BSF Genesis Week 10 – The Notes are Good

BSF Genesis: Week 10, Day 5

Questions:

9.
The promise to Abraham did not come as a reward for Abram’s works, but from the righteousness of God poured out to him by his faith (trust and obedience). It is by grace and it is guaranteed and we fall under the covenant God made to Abraham.

10.
Promise came to all nations. If you belong to Christ you are Abraham’s seed and heirs to the promise. Mathew 1 -Jesus came from the linage of Abraham

11.
a.
Obedience and faith. That he, in faith, looked to something far ahead, something he didn’t even know or understand, but something that he trusted in God

b.
An everlasting covenant, to be your God and the God of your descendants (to never be abandoned or alone)

c.
Land, to be their God, they must keep his covenant – That the promise in 17:3 is bigger – that Abraham will be the father of many nations, not just one.

My Daily Journal:

I was recently reading a John Ortberg book titled Everybody’s Normal Till You Get To Know Them. In it he talks about the creation story and, as we reviewed our Genesis study this week it came to my mind.

Ortberg points out that as God creates each part of His creation He says, “It was good.” That is, until we come to Genesis 2:18 where He says, “It is not good for the man to be alone.”

From the very beginning we were designed for companionship and community all in harmony with God. Lamech sought companionship without God and developed a spirit of vengeance and retribution. The people of Babel sought community without God and had their language confused and themselves scattered.

But God’s promise, God’s covenant to Abram, tells him that neither he nor his descendents will ever be alone. God will always be their God. They will be a family, a nation, joined together. The word church didn’t yet exist, but, in essence, through this family of Abram’s that is what God is creating.

We are part of that. Through our faith in Jesus, we have become members of that family as much as we are brothers and sisters to Christ and God is our heavenly father. We were not designed to be alone and through the church and through brothers and sisters in Christ and through the nations of believers and through the communion of saints and the indwelling of the holy spirit we will never be alone. God promised that to Abram.

BSF Genesis: Week 10, Day 4

Today’s Scriptures

Questions:

7.
a.
Ur (Mesopotamia)

b.
There is nothing special about Abram noted. He hadn’t done anything. He had no resume to be considered for the patriarch job, no mention of great faith or works or anything. Just a guy living in a pagan household.

8.
a.
Obedience. Patience. Worship. Dialogue with God. Not exceptional works, but a willingness to follow and trust in God

b.
God is totally in control and viewing events on a timeline that I cannot even comprehend. When I lack patience, it helps me remember how little I can see or understand and how loving my God is

My Daily Journal:

What me does God see? This is a much deeper question than it appears at first blush. When a potential employer looks at me, they see my resume’; all the decisions and choices I have made in my education and career and the experiences those have garnered. But what does our everlasting, all-knowing God see?

God knows not only every decision I have made, but every decision I will ever make. He knows not only the heart that I have had, but the one that I will have and the obedience I will show. Does that mean I do not have choice, absolutely not, it is just that God already knows the choices I will make, even though I don’t, yet.

But, that is such an amazing gift. God chose me while I was still a sinner to be in His family. I didn’t earn it. I wouldn’t ever earn it. But God knew that I would accept it, cherish it and work to teach others. Through that I am continuing to be transformed into the image of holiness. It is a slow transformation, but, I believe, God already sees me as I will ultimately be in heaven.

BSF Genesis: Week 10, Day 3

Today’s Scriptures

Questions:

6.
a.
That the faith of one man was enough to save mankind and all animals from destruction

b.
I think we do – the wicked are any who do not accept Christ as their savior. Some of these are my friends, co-workers and family and I do worry for them. Not that God is unfair, but that they are unwise.

c.
Yes. I have accepted the gift of salvation through Jesus and have become a transformed man, not within sin or wrong, but with a desire and longing to serve Him better and be a better example through it.

My Daily Journal:

How long did God wait for there to be a Noah? Normally, when I think of the story I picture God one day looking around and realizing His whole creation had turned over to corruption and turned away from him. He looks around and, lo and behold, there is Noah, one righteous man.

But what if it was the other way? What if God waited patiently for there to be a Noah? How long and how much sin did God tolerate? How much pain did he feel over how many generations?

It made me stop and think about God timing. When I say I’m waiting patiently on God’s direction, I normally think days, maybe a week or two. How many hundreds of years did God wait? What is he waiting on, today?

BSF Genesis: Week 10, Day 2

Today’s Scripture

Questions:

3.
a.
All of man’s needs, wants and desires were provided by God, focused on community – Not good to for man to be alone so God created companionship and community

b.
God’s first words following the fall of man was a promise of the coming of Christ to defeat Satan
4.
Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. The ancients were commended for it. Faith in the person of Jesus is the equal to faith and trust in God’s love for His creation from His word for all time

5
a.
Gave first and best. Gave sacrificially. Lord looked on Abel and his offering with favor. Revealed a trust and love of God

b.
Heb 11:5 – By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death

c.
Walk with God daily. Trust in him. Have faith. Give sacrificially (not holding back). Open your heart for God to see (He knows what is in it anyway)

My Daily Journal:

At first I was trying to figure out where BSF was going with the lesson this week. But I think the overarching point that is being looked at is the character of these great men of the bible that we have studied so far. Abel and Enoch. And, most importantly within it, that their character was built squarely on faith.

For me the image that stuck with me came in the last answer. I’ve prayed many times for an open heart to receive God’s word. I’ve prayed it for myself, for my kids and family, for my church, for the children in Sunday school and BSF. And, every time I’ve prayed it I had the image of an open vessel, something to catch what God wanted to pour out on me or them.

That is not a bad image, but I saw a different one today. Today I thought about the fact that the scriptures say God looked at Abel and his offering. It isn’t that God just looked at the offering, but first and foremost, he looked at Abel and what the offering was saying about him. The visual idea that came to me was the image of pulling out my wallet and opening it up wide, allowing whoever is with me to take whatever they choose. From a monetary standpoint it is saying, here is everything that I have, no secrets, no hidden pockets, full disclosure, you see everything as much or little as there is and I am offering it to you to take freely, please. When I read that about Abel, that is the image I saw of him with his heart to God.

That’s what Abel and Enoch did. They opened their hearts to God like that open wallet. This is all that I have, not bragging, not shame, just full open disclosure in complete trust, eyes closed, no caveats, just trust.

But here is the interesting thing. God already knows what is in our heart (and wallet for that matter). So the act of opening it up is for us, not for God.

So why hide it? Well, shame, lack of trust, wrongful pride, holding back — you name the sin condition. And how does that work out? Well Cain held back, that didn’t go so well, and if that isn’t clear enough there is the story about Ananias and Sapphira.

That’s convicting enough for me. When I now think of opening my heart – I’m planning to open it wide.