The Sermon Abram - Making Promises Happen? by David McGee
Apr 21, 2013
Abram - Making Promises Happen? (38:49)
Referenced Scriptures: Genesis 15:1-6; Genesis 16:1-6; Matthew 19:26
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The scriptures below are from the WEB Bible.
Genesis 15:1-6
1) After these things the word of Yahweh came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Don‘t be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward."
2) Abram said, "Lord Yahweh, what will you give me, seeing I go childless, and he who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?"
3) Abram said, "Behold, to me you have given no seed: and, behold, one born in my house is my heir."
4) Behold, the word of Yahweh came to him, saying, "This man will not be your heir, but he who will come forth out of your own body will be your heir."
5) Yahweh brought him outside, and said, "Look now toward the sky, and count the stars, if you be able to count them." He said to Abram, "So shall your seed be."
6) He believed in Yahweh; and he reckoned it to him for righteousness.
Genesis 16:1-6
1) Now Sarai, Abram‘s wife, bore him no children. She had a handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.
2) Sarai said to Abram," See now, Yahweh has restrained me from bearing. Please go in to my handmaid. It may be that I will obtain children by her." Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.
3) Sarai, Abram‘s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her handmaid, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to Abram her husband to be his wife.
4) He went in to Hagar, and she conceived. When she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.
5) Sarai said to Abram, "This wrong is your fault. I gave my handmaid into your bosom, and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes. Yahweh judge between me and you."
6) But Abram said to Sarai, "Behold, your maid is in your hand. Do to her whatever is good in your eyes." Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her face.
Matthew 19:26
26) Looking at them, Jesus said, "With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible."
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Please think of this up last week with the terrorists than the killings and bombings and things. It's it's unsettling, but yet it's doesn't nothing touches God by surprise. But God knows these things are there and we would be our question sometimes would be while God. Why don't you stop these things from happening. Why don't we somehow ill interrupt all of this from its occurrences in our lives in our nation and things like that but you know it's sad, but people have a free will to make a choice and that's a good thing, and it's a bad thing. It's a good thing when we use it properly. It's a bad thing. Whatever we do it with the intent of hurting or stepping in somebody else's territory hurting their lives and today I have a descriptor words were still talking about Abram and we will be this next week or two and Abraham making promises happen and I have a? after making promises happen and? that's a question because if that doesn't ring true in your mind will making something happen. There is a couple of different ways that we look at this end we want to make sure that by the end of our message today we have a a a very concrete idea as about how that the promises of God come into our lives and how that we then allow these promises to be fulfilled in our life and we don't make them happen. You know, we don't make promises happen. We cannot make God do anything you can tell God what he supposed to do. You can't even tell the person beside you what they're supposed to do it, but not to listen. I don't want to do what they want. Anyhow, right. So if we awaken, we can tell, but we can make it easy and not in this home, then the hose one promises that God has given to us begins what it promises, so that we can allow the promises to work in our lives. So by faith. We believe the promise by faith we believe what God would give to us, such as if you confess your sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us of your sins and forget Al- Falluja from all unrighteousness. That's a promise. So if we confess God honors the promise and when we confess we ask Christ for forgiveness. The promises we will be forgiven, so we can't say I hate you know what I I said this in Utah to do this. It's based on love, not upon a obligation, so, God loves us enough that he is going to work in our lives is to provide for us and provide to us. Promises provide to us. What is needed for us to accomplish the goals and so on. Then he has for us in our lives. Well, we have God 's provision and we have God 's promise. We know that God is the shepherd who leads his sheep. Sheep hear his voice and respond we will see then how that in this Scripture today we will see how that God works this in any logo, iPhone, Abram, know Abram has a problem anger is eighty five years old and he doesn't have a son together had any children and solve all he has is a promise of for ten years now he has been wandering around. He has left our localities and traveled to this promised land gone down to Egypt and back out of Egypt back to his funeral to his land. The last week we had him and chapter fourteen we the Kings coming in conquering slot amend the more and other cities, and they took Lot captive and so Abram pursued this army with three hundred and eighteen men and defeated the army and took all of the goods that this army had had stolen, plus everything they brought with them, and he brought it back and he gave a testament to not tested that and the king of Sodom says you keep them, you keep everything it does give us our people, and Abram said, I will not keep one's shoelace of what I have taken because I don't want anyone to say you made me rich. Only God is the one who's been providing for me and so Abraham gave the king of Sodom, what to get all the things of the belonged to him and the other Kingsley, he distributed the while that was taken from them, and he gave it back to them while now we have an chapter fifteen, which is our our Scripture today we began after all these things the word of the Lord take a Haberman, a vision don't be afraid, Abram, I am your shield, your reward will be great while what's going on anymore who's afraid what's he afraid of while some believe that he is afraid that these kings that he destroyed it already when, after an took their spoils a young age. Maybe things came in and in Concord, Sodom and the other kings of the cities that were around that area make a menace to look them over and were headed back to their home and Abram caught up to them and conquered them, and took all their goods as a laborer was perhaps afraid that this King is going to come back after him, because it is a live in a city. It was intense. It has a little walled city Elizabeth as for no man out in the desert is very vulnerable very vulnerable to people. The Army needs that may come after him and attacked him. So he's afraid, but God comes to him in this time and says Dan Abrams on your shields know when we