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Welcome to the Willow Ridge Sermons podcast.

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This is where you can find audio from Sunday morning messages and more.

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Make sure you're subscribed so that you don't miss future episodes.

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And thanks for listening.

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Glad that you guys are here.

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If you have your Bibles, and I hope you do, please join me and open them to Genesis chapter 15.

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That's where we will be.

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I want to encourage you.

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Next Sunday is our adjustment, is the shift that we are making in discipleship and in our scheduling.

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And so just really quickly, you're like, Man, I'm tired of hearing this.

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It's going to be the fastest it's ever been for this one.

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All right.

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Starting next Sunday from nine to 950 is when we'll have our discipleship time.

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That's for our kids all the way through all of our adults.

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You got relational discipleship opportunities and theological discipleship opportunities.

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We're going to have wonderful studies like the one that you just heard from Robert.

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Robert's a good friend of mine since I want to see.

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I believe I met Robert in 2020, right?

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And since then, I've been able to hear his story and also see how God is using some of the worst situations you could imagine to be in to grow Robert and his relationship and to use that and to leverage that not only for Robert's growth in the Lord, but an opportunity to share the gospel with people.

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All right?

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And so we got all types of studies that we're going to provide.

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We'll have these back there.

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Aaron and I will be back at the connection table at the end of the service.

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We can help connect you with that.

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So discipleship from nine to 950, happening in both buildings from 950 to 1015 will be our fellowship time.

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That's everybody, that's all the kids, all the teenagers, all the adults gathered in here together for a wonderful time of fellowship, of coffee, juice, cakes, snacks, all those things that we love.

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We'll get jacked up on some sugar and coffee, right?

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And then we'll get ready for worship.

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And at 1015, we'll have our kids, we'll be worshipping over there in building two for the most part.

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And we will be gathered in here together as teenagers and adults worshipping our Lord and Savior.

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And so we're excited.

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If you show up next week and you're a little unsure of what to do, you're a little unsure what to go, we'll be all over the place making sure that you're going where you need to go to do what you need to do.

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The one thing that we do want to press in is please make sure that you get registered for one of the studies.

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Here's what's happening.

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We don't have tons of large spaces for a lot of our studies to gather.

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Okay.

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And we've got some studies that are reaching their capacity, and they can't take more people than we've got set for them.

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So if you're like, I'll just show up or I'll just kind of get connected at a later time.

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We want to encourage you to go ahead and do that now.

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If you show up next Sunday and you have not registered, all right, you're just going to get stuck with me.

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So you've got 2 hours of me next Sunday then, all right?

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And you might not want that.

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That might not be what you feel like the Lord has for you, all right?

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And that's okay.

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But please go ahead and get registered and love to have you do that.

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I've been using this phrase lately, I want to put it back up on the screen and it says walking together as we each take a next bold step with Jesus.

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When I started going through in my mind what this looked like for us to do as a church and to take our discipleship strategy that we had in relational discipleship and make it more of a process that we will have together where we see missional discipleship where that is believer to unbeliever discipleship where we see relational discipleship so that's peer to peer discipleship but in theological discipleship that is teacher to student discipleship.

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When I began to look at how we could build all of those different strategies into one process for us, the challenge that I felt like the Lord gave me for myself and that the Lord gave us as a church was this walking together as we each take a bold next step with Jesus.

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And really prayerfully considering all of these words because I love that this statement embraces some important aspects for us when it comes to discipleship.

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In this statement, what we see is community, right?

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That's what we are.

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We are a community.

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We are a body of believers walking together as we so the picture that we get is that you and I as this unique body of believers, that is Willow Ridge Church.

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We think of the big universal church that we're all a part of.

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But then what makes the universal church so special is that there's these unique individual bodies called the local churches and we get to be a part of this one that we chose to be a part of.

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And so that we're walking together as we, we're not wanting to leave anyone behind.

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We're not asking you to do anything that we're not doing, right?

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No, this isn't you go do this.

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This is come join us as we do this together.

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But that within there, there's still personal accountability that walking together as we each individually.

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So here's what I love about that.

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There's personal accountability meaning I don't blame anyone else for what I disobey with as we each but it also is personal accountability for me to take the step that I feel like God's leading me to take.

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I don't take the step that God's leading you to take and you don't take the step that you feel like God is leading me to take that.

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I take the step that I feel like God is calling me to take.

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But it's not just a step because it's trusting faith.

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A bold next step.

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What does that mean?

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What does that look like?

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The whole call we're going to see this here in just a moment is God takes us through things that oftentimes are not easy.

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And we have to be willing to trust Him, to not just say, I have faith in who he is, which is an intellectual faith, which is good, but I have an action faith of saying, this is what I believe.

