God Makes a Promise

Daniel Norman

The Gospel Project Genesis • Sermon • Submitted 6 years ago

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God established a covenant people as a vehicle to bless the entire world

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Introduction

When was the last time you made a promise to someone?

I have to admit, I am often pretty hesitant to make promises. I typically like to skirt around the guarantee language of “I promise to” ... do this or that. Like I don’t say things like, “I promise I will be there on time” I say things more like “It is my plan to be there by that time”. Do you know what I mean? Because life is unpredictable so unless I am completely certain that nothing could get in my way I don’t want to promise anything.

/ˈpräməs/ noun plural noun: promises 1. a declaration or assurance that one will do a particular thing or that a particular thing will happen. "what happened to all those firm promises of support?"synonyms:word (of honor), assurance, pledge, vow, guarantee, oath, bond, undertaking, agreement, commitment, contract, covenant"you broke your promise"Promises

“I will try to get that done”

“I am planning on it”

“That seems feasible to me”

but “I promise”? is not something that I am throwing around.

So I looked this word up in the dictionary and it said that a promise is “a declaration or assurance that one will do a particular thing or that a particular thing will happen.” and then, as dictionaries often do, it gave an example of how to use the word in a sentence. Listen to the examples that they chose: "What happened to all those firm promises of support?" and “You Broke your promise”. In both cases they use negative examples to help us to understand he meaning of the word. It is as if the writers of the dictionary know that we are more familiar with broken promises then we are with kept ones.

, where the promise wasn’t kept. Even the dictionary recognize that the idea of a broken promises is easier to relate to than one being kept.

“a declaration or assurance that one will do a particular thing or that a particular thing will happen.” and then, as dictionaries often do, it gave an example of how to use the word in a sentence. Listen to the example that they chose: "What happened to all those firm promises of support?". Even the dictionary recognize that the idea of a “Promise” is more commonly used

Then the dictionary goes on to describe synonyms or words that communicate similar or the same meaning as the word “Promise”. Words like: giving your word (of honor), assurance, pledge, vow, guarantee, oath, bond, undertaking, agreement, commitment, contract, covenant". We can see how these things are similar in meaning, but they don’t seem to us to be equal in weight, do they?

synonyms:word (of honor), assurance, pledge, vow, guarantee, oath, bond, undertaking, agreement, commitment, contract, covenant"you broke your promise"Promises

Let me show me what I mean. What would you say if I asked you if you follow through on all your commitments?

Now What would you say if I asked if you always keep your promises?

There seems to be a difference in weight doesn’t there? We often throw the idea of a promise into the light weight catagory where some of these other words carry a much higher weight with us.

Pinky Swear

Tension

The reason that this is important to us is that throughout the Bible, God has shown himself to be a promise maker and a promise keeper. While you and I might have a hard time committing to something knowing that there are circumstances beyond our control that might keep us from following through on our promises, God is not burdened with this limitation. He is always able to keep his promises. That is why we cannot take out typical experience with the idea of a “Promise” and apply it to God, it is just not firm enough.

Tension

As we continue in our study in Genesis this morning we are going to encounter the promises of God to a man named Abram, and the reason that we must remember how God’s promises are firm promises that we can count on is that the promises that God made to Abraham here some 4,000 years ago are applicable all the way to us today.

Open your Bibles with me to Genesis Chapter 12, p. 8 in the Bibles in the chairs, I’ll pray, and we will learn about this ancient promise of God and how this promise made to one man, is something that we can even count on today.

Truth

When we began in the book if Genesis we said that it is broken up into two major sections. We finished the first section, Primeval History two weeks ago and then we briefly looked at the question of suffering from book of Job last week.

A quick side note, because I forgot to mention this last week, we do have two new books on suffering in our library that could help if you want to go deeper on that subject - or if life is dragging you deeper into this subject...One new one from Ravi Zacharias and Vince Vitale called Why Suffering as you might imagine in comes from more of a philosophical perspective, and we have the brand new book from Paul David Tripp tittled simply Suffering which offers more of an interpersonal perspective. If you are interested in those books I will put them back on the lending library shelf in the lobby.

