WEBVTT 00:00:02.020 --> 00:00:06.960 Amen. The walk of faith is not a hundred -yard 00:00:06.960 --> 00:00:13.199 dash. It's not a straight path. It is very daily. 00:00:14.259 --> 00:00:16.960 It is sometimes twisting and winding and there 00:00:16.960 --> 00:00:20.940 seem to be delays. I want us to think about that 00:00:20.940 --> 00:00:23.320 and how it applies to our lives as we look at 00:00:23.320 --> 00:00:26.960 Genesis chapter 15 and I invite you to bow in 00:00:26.960 --> 00:00:30.239 prayer with me. as we ask God to bless His word 00:00:30.239 --> 00:00:34.640 to our hearts. And now, Father, we come to the 00:00:34.640 --> 00:00:37.200 scriptures this morning praying that from Abram's 00:00:37.200 --> 00:00:41.420 life we may glean some thoughts and applications 00:00:41.420 --> 00:00:46.119 for our own walks of faith. Show us what it means 00:00:46.119 --> 00:00:49.500 to walk by faith that we may receive from you 00:00:49.500 --> 00:00:53.679 the blessings you long to give. In Jesus' name, 00:00:54.219 --> 00:01:00.520 amen. There's a period of time that passes between 00:01:00.520 --> 00:01:05.939 chapters 14 and chapter 15. In chapter 14 Abraham 00:01:05.939 --> 00:01:10.400 goes to war on behalf of his nephew Lot. His 00:01:10.400 --> 00:01:16.219 faith is tested. In chapter 15 again we see that 00:01:16.219 --> 00:01:19.319 Abram's faith is at issue and it is tested because 00:01:19.319 --> 00:01:21.920 not of war this time, but because of waiting. 00:01:23.439 --> 00:01:26.480 It is Abram's faith that provided the foundation 00:01:26.480 --> 00:01:30.540 for his blessings from God. But I want you to 00:01:30.540 --> 00:01:33.420 see this morning as the same is true for God's 00:01:33.420 --> 00:01:36.400 pilgrims at the end of the second millennium 00:01:36.400 --> 00:01:41.599 AD. It is our faith that lays the foundation 00:01:41.599 --> 00:01:44.439 for the blessings that we would enjoy from God 00:01:44.439 --> 00:01:48.980 as well. Your faith provides the foundation for 00:01:48.980 --> 00:01:53.500 God's blessing in your life. It is important 00:01:53.500 --> 00:01:55.719 to understand that it's not just the presence 00:01:55.719 --> 00:01:59.760 of faith because everyone has faith. The important 00:01:59.760 --> 00:02:03.719 thing is that faith be placed in a valid, a good 00:02:03.719 --> 00:02:09.479 object or person. It's in water in whom you believe 00:02:09.479 --> 00:02:15.340 that counts. Abraham believed God. And because 00:02:15.340 --> 00:02:19.240 of that he enjoyed the blessings of God. It is 00:02:19.240 --> 00:02:22.199 our faith in God as well that lays that foundation 00:02:22.199 --> 00:02:25.159 for him then to be able to bring into our lives 00:02:25.159 --> 00:02:29.139 the blessings he generously desires to bring. 00:02:30.520 --> 00:02:32.699 I'd like for you to follow with me this morning 00:02:32.699 --> 00:02:36.639 as we quickly enumerate Abram's blessings that 00:02:36.639 --> 00:02:41.219 are suggested for us in the text. The first blessing 00:02:41.219 --> 00:02:46.300 I notice in chapter 15 is in verse 6, at least 00:02:46.300 --> 00:02:49.050 the first one that I want to point to. It is 00:02:49.050 --> 00:02:51.210 found in this verse, which is one of the key 00:02:51.210 --> 00:02:56.270 verses in all of the Bible. It says then, he 00:02:56.270 --> 00:03:01.610 believed in the Lord, and he, the Lord, reckoned 00:03:01.610 --> 00:03:06.169 it to Abram as righteousness. Blessing number 00:03:06.169 --> 00:03:09.009 one that came because of Abram's faith was the 00:03:09.009 --> 00:03:13.229 blessing of personal righteousness. Now this 00:03:13.229 --> 00:03:16.250 verse is not intended to say that it was at this 00:03:16.250 --> 00:03:21.889 point that Abram became a true believer. Actually, 00:03:22.090 --> 00:03:26.009 this verse is placed here strategically by Moses 00:03:26.009 --> 00:03:29.689 to explain to us that although Abram's faith 00:03:29.689 --> 00:03:34.150 