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And what I'm going to believe, I'm going to step toward.

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And so I'm going to step toward Him.

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As we keep our focus, it's not walking together as we each take a bold next step.

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It's not walking together as we each take a bold next step with one another.

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It's walking together as we each take a bold next step with Jesus, because.

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We'Re not the focus, we're not the standard.

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We're all in submission to Him.

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So what I want us to get to, and it's just beautiful how God works this out, where we're going to land in Genesis 15 today is that we can take something like a process and we can attach a mindset to it and say that I intellectually agree that this is good and yet not attach it to our life.

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About twelve years ago, I had to see a cardiologist and I went and sat down with a cardiologist who critiqued me on my love for McDonald's.

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Fair fair.

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And he started to smile because I guess the look on my face was like, hold up, buddy, because he's bigger than me, right?

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And he said to me, and I love this, and now he'll forever be my doctor.

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He said, I'm not saying that I do the right thing, but I am saying you need to do the right thing.

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You see, he knew the process, but he wasn't willing to buy into it.

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And I find that oftentimes that's where we find ourself when it comes to.

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Obedience to the Lord.

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We know the process, but we look at what's out there.

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And before we even take a step.

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We make the decision that this isn't going to be easy and in fact, it may be painful.

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And so I'm just good with the status quo.

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In Matthew 1624, Jesus told his disciples.

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If anyone would come after me, anyone.

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Let him deny himself, take up his.

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Cross and follow me.

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Jesus doesn't say if leaders would come after me.

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Jesus says, if anyone.

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Jesus is honest.

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The call to discipleship is not a call that is light and it's not a response that's made lightly.

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We have to come with the understanding and come to grips with the fact that discipleship is a difficult calling that requires men and women to boldly and faithfully make decisions in the midst of uncertainty and fear.

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If I do this, then if I commit to this, then and in that, what we see is pain.

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In this, what we feel is fear.

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And so we make the decision that the pain and the fear is not worth it.

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And what I would plead with you, what Robert would plead with you, what Scripture pleads with you, is, no, no.

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The pain and the fear is minimal compared to the glory of what we understand in who Christ is.

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And every moment of suffering, every moment of pain is worth it.

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Is worth it.

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And I say that as someone who's.

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Walked through it is walking through it.

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And who knows that I will walk through it again.

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And this morning, this is where we find Abram in Genesis 15.

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He's afraid.

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He's afraid.

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So look at me.

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Chapter 15, verse one.

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I'm going to read and talk a little through these first six verses.

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After these things, let's pause, all right?

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What things?

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What things?

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It's been five weeks since we've talked about these things.

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What things?

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Well, immediately, what we have seen, what we talked about last time we were in Genesis, in Genesis 14, Abram has rescued a lot.

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And he's rejected the offer from the pagan king.

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The offer to be wealthy, the offer to be powerful, the offer to be a king himself.

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Abram rejects it and instead affirmed his trust in the Lord.

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So after these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision.

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Fear not, Abram.

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I am your shield.

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Your reward shall be very great.

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But Abram said and this is what I want us to look at so God's already said, Fear not.

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Why would God say that?

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Because Abram's afraid.

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And now we begin to see why he is afraid.

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O Lord God, what will you give me?

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For I continue childless.

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And the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus.

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His lead servant is who he's talking about, that's his heir.

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And Abram said, behold, you have given me no offspring and a member of my household will be my heir.

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And so what Abram is saying to God in this is I've trusted you to do what you say you're going to do.

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Abram is around 90 years old.

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He's without a child.

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And he's beginning to think those years have passed.

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And he's concerned and he's afraid.

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Verse four.

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And behold, the word of the Lord came to him this man shall not be your heir.

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Your very own son shall be your heir.

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Which is what God's been saying.

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Verse five.

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And he brought him outside and said, look toward heaven and number the stars if you were able to number them.

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And then he said to him, so shall your offspring be.

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And he, being Abram, believed the Lord and he counted it to him as righteousness.

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So abram's afraid.

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And what we see comes out of his fear is faith.

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I was reading a guy this week, and he talked about how you and I respond when we're afraid.

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And I know you've heard the theory fight or flight, correct?

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Like you've heard that before.

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And this author talked about this.

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He said, I think fight or flight is incomplete.

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He said, I think it's incomplete when we talk psychology, but I also think it's incomplete when we talk about Christianity.

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He said, because the truth is you're going to make as a believer one of four decisions when it comes to your fear, specifically in spiritual matters, not just fight or flight.

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He said, the first one that you'll choose is you may choose to freeze.

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Freeze.

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And he defined this right as when depression begins to take over.

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The situation occurs.

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I don't know what to do, and so I do nothing.

