Abraham: MOVING TOWARD MATURITY

MOVING TOWARD MATURITY

Date July 20, 2014

Scripture Reference Genesis 15:7-23

from the series Abraham

Scripture Reading

Let us rise to our feet and together read Genesis 15:7-23

7 And he said unto him, I am the Lord that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.8 And he said, Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?9 And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.10 And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not.11 And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.12 And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.15 And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.16 But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.17 And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.18 In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:19 The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,20 And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims,21 And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites

This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. May the sweet Holy Spirit add blessings to our text this morning.... Amen! You may be seated in God's Presence. 

Introduction

Hopefully, we all know what faith is. According to the Bible it is what? "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.", Heb. 11:1. But, did you know that faith is something that is ever changing? If you are maturing in the Lord as you should be, then the faith you have this evening is far greater than the faith you had the moment you believed. Of course, the ability to exercise faith, as well as the faith to exercise, are already in you. You may not see it, you may not believe it, but it is there nonetheless. You see, faith is like a muscle, the more you exercise it, the larger and stronger it becomes. That is why the Lord leads us through difficult places in our lives. He is helping us to grow in our faith.

In this passage, we are still following the life of Abraham. If you will remember, he is a man who left his home, his family and the country of his birth to follow God. By faith he has journeyed and by faith he has lived. He followed God based on a simple promise. That promise was that he would receive a land and that he would produce heirs. In my opinion, he has exercised great faith. In God's eyes, this has been spiritual kindergarten. The Lord has some even greater tests in store for Abram's faith.

Sermon

The passage we are looking at this morning deals with the matter of Abram's faith. Here, we see him Moving Toward Maturity. As we consider what the Lord is doing in the life of Abram in this passage, let us consider that the Lord wants to grow us too. He wants to move us toward maturity, day by day. Allow me to share a few thoughts that present themselves in this passage.

I. V. 7-8 THE CONCERN OF ABRAM'S FAITH

A. V. 7 God's Reminder  

 God opens this section with a reminder of who He is and what He is doing. His reminder is three-fold.

1. Of His Person  

God refers to Himself as "Jehovah", "The Self-Existent One." God is merely reminding Abram Who he is dealing with.

(Note: We have a tendency to forget just who is in control of the events of life. It would do us good to remember that we serve "Jehovah God" He was here before anything and He will be here after everything. And, He controls all things that happen in between. He is a powerful God, Job 42:2; Luke 1:37. He is a present God, Heb. 13:5; Matt. 20:28. He is a perceptive God, Heb. 4:13; Pro. 15:3. He is in control of all of life. If we could ever get our souls around that truth, it would revolutionize our lives!)

2. Of His Power  

God reminds Abram that Abram is where he is today because of the power of God. Abram did nothing to get where he was, it was all God.

(Note: may we also remember that what we have, what we are and where we are, are all a product of the Lord's work in our lives, 1 Cor. 15:10. You name the area of your life and you can count on the fact that it is all God and not you!)

3. Of His Plan  

God reminds Abram that He brought him out so that He might give Abram a new land. God's purpose was to take this childless pilgrim and transform him into father of a great nation.

(Note: I just want to remind you that God has a wonderful plan for your life, Rom. 8:28. You and I need to be careful lest we hinder that plan and bring pain and hardship upon ourselves. Let me just remind you that God's plan is always a good plan, it is always the best plan, it is always the right and perfect plan! Therefore, find God's plan for your life and walk in it!)

B. V. 8 Abram's Response  

Some have taken this question by Abram to be an expression of doubt. His question is not doubt but curiosity. He is merely asking the Lord for more information. God doesn't mind His people asking for more information. It is doubt that bothers Him, James 1:5-8.

(Note: The contrast is clearly seen in the two responses given by Zacharias, Luke 1:18; and Mary, Luke 1:34. When you hear from the Lord, do you respond by asking for more information, or do you immediately begin to question the truth of what you have heard?)

I.  THE CONCERN OF ABRAM'S FAITH

II. V. 9-11 THE CHALLENGE TO ABRAM'S FAITH

(Ill. In response to Abram's question, the Lord makes a strange demand. This demand served as a challenge to the faith of this man. By the way, faith that isn't tested isn't really faith at all.)

(Note:It is important that we see the significance of the animals used in this ritual. Abraham is before the Levitical law; however, these animals were later used in the Levitical sacrifices, and they are interpreted for us in the law.

