The Faithful God & The Father of Faith

Genesis 12:1-9
[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. [2] 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. [3] 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.”
[4] So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. [5] 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, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, [6] Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. [7] Then the LORD appeared to Abramand said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. [8] 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. [9] And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb.

DEEP SHEET: Sermon Study Questions
1.  Why do we refer to Abram as the father of faith?
2.  Why would God’s command in v. 1 not have been easy to embrace?
3.  What does it mean to say that God’s word to Abram begins with command but is dominated by promise? What does this tell us about the Lord and how he relates to people?
4.  How would you summarize God’s promises to Abram? What is the significance of the last promise in v. 3, and why does Paul say that this was the gospel being preached to Abram?
5.  How would you characterize Abram’s response to God’s word? How does this challenge comfortable Christianity, selective obedience, and competing priorities?
6.  What is the purpose of God’s appearance to Abram, and what does this tell us about God’s character?
7.  What is the symbolism conveyed by Abram’s worship and altar building as he moves through the land?

References: Genesis 17:5; Galatians 3:9, 29; Romans 4:11; Acts 7:2-3; Hebrews 11:8-10; Exodus 20:2; John 14:1-3; Exodus 1:7-9; Genesis 24:34-35; Galatians 3:8; Genesis 6:22; 7:9; Matthew 10:37.