Trusting in the Utter Promises of God - Genesis Part 54

Now let's go back to Genesis 22 for just a very quick review of the events of this chapter. Go verse one. Now it came about after these things that God tested Abraham and said to him, Abraham and Abraham said here I am, and God said, take your son say the next three words with me your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah sacrificing their as a burnt offering on one of the mountains. I will tell you about will show you a map so that you understand Abraham was living in Beersheba, Mount Moriah was a three day's walk to the north where modern-day Jerusalem is so Abraham did what God told him he took Isaac and two servants and went to the mountain verse five and Abraham said to his servants stay here with the donkey.

While I am the boy go over there. We will worship and then say the next word we will come back to you.

So Abraham went up the mountain to obey God built an altar put Isaac on it that Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven saying, do not lay a hand on the boy do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your sawn your only son.

Then the angel of the Lord called Abraham a second time and said I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your sawn your only son. Thank you from me. I will surely bless you and I will make your descendents as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore and through your offspring all nation on earth will be blessed because you have obeyed me nice Avalon I see the first two principles.

There, I see absolute surrender to the will of God on Abraham's part. I see full obedience to God's command on Abraham's part, but what I don't see is this third principle about other trust in God's promises. Well, let me show it to you. Stay with me now okay God is made Abraham for massive promises in the book of Genesis up to this point. Here they are.

In Genesis 12 verse two God promised Abraham and I quote I will make you into a great nation and by the Messiah, the Lord Jesus, who will be your descendents I will bless all the families of the earth through you second promise, Genesis 15 for God promised Abraham, you will have a son from your own body and through this on your descendents will be as numerous as the stars and will possess the promised land from the Nile to the Euphrates.

Third promise, Genesis 17 verse six, God said that through this same sawn quoting. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you and then the fourth promise comes in Genesis 21 you may remember there that Hagar, Sarah's handmaiden had borne Ishmael to Abraham and Sarah now bears Isaac to Abraham. Now watch and Sarah saw the son of Hagar. Ishmael mocking Isaac and she said to Abraham drive out this handmaiden and her son in this distressed Abraham greatly and God said to Abraham, listen to what Sarah tells you for say the next two words in the Isaac Sam again in Isaac your seed shall be called. Here's promise number four in Isaac your seed shall be called folks. This is one of the most important verses in all the Bible because here in this verse, God reveals to Abraham and to us which sawn God is going to use to fulfill all these promises that he's made to Abraham and he tells Abraham it will not be Ishmael. It will be Isaac.

Now you may already know that Genesis 25 Abraham remarries after the death of Sarah, and he has six more songs in 125 years old. Yeah well it's another message but well all right so that means altogether. Abraham had eight sons and God said yeah but in Isaac is where your seed will be call and this is so important for us to understand this is so critical for us to understand. This is why God three times in Genesis 22 called Isaac your sawn your only son. He was in Abraham's only son physically but as far as the covenants of God were concerned with Abraham. As far as the promises of God were concerned with Abraham, Isaac was Abraham's only sawn that matter it would be Isaac's descendents that would go on to possess the promised land. It would be Isaac's descendents, through whom the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ would come and it would be to Isaac's descendents that all the families on the earth would be blessed.

This is God's fourth and final promise regarding this sawn and this is the promise here in Genesis 21 in Isaac your seed shall be called that Abraham is holding onto. In chapter 22 when he goes up that mountain with Isaac. This is why Abraham said to his servants, he said, stay here with the donkey. While I am the boy go over there. We will worship and the we will come back to you is a yellow on how can Abraham say that knowing that he's going up that mountain to kill his son.

Well, that's the whole point Abraham knew that because of the promise of God given to him in chapter 21 through Isaac and his descendents. All of these things will come true. Abraham new Isaac couldn't die.

Isaac had no children yet, and if Isaac died childless, then God's promises would all fail. But God's promises can't fail God's faithfulness for visit God's character prohibits it and Abraham knew that. So friends as Abraham walked up that hill with his boy.

He was calm as a cucumber friends because he had such order trust in the promises of God that he knew somehow, someway, he was coming back down that mountain with Isaac, do you guys see that your body with me okay and you know it's interesting that the Bible tells us a little bit about Abraham's thought process about how he had reason to all of this out. We don't know when he did this weather was on the three day walk to Mariah or that night after God commanded him to sacrifice his son and before he set out in the morning but look what the Hebrews chapter 11 says it says by faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered up Isaac.

Even though God had promised him in Isaac your seed shall be called watch now Abraham reason the love this, that God was able to raise him.

That is Isaac even from the dead, you understand how Abraham and put this together in his mind. He said okay I so utterly trust God's promise that I'm going to go up that hill. I'm gonna kill my son and then God is gonna raising from the dead, because that boy's got to get married and have children for the promises of God to come through, and God wants to he can even raise my son from the dead. When Abraham lifted that knife up to plunge it in his son. I don't think he was nervous at all because he said if I killing, just raising up, look at that confidence in the promise of God. He knew that even if God had to raise somebody from the dead, God was not about to let his promises fail.

