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Greetings Lifehouse!
For those who don't know me, my name is Benjamin Hankin. Our family has enjoyed being a partner here for just over 2 years and we just enjoy serving our great here.
For those who don't know me, my name is Benjamin Hankin. Our family has enjoyed being a partner here for just over 2 years and we just enjoy serving our great here.
Before I take a moment and introduce myself, I want to invite you to turn in your bibles to Genesis chapter 15 where we will continue our in depth look at the life of one of the greats in the Bible… Abraham.
For those who don't know me, my name is Benjamin Hankin. Our family has enjoyed being a partner here for just over 2 years and we just enjoy serving our great here.
For those who don't know me, my name is Benjamin Hankin. Our family has enjoyed being a partner here for just over 2 years and we just enjoy serving our great here.
Before I take a moment and introduce myself, I want to invite you to turn in your bibles to Genesis chapter 15 where we will continue our in depth look at the life of one of the greats in the Bible… Abraham.
For those who don't know me, my name is Benjamin Hankin. Our family has enjoyed being a partner here for just over 2 years and we are so thankful God has called us to serve here with this wonderful body of believers.
For those who don't know me, my name is Benjamin Hankin. Our family has enjoyed being a partner here for just over 2 years and we just enjoy serving our great here.
For those who don't know me, my name is Benjamin Hankin. Our family has enjoyed being a partner here for just over 2 years and we just enjoy serving our great here.
Before I take a moment and introduce myself, I want to invite you to turn in your bibles to Genesis chapter 15 where we will continue our in depth look at the life of one of the greats in the Bible… Abraham.
For those who don't know me, my name is Benjamin Hankin. Our family has enjoyed being a partner here for just over 2 years and we just enjoy serving our great here.
For those who don't know me, my name is Benjamin Hankin. Our family has enjoyed being a partner here for just over 2 years and we just enjoy serving our great here.
For those who don't know me, my name is Benjamin Hankin. Our family has enjoyed being a partner here for just over 2 years and we are so thankful God has called us to serve here with this wonderful body of believers.
For those who don't know me, my name is Benjamin Hankin. Our family has enjoyed being a partner here for just over 2 years and we just enjoy serving our great here.
Before I take a moment and introduce myself, I want to invite you to turn in your bibles to Genesis chapter 15 where we will continue our in depth look at the life of one of the greats in the Bible… Abraham.
Before I take a moment and introduce myself, I want to invite you to turn in your bibles to Genesis chapter 15 where we will continue our in depth look at the life of one of the greats in the Bible… Abraham.
For those who don't know me, my name is Benjamin Hankin. Our family has enjoyed being a partner here for just over 2 years and we just enjoy serving our great here.
For those who don't know me, my name is Benjamin Hankin. Our family has enjoyed being a partner here for just over 2 years and we just enjoy serving our great here.
For those who don't know me, my name is Benjamin Hankin. Our family has enjoyed being a partner here for just over 2 years and we just enjoy serving our great here.
For those who don't know me, my name is Benjamin Hankin. Our family has enjoyed being a partner here for just over 2 years and we just enjoy serving our great here.
With Mark being away on vacation, he reached down into the minor leagues of Kid Jr where I normally serve and called me up to the big kids church this Sunday, so I am very excited to be here with you.
With Mark being away on vacation, he reached down into the minor leagues of Kid Jr where I normally serve and called me up to the big kids church this Sunday, so I am very excited to be here with you.
With Mark being away on vacation, he reached down into the minor leagues of Kid Jr where I normally serve and called me up to the big kids church this Sunday, so I am very excited to be here with you.
With Mark being away on vacation, he reached down into the minor leagues of Kid Jr where I normally serve and called me up to the big kids church this Sunday, so I am very excited to be here with you.
For those you who do not know me, my name is Benjamin Hankin and I am a Bible geek.
With Mark being away on vacation, he reached down into the minor leagues of Kid Jr where I normally serve and called me up to the big kids church this Sunday, so I am very excited to be here with you.
With Mark being away on vacation, he reached down into the minor leagues of Kid Jr where I normally serve and called me up to the big kids church this Sunday, so I am very excited to be here with you.
With Mark being away on vacation, I was given a promotion for the week from children's ministry and Team Kid Jr, to what we call over here sometimes Team Adult. Sorry there are no snacks or drinks being handed out. And if your looking for a craft like we normally do over there, afterwards I can show you how to turn your program into a paper airplane or something.
For those you who do not know me, my name is Benjamin Hankin and I am a Bible geek.
For those you who do not know me, my name is Benjamin Hankin and I am a Bible geek.
With Mark being away on vacation, he reached down into the minor leagues of Kid Jr where I normally serve and called me up to the big kids church this Sunday, so I am very excited to be here with you.
With Mark being away on vacation, he reached down into the minor leagues of Kid Jr where I normally serve and called me up to the big kids church this Sunday, so I am very excited to be here with you.
With Mark being away on vacation, he reached down into the minor leagues of Kid Jr where I normally serve and called me up to the big kids church this Sunday, so I am very excited to be here with you.
With Mark being away on vacation, he reached down into the minor leagues of Kid Jr where I normally serve and called me up to the big kids church this Sunday, so I am very excited to be here with you.
With Mark being away on vacation, he reached down into the minor leagues of Kid Jr where I normally serve and called me up to the big kids church this Sunday, so I am very excited to be here with you.
With Mark being away on vacation, he reached down into the minor leagues of Kid Jr where I normally serve and called me up to the big kids church this Sunday, so I am very excited to be here with you.
With Mark being away on vacation, he reached down into the minor leagues of Kid Jr where I normally serve and called me up to the big kids church this Sunday, so I am very excited to be here with you.
For those you who do not know me, my name is Benjamin Hankin and I am a Bible geek.
For those you who do not know me, my name is Benjamin Hankin and I am a Bible geek.
With Mark being away on vacation, I was given a promotion for the week from children's ministry and Team Kid Jr, to what we call over here sometimes Team Adult. Sorry there are no snacks or drinks being handed out. And if your looking for a craft like we normally do over there, afterwards I can show you how to turn your program into a paper airplane or something.
As we go into our text today, we cannot take this chapter on its own. This chapter in its opening relies heavily on understanding what happened in chapter 14. There we saw amounts to being a world war for that period of time. A large area of unrest in which 4 kings left of path of destruction that was unprecedented, and left its scars on e land for generations to come. All of this would have gone unnoticed and unmentioned in the Bible if not for 4 words, “and they took Lot”. Abram saddles up the special forces and rides into battle and routes, one translation states that they slaughtered the opposition. As he returns victorious, we are treated as readers to a series of interactions that gives us a picture of things to come. Here Abram meets on of the most enigmatic characters in the whole of the Bible. You want a good laugh, read some of the way far out there writings that Jewish literature has on him. They have almost set him up due to the lack of information on him into like a Jewish King Arthur of sorts, turning him into almost a legend. Here Abram and Melchizedek have an interaction that points to Christ and the ministry of Him in the New Testament. Here in the valley of the kings, they break bread and we see what could be considered a foreshadowing of a Priest King of what would be Jersulaem having bread and wine and pointing back to God. That's communion! It's not in the elements, it's in the people that come together and remember what God has done for them. It's in celebrating the Lord and who He is. In this time Abram gives up what I can imagine was a great reward, or spoils from the war not wanting to be considered to have been made rich from man so he can be rich from the Lord. And it is here where we enter into our verses today. So with that in mind let's read .
-- As we go into our text today, we cannot take this chapter on its own. This chapter in its opening relies heavily on understanding what happened in chapter 14. There we saw amounts to being a world war for that period of time. A large area of unrest in which 4 kings left of path of destruction that was unprecedented, and left its scars on e land for generations to come. All of this would have gone unnoticed and unmentioned in the Bible if not for 4 words, “and they took Lot”. Abram saddles up the special forces and rides into battle and routes, one translation states that they slaughtered the opposition. As he returns victorious, we are treated as readers to a series of interactions that gives us a picture of things to come. Here Abram meets on of the most enigmatic characters in the whole of the Bible. You want a good laugh, read some of the way far out there writings that Jewish literature has on him. They have almost set him up due to the lack of information on him into like a Jewish King Arthur of sorts, turning him into almost a legend. Here Abram and Melchizedek have an interaction that points to Christ and the ministry of Him in the New Testament. Here in the valley of the kings, they break bread and we see what could be considered a foreshadowing of a Priest King of what would be Jerusalem having bread and wine and pointing back to God. That's communion! It's not in the elements, it's in the people that come together and remember what God has done for them. It's in celebrating the Lord and who He is. In this time Abram gives up what I can imagine was a great reward, or spoils from the war not wanting to be considered to have been made rich from man so he can be rich from the Lord. And it is here where we enter into our verses today. So with that in mind let's read .
--When we look in the Bible there are some topics that are so very great. So great in fact that it's presence can be felt throughout the entirety of the Bible, and in some cases we live in today. The passage we are going to study this morning is one such passage. In where we will be today, after roughly 4 and a quarter centuries of silence, God decides that the time is right to move back into a relationship with mankind again, and become personal and known to them. It seems as though every time I am tasked with speaking or sharing, God puts an example in my life during the period leading up to it. Almost as if here is a practical example to share, and this time is no different. I want to thank those that were lifting me up in words, prayer, and encouragement during the weeks prior it was truly felt. For me, when I got down to it and really studied the passage, tore it apart, did the research, read the commentaries, listened to the sermons…. I had a ton of head knowledge. Greek and Hebrew words for some of the meanings… It's gonna be great!!!! And then the time to sit down and put it together came about, and a blank piece of paper sat still for a week. Because when the gravity and weight of it being head knowledge, moved away and allowed for God and His Word to speak to the heart, I was crushed by the enormous weight of the passage and it importance to us as Christians even today. I experienced all kinds of personal doubt about presenting and speaking, all kinds of feelings of inadequacy. All of it became a cloud. But God whom is faithful and able to do amazing things, did not leave me in that place, through encouragement of brothers and sisters here, through prayer, and one amazing young lad here at LifeHouse who shared with me. Coming back from a place of doubt on your own is nearly impossible. We were not now nor ever supposed to do life and church on our own. We are a body and made to work, serve, worship, encourage, and love each other. We need to turn most importantly to He and a His word. I believe firmly that I went though this point, to be able to encourage some that are here today. You may find yourself in a place where you have no clue what is going on, where God is leading, I said a prayer and no clue what's next, or any other set of circumstances. I want to share with you this from writer Henry Drummond: “Christ never failed to distinguish between doubt and unbelief. Doubt is I can't believe; unbelief is I won't believe. Doubt is honesty, unbelief is obstinacy. Doubt is looking for light; unbelief is being content with darkness.” As we look towards Gods word this morning, if what I shared sounds like you and where you are, keep looking towards not just the light as Drummond mentioned, but the One who is the light, and at the end of the service I would invite you to come down and fully surrender that doubt or that fear or whatever is creating a barrier between you and God here at the alter.
--When we look in the Bible there are some topics that are so very great. So great in fact that it's presence can be felt throughout the entirety of the Bible, and in some cases we live in today. The passage we are going to study this morning is one such passage. In where we will be today, after roughly 4 and a quarter centuries of silence, God decides that the time is right to move back into a relationship with mankind again, and become personal and known to them. It seems as though every time I am tasked with speaking or sharing, God puts an example in my life during the period leading up to it. Almost as if here is a practical example to share, and this time is no different. I want to thank those that were lifting me up in words, prayer, and encouragement during the weeks prior it was truly felt. For me, when I got down to it and really studied the passage, tore it apart, did the research, read the commentaries, listened to the sermons…. I had a ton of head knowledge. Greek and Hebrew words for some of the meanings… It's gonna be great!!!! And then the time to sit down and put it together came about, and a blank piece of paper sat still for a week. Because when the gravity and weight of it being head knowledge, moved away and allowed for God and His Word to speak to the heart, I was crushed by the enormous weight of the passage and it importance to us as Christians even today. I experienced all kinds of personal doubt about presenting and speaking, all kinds of feelings of inadequacy. All of it became a cloud. But God whom is faithful and able to do amazing things, did not leave me in that place, through encouragement of brothers and sisters here, through prayer, and one amazing young lad here at LifeHouse who shared with me. Coming back from a place of doubt on your own is nearly impossible. We were not now nor ever supposed to do life and church on our own. We are a body and made to work, serve, worship, encourage, and love each other. We need to turn most importantly to He and a His word. I believe firmly that I went though this point, to be able to encourage some that are here today. You may find yourself in a place where you have no clue what is going on, where God is leading, I said a prayer and no clue what's next, or any other set of circumstances. I want to share with you this from writer Henry Drummond: “Christ never failed to distinguish between doubt and unbelief. Doubt is I can't believe; unbelief is I won't believe. Doubt is honesty, unbelief is obstinacy. Doubt is looking for light; unbelief is being content with darkness.” As we look towards Gods word this morning, if what I shared sounds like you and where you are, keep looking towards not just the light as Drummond mentioned, but the One who is the light, and at the end of the service I would invite you to come down and fully surrender that doubt or that fear or whatever is creating a barrier between you and God here at the alter.
--When we look in the Bible there are some topics that are so very great. So great in fact that it's presence can be felt throughout the entirety of the Bible, and in some cases we live in today. The passage we are going to study this morning is one such passage. In where we will be today, after roughly 4 and a quarter centuries of silence, God decides that the time is right to move back into a relationship with mankind again, and become personal and known to them. It seems as though every time I am tasked with speaking or sharing, God puts an example in my life during the period leading up to it. Almost as if here is a practical example to share, and this time is no different. I want to thank those that were lifting me up in words, prayer, and encouragement during the weeks prior it was truly felt. For me, when I got down to it and really studied the passage, tore it apart, did the research, read the commentaries, listened to the sermons…. I had a ton of head knowledge. Greek and Hebrew words for some of the meanings… It's gonna be great!!!! And then the time to sit down and put it together came about, and a blank piece of paper sat still for a week. Because when the gravity and weight of it being head knowledge, moved away and allowed for God and His Word to speak to the heart, I was crushed by the enormous weight of the passage and it importance to us as Christians even today. I experienced all kinds of personal doubt about presenting and speaking, all kinds of feelings of inadequacy. All of it became a cloud. But God whom is faithful and able to do amazing things, did not leave me in that place, through encouragement of brothers and sisters here, through prayer, and one amazing young lad here at LifeHouse who shared with me. Coming back from a place of doubt on your own is nearly impossible. We were not now nor ever supposed to do life and church on our own. We are a body and made to work, serve, worship, encourage, and love each other. We need to turn most importantly to He and a His word. I believe firmly that I went though this point, to be able to encourage some that are here today. You may find yourself in a place where you have no clue what is going on, where God is leading, I said a prayer and no clue what's next, or any other set of circumstances. I want to share with you this from writer Henry Drummond: “Christ never failed to distinguish between doubt and unbelief. Doubt is I can't believe; unbelief is I won't believe. Doubt is honesty, unbelief is obstinacy. Doubt is looking for light; unbelief is being content with darkness.” As we look towards Gods word this morning, if what I shared sounds like you and where you are, keep looking towards not just the light as Drummond mentioned, but the One who is the light, and at the end of the service I would invite you to come down and fully surrender that doubt or that fear or whatever is creating a barrier between you and God here at the altar.
--When we look in the Bible there are some topics that are so very great. So great in fact that it's presence can be felt throughout the entirety of the Bible, and in some cases we live in today. The passage we are going to study this morning is one such passage. In where we will be today, after roughly 4 and a quarter centuries of silence, God decides that the time is right to move back into a relationship with mankind again, and become personal and known to them. It seems as though every time I am tasked with speaking or sharing, God puts an example in my life during the period leading up to it. Almost as if here is a practical example to share, and this time is no different. I want to thank those that were lifting me up in words, prayer, and encouragement during the weeks prior it was truly felt. For me, when I got down to it and really studied the passage, tore it apart, did the research, read the commentaries, listened to the sermons…. I had a ton of head knowledge. Greek and Hebrew words for some of the meanings… It's gonna be great!!!! And then the time to sit down and put it together came about, and a blank piece of paper sat still for a week. Because when the gravity and weight of it being head knowledge, moved away and allowed for God and His Word to speak to the heart, I was crushed by the enormous weight of the passage and it importance to us as Christians even today. I experienced all kinds of personal doubt about presenting and speaking, all kinds of feelings of inadequacy. All of it became a cloud. But God whom is faithful and able to do amazing things, did not leave me in that place, through encouragement of brothers and sisters here, through prayer, and one amazing young lad here at LifeHouse who shared with me. Coming back from a place of doubt on your own is nearly impossible. We were not now nor ever supposed to do life and church on our own. We are a body and made to work, serve, worship, encourage, and love each other. We need to turn most importantly to He and a His word. I believe firmly that I went though this point, to be able to encourage some that are here today. You may find yourself in a place where you have no clue what is going on, where God is leading, I said a prayer and no clue what's next, or any other set of circumstances. I want to share with you this from writer Henry Drummond: “Christ never failed to distinguish between doubt and unbelief. Doubt is I can't believe; unbelief is I won't believe. Doubt is honesty, unbelief is obstinacy. Doubt is looking for light; unbelief is being content with darkness.” As we look towards Gods word this morning, if what I shared sounds like you and where you are, keep looking towards not just the light as Drummond mentioned, but the One who is the light, and at the end of the service I would invite you to come down and fully surrender that doubt or that fear or whatever is creating a barrier between you and God here at the altar.
---- I want to invite you to open your Bibles to Genesis chapter 15, where this morning we will be looking at the whole of this amazing and important chapter. It is here that we see a God who was quiet, is now about to get extremely personal again with His creation.
As we go into our text today, we cannot take this chapter on its own. This chapter in its opening relies heavily on understanding what happened in chapter 14. There we saw amounts to being a world war for that period of time. A large area of unrest in which 4 kings left of path of destruction that was unprecedented, and left its scars on e land for generations to come. All of this would have gone unnoticed and unmentioned in the Bible if not for 4 words, “and they took Lot”. Abram saddles up the special forces and rides into battle and routes, one translation states that they slaughtered the opposition. As he returns victorious, we are treated as readers to a series of interactions that gives us a picture of things to come. Here Abram meets on of the most enigmatic characters in the whole of the Bible. You want a good laugh, read some of the way far out there writings that Jewish literature has on him. They have almost set him up due to the lack of information on him into like a Jewish King Arthur of sorts, turning him into almost a legend. Here Abram and Melchizedek have an interaction that points to Christ and the ministry of Him in the New Testament. Here in the valley of the kings, they break bread and we see what could be considered a foreshadowing of a Priest King of what would be Jersulaem having bread and wine and pointing back to God. That's communion! It's not in the elements, it's in the people that come together and remember what God has done for them. It's in celebrating the Lord and who He is. In this time Abram gives up what I can imagine was a great reward, or spoils from the war not wanting to be considered to have been made rich from man so he can be rich from the Lord. And it is here where we enter into our verses today. So with that in mind let's read .
