Lesson 37

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Bible Study 1 - Genesis 15

 

Series # 4:             FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF FAITH

Lesson 37:            Genesis 15:7-21 GROWING TOWARD MATURITY IN FAITH

 

Genesis 15:7-21 (KJV) “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 carcasses, 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.”

 

INTRODUCTION:

 

Hopefully, we all know what faith is. According to the Bible in Hebrews 11:1, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." However, did you know that faith is something that is ever changing? If we are maturing in the Lord as we should be, if we are GROWING TOGETHER IN CHRIST’S LOVE, then the faith we have right now is far greater than the faith we had the moment we first believed and were saved. Of course, the ability to exercise faith, as well as the faith to exercise, are already in us. We may not see it, we may not believe it, but it is there nonetheless. You see, faith is like a muscle, the more we 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 as we are MOVING TOWARD MATURITY IN FAITH.

 

In this passage we have been studying and are concluding with this study, 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 he has lived every day by faith. 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, but in God's eyes, this has merely been spiritual kindergarten. The Lord has some even greater tests in store for Abram's faith.

 

I want to approach this passage from a different angle in this study and see that this passage we are looking at deals with the matter of Abram's faith. Here, we see him GROWING 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 also. He wants to move us toward maturity, day by day. I want to share with you a few thoughts that present themselves in this passage.

 

INTERPRETATION:

THE CONCERN OF ABRAM'S FAITH

 

IN VERSE 7 WE SEE GOD'S REMINDER

“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. ”

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

 

THERE IS THE REMINDER OF HIS PERSON

The word “LORD” in all capital letters means God is referring  to Himself as "Jehovah," "The Self-Existent One." God is merely reminding Abram Who he is dealing with. We have a tendency to forget just who is in control of the events of life sometimes It would do us good to remember that we serve "Jehovah God" He was here before anything was and He will be here after everything is not. He controlled all things that happened before. He controls all things in between. He will control all things after.

HE IS ALL POWERFUL GOD.

  1. The Bible says in Job 42:2, “I know that thou canst do everything, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.”

  2. The Bible says in Luke 1:37, “For with God nothing shall be impossible.”

HE IS AN EVER PRESENT GOD. 

  1. The Bible says in Hebrews  13:5, “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

  2. The Bible says in Matthew 20:28, “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

HE IS A PERCEPTIVE GOD. 

  1. The Bible says in Hebrews 4:13, “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.”

  2. The Bible says in Proverbs 15:3,  “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.”

He is in control of all of life. If we could ever get our souls around that truth, it would revolutionize our lives!

 

THERE IS THE REMINDER 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. 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. The Bible says in 1 Cor. 15:10, “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” You name the area of your life and you can count on the fact that it is all God and not you!

 

THERE IS THE REMINDER 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. I just want to remind you that God has a wonderful plan for your life. The Bible says in Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” 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!

 

IN VERSE 8 WE SEE ADAM’S RESPONSE

“8 And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?” 

 

Some have taken this question by Abram to be an expression of doubt. However it appears to me that 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 the Lord, not questions.

  1. The Bible says in James 1:5-8, “5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.  6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.  7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.  8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”

The contrast is clearly seen in the two responses given by Zacharias.

  1. The Bible says in Luke 1:18, “And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.”

  2. Then in Luke 1:34, “Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?” 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?

 

EXPLANATION:

THE CHALLENGE TO ABRAM'S FAITH

 

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.

 

IN VERSES 9-10 THERE IS THE CHALLENGE OF PREPARATION

“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.”

 

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. We need to remember that when the Lord makes a requirement of our life, 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? Prayer, holiness, separation, obedience, etc. are as gold, silver, precious stones. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. 14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”

 

IN VERSE 11 THERE IS THE CHALLENGE OF PROTECTION

“11 And when the fowls came down upon the carcasses, Abram drove them away.”

 

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. 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. 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.

