Abraham's Seed (Genesis Chapter 12 - Part 3)

Thank you for listening to this message from the ministry of Morse Corner Church in Leverett, Massachusetts.

Morse Corner is a non -denominational church that is committed to the preaching and teaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Our church was founded in 1896 by two students of the famous evangelist

D .L. Moody. We seek to encourage and edify the body of Christ through the proclamation of God's Word through the ministries of the local church.

If you'd like more information, visit our website, morsecornerchurch .com. We hope you enjoy the message.

You see, everybody in this world has some guilt, and some people are weighed down by their guilt.

The only way to really get rid of that guilt is to place your faith in Jesus. And if you do that, all of your lawless deeds are forgiven.

It doesn't matter what you've done in the past. No matter what it is, it's all forgiven.

That is grace. So this quote that Abraham was justified, this is a quote from Genesis 15, verse 6.

That's when God took Abraham outside. He was an old man at this point. No children.

His wife's an old woman. She's barren anyways. No possibility of children.

And God tells him to look up at the stars. And he says, if you can count them, so shall your descendants be.

And the scripture says that Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness.

So Abraham was saved by believing. By his faith in the promises of God.

You know what God wants more than all? He just wants you to believe Him. God just wants you to trust

Him. That's really what God wants the most. He wants us to trust

Him and believe His word. After all, He's God. He's faithful. He's trustworthy.

Isn't He? Amen? Even if you don't say amen, He's still trustworthy. Now that applies in certain areas, right?

If God says that something happened, like the flood in Noah's ark, well, if you're a believer, then you do what?

You believe, right? If God says something is going to happen, like Jesus is going to return one day, a believer believes

God's promise. In other words, today, having faith, what it looks like practically in our lives is we believe the

Bible and we seek to live accordingly. Abraham didn't have a leather -bound book with 66 smaller books in it.

But he had God's word, and he responded. He believed what God said, and he left his homeland.

And that couldn't have been easy, but he did it anyways. You know, sometimes God calls us to do things that aren't easy, but they're best if we trust

God. So God told him he was going to have a son in his old age, and that, of course, seemed ridiculous.

That seemed impossible to the average person. But Abraham, yeah, God says it.

That settles it. He was saved. He was justified at that moment.

So Abraham and Sarah, to have a child at their age was impossible.

And just think of the events from then on out, okay? So what's the likelihood?

I want you to consider the odds for a moment. It's not something we usually do, but consider the odds or the likelihood that that child born to Abraham and Sarah, that that child would have children and that child children, and they would develop into this large family that would one day become a mighty nation, and they would possess the exact land that God said they would possess.

So after 2 ,000 years or so, now they are a mighty nation. And then 2 ,000 years after that, which brings us up until today, that all of the world has been blessed because of the

Messiah who came through that line, that this little family of just Abraham, Sarah, and then

Isaac would develop into the nation of Israel. Out of the nation of Israel comes

Jesus and 12 disciples, 120 people in the upper room on the day of Pentecost.

And now that just spread to cover the entire globe. Think about that. What are the odds? 100 % because God says it.

But what is God doing in all of that? He's keeping his promises. What's God doing in that?

He's proving to the world that his word is true.

And now through the gospel, still through the gospel, God is changing this world one person at a time.

I know you look at the situation out there today and you think, well, maybe not all of you think this, but we're tempted to think this, like,

God, can't you do a little more? Can't you do this over here and take care of that over there?

You've thought that. I know you have. We grow impatient. Maybe we lack vision.

And we think that God should kind of hurry up with some of these things that we're praying for. We want to see more progress.

Did Abraham ever see his descendants really? No, he didn't.

He had patience. You remember one time he got impatient. And that led to Hagar and the birth of the illegitimate child,

Ishmael. And they've been paying for it ever since. They're still paying for it. They're still at odds, the descendants in the

Middle East. So, the point is, don't grow impatient. Part of having faith is trusting in God and that God is going to do these things in his time.

If God ever turns this world around or our nation around, he's going to do it in his timing and not yours.

So, we just need to rest and trust in his promises. That's what faith is.

Trusting in God. Not getting all worried and stirred up. Oh, no, what's going to happen tomorrow? Trust God.

So, despite Abraham's failures, God was his friend.

And despite your failures, if you have faith in Jesus, God is your friend.

I can't get over that. You are a friend of God through faith in the

Lord Jesus Christ. So, God is still faithful to you in bringing about all of his promises.

And in case you're tempted to view things where you get impatient, just turn to Genesis 12.

