Genesis 12, Do You Want to Start Over?, Dr. John B. Carpenter

Genesis chapter 12 here the word of the Lord now the Lord said to Abram go from your country and your kindred in your father's house to the land that I will show you and I will make of you a great nation and I will bless you and make your name great

So that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and him who dishonors you

I will curse and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed So Abram went as the

Lord had told him and Lot went with him Abram was 75 years old when he departed from Haran and Abram took

Sarah his wife and Lot his brother's son and all their possessions that they had gathered and the people that they had acquired in Haran and They set out to go to the land of Canaan When they came to the land of Canaan Abram passed through the land to the place of at Shechem to the oak of Moray At that time the

Canaanites were in the land Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said to your offspring. I will give this land

So he built there an altar to the Lord who had appeared to him from there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and AI on the east and there he built an altar to the

Lord and Called upon the name of the Lord and Abram journeyed on still going toward the

Negev Now there was a famine in the land So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there for the famine was severe in the land when he was about to enter

Egypt He said to Sarah his wife I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance and when the

Egyptians see you they will say this is his wife Then they will kill me but they will let you live

Say you are my sister that it may go well with me because of you and that my life may be spared for your sake when

Abram entered Egypt The Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful and when the princes of Pharaoh saw her they praised her to Pharaoh and the woman

Was taken into Pharaoh's house and for her sake he dealt well with Abram And he had sheep oxen male donkeys male servants female servants female donkeys and camels

But the Lord afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife.

So Pharaoh called Abram and said What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife?

Why did you say she is my sister so that I took her for my wife now then here is your wife take her and go and Pharaoh gave men orders concerning him and they sent him away with his wife and all that he had

May the Lord add his blessings to the reading of his Holy Word Well, it's the new year 2024

So people have made New Year's resolutions. Maybe you have Trying to start over turn over a new leaf

How about you you starting over this year? Have you ever had to start over? What was your life or what you thought was your life?

It's pretty much set you had a home and relationships you had a job a good career you wanted and then suddenly something happened and makes you have to Start over from the beginning

I've moved several times myself and when you move you have to start over you have to have a new home you get new electricity of it coming turn on in your name and plumbing all the water and all that stuff and you have to Find where the stores are in the schools and the restaurants and get to know the people everything familiar is gone and you have to start over and several of you here have

Done that you've moved halfway around the world To a strange country started over with the people around you speaking a different language with different customs different food

It's hard to start over Now some people have to start over because they lost their job and so they have to relocate to take another one

Now some companies demand that you be willing to relocate That if you're not committed enough to the company to move and start over go somewhere else.

Well, they don't want you Willingness to relocate is used by some HR that human resources people to gauge how committed you are

To your career or to the company While Christians may argue that career shouldn't be that important or that you shouldn't value a company

So much that you will leave your family for it all that kind of stuff stuff they argue that sure that closeness to family my my own kids network of Family and friends and church my own healthy church

I'm a part of that should be more valuable than just making more money by advancing up the career ladder getting higher in the company

We can argue that that I agree with that but still it is true that being willing to relocate is a test of commitment

Some people have to start over for much more tragic reasons their spouse died or their marriage fell apart and they need to start over with a new or Partially new family and there is a point in this process in which they feel like they've hit bottom

Rock bottom The love the life the relationship the family they haven't so much joy in that they assumed would be their future

This is gonna be my life until I die It's now all in ashes. It's gone and there doesn't appear to be any light on the horizon

And maybe they don't want to start over. Maybe they want to go back They wish they could have what was lost, but there's no way back.

