- [00:00:00] We are living in times of unprecedented global migration, as immigration experts tell us. Over 300 million people worldwide have been displaced from their places of birth and have immigrated to different countries for various reasons. In the United States alone, with a population of around 330 million, more than 50 million are immigrants from other countries. Many come for economic opportunities, better jobs, or good education, while others are displaced due to war or persecution. Many of our stories reflect these experiences. - [00:00:43] We all vividly remember the first day we came to this country with just a few bags, not knowing the place or the people. Life as an immigrant is very different. You are uprooted from your familiar environment and placed in a new one, which can cause anxiety, especially in today’s political and social climate. Changing legal situations can affect people deeply, leading to questions like, \"What is God doing through all of this? Why am I here? Why did God bring me to this place?\" When challenges come, how do we interpret them? - [00:01:26] I was encouraged by a verse from Acts 17:26-27, which says, “And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward Him and find Him. Yet He is actually not far from each one of us.” This passage beautifully captures God\'s hand in all our stories. - [00:02:10] Today, we will look at one man, Abraham, to understand God’s covenant with him and how God continued His redemptive story through Abraham\'s life. We focus on Genesis chapter 12. To give some background, the first 11 chapters of Genesis cover nearly 2,000 years of human history, including covenants like the covenant of works with Adam, the covenant of grace after the fall, and the Noeic covenant after the flood. - [00:02:54] After the flood, mankind again chose a rebellious path. In Genesis 11:4, the descendants wanted to build a city and a tower—known as the Tower of Babel—to make a name for themselves, rejecting God’s sovereignty. In response, God dispersed them. After this, God picks one of Noah’s descendants, Abraham, to initiate a new covenant. - [00:04:21] The first 12 chapters cover 2,000 years, but the next 14 chapters focus solely on Abraham and his descendants Isaac and Jacob. This shift in timeline is remarkable. Moses, writing this while in exile in the desert with the Israelites, was encouraging them by reflecting on the story of their founding father, Abraham. - [00:04:59] One thing that stands out is the tremendous act of grace in God\'s choice of Abraham. We often sing the Sunday school song, “Father Abraham had many sons...” but God did not choose Abraham because of any greatness in him. Throughout the first 11 chapters, there is a faint ray of hope—a tiny seed in a single family line, the family of Seth, who called upon the name of the Lord amidst widespread idolatry. - [00:06:34] Genesis 11:27 traces the lineage from Terah to Abraham, marking the continuation of the Sethite line, where God\'s revelation remained alive. However, Abraham\'s family had fallen into idolatry. Terah’s name means “moon,” and Ur of the Chaldeans, where Abraham lived, was a center of lunar worship. Joshua later confirms this in Joshua 24, reminding the Israelites that Terah, Abraham’s father, worshiped other gods. - [00:07:54] Spiritually, Abraham’s lineage was at a dead end. The spiritual knowledge was nearly extinguished. Abraham himself was idol-worshiping and, physically, he and Sarah were unable to have children. This seemed like the end of the line. - [00:09:18] The genealogies in Genesis, often overlooked, reveal a pattern: each generation fathers a son in their 30s, but Abraham was 75 and still childless. God’s choice of Abraham at such a hopeless moment underscores His grace and power. Walter Brueggemann calls Sarah’s barrenness a metaphor for hopelessness—there was no foreseeable future or human ability to create one. - [00:12:05] Yet God calls Abraham, who is spiritually lost and personally at a dead end. God’s grace comes alive here. When you go through tough times, don’t interpret your life based on your current struggles. God is weaving a grand redemptive plan and you are part of it. - [00:13:24] Abraham becomes the father of three major world religions—Christianity, Islam, and Judaism—with half the world tracing their lineage to him. God calls Abraham to be the first missionary of the Bible. The Great Commission in Matthew 28 depends on the Abrahamic covenant, where God promises that through him, all nations will be blessed. - [00:14:09] We\'ll explore three themes: the call of faith, the walk of faith, and the life of faith. - [00:14:51] The call of faith begins with God’s command in Genesis 12:1: “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.” This is a radical command, not a suggestion. God’s call demands leaving behind the familiar. To hear God’s call is itself an act of grace. - [00:16:09] God does not choose us for our intelligence or status. He often chooses ordinary people. The call of God is radical: leave your past idols, your comfort zone, your family, and cleave to Him. - [00:17:20] Abraham was called to leave his country (Ur, a place of moon worship and idolatry), his kindred (those who looked and acted like him but pulled him down), and his