think of how that Abraham has been promised. I want to give you a son. I'm going to be descendents of as a sense of the seashore. I'm going to bless you out of your descendents will come a great nation, so he has all these things. He's carrying around that for ten years. Nothing is happen. God shows up here in this in this chapter here after all this had taken place with this king in which he had conquered and gave it a tenth to, not Saturday and process on your shields. Now I think of Paul's description of the Roman soldier that the helmet of salvation, the business. In short, the sword of the word in the shield of faith and the shield of faith is that which is to come, which is to quench all the fiery darts of the enemy fiery darts were arrows that they would shoot the room lit up, you know, and the Roman soldiers would cover their shields in like leather. The wooden children, with rawhide or something and they would stop that sometimes in water so that when the fiery darts would hit it. Their shield wouldn't burn and God is telling a room that I'm your shield. I'm the one who is going to protect you and I am your reward. Think of it in the context that Abram has given back to all these cities. They are well any is kept none of it for himself because he would not allow anyone to claim that he that he got Raburn God as well. I'm from God and God tells Abram and this time it says on your protector that these days I'm going to protect you should these can come back at you that you defeated that our panic on the array, but I will be your shield and a broom. I am your reward, so Abram now is in this position in this place where God is speaking to him and we find that in our own life. Christ comes to loss that any space to laws into our hearts, promises that in Christ shall all be made alive in Christ. I am more than a conqueror in Christ all things pass away all that behold all things become new. I'm a changed life unchanged from the inside out because Christ has forgiven me that in Christ, he, he is our eternal reward that what Christ has we inherit we are and we would have an inheritance in our relationship with Christ. So, just as God promised Abraham sold to. We have promises from God to our lives and verse two says Abrams said that I starts, Abrams said one version has it that it does. But Abram said, and I was trying to make sense of God 's promise, but within the limitations that he already has his many children. How can I have how can this happen, you know, when Jesus declares in Matthew nineteen twenty six with man this is impossible with God all things are possible, we find that God has placed within us a whole a an understanding that God is capable of doing what we are not capable of doing anger here is eighty five years old and she is telling God, God master why use are your gifts as long as I'm childless what you sow your gifts, your yard by inheritance, your all of this to me. But, unless I have a child everything you promised me for nothing. It goes to Eleazar, and an annual tradition. How does it, that the eldest servant that whatever the master has. He doesn't have any descendents. It's given to the eldest servant while yelling. Each of our lives. We should have no wills and we should have things in order for families dealing with individuals that tragedies happen. They are ill tragedies in a draw life unexpected and if we don't have things in place we're in trouble. And oh, you don't realize if you will have a will and you don't have things in place for your family when the state can send and they all families of English families with low. I thought so-and-so did this about some of the debt they didn't and they end up taking themselves the court in the state fights not for you, but against you to take a large portion, and they will do whatever they can, and know to pay to have their will seen in this the litigations and so on. Because of what they feel is correct and what you feel goes out the window because you're not here to object. Here to tell your own side or on storing salt and financially if you don't have a will. Your descendents will wait at least a year, two years in litigation to be able to get whatever it is ever put into somebody's account so you see will send having you are the state. Several will have much doesn't matter whatever you have the state undertaken and hold it until you've ever comes and tries the film tries claimant and goes through the legal courts of getting well and ran in those times. Abram was if he would have died. He didn't have a job and so, God, you're my shield your my question on my wealth goes to my eldest servant, and nothing is fulfilled from what you given to me what God has promised Abram a child. This will make the agreement, the contract complete says I have a child. The contract will be for will will be fulfilled. But without a child. Promises are worthless verses four and five. They say him up there. The reader computer, then God 's message came. Don't worry, the wearing will be afraid he won't be your hair meaning Eleazar, then they many took it outside and said, look at sky go outside and look up at the night sky. Now there's no complications here. There's no interruptions. He takes Abram outside and says, look up in the sky and count the stars can you count the stars, Abram Moses God having a conversation with Abram, can you count the stars can't your descendents, you're going to have a big family Abraham, you're going to have descendents like the stars of the sky in Abrams says I don't have time you see, God promised ten descendents in here we are hearing something is aware in our spirit and knowing that God is speaking something to our hearts are likely to be in the truth of the Scripture. The dreams that we I live that there are other things that we want. We desire things that we believe are part of God 's plan for our life, and they become vacant, going back to the surface and inside of us. And just like the promises that were given to labor, but we kind of look at them and say, well, that's pretty good, but I don't really think it can happen while April does the same thing with God descendents too numerous to count no children. For many couples is not a problem but fragrant. It doesn't have a child. God takes amounts no distractions. Just look up in the sky, the vastness of the ninth in the God who spoke this universe into existence is the same God who, speaking to your heart sing. God is speaking the waiver. How fast is the promise of God. How fast does the promises of God to get all the vastness of that promise comes back down to labor meant to him. Being without a child. It is possible for us to make promises happen. What good is a divine promise to death the challenge of the title of the sermon making promises happen. The challenges that if we can make it happen on our own. What we need God for God is giving us promises God is giving us things are beyond our capability beyond our thoughts beyond our imagination like we have an eternal home. We don't know what it's like this be an eternity. We don't know what the glories of heaven are but God tells us they are there but we