--When we look in the Bible there are some topics that are so very great. So great in fact that it's presence can be felt throughout the entirety of the Bible, and in some cases we live in today. The passage we are going to study this morning is one such passage. In where we will be today, after roughly 4 and a quarter centuries of silence, God decides that the time is right to move back into a relationship with mankind again, and become personal and known to them. It seems as though every time I am tasked with speaking or sharing, God puts an example in my life during the period leading up to it. Almost as if here is a practical example to share, and this time is no different. I want to thank those that were lifting me up in words, prayer, and encouragement during the weeks prior it was truly felt. For me, when I got down to it and really studied the passage, tore it apart, did the research, read the commentaries, listened to the sermons…. I had a ton of head knowledge. Greek and Hebrew words for some of the meanings… It's gonna be great!!!! And then the time to sit down and put it together came about, and a blank piece of paper sat still for a week. Because when the gravity and weight of it being head knowledge, moved away and allowed for God and His Word to speak to the heart, I was crushed by the enormous weight of the passage and it importance to us as Christians even today. I experienced all kinds of personal doubt about presenting and speaking, all kinds of feelings of inadequacy. All of it became a cloud. But God whom is faithful and able to do amazing things, did not leave me in that place, through encouragement of brothers and sisters here, through prayer, and one amazing young lad here at LifeHouse who shared with me. Coming back from a place of doubt on your own is nearly impossible. We were not now nor ever supposed to do life and church on our own. We are a body and made to work, serve, worship, encourage, and love each other. We need to turn most importantly to He and a His word. I believe firmly that I went though this point, to be able to encourage some that are here today. You may find yourself in a place where you have no clue what is going on, where God is leading, I said a prayer and no clue what's next, or any other set of circumstances. I want to share with you this from writer Henry Drummond: “Christ never failed to distinguish between doubt and unbelief. Doubt is I can't believe; unbelief is I won't believe. Doubt is honesty, unbelief is obstinacy. Doubt is looking for light; unbelief is being content with darkness.” As we look towards Gods word this morning, if what I shared sounds like you and where you are, keep looking towards not just the light as Drummond mentioned, but the One who is the light, and at the end of the service I would invite you to come down and fully surrender that doubt or that fear or whatever is creating a barrier between you and God here at the altar.
--When we look in the Bible there are some topics that are so very great. So great in fact that it's presence can be felt throughout the entirety of the Bible, and in some cases we live in today. The passage we are going to study this morning is one such passage. In where we will be today, after roughly 4 and a quarter centuries of silence, God decides that the time is right to move back into a relationship with mankind again, and become personal and known to them. It seems as though every time I am tasked with speaking or sharing, God puts an example in my life during the period leading up to it. Almost as if here is a practical example to share, and this time is no different. I want to thank those that were lifting me up in words, prayer, and encouragement during the weeks prior it was truly felt. For me, when I got down to it and really studied the passage, tore it apart, did the research, read the commentaries, listened to the sermons…. I had a ton of head knowledge. Greek and Hebrew words for some of the meanings… It's gonna be great!!!! And then the time to sit down and put it together came about, and a blank piece of paper sat still for a week. Because when the gravity and weight of it being head knowledge, moved away and allowed for God and His Word to speak to the heart, I was crushed by the enormous weight of the passage and it importance to us as Christians even today. I experienced all kinds of personal doubt about presenting and speaking, all kinds of feelings of inadequacy. All of it became a cloud. But God whom is faithful and able to do amazing things, did not leave me in that place, through encouragement of brothers and sisters here, through prayer, and one amazing young lad here at LifeHouse who shared with me. Coming back from a place of doubt on your own is nearly impossible. We were not now nor ever supposed to do life and church on our own. We are a body and made to work, serve, worship, encourage, and love each other. We need to turn most importantly to He and a His word. I believe firmly that I went though this point, to be able to encourage some that are here today. You may find yourself in a place where you have no clue what is going on, where God is leading, I said a prayer and no clue what's next, or any other set of circumstances. I want to share with you this from writer Henry Drummond: “Christ never failed to distinguish between doubt and unbelief. Doubt is I can't believe; unbelief is I won't believe. Doubt is honesty, unbelief is obstinacy. Doubt is looking for light; unbelief is being content with darkness.” As we look towards God's word this morning, if what I shared sounds like you and where you are, keep looking towards not just the light as Drummond mentioned, but the One who is the light, and at the end of the service I would invite you to come down and fully surrender that doubt or that fear or whatever is creating a barrier between you and God here at the altar.
As we go into our text today, we cannot take this chapter on its own. This chapter in its opening relies heavily on understanding what happened in chapter 14. There we saw amounts to being a world war for that period of time. A large area of unrest in which 4 kings left of path of destruction that was unprecedented, and left its scars on e land for generations to come. All of this would have gone unnoticed and unmentioned in the Bible if not for 4 words, “and they took Lot”. Abram saddles up the special forces and rides into battle and routes, one translation states that they slaughtered the opposition. As he returns victorious, we are treated as readers to a series of interactions that gives us a picture of things to come. Here Abram meets on of the most enigmatic characters in the whole of the Bible. You want a good laugh, read some of the way far out there writings that Jewish literature has on him. They have almost set him up due to the lack of information on him into like a Jewish King Arthur of sorts, turning him into almost a legend. Here Abram and Melchizedek have an interaction that points to Christ and the ministry of Him in the New Testament. Here in the valley of the kings, they break bread and we see what could be considered a foreshadowing of a Priest King of what would be Jersulaem having bread and wine and pointing back to God. That's communion! It's not in the elements, it's in the people that come together and remember what God has done for them. It's in celebrating the Lord and who He is. In this time Abram gives up what I can imagine was a great reward, or spoils from the war not wanting to be considered to have been made rich from man so he can be rich from the Lord. And it is here where we enter into our verses today. So with that in mind let's read .
---- I want to invite you to open your Bibles to Genesis chapter 15, where this morning we will be looking at the whole of this amazing and important chapter. It is here that we see a God who was quiet, is now about to get extremely personal again with His creation.
--When we look in the Bible there are some topics that are so very great. So great in fact that it's presence can be felt throughout the entirety of the Bible, and in some cases we live in today. The passage we are going to study this morning is one such passage. In where we will be today, after roughly 4 and a quarter centuries of silence, God decides that the time is right to move back into a relationship with mankind again, and become personal and known to them. It seems as though every time I am tasked with speaking or sharing, God puts an example in my life during the period leading up to it. Almost as if here is a practical example to share, and this time is no different. I want to thank those that were lifting me up in words, prayer, and encouragement during the weeks prior it was truly felt. For me, when I got down to it and really studied the passage, tore it apart, did the research, read the commentaries, listened to the sermons…. I had a ton of head knowledge. Greek and Hebrew words for some of the meanings… It's gonna be great!!!! And then the time to sit down and put it together came about, and a blank piece of paper sat still for a week. Because when the gravity and weight of it being head knowledge, moved away and allowed for God and His Word to speak to the heart, I was crushed by the enormous weight of the passage and it importance to us as Christians even today. I experienced all kinds of personal doubt about presenting and speaking, all kinds of feelings of inadequacy. All of it became a cloud. But God whom is faithful and able to do amazing things, did not leave me in that place, through encouragement of brothers and sisters here, through prayer, and one amazing young lad here at LifeHouse who shared with me. Coming back from a place of doubt on your own is nearly impossible. We were not now nor ever supposed to do life and church on our own. We are a body and made to work, serve, worship, encourage, and love each other. We need to turn most importantly to He and a His word. I believe firmly that I went though this point, to be able to encourage some that are here today. You may find yourself in a place where you have no clue what is going on, where God is leading, I said a prayer and no clue what's next, or any other set of circumstances. I want to share with you this from writer Henry Drummond: “Christ never failed to distinguish between doubt and unbelief. Doubt is I can't believe; unbelief is I won't believe. Doubt is honesty, unbelief is obstinacy. Doubt is looking for light; unbelief is being content with darkness.” As we look towards God's word this morning, if what I shared sounds like you and where you are, keep looking towards not just the light as Drummond mentioned, but the One who is the light, and at the end of the service I would invite you to come down and fully surrender that doubt or that fear or whatever is creating a barrier between you and God here at the altar.
--When we look in the Bible there are some topics that are so very great. So great in fact that it's presence can be felt throughout the entirety of the Bible, and in some cases we live in today. The passage we are going to study this morning is one such passage. In where we will be today, after roughly 4 and a quarter centuries of silence, God decides that the time is right to move back into a relationship with mankind again, and become personal and known to them. It seems as though every time I am tasked with speaking or sharing, God puts an example in my life during the period leading up to it. Almost as if here is a practical example to share, and this time is no different. I want to thank those that were lifting me up in words, prayer, and encouragement during the weeks prior it was truly felt. For me, when I got down to it and really studied the passage, tore it apart, did the research, read the commentaries, listened to the sermons…. I had a ton of head knowledge. Greek and Hebrew words for some of the meanings… It's gonna be great!!!! And then the time to sit down and put it together came about, and a blank piece of paper sat still for a week. Because when the gravity and weight of it being head knowledge, moved away and allowed for God and His Word to speak to the heart, I was crushed by the enormous weight of the passage and it importance to us as Christians even today. I experienced all kinds of personal doubt about presenting and speaking, all kinds of feelings of inadequacy. All of it became a cloud. But God whom is faithful and able to do amazing things, did not leave me in that place, through encouragement of brothers and sisters here, through prayer, and one amazing young lad here at LifeHouse who shared with me. Coming back from a place of doubt on your own is nearly impossible. We were not now nor ever supposed to do life and church on our own. We are a body and made to work, serve, worship, encourage, and love each other. We need to turn most importantly to He and a His word. I believe firmly that I went though this point, to be able to encourage some that are here today. You may find yourself in a place where you have no clue what is going on, where God is leading, I said a prayer and no clue what's next, or any other set of circumstances. I want to share with you this from writer Henry Drummond: “Christ never failed to distinguish between doubt and unbelief. Doubt is I can't believe; unbelief is I won't believe. Doubt is honesty, unbelief is obstinacy. Doubt is looking for light; unbelief is being content with darkness.” As we look towards Gods word this morning, if what I shared sounds like you and where you are, keep looking towards not just the light as Drummond mentioned, but the One who is the light, and at the end of the service I would invite you to come down and fully surrender that doubt or that fear or whatever is creating a barrier between you and God here at the alter.
--When we look in the Bible there are some topics that are so very great. So great in fact that it's presence can be felt throughout the entirety of the Bible, and in some cases we live in today. The passage we are going to study this morning is one such passage. In where we will be today, after roughly 4 and a quarter centuries of silence, God decides that the time is right to move back into a relationship with mankind again, and become personal and known to them. It seems as though every time I am tasked with speaking or sharing, God puts an example in my life during the period leading up to it. Almost as if here is a practical example to share, and this time is no different. I want to thank those that were lifting me up in words, prayer, and encouragement during the weeks prior it was truly felt. For me, when I got down to it and really studied the passage, tore it apart, did the research, read the commentaries, listened to the sermons…. I had a ton of head knowledge. Greek and Hebrew words for some of the meanings… It's gonna be great!!!! And then the time to sit down and put it together came about, and a blank piece of paper sat still for a week. Because when the gravity and weight of it being head knowledge, moved away and allowed for God and His Word to speak to the heart, I was crushed by the enormous weight of the passage and it importance to us as Christians even today. I experienced all kinds of personal doubt about presenting and speaking, all kinds of feelings of inadequacy. All of it became a cloud. But God whom is faithful and able to do amazing things, did not leave me in that place, through encouragement of brothers and sisters here, through prayer, and one amazing young lad here at LifeHouse who shared with me. Coming back from a place of doubt on your own is nearly impossible. We were not now nor ever supposed to do life and church on our own. We are a body and made to work, serve, worship, encourage, and love each other. We need to turn most importantly to He and a His word. I believe firmly that I went though this point, to be able to encourage some that are here today. You may find yourself in a place where you have no clue what is going on, where God is leading, I said a prayer and no clue what's next, or any other set of circumstances. I want to share with you this from writer Henry Drummond: “Christ never failed to distinguish between doubt and unbelief. Doubt is I can't believe; unbelief is I won't believe. Doubt is honesty, unbelief is obstinacy. Doubt is looking for light; unbelief is being content with darkness.” As we look towards God's word this morning, if what I shared sounds like you and where you are, keep looking towards not just the light as Drummond mentioned, but the One who is the light, and at the end of the service I would invite you to come down and fully surrender that doubt or that fear or whatever is creating a barrier between you and God here at the altar.
--When we look in the Bible there are some topics that are so very great. So great in fact that it's presence can be felt throughout the entirety of the Bible, and in some cases we live in today. The passage we are going to study this morning is one such passage. In where we will be today, after roughly 4 and a quarter centuries of silence, God decides that the time is right to move back into a relationship with mankind again, and become personal and known to them. It seems as though every time I am tasked with speaking or sharing, God puts an example in my life during the period leading up to it. Almost as if here is a practical example to share, and this time is no different. I want to thank those that were lifting me up in words, prayer, and encouragement during the weeks prior it was truly felt. For me, when I got down to it and really studied the passage, tore it apart, did the research, read the commentaries, listened to the sermons…. I had a ton of head knowledge. Greek and Hebrew words for some of the meanings… It's gonna be great!!!! And then the time to sit down and put it together came about, and a blank piece of paper sat still for a week. Because when the gravity and weight of it being head knowledge, moved away and allowed for God and His Word to speak to the heart, I was crushed by the enormous weight of the passage and it importance to us as Christians even today. I experienced all kinds of personal doubt about presenting and speaking, all kinds of feelings of inadequacy. All of it became a cloud. But God whom is faithful and able to do amazing things, did not leave me in that place, through encouragement of brothers and sisters here, through prayer, and one amazing young lad here at LifeHouse who shared with me. Coming back from a place of doubt on your own is nearly impossible. We were not now nor ever supposed to do life and church on our own. We are a body and made to work, serve, worship, encourage, and love each other. We need to turn most importantly to He and a His word. I believe firmly that I went though this point, to be able to encourage some that are here today. You may find yourself in a place where you have no clue what is going on, where God is leading, I said a prayer and no clue what's next, or any other set of circumstances. I want to share with you this from writer Henry Drummond: “Christ never failed to distinguish between doubt and unbelief. Doubt is I can't believe; unbelief is I won't believe. Doubt is honesty, unbelief is obstinacy. Doubt is looking for light; unbelief is being content with darkness.” As we look towards God's word this morning, if what I shared sounds like you and where you are, keep looking towards not just the light as Drummond mentioned, but the One who is the light, and at the end of the service I would invite you to come down and fully surrender that doubt or that fear or whatever is creating a barrier between you and God here at the altar.
--When we look in the Bible there are some topics that are so very great. So great in fact that it's presence can be felt throughout the entirety of the Bible, and in some cases we live in today. The passage we are going to study this morning is one such passage. In where we will be today, after roughly 4 and a quarter centuries of silence, God decides that the time is right to move back into a relationship with mankind again, and become personal and known to them. It seems as though every time I am tasked with speaking or sharing, God puts an example in my life during the period leading up to it. Almost as if here is a practical example to share, and this time is no different. I want to thank those that were lifting me up in words, prayer, and encouragement during the weeks prior it was truly felt. For me, when I got down to it and really studied the passage, tore it apart, did the research, read the commentaries, listened to the sermons…. I had a ton of head knowledge. Greek and Hebrew words for some of the meanings… It's gonna be great!!!! And then the time to sit down and put it together came about, and a blank piece of paper sat still for a week. Because when the gravity and weight of it being head knowledge, moved away and allowed for God and His Word to speak to the heart, I was crushed by the enormous weight of the passage and it importance to us as Christians even today. I experienced all kinds of personal doubt about presenting and speaking, all kinds of feelings of inadequacy. All of it became a cloud. But God whom is faithful and able to do amazing things, did not leave me in that place, through encouragement of brothers and sisters here, through prayer, and one amazing young lad here at LifeHouse who shared with me. Coming back from a place of doubt on your own is nearly impossible. We were not now nor ever supposed to do life and church on our own. We are a body and made to work, serve, worship, encourage, and love each other. We need to turn most importantly to He and a His word. I believe firmly that I went though this point, to be able to encourage some that are here today. You may find yourself in a place where you have no clue what is going on, where God is leading, I said a prayer and no clue what's next, or any other set of circumstances. I want to share with you this from writer Henry Drummond: “Christ never failed to distinguish between doubt and unbelief. Doubt is I can't believe; unbelief is I won't believe. Doubt is honesty, unbelief is obstinacy. Doubt is looking for light; unbelief is being content with darkness.” As we look towards God's word this morning, if what I shared sounds like you and where you are, keep looking towards not just the light as Drummond mentioned, but the One who is the light, and at the end of the service I would invite you to come down and fully surrender that doubt or that fear or whatever is creating a barrier between you and God here at the altar.
--When we look in the Bible there are some topics that are so very great. So great in fact that it's presence can be felt throughout the entirety of the Bible, and in some cases we live in today. The passage we are going to study this morning is one such passage. In where we will be today, after roughly 4 and a quarter centuries of silence, God decides that the time is right to move back into a relationship with mankind again, and become personal and known to them. It seems as though every time I am tasked with speaking or sharing, God puts an example in my life during the period leading up to it. Almost as if here is a practical example to share, and this time is no different. I want to thank those that were lifting me up in words, prayer, and encouragement during the weeks prior it was truly felt. For me, when I got down to it and really studied the passage, tore it apart, did the research, read the commentaries, listened to the sermons…. I had a ton of head knowledge. Greek and Hebrew words for some of the meanings… It's gonna be great!!!! And then the time to sit down and put it together came about, and a blank piece of paper sat still for a week. Because when the gravity and weight of it being head knowledge, moved away and allowed for God and His Word to speak to the heart, I was crushed by the enormous weight of the passage and it importance to us as Christians even today. I experienced all kinds of personal doubt about presenting and speaking, all kinds of feelings of inadequacy. All of it became a cloud. But God whom is faithful and able to do amazing things, did not leave me in that place, through encouragement of brothers and sisters here, through prayer, and one amazing young lad here at LifeHouse who shared with me. Coming back from a place of doubt on your own is nearly impossible. We were not now nor ever supposed to do life and church on our own. We are a body and made to work, serve, worship, encourage, and love each other. We need to turn most importantly to He and a His word. I believe firmly that I went though this point, to be able to encourage some that are here today. You may find yourself in a place where you have no clue what is going on, where God is leading, I said a prayer and no clue what's next, or any other set of circumstances. I want to share with you this from writer Henry Drummond: “Christ never failed to distinguish between doubt and unbelief. Doubt is I can't believe; unbelief is I won't believe. Doubt is honesty, unbelief is obstinacy. Doubt is looking for light; unbelief is being content with darkness.” As we look towards Gods word this morning, if what I shared sounds like you and where you are, keep looking towards not just the light as Drummond mentioned, but the One who is the light, and at the end of the service I would invite you to come down and fully surrender that doubt or that fear or whatever is creating a barrier between you and God here at the altar.