We covered the suffering of Job last week because to the best of our knowledge it is dated during this second historical time frame called Patriarchal History, but the first 11 Chapters of Genesis are very zoomed out look at all the goings on the entire earth, Chapter 12 startes zooming in on one particular man and his family. Next to Jesus, he is arguably the most important man in all of the Bible, particularly if we consider how much of the Bible is dedicated to his life and line.

All of this begins with God making a “promise” to this man, a man named Abraham.

In Hebrew this promise is called a “bur-eet” בְּרִית

berith (bur - eat) בְּרִית translated “covenant”

This word can refer to many of the synonyms of the word promise that we mentioned earlier. In the Bible it is used to describe an agreement, a contract, a treaty, an alliance, a pact, but the word is most commonly translated “a covenant”.

There are basically three kinds of these covenants and the differences between them lie in the balance of power between the two parties and the expectation of benefits according to that balance.

The first kind is called a Parity Covenant. This is a contract between 2 parties of somewhat equal standing and power. This might be two people, two neighbors, husband and wife, or even two kingdoms where they see that they can mutually beneficial for us to formally come together clarify our relationship. This is probably he most common kind of covenant through out the historical books of the Old Testament. (, ; , )

Parity treaties - contract between 2 sides of somewhat equal social standing and power.

defines the relationship establishing a framework of clear expectations where both parties expect to mutually benefit from the arrangement (, ; , Samuel 20:8-16)

The second kind is called a Suzerainty Covenant - this is not a word we use very often, but it means that one of the two parties is the “suzerain” or dominant party. The lesser party is not completely controlled by the dominant party, they have some level of freedom, but in the end the dominant party has more power and benefits the most from the agreement.

Secular Historians only recognize these first two categories, but for Christian theologians we need a third catagory because it is plain that when God’s declares a “Bur-eet” or promises it doesn’t fit neatly into either of these other two catagories.

to mankind do not fit in the first two.

It is not really a “Parity Covenant” because we could never claim that we are equal to God in power or that God benefits equally from any Covenant he makes with us. Even if we did fully give ourselves to God, which we don’t, at the end of the transaction all God would have is us and we would get God. There is no balance in that scale.

It is also not exactly a “Suzerianty Covenanty”, even thought some theologians would place it here. The problem that I see though is that even though God is clearly dominant over us in power, we certainly seem to benefit more from the arrangement.

So we need a third catagory of this type of promise, rightly called a Divine Covenant. In this covenant there is a dominant party - the Divine Creator and sustainer of all life - and yet anyone looking in on this would easily see that we end up with the greatest benefit.

What is interesting though, is that God does not seem to see it this way. That is hard to wrap our minds around, but since this Divine Covenant provides a way for God to regain his prized creation, mankind, it actually adds to His glory. In that way, and argument could be made that God sees his promise as benefiting Him even more than us. He redeems us, or buys us back, ultimately for His glory, but it ends up being to our great benefit. So if you think about it, we might call the Divine Covenant the perfect “Win-Win” scenario.

So lets take a look together at this Covenant that God made with Abraham. Our first point this week is that....

three times in which God declares and then affirms this Divine Covenant with Abraham, and specifically how this Covenant runs through all of time to where we are one who benefit from it even today.

Open your Bibles with me to Genesis Chapter 12, p. 8 in the Bibles in the chairs, an we will learn about the Divine Covenant and it’s impact on us today.

1. God’s Covenant People are established with Abraham ()

As we dive into Chapter 12, lets not forget that the stories that we have covered over the past several weeks have really been long interruptions from a detailed genealogy. This genealogy ends up pointing us to one man. This man’s name is Abram, but later God changes his name to Abraham as we know him today. In this initial interaction, God will forever redirect Abrahams life:

Genesis 12:1–6 ESV

1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” 4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, 6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land.