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And if you've experienced depression before that.

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Come from these seasons of your life, you understand this feeling very, very well.

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I just want to pull the blanket over my head and hide.

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I just want to go away and never be heard from again.

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I just want to freeze.

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And in these moments, what happens within that of I'm just going to stay right where I'm at.

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These pockets and moments of depression begin to overwhelm us, and it's hard to get going.

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I say that having gone through that and experienced that myself, days and weeks and months and seasons of life, where the fears of this world, where the fear of the situation begins to consume, and I just want to freeze.

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The second one, other than freeze is fight.

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Fight.

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And a lot of us like to choose when the options are fight or flight.

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We like to choose fight.

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And here's what I want to caution against fight.

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It is this.

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Especially when we deal with the spiritual world and the things that we face.

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In fight, we can decide that I am big enough, I am capable enough, I am strong enough.

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I am dependent enough that I can.

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Get me through this, that I need no one other than myself to get.

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Me through the situation that I found myself in.

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And while that may be great American.

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Theology, it's terrible, terrible Christian theology, because in that moment of fight, who am I dependent on?

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Who is my savior?

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Me.

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Me.

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So we can freeze.

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We can fight, or we can flight.

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We can run.

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We can remove ourselves.

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We can cut off all of our relationships.

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We can quit the season of where we're at, and we enter into this wonderful stage that we think of of denial.

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It's not there.

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It's not real.

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I don't have to respond to this.

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This isn't going to control me.

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I can just think positively all the time.

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I don't have to deal with the fact of this is what is happening, of this is what's going on, of how this is destroying my life.

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And in our flight, as we run.

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We deny, and I would argue that to freeze, to fight, and to flight does not bring out positivity, does not bring out healthiness, does not produce in us what God wants to do.

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And instead, it is this.

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It's faith.

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It's faith.

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Now, you're like, I knew that's what you would say, man, there's all of these f's and we knew, because you're a preacher, you'd end on faith, right?

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Let me explain what I mean by faith, because faith isn't freezing in the moment.

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Faith isn't depending on yourself.

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And faith isn't denying that the situation isn't real.

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Faith isn't the absence of trouble, but instead, it's the confidence of the presence of the Lord in the midst of the struggle.

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Abram is afraid, so God says, Fear not.

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And then God says, I'm two things for you, Abram.

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I'm two things.

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He says, I'm your shield.

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I'm your shield.

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I'm your protection.

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We all know how a shield works, right?

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If you're in a battle and you've got a shield and you're going through the battle, you're going into the battle, can I tell you that shield does you no good by your side?

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00:19:20.170 --> 00:19:25.100
Can I tell you that shield does no good behind your back?

219
00:19:26.030 --> 00:19:29.686
Can I tell you that shield does no good on the sideline?

220
00:19:29.798 --> 00:19:33.020
But you fully understand how that shield works.

221
00:19:34.190 --> 00:19:39.914
The shield works the best when the shield is out in front and you're behind.

222
00:19:40.032 --> 00:19:44.190
And so God says, It's not that you're going to get through this.

223
00:19:44.340 --> 00:19:46.974
It's not that you're going to ignore that this is happening.

224
00:19:47.092 --> 00:19:48.510
It's not that you're going to stop.

225
00:19:48.580 --> 00:19:52.466
But, man, I'm here, and I'm not just going through this with you.

226
00:19:52.488 --> 00:19:54.706
And I holding hands side by side.

227
00:19:54.808 --> 00:19:55.666
I'm there.

228
00:19:55.768 --> 00:19:56.866
I'm in front.

229
00:19:56.968 --> 00:19:58.238
I'm your protection.

230
00:19:58.334 --> 00:19:59.390
God says, abram.

231
00:19:59.470 --> 00:20:00.580
I got you.

232
00:20:02.330 --> 00:20:03.400
Fear not.

233
00:20:04.650 --> 00:20:11.720
And then he says, Your reward shall be very great.

234
00:20:12.570 --> 00:20:14.378
God's already told him that.

235
00:20:14.544 --> 00:20:18.410
What's God saying, abram, I'm faithful.

236
00:20:18.990 --> 00:20:20.250
I'm faithful.

237
00:20:20.590 --> 00:20:23.770
I know that you live in a world of unfaithfulness.

238
00:20:24.270 --> 00:20:29.854
I know you live in a world where people promise big and underproduce, but.

239
00:20:29.892 --> 00:20:31.360
Abram, that's not me.

240
00:20:31.890 --> 00:20:32.654
That's not me.

241
00:20:32.692 --> 00:20:34.062
Your reward shall be great.

242
00:20:34.116 --> 00:20:35.630
I am faithful.

