How Shall I Know

How Shall I know? (Genesis 15:7-21) *All verses in NKJV unless otherwise noted*

“And [Abram] believed in the Lord, and [the Lord] accounted it to him for righteousness.”

– Life is a journey, not a destination. We have seen, and will continue to see through Genesis, the highs and lows, the back and forth, of Abram’s “walk” of faith…

– He was a hero, but he was just a man also. His faith was not contingent on the promise or the outcome. In fact, the promise seemed impossible, but Abram has already begun stepping out in faith (leaving family, traveling to the land, etc…). Faith without seeing…

– Hebrews 11:1-2, Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.

– John 20:29, Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

– 2 Cor. 5:7, For we walk by faith, not by sight.

* Can you have “faith without seeing” and still want to know what to look for?

– What does it “look like”? Instruction vs application: Sometimes I need to see it walked out…

– Example: FF search drills, learn crawling under smoke, real life sometimes is to just stand up!

– Abraham is used as OUR EXAMPLE throughout the New Testament, even with all his successes and failures. He had faith in God’s promise, but still asked, “How shall I know?”

Genesis 15:7-21, Then He said to him, “I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it.” 8 And he said, “Lord God, how shall I know that I will inherit it?” 9 So He said to him, “Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. 11 And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. 12 Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. 13 Then He said to Abram: “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. 14 And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace (meaning: die and go to your ancestors); you shall be buried at a good old age. 16 But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” 17 And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces. 18 On the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying: “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates— 19 the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”

1. Abram asks, “How shall I know?” It doesn’t lack faith to ask questions. (v7-8)

– God restates his promise to Abram, that he and his ancestors will inherit the land. Abram responds with a question this time, “How shall I know that I will inherit it?”

– Is this “doubt” or “lack of faith”? No. Remember, Abram was just declared righteous because of his faith. Put yourself in his shoes…

– This is a big promise, God has said it several times, it hasn’t happened yet, there is not logical way for it to happen… It seems fair to ask God the question… How will this happen?

– Another way to ask it is, “What does this look like, and how will I know it when I see it?”

– I can say, “Have faith.” Or, “Walk by faith and not by sight.” Or, “Believe God will do it!” I know it, and believe it, but it can be hard to know what that physically looks like in a given situation? 

Example: Man trapped on roof says, “God will save me.” Boat comes, helicopter, etc… no God. Gets to heaven and asks God why he didn’t come. God says, “I sent a boat, and a helicopter, etc…”

– Why can’t God use other people, or technology, or medicine, etc… to save/bless/fix/fulfill what He has for you?

– Isn’t it just your own vanity to decide that God must do something miraculous or “spiritual” in order for you to believe it was God who did it? Why does it have to fit into YOUR preconceived expectations?

– This happened another time in the Bible also. John the Baptist had preached the message of the coming Savior. Scripture said it would happen with certain details, but it’s not something you want to get wrong…

– Matthew 11:2-5, And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples 3 and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” 4 Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: 5 The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.

– Sometimes Jesus’ response is read like a rebuke, but I don’t think so. Do you really think that John the Baptist asking a question means he “lacked faith”?!

– John simply wants to know, since this has never happened before and is the most important thing in all of human history, Just confirming: Jesus, you are the Messiah, right?

– Jesus response is not to say, “Just trust me blindly.” Jesus responds by pointing to the signs that have followed him. He says, “Yes! It’s me, see, this is what it looks like.”

Example: My wife has cancer… after chemo it’s still there. How am I supposed to feel about it? 

– Some news is “good”, some news is “bad”… God is still good, our faith is the same…

– I wonder what is next? What does this mean? But I don’t question God’s care and protection. It is evident all around us, in our church, and our care plans, etc… I don’t doubt that.

*Question: If you don’t see God moving in your life, could it be because you have a preconceived expectation of what it should look like, and that isn’t happening? What if you gave up on “controlling” how God moves in your life, and began letting God just moves how he moves? 

– Maybe you don’t need a new situation, maybe you need a new perspective? Maybe you need to realign your expectations with more Biblical ones?

– Proverbs 3:5-6, Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

– This should not be confused with “don’t seek understanding”, only “don’t lean on it.” (Seeking wisdom is not wrong. Using earthly wisdom to undermine trust in God is wrong. Just like “money isn’t evil… the love of money is…”)

– (NLT) James 1:2-8, Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. 5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. 6 But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. 7 Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.

– Abram is looking for some guidance. He wants to recognize God’s plan when it happens. I, for one, can understand how he feels in this moment. 

2. Knowing may not be what is best for you. 

– Genesis 15:12-13, Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. 13 Then He said to Abram: “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years.

– God told Abram what was going to happen next, and it was news he probably didn’t want to hear. 

– Sometimes we are better off NOT knowing. God may still be preparing you for that time, and giving you all the details now might either discourage you, or cause you to take actions our of fear. 

Example: Keeping a family informed during a CPR… metered doses… they can be blind-sided believing since EMS is there that all will be okay… they can only process the info a little at a time.

– God knows what is best for you, even if it doesn’t make sense to you. It may be His protection.

 – People often want more information because it gives them a sense of control over the situation. Be careful that you aren’t searching for more to worry about, only more to trust God in prayer for.

3. This is how Abram can know: God makes a blood covenant with him. 

– Genesis 15:9-10, So He said to him, “Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds in two.

– Genesis 15:17-18a, And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces. 18 On the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying: “To your descendants I have given this land,…

– This ceremony is very significant. The history of covenant agreements in the Old Testament is an entire teaching unto itself. This is your homework, listen to Pastor Matt’s sermon:

Pastor Matt’s sermon: “The Blood Covenant” Gen. 17:7, March 2016

https://faithandvictory.com/covenant/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJXS0JCFdQc

– In this ceremony, the animals are killed, blood is shed, and the two making the covenant are supposed to walk between the pieces. 

– This appears to be God making an unbreakable covenant with Abram, BUT Abram never passed through the pieces! A smoking oven and burning torch pass through the pieces…

– There are several explanations for all of the symbolism found in this story, but what you need to know is that God and Jesus passed through the pieces… not a mere man!

– The covenant agreement can only be broken when the person making it dies… Jesus never died!

– God’s promise and provision for Abram and his many descendants is not dependent on his people’s ability to uphold their end of it… because we never entered in, Jesus did on our behalf.

*This covenant is extended to us though Jesus’ death on the cross.

– Think about communion, the Passover lamb, God’s promises for His people, all culminate is Jesus Christ being our Massiah and Savior! Even the author of Hebrews is using Genesis to make the case!

*Our faith and hope can be built on Jesus Christ, and salvation through him. Unbreakable!

– Abram had questions, and you may have them too, but regardless of the answers, you can believe by faith that salvation comes through no other name but Jesus!

– prayer –