As we go into our text today, we cannot take this chapter on its own. This chapter in its opening relies heavily on understanding what happened in chapter 14. There we saw amounts to being a world war for that period of time. A large area of unrest in which 4 kings left of path of destruction that was unprecedented, and left its scars on e land for generations to come. All of this would have gone unnoticed and unmentioned in the Bible if not for 4 words, “and they took Lot”. Abram saddles up the special forces and rides into battle and routes, one translation states that they slaughtered the opposition. As he returns victorious, we are treated as readers to a series of interactions that gives us a picture of things to come. Here Abram meets on of the most enigmatic characters in the whole of the Bible. You want a good laugh, read some of the way far out there writings that Jewish literature has on him. They have almost set him up due to the lack of information on him into like a Jewish King Arthur of sorts, turning him into almost a legend. Here Abram and Melchizedek have an interaction that points to Christ and the ministry of Him in the New Testament. Here in the valley of the kings, they break bread and we see what could be considered a foreshadowing of a Priest King of what would be Jersulaem having bread and wine and pointing back to God. That's communion! It's not in the elements, it's in the people that come together and remember what God has done for them. It's in celebrating the Lord and who He is. In this time Abram gives up what I can imagine was a great reward, or spoils from the war not wanting to be considered to have been made rich from man so he can be rich from the Lord. And it is here where we enter into our verses today. So with that in mind let's read .
--When we look in the Bible there are some topics that are so very great. So great in fact that it's presence can be felt throughout the entirety of the Bible, and in some cases we live in today. The passage we are going to study this morning is one such passage. In where we will be today, after roughly 4 and a quarter centuries of silence, God decides that the time is right to move back into a relationship with mankind again, and become personal and known to them. It seems as though every time I am tasked with speaking or sharing, God puts an example in my life during the period leading up to it. Almost as if here is a practical example to share, and this time is no different. I want to thank those that were lifting me up in words, prayer, and encouragement during the weeks prior it was truly felt. For me, when I got down to it and really studied the passage, tore it apart, did the research, read the commentaries, listened to the sermons…. I had a ton of head knowledge. Greek and Hebrew words for some of the meanings… It's gonna be great!!!! And then the time to sit down and put it together came about, and a blank piece of paper sat still for a week. Because when the gravity and weight of it being head knowledge, moved away and allowed for God and His Word to speak to the heart, I was crushed by the enormous weight of the passage and it importance to us as Christians even today. I experienced all kinds of personal doubt about presenting and speaking, all kinds of feelings of inadequacy. All of it became a cloud. But God whom is faithful and able to do amazing things, did not leave me in that place, through encouragement of brothers and sisters here, through prayer, and one amazing young lad here at LifeHouse who shared with me. Coming back from a place of doubt on your own is nearly impossible. We were not now nor ever supposed to do life and church on our own. We are a body and made to work, serve, worship, encourage, and love each other. We need to turn most importantly to He and a His word. I believe firmly that I went though this point, to be able to encourage some that are here today. You may find yourself in a place where you have no clue what is going on, where God is leading, I said a prayer and no clue what's next, or any other set of circumstances. I want to share with you this from writer Henry Drummond: “Christ never failed to distinguish between doubt and unbelief. Doubt is I can't believe; unbelief is I won't believe. Doubt is honesty, unbelief is obstinacy. Doubt is looking for light; unbelief is being content with darkness.” As we look towards God's word this morning, if what I shared sounds like you and where you are, keep looking towards not just the light as Drummond mentioned, but the One who is the light, and at the end of the service I would invite you to come down and fully surrender that doubt or that fear or whatever is creating a barrier between you and God here at the altar.
--- ---
-----Lets Pray----
-- I want to invite you to open your Bibles to Genesis chapter 15, where this morning we will be looking at the whole of this amazing and important chapter. It is here that we see a God who was quite, is now about to get extremely personal again with His creation. A foundation is about to be laid that we ourselves nearly 4000 years later have our faith built upon and experience today.
-- I want to invite you to open your Bibles to Genesis chapter 15, where this morning we will be looking at the whole of this amazing and important chapter. It is here that we see a God who was quite, is now about to get extremely personal again with His creation. A foundation is about to be laid that we ourselves nearly 4000 years later have our faith built upon and experience today.
-- I want to invite you to open your Bibles to Genesis chapter 15, where this morning we will be looking at the whole of this amazing and important chapter. It is here that we see a God who was quite, is now about to get extremely personal again with His creation. A foundation is about to be laid that we ourselves nearly 4000 years later have our faith built upon and experience today.
-- I want to invite you to open your Bibles to Genesis chapter 15, where this morning we will be looking at the whole of this amazing and important chapter. It is here that we see a God who was quite, is now about to get extremely personal again with His creation. A foundation is about to be laid that we ourselves nearly 4000 years later have our faith built upon and experience today.
-- I want to invite you to open your Bibles to Genesis chapter 15, where this morning we will be looking at the whole of this amazing and important chapter. It is here that we see a God who was quite, is now about to get extremely personal again with His creation. A foundation is about to be laid that we ourselves nearly 4000 years later have our faith built upon and experience today.
-- I want to invite you to open your Bibles to Genesis chapter 15, where this morning we will be looking at the whole of this amazing and important chapter. It is here that we see a God who was quite, is now about to get extremely personal again with His creation. A foundation is about to be laid that we ourselves nearly 4000 years later have our faith built upon and experience today.
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-- I want to invite you to open your Bibles to Genesis chapter 15, where this morning we will be looking at the whole of this amazing and important chapter. It is here that we see a God who was quite, is now about to get extremely personal again with His creation. A foundation is about to be laid that we ourselves nearly 4000 years later have our faith built upon and experience today.
--- ---
-- I want to invite you to open your Bibles to Genesis chapter 15, where this morning we will be looking at the whole of this amazing and important chapter. It is here that we see a God who was quite, is now about to get extremely personal again with His creation. A foundation is about to be laid that we ourselves nearly 4000 years later have our faith built upon and experience today.
-- I want to invite you to open your Bibles to Genesis chapter 15, where this morning we will be looking at the whole of this amazing and important chapter. It is here that we see a God who was quite, is now about to get extremely personal again with His creation. A foundation is about to be laid that we ourselves nearly 4000 years later have our faith built upon and experience today.
-- I want to invite you to open your Bibles to Genesis chapter 15, where this morning we will be looking at the whole of this amazing and important chapter. It is here that we see a God who was quite, is now about to get extremely personal again with His creation. A foundation is about to be laid that we ourselves nearly 4000 years later have our faith built upon and experience today.
-- I want to invite you to open your Bibles to Genesis chapter 15, where this morning we will be looking at the whole of this amazing and important chapter. It is here that we see a God who was quite, is now about to get extremely personal again with His creation. A foundation is about to be laid that we ourselves nearly 4000 years later have our faith built upon and experience today.
--- ---
-----Lets Pray----
-- I want to invite you to open your Bibles to Genesis chapter 15, where this morning we will be looking at the whole of this amazing and important chapter. It is here that we see a God who was quite, is now about to get extremely personal again with His creation. A foundation is about to be laid that we ourselves nearly 4000 years later have our faith built upon and experience today.
--So with that said, let's read :
Let's Pray…
--So with that said, let's read :
--So with that said, let's read :
Let's Pray…
--So with that said, let's read :
--So with that said, let's read :
--So with that said, let's read :
Let's Pray…
--So with that said, let's read :
--So with that said, let's read :
--So with that said, let's read :
--Lets begin to dive into starting in verse 1.
Greetings Lifehouse!
Let's Pray…
--So with that said, let's read :
--So with that said, let's read :
--So with that said, let's read :
--So with that said, let's read :
Let's Pray…
For those who don't know me, my name is Benjamin Hankin. Our family has enjoyed being a partner here for just over 2 years and we just enjoy serving our great here.
With Mark being away on vacation, he reached down into the minor leagues of Kid Jr where I normally serve and called me up to the big kids church this Sunday, so I am very excited to be here with you.
--When we look in the Bible there are some topics that are so very great. So great in fact that it's presence can be felt throughout the entirety of the Bible, and in some cases we live in today. The passage we are going to study this morning is one such passage. In where we will be today, after roughly 4 and a quarter centuries of silence, God decides that the time is right to move back into a relationship with mankind again, and become personal and known to them. It seems as though every time I am tasked with speaking or sharing, God puts an example in my life during the period leading up to it. Almost as if here is a practical example to share, and this time is no different. I want to thank those that were lifting me up in words, prayer, and encouragement during the weeks prior it was truly felt. For me, when I got down to it and really studied the passage, tore it apart, did the research, read the commentaries, listened to the sermons…. I had a ton of head knowledge. Greek and Hebrew words for some of the meanings… It's gonna be great!!!! And then the time to sit down and put it together came about, and a blank piece of paper sat still for a week. Because when the gravity and weight of it being head knowledge, moved away and allowed for God and His Word to speak to the heart, I was crushed by the enormous weight of the passage and it importance to us as Christians even today. I experienced all kinds of personal doubt about presenting and speaking, all kinds of feelings of inadequacy. All of it became a cloud. But God whom is faithful and able to do amazing things, did not leave me in that place, through encouragement of brothers and sisters here, through prayer, and one amazing young lad here at LifeHouse who shared with me. Coming back from a place of doubt on your own is nearly impossible. We were not now nor ever supposed to do life and church on our own. We are a body and made to work, serve, worship, encourage, and love each other. We need to turn most importantly to He and a His word. I believe firmly that I went though this point, to be able to encourage some that are here today. You may find yourself in a place where you have no clue what is going on, where God is leading, I said a prayer and no clue what's next, or any other set of circumstances. I want to share with you this from writer Henry Drummond: “Christ never failed to distinguish between doubt and unbelief. Doubt is I can't believe; unbelief is I won't believe. Doubt is honesty, unbelief is obstinacy. Doubt is looking for light; unbelief is being content with darkness.” As we look towards Gods word this morning, if what I shared sounds like you and where you are, keep looking towards not just the light as Drummond mentioned, but the One who is the light, and at the end of the service I would invite you to come down and fully surrender that doubt or that fear or whatever is creating a barrier between you and God here at the altar.
-- I want to invite you to open your Bibles to Genesis chapter 15, where this morning we will be looking at the whole of this amazing and important chapter. It is here that we see a God who was quite, is now about to get extremely personal again with His creation. A foundation is about to be laid that we ourselves nearly 4000 years later have our faith built upon and experience today.
What we have before us in this scripture is a beautiful picture of God in His interaction with one of His most faithful servants. There is no question that in this passage, there is a lot of imagery going on that may be lost on us today, but in the context of Abrams time, would have spoke volumes far greater than any amount of written words ever could. And through this discourse between Abram and God, we are going to see what I believe is God’ Promises or Covenant with him. And yes… I went with Covenant so I could keep the patter of C’s. We also see God’s Confirmation of His promise. And finally throughout this whole interaction, we see a beautiful and powerful picture of God’s Character. And as we go through each of these, we will see Abrams response, and how it changes from beginning to the end of the chapter. And yes, I could have put those points without saying God before each, but I hope by the end you will understand why I put it that way. But before we go into what God is doing and who she is, let's take a look at Abram and gain an understanding of his current mindset.
After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”
But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”
And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.”
And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.”
And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”
But see at the onset of this passage, “After these things…” We need to approach this and look very very briefly at what came before this moment in time. The reason being is we cannot fully appreciate where Abram is, in his mindset if we don't look back so we can move forward. And in the interest of time I will give the super fast cliff notes version since we have a lot to cover today. 3 times previously in Chapter 12 and 13 God spoke to Abram and made promises to him. Make a nation of him, give him the land that he sees, bless those who bless him, curse those who curse him. Then we come to 14. Roughly 10 years after the first contact from God. These 5 kings from the area around the dead sea, say that they want to rebel, these 4 kings from Mesopotamia, which on a side note sounds like a weird boy band, utterly obliterate the area. All of this would have been a footnote in history if not for the words “and they took Lot”. Abram gets word, saddles up 318 men who are like his private green berets, grabs his allies and they ride off like a old western posse to the rescue. They dont just win, one version translates the word defeats as “slaughters” the armies of the kings. They take Lot, his whole house/family, and all the loot and head back. Abram meets up with Melchizedek and during this time we have one king point him to God and receive a tithe from Abram in celebration of what God had just done, and another king seek Abram with selfish motives only to be turned away. So from there we move on to our passage chapter 15.
What we have before us in this scripture is a beautiful picture of God in His interaction with one of His most faithful servants. There is no question that in this passage, there is a lot of imagery going on that may be lost on us today, but in the context of Abrams time, would have spoke volumes far greater than any amount of written words ever could. And through this discourse between Abram and God, we are going to see what I believe is God’ Promises or Covenant with him. And yes… I went with Covenant so I could keep the patter of C’s. We also see God’s Confirmation of His promise. And finally throughout this whole interaction, we see a beautiful and powerful picture of God’s Character. And as we go through each of these, we will see Abrams response, and how it changes from beginning to the end of the chapter. And yes, I could have put those points without saying God before each, but I hope by the end you will understand why I put it that way. But before we go into what God is doing and who she is, let's take a look at Abram and gain an understanding of his current mindset.
After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”
But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”
And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.”
And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.”
And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
What we have before us in this scripture is a beautiful picture of God in His interaction with one of His most faithful servants. There is no question that in this passage, there is a lot of imagery going on that may be lost on us today, but in the context of Abrams time, would have spoke volumes far greater than any amount of written words ever could. And through this discourse between Abram and God, we are going to see what I believe is God’ Promises or Covenant with him. And yes… I went with Covenant so I could keep the patter of C’s. We also see God’s Confirmation of His promise. And finally throughout this whole interaction, we see a beautiful and powerful picture of God’s Character. And as we go through each of these, we will see Abrams response, and how it changes from beginning to the end of the chapter. And yes, I could have put those points without saying God before each, but I hope by the end you will understand why I put it that way. But before we go into what God is doing and who she is, let's take a look at Abram and gain an understanding of his current mindset.
After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”
But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”
And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.”
And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.”
And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”
But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”
And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.”
And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.”
And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”
But see at the onset of this passage, “After these things…” To appreciate where Abram is at during the beginning of this passage, we need to take a look back before moving forward. And in the interest of time I will give the super fast cliff notes version since we have a lot to cover today. In Chapter 12 and 13 God spoke to Abram and made promises to him. Make a nation of him, give him the land that he sees, bless those who bless him, curse those who curse him. Then we come to 14:1 Roughly 10 years after the first contact from God. These 5 kings from the area around the dead sea, say that they want to rebel, these 4 kings from Mesopotamia utterly obliterate the area. All of this would have been a footnote in history if not for the words “and they took Lot”. Abram gets word, saddles up 318 men who are like his private green berets, grabs his allies and they ride off like a old western posse to the rescue. They dont just win, one version translates the word defeats as “slaughters” the armies of the kings. They take Lot, his whole house/family, and all the loot and head back. In response to this victory as he is heading heading home, he meets two kings. In response to the great victory that they had, Abram celebrates giving a tithe to the Lord through Melchizedek, while denying the self seeking King of Sodom a foothold in his life.
After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”
But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”
And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.”
And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.”
And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
-- What we have before us in this scripture is a beautiful picture of God in His interaction with one of His most faithful servants. There is no question that in this passage, there is a lot of imagery going on that may be lost on us today, but in the context of Abrams time, would have spoke volumes far greater than any amount of written words ever could. And through this discourse between Abram and God, we are going to see what I believe is God’ Promises or Covenant with him. And yes… I went with Covenant so I could keep the patter of C’s. We also see God’s Confirmation of His promise. And finally we will take this moment and look forward, and see that this covenant between Abram and God is not something stuck in the past, a great story in the Word, but that God’s Covenant Continues. And as we go through each of these, we will see Abrams response, and how it changes from beginning to the end of the chapter. We will see a beautiful and powerful picture of God in some of His characteristics that are revealed during this chapter. And yes, I could have put those points without saying God before each, but I hope by the end you will understand why I put it that way. But before we go into what God is doing and who she is, let's take a look at Abram and gain an understanding of his current mindset.
After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”
But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”
And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.”
And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.”
And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”
But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”
And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.”
And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.”
And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”
But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”
And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.”
And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.”
And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
What we have before us in this scripture is a beautiful picture of God in His interaction with one of His most faithful servants. There is no question that in this passage, there is a lot of imagery going on that may be lost on us today, but in the context of Abrams time, would have spoke volumes far greater than any amount of written words ever could. And through this discourse between Abram and God, we are going to see what I believe is God’ Promises or Covenant with him. And yes… I went with Covenant so I could keep the patter of C’s. We also see God’s Confirmation of His promise. And finally throughout this whole interaction, we see a beautiful and powerful picture of God’s Character. And as we go through each of these, we will see Abrams response, and how it changes from beginning to the end of the chapter. And yes, I could have put those points without saying God before each, but I hope by the end you will understand why I put it that way. But before we go into what God is doing and who she is, let's take a look at Abram and gain an understanding of his current mindset.
After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”
But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”
And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.”
And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.”
And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”
But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”
And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.”
And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.”
And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
15:1 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”
But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”
And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.”
And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.”
And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
And he said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”
But he said, “O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?”
He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”
And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half.
And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him.
Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years.
But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.
As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age.
And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”
When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.
On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,
the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites,
the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,
the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites
After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”
But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”
And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.”
And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.”
And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
--So with that said, let's read :
After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”
But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”
And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.”
And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.”
And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
And he said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”
But he said, “O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?”
He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”
And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half.
And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him.
Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years.
But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.
As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age.
And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”
When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.
On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,
the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites,the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,
the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites
------Lets Pray-----
Here Abram sits, this is an incredible point of his life. He is just off of a major victory against the four kings. He stood faithful in honoring God before a self seeking king, and now is most likely back home amongst his family. This is ten years after God first spoke to Abram telling him to leave his father's house as well as issuing a promise to make a great nation of him and to give him a land that He was leading him to. It would be at this point that Abram would have looked around him and noticed all that was happening and may begin to question. Because as is often when we as a people enter into times of great victory, that a challenges and trials usually follow. This surely would have been one of those points. Abram getting back may be thinking to himself what did I just do? Are these people going to come after me? Is my household in danger? He may be thinking about the great reward he gave up. Seeing as who it was taken from, it most likely would have been a kings ransom, enough to care for his family for a long time, simply given over. All this along with Abram still being, nothing more than someone who journeys in a land that is foreign to him. No permanent place to call home. And all this, all this to say that after 10 years, at 85 years old, he still had not an heir to take over his household. The struggle was real, the worry would be justified by human standards. But the thing is, his God, who is our God, is not a distant God. We see the beginning of the promises from God in the very open along with a number of biblical “firsts” right from the get go. You see, our God, is about to get very personal with His people again. We read Him speak to Abram, “After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." God recognizes the position that his servant is in, God is not a distant God. I picture God almost crying out to Abram… ABRAM! Do not worry Abram! Abram!!! Do not fear!!! Abram… I have your back Abram… Abram.. I will be your shield! Abram… I will be your protection!! Abram! Do not worry one bit about your house… Abram! I know you Abram and I will care for you. And I, I alone will be your reward… and Abram, trust me… You reward will… be… great! If we look at the Bible and everything up to it at this point, We have 3 first in this simple yet powerful promise. This is the first of 257 times that will follow in the BIble that we see the phrase, “The Word of the Lord came to”. This is also the first that we see God promise protection to someone, as well as the first of nearly 50 times we hear God tell someone “to not fear”. The Bible geek in me is struggling to not look at everyone of them, but I have a feeling you want to get home sometime today. But you can gain a visual with all the references on the screen.
