Message Notes
The Process
10/18/2026
THE PROCESS
We ended Genesis part 1 last year with God entering into an unconditional covenant promise with Abram that we now refer to as the “Abrahamic Covenant” in Genesis chapter 12.
Genesis 12:1-3: The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”
If Abram wants the blessings of the promises of God, he’s got to be willing to step out in faith and obey God. “We all want God’s promise, but we don’t always want God’s process.”
Genesis 12:4-6: So Abram departed as the Lord had instructed, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. He took his wife, Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all his wealth—his livestock and all the people he had taken into his household at Haran—and headed for the land of Canaan. When they arrived in Canaan, Abram traveled through the land as far as Shechem. There he set up camp beside the oak of Moreh. At that time, the area was inhabited by Canaanites.
Hebrews 11:8-9: It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents.
“Your obedience in the middle of the uncertainty is what matters most to God.”
Genesis 11:30: But Sarai was unable to become pregnant and had no children.
Joshua 24:2: Joshua said to the people, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Long ago your ancestors, including Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River, and they worshiped other gods.”
“You are not immune to the influence of family or culture.” And the sooner you come to grips with this reality, the freer you will be to walk in obedience to God no matter what circumstances surround you.
Genesis 12:7-9: Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your descendants.” And Abram built an altar there and dedicated it to the Lord, who had appeared to him. After that, Abram traveled south and set up camp in the hill country, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. There he built another altar and dedicated it to the Lord, and he worshiped the Lord. Then Abram continued traveling south by stages toward the Negev.
Genesis 12:10-13: At that time a severe famine struck the land of Canaan, forcing Abram to go down to Egypt, where he lived as a foreigner. As he was approaching the border of Egypt, Abram said to his wife, Sarai, “Look, you are a very beautiful woman. When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife. Let’s kill him; then we can have her!’ So please tell them you are my sister. Then they will spare my life and treat me well because of their interest in you.”
Why would God let this happen? God wouldn’t make this happen…would he? Yet our “God is so good that no matter where the difficult circumstances originate, he’s willing to use them for our good.”
God doesn’t need to put me through a test so he can see how I will respond… “God is putting me through the test to show me how I will respond.”
When you’re tempted to take matters into your own hands is where most of us struggle taking next steps in our spiritual life. “I can’t trust God with____.” And we stay where we are instead of growing in our faith. “If you want to grow, you have to be willing to leave the comfort of the certain for the discomfort of the uncertain.”
1 Corinthians 10:12-13: “If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.”
One surefire way to put yourself in danger of moral failure is doing what Abram is doing and running without even considering what God wants. “When you run from God…it always opens you up moral failure.”
What is your emotional response to the stress of difficult circumstances? “What struggle is God using to help you grow you into spiritual maturity?”
The answer to that question is whatever struggle continues to come back into your life over and over.
Genesis 12:14-20: And sure enough, when Abram arrived in Egypt, everyone noticed Sarai’s beauty. When the palace officials saw her, they sang her praises to Pharaoh, their king, and Sarai was taken into his palace. Then Pharaoh gave Abram many gifts because of her—sheep, goats, cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels. But the Lord sent terrible plagues upon Pharaoh and his household because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. So Pharaoh summoned Abram and accused him sharply. “What have you done to me?” he demanded. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ and allow me to take her as my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and get out of here!” Pharaoh ordered some of his men to escort them, and he sent Abram out of the country, along with his wife and all his possessions.