here had questions, it was his faith that had 00:03:34.150 --> 00:03:37.590 made him right with God. It paints the background 00:03:37.590 --> 00:03:42.810 for all of Abram's portrait. His faith in God's 00:03:42.810 --> 00:03:47.430 promises had begun in Ur of the Chaldeans when 00:03:47.430 --> 00:03:52.530 God had called Abram to follow him. It laid the 00:03:52.530 --> 00:03:55.169 foundation for all of the other things that would 00:03:55.169 --> 00:03:59.509 happen in Abram's faith pilgrimage. This verse 00:03:59.509 --> 00:04:02.449 is a key verse not only in the Old Testament 00:04:02.449 --> 00:04:04.849 but in the New Testament because it is quoted 00:04:04.849 --> 00:04:09.270 three times in Romans 4, Galatians 3, and James 00:04:09.270 --> 00:04:15.990 2. It is always quoted in the context of salvation 00:04:15.990 --> 00:04:24.230 as a gift from God by grace through faith. That 00:04:24.230 --> 00:04:28.410 salvation is not the product of religious works. 00:04:29.250 --> 00:04:33.149 It is God's gift to us. Now I want you to notice 00:04:33.149 --> 00:04:35.850 the order of what this verse says. It says in 00:04:35.850 --> 00:04:39.740 the first place that Abram believed in the Lord. 00:04:39.879 --> 00:04:42.839 The first time that believed is found in the 00:04:42.839 --> 00:04:45.860 Old Testament, or in the Bible of course. The 00:04:45.860 --> 00:04:48.939 first time. This word believed in the Hebrew 00:04:48.939 --> 00:04:52.079 gives us another English word that we use. The 00:04:52.079 --> 00:04:57.079 word is amen. And so some paraphrase this verse 00:04:57.079 --> 00:05:04.459 this way, and he amen'd the Lord. To say amen 00:05:04.459 --> 00:05:09.430 means more really than to say so be it. It is 00:05:09.430 --> 00:05:12.350 an affirmation. It is a statement, a declaration 00:05:12.350 --> 00:05:19.389 of faith that says, it shall be so. God had given 00:05:19.389 --> 00:05:24.529 to Abram promises. And Abram said, it shall be 00:05:24.529 --> 00:05:31.290 so. Amen. He believed in the Lord. Have you come 00:05:31.290 --> 00:05:35.350 to that very first step in your own faith pilgrimage? 00:05:37.120 --> 00:05:40.000 where you have believed in the promise of the 00:05:40.000 --> 00:05:46.819 Lord for salvation? Have you said amen to the 00:05:46.819 --> 00:05:49.399 Lord when He says, whoever will call upon the 00:05:49.399 --> 00:05:53.120 name of the Lord shall be saved? Have you said 00:05:53.120 --> 00:06:00.259 amen to that for yourself? Abram did, and as 00:06:00.259 --> 00:06:02.779 a result, notice the second action that the Lord 00:06:02.779 --> 00:06:07.720 reckoned that to him as righteousness. Again, 00:06:07.959 --> 00:06:10.180 this is the first time the word reckoned is found 00:06:10.180 --> 00:06:15.060 in the Bible. It brings before us the idea of 00:06:15.060 --> 00:06:19.379 imputing something or crediting something. It 00:06:19.379 --> 00:06:22.920 is the idea of an accountant who places an amount 00:06:22.920 --> 00:06:31.269 in the ledger so as to create a balance. Abram 00:06:31.269 --> 00:06:34.930 was bankrupt in his paganism, his idolatry and 00:06:34.930 --> 00:06:38.949 sin, as all of us are in our sinfulness. But 00:06:38.949 --> 00:06:44.790 then he believed in the Lord's promise. And the 00:06:44.790 --> 00:06:48.709 Lord saw that faith and in response gave to Abram 00:06:48.709 --> 00:06:53.730 righteousness. That is, he gave to Abram a condition 00:06:53.730 --> 00:06:58.209 before him. Whereas he was right before God, 00:06:58.230 --> 00:07:01.939 it is A position that God gave to Abram that 00:07:01.939 --> 00:07:06.579 he did not have before. From this point on, God 00:07:06.579 --> 00:07:11.379 looks at Abram differently. He sees him not just 00:07:11.379 --> 00:07:15.220 as a sinner, but as one who is righteous now 00:07:15.220 --> 00:07:20.860 in his own eyes. The sin question is off of the 00:07:20.860 --> 00:07:24.319 focus. And in God's sight is the righteousness 