Iliff and Saltillo UM Church
June 26, 2005
"God’s Promises to Abram"
Genesis 15:1-8
INTRODUCTION: Today’s scripture takes place after Abram won a great victory. He defeated the kings and was fearful that these kings would later come back and take revenge on him. After these things occured the Word of the Lord came to Abram to give him encouragement. Although Abram had restored the goods taken in the battle to the owners, he was still uncertain as to what would happen in the future. Chapter 15 opens by saying, "After this, the Word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision." This was a divine communication with Abram. It came in a vision and the Lord told him three things. These three things were important promises to him as he continued on toward the future. These promises also apply to us today as believers and we need to take them to heart as we continue our journey of faith. Let’s see what we can learn from this scripture.
1. Do Not Be Afraid: God saw Abram’s fears after defeating the king. He saw the anxieties that came to him even after a great victory. All was well, but often after an achievement we have a let down feeling and in his case he had a fewarful feeling. What if they would happen to take revenge on him when he least expected it. There may have been all kinds of thoughts running through his mind at this time. He may have felt depressed as well as afraid. He may have wondered what to do next. How do we react many times about situations that come up in our lives--even achievements and successes bring about a variety of new fears and anxieties. You might move to a new location and wonder if you will make new friends. Might start a college degree and wonder if you will be able to complete it and get the grades you need. You might be fearful about your health, your finances, or any number of things. How does fear get to you? It may come upon you when you are not quite prepared for it, even after a great victory or mountain top experience.
God spoke to Abram first of all by saying, "Don’t be afraid." Throughout scripture people were told this, and I believe this same promise applies to us today. Too often we forget and we get ourselves worked up almost in a state of panic.
Don’t be afraid. Fear not--are words we all need to hear from time to time as we face difficult situations in our life. Some of you may be fearful today or this week. Allow God to calm your fears as He did Abram’s. "Don’t be afraid," He says.
In Psalm 34:4 David said, "I sought the Lord and he answered me and he delivered me from all my fears."
Again David in Psalm 56:3 said, "When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God whose word I praise in God I trust: I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?"
Today we serve the same God who Abram served, and we must also claim this promise that God will calm our fears and deliver us from them. As Him to CALM your fears.
2. I Am Your Shield: Early in His dealings with Abram the Lord also said, "I AM your shield." Faith had brought Abram into the realm of danger. The devil opposed him, working through enemies and circumstances. Yet Abram was told not to be afraid because the LORD was his "shield." Shields were for the day of the battle and the time of danger. Whether fighting at a distance or in hand=to-hand combat, the warrior must have the protection of his shield. The shield is what absorbs the shock of the spear and sword. It repels the flaming arrows and brings safety to the one being attacked. Abram understood this language better than we do today, but we are familiar with shields in some ways in our life today also. What about a virus shield for on your computer. On my computer the symbol for the virus protection is the shape of a shield and it detects viruses that might contaminate and destroy your hard drive. What about a bullet proof vest for law enforcement people? That would be like a shield. Or what about antibacterial soap and cleaning products as protection against deadly germs. What about sunscreen to protect against harmful ultraviolet rays.
God has provided a personal shield for us. Ephesians 6:16 says to "take up the shield of faith," but in this scripture in Genesis He was not referring to the shield of faith. It was the LORD HIMSELF who declared, "I AM your shield." Frequent references are made about the LORD in this capacity.
Isaiah 40:31 says, "Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and OUR SHIELD."
Psalm 59:11 David praying about his enemies said, "Bring them down O LORD our shield."
Psalm 84:9-10 "Behold O God our shield and look upon the face of thine anointed."
Psalm 28 "The LORD is my strength and my shield: my heart trusted in Him and I am helped."
If the Lord is OUR shield as he was Abram’s and David’s--What does this mean to us? It means that the devil can’t get to you unless he goes through the Lord. Unless the Lord permits it as he did with Job.
The most significant example of this divine shield is Jesus. He took the brunt of Satan’s attacks with all the power of darkness and absorbed the shock. He was made a curse that we might be blessed. The sins of the world was placed upon him to such an extent that he was "made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him (II Cor. 5:21). The arrows of the enemy strike Him. The blazing wrath of God against sin fell on Him. In the judgment of sin He was our "Shield."
One thing to remember about a shield is that the farther you are from it, the less value it has. The closer you are to it, the more value it is. So it is with the Lord our shield. If you walk at a distance from the Lord you will not be protected from the attacks of the enemy. Let’s stay close to the Lord our shield.
Abram had this promise of the Lord being his shield from anything that would try to come against him. We can claim this promise for ourselves today also.
3. Your Great Reward--The third thing God told Abram was I am your very great reward. You will notice in Gen. 14:23 that Abram said of the king of Sodom, "I will not accept anything belonging to you so you will never be able to say, "I made Abram rich.’" God is telling him in this promise in vs. 1, "I am your great reward." I will see to it that you have your reward. You do not have to depend on the people of God but depend on the God of the people. God is saying to Him, "I AM your sufficiency. I will take care of your needs as you go along. He is saying, " I am not only your rewarder but your REWARD."This reward was considered to be a reward of FAITH and not of WORKS. He had the assurance that his hope would not be disappointed but that God’s promise would not only be fulfilled only to the extent formerly indicated but far beyond it.
I am thy very great reward or exceeding great reward--far beyond all that Abram could ever imagine.
CONCLUSION: Today we may wonder how can God keep me from being fearful when I face certain situations, how can he keep the attacks of Satan from getting through to me and how can he see to it that I receive from God what I need.
The promises of God were there for Abram. What did Abram do to receive the promises that God laid out before him and how do we receive today?
Verse 6 gives us the answer. "And Abram believed in the Lord as he counted it to him for righteousness." We must receive by FAITH--simply believe what God says. Can we do this today??
Shall we pray:
