Part 1: Faith in the Face of the Unknown (Genesis 11:27–12:4)
Sermon Summary
Faith is not about having all the answers or controlling every outcome; it’s about taking the next right step in obedience to God, even when the path ahead is unclear. Throughout history and in our own lives, we are tempted to believe the myth that certainty comes from control. Yet, Scripture consistently calls us to surrender—not to follow our own hearts, but to follow the One who made them. Abraham’s story in Genesis is a powerful example of this. He was called to leave behind the familiar, to step into the unknown, and to trust God’s faithfulness without a detailed map or timeline. His journey began not with perfect obedience or complete understanding, but with a willingness to move forward, one step at a time.
Life is filled with uncertainty—economic instability, relational strain, personal loss, and the ever-present reality of change. In these moments, the temptation is to grasp for control, to plan and organize our way into a sense of security. But God invites us into a different way: to do the next right thing He has made clear, even if it feels risky or incomplete. Faith grows not by seeing the whole picture, but by trusting God with each step, allowing Him to shape us into people who can carry His purposes.
Abraham’s call was not just about reaching a destination; it was about becoming someone through whom God could bless the world. The promise given to Abraham was both personal and global—God would bless him, but also make him a blessing to others. This is the pattern for all who follow God: faith is both directional (moving when God says move) and transformational (becoming the kind of person God can use). The journey may be marked by delayed obedience, imperfection, and uncertainty, but God’s faithfulness remains constant.
In a world that prizes self-reliance and personal fulfillment, God’s call is countercultural. True fulfillment is found not in seeking our own comfort or clarity, but in surrendering to God’s leading, trusting His promises, and letting Him use our lives to bless others. The question for each of us is simple, though not easy: Will we trust God enough to take the next right step, even when we cannot see the whole path?
Key Takeaways
1. Surrender, Not Control: The myth that certainty comes from control is deeply ingrained in our culture, but God calls us to surrender instead.True faith is not about managing every variable or securing our own outcomes, but about releasing our grip and trusting the One who holds the future. Surrender is the soil in which faith grows, and it is the first step toward genuine obedience. [12:17]
2. Faith Begins in the Unknown: Abraham’s journey started in the midst of loss, unfinished plans, and uncertainty.God’s call often comes when we are in the “in-between,” asking us to move forward without a full understanding of what lies ahead. Faith is not the absence of doubt or fear, but the willingness to take the next step God has made clear, even when the destination is hidden. [17:53]
3. Obedience Over Perfection: Abraham’s obedience was imperfect—he didn’t leave all his relatives behind as God commanded, and his journey was marked by delays and detours.Yet, God honored his willingness to take the first step. Our faith does not require flawless execution, but a heart that is willing to move forward in obedience, trusting that God can work through our imperfections. [22:20]
4. Faith Is Both Directional and Transformational: God’s promise to Abraham was not just about reaching a new land, but about becoming a person through whom God could bless the world.Faith means moving when God says move (directional), but also allowing God to shape our character and purpose (transformational). The journey of faith is as much about who we become as where we go. [25:13]
5. Blessing Flows Through Trust: God’s blessings are never meant to terminate on us; they are given so that we might be a blessing to others.When we trust God enough to step out in faith, even in uncertainty, He uses our lives to impact those around us. The call is not just to receive, but to become conduits of God’s grace and hope in a world marked by uncertainty. [26:40]
Youtube Chapters
[00:00] - Welcome
[00:23] - The Myth of Certainty and the Call to Surrender
[01:56] - Opening to Genesis: Setting the Scene
[03:02] - Breadmaking and the Journey Into the Unknown
[08:20] - Facing Uncertainty in Our World
[10:46] - Doing the Next Right Thing
[11:24] - Faith Is Not About Clarity
[12:17] - The Lie of Control vs. Surrender
[13:07] - Meeting Abraham in the In-Between
[14:52] - Family Tension and Unfinished Journeys
[16:33] - Stephen’s Retelling and Abraham’s Call
[18:20] - God’s Command: Go Into the Unknown
[20:07] - Uncertainty in Everyday Life
[22:20] - Imperfect Obedience and God’s Faithfulness
[24:03] - God’s Promise: Blessing for the World
[25:13] - Directional and Transformational Faith
[26:40] - Becoming a Blessing to Others
[29:24] - Faith Is About Obedience, Not Clarity
[31:06] - Will You Take the Next Right Step?
