This evening we come again to our survey of the divine covenants, and it brings us to consideration of that covenant with Abraham. Now, let me ask at the outset, is that important to you? God's covenant dealings with Abraham? As a Christian, do you regard this as relevant? As relevant to your salvation, relevant to your life? Well, should we? Well, the answer to that is yes. Notice again, Ephesians chapter two and verse 12, we've looked at it in the past, referring to us, those were uncircumcised, that is Gentiles in the flesh, that at that time you are without Christ, Ephesians 2.12, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God, in the world. He goes on to say that at that time that we were far off. We were strangers to these covenants, those arrangements in the Old Testament especially, wherein God promised and then buttressed that promise with an oath and making it altogether certain. You remember the language there of Hebrews 6, 17 and 18, that by two immutable things we might have that strong consolation. God's immutable counsel. He stands by his word. He cannot lie. Well, all of these covenants had to do with one promise, and it is literally here in Ephesians 2.12, covenants of the promise as we've seen. And the promise, well, it's Christ and his salvation going all the way back to that very first promise, Ephesians 3.15, that one would come, the seed of the woman, to bruise or crush the serpent's head. And these various covenants then further revealed and prepared for the fulfillment of that one promise. Now in our past, he says, we were far off here in verse 13, and we were therefore strangers to these covenants of the promise. We had no personal, no saving interest in them, but he says in verse 13, but now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ, which means we are strangers no more, or rather that those covenants of the promise, they now pertain to us. We have our part in them, our interests, our blessing from them. And that is certainly so with God's covenant with Abraham. Again, though natively we were the uncircumcised, we were Gentiles. It was to such as these that Paul wrote those words in Galatians 3 29. If you are Christ, Gentiles now, if you are Christ, then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise. Gentiles, but no, no, you are Abraham's seed. Or Paul himself again in Romans chapter four and verse 16, he says that those who are of the faith of Abraham, both Jew and Gentile, he says that he is the father of us all. And that being so, it's right then that we should give attention to that covenant with Abraham and all the more so since scripture speaks a great deal about it. God's dealings with him begin in Genesis 12 but then as we'll go on to see you've got chapters 13, 15, 17, 21, 22 and even more to Abraham and then more also by way of to Isaac and then to Jacob who are party to that same And then of course reference is found again and again throughout the Old Testament as well as repeatedly in the New Testament. So the covenant with Abraham, it covers a lot of ground. And in establishing that covenant, God didn't just drop all the truth at one time like a bombshell, here it is, at just one event in Abraham's life, but there were these several installments that were given over time and truth was well progressively revealed to Abraham but more than that it was further confirmed time after time in each of these installments and so too God continued to do this with Isaac and Jacob and therefore if we would rightly understand the Abrahamic covenant, it won't do to just pick out a verse here and a verse here. We got a couple of verses, okay, we all understand it now, we're done. It's to be seen in light of its several installments. It's to be seen also in light of other data in the Old Testament, as well as the New Testament references, which come to us as kind of an inspired commentary on the Old Testament and on God's dealings, covenant dealings with Abraham. So that's what we're going to do this evening. And I would ask you to open your Bibles, please, to Genesis chapter 12. I know, brethren, as we've gone through Hebrews 11, we're looking at the faith of Abraham, that we've already seen these things, so much so that I wondered, well, should I really cover this same ground again? But I hope it will not be just redundant, but it will be to our profit. Now, the arrangement of this covenant, the aim was especially to establish a personal relationship with this man, Abraham, and with his seed. And we see that from the very outset of God's recorded dealings with him here in Genesis 12, notice beginning at verse one. Now the Lord had said to Abram, and at that time he still knows Abram, it means exalted father. Get out of your country from your family and from your father's house to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and I will curse him who curses you. and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. So you see God taking initiative, God coming in grace to this man who's living in a pagan city, who's actually a member of a family of idol worshipers. We see that even his father Terah is mentioned in the book of Joshua as himself having been an idol worshiper. Well, God is here separating Abraham to himself. He's granting him this special relationship, being reconciled to God, and God demonstrating that he was only for him. I will bless those who bless. I will curse those who curse. And such should be the relationship, that God would be so involved in this man's life that