Sermon: Church Planting in Canaan (Genesis 12:1-9)

From The Local Christendom Podcast with Aaron Ventura · 38:51

Show by Aaron Ventura

Church Planting in Canaan Sunday, October 25th, 2026 Twenty-Second Sunday After Pentecost Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WA Genesis 12:1–9 Prayer O Heavenly Father, we thank you for the example of our spiritual father Abraham, who sojourned in the land of Canaan, who forsook all to follow You, and because of his patience and faith, received the promised inheritance, not in this life, but in the life that is to come. Grant us to imitate his great faith, which is faith in Your Only Begotten Son, our Lord Jesus, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God forever, Amen. Introduction 4,000 years ago, Noah died. And two years after Noah’s death, Abram was born. Noah died in 1998 BC. And Abram was born to Terah in 1996 BC. Now a couple weeks ago we studied Genesis 11 and the building of the tower of Babel. And we saw how men conspired together to dethrone the Most High God. How did God respond? He responded graciously, by coming down and scattering the tongues and languages of men. Now as we come to Genesis 12, and the call of Abram, about 320 years have passed since that Babel event. And we find that Abram is living in Haran (500 miles north of Babylon), and with Abram, God is going to begin a new building project, which is the building of Christ’s kingdom. God has placed Genesis 11 and Genesis 12 right next to each other, to show us this difference between man’s way of exalting himself and building a kingdom against God, and God’s ways of exalting man to sit down next to Him in heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:6). God’s kingdom is built through humility, obedience, and patient faith in God’s promise. As it says in Zechariah 4:6, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, Saith the Lord of hosts. At Babel, man tried to make his own name great, but to Abram what does God say? I will make your name great. At Babel, man refused to leave his own country and kin. Instead of spreading out on the earth, he tried to build a world city (the first globalist empire against God). But to Abram God says, leave your country, leave your kindred, leave your father’s house, forsake your blood and soil, and go to a new land that I will show you. At Babel man tried to build a monument for posterity, a name which would not be forgotten. But where are the names of those builders today? Instead, their memory is an unfinished tower, forever testifying to their pride and folly. What does God build with and through Abram? God builds from him a great nation (many nations in fact), principally a holy nation and a royal priesthood. And through his loins, and the barren womb of Sarah, would come the promised redeemer and seed, the God-man Christ Jesus. Paul says in Galatians 3:16, Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. So Christ is the ultimate means by which blessing comes to Abram and all humanity. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 1:20 that in Christ Jesus, all the promises of God find their Yes and Amen. And so if you have the faith of Abram, which is faith in Christ, then you are an heir together with him. And just as Abram had to trust God, and wait patiently, and endure long trials, hoping against hope, so also must you in your own day. And so on this final morning, of us worshipping here together in this building, I want us to consider how God builds his kingdom through the faith and patience of His saints. Outline of the Text Our text divides into three sections: In verses 1-3, God issues a command and promises a blessing. In verses 4-6, Abram obeys and departs to Canaan. In verses 7-9, God appears to Abram, and Abram builds two altars for worship. So God commands and promises a blessing, Abram obeys and departs, and then God appears to Abram, and Abram builds a place for worship. Verses 1-3 – God gives a command and promises a blessing 1Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. Here we have a command followed by a promise. The command is to leave at least four things behind: 1. Abram must leave his own country/land 2. He must say goodbye to his kindred and extended relatives, 3. He must leave his father’s house, which we are told in Joshua 24:2 was a house of idolatry. And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Your fathers, including Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, dwelt on the other side of the River in old times; and they served other gods. Abram was to forsake his father’s gods and idolatrous ways. 4. And then fourth, Abram must relinquish the security and control that he presently has over his own life…

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