------Lets Pray-----
So from there we move on to our passage chapter 15. where we see a beautiful and powerful interaction between God and Abram. During this interaction we will see these three things
And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
And he said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”
But he said, “O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?”
He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”
And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half.
And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him.
Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years.
But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.
As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age.
And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”
When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.
On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,
the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites,the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,
the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites
-- Here Abram sits, this is an incredible point of his life. He is just off of a major victory against the four kings. He stood faithful in honoring God before a self seeking king, and now is most likely back home amongst his family. This is ten years after God first spoke to Abram telling him to leave his father's house as well as issuing a promise to make a great nation of him and to give him a land that He was leading him to. It would be at this point that Abram would have looked around him and noticed all that was happening and may begin to question. Because as is often when we as a people enter into times of great victory, that a challenges and trials usually follow. This surely would have been one of those points. Abram getting back may be thinking to himself what did I just do? Are these people going to come after me? Is my household in danger? He may be thinking about the great reward he gave up. Seeing as who it was taken from, it most likely would have been a king's ransom, enough to care for his family for a long time, simply given over. All this along with Abram still being, nothing more than someone who journeys in a land that is foreign to him. No permanent place to call home. And all this, all this to say that after 10 years, at 85 years old, he still had not an heir to take over his household. The struggle was real, the worry would be justified by human standards. But the thing is, his God, who is our God, is not a distant God. We see the beginning of the promises from God in the very open along with a number of biblical “firsts” right from the get go. You see, our God, is about to get very personal with His people again. We read Him speak to Abram, “After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." God recognizes the position that his servant is in, God is not a distant God. I picture God almost crying out to Abram… ABRAM! Do not worry Abram! Abram!!! Do not fear!!! Abram… I have your back Abram… Abram.. I will be your shield! Abram… I will be your protection!! Abram! Do not worry one bit about your house… Abram! I know you Abram and I will care for you. And I, I alone will be your reward… and Abram, trust me… You reward will… be… great! If we look at the Bible and everything up to it at this point, We have 3 first in this simple yet powerful promise. This is the first of 257 times that will follow in the BIble that we see the phrase, “The Word of the Lord came to”. This is also the first that we see God promise protection to someone, as well as the first of nearly 50 times we hear God tell someone “to not fear”. The Bible geek in me is struggling to not look at everyone of them, but I have a feeling you want to get home sometime today. But you can gain a visual with all the references on the screen.
And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
And he said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”
But he said, “O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?”
He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”
And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half.
And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him.
Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years.
But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.
As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age.
And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”
When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.
On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,
the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites,the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,
the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites
Here Abram sits, this is an incredible point of his life. He is just off of a major victory against the four kings. He stood faithful in honoring God before a self seeking king, and now is most likely back home amongst his family. This is ten years after God first spoke to Abram telling him to leave his father's house as well as issuing a promise to make a great nation of him and to give him a land that He was leading him to. It would be at this point that Abram would have looked around him and noticed all that was happening and may begin to question. Because as is often when we as a people enter into times of great victory, that a challenges and trials usually follow. This surely would have been one of those points. Abram getting back may be thinking to himself what did I just do? Are these people going to come after me? Is my household in danger? He may be thinking about the great reward he gave up. Seeing as who it was taken from, it most likely would have been a kings ransom, enough to care for his family for a long time, simply given over. All this along with Abram still being, nothing more than someone who journeys in a land that is foreign to him. No permanent place to call home. And all this, all this to say that after 10 years, at 85 years old, he still had not an heir to take over his household. The struggle was real, the worry would be justified by human standards. But the thing is, his God, who is our God, is not a distant God. We see the beginning of the promises from God in the very open along with a number of biblical “firsts” right from the get go. You see, our God, is about to get very personal with His people again. We read Him speak to Abram, “After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." God recognizes the position that his servant is in, God is not a distant God. I picture God almost crying out to Abram… ABRAM! Do not worry Abram! Abram!!! Do not fear!!! Abram… I have your back Abram… Abram.. I will be your shield! Abram… I will be your protection!! Abram! Do not worry one bit about your house… Abram! I know you Abram and I will care for you. And I, I alone will be your reward… and Abram, trust me… You reward will… be… great! If we look at the Bible and everything up to it at this point, We have 3 first in this simple yet powerful promise. This is the first of 257 times that will follow in the BIble that we see the phrase, “The Word of the Lord came to”. This is also the first that we see God promise protection to someone, as well as the first of nearly 50 times we hear God tell someone “to not fear”. The Bible geek in me is struggling to not look at everyone of them, but I have a feeling you want to get home sometime today. But you can gain a visual with all the references on the screen.
And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
And he said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”
But he said, “O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?”
He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”
And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half.
And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him.
Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years.
But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.
As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age.
And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”
When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.
On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,
the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites,the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,
the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites
------Lets Pray-----
Here Abram sits, this is an incredible point of his life. He is just off of a major victory against the four kings. He stood faithful in honoring God before a self seeking king, and now is most likely back home amongst his family. This is ten years after God first spoke to Abram telling him to leave his father's house as well as issuing a promise to make a great nation of him and to give him a land that He was leading him to. It would be at this point that Abram would have looked around him and noticed all that was happening and may begin to question. Because as is often when we as a people enter into times of great victory, that a challenges and trials usually follow. This surely would have been one of those points. Abram getting back may be thinking to himself what did I just do? Are these people going to come after me? Is my household in danger? He may be thinking about the great reward he gave up. Seeing as who it was taken from, it most likely would have been a kings ransom, enough to care for his family for a long time, simply given over. All this along with Abram still being, nothing more than someone who journeys in a land that is foreign to him. No permanent place to call home. And all this, all this to say that after 10 years, at 85 years old, he still had not an heir to take over his household. The struggle was real, the worry would be justified by human standards. But the thing is, his God, who is our God, is not a distant God. We see the beginning of the promises from God in the very open along with a number of biblical “firsts” right from the get go. You see, our God, is about to get very personal with His people again. We read Him speak to Abram, “After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." God recognizes the position that his servant is in, God is not a distant God. I picture God almost crying out to Abram… ABRAM! Do not worry Abram! Abram!!! Do not fear!!! Abram… I have your back Abram… Abram.. I will be your shield! Abram… I will be your protection!! Abram! Do not worry one bit about your house… Abram! I know you Abram and I will care for you. And I, I alone will be your reward… and Abram, trust me… You reward will… be… great! If we look at the Bible and everything up to it at this point, We have 3 first in this simple yet powerful promise. This is the first of 257 times that will follow in the BIble that we see the phrase, “The Word of the Lord came to”. This is also the first that we see God promise protection to someone, as well as the first of nearly 50 times we hear God tell someone “to not fear”. The Bible geek in me is struggling to not look at everyone of them, but I have a feeling you want to get home sometime today. But you can gain a visual with all the references on the screen.
And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
And he said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”
But he said, “O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?”
He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”
And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half.
And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him.
Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years.
But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.
As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age.
And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”
When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.
On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,
the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites,the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,
the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites
And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
And he said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”
But he said, “O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?”
He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”
And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half.
And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him.
Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years.
But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.
As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age.
And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”
When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.
On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,
the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites,the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,
the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites
And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
And he said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”
But he said, “O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?”
He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”
And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half.
And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him.
Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years.
But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.
As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age.
And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”
When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.
On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,
the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites,the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,
the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites
Here Abram sits, this is an incredible point of his life. He is just off of a major victory against the four kings. He stood faithful in honoring God before a self seeking king, and now is most likely back home amongst his family. This is ten years after God first spoke to Abram telling him to leave his father's house as well as issuing a promise to make a great nation of him and to give him a land that He was leading him to. It would be at this point that Abram would have looked around him and noticed all that was happening and may begin to question. Because as is often when we as a people enter into times of great victory, that a challenges and trials usually follow. This surely would have been one of those points. Abram getting back may be thinking to himself what did I just do? Are these people going to come after me? Is my household in danger? He may be thinking about the great reward he gave up. Seeing as who it was taken from, it most likely would have been a kings ransom, enough to care for his family for a long time, simply given over. All this along with Abram still being, nothing more than someone who journeys in a land that is foreign to him. No permanent place to call home. And all this, all this to say that after 10 years, at 85 years old, he still had not an heir to take over his household. The struggle was real, the worry would be justified by human standards. But the thing is, his God, who is our God, is not a distant God. We see the beginning of the promises from God in the very open along with a number of biblical “firsts” right from the get go. You see, our God, is about to get very personal with His people again. We read Him speak to Abram, “After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." God recognizes the position that his servant is in, God is not a distant God. I picture God almost crying out to Abram… ABRAM! Do not worry Abram! Abram!!! Do not fear!!! Abram… I have your back Abram… Abram.. I will be your shield! Abram… I will be your protection!! Abram! Do not worry one bit about your house… Abram! I know you Abram and I will care for you. And I, I alone will be your reward… and Abram, trust me… You reward will… be… great! If we look at the Bible and everything up to it at this point, We have 3 first in this simple yet powerful promise. This is the first of 257 times that will follow in the BIble that we see the phrase, “The Word of the Lord came to”. This is also the first that we see God promise protection to someone, as well as the first of nearly 50 times we hear God tell someone “to not fear”. The Bible geek in me is struggling to not look at everyone of them, but I have a feeling you want to get home sometime today. But you can gain a visual with all the references on the screen.
And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
And he said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”
But he said, “O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?”
He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”
And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half.
And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him.
Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years.
But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.
As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age.
And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”
When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.
On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,
the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites,the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,
the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites
And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
And he said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”
But he said, “O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?”
He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”
And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half.
And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him.
Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years.
But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.
As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age.
And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”
When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.
On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,
the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites,the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,
the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites
And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
And he said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”
But he said, “O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?”
He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”
And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half.
And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him.
Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years.
But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.
As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age.
And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”
When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.
On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,
the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites,the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,
the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites
1. So with that quick recap, Here in 15 we are going to see a beautiful and powerful interaction between God and Abram, remember he is not yet Abraham… by the way shh don't said that too loud, he doesn't know in a couple chapters God is going to hook him up with a new name. So shh… keep that quiet. But in this chapter we are going to see 3 points that we will hit as we go through this section of verses. The first one even has subheadings… ooh fancy! The first point is that we will see God’s Covenant. These are the promises that He is making to Abram. First off we are going to see Him address Abrams physical safety, followed by his line of succession, and then lastly God address his future home.
And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
And he said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”
But he said, “O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?”
He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”
And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half.
And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him.
Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years.
But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.
As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age.
And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”
When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.
On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,
the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites,the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,
the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites
And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
And he said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”
But he said, “O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?”
He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”
And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half.
And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him.
Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years.
But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.
As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age.
And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”
When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.
On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,
the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites,the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,
the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites
So before we enter into this passage, I want to mention that there are a NUMBER of things at happen for the first time in this passage. We will go over some of them as I feel it is important for us today and the direction of this message, but I would invite you to do some study on them in your own time and check them out. And if you have any questions please feel free to message and I will do my best to answer them. But see at the onset of this passage, “After these things…” We need to approach this and look very very briefly at what came before this moment in time. The reason being is we cannot fully appreciate where Abram is, in his mindset if we don't look back so we can look forward. And in the interest of time I will give the super fast cliff notes version since we have a lot to cover today. 3 times previously in Chapter 12 and 13 God spoke to Abram and made promises to him. Make a nation of him, give him the land that he sees, bless those who bless him, curse those who curse him. Then we come to 14. Roughly 10 years after the first contact from God. These 5 kings from the area around the dead sea, say that they want to rebel, these 4 kings from Mesopotamia, which on a side note sounds like a weird boy band, utterly obliterate the area. All of this would have been a footnote in history if not for the words “and they took Lot”. Abram gets wind, saddles up 318 men who are like his private green berets, grabs his allies and they ride off like a old western posse to the rescue. They dont just win, one version translates the word defeats as “slaughters” the king Chedorlaomer. They take Lot, his whole house/family, and all the loot and head back. Abram meets up with Melchizedek and during this time we have one king point him to God and receive a tithe from Abram, and another king seek Abram with selfish motives and be turned away. So from there we move on to our passage chapter 15.
So with that quick recap, Here in 15 we are going to see a beautiful and powerful interaction between God and Abram, remember he is not yet Abraham… shh don't said that too loud, he doesn't know in a couple chapters God is going to hook him up with a new name. So shh… keep that quiet.
But here we are going to see a couple of those first i mentioned earlier. This is the first time we see the words, “Fear not”, the first time for “The Word of the Lord came to..” and “also the first for God to say that HE will be a “shield” for someone. On the screen behind me is a list of all the uses going forward, so they may be a first, but they are certainly not the last. As for this verse, there is a lot of power behind what God is saying. Think about it, Abram is coming off this major victory! He is coming off of the great triumph over the kings, rescued his family, stood up for God in the face of a self seeking king, gave of his riches to a priest king as a tribute to God.
God Himself is speaking to Abram, God Himself is stating that He will be someones protection and also reward.
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So before we enter into this passage, I want to mention that there are a NUMBER of things at happen for the first time in this passage. We will go over some of them as I feel it is important for us today and the direction of this message, but I would invite you to do some study on them in your own time and check them out. And if you have any questions please feel free to message and I will do my best to answer them. But see at the onset of this passage, “After these things…” What things? What
------Lets Pray-----
We today, would have a different perspective than Abram on this promise. We today hold His Word in our hands, we have multiple copies on our shelves or fingertips through phones or IPads. Remember, this guy Abram had nothing more than three promises from someone whom he did not know. God was someone that was very impersonable to him. He probably heard about HIm from great great great great grandpa Shem who was alive and would have told him stories of life before, during, and after the flood. But to Abram, there was no deep relationship with God that we know of…. YET!
So before we enter into this passage, I want to mention that there are a NUMBER of things at happen for the first time in this passage. We will go over some of them as I feel it is important for us today and the direction of this message, but I would invite you to do some study on them in your own time and check them out. And if you have any questions please feel free to message and I will do my best to answer them. But see at the onset of this passage, “After these things…” What things? What
------Lets Pray-----
We today, would have a different perspective than Abram on this promise. We today hold His Word in our hands, we have multiple copies on our shelves or fingertips through phones or IPads. Remember, this guy Abram had nothing more than three promises from someone whom he did not know. God was someone that was very impersonable to him. He probably heard about HIm from great great great great grandpa Shem who was alive and would have told him stories of life before, during, and after the flood. But to Abram, there was no deep relationship…. YET!
We today, would have a different perspective than Abram on this promise. We today hold His Word in our hands, we have multiple copies on our shelves or fingertips through phones or IPads. Remember, this guy Abram had nothing more than three promises from someone whom he did not know. God was someone that was very impersonable to him. He probably heard about HIm from great great great great grandpa Shem who was alive and would have told him stories of life before, during, and after the flood. But to Abram, there was no deep relationship with God that we know of…. YET!
God’s Covenant, it is here that God is going to set forth what He is going to do for Abram
We today, would have a different perspective than Abram on this promise. We today hold His Word in our hands, we have multiple copies on our shelves or fingertips through phones or IPads. Remember, this guy Abram had nothing more than three promises from someone whom he did not know. God was someone that was very impersonable to him. He probably heard about HIm from great great great great grandpa Shem who was alive and would have told him stories of life before, during, and after the flood. But to Abram, there was no deep relationship with God that we know of…. YET!
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One aspect of this passage that is amazing, is the number of firsts that we see happen in this passage. This is the first time we see the words, “Fear not”, the first time for “The Word of the Lord came to..” and “also the first for God to say that HE will be a “shield” for someone. They may be a first, but they are certainly not the last. As for this verse, there is a lot of power behind what God is saying. Think about it, Abram is coming off this major victory! He is coming off of the great triumph over the kings, rescued his family, stood up for God in the face of a self seeking king, gave of his riches to a priest king as a tribute to God. The last thing that we would ever expect to hear from God or anyone are the words “fear not”. But God knows HIs people, and being that HE created us, knows us far better than we know ourself. God knows that when Abram returns home and what went down finally hits, he may begin thinking about the safety and security of the people, he may be thinking about the revenge that will come from those 4 whom he beat. Will they come back, what are we going to do? May be thinking of all the spoils that he gave back? The Bible does not state. But what is certain is this. When we have mountain top experiences in serving or meeting with Him, we need to be wary that there is a valley on the other side of the hill. We are most susceptible to attacks from the enemy after great victory. And so I can almost see God wanting to head off that valley before Abram ever hits it. ****God improv with Abram**** And Abram in his response shows not one of unbelief, but of where I was recently, Abram shows himself to be at a point of doubt. Abram does a very human thing and “offer God a way out”, as if HE needed it. And for us I want to think about something here. This is a very rough place to be as a Christian today, for us if we are not careful our doubt can lead us down a dark road. We might look at what God is promising or telling us in His plans, and we don't see immediate answers to prayers. So we question, and when we question we are obviously not going to look to God since He is not replying, lets see what the world has to say. And that is exactly what we see here. Abram offers God this out since he recognizes how advanced in his years he and Sarai are, and so lets do what others in the culture are doing and lets see if God wants me to adopt Eliezer and have the promise continue that way.
