Our theme this year is Hope Found Here, and this month we are considering the Hope of the Covenant.
Our faith is based on an everlasting, unchangeable covenant with God. Our salvation is not based on us being ‘good enough’, or ticking the right boxes, or trying to ‘be better’ or ‘doing good works’.
I am saved, you are saved because of the covenant we have entered into with God. This idea of covenant is seen throughout the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.
This morning I want to speak to you about A Covenant of Faith and a man named Abraham.
Listen to the words of the Apostle Paul from Romans chapter 4: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” (Romans 4:3)
“Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith. If God’s promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary and the promise is pointless. For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!) So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe.” (Romans 4:13-16)
Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!” And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb. Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God. (Romans 4:18-25)
Abraham is a wonderful example of how the Christian life is meant to be lived - we are meant to live a life of covenant faith - trusting God. Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping, and we should live by faith in the same way. Abraham was in a covenant relationship with God, a relationship that gave him hope.
Was everything in Abraham’s life simple and easy? No! He had problems, situations and circumstances throughout his life that brought worry and fear. Yet Abraham trusted God. Abraham found his reason for hope was God.
I want us to spend a few moments considering the covenant God made with Abraham in Genesis chapter 15. Abraham was still known as Abram at this time.
Every covenant with God has a beginning, so let me give you a quick overview of Genesis 14 to put Genesis 15 into context. The city-kings around the Dead Sea paid tribute to kings to the north of Palestine. When the city kings rebelled the kings from the north invaded through modern day Jordan on the east side of the Jordan River.
A battle took place to the north of Sodom in a valley on the South East corner of the Dead Sea.
During the battle, Abram’s nephew Lot was kidnapped. After the battle the armies took their spoils of war and their prisoners and returned to the city of Dan in northern Israel.
Abram lived near Hebron on the west side of the Jordan River and he took 318 men on a journey of hundreds of miles to go and rescue Lot. It is interesting that after being treated pretty badly by Lot, Abram was still willing to risk his life to rescue Lot.
There is hope found here. This is a picture of how God seeks to rescue people who choose to ignore Him, the difference is Jesus actually gave His life for our freedom, Jesus gave His life to save us from the captivity of sin.
Abram rescues Lot and the other people who had been captured. Abram also recovers all the things that had been stolen.
Then the king, Melchizedek, blesses Abram. Melchizedek was a Canaanite gentile not a Jew. Melchizedek was a king and a priest - He brings out bread and wine - remind you of anything?
Melchizedek offered bread and wine - and the acknowledgement that it was “God most high” that rescued Lot and delivered the enemies into Abram’s hands. When we take communion together we acknowledge that it was “God most high” who rescues us from Sin and death.
Then the King of Sodom offers the recovered goods to Abram as a reward. Abram would not accept anything from Sodom. He told the king to let the men have what they had eaten as payment for duties and that they would take no rewards.
After the great victory of Chapter 14 we find Abram in fear in Genesis Chapter 15. Why would Abram be afraid?
Perhaps he was fearful that the kings of the north would return. Sometimes we can be fearful, especially after a big victory - but God does not rebuke Abram for this - instead He comforts him.
Listen to some verses from Genesis 15:1-8, After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.” But Abram said, “Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.” Then the word of the LORD came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Abram believed the LORD, and He credited it to him as righteousness. He also said to him, “I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it.” But Abram said, “Sovereign LORD, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?”
Genesis 15:18-21, On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, “To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates—the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites.”
Genesis 15 helps us to gain a better understanding of the Covenant of Faith we can have with the God who Created Everything.
There are three things we find in Genesis 15: A mighty God, a man of faith and a meaningful Covenant.
A Mighty God
Who is this Mighty God who spoke everything into existence?
Who is this God who saw the Tower of Babel and confused the languages of man?
Who is this God? Can we understand Him? Can we really know who He is?
The truth is that we cannot know everything about God. There are some things about God too difficult for us to comprehend, but we can gain a deeper understanding of Him. The more we read the Bible, the closer we grow to Him, the deeper our relationship becomes.
God wants to be in relationship with His people. Our God wants to be in relationship with us. Your God wants to be in relationship with you. Isn’t that an amazing thought? God wants to have a personal relationship with you. He is a personal God.
The Mighty God of Creation took time to come to one man named Abram and speak to Him. God is a very personal God and He works in the lives of people throughout Scripture.
If you were to search your Bible to find the phrase: ‘I will be their God and they will be my people’
What you would see is all through the Bible God desires personal contact with humanity.
Genesis 17:1-8, Exodus 6:1-8, Exodus 29:42-46, Leviticus 26:40-45, Ruth 1:15-16, 2 Samuel 7:4-16, Jeremiah 7:21-26, Jeremiah 11:1-5, Jeremiah 24:1-7, Jeremiah 30:8-22, Jeremiah 31:1-3, Jeremiah 31:31-34, Jeremiah 32:36-42, Ezekiel 11:14-21, Ezekiel 14:1-11, Ezekiel 34:11-30, Ezekiel 36:22-32, Ezekiel 37:11-28, Hosea 1:6-11, Hosea 2:16-23, Zechariah 8:1-8, Zechariah 13:7-9, Romans 9:19-26, 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1, Hebrews 8:6-13, and Revelation 21:1-7.
All these passages contain the phrase ‘I will be their God and they will be my people’ God repeats things that are important for His people to understand. Do you get the feeling that this is a message that is meant to give us hope?
We are supposed to listen to and trust the Word of God.
Genesis 15 speaks of God’s personal contact with this man Abram and that personal contact changed the lives of all people forever. The Almighty God wants us to be in personal relationship with Him. Throughout the Bible there are records of God’s personal interaction with countless people: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Daniel, David, Paul and so many others. God wants us to come to Him in personal prayer to talk and share and He promises to listen.
