I want to highlight one recent group’s effort at loving our neighbor. Our church family’s month long emphasis is Won’t You Be Our Neighbor? The Key Bible Fellowship Group shared Christ’s love by providing loose change in a nearby laundry mat. They shared Christ’s love through conversations and serving – I am so grateful for them. Other groups threw a party for our friends who attend ESL. It’s so good to see you embrace people of other nations. You have extended them a warm welcome them into our community and our church. I am grateful for each of you doing your part – so proud of you, church family!
If you have your Bibles, turn with me to Genesis 15, if you will. There are some things that are too good to be true. Have you ever heard of something that was so good that it just couldn’t be true? Something that was so good but so “outside the norm” that you thought to yourself, “There’s no way under heaven that this could be true”? Imagine living in the early part of the 1900s and one of the Wright Brothers says to you, “I am going to take you flying next week. We are going to fly over half of North Carolina. We will cover miles and miles in matter of only minutes?” What would you have said to the Wright brothers if you would have never seen anything but a bird fly?
Some of you are familiar with lifehacks on the web. Now, a lifehack is a trick, a shortcut or a skill that increases your productivity in life or simply makes life easier. There is a lifehack where you can seamlessly repair broken china by simply submerging your broken china in warm milk for two days. Or, can you imagine if someone said to you, “The Cowboys will win this year’s Super Bowl in Atlanta?” Wouldn’t you agree that there are some things that are simply too good to be true?
Today, we continue a series dedicated to the life of Abraham, the father of the faith. Abraham heard something that was too good to be true. All of a sudden and completely out of nowhere, God makes some extravagant promises to Abraham seemingly out of nowhere. The critical question is whether Abraham will trust God? Abraham had to answer a critical question for himself, “Can God be trusted?” I want you to learn from the experience of Abraham.
Think of what you’re about to read as having two halves: the 1st half deals with Abraham’s question about a family while the 2nd half deals with his question about a home.
Today’s Scripture
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.” 2 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?” 3 And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” 4 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.” 5 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.” 6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness. 7 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.” 8 But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?” 9 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.” 10 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. 11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. 12 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. 13 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. 14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. 16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” 17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18 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, 19 the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites” (Genesis 15:1–21).
Years ago when we lived in the Panhandle of Texas, my wife called me at church and asked me to meet her at the swimming pool. Our oldest two children were taking swimming lessons from a wonderful lady in the community. But my oldest two wouldn’t have anything to do with swimming, especially putting their head under water. So, I jump in the pool while the lesson is going on to ensure our two get past their fear of water. What I witnessed surprised me because I had never seen two people more afraid of going underwater in my life. Imagine two crying – no, wailing – small children whose bodies stiffened up where you felt you were guiding an ironing board in the water. Every other child were swimming like dolphins but my two were causing a scene.
Essentially, the time in the deep end of the pool, came down to one question: can I trust you? They were fearful of the water and everything tense muscle in their body was questioning their trust and allegiance in their parents.
Each of us ask at one point in our lives, Can I Trust God? And for those who do trust Him, how can I increase my trust in God?
1. Learn to Trust God for Your Future
Now, Abraham is important because of how he responds to God: “And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6). Yes, but before Abraham earned his Masters degree in the school of faith, the Bible shows us how Abraham learned level by level and grade by grade in the school of faith. It’s important for us to watch Abraham as he LEARNS to trust God FOR HIS FUTURE.
1.1 Abraham Learns to Trust
Like training wheels for riding a bike, Abraham is learning to trust the Lord. Like diving off into the deep end of the pool, Abraham is learning to trust God. Let me show you: God continually repeat THE Promise He made to Abraham. Abraham’s story is told from Genesis 12-25 and over these approximate 20 pages, you cannot turn anywhere without God repeating this promise. By the way, do you remember THE Promise?
God made an “eye-popping” 7-fold promise out of the clear blue back in Genesis 12: “And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed’” (Genesis 12:2-3). This is the promise that changes the world. God tells Abraham he will be blessed 5 times in this world-changing promise. THE Promise is repeated again and again because it is so outlandish in Abraham’s mind.
Like the thought of flying before Wright brothers… Abraham didn’t know what to do with God’s world-changing, life-altering promise.
Years had gone by and Abraham is thinking, “I don’t have any children. Neither Sarah or me are getting any younger.” So Abraham naturally had questions. Yes, Abraham had questions just like any of us would. And specifically the questions have to do with his future: his future family and his future home.
1.2 Abraham Questions
And I love how Abraham brings his questions to God. First, in verse 2: “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’” (Genesis 15:2)? And then Abraham adds, “And Abram said, ‘Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir’” (Genesis 15:3). And then another question appears in verse 8: “But he said, ‘O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it’” (Genesis 15:8). Abraham has obeyed God in silence up until now. Up until now, Abraham has remained silent every time God has spoke to him. But now, Abraham essentially wants to know, “How. How will you accomplish this, God?”