there would be this constant personal care of him even as we can see later in Isaiah 41 where God says Abraham is my friend. Well that was that personal relationship but God's dealings were not simply just with Abraham only. He says even here in verse 2 that he would make him a great nation that many people who would come from and be joined to Abraham, that they also would be in this special privileged place. And it's in this connection that Abraham would then have a global reputation and a global impact. That too is stated twice here. You shall be a blessing. And then he goes on to say that all families of the earth shall be blessed in him. this great and global good being done through Abraham and he at that time had no descendants at least not yet but he would and it would be enough to be a great and world-renowned nation even that he and his seed should be kind of a focal point in the world impacting the whole world for good. Well this is what God said what God promised and as we've seen in our study of Hebrews 11 that Abraham then by faith he obeyed when he was called to go out. That is he responded in faith, he responded in repentance and ongoing obedience and it was an effectual call. That is to say, it was the gospel that came to Abraham. You'll recall when he says here in verse three, that in you all families of the earth shall be blessed. Paul refers to that over in Galatians 3.8 and says in this way, Abraham had the gospel preached to him that Christ would come through him and by him then all the, by Christ, all the families of the earth would indeed be blessed. Well, this was promised to Abraham. And he believed this, so much so that the Lord Jesus, you recall, says, Abraham, look to my day. He rejoiced. He saw it. He was glad. So here is Abraham, who was right with God through that promise deliver our Lord Jesus Christ. Well, that's the initial word of God to Abraham, or to Abram, as he was then called. But obviously, that's not the last. We come to the next chapter, Genesis 13, And we see Abram received more word from heaven. Now this is after he and Lot had parted company. You recall how their possessions were so great that really they couldn't dwell together easily and the land couldn't support them. And so notice now picking up at verse 14 of Genesis 13. And the Lord said to Abram after Lot had separated from him, Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are northward, southward, eastward, and westward, for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth, so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. Arise, walk on the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you. Now, you recall that Abraham had preferred Lot. Here, you take the best. You take your choice. Whatever you want of the land, then I'll take whatever you don't want. Well, he was not the loser for that. Quite the opposite, because it's then that God came and said, no, this is all going to be yours. Now, there's the promise of many descendants, a very graphic and powerful way of saying innumerable. It says, if you can count the dust of the earth, Well, how can you do that? That's right. Well, that's exactly the idea of you'll have these many, many descendants and they will inhabit and you will indeed be this great nation. Now, many years later, he was still without a first descendant. But again, he received promise from God. Come now to Genesis chapter 15. Genesis 15, notice verse 1. where you have an affirmation of this relationship, of his relationship with God. After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision saying, do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great And of course, Abram says, well, look, I don't have any descendants. The guy who's going to be my heir, he was born in my house, but I don't have any descendants. And then God goes on to promise that he would indeed. Behold, the word of the Lord came to him, verse four, saying, this one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body. shall be your heir. And then he brought him outside and looked now toward heaven and count the stars if you are able to number them. And he said to him, so shall your descendants be. So again, he's doing this very graphic impression here. It's like the dust. It's like the stars. You're going to count these? Well, no. And then we're told in verse six, Abram believed the Lord and he accounted it to him for righteousness. Here is then God doing this, revealing this. And this actually in verse 18 of this chapter is the first mention of a covenant being established. On the same day, the Lord made a covenant with Abram saying to your descendants I've given the land from the river of Egypt to the great river of Euphrates and here are these various inhabitants so again another promise of descendants enough to inherit and live in the land and God did it by way of a covenant gave his promise and then he buttressed it with an oath remember that's what a covenant is promise strengthened by an oath that by two immutable things that God who cannot lie would give that strong consolation of the immutability of his counsel. It's not going to change. This is going to happen. God has not only promised, but then he swore as well. Well, many years after this, about a quarter of a century after God had first addressed Abram back in Genesis 12. Abram is now 99 years old and yet he receives more word from heaven that's found in Genesis chapter 17. Now, this was after the birth of Ishmael. You remember how Sarah, getting a bit antsy, and how is this going to happen? Doesn't have an offspring yet. Here, let me help God out. I've got a way that we can go ahead and fulfill what God has said. He needs our help, obviously, right? Well, then here's Hagar. Here's my handmaid. then Ishmael was born. You're familiar with that. Now, Abraham, as we see here in verse 18, he's happy enough. Lord, bless Ishmael. Bless Ishmael. No, no. God makes it clear. No, it's not through Ishmael. Well, now, notice, if you would, let's start with verse 1 of Genesis 17. When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, I am almighty God. Walk before me and be blameless, and I will make my covenant between me and you and will multiply you exceedingly. Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying, As for me, behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, that means exalted father, but your name shall be Abraham, which means father of a multitude, for he says, for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your descendants after you in their generations for an everlasting covenant to be God to you and your descendants after you. Also, I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession, and I will be their God. God said to Abraham, as for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generation. This is my covenant, which you shall keep between me and you and your descendants after you. Every male child among you shall be circumcised And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you." Well, as you can see, more truth is being given in God's dealings with Abraham. For instance, you've got here the sign of the covenant, circumcision. but indication also of God's long-term dealings, whether it's a literal everlasting or not. He says that repeatedly, 7, 8, 13, 19, keeps underscoring this is long-term. This is not something just for a passing time for Abraham's lifetime. But the primary emphasis, again, is on a relationship with Abraham as well as with his line after. Notice verse one, walk before me, a conscious walk with God suitable to that friendship, that relationship of peace. 17.7, God's desire and commitment. He says to be a God to you and not just to you, but verse eight, his line, and I will be their God as well. And you notice again the increase of descendants, the emphasis there. I will multiply you exceedingly, verse two. You'll not simply be a great nation, you're gonna be a father of many nations, verse four. Verse five, you got that name change, a father of a multitude. Verse six, as if it's not clear enough, you got this dogmatic and emphatic reiteration of what he said there, even on to the verses seven and eight, repeating many, many descendants. Well after this we have in the next chapter, Genesis 18, a theophany. That is to say a visible appearance of God appearing in bodily form. Probably it's the Son, God pre-incarnate Son. And a question is put to these angels in the hearing of Abraham. They're called men here, but obviously it's the angels who then later go on to Sodom and Gomorrah in chapter 19. But notice beginning at verse 16 of Genesis 18. Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on the way. And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing? Since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him. for I have known him in order that he may command his children and his household after him and that they keep the way of the Lord to do righteousness and justice that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has spoken to him well again it's a personal relationship I have known him he would have Abraham's descendants also know him God's truth to be taught to them and again the emphasis he would be a blessing to the nations and that in connection with the way of the Lord well In Genesis 21, there is that promise of a seed through Sarah and Abraham, Isaac. He's born, a miraculous token of God's faithfulness, a great joy to Abraham and to Sarah. The very name means laugh, and indeed they did laugh in unbelief before, but afterwards there was much joy in the birth of this child. But yet, contention came. You remember how Ishmael then is mocking, and Sarah says, get rid of this child, and Abraham didn't want to do it. Ishmael and his mama but God gave instruction and said do and he affirmed in verse 21 of chapter 21 the promise would be fulfilled in Isaac notice if you would verse 12 of verse 21 I said 21 didn't I 21 12 But God said to Abraham, do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice. For in Isaac, your seed shall be called. God does say, yes, I'll take care of Ishmael. He will be blessed as well. But he was not the focus of God's promise, of God's purpose. And then we come to chapter 22, and you recall we looked at this not long ago in our study of Hebrews 11, that great test that was given to Abraham in which he was to offer up his only son Isaac. How could he do this? It proved much truth about Abraham, his love for God, but it also demonstrated his faith. And we saw this in Hebrews 11, we won't take time to look at that. By faith, God has said, it's an Isaac, your seed is going to be called, as we just read here in Genesis 21. If it's an Isaac, and yet he's slain as a sacrifice, then it must be that God is going to raise him from the dead. As you know, it didn't quite work out as he thought. He didn't really follow through with killing him, though he was ready to do so, but God himself intervened, do not touch the lad, et cetera. Well, it's in connection with that. After his faith and love for God had been demonstrated, that God then gave further installment, further light and confirmation in Genesis 22, notice beginning at verse 15. Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven and said, by myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, a blessing I will bless you and multiply, I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed because you have obeyed my voice." Well, again, you've got God affirming many of the same truths that we've seen, giving further confirmation of these things, reaffirming especially the relationship. And it would be long-term, God would protect and God would grant triumph and so forth. And all the nations of the earth were again told to be blessed. in Abraham. Well in a number of places we are told that it wasn't simply with Abraham but rather the covenant was with Isaac and Jacob as well. In fact it's referred to repeatedly Old Testament and New in that language and therefore we see Truth being reaffirmed as well as a new installments given in to Isaac in Genesis 26 Let me just read that for you quickly the first four verses of Genesis 26 there was a famine in the land besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham and And Isaac went to Abimelech, king of the Philistines of Gerar. Then the Lord appeared to him and said, do not go down to Egypt. Live in the land of which I shall tell you. Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you. For to you and your descendants I give all these lands and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father and I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven I will give to your descendants all these lands and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall Be blessed. Well, then we have further truth given to Jacob. This is after he had fled and he's on the run from Esau. That narrative I referred to it this morning. You've got Jacob's ladder, as it's so called, connecting heaven to earth and God's promised blessing. Notice 28 of Genesis verses 13 through 15. And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham, your father, and the God of Isaac, the land in which you lie. I will give to you and your descendants. Also, your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth. You shall spread abroad to the west and to the east, to the north and the south. And in you and in your seed, all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you. So again, you see he's saying much the same relationship, descendants, the land, and even beyond the land, east, west, north, south, and it's in this connection that all the nations or families shall be blessed through Abraham's seed. Well, brethren, I realize that's a lot of reading through of a number of texts, and I've not really exhausted everything that's said in Genesis. And certainly there's more outside of Genesis, as I've already said, throughout that whole Old Testament period. In fact, we find promises made or God reasoning with the people or God's servants reasoning with the people on the basis of God's covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. You see it in Egypt in Exodus chapter 2. You see it before they enter into the land of promise in Deuteronomy chapter 30. Even a thousand years after Abraham over in 2 Kings 13, well you've got this covenant, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob being referred to. And again, as I've already said, it's not just in the New Testament, you can find much, sorry, not just the Old Testament, you can find much in the New. Now, having looked at just all of these things, it's obvious that this is important, right? I mean, this occupies no small place, not only Genesis, but as I've said, beyond, right? And it's equally obvious, what I've already said, the design was to establish a relationship. a relationship with Abraham, but also with his seed, those who are joined to him. God would do them good, but as we've seen repeatedly, not only to Abraham, but then to Isaac and to Jacob, God would do good through Abraham's seed to all the families of the earth, to all the nations, et cetera. Okay, now why all of this? It's clearly, it's important. But why all of this? Is it simply to establish the nation of Israel, but really nothing beyond that, just because Israel is going to be the focal point and center of God's eternal purpose, and therefore that's all that really matters? No. The church is not an afterthought, by the way. We're not left to conjecture, why did God do this? God himself has given us his own explanation. To that end, I would ask you to come to Galatians chapter three. Galatians chapter three. Notice verse 16. Galatians 3.16, now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He does not say, and to seeds as of many, but as of one, and to your seed, who is Christ. All of this emphasis on descendants was for the sake of one descendant, one seed in particular. The heart, the aim was to bring Christ into the world. It was God's purpose. It was God's commitment to send that promised Redeemer through Abraham and his family. Notice Romans chapter 9. Romans chapter 9. Here Paul is talking about his burden for the Jews according to the flesh. And he says in verse 4 of Romans 9, who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, plural, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises, all of these things given to them, of whom are the fathers, and here especially with reference, I believe, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God, amen. He's