The Promised Son Genesis 17:15-18:15

-The Promises of God are fulfilled through His Son

Every Fall, it’s the same. Football season rolls around and I am glued to my tv watching the games of the day. However, things have looked a little different at my house over the last few years. There’s a minor delay between my broadcast and the actual events taking place. So, while I scroll my social media looking for commentary from the sportswriters and fans, I sometimes find out what has happened before I get to see it take place. How do I know what has happened without seeing it for myself? I’m trusting the word of the sports writer. It’s the same way with God’s promises. His promise of forgiveness and new life is certain, I just need to trust Him for it!

I. Be Aware vv. 15-21

When we pick up our story, God is in the process of continuing His awesome covenant promises to Abraham, promises that involve an extraordinary movement of God.

We will see God move in powerful ways that include:

Transformation- ironically, Abram and Sarai, a childless couple have names that mean “Father” and “My Princess” a diminutive; they will become “Father of many” and “Princess” because she will be a mother to Kings

Overcoming the impossible and the impractical- Abraham and Sarah are well past their childbearing years, yet this is not an issue for the Lord; likewise, Abraham already has a son, Ishmael. Yet God is not interested in fulfilling His promise through Ishmael, but through Isaac

Overflowing blessings- just because Ishmael is not the son of the covenant does not mean he is not blessed of the Lord, the blessings that come to and through Isaac overflow to his half-brother and he will become a great nation of his own

All of this is going to be fulfilled through the birth of a Son

Who is born in seemingly impossible circumstances

Whose life transforms those who encounter Him from hopelessness to hope

Whose blessings come to those who are near Him

Jesus is the Son of Promise and all of God’s promises are fulfilled through Him!

2 Corinthians 1:19–20

[19] For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes. [20] For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. (ESV)

II. Be Active vv. 22-27

Next, we see how Abraham responds when confronted with God’s promise: He fulfills God’s command of circumcision, he observes the sign of the covenant

The obedience that we see from Abraham is:

Committed Obedience- he takes a deep and abiding step of obedience, this is more than a surface level act

Immediate Obedience- Abraham does not hesitate but quickly acts to fulfill the command of the Lord

Universal Obedience- Abraham applies God’s standard to his household and to every area over which he has been given authority

The life-giving promises of the Lord ought to change how we live; in light of our hope in Jesus, we ought to live differently!

The Preacher’s Notebook: The Collected Quotes, Illustrations, and Prayers of John Stott The Transformation of David Mendel

David Mendel (b. 1789) was [the] son of a German Jewish peddler and money lender. He was ungainly in figure, so that he was usually teased at school. But he had a brilliant mind. The year after leaving school (which was in 1805) at age seventeen he became a Christian and was baptized.

So great was the change in him that he assumed new names: “Johann August Wilhelm Neander,” honoring by [the] first three friends who’d helped him to Christ, and in [the] last Christ, who’d made him a “New Man.”

[He was] later professor of church history (1813) at [the] newly established University of Berlin.

III. Be Alert vv. 1-8

When we turn the page to chapter 8, some time has passed, when the Lord appeared to Abraham again

We read that 3 men who are guests arrive, but Abraham’s response demonstrates an alertness to God’s activity

Abraham recognizes the presence of the Lord- He knows who has appeared to him

Abraham responds to the presence of the Lord- He sacrifices and serves

Abraham reverences the presence of the Lord- He worships and stands aside while the men eat

We have no reason to believe that Abraham received warning of the Lord’s coming, yet he was fully prepared when the day came

This sense of readiness is a critical part of the life of faith

God is acting on your behalf and is inviting you into His work

However, you may miss the opportunity if you are not prepared!

IV. Be Amazed vv. 9-15

Finally, we find out that Sarah has been listening to all of the conversation from inside of the tent

When she hears the promise of a son to be born to her, she experiences a mixture of emotions:

There is joy at the opportunity of being a mother to a child

There is disbelief at the seeming impossibility of becoming pregnant in her old age

There is fear at the reality that her life was intersecting with the plans of the Lord; she’s awestruck and recognizes her own unbelief

On days when we are amazed and afraid, we have reasons to trust:

God’s capability- nothing is impossible for Him

God’s character- He loves us and invites us into a relationship with Him.

It’s time to be amazed, but not to be afraid

Isaiah 43:1–2

[1] But now thus says the LORD,

he who created you, O Jacob,

he who formed you, O Israel:

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have called you by name, you are mine.

[2] When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;

when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,

and the flame shall not consume you. (ESV)

All of these promises are fulfilled through the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

Are you ready to follow Him into the life of faith by trusting in His promises?

In the days before modern harbors, a ship had to wait for the flood tide before it could make it to port. The term for this situation in Latin was ob portu, that is, a ship standing over off a port, waiting for the moment when it could ride the turn of the tide to harbor.

The English word opportunity is derived from this original meaning. The captain and the crew were ready and waiting for that one moment for they knew that if they missed it, they would have to wait for another tide to come in. Shakespeare turned this background of the exact meaning of opportunity into one of his most famous passages. It’s from Julius Caesar, Act 4, Scene 3:

There is a tide in the affairs of men, Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; Omitted, all the voyage of their life Is bound in shallows and in miseries.

On such a full sea are we now afloat; And we must take the current when it serves, Or lose our ventures.