243
00:20:36.210 --> 00:20:40.980
And Abram, though, is afraid, and he asks questions.

244
00:20:42.150 --> 00:20:45.102
Now, we live in a mindset oftentimes.

245
00:20:45.166 --> 00:20:47.650
That asking questions shows that we're weak.

246
00:20:48.310 --> 00:20:53.620
So Abram asking questions must show that he is weak and faithless, right?

247
00:20:54.070 --> 00:20:58.040
The fact that Abram, in that moment, didn't go, come on, man, what are you thinking?

248
00:20:58.410 --> 00:20:59.960
Why would you do this?

249
00:21:00.570 --> 00:21:04.840
Put on the Rocky soundtrack to get himself hyped up and run out of the tent ready to go, right?

250
00:21:06.010 --> 00:21:08.938
This is a knock on Abram, right, that he asked God questions.

251
00:21:09.104 --> 00:21:09.466
All right?

252
00:21:09.488 --> 00:21:10.426
So let's go.

253
00:21:10.608 --> 00:21:13.674
Matthew 26 38 through 39 will be on the screen.

254
00:21:13.872 --> 00:21:16.810
This is Jesus in the garden before he's arrested.

255
00:21:18.290 --> 00:21:20.320
Jesus is their ultimate model, right?

256
00:21:21.330 --> 00:21:27.274
Jesus said to them, my soul is very sorrowful, even to death.

257
00:21:27.402 --> 00:21:29.426
Remain here and watch with me.

258
00:21:29.528 --> 00:21:31.650
Jesus says, I'm afraid.

259
00:21:33.750 --> 00:21:35.090
I'm scared.

260
00:21:36.550 --> 00:21:39.140
I know what awaits me.

261
00:21:41.030 --> 00:21:42.660
And I'm not looking forward.

262
00:21:43.830 --> 00:21:47.234
In going a little farther, he fell.

263
00:21:47.282 --> 00:21:49.990
On his face and prayed.

264
00:21:50.330 --> 00:22:06.540
My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.

265
00:22:07.410 --> 00:22:11.680
Jesus comes and says.

266
00:22:14.050 --> 00:22:15.470
There'S this death.

267
00:22:16.690 --> 00:22:21.170
There's this beating, there's this punishment.

268
00:22:21.750 --> 00:22:26.050
Jesus is preparing himself to feel the.

269
00:22:26.120 --> 00:22:31.010
Full wrath of God for your sins and for mine.

270
00:22:32.650 --> 00:22:47.546
And he's like, Lord, if there's any father, if there's any other way but he showed his faith, not as I will, but as you will.

271
00:22:47.728 --> 00:22:49.658
You see, Jesus had questions.

272
00:22:49.824 --> 00:22:55.638
Luke's account shares that Jesus suffered from hemiotidrosis.

273
00:22:55.734 --> 00:22:56.202
All right.

274
00:22:56.256 --> 00:23:14.222
Hemiotidrosis is the condition when a person experiences a high level of stress which causes the blood vessels that feed the sweat glands to rupture, causing them to exude blood under the condition of extreme physical or emotional stress.

275
00:23:14.286 --> 00:23:19.630
And in Luke's account, he says that Jesus began to sweat drops of blood.

276
00:23:19.710 --> 00:23:22.870
Now, I want to tell you, I've been in some situations.

277
00:23:23.530 --> 00:23:25.750
I've experienced some stress.

278
00:23:26.490 --> 00:23:28.760
I've never experienced that.

279
00:23:30.250 --> 00:23:33.320
But this is what Jesus went through.

280
00:23:33.870 --> 00:23:35.238
Is Jesus afraid?

281
00:23:35.334 --> 00:23:36.700
You bet he was.

282
00:23:37.550 --> 00:23:38.966
Was Jesus scared?

283
00:23:39.078 --> 00:23:39.740
Absolutely.

284
00:23:40.190 --> 00:23:41.510
Jesus didn't freeze.

285
00:23:41.590 --> 00:23:42.458
He didn't fight.

286
00:23:42.544 --> 00:23:44.166
He didn't go into flight mode.

287
00:23:44.278 --> 00:23:47.194
Jesus faithfully obeyed.

288
00:23:47.322 --> 00:23:55.562
Abram's question does not reveal a heart of disobedience, but reveals a heart of concern.

289
00:23:55.706 --> 00:23:58.090
And with abram's concern.

290
00:23:58.250 --> 00:23:59.650
God answers.

291
00:24:00.710 --> 00:24:26.646
One of the greatest responsibilities that I think that I have as a parent is this when Emma and Grayson are walking through a situation, a situation they've never been in before, a situation that is beginning to create in them stress, that is beginning to create in them, anxiety that is beginning to create in them fear.