-- So how does Abram respond, lets look in verse 2 and 3. “But Abram said, "O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" And Abram said, "Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir." Ohh Abram… if only you knew what we sitting here know.. Abram, can't you just read ahead in Genesis and see what He does? And to be honest, I kinda feel bad for Eliezer! In one fell swoop he gains and loses an inheritance! Imagine if he was listening to that conversation, I would have been depressed for sure. Abram is looking towards the customs of the times. It is almost as if he is offering God an out. I have this guy, who is chief in my house, should I take him as my adopted son and continue the line through him? This was a custom of the time and in the region. This shows a very human reaction for someone that we lift up as a father of faith. He is not oblivious to his circumstances that he and Sarai are well advanced in their years. That they are in this post flood stage, well beyond the childbearing years. And I want to address something real fast, we don't see an unbelief here in Abram. This is not him not believing, this is a doubt, this is him questioning. And personally, I don't have a problem with doubt. Doubt and questioning, can lead to some amazing discussions and deepening of your faith when you seek the kingdom for you answers. Let me share a quote from writer Henry Drummond : "Christ never failed to distinguish between doubt and unbelief. Doubt is can't believe; unbelief is won't believe. Doubt is honesty; unbelief is obstinacy. Doubt is looking for light; unbelief is being content with darkness." And we can speak confidently in the fact that Abram is just expressing doubt, because of how he addresses God. Another first that shows up is in the phrase “Lord God”. It translates to Adonai Jehovah, essentially recognizing Him as not just God. But the Supreme God, or better put, the Lord God Master Overall. To me, he is not expressing unbelief in God’s promise during this chapter, just doubt in how God is going to accomplish it. So lets continue on with God’s response and continuation of his promise or covenant.
So before we enter into this passage, I want to mention that there are a NUMBER of things at happen for the first time in this passage. We will go over some of them as I feel it is important for us today and the direction of this message, but I would invite you to do some study on them in your own time and check them out. And if you have any questions please feel free to message and I will do my best to answer them. But see at the onset of this passage, “After these things…” We need to approach this and look very very briefly at what came before this moment in time. The reason being is we cannot fully appreciate where Abram is, in his mindset if we don't look back so we can look forward. And in the interest of time I will give the super fast cliff notes version since we have a lot to cover today. 3 times previously in Chapter 12 and 13 God spoke to Abram and made promises to him. Make a nation of him, give him the land that he sees, bless those who bless him, curse those who curse him. Then we come to 14. Roughly 10 years after the first contact from God. These 5 kings from the area around the dead sea, say that they want to rebel, these 4 kings from Mesopotamia, which on a side note sounds like a weird boy band, utterly obliterate the area. All of this would have been a footnote in history if not for the words “and they took Lot”. Abram gets wind, saddles up 318 men who are like his private green berets, grabs his allies and they ride off like a old western posse to the rescue. They dont just win, one version translates the word defeats as “slaughters” the king Chedorlaomer. They take Lot, his whole house/family, and all the loot and head back. Abram meets up with Melchizedek and during this time we have one king point him to God and receive a tithe from Abram, and another king seek Abram with selfish motives and be turned away. So from there we move on to our passage chapter 15.
So how does Abram respond, lets look in verse 2 and 3. “But Abram said, "O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" And Abram said, "Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir." Ohh Abram… if only you knew what we sitting here know.. Abram, can't you just read ahead in Genesis and see what He does? And to be honest, I kinda feel bad for Eliezer! In one fell swoop he gains and loses an inheritance! Imagine if he was listening to that conversation, I would have been depressed for sure. Abram is looking towards the customs of the times. It is almost as if he is offering God an out. I have this guy, who is chief in my house, should I take him as my adopted son and continue the line through him? This was a custom of the time and in the region. This shows a very human reaction for someone that we lift up as a father of faith. He is not oblivious to his circumstances that he and Sarai are well advanced in their years. That they are in this post flood stage, well beyond the childbearing years. And I want to address something real fast, we don't see an unbelief here in Abram. This is not him not believing, this is a doubt, this is him questioning. And personally, I don't have a problem with doubt. Doubt and questioning, can lead to some amazing discussions and deepening of your faith when you seek the kingdom for you answers. Let me share a quote from writer Henry Drummond : "Christ never failed to distinguish between doubt and unbelief. Doubt is can't believe; unbelief is won't believe. Doubt is honesty; unbelief is obstinacy. Doubt is looking for light; unbelief is being content with darkness." I think when we look at Abram and how he lived from the start to now, this fits the category of Doubt, and God answers it very quickly.
So how does Abram respond, lets look in verse 2 and 3. “But Abram said, "O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" And Abram said, "Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir." Ohh Abram… if only you knew what we sitting here know.. Abram, can't you just read ahead in Genesis and see what HE does? And to be honest, I kinda feel bad for Eliezer! In one fell swoop he gains and loses an inheritance! Imagine if he was listening to that conversation, I would have been depressed for sure. Abram is looking towards the customs of the times. It is almost as if he is offering God an out. I have this guy, who is chief in my house, should I take him as my adopted son and continue the line through him? This was a custom of the time and in the region. And I want to address something real fast, we dont see an unbelief here in Abram. This is not him not believing, this is a doubt, this is him questioning. And perosnally, I dont have a problem with doubt. Doubt and questioning, can lead to some amazing discussions and deepening of your faith when you seek the kingdom for you answers. Let me share a quote from writer Henry Drummond : "Christ never failed to distinguish between doubt and unbelief. Doubt is can't believe; unbelief is won't believe. Doubt is honesty; unbelief is obstinacy. Doubt is looking for light; unbelief is being content with darkness." I think when we look at Abram and how he lived from the start to now, this fits the catagory of Doubt, and God answers it very quickly.
So God responds.
So before we enter into this passage, I want to mention that there are a NUMBER of things at happen for the first time in this passage. We will go over some of them as I feel it is important for us today and the direction of this message, but I would invite you to do some study on them in your own time and check them out. And if you have any questions please feel free to message and I will do my best to answer them. But see at the onset of this passage, “After these things…” We need to approach this and look very very briefly at what came before this moment in time. The reason being is we cannot fully appreciate where Abram is, in his mindset if we don't look back so we can look forward. And in the interest of time I will give the super fast cliff notes version since we have a lot to cover today. 3 times previously in Chapter 12 and 13 God spoke to Abram and made promises to him. Make a nation of him, give him the land that he sees, bless those who bless him, curse those who curse him. Then we come to 14. Roughly 10 years after the first contact from God. These 5 kings from the area around the dead sea, say that they want to rebel, these 4 kings from Mesopotamia, which on a side note sounds like a weird boy band, utterly obliterate the area. All of this would have been a footnote in history if not for the words “and they took Lot”. Abram gets wind, saddles up 318 men who are like his private green berets, grabs his allies and they ride off like a old western posse to the rescue. They dont just win, one version translates the word defeats as “slaughters” the king Chedorlaomer. They take Lot, his whole house/family, and all the loot and head back. Abram meets up with Melchizedek and during this time we have one king point him to God and receive a tithe from Abram, and another king seek Abram with selfish motives and be turned away. So from there we move on to our passage chapter 15.
So before we enter into this passage, I want to mention that there are a NUMBER of things at happen for the first time in this passage. We will go over some of them as I feel it is important for us today and the direction of this message, but I would invite you to do some study on them in your own time and check them out. And if you have any questions please feel free to message and I will do my best to answer them. But see at the onset of this passage, “After these things…” What things? What
So before we enter into this passage, I want to mention that there are a NUMBER of things at happen for the first time in this passage. We will go over some of them as I feel it is important for us today and the direction of this message, but I would invite you to do some study on them in your own time and check them out. And if you have any questions please feel free to message and I will do my best to answer them. But see at the onset of this passage, “After these things…” We need to approach this and look very very briefly at what came before this moment in time. The reason being is we cannot fully appreciate where Abram is, in his mindset if we don't look back so we can look forward. And in the interest of time I will give the super fast cliff notes version since we have a lot to cover today. 3 times previously in Chapter 12 and 13 God spoke to Abram and made promises to him. Make a nation of him, give him the land that he sees, bless those who bless him, curse those who curse him. Then we come to 14. Roughly 10 years after the first contact from God. These 5 kings from the area around the dead sea, say that they want to rebel, these 4 kings from Mesopotamia, which on a side note sounds like a weird boy band, utterly obliterate the area. All of this would have been a footnote in history if not for the words “and they took Lot”. Abram gets wind, saddles up 318 men who are like his private green berets, grabs his allies and they ride off like a old western posse to the rescue. They dont just win, one version translates the word defeats as “slaughters” the king Chedorlaomer. They take Lot, his whole house/family, and all the loot and head back. Abram meets up with Melchizedek and during this time we have one king point him to God and receive a tithe from Abram, and another king seek Abram with selfish motives and be turned away. So from there we move on to our passage chapter 15.
So before we enter into this passage, I want to mention that there are a NUMBER of things at happen for the first time in this passage. We will go over some of them as I feel it is important for us today and the direction of this message, but I would invite you to do some study on them in your own time and check them out. And if you have any questions please feel free to message and I will do my best to answer them. But see at the onset of this passage, “After these things…” We need to approach this and look very very briefly at what came before this moment in time. The reason being is we cannot fully appreciate where Abram is, in his mindset if we don't look back so we can look forward. And in the interest of time I will give the super fast cliff notes version since we have a lot to cover today. 3 times previously in Chapter 12 and 13 God spoke to Abram and made promises to him. Make a nation of him, give him the land that he sees, bless those who bless him, curse those who curse him. Then we come to 14. Roughly 10 years after the first contact from God. These 5 kings from the area around the dead sea, say that they want to rebel, these 4 kings from Mesopotamia, which on a side note sounds like a weird boy band, utterly obliterate the area. All of this would have been a footnote in history if not for the words “and they took Lot”. Abram gets wind, saddles up 318 men who are like his private green berets, grabs his allies and they ride off like a old western posse to the rescue. They dont just win, one version translates the word defeats as “slaughters” the king Chedorlaomer. They take Lot, his whole house/family, and all the loot and head back. Abram meets up with Melchizedek and during this time we have one king point him to God and receive a tithe from Abram, and another king seek Abram with selfish motives and be turned away. So from there we move on to our passage chapter 15.
So before we enter into this passage, I want to mention that there are a NUMBER of things at happen for the first time in this passage. We will go over some of them as I feel it is important for us today and the direction of this message, but I would invite you to do some study on them in your own time and check them out. And if you have any questions please feel free to message and I will do my best to answer them. But see at the onset of this passage, “After these things…” We need to approach this and look very very briefly at what came before this moment in time. The reason being is we cannot fully appreciate where Abram is, in his mindset if we don't look back so we can look forward. And in the interest of time I will give the super fast cliff notes version since we have a lot to cover today. 3 times previously in Chapter 12 and 13 God spoke to Abram and made promises to him. Make a nation of him, give him the land that he sees, bless those who bless him, curse those who curse him. Then we come to 14. Roughly 10 years after the first contact from God. These 5 kings from the area around the dead sea, say that they want to rebel, these 4 kings from Mesopotamia, which on a side note sounds like a weird boy band, utterly obliterate the area. All of this would have been a footnote in history if not for the words “and they took Lot”. Abram gets wind, saddles up 318 men who are like his private green berets, grabs his allies and they ride off like a old western posse to the rescue. They dont just win, one version translates the word defeats as “slaughters” the king Chedorlaomer. They take Lot, his whole house/family, and all the loot and head back. Abram meets up with Melchizedek and during this time we have one king point him to God and receive a tithe from Abram, and another king seek Abram with selfish motives and be turned away. So from there we move on to our passage chapter 15.
So before we enter into this passage, I want to mention that there are a NUMBER of things at happen for the first time in this passage. We will go over some of them as I feel it is important for us today and the direction of this message, but I would invite you to do some study on them in your own time and check them out. And if you have any questions please feel free to message and I will do my best to answer them. But see at the onset of this passage, “After these things…” We need to approach this and look very very briefly at what came before this moment in time. The reason being is we cannot fully appreciate where Abram is, in his mindset if we don't look back so we can look forward. And in the interest of time I will give the super fast cliff notes version since we have a lot to cover today. 3 times previously in Chapter 12 and 13 God spoke to Abram and made promises to him. Make a nation of him, give him the land that he sees, bless those who bless him, curse those who curse him. Then we come to 14. Roughly 10 years after the first contact from God. These 5 kings from the area around the dead sea, say that they want to rebel, these 4 kings from Mesopotamia, which on a side note sounds like a weird boy band, utterly obliterate the area. All of this would have been a footnote in history if not for the words “and they took Lot”. Abram gets wind, saddles up 318 men who are like his private green berets, grabs his allies and they ride off like a old western posse to the rescue. They dont just win, one version translates the word defeats as “slaughters” the king Chedorlaomer. They take Lot, his whole house/family, and all the loot and head back. Abram meets up with Melchizedek and during this time we have one king point him to God and receive a tithe from Abram, and another king seek Abram with selfish motives and be turned away. So from there we move on to our passage chapter 15.
So before we enter into this passage, I want to mention that there are a NUMBER of things at happen for the first time in this passage. We will go over some of them as I feel it is important for us today and the direction of this message, but I would invite you to do some study on them in your own time and check them out. And if you have any questions please feel free to message and I will do my best to answer them. But see at the onset of this passage, “After these things…” We need to approach this and look very very briefly at what came before this moment in time. The reason being is we cannot fully appreciate where Abram is, in his mindset if we don't look back so we can look forward. And in the interest of time I will give the super fast cliff notes version since we have a lot to cover today. 3 times previously in Chapter 12 and 13 God spoke to Abram and made promises to him. Make a nation of him, give him the land that he sees, bless those who bless him, curse those who curse him. Then we come to 14. Roughly 10 years after the first contact from God. These 5 kings from the area around the dead sea, say that they want to rebel, these 4 kings from Mesopotamia, which on a side note sounds like a weird boy band, utterly obliterate the area. All of this would have been a footnote in history if not for the words “and they took Lot”. Abram gets wind, saddles up 318 men who are like his private green berets, grabs his allies and they ride off like a old western posse to the rescue. They dont just win, one version translates the word defeats as “slaughters” the king Chedorlaomer. They take Lot, his whole house/family, and all the loot and head back. Abram meets up with Melchizedek and during this time we have one king point him to God and receive a tithe from Abram, and another king seek Abram with selfish motives and be turned away. So from there we move on to our passage chapter 15.
So before we enter into this passage, I want to mention that there are a NUMBER of things at happen for the first time in this passage. We will go over some of them as I feel it is important for us today and the direction of this message, but I would invite you to do some study on them in your own time and check them out. And if you have any questions please feel free to message and I will do my best to answer them. But see at the onset of this passage, “After these things…” We need to approach this and look very very briefly at what came before this moment in time. The reason being is we cannot fully appreciate where Abram is, in his mindset if we don't look back so we can look forward. And in the interest of time I will give the super fast cliff notes version since we have a lot to cover today. 3 times previously in Chapter 12 and 13 God spoke to Abram and made promises to him. Make a nation of him, give him the land that he sees, bless those who bless him, curse those who curse him. Then we come to 14. Roughly 10 years after the first contact from God. These 5 kings from the area around the dead sea, say that they want to rebel, these 4 kings from Mesopotamia, which on a side note sounds like a weird boy band, utterly obliterate the area. All of this would have been a footnote in history if not for the words “and they took Lot”. Abram gets wind, saddles up 318 men who are like his private green berets, grabs his allies and they ride off like a old western posse to the rescue. They dont just win, one version translates the word defeats as “slaughters” the king Chedorlaomer. They take Lot, his whole house/family, and all the loot and head back. Abram meets up with Melchizedek and during this time we have one king point him to God and receive a tithe from Abram, and another king seek Abram with selfish motives and be turned away. So from there we move on to our passage chapter 15.
God’s Confirmation, here we will see God not just making promises, but Him confirming to Abram that He will be the one to fulfill every part of those promises.
So before we enter into this passage, I want to mention that there are a NUMBER of things at happen for the first time in this passage. We will go over some of them as I feel it is important for us today and the direction of this message, but I would invite you to do some study on them in your own time and check them out. And if you have any questions please feel free to message and I will do my best to answer them. But see at the onset of this passage, “After these things…” We need to approach this and look very very briefly at what came before this moment in time. The reason being is we cannot fully appreciate where Abram is, in his mindset if we don't look back so we can look forward. And in the interest of time I will give the super fast cliff notes version since we have a lot to cover today. 3 times previously in Chapter 12 and 13 God spoke to Abram and made promises to him. Make a nation of him, give him the land that he sees, bless those who bless him, curse those who curse him. Then we come to 14. Roughly 10 years after the first contact from God. These 5 kings from the area around the dead sea, say that they want to rebel, these 4 kings from Mesopotamia, which on a side note sounds like a weird boy band, utterly obliterate the area. All of this would have been a footnote in history if not for the words “and they took Lot”. Abram gets wind, saddles up 318 men who are like his private green berets, grabs his allies and they ride off like a old western posse to the rescue. They dont just win, one version translates the word defeats as “slaughters” the king Chedorlaomer. They take Lot, his whole house/family, and all the loot and head back. Abram meets up with Melchizedek and during this time we have one king point him to God and receive a tithe from Abram, and another king seek Abram with selfish motives and be turned away. So from there we move on to our passage chapter 15.
So before we enter into this passage, I want to mention that there are a NUMBER of things at happen for the first time in this passage. We will go over some of them as I feel it is important for us today and the direction of this message, but I would invite you to do some study on them in your own time and check them out. And if you have any questions please feel free to message and I will do my best to answer them. But see at the onset of this passage, “After these things…” We need to approach this and look very very briefly at what came before this moment in time. The reason being is we cannot fully appreciate where Abram is, in his mindset if we don't look back so we can look forward. And in the interest of time I will give the super fast cliff notes version since we have a lot to cover today. 3 times previously in Chapter 12 and 13 God spoke to Abram and made promises to him. Make a nation of him, give him the land that he sees, bless those who bless him, curse those who curse him. Then we come to 14. Roughly 10 years after the first contact from God. These 5 kings from the area around the dead sea, say that they want to rebel, these 4 kings from Mesopotamia, which on a side note sounds like a weird boy band, utterly obliterate the area. All of this would have been a footnote in history if not for the words “and they took Lot”. Abram gets wind, saddles up 318 men who are like his private green berets, grabs his allies and they ride off like a old western posse to the rescue. They dont just win, one version translates the word defeats as “slaughters” the king Chedorlaomer. They take Lot, his whole house/family, and all the loot and head back. Abram meets up with Melchizedek and during this time we have one king point him to God and receive a tithe from Abram, and another king seek Abram with selfish motives and be turned away. So from there we move on to our passage chapter 15.
So how does Abram respond, lets look in verse 2 and 3. “But Abram said, "O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" And Abram said, "Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir." Ohh Abram… if only you knew what we sitting here know.. Abram, can't you just read ahead in Genesis and see what He does? And to be honest, I kinda feel bad for Eliezer! In one fell swoop he gains and loses an inheritance! Imagine if he was listening to that conversation, I would have been depressed for sure. Abram is looking towards the customs of the times. It is almost as if he is offering God an out. I have this guy, who is chief in my house, should I take him as my adopted son and continue the line through him? This was a custom of the time and in the region. This shows a very human reaction for someone that we lift up as a father of faith. He is not oblivious to his circumstances that he and Sarai are well advanced in their years. That they are in this post flood stage, well beyond the childbearing years. And I want to address something real fast, we don't see an unbelief here in Abram. This is not him not believing, this is a doubt, this is him questioning. And personally, I don't have a problem with doubt. Doubt and questioning, can lead to some amazing discussions and deepening of your faith when you seek the kingdom for you answers. Let me share a quote from writer Henry Drummond : "Christ never failed to distinguish between doubt and unbelief. Doubt is can't believe; unbelief is won't believe. Doubt is honesty; unbelief is obstinacy. Doubt is looking for light; unbelief is being content with darkness." And we can speak confidently in the fact that Abram is just expressing doubt, because of how he addresses God. Another first that shows up is in the phrase “Lord God”. It translates to Adonai Jehovah, essentially recognizing Him as not just God. But the Supreme God, or better put, the Lord God Master Overall. To me, he is not expressing unbelief in God’s promise during this chapter, just doubt in how God is going to accomplish it.