Bible Study Guide
Bible Reading
Genesis 12:1-4 (ESV) — > Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
Observation Questions
What specific instructions did God give to Abram in Genesis 12:1? What details did God leave out?
According to the sermon, what was Abraham’s situation when God called him? What kind of “in-between” or uncertainty was he facing? ([13:16])
How did Abraham respond to God’s call, and what does the text say about his obedience? ([24:18])
What was the purpose behind God’s promise to Abraham—was it only for Abraham, or did it have a bigger goal? ([24:35])
Interpretation Questions
Why do you think God chose not to give Abraham a detailed map or timeline for his journey? What might this reveal about God’s character and how He works with us? ([18:30])
The sermon says, “Faith is not about having complete clarity on what to do... Faith is actually about taking the next right step in obedience to God in the present.” How does this challenge the way people usually think about faith and decision-making? ([11:24])
Abraham’s obedience was imperfect—he didn’t leave all his relatives behind as God commanded. Why do you think God still honored Abraham’s willingness to take the first step? ([22:20])
The promise to Abraham was both personal and global. What does this teach us about the way God’s blessings are meant to work in our lives? ([25:13])
Application Questions
The sermon talks about the “myth that certainty comes from control.” In what areas of your life do you find yourself grasping for control instead of surrendering to God? What would it look like to let go in one of those areas this week? ([12:17])
Abraham was called to step into the unknown. Is there a situation in your life right now where you feel God is asking you to take a step without knowing all the details? What is holding you back? ([18:20])
The idea of “doing the next right thing” is simple but not always easy. What is one “next right thing” you sense God is asking you to do, even if it feels risky or incomplete? ([10:46])
The sermon mentions that faith is both directional (moving when God says move) and transformational (becoming the kind of person God can use). Which of these do you find more challenging, and why? ([25:13])
Abraham’s obedience was imperfect, but he still moved forward. How do you deal with the fear of making mistakes or not being “perfect” in your obedience? ([22:20])
God’s promise to Abraham was that he would be a blessing to others. Who in your life right now could use encouragement, help, or hope? What is one practical way you could be a blessing to them this week? ([26:40])
The sermon asks, “Will you trust God enough to take the next right step, even when you cannot see the whole path?” What would it look like for you to answer “yes” to that question in your current season of life? ([31:06])
TRANSCRIPT
Faith is actually about taking the next right step in obedience to God in the present. And that truth pushes against a deceitful message that I think people in almost every culture, in almost every time period, try to get us to believe.
It's the myth that certainty comes from control. From beginning to the end, the Bible warns against self-assurance and self-reliance. Instead, it actually calls us to embrace a word that isn't actually really popular. It's the word surrender. Not to follow your heart, but to follow the one who made it.
Truth actually looks like this: God calling Abraham to leave control behind and trust in his faithfulness. Maybe God's plan through your life won't be revealed by him telling you to move across a country. Maybe it's about the humility to embrace the journey of becoming a right person than holding on to being a person who is right.
Where dying to yourself and becoming like Jesus so you can demonstrate Jesus through your life is actually more important than holding on to your anger or frustration for why those people don't look like you, vote like you.
Doing the next right thing that God has clearly told you to do, even if it holds a sense of uncertainty with it. This is what we're called to as followers of Christ.
Will you take the next right step?
As you make your way back to your seats, grab whatever copy of the scripture you have with you, whether it's a good old-fashioned paper Bible like I have, or it's an app on your phone, and open up to the book of Genesis. Genesis chapter 11 is where we're going to be today.
