Week Two: God Builds a Nation

I can already tell that I'm going to be pulling my hair out for the next 31 weeks!  (What's left of it anyway.)  I've been reading through chapter two this week and I'm really struggling to figure out how to approach preaching it on Sunday.  There is so much here!  Chapter two picks up with the call of Abram.  A few years ago I did an 8 week series through the life of Abraham.  In 2013 I did another 6 week series through the patriarchs, "Founding Fathers."  I am faced this week with how to compound what took me fourteen weeks to preach previously into one knock 'em out sermon.  Can it be done?  I doubt it.

Here's some of the many ways I could go with this... see what you think:

• The call of Abram... how God tapped an unlikely elderly couple living in the middle of ancient Mesopotamia to play the most vital role in human history, save perhaps Adam & Eve, up to that point.
• The faith of Abram... how God obeyed and went when God told him to go, even though God would not tell him where he would be going!
• How God made an unbelievable promise to this elderly couple, who also had happened to be barren all of their life... that they would have a child in their old age.  Sarai laughed and is it any wonder?  Wouldn't you?
• How Abraham & Lot had to part ways at one point, but then Lot got himself into a fair amount of trouble and Abraham had to come to the rescue.  This is the one "Action & Adventure" part of the story that is fairly exciting to me!
• I am intrigued that God allowed Abraham to plead with Him over the cities of Sodom & Gomorrah... two places which had become "hell on earth" in their debauchery and sin.  "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy."
• I bask in the fulfillment of promise as Isaac indeed is born and becomes heir to the riches of God... yet am left scratching my head in disbelief at the request made of Abraham to take his boy to Mount Moriah and there sacrifice Him.  The Lord provides.  Thank you Lord that Abraham learned this most important lesson and was faithful.
• The love story of Isaac and Rebekah intrigues me... but not more so than the love story of Jacob & Rachel.... and Leah.  Two women... sure does seem like an awful dirty trick (Laban!)  
• God's nation begins to take shape as Jacob becomes the father of not one, not two, not three... but TWELVE bouncing baby boys... boys who would grow up and become the fathers or the patriarchs of the twelve tribes.
• and I am particularly struck by Jacob... by his tumultuous childhood, his deceptive nature, his reunion with an estranged brother and by his honest wrestling with God.  Don't we all wrestle with God?

Well... where would you go on Sunday?  As you read through chapter two this week ask yourself two questions:  (1) What is God 'up to' here?  What is he doing?  and (2)  What is He calling ME to do in response?

See you Sunday.  Have a blessed rest of the week.

Jim