26. Beginner Bible Course: The story of Abraham and Sarah, Pt. 2 - What made Abraham right with God?

EPISODE 26  The simple Bible overview of…THE STORY OF ABRAHAM, PT 2 (ABRAHAM GETS RIGHT WITH GOD)

Growing up...

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...my two little boys had more guts than brains. We had a favorite game. We would play when my wife was at work. My sons at the time were about seven and three. Here's how that game went. We lived in a house with a big family room. At the end of the family room was adore door to the basement with 13 steps and a landing at the bottom. I'd say to the boys, you want to play launch they'd squeal. As I opened the basement door, they'd run to the far side of the family room and I'd pop down those 13 stairs. They'd call ready, daddy, I'd yell launch one by one. They would run full speed across the family room and launch themselves off the top.

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Step down to 13 stairs, I'd catch one. Then the next, then they'd run back up the stairs and repeat launch work because my boys believed I was strong enough to catch them. And that I was kind enough never to step aside and let them crash into the wall at the bottom of the stairs. I want you to reveal it, that picture of my boys flying down that stairs into my arms, into your head. You now have the biblical definition of the word, believed it sprinkled throughout the old Testament. And the new Testament is saturated with it. We learned at the beginning of chapter 15, and Genesis when God told Abraham he'd have as many descendants as the stars in the sky.

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Abraham believed him. He backed it up to the far wall, ran full tilt and launched himself into the trustworthy, awaiting arms of a strong faithful God. We also learned what happened when he did that and God counted it to him as righteousness. I asked my students if they know what righteousness means, often they'll reply things like doing the right things. Then I give them this illustration. I released class early and we all go out on the playground. I'll pick on a large boy in the class for my example, we'll call and Brayden. I tell my students we're out on the playground and you hear Braden and I getting into a bit of a disagreement.

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It starts to get heated. And as you turn to look, you see Braden punched me right in the face. He drops me like a bad habit with one punch. He puts me to sleep all day. You and your classmates are wondering will Mr. Nelson ever wake up and what is going to happen to Braden? The next morning you tiptoe into homeroom. I'm standing there looking normal, except for the large bruise on my face. Just before the bell. You're shocked. As Braden also walks into class and sits down at his desk. I look over at Braden and begin to walk toward him. Oh, you think? But when I get to his desk, I smile and say, good morning, Braden, how are you doing? He smiles back and we fist bump.

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I asked my class, what do you think happened between him dropping me on the playground and me fist bumping him the next morning in class, they respond well, somehow you made things, right? I then go to the whiteboard and write righteousness. Only our write it, right? Dash us dash Snus, write us Snus, write us. And this it's right between you and me. That's the proper definition of righteousness. A relationship that's been restored prior to Genesis 15, six, Abraham was separated from God. His light of Pharaoh about Sarah being a sister. Wasn't his only sin trespass or twistedness yet in Genesis 15 and six God fists bumps Abraham and says, we're good.

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It's right between you and me. How did that happen? Abraham went all in and launched himself at God. What makes us sinful separated, man, right with God. It's going all in on who God is and what he says he'll do. Abraham the patriarch. The trunk of the tree shows all of us branches on the tree, how we're made right with God going all in on who he is and what he says. He'll do. Please remember that. We'll be returning to it often, perhaps still standing there under the stars. God tells him I'm going to give you this land Abraham as I promised earlier, but your descendants are going to have to wait awhile for it.

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In fact, 400 years, God tells him what will happen in those 400 years. They'll be in another land where eventually there'll be made slaves and oppressed, but God will bring them back in to this land. He promised Abraham God then gives him a reason for that delay. It says that at the end of chapter 15, he'll keep them in this temporary place until the twistedness of the current residence is filled up overflowing no longer tolerable file that away in your soul. God wants all his kids back. He is for the ultimate. Good of all people. He wants the Canaanites back and he's putting his land promised to Abraham and his descendants on pause mode for 400 years to try and reach them.