There is only forward And they have to start over to start building on a broken past hoping

That there's a future in it an expert on beginning again. Carol Morgan PhD said quote

You can always start over. All you need is two things a personal commitment to change and second a good plan to go up and A good plan for where to go and how to get there

She's right. You need commitment and that is a willingness to change

The change is so important to you you're willing to start over for it and second you need a good plan here in Genesis 12

God Starts over now. He did start over for himself He starts kind of us over with a commitment and a plan

God's commitments and plans are called Here's a word you may have heard before covenants

He makes one a covenant here to start over to start us again start us over Man had fallen to sin and death the human past as it was broken in the garden when our first parents told

That there was but one law to keep, you know, don't eat of that tree

They broke it they stretched out their hands And grasped to be like God and they were told in the day you eat of it

You will be like God and they believe that Lie from the devil so they stretched out their hands and They brought depravity and death on themselves and on us and the result was in Genesis chapter 6 verse 5 that every

Inclination of human hearts was only evil all the time so here

In chapter 12 after falling downwards from chapter 3 all the way chapter 11 tower of Babel This humanity is scattered.

We've hit rock bottom Now's the time to start over This chapter is the key turning point in The Bible if you're reading the

Bible for the very first time you think it's just from chapter 3. It's going down Down down the first sin in chapter 3 and that was eating that tree you're forbidden to eat

They reached out their hands to be like God and in chapter 4 that shows up in one brother killing another

And things get worse and worse as the flood and the scattering and then you come to chapter 12 everything

Changes it takes a turn the key turning point from the fall the ruin and the rampage of sin in the previous chapters to now

The story that is followed from chapter 12 onward to the whole rest of the Bible the story of how

God has set out to start us over and That begins right here with God's commitment and his plan the

Abrahamic Covenant and we see that restoration that covenant. We see that Restoration in this chapter in four sections in this chapter first the promise

Second the practice third the prevarication and finally the protection

For well first there's the promise God makes a promise what is called a covenant the

Abrahamic Covenant and that promise Comes together with a command

Relocate and it is indeed a test of commitment in verse 1 Abram is told to move move from everything that is familiar to him notice in verse 1 how the

Lord accentuates the sacrifice that is involved in this move He doesn't the

Lord doesn't try to first sell him on the move Abram. Have you heard about Canaan? Here's some pictures

It looks really good. You'll love it. It's milk and honey Low taxes and crime a mall in good schools

No, first the Lord is getting him to count the cost makes a covenant, but there's cost to the covenant

You're going to have to leave first. He says your country you're gonna go have to go to a foreign land

Some of you know what that's like or the customs of the food and the language are different and you have to leave He says you're kindred.

You won't be able to see your family and your extended family. It's gone No more Thanksgiving's with uncle, you know, what's the guy's name?

Laban and Finally your father's house leaving all behind all your extended family

Abram. You must be willing to relocate now from the beginning the

Lord makes clear that those people that he's called to restore are Going to have to sacrifice the covenant.

He makes the promise He makes does not come without a cost the Lord Jesus himself said it clearly if anyone would come after me

Let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me This gospel that's being sold today out there at commonly today the offering all these benefits

You can be wealthy. You can be healthy for the rest of your life. There's this total restoration There's no sacrifice except give a tithe to me.

Of course. They always add that part. There's nothing to give up Nothing to suffer. There's no pleasure or money or time that you have to leave behind You won't have to relocate.

There's no test of commitment That is a false gospel It takes commitment and a plan now from here begins the plan

That leads directly to the Lord Jesus being born of a virgin living a perfect life dying for our sins being raised to life

Genesis 12 leads to the cross and the empty tube the promise made here this

Abrahamic covenant made here is fulfilled the very first words of the New Testament You know what? They are Jesus genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of you know, who?

