The Promised Child
Great Stories of the Bible • Sermon • Submitted
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· 9 viewsHolding onto faith with the fulfillment never seems to come can be a serious trial. What can we learn from the life of Abram and Sarai as they stood in the shadow of a great promise?
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The Call
The Call
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.
Amazing Call
challenge
like disciples
God starts with a command
Go
leave
move
separate
Abram was
no young buck
70 years old!
left Ur
with father Terah
Nephew Lot
Now Sarai was barren; she had no child.
Terah took Abram his son and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife, and they went forth together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan, but when they came to Haran, they settled there.
Get stuck in Haran
5 years
Terah sick?
Terah dies
God reminds him
you go to Canaan.
75 years old now.
follows God’s command
God does not stop
with a command.
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. 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.”
God continues
with a promise...
From beginning
promise given...
“I will make of you a great nation...”
We call him,
“Father Abraham”
Because
Father of great nation.
Now,
the story seems fast
in our mind.
But Abraham did not
see fulfillment
of this promise
for a long time.
We are going to track
fulfillment
of this promise.
We need to fast foreward
Abram moves
Stays in Haran
Moves to Canaan
Flee famine
to Egypt
Lies about Sarai
Come back to Canaan
Abram was
already wealthy
already great
no children
but Lot was
like a son to him.
Lot
Lot
Haran dead
Abram like father.
Natural to think
Lot might be
part fulfillment of
promise of large family.
Next Chapter
clearly not so.
And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together, and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land.
Then Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen. Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.”
It get to the point
Abram ask Lot
“separate from me”
Strong language.
Abram realizes
Lot is not
promised heir.
You might imagine,
little grief
years past
(about 80 yrs old)
no son
Nephew Gone
It’s at this point that
God… ->
Repeats the Promise
Repeats the Promise
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, for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. 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.
Again,
a promise of
great offspring
Again,
Abram has not kids...
Sarai still barren
Fast Forward
Lot caught in battle
Abram rescues him
Gives tithe to Melchizedek
Eliezar
Eliezar
Chapter 15
In 80’s
no son
God renews promise!
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.”
Abram struggling
with faith
responds:
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?” And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.”
Saying:
you keep promising
I’m still childless
Abram believes
Eliezar
Head Servant
heir.
God Responds:
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.” 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.”
First Lot
God says no
Now Eliezar
God says no.
From your body!
renews promise
“as the sand of sea”
“as the stars”
Abram struggling with faith
decides to believe
trust God
take Him at His Word
And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
Perhaps you
similar situation...
See God’s promise
Take care of me
don’t feel it.
Heal your diseases
don’t see it.
Lead Guide you
(spouse, work family)
don’t see it.
Promises of Peace
feel scared and anxious
Two things
Conditional Promises
Faith
Have you,
like Abram
chosen to
take Him at Word?
Renewal of Covenant
Renewal of Covenant
Sacrifices
Promises
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,
Hagar and Ishmael
Hagar and Ishmael
More time passes
promises continue
fulfillment lacking
Abram now 85!
Sarai and Abram
Believe promises
But....
Want to help God.
Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.
What a mistake
What a lack of faith.
Patriarchs and Prophets Chapter 13—The Test of Faith
Abraham had accepted without question the promise of a son, but he did not wait for God to fulfill His word in His own time and way. A delay was permitted, to test his faith in the power of God; but he failed to endure the trial. Thinking it impossible that a child should be given her in her old age, Sarah suggested, as a plan by which the divine purpose might be fulfilled, that one of her handmaidens should be taken by Abraham as a secondary wife. Polygamy had become so widespread that it had ceased to be regarded as a sin, but it was no less a violation of the law of God, and was fatal to the sacredness and peace of the family relation. Abraham’s marriage with Hagar resulted in evil, not only to his own household, but to future generations.
Lessons:
God does not need my help.
My Job: trust and obey
My Job: wait on God
These are hard lessons...
waiting is painful.
You know story.
Caused family strife.
War between wives.
Work it out for time.
Abram proud of Ishmael
Believe he is
promised heir.
Name Change
Name Change
Later
Abram 99 years old!
God comes
renews promises
changes his name.
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.
Abram - exalted father
Abraham - father of multitude
Then
Renews Covenant
Circumcision
Then
Changes Sarai’s name
And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.
Sarai means “princess”
Sarah means “my princess”
more exalted meaning
Important part
next verse:
I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.”
Both Abraham
and Sarah
Struggle to believe
Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”
Abraham given up
Sarah’s womb...
accepted status quo
wanted Ishmael
And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!” God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.
God makes clear
Ishmael not one...
Review
Review
It has been 30 years.
Left Ur at 70.
Let Haran at 75.
Believed Lot as Heir
Separated from Lot
God closes door.
Around 80
Believe Eliezar as heir
God says no.
At 85 Hagar
Believes is Heir
At 99
God says no.
Changes name
Circumcised
Promise of Isaac
30 years
He stopped hoping
Baby from Sarah
Sarah stopped too.
both laughed.
So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?”
Lessons:
God’s timeline is different.
He always delivers on His promises.
Never stop trusting.
God has made
similar promises
to us.
I’m coming back soon.
Lots of time passed.
Promise unfulfilled.
Renewed Promises.
Still nothing.
Appeal
Appeal
Don’t Give up.
Hold on to promise.
Live like there is not other option.