The Promise to Abraham Part 2!

Where Christianity, Islam, and Judaism collide.

Consider using the quote form Matt Smetheurst Twitter.

GAME:

Box Folding.

2 Teams:

1 v 1 Fold the box the fastest.

Fold, then look up the verse and Read.

Genesis 9:1.

Genesis 1:28.

Genesis 11:4.

Genesis 12:2-3.

Genesis 21:5.

Genesis 22:2.

Genesis 22:7-8.

Genesis 22:14.

Genesis 22:18.

Hebrews 11:18-19.

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Quick review from 3 weeks ago.

God’s command to Noah was:

Genesis 9:1 “1 And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.”

This echoes God’s command to Adam and Eve:

Genesis 1:28 “28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.””

In contrast, The Tower of Babel was in direct opposition to God’s command.

Genesis 11:4 “4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.””

In Genesis 12 we see Abraham.

So from Genesis 1 through Genesis 11, We see two things:

God’s Commands to mankind to fill the earth.

God’s choice given to man to trust Him or not.

Both of these are broken at the tower of babel…

“Lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” - direct opposition to fill the earth and subdue it.

Come, let us build ourselves a city… let us make a name for ourselves...” - Direct opposition to God’s glory.

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Now we come to Genesis 12-15.

GOd gives Abram 4 promises:

I will make you a great nation (12:2)

I will make your name great (12:2)

I will bless those who bless you and whoever curses you I will curse.”- (12:3)

All peoples on earth will be blessed through you (12:3)

Abram trusts…

Until he didn’t

And that brings us to tonight…

2 Timothy 2:11-13

2 Timothy 2:11–13 (ESV)

11 The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; 12 if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; 13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.

Key for tonight:

God’s ways are not our ways. Do we trust HIM to work out the details in HIS way?

When God promises Abram and Sarai to give them children, Abram is 75.

Years later, God solidifies that promises again

Genesis 15:5-6 “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.”

His offspring will be numerous… but He’s old… and has no offspring!

Abram trusts… until he doesn’t…

Genesis 16:1-2 “1 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar. 2 And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.”

The end of vs. 2 is short, but says alot.

Abram listened to the voice of Sarai...

What happened to the voice of God?

Genesis 16:16 “16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.”

It’s been 11 years since God’s promise!

11 years…

Abram forgot the promise of God…

Abram and Sarai rushed the promise of God…

They took control, rather than wait.

Proverbs 3:5-6 “5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

God’s delays are not God’s denials…

*repeat that*

Because of God’s delay and Man’s desire for control, 4 people are now in a mess.

God’s ways are not our ways… do we trust Him?

Ishmael is the result of man’s wisdom and impatience.

Ishmael becomes the father of the Arab nations.

Read Genesis 16:12 “12 He shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen.””

Broadly speaking, not speaking for every individual, but broadly, Abram and Sarai’s decision leads to much conflict in the middle east that still exists to this day!

Ishmael is the result of man’s self-interests to make a name for himself.

Isaac… Isaac is the result of God’s ways not being our ways.

God’s ways are not our ways!

When we trust Him, often times, His ways look confusing on the front end, but make sense on the back end.

DO WE TRUST HIM? That’s so important to what we believe.

In conclusion to Abraham’s story, we will go to Genesis 22.

Read Genesis 22:1-3 “1 After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning ... and took ... his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.”

Abraham is now north of 100 years old.

God’s promise to Abraham that he would make him a great nation was 25 years ago in the past.

Abraham has learned, God’s ways are not our ways.

He’s learned to trust Him. but will he trust God with this?

Sacrificing His own son?

Genesis 22:6-8 “6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. 7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8 Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.”

No matter what would happen…

Abraham knows this about God..

“God will provide the burnt offering...”

God’s ways are not my ways.

Genesis 22:11-14 “11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.””

Abraham names the place “God will provide”

And then God reaffirms his promise with Abraham.

Genesis 22:17-18 “17 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, 18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.””

If you go to Hebrews 11, we see another reason Abraham trusted God.

Hebrews 11:19 “19 He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.”

What a wonderful testimony.

This always blows me away about Abraham because Abraham believed God could do something that He had never seen God do.

Abraham didn’t know about Jesus.

Abraham hadn’t seen any of the prophets like Elijah or Elisha.

Abraham has no context for believing God can bring his dead son back to life.

UNLESS, Abraham believed the only reason Isaac exists in the first place is because God is the author of life.

And that is the key.

Abraham trusted God.

Believed God to be the Author of life.

He had seen and experienced.

Gods ways are not our ways.

When we compare Judaism and Islam to Christianity, there are 4 things we can learn from Abraham about Biblical faith.

Evidence of True Biblical Faith:

You are willing to wait.

You are concerned only for the glory of God

You are obeying God’s word.

You have God’s joy and peace in all situation.

When I trust God’s ways and not my own path, these 4 points become crucial.

When we compare these 4 thigns to Jews, Muslims, and Christians here are 3 Key differences:

Jews follow the wisdom of man.

Muslim’s trust the words of a false god.

Christians submit to the words of Jesus.

Do we know what we believe?

Do we know what others believe?

Do we know what other people believe about what we believe?

Are we trusting Christ and His promises?

Be satisfied in the joy and peace that only comes from following Him.

God’s ways are not our ways… Do we trust Him?

All other world religions are about our ways reaching up, doing enough for God.

Only Christianity is about God coming down, doing everything, to make himself available to us.

Do We Trust Him!