[0:00] Good, well let's turn now to read God's Word, and we are in Genesis, Genesis chapter 12. And if you don't have a Bible with you, we have plenty around the building, in the transepts, at the side here, in the back.
[0:16] So if you don't have a Bible with you, do please grab one, and turn with me to Genesis and chapter 12, and we're reading these opening verses.
[0:36] Genesis 12, and reading from verse 1. Now 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, 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.
[1:05] I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonours you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
[1:18] So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was 75 years old when he departed from Haran.
[1:30] And Abram took Sarai 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.
[1:40] 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 at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh.
[1:55] 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. Amen.
[2:32] Amen. And may God bless his word to us this evening. Well do turn with me, if you would, to Genesis chapter 12, and to the passage that Paul read for us.
[2:49] Thus far we've been in Genesis 1 to 11, the so-called prehistory. And we've seen the big picture of beginnings. Beginning of the whole creation itself.
[3:00] Beginning of human life. And of course of sin and of death. But also the beginning of hope. And of new creation. The end of this world of curse.
[3:14] As promised. And the triumph of the city of God. The last few weeks we've stepped back to trace that big story right through the Bible to the end. But now in Genesis 12 begins what you might call the patriarchal history.
[3:29] Which is really the story of the beginning of true Christian faith. And the real Christian church. Abraham is the father of Christian faith.
[3:41] He's not the father of Judaism. Don't be confused about that. Paul tells us very clearly that the true Jews are Christians.
[3:52] Who boast in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3 verse 3. He tells us also that all true Jews are Christians. Those who are circumcised in the heart by the spirit of Christ.
[4:05] Says that in Romans chapter 2. Abraham is the father of Christian faith. Not Judaism. And certainly not Islamic faith. Abraham dominates Hebrews chapter 11.
[4:19] The great faith chapter of the New Testament. He is the great believer. He's the great example of true faith. But of course he's more than that. Because he's a pivotal figure in God's unfolding plan of salvation.
[4:34] For the whole world through his seed. Through Jesus Christ. And of course that is primarily why these chapters are here for us. They're to teach us. Not about Abraham primarily.
[4:47] But about Abraham's God. There's not really very much hope for us. Merely in Abraham. Because for all his great faith. He also had great flaws.
[4:59] But there is wonderful comfort for all of us in Abraham's God. God. Abraham's God and ours. As we sang. And so when we focus our attention there.
[5:10] We'll find huge hope. Huge encouragement. Throughout his story. And Genesis 12 shows us this pagan man's first strides of faith. And also his first stumblings of faith.
[5:24] If you look carefully at the chapter. The whole chapter falls into four paragraphs. And actually the structure tells the story. It's arranged symmetrically. First paragraph and the last paragraph. Begin with God's initiative.
[5:37] Verse 1. Now the Lord said. And verse 17. But the Lord afflicted Pharaoh. And the two paragraphs in the middle. You'll see to begin with Abraham's initiative.
[5:48] Verse 4. So Abraham went. And verse 10. So Abraham went to Egypt. Actually at the very center. Here's the first line of verse 10.
[5:58] The famine. That is a great challenge to Abraham's faith. So the pattern is God. Abraham. Abraham. God. And it helps us just to see that. Because it shows the deliberate contrast there is.
[6:10] Between verses 1 to 9. And verses 10. To the end. First half. Is about God's gracious word of command to Abraham. And Abraham's obedient walk of faith and response.
[6:22] Second half. We'll look at next time. Begins with Abraham's disobedient wobble of fear. And then God's gracious work of correction. So it's very clearly set out for us.
[6:35] But today we're focusing on verses 1 to 9. God's gracious word of command to Abraham. And Abraham's obedient walk of faith. First of all then.
[6:46] Verses 1 to 3. God's word of command. God says. Verse 1. Go. And yet Paul tells us. Doesn't he? In Galatians chapter 3.
[6:57] That this word from God. Is the gospel. That God proclaimed in advance to Abraham. And that immediately ought to make us. Sit up and take note.