also have the guy has a provision replace the plan. The purpose of our lives. It reminds us of this all the time. Every day we awakened there are promises we know about promise in his murder inside of us and if spirit reminds us of the things, and yet were challenged to well within my limitations, I can't see this happening. But she got the point, God gives us promises he gives us these dreams. Dreams that are not dreams. Dreams are not dreams so regard there is dreams are sometimes bad pizza dreams are sometimes based on ego in what we want to forward and get out of it, but dreams sometimes are a inspiration of God upon our hearts about being doing accomplishing that these things are there is not over yet and we would look at our limitations, and we look at our limitations and say why analysis that pizza a system that's just something that can't really be happening to me because of it. We do the Abraham shuffle I I can't see how this is going to happen. You're saying the things, but it doesn't work miracles, is that which is beyond our beyond natural abilities. Promises have us focus on outcomes that are beyond what we can perform. God causes us to look at outcomes that are way beyond what we could do on our own, but humility. God is touching our lives to make this happen. Verse six. Any believe lame dog, God declared himself right with God. So God says Abraham. That's right, it's going to happen. Abram believed in everything 's in the right order right relationship is all going to be good and so God is the basis of our faith. There is a heartfelt inner confidence that this is going to happen. God is good performance and he actually says he has annealed to what he says he will do it settle and it's all done. It's all in good order, and Abram received the promise, and he's confident once again that he's on the right course, and that he is doing the right things and so now what happens. This is where this is where the wheels fall off the wagon. This is where Christians and people get into trouble this where we find ourselves sometimes trying to find what's wrong because God has made a promise. God doesn't fail in his promises, and we believe that he is going to do something, but it doesn't happen. And so what we begin to do would be got we gone which went on somebody's got to be wrong here. Something 's got to be known as guiding us that the that I remember people 's elements. There's got to be sin somewhere in somebody's life. They start looking for the sin they start looking for this problem. They start looking for that problem. They start blaming it whenever you have to blame someone for God, not doing something you've totally missed it when people begin to blame at the find fault with themselves and with others you are missing what God is trying to say they're not going to find the answer in the blame not to find the reason that things are working out because there is some under hidden problem somewhere in someone's life and Al Kotz told me it's your fault that I'm not blessed no while I have been in many situations where people have wanted to blame others for why they are the way they are in now if you hadn't done this if you hadn't said this if they hadn't did this and they hadn't done that, I'd be much better off than they had been this that are now there's a book with the call itself aloof to cheese is long on over the cheese. There was Haman on scurrying wealth sniff, sniff and scurrying him in awe, and in all there is these very least a little before my site performance device where what they were guys and celebrities to my soon to guys. I and some emergencies and they go back to the spot where they get the changes in this the one that chooses not, but I forget who did what the film left in and when often they never were heard they were hard on the tube and sat around. They kept coming back waiting for the cheese to come back and she's never came back. And so finally they were forced to make a decision and they had to go find a cheese and not Americans. Not a big read. It's not a five thousand page book like war and peace things like that is just a little bit of a loan payment on whatever and who moved the cheese and how the people have such a hard time changing and we look at this. We know that God has given us the divine promise, and we know that things are going well, but net things are going well and we have a promise and I am a promise, then the possibility of the width that will be a great big bundle of potentiality. Yes, all that knows not to the stretch that but the other things as well. As a result, recently regularly whenever kids. The diamond children's church, though I think they they thing about the bubbly look at this stuff when we look at the promises in which an end, nothing is happening. So therefore, something strongly wrong somewhere. And so we start looking to blame and in chapter sixteen, we found the culprit. Now Sarah Abrams wife hadn't yet produced a child while it's obvious that I was not a promise, his wife can't have children. Therefore, at Sarah 's wife know Sarah 's life, it's ember 's wife Sarah, and it's her fault. After all women at that time. If you couldn't have a dynamic children have a child. They were cursed by God. So that's easy to blame someone who is unable to have a child so she was to blame, and considers that Bob was the reason she was unable to have a child got it made a promise to Abram God had tradition are with the word superstition had said God had cursed samurai because she couldn't have children. So therefore, we found the culprit to not having her aprons to send so how do you resolve this problem. Well, you can either focus on the promise and the outcome or you find a reason for the failure and someone to blame. So what happened several times. She had an Egyptian maid named Hagar Sarah, I said to Abram God has not seen fit to let me have a child. So you see Sarai, Abram 's been talking to Sarah his wife about this promise about these things of God 's been saying to him. God hasn't shown up and told Sarah Ryan in these things, she just heard the idea that God has made all these promises. They were and she can sign up so therefore there's something wrong with her issue happens when we start blaming when we believe that something should happen and it doesn't happen. We often blame someone. But perhaps what we know in this case a prime had hadn't arrived at the right place and time had an array of arrived at the place when he is ninety nine years old. Beyond having a child and summarize ninety years old and way beyond having a child for God to perform the miracle they are not old enough for this to happen you so is only eighty six the whenever we blame were only making excuses for something that we expect the dust hasn't happened, and it's got a be someone's fault. We don't blame will find reasons to cut people off from our life. So what happens here, so I said Weber and God is not seen fit to let me have a child. So Sarah, I same. While you know I can have a child. It's God 's fault to know God has made your promise is God who hasn't given me a child. So therefore, you have to sleep with my