God’s Covenant Continues, here we are going to see how we today are apart of this great family that God is bringing unto Himself, How we today are apart of this promise to Abram.
1. So with that quick recap, Here in 15 we are going to see a beautiful and powerful interaction between God and Abram, remember he is not yet Abraham… shh don't said that too loud, he doesn't know in a couple chapters God is going to hook him up with a new name. So shh… keep that quiet. But in this chapter we are going to see 3 points that we will hit as we go through the chapter. The first one even has subheadings… ooh fancy! The first point is that we will see God’s Covenant. These are the promises that He is making to Abram. First off we are going to see Him address Abrams physical safety, followed by his line of succession, and then lastly God address his future home.
1. So with that quick recap, Here in 15 we are going to see a beautiful and powerful interaction between God and Abram, remember he is not yet Abraham… shh don't said that too loud, he doesn't know in a couple chapters God is going to hook him up with a new name. So shh… keep that quiet. But in this chapter we are going to see 3 points that we will hit as we go through the chapter. The first one even has subheadings… ooh fancy! The first point is that we will see God’s Covenant. These are the promises that He is making to Abram. First off we are going to see Him address Abrams physical safety, followed by his line of succession, and then lastly God address his future home.
So with that quick recap, Here in 15 we are going to see a beautiful and powerful interaction between God and Abram, remember he is not yet Abraham… shh don't said that too loud, he doesn't know in a couple chapters God is going to hook him up with a new name. So shh… keep that quiet. But in this chapter we are going to see 3 points that we will hit as we go through the chapter. The first one even has subheadings… ooh fancy! The first point is that we will see God’s Covenant. These are the promises that He is making to Abram. First off we are going to see Him address Abrams physical safety, followed by his line of succession, and then lastly God address his future home.
So with that quick recap, Here in 15 we are going to see a beautiful and powerful interaction between God and Abram, remember he is not yet Abraham… shh don't said that too loud, he doesn't know in a couple chapters God is going to hook him up with a new name. So shh… keep that quiet. But in this chapter we are going to see 3 points that we will hit as we go through the chapter. The first one even has subheadings… ooh fancy! The first point is that we will see God’s Covenant. These are the promises that He is making to Abram. First off we are going to see Him address Abrams physical safety, followed by his line of succession, and then lastly God address his future home.
So with that quick recap, Here in 15 we are going to see a beautiful and powerful interaction between God and Abram, remember he is not yet Abraham… shh don't said that too loud, he doesn't know in a couple chapters God is going to hook him up with a new name. So shh… keep that quiet. But in this chapter we are going to see 3 points that we will hit as we go through the chapter. The first one even has subheadings… ooh fancy! The first point is that we will see God’s Covenant. These are the promises that He is making to Abram. First off we are going to see Him address Abrams physical safety, followed by his line of succession, and then lastly God address his future home.
So with that quick recap, Here in 15 we are going to see a beautiful and powerful interaction between God and Abram, remember he is not yet Abraham… shh don't said that too loud, he doesn't know in a couple chapters God is going to hook him up with a new name. So shh… keep that quiet.
So with that quick recap, Here in 15 we are going to see a beautiful and powerful interaction between God and Abram, remember he is not yet Abraham… shh don't said that too loud, he doesn't know in a couple chapters God is going to hook him up with a new name. So shh… keep that quiet.
So with that quick recap, Here in 15 we are going to see a beautiful and powerful interaction between God and Abram, remember he is not yet Abraham… shh don't said that too loud, he doesn't know in a couple chapters God is going to hook him up with a new name. So shh… keep that quiet. But in this chapter we are going to see 3 points that we will hit as we go through the chapter. The first one even has subheadings… ooh fancy! The first point is that we will see God’s Covenant. These are the promises that He is making to Abram. First off we are going to see Him address Abrams physical safety, followed by his line of succession, and then lastly God address his future home.
So with that quick recap, Here in 15 we are going to see a beautiful and powerful interaction between God and Abram, remember he is not yet Abraham… shh don't said that too loud, he doesn't know in a couple chapters God is going to hook him up with a new name. So shh… keep that quiet.
1. So with that quick recap, Here in 15 we are going to see a beautiful and powerful interaction between God and Abram, remember he is not yet Abraham… shh don't said that too loud, he doesn't know in a couple chapters God is going to hook him up with a new name. So shh… keep that quiet. But in this chapter we are going to see 3 points that we will hit as we go through the chapter. The first one even has subheadings… ooh fancy! The first point is that we will see God’s Covenant. These are the promises that He is making to Abram. First off we are going to see Him address Abrams physical safety, followed by his line of succession, and then lastly God address his future home.
--Lets read: And Abram said, "Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir." And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: "This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” And he brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." And in this response, we see God addressing the fears and doubts of a man. HE knows Abram, HE created him, and as such he knows his fears and addressed that, now he knows Abrams worries about his line or his future family and addresses that. I cant even begin to imagine the thoughts that would have been going through his head at this moment. We have often taken the kids to a field or a somewhat remote area and looked up when some special events were going on like meteor showers and such. But the problem is, the light pollution from the major cities surrounding us kills it. So as great as we see when we get away and look up, imagine what this man would have seen, with pretty much an untainted sky above him. Simply speaking, one article puts there to be 100-200 Billion stars in the Milky Way Galaxy, and in the known observable universe. The Hubble Telescope has found 2 Trillion galaxies. We cannot imagine the scene, and again, this coming from the one who knows not just Abram, but knows every single one of those stars, knows their names.
And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: "This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir." And he brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."
Remember He just addressed Abrams safety, and to Abram, his safety and this great reward mean nothing, if there is no one to carry it on. So God is going to speak to this concern of his with one of the most stunning displays of imagery in the bible. Abram was told previously in chapter 13 that his descendants would be as numerous as the dust but it looks like God wants to restate it in this moment. So God tells him to simply look up. There is no Philly, no NY, no DC to pollute with light. He is seeing a display that would could only imagine. And to put this in perspective. What in fact he is seeing and the promise given. In our galaxy there are 2-300 billion stars and in the observable universe through the Hubble telescope there are roughly 2 trillion galaxies. I am not a math major, but that is several levels above the term “a lot”. God is simply telling Abram this… Abram, you could never realistically count them, you only look up and see them as something beautiful in the sky. But Abram I created them, I know each star by name, they are precious to me. And Abram, each star that represents one of your descendants, I know them too. I knew them in their mother's womb, I even knew them by name before I laid the foundations of the world.
And right of the start we are going to see a couple of those first i mentioned earlier. This is the first time we see the words, “Fear not”, the first time for “The Word of the Lord came to..” and “also the first for God to say that HE will be a “shield” for someone. On the screen behind me is a list of all the uses going forward, so they may be a first, but they are certainly not the last. As for this verse, there is a lot of power behind what God is saying. Think about it, Abram is coming off this major victory! He is coming off of the great triumph over the kings, rescued his family, stood up for God in the face of a self seeking king, gave of his riches to a priest king as a tribute to God. The last thing that we would ever expect to hear from God or anyone are the words “fear not”. But God knows HIs people, and being that HE created us, knows us far better than we know ourself. God knows that when Abram returns home and what went down finally hits, he may begin thinking about the safety and security of the people, he may be thinking about the revenge that will come from those 4 whom he beat. Will they come back, what are we going to do? May be thinking of all the spoils that he gave back? The Bible does not state. But what is certain is this. When we have mountain top experiences in serving or meeting with Him, we need to be wary that there is a valley on the other side of the hill. We are most susceptible to attacks from the enemy after great victory. And so I can almost see God wanting to head off that valley before Abram ever hits it. ****God improv with Abram**** And Abram in his response shows not one of unbelief, but of where I was recently, Abram shows himself to be at a point of doubt. Abram does a very human thing and “offer God a way out”, as if HE needed it. And for us I want to think about something here. This is a very rough place to be as a Christian today, for us if we are not careful our doubt can lead us down a dark road. We might look at what God is promising or telling us in His plans, and we don't see immediate answers to prayers. So we question, and when we question we are obviously not going to look to God since He is not replying, lets see what the world has to say. And that is exactly what we see here. Abram offers God this out since he recognizes how advanced in his years he and Sarai are, and so lets do what others in the culture are doing and lets see if God wants me to adopt Eliezer and have the promise continue that way.
And right of the start we are going to see a couple of those first i mentioned earlier. This is the first time we see the words, “Fear not”, the first time for “The Word of the Lord came to..” and “also the first for God to say that HE will be a “shield” for someone. On the screen behind me is a list of all the uses going forward, so they may be a first, but they are certainly not the last. As for this verse, there is a lot of power behind what God is saying. Think about it, Abram is coming off this major victory! He is coming off of the great triumph over the kings, rescued his family, stood up for God in the face of a self seeking king, gave of his riches to a priest king as a tribute to God. The last thing that we would ever expect to hear from God or anyone are the words “fear not”. But God knows HIs people, and being that HE created us, knows us far better than we know ourself. God knows that when Abram returns home and what went down finally hits, he may begin thinking about the safety and security of the people, he may be thinking about the revenge that will come from those 4 whom he beat. Will they come back, what are we going to do? May be thinking of all the spoils that he gave back? The Bible does not state. But what is certain is this. When we have mountain top experiences in serving or meeting with Him, we need to be wary that there is a valley on the other side of the hill. We are most susceptible to attacks from the enemy after great victory. And so I can almost see God wanting to head off that valley before Abram ever hits it. ****God improv with Abram**** And Abram in his response shows not one of unbelief, but of where I was recently, Abram shows himself to be at a point of doubt. Abram does a very human thing and “offer God a way out”, as if HE needed it. And for us I want to think about something here. This is a very rough place to be as a Christian today, for us if we are not careful our doubt can lead us down a dark road. We might look at what God is promising or telling us in His plans, and we don't see immediate answers to prayers. So we question, and when we question we are obviously not going to look to God since He is not replying, lets see what the world has to say. And that is exactly what we see here. Abram offers God this out since he recognizes how advanced in his years he and Sarai are, and so lets do what others in the culture are doing and lets see if God wants me to adopt Eliezer and have the promise continue that way.
And right of the start we are going to see a couple of those first i mentioned earlier. This is the first time we see the words, “Fear not”, the first time for “The Word of the Lord came to..” and “also the first for God to say that HE will be a “shield” for someone. On the screen behind me is a list of all the uses going forward, so they may be a first, but they are certainly not the last. As for this verse, there is a lot of power behind what God is saying. Think about it, Abram is coming off this major victory! He is coming off of the great triumph over the kings, rescued his family, stood up for God in the face of a self seeking king, gave of his riches to a priest king as a tribute to God. The last thing that we would ever expect to hear from God or anyone are the words “fear not”. But God knows HIs people, and being that HE created us, knows us far better than we know ourself. God knows that when Abram returns home and what went down finally hits, he may begin thinking about the safety and security of the people, he may be thinking about the revenge that will come from those 4 whom he beat. Will they come back, what are we going to do? May be thinking of all the spoils that he gave back? The Bible does not state. But what is certain is this. When we have mountain top experiences in serving or meeting with Him, we need to be wary that there is a valley on the other side of the hill. We are most susceptible to attacks from the enemy after great victory. And so I can almost see God wanting to head off that valley before Abram ever hits it. ****God improv with Abram**** And Abram in his response shows not one of unbelief, but of where I was recently, Abram shows himself to be at a point of doubt. Abram does a very human thing and “offer God a way out”, as if HE needed it. And for us I want to think about something here. This is a very rough place to be as a Christian today, for us if we are not careful our doubt can lead us down a dark road. We might look at what God is promising or telling us in His plans, and we don't see immediate answers to prayers. So we question, and when we question we are obviously not going to look to God since He is not replying, lets see what the world has to say. And that is exactly what we see here. Abram offers God this out since he recognizes how advanced in his years he and Sarai are, and so lets do what others in the culture are doing and lets see if God wants me to adopt Eliezer and have the promise continue that way.
But here we are going to see a couple of those first i mentioned earlier. This is the first time we see the words, “Fear not”, the first time for “The Word of the Lord came to..” and “also the first for God to say that HE will be a “shield” for someone. On the screen behind me is a list of all the uses going forward, so they may be a first, but they are certainly not the last. As for this verse, there is a lot of power behind what God is saying. Think about it, Abram is coming off this major victory! He is coming off of the great triumph over the kings, rescued his family, stood up for God in the face of a self seeking king, gave of his riches to a priest king as a tribute to God.
The first point is that we will see God’s Covenant. These are the promises that He is making to Abram. First off we are going to see Him address Abrams physical safety, followed by his line of succession, and then lastly God address his future home.
-- And to this promise from God, we have one of the most important verses in history and again yet another first, And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness. Abram, got it. Abram moved! We will cover this part more in a few minutes, but for this moment in time, it is important to note. Abram moved from a place of doubt, from a place of him questioning, to him trying to provide God alternatives, to just simply believing. Abram moved to a place of faith and trust in a God that has made himself personal with him.
But here we are going to see a couple of those first i mentioned earlier. This is the first time we see the words, “Fear not”, the first time for “The Word of the Lord came to..” and “also the first for God to say that HE will be a “shield” for someone. On the screen behind me is a list of all the uses going forward, so they may be a first, but they are certainly not the last. As for this verse, there is a lot of power behind what God is saying. Think about it, Abram is coming off this major victory! He is coming off of the great triumph over the kings, rescued his family, stood up for God in the face of a self seeking king, gave of his riches to a priest king as a tribute to God.
And right of the start we are going to see a couple of those first i mentioned earlier. This is the first time we see the words, “Fear not”, the first time for “The Word of the Lord came to..” and “also the first for God to say that HE will be a “shield” for someone. On the screen behind me is a list of all the uses going forward, so they may be a first, but they are certainly not the last. As for this verse, there is a lot of power behind what God is saying. Think about it, Abram is coming off this major victory! He is coming off of the great triumph over the kings, rescued his family, stood up for God in the face of a self seeking king, gave of his riches to a priest king as a tribute to God. The last thing that we would ever expect to hear from God or anyone are the words “fear not”. But God knows HIs people, and being that HE created us, knows us far better than we know ourself. God knows that when Abram returns home and what went down finally hits, he may begin thinking about the safety and security of the people, he may be thinking about the revenge that will come from those 4 whom he beat. Will they come back, what are we going to do? May be thinking of all the spoils that he gave back? The Bible does not state. But what is certain is this. When we have mountain top experiences in serving or meeting with Him, we need to be wary that there is a valley on the other side of the hill. We are most susceptible to attacks from the enemy after great victory. And so I can almost see God wanting to head off that valley before Abram ever hits it. ****God improv with Abram**** And Abram in his response shows not one of unbelief, but of where I was recently, Abram shows himself to be at a point of doubt. Abram does a very human thing and “offer God a way out”, as if HE needed it. And for us I want to think about something here. This is a very rough place to be as a Christian today, for us if we are not careful our doubt can lead us down a dark road. We might look at what God is promising or telling us in His plans, and we don't see immediate answers to prayers. So we question, and when we question we are obviously not going to look to God since He is not replying, lets see what the world has to say. And that is exactly what we see here. Abram offers God this out since he recognizes how advanced in his years he and Sarai are, and so lets do what others in the culture are doing and lets see if God wants me to adopt Eliezer and have the promise continue that way.
And right of the start we are going to see a couple of those first i mentioned earlier. This is the first time we see the words, “Fear not”, the first time for “The Word of the Lord came to..” and “also the first for God to say that HE will be a “shield” for someone. On the screen behind me is a list of all the uses going forward, so they may be a first, but they are certainly not the last. As for this verse, there is a lot of power behind what God is saying. Think about it, Abram is coming off this major victory! He is coming off of the great triumph over the kings, rescued his family, stood up for God in the face of a self seeking king, gave of his riches to a priest king as a tribute to God. The last thing that we would ever expect to hear from God or anyone are the words “fear not”. But God knows HIs people, and being that HE created us, knows us far better than we know ourself. God knows that when Abram returns home and what went down finally hits, he may begin thinking about the safety and security of the people, he may be thinking about the revenge that will come from those 4 whom he beat. Will they come back, what are we going to do? May be thinking of all the spoils that he gave back? The Bible does not state. But what is certain is this. When we have mountain top experiences in serving or meeting with Him, we need to be wary that there is a valley on the other side of the hill. We are most susceptible to attacks from the enemy after great victory. And so I can almost see God wanting to head off that valley before Abram ever hits it. ****God improv with Abram**** And Abram in his response shows not one of unbelief, but of where I was recently, Abram shows himself to be at a point of doubt. Abram does a very human thing and “offer God a way out”, as if HE needed it. And for us I want to think about something here. This is a very rough place to be as a Christian today, for us if we are not careful our doubt can lead us down a dark road. We might look at what God is promising or telling us in His plans, and we don't see immediate answers to prayers. So we question, and when we question we are obviously not going to look to God since He is not replying, lets see what the world has to say. And that is exactly what we see here. Abram offers God this out since he recognizes how advanced in his years he and Sarai are, and so lets do what others in the culture are doing and lets see if God wants me to adopt Eliezer and have the promise continue that way.
And right of the start we are going to see a couple of those first i mentioned earlier. This is the first time we see the words, “Fear not”, the first time for “The Word of the Lord came to..” and “also the first for God to say that HE will be a “shield” for someone. On the screen behind me is a list of all the uses going forward, so they may be a first, but they are certainly not the last. As for this verse, there is a lot of power behind what God is saying. Think about it, Abram is coming off this major victory! He is coming off of the great triumph over the kings, rescued his family, stood up for God in the face of a self seeking king, gave of his riches to a priest king as a tribute to God. The last thing that we would ever expect to hear from God or anyone are the words “fear not”. But God knows HIs people, and being that HE created us, knows us far better than we know ourself. God knows that when Abram returns home and what went down finally hits, he may begin thinking about the safety and security of the people, he may be thinking about the revenge that will come from those 4 whom he beat. Will they come back, what are we going to do? May be thinking of all the spoils that he gave back? The Bible does not state. But what is certain is this. When we have mountain top experiences in serving or meeting with Him, we need to be wary that there is a valley on the other side of the hill. We are most susceptible to attacks from the enemy after great victory. And so I can almost see God wanting to head off that valley before Abram ever hits it. ****God improv with Abram**** And Abram in his response shows not one of unbelief, but of where I was recently, Abram shows himself to be at a point of doubt. Abram does a very human thing and “offer God a way out”, as if HE needed it. And for us I want to think about something here. This is a very rough place to be as a Christian today, for us if we are not careful our doubt can lead us down a dark road. We might look at what God is promising or telling us in His plans, and we don't see immediate answers to prayers. So we question, and when we question we are obviously not going to look to God since He is not replying, lets see what the world has to say. And that is exactly what we see here. Abram offers God this out since he recognizes how advanced in his years he and Sarai are, and so lets do what others in the culture are doing and lets see if God wants me to adopt Eliezer and have the promise continue that way.
