UNWAVERING
Faith and Relationship
WARM-UP
Do you consider yourself adventurous? Why or why not?
How do you make new friends?
Tell us about a time you did something that is out of your comfort zone. What happened?
WORD
The Call of Abram
1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go [for your benefit and for your good] from your country and your father’s household to the land that I will show you.
2 “And I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you [with wealth],
and I will make your name great,
and you will be a [source of] blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
and the one who curses you I will curse;
and in you [i.e., in your name] all the peoples of the earth will be blessed.” GEN 12:1-3
Faith is complete trust in something or someone. As we follow Christ, he urges us to have faith in God (Mar 11:22). But our faith in God is possible and makes sense only in a thriving relationship with him. Today, we will look at three ways to describe faith through the life of Abraham, a great man of faith.
And Jesus answered saying to them, “Have faith in God.” MAR 11:22
The head of Ephraim is Samaria,
and the head of Samaria is Remaliah’s son.
If you do not believe,
surely you will not be believed. ISA 7:9
Rashi’s Commentary
If you do not believe—My prophecy, you, Ahaz, and his people, for I know that you are wicked.
Surely you will not be believed—There is no truth in you.
1 It takes faith to follow God.
Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go [for your benefit and for your good] from your country and your father’s household to the land that I will show you. GEN 12:1
Abram, more commonly known as Abraham, was a wealthy man who seemed to have everything he needed and wanted in life. But God called
Abraham to completely follow and depend on him,
abandoning everything he was familiar and comfortable with for the chance to know God. It takes faith to follow Him. Share about the time God called you to follow and know Him more.
Rashi’s Commentary
Go (literally, go to you)—For your own benefit, for your own good: there I will make of you a great nation whilst here you will not merit the privilege of having children (Rosh Hashanah 16b). Furthermore, I shall make known your character throughout the world (Midrash Tanchuma, Lech Lecha 3).
And I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you [with wealth],
and I will make your name great,
and you will be a [source of] blessing. GEN 12:2
As a wealthy man, Abraham may have already planned
2 Faith is a call to be part of His plan and purpose.
how he would manage his wealth, life, and family. But God had better plans in mind for him. He would make Abraham a great nation, bless him, and make his name great. The only appropriate response to the unseen plans and purposes of God is faith. Recall a time God showed you that His plan was different from yours. What happened? How did you respond?
Rashi’s Commentary
And I will make you into a great nation—Since travelling is the cause of three things—it decreases (breaks up) family life, it reduces one’s wealth and lessens one’s fame, he therefore needed these three blessings: that God should promise him children, wealth and a great name (Bereishit Rabbah 39:11).
And I will bless you—With wealth (Bereishit Rabbah 39:11).
And you will be a blessing—Blessings are entrusted to you; hitherto they were in my power—I blessed Adam and Noah—but from now on you shall bless whomsoever you wish (Bereishit Rabbah 39:11). Another explanation is: And I will make you into a great nation, this alludes to the fact that
we say in our prayer “God of Abraham”; And I will
bless you—that we say, “God of Isaac”; And I will make your name great—that we say, “God of Jacob”. One might think that we should conclude the benediction in which these invocations are recited by mentioning again the names of all the patriarchs—the text therefore states “And you will be a blessing” meaning, with you (i.e. with your name only) shall they conclude the benediction and not with them (their names) (Pesachim 117b).
3 I will bless those who bless you,
and the one who curses you I will curse;
and in you [i.e., in your name] all the families of the earth will be blessed.” GEN 12:2-3
Because of Abraham’s faith, the plans and purposes of God for him were fulfilled. His faith affected not only
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3 Faith is a call beyond ourselves.
2 “And I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you [with wealth],
and I will make your name great,
and you will be a [source of] blessing.
himself but also his family, and ultimately all the families of the earth. Our faith goes beyond ourselves and affects our relationships with our families, friends, and others. How has your thriving relationship with God affect those around you?
Rashi’s Commentary
In you . . . will be blessed—There are many aggadoth concerning this but the plain sense of the text is as follows: A man says to his son, “May you become as Abraham.” This, too, is the meaning wherever the phrase “in you . . . will be blessed” occurs in Scripture, and the following example proves this: (Gen 48:20) “In you will Israel bless, saying: ‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’ ”
He blessed them that day, saying,
“In you [i.e., in your blessings] will Israel bless [their sons in future generations], saying:
‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’ ”
Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh. GEN 48:20
APPLICATION
Do you have a relationship with God that is founded on faith? Would you want to put your faith in him starting today?
What is one thing you can do this week to continue to thrive in your relationship with God?
Do you have a family member or friend whom God is calling you to encourage with your faith? How can you preach the gospel to him/her this week?
PRAYER
Thank God for calling you to a relationship with him. Pray that you will choose to have faith in him every day.
Pray for God to reveal his plans for you as you seek him every day. Pray for the grace to always respond in faith and to grow deeper in your relationship with him.
Pray that as you put your faith in God daily, you will be a blessing and an encouragement to others. Pray that this will open doors to preach the gospel to them.
This work, "UNWAVERING: Faith and Relationship" is a derivative of "UNWAVERING: Victory Series" © 2018 by VICTORY® All rights reserved