made. Maybe I can get a family from her. This was a tradition Abraham agreed to watch. There I said so he don't quickly. Logical operator that this was tradition of a woman couldn't have a child that her maidservant of you know, the first in line remains would be take over her position and their children for her dislike of the servants who was going to be the inheritance of all that Abraham had a beating average voter is going to go through his first sermon while this case, you can have a child. So therefore Abraham gets the first server in seras servant Hagar so Sarai Abram 's wife took in the Egyptian maid Hagar gave her to her husband Abram as a wife and Redmond living ten years in Cana when this took place. He slept with Hagar, and she did. She got pregnant. When Hagar learned that she was pregnant. She looked down on her mistress, so I told Abram, it's all your fault that I'm suffering this abuse I put my made in bed with you and the minute she knows she's pregnant. She treats me like I'm nothing. May God decide which of us is right. So there's got within the camp because we found someone to blame and everything was logically and everything was traditionally in order no. There was. There wasn't like some wild abuse going on here that the LSAT 's apron when I'm right. The woman, and on that note, tradition, and this is how they did think of those days, and so they did all things according to how they figured out how the thing should happen to see this is where we as Christians have a higher law than low the law of logic, while a face, but it doesn't quite fit the we can make this happen we can make the promises happen. Well, it's not about making then it's allowed it's about being available to God for God to use us, so that the promises can come in our life. The sometimes we do have to step out in faith. Sometimes we have to move beyond our comfort zone. Sometimes we have to recognize what's going on here and not give into the temptation of while it's your fault, it's their fault if it's the government 's fault, it's no news that goes at fault here for this terrorists. The default for this is these two individuals were to find someone, and rightfully so. There are individuals who are accountable, but we look our life and we we got to look at it in the context would often make God bless us. We are going to believe God for his promises to come into our life. So you can't make promises happen. You can you can believe that God will fulfill his promise is the color thinking of the difference between Disney what's Disney's make all your dreams come true. No Disney mix up make all your dreams come true. Their fairytales and there are castles in their magic. The Magic Kingdom and there are all these things for children to believe in and to make all of their dreams come true but there are promises that we must believe in, to allow God to make them real in my life, and Abraham Abrams at this point has a son and the son is named Ishmael. And you know if this is part that we know we don't often understand I don't understand God has made a promise to labor and even though Abram cannot neighbor makes is we would look at Jewish tradition in our tradition, we would say that Abram made a mistake and he had a son named Ishmael Ishmael is the father of the Arab nations. Ishmael had ten sons and from those sons, Cain Mohamed, the prophet and to the Arab nation. Ishmael is not the mistake. Isaac is Isaac from the Jewish perspective is the lineage of Christ and the hope of the Christian faith, and we find how that from Abraham to God made him a promise he would of descendents as great as discussed young stars in the heavens, any as to lying to come out from his desire to make something happen. Ishmael and his desire to believe God for something someone to happen and that is I Isaac, Isaac, Jacob, whose later today. Turned Israel the ten finger ten the twelve tribes of Israel in Egypt delivered from Egypt and the descendents of Christ and through the promised land that is now Israel, and we look at these things and say wow, we see how God worked through Abraham to honor a promise, and gave them the potential and you can read he have to read all this in his lot into more than one. I'm just saying. But we find how that through Isaac is where the blessing comes, it is to Isaac through the Jewish nation and true Christianity of Christ and through Christianity that we have God becoming man and dwelling with us where God came and paid the price. Christianity is different than Islam and all the other because God has come to be our Savior, God has made the provision we do the accepting in the other ones we have to become good enough to be accepted by God. That's not how this works. It's all in our faith, we have a relationship with Jesus Christ. I would have a relationship that changes us from the inside out, and God gives us promises, promises that will guide our life and you hope to get us eternal life, the beef you blow yourself up for the cause. You will immediately go to heaven and be merry to ten virgins who that's the terrorist teaching, Jesus taught. If you love someone, you will give your life for your brother. If you love someone, not what you're going to get us how you're going to receive. You don't make promises happen. You will allow the promise as you follow Christ, you allow the promises to be made real in your life and believing a promise given by God. There is a time when we can do and make. We can make something happen, but making a dream come true is I I look at that is Disney God gives us dreams to help us see beyond our present to what he can do when us in the dreams that are formulated by God always come with a promise. The dreams that are formulated by God, the promise the promise of God is going to bless that dream and make it fruitful for his kingdom in four four our life and our service to him is like David in El Salvador. He's able to go there and people for years, Christians have been praying for God to provide for them. While now, the group that David is working with this answering their prayers because he is helping them have garden we can now be these helping them to find water drill wells, they can now have fresh water to drink in the dry season. He is helping them become the God has answered their prayers. You know in a everyone of those communities in El Salvador is a church is a Christian church in every community in El Salvador. Even most world places have churches, but they still haven't found that way to make things happen. Now God has answered their prayers through your contributions in your giving and your missions and things we sending David Alton and loss layouts and all these things to make make their life different. They had a data vision had a dream that had a calling, and they've made a difference in thousands of people 's lives by the time they're done they want to have entire country of El Salvador touched by an law say, and by these ways of people taking care of themselves. That was a promise, born in one person 's heart. Now going out and making a difference in the country. She wasn't. It was a it was a promise given by