The Mighty God is also the Sovereign God. The God of Creation did not just create this world and then walk away and leave it alone. He did not create the people and then leave us to battle on our own.
In Genesis 15:1 God describes Himself as “a shield.” In Hebrew this word is [MAW GANE] it can be translated as “Sovereign.” and is also used to describe the strong scaly skin of a crocodile. So literally God is describing Himself as more than a shield he is a Skin of protection around Abram. The Mighty God is a God who protects.
God says to Abram that God is in charge of the life and events that are around Him just as a King would be in charge of a kingdom. God is all-seeing, all-knowing, and all-powerful. Verse 14 talks about how God has power over the rise and fall of nations on this earth. The ‘ites’ were at the mercy of The Mighty God whether they knew it or not.
Why is this thought important? It is important because one of the basic questions that many ask about God is: ‘Why does God let bad things happen?’ Or ‘Does God care that bad things happen?’
We need to understand that knowing something will happen, allowing something to happen, does not mean that God caused it. God does not cause evil. God does not have ill-will.
We live in a fallen world cursed by sin and bad things are the result. God is involved in our world and wants people to turn in faith to Him. God is active in your life disciplining, helping, and stretching your faith. God offers His comfort and help in times when this evil world and Satan attack us. We are introduced to this Almighty Creator God in Genesis. God wants to be intimately involved in our lives and loves us.
2nd Point - A MAN OF FAITH
Let’s focus on Abram. Genesis 15:6 is the key verse in the chapter: “Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness.” Abram who was later called Abraham was a man of faith.
Hebrews 11:8-12 describes Abraham as a great man of faith who obeyed the Lord instructions and prepared the way for the people of faith. He was the first one to believe God and God’s plan really began to take shape for us to see with Abraham.
Abram was a man of faith and his faith is a pattern for us to follow. Abram was a faithful and righteous man - but he was a person who still asked questions. What was the first thing Abram did after he received a vision from the Lord?
He asked a question, he questioned God!
Abram not only questioned, but also challenged God. The end of Genesis 15:3 records Abram saying that God had not yet done what He said He would do and Abram was still without children. God tells Abram to look up at the countless stars in the night sky, and God makes a covenant promise to Abram, he will have more descendants than he would ever be able to count.
The of course we have Genesis 15:6, “Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.”
Do you ask questions about what you read in the Bible? Do you struggle with why you believe what you do or do you just blindly accept it? What questions do you need to ask about your faith?
When I first became a Christian, a number of my so called friends who were not Christians told me Christians were stupid believing what we hear. If anyone has ever told you this, they are wrong. After being a Christian for over 30 years I am still asking questions.
God gave me a mind so that I could use it. I ask questions so that I can grow closer to Him, my faith is strengthened as I see God at work in my life. Maybe that is why I ask you so many questions when I am preaching.
The more questions I ask, the deeper I dig into God’s word, God consistently and constantly shows me He is a God who is real and a God who can be trusted.
I am in a personal relationship, a covenant of faith, with the God who loves me and has saved me.
That gives me hope, that gives me a blessed assurance that I am forgiven of my sins and assured of a place in Heaven when God calls me home.
Abram believed God. Abram allowed God access to his life. Abram made himself available to God. God never forces faith upon us, it is a choice that we all have.
Abram was willing to let God be the Sovereign in his life. Abram allowed God to have control. That is faith in action. Are you willing and available for God’s use? Do you place restrictions on God of where and when He can use you?Where can God use you in this church?
Let me ask you another question. Would you call yourself a mature Christian, do you think you have a mature faith?
Do you have faith like Abraham, a mature faith?
A mighty God, A Man of Faith Final point, A Meaningful Covenant
The Lord did not establish a contract with Israel or with the church. God created a covenant. There is a difference between a contract and a covenant. Contacts are broken when one of the parties fails to keep his or her promise.
An example of an informal contract could be If a patient fails to keep an appointment with a doctor, the doctor is not obligated to call the house and ask, “Where were you? Why didn’t you show up for your appointment?”
The Doctor simply goes on to his next patient and next appointment. The patient broke an informal contract.
According to the Bible, the Lord asks in Isaiah 49:15: “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!” (Isaiah 49:15). The Bible indicates covenant is more like the ties of a parent to her child than a doctor’s appointment. If a child fails to show up for dinner, the parent’s obligation, unlike the doctor’s, isn’t cancelled. The parent finds out where the child is and makes sure he or she is cared for.
One member’s failure does not destroy the relationship. A covenant puts no conditions on faithfulness. It is the unconditional commitment to love and serve.
The first covenant was made in the Garden of Eden.
The second covenant is found in Genesis 3:14-19, the first promise of a Redeemer.
The third covenant is Genesis 8:20-9:6 where God makes a covenant with Noah and his descendants.
In Genesis 15 we see the covenant of faith between God and Abram.
Jumping into the New Testament, I want to close with the new covenant Jesus established for you and me.
God has made a meaningful covenant with every Christian Look at Matthew 26:26-30, While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Jesus has established a new covenant with us. The covenant is the promise of unconditional love and forgiveness based on the redemptive act of Jesus and His shed blood.
This meaningful covenant promises eternal life for those who enter into it. Are you living your faith worthy of that covenant?
Let me encourage you to take Abraham as a wonderful example of how the Christian life is meant to be lived - live a life of hope, a life of covenant faith.
There is hope found here:
We can know the Mighty God in each our own lives.
We can be a Man or woman of Faith.
We can experience the hope that comes from a covenant of faith with God.
We can have a personal relationship with God when we trust Jesus as Lord and Saviour.
Amen