father’s house (where his father settled comfortably, unwilling to move further). God’s call requires a sharp divide from one’s former life. - [00:20:09] Have you heard God’s call? If so, the first response should be gratitude. Sometimes we think we have nothing to leave behind, but ask yourself what idols you have—whether career, education, money, or success. In Silicon Valley, for example, the idols are often success and security. Even homeschooling can become an idol if it replaces faith. - [00:22:47] A subtle idol is the idolatry of mind, reason, and logic, reinforced by American individualism. This makes humility before God difficult. Many young people say, “I will only believe if it makes sense.” Education can weaponize a rebellious mind against faith. - [00:24:59] The question is: have you left all your idols? Faith is comprehensive; it moves your life in a new direction. God calls us to leave idols, culture, and comfort to follow Him fully. As Bonhoeffer wrote, “He whom God calls, He bids him come and die.” - [00:27:03] Abraham was able to hear God partly because of his spiritual heritage. Noah lived until two years before Abraham’s birth, and his son Shem lived for 502 years, overlapping with Abraham’s life. Thus, the flood’s memory and God’s covenant were still alive in Abraham’s generation. - [00:28:25] Older generations matter. In cultures that honor the elderly, they are seen as vessels of wisdom and faith. The mission of faith is often transmitted across generations. Parents and grandparents play a vital role in passing on faith. What you value in your home influences your children’s values. - [00:30:39] God’s call to Abraham includes seven “I will” statements, promising him a new place, a people, provision, and protection. Though Abraham leaves his nation, God promises to make him a great nation, bless him, make his name great, bless those who bless him, curse those who curse him, and bless all families of the earth through him. - [00:31:52] When Abraham leaves and cleaves to God, he gains a new identity and community. This is reflected in immigrant churches where people from diverse backgrounds become one family. The promise is not just for Abraham but extends to all who follow God’s call. - [00:34:26] Abraham had no evidence God’s promises would come true—no land, no child, no clarity—but he obeyed anyway. We should remember that our present situation is not the final word. God’s promises transcend delays, disappointments, and difficulties. - [00:35:47] Parents, this challenges us: our children are not our legacy but God’s mission field. Are we raising them to follow Christ or to seek comfort and safety? Faithful parenting is about transmitting faith, not guaranteeing outcomes. - [00:36:50] The walk of faith begins as Abraham obeys God’s call and sets out for Canaan at age 75, taking his wife Sarai, nephew Lot, possessions, and people acquired in Haran. He obeys without knowing exactly where he is going, trusting God’s word. - [00:37:43] Abraham’s journey is the first example of missional living. He goes to Canaan, the land of the Canaanites, who worshipped false gods. Abraham goes to the epicenter of pagan worship, the oak of Moreh at Shechem, signaling God’s strategy of engaging with cultural power centers. - [00:38:28] The apostle Paul followed this strategy, preaching in powerful cities with religious, philosophical, and political influence—Asia, Greece, and Rome. This is how the gospel spreads from the inside out. - [00:39:53] Silicon Valley today is a combination of these influences: Asian religions, Greek philosophy, and Roman political power. It is the least religious place in the world and a strategic mission field. God has brought many here for this mission. - [00:42:49] Paul teaches in 2 Corinthians that our weapons are spiritual, able to destroy arguments against God’s knowledge. We can be God’s channel of blessing in this challenging environment. - [00:44:09] God blesses Abraham as promised. Though surrounded by hostile Canaanites, God protects him. Abraham must wait 25 years for a son, and his descendants wait 400 years in Egypt before entering the promised land. Faith involves trusting God’s timing. - [00:45:56] The life of faith is characterized by Abraham pitching tents and building altars—he never owned a home but was always on the move, worshiping God wherever he went. - [00:47:01] Hebrews 11 praises Abraham’s faith: he obeyed God, lived as a foreigner, and looked forward to a heavenly city, trusting God’s promises beyond his earthly experience. - [00:47:40] Abraham’s faith culminated in his willingness to offer Isaac as a sacrifice, trusting God to fulfill His promises even beyond death. Isaac points forward to Jesus, the true promised Son. - [00:49:35] Jesus left His Father’s throne to come to earth, emptying Himself for our sake. He bore ultimate rejection and loss to redeem us and bring us into God’s family. Jesus’ sacrifice enables us to live the Abrahamic life—a life of faith, mission, and trust. - [00:50:47] If you feel unable to handle God’s call, remember Jesus already handled the ultimate call and loss. Because of Him, you have ultimate security and can take risks for God. Let God’s call transform your life, making you like Abraham—great and blessed with God’s promises.