Abraham Because Jesus fulfills this promise right here. So this is the gospel

Because it is the announcement of God's plan and commitment to restore

God's chosen people It is really one promise It's Abrahamic covenant

It's one promise But it has five different facets that God mentions and part of the one promise beginning with the specific to Abraham himself

Then reaching out to touch all kinds of people first There's the facet one promise but five that's the first facet of the promise in verse two is to make

Abraham into a great nation and This has both a temporal Meaning a of this age of this world and in eternal fulfillment

Abraham not only becomes the father of Israel and the Jews and the Edomites and the

Arabs Naturally temporally with their millions of people, but more importantly, he's the father of the chosen race

Some people we wouldn't like that language today But the chosen is the Bible biblical language in first Peter chapter 2 verse 9

You are a chosen race you the church believers in Jesus You are the chosen race the royal priesthood the

Holy Nation not talking about white people or black people or Asian people the chosen races The race of believers the true sons and daughters of Abram those vast numbers of people that God has restored

It is restoring Through what he begins right here in Genesis 12 in this promise now second facet

God promises Abram I will bless you and like before this is a temporal

Literally for Abraham's Abram's life and in eternal spiritual Fulfillment God did bless

Abram. We even see that in this chapter begins right here. This is when he really starts to become wealthy By the end of this chapter, he grows wealthier.

It gets possessions and servants and eventually gets a family But more importantly that you think okay, that's history.

I don't care but more more importantly to that and Relevant for us God blessed him by making him the one through whom the

Lord would restore His people who come from all kinds of people and so make

Abram Abram Abraham the father of those who have faith in Galatians chapter 3 verse 7 those who have faith faith in Jesus those who have faith are the sons or daughters of Abraham Third facet it's the kind of the middle of the five facets of the promise

Is that the Lord will make his make his name Great and notice the promise comes with a purpose statement

Why is he making the name Abram or Abraham great and an explanation of why God will make this name great so that this is?

the reason so that You will be a blessing Not just so you'll be blessed

But so you will be a blessing to others as before as a temporal and an eternal promise first his name literally became great

Especially after the Lord changed his name, you know now known as God father Abraham The peace deal that was brokered between several

Arab countries and Israel just a few years ago was called the Abraham Accords.

I mean who else what other name in all of history, especially one That's like three thousand four thousand years old.

Would you name a modern peace deal after? Abraham his name is that great but ultimately spiritually

Abraham's name is great is made greatest By being what the

Apostle Paul says in Romans chapter 4 verse 16 the father of us all He's the father of us all all we who are believers in Jesus His name is made is made great and so is a blessing by the fact that the seed his seed not

Isaac or Ishmael or all Israel the nation But the single seed of Jesus came from him the promise to this man whose name was changed to Abraham Was fulfilled by the one name

That is greater than every other name who comes from him This man would be a blessing by giving us the one name through which we all must be saved the name of Jesus Fourth facet in verse 3 the

Lord says I will bless those who bless you and he who dishonors you I will curse

And this is That is this man and the promises that come to him

Will be the way the Lord brings about restoration The way he starts over he's starting us over through him and we can either believe that and we bless that is we say good things about him

Right. That's how you bless you say good things about this promise about the seed that comes from Abram Abraham confess it to be true confess him to be true

Confess that the true descendant who came from Abram is the one who was blessed. He is the one who is blessed by God that Jesus is

Lord confess that and You are blessed we can either bless him and be blessed or We could dishonor him and ignore him

Treat him like he's not someone to be honored and awed and consumed by Dishonor him by choosing to make you know more money then worship him and Worship with his people you make you're dishonoring him.

You're you're looking at okay. I got I could get this money over here or I can worship and honor

Praise the name of Jesus. I can there's my two choices. I'll go for the money I'll I'll go work.

It's anymore so I can make more money. You're dishonoring the name of Jesus and You will be dishonored

Some people think that serving their fam that they are serving their families, that's what they said Well, it's not just for making the money.

