Theme: Moving Towards Maturity
Text: Genesis 16: 7-23
Introduction
A. Our message last Sunday was about the word of God to Abraham concerning his fear, future, and faith. God reassured Abraham of His divine protection and comfort. God told him that he should not be anxious about what his future would be because it is under the care, protection, and operation of God’s Sovereignty and Omnipotence.
Actually, that message reminds us of God’s word in Jeremiah 29: 11, which says, “I have a plan for you: a plan to give you a future, and a plan to prosper you.” That means, God had already determined the future of each of us here that trust in Him through His divine foreknowledge. When we fully entrust our lives to God in total confidence and obedience, a wonderful future awaits us, and nothing in the present can ever abort this wonderful plan of God for us.
B. This morning we are still following the story of Abraham’s life. Our passage today deals with the matter of Abram’s faith. In here we see Abraham moving towards maturity.
C. Hopefully, we know what faith is. Heb.11: 1 says of faith as, “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” But you know, faith is something that is ever changing. If you have matured in the Lord, then you know that your faith today is far greater than the faith you had when you first believed in God. “Faith is like a muscle, the more you exercise it, the bigger and stronger it becomes.” That is why God leads us through difficult places and circumstances in life. By so doing, He is helping us grow in our faith.
Let’s see this morning what God has been doing in the life of Abraham to move him to maturity. We see Abraham had already exercised great faith when he obeyed the voice of God to leave his country, but in the eyes of God, this has been spiritual kindergarten. God has some even greater tests in stored for Abraham’s faith. Why? The Lord wants to move Abraham towards maturity.
But it’s also true with us. God wants us to realize and consider the truth that He wants to grow us also. He wants to move each of us to maturity day by day. How will God do it? Abraham matured in faith by three things:
I. GOD’S REMINDER
As we notice, this section opens with God reminding Abraham about Who He is and what He is doing. Verse 7 says, “I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land.”
A. God reminds Abraham of three things:
1. Of His Person. That is, Who God is. God refers Himself here as the “Lord” or “Jehovah”, which means, “The Self-Existent One.” God is merely reminding Abraham that He is the One Who is in control of the events of life. He is the God Who was here before anything and He will be here after everything. And, He controls all things that happen in between. This is the truth that God wants Abraham and everyone who believes in Him to understand. He is the God of yesterday, today, and forever. He is the God of before, now, and after.
2. Of His Ability. That is, what God has done. Last Sunday I said, believers are serving the God of the “has done.” It means, whatever will happen to the life of a believer has already been determined in the mind of God. What will we be has already been ordained by God. We have that assurance knowing that He’s working out His will in us through His sovereignty and omnipotence.
In our passage God said to Abraham: “I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur….” Here God is reminding Abraham that where he is today is because God, in His Sovereign will, has just put to reality what He had already ordained in times past for Abraham’s life. This gives us the truth that whatever we have and wherever we are now are all product of the Lord’s work in our lives.
3. Of His plan. That is, what God is going to do. God said: “I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it.” God reminds Abraham about His purpose of bringing him out of Ur. He took this childless man to become the possessor of a new land, and to transform him into a father of a great nation.
The wonderful truth here is this: God does not call men to wander away. He’s not leading anyone aimlessly. So this morning let me say this: God calls you to become His own because He has a wonderful plan and purpose for you.
B. Now, why does God need to remind His people like Abraham about His Person and Works? Because moving towards maturity requires constant retrospection of the truths about Who God is, and what He is doing in our lives. You know, people have the tendency to forget just who is in control of the events of life. People are bent to worry about what would their future be. We have the tendency to forget that God is holding our future in His all-powerful hand, so we shrink. But we increase our faith when we dwell our minds on the greatness of God.
II. GOD’S REQUIREMENT
After giving important reminders, the Lord required Abraham something very strange, found in verse 10. Actually, this demand was made in response to Abraham’s honest questions as to how the promises of God would be fulfilled. And this served as a challenge to Abraham’s faith in God.
A. Abraham’s faith was challenged in 3 ways:
1. The request for a strange sacrifice. Well, don’t think the task was simple. Read verse 9 and 10. Abraham had to prepare it alone. Actually, it took him a lot of costly, hard, bloody work to prepare what God required of him.
When God requires something, it will often require hard work on our part. By the way, commitment must not be cheap. And remember this: the great things of God do not come easy; and they do not come to the lazy. God’s best are reserved for those who are willing to pay the price. What’s the price? Incessant prayer, holiness, obedience, separation, service.
2. The presence of devourers. As Abraham waited for God to meet him, vultures came on the carcasses. Abraham had to drive them away or his sacrifice would be devoured.
At times God allows devourers to come to try to devour our offering to Him, then our faith is tested. It’s not easy to see your labor of love for God being devoured to nothing. But don’t despair, they are not wasted in the eyes of God. Or maybe the sacrifice here refers to our life. Satan really would like to devour it. He is the devourer. And yes, there are times that we feel being compressed and trodden with the devouring attacks of the devil.
3. The delay of God’s coming. Abraham had already prepared the sacrifice and guarded it from the devouring birds. He waited God most of the day but God didn’t show up until darkness. Abraham had to be patient.
Someone says, “The greatest trial of faith is the silence of God.” When you cry for help, and there’s no answer but silence. When you cry in pain, and there’s no response from heaven. This is the greatest trial a troubled soul could ever face. But God wants us to wait on His timing. He just wants our faith to mature in our dark time of life. The encouragement in the Scriptures is: Wait patiently upon the Lord. Though God allows darkness to come, but He is sure to come to us.
B. There are two reasons why it’s good that faith is challenged and tested:
1. To see that it’s a real faith. One preacher says, “Faith that is not tested is not really faith at all.”
2. Faith grows stronger through challenges and testing. We know Job, right? When his trials were over, his faith had grown stronger. And now, Job’s faith could no longer be shaken because it was a result of being shaken.
III. GOD’S REVELATION
1. Finally, God did show up. But not only did God reveal Himself to Abraham, He also revealed some details about Abraham’s descendants who have yet to be born. Notice that this revelation was part of God’s response to Abraham’s honest questions as to how the purpose and plan of God be fulfilled. This gives me the impression that honest seekers will find more. Those who long to know more about God and what He has in store for them will not fail to receive more revelations from God.
2. Part of God’s revelation to Abraham in this passage was God making a covenant. God, appearing like a smoking oven and a burning torch, passed through between the pieces of the animals Abraham had sacrificed (v.17). Actually, this was the ancient way of making and confirming a covenant with someone. Usually, both parties had to pass through together, but here only God did. Meaning, the protection and fulfillment of the covenant lies in the faithfulness of God. So, regardless of what Abraham or his descendants do, the covenant is as good as the Name of God. Take note: regardless of what we may do, or what will happen, the promises of God still stand and will forever stand. God’s promises are trustworthy.
3. God’s revelations increased Abraham’s knowledge and cemented His faith. Likewise as we read, meditate upon and listen to the Word of God, we shall receive more revelations of God’s promises that will encourage and strengthen us to move and mature in His image.
D. I’d like to end our message this morning with a question: “How is your faith today?” All that God is looking for is that person who comes to Him in faith. He is looking for people that He can grow up in Him for His glory. Are you that person this morning? Do you want to grow in your faith? Would you allow God to move you up towards maturity? Pray for God’s moving in your life.
