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SERMON
If you've been following the story, you know that at the end of chapter 13, Lot and his uncle Abram parted company - with Lot moving to the city of Sodom in the Jordan valley, while Abram remained in the hill country of Canaan. Now, if there had been any animosity between them, Abram's sense of family loyalty was infinitely stronger. And I say that because we learn in chapter 14 that, some time later, a coalition of kings invaded the Jordan valley and took goods and people captive (including Lot and his family). Well, when Abram was told of Lot's predicament, he mustered a small force of crack troops and then routed the enemy, recovering all of the captured property and people.
Suddenly, Abram was a military hero. And you catch a glimpse of this man's remarkable character when, on the one hand, he graciously accepted the blessing of Melchizedek, the king and priest of Salem (ancient Jerusalem). But when the king of Sodom offered to give Abram virtually all the loot he had recovered, he turned it down. He took one look at the king of Sodom and decided that he wasn't about to be indebted to any man - especially one in whom he had little or no reason to trust.
Now, at that point Abram had more than ample reason to be feeling good about himself. After all, he was a local hero. He was clearly his own man. And frankly, he was enjoying a very prosperous life in his later years. Ah, but there was something missing, and Abram knew it. He still had no son, no heir, no way of realizing God's promise that he would become a "great nation."
But soon thereafter, Abram's full stature as a man of God would become clear. Chapter 15 records a memorable encounter between Abram and this as-yet-unnamed God who had laid claim to his life. Now, try to put yourself in Abram's place. Consider the fact that he had no Bible, no pastor, no fellowship, no church. In fact, he had none of the standard "fixtures of the faith" on which we constantly rely. Think about it. Where would your faith be without any of those supports? All Abram had to go on was his own solitary experience with this largely unknown God. I find it remarkable that he was able to muster any faith at all, let alone be willing to trust his future to this elusive deity. That, I think, is why this was the perfect time for a theophany - that is, for God to make a personal appearance - and this is how it began.
Chapter 15 begins: "The word of the Lord came to Abram…" and God reassured him that he would be Abram's "great reward." But Abram replied, "Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless?" In other words, "God, from where I stand, my life is fast approaching the end; so what's going to be my 'reward?' As far as I can see, when I'm gone there won't be anyone to keep the faith, let alone carry on the family business or the family name. In fact, right now my servant Eliezer stands to inherit my entire estate. So what do you mean by 'reward,' Lord?" (You have to admire the man's chutzpah!)
But God replied, "No, a son coming from your own body will be your heir." It must have been nighttime - a perfect time for a first object lesson. Because it says that God took Abram outside the tent and told him to look up at the heavens and count the stars - as if that were possible. God let the image register, and then he said, "So shall your offspring be." Well, something must have clicked at that point, because it simply says: "Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness." Folks, there is the gospel, as pure and simple as you'll find it almost anywhere in the Bible. Abram believed, and God credited his account as though his belief were righteousness.
Question: What does "righteousness" mean? That's not a word we use with great familiarity. We'll sometimes talk about "righteous indignation" and by that we usually mean someone who is angry for good reasons. Or we might talk about "self-righteousness" as a way of designating those who are blind to their own faults. But in the Bible, "righteousness" simply means living rightly before God. For example, Psalm 15 describes the righteous as "those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking the truth from sincere hearts… those who refuse to slander others…and who keep their promises even when it hurts." Does that describe you? Are you righteous?
The Prophet Micah says, "And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." How's your score? Or consider this devastatingly simple description of righteousness from the lips of Jesus. He said, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Is anybody here still batting 1000? I trust you get the point. Righteousness is that standard beyond every person's reach. In his letter to the Romans, in chapter 3, Paul give this scathing indictment: "No one is righteous, no not one."
Now if that's true, and I believe it is, then the question is: how is righteousness possible? This is why this statement in Genesis, chapter 15 is so significant. "Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness." Earlier in his letter to the Romans, Paul gives this marvelous summary statement: "…in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: 'The righteous will live by faith.'" In other words, the gospel is the good news of how you and I can be declared "righteous" just like Abram.
In both his letters to the Romans and the Galatians, Paul takes great pains to argue that you and I can't earn our righteousness, just as Abram did not earn his righteousness. God gave it to him. God told Abram his children would be as countless as the stars. And I believe that Abram replied, in effect, "Lord, I don't know how you can keep that promise. It doesn't make any sense. But I'm going to trust you." Abram believed God. He trusted God to do for him what he obviously could not do for himself. Men and women, the same is true for you and me.
So we come to the next logical question: How can we get this righteousness? Well, for our part, the key element in the transaction is our belief. I'll try to be as clear as I can on this. We are not saved because of our belief; we are saved because of what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. But the way we receive God's gift is by our belief. That phrase, "Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness" is the gospel in a nutshell. In that one verse we have the essence of what it means to be a Christian.
But what does it mean to "believe?" As I see it, there are three aspects to belief. The first stage of belief is to "believe about." At this point you learn to accept the facts. In Christian terms, you come to believe what the Lord said about himself; that Jesus lived and died and rose again. But thus far, you can believe those facts and still hold them at a safe distance. Second comes "assent." This is believing that not only are those facts true, but they're good and right and worth following. At this point you accept the fact that, in his death, Jesus made it possible for anyone who believes in him to be safe forever. But there's more. There has to be a "commitment" stage before belief is mature. This is the point at which you entrust your life to those truths, and rely on them for the way you live from that point on.