not just man, he's the eternally blessed God. But, the one who is the eternally blessed God, he came as man, and he came as man through Abraham's line. And all of God's dealings, the very things that he mentions here, they all had this in view. The Abrahamic and as well as the other covenants and all of this worship apparatus of the Mosaic covenant, it was all with a view of Christ coming through that line as Abraham's seed, Luke chapter 1. Luke chapter 1. This is John the Baptist's daddy. Now you can imagine if you're an old man and you've not had any children and now you've not been able to speak for a long time, but a baby has been born to you in your old age, you and your wife being well advanced in years and now Here, he's able to speak after the baby is born, even as the angel had said. You remember his unbelief? Here, I'll give you a sign, alright? You won't be able to speak until the baby is born. Well, what's the first thing that's going to come out of his mouth? If you were in his shoes, here you've been mute for nine months, and now, surely, you're ready to speak, to say something about this baby that you've been given. That which was on Zacharias's mind was not simply this baby. Verse 67 of Luke 1, now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied saying, blessed is the Lord God of Israel for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets who have been since the world began that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us to perform the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant the oath which he swore to us our father Abraham, to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life. And you, child, now saying of John the Baptist, will be called the prophet of the highest, for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the remission of sins, through the tender mercy of our God, with which the day spring from on high has visited us, referring to the coming of Messiah to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death to guide our feet in the way of peace. You get the point. Here's a covenant with Abraham. And God has now fulfilled it with the dayspring from on high, the seed of David has come among us, the Christ being born. So again, and this is how it is that Matthew begins his gospel. You remember how he begins, here's the genealogy of Christ, the son of David. the son of Abraham. He's writing to Jews. He's especially impressing upon them that Jesus is that promised Messiah, not only the one who had come through David, but he would come through Abraham. Well, beyond question, from the Old Testament, that arrangement with Abraham, it was one of the covenants of the promise And that which is promised is Jesus Christ coming into this world to save sinners. More light was given. Further preparations were made for the fulfillment of this first promise back in Genesis 3.15 after man had fallen into sin. Yet here, even before judgment is pronounced upon man, God comes with a promise, actually pronouncing judgment on Satan, that the seed of the woman, one would be born true man of the woman who would bruise or crush the serpent's head. from the beginning. As it says here in the words of Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, that from the beginning, the prophets have been telling of this, that one would come to deliver sinners like us from sin. All that happened when Adam fell into sin, well, here, God promised a deliverer. But you know, in Genesis 3.15, it simply said that he would be man. He's of the seed of the woman, the one who would rescue sinners like us. Okay, well, but what more do we know of him? Which family? From which family would he come? Well, obviously he got narrowed down a good bit at the flood. You've only got one family, Noah and his offspring, after that. But then we come to Genesis chapter 12, and lo and behold, it's this family. God appears to Abraham, and now he makes this arrangement in grace, and therefore the whole history Everything that has been promised there, that he'd be a great nation and innumerable descendants and there'd be the land and there'd be the protection. The whole history of Abraham and his descendants is to be seen in this light. Not simply to establish Israel as a nation, but to bring the Messiah through that nation, that people. Well, that's what we see then. from these texts and Matthew tells us in Matthew 1.1 at the very beginning that baby born in Bethlehem the Lord Jesus Christ is God who's kept his word in spite of Israel's sins and wanderings and all that God did by way of keeping them as it were bringing them back to the land etc. And it's in this way, as was said repeatedly, that all families of the earth have been blessed by Abraham, by his seed, because God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. And you recall when Paul would shore up Gentiles against these Judaizers. These people were saying, it's good that you got Jesus, but you know, you really need to be Jewish. You need to be circumcised. You need to keep the whole law. You really got to go through all these things. Well, when he's writing to shore up true believers, Gentile believers especially, against that heresy, that's where he appeals to Abraham and this covenant. And that's where he says, well, come there, please. Galatians chapter three. Come back to that chapter. Let me start with verse six. Just as Abraham believed God that was counted to him for righteousness, therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the