Genesis 12:1–4 ESV

Right away we see God’s intentionality and his intention. 7 times he promises by saying “I Will” and what is the essence of what he is going to do for and through Abraham? “I Will Bless”. After story after story of mankind diving deeper and deeper into the devestaion of their sin, God offers hope through this promise to Abraham.

First off he says repeatedly, “I Will” Remember when we talked about how promises are governed by the status of power held by the two parties involved and the benefits that come in relationship to the two parties. We don’t find the word “bur-rit” here, but we can see how God is promising to do 7 things here. God says “I will” seven times.

Lets first look at the intentionality in this promise. Seven times the God of truth declares what “He Will” do. Unlike promises that you and I might make, when God says “I will”, His “Will” is not inhibited by any force in the entire universe. Remember that He created everything that was created by his verbal declaration, “Let their be…and their was”. And now he verbally declares that these things “Will Be”. God’s intentions, unlike ours, are perfectly guaranteed because there is nothing powerful enough to halt his will.

Remember when we talked about how promises here in the Old Testament are governed by the status of power heald by the two parties involved and the benefits that come in relationship to the two parties. We don’t find the word “bur-rit” here, but we can see how God is promising to do 7 things here. God says “I will” seven times.

I will make of you a great nation

I will bless you

I will make your name great

I will make your name great so you will be a blessing

I will bless those who bless you

(I will) curse those who dishonor you

Seven times the God of truth declares what “He Will” do. Unlike promises that you and I might make, God’s “Will” is not inhibited by any force in the universe. He created everything that was created by his verbal declaration, and now he verbally declares that these things “Will Be”. God’s intentions are perfectly realized because there is nothing powerful enough to halt his will.

And what is God’s Intention here? What is it that God is willing into existence? 7 things,

I will show you where to go

I will make of you a great nation

I will bless you

I will make your name great

I will make you a blessing (with your great name)

I will bless those who bless you

(I will) curse those who dishonor you

What do you see in these promises? Is God declaring good things to Abraham? Yes, of course, any of us would love for these things to be declared over us, especially by someone who had the ability to make sure that they would happen.

In fact if we look back to the first part of Genesis, we see that God had promised to do for Abraham what many of the people of earth kept trying to do for themselves. The major difference was that they were after it for selfish gain. They were out to prove that they could didn’t need God to enjoy the “good life” that his created world provides.

Anyone ever see that world view active in our world today? It is nothing new to us. It was Adam and Eve and the fruit, It was Cane and Abel and the murder, it was the Tower of Babel and making a name for themselves. This is the lie that Satan keeps peddling, because it is the one that we seem most eager to want to believe.

In fact, one of the most vivid descriptions of Satan in the Bible is called “The 5 I wills” of Satan and it is found in Isaiah chapter 14 and it shows how even Satan tried to use this tactic against God.

That “in you all the families of the earth will be blessed”

This is where you and I can find ourselves in the story of Abraham. The implication here is that every family that ever lives on the earth will be blessed in what God WILL do through Abraham, and the guarantee of success in this is not Abraham. The guarantee of the success of this is that it is in “God’s Will”. “God says , I Will”

This is where you and I can find ourselves in the story of Abraham, the implication here is that every family that ever lives on the earth will be blessed. And it “will” happen because God says that

It is interesting that one of the only descriptions that we get of the fall of Satan is called “The 5 I Wills” It is found in Isaiah chapter 14 and it describes Satan’s attitude when he fell from heaven:

Isaiah 14:13-

In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed

Genesis 11:

Isaiah 14:12–14 ESV

12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! 13 You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’

Isaiah 14:12–15 ESV

Isaiah 14:13–14 ESV

13 You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’

Isaiah 14:13–15 ESV

Isaiah 14:12–15 ESV

These are the promises of Satan, His “I Wills” - but his declarations are just the empty words of a defeated enemy. Satan recieved what everyone receives who things they can have all the good of God’s World without God.

