Genesis 19

• Genesis 19:26 – We are not told exactly why Lot’s wife looked back, but we know God didn’t approve since she was struck dead.
• Genesis 19:34-38 – Bad choices can affect our family for generations.

Genesis 20 – Abraham and Abimelech

• Genesis 20:1-2 – Abraham has a relapse of faith. Abraham assumes Abimelech is evil. Abimelech takes Sarah. Sarah must have been pretty good looking for a 90+ year old woman!
• Genesis 20:3-7 – We see another example of God keeping His promise to protect Abraham. God also respects Abimelech’s heart. Think of Uzzah.
• Genesis 20:8-14 – Abimelech approaches Abraham and restores Sarah.
• Genesis 20:15-18 – Abraham prays for Abimelech and his people.

Genesis 21 – God keeps his promise

• Genesis 21:1-6 – Isaac is born. God keeps his promise. They name him “he laughs” as God commanded. It would remind them of when they doubted God. Abraham follows God’s instruction to circumcise Isaac.
• Genesis 21:7-21 – Sarah has a bad attitude against Hagar. Abraham is distressed but he trusts God. Hagar leaves, then God saves and blesses them. Was this fair?
• Genesis 21:22-34 – Abimelech and Abraham make a covenant. They place is called Beersheba. Why is this story in the Bible?

Genesis 22 – Abraham finally lives up to the hype

• Genesis 22:1-2 – In light of sending Ishmael away, God tells Abraham to offer Isaac.
• Genesis 22:3-8 – Abraham travels about 40 miles to obey God and prepares to worship. Isaac understands what worship was.
  • Where is Mt. Moriah?
    • II Chronicles 3:1; Matthew 26:36
    • This is where Solomon built the temple and where Jesus prayed before His crucifixion.
  • Genesis 22:8 – “God will provide for Himself the lamb” – this was prophecy about Jesus! In the case of Isaac, God provided a ram for the sacrifice.
• Genesis 22:9-14 – Abraham attempts to go through with offering his son. God provides a ram.
• Genesis 22:15-19 – God blesses Abraham and all people forever because of Abraham’s obedience. God knows the hearts of men.
• Genesis 22:20-24 – God sets the stage for Isaac’s future wife.

The Holy Spirit taught a lot of truth through PEOPLE.

• Could you summarize the Bible without using any names?
• Leviticus 19:18
• Luke 10:25-37 – Jesus taught this truth through people. Here’s what is looks like to be a neighbor.
• For example:
  • I Corinthians 10:1-13
    • Exodus 32:4-6 – quoted from I Corinthians 10:7
    • Numbers 25:1-9 – referenced from I Corinthians 10:8
    • Numbers 21:4-6 – referenced from I Corinthians 10:9
    • Numbers 16:41-49 – possibly what is being referenced from I Corinthians 10:10
    • These stories are written as examples! God does not look kindly on grumbling and complaining.
  • Genesis 4:2-7
    • Genesis 4:4-5 – This showed that God expected to be worshiped in the way He commanded. Just because we have a talent doesn’t mean that we can use it to worship God. Abel worshiped from faith (Hebrews 11:4).
    • Genesis 4:7 – Cain had a choice!

We’ll notice some unique things about the Holy Spirit’s descriptions.

• He’s absolutely honest about the good and the bad.
  • II Chronicles 25:2
• He writes about people differently than we probably would.
  • I Kings 11:4
  • The Holy Spirit is much more concise than we would be!
• He knows more about us than we know about ourselves.
  • John 12:42-43

Acts 9

• Acts 9:1-2 – Persecuting Christians was Saul’s goal in life at this point!
• Acts 9:3-5 – From other references, we find this happened about noon and the voice Saul heard was in a Hebrew dialect. Saul was persecuting Christians, but he is rebuked for persecuting Jesus Himself.
• Acts 9:6-9 - Acts 9:27; 26:16; I Corinthians 15:38 – Just as other apostles saw the resurrected Jesus, so did Paul.
• Acts 9:10-16 – Ananias went to Saul and restores his sight. Saul is immediately baptized. Paul took food and went through a time of refreshing.
• Acts 9:20-22 – Saul began preaching Jesus immediately!
• Acts 9:23-25 – Now Saul is under attack from the Jews. The disciples help him escape by letting him down from the wall in a basket.
• Acts 9:26-31 – Saul saw the need to join a local church, but they were scared to allow him in. Barnabas vouched for Saul.
• Acts 9:32-35 – Peter healed a paralytic man in front of the residents of Lydda and Sharon.
• Acts 9:36-43 – Peter restores Tabitha (Dorcas) to life. Peter then stays in Joppa with Simon, a tanner.

