Genesis ãAbraham: Man of Faith

Abraham: Man of Faith Gen. 12:1 Then the Lord told Abram, “Leave your country, your relatives, and your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you.” ãWho is this man? ãCompare Abe to the great ones of his age… ãWhy was this man so great?

Abraham: Man of Faith ãThe Abrahamic Covenant: Gen 12&15 ãGen. 12:2-3 “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

Abraham: Man of Faith ãThe Abrahamic Covenant: Gen 12&15 ãGen. 12:2-3 “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” 1 Abe and Sarah’s “condition”

Abraham: Man of Faith ãThe Abrahamic Covenant: Gen 12&15 ãGen. 12:2-3 “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” 2 Chesed (hesed): loyal love

Abraham: Man of Faith ãThe Abrahamic Covenant: Gen 12&15 ãGen. 12:2-3 “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” 3 Call to be a part of God’s significant plan

Abraham: Man of Faith ãThe Abrahamic Covenant: Gen 12&15 ãGen. 12:2-3 “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” 4 God will be on their side

Abraham: Man of Faith ãThe ratification of the covenant ch. 15: :5 Then the Lord brought Abram outside beneath the night sky and told him, “Look up into the heavens and count the stars if you can. Your descendants will be like that—too many to count!”

Abraham: Man of Faith ãThe ratification of the covenant ch. 15: :6 And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord declared him righteous because of his faith. 15:7 Then the Lord told him, “I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land.”

Abraham: Man of Faith ãThe ratification of the covenant ch. 15: :8 But Abram replied, “O Sovereign Lord, how can I be sure that you will give it to me?” 15:9 Then the Lord told him, “Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three- year-old female goat, a three-year- old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”

Abraham: Man of Faith ãThe ratification of the covenant ch. 15: :10 Abram took all these and killed them. He cut each one down the middle and laid the halves side by side. He did not, however, divide the birds in half. 15:11 Some vultures came down to eat the carcasses, but Abram chased them away.

Abraham: Man of Faith 15:12 As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. 15:13 Then the Lord told Abram, “You can be sure that your descendants will be strangers in a foreign land, and they will be oppressed as slaves for four hundred years.

Abraham: Man of Faith 15:14 But I will punish the nation that enslaves them, and in the end they will come away with great wealth. 15:15 (But you will die in peace, at a ripe old age.) 15:16 After four generations your descendants will return here to this land, when the sin of the Amorites has run its course.”

Abraham: Man of Faith 15:17 As the sun went down and it became dark, Abram saw a smoking firepot and a flaming torch pass between the halves of the carcasses. 15:18 So the Lord made a covenant with Abram that day and said, “I have given this land to your descendants, all the way from the border of Egypt to the great Euphrates River…

Abraham: Man of Faith 15:17 As the sun went down and it became dark, Abram saw a smoking firepot and a flaming torch pass between the halves of the carcasses. 15:18 So the Lord made a covenant with Abram that day and said, “I have given this land to your descendants, all the way from the border of Egypt to the great Euphrates River… This is referring to the ancient Near-eastern practice of solemnizing contracts. cf. Jeremiah 34:18

Abraham: Man of Faith 15:17 As the sun went down and it became dark, Abram saw a smoking firepot and a flaming torch pass between the halves of the carcasses. 15:18 So the Lord made a covenant with Abram that day and said, “I have given this land to your descendants, all the way from the border of Egypt to the great Euphrates River… This is referring to the ancient Near-eastern practice of solemnizing contracts. cf. Jeremiah 34:18 34:18 Because you have refused the terms of our covenant, I will cut you apart just as you cut apart the calf when you walked between its halves to solemnize your vows.