Isaiah 14:12-1

But the declaration of Satan’s will ends up just being empty words. The devil doesn’t have the power to see these things come into being. They are empty promises, and Isaiah identifies them as such in the next verse

Isaiah 14:15 ESV

15 But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit.

The truth is that without the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we are all bent toward this way of thinking. We often go after the good things that God has created in His world, rejecting or just forgetting that they are the blessings that come from a right relationship with God. The problem is that there is no good, outside of God’s good. Everything else leads to emptiness and despair. Everything else leads “... down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit.”

I will set my throne on high

The problem is that there is no good, outside of God’s good. Everything else leads to destruction. Everything else leads “... down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit.”

But the good news is that God has promised us a way to His Good life, a way to that blessing and it was established through his servant Abraham all the way to us today. How do we know this? Because God not only blessed Abraham, but he bless Abraham to be a blessing to “all the families of the earth”.

I will sit on the mount of assembly

does have a covenant people and he has established us in Abraham.

I will ascend above the heights of the clouds

I will make myself like the Most High

In vivid contrast to selfishness of our will, what was God’s aim in blessing Abraham and makings his name great? That “in you all the families of the earth will be blessed”. It wasn’t about the selfish motive of one person or people group, but a way to see that all families on earth could have the good world that God had created for us.

In vivid contrast to this, what was God’s aim in blessing Abraham and makings his name great? That “in you all the families of the earth will be blessed”. It wasn’t about the selfish motive of one person or people group, but a way to see that all families on earth could have the good world that God had created for us.

This is where you and I can find ourselves in the story of Abraham. Every family that has ever lived on the earth will be blessed in how God will accomplish the things that he has promised to Abraham. Thankfully, the guarantee of this promise is not found in Abraham, but in the Will of God. Even though Abraham began strong, much like the story of Job last week, Abraham goes back and forth in his faithfulness to God’s will.

After settling in the land that God had promised Him, everything changed when a famine hit the land. You know living in the land of plenty like we do, we don’t understand the long reaching effects of a famine. While the typical patriarchal family unit would intend on settling into an area for generations, a famine changes everything. So Abraham moves to the nearest urban center that had access to food, and while they are there God proves His covenant with Abraham, in a way that we would not expect.

Thankfully, the guarantee of this promise is not found in Abraham, but in the Will of God. Because even thought Abraham began strong, he quickly fell much like the story of Job last week, Abraham goes back and forth in his faithfulness to God’s will.

And why “will” God do these things?

success in this is not inAbraham. The guarantee of the success of this is that it is in “God’s Will”.

But the good news is that God does have a covenant people that he has established in Abraham.

So God initiates this relationship with Abraham and what was Abraham’s response?

Genesis 12:4–6 ESV

4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, 6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land.

Genesis 12:4 ESV

4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed

So at the spry ole age of 75 Abraham left the world that he knew in order to be obedient to God. We see how he was a patriarch, or leader of his family unit. So to get an accurate picture here, it was not that he packed a bag, saddled up a donkey and took off on the road with his wife and a new destiny. He was leading a caravan of people including servants and other family members with all his possessions in order to establish his family line in this new land that Jehovah God was giving Him.

At the spry young age of 75 Abraham left everything that he had ever known in order to be obedient to God. I do, however, want you to get a right picture in your head here. He was a patriarch in a patriarchal society. So it was not that he packed a bag, saddled up a donkey and took off on the road with his wife. He had possessions and servants and other family that came along to establish his family in a new area. It was more of a caravan type atmosphere than a single donkey road trip.

Genesis 12:5-

It is also important to remember that up to this point Abraham had been an idol worshiper like his father before him and so on and so forth, but the Lord chose him and told him to go and he went. Upon seeing on the land promised him Abraham set up an alter and sacrificed to the Lord. And he settled down in the region until the great famine.

You know living in the land of plenty like we do, we don’t understand the long reaching effects of a famine. It gets people moving and in order to save his family from starvation, Abraham lead his family into the land of Egypt. While they are in Egypt God proves his covenant with Abraham, in a way that we have a hard time seeing as good.