I want to serve my family I want them to be prosperous want them to have everything the money can buy so they're serving their families by working and Instead of going to church that are worshiping that's out of worshiping and honoring

Jesus the son of Abraham But what they're really doing is teaching by example, whether they say so or not

But by example, they're teaching that this name of Jesus is to be dishonored The money is to be honored not

Jesus and so they end up bringing a curse on their family But they know it or not. And so if you dishonor the son of Abraham You are dishonored

Fifth facet finally in verse 3 all the families of the earth will be blessed in you

So far from this being an only an Old Testament problem. Some people read the Old Testament Oh, that's that's all about the Jews literal

Israel. It's nothing to do with us. We're different nation. We're different people Well, no you

I hear in the promise this is the foundation of the rest of the Old Testament the Abrahamic Covenant is for all the families of the earth and So far from this being only an

Old Testament promise. That's only for the Jews from the beginning the Lord's intention his plan

Was that through it every kind of person? Will be blessed every kind Now it doesn't say that every individual person will be blessed

Some will be cursed Because they will not believe because they dishonor the son of Abraham But it's a promise for every family.

I don't think he literally means every immediate family You know husband wife and kids but every group of people every kind of people every ethnicity

The English the Irish the French Spanish the Arabs the Nigeria Ethiopia the

Indonesian The Indian the Chinese the Japanese the Cherokee Whatever you can think of all the kinds of people of the earth every one of them will be blessed

Because of what God does here what he starts here as he's starting us over. So this is the gospel This is the beginning of the

Lord's plan to create a great nation out of all the kinds of people on the earth

It's not for a one particular race is for all The races the ethnicities the families of the earth and it was from the beginning intended on being interracial

Forming out of all these races one as Peter said one holy race

That's the promise. That's the gospel If you want to start over And be blessed

You'll believe it Second and put it into practice. So second practice

Abram does as the Lord told him notice it says that in verse 4 he does as the

Lord told him And starting at verse 4 he Departs from Haran with his wife his possessions his staff and his staff on means his people in other words and his nephew

And he goes to Canaan But when he gets to Canaan, this is the land promised to him, right?

He doesn't have a place to settle down There's no room. It's occupied. So he wanders around She sees the

Canaanites and he must be wondering, you know, where's the land for me? He said there's gonna be land for me

It's all filled up. And so the Lord adds one more promise in verse 7 to your offspring.

I will give this land and of course that was fulfilled

Joshua brought them into that particular land and David finally secured it all and That tells us that the result of the gospel will be

God's people being settled in God's presence

That they will inherit the world inherit the earth. The revelation produces religion Abraham in verse 7 built an altar

Says built an altar to the Lord who had appeared to him now notice first the

Lord appeared to him That happened first and then in response Abram did something religious he built an altar revelation produces

Religion now sometimes we use that word religion in a negative sense and there is a

Hypocritical there's a bad religion. There's a religion that does not come from revelation There's religion that sometimes just comes from people's imagination.

This is what they like They like they want to sing these songs. They want to read this. They want to say these words They want to do these rituals they make it up and they think this is religion, but that's not what

I'm talking about religion means an outward external display of faith

That is the structures of worship and real faith will display itself

It will be religious Now today one popular motto for some churches is all we have relationship not religion

That's very popular. That's supposed to be attractive, you know religion. That's bad. I don't want that relationship Yeah, I like that but to but think if we said that about other important relationships like the marriage relationship

This marriage is about love not rules and obligations Really? Does that work?

Think about it. Now certainly you should have love and love at the heart of it But why do we assume that love won't display in specific our ways?

Please take out the trash. Oh, honey Our marriage is about love not rules You take out the trash

Please mow the yard We're about a relationship not duties No in the same way love for the

Lord shows in external things here in Abraham Abram making an altar and now

In the worship of the church and what you're doing right now

Revelation produces religion Now if the Lord has appeared to you, maybe not in a visit in a vision or in a audible voice

But you simply know That he has done something in your heart to make you new he has started you over He's begun a restoration work in you

He's given you the promise and you now know that your blessings come through the name that is above every name

Came through Abraham the name of Jesus if he's done that in you the result will be

Religion Good religion You want to meet with others Who have also started over you'll want to hear his word sing his praises

You want to work together so that others are blessed with that same promise the revelation of God to you should produce your religion

It shouldn't be the other way around don't get it wrong. Don't get it backwards that you have no revelation from God But you're going to practice religion

To get it. Well, that doesn't work Religion does not produce Revelation doesn't work that way

Abram didn't first build an altar here think about this Abram didn't first build the altar offer the sacrifice

Pray, and then the Lord appeared to him and gave him a promise No instead first the

Lord appeared gave him a promise that despite what he sees remember he's gone to Canaan land He's looking around this land is full

Despite that these Canaanites are occupying the land despite that He given a promise your heirs

Abram will it receive this land? They will they will occupy it He believed that promise that revelation and so then because he believed it he did something

Religious he built an altar Then he relocated again in verse 8.