And right of the start we are going to see a couple of those first i mentioned earlier. This is the first time we see the words, “Fear not”, the first time for “The Word of the Lord came to..” and “also the first for God to say that HE will be a “shield” for someone. On the screen behind me is a list of all the uses going forward, so they may be a first, but they are certainly not the last. As for this verse, there is a lot of power behind what God is saying. Think about it, Abram is coming off this major victory! He is coming off of the great triumph over the kings, rescued his family, stood up for God in the face of a self seeking king, gave of his riches to a priest king as a tribute to God. The last thing that we would ever expect to hear from God or anyone are the words “fear not”. But God knows HIs people, and being that HE created us, knows us far better than we know ourself. God knows that when Abram returns home and what went down finally hits, he may begin thinking about the safety and security of the people, he may be thinking about the revenge that will come from those 4 whom he beat. Will they come back, what are we going to do? MAy be thinking of all the spoils that he gave back? The Bible does not state. But what is certain is this. When we have mountain top experiences in serving or meeting with Him, we need to be wary that there is a valley on the other side of the hill. We are most susceptible to attacks from the enemy after great victory. And so I can almost see God wanting to head off that valley before Abram ever hits it. ****God improv with Abram**** And Abram in his response shows not one of unbelief, but of where I was recently, Abram shows himself to be at a point of doubt. Abram does a very human thing and “offer God a way out”, as if HE needed it. And for us I want to think about something here. This is a very rough place to be as a Christian today, for us if we are nto careful our doubt can lead us down a dark road. We might look at what God is promising or telling us in His plans, and we dont see immediate answers to prayers. So we question, and when we question we are obviously not going to look to God since He is not replying, lets see what the world has to say. And that is exactly what we see here. Abram offers God this out since he recognizes how advanced in his years he and Sarai are, and so lets do what others in the cultrue are doing and lets see if God wants me to adopt Eliezer and have the promise continue that way.
But here we are going to see a couple of those first i mentioned earlier. This is the first time we see the words, “Fear not”, the first time for “The Word of the Lord came to..” and “also the first for God to say that HE will be a “shield” for someone. On the screen behind me is a list of all the uses going forward, so they may be a first, but they are certainly not the last. As for this verse, there is a lot of power behind what God is saying. Think about it, Abram is coming off this major victory! He is coming off of the great triumph over the kings, rescued his family, stood up for God in the face of a self seeking king, gave of his riches to a priest king as a tribute to God. The last thing that we would ever expect to hear from God or anyone are the words “fear not”. But God knows HIs people, and being that HE created us, knows us far better than we know ourself. God knows that when Abram returns home and what went down finally hits, he may begin thinking about the safety and security of the people, he may be thinking about the revenge that will come from those 4 whom he beat. Will they come back, what are we going to do? MAy be thinking of all the spoils that he gave back? The Bible does not state. But what is certain is this. When we have mountain top experiences in serving or meeting with Him, we need to be wary that there is a valley on the other side of the hill. We are most susceptible to attacks from the enemy after great victory. And so I can almost see God wanting to head off that valley before Abram ever hits it. ****God improv with Abram****
And with this, there were no words from our forefather. Not from his mouth, he spoke from his heart.
God Himself is speaking to Abram, God Himself is stating that He will be someones protection and also reward.
So God responds.
One aspect of this passage that is amazing, is the number of firsts that we see happen in this passage. This is the first time we see the words, “Fear not”, the first time for “The Word of the Lord came to..” and “also the first for God to say that He will be a “shield” for someone. They may be a first, but they are certainly not the last. As for this verse, there is a lot of power behind what God is saying. Think about it, Abram is coming off this major victory! He is coming off of the great triumph over the kings, rescued his family, stood up for God in the face of a self seeking king, gave of his riches to a priest king as a tribute to God. The last thing that we would ever expect to hear from God or anyone are the words “fear not”. But God knows HIs people, and being that HE created us, knows us far better than we know ourself. God knows that when Abram returns home and what went down finally hits, he may begin thinking about the safety and security of the people, he may be thinking about the revenge that will come from those 4 whom he beat. Will they come back, what are we going to do? May be thinking of all the spoils that he gave back? The Bible does not state. But what is certain is this. When we have mountain top experiences in serving or meeting with Him, we need to be wary that there is a valley on the other side of the hill. We are most susceptible to attacks from the enemy after great victory. And so I can almost see God wanting to head off that valley before Abram ever hits it. And Abram in his response shows not one of unbelief, but of where I was recently, Abram shows himself to be at a point of doubt. Abram does a very human thing and “offer God a way out”, as if HE needed it. And for us I want to think about something here. This is a very rough place to be as a Christian today, for us if we are not careful our doubt can lead us down a dark road. We might look at what God is promising or telling us in His plans, and we don't see immediate answers to prayers. So we question, and when we question we are obviously not going to look to God since He is not replying, lets see what the world has to say. And that is exactly what we see here. Abram offers God this out since he recognizes how advanced in his years he and Sarai are, and so lets do what others in the culture are doing and lets see if God wants me to adopt Eliezer and have the promise continue that way.
So God responds.
God Himself is speaking to Abram, God Himself is stating that He will be someones protection and also reward.
So God responds.
So God responds.
So God responds.
So God responds.
And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: "This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir." And he brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."
And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: "This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir." And he brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."
And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: "This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir." And he brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."
And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: "This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir." And he brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."
And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: "This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir." And he brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."
And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: "This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir." And he brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."
So God responds.
If this were after the time of Christ on the cross, we would use terms like “he accepted Christ into his heart” or that he is a “Believer” now. And here is the something for us today to look back on. For Abram none of his previous actions were considered to have been counted as righteous. It was not his faithfully leaving Haran at Gods call, it was not the heroic act involving Lot, it was not his tithe to Melchizedek who served God, and it was not the altars that he built for God. It was his faith, it was him simply believing that God is who He claims to be. Paul writes in
And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: "This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir." And he brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."
Remember He just addressed Abrams safety, and to Abram, his safety and this great reward mean nothing, if there is no one to carry it on. So God is going to speak to this concern of his with one of the most stunning displays of imagery in the bible. Abram was told previously in chapter 13 that his descendants would be as numerous as the dust but it looks like God wants to restate it in this moment. So God tells him to simply look up. There is no Philly, no NY, no DC to pollute with light. He is seeing a display that would could only imagine. And to put this in perspective. What in fact he is seeing and the promise given. In our galaxy there are 2-300 billion stars and in the observable universe through the Hubble telescope there are roughly 2 trillion galaxies. I am not a math major, but that is several levels above the term “a lot”. God is simply telling Abram this… Abram, you could never realisically count them, you only look up and see them as something beautiful in the sky. But Abram I created them, I know each star by name, they are precious to me. And Abram, each star that represents one of your decendants, I know them too. I knew them in their mothers womb, I even knew them by name before I laid the foundations of the world.
Remember He just addressed Abrams safety, and to Abram, his safety and this great reward mean nothing, if there is no one to carry it on. So God is going to speak to this concern of his with one of the most stunning displays of imagery in the bible. Abram was told previously in chapter 13 that his descendants would be as numerous as the dust but it looks like God wants to restate it in this moment. So God tells him to simply look up. There is no Philly, no NY, no DC to pollute with light. He is seeing a display that would could only imagine. And to put this in perspective. What in fact he is seeing and the promise given. In our galaxy there are 2-300 billion stars and in the observable universe through the Hubble telescope there are roughly 2 trillion galaxies. I am not a math major, but that is several levels above the term “a lot”. God is simply telling Abram this… Abram, you could never realistically count them, you only look up and see them as something beautiful in the sky. But Abram I created them, I know each star by name, they are precious to me. And Abram, each star that represents one of your descendants, I know them too. I knew them in their mother's womb, I even knew them by name before I laid the foundations of the world.
Remember He just addressed Abrams safety, and to Abram, his safety and this great reward mean nothing, if there is no one to carry it on. So God is going to speak to this concern of his with one of the most stunning displays of imagery in the bible. Abram was told previously in chapter 13 that his descendants would be as numerous as the dust but it looks like God wants to restate it in this moment. So God tells him to simply look up. There is no Philly, no NY, no DC to pollute with light. He is seeing a display that would could only imagine. And to put this in perspective. What in fact he is seeing and the promise given. In our galaxy there are 2-300 billion stars and in the observable universe through the Hubble telescope there are roughly 2 trillion galaxies. I am not a math major, but that is several levels above the term “a lot”. God is simply telling Abram this… Abram, you could never realistically count them, you only look up and see them as something beautiful in the sky. But Abram I created them, I know each star by name, they are precious to me. And Abram, each star that represents one of your descendants, I know them too. I knew them in their mother's womb, I even knew them by name before I laid the foundations of the world.
Remember He just addressed Abrams safety, and to Abram, his safety and this great reward mean nothing, if there is no one to carry it on. So God is going to speak to this concern of his with one of the most stunning displays of imagery in the bible. Abram was told previously in chapter 13 that his descendants would be as numerous as the dust but it looks like God wants to restate it in this moment. So God tells him to simply look up. There is no Philly, no NY, no DC to pollute with light. He is seeing a display that would could only imagine. And to put this in perspective. What in fact he is seeing and the promise given. In our galaxy there are 2-300 billion stars and in the observable universe through the Hubble telescope there are roughly 2 trillion galaxies. I am not a math major, but that is several levels above the term “a lot”. God is simply telling Abram this… Abram, you could never realistically count them, you only look up and see them as something beautiful in the sky. But Abram I created them, I know each star by name, they are precious to me. And Abram, each star that represents one of your descendants, I know them too. I knew them in their mother's womb, I even knew them by name before I laid the foundations of the world.
Remember He just addressed Abrams safety, and to Abram, his safety and this great reward mean nothing, if there is no one to carry it on. So God is going to speak to this concern of his with one of the most stunning displays of imagery in the bible. Abram was told previously in chapter 13 that his descendants would be as numerous as the dust but it looks like God wants to restate it in this moment. So God tells him to simply look up. There is no Philly, no NY, no DC to pollute with light. He is seeing a display that would could only imagine. And to put this in perspective. What in fact he is seeing and the promise given. In our galaxy there are 2-300 billion stars and in the observable universe through the Hubble telescope there are roughly 2 trillion galaxies. I am not a math major, but that is several levels above the term “a lot”. God is simply telling Abram this… Abram, you could never realistically count them, you only look up and see them as something beautiful in the sky. But Abram I created them, I know each star by name, they are precious to me. And Abram, each star that represents one of your descendants, I know them too. I knew them in their mother's womb, I even knew them by name before I laid the foundations of the world.
Remember He just addressed Abrams safety, and to Abram, his safety and this great reward mean nothing, if there is no one to carry it on. So God is going to speak to this concern of his with one of the most stunning displays of imagery in the bible. Abram was told previously in chapter 13 that his descendants would be as numerous as the dust but it looks like God wants to restate it in this moment. So God tells him to simply look up. There is no Philly, no NY, no DC to pollute with light. He is seeing a display that would could only imagine. And to put this in perspective. What in fact he is seeing and the promise given. In our galaxy there are 2-300 billion stars and in the observable universe through the Hubble telescope there are roughly 2 trillion galaxies. I am not a math major, but that is several levels above the term “a lot”. God is simply telling Abram this… Abram, you could never realistically count them, you only look up and see them as something beautiful in the sky. But Abram I created them, I know each star by name, they are precious to me. And Abram, each star that represents one of your descendants, I know them too. I knew them in their mother's womb, I even knew them by name before I laid the foundations of the world.
And with this, there were no words from our forefather. Not from his mouth, he spoke from his heart.
In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, "So shall your offspring be." He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was "counted to him as righteousness."
And with this, there were no words from our forefather. Not from his mouth, he spoke from his heart.
And with this, there were no words from our forefather. Not from his mouth, he spoke from his heart.
Remember He just addressed Abrams safety, and to Abram, his safety and this great reward mean nothing, if there is no one to carry it on. So God is going to speak to this concern of his with one of the most stunning displays of imagery in the bible. Abram was told previously in chapter 13 that his descendants would be as numerous as the dust but it looks like God wants to restate it in this moment. So God tells him to simply look up. There is no Philly, no NY, no DC to pollute with light. He is seeing a display that would could only imagine. And to put this in perspective. What in fact he is seeing and the promise given. In our galaxy there are 2-300 billion stars and in the observable universe through the Hubble telescope there are roughly 2 trillion galaxies. I am not a math major, but that is several levels above the term “a lot”. God is simply telling Abram this… Abram, you could never realistically count them, you only look up and see them as something beautiful in the sky. But Abram I created them, I know each star by name, they are precious to me. And Abram, each star that represents one of your descendants, I know them too. I knew them in their mother's womb, I even knew them by name before I laid the foundations of the world.
And with this, there were no words from our forefather.
And with this, there were no words from our forefather. Not from his mouth, he spoke from his heart.
And with this, there were no words from our forefather. Not from his mouth, he spoke from his heart.
Abram’s faith is what drew him close to God, not any act that was previously done or in the years after. God back then, and even now today. He doesn't want our acts, He wants our hearts. Let our actions be driven by our heart for Him after.
And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
And with this, there were no words from our forefather. Not from his mouth, he spoke from his heart.
If this were after the time of Christ on the cross, we would use terms like “he accepted Christ into his heart” or that he is a “Believer” now. And here is the something for us today to look back on. For Abram none of his previous actions were considered to have been counted as righteous. It was not his faithfully leaving Haran at Gods call, it was not the heroic act involving Lot, it was not his tithe to Melchizedek who served God, and it was not the altars that he built for God. It was his faith, it was him simply believing that God is who He claims to be. Paul writes in
If this were after the time of Christ on the cross, we would use terms like “he accepted Christ into his heart” or that he is a “Believer” now. And here is the something for us today to look back on. For Abram none of his previous actions were considered to have been counted as righteous. It was not his faithfully leaving Haran at Gods call, it was not the heroic act involving Lot, it was not his tithe to Melchizedek who served God, and it was not the altars that he built for God. It was his faith, it was him simply believing that God is who He claims to be. Paul writes in
If this were after the time of Christ on the cross, we would use terms like “he accepted Christ into his heart” or that he is a “Believer” now. And here is the something for us today to look back on. For Abram none of his previous actions were considered to have been counted as righteous. It was not his faithfully leaving Haran at Gods call, it was not the heroic act involving Lot, it was not his tithe to Melchizedek who served God, and it was not the altars that he built for God. It was his faith, it was him simply believing that God is who He claims to be. Paul writes in
If this were after the time of Christ on the cross, we would use terms like “he accepted Christ into his heart” or that he is a “Believer” now. And here is the something for us today to look back on. For Abram none of his previous actions were considered to have been counted as righteous. It was not his faithfully leaving Haran at Gods call, it was not the heroic act involving Lot, it was not his tithe to Melchizedek who served God, and it was not the altars that he built for God. It was his faith, it was him simply believing that God is who He claims to be. Paul writes in
If this were after the time of Christ on the cross, we would use terms like “he accepted Christ into his heart” or that he is a “Believer” now. And here is the something for us today to look back on. For Abram none of his previous actions were considered to have been counted as righteous. It was not his faithfully leaving Haran at Gods call, it was not the heroic act involving Lot, it was not his tithe to Melchizedek who served God, and it was not the altars that he built for God. It was his faith, it was him simply believing that God is who He claims to be. Paul writes in
And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
And here we arrive at the last part of the promise or covenant that God is setting up. Simply put, God reminds him of who He is and tells him that the land will be his. And Abrams response shows just how much his heart has changed in verse 8.
In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, "So shall your offspring be." He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was "counted to him as righteousness."
If this were after the time of Christ on the cross, we would use terms like “he accepted Christ into his heart” or that he is a “Believer” now. And here is the something for us today to look back on. For Abram none of his previous actions were considered to have been counted as righteous. It was not his faithfully leaving Haran at Gods call, it was not the heroic act involving Lot, it was not his tithe to Melchizedek who served God, and it was not the altars that he built for God. It was his faith, it was him simply believing that God is who He claims to be. Paul writes in
In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, "So shall your offspring be." He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was "counted to him as righteousness."
But he said, "O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?" See that is not unbelief, that is not doubt, that is Abram saying “God I know you are able to do what you say, but I just dont know how you are going to do it.” In a sense he is kind of asking for a sign from God.
In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, "So shall your offspring be." He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was "counted to him as righteousness."
In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, "So shall your offspring be." He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was "counted to him as righteousness."
In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, "So shall your offspring be." He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was "counted to him as righteousness."
In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, "So shall your offspring be." He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was "counted to him as righteousness."
Abram’s faith is what drew him close to God, not any act that was previously done or in the years after. God back then, and even now today. He doesn't want our acts, He wants our hearts. Let our actions be driven by our heart for Him after.
Abram’s faith is what drew him close to God, not any act that was previously done or in the years after. God back then, and even now today. He doesn't want our acts, He wants our hearts. Let our actions be driven by our heart for Him after.
Abram’s faith is what drew him close to God, not any act that was previously done or in the years after. God back then, and even now today. He doesnt want our acts, He wants our hearts. Let our actions be driven by our heart for Him after.
2. This is where we enter into the second point of today, that a covenant set in place is needing to be confirmed by God. Abram and in this part is only asked to prepare the area. And for us reading in todays understanding, may seem a brutal! But remember, there were no lawyers to draw up contracts, and no wax seals with ring imprints like during the medieval times, no signet rings stamping approval as you would in Rome. They needed a way to essentially “sign on the dotted line”. And so when God told Abram to gather the animals, he knew exactly what was coming. In “cutting a covenant” as it was known, animals would be split in half, and placed evenly with a path down the middle and the blood would pool come down to the path and both parties would walk down the middle reciting the covenant that they were to keep. And in doing so they were stating that if I failed in keeping my end of the deal, let what was done to the animals be done to me. So Abram faithful sets it up and keeps watch over it until the evening hour when the covenant would normally take place.
Abram’s faith is what drew him close to God, not any act that was previously done or in the years after. God back then, and even now today. He doesn't want our acts, He wants our hearts. Let our actions be driven by our heart for Him after.
Abram’s faith is what drew him close to God, not any act that was previously done or in the years after. God back then, and even now today. He doesn't want our acts, He wants our hearts. Let our actions be driven by our heart for Him after.
