1. GOALS for TODAY’S TEACHING
Be a little bit shorter than usual ?!?!
Textual information Genesis 11: :3 (and reference ch 15-renewal of covenant promise)
Challenges to us drawn from the texts:
God’s exclusive purpose and inclusive heart!
Is God really stubbornly committed to us?
Are we stubbornly committed to God?

2. Genesis 11:27-30
27Now these are the generations of Terah. Terah was the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran was the father of Lot. 28Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans. 29Abram and Nahor took wives; the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah. She was the daughter of Haran the father of Milcah and Iscah. 30Now Sarai was barren; she had no child.

3. Genesis 11:31-32
31Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan; but when they came to Haran, they settled there. 32The days of Terah were two hundred five years; and Terah died in Haran.
(such migrations were common in this area & era – God usually does the “unusual” in the midst of the “usual” )

4. Genesis 12:1-3: initial call, initial promise, 7 part blessing
1Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

5. Genesis 12:1
1Now the LORD (YHWH) said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 
1st of 7 times YHWH speaks directly to Abram
(over period 100 years – avg once per 15 yrs)
“Go from” – family, culture, land, and gods (see: Joshua 24:1-3 [“other gods”] and
Deut 26:5 [“wandering Aramean”])
“go to…I will show you”-(evidence when done)

6. Genesis 12:2
PERSONAL PROMISES – YHWH to Abram: Part 1 – “I will make of you a great nation,” Part 2 – “and I will bless you,” Part 3 – “and I will make your name great,” RELATIONAL/INTERPERSONAL PROMISES: Part 4 – “so that you will be blessing.” (blessed to be a blessing – shared gifts)

7. Genesis 12:3
RELATIONAL/INTERPERSONAL PROMISES (cont) Part 5 – 3”I will bless those who bless you,” Part 6 – “and the one who curses (Heb. kalil - abuses or treats with contempt) you I will curse, (Heb. aror –withdraw blessings from);” JPS-Sarna) UNIVERSAL PROMISE – PURPOSE of the other 6: Part 7 – “and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

8. CHALLENGE 1 – Dynamic Tension INCLUSIVE – EXCLUSIVE
God’s (YHWH’s) INCLUSIVE HEART – “all the families of the earth”
God’s (YHWH’s) EXCLUSIVE PURPOSE in HISTORY – “in you” - reach GOD’S goal of ONE FAMILY of GOD and Humans in IMAGE OF GOD – w/b through Abraham’s family in history (later steps of covenant - Israel/Jews, Moses, David, Jesus, “go to all nations”)

9. CHALLENGE 2A: GOD’S STUBBORN COMMITMENT TO US HUMANS
World history is still being shaped by these words 4000 years later! From the stubborn God?
Abraham’s journey and its ups and downs:
- Is YHWH really working and faithful?
Genesis 15 vision – God takes the “obligation and curses” of covenant upon God’s-self.
“I would rather not exist than
fail to keep my promise to you.”

10. CHALLENGE 2B: GOD’S STUBBORN COMMITMENT TO US HUMANS
Is God that stubbornly committed to humans/to us/to you/to me?
Is Jesus God’s ultimate plea to us humans?
“Look at Jesus: I love you human children” “I would rather not exist than fail to love you”
“I am stubbornly committed to your good in the best and the worst of situations”

11. CHALLENGE 3A: Do We/You/I want to be that Stubbornly Committed to God?
Like Abraham we will need:
lots of help
Lots of forgiveness for failures
Lots of renewals of our commitment

12. CHALLENGE 3B: COMMUNION – Renew our Commitments
Renew your willingness to receive God’s stubborn love for you given thru Abraham/Jesus
Renew your desire to be stubbornly committed to God and God’s Son Jesus
Renew your willingness to receive:
Help of the God’s Spirit in good and bad times
Forgiveness for failures through Jesus
God’s goal – more “into the image of Jesus” daily