He didn't have any property of his own in Canaan land. So here he is He's a wanderer. He's a sojourner.

He's a pilgrim and the land that has been promised to his descendants This is our all his sons and daughters his spiritual children us

You know today in this world. We've been promised will be the inheritors of a new heaven in the new earth

We're gonna get a new earth We will inherit the earth But right now we look around to think we can't be particularly comfortable here.

It's occupied All these foreigners around we look at the world and think that it's occupied by these foreigners with foreign values

Foreign ways they have no promise. They have no practice. Maybe they have religion, but they have no revelation

Abram however when he stops again between Bethel and AI which is right in the middle of the promised land

I think that's important Bethel I are right in the middle of the landies promise and he stops there and he builds another altar and he called upon The name of the

Lord says I was he worshipped the Lord in a worship service there. It's a religion Because of the revelation

Revelation produces religion and it must do that for you. Don't think that because you have some faith in your heart

You have a sense of God that he's done something and you have a relationship with the Lord.

You love the Lord You have a revelation of his forgiveness and of his grace

You think well because of that then all of this this external stuff as buildings and Covenants and sacraments and services and elders and deacons and offerings and memberships that all of this is

Is relevant it's just excess baggage that you don't really need. No You need religion just like Abram Needed to build an altar if you want to start over you need to believe the promise and practice the religion

That comes from a heart that's had a revelation You don't need

To do what Abram does next don't follow his example here third prevaricate

Abram here starting over prevaricates in verses 10 to 16 Canaan land the promised land experiences a famine

So he's still wandering he wanders south to Egypt to get away from the severe famine

But he realizes in verse 11 as they're on their way. Hey, look it looks over at Sarah But man, she I remember she's good -looking

As people would say today she's hot They're likely to kill me to get at her

So we thought up a story he's prevaricating Which means evading means avoiding the truth.

Just a fancy word for lying. He's lying Here there's an interesting disparity between what the

Bible says and what commentators probably most of us are interested discussing Most people want to discuss the rights and wrongs of what

Abram did was Abram, right? To lie about his wife kind of a half -truth, but he's leaving the impression that On purpose deceiving them that they're not really married now.

Some Christians have a hard time with the story How can he be the father of the fateful if he's lying?

He's not being moral and If you think religion is above all about promoting morality

Then this makes no sense He's not a good example here for the kids,

I mean maybe we should have asked the kids to To close their ears. Well, I was reading that part of the story kids.

Don't listen to this part As I read the Bible because he went on and pick up bad habits from the Bible And to those are obsessed with using the

Bible for moralism This story is a problem. But in contrast to this moralistic

Religion that's common in our day The Bible doesn't even comment on it. Isn't that strange here?

Does he say he told this lie he shouldn't have done that bad on him. No, it doesn't say that God's Word here.

Does it condemn it now? It doesn't recommend it either Let's say well, this is a good example to follow No, it doesn't say that either and we can read elsewhere in the

Bible that we're not to lie or to deceive So we know from elsewhere in the Bible that what he did here was wrong But here

Abram not only lies his lie works Think of that His lie protects his life.

His lie did exactly what he concocted the lie to do Abram was blessed a partial fulfillment for what the

Lord promises in verse 2 remember Lord promise You're gonna be great. You'll be successful and he is and he's blessed here in Egypt.