[7:08] Because the gospel is not. Just an offer from God. To be pondered. To be equivocated on. The gospel. Is God's sovereign command. To be obeyed without question.
[7:19] Go. And yet you see. It is a command. That promises. Many wonderful things. To those who do obey.
[7:31] In fact. It's a command. To go. In order. That you may be blessed. Verse 2. Literally says. God says. Go. Go. So that. I will make of you a great nation. And I will bless you.
[7:42] And so on. All the initiative is gods. That's especially. Clear. Isn't it? When we see who it is. That actually receives this command from God. Because Abraham is a total pagan.
[7:53] When he's called by God. He came from Ur of the Chaldeans. It was a center of moon worship. In fact. The names of Abraham's father.
[8:05] Terah. And of his wife Sarah. Very probably. Are versions of the names. Of these pagan gods. The moon god. And his consort. We're told in Joshua. Later on. Joshua 24.
[8:15] That Abraham and his family. Served other gods. They were total pagans. And it does seem. That it was something of a struggle. For Abraham. To get free of that paganism.
[8:26] All the focus here. In chapter 12. Of course. Is on Abraham's obedience. But the last few verses. Of chapter 11. Seem to suggest. That there were. There were obstacles. There were entanglements. Perhaps of family.
[8:36] And of culture. It took some time. For Abraham. To throw all of that off. Until at last. As Stephen puts it. Actually. In Acts chapter 7. We're told.
[8:46] God removed him. From Haran. Into the promised land. This is not. The initiative of Abraham. A man. That is at work here. It's the sovereign intervention.
[8:58] Of God. To transform this helpless pagan. Into. A heroic patriarch. A hero of the faith. And that's the mark.
[9:09] Isn't it? Of the genuine gospel. It's the call of God. From death to life. From darkness. To light. At the command. Of. Of sovereign authority.
[9:21] And of power. From God himself. And many of us. Who have come to faith. In Jesus Christ. Here. I'm sure. Can testify to that. And also. To the fact. That it is a command.
[9:31] That is full of grace. Full of promise. Look at verses 1 to 3. They're wonderful verses. Wonderful description. Of the gospel. Preached. Beforehand. To Abraham.
[9:42] Very important. To get this clear. In our minds. Because. The whole of the rest. Of the Genesis story. In fact. The whole of the rest. Of the Bible story. Rests on these very words. There's different ways.
[9:52] To analyze it. But. I like. Dale Ralph Davis. Who calls it. The quad promise. Because it's got. Four elements. Here's my. Adaptation of that.
[10:04] It's a command. And a promise. In every case. Bound together. First of all. Abraham is promised. A place. Of blessing. And commanded. To go to it. Verse 1.
[10:14] He's commanded. To go to the land. That God will show him. To be his home. And verse 7. Underlines. That it's. To be the home of him. And his seed. Not. The Canaanites. Who are currently living there.
[10:26] A place. Secondly. A people. Of blessing. From Abraham. Is both promised. And commanded. Verse 2. A great nation. Will come from you.
[10:37] A great seed. Verse 7. Calls it. And then thirdly. There's a personal blessing. To Abraham. That is also commanded. And promised by God. Verse 3.
[10:48] A blessing. Upon those who bless him. And a curse. Upon his enemies. God's presence. And God's protection. With him. Personally. And then finally.
[11:01] A plan. For blessing. Through Abraham. Is commanded. And promised. By God. Second half of verse 3. In you. Shall all the nations of the earth.
[11:12] Be blessed. You see. A place. A people. A people. A personal presence. And protection. And a plan. For the world. Abraham's called.
[11:25] To leave behind. His. His whole. Old life. He leaves. His homeland. But he receives. Instead. God's place. Of blessing. He leaves. His family. But he receives.
[11:37] Instead. A family. A people. Of blessing. From God. He leaves. The protection. And the security. Of his own kindred. But he receives. Personally.
[11:48] The presence. And the protection. Of God himself. And all of this. So that also. He's. He's not only a receiver. Of God's blessing. But he is to be a conduit.
[11:59] Of that blessing. To multitudes. Of other. Because God. Calls his people. To be. A blessing. To the world. Now when you recognize it.