Abraham: Man of Faith 15:17 As the sun went down and it became dark, Abram saw a smoking firepot and a flaming torch pass between the halves of the carcasses. 15:18 So the Lord made a covenant with Abram that day and said, “I have given this land to your descendants, all the way from the border of Egypt to the great Euphrates River… Normally both parties pass between the divided carcasses…

Abraham: Man of Faith 15:17 As the sun went down and it became dark, Abram saw a smoking firepot and a flaming torch pass between the halves of the carcasses. 15:18 So the Lord made a covenant with Abram that day and said, “I have given this land to your descendants, all the way from the border of Egypt to the great Euphrates River… But here, only God passes between while Abraham watches

Abraham: Man of Faith 15:17 As the sun went down and it became dark, Abram saw a smoking firepot and a flaming torch pass between the halves of the carcasses. 15:18 So the Lord made a covenant with Abram that day and said, “I have given this land to your descendants, all the way from the border of Egypt to the great Euphrates River… Therefore, it is an unconditional covenant See also Gen. 17:7

Abraham: Man of Faith 15:17 As the sun went down and it became dark, Abram saw a smoking firepot and a flaming torch pass between the halves of the carcasses. 15:18 So the Lord made a covenant with Abram that day and said, “I have given this land to your descendants, all the way from the border of Egypt to the great Euphrates River… Therefore, it is an unconditional covenant See also Gen. 17:7 Ge 17:7 “I will continue this everlasting covenant between us, generation after generation. It will continue between me and your offspring forever. And I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you.”

Abraham: Man of Faith 15:17 As the sun went down and it became dark, Abram saw a smoking firepot and a flaming torch pass between the halves of the carcasses. 15:18 So the Lord made a covenant with Abram that day and said, “I have given this land to your descendants, all the way from the border of Egypt to the great Euphrates River… Therefore, it is an unconditional covenant See also Isaiah 54:9,10 Is. 54:9 “Just as I swore in the time of Noah that I would never again let a flood cover the earth and destroy its life, so now I swear that I will never again pour out my anger on you. 10 For the mountains may depart and the hills disappear, but even then I will remain loyal to you. My covenant of blessing will never be broken,” says the Lord, who has mercy on you.

Abraham: Man of Faith 15:17 As the sun went down and it became dark, Abram saw a smoking firepot and a flaming torch pass between the halves of the carcasses. 15:18 So the Lord made a covenant with Abram that day and said, “I have given this land to your descendants, all the way from the border of Egypt to the great Euphrates River… Therefore, it is an unconditional covenant See also Rom. 11:28-29 Rom. 11:28 …from the standpoint of God’s choice they [the Jews] are beloved for the sake of the fathers; 11:29 for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

Abraham: Man of Faith 15:17 As the sun went down and it became dark, Abram saw a smoking firepot and a flaming torch pass between the halves of the carcasses. 15:18 So the Lord made a covenant with Abram that day and said, “I have given this land to your descendants, all the way from the border of Egypt to the great Euphrates River… Therefore, it is an unconditional covenant Contrast with Mosaic covenant Deut. 27ff

Abraham: Man of Faith ãThe Abrahamic Covenant: Gen 12&15 Gen. 12:2-3 “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Still in effect!

ãThe fulfillment of the first part of the covenant: Abraham’s offspring ã10 years had passed since Abe & Sarah had entered the promised land (16:16) ãStill no sign that God would act ãSarah and Abe now in their mid 80’s ãFinally they decide to take matters into their own hands... Abraham: Man of Faith

ãHagar bore Ishmael, a son of Abraham, but God insisted the covenant was with a different son 17:18,19 Abraham: Man of Faith 17:18 And Abraham said to God, “Yes, may Ishmael enjoy your special blessing!” But God replied, “Sarah, your wife, will bear you a son. You will name him Isaac, and I will confirm my everlasting covenant with him … As for Ishmael, I will bless him also, just as you have asked…”

ãHagar bore Ishmael, a son of Abraham, but God insisted the covenant was with a different son 17:18,19 ãFourteen more years go by… Abraham: Man of Faith

ãHagar bore Ishmael, a son of Abraham, but God insisted the covenant was with a different son 17:18,19 ãFourteen years later Sarah bore a son, Isaac ãIsaac and Ishmael become symbols of how we do God’s will: Abraham: Man of Faith

ãHagar bore Ishmael, a son of Abraham, but God insisted the covenant was with a different son 17:18,19 ãFifteen years later Sarah bore a son, Isaac ãIsaac and Ishmael become symbols of how we do God’s will: Abraham: Man of Faith Gal.4:22,23 “Abraham had two sons, one by the bondwoman and one by the free woman. But the son by the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and the son by the free woman through the promise.”

