Look to the Stars Part 7

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Studying the life of Abram and his journey to become one of the founders of our faith. One of the greatest men of faith in all of human history

Last week we discussed how some kings came and took Lot, Abram’s nephew, so Abram gathers up 318 of his household and goes and takes back Lot along with other kings people and possessions

We saw those kings responses

And how we should be:

training up our households

Recognizing the provisions of God

And remembering His faithfulness

Today we get to the crux of the story, the part that the whole series is named after

This powerful moment that Abram has with God

So lets read chapter 15 and then I’ll pray and we will dive in

Genesis 15 NIV

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.” 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.” 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.” 8 But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?” 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.” 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. 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.” 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 and said, “To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates—19 the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites.”

Pray

If we remember back to chapter 12 where God makes a covenant with Abram, the central theme of that covenant is that humanity will be blessed through Abram and that God will make Abram into a great nation

So this covenant formed by God is dependent on Abram having a son

And Abram recognizes this and makes asks the question, “how will you be able to give me what you’ve promised if I don’t have a child and an heir.”

A couple of things to know here is that at this point Abram is getting old.

We don’t know his exact age at this moment but he’s probably around 80 years old

Another thing is, it was customary during this time that if you didn’t have a son or heir you would essentially adopt someone in your older age, they would take care of you and then you would give them your inheritance.

So, apparently, Eliezer had become their adopted heir.

And then we have this monumental moment where God takes Abram outside and tells him to look up at the stars. To count the stars, if he can, and that will be a picture of how his offspring will be

Then we see Abram’s response

Genesis 15:6 NIV

6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

This is a verse that you see in the Psalms, Rom, Gal, and James

This phrase “believed the Lord” has been a phrase that’s been debated on

What exactly it means and what is happening in this moment

In the Hebrew it signifies that Abram believed in

There’s no reason to believe that this was a salvation type of statement

Nor a statement to signify Abram’s belief system

At its core what this meant was that God made a statement and Abram believed God at His Word.

Abram believed that what God said would become a reality and then he acted on that belief.

And it says it was credited to him as righteousness

So since Abram’s belief is not in the realm of soteriology there’s no reason to think that his righteousness is.

So this isn’t the imputed righteousness of God onto Abram but rather a statement of right behavior or status in relation

So God tells Abram something would happen, Abram believes God, therefore Abram did what was right, what he should have done.

Here is why this is important: Gen 15:6 should be seen as the premise on which the covenant is ratified.

Abram takes God at his word, so God credits him with a legacy based on the righteousness of this faith and God accomplishes it by formally establishing a covenant with him.

Recognized righteousness becomes the basis for Abram’s blessing

Then, God promises Abram land but this time Abram is a little more skeptical

Why the difference?

Because the first will come true in his lifetime, the second will not

God responds not in frustration or disappointment but by proving to Abram that this promise can also be trusted.

He asks Abram to do a ritual, get some animals and cut them in half and lay them down.

So usually how this worked is that when someone wanted to make a covenant with another they would do this and then they would walk through

When one walked through these sacrificial animals they would be declaring to the other party that they would keep their word and if they didn’t that they would be cursed and ultimately become like these animals, dead.

God causes Abram to go into a great sleep and begins to explain the details of what will happen with this land and Abram’s people

Then we see a firepot and blazing torch. These are representations of God as a purifier.

He passes through these animals and creates another covenant with Abram declaring that his descendants would be given all of this land.

A lot of foreshadowing is going on here in many different areas

But God is declaring that He can be trusted and builds this covenant because of Abram’s previous faith.

And then lists 10 nations inhabiting Canaan.

Notice that this list is longer than the 7 nations listed in Deut 7 but this is not an aim to show an exhaustive list but a complete list.

So, what can we learn from this?

Well, there’s one big idea with many implications.

God’s desire is for us to have an abundant life

When God makes this promise to Abram, He doesn’t just give him a few descendants, He gives Abram as many as the stars in the sky.