Now, this may seem totally random, unless you know me really well, but then this will be business as usual. Over the last couple weeks, I've actually been watching some YouTube videos on how to make bread over a campfire. I don't know if anyone's ever done that before? I've been doing that, and Outdoor Boys actually has this really popular thing.
But anyways, don't ask me how I got there. You're going to open a very lengthy discussion about the Boundary Waters, and I can guarantee I have more passion to talk about it than you have interest in investing time in. So just don't even ask, all right?
Anyways, the rabbit trail of researching how to make campfire bread eventually led me to watch a whole bunch of videos on how you make homemade bread. In my search for videos on how to make bread, I actually came across a really great illustration about making bread that I think will set up today's time in the scripture as we start this new series this morning entitled, *The Next Right Thing: Following God Into the Unknown.*
So without further ado, run the film.
We planned this series at the end of last year, and we were already aware of the global economic uncertainty that had shaken many people's sense of stability. Inflation, job shifts, financial pressures forced families to make hard decisions.
And while there were signs of a growing sense of political and social polarization, current events have made the world we live in feel less predictable and even more contentious.
At the individual or even personal level, people in our everyday spheres of influence, including you and myself, continue to experience things like loss, illness, or relationship strain. And they're reminders that, as the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus once said, the only constant in life is what? Change. The only constant in life is change.
And more often than not, those kinds of changes come at us faster than we feel we can manage. And almost, actually always, when we least expect them.
Even for those who have not experienced catastrophic events recently, the weight of living in a season of uncertainty is one that I think every human being will experience at least at some time in their lives. You don't have to live very long to go through a season of uncertainty.
Many have had to wrestle with questions like, you know, the easy one, like what's next? What's next? Or maybe to get a little bit more personal, how do I provide for my family in this season? Or how do I navigate relationships that are breaking down? How do I make sense of discipline? How do I make sense of disappointment or fear that is overwhelming my life at this time?
And these pressures can leave us feeling paralyzed or anxious, or maybe to swing another direction, tempted to what? Control the thing that we cannot.
And that's why now more than ever, there's a need to return to the simple, faithful principle of what I like to say is doing the next right thing. Doing the next right thing.
It does not guarantee that life will become easy, by the way, but I think at least in my experience, it's a guide for living faithfully when the ground beneath us feels unstable.
This series, by the way, is meant to remind us that even in uncertainty, God is present and that he equips us to take small, faithful steps that honor him and point us toward hope. And that's what this series, *The Next Right Thing,* is all about—learning to walk with God one step at a time, even into the unknown.
By the way, faith isn't about having complete clarity on what to do. I know we're really big on clarity, right? Okay. Clarity on who Christ is is one thing. That's why we're clarity. But this idea of clarity—clarity is actually, the pursuit of clarity in all of life can sometimes actually be a hindrance to the thing that you actually need.
Because having complete clarity, clarity on what to do or even what God will accomplish in the future is not faith. That's not what faith is.
Faith is actually about taking the next right step in obedience to God in the present, not necessarily understanding what's going to happen in the future, but it's about taking the next right step in the present.
And that truth pushes against, really, a deceitful message that I think people in almost every culture and almost every time period try to get us to believe every day.
And what is that message? It's the myth. It's really a lie that certainty comes from control. Like, certainty comes from control. That if we can just plan far enough ahead, if we can just know enough or trust ourselves enough, we can secure, we can grasp, we can actually see what it is that we want or that we think we deserve.
But Scripture tells a different story. From beginning to the end, the Bible warns, actually, against self-assurance and self-reliance. Instead, it actually calls us to embrace a word that isn't actually really popular. It's the word surrender. Not to follow your heart, but to follow the one who made it.
And that's where we meet a man by the name of Abram. You might know him as Abraham or Father Abraham, who had what? Many sons, had many sons, said Father Abraham.
And when Genesis introduces him at the end of Genesis chapter 11, he's not the father of faith that we see in the book of Hebrews. He's a man living kind of in the middle of an uncertainty.
