God Of Abraham Series

The Godfathers

Pt. 1 - God of Abraham

I. Introduction

The movie, directed and written by Francis Ford Coppola and released in 1972, is considered to be one of the greatest films of all time. The film paints a chilling portrait of the Corleone family's rise and near fall from power in America and focuses on this powerful Italian-American crime family. One of the quotes that has endured the years is this statement . . .

“Italians have a little joke, that the world is so hard a man must have two fathers to look after him, and that’s why they have godfathers.” – The Godfather

I am thankful for our Father. However, it struck me a while back as we sang a song that states "I call on the God of Jacob" that we too have godfathers. In over a dozen passages a statement is made in Scripture that continues to be quoted today. God is referred to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. These three men (Father, son and grandson) are singled out as godfathers. This phrase is used because God makes and repeats a covenant with these three men. Scripture declares in Galatians 3:6-7 - Just as Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness, so then, understand that those who believe are the sons of Abraham.

We even sing "Father Abraham had many sons and I am one of them" (complete with silly motions that have nothing to do with the song!). However, I question whether we really have any understanding of the powerful nature of the promises made to them and ultimately to us since these men are our godfathers! I want us to go back and examine the God of Abraham. The God of Isaac. The God of Jacob. Let's see if what our godfathers experienced may have some lessons for us.

Text: Genesis 12:1-4, 15:5, 18:10-14, 21:1-3 (NLT)

God had told Abram, “Leave your own country behind you, and your own people, and go to the land I will guide you to. If you do, I will cause you to become the father of a great nation; I will bless you and make your name famous, and you will be a blessing to many others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; and the entire world will be blessed because of you.” So Abram departed as the Lord had instructed him, and Lot went too; Abram was seventy-five years old at that time.

15:5 - Then God brought Abram outside beneath the nighttime 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!”

18:10-14 - Then the Lord said, “Next year I will give you and Sarah a son!” (Sarah was listening from the tent door behind him.) Now Abraham and Sarah were both very old, and Sarah was long since past the time when she could have a baby. So Sarah laughed silently. “A woman my age have a baby?” she scoffed to herself. “And with a husband as old as mine?” Then God said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say ‘Can an old woman like me have a baby?’ Is anything too hard for God? Next year, just as I told you, I will certainly see to it that Sarah has a son.”

21:1-3 - Then God did as he had promised, and Sarah became pregnant and gave Abraham a baby son in his old age, at the time God had said; and Abraham named him Isaac (meaning “Laughter!”).

I have read to you the covenant moment that started all of this. God speaks to Abraham when he is 75 and declares that he will become the father of a great nation. Eleven years later, in Genesis 16, the promise still hasn't been fulfilled so Sarai sends Hagar, her handmaid, to Abram and she gets pregnant with Ishmael. Finally, God repeats His promise to Abram when Abram is 99 years old then when he is 100 years old, Sarah gives birth to Isaac!

When you review the story of Abraham, who has been called the father of our faith, you can summarize his life by saying that he teaches us that God is not only a promise maker, but He is also a promise keeper.

It is important for us to know this about the God of Abraham . . . a promise made is a promise kept.

He is not a man that He should lie. Let years pass. Let my situation change. Let my heart be filled with laughter and doubt. Scoff. Shake my head. Think there is no way. Think I am not enough. Or let me try to take things into my own hands, like Abram, to help God and end up messing everything up and perhaps even making major mistakes. But at the end of the day, I need you to know that if it was decreed by God, then it will come to pass.