Approximate Dates

• Call of Abraham 2000 BC• Exodus 1500 BC• David 1000 BC• Last Prophet 400 BC

Promise to AbrahamGenesis 12:1-3

Now the LORD said to Abram, " Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you; 2 And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great;And so you shall be a blessing; 3 And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed."

Pictorial Diagram

Relationship of Genesis 3 and Genesis 12

• Genesis 3 – PROBLEM

CURSES

BARRIERS WITH GOD AND AMONG MEN

• Genesis 12 -- SOLUTION

BLESSINGS

FELLOWSHIP RESTORED WITH GOD AND AMONG MEN

The Axis of Scripture

Promise to Abraham

• Three main elements:• Old Testament

• Land (vs1)• Nation (vs 2)

• New Testament• Seed (vs 3, 22:18)

Passages Pointing to the Abrahamic Promise

• The Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah • Matt 1:1 The record of the genealogy of

Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham:

• NASU

Passages Pointing to the Abrahamic Promise

Luke 1:53-55 --- Mary’s Magnificant 53 "HE HAS FILLED THE HUNGRY WITH GOOD

THINGS; And sent away the rich empty-handed. 54 "He has given help to Israel His servant, In remembrance of His mercy, 55 As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and his descendants forever."

Lk 1: 69-73 Zechariah’s Prophecy• 69 And has raised up a horn of salvation for us

In the house of David His servant — 70 As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old 71 Salvation FROM OUR ENEMIES, And FROM THE HAND OF ALL WHO HATE US; 72 To show mercy toward our fathers, And to remember His holy covenant, 73 The oath which He swore to Abraham our father,

Passages Pointing to the Abrahamic Promise

Passages Pointing to the Abrahamic Promise

Acts 26: 6-7 – Paul Before Agrippa• 6 "And now I am standing trial for the hope of

the promise made by God to our fathers; 7 the promise to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly serve God night and day. And for this hope, O King, I am being accused by Jews.

Passages Pointing to the Abrahamic Promise

Acts 13: 29-33 – Apostolic Preaching• 29 "When they had carried out all that was written

concerning Him, they took Him down from the cross and laid Him in a tomb. 30 "But God raised Him from the dead; 31 and for many days He appeared to those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, the very ones who are now His witnesses to the people.

• 32 "And we preach to you the good news of the promise made to the fathers, 33 that God has fulfilled this promise to our children in that He raised up Jesus,

Galations 3: 17-18

• Gal 3:17-18• 17 What I am saying is this: the Law,

which came four hundred and thirty years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise. 18 For if the inheritance is based on law, it is no longer based on a promise; but God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise.

• NASU

Galations 3: 23ff

• 23 But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. 26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to promise.

Different Elements

• Bless “you” – Abraham personally• Land Promise (12:1)

• Land Specified – Gen 13:14-16• Boundaries Designated – Gen 15:18• " To your descendants I have given this land, From

the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates.

• Fulfilled: Josh 21:43 So the LORD gave Israel all the land which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they possessed it and lived in it.

Land Promise Fulfilled

• Neh 9:7-8 "You are the LORD God, Who chose Abram And brought him out from Ur of the Chaldees, And gave him the name Abraham. 8 "You found his heart faithful before You, And made a covenant with him To give him the land of the Canaanite,Of the Hittite and the Amorite,Of the Perizzite, the Jebusite and the Girgashite —To give it to his descendants.And You have fulfilled Your promise,For You are righteous.

Objection

• Israel never occupied the land all the way to the Nile.

• True!• “River of Egypt” is not the Nile.

Different Elements

• Make thy name Great! (Gen 12:2)• Bless your friends and curse your enemies.

(Gen 12:3)• Kings will come out of thee (Gen 17:6)• Father of a multitude of Nations – name

change– (Gen 17:5)• Everlasting Covenant (Gen 17:7)

Additional Elements

• Pour forth my spirit (Joel 2)• Come back to sit on David’s Throne (II

Sam 7) A subset of the Abrahamic promise.

• Can you see why it said that the whole Bible flows out of Genesis 12?

Invitaion: Abrahamic Promise

Acts 2:39-41• 39 "For the promise is for you and your children

and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself." 40 And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, " Be saved from this perverse generation!" 41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.