Introduction

• Matthew 23

Go back and build the foundation: my heart.

• Acts 8:21-22 – The root problem was Simon’s heart.
• Luke 6:43-45 – Actions come from what is in the heart. You can’t skip the heart and go straight to the actions.
• Matthew 22:37 – The greatest command: love.
• I John 4:19
• It may be helpful to sit and think (meditate) about love.

Be humble enough to remember that I’m a work in progress.

• Romans 12:3
• I need to have an accurate view of myself and be humble enough to see where I need work.
• Stop faking and start learning!
• Luke 18:13-14 – The humble will be exalted.
• I John 1:8-9 – If we say we have no sin, we lie!

Build a faith that is my own.

• Matthew 22:36-38 – Our priority must be loving God.
• I Corinthians 1:12-15 – Paul was correcting misplaced allegiance.
• Our actions must be motivated by a heart that wants to serve God.
• John 7:46-52
• Romans 10:17

[NOTE: Unfortunately, we had a wireless microphone die during this class, so there is a couple minutes of silence that have been cut from this recording at around the 8:30 mark. Sorry about that!]

Genesis 17

• Genesis 17:1-8 - God repeats His covenant with Abraham and changes his name:
  • Abram: exalted father
  • Abraham: father of a multitude
• Genesis 17:9-14 – All males commanded to be circumcised as a sign from God.
• Genesis 17:15-22 – God blesses Sarai and says she will be the mother of nations. God changes Sarai’s name to Sarah. The change is very minor but reinforces the fact that both Abraham and Sarah were given new names by God. God confirms that the blessing will come through Sarah.
• Genesis 17:22-27 – Abraham did as God commanded that very day.

Genesis 18

• Genesis 18:1-8 – Abraham and Sarah are visited by three men. Abraham prepares them a tremendous amount of food (thirty pounds of flour, over thirty loves of bread). Abraham calls one of them lord (H112 adon).
• Genesis 18:9-15 – At some point Abraham realizes that these men are different and that one of them is God. Sarah laughs at herself and gets called out. In Genesis 18:13, one of the men is referred to as Jehovah.
• Genesis 18:16-33 – God tells Abraham what He is about to do to Sodom. Abraham asks God to spare the city. Abraham calls Him adonay (H135), a reverent term for Yahweh (Genesis 18:27, 30, 31).

Genesis 19: Sodom and Gomorrah

• Genesis 19:1-7 – Two men enter the gates of Sodom and Lot invites them to his house. The people of Sodom come to sin with them.
• Genesis 19:8-11 – Lot offers his daughters. Men complain of Lot’s judgment, and they are struck with blindness.
• Genesis 19:12-23 – The men had to drag Lot and his wife and daughters out of Sodom. See II Peter 2:7-8.
• Genesis 19:24-29 – God destroys Sodom and the whole area except where Lot had gone. Lot’s wife looks back (Luke 17:32). Abraham looked on from a distance and saw the destruction.
• Genesis 19:30-38 – Lot’s daughters get Lot drunk in order to have children. The people of Moab and Ammon are born.

Lessons from Sodom and Gomorrah

1. Fame and fortune are not worth your soul.
2. Stay away from things that torment your soul (II Peter 2:6-8).
3. Tradition is not an excuse to sin.
4. Excuses can be made for just about anything.
5. Sin is the worst thing in the world.
6. Be honest when someone is judging you truthfully.
7. Be patient.
8. Alcohol can cause us to do unspeakable things.
9. Bad choices can affect our family for generations.