ãHagar bore Ishmael, a son of Abraham, but God insisted the covenant was with a different son 17:18,19 ãFifteen years later Sarah bore a son, Isaac ãIsaac and Ishmael become symbols of how we do God’s will: Abraham: Man of Faith Gal.4:22,23 “Abraham had two sons, one by the bondwoman and one by the free woman. But the son by the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and the son by the free woman through the promise.” “And you brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise.” Gal. 4:28

ãHagar bore Ishmael, a son of Abraham, but God insisted the covenant was with a different son 17:18,19 ãFifteen years later Sarah bore a son, Isaac ãIsaac and Ishmael become symbols of how we do God’s will: Abraham: Man of Faith It’s not enough that we want to do God’s will. We also need to do it in dependence on his power. God changes lives, but this is not a humanistic act of self discipline It is the result of dependent faith in him

ãHagar bore Ishmael, a son of Abraham, but God insisted the covenant was with a different son 17:18,19 ãFifteen years later Sarah bore a son, Isaac ãIsaac and Ishmael become symbols of how we do God’s will: Abraham: Man of Faith It’s not enough that we want to do God’s will. We also need to do it in dependence on his power. God changes lives, but this is not a humanistic act of self discipline It is the result of dependent faith in him Rom. 4:19 And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though he knew that he was too old to be a father at the age of one hundred and that Sarah, his wife, had never been able to have children. 20 Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. 21 He was absolutely convinced that God was able to do anything he promised.

ãHagar bore Ishmael, a son of Abraham, but God insisted the covenant was with a different son 17:18,19 ãFifteen years later Sarah bore a son, Isaac ãIsaac and Ishmael become symbols of how we do God’s will: Abraham: Man of Faith It’s not enough that we want to do God’s will. We also need to do it in dependence on his power. God changes lives, but this is not a humanistic act of self discipline It is the result of dependent faith in him “Faith” = trust that God will do what he says… … to the extent that we are willing to act in cooperation with him

ãHagar bore Ishmael, a son of Abraham, but God insisted the covenant was with a different son 17:18,19 ãFifteen years later Sarah bore a son, Isaac ãIsaac and Ishmael become symbols of how we do God’s will: Abraham: Man of Faith Faith in God begins where dependence on self ends

ãHagar bore Ishmael, a son of Abraham, but God insisted the covenant was with a different son 17:18,19 ãFifteen years later Sarah bore a son, Isaac ãIsaac and Ishmael become symbols of how we do God’s will: Abraham: Man of Faith Faith in God begins where dependence on self ends God has no better way to smoke out self- reliance than to subject us to some waiting!

Comparing the Sons IshmaelIsaac Human effortHuman effort Divine powerDivine power

Comparing the Sons IshmaelIsaac Human effortHuman effort Divine powerDivine power Human SpeculationHuman Speculation God’s RevelationGod’s Revelation

Comparing the Sons IshmaelIsaac Human effortHuman effort Divine powerDivine power Human SpeculationHuman Speculation God’s RevelationGod’s Revelation Quick Fix SolutionQuick Fix Solution Waiting on the LordWaiting on the Lord

Application ãWe, like Abraham, have the opportunity to follow God by faith ãWe have to answer his call to us, just as Abraham answered his call

Application ãWe, like Abraham, have the opportunity to follow God by faith ãWe have to answer his call to us, just as Abraham answered his call ã“If anyone opens the door, I will come in...” Rev. 3:20

Application ãWe, like Abraham, have the opportunity to follow God by faith ãWe have to answer his call to us, just as Abraham answered his call ã“If anyone opens the door, I will come in...” Rev. 3:20 ãOnce we answer that call, God will continue to school us on the meaning of true faith

Abraham: Man of Faith ãComments? ãQuestions? ãExperiences?