Calvary Hills Baptist Church

In this somewhat obscure but important story, we find a foundational and instructive passage on how God's people should interact with others. God desires for his people to live at peace, as best as they can, with all. We should pursue peace, restore peace, and promote ongoing peace all to the glory of God.

We see several threats to the covenant through the story of Abraham. Here in chapter 20 we find another, similar threat. Abraham decides again to pass his wife off as his sister to a foreign king. Instead of trusting God's provision, he operates out of fear and takes things into his own hands. This passage teaches us that the will of God is not frustrated by the schemes of men.

There is a call from Genesis 19, to God's people throughout history, to not love the world, for it is passing away. In and through this charge we come to see the depths of sin are great, the allure of sin is powerful, and the effects of sin are real. Christ's bride must put of sin and set her mind of heavenly things.

God is a God of justice and we know this by his word and his actions. He is just, right, and good in all that his sovereign hand does. As his people, we are to know his justice and righteousness and champion them in this world.

God redeems a people for himself, a people he desires to fellowship with, by the impossible. Is anything too hard for God? The answer according to the text is emphatically no! Only when it is humanly impossible will Isaac come onto the scene. Then and only then can we know that the covenant promise did not come about by human effort but was of God.

In a passage where God makes it clear who the covenant is between,  what the covenant is about, and how the covenant will work, we are reminded of our need for faith and repentance.

In this unique part of Abram's story, we come to know that God sees and hears us in our affliction. There are consequences for not submitting to God's ways and there is waiting when submitting to God's ways.

Amid fear, the Lord guarantees his promises will be fulfilled. Although fear is something we all face, this passage reminds us that faith exceeds fear, God's word opposes fear, and God's promises triumph over fear.

The theme "the battle belongs to the Lord" serves to remind God's people that he is sovereign and they must trust him. In the spiritual war we find ourselves in as the church, the text reminds us to flee from sin, champion righteousness in the land, and give God the glory in victory.

Jesus uses a simple illustration of a fig tree to relate to our Christian walk. In your daily Christian walk, are you just showing off or do you produce fruit that blesses others?

Amid strife and uncertainty, God establishes those who put their faith in him. As we consider Abram and his nephew Lot in Genesis 13, we see the difference between walking by faith and walking by sight. We are also reminded of the blessing of the promise that is given to all sons and daughters of Abram by faith.