[12:10] That's the unchanging. Call. Of the gospel. Of God. To leave behind. All of life. In this world. And yet. To receive. Abundantly. Life.
[12:20] And blessing. For ourselves. And through us. For others. That's what Jesus. Called his disciples. To exactly the same. Read Matthew chapter 4. Leave your fishing nets.
[12:32] Leave your father's boat. And come and follow me. And I'll make you. Fishers. Of men. A command. And a promise. The gospel. Never ever separates. These things.
[12:42] Because. It's the command. And the call. Isn't it? Of a sovereign God. Who promises. His grace. But therefore. Demands a response. The only response.
[12:53] Which is absolute loyalty. Obedience. To him. As king and lord. And verses 4 to 9. You see. Show us the only true response. To God's gracious word of command.
[13:04] In the gospel. And we see it. In Abraham's obedient walk. Of faith. Verse 4. So Abraham went. As the Lord. Had told him. If you want to know.
[13:16] What the bible means by faith. Well. There it is. Faith in the bible. You see. It's not. It's not what atheists. Want to tell us it is. Believing the impossible. Or believing the irrational.
[13:26] Or. Or leaping into the darkness. It's the absolute opposite. You can see. It's a step out. Into the light. It's a walk. Literally. Verse 2 says. Abraham walked.
[13:37] He walked. Into the light. And the truth. Of God's clear revelation. In obedience. To God's word. That's what real faith is.
[13:49] Listen to Hebrews 11. How it summarizes it. Hebrews 11. Verse 8. By faith. Abraham obeyed. When he was called. To go out to a place. He was to receive. As an inheritance. You see.
[14:01] Real faith means. A new walk. In obedience to God. We could summarize. These verses. I suppose. By saying. They portray. In Abraham. A new walk.
[14:12] And a new worship. His walk is new. He walks away. From his old life. He leaves it behind. All the entanglements. Of that paganism. I know that.
[14:24] There were many. Wrenches in that. There were many. Piercing things. Many difficulties. In leaving that behind. And any converted believer. Knows that. You would testify to that.
[14:35] There's a cost. Isn't there? Of leaving things behind. It's a walk away. From the past. A walk away. From the old. And it's a walk. Into the new. And often.
[14:47] That is. A walk into much. Of what is unknown. And as yet unseen. Derek Kidner says. Abraham must exchange. The known. For the unknown. And find his reward.
[14:57] In what he couldn't live. To see. A great nation. In what was intangible. A name. And what he would impart. To others. A blessing. That's hard.
[15:09] Isn't it? But you see. That's what the Bible means. By repentance. And faith. It's a walk away. From the old life. A decisive break. With the past.
[15:22] And a walk into. And a walk on. In the new. Forever. With God. And of course. That new walk. Is all because. There is a holy new. Focus of worship.
[15:34] Notice what Abraham's doing. Along his way. Do you notice in these verses. He's building. He's not building cities. For his own glory. What is he doing? He's building altars. To the Lord.
[15:47] Verses six and seven. Tell us that. At the very heart. Of this pagan land. In Shechem. By the tree. The oak more. Which means. Teaching. It was probably a place.
[15:57] A center of teaching. Of pagan worship. But here. Abraham. Will teach. The way. Of the one true God. He publicly. Acknowledges him. Builds an altar to him.
[16:08] Again. In Bethel. In verse eight. He calls. On the name. Of the Lord. And that is a great mark. Isn't it? Of renewed. Spiritual life. The life of God. In the soul. Of man. Prayer.
[16:20] Remember. What we read. In Acts chapter nine. Of Saul of Tarsus. After he is truly met. With the living. Lord. Jesus. We are told. He is praying.
[16:31] Not just reciting. All those prayers. That he has recited. All his life. In meaningless rituals. But actually praying. Talking. Communicating. With the living God. That is real faith. Of course.
[16:44] If that is not there. Then there is not real faith. Is there? But don't miss this. It is in the context. Of obedience. To the command of God.
