Gen 15

A Promised Future: God's Covenant Faithfulness

Bible Passage: Ge 15:1–21

Summary: In Genesis 15, God establishes a covenant with Abram, assuring him of numerous descendants and the land that will belong to them, despite Abram's initial doubts and circumstances that seem contrary to God's promise.

Application: This passage encourages believers to trust in God's promises, even when circumstances appear impossible. It reminds us that our faith can be strengthened through God’s covenant, leading us to live with hope and perseverance in the face of challenges.

Teaching: This sermon teaches that God is faithful to His promises and that our doubts do not invalidate His plans. It highlights the importance of faith in God’s covenant relationship and the assurance that He fulfills His word over time.It also lays the groundwork for what true righteousness is and the danger of not waiting on the lord. In the broader context of Scripture the entire reason for the promise to Abraham was the coming of Christ, He establishes a New Covenant through Jesus, bringing salvation and hope to all nations, thereby fulfilling the promise of land and descendants.

Big Idea: God's faithfulness to His promises is the bedrock of our faith, allowing us to face the uncertainties of life with hope and assurance.

Recommended Study: As you prepare this sermon, consider exploring the cultural and historical context of ancient covenants using Logos. Investigate the significance of animal sacrifices in the covenant ritual described in Genesis 15, and how this foreshadows Christ’s sacrificial death. Additionally, look at different translations to understand the nuances of key Hebrew terms in the passage.

1. Promises Amidst Doubts

Ge 15:1-6

Abram's conversation with God, revealing his doubts about God's promise of an heir.

Genesis 12:7 LSB

Then Yahweh appeared to Abram and said, “To your seed I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to Yahweh who had appeared to him.

God has made Abraham rich.

Gen 13 1-6 So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, he and his wife and all that belonged to him, and Lot with him.

2 Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver and in gold.

3 And he went on his journeys from the Negev as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai,

4 to the place of the altar which he had made there formerly; and there Abram called upon the name of Yahweh.

5 Now Lot, who was going with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents.

6 And the land could not sustain them while living together, for their possessions were so abundant that they were not able to live together.

Gen 13:14-15 And Yahweh said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward;

15 for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your seed forever.

16 “And I will make your seed as the dust of the earth, so that if anyone can number the dust of the earth, then your seed can also be numbered.

Legacy Standard Bible CHAPTER 14

Gen 14

Ge 15:1-6

Revisit Abram's conversation with God. He has everything! except an heir. God has given him everything...except the one thing needed to fulfil the promise, and he and Sarai are older, past childbearing age.

6 Then he believed in Yahweh; and He counted it to him as righteousness.

What is righteousness?

Doing the right thing. What is the right thing? Wilfully doing what God wants done. Why did I mention willfully, conside if you will -Jonah, he went to Ninava, which was what God wanted, but God but him on the first submmarine to do it.

Mal 3:18

So you will return and see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.

John 5:30

“I can do nothing from Myself. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.

Luke 1:17

“And he will go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” Rom 6:16 Do you not know that when you go on presenting yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?

Rom 6:17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching to which you were given over,

Rom 6:18 and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

Rom 6:19 I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, leading to further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, leading to sanctification.

Philip 3-9 and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own which is from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God upon faith,

Matthew 6:1 (ESV):

"Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven."

1. Love God and Love Your Neighbor

Matthew 22:37-39: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

2. Love One Another

John 13:34: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another."

3. Repent and Believe the Gospel

Mark 1:15: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel."

4. Follow Me

Matthew 4:19: "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."

5. Take Up Your Cross

Luke 9:23: "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."

6. Pray Always

Luke 18:1: "And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart."

7. Forgive Others

Matthew 6:14-15: "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

8. Go and Make Disciples

Matthew 28:19-20: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you."

9. Give to the Needy

Matthew 6:3-4: "But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you."

10. Do to Others as You Would Have Them Do to You

Luke 6:31: "And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them."

11. Keep His Commandments

John 14:15: "If you love me, you will keep my commandments."

12. Do Not Judge Others Harshly

Matthew 7:1: "Judge not, that you be not judged."

13. Be Born Again

John 3:3: "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."

14. Be Humble

Matthew 23:12: "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

15. Seek First the Kingdom of God

Matthew 6:33: "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."

Highlight that our faith journey often equates to Abram's, where doubts arise due to current circumstances. You could encourage the congregation that God's promises, just like the stars for Abram, are beyond our understanding but always faithful. Emphasize the comfort that comes from God’s word, spoken through the covenant today in Christ, urging them to trust beyond what is seen.

2. Preparation in Promise

Gen 15:8 And he said, “O Lord Yahweh, how may I know that I will possess it?”

Hebrews 6:13 (NIV):

"When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself."

Ge 15:7-11

You could delve into God’s reaffirmation of His promise and Abram’s preparation for the covenant ritual. Perhaps suggest this symbolizes that even in the ritualistic preparations, God oversees and commands the rite, pointing to His ultimate control and faithfulness. Encourage the congregation to see God's provision and guidance in their preparation stages of faith, urging them to trust in God's directions as they walk in obedience, much as Abram prepared and trusted.

3. The Fulfillment of Faithfulness

Ge 15:12-21

Consider focusing on God's deep covenant with Abram, where He alone passes through the animal parts, signifying the unilateral nature of God's promise. Stress how this foreshadows Christ's work, where God fulfills His promises unilaterally through Jesus. Maybe emphasize that these verses assure us that even when we cannot fulfill our part, God’s promise remains intact through Christ. Challenge believers to rest in God's completed covenant, knowing His faithfulness sustains us through all generations.