Random Questions on the Life of Abraham (Genesis 12-22)

Some questions for pondering and reflection:

1. What is your understanding of God calling a person (Gen 12:1)? What do you think is the affect on the life of one who has heard God's calling (Gen 12:2-4; Isa 6:5)?
2. What does the account of Abram and Lot in Genesis 13 teach about what can and cannot fulfill us human beings (Gen 13:10)?
3. How does one become right with God (Gen 15:6)? Is your righteousness credited or earned? What was God teaching Abraham in Genesis 15:9-16 (Jer 34:18-20)?
4. What is the problem with trying to have a child through Hagar instead of through Sarah (Gen 16:2; Gal 4:23)? Do you have a sense that God sees you (Gen 16:13; 1 Cor 8:3; Gal 4:9)?
5. How does God expect his chosen person to live (Gen 17:1; Lev 11:44, 45; 19:2; 1 Pet 1:15-16)?

Walk Before God Blamelessly (Gen 17:1-27)

“I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless” (Gen 17:1).

"Walk before (God) faithfully and blamelessly." Bible verses like this scare the living daylights out of people. They think that the Bible demands too much of them, that the Christian life is a straight-jacket, and too restrictive, and that there is no freedom and no fun at all in the Christian life. I once trembled at the thought of being a full time Christian minister, thinking that I can't watch any more movies for the rest of my life. So I completely gave up the thought of ever being a full time pastor! Let's look at this verse in the context of Abram's life.


Intro: Genesis 17 is arguably the hinge pin of all ministry, for it is quoted 10 times in Hebrews, 8 times in Galatians, and 8 times in Romans.

In Gen 17:1, God reveals himself in a new way as "God Almighty" (Hebrew El-Shaddai)--the 3rd name for God so far in Genesis. God's names so far are:

The God Who Sees and Hears Everything (Gen 16:1-16)

What is a major theme of Genesis and of the entire Bible? Is it that good people do good things so that God blesses and rewards them? Or is it something else altogether?

Theme: Grace comes to those who do not deserve it, who do not seek it, who continually resist it, and who do not appreciate it even after they receive it.

Goal: Reflect upon our understanding of grace.

Application: Does the depth of sheer grace inform and touch and transform your heart and life?

3 major world religions look at Abraham as the model for courageous living, for authentic living, and for faithful living. Why did Abraham triumph? Gen 16:1-16, which is like a soap opera, shows us that it is not because he is made of better stuff than we are. This text shows Abraham to be a deeply flawed and very fallible human being, which is putting it mildly. The English translations do not show the rawness and the brutality that is conveyed in the Hebrew. It beautifies, sanitizes and makes it PG or G that which was conveyed in Hebrew as R or even X rated.

The Call of God (Genesis 11:27-12:9)

Theme: The call of God makes all the difference in the world in any man's life. Have you heard the call of God?


What made Abraham great was the call of God. What makes one's life great is the call of God. What makes one a Christian is the call of God. The call of God is what truly shapes one's life.

We learn 3 things about the call of God:

1. How powerful it is (It is absolutely necessary, and absolutely gracious)
   
2. How radical it is (personally, volitionally, missiologically, culturally)
   
3. How you can receive it