scripture foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, in you all the nations shall be blessed. So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham. It's not by all the things that came after, he goes on to say, the Mosaic covenant and so forth. No. And here's the inspired commentary of what it means when all the families of the earth will be blessed. That's the gospel. And you find those same words repeated to Isaac and Abraham, to Isaac and Jacob rather. This is the gospel that Jesus Christ would come into this world to save sinners, all who trust in him. It's because of Christ that believing Gentile sinners are blessed with believing Abraham. He goes on to say in verse 14, they have the blessing of Abraham. Abraham was justified. He was declared righteous on the basis of faith in God's provision. That is to say, just like us, how can we be right with God? How can we be accepted by God? We're sinners. because God sent through Abraham, this one who would come and live that perfect life and die in the place of sinners like us to bear the penalty for sin and his righteousness then being credited to us. He taking our penalty, we receiving his righteousness. Therefore we are justified. That was what was promised to Abraham. That's the blessing of Abraham. He goes on to speak of receiving the Holy Spirit and other matters here in verses 13, and 14, so we're no more far off. Notice what he says, verse 13. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us, for it is written, cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree, that he is crucified, taking the guilt of sinners and bearing the penalty, that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Well, that's why this covenant with Abraham, God's promise, God's purpose. And God has kept his word. Sinners from all nations and families of the earth have been saved by this seed of Abraham. Remember how even in John chapter four, you've got the Samaritans and they came to understand. He's the Savior of the world, not just Jews, but even Samaritans, sinners. Or when John the Baptist said, behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin, not just of Jews, of the world. Or even when Jesus said that well-known John 3.16, God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten Son, whoever believes in him, not perish, have everlasting life. Who's he talking to? What's the size of that vast multitude that he spoke to when he spoke those words? Well, he's talking to one man, Nicodemus, a bigoted Jew. He's a leader of the Jews. And basically, the whole emphasis of the word world is not just to you, Nicodemus, not just to Jews, but rather to all kinds of sinners, even as was promised back to Abraham, all the families of the earth being blessed, no one left untouched. Galatians 3, believing Jews, believing Gentiles, they're all one. He is the father of us all, all nations. Again, no family left untouched. So you come to the book of Revelation and praise being given to Christ. And out of every tribe and tongue and nation and people, he has redeemed us to himself. All the nations, all the families of the earth being blessed, so much so that Revelation 7 talks about this multitude that no man could number being saved by Jesus Christ, the one who was promised way back when. Now to further appreciate the scope and purpose of God's dealings with Abraham, remember its place in history at that particular point in time. We've seen from Genesis 12 that God came to Abraham that God took the initiative in grace, and that after events in Genesis 10 and 11, in light of the events of Genesis 10 and 11. Do you know what we have in those two chapters? Well, in Genesis chapter 10, you've got another of these genealogies, you know, so and so begot so and so begot so and so, right? But this one in chapter 10 of Genesis isn't simply talking about individuals. It's talking about really the origin of the nations. These different individuals. And this nation came from him. And this nation came from him. And this nation came from him. That's the idea. The origin of these nations who are referred to in Acts 14, 16 as God having allowed them to walk in their own ways. And it's in that period that idolatry began. That which we see over Romans 1 about people suppressing truth about God, they don't want that. Instead they'll make their own gods, various things out of the wood or stone or the fabric of their own imagination and they're going to worship even creepy crawlies and so forth. They don't want the knowledge of God and therefore it's that which is described in Romans 1 of God giving them over to their sin. You know, it's after this that we've got Genesis 19, the homosexuality there in Sodom and Gomorrah. Well, that's a direct result of what we see in Romans 1, of God giving men over, first to sexual promiscuity, then to sexual perversion, then to a reprobate mind where there's just no logic, no moral logic, no common sense hardly. Well, that's what we have going on there in Genesis chapter 10. You know, there's no indication of idolatry before the flood. Earth was filled with violence. Every heart, every imagination of the heart of man, only evil continually. But there's no hint that idolatry was in this world before the flood. But it certainly was so afterwards, so much so that we come to Abraham's time. Remember, Abraham's daddy was himself an idolater, a family of idolaters. Reason to think that Abraham himself had been among them. And therefore, God says, get out