Is Your Faith Built On Scripture Or Slogans?
From Creation To Covenant • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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There’s a word for studying the nature of God and what we believe about Him…
THEOLOGY
The problem is…there are TWO DIFFERENT KINDS OF THEOLOGY:
Facebook Theology vs Bible Theology
“God won’t give you more than you can handle.”
2 Corinthians 1:8-9
God allows people to face more than they can handle so they must rely on Him.
“Follow your heart - God wants you to!”
Jeremiah 17:9
The human heart is deceptive.
“Everything happens for a reason.”
Job, Psalms, Lamentations
God works in all things — but not all things are from God.
“God helps those who help themselves.”
???
God flows most powerfully toward the helpless, not the self-sufficient.
The things you believe about God and about what He has said to you MATTER.
That’s why we ALWAYS turn to the Bible BEFORE we turn to FACEBOOK….for anything we are dealing with
SO…Today, we’re going to talk about one of the core pieces of theology…
COVENANT
Covenants were made between a king and a subject
King would promise:
Protection
Identity
Subject would promise:
Loyalty
Obedience
There are several in the Bible and we find one happening right here in Genesis 15…
P. 9
1 After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”
2 But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.”
Abram’s response makes some sense…
God promises to be Abram’s SHIELD and his REWARD
And Abram says…
“You already promised me kids (back in Genesis 12) but you haven’t given me any yet!”
4 Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” 5 He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
God says… “I didn’t forget my promise — and you shouldn’t either!”
6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
7 He also said to him, “I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it.” — just a reminder to Abram of who he’s talking to.
8 But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?” — Abram wants some proof.
God’s been waiting for this question!
9 So the Lord said to him, “Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.”
That probably sounds like a REAL WEIRD RESPONSE to you, but…
When Abram heard God ask for a heifer, a goat and a ram, with a dove and a pigeon…it was music to his ears!
GOD IS ARRANGING FOR A COVENANT with Abram.
Some ancient writings have been discovered that indicate animals like donkeys and dogs were sufficient for making covenants…
…but here when God talks to Abram, he ignores those options and goes right to a HEIFER…GOAT…RAM...DOVE…PIGEON
These were the main animals designated for sacrifice at God’s altar — this is MORE proof that Abram isn’t dealing with just anyone…he’s dealing with the GOD OF THE UNIVERSE
10 Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. 11 Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.
Why did he cut them in two and arrange them in opposite lines???
It’s because Abram knew what was required to make a covenant — and he recognizes what God is wanting here…so he gets to work.
Understanding the covenant leads straight to action.
Once Abram understood…he got right to it…
No delay...
No avoidance…
No excuses…
How often do YOU or I know what God wants…we understand what God wants…we didn’t forget what God wants…BUT WE STILL SAY…
“I’ll do it after I get some rest…”
“I’ll do it after I have more free time…”
“I’ll do it after I figure some things out…”
“I’ll do it after I’ve had enough fun…”
“I’ll do it after I’m settled down…”
Later is the most common form of NEVER.
12 As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. 13 Then the Lord said to him, “Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there. 14 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. 15 You, however, will go to your ancestors in peace and be buried at a good old age. 16 In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.”
God says, “Before we get started, you need to understand that I’m bringing you - and your people - to this place. BUT…it’s gonna be a while before you return here. There’s going to be 400 years of pain and suffering but never forget that I WILL bring you back here."
This is a direct reference to what will happen to the Israelites when they enter Egypt and become slaves for 400 years before God rescues them out to return to the PROMISED LAND.
17 When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram…
The ritual of Covenant Making
God appears in the form of a smoking firepot and a blazing torch.
There were no matches back in that day, so the firepot contained the embers of the last fire, which you would use to start the next fire.
God chooses to show up in the form of the FIREPOT — the very thing that would START a fire — AND in the form of the ACTUAL blazing, living FIRE.
The God who creates life is the same God who sustains it.
Creation was an act —- covenant is a commitment.
And get this…
Not only does God sustain life for His creation — He takes the entire weight on Himself.
Abram didn’t pass through the animals in the covenant process…
God carries the weight on Himself.
P. 10
1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. 2 Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.”
The “covenant” referred to here is the same covenant referred to in Genesis 15
3 Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, 4 “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. 5 No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. 6 I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. 7 I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 8 The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.” — God promised protection…provision…identity —
9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come.” — Abram will promise loyalty and obedience —
In the Covenant, God gave everything.
…and…
In the Covenant, Abram gave everything.
They were both going ALL IN
God was ALL IN
He gave Abram:
Everything He had
Everything He was
Everything.
Abram was ALL IN
He gave God:
Everything he had
Everything he was
Everything.
Covenant holds nothing back.
19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.
Covenant holds nothing back.
And in Jesus, God has delivered a covenant to you.
He has invited you into it
He has made promises to you:
Protection
Provision
Presence
Identity
And He has invited you to make promises to Him:
Loyalty
Obedience
In Genesis 15… Animals died
Now… Jesus died
In Genesis 15… A FIREPOT and a FIRE arrive
Now… Jesus is the creator and sustainer
In Genesis 15… God walked the path through death
Now… Jesus becomes the sacrifice that dies
Today… You are invited to go ALL IN with the COVENANT God has offered to you…
INVITATION: Surrender and accept the covenant - baptism
CHALLENGE: Let your understanding of the covenant lead you straight to action
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
What shapes your understanding of God most right now?
Where do you notice “Facebook theology” creeping into your thinking—phrases, assumptions, or reactions?
How do you usually decide whether something you believe about God is actually biblical?
What would change in your faith if Scripture became your first place of interpretation instead of your last?
Abram acted immediately once he understood God’s intention. How does that challenge you?
What’s something you know God has already made clear to you—but you’ve delayed acting on?
What reasons do you usually give yourself for waiting (“later,” “when things slow down,” “when I’m ready”)?
What would immediate obedience look like in one specific area of your life this week?
In Genesis 15, God carries the full weight of the covenant. How does that reshape your view of God?
How does knowing that God walked the path alone affect the way you trust Him?
In what ways do you still live as if God’s faithfulness depends partly on your performance?
How does Jesus taking the full cost of the covenant at the cross deepen your gratitude or confidence?
Covenant holds nothing back. Where are you tempted toward partial commitment?
What areas of your life feel fully surrendered to God—and which feel guarded or conditional?
What fears or attachments make it hard to go “all in” with God?
How does understanding God’s total commitment to you challenge your level of commitment to Him?
Jesus invites us into the New Covenant. How should that shape your response today?
What promises from God (provision, presence, identity, forgiveness) do you most need to trust right now?
What promises of loyalty and obedience is God inviting you to renew or strengthen?
What is one concrete next step—action, confession, obedience, or surrender—God is calling you to take?