Heifer Speaks of purification of sin – passive sin (Num. 19). We are responsible for passive sin. Passive sin includes sins that are committed unintentionally, or the sin of doing nothing! (See Jam. 4:17).

Ram Speaks of consecration (Ex. 29). Consecration means separation. God demands a certain separation from us if we are to be holy. There is too much mixture in God’s people (I Pet. 2:11-12).

She Goat Speaks of sins of ignorance (Num. 15:27). Some of God’s people are guilty of sins that they are not aware of. (Ignorance is not an excuse.) The reason for the ignorance is because they either haven’t been taught the law or they don’t care to know it (Rom. 3:20).

Turtle Dove Speaks of the burnt offering (law or first mention) Lev. 1:14. The burnt offering speaks of commitment. Romans 12:1-2 gives a New Testament analogy. The first commandment is to love the Lord your God with all….

Pigeon Speaks of the sin offering (Lev. 5:7). The sin offering deals with the nature of sin. God wants us to know the full provision of the cross, and victory over the sin nature. Victory over sin does not mean eradication of the sin nature, but rather dominion over it (Rom. 6:14.)).

A. V. 9-10 The Challenge Of Preparation  

God's request is for Abram to prepare a sacrifice. This whole event was how men in ancient times made a covenant with one another. They would cut animals in half and arrange the pieces several feet apart and walk between the pieces together. It symbolized the sacredness of a man's word. It said, "May I be like one of these animals if I break my part of the covenant." For Abram, it took a lot of costly, hard, bloody work to prepare things like the Lord wanted them to be.

(Note: Friend, we need to remember that when the Lord makes a requirement of your life or mine, it will often require us to commit to some hard work on our part. The great things of God do not come easy, they do not come cheap, nor do they come to the lazy. God's best is reserved for those who are will to pay the price. What is that price? Pray, holiness, separation, obedience, etc. Ill. Wood, hay, stubble, gold, silver, precious stones, 1 Cor. 3:12.)

(Note: We must fulfill the offerings in order to come into God’s fullness. These sacrifices represent areas where God deals with us along this pilgrim journey. Christ historically fulfilled these offerings in His “once for all” sacrifice. We will fulfill them spiritually as we walk in the Spirit – as we yield to the Spirit, and overcome through the empowerment of the Spirit. As St. Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me!”)

B. V. 11 The Challenge Of Protection  

As Abram waited for the Lord to come by and meet with him, the birds of prey began to descend on the animal carcasses. Abram had to shoo them away to protect the sacrifice from being devoured.

(Note: When the Lord begins to move in your faith life, you can count on the fact that every vulture in the world will come against you to devour what the Lord is trying to do in your life.When we have made a commitment to the Lord, then the fowls (or evil spirits, emissaries of Satan) try to destroy and spoil that which we have devoted to God. Psalm 118:27 commands us to bind the sacrifice unto the altar with cords. It is so easy to take back from the altar what we have placed there, or for “the fowls of

the air” to devour and ruin our sacrifice. In Matthew 13:4 and 19, “the fowls of the air” represent Satan and evil spirits. These try to steal the sown Word out of the hearts of men. If we allow them, many vultures will try to take away our time, our concentration, or commitment to the Lord and His work. We need to be on guard to protect what the Lord wants to do in our lives and allow nothing to hinder it or prevent us from seeing it come to pass.)

(Note: The birds have a prophetic significance in that they picture the nations that would attempt to defeat Israel.)

C. V. 11 The Challenge Of Patience  

I get the impression that this activity took Abram most of the day. He is in a holding pattern. He has the sacrifice ready, he is guarding it and the Lord doesn't show up until after darkness has fallen. It was a time that required patience on the part of Abraham.It was almost as if Abram had lapsed into a coma, but this was a God-given coma because the Lord was going to show Abraham his powerlessness in this covenant! This was going to be a covenant agreed upon between the Father and the Son. Abram was like a bystander in this covenant.

(Note: God never runs on our schedule! We try to get ready for Him and line up with what He is doing in our lives. We wait and we wait for Him to show up and move in us and through us. He will, but only when He is ready! Therefore, if the Lord is working in your life, be patient and wait on His timing. Don't rush in as we have a tendency to do, just wait patiently on Him and He will bring it to pass, Isa. 40:31. God knows the timing, we do not!)