00:07:24.319 --> 00:07:29.839 that God himself gives to Abram. Folks, we are 00:07:29.839 --> 00:07:33.180 saved today the very same way that Abram was 00:07:33.180 --> 00:07:40.220 saved. By believing God's promise and then God 00:07:40.220 --> 00:07:45.920 giving to us the gift of righteousness. A new 00:07:45.920 --> 00:07:49.279 position that we've never had before. No longer 00:07:49.279 --> 00:07:52.279 does God see us as separated from him and as 00:07:52.279 --> 00:07:56.189 in sin and under condemnation. But now he sees 00:07:56.189 --> 00:08:00.389 us in Christ, and he sees us righteous in Christ. 00:08:02.129 --> 00:08:05.550 Regarding this verse, Paul says in Romans chapter 00:08:05.550 --> 00:08:09.629 4, for what does the scripture say? Abram believed 00:08:09.629 --> 00:08:12.170 God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. 00:08:13.829 --> 00:08:16.449 Paul goes on to say, now to the one who works, 00:08:17.209 --> 00:08:20.490 his wage is not reckoned as a favor, but as what 00:08:20.490 --> 00:08:25.639 is due. But to the one who does not work, but 00:08:25.639 --> 00:08:28.800 believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his 00:08:28.800 --> 00:08:32.779 faith is reckoned as righteousness." Paul says 00:08:32.779 --> 00:08:36.440 if we try to work for our salvation, then we're 00:08:36.440 --> 00:08:40.320 trying to place God under obligation. And if 00:08:40.320 --> 00:08:43.240 God were to give us righteousness, it would be 00:08:43.240 --> 00:08:48.429 due to us. But we can never earn that. We can 00:08:48.429 --> 00:08:51.809 never work enough to receive that because it's 00:08:51.809 --> 00:08:55.169 due to us. Therefore, God has wonderfully set 00:08:55.169 --> 00:08:59.289 aside works as a possibility for salvation. No 00:08:59.289 --> 00:09:01.690 one will ever be saved because he's a religious 00:09:01.690 --> 00:09:05.450 person, because he's been baptized, because he's 00:09:05.450 --> 00:09:08.350 done good things, he's been a moral person, because 00:09:08.350 --> 00:09:10.590 he's joined the church. No one will ever enter 00:09:10.590 --> 00:09:14.870 heaven because of those reasons. Not that those 00:09:14.870 --> 00:09:18.809 are bad things. But God has made salvation on 00:09:18.809 --> 00:09:21.649 the basis of one thing and one thing alone, and 00:09:21.649 --> 00:09:25.090 that is the gift of righteousness that He gives 00:09:25.090 --> 00:09:28.929 freely to all of those who will believe that 00:09:28.929 --> 00:09:33.490 Christ died for their sins and rose again. Have 00:09:33.490 --> 00:09:36.830 you received blessing number one? Abram did. 00:09:38.190 --> 00:09:43.700 Abram did. Notice the second blessing. To understand 00:09:43.700 --> 00:09:45.620 this blessing, we need to go back to the first 00:09:45.620 --> 00:09:49.159 part of the chapter. Time has passed. It's about 00:09:49.159 --> 00:09:52.000 ten years now since Abram received the promise 00:09:52.000 --> 00:09:58.240 from God of a physical heir. He and Sarai are 00:09:58.240 --> 00:10:01.799 getting older. And you can just imagine what's 00:10:01.799 --> 00:10:04.200 going through his mind. He is saying, where is 00:10:04.200 --> 00:10:10.000 our child? Why hasn't God given me that descendant 00:10:10.000 --> 00:10:13.669 that he promised? And it seems that Abram was 00:10:13.669 --> 00:10:18.309 afraid. He was afraid that God's promise was 00:10:18.309 --> 00:10:21.870 going to fail. And so the Lord speaks to Abram 00:10:21.870 --> 00:10:27.409 in a vision. And he says, do not fear, Abram. 00:10:27.889 --> 00:10:30.330 The very first time fear not is found in the 00:10:30.330 --> 00:10:35.289 Bible. The next sentence he says, I am a shield 00:10:35.289 --> 00:10:40.019 to you. The first I am in the Bible. One of the 00:10:40.019 --> 00:10:43.919 I AM statements of God. I am a shield to you. 00:10:44.879 --> 00:10:46.779 In other words, God is saying, Abram, I know 00:10:46.779 --> 00:10:50.039 what's going on in your mind. You're afraid. 