And we might think that because he was traveling in response to God’s command that he was rolling along blissfully obedient to God, but that was not the case. He got to the land that God had said would be his and he stopped and offered a had to keep moving because other people lived there. Then

Genesis 12:10–13 ESV

10 Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land. 11 When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance, 12 and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake.”

Genesis 12:

I know crazy right? And this isn’t the last time he would try this trick. We find the same things in chapter 20, and that time he uses the excuse that Sarah is actually his half-sister so it really not lie, just a half truth. Not really helping Abe! How do you do something like this? What is even more baffling is that Abraham does not appear to be reprimanded for it.

As we continue through the Old Testament we are going to find many stories where the pe

This is on of many examples from the Old Testament that is descriptive instead of prescriptive. We have talked about this before, particularly when we studied in the book of Judges. The text tells us just what happened, not whether or not what happened was right or wrong. In this case, the point of the story is not about Abrahams unfaithfulness to his wife, but that despite that, God’s was already fulfilling his promise.

You see, just as Abraham predicted Sarah was noticed, but not just by some average Egyptian, she was noticed and taken in by Pharaoh himself. And because he thought Abraham was just her brother, Pharaoh showered Abraham with gifts. Messed up? Yes. But because this was a dishonor to Abraham, even though he caused it, the Text says that:

Genesis 12:17 ESV

17 But the Lord afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.

Glook at how God was still faithful in fulfilling his Divine Covenant even though Abraham had contributed to this episode of dishonor.

Pharoah somehow finds out that the plague is a result of the fact that He has dishonored Abraham by taking his wife - even thought he didn’t know it was Abrahams wife. So Pharoah gives Abraham back his wife and they leave Egypt and return where? To the land that God had promised to Abraham. It is like God is giving Abraham a restart. God has proven that He will be faithful to Abraham, and to further assure him of this God lays out another string of “I Wills”:

look at how God was still faithful in fulfilling his Divine Covenant even though Abraham had contributed to this episode of dishonor.

Genesis 12:17–20 ESV

17 But the Lord afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 18 So Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife; take her, and go.” 20 And Pharaoh gave men orders concerning him, and they sent him away with his wife and all that he had.

Genesis 13:14–18 ESV

14 The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, 15 for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. 16 I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. 17 Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.” 18 So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the Lord.

Genesis 13:where Abraham first made the alte

Genesis 12:17-

So God again shows Abraham how He will fulfill the elements of his promise, His divine covenant with Abraham. Abraham will have a great name, a great land, and a great family and all of this is to bless every family on the earth. And...

It was probably one of those things that Abraham thought would be just a small pre-caution: “Well just in case you better tell people you are my sister” and then it blew up and got out of hand so that now his wife is the wife of the most powerful man in the world. Still God is faithful, he returns Sarah to Abraham and they set out from Egypt to go…guess where?

Genesis 13:3 ESV

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

He returns to the place where he had last made

2. God’s Covenant People are to trust his promises ()

Abraham can look out of his tent see the land that God has promised him, but the promise of a great family is a little harder to see. It is not that Abraham is discouraged by the character of his descendants, he is discouraged because he doensn’t have any. His wife continues to be barren and they are not getting any younger. Still God keeps affirming for Abraham “I Will” do what I said “I Will” do.

given him thaffirms his Covanant with the stars in the sky - numerous descendants but you have no kids!

Genesis 15:1–6 ESV

1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” 2 But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” 4 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” 5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

Genesis 15:1–5 ESV

Genesis 15:

Two illustrations that the Lord has offered Abraham to show him how great will be his descendants. The first one was the dust on the earth, and this time it is the stars in the sky. God is setting things up in Abraham’s life to do something miraculous, and we start to see how Abraham is finally understanding the power of a pomise keeping God. After Abraham saw the stars it says:

Genesis 15:6 ESV

6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

Genesis 15:6This is where we see Abraham to be such a man of faith.

