulfill His promises…WAIT and let God fulfill His promises.

God initiates transformation
1. Who are you? Ask your self the question and look deeply at yourself. Are you a worrier? Are you a fabricator? Do you manipulate to get your way? Do you stack the deck in your favor?
2. God has shown you Himself, in His Son Jesus Christ. Have you come to Christ? Do you know Him? Have you trusted Him for the forgiveness of your sins?
3. If you have faith in Jesus can you identify the transforming effect of His life in yours? For Jacob his name was changed. Can you look at your life and point to the places where He has cause transformation.

God initiates and shows His goodness
1. The hardships of your life are the crucible of God’s goodness.
2. What others mean for evil…God is meaning for good? Can you get your hands on that? It really boils down to your view of God. How big? How faithful? How trustworthy? How able? How good? How loving? How just? How whatever…is the God you believe in?


Conclusion: As we prepare to participate together in the celebration of communion we are reminded of the words of Christ recorded in 1 Corinthians, “This is the cup of my blood the blood of a new covenant.” As it is that God initiated with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph the ultimate expression of His initiation is seen in His Son whom He sent to establish the new covenant in His blood. Each week we’ll be seeing more and more and hopefully your view of God will get bigger and more refined and as you think about Him, in His presence, you will understand and know Him so that you will love Him and worship Him more than you did before.