He doesn’t just give him some land he gives him an abundance of land

He doesn’t just bless Abram He goes above and beyond!

From this moment forward, every time Abram went out night and He looked up he was reminded of the abundance of God

For many of us, we’ve lost sight of the abundance of God in our lives

We have fallen into the idea that we just need to scrape by.

We just need to limp our way into heaven

We just need to survive another day

If we can just keep our head above the water

That is not the gospel

Jesus didn’t die for you just so you could barely make it through life

John 10:10 NIV

10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Some of us are just barely getting by in our marriages

We do just enough to keep things together

Or we just stay together for the kids sake

Or we fight like cats and dogs when we are around one another so we just do our own things separately and become roommates who do our taxes together.

That is not what God has for your marriage.

God has joined you together, whether you think so or not, and the reason I know so is because you’re together. If you’ve created a covenant with your spouse, that was God’s doing.

And His Word says you have become one flesh and what He has put together let no one separate.

And often times that’s not a separation of divorce but a separation of self.

We have made decision after decision after decision for me myself and I and we’ve forgotten that we are one flesh

God wants you to have an abundant marriage! A healthy marriage, a joyful marriage. You will have to put in the work but it’s there for you, here and now.

Some of us are bound by our past experiences

Everywhere we go, everything we do, is derailed by our past and our past is sucking the joy out of our present.

God has not given up His Son so that we can let our past steal our joy

We have to find ways to find freedom from that. Again, you will have to put in the work but there’s an abundant life waiting for you.

If you struggle with any of these things come and talk to us. We have relationships and connections with people and organizations that can help you conquer these giants in your life

Some of us are allowing addictions to bind us and destroy our joy

Some of us are allowing work to keep us from an abundant life

Some of us are allowing religion and legalism to keep us from an abundant life

We want what God has to offer but we don’t want to sacrifice and put in the work for it.

The abundant life that God has for you is worth everything you could possibly give to it

Because when God gives He gives far more than we could ever ask or think

We have to stop living in fear and depression and anxiety and hopelessness and lostness

and start pursuing the hope and joy and purpose of God in our lives across the board

Because when God gives He gives abundantly

And listen, this isn’t a you’re bad do better rant

It’s not, get your life together so you can be happy

It’s also not just believe enough and you’ll have everything you’d ever hope and wish for

It’s run to Jesus with all that you have and find fulfillment because that’s the only place it’s going to come from

We can run and run and run until our feet can’t go anymore

or we can do like Isaiah 40 tells us

Isaiah 40:31 NIV

31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

God gives abundantly.

We see this most clearly through the lens of the cross

Here we are dead in our sins. Lost, hopeless, no where to go, no where to turn

Because of our wickedness and sinfulness deserving only of wrath and eternal damnation we were doomed for hell

But the creator of the universe, the one who is greater and higher and unmatched. The Holy one. King of kings and Lord of lords.

Doesn’t just step and save us. Doesn’t just pull us out of the pit of hell

But gives us the imputed righteousness of God

So that when we put our faith in Christ not only are we no longer seen as sinners but we are seen as righteous because of Christ.

He gifts us with His Holy Spirit

He tore the veil so that we may freely come to Him

He lays up treasures in heaven for us

And He is patient and kind

God doesn’t just give, He gives abundantly!

Look to the stars as a reminder

Look to the cross as the ultimate reminder

This is the God we serve

So here is what I want to do.

I want to pray to Him

And then I want us to worship Him through song one more time before we leave this morning

pray

Kids Kindergarten- 5th

Fiery Furnace. God is able. Shad, Mesh, Aben, stood firm on their beliefs even in the midst of the furnace

Ask your kids what they think God is able to do. Tell them that God is able to do anything and that His greatest gift to us is sending is Son to save us.

Kids 2-5

I obey Him because I belong to God

Ask your kids what are some things that God asks them to do? How can they obey God?