The Covenants of God" Sunday Sermon Pastor Craig Sanders

Devotional

Day 1: Go Without Knowing

Abraham stood in moonlit Ur when God’s voice cut through familiar gods: “Go.” No map. No destination. Just a promise to make him a blessing to nations. He packed tents, herds, and aging Sarai, stepping toward deserts unseen. His sandals carried generations of God’s plan. [05:43]

God starts new stories in empty spaces. He called Abraham not to comfort but to surrender, trading lunar rituals for covenant dust. Every “go” in Scripture—Moses’ bush, Peter’s nets, your unsettled heart—echoes this first risky obedience.

Where is God asking you to trust without seeing the end? What familiar safety do you clutch when He says “move”? Name one comfort you’ve prioritized over His whisper.

“The LORD had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. 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.’”
(Genesis 12:1-3, NIV)

Prayer: Ask God for courage to release what’s familiar for the sake of His unseen promise.
Challenge: Write down one thing you’re clinging to instead of obeying God. Burn or tear the paper as a surrender act.

Day 2: Altars in Uncharted Land

Abraham built altars at Shechem’s oak and Bethel’s hill—stone piles marking God’s presence in Canaan’s strangeness. Each altar declared, “You’re here, even here.” Yet famine soon forced him to Egypt, where he lied about Sarah. Faith stumbles but God’s call remains. [11:20]

Altars memorialize God’s faithfulness amid our frailty. Abraham’s stacks of stone outlasted his failures because God’s covenant doesn’t depend on perfect obedience. Your worst detour can’t derail His purpose.

What “altar” have you neglected building in your current wilderness? Where do you need to pause and acknowledge God’s presence today?

“Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. The LORD appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your offspring I will give this land.’ So he built an altar there to the LORD.”
(Genesis 12:6-7, NIV)

Prayer: Thank God for His faithfulness in your past failures. Mark His presence where you are now.
Challenge: Set a timer for 5 minutes. Sit still, then write one sentence about where you sensed God today.

Day 3: Scars and Star Promises

Isaac lay bound on Moriah’s rocks when Abraham raised the knife. Ram thorns crackled in thickets. Later, God swore by Himself: “Because you didn’t withhold, nations will bloom from your scars.” Abraham’s test revealed God’s provision—and His greater plan. [02:31]

God’s hardest asks prepare us to channel His blessings. Abraham’s near-loss of Isaac foreshadowed the Father surrendering Christ. Your surrendered griefs become conduits of grace.

What “Isaac” have you been clutching—a dream, relationship, or control—that God asks you to place on the altar?

“The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, ‘I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you… through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed.’”
(Genesis 22:15-18, NIV)

Prayer: Confess one thing you’ve withheld from God. Visualize placing it in His hands.
Challenge: Text a trusted friend about one fear you need to surrender. Ask them to pray with you.

Day 4: Burned Lips, Bold Message

Isaiah saw Yahweh’s robe fill the temple. Seraphim cried “Holy!” as he crumpled, mourning unclean lips. A searing coal touched his mouth—painful purification for a prophetic call. God didn’t want eloquence. He wanted a scorched messenger. [20:14]

God’s fire prepares, not destroys. Isaiah’s burned lips became vessels for truth. Your flaws and past aren’t disqualifications—they’re launchpads for His message.

Where has God’s refining fire marked you? How might those scars equip you to serve others?

“Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, ‘See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.’ Then I heard the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send?’”
(Isaiah 6:6-8, NIV)

Prayer: Ask God to purify your words and actions for His purposes today.
Challenge: Share a story of God’s redemption in your life with one person before sunset.

Day 5: Shared Joy, Full Hearts

John wrote, “We proclaim what we’ve seen and heard so our joy may be complete.” The disciples’ resurrection joy overflowed when shared. Like Abraham blessing nations or James Taylor fans posting concert videos, gospel joy multiplies in telling. [27:37]

Joy stagnates when hoarded. Your testimony—whether dramatic conversion or daily grace—completes its purpose when given away. Who needs your story’s light?