And here we arrive at the last part of the promise or covenant that God is setting up. Simply put, God reminds him of who He is and tells him that the land will be his. And Abrams response shows just how much his heart has changed in verse 8.
So we
And here we arrive at the last part of the promise or covenant that God is setting up. Simply put, God reminds him of who He is and tells him that the land will be his. And Abrams response shows just how much his heart has changed in verse 8.
Abram’s faith is what drew him close to God, not any act that was previously done or in the years after. God back then, and even now today. He doesn't want our acts, He wants our hearts. Let our actions be driven by our heart for Him after.
So God puts him to sleep, and depending on your version, Abram is overcome with a deep and dreadful fear, or a dreadful darkness. Essentially he has come into the presence of the Lord and like all people who enter there feel that weight upon them. We see Isaiah in overcome with the same emotions just as Moses in was afraid and hid his face. This is a holy reverent fear that we see Abram overcome with. Matthew Henry writes “Holy fear prepares the soul for holy joy; the spirit of bondage makes way for the spirit of adoption. God wounds first, and then heals; humbles first, and then lifts up.” God from verse 13-16 and 18-21 restates and clarifies exactly what is to happen to the people that will come after Abram. Abram is told he will pass after a good long life. He also is promised a land, but that the land will not be given to them until a lot of hardships pass. God promises 400 years of affliction for his lineage as well as traveling in a land that is not theirs. The thing to take from this part is that God’s promises are not always an easy. There are hard roads that we have to walk when we follow and believe in God. James in essentially guarantees that we will see trials in our life. But the thing to remember when we go down the hard roads as we live out God’s promise in our lives is that it is far better to be on the hard and tough road with God, than the easy one in the world. Look no further than Christ’s words recorded in MAtthew 7:13 and 14.
And here we arrive at the last part of the promise or covenant that God is setting up. Simply put, God reminds him of who He is and tells him that the land will be his. And Abrams response shows just how much his heart has changed in verse 8.
And here we arrive at the last part of the promise or covenant that God is setting up. Simply put, God reminds him of who He is and tells him that the land will be his. And Abrams response shows just how much his heart has changed in verse 8.
But he said, "O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?" See that is not unbelief, that is not doubt, that is Abram saying “God I know you are able to do what you say, but I just dont know how you are going to do it.” In a sense he is kind of asking for a sign from God.
But he said, "O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?" See that is not unbelief, that is not doubt, that is Abram saying “God I know you are able to do what you say, but I just dont know how you are going to do it.” In a sense he is kind of asking for a sign from God.
But he said, "O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?" See that is not unbelief, that is not doubt, that is Abram saying “God I know you are able to do what you say, but I just dont know how you are going to do it.” In a sense he is kind of asking for a sign from God.
But he said, "O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?" See that is not unbelief, that is not doubt, that is Abram saying “God I know you are able to do what you say, but I just dont know how you are going to do it.” In a sense he is kind of asking for a sign from God.
And here we arrive at the last part of the promise or covenant that God is setting up. Simply put, God reminds him of who He is and tells him that the land will be his. And Abrams response shows just how much his heart has changed in verse 8.
"Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
And it is at this moment we see one of the most beautiful displays of love in the Bible. And if we did not understand what we are reading we might miss it. In verse 17, with Abram most likely on his knees and in a position of being in the fear and awe of God, watches God in the form of a holy purifying fire pass down through the path…. Alone. This is God alone saying that He will take on the full weight of the covenant, this is God saying to Abram that he has no part in this other than to continue following and believing in Him who sealed the deal. This is God saying to Abram, let what was done to these animals be done to me the Holy, Mighty, All Powerful God Lord Master over all Things, Creator of the world if I fail in my keeping this covenant with you Abram. It was in this moment, that a God who had been silent and distant from His creation for roughly 430 years, became personally involved with His people and began the process of bringing them back to Him.
But he said, "O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?" See that is not unbelief, that is not doubt, that is Abram saying “God I know you are able to do what you say, but I just dont know how you are going to do it.” In a sense he is kind of asking for a sign from God.
2. This is where we enter into the second point of today, that a covenant set in place is needing to be confirmed by God. Abram and in this part is only asked to prepare the area. And for us reading in todays understanding, may seem a brutal! But remember, there were no lawyers to draw up contracts, and no wax seals with ring imprints like during the medieval times, no signet rings stamping approval as you would in Rome. They needed a way to essentially “sign on the dotted line”. And so when God told Abram to gather the animals, he knew exactly what was coming. In “cutting a covenant” as it was known, animals would be split in half, and placed evenly with a path down the middle and the blood would pool come down to the path and both parties would walk down the middle reciting the covenant that they were to keep. And in doing so they were stating that if I failed in keeping my end of the deal, let what was done to the animals be done to me. So Abram faithful sets it up and keeps watch over it until the evening hour when the covenant would normally take place.
2. This is where we enter into the second point of today, that a covenant set in place is needing to be confirmed by God. Abram and in this part is only asked to prepare the area. And for us reading in todays understanding, may seem a brutal! But remember, there were no lawyers to draw up contracts, and no wax seals with ring imprints like during the medieval times, no signet rings stamping approval as you would in Rome. They needed a way to essentially “sign on the dotted line”. And so when God told Abram to gather the animals, he knew exactly what was coming. In “cutting a covenant” as it was known, animals would be split in half, and placed evenly with a path down the middle and the blood would pool come down to the path and both parties would walk down the middle reciting the covenant that they were to keep. And in doing so they were stating that if I failed in keeping my end of the deal, let what was done to the animals be done to me. So Abram faithful sets it up and keeps watch over it until the evening hour when the covenant would normally take place.
2. This is where we enter into the second point of today, that a covenant set in place is needing to be confirmed by God. Abram and in this part is only asked to prepare the area. And for us reading in todays understanding, may seem a brutal! But remember, there were no lawyers to draw up contracts, and no wax seals with ring imprints like during the medieval times, no signet rings stamping approval as you would in Rome. They needed a way to essentially “sign on the dotted line”. And so when God told Abram to gather the animals, he knew exactly what was coming. In “cutting a covenant” as it was known, animals would be split in half, and placed evenly with a path down the middle and the blood would pool come down to the path and both parties would walk down the middle reciting the covenant that they were to keep. And in doing so they were stating that if I failed in keeping my end of the deal, let what was done to the animals be done to me. So Abram faithful sets it up and keeps watch over it until the evening hour when the covenant would normally take place.
So God puts him to sleep, and depending on your version, Abram is overcome with a deep and dreadful fear, or a dreadful darkness. Essentially he has come into the presence of the Lord and like all people who enter there feel that weight upon them. We see Isaiah in overcome with the same emotions just as Moses in was afraid and hid his face. This is a holy reverent fear that we see Abram overcome with. Matthew Henry writes “Holy fear prepares the soul for holy joy; the spirit of bondage makes way for the spirit of adoption. God wounds first, and then heals; humbles first, and then lifts up.” God from verse 13-16 and 18-21 restates and clarifies exactly what is to happen to the people that will come after Abram. Abram is told he will pass after a good long life. He also is promised a land, but that the land will not be given to them until a lot of hardships pass. God promises 400 years of affliction for his lineage as well as traveling in a land that is not theirs. The thing to take from this part is that God’s promises are not always an easy. There are hard roads that we have to walk when we follow and believe in God. James in essentially guarantees that we will see trials in our life. But the thing to remember when we go down the hard roads as we live out God’s promise in our lives is that it is far better to be on the hard and tough road with God, than the easy one in the world. Look no further than Christ’s words recorded in MAtthew 7:13 and 14.
3. As we enter into the final point here today, we sitting here in the year 2018, cannot fall into the trap or line of thinking that the Old Testament is something distant from us. When you think about it time wise, yes it is, in terms of our faith , this passage is as near to us as yesterday. And this is not just a covenant that the physical line of Abraham are a part of. This was the start of a God drawing a people who were destitute in their sin with no hope of redemption and destined for separation from Him for all of eternity. God Himself was building something and it was not upon us doing, saying, going, serving. It was not built upon the shaky foundations that man is able to built, no this is the solid unchanging rock that God builds upon. We read in that this was the type of foundation that Abram sought out.
So God puts him to sleep, and depending on your version, Abram is overcome with a deep and dreadful fear, or a dreadful darkness. Essentially he has come into the presence of the Lord and like all people who enter there feel that weight upon them. We see Isaiah in overcome with the same emotions just as Moses in was afraid and hid his face. This is a holy reverent fear that we see Abram overcome with. Matthew Henry writes “Holy fear prepares the soul for holy joy; the spirit of bondage makes way for the spirit of adoption. God wounds first, and then heals; humbles first, and then lifts up.” God from verse 13-16 and 18-21 restates and clarifies exactly what is to happen to the people that will come after Abram. Abram is told he will pass after a good long life. He also is promised a land, but that the land will not be given to them until a lot of hardships pass. God promises 400 years of affliction for his lineage as well as traveling in a land that is not theirs. The thing to take from this part is that God’s promises are not always an easy. There are hard roads that we have to walk when we follow and believe in God. James in essentially guarantees that we will see trials in our life. But the thing to remember when we go down the hard roads as we live out God’s promise in our lives is that it is far better to be on the hard and tough road with God, than the easy one in the world. Look no further than Christ’s words recorded in MAtthew 7:13 and 14.
2. This is where we enter into the second point of today, that a covenant set in place is needing to be confirmed by God. Abram and in this part is only asked to prepare the area. And for us reading in todays understanding, may seem a brutal! But remember, there were no lawyers to draw up contracts, and no wax seals with ring imprints like during the medieval times, no signet rings stamping approval as you would in Rome. They needed a way to essentially “sign on the dotted line”. And so when God told Abram to gather the animals, he knew exactly what was coming. In “cutting a covenant” as it was known, animals would be split in half, and placed evenly with a path down the middle and the blood would pool come down to the path and both parties would walk down the middle reciting the covenant that they were to keep. And in doing so they were stating that if I failed in keeping my end of the deal, let what was done to the animals be done to me. So Abram faithful sets it up and keeps watch over it until the evening hour when the covenant would normally take place.
So God puts him to sleep, and depending on your version, Abram is overcome with a deep and dreadful fear, or a dreadful darkness. Essentially he has come into the presence of the Lord and like all people who enter there feel that weight upon them. We see Isaiah in overcome with the same emotions just as Moses in was afraid and hid his face. This is a holy reverent fear that we see Abram overcome with. Matthew Henry writes “Holy fear prepares the soul for holy joy; the spirit of bondage makes way for the spirit of adoption. God wounds first, and then heals; humbles first, and then lifts up.” God from verse 13-16 and 18-21 restates and clarifies exactly what is to happen to the people that will come after Abram. Abram is told he will pass after a good long life. He also is promised a land, but that the land will not be given to them until a lot of hardships pass. God promises 400 years of affliction for his lineage as well as traveling in a land that is not theirs. The thing to take from this part is that God’s promises are not always an easy. There are hard roads that we have to walk when we follow and believe in God. James in essentially guarantees that we will see trials in our life. But the thing to remember when we go down the hard roads as we live out God’s promise in our lives is that it is far better to be on the hard and tough road with God, than the easy one in the world. Look no further than Christ’s words recorded in MAtthew 7:13 and 14.
"Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
"Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.
By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise.
For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.
So God puts him to sleep, and depending on your version, Abram is overcome with a deep and dreadful fear, or a dreadful darkness. Essentially he has come into the presence of the Lord and like all people who enter there feel that weight upon them. We see Isaiah in overcome with the same emotions just as Moses in was afraid and hid his face. This is a holy reverent fear that we see Abram overcome with. Matthew Henry writes “Holy fear prepares the soul for holy joy; the spirit of bondage makes way for the spirit of adoption. God wounds first, and then heals; humbles first, and then lifts up.” God from verse 13-16 and 18-21 restates and clarifies exactly what is to happen to the people that will come after Abram. Abram is told he will pass after a good long life. He also is promised a land, but that the land will not be given to them until a lot of hardships pass. God promises 400 years of affliction for his lineage as well as traveling in a land that is not theirs. The thing to take from this part is that God’s promises are not always an easy. There are hard roads that we have to walk when we follow and believe in God. James in essentially guarantees that we will see trials in our life. But the thing to remember when we go down the hard roads as we live out God’s promise in our lives is that it is far better to be on the hard and tough road with God, than the easy one in the world. Look no further than Christ’s words recorded in MAtthew 7:13 and 14.
"Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
"Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
And it is at this moment we see one of the most beautiful displays of love in the Bible. And if we did not understand what we are reading we might miss it. IN verse 17, with Abram most likely on his knees and in a position of being in the fear and awe of God, watches God in the form of a holy purifying fire pass down through the path…. Alone. This is God alone saying that He will take on the full weight of the covenant, this is God saying to Abram that he has no part in this other than to continue following and believing in Him who sealed the deal. This is God saying to Abram, let what was done to these animals be done to me the Holy, Mighty, All Powerful God Lord Master over all Things, Creator of the world if I fail in my keeping this covenant with you Abram. It was in this moment, that a God who had been silent and distant from His creation for roughly 430 years, became personally involved with His people and began the process of bringing them back to Him.
Listen, Abraham is not a perfect man. He certainly had his flaws, we saw today that he had doubts, he most certainly had fears, he ran when the things got rough previously, and he will mess up again. But what makes him different and an example to us today is that through it all. He never let go of the faith that he had in his God. He placed his faith in the person of God and built himself up on the foundations of the a Holy One.
And it is at this moment we see one of the most beautiful displays of love in the Bible. And if we did not understand what we are reading we might miss it. IN verse 17, with Abram most likely on his knees and in a position of being in the fear and awe of God, watches God in the form of a holy purifying fire pass down through the path…. Alone. This is
And it is at this moment we see one of the most beautiful displays of love in the Bible. And if we did not understand what we are reading we might miss it. In verse 17, with Abram most likely on his knees and in a position of being in the fear and awe of God, watches God in the form of a holy purifying fire pass down through the path…. Alone. This is God alone saying that He will take on the full weight of the covenant, this is God saying to Abram that he has no part in this other than to continue following and believing in Him who sealed the deal. This is God saying to Abram, let what was done to these animals be done to me the Holy, Mighty, All Powerful God Lord Master over all Things, Creator of the world if I fail in my keeping this covenant with you Abram. It was in this moment, that a God who had been silent and distant from His creation for roughly 430 years, became personally involved with His people and began the process of bringing them back to Him.
3.
3.
And it is at this moment we see one of the most beautiful displays of love in the Bible. And if we did not understand what we are reading we might miss it. In verse 17, with Abram most likely on his knees and in a position of being in the fear and awe of God, watches God in the form of a holy purifying fire pass down through the path…. Alone. This is God alone saying that He will take on the full weight of the covenant, this is God saying to Abram that he has no part in this other than to continue following and believing in Him who sealed the deal. This is God saying to Abram, let what was done to these animals be done to me the Holy, Mighty, All Powerful God Lord Master over all Things, Creator of the world if I fail in my keeping this covenant with you Abram. It was in this moment, that a God who had been silent and distant from His creation for roughly 430 years, became personally involved with His people and began the process of bringing them back to Him.
3. As we enter into the final point here today, we sitting here in the year 2018, cannot fall into the trap or line of thinking that the Old Testament is something distant from us. When you think about it timewise, yes it is, in terms of our faith , this passage is as near to us as yesterday. And this is not just a covenant that the physical line of Abraham are a part of. This was the start of a God drawing a people who were destitute in their sin with no hope of redemption and destined for separation from Him for all of eternity. God Himself was building something and it was not upon us doing, saying, going, serving. It was not built upon the shaky foundations that man is able to built, no this is the solid unchanging rock that God builds upon. We read in that this was the type of foundation that Abram sought out.
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.
By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise.
For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.
Listen, Abraham is not a perfect man. He certainly had his flaws, we saw today that he had doubts, he most certainly had fears, he ran when the things got rough previously, and he will mess up again. But what makes him different and an example to us today is that through it all. He never let go of the faith that he had in his God. He placed his faith in the person of God and built himself up on the foundations of the Holy One. And for us, the very same God who revealed Himself to Abram calling out as “I am your shield” and “I am the Lord”, the very same God who generations later revealed Himself to Moses as “I AM”, is today revealing Himself through His Son, Jesus Christ. “I am the one true vine”, “I am the way”, “I am the truth”, “ and “I am the life”. Just as Abram heard God and believed, we too need to see how God is showing Himself and do the same. When we read and see God’s “I am” statements, for us as believers we need to follow them with our “I believe” statement. And when we truly believe in and follow Christ, we find ourselves counted among the stars in the sky and part of this promise given to Abram.
The Apostle Paul writes in
just as Abraham "believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness"? Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "In you shall all the nations be blessed." So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
In , Paul continues about our relationship to Abram through Christ.
But the words "it was counted to him" were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
The very same God who was willing to take the full brunt weight of the covenant with Abram, the very same God who said to Abram this is my unconditional love for you, I am going to be real and personal. I am going to guide and care for you. I am not expecting you to do anything other than be faithful and follow Me, I am going to bear this weight and let what was done to these animals be done unto me if I fail in seeing my promises to you fulfilled. That is the very same God who 2000 years ago made it clear that the only true path to salvation lay through the Son as He revealed Himself saying “I am the way”. God is drawing people back into a personal relationship with Him. Our salvation and place in the family of God, in much the same way as Abram, is not dependant on you trying to earn your way into it. And if you think you need to get your act straight, clean yourself up, or prepare yourself prior to accepting Christ, read . Apart from the Gospel message, we could not now nor never do anything that would endear us or to God or get us ready. We are a sin depraved people with the Gospel message permeating through our whole being. That's why the God who took the oath and went down the blood path that night, is the very same God who sent His Son to hang on the cross this time shedding His blood. All so mankind could fully be welcomed into a personal and loving relationship with Him. Christ’s shed blood on the cross opened the door for a multitude to be welcomed into promise that was given to Abraham that day. And because of the promise, and the shed blood, the Word of the Lord no longer needs to come to people as we read. The Word of the Lord now walked and talked with people in the form of JEsus Christ. The Word of the Lord no longer needs to come to people, because the Word of the Lord now lives in each and every person who calls upon the name of God and accepts Christ into their life!
As we close our time in the Word and move to a time where we reflect upon this message and respond, I want to share two last passages of Scripture with you. The first coming from Christ’s brother James in
"Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness"—and he was called a friend of God.
And the second from Paul in ,
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.
You see, when Abram accepted what God was doing and believed in Him fully, as James writes, he was called a friend of God. When we take the message of the cross and the full forgiveness of sins that comes through accepting that Christ died and rose again for all mankind, and apply it to our hearts and lives. We are not called a friend of God, we are considered far greater than that, we are called sons and daughters of the most High God. We are not friend, but family adopted into His family and heir to the promise given.
Time of INVITATION!