God's Redemptive Plan: From Abraham to the Church

 

Summary

In our journey through the Bible, we have been exploring God's grand narrative and how it intertwines with our own stories. Today, we focused on God's response to humanity's detour into sin, highlighting His unwavering commitment to redemption. From the call of Abraham to the establishment of Israel, God chose a people to partner with Him in His redemptive plan. Abraham's story is a testament to faith and trust in God's promises, showing us that our relationship with God is founded on faith, not rituals or lineage.

God's covenant with Abraham was not just for him or his descendants but for the entire world. Through Israel, God intended to demonstrate His character and justice, calling them to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. The Exodus exemplifies God's faithfulness, moving His people from slavery to a covenant relationship, emphasizing that Israel was chosen not for privilege but for a purpose—to be a light to the nations.

However, Israel's history is marked by cycles of faithfulness and rebellion. Despite their failures, God's promise of salvation remained steadfast. The prophets continually called Israel back to their mission, and even in exile, individuals like Daniel remained faithful, bearing witness to God's character. Ultimately, the promise of a redeemer was fulfilled in Jesus, the true Israelite who embodies Abraham's calling and brings salvation to the world.

As the church, we inherit Israel's calling to be a blessing and a light to the nations. We are chosen to live redemptively, reflecting God's character in a world of competing claims. Our lives should demonstrate the power and character of God, drawing others to faith in Him. We are called to walk in justice and righteousness, representing God in the world and attracting others to His love.

Key Takeaways:

- God's redemptive plan is woven through history, beginning with Abraham and culminating in Jesus. Abraham's faith exemplifies the foundation of our relationship with God, which is based on trust and not on rituals or heritage. This faith is a call to partner with God in His mission to bless all nations. [01:14:57]

- Israel's role as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation was to reflect God's character and justice to the world. Their calling was not for privilege but for a purpose—to be a light to the nations, demonstrating what it means to live in covenant with God. [01:33:25]

- Despite Israel's repeated failures, God's promise of salvation remained unbroken. The prophets called Israel back to their mission, and even in exile, individuals like Daniel bore witness to God's faithfulness. This highlights God's unwavering commitment to His covenant and His people. [01:41:12]

- Jesus, the true Israelite, fulfills the promise of a redeemer, embodying Abraham's calling and bringing salvation to the world. As the church, we continue Israel's mission, called to be a blessing and a light, living distinctively in a world of competing claims. [01:44:36]

- Our lives should reflect God's character, demonstrating His power and love to the world. We are called to walk in justice and righteousness, representing God and drawing others to faith in Him. This is our role in God's ongoing story of redemption. [01:44:36]

Youtube Chapters:

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:14:57] - God's Call to Abraham
[01:33:25] - Israel's Purpose and Covenant
[01:41:12] - Israel's Faithfulness and Exile
[01:44:36] - Jesus as the Fulfillment of Promise
[01:44:36] - Our Role in God's Redemptive Plan

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
1. Genesis 12:1-3
2. Exodus 19:4-6
3. Isaiah 49:6

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Observation Questions:

1. What was the significance of God's promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3, and how did it set the foundation for God's redemptive plan? [01:14:57]

2. In Exodus 19:4-6, what does God mean when He calls Israel a "kingdom of priests and a holy nation"? How does this relate to their purpose? [01:33:25]

3. How does Isaiah 49:6 describe Israel's role in God's plan for salvation, and what does it mean to be a "light for the Gentiles"? [01:41:12]

4. According to the sermon, how did Jesus fulfill the promise of a redeemer and embody Abraham's calling? [01:44:36]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. How does Abraham's faith, as described in Genesis 12:1-3, challenge the notion that our relationship with God is based on rituals or heritage? [01:14:57]

2. What implications does the calling of Israel as a "kingdom of priests" have for the church today in terms of our mission and purpose? [01:33:25]

3. In what ways did the prophets call Israel back to their mission, and how does this reflect God's unwavering commitment to His covenant? [01:41:12]

4. How does the fulfillment of God's promise in Jesus, as discussed in the sermon, redefine the church's role in the world today? [01:44:36]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on Abraham's journey of faith. How can you cultivate a similar trust in God's promises in your own life? [01:14:57]

2. As a member of the church, how can you actively participate in being a "light to the nations" in your community? What specific actions can you take this week? [01:33:25]

3. Consider the cycles of faithfulness and rebellion in Israel's history. Are there areas in your life where you find yourself in a similar cycle? How can you break free from it? [01:41:12]

4. Jesus fulfilled the promise of a redeemer. How can you embody His calling in your daily interactions with others? [01:44:36]

5. The sermon emphasized living distinctively in a world of competing claims. What are some practical ways you can reflect God's character in your workplace or school? [01:44:36]

6. How can you ensure that your life demonstrates God's power and love, drawing others to faith in Him? Identify one specific change you can make this week. [01:44:36]

7. In what ways can you support your church's mission to be a blessing and a light to the nations? Consider volunteering or participating in outreach programs. [01:44:36]

Devotional

Day 1: Faith as the Foundation of Relationship
God's redemptive plan is woven through history, beginning with Abraham and culminating in Jesus. Abraham's faith exemplifies the foundation of our relationship with God, which is based on trust and not on rituals or heritage. This faith is a call to partner with God in His mission to bless all nations. [01:14:57]

Hebrews 11:8-10 (ESV): "By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God."

Reflection: Consider a promise from God that you are holding onto. How can you actively trust Him today, even if the path is unclear?


