SERMON TITLE: "Promises" SERMON TEXT: Genesis 15:1-18 PREACHER: Rev. Kim James OCCASION: February 24, 2013, at Wesley UMC INTRODUCTION There are a lot of things that happen to us as kids. Most of them are quickly forgotten, but some of those events of childhood leave a lasting impression that shapes our understanding of life. For me, one of those times was when my mom and dad had promised to take my two brothers and me to see a particular Walt Disney movie on a particular night. Movies didn't come quickly to our little town, and they stayed in the theatre for only a few days. So, we kids had our hearts set, and our parents had made the commitment to take us. Unfortunately, after Mom and Dad made that promise, some of my dad's brothers and sisters decided to get together that same night for an adult evening out. My brothers and I watched anxiously as my aunts and uncles told our parents of their plans. We suspected that our parents were tempted to break their promise to us kids, so they could enjoy the company of their adult relatives. We could see their struggle, as my aunts and uncles tried harder and harder to persuade my parents to go along with them. We kids even felt the pressure as our aunts and uncles tried to get us to let our parents off the hook. But my mom and dad stayed true to their word. They chose to keep their promise to my brothers and me. That meant a lot to us kids. I will never forget the promise my parents kept that night. Promises are important to us. And promises are an important theme in the Bible too. One example of that is found in our Old Testament lesson from Genesis chapter 15. There we see God making promises to Abraham, or Abram, as he was called then. Let's take a look and see what those promises say to us today.
2 1. PROMISE FOR PHYSICAL LIFE The first promise God made to Abram was for his physical life. In Genesis 15:1, God said, "Don't be afraid, Abram; I am your shield, your very great reward." God was saying that Abram would live a good life. God would protect him from harm and enrich his life with material gain. To calm Abram's fears, God told Abram to cut a heifer, a goat, and a ram in half and place the halves side by side. Then, after dark, Abram saw a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch pass between the animal pieces. Bible commentators today are uncertain what all the significance of this ritual was, but we do know that Abram perceived this as a sign that God's promises would come true. God promises us blessings in our physical lives also. We may not be able to acquire huge expanses of land or become extremely wealthy like Abram did, but God does promise and give us much for which we can be thankful. Besides roofs over our heads, food in our bellies, clothes on our backs, reasonably healthy bodies, and people who love us, God also gives us life itself. Our church secretary and bookkeeper Christina has a little baby coming in her extended family. Even though the child isn't expected until May, the family already knows the baby will be born with its intestines outside of its little body. We could decry this as an example of how God doesn't care about our physical life, of how promises aren't kept. Or we can be amazed and grateful that, through God's healing power, doctors today have the ability to discover these kinds of problems months before a birth, so they can be prepared for necessary surgery the moment the child is born. Even when our physical life is challenged, God has filled and surrounded it with incredible promise. There's a children's song that I have heard sung sometimes in churches. Its words go like this: "I am a promise. I am a possibility. I am a Promise, with a capital P. I am a great big
3 bundle of potentiality." I can't remember any more of the words, but the idea is that, from the time we are born until the time we die, our lives are promises made and kept by God. To each and every one of us, God promises blessings for our physical life. 2. PROMISE FOR SPIRITUAL LIFE In addition to promising Abram blessings for his physical life, God also gave him a promise for his spiritual life. Genesis 15:6 says that, when Abram believed God's promises, God "credited it to him as righteousness. " The search for spiritual well being, the longing for peace within one's soul, is basic to human existence. Abram was no exception. The fact that he had heard God's voice calling him to leave his home and move to a new land was evidence that Abram was a spiritual seeker. He was trying to find salvation. Abram desired to know that he was right with God. According to the writer of Genesis, Abram did find that spiritual peace for which he sought. Because of his faith, Abram received the promise of righteousness. In our United Methodist history, there are many examples of persons who have hoped for this kind of spiritual promise. One of those was John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, who lived in England in the 1700s. John Wesley was raised in a devoutly Christian home and studied the scriptures diligently. From his earliest childhood, John knew the Christian promise that Christ had died for his sins. Yet, even after he became an ordained priest and served for a while as a missionary in Georgia, Wesley felt unworthy and feared that he was not good enough to be forgiven. Not until one night, when Wesley felt his "heart strangely warmed," did John recognize that the promise of God's grace was for him personally. Only then was Wesley able to say, "An assurance was given me, that [Christ] had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death." In claiming this for himself, John Wesley realized that each and every one of us who puts our trust in Jesus can receive the spiritual promise of righteousness.
4 3. PROMISE FOR AFTERLIFE In addition to the promises God made to Abram regarding physical and spiritual life, God also made a third promise. That promise had to do with Abram's afterlife. To understand this, we need to realize that Abram and many of those who lived during the time of the Old Testament believed that, after they died, they would rest with their ancestors in the place of the dead. In their belief system, there was no afterlife except living on through their children and grandchildren. That's why it was so important for Abraham and Sarah to have a child. They needed someone to carry on their life, after they died. That's why, even though Abram was getting all this new land, and his wealth and power were on the increase, he was not happy. Abram was worried that he would acquire all this for nothing. The only way it would be of lasting value would be to pass it on to his children, of which he had none. So God promised Abram that he would have a child. No one but his very own flesh and blood would inherit his possession. Genesis 15:5 says that God assured Abram that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the heavens. This promise of life after death meant everything to Abram. This future promise enriched his current life and gave him a reason to keep on trusting God. Undoubtedly the promise that his own child and his own grandchildren and great grandchildren would carry on his life motivated Abram to prosper even more. Today we also have a promise of life after death that involves our children. However, we don't believe that this afterlife is limited to our bodily descendants. Any children whom we nurture can be the future beneficiaries of our faith, hope, and love. That can be true for our biological offspring, children we've adopted into our homes, or children at large in our society
5 and world who benefit from our votes in support of education, health care, and other social programs. As taught by our Christian tradition, we also believe in our own individual life after death. This promise of afterlife is possible for anyone who accepts God's mercy and desires to follow Jesus Christ. This promise that we can continue living with God after we die has been a source of joy and hope to millions of people over the centuries. Like Abram, we are motivated to live better lives because we have a comfort and peace about what lies ahead. One of our hymns speaks of this promise of life after death. In that song, we sing about the hidden promise that exists in flower bulbs, cocoons, and the darkness just before dawn. In that same way, there is hidden in our lives a promise that life will go on beyond death. In our end is our beginning; in our time infinity; In our doubt there is believing; in our life, eternity. In our death, a resurrection; at the last, a victory. Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see. (Hymn of Promise) CONCLUSION Just like to Abram of old, God has given us the promises of physical life, spiritual life, and afterlife. May we be a people who find great strength, joy, and comfort in trusting in these promises.