00:10:51.200 --> 00:10:53.379 You're afraid that my promise to you is not going 00:10:53.379 --> 00:10:55.879 to come to pass because ten years now have passed 00:10:55.879 --> 00:10:58.419 since I gave the promise and you still don't 00:10:58.419 --> 00:11:02.440 have a son. Abram, I'm a shield to you. I will 00:11:02.440 --> 00:11:05.840 protect you from your fears. I will protect you 00:11:05.840 --> 00:11:09.230 from your foes. I will protect you from all of 00:11:09.230 --> 00:11:11.730 your threats. I'm a shield to you. Believe that, 00:11:11.929 --> 00:11:15.409 Abram." And then God gives not only the revelation 00:11:15.409 --> 00:11:17.789 of His person, but He gives the repetition of 00:11:17.789 --> 00:11:22.549 His promise. It is this, your reward shall be 00:11:22.549 --> 00:11:27.210 very great. This man will not be your heir. One 00:11:27.210 --> 00:11:31.470 who shall come forth from your own body, he shall 00:11:31.470 --> 00:11:37.019 be your heir. You see, Abram is despondent. To 00:11:37.019 --> 00:11:39.759 God's first statement, Abram responds with a 00:11:39.759 --> 00:11:43.559 question in verse 2, God, Lord God, what will 00:11:43.559 --> 00:11:47.720 you give me since I'm childless? And the heir 00:11:47.720 --> 00:11:51.460 of my house is Eliezer of Damascus. Since thou 00:11:51.460 --> 00:11:54.740 hast given me no offspring, one born in my house 00:11:54.740 --> 00:11:57.200 is my heir. In other words, one of my servants 00:11:57.200 --> 00:12:00.360 born in my house will inherit my things. God, 00:12:00.379 --> 00:12:04.190 I don't have an heir. Abram here is sharing a 00:12:04.190 --> 00:12:06.750 despondent heart with God. Why the delay, Lord? 00:12:07.389 --> 00:12:11.970 Why the delay? God repeats His promise. Not this 00:12:11.970 --> 00:12:16.090 man Abram. Not Eliezer. No. One who will come 00:12:16.090 --> 00:12:19.309 forth from your own body, he shall be your heir. 00:12:21.029 --> 00:12:24.250 See, Abram needs to learn here to wait in faith 00:12:24.250 --> 00:12:28.779 upon God. Just as you and I need to learn to 00:12:28.779 --> 00:12:35.320 wait upon God in our own walk of faith. Then 00:12:35.320 --> 00:12:39.740 God gives a reassurance of His power. Notice 00:12:39.740 --> 00:12:44.259 what He does. In verse 5, He took Abram outside 00:12:44.259 --> 00:12:46.519 and said, Now look toward the heavens and count 00:12:46.519 --> 00:12:50.360 the stars if you are able to count them. And 00:12:50.360 --> 00:12:53.960 He said to him, So shall your descendants be. 00:12:55.210 --> 00:12:58.690 God gives here an illustration to Abram of his 00:12:58.690 --> 00:13:01.809 power. He reassures him. He says, Abram, look 00:13:01.809 --> 00:13:05.250 at the heavens. Abram, where did those heavens 00:13:05.250 --> 00:13:12.370 come from? From my word. I spoke them into existence. 00:13:13.470 --> 00:13:16.190 That's what my word can do in its power. Now 00:13:16.190 --> 00:13:19.929 Abram, don't be afraid. I have spoken my word 00:13:19.929 --> 00:13:24.059 to you also. and its power will eventually become 00:13:24.059 --> 00:13:27.940 evident to you. The blessing of a physical heir 00:13:27.940 --> 00:13:34.059 will be fulfilled, Abram. There's the third blessing 00:13:34.059 --> 00:13:36.620 that is mentioned in chapter 15. It's the blessing 00:13:36.620 --> 00:13:40.759 of the promised land. The conversation with God 00:13:40.759 --> 00:13:45.960 continues. God said to Abram, I am the Lord who 00:13:45.960 --> 00:13:48.600 brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give 00:13:48.600 --> 00:13:52.309 you this land to possess it. And he said, O Lord 00:13:52.309 --> 00:13:56.129 God, how may I know that I shall possess it? 00:13:57.169 --> 00:14:02.090 Do you see Abram's heart here? His faith journey 00:14:02.090 --> 00:14:04.710 is not greatly different from yours and mine. 00:14:05.529 --> 00:14:11.409 How shall I know, Lord? So God confirms his promise. 