The Man doesn’t have any children and yet he believes God’s promise that he will somehow become the father of a great nation and because he trusts God like this it is counted to him as Righteousness. Here we see the legendary faith of Abraham. Whenever Abraham is mentioned in the New Testament it is in this context of having this great faith in God. He believed God. He Trusted God’s Divine Covenant. God counted it to him as righteousness.

Romans 4:1–3 ESV

Hebrews 11:8 ESV

8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.

Hebrews 11:8

Romans 4:1–4 ESV

Romans 4 ESV

1 What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, 6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: 7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; 8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.” 9 Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. 10 How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. 11 He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, 12 and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. 13 For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. 16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. 18 In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. 20 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22 That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” 23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

Romans 4:9–25 ESV

9 Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. 10 How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. 11 He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, 12 and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. 13 For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. 16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. 18 In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. 20 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22 That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” 23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

And we might say, wow, I wish I had faith like that. My faith always seems so weak, it comes and then goes. It seems like when I trust God in one area then I am doubting him another…yeah, well lets keep reading

Genesis 15:7-8

Genesis 15:7–10 ESV

7 And he said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.” 8 But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?” 9 He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half.

Genesis 15:7–8 ESV

7 And he said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.” 8 But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?”

Genesis 16:7–10 ESV

7 The angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur. 8 And he said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai.” 9 The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her.” 10 The angel of the Lord also said to her, “I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude.”

No quicker had God counted Abraham righteous because of his faith in one matter, then he is experiencing doubts in another. Can any of us relate to that? And just as God is so often patient with us, He is patient with Abraham. This time he makes things official between the two of them, asking Abraham to prepare a ritual to make an official covenant. While God promised to do these things before, the word “Covenant” is first given us here in Chater 15.

done believing tha Lord about his discendents and now he is back worrying about the land that God has promised him.

Genesis 15:18 ESV

18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,

Genesis 15:He actually commands Abraham to prepare a ritual that was common in that day for when someone wanted to make a covenant. This is the first time that the word “covenant” comes up.

And I would like to tell you that from this point forward Abraham trusted God completely, but that is not his story. Much like it is never our story. In fact in the very next chapter we see Abraham again doing something that just drives us crazy. This time he is so impatient about having a son that he tries to take matters into his own hands. In her frustration, the barren Sarah gives Abraham one of her servant girls as a wife. So now Abraham has a son, but it is not the son of God’s Will and all kinds of conflict follows.

And just like the blessings of God’s promise to Abraham effect us in our world today, so do the curses. The servant girl was from the cursed line of Ham and her son’s name was Ishmael. As God had promised her, Ishmael also becomes the father of a mighty nation, the Arab Nation. The Arab Nation has been warring against the Jewish Nation all they way up to today. God doesn’t always remove the consequences of Abraham’s unfaithfulness, but he moves right through them to fulfill his Divine Covenant despite them.

But despite Abrahams - He was the son of Abraham’s will

While God’s faithfulness is not dependent on ours, he does expect that His Covenant People are set apart for his glory. And God lays that out clearly for Abraham the third time he affirms his Covenant with him.

God’s Covenant People are to to be set apart for His glory ()

Genesis 17:1–10 ESV

1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, 2 that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.” 3 Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, 4 “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. 5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. 7 And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. 8 And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.” 9 And God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. 10 This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised.

This is the first time that God speaks of himself as “El Shadai” or God Almighty. God had been preparing Abraham’s life in such a way that He would do a mighty work in it. While we often refer to the birth of a Child as a miracle, the birth of a child to parents the age of Abram and Sarai was something completely other worldly. It was something that only the “Almighty God” could do. And God has come to prepare Abraham for what is about to happen.

The name Abram means, “Father of many” and that seems fitting to us, with what we know about Abraham today, but as Abraham was living his first 99 years of life it had become a point of contention. Can you imagine meeting someone for the first time and telling them your name, “Father of many” and then when the inevitable questions came you had to admit that so far you are the “father of none”. We can better understand the pressure that Sarai and Abram felt that drove them to take matters into their own hands, can’t we. But as God appears to Abram here, he gives him the name we better recognize. The name Abraham, and Abraham means “father of a multitude”, for that is what Abraham would now become.