Look at it this way. Let's say that a man and a woman meet and decide to get to know each other. So they test their first impressions to see if what they "believe about" the other is true. This is step one, and some people stop right there. But after spending enough time together, people will occasionally experience a strange phenomenon. They come to believe that the other would not only make a good mate, but would make a good mate for them. This is the "assent" stage. And some people never get beyond that point. But the "commitment" doesn't come until they stand before God and witnesses and, because they believe so much in each other, they pledge to love and cherish each other "as long as they both shall live." Well, when we read about Abram "believing God," it is in this third sense in which he was making a commitment to God. He was anchoring his life and his hope to God's faithfulness.
And what about you? What kind of belief do you have? Maybe there's no belief at all. If so, I'm glad you care enough that you're here to investigate the claims of Christ. I hope that we can help you discover the truth. Or maybe you're at a point of assent. You know the words and they ring true; but you've never made a commitment, never told God that you wanted to come under his direction and submit to his will for the way you live your life. If you're ready to do that, if you're ready to move to the "commitment" stage of belief, it needn't be a complicated process. You might say something as simple as this:
Lord, I want to be a Christian - in my heart. Lord, I want to be more loving - in my heart. Lord, I want to be more holy - in my heart. Lord, I want to be like Jesus - in my heart. The words you use are of secondary importance. It's the attitude of the mind and heart with which you offer them to God that makes the commitment real. If you're willing to not only believe in God, but trust him with your life, he will declare you "righteous" - just as he did with Father Abraham.
But while we're on the subject, let me talk for a moment to those of you who have already made that commitment. To you I would extend the marriage analogy and ask: Having made that commitment, do you now find yourself taking the relationship for granted? As in so many marriages, have days or weeks or months or perhaps even years gone by without appreciating the great gift you've been given? Do you find that your relationship with the Lord has faded from neglect? It's true, he will never leave you; he will never stop loving you. But have you stopped learning about the one who loves you so much?
I know first-hand how easily my faith can move from certainty to doubt. I daresay most of us do. For instance, we believe that God has promised us life forever; and yet the thought of dying scares us. We believe that God is in control; but we still have trouble sleeping because of worry. We know we've been forgiven; yet we have trouble forgiving others for far smaller offenses. We believe God's way is best; and yet we insist on doing things our way. We know that it is one of the greatest privileges in life to have a personal conversation with the Lord of the Universe; but sometimes we fall asleep while we pray.
God knows that the redeemed need as much help as anyone else. He wants his children to have the assurance that we've made the right choice in committing our lives to his care. So when he knows that we really need it, he gives us a sign. In our lesson today, right on the heels of Abram's profession of faith, God reminded him that he had promised him the land on which he stood. But in verse 8 Abram replied, "Lord, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?" Abram had already made the commitment and God had counted it to him as righteousness. But evidently Abram was wise enough to realize that his faith, by itself, was inadequate. He needed assurance, a sign to which he could cling.
I think it's noteworthy that God didn't give Abram a bad time about his request. He didn't say, "I'm really disappointed in you. Here I've commended you for your faith and now I see that it was all talk." He didn't say, "Real faith is a leap in the dark!" or "You just have to believe!" There was no scolding - no clichés. God knew that Abram needed some assurance - a sign; and God delivered. But what a sign!
God told Abram to fetch a heifer, a goat and a ram. He then killed the animals, split the carcasses and laid the halves out in two rows. This is the first mention in the Bible of a primitive ritual actually practiced by many ancient peoples. When two parties entered into a covenant, they would seal the covenant by sacrificing a prescribed number of animals, splitting and laying the halves out that way. That gory ritual was a kind of extreme object lesson that carried two profound images.
First, the blood that was shed symbolized the fact that the covenant had the same binding force of a blood kinship. But second, the covenant wasn't complete until both parties walked between the split carcasses and said, "May it be to me as it has happened to these animals, if I do not keep my oath." The image was so graphic and the consequences of failure that the parties willed upon themselves were so severe that people very rarely entered into a covenant. But I want you to notice that when this covenant was cut, something utterly unheard-of happened.
At verse 12 it says: "As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him." Abram was immobilized - helpless. All he could do was lie there in the darkness and listen to God tell him about his family's future. But then suddenly a startling image appeared to Abram out of the blackness. At verse 17 it says: "A smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces." This was the theophany I mentioned earlier. The fire and smoke were among the most ancient symbols of God's presence. For one breathless moment, Abram saw God there in the thick darkness.
But did you notice what happened? I can promise you that Abram didn't miss it. God had told him to prepare for the covenant ritual. But when the time came for the two of them to walk into the sacrifice and pledge their lives to keep the covenant, God walked alone. In that act God was saying to Abram, "I'll take full responsibility. If either of us fails to keep our promise, I'll suffer the consequences." Abram needed assurance. He needed a sign. But when God gave it to him, what could he say but, "My Lord and my God… Amen!"
Brothers and sisters, that is what Jesus did for you and me on the cross. He walked into the breach alone and said, "It's alright. I'll suffer the consequences for you - and you - and you." And he did it because we, like Abram, desperately need assurance. But when you and I realize that he took our place, what can we say but, "My Lord and my God… Amen!"
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