[16:55] That that true. Spiritual experience. Comes into being. In his life. It is when Abraham. Obeys God. It is when he goes. To the place. That God has called him. To find blessing. That he finds.
[17:07] The blessing of God. Look at verse seven. There. The Lord. Appeared. To Abraham. I don't know. Maybe some of. Somebody is here tonight.
[17:18] Because. They are seeking. For a spiritual experience. An experience of God. They are looking for that. Looking to see. If it is real. Well the Bible tells you.
[17:28] That you have to obey. The command of God. You have to come. And seek him. Through Jesus Christ alone. You have to walk. With him his way. Worship him. Only his way. And you will find.
[17:39] That experience. That you are looking for. A true experience. Of God. Can only be found. In obeying. His call. To faith in him. And for us today.
[17:50] That means. Through Jesus Christ. The son of God. Who has come and said. I am the way. And the truth. And the life. And that's true. For just. Anybody.
[18:01] Who would follow. The Lord Jesus. In fact. Often as Christians. We might find ourselves. Seeking for better. And fuller. Spiritual experiences. And Christians. Often go. Seeking these things.
[18:12] In all kinds of places. In all kinds of different ways. But often. As they do that. They are thinking. Very little. About their obedience. To God. And their consecration. And their following. Of God's.
[18:23] Commands. On their life. But obedience. To God. And his word. Is the only. True way. To authentic. Christian experience. And that too.
[18:35] Might be a word. To somebody here today. It was certainly. A very deliberate word. When Moses. First wrote this. To his people. Israel. In the desert. Very likely.
[18:45] They were. Just about. On the very brink. Of the promised land. And Moses. Was challenging. The Israelites. The end of. Deuteronomy. Chapter 11. Moses tells the Israelites.
[18:56] That as soon. As they are to enter. The land. Of Canaan. They are to go to. Exactly this place. That he's talking about. Here in verses. Six and seven. The oak of Moreh. At Shechem. And there.
[19:07] On either side. On the mountains. Either side. Of that place. Ebal. And gerism. They are to be challenged. To obey. The voice. Of God. And his word. And to do that.
[19:18] And receive. The blessings. That he has promised. Or. If they disobey. To bring on themselves. The curses. Of those who reject. Abraham and his God. That's why Moses.
[19:30] Wrote this chapter. He's saying to his people. Look at Abraham. Look at his obedience. See the blessings. That God showered on him. Don't you falter. Imitate his faith.
[19:41] Follow him. And receive. The blessings. That God has promised. To his seed. What encouragement. That must have been. To obedience. To them. As they look back.
[19:53] Moses. He's calling them. To grasp hold. Of these faithful. Gospel promises. And to see that God. Will be faithful to them. As he was to Abraham. If they also. Will walk. In his ways.
[20:04] They knew. That God had kept. Those promises to Abraham. Because. There they were. As a great nation. A huge. Offspring. From this one man. Just as God had promised. They'd known. God's presence.
[20:15] God's protection. All the way through. These years. Hadn't they? And they stood on the very brink. Of the land. The place. That God had promised to Abraham. The place of great destiny. And Moses is saying to him.
[20:27] When you get into the land. You're going to find. Altars. To the living God. Already there. Built by Abraham. All those years ago. There. Echidna says. Abraham's action.
[20:38] Planted the flag. At the heart. Of the promised land. And to declare. That the Lord's writ. Already runs everywhere. You see. Moses is saying to his people.
[20:49] There's nothing to fear. Abraham. Your ancestors. The God's servant. He's been this way before you. Despite the Canaanites. And he trusted God's word.
[21:00] To your offspring. Verse 7. I will give this land. Not to the Canaanites. Not. However fearsome they are. In the very first chapter. Of Deuteronomy. Moses reminded.
[21:11] That new generation. Of Israelites. Of the failures. Of their fathers. In the previous generation. In the lost generation. They refused God's word. They refused to walk his way. God had promised them.
[21:25] The Lord will go before you. He will fight for you. He is your covenant protector. Just as he was. For Abraham. But Moses said. In Deuteronomy 1.