His father, Terah, had already started a journey toward Canaan but stopped short in a place called Haran. And Abraham's story begins there, in the in-between. It's not really the destination.
And it's into that uncertainty that God speaks.
So, let's take a closer look at this story in our text today, Genesis chapter 11.
And I had it marked out and I pulled the thing out and then the Bible closed on itself.
Genesis chapter 11, verse 27. Here's how the story begins:
"These are the family records of Terah. Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran. And Haran fathered Lot. Haran died in his native land in Ur the Chaldeans during his father Terah's lifetime. Abraham, Nahor, took wives. Abraham's wife was Sarai, and Nahor's wife was Milcah. She was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milcah and Iscah. I think that's how you say it. Forgive me if I butchered it. Sarai was unable to conceive. She did not have a child.
Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot, Haran's son, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram's wife, and they set out together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled. They settled there."
I think it's kind of funny. He has a son named Haran. They settled in Haran. So don't get those two mixed up.
And then verse 32: "Terah lived 205 years and died in Haran."
Now what appears to be an ordinary story about a family lineage or a family tree quickly begins to become a story that will be a life marked by loss, uncertainty, and unfinished journey.
Right away, we actually see a family tension. Haran, Abram's son, his brother, he does what? He dies after having fathered Lot, Milcah, and their other sister whose name I should have probably given myself a hint on how to pronounce, Iscah, or something like that.
Now if you read the book of Acts, some of you will remember that there was a man by the name of Stephen. He was the first martyr, right? And Stephen was in front of the religious leaders. He was put in front of them to kind of answer to all of these claims that he was, you know, preaching something different and that he was not really a Jew and he was leading people astray.
And so he began to speak, and what he began to speak was kind of his version of proving that he was a God-fearing Jew.
And how did he begin this, I don't know, some people call it a sermon that he talks, some call it a monologue, but basically a speech. How did he start this speech in front of these religious leaders and these scholars of the Torah? How did he start this argument to prove that he was in fact a Jew?
Well, he gave them some information that they all knew, that they were all very familiar with, that they've been taught since generation to generation to generation.
And what was that?
Well, in Acts chapter 7 it says this: "Brothers and fathers," he replied, "listen, the God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia before he settled in Haran."
That's important for you to understand because before he settled in Haran, so back in Ur of Chaldees, the Lord appeared to Abraham.
Now, this is, everyone knew that. If there was an issue with this chronological, with this chronology, the text would have said like, ah, for sure, he doesn't know how it goes. He went there first and then Genesis 12:1 happened.
So anyways, this is really important for us to know later.
And so, and he said to him, "Leave your country and relatives and come to the land I will show you."
And then he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran.
From there, after his father died, God had him move to this land in which you are now living.
Okay, so real quick, this is just, for you Bible nerds, this is the stuff you love to eat up, okay, right?
So listen, in Genesis chapter 11, we learn that Terah takes his family and moved towards Canaan. That's what the text tells us.
And this is most likely due to his son Abraham encountering the Lord, telling him to leave Ur of the Chaldeans but stop short in Haran.
In other words, Abraham's life is set against the backdrop of incomplete plans, delayed obedience, as well as grief and uncertainty.
This is just in these first few verses, this is what we're seeing here.
And it's at this point that the author of Genesis recounts the conversation that the Lord had with Abraham back in his hometown of Ur.
This is why if you're a person who's a fan of the New International Version, it uses what we call the pluperfect of "God had spoken to this."
But anyways, that's going into more stuff than probably you want to know.
But in Genesis chapter 12, it says this, verse one: "The Lord said to Abraham, 'Go out from your land, your relatives, and your father's house to the land I will show you.'"
So Abram is asked to leave the familiar and trust the unknown.
And there's no detailed map, no step-by-step instruction, there's no timeline, just go, follow, follow God.
And this is not definitely the blueprint for your best life now according to the philosophy of the world around us.
