Today’s passage brings us to a question that is at the heart of the Middle East conflict. It is also at the heart of one’s relationship with God.
In Genesis 15, God repeats the covenant that he established with Abraham when he left Haran. Now God is emphasizing the fact that the promise given for a great nation would begin with a son born from Abraham’s own body. God also repeated and explained the boundaries of the land that was promised to him in Genesis 12.
Genesis 15:18 "On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, “To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates—"
This sermon will focus on the middle phrase of this verse, “to your descendants I give this land...” Who was the land promised to? Who are Abraham’s Children?
Ask that question and you will get several different answers.
Is it JEWS who certainly claim to be Abraham’s descendants?
Is it CHRISTIANS?
Is it MUSLIMS? They believe that they are the descendants of Abraham through Ishmael.
Is it MORMONS who believe that a Jewish scribe named Nehpi and his two sons; Jacob and Joseph fled Israel before the Babylonian Captivity and sailed to America, in 600 BC, 2,000 years before Christopher Columbus?
Is it BLACK ISRAELITES? They claim they are descendants of Abraham too.
Is it the NATION of ISLAM under LOUIS FARAKHAN who believes that all black people descended from Abraham? They take the prophesy in Genesis 15:14 as applying to African people who were enslaved for so many centuries.
When you think about it, there is a whole lot of fuss centered on this question: Who are the children of Abraham? It seems that everyone wants to be in some way connected to the great patriarch. This, I believe, is powerful evidence that the central story of the Bible is the overall story of humanity. Satan’s plan from the beginning was to stop the deliverer that God promised in Genesis 3:15.
We will focus our attention on studying what the BIBLE has to say about Abraham’s children.
As a result:
- We will see that the story of Abraham is really a story that focuses on JESUS
- We will see that God’s promises can be trusted
- We will see that Biblical Prophecy will be fulfilled
- Prayerfully, those who are not yet the spiritual children of Abraham will be able to express faith in CHRIST and so become a faith-child of Abraham.
The Promise to Abraham.
This was FIRST in Gen 12. NOW it is repeated in Genesis 15:17-20. There are three aspects to the promise. God would give Abraham
LAND
SEED (offspring), and
BLESSING (all nations would be blessed through him).
Each of the three aspects of the promise is REPEATED to ABRAHAM.
Each of the three aspects of the promise is EXPANDED in a SPECIFIC COVENANT established with Abraham’s descendants. Let’s look at the three aspects of God’s covenant with Abraham.
It is FIRST GIVEN in Genesis 12, when Abraham is 75 years old. God promised Abraham LAND . Genesis 12:1 “Go to the land that I will show you.” This part of the covenant is re-emphasized to Abraham 10 years later, when Abraham is 85 years old in Genesis 15:18.
The land covenant is further EXPANDED in Deut 1:8; Deut 29:1-2 where further specific boundaries are given to Moses and the children of Israel.
The second aspect of the covenant is SEED. Genesis 12:2 “I will make you into a great nation.” This aspect is re-emphasized to Abraham 24 years later, when Abraham is 99 years old, in Genesis 17:1-9. It is EXPANDED in 2 Samuel 7:12-16. We call this passage The DAVIDIC COVENANT, because God specifically names DAVID as the man who would be in the line of the promised seed, ultimately leading us to the birth of Christ.
Finally, God promised Abraham BLESSING in Genesis 12:3. “Through you all nations of the earth will be blessed.” This is the foundation for the NEW COVENANT that would be established in Jeremiah 33:13-33. This portion of the covenant was also re-emphasized to Abraham 38 years after he left Haran, when Abraham is 113 years old (Genesis 15:18).
This covenant, its expansion and its expression through Christ can be seen in the following chart
It is clear that the Abrahamic covenant forms the foundation for God’s relationship with men, his redemption for mankind, and the preservation of the birth line through which the Savior of the world would be born.
BUT here is a vital part of this story. Don’t get overwhelmed by the focus on Abraham in both old and new testaments. Ultimately, this story is NOT about Abraham - It’s About CHRIST! Every expansion of the three parts of the Abraham covenant reveals a vital aspect of the person and ministry of Christ.
The LAND Covenant establishes Jesus as RULER.
The DAVIDIC Covenant established Jesus and REDEEMER
The NEW Covenant establishes Jesus as our RIGHTEOUSNESS (Jeremiah 33:16 "In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness.”)
