Sermon Title: Righteous by Faith - Do you believe the Lord?
“Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness.” (Genesis 15:6)
Dearly Beloved,
Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
To believe in the Lord is not the same as to believe the Lord.
The latter infinitely trumps the former; for “to believe in the Lord” constitutes cognitive knowledge of God; whereas “to believe the Lord” is possible only if you have an intimate relationship with Him.
God deemed Abram as righteous because despite his personal failings and doubts “Abram believed the Lord”.
Abram’s epic rescue of Lot from captivity should have warranted a glorious reunion between the close relatives; to which Abram would have understandably harbored hopes – given his age - that God’s Promise could be fulfilled through his nephew.
But it was not to be.
Having been saved and freed by Abram, Lot remained stubborn about staying away from his uncle.
It was to a dejected and grieving Abram that God spoke to in Genesis 15 when He said, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”
Abram’s heart was revealed when he lamented to the Lord saying, “Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?... ... You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.” (Genesis 15:2-3)
Out of his misplaced expectations of how God’s Promise to him should be fulfilled, Abram wallowed in despair.
To keep clear of the traps of despair and hopelessness, never impute your puny, human expectations on how God’s Promises ought to be fulfilled – for He has made it abundantly clear to us in Isaiah 55:8-9:
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways.
As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”
As His devoted Children, we need only to receive His Promises; wait upon the Lord and watch as His Will unfolds in your life.
Which is why even though Abram had his doubts; when God reassured him saying, “a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir”; and“took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them... so shall your offspring be” – Abram believed God. (Ref: Genesis 15:4-6)
Because Abram believed the Lord in spite of his doubts, failures and failings, God “credited it to him as righteousness.”
Do you believe the Lord?
Do you believe the Lord when He tells you that you “are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus”? (Romans 3:24)
Although we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God; the moment we believe our Lord Jesus Christ, we are made righteous. (Ref: Romans 3:22-23)
To believe the Lord is to simply to have a personal relationship with Him - based on your utter faith in His Salvation over your life through His finished work on the Cross and Resurrection from the grave.
Dare you ask yourself - do you truly have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ?
For those who have an authentic relationship with the Lord, their faith is clearly evident.
True Faith keeps every Christian in close relationship with Him; and close proximity to His Sovereign Will.
Such is Abram’s experience with the Lord.
FAITH KEEPS US OBEDIENT TO GOD
“9 So the Lord said to him, “Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.”
10 Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half.” (Genesis 15:9-10)
When God commanded Abram to bring the emblems of Covenant to Him, Abram obeyed God.
FAITH KEEPS THE DEVIL AWAY
“Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away. (Genesis 15:11)
The devil’s sole mission is “to steal and kill and destroy” every child of God by robbing us of the divine promises of our Lord. (John 10:10a)
The tenacity of these “birds of prey” swooping down to steal the very emblems of God’s Covenant must be met with greater tenacity on the Christian’s part to drive them away.
In March of 2022, my children were alerted by our trusty gaggle of guard geese to an intruder in our chicken run.
A bald eagle had decided to try to get itself a chicken dinner.
However, when it landed, it was promptly confronted and firmly caught in the beak of one of our geese who had somehow overturned the eagle on its back.
Two of my sons dashed out of the house toward the commotion - shouting on top of their lungs, vigorously flailing their arms, in a huge effort to drive the eagle away.
On seeing their human protectors arrive, the hero-goose released the eagle from its firm grip, and the bird of prey took off with much haste.
Though most of the work in this case was done by our geese, it still required complete commitment and serious effort on our part in physically sending the eagle on its way.
That is what we must do to drive the devil away.
God’s Promises are absolute, immutable; unchallengeable.
However, He invites us to participate through our commitment to the covenantal relationship that He has established for us – one that guarantees our victory in attaining the gift of eternal life through living our lives surrendered utterly to Christ our Lord.
James 4:7 speaks precisely to this victory over the devil; through faith in our Lord:
“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
FAITH KEEPS US IN HIS REST
“ As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him.” (Genesis 15:12)
While the world rests from a place of work, true believers of the living God work from His divine place of rest.