It's all this stuff because he lied Oddly enough part of the promise that great promise

Yeah, and that promise to which our salvation comes is fulfilled

Through a lie Now despite the lie, I think but still

Through it And we need to understand in the Bible. There's law and there is gospel

The law is anything we're told to do Commands we have from God Relocate to another country the law to Abraham That's law don't lie

That's law Be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect That's law the first purpose of the law

Is to show us that we have not kept the law See Abraham should know

I'm God telling me not to lie, but I lie That we need saving there were liars by nature

Who need the power of God to make us love the truth and enable us to repent that we're sinners and need someone who is

Perfect who is sinless to bear the punishment that our sins deserve The law comes in and shows us that James says it's like a mirror shows us that well, man,

I'm dirty I need to be cleaned up We have this law Said Martin Luther in the song we have this law to see therein that we have not been free from sin

So it's to convict us is to make us aware of our sins so that we throw ourselves onto the

Lord for mercy to lead us to salvation to restoration so we know we need to start over a

Secondary purpose of the law is to show us how we should then live Now that we are saved now that we've started over now.

Our hearts have been transformed. We believe the promises We've been given a revelation from God. What should our religion be like?

Well, the law tells us that what should our practice be like God's law tells us that so God tells us so the law either leads us to the gospel by showing us we need it

Or it flows out of the gospel By showing us how we live after we believe it

Here should Abram have lied prevaricated Well, no, is that the point of the story to condemn lying?

No This chapter is about the beginning of salvation history How God is starting over starting us over working to restore a people who will be a great nation

It's not a moral lesson on the evils of lying That we need we need to read to our kids before they go to bed, but the moral of the story don't lie kids

Don't lie, or you'll get dealt sheep and oxen and male donkeys and female donkeys and male servants female servants and camels

That's what you get for lying wait that doesn't make any sense Does it the moral of the story here is what the

Lord is doing? Not what we're supposed to do He made the promise in verse 2 the

Lord made the promise in verse 2 and he's already starting to fulfill it in verse 16 Why does that this story condemn lying?

Because this passage is about the gospel not the law the moral of the story

Is the gospel the Lord saves The real moral problem here you want to get into the morality of it is

Abram's unbelief He should say in verses 11 and 12

Talking to Sarai. I know that you're a woman beautiful in appearance and when the Egyptians see you they will say this is his wife and Normally they would want to kill me to get to you

But since God has given me the promise to make from me a great nation Make my name great that he's going to bless whoever blesses me because I have that promise from God And even though I know they would normally want to kill me

I can trust because of God's promise that God will protect me even if I tell the truth

So we have nothing to worry about Sarah. Don't worry about it. I know you're worried Sarah, but don't worry about it I have

God's promise So he should have faith in that promise that he who began a good work in him will

Complete it that God holds him fast. And so he needs not fear

It's what he should do but he's not ready for that yet later God will test him and Challenge him to sacrifice his miracle son to see then if he has faith that God will fulfill

His promise for now He doubts so prevaricates

But the Lord protects him Because God's promise does not depend on our will or effort fourth

Protection and those last four verses the 75 year old Abram was to be the father of the fateful

But also his 65 year old infertile Sarah was to be their mother That's the promise now

Understanding that that's the promise. We have a big problem here at the end

How was God going to start over with Sarah? I and Abram that's the promise he's gonna

God's gonna start over create a holy nation out of them But now this promise from a human point of view appears to be in great danger

Because Sarah has been brought into Pharaoh's palace Apparently now being prepared to be part of Pharaoh's harem to be a bride for Pharaoh Which means she won't be available to Abraham ham anymore so they cannot have any children and so this promise that God has made this

Abrahamic covenant that leads to our salvation is Going to be destroyed. It's never going to come to about it's not going to be fulfilled because of Abrams lie

It's in danger Our salvation is in danger here unless something happens

Will God's entire plan of salvation be put in jeopardy will it be ruined and lost

Because Abram made a wrong choice Does God's plan the

Abrahamic covenant depend on Abram Making the right choice on Abrams will or effort.

