NBC Sunday School Manual For September 4, 2022 :Topic – The Call Of Abram

By | September 4, 2022

NBC Sunday School Manual For September 4, 2022 :Topic – The Call Of Abram

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NBC SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

Sunday, September 4, 2022

TOPIC: THE CALL OF ABRAM

Devotional Reading: Hebrews 11:8-19

Background Scripture: Genesis 12:1-7; 15:1-7

Lesson Scripture: Genesis 12:1-5,7; 15:7-17

GOLDEN TEXT:
The LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So, he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him. Genesis 12:7

Objectives: By the end of the lesson, class members should be able to:

I . List God’s promises to Abram when He called him.

II. Discuss the benefits of obeying God’s call.

III. Make a commitment to obey God whenever they are called to do any assignment.

INTRODUCTION
We live in a world where people made promises but do not fulfill them. Unlike God who is a promise eper; He makes promises based on what He can do. The story of Abraham is one of the familiar Bible stories. Abraham’s story is peculiar due to the fact that it teaches us faith in God. Abram answered God’s call by faith.God called Abram and entered into a covenant relationship with him. God told him to leave his father’s house to a far-away country where He I would show him. The call reveals his total submission because he left his country, people and his household (v.1). Severally, God spoke directly to him with the promise to make his family great in the land He promised to give to him. Even though the promises were delayed, Abram still had faith in God. He believed everything God said to him would come to pass.

Abram’s encounter with God was premised on a covenant. God made a covenant with him, which was sealed by circumcision. Abram’s obedience, through faith, to all of God’s instruction made Paul to assert in Galatians 3:6-9 that anyone who has faith in God is a true descendant of Abraham. Abram’s call unfolded God’s long time plan for humankind. Two thousand years later, Jesus Christ, Abraham’s descendant came to fulfill the promise God made to him.

THE LESSON EXPLAINED

A. A Call into a New Covenant. Genesis 12:1-5,7

Chapter 12 of the book of Genesis begins with God’s call to Abram. The call was with the command that Abram should leave all – his people and father’s house to an unknown destination, which He promised to show to him (v.1). However, the call came with promises. For instance, God promised to: ▪︎ Make him into a great nation and to bless him.
▪︎ Make his name great among the nations so that he will be a blessing.
▪︎ Bless those who bless him and curse those who curse him.
▪︎ Bless people on the earth through him.
In obedience to the call, Abram left as the Lord had commanded. He went with all that belonged to him, including Lot his cousin. Abram demonstrated prompt obedience to God’s call at the age of seventy-five. Although Abram’s call to go to an unknown place looks like a difficult task from human point of view, his quick response is amazing. Little wonder, God said in verse 7, “To your offspring I will give this land….”Abram’s act of faith to believe God for what He promised to do and according to His instructions made the author of Hebrews credited him for his faith. This singular step of faith made him the progenitor of a new community through which God has brought about salvation to humankind. In other words, God’s dealing with Abram was a move towards saving humanity, which culminated in the coming of the promised Messiah from the lineage of Abraham (Matthew 1). It is important to take note of Abram’s prompt obedience to God’s call. God is still in the business of calling people into various ministries with the purpose of reaching many for Christ. When we obey His call, we can be sure of God’s blessings.

DISCUSSION TIME
1. Discuss how the whole world has benefited from God’s covenant with/through Abram.
2. What are some of the things people consider too difficult to leave in order to follow Jesus?

B. God Affirms His Promise to Abram. Genesis 15:7-11

One of the attributes of God is that He is faithful in keeping His covenant and promises. Having obeyed God, God reminded Abram of His promise to give the land of the Chaldeans to him as a possession. God said, “I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it.” However, Abram wondered how the promise would come to fulfilment. He said, “O Sovereign Lord, how can I know that I will gain possession of it” (v.8).God’s response did not directly answer Abram’s question of when the promise would be fulfilled. To reassure him, God asked him to bring some animals- a heifer, a ram, a goat (all three years old), adove and a young pigeon. He should cut them into half each except for the birds, and place the halves opposite each other. Birds of the air came down on the bodies and Abram drove them away (v.11). Without doubt, this was a sacrifice that sealed the covenant between God and Abram. It was an ancient tradition of making sure people do not break covenants (Jeremiah 34:18-19).

God is ever faithful to His promises. Whenever He enters into a covenant relationship with an individual, family or a nation, He makes sure the promises come to pass. Even though Abram doubted God’s promise of possessing the land and having numerous descendants, all the promises were fulfilled. God reaffirmed His promise to him and authenticated it with the sacrifice of cutting animals into two halves. As much as it is important to believe God for His promises, we should also be patient. Believers should learn to wait for God’s appointed time to fulfill His promises instead of doubting what He can do. Sometimes, the delay can be a test of faith.

DISCUSSION TIME
1. Is it biblical to seek for signs in order to confirm God’s promises to us as believers?
2. How long should believers wait for the promises of God to be fulfilled in their lives?

C. Abram’s Vision. Genesis 15:12-17
The dialogue between God and Abram in a vision from the beginning of the chapter is interesting. According to verse 12, Abram fell asleep at sunset with fear and terror amidst a thick and dreadful darkness over him. Then God revealed what will happen to his descendants (the children of Israel) in a strange land to him. He explained to him how his descendants would be enslaved and maltreated for a period of four hundred years. Nevertheless, God promised to punish the nation who would oppress them, and that his descendants would regain their freedom with great possessions (v.14). Furthermore, God promisedAbram a long peaceful life anddeath andthepromise was fulfilled in due time. His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron (Genesis 25:8). At sunset, a smoking fire pot with a blazing torch passed between the pieces of the slaughtered animals. God used the sacrifice to seal His covenant relationship with Abram. In fact, He assured him again saying, “To your descendants, I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates…” The promise reached its greatest extent during the reign of King Solomon (1 Kings 4:21).

It should be noted that the smoking fire pot and the blazing torch also represents the presence of God with Abram. It is similar to the pillar of cloud and fire that led the people of Israel throughout their wilderness experience and the smoke at Sinai. It is important to know that Abram believed God’s promises to him, thus, he became a model to all believers. The fact that God fulfilled all the promises He made to Abram suggests that He is a promise keeping God. When we believe and obey God whenever He calls us with a particular assignment, it is certain that we will enjoy His unfailing promises at the fullness of time like Abram did.

DISCUSSION TIME
1. How should believers celebrate God’s fulfilled promises in their lives?
2. How should Christians respond to God’s promises that are yet to be fulfilled?

Commitment: Based on today’s lesson, make a personal commitment to trust God and believe His promises.

Fellowship and Ministry Building Activity
▪︎ Let class members pick a partner and make a list of what God has done for them, what promises He has fulfilled and praise God together.

Prayer Points
▪︎ Lord, help me to obey You at every time.
▪︎ Father, may I not doubt Your promises for my life in Jesus’ name.
▪︎ Jesus, let Your presence be evident in my life.

Take Home: State at least three main lessons you are taking home based on today’s lesson.

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