Just as God caused Adam to fall into “a deep sleep” (Ref: Genesis 2:21) – leading him to His Place of Divine Rest - as He established the Covenant of Marriage for Mankind; God caused Abram to fall into “a deep sleep” - and thus, enter His Rest - as He established the Covenant of Salvation for “all peoples on earth.” (Ref: Genesis 12:2-3)
To enter God’s Rest is to trust Him unreservedly and live in the assurance that His Promises of Salvation will be fulfilled perfectly and entirely.
FAITH KEEPS US CERTAIN OF GOD’S SALVATION
“13 Then the Lord said to him, “Know for certain…”
17 When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces.
18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram.” (Genesis 15:13, 17-18)
This ritual of passing between the halves of sacrificed animals is well recorded in Ancient Near Eastern history; and represents a primeval binding oath on all the parties involved in a covenantal arrangement.
By walking between the gruesome, halved animals, each individual party was signifying an absolute acceptance of this same destruction and fate if they broke their end of the arrangement.
However, on that fateful day, Abram did not walk through the halves of the animal sacrifices that he obediently set out before the Lord.
Instead, he was in “a deep sleep” – found completely in God’s Rest; as the Lord was perceived by Abram passing “between the pieces”.
Such is the holy and perfect Covenantal Relationship that the Lord established with Abram – who became the emblem of all who believes God; destined to be in divine relationship with Him and recipients of His infinite grace and mercy.
Of course, it was Man who had already broke our end of this sacred arrangement with God when Adam and the woman disobeyed Him and fell short of His Glory. (Ref: Genesis 3, Romans 3:23)
On that day, as the Lord walked through the halves of the animal sacrifices, He was revealing the necessity and reality of His death on the Cross for the atonement of our sins (Ref: John 1:29, 1 John 2:2, 4:10) – that we may be saved from the destruction and fate of the halved animals because of our sins.
This Covenant of Salvation – the Abrahamic Covenant, as do all Covenants - extends to every believer of the living God; and is entirely dependent on His Sovereign Will and Divine Work.
Yes.
In this, God is Covenant Maker; and Covenant Keeper.
In the posture of “deep sleep” – that is, to be in reverent awe of the Lord and be found in His divine rest - we simply need to believe Him; and believe that He alone will fulfill His Covenant to save us, and bless us with eternal life in His Coming Kingdom.
Do not just believe ‘in’ God; BELIEVE GOD.
Believe the Kingdom of God – set your heart always on His Kingdom
Believe the Power of God – set your mind always at Rest
Believe the Glory of God – set your eyes always on Christ
BELIEVE GOD!
Shalom.
Let us pray.
Our Father in Heaven,
Hallowed be Your Name.
Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done; on earth, as it is in heaven.
Lord, I believe You.
You are my Shield; and my very Great Reward!
I acknowledge that Your Ways and Thoughts are infinitely higher than mine.
Teach me, O Lord, to surrender my life, my will and my hopes to You – that I may utterly trust and obey You; fully receiving Your Promises, and wait upon You as Your Will unfolds in my life.
Lord, I resolve to live in holy communion with You each day – and I declare my faith in Your Salvation through Your finished work on the Cross and Resurrection from the grave.
Keep me close to You, Lord; and my heart close to Your Sovereign Will.
Grant me absolute faith that I would:
Be obedient to You in all of my ways;
Submit myself solely to You, and resist the devil;
Be found in Your Divine Rest daily; and
Be absolutely certain of Your Salvation and gift of eternal life in Your Coming Kingdom!
Lord, I believe that You alone, are Covenant Maker; and Covenant Keeper.
Holy Spirit, I ask that You do a deep work in my heart; that I may always be in reverent awe of the Heavenly Father, and daily found in His Holy Presence.
I believe You, Lord!
I believe Your Kingdom; help me set my heart always on Your Coming Kingdom;
I believe Your Power; help me set my mind always at Rest;
I believe Your Glory; help me set my eyes always on the Lord Jesus Christ.
For indeed, Yours is the Kingdom; and the Power; and the Glory now and forevermore!