Modern culture, in fact, tries to feed us different narratives for pursuing our best lives.
It tells us things like this: "Hey, plan your life carefully. Know all the risks before you ask. Trust yourself to get it right. Believe in yourself," right?
Remember the myth, the lie that tempts us all to believe that certainty comes from control?
According to the scripture, truth actually looks like this: God calling Abraham to leave control behind and trust in his faithfulness.
Abraham, or Abram, go.
Okay, God, where are we going?
Yes.
Wait, what? That's not the answer to my question. I was just wondering what the end goal was. You told me to go.
Yup. That's what I said. Go.
Okay, I get it, God. I'll just concentrate on the next right thing.
Maybe God's plan through your life won't be revealed by him telling you to move across a country. Some of you hope it is.
But God often calls people into uncertainty in other ways.
For instance, sometimes uncertainty looks like this: a relationship that needs reconciliation. That, by the way, God's asking you to make the first step, even though you weren't the first one to make the offense.
Maybe it's a financial decision that requires trust more than control.
A difficult and uncomfortable conversation, maybe with someone that you love.
Or maybe it's a journey into humility where, listen, becoming the right person is more important than being a person who is right.
Where dying to yourself and becoming like Jesus so you can demonstrate Jesus through your life is actually more important than holding on to your anger or frustration for why those people don't look like you, vote like you, believe like you do, or those people.
Maybe it's about the humility to embrace the journey of becoming a right person than holding onto being a person who is right.
And what the next step will result in isn't always clear.
Because faith begins not with certainty, but with trust.
And doing the next right thing that God has clearly told you to do, by the way, even if it holds a sense of uncertainty with it, this is what we are called to as followers.
By the way, if you're a person who struggles with the fear that your propensity for extreme preoccupation with perfectionism, organization, and control of yourself, your environment, and others—for those of you in the medical field, you know that's the actual DSM-5 definition, by the way, of the mental health disorder called obsessive compulsive personality disorder. Just saying.
Take encouragement. Listen.
Even Abraham's obedience wasn't perfect.
As one Bible scholar describes, Abraham is a model for us and we will soon see he is far, far from perfect.
He will be an encouragement for us to hold on as he did because we, too, are far, far from perfect.
If you follow Abraham's story, he obeyed God to leave, but he actually failed to obey completely.
He was told to leave his relatives, but they ended up taking the trip with him.
Whether or not Abraham's father, Terah, decided that he wasn't going to allow his son to take this journey into God knows where, literally, God knows where, by himself, we do know that later in Abraham's story, Abraham takes Lot, his nephew, with him.
And we'll see, just in the next chapter, it was something that the Lord didn't command.
And it actually ends up causing division and delayed fulfillment of God's ultimate plan for Abraham to take the land of Canaan.
Now, despite that, the most important thing is that Abraham actually took the first step, right? He actually took the first step of faith.
And that's how faith grows, I think. I think faith grows when we take one obedient step at a time, even though the outcome is unknown.
This is because trust is one obedient step at a time, even when the outcome is unknown.
And after God calls Abraham to leave his home, he doesn't just give him a destination. He gives him a purpose. He gives him a promise.
Look at verse two: "I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you. I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you. I will curse anyone who treats you with contempt. And all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you."
So Abraham went—Abram, I keep on calling him Abraham—Abram went as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him.
Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran.
Now, let's just take a look at this.
Notice the structure of this promise.
God says, "Abraham, your life is not only about you. It's actually about what I want to accomplish through you."
Abram shows us that following God is more than moving from point A to point B.
It's actually about becoming someone who can carry God's purpose.
God's promise to bless Abraham is a blessing to Abraham personally, but the blessing is not the end goal.
It's actually just the means through which Abraham becomes a blessing to the world.
In other words, faith is both directional and transformational.
Directional and transformational.
It's directional. It's move when God says move.
Faith is moving when God says move.
And then it's also transformational.
Transformational is becoming the kind of person God can use.
Right?
So this is faith.