The following chart illustrates the three provisions of the Abrahamic Covenant, and the manner in which Jesus is in focus. in each aspect.
Christ is the SEED promised to Abraham. The entire reason for the Abrahamic Covenant was so that God could preserve a line through which the Messiah would come. In his sovereignty, he chose an obscure and average man to establish this lineage. Throughout the Old Testament, God was demonstrating his power through small things and regular people, showing that the power is not in the strength of men, but the power of God.
The beginning point of this story is Genesis 3:15 "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” There, in the garden, God established the promise that a deliverer would come who would redeem mankind from the curse brought on by sin.
The promise is explained again, this time to Abraham. Genesis 18:19 "For I have chosen him, (Abraham) so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”
The New Testament also makes it clear that God’s purpose in choosing Abraham was focused on Jesus. Acts 13:22-23 (to Jewish audience in Antioch in Pisidia) “After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’ “From this man’s descendants God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as he promised.”
SO... God used Abraham to bring about the PROMISED ONE
God used David to bring about the PROMISED ONE
What can we take from this story, and the revelation that God blessed the world through Abraham?
GOOD NEWS - PART 1. You can become a CHILD of ABRAHAM!
Not all Jews are the spiritual children of Abraham. Jesus made this clear in his earthly ministry. This news shocked and angered the Jewish religious leaders who prided themselves in their genetic purity. Jesus said:
Luke 3:8 "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham."
Luke 19:9 "Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham." This statement was made to a Roman Centurion who expressed faith in Christ. Imagine the shock experienced by the Jews who heard Jesus proclaim that this man was a son of Abraham! It would be like someone telling you that Osama Bin Laden was a patriotic American!
Jesus further explained in John 8:39 "“Abraham is our father,” they answered. “If you were
Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do the things Abraham did."
And the New Testament makes it clear that faith is the key to becoming a child of Abraham. Read each of these passages carefully to see this important point. (Galatians 3:6–9; Romans 4:12; Romans 9:6–8)
The way to become a child of Abraham is through FAITH
Romans 4:16 "Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all."
This raises an important question. If anyone can become a child of Abraham by faith, then
what is said of the specific promises that were given to Abraham? Do they apply to those who are children of faith? The clear answer from Scripture is that God is not yet finished with the physical descendants of Abraham. One day, they too will be spiritual children of Abraham, thus fulfilling God’s promises literally. This is the clear and consistent truth of Biblical prophecy throughout every part of Scripture.
Good News, Part 2. God’s Promises can be trusted! Israel will be saved.
FIVE REASONS why God will fulfill His promise to ABRAHAM.
A. All Israel will be saved.
1. Zechariah 12:10–12 "“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. "On that day the weeping in Jerusalem will be great, like the weeping of Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. " "The land will mourn, each clan by itself, with their wives by themselves: the clan of the house of David and their wives, the clan of the house of Nathan and their wives,"
2. Romans 11:1 "I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin."
3. Romans 11:11–12 "Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. " "But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring!"
4. Romans 11:25–26 "I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. " "And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob."
5. Romans 11:28–29 "As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies on your account; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, " "for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable."
B. God’s Promises can be TRUSTED.
1. Captivity was coming. Jeremiah 32:28
2. God would restore them. Jeremiah 31: 3, 10-11, 17, 23-25
This cannot refer to the return from captivity
This cannot refer to the Church
3. God is serious about his promises! Jeremiah 33:19-22
C. Israel and the Church are distinct in Scripture.
1. Acts 13:26 “Brothers, children of Abraham, and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent."
2. 2 Corinthians 11:22 "Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I."
D. The Terms of the Covenant cannot be changed.
1. OT. Jeremiah 31:35-37
2. NT. Romans 11:29 "for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable."
3. The NEW Covenant replaces the MOSAIC COV, not the ABRAHAMIC COV.
Hebrews 8:5
Jeremiah 33:17 (re-affirms Davidic Covenant)
E. Israel - Back from the DEAD! Romans 11:15 "For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?"
1. After 70 AD
2. Middle ages
3. Holocaust
4. 1945 - 10 million Arabs
5. 1967 - Egypt, Syria, Jordan,
6. 1973 - Surprise Attack
7. TODAY - Daily rockets
The FOCAL POINT is JESUS.
How do you become a Child of Abraham? by Faith! Romans 10:11–13 "As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” " "For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, " "for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
As we stated at the beginning, God’s promises can be trusted, Biblical Prophecy will be fulfilled.
