God-Given Names

Intro

My name is Mr. Tony

I’m a Deacon (Servant) here at the church and run the Men’s Ministry

I have a desire for the youth to take God’s Word seriously

I want the youth to think of God as really being there and not some concept

Hopefully, First Wednesdays will be a way for us to learn about God and His Word

Hopefully, we can apply it to our lives

If you don’t bring your Bible already, I encourage you to bring it

At least to first Wednesdays

Don’t just take my word about what the Bible says, read it for yourself

Read ahead of time

Get yourself a Bible commentary

Compare commentaries to each other

Youth is a great time to start developing critical thinking skills

Don’t just be told what to think, learn how to think

Introduce Topic: Disciples of Christ believe God can do the impossible

I’ll quibble with this a little bit

God can do the seemingly impossible

It may seem impossible to us, but not to Him

As the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, God can bend the laws He created

We call these miracles

God, who is outside of Creation, reaches into His Creation and bends the laws to His will

God cannot do what is against His nature

He cannot sin

He cannot do things that make no sense

i.e. make a square circle

i.e. make a married bachelor

Opening Prayer

Summarize Chapter 15 and 16

God promised that Abram and Sarai would have children

As numerous as the stars

Abram and Sarai took matters into their own hands instead of waiting on God’s timing

Sarai convinced Abram to have a child with Hagar - child named Ishmael

This was not unusual in their time

Having an heir was considered so important that this was often practiced

This brings us to Ch. 17

Read through Scripture

Genesis 17:1–8 “When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him, saying, “I am God Almighty. Live in my presence and be blameless. I will set up my covenant between me and you, and I will multiply you greatly.” Then Abram fell facedown and God spoke with him: “As for me, here is my covenant with you: You will become the father of many nations. Your name will no longer be Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I will make you the father of many nations. I will make you extremely fruitful and will make nations and kings come from you. I will confirm my covenant that is between me and you and your future offspring throughout their generations. It is a permanent covenant to be your God and the God of your offspring after you. And to you and your future offspring I will give the land where you are residing—all the land of Canaan—as a permanent possession, and I will be their God.””

Genesis 17:15–21 “God said to Abraham, “As for your wife Sarai, do not call her Sarai, for Sarah will be her name. I will bless her; indeed, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will produce nations; kings of peoples will come from her.” Abraham fell facedown. Then he laughed and said to himself, “Can a child be born to a hundred-year-old man? Can Sarah, a ninety-year-old woman, give birth?” So Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael were acceptable to you!” But God said, “No. Your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. I will confirm my covenant with him as a permanent covenant for his future offspring. As for Ishmael, I have heard you. I will certainly bless him; I will make him fruitful and will multiply him greatly. He will father twelve tribal leaders, and I will make him into a great nation. But I will confirm my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time next year.””

Trust God’s Promises Even if They Seem Impossible

Genesis 17:1 “When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him, saying, “I am God Almighty. Live in my presence and be blameless.”

Abram was 99 years old

Years separate these promises from God starting all the way back in chapter 12

Genesis 17:2 “I will set up my covenant between me and you, and I will multiply you greatly.””

I will set up my covenant

God originally promises this in Chapter 12 and 15

Abram believes God

But years passed and perhaps his patience waned as he got older

Again, God says He will multiply Abram greatly

Genesis 17:5 “Your name will no longer be Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I will make you the father of many nations.”

God changes Abram’s name to Abraham

It went from meaning “Exalted Father” to “Father of many nations”

Genesis 17:6–8 “I will make you extremely fruitful and will make nations and kings come from you. I will confirm my covenant that is between me and you and your future offspring throughout their generations. It is a permanent covenant to be your God and the God of your offspring after you. And to you and your future offspring I will give the land where you are residing—all the land of Canaan—as a permanent possession, and I will be their God.””

Despite Abraham’s waning patience, God still blesses him greatly

Don’t give up before the miracle happens

Things happen in God’s timing, not ours

Genesis 17:15–16 “God said to Abraham, “As for your wife Sarai, do not call her Sarai, for Sarah will be her name. I will bless her; indeed, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will produce nations; kings of peoples will come from her.””

Sarah means Princess

Genesis 17:17 “Abraham fell facedown. Then he laughed and said to himself, “Can a child be born to a hundred-year-old man? Can Sarah, a ninety-year-old woman, give birth?””

Though Abraham believed God would fulfill His promises, Abraham felt he needed to provide God a way to do so

Abraham struggled with God’s method

God may answer our prayers though we may not like how He answers them

Spiritual maturity is staying faithful to God no matter what

Genesis 17:18–21 “So Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael were acceptable to you!” But God said, “No. Your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. I will confirm my covenant with him as a permanent covenant for his future offspring. As for Ishmael, I have heard you. I will certainly bless him; I will make him fruitful and will multiply him greatly. He will father twelve tribal leaders, and I will make him into a great nation. But I will confirm my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time next year.””

God initiates His promise to provide Sarah with a son

Even though Abraham and Sarah did not wait on God, God still promises to bless Ishmael

However, the covenant will happen through Isaac

Who comes through the line of Abraham and Isaac?

Jesus, which is why we can see that Abraham is a father of many nations