And this transformational kind of mindset challenges what we are often fed by those who believe that true happiness and fulfillment in this life can be found without God.
Challenges that sound like this: "You can't make others happy until what? You yourself are happy." Or "Build your life around personal success and comfort." Or "Make choices that benefit you the most. Look out for you. Because if you're not happy, nobody's happy." I mean, if mama ain't happy, nobody's happy.
That is true. But, right? This is like, seek what you want. Go after what you want.
But God flips that script.
And he tells us that faith means stepping out into a calling that goes beyond personal gain.
Faith means trusting that God's promise is not our own plans or even our own understanding.
We'll end up shaping our lives.
And, here's the good news.
If we let it, the lives of those around us.
Faith means not only moving when God says move, but it also means embracing the truth that God resists the proud but embraces the humble.
Right?
Who do what?
Commit to the lifelong journey, as we like to say, of increasingly submitting all of life to Jesus as the master and their savior of the life.
The definition of what it means to be a Christian.
And followers of Christ like Abraham are often called to move forward without seeing the whole picture.
God's promises may feel distant or impossible, but scripture repeatedly shows that God is faithful in accomplishing his will in the face of our uncertainty.
I like what one Bible scholar says.
He says this: "Ultimately the Messiah will be born of Abraham."
That is where the New Testament starts in Matthew chapter one.
But Genesis doesn't know that.
It does know Abraham was a means of incalculable blessing to Israel because he was the one who received God's promises that laid the foundation for Israel's life as a nation with his land, its relationship with God, and its place in God's purpose.
So maybe God is calling you to take next steps that feel risky.
You might not know the ultimate goal, but you gotta trust that God is in control.
That his ultimate plan is actually bigger than you can see.
Farther than you can even imagine.
Maybe God is asking you to invest time, resources, or energy in something that doesn't appear to have immediate return.
Maybe God wants you to be a blessing to someone even when you feel inadequate or uncertain.
And the question we all owe ourselves to ask ourselves may be simple, but it doesn't mean it's easy.
And the question is this: Will I trust God's promise to guide and shape me even when I don't see the whole path?
Will I?
Will I do that?
Abraham's faith teaches us a rhythm for life in uncertainty.
Step where God calls you, trust his promises, and then let him shape your life to be a blessing to others.
Even in the messy middle of not knowing, God's faithfulness does not fail.
And really that's the heart of what it means to take the next right step.
Because faith is not about clarity.
Faith is about obedience.
It's not about clarity.
It's about obedience.
Let's become obedience church.
Like faith is not about clarity.
It's about obedience.
It's about obedience.
Faith is about trusting God one step at a time.
Even when we can't see the full path.
Like Abraham, we are called to one, step out in trust when God interrupts our plans.
Your plans will be interrupted.
I promise you.
It's not if, it's when.
But then, second, don't miss this.
Let his promises shape our lives so we become a blessing to the world.
We live in an uncertain world, that's for sure.
I'm starting to get old enough to see that in some ways it's becoming more uncertain.
But then also, it's kind of always been this way too.
Right?
Getting to the age now where you're like, oh I saw this back in the day.
I saw this come around.
Change the characters, different names, different faces.
This is the reality.
Right?
We live in a world that's uncertain.
There is loss.
There is struggle.
But God is faithful.
And he's asking you, and he's asking me, will you take the next right step?
So this is what this series is about.
This is kind of the intro to the series.
And I hope that over the next several weeks, whatever it is for you that God might be calling you to, that together—and everyone will look different—but together we would move one step in the right direction towards what God is asking of you.
Like, what is he asking you to do?
And that we would also be the people who, if we don't know what that is, seek his face.
I guarantee it.
He's asking you.
Some of you are just not hearing.
And it's not because you don't want to.
It's because you've become so busy and preoccupied with the cares of this world that you haven't actually stopped to go, "Lord," or, some of you, you haven't gone, "Lord, oh, oh, that's what you want me to, oh, okay."
So, will you take the next right step?
