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Psalm 59:16 But as for me, I shall sing of Your strength; Yes, I shall joyfully sing of Your lovingkindness in the morning, For You have been my stronghold And a refuge in the day of my distress. Hymns Invitation Red Songbook - Supplemental

Studying Genesis READ: Genesis 12 (11) Genesis 15: God’s Promise

Abraham’s Fear What if God does not do what He promised? He was 75 years old when he left to wander Isaac won’t be born until he is 100 years old Doubt is both common to all and NOT sinful It is a weakness It needs to be dealt with immediately In Genesis 12 God made a covenant promise to Abram that God would make him a great nation, bless him, make his name great, bless those who bless him, curse those who curse him, and that through in him all the families of the earth will be blessed. But now quite a bit of time has passed since those promises were uttered. For Abram, none of these promises have occurred that God promised to him and he is beginning to question these promises because of God’s apparent delay. When large amounts of time pass without seeing God’s promises fulfilled it causes us to question if these promises will happen. An obvious example is that Jesus promised to return, yet nearly two thousand years have elapsed since the promise. So we can doubt if God will do what he promised. In this lesson we are going to look at how God strengthens our faith to put our trust in him and the response we must have to our Lord.

God’s Promises 1. I am your Shield - 2 Peter 2:7-9 2. I am your Reward - Hebrews 11:16 My shield is with God, who saves the upright in heart Psalm 7:10 There are 20 references in Psalms alone that God is our shield. We are trust not in the kings of the earth (Sodom) but in God for our deliverance 2Pe 2:7 ¶ and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked 8 (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds) -- 9 then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment, Heb 11:16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

Abraham Believed God “And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness” This was NOT a “Plan of Salvation for Sinners” This was the reward of the true obedient believer Credit of righteousness Concept

The Covenant Symbols Clean beasts slaughtered to create a ritual Hebrews 9:22 And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. The birds driven away (Matt. 13:4) Hebrews 11: 1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Heb 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

The Covenant Symbols The horror and darkness - Abraham must now have faith, not sight The future is not always easy "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.“ Acts 14:22b

The Covenant Symbols Go to your fathers in peace - NOT the grave (Gen. 25:9) - A hope of life after death “Iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete”

The Covenant Symbols God passes between the sacrifices Jeremiah 34:18-19 Smoking Oven Burning Torch A solemn pledge between God and Abraham Jer 34:18 'And I will give the men who have transgressed My covenant, who have not performed the words of the covenant which they made before Me, when they cut the calf in two and passed between the parts of it- 19 'the princes of Judah, the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf-

Applications Being worried is not a sin - We need to work out our fears Breaking a covenant with God is frightful - We need to take our pledge seriously Heb 11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; 10 for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

Children of Abraham For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to promise. Galatians 3:27-29