I thank You and pray all these in the Name of our King, Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
“Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness.” (Genesis 15:6)
Dearly Beloved,
Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
To believe in the Lord is not the same as to believe the Lord.
The latter infinitely trumps the former; for “to believe in the Lord” constitutes cognitive knowledge of God; whereas “to believe the Lord” is possible only if you have an intimate relationship with Him.
God deemed Abram as righteous because despite his personal failings and doubts “Abram believed the Lord”.
Abram’s epic rescue of Lot from captivity should have warranted a glorious reunion between the close relatives; to which Abram would have understandably harbored hopes – given his age - that God’s Promise could be fulfilled through his nephew.
But it was not to be.
Having been saved and freed by Abram, Lot remained stubborn about staying away from his uncle.
It was to a dejected and grieving Abram that God spoke to in Genesis 15 when He said, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”
Abram’s heart was revealed when he lamented to the Lord saying, “Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?... ... You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.” (Genesis 15:2-3)
Out of his misplaced expectations of how God’s Promise to him should be fulfilled, Abram wallowed in despair.
To keep clear of the traps of despair and hopelessness, never impute your puny, human expectations on how God’s Promises ought to be fulfilled – for He has made it abundantly clear to us in Isaiah 55:8-9:
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways.
As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”
As His devoted Children, we need only to receive His Promises; wait upon the Lord and watch as His Will unfolds in your life.
Which is why even though Abram had his doubts; when God reassured him saying, “a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir”; and“took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them... so shall your offspring be” – Abram believed God. (Ref: Genesis 15:4-6)
Because Abram believed the Lord in spite of his doubts, failures and failings, God “credited it to him as righteousness.”
Do you believe the Lord?
Do you believe the Lord when He tells you that you “are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus”? (Romans 3:24)
Although we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God; the moment we believe our Lord Jesus Christ, we are made righteous. (Ref: Romans 3:22-23)
To believe the Lord is to simply to have a personal relationship with Him - based on your utter faith in His Salvation over your life through His finished work on the Cross and Resurrection from the grave.
Dare you ask yourself - do you truly have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ?
For those who have an authentic relationship with the Lord, their faith is clearly evident.
True Faith keeps every Christian in close relationship with Him; and close proximity to His Sovereign Will.
Such is Abram’s experience with the Lord.
FAITH KEEPS US OBEDIENT TO GOD
“9 So the Lord said to him, “Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.”
10 Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half.” (Genesis 15:9-10)
When God commanded Abram to bring the emblems of Covenant to Him, Abram obeyed God.
FAITH KEEPS THE DEVIL AWAY
“Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away. (Genesis 15:11)
The devil’s sole mission is “to steal and kill and destroy” every child of God by robbing us of the divine promises of our Lord. (John 10:10a)
The tenacity of these “birds of prey” swooping down to steal the very emblems of God’s Covenant must be met with greater tenacity on the Christian’s part to drive them away.
In March of 2022, my children were alerted by our trusty gaggle of guard geese to an intruder in our chicken run.
A bald eagle had decided to try to get itself a chicken dinner.
However, when it landed, it was promptly confronted and firmly caught in the beak of one of our geese who had somehow overturned the eagle on its back.
Two of my sons dashed out of the house toward the commotion - shouting on top of their lungs, vigorously flailing their arms, in a huge effort to drive the eagle away.
On seeing their human protectors arrive, the hero-goose released the eagle from its firm grip, and the bird of prey took off with much haste.
Though most of the work in this case was done by our geese, it still required complete commitment and serious effort on our part in physically sending the eagle on its way.
That is what we must do to drive the devil away.
God’s Promises are absolute, immutable; unchallengeable.
However, He invites us to participate through our commitment to the covenantal relationship that He has established for us – one that guarantees our victory in attaining the gift of eternal life through living our lives surrendered utterly to Christ our Lord.
James 4:7 speaks precisely to this victory over the devil; through faith in our Lord:
“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
FAITH KEEPS US IN HIS REST
“ As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him.” (Genesis 15:12)
While the world rests from a place of work, true believers of the living God work from His divine place of rest.