Day 2: Purpose Over Privilege
Israel's role as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation was to reflect God's character and justice to the world. Their calling was not for privilege but for a purpose—to be a light to the nations, demonstrating what it means to live in covenant with God. [01:33:25]

Exodus 19:5-6 (ESV): "Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel."

Reflection: In what ways can you reflect God's character and justice in your community today, prioritizing purpose over privilege?


Day 3: Unbroken Promises
Despite Israel's repeated failures, God's promise of salvation remained unbroken. The prophets called Israel back to their mission, and even in exile, individuals like Daniel bore witness to God's faithfulness. This highlights God's unwavering commitment to His covenant and His people. [01:41:12]

Jeremiah 29:10-11 (ESV): "For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."

Reflection: Reflect on a time when you felt distant from God. How did you see His faithfulness in bringing you back to Him?


Day 4: Jesus, the Fulfillment of Promise
Jesus, the true Israelite, fulfills the promise of a redeemer, embodying Abraham's calling and bringing salvation to the world. As the church, we continue Israel's mission, called to be a blessing and a light, living distinctively in a world of competing claims. [01:44:36]

Galatians 3:14 (ESV): "So that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith."

Reflection: How can you embody the mission of being a blessing and a light in your interactions today?


Day 5: Reflecting God's Character
Our lives should reflect God's character, demonstrating His power and love to the world. We are called to walk in justice and righteousness, representing God and drawing others to faith in Him. This is our role in God's ongoing story of redemption. [01:44:36]

Micah 6:8 (ESV): "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"

Reflection: Identify one specific way you can demonstrate God's love and justice in your daily routine. How can this action draw others to Him?

Quotes

"Following the fall, when man chose a different path from what God intended, but God chose not to abandon or to destroy his creation, but to redeem it. He chose to do so within history, through people and events that ran from the call of Abraham to the return of Christ. The Old Testament shows us God's redemptive purpose, worked out in a specific historical and cultural context." [01:14:43]

"God revealed himself to Abram and promised him land, descendants and a part in his redemptive plan for humanity. What an amazing call. There's some important words here I want to highlight. God's promise was that he would be a blessing to all nations. Some people call this the first commission. The first great commission to go and to be a blessing." [01:15:40]

"Abraham was the prototype of faith and trust in God's unfolding plan. He shows us by example what it means to have faith in God. In Hebrews 11, we hear, Abraham obeyed God and went to a place he didn't know and made his home in a foreign land. He was enabled to become a father, even though he and his wife were both old." [01:16:20]

"Exodus is about God being faithful to his covenant promises to Abraham. The exodus was a movement not from slavery to freedom which we might think it is but it's really from slavery to covenant for relationship with the redeemer to serve his interests and his purposes in the world. Why was Israel chosen? The exodus is a model of God acting as a redeemer and it simultaneously demonstrates God's faithfulness, his justice and his love." [01:33:25]

"Israel was not chosen for privilege but for a purpose to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Israel are God's chosen people through his covenant with Abraham they thought of themselves as chosen to be favored by God that he would deliver them provide for them protect them but also plan for them to be a channel of blessing through them all the world would be blessed to be God's instrument of revelation through the covenant." [01:34:45]

"Throughout the time of the judges and the kings the prophets repeatedly called Israel back to their mission to be a light for the nation and then they were taken into exile. Eventually God allowed surrounding nations to remove them from the promised land and take them into exile and Babylon and Assyria. They suffered the consequences of failing to live as God's people but even in exile there were some people like Daniel who were faithful to God and bore witness to his character and calling." [01:41:12]

"God chose Israel for the other nations through a single people God reflected his character and delivered his word to the world and by keeping an ancient promise he extended salvation to all people for all time as stewards of God's truth Israel would be destroyed for the arrogance towards God's word and sharing it with the nations. God is faithful to his covenant but Israel was as much in need of God's salvation as the rest of the nations." [01:44:36]

"Jesus is the true Israelite who perfectly embodies Abraham's calling. Galatians says the scripture foresaw that God would justify the gentiles by faith and announce the gospel in advance to Abraham all nations will be blessed through you the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed meaning the one person who is Christ. What does Israel do that what does Jesus do that Israel does not do that Israel does not do that Israel does not do that Israel didn't." [01:47:06]

"As the church, we continue Israel's calling to be a blessing, a light, a people set apart for God's purposes, declaring his praises. I don't think it's an accident that we heard the global impact message today of going to the nations, but it's not just about the people who go, it's us, his whole church. We should be a witness for the living God in a world of competing claims by multiple gods. We should not be irrelevant or drive people away from God." [01:50:41]

"We are the people that God has redeemed and redeemed us for a purpose, to live redemptively in the world in response to God's redemption of us. We're chosen to be a people through whom God's blessing reaches all nations. We're called to walk in the ways of God in justice and righteousness in a corrupt world." [01:51:30]

"We are to represent God in the world and draw the world to God. We are to be people whose lives demonstrate the power of God. We are to be people whose lives demonstrate the character of God and attract others to faith in him. Above all, we are to know the living God and be uncompromisingly loyal to the Lord Jesus Christ in our worship and witness." [01:52:13]

"Lord God, I'm so grateful that you did not abandon your people after we took a detour, chose our own way. But you called for yourself a man and a people who would serve you. And who would represent you in the world. God, we don't get it right all the time, just as Israel didn't, as the judges and the kings didn't. But thank you, Lord, that you are faithful." [01:56:04]

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Transcript
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