292
00:24:26.838 --> 00:24:39.760
I think my greatest resource for them as a parent is not to look at them and say, toughen up and get over it, but is to say, Let me share with you.

293
00:24:40.370 --> 00:24:48.894
Let your mom share with you how we've walked through that and come out on the other side of that.

294
00:24:49.092 --> 00:24:54.706
And I know right now you can't see the other side, but I promise that it's there.

295
00:24:54.888 --> 00:25:00.530
And here's what God wants to do in that, because this is what God has done in my life.

296
00:25:00.600 --> 00:25:10.040
You see, in their limited 15 years of life experience, they feel the situation that they're in, and they can't see the other side of it.

297
00:25:12.010 --> 00:25:13.800
And what we want them to know.

298
00:25:14.350 --> 00:25:16.022
Is that God is faithful.

299
00:25:16.166 --> 00:25:19.850
And that's what God does with Abram.

300
00:25:20.590 --> 00:25:24.970
And it's a beautiful picture of God as our loving Father.

301
00:25:25.390 --> 00:25:31.454
Look back at verse four and five says and behold, the word of the Lord came to him.

302
00:25:31.652 --> 00:25:33.642
This man shall not be your heir.

303
00:25:33.706 --> 00:25:36.110
Your very own son shall be your heir.

304
00:25:37.570 --> 00:25:40.466
I can just see God doing this.

305
00:25:40.488 --> 00:25:42.020
So give me some.

306
00:25:42.710 --> 00:25:45.300
It's the feeling of taking him by the hand.

307
00:25:46.230 --> 00:25:49.780
Verse five says and he brought him outside.

308
00:25:51.210 --> 00:25:54.518
He brought him outside and not in.

309
00:25:54.524 --> 00:25:57.174
A way to rebuke him, and not.

310
00:25:57.212 --> 00:25:59.414
In a way to chastise him.

311
00:25:59.612 --> 00:26:03.750
And he says, look toward heaven.

312
00:26:04.430 --> 00:26:07.130
Look toward heaven and count the stars, Abram.

313
00:26:07.870 --> 00:26:09.180
Can you do that?

314
00:26:10.430 --> 00:26:14.186
Can you do that if you were able to number them?

315
00:26:14.208 --> 00:26:15.020
He says.

316
00:26:15.630 --> 00:26:22.190
And then he says, so too shall be your offspring.

317
00:26:23.490 --> 00:26:27.310
Just Abram, come on outside with me, buddy.

318
00:26:27.970 --> 00:26:29.300
I love you.

319
00:26:29.750 --> 00:26:38.420
And man, I know that you think that your life is destined to be something different than what I've promised, but it's not.

320
00:26:38.870 --> 00:26:39.940
It's not.

321
00:26:40.390 --> 00:26:43.720
Abram, buddy, here's my plan.

322
00:26:44.410 --> 00:26:47.990
You see, this plan reveals my heart for the nations.

323
00:26:48.730 --> 00:26:51.720
And this plan reveals my heart for you.

324
00:26:52.410 --> 00:26:53.880
And I love you.

325
00:26:54.590 --> 00:26:56.518
Look at the stars, Abram.

326
00:26:56.694 --> 00:26:57.900
Look at them.

327
00:27:00.110 --> 00:27:04.410
And Abram believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

328
00:27:05.390 --> 00:27:06.970
He's like, yeah, dad.

329
00:27:08.450 --> 00:27:09.200
Yeah.

330
00:27:10.770 --> 00:27:13.870
This is faith through fear.

331
00:27:14.930 --> 00:27:16.670
This is faith through fear.

332
00:27:17.170 --> 00:27:19.054
Faith through fear doesn't mean what is.

333
00:27:19.092 --> 00:27:20.900
Happening around you isn't real.

334
00:27:21.750 --> 00:27:23.922
Faith through fear doesn't mean what you.

335
00:27:23.976 --> 00:27:26.820
Feel isn't valid or unimportant to God.

336
00:27:27.270 --> 00:27:29.346
Faith through fear doesn't mean that your.

337
00:27:29.368 --> 00:27:34.390
Current reality will change soon or even change at all on this earth.

338
00:27:34.810 --> 00:27:36.790
Faith through fear is that I trust.

339
00:27:36.860 --> 00:27:43.320
My shield, my God, and I know my reward is set.

340
00:27:43.870 --> 00:27:49.820
And that cannot it cannot be taken from me.

341
00:27:50.670 --> 00:27:52.300
And this is what we see.

342
00:27:54.350 --> 00:27:59.760
But Abram's not done, and neither is the.

343
00:28:01.410 --> 00:28:05.902
And really quickly, we'll take Lord's supper here at the end of our service.