00:14:11.590 --> 00:14:15.129 He says, Abram, remember who I am. I brought 00:14:15.129 --> 00:14:19.120 you out of Ur. And the reason I did was to give 00:14:19.120 --> 00:14:25.399 you this land to possess it. My promises, Abram, 00:14:25.740 --> 00:14:29.779 rest upon my character. I'm the one who brought 00:14:29.779 --> 00:14:36.019 you out to bring you in. So God confirms His 00:14:36.019 --> 00:14:38.679 promise and then God covenants with His pilgrim. 00:14:39.279 --> 00:14:41.600 I'm going to skip over some verses and go to 00:14:41.600 --> 00:14:46.110 verse 18 to pick up the actual covenant. in which 00:14:46.110 --> 00:14:49.230 God lays out the boundaries of the land now. 00:14:49.490 --> 00:14:53.769 Notice he says, to your descendants I have given 00:14:53.769 --> 00:14:58.870 this land from the river of Egypt as far as the 00:14:58.870 --> 00:15:02.870 great river, the river Euphrates. And then God 00:15:02.870 --> 00:15:08.149 mentions the ten tribes, pagan family tribes, 00:15:08.269 --> 00:15:13.120 that live in that land at the present time. And 00:15:13.120 --> 00:15:17.059 God says to Abram, I give you this land. Now 00:15:17.059 --> 00:15:19.519 this covenant that God makes with Abram here, 00:15:19.580 --> 00:15:22.500 and notice that word is used in verse 18, covenant, 00:15:23.960 --> 00:15:28.580 is based upon the sacrifice that Abram had just 00:15:28.580 --> 00:15:30.720 made. God told him what to do. He was to take 00:15:30.720 --> 00:15:33.539 certain animals and split them in half. He was 00:15:33.539 --> 00:15:37.820 to divide them and then lay the halves of the 00:15:37.820 --> 00:15:43.419 animals along the journey. of faith along the 00:15:43.419 --> 00:15:50.759 path. The blood was to be shed, the sacrifices 00:15:50.759 --> 00:15:57.019 laid out, and then Abram was as it were put to 00:15:57.019 --> 00:16:01.820 sleep and it was God himself appearing in the 00:16:01.820 --> 00:16:08.179 form of a fire pot and a torch who on that dark 00:16:08.179 --> 00:16:12.470 dark night passed through those sacrifices. You 00:16:12.470 --> 00:16:15.429 say, what does all that mean? Well, it's thought 00:16:15.429 --> 00:16:18.049 by most Bible scholars that it's representing 00:16:18.049 --> 00:16:21.389 a form of an agreement that was common in Abram's 00:16:21.389 --> 00:16:25.169 day, in which two people who were going to agree 00:16:25.169 --> 00:16:29.169 to something that was very important, which was 00:16:29.169 --> 00:16:33.149 to be fulfilled without doubt, did the same thing. 00:16:33.149 --> 00:16:36.470 They would divide animals, lay them out on the 00:16:36.470 --> 00:16:39.320 path, and the two of them would join arms, and 00:16:39.320 --> 00:16:42.360 walked down the path together through those sacrificed 00:16:42.360 --> 00:16:47.259 animals. It was a blood covenant. And it meant 00:16:47.259 --> 00:16:49.840 that whatever the agreement was, it was to be 00:16:49.840 --> 00:16:56.740 fulfilled unto death. Very solemn covenant. God 00:16:56.740 --> 00:17:03.179 passed through these sacrifices by Himself. He 00:17:03.179 --> 00:17:05.559 did not take Abram with Him. Do you notice that? 00:17:06.400 --> 00:17:09.109 There's a reason for that. because the covenant 00:17:09.109 --> 00:17:12.089 that God is about to make with Abraham rests 00:17:12.089 --> 00:17:17.549 upon God alone, not at all upon Abram. It is 00:17:17.549 --> 00:17:22.170 an unconditional covenant. And God Himself, by 00:17:22.170 --> 00:17:26.069 His great power, will fulfill that covenant. 00:17:27.329 --> 00:17:31.750 He will give to Abram that land that He has promised 00:17:31.750 --> 00:17:41.500 him. God confirms His covenant with His pilgrim. 00:17:41.859 --> 00:17:44.220 And then thirdly, God communicates His plan. 00:17:44.559 --> 00:17:47.839 Abram's mind is still whirling. God, the delay. 