1.3 Doubts
Be like Abraham here … … because a wise man who takes his questions about God to God for answers. Questioning God does not mean you lack faith in God. Instead, questioning God IS strong indication you rely on God. Because it’s a wise man who takes his questions about God TO God for answers. Now, Abraham was an honest doubter. God says, “You’re going to have a lot of children,” but he doesn’t find himself in the maternity ward.” God says, “I give you all this land,” but he owns no deed that says this is your property.” What do you do when you have doubts? My Christian friend, asking God questions isn’t a lack of faith. Instead, asking God questions is faith seeking answers. Remember even Moses asks for a sign of confirmation when God gives him the burning bush as a confirmation (Exodus 3:11-12). Remember, it is a wise man who takes his questions about God to God for answers.
1.4 The Future
But Abraham’s questions are about Abraham’s future. Look again at the back end of verse 1: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great” (Genesis 15:1b). If you are a child of Abraham and have placed your faith in Jesus Christ, then God says to you what He said to Abraham: “I am your shield.” Anxiety about your future can be crippling. There’s nothing like having the security blanket of God’s love and mercy for your life.
One of the life changing promises I remember for my life is Jesus’ words: “My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand” (John 10:29). Now, if you’re NOT a child of Abraham, then you have reason to be anxious. But if you’re a child of Abraham, you can trust God with your future for God never gets worn out. God never gets tired and God never faints. His strength is amazing and nothing will cause Him to loosen His grip on your life.
Like our friend, Abraham, we have to learn to trust God with our future. We are a community of broken homes, unpaid bills, and scarred lives. Look around you and you’ll see a great army of the walking wounded who are being destroyed by stress. God says to the children of Abraham, “I have you. You’re in my grip. You’re future is secure.”
1. Learn to Trust God for Your Future
2. Wait on God Today
What if I called you up this week and said, “Hey, it’s your pastor. I have an extra ticket for the Cowboys,” how likely are you to come? Or, “Hey, it’s your pastor. Would you want to sit with me in the doctor’s office all day just for fun.” I doubt anyone would take me up on sitting around in a waiting room. Essentially, Abraham says in verse 8, “Okay, Lord, you’ve told me I will have a giant family, but how can I know if you’ll come through on your promise of land? You keep mentioning land but I have no place to call home.” And then in verse 9, “[God] 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’” (Genesis 15:9). As strange as this request sounds, Abraham did what he was told. Abraham gathers everything up and he waits so long, he falls into a deep sleep.
2.1 Modern Day Contract
What is going on with these animals, you may wonder? Imagine the scene: God directs Abraham to a local bank. He tells him to rent out the conference room and have a notary public and a couple of lawyers waiting there in the room, ready to ratify anything signed. Abraham gets everything ready. He tells the manager, “I’m going to need rent out your conference room all day and possibly into the evening.” Strangely, the manager complies with this unusual request. Abraham has everything in place: the notary, special pen and paper on hand, and a beautiful, stately conference room. And he waits on God to arrive. And he waits and waits and waits. He waits so long that he pushes away would be the next party that has reserved the room. And He waits. Remember, how Abraham asked how he will know he has a home and a family. And God does something remarkable here: God makes a covenant with Abraham. Essentially, God says to Abraham, you can take my promise to the bank.
2.2 The Covenant
Now, what’s a covenant? Think of a contract but only upgraded. This strange ceremony is how they did contracts before paper and pen. It was literally referred to as “cutting a covenant.” And it is here in a vision that God reconfirms His promise of a home and a land to Abram. To assure Abraham of His promise, God makes a contract with him. Now’s here how it worked in ancient times: a king would conquer 3 or 4 smaller nations and the king would enter into a covenant with a vassal, only the vassal walked between the pieces. The conquering king would just sit on the throne, and it would be the vassal who would walk between the pieces and take the oath. So Abraham says in effect, “God, I believe you. But would you mind giving me a guarantee?”
Abraham is learning to remain glued to the Promise. Abraham waited on God to act. He waited on God to confirm His promise, THE Promise.
On a 1 to 10 scale, how would you rate on Abraham’s “waiting ability”? On a 1 to 10 scale, how would you rate your “waiting ability”? On a 1 to 10 scale, how would you rate on Abraham’s “waiting ability”? On a 1 to 10 scale, how would you rate your “waiting ability”?
2.3 Why Wait?
It’s the waiting that kills us but it’s in the waiting where we learn.
We think the waiting is useless.
But in waiting, we are telling the Lord, “You’re worth the wait. I need you more than I need my problem solved.”
