The Blessing of Promise

27 This is the account of Terah’s family line.
Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot.

28 While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth.

29 Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milkah; she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milkah and Iskah.

30 Now Sarai was childless because she was not able to conceive.

31 Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-lawSarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeansto go to Canaan. But when they came to Harran, they settled there.

32 Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Harran.
- Genesis 11:27-32

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.”
- Genesis 12:1

Now the Lord had said unto Abram, “Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee.”
- Genesis 12:1 (KJV)

2 “I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.

3 I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”
- Genesis 12:2-3

Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”
- Genesis 22:2

4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.

5 He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”

6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together,

7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”
“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.
“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
- Genesis 22:4-7

11 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.

12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him.  
- Genesis 22:11-12

17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore.Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies,

18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed,[c] because you have obeyed me.”

19 Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba.And Abraham stayed in Beersheba.
Genesis 22:17-19

He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
- Galatians 3:14

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Mixer

What do you wish you learned earlier in life?

‘Neighborly’ - Daily Devotional

To get the Daily Devotionals delivered to you every morning, text ‘dailydevotional’ to 97000.

1. In Youth Ministries Director Cristina’s 9/16 entry, The Best Kind of Taco, she challenges us to believe that when God created you, He declared a blessing over you - you are a GOOD taco! What gets in the way of believing that? What one thing can you do this week to look at yourself as God does: beyond the dirty exterior and the chipping paint to see the goodness inside? And how might you do the same for someone else in your life?
2. In Pastor Pam’s 9/18 entry, Who Is Blessed?, she shares her experience of traveling to Mozambique and the people counting themselves blessed because of what Jesus did on the cross. What is keeping you from believing God’s original blessing over you? Who do you know that models this kind of joy in all circumstances and what could you learn?

Sermon Questions

Scriptures: Genesis 1:1-2, 1:28; Genesis 3:1; Genesis 4:1-15; Hebrew 11:4, 12:24

1. What new thing did you learn in the telling of Abraham’s story? Why is the covenant God made with him so significant to us today?
2. Read Genesis 12:2-3. What are the three parts of God’s Covenant with Abraham? Are these conditional, or unconditional - and why is that important to consider? What kind of covenants do people make - and why do we fall short?
3. In Genesis 12:1, Abraham heard God say, “Get thee out” (KJV), and made a decision to trust God and surrender the outcomes. What does that look like for you in your daily life? If you really trust God, how can you live in the moment if you are focused on the outcome?
4. Pastor Jared taught us about the position and the purpose of blessing. What did you think about the statement: This is how you know you are blessed by God - because the blessing is not for you?
5. How might you move from being a “Horder” of blessings, to one who plays “Hot Potato” with them (can’t give them away fast enough)?
6. As a Good Neighbor, pick one person this week that you can bless (pray over, do an errand for, encourage, etc.) Take note of what God does with it - in you and in them.

Go Deeper - with Goodbook

Dr. Mark Strauss and Pastor Ken Ingold
Sermon on the Mount | Jesus and the Old Testament Law (Matthew 5:13-20)

1. In what ways are the metaphors of salt and light appropriate for the role of the Church in the world?
2. What did Jesus say he had come to do with reference to the Old Testament Law?
3. Are Christians bound by the Old Testament Law? The dietary laws? The Sabbath law (not to work on Saturday)?
4. What does it mean that Jesus came to “fulfill the Law”?
5. Can you name some Old Testament prophecies that Jesus fulfilled?
6. Why was it necessary for Jesus to perfectly keep the Law?
7. What does it mean that Christians are under the “New Covenant” (Jeremiah 31)?
8. What are some practical ramifications for us today that we are under the “Law of Christ” but not under the Law of Moses?

If you would like to join the Tuesday Night online Q & A sessions: ken@thechurchrb.org

Serve

Mark your calendars! Serve Day is coming up on November 20th! More info to come!

Pray

Give thanks to Father God, creator of the seasons, as summer officially turns to fall this week. Go out and enjoy the sights that remind you of His original blessing over creation! It is good! Look for Him there, for He is good.

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