I Mean if God's plan depended on human will Then it could be destroyed By what

Abram does here, right? He chooses to tell this lie. It's his idea of how to avoid being killed because of Sarah Because he doesn't trust

God enough to protect him and that could lead to Sarah being lost

So God can't fulfill the promise. So everything is lost. Does it all depend on their will on their choices if God's plan

Depends on our will about our salvation. Does it depend on our will? So many people talk about it.

You have to make the right choice. It ultimately depends on you Well, we could defeat his plan to save us if we made the wrong choice

What if Jesus had died on the cross? Bearing the sins of his people, although there would be no people

I guess if he had risen from the dead But no one chose to believe it. No one

Would God's plan come to nothing We've got taking a gamble. Was he taking a risk when he sent his son to die for sins?

Just risky just hoping that someone would choose to believe that and turned out it worked out All right for him, but he didn't know for sure.

Is that really what was going on if it ultimately depended on human will? Remember this chapter is the story the beginning of salvation history

The promise has been made is not the story of how the Lord gave us some principles

To help us help ourselves not a self -help plan Telling us how we can start over how we can start our lives over You know follow these plans be willing to relocate be willing to lie if you need to to Pharaoh.

No, it's not like that notice here the promise is in peril because Abram lied and Apparently he's doing nothing that we can tell to get her out.

There's no account of Abram Conspiring somehow to release Sarah. It's gonna break in and fear

Or thinking of telling the truth, I'll tell the truth. I'll take my chance. Tell the truth get her out Maybe he's gonna spike their milk with E.

Coli So they'll think it's plagues comes from God and they'll let Sarah I go.

Well, you do something tricky like that No, he's not busy Saving the promise.

He doesn't do any work that we can tell here Saving this promise that he's gotten from God this covenant.

He's gotten from God He is busy as far as we can tell the only thing he's busy doing it. It's counting his loot

What saves the promise is The intervention of God himself

The promise is in peril from a human point of view But because this promise is the gospel it is not dependent on our will or effort

Abram could not destroy it by making wrong choices because he makes one here and he still doesn't destroy it. God will protect it

Here he protects Sarah he afflicts Pharaoh and his house some kind of disease some plague and we're not told what doesn't matter

They are able to figure out That this is all because of Sarah I and fear they return her to Abram and although they're greatly irritated

You know the way Pharaoh talks to Abraham here. What is this you have done? They know that the

God who has plagued them is capable of doing much worse If they should harm Abram so Pharaoh orders that he be given safe passage out taking everything he did he acquired in Egypt So he's richer than ever.

His wife is still fully his protected held fast

Despite his lie despite his sin. So despite his bad choice So don't let anyone ever tell you that our salvation that the eternal plan and promise of God to save you if you are saved that it depends on Your ability to make the right choices or your ability to protect yourself

That you're only as secure as your willpower. It depends on you holding on your grasp on him

No, if you are one of those who are blessed Because of the promise then your life

Does not depend on your ability to hold on to the Lord But on the

Lord's infinite ability to hold on to you To hold you fast

If he can afflict the king of One of the mightiest empires in the world in that day

He can move heaven and earth to save any of his people

If you want to start over You need to start believing that God is

God and You're not As much as we wanted to stretch out our hands and be like God let go of that illusion and Trust the one

Who will never? Let go of his people do you want to start over if so believe

This the promises that through the one who came Jesus the son of Abraham through the

The one God selected God started over and can start you over Remember the two ingredients are starting over his commitment and a plan

Your commitment to him comes When you see his commitment his covenant to you the plan

Does it come from us The plan is the Lord's and we're to practice it the saving of revelation

That produces a religion What we are to do the law is to either lead us to the promise showing us our desperate need for a sacrifice for our sins or lead us in how we practice how we live as living sacrifices

Acceptable lives of worship He's given us the promise

He has the power to protect us all the way to the end

He will protect every one of his people. He will hold us fast our call