 

IN VERSE 11 THERE IS THE CHALLENGE OF PATIENCE

“11 And when the fowls came down upon the carcasses, Abram drove them away.”

 

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.  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. God knows the timing, we do not! The Bible says in Isaiah 40:31, “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

 

APPLICATION:

THE CONFIRMATION OF ABRAM'S FAITH

 

IN VERSE 12 THERE WAS CONFIRMATION IN THE DARKNESS

“12 And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him. ”

 

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. 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. Three 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 or easy but in the end it sure is beneficial!

 

IN VERSES 13-16 THERE WAS CONFIRMATION IN THE DETAILS

“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.”

 

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 frightening.  The birds have a prophetic significance in that they picture the nations that would attempt to defeat Israel. We can see the grace of God in delaying the blessing on His people to give the Amorites space to repent in verse 16. 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 four times in the Bible.

  1. The Bible says in Habakkuk 2:4, “Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.”

  2. The Bible says in Romans 1:17, “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.”

  3. The Bible says in Galatians 3:11, “But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.”

  4. The Bible says in Hebrews 10:38, “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.”

God only has to speak one time on any subject for us to know what He thinks about it. However, 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!

 

IN VERSES 17-21 THERE WAS CONFIRMATION IN THE DOCUMENTATION

“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.”

 

As I have mentioned already, this ceremony was part of an ancient covenant ceremony. 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. Regardless of what Abram, or his descendants do, this covenant is as good as the Name of God. It will be fulfilled! Notice the change from "I will" to "I have",  

  1. In Genesis 12:1 we read, “Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee:”

  2. In Genesis 12:7 we read, “And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.”

  3. In Genesis 13:15 we read, “For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever.”

  4. In Genesis 13:17 we read, “Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee ”

  5. Now in Genesis 15:18 we read, “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”

This is a done deal and it cannot be changed! 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. 

  1. The Bible says in Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

  2. The Bible says in Acts 16:31, “And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”

  3. The Bible says in Matthew 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

  4. The Bible says in Philippians 4:19, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

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. 

  1. The Bible says in Hebrews 13:15, “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.”

  2. The Bible says in Acts 1:8, “But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever: a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom.”

  3. The Bible says in John 10:28, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”

  4. The Bible says in John 14:1-3, “1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

  5. The Bible says in 1st Thessalonians 4:13-18, “13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”

  6. The Bible says in 1st Corinthians 15:51-52, “51 Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” ( I could go on and on with God’s greatest promises.)

 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 are MOVING TOWARD MATURITY in His image and we GROW TOGETHER IN CHRIST’S LOVE!

 

CONCLUSION:

 

How is your faith? Maybe like Abram you are sitting looking at your life and wondering "How?"; "Why?"; "What?"; “Where?”; "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 in 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? 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. Will you do that?

 

DO YOU NEED SOME HELP?

 

To find more help in receiving Jesus Christ as your personal Savior please go to the Bible Study Title Page “ETERNAL LIFE.” Please send me an email and let me know about any decision for Christ you make so that I may pray for you. Feel free to send me any questions, comments, or responses you may have as well. For those who are already Christians I invite you to also please let me know of any decisions you make in your Christian life for Jesus. Please send me your questions, comments, or responses and let me know if the Bible Studies are helping you.

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ALWAYS REMEMBER!

 

The support of your local Church ministry and the ministry of your Pastor should be the first priority of your Christian life and your service to the Lord. Be faithful to prayerfully prepare and attend Sunday School and Worship Service this Sunday and participate in worship as your Pastor preaches the Word. Do not forget to give the Lord at least your TITHE through your local church from your gross income – that is your first fruits. Any other other giving is an offering to a ministry unto the Lord. Honor the Lord in all you do and with all that you have. Always remember that everything you have and all you are belongs to the Lord. It is on loan to you – so manage it well! There will be an audit one day! Make sure the Books Balance!

 

All Bible Studies Are Prepared by Pastor Frank Denning And May Be Be Used By Permission.