1. A PROMISE. A COMMITMENT. A COVENANT.
a. Webster’s says a promise is, “a declaration that one will do or refrain from doing something specified.” OR
b. “A legally binding declaration that gives the person to whom it is made a right to expect or to claim the performance of a specified act.” OR “a reason to expect something”
GREEK WORD means ‘to announce. It’s a legal term that declares a summons or promise to do or give something.’ It’s used only of the promises of God except in one place in the NT.
THAT’S IMPORTANT… 50+ times this word is used to point out the powerful, wonderful, and reliable PROMISES OF GOD to man.
• THE EMPHASIS in the Bible is not on us as humans KEEPING PROMISES but rather God’s ability to GIVE HIS PROMISES.
NOTE: Because really, a promise is only as good as the one giving it.
• We with our mouths can promise anything & everything but really not have the ability to follow through.
• I will do this. For sure, I can do that. But not be able to do it.
• But God, when He promises… He delivers. EVERY TIME!
• Why? Well, because He’s God.
Matthew 19:26 (NKJV) 26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Genesis 18:14 (NKJV) 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.”
Abraham, without the Bible… without the Scriptures, without a synagogue or church understood God… Jump down to 4:20-21
• MY question has always been, but how? How is it that Abraham could believe in the promises of God this way!?
• I’m always faced with my unbelief? My wavering, wondering.
• Well, faith is built up by hearing the truth.
Romans 10:17 (NKJV) 17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
SO what do we know & learn about God? You can jot them down.
#1 – HE is OMNIPOTENT! Yes, He’s ALL POWERFUL.
Jeremiah 32:17 (NKJV) 17 ‘Ah, Lord God! Behold, U have made the heavens & the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.
• There is never at any time a loss of that power.
• He’s always powerful with all the power that there is to have!
#2 – HE is OMNISCIENT. Yes, He’s also ALL KNOWING.
Psalm 147:5 (NKJV) 5 Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite.
• There isn’t one thing that God doesn’t know. He learns nothing!
• Nothing is new to Him. He’s surprised by nothing.
Psalm 139:1-4 (NKJV) 1 For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.
#3 – HE IS OMNIPRESENT. Yes, God is everywhere all at once!
Proverbs 15:3 (NKJV) 3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place, Keeping watch on the evil and the good.
• God, He Himself fills the heavens and the earth.
• There is a single place where you won’t find God!
Jeremiah 23:23-24 (NKJV) “Am I a God near at hand,” says the Lord, “And not a God afar off? 24 Can anyone hide himself in secret places, So I shall not see him?” says the Lord; “Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the Lord.
WOW… all powerful? All knowing? Everywhere at once? YES.
• That’s our awesome & powerful God.
• But what about His character? He sounds big, very big.
• But is He good or bad? Loving or hating?
#4 – GOD IS LOVE.
1 John 4:8 (NKJV) 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
• He is love. Not sometimes, but all the time.
• He doesn’t just love you when you are lovable but all the time.
• There isn’t a time when God is not love.
#5 – GOD IS HOLY.
1 Peter 1:16 (NKJV) 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
Leviticus 11:44 (NKJV) 44 For I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth.
• Holiness is some outward code of conduct, it’s God Himself.
• When I want to be holy, I’m drawing closer and closer to God!
#6 – GOD IS ALSO RIGHTEOUS!
Ezra 9:15 (NKJV) 15 O Lord God of Israel, You are righteous, for we are left as a remnant, as it is this day. Here we are before You, in our guilt, though no one can stand before You because of this!”
On And on that list can go.
• All powerful. All knowing. Present everywhere. Love. Holy. Righteous!
• You see God, the PROMISE GIVER not only says it, but follows through with His promises 100%. He’s real!
• And this is the God Abraham clings to with his whole life!
James 2:23 (NKJV) 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God.
Isn’t that so wonderful… How would you like to have a friend like that? -- The One that I just described.
• Well you do, by faith. It’s a real relationship with a real God.
BUT ABRAHAM must have had his part right?
• He had a real relationship with God because He obeyed? NO.
• Because he obeyed the Law? NO. Because He circumcised? NO.
• Why? Because he believed…
I. (4:13-15) PROMISE OF FAITH
1. (13-15) No legal arrangement.
a. It wasn’t a legal arrangement God made with Abraham.
b. He didn’t come to Abe & give him a list of rules & regulations to follow… he simply offered & Abe believed!
c. This all happened BEFORE HE WAS CIRCUMCISED. (WORKS)
d. AND IT ALL happened BEFORE THE LAW was given.
e. Rather it was the PROMISE OF GOD to Abraham as he was.
NOTE: Abraham was justified by believing God’s promise, not by obeying God’s Law. That was still 400+ years away.
• The promise was given to Abraham purely through God’s grace.