God, that as you put yourself to the task. We see how God is bringing it together. Abram he he couldn't see how God was going to give him a son through Sarah, Sarah, I will see that next week in the next chapter, we'll see how that works with this. This chapter is where Abraham tries to make it happen on zone. It doesn't work. So let's all stand selling forgot in his grace. God in his mercy he touches our lives and make the difference is like Jesus to Mary and Martha, you believe that your brother will live in rice and the dead. Jesus says I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he were dead yet shall he live to God instills a promise that brings us hope and that hope gives us strength to go on to what God wants to do it changes the direction of our life, and gives us an outcome father, thank you for your blessings. Thank you for your gifts. We thank you Lord for how you have called us to your kingdom for such a time as this. We asked the Lord with your blessing be upon your word upon our lives as we reach out to touch you that we might touch others. We pray in Jesus name and thenPlease think of this up last week with the terrorists than the killings and bombings and things. It's it's unsettling, but yet it's doesn't nothing touches God by surprise. But God knows these things are there and we would be our question sometimes would be while God. Why don't you stop these things from happening. Why don't we somehow ill interrupt all of this from its occurrences in our lives in our nation and things like that but you know it's sad, but people have a free will to make a choice and that's a good thing, and it's a bad thing. It's a good thing when we use it properly. It's a bad thing. Whatever we do it with the intent of hurting or stepping in somebody else's territory hurting their lives and today I have a descriptor words were still talking about Abram and we will be this next week or two and Abraham making promises happen and I have a? after making promises happen and? that's a question because if that doesn't ring true in your mind will making something happen. There is a couple of different ways that we look at this end we want to make sure that by the end of our message today we have a a a very concrete idea as about how that the promises of God come into our lives and how that we then allow these promises to be fulfilled in our life and we don't make them happen. You know, we don't make promises happen. We cannot make God do anything you can tell God what he supposed to do. You can't even tell the person beside you what they're supposed to do it, but not to listen. I don't want to do what they want. Anyhow, right. So if we awaken, we can tell, but we can make it easy and not in this home, then the hose one promises that God has given to us begins what it promises, so that we can allow the promises to work in our lives. So by faith. We believe the promise by faith we believe what God would give to us, such as if you confess your sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us of your sins and forget Al- Falluja from all unrighteousness. That's a promise. So if we confess God honors the promise and when we confess we ask Christ for forgiveness. The promises we will be forgiven, so we can't say I hate you know what I I said this in Utah to do this. It's based on love, not upon a obligation, so, God loves us enough that he is going to work in our lives is to provide for us and provide to us. Promises provide to us. What is needed for us to accomplish the goals and so on. Then he has for us in our lives. Well, we have God 's provision and we have God 's promise. We know that God is the shepherd who leads his sheep. Sheep hear his voice and respond we will see then how that in this Scripture today we will see how that God works this in any logo, iPhone, Abram, know Abram has a problem anger is eighty five years old and he doesn't have a son together had any children and solve all he has is a promise of for ten years now he has been wandering around. He has left our localities and traveled to this promised land gone down to Egypt and back out of Egypt back to his funeral to his land. The last week we had him and chapter fourteen we the Kings coming in conquering slot amend the more and other cities, and they took Lot captive and so Abram pursued this army with three hundred and eighteen men and defeated the army and took all of the goods that this army had had stolen, plus everything they brought with them, and he brought it back and he gave a testament to not tested that and the king of Sodom says you keep them, you keep everything it does give us our people, and Abram said, I will not keep one's shoelace of what I have taken because I don't want anyone to say you made me rich. Only God is the one who's been providing for me and so Abraham gave the king of Sodom, what to get all the things of the belonged to him and the other Kingsley, he distributed the while that was taken from them, and he gave it back to them while now we have an chapter fifteen, which is our our Scripture today we began after all these things the word of the Lord take a Haberman, a vision don't be afraid, Abram, I am your shield, your reward will be great while what's going on anymore who's afraid what's he afraid of while some believe that he is afraid that these kings that he destroyed it already when, after an took their spoils a young age. Maybe things came in and in Concord, Sodom and the other kings of the cities that were around that area make a menace to look them over and were headed back to their home and Abram caught up to them and conquered them, and took all their goods as a laborer was perhaps afraid that this King is going to come back after him, because it is a live in a city. It was intense. It has a little walled city Elizabeth as for no man out in the desert is very vulnerable very vulnerable to people. The Army needs that may come after him and attacked him. So he's afraid, but God comes to him in this time and says Dan Abrams on your shields know when we think of how that Abraham has been promised. I want to give you a son. I'm going to be descendents of as a sense of the seashore. I'm going to bless you out of your descendents will come a great nation, so he has all these things. He's carrying around that for ten years. Nothing is happen. God shows up here in this in this chapter here after all this had taken place with this king in which he had conquered and gave it a tenth to, not Saturday and process on your shields. Now I think of Paul's description of the Roman soldier that the helmet of salvation, the business. In short, the sword of the word in the shield of faith and the shield of faith is that which is to come, which is to quench all the fiery darts of the enemy fiery darts were arrows that they would shoot the room lit up, you know, and the Roman soldiers would cover their shields in like leather. The wooden children, with rawhide or something and they would stop that sometimes in water so that when the fiery darts would hit it. Their shield wouldn't burn and God is telling a room that I'm your shield. I'm the one who is going to