344
00:28:05.956 --> 00:28:08.158
I want to get to that really quickly.

345
00:28:08.244 --> 00:28:14.530
What God does in these next verses is what we see is God's covenant, promise, and prophecy for Abram.

346
00:28:15.590 --> 00:28:16.660
Verse seven.

347
00:28:17.750 --> 00:28:25.266
And he said to him, I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.

348
00:28:25.378 --> 00:28:30.470
He takes him all the way back to the establishment of his very first covenant that he made with Abram.

349
00:28:31.130 --> 00:28:39.020
But he said, this is Abram, o Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?

350
00:28:39.710 --> 00:28:47.178
So Abram before, asked for confirmation of his lineage that God had promised.

351
00:28:47.354 --> 00:28:57.520
And now Abram comes back to God and says, can you affirm for me the land that you promised because the people need a place?

352
00:28:59.110 --> 00:29:00.206
So God responds.

353
00:29:00.238 --> 00:29:01.140
Verse nine.

354
00:29:01.910 --> 00:29:13.270
And he said to him, bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtle dove, and a young pigeon.

355
00:29:13.690 --> 00:29:21.094
And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other.

356
00:29:21.212 --> 00:29:23.462
But he did not cut the birds in half.

357
00:29:23.596 --> 00:29:27.770
And when the birds of prey came down on the carcasses, abram drove them away.

358
00:29:27.920 --> 00:29:31.354
And you're probably thinking that just got weird, right?

359
00:29:31.552 --> 00:29:34.220
All right, so let's explain what's going on.

360
00:29:34.670 --> 00:29:42.080
Abram knew exactly what he was to do with these animals according to the customs of the time.

361
00:29:42.530 --> 00:29:46.334
What Abram's preparing to do is sign a contract, right?

362
00:29:46.452 --> 00:29:50.642
Next time you close on a house, just think it could be more difficult than that.

363
00:29:50.696 --> 00:29:51.460
All right?

364
00:29:51.830 --> 00:29:53.666
There's no credit score involved in this.

365
00:29:53.688 --> 00:29:54.914
One, though, all right?

366
00:29:55.112 --> 00:29:59.134
And God told him to get ready for this signing.

367
00:29:59.182 --> 00:30:01.394
So in those days, contracts were made.

368
00:30:01.432 --> 00:30:03.682
By the sacrificing and the cutting of animals, right?

369
00:30:03.736 --> 00:30:07.270
And they would split the carcasses of the animals, they would lie them on the ground.

370
00:30:07.610 --> 00:30:16.822
And this covenant, this commitment was made between the parties as they walked through the parts of the animals, repeating the.

371
00:30:16.876 --> 00:30:18.970
Agreement that they had just come to.

372
00:30:19.120 --> 00:30:23.946
So Abram gets all of this ready, thinking, here's what me and God are going to do.

373
00:30:24.048 --> 00:30:31.118
We're going to walk through these together and we're going to say, I get a son, I get a people, I get a place like he's ready.

374
00:30:31.204 --> 00:30:33.274
Me and God walking through dead animals.

375
00:30:33.322 --> 00:30:34.240
Here we go.

376
00:30:35.010 --> 00:30:36.720
This is what he's waiting for.

377
00:30:37.410 --> 00:30:40.130
And the symbolism of this is supposed to be pretty big.

378
00:30:40.280 --> 00:30:50.162
If you're entering into a covenant in this, first it's sealed with blood, but also you're acknowledging if you break the covenant, what happens?

379
00:30:50.296 --> 00:30:53.320
This bloodshed will be poured out on me.

380
00:30:53.690 --> 00:30:57.720
So if I break this, this is what could happen to me.

381
00:30:58.890 --> 00:31:01.042
And so Abram has his doubts.

382
00:31:01.106 --> 00:31:03.686
God says to him, let's sign a contract and settle it.

383
00:31:03.708 --> 00:31:04.114
Let's go.

384
00:31:04.172 --> 00:31:05.146
Verse twelve.

385
00:31:05.328 --> 00:31:09.030
As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram.

386
00:31:09.110 --> 00:31:13.578
And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him.

387
00:31:13.664 --> 00:31:24.734
Then the Lord said to Abram, know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for 400 years.

388
00:31:24.852 --> 00:31:31.338
But I will bring judgment on the nation that they will serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.

389
00:31:31.434 --> 00:31:43.858
As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace, you shall be buried in a good old age, and they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.

390
00:31:43.944 --> 00:31:46.886
So as the sun was going down, here's what's happening here.

391
00:31:46.988 --> 00:31:50.694
Abram would have to wait for God so they could walk through this together.

392
00:31:50.812 --> 00:31:54.870
And God had not yet appeared to kind of seal this so they could do this.