[21:35] Verse 32. In spite of this word. You did not believe. The Lord your God. And as a result. Well he ended up.
[21:46] Wandering in the wilderness. For 40 years. They wouldn't believe. God's promise. And they wouldn't obey. His command. And so they couldn't.
[21:56] Receive his blessing. And you see. If you won't. Believe. And obey. The word of God. You can't find.
[22:07] True spiritual blessing. You can't find. True spiritual. Prosperity. You won't find. Your true spiritual destiny. Not now. Or. Eternally.
[22:20] And that's as true a statement today. As it was on the plains of Moab. And as it was. In Ur of the Chaldees. Or in Haran. You see.
[22:32] Moses is appealing to his people. Saying. Be like Abraham. He might have put it like this. Lay aside every weight. Every sin which clings so closely. Let us. Run with perseverance.
[22:42] The race set before us. Looking to Abraham. The founder of our faith. Stride out in faith like him. And inherit the blessings. That came to him. And that have come through him.
[22:53] To you. Of course. Just putting it that way. Makes it so clear. Doesn't it? That. Though Moses wrote to them. And for them. The spirit of God.
[23:04] Has preserved this in scripture. For us. For all of us. Today. That we might find the same encouragement. That we might have the same. Hope. In the promises. That come from.
[23:15] The wonderful God. Of Abraham. Because those words I quoted earlier. From the New Testament. From Hebrews 12. Where. The writer is urging. New Testament believers.
[23:25] Just like us. In the same way. That's what he says. In Hebrews 11 and 12. By faith. Abraham obeyed. When he was called. To go out to a place. That we used to receive.
[23:36] As an inheritance. And he went. Not knowing where he went. For he. Was looking forward. To the city. That has foundations. Whose designer. And builder. Is God.
[23:47] And therefore. Since we. Are surrounded. By such a great cloud. Of witnesses. Let us also. Lay aside. Every weight. And every sin. Which clings. So closely. Let us.
[23:58] Run with endurance. The race set. Before us. You see. It's the same gospel. Isn't it? It's the same command. To leave the old behind.
[24:11] To set our sights. On the place. That God has promised. For his people. It's the same promise. Of blessing. It's the same. Promise of God's protection. And of his presence.
[24:21] Among his people. In his place. In the eternal city of God. In Moses words. Written. For the encouragement. For the challenge. For the comfort.
[24:32] For the hope. Of his people. They're written also to us. And for us. That's why they're in our Bibles. And they're for us. Because. Of the bigger picture.
[24:43] The bigger story. Of what this is all about. And what it's all part of. It's not just. What God was doing. For Abraham. To bless him. To protect him.
[24:53] To be with him. To give him. This great inheritance. No. Of course not. It's about what God is doing. Through Abraham. For the whole wide world.
[25:05] In you. All the families of the earth. Will be blessed. You see. What God begins. With faithful Abraham. The great character.
[25:15] Of this book. Of Genesis. He completes. Through the great character. Of. Well. Of the other book. Of Genesis. Which is the first book. Of the New Testament. Remember how Matthew's gospel begins.
[25:29] The very first. Verse. Of the New Testament. Begins like this. The book. Of the Genesis. Of Jesus Christ. The son of God. The son of Abraham.
[25:39] It's the same word. The book of the generations. The book of the genealogy. Just as we have. All the way through Genesis. That's why Jesus ministry. Was exactly the same.
[25:49] All through the gospels. And that's why he preached. And proclaimed. The same gospel. The same command. And the same promise. Just the same as what the Lord.
[26:00] First spoke to. To Abraham. Way back in Ur of the Chaldeans. That was. And that still is. A call to discipleship. A call to leave behind.
[26:12] The old life. To leave behind. Your fishing nets. To leave behind. Your father's house. To leave behind. Whatever it is. That God is calling you. To leave behind. And repent of.
[26:24] To follow him. To walk away from the old. And to walk. Into. The new. A new kind of walk. Because you've given your life.
[26:35] To a new kind of worship. Worship of God. In Jesus Christ. The sun. To walk away. Isn't it? From. From this perishing. Old world. And all its values.