And here’s is what is so intriguing about God’s answer to Abraham.
God says in verse 13, “There’s more waiting to come. Your family will wait 400 years before they enter the land from slavery.”
God is giving Abraham a peak into his family’s future.
Long before time travel, Abraham is given a peak into his great, great, great, great grandchildren’s future.
Abraham sees a brief glimpse of Moses and Israel in Egyptian slavery in verse 13.
God says, “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” (Genesis 15:13).
Abraham is told future generations will wait for God to bring justice.
2.4 Manage Stress
How do you manage your anxiety while you wait on God? Rehearse the Promises of God. Let me say this again: rehearse the promises of God. You must rehearse the promises or practice repeating the promises of God for your life. You cannot simply hear them once. Instead, this will need practice and you’ll get better over time.
Let me show you how this can work for you. Most of us, worry. Worry is concentration on all the ways things could go wrong. Worry is our mind tracing out all the tributaries where life goes wrong. But for every way something could go wrong, remember a promise where God will act on your behalf. This is how you combat worry. This is how you achieve peace. “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). Glance at your problem but remain glued to God’s promises.
2.5 THE PROMISE
Let’s do some page turning in our Bibles, can we? Find Genesis 26:4 with me. It ain’t church until we hear the pages turning. I want you to see just how big THE PROMISE is in your Bibles: This is THE PROMISE and it’s huge: “I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted” (Genesis 13:16). The Promise is repeated several years later when Abraham is at Moriah: “I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies…” (Genesis 22:17). Then, God repeats THE Promise for Abraham’s son, Isaac: “I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed…” (Genesis 26:4). Then, God repeats THE Promise many years later for Moses: “Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever” (Exodus 32:12). 1,500 years later, Nehemiah says THE Promise is fulfilled as he looks around at all of Abraham’s children: “You multiplied their children as the stars of heaven, and you brought them into the land that you had told their fathers to enter and possess” (Nehemiah 9:23). And THE Promise is then extended to David 1,000 years later: “As the host of heaven cannot be numbered and the sands of the sea cannot be measured, so I will multiply the offspring of David my servant, and the Levitical priests who minister to me” (Jeremiah 33:22). Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and even David – they all were GLUED to THE Promise.
2.6 Promises, Promises
Just a couple of weeks ago, Philadelphia head coach, Doug Pederson, promised to beat the Cowboys this past Sunday. On a radio interview, Pederson said, “We’re going down to Dallas, and our guys are gonna be ready to play. And we’re gonna win that football game, and when we do, we’re in first place in the NFC East.” Only he didn’t win, did he? His team was beat 37-10 Sunday night. George W. Bush promised to change the tone of Washington D. C. rhetoric. Listening to Washington DC, how well do you think he did? There are a lot of broken promises but there are some kept promises to. Many of us remember John F. Kennedy’s promise/challenge on May 25, 1961 of putting a man on the moon by the end of the decade. NASA backed up the President because Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon by July, 1969. Pretty impressive promise, wouldn’t you say? THE Promise is so big, the people of Israel would write poems about the Promise and sing songs about the Promise: “For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham, his servant” (Psalm 105:42). As strange as God’s request was, Abraham does exactly what He’s told. He waited on God and God confirmed His promise. Abraham was learning to but glance at his problem while remaining glued to God’s promise.
1. Trust God for Your Future
2. Wait on God Today
3. Recognize God’s Grace In Your Past
Grace is what you don’t deserve but God gives you anyway. God’s grace is reliable. God’s grace is dependable. God’s grace is trustworthy. There are two amazing things to this passage. First, note WHO walks between the animals: “When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces” (Genesis 15:17). The presence of God was there in Abraham’s vision. God is pictured here by a smoking fie pot and a flaming torch. God Himself is walking between the pieces. The second thing that should amaze us is this: Abraham doesn’t walk between the animals. Abraham doesn’t sign the contract. Abraham was knew what was happening when he was asked to get the animals. But he thought he was going to walk through the animals. Abraham thought he was going to be asked to walk between the pieces, and to take a vow and say, “I will do this, and I will do that.” Instead, only God signs it. God takes the oath. God signs the contract. God makes a covenant with Abraham. God is saying to Abraham, “My promise depends on Me and Me alone.”
Did you know that Abraham is mentioned more than seventy times in your New Testament? 2,000 years later when God was writing the best selling part of the best selling book of all time, the New Testament, God brought Abraham up again and again. Abraham is our model for fully learning to trust God and trust God’s Word. Listen to Paul’s words: “That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all…” (Romans 4:16).
Abraham had questions and God had a plan. Abraham believed but Abraham needed his faith strengthened. Glance over at your problems but remain glued to God’s promises.