of your country and from your kindred, from your father's house. Get away from that people. Among the nations, there is this rejection of truth about God, of God himself, and the serving of man-made gods, just, again, what we find in Romans 1. That's Genesis 10. Well, Genesis 11, let's come there. Genesis chapter 11. You have the record of man's effort to build this great city with this great tower. Pronounce it Babel, Babel, doesn't matter, either way. You're gonna get this big tower. Notice Genesis chapter 11 and verse four. These people there at that great city said, come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower whose top is in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth. So here you have mankind united to promote mankind, their confidence in themselves, their arrogance. There's no mention of God. They're even quite contrary to God in His way. Mankind united against God and therefore you've got this intervention on God's part to stop their work and He scatters them. You remember how He scattered them kids? You remember how God scattered them? How did He do that? confuse their languages. That's the origin of all the different languages in the world. Notice verse 7 of Genesis 11. Come, let us go down there and confuse their language. They may not understand one another's speech. And so the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. Well, these different languages, different language groups. See, obviously, you can't work together. Hand me that. What's that? Don't understand what you're saying, you know? So there you go. And this is a judgment from God. The Lord scattered them abroad. So you got that judgment as well as that Romans 1 judgment going on in the land. That's Genesis 10 and 11. And it's in connection with that that we come to Genesis chapter 12. the call of Abraham, a man in a pagan city from a family of idolaters, leading to this covenant in which God would send the Messiah. It might have looked at Genesis 11 as if God was done with mankind. But what about God's purpose of grace? What about that promise that one would come of the seed of the woman and bruise or crush the serpent's head, that deliverer for mankind? They're under Romans 1 judgment, and then they're scattered across the face of the earth. But God wasn't done. It's at that time that God intervened in grace, that God came and made this special arrangement with Abraham all with a view of bringing that promised Savior into the world in the face of judgment, in the face of nations going their own way, all nations and all families being scattered across the earth. And what's the promise? That all nations and families will be blessed through Abraham. that the Savior would come and save all kinds of sinners from all over the earth, even a multitude that no man could number. Notwithstanding these judgments, God's purpose of grace continued. God still would show mercy to sinners, and there's only one way he does so, by way of that everlasting mercy, is in Jesus Christ, that promised seed. So you see how the promise fits the need at that time. People scattered, under judgment, but yet, God in grace intervenes, and with this one man, establishes this arrangement, and it's unfolded then over the course of history. Well, do you appreciate the importance of the Abrahamic covenant? It's not the covenant. You know, there've been some who said, well, it's Abrahamic covenant, that's the covenant of grace so-called. No, it's not. No, it's not. It's not the covenant. Ephesians 2.12, it's one of the covenants of the promise. But how vital. And how right that we should know and that we should highly esteem it. And see that it's relevant to us. We are those who believe with Abraham. We are those who are blessed with believing Abraham, even the blessing of Abraham. It's this gospel, we are justified through Jesus Christ, the one who came to save sinners, came through this line. If you're in Christ, then, Paul says, you're Abraham's seed. Dear brother, dear sister, that is you. We'll come back to that in a future study. But this covenant further reminds us to see all history in light of God's eternal purpose. Right? From Genesis 3.15 on, this great purpose of grace, and there to the flood, and the covenant with Noah, and then now to this covenant with Abraham, and ever since that time, it's all God's eternal purpose, and this covenant, and all that we've seen by way of these various installments, it teaches us to see it in that light. Not only the history of Abraham's physical descendants, the nation of Israel, but all the nations, as God works all things according to the counsel of his will. When you read the Old Testament or when you read the history of nations generally, see God at work. It's His story. You've got the nations. They're going their own way. Genesis 10, Genesis 11. Yet even so, in the world's darkest hours, God is still at work unfolding His eternal purpose, that great purpose of grace. And when sin abounds, well, grace abounds much more. God sent a Savior. And therefore, see all history, especially that it's about Jesus Christ. All preparing throughout the course of the Old Testament for him to be brought into this world. And then Christ coming, and suffering, and dying, and going to the cross, and being raised from the dead, and now his present reign, and then coming again at last when the souls, all souls that will be saved have been saved. And whether the world sees it, or whether we are consciously recognizing it, isn't it so? The whole of