And with the Divine Covenant God gives Abraham the sign of circumcision as a reminder of the Divine Covenant and that God Almighty is a promise maker and a promise keeper.

And while Abr

Not only

Gospel Application

The establishment of this covenantal relationship with Abraham has spaned a time frame of over 25 years. That is a long time to wait for the fulfillment of a much desired promise. In that time, we have seen Abraham respond in sacrificial obedience and selfish disobedience. We have seen his great faith counted to him as righteousness, and in the next episode his doubt is desperate. But God responded to Abrahams faithlessness with His own faithfulness.

We can find ourselves in that story can’t we? God doesn’t always rescue us from the consequences of our decisions to disobey or try and do things our way, but God is alway faithful.

And then Abraham responded to God’s faithfulness with Worship.

Falls on his face in Worship, and He obeys God’s commands.

1 John 1:9 ESV

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

It is hard to wait a long time for a promise, but 25 years is nothing compared to how long we have waited for the rest of God’s Divine Covenant to be fulfilled. We began this morning talking about how the first half of Genesis included this long Geneology that lead to this one man, Abraham. Well in a very fitting manner, the Book of Matthew, the beginning of the New Testament begins with another Geneology that actually starts with Abraham. This Geneology gives us the final fulfillment of the Divine Covenant, as it follows the line of Abraham all the way to Jesus. This is so significant to God’s Covenant People the Jews, and to us who trust in Jesus today.

The Apostle Paul was talking to the Christian in Galatian, a mix of Jews and Gentiles when he said this:

Galatians 3:16 ESV

16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ.

Galatians 3:15–16 ESV

15 To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. 16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ.

Galatians promise to be fulThere are so many ways in which Abrahams story is similar to ours, but in truth there is a way in which we are continuing in Abrahams story.

And then again later in the same chapter it says:

promise to be fulThere are so many ways in which Abrahams story is similar to ours, but in truth there is a way in which we are continuing in Abrahams story.

Galatians 3:26–29 ESV

26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

Galatians 3:26- it is our faith in Jesus the Christ that makes us God’s Covenant Peoplepromise to be fulThere are so many ways in which Abrahams story is similar to ours, but in truth there is a way in which we are continuing in Abrahams story.

This is how we find the message of the Gospel here in Abraham’s story. Through this “everlasting covenant” given to Abraham that reaches all the way to us through the line of Abraham to the person and work of Jesus Christ. Just as Abraham’s faith was counted to him as righteousness, our faith in Jesus Christ gives us His righteousness that we could be counted free of sin and able to be with our Lord and Savior for all eternity.

Is that the faith that you have? Are you counting on the everlasting Divine Covenant of Jesus for your salvation? If not then there is no other hope for you. As the writer of Hebrews says,

Hebrews 2:3a ESV

3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard,

Hebrews 2:3–4 ESV

3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, 4 while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

it is our faith in Jesus the Christ that makes us God’s Covenant Peoplepromise to be fulThere are so many ways in which Abrahams story is similar to ours, but in truth there is a way in which we are continuing in Abrahams story.

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If you have never put your faith and trust in Jesus then today would be a great day...

If you have placed your faith in the saving work of Jesus, then I hope you are encouraged in Abraham’s story. He was a man of legendary faith and yet he continued to struggle with doubts and sin going back and forth between faithfulness and messing up. There is hope for any of us, it is not our righteousness that saves us, but our faith that is counted to us as righteousness. In that faith we get to wear the righteousness of Christ before God. That is why we celebrate Jesus. That is why we worship Jesus. That is why we obey Jesus. It isn’t to earn our salvation, but in response for what He has done to earn it for us.

Let’s pray.

Everlasting Covenant

Genealogies of the Gospels lead to Jesus.

Romans 4:16 ESV

16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,

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Gene

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