Three Promises
The Golden Thread • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 7 viewsThe promises to the patriarcs are three and this is in emphasis of God's oath to Abraham. Each of the promises are filled with "I will" statment from the I AM himself. God is faithful beyond anything we can be. We die, we end, we cannot do the work that saves, we sin. God is faithful today, he is faithful tomorrow. He is faithful, he is powerful, and he loves everyone of His elect, salvifically. Its worth defining that word “salvifically.” Merriam Webster defines the word salvifically as “having the intent or power to save or redeem.”[3] God does not have the intent or the power to save. God has the intent and the power to save.
Notes
Transcript
Three Promises
Three Promises
Open your Bibles to Gen 22
We are going to be in several chapters of scripture for tonight, will be Genesis 22:15-19, and in Genesis 26:1-6, and Genesis 28:10-14
Genesis veintidós versiculo quince para diecinueve
Genesis veintiseis versiculo ono para seis
Genesis veintiocho versiculo diez para cartores
Introduction
Introduction
The title of the message to night is “three promises.” The decree of God is an unchangeable as God himself. God is as we confess, immutable. It means God done not and cannot change. If God says he is going to do something, he does just that and he does not fail and it. Tonight we will see Gods promise continued, the redeemer that we heard about in Genesis 3:15, the one that would bruise the head of the serpent, is again promised as the seed of Abraham.
Last weeks catechism question said, God made a covenant of grace for his people by a redeemer. That covenant promise and that redeemer are spoken of in our texts for to night.
Lets Pray
Body
Body
Main Body Division 1
Main Body Division 1
Text
Text
Genesis veintidós versiculo quince para diecinueve
And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba. And Abraham lived at Beersheba.
Explanation
Explanation
We know the story of the attempted sacrifice of Issac.
Mount Moriah the cite of the Jerusalem temple and the location of Christ’s Death.
Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to David his father, at the place that David had appointed, on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
“By myself I have sworn”
God cannot make a greater promise (Heb 6:13)
For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself,
God’s decree
The 1698 LBC that we hold to says
God has decreed in Himself, from all eternity, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely and unchangeably, all things, whatsoever comes to pass; yet so as thereby is God neither the author of sin nor has fellowship with any therein; nor is violence offered to the will of the creature, nor yet is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established; in which appears His wisdom in disposing all things, and power and faithfulness in accomplishing His decree.[1]
“because you have done this and have not withheld your son”
God decreed that Abraham would have Faith, and then in Abraham’s faith God works salvation.
What is the promise?
multiply your offspring
possess the gate of his enemies (Option, talk about the interpretation in translation, he/them)
Sounds like the serpent crusher
in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed
“because you have obeyed my voice”
Faith that produces obedience is the currency of the covenant of Grace.
This is miraculous faith.
A faith gifted by God.
Illustration
Illustration
We should marvel at Abrahams faith. Its like watching someone lift a fully loaded Simi-Truck with their bare hands. Its the impossible happening right in front of our eyes.
Application
Application
Notice verse 19, “And Abraham lived at Beersheba.” It seems so ordinary. It say, Abraham went home. Like this Herculean act of faith was just all in a days work.
Friends this is now God works out your salvation. he is the one working in you to will to do his good pleasure, is was the one working in Abraham to have this faith. What did Abraham do? Live his life, and obey God.
Transition
Transition
That was promise number 1. Let see the next promise.
Main Body Division 2
Main Body Division 2
Text
Text
Genesis veintiseis versiculo ono para seis
Now there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar to Abimelech king of the Philistines. And the Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you. Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” So Isaac settled in Gerar.
Explanation
Explanation
“the LORD appeared to him”
The Pre-incarnate Christ
The “I” statements
I will be with you and will bless you
I will give all these lands
I will establish the oath
I will multiply your offspring
“in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed”
Abraham is dead
Yet, God is continuing his plan of salvation.
“because Abraham obeyed”
God honors Abrahams Faith displayed in his obedience.
Illustration
Illustration
Remember the simi-truck from before? Now there is a dead man lifting it. Think about it for a moment. Abraham is dead, even if he had powerful faith what does it mean now? It mean everything because God decreed and God does as he promised.
Application
Application
Look at verse 6 “So Isaac settled in Gerar.” Notice how Issac’s response is like Abraham. Abraham went home obeying God. And Issac, obeys God, doesn’t go to Egypt, instead he makes a home right there. Its not some extraordinary story about someone that does not exist like Hercules. God works out His decree in the life of ordinary people living their life.
Transition
Transition
Lets look at Promise number 3. God with my to Genesis 28:10-14
Genesis veintiocho versiculo diez para cartores
Main Body Division 3
Main Body Division 3
Text
Text
Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
Explanation
Explanation
All the same promises
Offspring
Blessings
all the nations
The third generation of Abraham
The LORD himself again, delivers the message.
I enjoyed John Calvin’s comment on this verse, Calvin said, “the covenant of God was founded in Christ, and that Christ himself was the eternal image of the Father, in which he manifested himself to the holy patriarchs.”[2]
What does the fact there are three times this promise is recorded mean?
Some might see the trinity.
The Father Elects
the Son redeems
The Sprint keeps.
More for sure the emphatic nature of the promise. In the language of the day to say something three time was to be emphatic about it. God clearly, emphatically is stating his decree is to save.
Progressive revelation
“in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed”
“in you” was not in any of the previous promises
Jacob Blesses Pharaoh
The world is saved from Famine be Joseph (We will be talking about Joseph next week)
YWHA in verse 13 is an example
Moses knew God’s name as YWHA but Jacob did not.
Jesus is an example of progressive revelation
We know this story is about him because we have had him revealed in the flesh and interpreted to us by the Apostles.
How do we know these promises are about Jesus,
Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ.
Illustration
Illustration
Now the curtain is pulled back. The impossible faith. The thing that is just a inconceivable, and yes I know what that word means, as a floating simi-truck was not Abraham's doing. Or Issac. Or Jacob. But God all along. That faith of these men decreed and through them the serpent crusher comes.
Application
Application
We should look at Jacob’s response in verse 17. “And he was afraid.” How would you be if you witnessed the impossible? We naturally have a fear of the Holy, of the unknown. As R.C. Sproull put it in his series, the “Holiness of God” the tremendum mysterium. God is the tremendous mystery and we, as Jacob was, are right to be in awe of his wondrous nature and power.
Conclusion
Conclusion
A few points to take with us this even friends.
Consider this Covenant making God. He make and he keeps the convents by which he save his people.
God works right in the middle of real life. Our God is not some mythological character but the God of the real.
Most importantly notes that God is faithful beyond anything we can be. We die, we end, we cannot do the work that saves, we sin. God is faithful today, he is faithful tomorrow. He is faithful, he is powerful, and he loves everyone of His elect, salvifically. Its worth defining that word “salvifically.” Merriam Webster defines the word salvifically as “having the intent or power to save or redeem.”[3] God does not have the intent or the power to save. God has the intent and the power to save.
Lets Pray
Benediction
Benediction
Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
Go in peace
References
References
[1] R. C. Sproul, ed., The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition) (Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust, 2015), 2480.
[2]John Calvin and John King, Commentary on the First Book of Moses Called Genesis, vol. 2 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 112.
[3] “Salvific.” Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Accessed August 11, 2021. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/salvific.
Bibliography
Bibliography
Calvin, John, and John King. Commentary on the First Book of Moses Called Genesis. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010.
“Salvific.” Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Accessed August 11, 2021. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/salvific.
Sproul, R. C., ed. The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition). Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust, 2015.