GOD HAS A PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE
Genesis 15:1-7, 17-2
NOTHING TO FEAR WITH GOD
V:1. " After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram
in a vision: "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward."
A. Those who are
faithful to God are constantly inspired by Him to greater heights.
1. When God said
move, Abram moved.
2. When God said
go, Abram walked by faith even though he didn't know
where he was
going.
B. Those who are faithful to God must expect to hear a Word
from God.
1. When God speaks
we must have the confidence to know that it is Him
that is
speaking.
2. God may speak to
us in different ways. In this case it was in vision.
C. Following God does not eliminate worldly problems.
1. In fact, I think
following God guarantees problems because the world hates Him.
2. God told Abram
not to be afraid.
3. That indicates
to me that God was going to allow Abram to face some
difficult
times.
4. God has not
given us the spirit of fear, power, love and sound mind.
a. Fear is a
stumbling block to the power that God has made available to us.
b. Fear blinds
us to the power of God and the love He has for us.
c. Without a
working knowledge of God's power and love, the mind is
unsound.
D. The problems that we face in life are going to be bigger
than us, that why
God promises to be our shield.
1. Those who are
obedient to the Lord have Him as their protector.
2. God knew Abram
was going to have confrontations with kings and other
nations.
3. When we face
problems we ought to be quick to take them to the Lord in prayer.
E. God promises that if we are faithful to Him, that we will
have a great reward.
1. Our success in
life is based on trusting the Lord in all situations.
2. God is the way
to success.
3. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.
ASK GOD WHAT YOU WANT
V:2-3. " But Abram said, "O Sovereign Lord, what
can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate
is Eliezer of Damascus?"
3 And Abram said, "You have given me no children; so a
servant in my household will be my heir."
A. What Abram wanted most was a son to carry the family
name.
1. He and his wife
probably had tried to have a child many times without conception.
2. He may have
been frustrated that other families around him had sons.
3. He was faithful
to God, his Lord, but that didn't yield a son.
B. Just because you don't have your desires, don't mean you
quit praying.
1. God knows the desires of your heart.
2. Abram asked God
for what he wanted.
3. Abram didn't
want a non relative to inherit what he had gained through
his labors.
C. Maybe God uses our desires to keep us on our knees in
prayer.
1. Abram was also
trying to please the wife that God had given him.
2. I am sure it was embarrassing to Shari
before the other women that
she didn't
have a child.
3. Abram use his
opportunity in prayer to tell God his desires.
4. Abram understood
that God control the birth of children.
5. He understood
that children were a gift from God.
6. Abram didn't
want just a child, he wanted a son.
7. Your prayers
ought to be specific.
WAIT ON GOD'S ANSWER
V:4. " Then the word of the Lord came to him:
"This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will
be your heir."
A. God answers prayers in His time and His way.
1. We can rest
assured that God hears our prayers.
2. You can rest
assured that God will make it known to you that He heard your
prayers.
3. We have to be
patient enough to let God handle our prayers.
B. The Word of God never changes.
1. The command to
Adam and Eve was to be fruitful and fill the earth.
2. In the confines
of marriage, the command to Abram was the same.
3. What God did for
someone else in the past, He will do for you.
4. You got to have
both male and female babies to fill the earth.
EXPECT GOD TO DO MORE THAN YOU ASK
V:5. " He took him outside and said, "Look up at
the heavens and count the stars — if indeed you can count them." Then he
said to him, "So shall your offspring be."
A. God can do exceedingly abundantly more than you can ask
or conceive.
1. Not only did God
promise Abram a son but that he would be the father
of many
generations.
2. This was the
prophecy to Abram that his family would be continuously
full of sons.
3. This was the
prophecy to Abram that his family would be successful.
B. This was the prophecy to Abram that his family would continuously
follow God.
1. We are the role
models for generations to come.
2. What our children
see us do, they will follow.
3. Train up a child
in the way he should go, and when he gets old
he will not
depart.
FAITH CAUSES GOD TO ACT ON YOUR PRAYERS
V:6. " Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to
him as righteousness. "
A. Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the
evidence of things
unseen.
1. Abram was hoping
for a son and the evidence was in the number of
stars in the
sky.
2. The signs of
God's power and glory is in front of our eyes.
3. Abram is known
as the father of righteousness.
B. Abram was by no means perfect, but he based his life on
the Word of God.
1. Abram was by no
means sinless, but his faith in the Word covered his sins.
2. Abram by no
means did everything right, but his faith in Word made
him acceptable
to God.
GOD WILL DO WHAT HE PROMISE WITHOUT YOUR HELP
Genesis 15:17-16:1
V:17. " When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a
smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. "
A. The fulfillment of God covenants is not dependant on us.
1. God ratified
the covenant with Abram with himself.
2. God made an
agreement with Himself that He was going to keep the
covenant.
B. A sacrificial animal was cut in half and placed on two
separate altars.
1. The agreeing parties would pass
through indicating acceptance.
2. Abram was asleep.
Only God pass through the halves of the animal .
3. The smoking fire pot represented either
the afflictions of Israel
during
400 years of
slavery or the judgment of Egypt .
4. The blazing
torch represents the divine presence of the Lord, His
cleansing and
illumination.
5. The fulfillment
of the covenant included blessings and tribulations.
1. The
tribulations while the nation was born in slavery.
2. The
blessings of freedom in deliverance from slavery into the
promise
land.
GOD BLESSES THE FAMILIES OF THE FAITHFUL
V:18. " On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram
and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river
of Egypt Euphrates
—
19 the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites,
20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites,
21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites."
A. The first part of the covenant with Abram was the
perpetual generations.
1. The second part
of the covenant was the promise land which is
particular to
the Jewish people.
2.
B. Notice that land was then occupied by other folk.
1. Someone else may
be cultivating what God has for you.
2. God will ensure
that you get what he has planned for you.
3. It you job to
pray for what you want.
4. In order to get
what you pray for, you have to be obedient
to God's
commands.
ASK WHAT YOU WANT. THEN
WAIT ON GOD'S ANSWER
Rev M Mitchell
Asst Pastor Of Greater Macedonia
Baptist Church
5510 West Sam Houston Tollway North
For more lessons follow me on facebook or visit my
blogs www.revmmitchell.com
and goodnewsrecmitc.blogspot.com
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