• He didn’t earn it. He didn’t merit it. He didn’t deserve it.
• That makes him the father of all believers… v16
2. (16-17a) I’ve made you a father of many nations.
a. Following in Abraham’s footsteps, we believe and it’s accounted to us for righteousness.
b. We are not saved because we keep the law but because we too believe the promise!
NOTE: It is always a sad thing to watch a person who is depending upon their own goodness to relate to God.
• This usually & almost always leads into a LEGAL relationship with God. Sometimes this is referred to as LEGALISM.
Let’s look at a working definitions of LEGALISM:
Erwin Lutzer: Legalism is self-righteousness. It is the belief that God is satisfied with our attempt to obey a moral code. Legalists keep the law for self-glory, or to merit some reward; they do not keep it because it expresses the desire of their heart.
NOTE: Legalism deals with the motives of the heart.
• Am I obeying in order to be righteous? OR
• Am I obeying as a result of Christ’s Righteousness living in me?
Eugene Peterson: There are people who do not want us to be free. They don’t want us to be free before God, accepted just as we are by his GRACE. They don’t want us to be free to express our faith originally and creatively in the world. They ... insist that all look alike, talk alike and act alike, thus validating one another’s worth. Without being aware of it we become anxious about what others will say about us, obsessively concerned about what others think we should do. We no longer live the good news but anxiously try to memorize and recite the script that someone else has assigned to us. We may be secure, but we will not be free.
Here are a few signs that legalism has possibly crept into your life.
#1 – You care more about what people think than what God thinks.
• This is where other’s feelings and thoughts about you mean more than God’s standard in your life.
Romans 14:4 (NKJV) 4 Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.
• But instead it’s what Mary thinks or Jack says that really matters.
#2 – You are overly critical of others who don’t have the same convictions as you do.
• Somewhere along the way, someone caught up in legalism forgets that different people are at different levels of maturity.
• So the way someone talks, or dresses, or looks, or whatever becomes a point of contention and arguing.
• You can’t do that! How could you dress like that.
• And usually the answer is, “I didn’t know.”
#3 – You lay heavy burdens on others.
• Your personal convictions now become someone else’s even though they are not in the same position as you.
• So now as a Christian, you become a burden giver and not a burden bearer. Instead of helping, you’re hindering.
• This is what the Pharisees did. Jesus said:
Matthew 23:3-4 (NKJV) 3 Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. 4 For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
#4 – You are getting good at seeing others sins.
• Not only are things right with you, but now you want to make sure things are right with everyone else.
• Some believe it is their God given job to sniff sin out!
• Marshall Shelly in his book, “Well-Intentioned Dragons” describes this person as the “Bird Dog”
The Bird Dog. Four-legged bird dogs point where the hunter should shoot. The two-legged Bird Dog loves to be the pastor’s eyes, ears, and nose, sniffing out items for attention. “If I were you, I’d give Mrs. Greenlee a call. She has some marital problems you need to confront.” Or, “We need more activities for the youth.” Or, “Why doesn’t the church do something about …”
Of particular bother is the Superspiritual Bird Dog. This purebred strain is more likely to point out things that always leave the pastor feeling defensive and not quite spiritual. “The Lord has laid on my heart that we need to be praying more for renewal.” Who could argue otherwise? Or, “We need to develop more discipleship and maturity within this congregation, wouldn’t you say, Pastor?”
These people like to give the impression they have more spiritual perception than anyone else.
#5 – You tend to be more black & white then those around you.
• Definitely there are times when things are black & white.
• There are places in the Bible where sin is carefully and specifically pointed out.
• Yet there are other things in life that aren’t so clear cut.
• When we make something out to be clear cut where the Bible is not, & impose that on others… that tends to a legalistic heart.
•
#6 – You’re more a policeman than paramedic when others fall into sin.
• Someone else’s sin becomes your personal inward party.
• You knew they would fall. They should have fallen. They deserve all that they get now. Too bad. They should’ve listened.
• It’s loveless isn’t it?! It’s a legalistic heart too.
#7 – You are one thing with some people & another with others.
• This is what Paul rebuked Peter about in Galatians 2:11ff
#8 – You aren’t enjoying Jesus all that much.
• Everything about the church becomes heavy & burdensome.
Matthew 11:30 (NKJV) 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
• It’s all about what I HAVE TO DO, instead of what I GET to do.
• Your motivation has changed from love to duty!
• And it’s not even fun anymore. Psalm 40 doesn’t mean much because now you’re not in the pit, you’re doing great!
Abraham avoids all this by loving and living in faith. So can we.
• His faith leads him right into the PROMISE GIVER so that the emphasis isn’t on what I can do for God…
• But rather look at all that God has done for me!
Next time we will look at the ingredients of Abraham’s faith and how they can revolutionize your relationship with Him!