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God asks Abraham then to perform an ancient right and ancient right of contract signing. He's to cut a few animals in half and spread the halves apart. The text tells us God in the form of a torch passes between the pieces of cut up animals. I explained to my students what God is doing here. And it's amazing when two people wanted to make a solemn promise over a serious matter, they would cut an animal in half. Then they would walk together between the two pieces in doing so they were saying, may God do to us what we've done to this animal. If we break this covenant, if we break this contract, may God cut us in half.

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If we're on faithful to it, God writes up a contract. Abraham I'm going to give this land to your descendants. Then God alone. Walks through the pieces. May this be done to me? If I don't keep my word and you can take it to the bank. Okay? God Abraham might thought, but there's a small problem. You can't give this land to my descendants. If I don't have any, he may have had conversations with Sarah about this. Whatever happened. Sarah came up with plan C. Remember Abram's plan B was adopting Elizar Sarah's plan C was having a surrogate baby through her handmaid Hagar, have a baby with Hagar.

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Abe. The text tells us Abraham agreed. So Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham as a wife wrong. Abraham one man. One woman glued together for life at 85. Abraham hears. He's about to become a daddy. Hagar is pregnant with his baby. The text tells us Hagar started having a little fun at Sarah's expense. I picture her sitting at the kitchen table talking about how the baby moved all night and kept her awake. Sarah is groveling in the corner, Sarah lashes out and treats Hagar. So poorly Hagar packs or maternity clothes, and runs away to the wilderness.

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God meets Hagar in the wilderness and then tells her to go back home. God promises her a multitude of descendants. When she gets back home, she gives birth to Abraham's first son, a boy, and named some Ishmael. Abraham. Now has a son, a firstborn son fast forward 13 years. Abraham is now 99 years old at 99. God changes his name. He puts the HIE in Abram's name. He's now Abraham in the Hebrew language. The HIE is essentially an exclamation point. Abraham exalted father or father of many is now exalted, exalted father or father of many, many exclamation point.

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Well, at least he has one kid, 13 year old Ishmael in chapter 17, God repeats his covenant. His commitment to give Abraham's descendants. The land God will unconditionally give it to them. Keeping it will be up to them. Maintaining the rules of the covenant. God gives them the first rule. I want to special sign on the bodies of your mails. It will identify you as the people of the covenant. I want you to take your little boys on day eight and circumcise them. It'll be hidden. It will be between you and I. You will be my special people. Not special in the sense of extremely good or better, but special.

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In the sense of I've picked you out. Kind of like God picking them out to be his ups drivers. You'll be bringing the package, the stumper as well as my revealed word, the scriptures Abraham I'm changing your wife's name to her name will no longer be Sarah, but Sarah princess. And one more thing. Ishmael will not carry the Stomper. Sarah. Well, Abraham began to laugh to himself and disbelief seriously. God I'm 99 years old and she's no spring chicken at 89 either. How could you do this? No, Lord bless Ishmael.

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God says I will bless Ishmael, but Sarah will have a son. In fact, here's the name? You'll call him Isaac with him. I'll reconfirm the covenant I made with you. It will be Isaac. Abraham got it. Abraham backed up to the far wall. And then he played launch that very day. Abraham in all of his male servants and Ishmael were circumcised as God commanded. Perhaps only a few days later, three men show up in Abraham's camp. Where's your wife, Sarah. They ask she's in the tent. Abraham replies. We're here to tell you paint the nursery this time.

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Next year you'll have a son in it. Sarah's listening to the keyhole of the tent. She scoffs to herself. One of the men says to Abraham, why did Sarah just laugh in the tent? Then continues is anything too hard for the Lord? Sarah pops her head out of the tent and denies it. One of the visitors looks her in the eyes and said, no, you did laugh. Sarah's not perfect. Either. The conversation ends with the visitors explaining to Abraham their, about to nuke, Sodom and Gomorrah. They're about to nuke, Sodom and Gomorrah because of their overwhelming sin. There's just one problem.

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Abram's nephew. Lot lives down there. Abraham tries to talk them out of it. He appeals to the fairness of God. Would God destroy a city with righteous residents starting at 50 residents. He whittles the messengers down to 10. They agree if they can find 10 righteous people. Remember what righteousness means. If they can find 10 righteous people in Sodom, they'll leave it alone. They won't find 10. In fact, they may not find any at all. And we'll discover that in our next wordpicture.