[26:45] All its treasures. And it's a walk towards. What Jesus called. The new world. The regeneration. Of the whole universe. That he came to accomplish. And to usher in.
[26:56] Forever. At his return. That's the command. Of the Lord Jesus Christ. And that is what he promises. Do you remember. When Peter asked him.
[27:06] In Matthew chapter 19. Peter said. Lord see. We've left everything. We have. And we followed you. What will we have? And Jesus said. Truly I say to you. In the new world.
[27:17] Everyone. Everyone. Who has left houses. Or brothers. Or sisters. Or father. Or mother. Or children. Or lands. For my name's sake. Will receive. A hundredfold. And will inherit.
[27:28] Eternal. Life. See. That's the blessing. That God. Promised first. To Abraham. But come to the world. Through Abraham's offspring.
[27:40] Through the Lord Jesus Christ. That's why Paul says. In Galatians chapter 3. That God's plan. Is now fulfilled. He says. In Christ Jesus. The blessing of Abraham.
[27:50] Has come. Both to the Gentiles. And. To the natural Jews. Through faith. Faith in Jesus Christ. That's why. All through the. The apostolic preaching.
[28:01] In the book of Acts. They proclaim the gospel. In exactly the same terms. That God. First proclaimed it. To Abraham. Peter says. For example. In Acts chapter 10. God shows no partiality.
[28:13] But in every nation. Everyone who fears him. Is acceptable to him. Because the good news of peace. Has come through. Jesus Christ. Who is Lord of all. The Abraham's gospel.
[28:25] And Moses gospel. And Jesus gospel. And the apostles gospel. It's all the same gospel. God's promise. And his command.
[28:36] Wonderful promises. Of blessings in abundance. But the same urgent command. To leave. And to go. To leave the old. And to embrace the new.
[28:46] That's the gospel. Preached in advance. To Abraham. At the end of. Paul's letter to the Romans. He says. That's the message. Which is now made known. Through Jesus Christ.
[28:58] To all nations. According. He says. To the command. Of the eternal God. To bring about. The obedience of faith. The gospel. Is the. The command.
[29:09] Of the eternal God. To be blessed. Through. Obedience. To the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ. Let me ask you.
[29:20] If you want to know. The eternal God. The only God. The God who. Who created. Heaven and earth. And who sustains all things. If you want to inherit. The blessings.
[29:31] Promised. To Abraham. And through Abraham. To all. The families. Of the earth. You can. And God. Wants you to. Indeed. God commands you.
[29:43] To. You. But he commands you. To know him. Only one way. And to find those blessings. Only one way. Through obedience. To his commands.
[29:54] Through a new walk. That comes. Out of a new worship. He says. To people today. Just as to then. Leave your old life.
[30:05] Leave your old ways. Leave your old relationships. All the defining features. Of your identity. In this world. Leave it behind. And come.
[30:16] To the one place. That he's shown you. And to the place. That he's shown now. To the whole wide world. The one place. Of his eternal dwelling. In the person.
[30:27] Of Jesus Christ. His son. He's saying to you. Leave behind. What you know. What's familiar. What's comfortable. And find your reward.
[30:38] In something. That is as yet. Largely unseen. Untangible. To earthly eyes. In the new world. The kingdom. Of our Lord.
[30:49] Jesus Christ. Stride out in faith. Walk. In his new way. Build an altar. To him. Like Abraham. That worship him. And him alone. And if you do that.
[30:59] Friends. All the promises. That God gave here. To Abraham. Forever. Will be yours. In that new world. On the day. That the Lord. Jesus Christ. Returns. But even now.
[31:11] You see. Even. The very moment. That you trust. And obey his command. You'll know. That intimate presence. With you. That he promised. To Abraham. The Lord.
[31:23] Appeared. To Abraham. And spoke to him. Spoke to him. Words of. Of intimate assurance. This future. Was secure. To your offspring. I will give this land. And that's what he promises.
[31:34] To every single believer. Everyone who steps out. In obedience. With Jesus. If you love me. Says Jesus. You will keep my commands. And I'll ask the father. And he will give you.
