The Bible Storyline – Lesson 15 – October 4, 2026 – Gen 12

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The Bible Storyline

Biblical Truth

God patiently and persistently works to establish His Kingdom, and I will patiently and persistently serve His Kingdom.

SLBC is currently involved in a sermon series called “The Bible Storyline” – throughout this series we are becoming familiar with God’s unstoppable plan to:

• Overcome Evil
• Restore Creation
• Establish His Kingdom on Earth

The most recent sermons have established how the nations of the world came together, as well as God’s plan for them.

Key Truth

We are created in the image and after the likeness of God. Our purpose is to fill the earth with God’s image. That means when people encounter us they encounter what God is like. This shows up in our character, words, actions, etc.

God patiently and persistently works to establish His Kingdom, and I will patiently and persistently serve His Kingdom.

The key words in this statement are “Patiently” and “Persistently.”

The word “Patiently” identifies God’s ability to remain calm and not rush while working out His plan.

Because God is patiently working, He is not worried, frantic, hurried, or anxious.

The Bible shows us God is not in a hurry. See Gal 4:4

Galatians 4:4 4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

 

Romans 5:6 6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

 

These verses show us why God is not in a hurry. He has an appointed time for everything.

Each of the phrases “the fulness of the time” and “in due time” is describing an appointed time. Meaning God works on a schedule and even His unstoppable plan to overcome evil, restore creation, and establish His Kingdom on earth is on schedule.

That is why God is not in a hurry, anxious, or worried.

Worship Focus Take a moment to reflect on God’s patience.

 

The next keyword in the phrase is “Persistently.”

The word “persistently” identifies God as always active and engaged in fulfilling His plan. The fact that God is patiently working does not mean He is not actively and persistently engaged in His work.

Deuteronomy 7:9 9 Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;

 

John 5:17 17 But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.

 

Psalm 121:4 4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.

 

Worship Focus Take a moment to worship God for being persistent.

 

The Earthly Kingdom

Because God created the world by speaking it into existence, God could have effortlessly created the earth fully populated with His image bearers.

BUT God chose to start with one man and one woman, made in His image. He gave them the responsibility to multiply and fill the earth with other image bearers.

God intentionally chose a process that would take thousands of years to complete.

After the flood God chose one family and continued a process that would take thousands of years to complete.

Even the promise of a savior that would redeem mankind and destroy Satan was made in Gen 3:15, but God would not send Jesus until thousands of years later.

Established Nations vs. One Man

The previous sermon left us with the nations being established on the Earth. But once again, they are NOT bearing God’s image; they mostly belong to the Kingdom of Satan.

But God still has a plan to change that. However, He does not start big; He starts small.

God plans to develop a nation that will be the example to all other nations of the earth.

This nation will be governed by God’s holy laws.

They will worship, obey, and proclaim the ONE TRUE GOD.

This nation will live in fellowship with God.

He will be with them, protect them, provide for them.

They will image His character in such a way that when any person or nation wants to know God, they will come to this nation to learn about Him.

But God does not start with a nation, He starts with one man – Abraham!

God patiently and persistently works to establish His Kingdom, and I will patiently and persistently serve His Kingdom.

God is not in a hurry. It will take generations to establish a nation from one man’s descendants.

God does not even start with a man who has many sons and grandsons.

He starts with a man who has NO children.

And God does not immediately give this man children.

He waits decades before giving him the son he promised.

That son will have to grow up, have kids, grandkids, etc.

This is a very long process.

But God patiently and persistently works to establish His kingdom.

Genesis 12:1-4 tells us what God determined to do through Abraham.

Genesis 12:1–4 1 Now 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: 2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. 4 So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.

 

Notice God immediately says He will make a great NATION. Gen 12:2

Genesis 12:2 2 And I will make of thee a great nation,…

 

God is NOT choosing Abraham over the other nations.

By this, I mean God is NOT rejecting all other nations.

He is choosing Abraham to play a role in the Kingdom of God that will eventually include people from all nations.

Isaiah 2:2 2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

 

Isaiah 49:6 6 And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.

 

Isaiah 60:1–3 1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. 2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. 3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

 

Zechariah 8:23 23 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.

 

Deuteronomy 4:5–8 5 Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the LORD my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. 6 Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. 7 For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for? 8 And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?

 

Exodus 19:5–6 5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: 6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

 

Four Thousand Years & Counting

God started making a nation that would image Him and all nations would be able to experience and learn about God through them.

That was a plan that would take a lot of time.

God determined that every nation of the earth would be blessed by, or through, the nation that comes from Abraham.

Jesus is the fulfillment of this promise.

• Through Abraham God would send the Savior of the world that was promised back in Gen 3:15.
• But Jesus would not come to earth for another 2,000 years after God called Abraham.
• This means from God’s promise in Gen 3:15 to Jesus’ arrival in Bethlehem was approximately 4,000 years.
• Furthermore, it has been approximately 2,000 years since Jesus came to earth and was born in Bethlehem.

This reminds us that:

God patiently and persistently works to establish His Kingdom, and I will patiently and persistently serve His Kingdom.

While God is not in a hurry (He is patiently working), He also never stops working (He is persistently working).

My role is to image God – therefore I must patiently and persistently work in and for the Kingdom of God.

Application

1. Think Beyond Your Lifetime
2. Be Active During Your Lifetime

Think Beyond Your Lifetime

God chose Abraham to play an important role in the Kingdom of God.

But the majority of what God was doing would not develop during Abraham’s life.

• He never lived to see the nation that God created.
• He never lived to own and occupy the land God promised.

We are part of God’s Kingdom, and we advance His kingdom. But we all must look beyond our own lifespan to what God is doing.

Isaiah 46:9–10 9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:

 

Failure to look beyond our lifespan results in:

• Discouragement

• Distraction

• Derailment

But when we think beyond our lifetime we are encouraged to keep being faithful now: Hebrews 11:13-16

Hebrews 11:13–16 13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. 15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. 16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

 

Be Active During Your Lifetime

Abraham was patient and persistent as he followed God’s instructions.

Being patient and persistent means being active when you do not see results.

Being patient and persistent requires knowing and fulfilling your assignment.

• Abraham was called to leave his homeland and family, to go to a land where he would be an outsider.
• He followed that call, and nothing amazing or spectacular happened that he could see.

Being patient and persistent means living a life that follows God; doing the daily mundane things in a way that images God; and sharing God with those who encounter our lives.

1 Corinthians 15:58 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

 

Questions

1.  Are you able to look beyond your lifetime to see the work God is doing for the kingdom? 2.  Does looking beyond your lifetime encourage you to be faithful to the mission? 3.  How will this statement guide your life: God patiently and persistently works to establish His Kingdom, and I will patiently and persistently serve His Kingdom.