00:17:49.000 --> 00:17:51.799 Ten years now, I've been walking in this land, 00:17:51.920 --> 00:17:56.759 living in tents. Why the delay? God explains 00:17:56.759 --> 00:18:01.670 in verses 13 through 16 what His plan is. He 00:18:01.670 --> 00:18:04.630 says Abram's descendants will know 400 years 00:18:04.630 --> 00:18:09.269 of slavery in a foreign nation. God is here talking 00:18:09.269 --> 00:18:13.170 about Abram's descendants who would go into Egypt 00:18:13.170 --> 00:18:16.970 and there become enslaved to them and who would 00:18:16.970 --> 00:18:21.529 eventually then be redeemed and delivered by 00:18:21.529 --> 00:18:26.089 Moses who would write this account about Abram. 00:18:27.450 --> 00:18:29.970 Secondly, God says that he will judge that nation. 00:18:31.140 --> 00:18:33.759 enslaves them, and deliver Abram's descendants 00:18:33.759 --> 00:18:37.599 along with many possessions. Third, he says, 00:18:37.680 --> 00:18:42.839 Abram, you're going to die. You're going to be 00:18:42.839 --> 00:18:46.160 gathered in peace to your fathers. In other words, 00:18:46.359 --> 00:18:50.460 Abram, not in your lifetime is this land going 00:18:50.460 --> 00:18:55.640 to belong to you. And fourthly, God says, your 00:18:55.640 --> 00:18:59.150 descendants in the fourth generation will return 00:18:59.150 --> 00:19:03.670 to claim this land. Why is God doing this? Why 00:19:03.670 --> 00:19:08.230 doesn't God just give this land to Abram in his 00:19:08.230 --> 00:19:12.970 lifetime? God says there's a reason, and He gives 00:19:12.970 --> 00:19:15.609 at least one reason here, and that is because 00:19:15.609 --> 00:19:17.890 the Amorites who dwelt in the land, who were 00:19:17.890 --> 00:19:26.009 the hill people in Palestine, very pagan, evil 00:19:26.009 --> 00:19:30.579 people, God says that their cup of iniquity is 00:19:30.579 --> 00:19:34.299 not yet filled. He's using a picture there to 00:19:34.299 --> 00:19:40.680 say that nations and tribes of people, as it 00:19:40.680 --> 00:19:46.599 were, have a cup into which their sin is poured 00:19:46.599 --> 00:19:54.420 and when it is filled to the brim. then God will 00:19:54.420 --> 00:19:57.039 bring judgment upon them. In the meantime, God 00:19:57.039 --> 00:20:01.480 is patient with them, giving them time to respond 00:20:01.480 --> 00:20:04.960 to Him, giving them time to repent. For God is 00:20:04.960 --> 00:20:07.099 not willing that any should perish, but that 00:20:07.099 --> 00:20:11.740 all should come to repentance. And that includes 00:20:11.740 --> 00:20:17.259 the Amorites. But in a few hundred years, their 00:20:17.259 --> 00:20:20.960 cup would be filled up. And then God would judge 00:20:20.960 --> 00:20:26.230 the Amorites by dispossessing them of the land 00:20:26.230 --> 00:20:31.289 and giving it to the descendants of Abram. Now 00:20:31.289 --> 00:20:33.230 here's the point I want us to see this morning. 00:20:33.369 --> 00:20:36.450 It is that what happens here exalts the providence 00:20:36.450 --> 00:20:40.670 of God. In his all -wise and sovereign ways, 00:20:41.309 --> 00:20:44.750 he orchestrates even the evil rebellion of man 00:20:44.750 --> 00:20:49.670 and his own gracious purposes so that there is 00:20:49.670 --> 00:20:55.880 a perfect result. And we look in our world today 00:20:55.880 --> 00:20:57.960 and say, God, why isn't there judgment? God, 00:20:58.039 --> 00:21:01.180 why aren't you doing something? And God is saying, 00:21:01.400 --> 00:21:04.920 in our day as He did then, the cup of iniquity 00:21:04.920 --> 00:21:10.380 is not yet filled. And we can be assured that 00:21:10.380 --> 00:21:17.680 when it is, then God will act. But that's why 00:21:17.680 --> 00:21:21.420 Abram didn't receive the land in his own lifetime. 