When did last sharing your faith bring you deeper joy? Who’s waiting for your courage to speak?

“We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us… We write this to make our joy complete.”
(1 John 1:3-4, NIV)

Prayer: Thank God for three specific joys He’s given you. Ask Him to highlight someone to share them with.
Challenge: Message someone today: “God’s been good to me lately. Can I share a story?”

Sermon Summary

God calls Abram out of Ur, right out of moon–worship country, and says, get out. The text sends Abram with almost no details beyond a promise, as if God says, where are you going, Abram? I will tell you when you get there. God starts over through this man, and the promise is simple and massive: I will bless you and through you all the families of the earth will be blessed. Later, after the knife is stayed over Isaac, the promise is reaffirmed, as numerous as stars and sand, and again the nations sit inside that blessing.

The story that explains people unfolds in three words that fit Abraham and fit a church on mission: leave, loss, love. The call leaves familiar culture and comfort, like leaving the Cheers bar where everybody knows your name. God’s call is not only for clergy. Vocation becomes every station in life where a person honors God, whether as worker, neighbor, or friend. Christian ministry shows up as service in Christ’s name, a royal priesthood set loose to meet needs.

Sanctification keeps the story from stalling at the starting line. Jesus says abide, bear much fruit, make disciples. The Spirit takes a person’s SHAPE spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality, experiences and fashions a peculiar usefulness no one else can replicate. The command that launches Abraham go is really get out. Mission means sent, so life itself becomes an avenue for Christ’s presence.

The encounter with God reorders the inner economy. Consumers watch the benefit cost ratio. Jesus says not anymore. Holiness looks like self–giving love, like putting others first, like walking into a room asking, how can this person be served today in Jesus’ name. Big moves require risk. The burning bush sends Moses back to Egypt. A boat full of fish ushers Peter into catching people, including his meh places. A searing vision purifies Isaiah’s unclean lips for a hard word.

Change is loss, even when change is good. Moves, new babies, new addresses, a new sanctuary, each brings disorientation. God meets people in the trench and forges a people who can stand with the grieving, the unemployed, the lonely. In a crowded room with a broken roof, Jesus gives forgiveness before he gives legs, because rightness with God runs deeper than immediate fixes.

Blessing is not a cul–de–sac. God blesses in order to bless through. Love is always something given away. God gives God’s own self. Joy itself fills up as it is shared. The church that lives this Abraham story becomes a conduit of grace, inviting neighbors into the journey to new life in Jesus Christ.

Key Takeaways

1. God’s call says, “Get out.” The call does not coddle the appetite for control. It pries fingers off certainty and asks for trust that moves feet. Guidance often comes in motion, not in advance. The blessing lives on the far side of obedience. [10:57]
2. Calling rewires consumers into servants. Grace breaks the benefit cost ratio and raises a cross in its place. When love moves from acquiring to giving, the calculus of a life gets re–written. Holiness begins to look like choosing the other’s good at cost to self. That is how a people become recognizably Christ’s. [13:59]
3. Change brings real loss to carry. Even good change hurts, because familiar rhythms die to make room for new ones. Naming the grief keeps hearts soft instead of cynical. In the trench, God knits unlikely comrades who can shoulder each other’s burdens and keep walking. Suffering becomes a school for durable love. [20:48]
4. Blessed in order to bless. God never pours grace into people for storage. He intends it to run through lives into neighborhoods and nations. The promise to Abraham clips the fuse on hoarded religion and lights a mission for the world’s good. Conduits stay full because they keep flowing. [24:05]
5. Joy matures as it is shared. Testimony completes delight. The more a person tells the story of Jesus known and experienced, the more solid and communal the joy becomes. Evangelism is not a sales pitch but an overflow. Fullness grows in the giving. [26:48]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:26] - The Bible’s big movements
[02:04] - God’s call and blessing to Abram
[04:16] - Leave, loss, and love map
[04:53] - Ur, lunar worship, fresh start
[05:43] - Calling beyond clergy, everyday vocation
[10:09] - Your SHAPE for ministry
[10:57] - “Get out” and be sent
[13:29] - From consumer to self-giving
[18:03] - Calls of Moses, Peter, Isaiah
[20:48] - Change means loss and courage
[24:05] - Blessed to bless the world
[25:10] - Love gives itself away
[26:30] - Joy grows when shared
[28:20] - Prayer of dedication

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Genesis 12:1-3 (ESV)
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. 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.”

