Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries |
The Abrahamic Covenant - The ceremony in Gen 15 indicates the unconditional nature of the covenant.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
There were 3 good arguments that Jesus was Black:
1. He called everyone brother.
2. He liked Gospel.
3. He couldn’t get a fair trial.
But also 3 equally good arguments that Jesus was Jewish:
1. He went into His Father’s business.
2. He lived at home until He was 33.
3. He was sure His Mother was a virgin and His Mother was sure He was God.
And 3 equally good arguments that Jesus was Italian:
1. He talked with His hands.
2. He had wine with His meals.
3. He used olive oil.
And 3 equally good arguments that Jesus was a Californian:
1. We don’t know if He ever cut His hair.
2. He walked around barefoot all the time.
3. He started a new religion.
1. He never got married.
2. He was always telling stories.
3. He loved green pastures.
But the most compelling evidence of all - 3 proofs that Jesus had to act like the ladies at times:
1. He fed a crowd at a moment’s notice when there was no food.
2. He kept trying to get a message across to a bunch of men who just didn’t get it.
3. Even when He was dead, He had to get up because there was work to do.
“What is the Abrahamic Covenant?”
A covenant is an agreement between two parties.
There are two types of covenants: conditional and unconditional.
A conditional or bilateral covenant is an agreement that is binding on both parties for its fulfillment. Both parties agree to fulfill certain conditions.
An unconditional or unilateral covenant is an agreement between two parties, but only one of the two parties has to do something. Nothing is required of the other party.
The ceremony recorded in Genesis 15 indicates the unconditional nature of the covenant.
In verses 5-7, we see these three pictures, all of which serve to illustrate the point that the One who made the covenant or the promises has the ability to keep them.
The promises do not depend upon who or what we are but on who and what God is.
(1) The stars. The first object lesson is in vs 5 illustrates the fact that God has the ability to solve Abraham’s problems.
God has established a traffic pattern in the universe, and He has the power to keep all of these great stars of space in their orbit; consequently, while moving at great speed, millions and billions of stars follow a perfect pattern.
No matter how you look at it, if God has the power to hold the universe together, God has the power to handle any problem you ever had......or ever will have.
God holds the universe together, COL 1:17, and if He has the power to handle the problem of traffic in the universe, don’t you think He also has the power to handle your problems?
(2) The promise of salvation, vs 6.
‘Aman = a decision that Abraham had already made; he believed in the Lord.
The perfect tense = a past completed action, an action completed many, many years ago.
(3) Faithfulness, vs 7.
The second cure for Abram’s doubts and fears is the doctrine of the word of God, vs 8-11.