00:21:23.590 --> 00:21:28.390 Did Abram despair about that? No, he didn't. 00:21:29.710 --> 00:21:32.170 Because Abram was looking beyond his own lifetime 00:21:32.170 --> 00:21:35.430 to the future. He was looking for that city whose 00:21:35.430 --> 00:21:38.829 builder and maker is God. In fact, John tells 00:21:38.829 --> 00:21:42.710 us a statement of Jesus in the eighth chapter 00:21:42.710 --> 00:21:47.390 of his gospel where Jesus said, Abraham saw my 00:21:47.390 --> 00:21:54.509 day and rejoiced. I don't exactly know what Abram 00:21:54.509 --> 00:21:57.569 saw or when he saw it. Some think he saw it here 00:21:57.569 --> 00:22:02.349 in chapter 15. But Abram was able to look ahead 00:22:02.349 --> 00:22:07.509 and by faith he saw the day of Christ and saw 00:22:07.509 --> 00:22:12.210 what Jesus would do and he rejoiced. Abraham 00:22:12.210 --> 00:22:15.529 was not disillusioned and one day folks Abram 00:22:15.529 --> 00:22:17.650 is going to be resurrected along with all the 00:22:17.650 --> 00:22:22.109 righteous. so that he and all of us can enjoy 00:22:22.109 --> 00:22:26.269 God giving this land to Abram in fulfillment 00:22:26.269 --> 00:22:29.470 of the Abrahamic covenant. Now I want to come 00:22:29.470 --> 00:22:32.849 full circle very very quickly, put on your seatbelt. 00:22:33.970 --> 00:22:38.390 Your faith lays the foundation for God's blessings. 00:22:38.950 --> 00:22:41.970 The first blessing is the blessing of a personal 00:22:41.970 --> 00:22:46.990 relationship that is based upon Christ's righteousness. 00:22:48.199 --> 00:22:51.319 Abram established a personal relationship with 00:22:51.319 --> 00:22:54.900 God through faith. You and I must do that. That's 00:22:54.900 --> 00:23:00.319 where the journey begins. Have you received blessing 00:23:00.319 --> 00:23:04.319 number one? It leads to what I'm calling today 00:23:04.319 --> 00:23:06.819 blessing number two, which is personal hope. 00:23:07.799 --> 00:23:11.359 Abram had hope for the future. He had questions, 00:23:11.539 --> 00:23:14.960 yes, but he had hope. And he saw ahead by faith. 00:23:15.580 --> 00:23:18.839 You and I also have personal hope that is based 00:23:18.839 --> 00:23:24.079 upon Christ's return, just as Abram's hope was, 00:23:24.539 --> 00:23:26.880 though he didn't know all of those details yet. 00:23:27.240 --> 00:23:30.339 It is upon the return of Jesus Christ that our 00:23:30.339 --> 00:23:34.500 hope is based. There are some concluding thoughts 00:23:34.500 --> 00:23:37.119 and applications that I want to give very quickly. 00:23:37.619 --> 00:23:39.660 The first one is this, that the walk of faith 00:23:39.660 --> 00:23:44.140 does not preclude the rise of fear. Some people 00:23:44.140 --> 00:23:48.440 think that A Christian should never face fear. 00:23:50.140 --> 00:23:52.380 A Christian will never have discouragement. A 00:23:52.380 --> 00:23:55.559 Christian will never be despondent. Friend, that 00:23:55.559 --> 00:24:01.059 is not true. Abram here is dealing with both 00:24:01.059 --> 00:24:05.240 fear and despondency because after 10 years he 00:24:05.240 --> 00:24:09.490 hadn't seen anything happen yet. And it may be 00:24:09.490 --> 00:24:11.930 that in your life, you have felt that God has 00:24:11.930 --> 00:24:13.990 delayed and you're wondering, what is wrong with 00:24:13.990 --> 00:24:19.769 me? What is wrong with God? That's part of the 00:24:19.769 --> 00:24:23.730 walk of faith. God will show himself in a fresh 00:24:23.730 --> 00:24:27.190 way to you and assure you that you need not fear. 00:24:27.289 --> 00:24:30.509 He will be to you as he was to Abram, a shield. 00:24:33.250 --> 00:24:35.029 The second closing thought is this, that the 00:24:35.029 --> 00:24:37.369 walk of faith is measured by actions and not 00:24:37.369 --> 00:24:41.529 words. Abram speaks to God for the first time 00:24:41.529 --> 00:24:44.390 in this chapter. God has spoken to him several 00:24:44.390 --> 00:24:47.769 times. But here Abram enters into a discussion 00:24:47.769 --> 00:24:50.910 with God, and from this point on when Abram speaks 00:24:50.910 --> 00:24:56.450 to God, he often speaks with questions. Not necessarily 00:24:56.450 --> 00:25:00.309 of doubts, but asking for clarification out of 00:25:00.309 --> 00:25:05.890 curiosity and sometimes doubt. And yet when Abram's 00:25:05.890 --> 00:25:08.910 life is Summed up in the New Testament, he is 00:25:08.910 --> 00:25:15.569 called the man of faith. Why? Because although 00:25:15.569 --> 00:25:18.809 he had questions, although he didn't always understand, 00:25:19.210 --> 00:25:25.789 Abram always obeyed. That's why I say to you 00:25:25.789 --> 00:25:29.329 that the walk of faith is not measured by words, 00:25:29.609 --> 00:25:35.150 but by actions. It's what we do. Not the feelings 00:25:35.150 --> 00:25:39.390 we have. Not the questions that arise, it's what 00:25:39.390 --> 00:25:44.029 we do that counts. Third, the walk of faith sees 00:25:44.029 --> 00:25:50.069 beyond the immediate to the future. The future 00:25:50.069 --> 00:25:52.809 is secured by the promises of God and you and 00:25:52.809 --> 00:25:55.769 I need to keep our eyes on that. Even though 00:25:55.769 --> 00:26:01.029 the present may be unclear and the walk of faith 00:26:01.029 --> 00:26:04.369 is taking twists and turns that we never anticipated. 00:26:06.119 --> 00:26:09.099 You and I need to see beyond the immediate to 00:26:09.099 --> 00:26:13.019 the future and the hope that is laid up for us. 00:26:13.380 --> 00:26:16.180 And finally, the walk of faith accepts the apparent 00:26:16.180 --> 00:26:21.480 delays of God. God seems to delay to Abram in 00:26:21.480 --> 00:26:24.420 the birth of a son, in the possession of the 00:26:24.420 --> 00:26:29.279 land. The eventual fulfillment of the promise 00:26:29.279 --> 00:26:36.079 in Joshua's day came partially. But even yet, 00:26:36.220 --> 00:26:40.180 it has not been completely fulfilled. But it 00:26:40.180 --> 00:26:44.000 shall be one day. And we will be a part of that. 00:26:45.200 --> 00:26:47.240 Now in your own walk of faith, there are times 00:26:47.240 --> 00:26:50.500 when God seems to delay. And you say, God, I 00:26:50.500 --> 00:26:53.200 don't understand why this hasn't happened yet. 00:26:54.039 --> 00:26:56.920 I don't understand why this promise hasn't been 00:26:56.920 --> 00:27:01.299 fulfilled, Lord. But that's part of the walk 00:27:01.299 --> 00:27:06.880 of faith. The walk of faith accepts that. So 00:27:06.880 --> 00:27:09.920 I hope that you're encouraged in this Old Testament 00:27:09.920 --> 00:27:14.299 account from David's life or from Abram's life. 00:27:16.940 --> 00:27:19.500 Abram was a pilgrim, just like you're a pilgrim, 00:27:19.599 --> 00:27:23.200 in a walk of faith. I exhort you today, walk 00:27:23.200 --> 00:27:34.630 on. Walk on with God. Let's pray. Would you sing 00:27:34.630 --> 00:27:41.250 with me the chorus of this Old Gospel song? Leaning, 00:27:41.670 --> 00:27:51.990 leaning Safe and secure from all alarms Leaning, 00:27:53.750 --> 00:28:02.990 leaning Leaning on the everlasting arms O how 00:28:02.990 --> 00:28:06.650 sweet to walk in the pilgrim way, Leaning on 00:28:06.650 --> 00:28:11.230 the everlasting arms! O how bright the path grows 00:28:11.230 --> 00:28:14.490 from day to day, Leaning on the everlasting arms! 00:28:15.549 --> 00:28:19.450 What have I to dread? What have I to fear, Leaning 00:28:19.450 --> 00:28:23.349 on the everlasting arms? I have blessed peace 00:28:23.349 --> 00:28:28.670 with my Lord so near, Leaning on the everlasting 00:28:28.670 --> 00:28:39.000 arms! Our Father in Heaven, just as Abram the 00:28:39.000 --> 00:28:43.740 Patriarch learned to walk by faith, so may we. 00:28:44.019 --> 00:28:47.059 May we learn to lean upon the everlasting arms, 00:28:47.440 --> 00:28:50.380 to walk on in our journey even when the path 00:28:50.380 --> 00:28:53.299 takes directions we would never have anticipated. 00:28:55.579 --> 00:28:59.750 Help us to lean strong in faith. and to walk 00:28:59.750 --> 00:29:03.369 on, even this week, in whatever the journey may 00:29:03.369 --> 00:29:07.630 hold in your will in our lives. In Jesus' name, 00:29:08.210 --> 00:29:08.509 amen.