Observation Questions

What specific command did God give Abram in Genesis 12:1, and what promises did He attach to it?
The sermon highlights three words that shape Abraham’s story and the church’s mission: leave, loss, love. What examples of these themes are evident in Genesis 12:1-3?
How does the sermon describe the relationship between God’s call to “get out” and the idea of trust? (Refer to the phrase: “Guidance often comes in motion, not in advance.”) [10:57]

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think God chose to withhold specific details about Abram’s destination (“the land I will show you”) while still calling him to leave everything familiar?
The sermon states, “Calling rewires consumers into servants.” How does Abram’s story challenge a “benefit-cost ratio” mindset in our relationship with God? [13:59]
The phrase “blessed to be a blessing” appears in both Genesis 12 and the sermon. What does this imply about the purpose of God’s promises to His people?

Application Questions

What is one step of faith you’ve hesitated to take because the outcome feels uncertain? How might God be inviting you to trust Him “in motion” rather than waiting for full clarity? [10:57]
The sermon contrasts a consumer mindset (“What can I get?”) with a servant mindset (“How can I give?”). Where in your daily life (work, friendships, family) could you intentionally shift toward serving others “in Jesus’ name” this week? [13:59]
Change often involves loss, even when it’s good. What recent change (a move, new job, relationship shift) has brought both joy and grief? How can you acknowledge that loss while still leaning into God’s purpose for the new season? [20:48]
The sermon says, “Joy matures as it is shared.” When have you experienced deeper joy by sharing a God-story or blessing with someone else? Who in your life needs to hear about God’s faithfulness to you right now? [26:48]
Identify one way your unique “SHAPE” (spiritual gifts, personality, experiences) could meet a practical need in your community. What’s stopping you from acting on that?

Sermon Clips

46s

“When the scripture says God is love, it means in a very true way, god gives god's self away. That's just what love is. To love is to sacrifice. To love is to cost. To love is to put another person first. And that is not always I mean, a lot of people don't get into love for that reason. They get into love to take. They get into love to own. They get into love to possess, and they misunderstand this whole way that God has made the world to be a blessing to other people.”

42s

“Because his intent is to bless the world through you, to be a part of what he's doing in the world. Be making this world a place that more honors God because you're in it. Because you honor God and because you help people to understand what a life looks like that honors God. And God does that through loss, through leaving, through love. And you know what? Love is always something that you give away. When the scripture says God is love, it means in a very true way, god gives god's self away. That's just what love is. To love is to sacrifice.”

43s

“And so this is the call of Abraham. Every single person that wants to follow God, Yahweh, is called. That's a basic understanding of what we believe as Christians, that God calls us. Doesn't just call us to be a pastor like me, but calls every single person to honor God in whatever they're doing. That is their calling. Honor God in the way that you are a worker, way that you are a friend, way that you are a neighbor, way that you are whatever you're doing, you are called to honor god in those things. That is your calling.”

38s

“This heart that our church needs to have and every church needs to have, but to be very frank, that we are people who are other centered, not self centered. We're not here for what we get out of it. We are here to find a place to give our lives away. You are here. Take risks. This this this thing says. Because Abraham said, okay. And he said he packed up his whole family and all of his, possessions and they followed God to this new land of Canaan. Make big moves. Get out.”

Ask a question about this sermon

Grace Presbyterian Church (GPCLV) This sermon · AI assistant

How does sanctification differ from justification?

What does being sent on mission mean?

What is the theological significance of leave, lose, love?

The Covenants of God" Sunday Sermon Pastor Craig Sanders | GPCLV