Standing On The Promises

Standing On The Promises

Genesis 15:7-16 (NLT)

( for an audio and visual of this sermon go to www.thecreekmonroe.com)

Intro: A small boy riding a bus home from Sunday school was very proud of the card he had received, which had a picture and a caption that read: “Have Faith in God.” Then to his

dismay the card slipped from his hand and fluttered out the window. “Stop the bus!” he cried. “I’ve lost my ‘faith in God!’”

The driver pulled the bus to a stop, and as the boy climbed out and went to retrieve his card, one of the adult riders smiled and made a comment about the innocence of youth. A more perceptive adult observed, “All of us would be better off if we were that concerned about our faith.”

. We are back in Genesis this morning. It seems that we have a lot of sermons here in Genesis about faith.

. That’s because Genesis is the bedrock of the Judeo Christian belief system.

. Genesis is where we learn about God and how He created mankind.

. Genesis is where we learn about the fall of man and why we need a savior.

. Genesis is where we learn about the people who God chose to make himself and Jesus known to mankind.

. Genesis is where we first learn that our faith in God is what makes us righteous in his eyes.

. Abram, later known as Abraham is the patriarch of the Judeo Christian faith.

. More than anything else, Genesis is a faith chapter. How we interact with God through faith in him.

. In Genesis, Abram is given certain promises from God.

. In our scripture this morning, we see an interaction between God and Abram that reminds Abram that his faith is built upon the promises of God and that Abram can depend upon them.

. We see Abram standing on the promises of God.

.As we look at Abram, God is also showing us how to stand on his promises.

.Let’s look at our scripture: Gen. 15: 7-16

7Then the LORD told him, “I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land as your possession.”

8But Abram replied, “O Sovereign LORD, how can I be sure that I will actually possess it?”

9The LORD told him, “Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”

10So Abram presented all these to him and killed them. Then he cut each animal down the middle and laid the halves side by side; he did not, however, cut the birds in half.

11Some vultures swooped down to eat the carcasses, but Abram chased them away.

12As the sun was going down, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a terrifying darkness came down over him.

13Then the LORD said to Abram, “You can be sure that your descendants will be strangers in a foreign land, where they will be oppressed as slaves for 400 years.

14But I will punish the nation that enslaves them, and in the end they will come away with great wealth.

15(As for you, you will die in peace and be buried at a ripe old age.)

16After four generations your descendants will return here to this land, for the sins of the Amorites do not yet warrant their destruction.”

. The first thing we see here is that God says:

. Remember What I Did For You

. Look at verse 7 Again:

. 7Then the LORD told him, “I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land as your possession.”

. God says remember who you were before I called you.

. We do not know much about Abram before God calls him but we do know that God chose Abram, Out of all the people in the world to father the nation that God would use to save mankind from their sin.

. Through the peoples that Abram was the patriarch, Jesus Christ came into the world.

. God is telling Abram, remember where you came from Abram.

. When you were called, you had nothing but I have been with you through it all.

. I was with you when you lied to the king of Egypt and got yourself in trouble.

. I was with you when you defeated the people who had taken your nephew lot.

. Look at yourself now Abram, you have this land and all theses possessions because I have been with you. I have blessed you Abram. I have walked with you.

. Remember who you were before you met me Abram and it will help you to believe and stand on these promises.