H2O Church
This is the 2nd talk in this series, as we seek to elevate our faith from the mundane grind of life, to actually engage in the promises of God.
Genesis 12:1-3 ESV
I. The Vastness of the Promise.
The point: God promises Fame, land, and descendants to Abraham, but then Paul comes along, and says the promise was really made to Abraham’s descendent, Jesus, with you and I being part of the fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham.
Genesis 15:1-6 ESV
II. Tent Theology.
The point: God purposely allows a great passage of time for Abraham to reach uncertainty about how the promise will be fulfilled. “Tent theology” is faith based on what we can see, inside the small “tents” of our circumstances, based on
-our weaknesses
-our strengths and gifts
-our past
-our circumstances
-our experiences
-our spiritual age
-our physical age
Genesis 16:13-16 ESV
III. The God who sees me.
The point: Since Abraham can’t figure out how God will physically give him a son, he and his wife conspire in what is a crazy practice to us, but an accepted one at the time, bearing a child through their slave, Hagar. This, of course, results in misery, not fulfillment, yet God intervenes with remarkable kindness toward Hagar and her son
Genesis 17:1-3 ESV
IV. The God who takes His time.
Point: Abraham is as good as dead (See Romans 4:19-21) when God he decides to fully trust God to fulfill His promise. Waiting on God to move in your life is scary, but beautiful as we are transformed into new people through this process of trust.
3 mistakes we make regarding the promises of God
(1) Not Claiming God’s Promises because they weren’t written to YOU.
(2) Ignoring context, AS IF written directly to you.
(3) Giving up because it LOOKS impossible.
Genesis 18:9-15 ESV
V. The Laugh of Joy
Point: Though Sarah laughs in unbelief, God both gently confronted her unbelief, while fulfilling the desire of her heart. She names her long-awaited son, the son of promise, Isaac, meaning “laughter.”
“From one religious camp, we’re told that what God wants is obedience, or sacrifice, or adherence to the right doctrines, or morality. Those are the answers offered by conservative churches. The more therapeutic churches suggest that no, God is after our contentment or happiness or self-actualization, or something else along those lines. He is concerned about all these things, of course, but they are not his primary concern. What He is after IS US- our laughter, our dreams, our fears, our heart of hearts.” John Eldredge