[31:44] The comforter. Who will be with you forever. The spirit of truth. He will be with you. And in you. See that's his promise. Real. Renewal. Through his Holy Spirit.
[31:56] As you repent. And turn from the world. And come to him. God's own spirit. The spirit. Of our risen savior. In us. To assure us of his presence. To assure us of his love.
[32:07] To assure us. That we are heirs of his family. And he's committed to us forever. Because you are sons. Says Paul. God has sent the spirit of his son. Into your hearts.
[32:18] Crying. Abba. Father. And we have that real. And lasting reassurance. He sends his spirit. To our hearts.
[32:29] To assure us. That that new worship. Is real. That he is the true God. That we can know him. He sends his spirit. To assure us. That our walk with him.
[32:40] Is possible. That's often something. That holds people back. From commitment to Jesus. Often somebody. Has been coming to church. For a while. They've heard the gospel.
[32:51] They've listened to the word. And they can come to the point. Where they say. I understand it all. I accept it. I think it's true. But here's the thing. I just don't know. If I could do it. It's too hard. It's too costly.
[33:02] It'll kill me. To walk away. From my whole past life. And to walk that path. And actually. That can be the same thing. Can't it? With those who've been. Following Jesus.
[33:13] For a long time. When they want to throw in the towel. Because they know that it's true. It is hard. It often is killing. To follow Jesus. It's costly. The apostle Paul says.
[33:24] We die daily. That's how it feels. Sometimes. And it can be so easy. Can't it? To want to give up. When the old ways.
[33:35] Do beckon. When the old pleasures. Grab hold of us. When. Old relationships. Stalk us again. Perhaps.
[33:47] But you see. We've received. The promised spirit. If we've obeyed the gospel. And followed Christ. All who. Obey the Lord Jesus Christ.
[33:57] And follow him. Receive his spirit. It's impossible to believe. And obey without that. And so. Jesus says to us. Your walk is possible. Don't hold back.
[34:07] From trusting Christ. And committing to him. And your walk is still possible. As Christian believers. Don't give up. Don't throw in the towel. Keep on walking. With the faith of Abraham.
[34:22] Walk. By the spirit. Says Paul. Command. And you will not. Gratify the desires. Of the flesh. There's a promise. You'll walk away.
[34:34] And you'll keep walking away. From your past life. With all its entanglement. With all its sins. If you walk. With the Lord Jesus. It's a command. And a promise. And here's another.
[34:46] The one who sows to the spirit. Will. From the spirit. Reap. Eternal life. You will walk. And you'll keep on walking. And you will arrive. In that destiny.
[34:58] Of blessing. In Christ. If you keep walking. With the Lord Jesus. Our Savior. A command. But a promise. With that command. God gave that to Abraham.
[35:11] He gave it to Israel. Gives it to every one of us. Today. It's a big command. Isn't it? It demands everything. Absolutely everything.
[35:21] And it always will demand. Absolutely everything. But what a promise. What a promise. Blessings beyond imagining.
[35:32] In the glory of a new world. For the coming of our Lord Jesus. Take his easy yoke.
[35:43] And wear it. Love will make obedience sweet. Christ will give you strength. To wear it. While his wisdom guides your feet.
[35:54] Safe to glory. Where his ransom captives meet. May God grant all of us here. The grace to walk with our Lord Jesus Christ.
[36:07] Today. And every day. In the same faith and obedience. As our father Abraham. Amen. Well let's pray. The Lord said to Abraham.
[36:18] Go. And Abraham went. And he came to the land. And the Lord appeared to him there. Our father we thank you that.
[36:32] You have extended to us the same command. And the same promise. Of great blessing. A better command. And a better promise. Even fulfilled as it is.
[36:43] In the person of your own son. Our Lord Jesus Christ. To help us we pray. To heed him. To trust him. Follow him and obey him.
[36:55] All the days of our lives. That we like Abraham. Might rejoice in his presence. Receive. All that he has promised. And we ask it in Jesus name.
[37:09] Amen. Amen.