YOU WILL BE A BLESSING

YOU WILL BE A BLESSING Genesis 12:1-13:18 Key Verse: 12:2 “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.”

Introduction Abraham is an important person because he is the foundation of God’s redemptive history. To study Abraham is essential to understanding the nature of faith. We want to learn what God’s promise to Abraham was and how Abraham lived after he received God’s calling.

I. God Gave Abram His Promise (12:1-3) God’s Command: “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.” (1) Why did God command him to leave his country, his people and his father’s household? What happened to Abram’s household? When Abram left his country, his people and his father’s household, did he lose everything?

I. God Gave Abram His Promise (12:1-3) God’s Promise: “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.”(2) A great nation Your name great You will be a blessing

You Will Be A Blessing It means to be saved from curses and judgments and to enjoy eternal life. There is no greater blessing than the blessing of our soul being saved from eternal punishment and enjoying eternal life. To be a blessing means to receive God’s blessings and pass them on to others.

You Will Be A Blessing The blessing in this passage refers to the blessing given through Jesus Christ (Eph 1:3). The blessing to be adopted as God’s sons (Eph 1:5), to have redemption through Jesus’ blood, the forgiveness of our sins (Eph 1:7) and to be chosen by God (Eph 1:11) are all great blessings which we cannot fathom with our limited understanding. The blessings God promised to Abram are not only spiritual blessings but also material ones (Mk 10:29,30). When God said to Abram, “You will be a blessing,” the focal point of the blessing is to send the Messiah, who would save the world, through the line of Abraham.

You Will Be A Blessing The blessing God spoke of to Abram is to be saved from eternal destruction and enjoy eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. Those who believe in Jesus can be used by God to give blessings to others. May God use each of us a blessing to one lost soul as we serve them with the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ.

“I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse First, God wanted to use Abram as a criteria for his decision to whom to give his blessings. Second, God wants to bless all peoples on earth because of Abram.

God Is the God of Hope When God called us out of darkness into his wonderful light, it was purely by his grace. It was the calling of changing a useless man into a useful man and using him for God’s redemptive work. God’s calling itself is God’s blessing.

II. Abram’s New Life (12:4-9) Obedience is required in God’s calling. A life of obedience based on God’s word. His obedience made him great. Obedience does not come from complete understanding or perfect planning. It was because Abram had the precious promise of God and God’s presence.

II. Abram’s New Life (12:4-9) Abram was to live a life in tents. Abram’s life was to be a life of building an altar. To build an altar meant that Abram was thankful to the Lord in all circumstances. To build an altar shows that Abram had fellowship with the Lord and worshipped him.

Watchman Lee said, “A believer’s life is the life of building an altar and tent. The altar is for the Lord and the tent is for the world. What the Lord wants from his people is to build an altar for the Lord and to set up a tent for the world. If there is an altar one should stay in a tent and if there is a tent there should be an altar.”

III. God Protects Abram (12:10-13:18) After Abram started his new life in the Promised Land, severe temptation came in the form of famine. Then he fell into the pit he had dug with his own hands. How did God help Abram in this situation? God did not rebuke Abram, who was spiritually young, but he boosted Abram’s faith with his loving care. Abram must have experienced great love of God through this failure.

How did Abraham resolve the conflict with Lot? Abram gave Lot the first choice. "Let's not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are brothers. Is not the whole land before you? Let's part company. If you go to the left, I'll go to the right; if you go to the right, I'll go to the left" (8,9). Abram honored human relationships and, most of all, the good influence that faith has on those relationships.

After Lot had left, what vision did God impart to Abram? God promised him land and descendants. In order to help Abram, God asked him to go and walk the length and breadth of the land in order to feel the fulfillment of the promise (17). God did not solve Abram’s problems practically, but rather planted faith and vision in his heart by broadening his heart.

Conclusion God called one person, Abram, and through him started his redemptive work for the whole human race. God called him, with a great vision, to be a blessing. God is the God of hope. God has great hope and vision for each of us and calls us to be a blessing. May God make each of us a blessing to someone today.