I.  THE CONCERN OF ABRAM'S FAITH

II. THE CHALLENGE TO ABRAM'S FAITH

III. V. 12-21 THE CONFIRMATION OF ABRAM'S FAITH

A. V. 12 The Darkness  

When the Lord did finally show up, Abram was enveloped in a great darkness. Part of the darkness was due to the time of day, it was night time after all! The rest was due to the work of the Lord in his life. God brought Abram into a dark time so that God might increase and mature his faith.

(Note: God still does this in the lives of His people. He sends us into the dark times of life so that we might learn to trust Him more. He allows our faith to be matured in the darkness. Ill. 3 Hebrews, the disciples, Daniel, Noah, etc. all had to face their darkness to learn that the Lord could handle their situation. Therefore, do not fear your darkness, for if you are saved, then the Lord is working out His perfect will in your life and He is growing you into more perfect maturity. No one said it would be fun, but it sure is beneficial!)

B. V. 13-16 The Details  

During this time of Darkness, the Lord comes to Abram to tell him of God's plans for the children of Abram, who have yet to be born. God goes into great detail to let Abram know that which He was about to do. The details must have been as frightening. 

(Note: The grace of God in delaying the blessing on His people to give the Amorites space to repent, v. 16. God allows wickedness to come to a head before his judgment fully comes. It is like the parable of the tares and the wheat. They must first ripen out – become fully visible for what they are. These are people that have fully chosen to be evil, and God’s judgment shall be complete and justifiable! The final generation shall be a harvest generation – both of good and evil! The harvest of the earth is fully ripe (Rev. 14:18-19)) 

(Note: Just for the record, God doesn't usually come by with all the details of that which He is doing. He wants His children to learn to walk by faith and not by sight. We are reminded of this truth 4 times in the Bible, Hab. 2:4; Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11; Heb. 10:38. God only has to speak one time on any subject for us to know what He thinks about it. But, when He tells us the same thing four times in the Bible, it must mean that He wants us to get a handle on it! In other words, don't go to God to try and make Him prove something, just take Him at His word and let Him work out the details in His Own way!)

C. V. 17-21 The Documentation  

As I have mentioned this ceremony was part of an ancient covenant ceremony. The smoking furnace and the burning lamp are metaphors of God the Father and God the Son. Here, the Lord comes down in His glory, the first time it has been seen on earth since man sinned in Eden, and He passes between the sacrifice. He is confirming His covenant with Abram. Usually both parties had to pass through together. However, this covenant is one sided. Irregardless of what Abram, or his descendants do, this covenant is as good as the Name of God. It will be fulfilled! 

The significance of this agreement is that the Father and the Son agreed upon this covenant. They passed through the parts. Abraham was in a deep sleep and was powerless to fulfill any part of this covenant. God the Father and God the Son would be the enabling force and “They” would bring it to pass. This shows us the immutability of the covenant that God made with Abram and his seed.

(Note: The change from "I will", Gen. 12:1; 12:7; 13:15; 13:17; to "I have", Gen. 15:18. This is a done deal and it cannot be changed!)

(Note: This covenant cemented the faith of Abram in place and gave him a sure promise to hang his hat on. Thank God for the promises of God that make faith possible! Many of His promises are "If you will then I will" in nature, Rom. 10:13; Acts 16:31; Matt. 6:33; Phil. 4:19. However, His greatest promises are cut in stone and they are one sided. Regardless of what we may do, His promises still stand and will stand, Heb. 13:15; Acts 1:8; John 10:28; John 14:1-3; 1 Thes. 4:13-18; 1 Cor. 15:51-52; etc.)

(Note: The promises and covenants of the Lord are given to encourage and confirm our faith in Him. As we accept Him at His word and order our lives after His will, we mature in His image!  Today, the land issue in the Middle East is a fiery bed of contention. The enemies of Israel contend for the land because they are fighting against the promise of God. In the end Abraham and his seed shall inherit the full package – from the Euphrates to the river of Egypt!)

Invitation and Final Challenge

How's your faith today? Maybe like Abram you are sitting looking at your life and wondering "How?"; "Why?"; "What?"; "When?". Listen, God is not afraid of your questions. He is not opposed to your asking them. All He is looking for is that person who will come before Him faith. He is looking for that person who will simply take Him at His Word and believe Him, regardless of how things look or how they may personally feel about the matter. He is looking for some people that He can grow up in Him for His Own glory. Are you that person this morning? Do you want all that the Lord has for you? If so, let Him move you toward maturity. It all begins with you taking that first step of faith, so that you can come before Him and ask Him to begin working in your life. Who will do that today?