Introduction: Grace be to you and peace, from God our Father, and from our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Our text is the Old Testament Lesson just read, from Gen. 17. We begin with prayer.
Dear fellow disciples of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ:
- Our text presents a rather remarkable incident, and also highlights the remarkable and astounding love and tenderness of God toward His people. Abraham was an old man when this incident occurred – 99 years old. I’m not able to imagine what it might be like to be that old.
- We don’t know all that transpired in the preceding years, but the last verse before this account has Abraham at 86 years old when Ishmael was born to him. But now, God again appears to him to speak kindly with him and to bless him.
- Also remarkably, God promises Abraham offspring through another son who would be conceived and birthed by Sarah – Sarah, who was also quite old and beyond child-bearing age, having gone through menopause. The promises given to Abraham by covenant with God, as described in these verses, are astonishingly great!
- Sadly, we can go to the next verse in this chapter, Gen. 17:17, and learn that Abraham was not entirely humble and faithful in his response to these promises of God. In this verse we read: “Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, ‘Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?’ And Abraham said to God, ‘Oh that Ishmael might live before you!’”
- But of course, God is gracious, and He makes promises and keeps them regardless of the worthiness of those to whom the promises are given, and regardless of how unlikely or impossible His promises might seem to us, and He kept these promises to Abraham and Sarah. But from these verses we learn that:
I. God Is Love, Full Of Grace And Love, And He Graciously Gives Covenant Promises To His People
Text: “When Abraham was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abraham and said to him, ‘I am God Almighty; walk before Me, and be blameless, that I may make My covenant between Me and you, and may multiply you greatly.’”
A. He Blesses Those Who Have Faith In His Love, And Accounts Them To Be Blameless, Righteous In His Sight
Gen. 15;6 “Abraham believed God and God counted it to him as righteousness.”
Text: “walk before Me and be blameless.”
B. God Blesses Humble Submission To His Ways, The Ways Of Love
Text: “Then Abraham fell on his face. And God said to him, ‘Behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. . . . I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.’”
Statement: We see that Abraham was certainly not perfect. In fact, we see that he was much like we are, struggling with the promises of God in unbelief, and unwilling to simply embrace the love that God has for us. Yet Abraham had faith in God, and humility – he fell on his face and bowed to God. But more importantly we see that God is faithful – He continues to give His covenant promises to Abraham in spite of who and what Abraham was, for God is full of grace, mercy, and compassion. And His promises to Abraham had everything to do with His greatest gift of grace and love, the gift of His own Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, as we will discuss a bit later.
Application: In His Word, in these verses, God reveals Himself not only to Abraham but also to us and to all people. This is what God is like – yes Almighty and full of Majesty, and also full of gracious love, goodwill, and mercy toward human beings. This is what He wills for us to grasp and understand, so that we may also receive His grace and remain among the humble and faithful! He wants us to reflect upon these things, to grasp and embrace the nature of His love for us, to understand and humbly believe all that He has done for us in Christ Jesus.
Transition: And so we consider that:
II. The Promises, Blessings, And Love Of God Are Immense And Eternal
Text: “I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.”
A. The Most Important Of Abraham’s Offspring, More Important Than Isaac, Is The Lord Jesus Christ
Gen. 22:17 “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.”
Gal. 3:16 “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.”
B. In This Blessing Of Abraham’s Offspring, The Lord Jesus Christ, All Nations – Including Each Of Us – Are Blessed With Forgiveness, Life, And Eternal Salvation
John 3:16 “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Eph. 1:7 “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”
C. So That We Who Even Now Are Of Humble Faith Are Also Abraham’s Offspring, And Have Been Incorporated Into This Everlasting Covenant Between God And Abraham
Gal. 3:6-8 “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.’ Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘In you shall all the nations be blessed.’”
Statement: What we read of in our text, of an incident which occurred so long ago, when God made great and glorious promises to Abraham, we see that He also had us in mind, and was revealing Himself to us. Certainly the real meaning and import of His promises have been more clearly revealed to us in the coming of Jesus, and in His suffering, death, and resurrection – and in the many covenant promises He has graciously made to us of salvation and eternal life! But we can surely know that God does not change; forever He is full of mercy, kindness, grace, and love for His people, those who are humble and faithful.
Application: Today, whenever and wherever His Word comes to us, He is also appearing to us, revealing Himself and all of His gracious love to us, eager to remind of the everlasting covenant that He has made with us and with all of His people in the “Offspring” of Abraham, our great Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He urges us to faith in His love by reminding us: “I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless.”
He comes to us as well, the Lord Himself, in the Sacrament of His true body and blood “given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” It is His “new covenant” in His blood. It is the same covenant of gracious mercy, forgiveness, and salvation given to Abraham, our father in the faith! So let us join him in receiving the grace that God bestows on the humble, the faithful.
Conclusion: We too are God’s dear children of faith, children of His covenant, and His love for us and tender care for us is just the same as what He had for Abraham. May we see ourselves in father Abraham, people who know God’s love, who are friends with God by His gracious mercy in Christ Jesus, people to whom He has given an everlasting covenant of love.
Than we too will see forever “GOD’S GRACE TO HIS HUMBLE, FAITHFUL CHILDREN.” God grant it to us all, Amen.
Votum: And the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds in the true faith, which is in Christ Jesus, even unto life everlasting, Amen.