Being A Solid Christian

Genesis 17:1–8 (KJV)

1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lordappeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. 2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. 3 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, 4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. 5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. 6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. 7 And I will establishmy covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. 8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.

Being a Solid-Christian

As we’ve been looking at the Lord through the lens of the life of Abraham, we’ve seen that the Lord has shown Himself to be…

V The God Who Selects (Gen. 12:1a) Eph. 1:3-4

V The God Who Sends (Gen. 12:1b-3) Matt. 28:18-20

V The God Who Sustains (Gen. 13:1-4) Ps. 23:1-6

V The God Who Saves (Gen. 15:1-6) Rom. 10:9-10; 5:1-2

V The God Who Sees (Gen. 16:7-14) Ps. 34:15-19

V The God Who Solidifies (Gen. 17:1-8) John 14:6*

Over the course of two sermons from this passage, I want to communicate to you 5 Ways to Be Solid in the Lord. Prior to doing so, let me say to you that at this point in Scripture and history, those who walk with God are recipients of three covenants…

Ü The Adamic Covenant (Gen 1:26-28)—Reflect, Represent, Rule, & Reproduce

Ü The Noahic Covenant(Gen. 9:8-16)—Phil. 1:6; 2 Pet. 3:9

Ü The Abrahamic Covenant (Gen. 12:1-3)—The Call, The Clan, & The Christ

ÉFive Ways to Be Solid in the Lord Ê

ΠLive with the Covering of the Lord (1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lordappeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.)

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Terry Anderson & Grandma

Connect with Him Personally (the Lord appeared to Abram & said unto him)— ï In 2023 Fortify Your Fellowship with the Father (John 15:1-7).

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Stillman & Civilla Martin

Confide in His Power (I am the Almighty God) --Almighty God = שַׁדַּי Shadday (994d); of unc. der.; perh. “the almighty,” a title for God:—Almighty(48). A Masculine noun and name for God. The word occurs 48 times in the Hebrew Bible, 31 in the book of Job. This is the name for the Lord—the OT people of faith referring to Him as El Shaddai, God Almighty. The term is found in passages that report God’s promises of fertility, land, & abundance to them, indicating that He—the Almighty—could fulfill His promises (Gen. 17:1; 28:3; 35:11). [CWAB Dictionary] ï In 2023 Stay Anchored to the Almighty (Heb. 13:5-6).

v 📷Continue in His Path (walk before me & be thou perfect) הָלַךְ halak—to live or behave in a certain manner. תָּמִים tamim (1071a); from 8552; complete, sound:—blameless(22), blamelessly(1), complete(1), entire(1), full(1), intact(1), integrity(4), perfect(5), sincerity(1), unblemished(2), uprightly(1), who is perfect(1), whole(2), without blemish(12), without defect(36). ï In 2023 Commit to Christ-like Conduct (Eph. 5:1-5).

 Live Under the Covenant of the Lord (2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.)

† 📷Activate Faith in Christ (my covenant)—1 Timothy 2:5-6

† Accept Forgiveness through Christ (between me and thee) Luke 24:46-47; Acts 2:37-38

† Advance in Fruitfulness for Christ (and will multiply thee exceedingly) John 15:8

Ž Live in the Communion of the Lord (3 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,) I have two exhortations for you from this portion of the passage.

& Practice His Presence Daily in 2023 (and Abram fell on his face)—this speaks to worship & prayer.

Worship—

Ü The Lord Demands Worship (Matt. 4:10);

Ü 📷The Lord Desires Worship (John 4:23-24);

Ü The Lord Deserves Worship (Ps. 96:1-8).

Prayer—

Ü The Instructions to Pray (Matt. 6:5-13);

Ü The Invitation to Pray (Matt. 7:7-8);

Ü The Intimacy through Prayer (I. Chr. 16:11);

Ü The Involvement through Prayer (Eph. 6:10-18)

& 📷Probe His Precepts Daily in 2023 (and God talked with him)

o Be Constantly Reading the Word Daily (Prov. 4:10-13)

o Be Constantly Reflecting on the Word Daily (Ps. 1:1-3; 119:15-16)

o Be Constantly Reciting the Word Daily (Joshua 1:8)

o Be Constantly Remembering the Word Daily (Ps. 119:11; John 14:26)

Conclusion: Have you ever seen a straight river? Canals are straight, but all rivers seem to be crooked. We call it “meandering.” Why are rivers crooked? Because the natural tendency of a river is to take the easiest way around any obstacle. So rivers are always crooked, and they always run downhill. Some people are like rivers. They are too lazy and immature to put forth much effort into walking with God. For them, it’s easier to watch T.V. than to pray and easier to read their newspaper than their Bible.

Consider the difference between a strong and a weak cup of tea. The same ingredients—water and tea—are used for both. The difference is that the strong cup of tea results from the tea leaves’ immersion in the water longer, allowing the water more time to get into the tea and the tea into the water. The longer the steeping process, the stronger the cup of tea.In the same way, the length of time we spend in God’s Word determines how deeply we get into it and it gets into us. Just like the tea, the longer we are in the Word, the “stronger” we become.