protect you and I am your reward. Think of it in the context that Abram has given back to all these cities. They are well any is kept none of it for himself because he would not allow anyone to claim that he that he got Raburn God as well. I'm from God and God tells Abram and this time it says on your protector that these days I'm going to protect you should these can come back at you that you defeated that our panic on the array, but I will be your shield and a broom. I am your reward, so Abram now is in this position in this place where God is speaking to him and we find that in our own life. Christ comes to loss that any space to laws into our hearts, promises that in Christ shall all be made alive in Christ. I am more than a conqueror in Christ all things pass away all that behold all things become new. I'm a changed life unchanged from the inside out because Christ has forgiven me that in Christ, he, he is our eternal reward that what Christ has we inherit we are and we would have an inheritance in our relationship with Christ. So, just as God promised Abraham sold to. We have promises from God to our lives and verse two says Abrams said that I starts, Abrams said one version has it that it does. But Abram said, and I was trying to make sense of God 's promise, but within the limitations that he already has his many children. How can I have how can this happen, you know, when Jesus declares in Matthew nineteen twenty six with man this is impossible with God all things are possible, we find that God has placed within us a whole a an understanding that God is capable of doing what we are not capable of doing anger here is eighty five years old and she is telling God, God master why use are your gifts as long as I'm childless what you sow your gifts, your yard by inheritance, your all of this to me. But, unless I have a child everything you promised me for nothing. It goes to Eleazar, and an annual tradition. How does it, that the eldest servant that whatever the master has. He doesn't have any descendents. It's given to the eldest servant while yelling. Each of our lives. We should have no wills and we should have things in order for families dealing with individuals that tragedies happen. They are ill tragedies in a draw life unexpected and if we don't have things in place we're in trouble. And oh, you don't realize if you will have a will and you don't have things in place for your family when the state can send and they all families of English families with low. I thought so-and-so did this about some of the debt they didn't and they end up taking themselves the court in the state fights not for you, but against you to take a large portion, and they will do whatever they can, and know to pay to have their will seen in this the litigations and so on. Because of what they feel is correct and what you feel goes out the window because you're not here to object. Here to tell your own side or on storing salt and financially if you don't have a will. Your descendents will wait at least a year, two years in litigation to be able to get whatever it is ever put into somebody's account so you see will send having you are the state. Several will have much doesn't matter whatever you have the state undertaken and hold it until you've ever comes and tries the film tries claimant and goes through the legal courts of getting well and ran in those times. Abram was if he would have died. He didn't have a job and so, God, you're my shield your my question on my wealth goes to my eldest servant, and nothing is fulfilled from what you given to me what God has promised Abram a child. This will make the agreement, the contract complete says I have a child. The contract will be for will will be fulfilled. But without a child. Promises are worthless verses four and five. They say him up there. The reader computer, then God 's message came. Don't worry, the wearing will be afraid he won't be your hair meaning Eleazar, then they many took it outside and said, look at sky go outside and look up at the night sky. Now there's no complications here. There's no interruptions. He takes Abram outside and says, look up in the sky and count the stars can you count the stars, Abram Moses God having a conversation with Abram, can you count the stars can't your descendents, you're going to have a big family Abraham, you're going to have descendents like the stars of the sky in Abrams says I don't have time you see, God promised ten descendents in here we are hearing something is aware in our spirit and knowing that God is speaking something to our hearts are likely to be in the truth of the Scripture. The dreams that we I live that there are other things that we want. We desire things that we believe are part of God 's plan for our life, and they become vacant, going back to the surface and inside of us. And just like the promises that were given to labor, but we kind of look at them and say, well, that's pretty good, but I don't really think it can happen while April does the same thing with God descendents too numerous to count no children. For many couples is not a problem but fragrant. It doesn't have a child. God takes amounts no distractions. Just look up in the sky, the vastness of the ninth in the God who spoke this universe into existence is the same God who, speaking to your heart sing. God is speaking the waiver. How fast is the promise of God. How fast does the promises of God to get all the vastness of that promise comes back down to labor meant to him. Being without a child. It is possible for us to make promises happen. What good is a divine promise to death the challenge of the title of the sermon making promises happen. The challenges that if we can make it happen on our own. What we need God for God is giving us promises God is giving us things are beyond our capability beyond our thoughts beyond our imagination like we have an eternal home. We don't know what it's like this be an eternity. We don't know what the glories of heaven are but God tells us they are there but we also have the guy has a provision replace the plan. The purpose of our lives. It reminds us of this all the time. Every day we awakened there are promises we know about promise in his murder inside of us and if spirit reminds us of the things, and yet were challenged to well within my limitations, I can't see this happening. But she got the point, God gives us promises he gives us these dreams. Dreams that are not dreams. Dreams are not dreams so regard there is dreams are sometimes bad pizza dreams are sometimes based on ego in what we want to forward and get out of it, but dreams sometimes are a inspiration of God upon our hearts about being doing accomplishing that these things are there is not over yet and we would look at our limitations, and we look at our limitations and say why analysis that pizza a system that's just something that can't really be happening to me because of it. We do the Abraham shuffle I I can't see how this is going to happen. You're saying the things, but it doesn't work miracles, is that which is beyond our beyond natural abilities. Promises have us focus on