393
00:31:54.940 --> 00:31:59.750
And instead, what God does is he causes a dark sleep, a deep sleep.

394
00:31:59.830 --> 00:32:01.622
Abram's knocked out, he's snoring.

395
00:32:01.686 --> 00:32:03.500
No one's going to wake him up, right?

396
00:32:03.950 --> 00:32:06.010
And then God gives him a dream.

397
00:32:06.590 --> 00:32:17.950
And specifically in this dream, we don't have time for all of the details, but God basically tells Abram of all of the slavery and hardship that Israel would endure in Egypt.

398
00:32:18.610 --> 00:32:22.910
But that the land that was given to Abram and his covenant descendants.

399
00:32:22.990 --> 00:32:31.326
There'd be a long period where they lived outside of the land in Affliction, but yet they would return to the land with great possessions.

400
00:32:31.358 --> 00:32:32.334
All right, verse 17.

401
00:32:32.382 --> 00:32:35.000
This is where it gets good not that it wasn't good before.

402
00:32:36.010 --> 00:32:36.662
Sorry.

403
00:32:36.796 --> 00:32:46.170
When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking firepot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.

404
00:32:47.150 --> 00:33:08.822
On that day, the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, to your offspring, I give this land from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, the land of the Canaanites, the Kezzizites, the Cadmonites, the Hittites, the parasites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebucites.

405
00:33:08.906 --> 00:33:10.338
So here's what happens.

406
00:33:10.504 --> 00:33:17.700
As Abraham was either asleep or possibly still groggy from the sleep, he saw God do something.

407
00:33:18.550 --> 00:33:26.550
Abraham's there and he's ready to walk through the animal parts with God signing the contract.

408
00:33:27.290 --> 00:33:36.650
But instead, God leaves him on the side and God goes through the parts.

409
00:33:38.350 --> 00:33:43.370
As a smoking oven and a burning torch.

410
00:33:44.590 --> 00:33:48.590
God passes through those pieces.

411
00:33:50.050 --> 00:34:00.746
The smoking oven, the smoking pot would be used as an illustration of smoke or a cloud that we'll see over and over again in the Old Testament representing God.

412
00:34:00.788 --> 00:34:03.246
We'll see the burning torch would remind.

413
00:34:03.278 --> 00:34:06.354
Us of the fires and remind us of the presence of God.

414
00:34:06.472 --> 00:34:09.410
But here's what we see in this.

415
00:34:09.560 --> 00:34:15.080
God says to Abram, you and I aren't going to make this together.

416
00:34:16.570 --> 00:34:20.214
I'm going to make this, you see?

417
00:34:20.332 --> 00:34:28.890
I'm going to walk through the covenant, you see, abram never signed the covenant.

418
00:34:29.870 --> 00:34:40.960
Abram never entered into the contract with God, and instead he watched God sign it for the both of them.

419
00:34:41.810 --> 00:34:58.850
You see, if me and Burger enter into a contract, that contract is based on my character and integrity, and it's based on Berger's character and integrity.

420
00:35:00.070 --> 00:35:05.954
And God says to Abram, I don't need to enter into anything, but it's based off of your character and integrity.

421
00:35:06.002 --> 00:35:10.214
I'm going to walk into this based off of who I am, and this is what I'm going to do.

422
00:35:10.412 --> 00:35:19.290
And so the certainty of the covenant with Abram is based on who God is, not on who Abram is or what Abram would do, only based on what God can do.

423
00:35:19.360 --> 00:35:21.990
God alone signed the covenant.

424
00:35:22.070 --> 00:35:24.394
Abram didn't haggle with God over the terms.

425
00:35:24.512 --> 00:35:28.042
God established the covenant and Abram accepted the covenant.

426
00:35:28.106 --> 00:35:31.790
Abram could not break the contract that he never signed.

427
00:35:33.010 --> 00:35:41.570
And as we prepare to take the Lord's supper, in a sense, what we see is the foretelling of the cross.

428
00:35:43.270 --> 00:35:50.660
As God the Father walked through the broken, bloody body of Jesus his Son.

429
00:35:51.610 --> 00:36:05.740
We didn't walk through that, god did, to establish a covenant for us, and God signed it for both of us.

430
00:36:07.550 --> 00:36:10.490
And so how do we enter into this covenant?

431
00:36:11.550 --> 00:36:13.580
How do we get to be a part?

432
00:36:15.230 --> 00:36:16.860
What did verse six say?

433
00:36:18.510 --> 00:36:25.470
Abram believed he had faith and it was counted as righteousness.

434
00:36:26.290 --> 00:36:31.650
And that too, is how we interfaith.