history is really all about Christ. Well, my brother and my sister, see it. See Jesus Christ in all of history. Even seeing everything else in light of God's great eternal purpose. He saves sinners through Jesus Christ. If you don't get anything else, get that. Here's the big program. that's going on throughout the course of history. Of him, through him, to him, all things. It's all about Christ. But now let me ask you, in light of that, what's the big program going on in your life? Here's the big thing in history, God's work of bringing a savior to save sinners like us. What's the big thing going on in your story, in your life? Is it that purpose of grace? Is it Christ coming into this world to redeem sinners? Is that the big thing going on in your life? To Him be glory and dominion forever and ever? Are you keeping all things in perspective? Everything else that goes on, I don't understand, but I know this. God has this great purpose whereby He saves sinners through the Lord Jesus. Is Christ your Savior? When Paul wrote, he came into the world to save sinners, that means everything that this entailed, ever since Genesis 3.15 and on, all of this. I made reference already to Abraham. Abraham looked to see my day. He rejoiced. He saw it. He was glad. If that was so in Abraham's day, that the truth given to him, he saw with the eye of faith that Christ would come, save sinners, and he was glad at his day. If that was so with Abraham, my brother, my sister, what about now, with the greater light that we have, that Christ has come, and all the glory of the new covenant? Are you glad? Are you rejoicing? Is this holding your attention and holding your heart? Same Savior, same salvation, same grace, And our salvation is no less certain than was Abraham's. Remember, God gave that covenant so that by two immutable things, in which it's impossible for God to lie, promise O, so that he might have that strong consolation, knowing that this is indeed God's immutable purpose. It will be filled. Well, so with us. Your salvation, no less certain in Jesus Christ. But that being so, then how right we should respond as did Abraham. So when God said to him, walk before me and be blameless, or when the Lord Jesus said to some in John chapter eight, if you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham. Well, you would believe on Christ and you would rejoice and you would be a follower. Brethren, isn't it right that we should live as trophies of God's grace to the praise of the glory? What grace has been shown? that God had this great purpose, and he's included you, dear brother or sister, in that purpose. Well, may God grant that we will love him who first loved us, and we'll show our gratitude, and we'll show our love by that faithfulness to Christ. Amen. If you're here without Christ, see that even in the face of men's arrogance and folly, the people despising God, promoting themselves, even in the face of much deserved wrath, judgment in this world, God is still the God of all grace, dealing with sinners, not as they deserve, but rather of his own mercy. And even the face of your many sins against him, all your sins, more than you recognize, they're all committed against the God of heaven, the true and living God, all those sins. And yet in the face of all of those sins, good news, that's what the word gospel means, is held out to you. Christ came to save sinners. Not good religious people, though them too, if they are sinners, therefore they need a savior. Not young sinners or old sinners, but sinners, all kinds of sinners. Do you understand the gospel? When Paul says, here's the gospel I preached to you, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. He was buried. He was raised the third day according to the scriptures. Do you understand that? Christ died in the place of sinners to bear the penalty for sin. He was so dead he was buried, but he wasn't left dead. He was raised from the dead and he now lives to save to the uttermost all who come to God by him. You understand that? And do you also recognize that even hearing that gospel is a manifestation of God's grace? As sinners, we don't even deserve to hear the offer of forgiveness. We don't deserve to hear the good news of Christ saving sinners. That's why Paul says, don't receive the grace of God in vain. Rather, today is the day of salvation. Be reconciled to God. Maybe there's much you don't understand, but you know you're a sinner. And I hope you understand that Jesus Christ came to save sinners, and all who trust in him, those who look to him, he saves. He rescues them from themselves, from their sin, from eternal damnation. Go to Christ, repent, and believe the gospel. He saves sinners. Let's pray. Father in heaven, we thank you for your grace to sinners like us. We thank you for that great provision, Lord, even as was promised to Abraham. We thank you that you've kept your word by way of sending the Savior into this world. And you've kept your word again and again and again, times innumerable, saving all of those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, who put their trust in him. Lord, grant them that we would love you yet more and more. Grant that our faith in you, oh Lord, should be strong. Grant we would see all of history, even our own personal history, in light of that great purpose of grace, and that would be the big thing in our thinking and in our living. In all of this we pray your honor and glory, in and through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.