outcomes that are beyond what we can perform. God causes us to look at outcomes that are way beyond what we could do on our own, but humility. God is touching our lives to make this happen. Verse six. Any believe lame dog, God declared himself right with God. So God says Abraham. That's right, it's going to happen. Abram believed in everything 's in the right order right relationship is all going to be good and so God is the basis of our faith. There is a heartfelt inner confidence that this is going to happen. God is good performance and he actually says he has annealed to what he says he will do it settle and it's all done. It's all in good order, and Abram received the promise, and he's confident once again that he's on the right course, and that he is doing the right things and so now what happens. This is where this is where the wheels fall off the wagon. This is where Christians and people get into trouble this where we find ourselves sometimes trying to find what's wrong because God has made a promise. God doesn't fail in his promises, and we believe that he is going to do something, but it doesn't happen. And so what we begin to do would be got we gone which went on somebody's got to be wrong here. Something 's got to be known as guiding us that the that I remember people 's elements. There's got to be sin somewhere in somebody's life. They start looking for the sin they start looking for this problem. They start looking for that problem. They start blaming it whenever you have to blame someone for God, not doing something you've totally missed it when people begin to blame at the find fault with themselves and with others you are missing what God is trying to say they're not going to find the answer in the blame not to find the reason that things are working out because there is some under hidden problem somewhere in someone's life and Al Kotz told me it's your fault that I'm not blessed no while I have been in many situations where people have wanted to blame others for why they are the way they are in now if you hadn't done this if you hadn't said this if they hadn't did this and they hadn't done that, I'd be much better off than they had been this that are now there's a book with the call itself aloof to cheese is long on over the cheese. There was Haman on scurrying wealth sniff, sniff and scurrying him in awe, and in all there is these very least a little before my site performance device where what they were guys and celebrities to my soon to guys. I and some emergencies and they go back to the spot where they get the changes in this the one that chooses not, but I forget who did what the film left in and when often they never were heard they were hard on the tube and sat around. They kept coming back waiting for the cheese to come back and she's never came back. And so finally they were forced to make a decision and they had to go find a cheese and not Americans. Not a big read. It's not a five thousand page book like war and peace things like that is just a little bit of a loan payment on whatever and who moved the cheese and how the people have such a hard time changing and we look at this. We know that God has given us the divine promise, and we know that things are going well, but net things are going well and we have a promise and I am a promise, then the possibility of the width that will be a great big bundle of potentiality. Yes, all that knows not to the stretch that but the other things as well. As a result, recently regularly whenever kids. The diamond children's church, though I think they they thing about the bubbly look at this stuff when we look at the promises in which an end, nothing is happening. So therefore, something strongly wrong somewhere. And so we start looking to blame and in chapter sixteen, we found the culprit. Now Sarah Abrams wife hadn't yet produced a child while it's obvious that I was not a promise, his wife can't have children. Therefore, at Sarah 's wife know Sarah 's life, it's ember 's wife Sarah, and it's her fault. After all women at that time. If you couldn't have a dynamic children have a child. They were cursed by God. So that's easy to blame someone who is unable to have a child so she was to blame, and considers that Bob was the reason she was unable to have a child got it made a promise to Abram God had tradition are with the word superstition had said God had cursed samurai because she couldn't have children. So therefore, we found the culprit to not having her aprons to send so how do you resolve this problem. Well, you can either focus on the promise and the outcome or you find a reason for the failure and someone to blame. So what happened several times. She had an Egyptian maid named Hagar Sarah, I said to Abram God has not seen fit to let me have a child. So you see Sarai, Abram 's been talking to Sarah his wife about this promise about these things of God 's been saying to him. God hasn't shown up and told Sarah Ryan in these things, she just heard the idea that God has made all these promises. They were and she can sign up so therefore there's something wrong with her issue happens when we start blaming when we believe that something should happen and it doesn't happen. We often blame someone. But perhaps what we know in this case a prime had hadn't arrived at the right place and time had an array of arrived at the place when he is ninety nine years old. Beyond having a child and summarize ninety years old and way beyond having a child for God to perform the miracle they are not old enough for this to happen you so is only eighty six the whenever we blame were only making excuses for something that we expect the dust hasn't happened, and it's got a be someone's fault. We don't blame will find reasons to cut people off from our life. So what happens here, so I said Weber and God is not seen fit to let me have a child. So Sarah, I same. While you know I can have a child. It's God 's fault to know God has made your promise is God who hasn't given me a child. So therefore, you have to sleep with my made. Maybe I can get a family from her. This was a tradition Abraham agreed to watch. There I said so he don't quickly. Logical operator that this was tradition of a woman couldn't have a child that her maidservant of you know, the first in line remains would be take over her position and their children for her dislike of the servants who was going to be the inheritance of all that Abraham had a beating average voter is going to go through his first sermon while this case, you can have a child. So therefore Abraham gets the first server in seras servant Hagar so Sarai Abram 's wife took in the Egyptian maid Hagar gave her to her husband Abram as a wife and Redmond living ten years in Cana when this took place. He slept with Hagar, and she did. She got pregnant. When Hagar learned that she was pregnant. She looked down on her mistress, so I told Abram, it's all your fault that I'm suffering this abuse I put my made in bed with you and the minute she knows she's pregnant. She treats me like I'm nothing. May God decide which of us is right. So there's got within the camp because we found someone