435
00:36:33.030 --> 00:36:37.410
In just a moment, we're going to prepare to take the Lord's supper.

436
00:36:38.710 --> 00:36:42.994
The band's going to come up on stage, play one last song.

437
00:36:43.042 --> 00:36:43.880
For us.

438
00:36:44.570 --> 00:36:53.574
And it gives you and I the opportunity to pause, pause for just a moment and reflect on the work that.

439
00:36:53.612 --> 00:36:56.300
Was done for us.

440
00:36:58.110 --> 00:37:09.550
We can reflect on the bread, the body of Christ, which was given and which took on the punishment that you and I deserve.

441
00:37:12.370 --> 00:37:29.410
We'll take the cup that was spilled, the cup that represents the blood of Christ, the new covenant to which we are brought into the family, to which our sins are forgiven.

442
00:37:29.750 --> 00:37:36.520
Not what you've done, not what I've done, but because of what we've done.

443
00:37:37.210 --> 00:37:44.380
Jesus Christ's blood in his alone washes us and makes us clean.

444
00:37:45.150 --> 00:38:00.400
As we prepare for this, I want to invite you, if you're a follower of Jesus Christ, whether this is your church home or not, we want to invite you to be a part of this with us.

445
00:38:01.010 --> 00:38:11.700
We ask you, all of us who are followers of Christ, through the dependence on the Holy Spirit, to evaluate our hearts for the readiness to take part of this today.

446
00:38:12.310 --> 00:38:27.590
To check your heart of any unrepentant sin that you may have and repent to check your heart of any relationships where you've sinned against others and you need to seek their forgiveness.

447
00:38:28.010 --> 00:38:31.400
Or where you need to seek to forgive them.

448
00:38:32.090 --> 00:38:37.480
And ask that you do that as you prepare to take this together.

449
00:38:38.250 --> 00:38:42.694
If you haven't already gotten a cup, in just a moment, the band will lead us in a song.

450
00:38:42.742 --> 00:38:43.834
The elements are at the back.

451
00:38:43.872 --> 00:38:46.234
You can feel free to go back during that time.

452
00:38:46.352 --> 00:38:49.838
And then I'll come back on stage and we'll take this together.

453
00:38:50.004 --> 00:38:51.440
Would you pray with me?

454
00:38:52.290 --> 00:38:54.320
God, I thank you so much for today.

455
00:38:55.170 --> 00:38:56.654
Lord, I thank you for this word.

456
00:38:56.692 --> 00:38:59.440
That You've brought us in Genesis, chapter 15.

457
00:38:59.970 --> 00:39:01.486
Lord, I thank you for the beauty.

458
00:39:01.518 --> 00:39:02.660
Of what we see.

459
00:39:03.110 --> 00:39:04.482
It's not in our work.

460
00:39:04.536 --> 00:39:05.698
It's not in our power.

461
00:39:05.784 --> 00:39:07.490
It's not in our deeds.

462
00:39:08.710 --> 00:39:10.980
Lord, it's the belief in who you are.

463
00:39:11.910 --> 00:39:14.150
God, I thank you that you are our shield.

464
00:39:14.730 --> 00:39:16.870
I thank you that you are our reward.

465
00:39:17.930 --> 00:39:21.670
I thank you that you did the work of the covenant.

466
00:39:22.330 --> 00:39:27.820
And Lord, that you invite us into that relationship.

467
00:39:29.070 --> 00:39:32.780
And what saves us is not our works.

468
00:39:34.110 --> 00:39:43.150
What saves us is not our ability to believe, but is the gracious, kind, mercy work of the Lord.

469
00:39:43.730 --> 00:39:48.800
We can put our faith and our hope and our trust in Him.

470
00:39:49.510 --> 00:39:50.078
God, I pray.

471
00:39:50.094 --> 00:39:53.186
If there's anyone here who's not a.

472
00:39:53.208 --> 00:39:58.994
Follower of Jesus or that today would be the day, or that they could.

473
00:39:59.032 --> 00:40:02.486
Admit that they're a sinner, or that.

474
00:40:02.508 --> 00:40:07.634
They would believe that Jesus Christ is who he is, is who the Bible.

475
00:40:07.682 --> 00:40:20.200
Says he is, and they would confess Him as Lord and Savior, putting their faith, their hope, and their trust in Him.

476
00:40:20.810 --> 00:40:22.786
It's in Jesus'name we pray.

477
00:40:22.978 --> 00:40:23.910
Amen.

478
00:40:28.050 --> 00:40:32.554
Thanks again for listening, and be sure to check back next week for another episode.

479
00:40:32.682 --> 00:40:40.330
In the meantime, you can visit us@willowridgechurch.org or by searching for Willowridge Church on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.