So let's summarize this is principle number three for having a massive spiritual life. We may not know how God's going to do it every obstacle in the world may be stacked against God doing it but regardless of that we expect God to keep every one of his promises and we live every day as the old hymn says, standing on the promises of God. Now that the stars were going to go in our chapter because we want to ask the most important question right now, so everybody tightens already I loud and says the Prince William on the Internet ready, here we go on to pray more to say thank you much better.

Thank side lawn is a passage you know but again I will see what this has to do with me. Well, it has a lot to do with you and me.

The Bible says as followers of Christ. Second Corinthians 57 that we are to walk by faith and not by sight by biblical faith and not by sight and what is biblical faith will friends the starting point for biblical faith is always the promises of God. Biblical faith means follow me now God makes a promise. We believe that promise and then we live with the utter expectation that that promise must come true.

That is biblical faith.

This is how you get into heaven with this, faith, salvation, God makes us a promise. God says if we trust what Jesus did for us on the cross, shedding his blood to pay for our sin, that he will take us to heaven. That's the promise of God.

Remember the Philippian jailer asked in acts chapter 16 he said, what must I do to be saved and the apostle Paul said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. That is God's promise and what is saving faith friends saving faith simply means that we believe that promise of God, and we rest our entire eternal destiny on that promise of God because we utterly, utterly, utterly expected to come true that when we close our eyes here on earth.

The next time we blink come will be on the shores of heaven. We are expecting that to happen.

Why because that's what God promised would happen God. It is how we get saved a man are you glad for that. That's good. But you know what that, faith is not just forgetting say that, faith is meant to go on every day in our Christian experience in our everyday Christian life friends.

God has given us as followers of Christ. Second Peter 14 is exceeding great and precious promises that cover every detail of life, provision, protection, guidance, wisdom, strength, peace, sufficient grace for every trial temptations limited to what were able to bear cleansing for our sin when we confess it and you know what if you got a trial and you going to the Bible and you can find an exact promise for your trial. We've got a generic promise that covers them all. Romans 828 says that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God that'll work for any circumstance in these promises are impregnable, my friends, these promises or inviolable. And the reason for that is because Titus chapter 1 verse two says God cannot lie, that's why Hebrews 619 says we have these promises as an anchor for our souls. Just like a physical anchor keeps the ship from being tossed around by the winds and the waves of the sea. Even so, God's promises are spiritual anchor to keep our lives from being tossed around by the winds and the waves of this world. When I think of this. I think of Peter. Matthew chapter 14. Remember all the disciples got in the boat to go the other side of the Sea of Galilee. It was night and the Bible says it.

In the fourth watch of the night Jesus came to them walking on the water. When the disciples saw him walking on the water they were terrified. But immediately Jesus said to them, don't be afraid. It is then Peter said Lord if it is you. What's the next word command me to come to you on the water. And Jesus said, focus was not a suggestion from Jesus what it Peter calling a command from Jesus.

This was a promise from Jesus that Peter if you get out of that boat. I'm going to give you the power to walk on the water. Then Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came towards Jesus, but oh, oh, that's a bad place for but but when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he became afraid and began to sink, he cried out to the Lord said, Lord, save me and immediately Jesus reached out his hand and took hold of Peter and said to him, although he of little faith, why did you doubt what happened to Peter. All it Peter it's very simple. Friends Peter did exactly what Hudson Taylor said not to do. Peter took his eyes off of Jesus off of God's promises and put his eyes on the obstacles around it.

The obstacles don't matter. What matters is what God promised God promised Peter he could walk on water.

When people say to you, only one person in history ever walked on water, that's not true to people that walked on water, Peter done it, and yet he was doing fine as long as he was expecting the promise of God to come true.

But when he took his eyes off the promise of God and began looking at all the reasons why he couldn't do this all the obstacle K people are supposed to do this. People drown doing this in the wind always shimmy me out here by my doing, you have a lifeline about the Downey went folks is just what happens to you and me when we do the very same thing.

We take our eyes off of God's promises were doing fine.

We got problems. We got troubles. The winds are blowing all around us were walking on top of them because were depending on God's promises and then all of a sudden, for whatever reason we take our eyes off of what God has promised us and we put it on all the obstacles and circumstances around us and we start to sink spiritually with the same things happened to Peter, this is principle number three for having a massive spiritual life. Keeping our eyes on Jesus and his promises to us.

Listen and never doubting that their coming true. No matter how boisterous the winds get around us. This is how you have a massive spiritual life and its challenges is not always easy, but folks, this is how Peter could Walking on the water and this is how you and I can keep walking on top of our problem. You know, while back on the magazine. I've never read it call true woman asked my wife Brenda to write an article about her experiences would you Brenda brought me the article and said he would you proofread this for me message be happy to read this article that my wife had written and I just sat there and started to weep. I just thought oh my gosh, a what an amazing woman I married and be it reminded me of all the amazing pain that God has sustained us through just with his promises. Limit.