to blame and everything was logically and everything was traditionally in order no. There was. There wasn't like some wild abuse going on here that the LSAT 's apron when I'm right. The woman, and on that note, tradition, and this is how they did think of those days, and so they did all things according to how they figured out how the thing should happen to see this is where we as Christians have a higher law than low the law of logic, while a face, but it doesn't quite fit the we can make this happen we can make the promises happen. Well, it's not about making then it's allowed it's about being available to God for God to use us, so that the promises can come in our life. The sometimes we do have to step out in faith. Sometimes we have to move beyond our comfort zone. Sometimes we have to recognize what's going on here and not give into the temptation of while it's your fault, it's their fault if it's the government 's fault, it's no news that goes at fault here for this terrorists. The default for this is these two individuals were to find someone, and rightfully so. There are individuals who are accountable, but we look our life and we we got to look at it in the context would often make God bless us. We are going to believe God for his promises to come into our life. So you can't make promises happen. You can you can believe that God will fulfill his promise is the color thinking of the difference between Disney what's Disney's make all your dreams come true. No Disney mix up make all your dreams come true. Their fairytales and there are castles in their magic. The Magic Kingdom and there are all these things for children to believe in and to make all of their dreams come true but there are promises that we must believe in, to allow God to make them real in my life, and Abraham Abrams at this point has a son and the son is named Ishmael. And you know if this is part that we know we don't often understand I don't understand God has made a promise to labor and even though Abram cannot neighbor makes is we would look at Jewish tradition in our tradition, we would say that Abram made a mistake and he had a son named Ishmael Ishmael is the father of the Arab nations. Ishmael had ten sons and from those sons, Cain Mohamed, the prophet and to the Arab nation. Ishmael is not the mistake. Isaac is Isaac from the Jewish perspective is the lineage of Christ and the hope of the Christian faith, and we find how that from Abraham to God made him a promise he would of descendents as great as discussed young stars in the heavens, any as to lying to come out from his desire to make something happen. Ishmael and his desire to believe God for something someone to happen and that is I Isaac, Isaac, Jacob, whose later today. Turned Israel the ten finger ten the twelve tribes of Israel in Egypt delivered from Egypt and the descendents of Christ and through the promised land that is now Israel, and we look at these things and say wow, we see how God worked through Abraham to honor a promise, and gave them the potential and you can read he have to read all this in his lot into more than one. I'm just saying. But we find how that through Isaac is where the blessing comes, it is to Isaac through the Jewish nation and true Christianity of Christ and through Christianity that we have God becoming man and dwelling with us where God came and paid the price. Christianity is different than Islam and all the other because God has come to be our Savior, God has made the provision we do the accepting in the other ones we have to become good enough to be accepted by God. That's not how this works. It's all in our faith, we have a relationship with Jesus Christ. I would have a relationship that changes us from the inside out, and God gives us promises, promises that will guide our life and you hope to get us eternal life, the beef you blow yourself up for the cause. You will immediately go to heaven and be merry to ten virgins who that's the terrorist teaching, Jesus taught. If you love someone, you will give your life for your brother. If you love someone, not what you're going to get us how you're going to receive. You don't make promises happen. You will allow the promise as you follow Christ, you allow the promises to be made real in your life and believing a promise given by God. There is a time when we can do and make. We can make something happen, but making a dream come true is I I look at that is Disney God gives us dreams to help us see beyond our present to what he can do when us in the dreams that are formulated by God always come with a promise. The dreams that are formulated by God, the promise the promise of God is going to bless that dream and make it fruitful for his kingdom in four four our life and our service to him is like David in El Salvador. He's able to go there and people for years, Christians have been praying for God to provide for them. While now, the group that David is working with this answering their prayers because he is helping them have garden we can now be these helping them to find water drill wells, they can now have fresh water to drink in the dry season. He is helping them become the God has answered their prayers. You know in a everyone of those communities in El Salvador is a church is a Christian church in every community in El Salvador. Even most world places have churches, but they still haven't found that way to make things happen. Now God has answered their prayers through your contributions in your giving and your missions and things we sending David Alton and loss layouts and all these things to make make their life different. They had a data vision had a dream that had a calling, and they've made a difference in thousands of people 's lives by the time they're done they want to have entire country of El Salvador touched by an law say, and by these ways of people taking care of themselves. That was a promise, born in one person 's heart. Now going out and making a difference in the country. She wasn't. It was a it was a promise given by God, that as you put yourself to the task. We see how God is bringing it together. Abram he he couldn't see how God was going to give him a son through Sarah, Sarah, I will see that next week in the next chapter, we'll see how that works with this. This chapter is where Abraham tries to make it happen on zone. It doesn't work. So let's all stand selling forgot in his grace. God in his mercy he touches our lives and make the difference is like Jesus to Mary and Martha, you believe that your brother will live in rice and the dead. Jesus says I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he were dead yet shall he live to God instills a promise that brings us hope and that hope gives us strength to go on to what God wants to do it changes the direction of our life, and gives us an outcome father, thank you for your blessings. Thank you for your gifts. We thank you Lord for how you have called us to your kingdom for such a time as this. We asked the Lord with your blessing be upon your word upon our lives as we reach out to touch you that we might touch others. We pray in Jesus name and then