Just as God caused Adam to fall into “a deep sleep” (Ref: Genesis 2:21) – leading him to His Place of Divine Rest - as He established the Covenant of Marriage for Mankind; God caused Abram to fall into “a deep sleep” - and thus, enter His Rest - as He established the Covenant of Salvation for “all peoples on earth.” (Ref: Genesis 12:2-3)
To enter God’s Rest is to trust Him unreservedly and live in the assurance that His Promises of Salvation will be fulfilled perfectly and entirely.
FAITH KEEPS US CERTAIN OF GOD’S SALVATION
“13 Then the Lord said to him, “Know for certain…”
17 When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces.
18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram.” (Genesis 15:13, 17-18)
This ritual of passing between the halves of sacrificed animals is well recorded in Ancient Near Eastern history; and represents a primeval binding oath on all the parties involved in a covenantal arrangement.
By walking between the gruesome, halved animals, each individual party was signifying an absolute acceptance of this same destruction and fate if they broke their end of the arrangement.
However, on that fateful day, Abram did not walk through the halves of the animal sacrifices that he obediently set out before the Lord.
Instead, he was in “a deep sleep” – found completely in God’s Rest; as the Lord was perceived by Abram passing “between the pieces”.
Such is the holy and perfect Covenantal Relationship that the Lord established with Abram – who became the emblem of all who believes God; destined to be in divine relationship with Him and recipients of His infinite grace and mercy.
Of course, it was Man who had already broke our end of this sacred arrangement with God when Adam and the woman disobeyed Him and fell short of His Glory. (Ref: Genesis 3, Romans 3:23)
On that day, as the Lord walked through the halves of the animal sacrifices, He was revealing the necessity and reality of His death on the Cross for the atonement of our sins (Ref: John 1:29, 1 John 2:2, 4:10) – that we may be saved from the destruction and fate of the halved animals because of our sins.
This Covenant of Salvation – the Abrahamic Covenant, as do all Covenants - extends to every believer of the living God; and is entirely dependent on His Sovereign Will and Divine Work.
Yes.
In this, God is Covenant Maker; and Covenant Keeper.
In the posture of “deep sleep” – that is, to be in reverent awe of the Lord and be found in His divine rest - we simply need to believe Him; and believe that He alone will fulfill His Covenant to save us, and bless us with eternal life in His Coming Kingdom.
Do not just believe ‘in’ God; BELIEVE GOD.
Believe the Kingdom of God – set your heart always on His Kingdom
Believe the Power of God – set your mind always at Rest
Believe the Glory of God – set your eyes always on Christ
BELIEVE GOD!
Shalom.
Let us pray.
Our Father in Heaven,
Hallowed be Your Name.
Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done; on earth, as it is in heaven.
Lord, I believe You.
You are my Shield; and my very Great Reward!
I acknowledge that Your Ways and Thoughts are infinitely higher than mine.
Teach me, O Lord, to surrender my life, my will and my hopes to You – that I may utterly trust and obey You; fully receiving Your Promises, and wait upon You as Your Will unfolds in my life.
Lord, I resolve to live in holy communion with You each day – and I declare my faith in Your Salvation through Your finished work on the Cross and Resurrection from the grave.
Keep me close to You, Lord; and my heart close to Your Sovereign Will.
Grant me absolute faith that I would:
Be obedient to You in all of my ways;
Submit myself solely to You, and resist the devil;
Be found in Your Divine Rest daily; and
Be absolutely certain of Your Salvation and gift of eternal life in Your Coming Kingdom!
Lord, I believe that You alone, are Covenant Maker; and Covenant Keeper.
Holy Spirit, I ask that You do a deep work in my heart; that I may always be in reverent awe of the Heavenly Father, and daily found in His Holy Presence.
I believe You, Lord!
I believe Your Kingdom; help me set my heart always on Your Coming Kingdom;
I believe Your Power; help me set my mind always at Rest;
I believe Your Glory; help me set my eyes always on the Lord Jesus Christ.
For indeed, Yours is the Kingdom; and the Power; and the Glory now and forevermore!
I thank You and pray all these in the Name of our King, Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.