Let me read you part of her letter she said and I quote when I was pregnant with Jill God gave me his promise from Isaiah 41 to fear not for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Brenda goes on to say Jill was a seemingly perfect and healthy three month old, but over time, just seizures ravaged Jill's brain, wiping out the milestones she had met, including all of her speech and left her unable to mature intellectually past toddlerhood as friends daughters Brenda said head off to college and get married. I am reminded that Jill will never do these things that long will never walk Jill down the aisle, but I have to go back and remember God's faithfulness to his promise with all Jill seizures and constant calls to 911 and the sleepless nights just like God promised we made it. Praise God, amen. Listen to how she concluded. She said Jill is a picture of complete trust. She never worries about food or clothing. We have promised to take care of all these things and she never doubts that we will Brenda said in closing, I want to live like Jill never fearing, never dismayed, just relying on hundred percent on my divine caretaker to keep his promises to me, just as he always has." You know a lot of people come up mass Brenda and me if we would write a book about our experiences. Would you and about explaining our journey.

Jill and I've often thought if we ever sat down to write that book that really wouldn't take us very long because the book would only have four words in it and those four words would be God. His promises.

That's our story, God kept his promises. Now I know everybody here doesn't have a child with disabilities understand that everybody here has problems.

Many of us here have loved ones with cancer. Or maybe we have cancer. Many of us here have marriages that are in trouble and it looks like only God can keep them together.

Many of us here have problems with our children or parents that look hopeless and insurmountable. Many of us here have deep financial problems are or or or. We have relationship problems of one kind or another. I don't know folks there are no problems in the world to cover everyone overseer. But here's the point. The point is that the way to make it through these problems in the way to walk on top of these problems and the way not to drown in these problems is the same for every single one of us the same for Brenda and me as it was for you.

It's by knowing the promises of God is by believing the promises of God and it's about expecting God to keep the promises of God. No matter how boisterous the winds around the skit. We understand that we got that and it's hard sometimes because sometimes you can see how God could ever keep his promise. Well, trust me, Abraham figured out that if God had to raise his son from the dead he was going to keep his promise and folds. I don't care what God has to do for you no matter what it is. If he has to break the natural laws of the universe to keep his promise to you, he will do it.

You know why because if he fails to keep a promise to you. He stops being God. And that's not gonna happen. And so when you get to heaven one day somebody in heaven maybe says TVU hey could you explain your life down on earth to me. I hope you will be able to say oh yeah, it's really easy I can explain my life on earth to you in four words, God kept his promises. That's why I'm in heaven the day God kept his promise.

That's why I made it to the world. God kept his promises. Amen man and friends. If we can go out every day and say Lord Jesus. No matter what comes to me today. I'm standing on the promises of God. I'm believing the promises God out there what the odds look like I care about odds I care about the promises of God more. When I start to sink, half help me not to doubt Lord help me to say if you promise to I believe it, that settles it, and I'm expecting it to happen in your pop right back on top of that water again. May God help us all live that way for spring. Dear Lord Jesus, we live in a really tough world. Many of us here face really tough problem but just like you invited Peter to get out of the boat and told him if he would he could walk on top of that water Lord I pray that you would remind us that all of your promises.

Say to us. Oh yes you can all yes you can make it.

Yes, you can, because I promised you. You can make. I promised you I wouldn't send anything in your life.

You couldn't endure first Corinthians 1013 I promised you. Second Corinthians chapter 12 that my grace will be sufficient. I have promised you that you will not be shaken.

If you just trust me, Lord help us to live life not standing on the circumstances, but standing on the promises for people here today facing really tough situations. God restore hope to them today. Upper restore equilibrium to them and lift them up and put them on top the water again and hold her hand and walk with us you have promised you will never leave us nor will you ever forsake us. Therefore, we may say with confidence the Lord is my helper, whom shall I fear what can man or Satan or this world today. Nothing as we walk on the promises of God or Jesus more than anything else in this world. We need peace we need peace of mind and peace of heart. Peace of soul. We need peace with God and we need the peace of God, and I'm so thankful. Lord Jesus, that you said my peace I leave with you not like the world gives peace but I leave you my piece for I have overcome the world. So Lord Jesus give us that peace as we stand on your promises. That's where it comes from.

We stand on the promises of God.

God gives us the peace of God, not just Mr. people. I pray father with the great blessing you gave Erin to pray over the people of Israel. You told him to pray for them like this give Iressa caught annoyed by your small restaurant. May the Lord bless you and may he keep and preserve you desire to know. I plan they left David Spooner from May the Lord because his face shine upon you, dear Jesus. Amen. May you be gracious to us, Lord's solenoid pond.

They left the same look shallow. May the Lord turn his face towards us and may he give us peace. We pray these things in the name of our living Savior, the Messiah of Israel prints of things God's people said that