BELIEVE IT OR NOT! (20 OF 54)
by Keith Krell
Scripture: Genesis 17:1-17, Genesis 17:20-27
This content is part of a series.
Believe It or Not! (20 of 54)
Series: The Book of Beginnings
Keith Krell
Genesis 17:1-27
''Jump and I'll catch you.'' Have you ever heard a parent say that to a child perched on some high place? Can you remember one of your parents saying that to you when you were little? Did you do it? Did you jump? In a sense, that is like something that God says to us. God reaches out to us in love. He initiates a relationship with us by making some promises to us. When we believe His promise of eternal life through Christ, we begin a relationship with God. Yet, this is only the beginning. God calls us to trust His promises and dare to live our lives as if we believe He will keep all of His promises. There is some risk involved in doing that. But unless we take that risk, we can never truly live the life of faith that God intends for us. God says, ''Jump and I'll catch you.''
Yet, there is a tension in this. While we are commanded to obey, Jesus works in us, through the Holy Spirit, to accomplish obedience. When Mother Teresa was asked about her world-renowned service, she replied, ''I am just a little pencil in God's hands...doing something beautiful for God.'' In a mysterious way, we're not called to work for God, but to let God work through us.
In Genesis 17:1-27, we will see a mixture of divine sovereignty and human responsibility. And we will learn how God works to accomplish obedience in Abram's life and ours. First, we will see...
1. God is a covenant-keeping God (17:1-8). Moses writes, ''Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, 'I am God Almighty''' (17:1a). These words break thirteen years of silence between God and Abram. God had not spoken to Abram since he took matters into his own hands by sleeping with Hagar and conceiving a son (16:16). After these silent years, Abram must have been greatly encouraged by this encounter with God. In this revelation, the Lord manifested Himself more fully in terms of H ...
Series: The Book of Beginnings
Keith Krell
Genesis 17:1-27
''Jump and I'll catch you.'' Have you ever heard a parent say that to a child perched on some high place? Can you remember one of your parents saying that to you when you were little? Did you do it? Did you jump? In a sense, that is like something that God says to us. God reaches out to us in love. He initiates a relationship with us by making some promises to us. When we believe His promise of eternal life through Christ, we begin a relationship with God. Yet, this is only the beginning. God calls us to trust His promises and dare to live our lives as if we believe He will keep all of His promises. There is some risk involved in doing that. But unless we take that risk, we can never truly live the life of faith that God intends for us. God says, ''Jump and I'll catch you.''
Yet, there is a tension in this. While we are commanded to obey, Jesus works in us, through the Holy Spirit, to accomplish obedience. When Mother Teresa was asked about her world-renowned service, she replied, ''I am just a little pencil in God's hands...doing something beautiful for God.'' In a mysterious way, we're not called to work for God, but to let God work through us.
In Genesis 17:1-27, we will see a mixture of divine sovereignty and human responsibility. And we will learn how God works to accomplish obedience in Abram's life and ours. First, we will see...
1. God is a covenant-keeping God (17:1-8). Moses writes, ''Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, 'I am God Almighty''' (17:1a). These words break thirteen years of silence between God and Abram. God had not spoken to Abram since he took matters into his own hands by sleeping with Hagar and conceiving a son (16:16). After these silent years, Abram must have been greatly encouraged by this encounter with God. In this revelation, the Lord manifested Himself more fully in terms of H ...
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