And then read from there the story of Abraham and see the trouble that he got into when he grew impatient.

Let's learn from the scripture. Okay, so my point in all of that is if somebody had told

Abraham this 2 ,000 years ago or 4 ,000 years ago, that all of this was going to happen, could he possibly have believed it?

Yeah, yeah, I think he would have believed it. I know he would have. All right, look at verse 16,

Romans 4. Skip down to verse 16. Therefore, it is of what?

It is of works. No? Therefore, it is of you trying really hard and, you know, doing the best that you can.

Therefore, it is of, you know, as long as you're a good enough person in the eyes of whoever.

No, it is of faith that it might be according to grace.

So that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law.

That's the Jewish people, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.

You could read over that. Okay. Wait, who's he writing to? Yeah, he's writing to the

Romans, right? The Romans are not Jewish. He calls Abraham the father of us all.

Us being the word there, who is the father of us all. So lest you think that this is all about the children of Israel, keep in mind that Paul is writing to mostly

Gentiles in Rome. So obviously we are not the physical descendants of Abraham.

We are what? The spiritual descendants of Abraham. Because we share the faith of Abraham.

Everyone who has faith in God and faith in Christ is a son of Abraham.

I think children learn that song in Sunday school when they're young, right? I'm not going to try to sing it, but you know the song.

We are Abraham's children spiritually. And like Abraham and how his physical descendants were

God's chosen people, now in the New Testament, you are

God's chosen. You are God's elect through faith in Christ.

This is, in this age, Christians are God's chosen.

Paul says this much in Romans chapter 8 when he says, who shall bring a charge against God's elect?

It is God who justifies, and he's again talking to Gentile believers in Rome.

And again that election, just like with them, it's all of grace. So some of you, if you're following along in this series in Genesis and we get to chapter 12, most people will emphasize the physical descendants of Abraham, and that's legitimate because again there's still a future for them.

But in case you thought this was all about Israel or the Jews, no. There are implications for us today.

That work that God started continues today through the life of the

Christian church. The land of Canaan, now called Israel in the Middle East, there are those physical descendants there and those earthly promises will be fulfilled, amen?

In the last days. So that's at the end times that stuff happens.

Jesus will return. He will keep His promises to establish a kingdom which will last for 1 ,000 years.

At that time the fullness of the land will belong to Abraham's physical descendants, the

Jews. That's part of the promise. When the nation receives a new heart, right now they don't have that new heart because they're living in rejection, the majority at least is living in rejection to Jesus.

One day even the Old Testament promises they will be given a new heart.

But right now in this age we're concerned about the spiritual promises. So let's turn to Galatians 3 and that's where we will close.

Galatians chapter 3. So God's work, the kingdom of God, and as I said the

Lord is changing the world. He's working in and through the world one person at a time.

And this is the most important thing for us right here and right now.

This is the most important thing to you right now. It's for you to know for sure that you are redeemed, that you are a son of Abraham, and that these promises spiritually apply to you as well.

That every person listening in this room this morning, later on the radio, later online, whatever it is, that every person listening right now gets this issue settled.

That is the most important question in the world. Look at Galatians 3 verse 7.

It says, therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.

In the scripture foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand saying, in you all the nations shall be blessed.

According to Paul the gospel was preached in Genesis chapter 12. So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing

Abraham. Then skip down to verse 26. And we'll close with this passage. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

There is neither Jew nor Greek. There is neither slave nor free. There is neither male nor female.

For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ, then you are what?

You are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise.

I don't know if your parents ever left you an inheritance, but your heavenly father has an inheritance for you.

You are heirs through faith. So do you believe that?

Are you in Christ? If so, according to the promise of God, you are a child of Abraham and you have an inheritance in heaven.

And I pray that every person listening has come to that place where they have put their trust, not in yourself that you're such a good person.

And of course, God would accept me or that I have to follow these rules to get. No, you know you're saved because you believe that Jesus died for your sin and rose again the third day.

Let's pray. Lord, I thank you for your word. And I thank you for your promises.

And I ask that if someone listening right now has never placed their faith in the gospel of Christ crucified and risen, that they would do it today and become not only a son of Abraham, but also an heir of eternal life.

It's in Jesus name I pray. Amen. Thanks for listening.

I'm Pastor Michael Grant from Morris Cornick Church. If you'd like to listen to the complete message or if you'd like more information about the ministry, visit our website, morriscornickchurch .com.

And we'd love to have you join us some Sunday morning here in Leverett. Until next time, may the grace of God be with you.