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Genesis chapter 15. If you got a Bible, I want to encourage you to turn there. We’re going to look at a few important verses. Specifically, we’re going to highlight some really significant words. If you’re one of those that like to mark in your Bible, I want to encourage you to do that. It’ll be good for your own personal study. The title of today’s sermon is Friends That Bleed Together, Stay Together. And I thought, you know, I’m back. I’ve been gone a week. Let’s do something gross, right? If bleeding makes you feel weird, then we’re talking about blood today. So friends that bleed together stay together. And we’re on this series called blessed. Looking at the life of Abraham, starting in Genesis chapter 12 and how it relates to our lives together. Friendships we’re going to see today. They’re important for us, and you don’t even need to open the Bible to know that. I mean, we just know friendships are important to us as people. Now, it’s important to open the Bible to see how those friendships should impact our lives. But we are people as nature that love relationships are. The social media platform is all about connecting with people. People constantly on their phones. So much so it’s funny. Sometimes you’ll see like young people, they’ll they’ll be texting each other from across the table and they can just have a conversation. But it’s all about interaction. I’ll say today in our generation, the depth of relationships, I don’t think, go nearly as far as maybe what it did a generation or two ago.
And it’s because I think a lot of it is we can’t quite communicate everything on social media platforms that we use and, and generationally. And in generations past, people tended to stay more in the area that they were born in, or at least close to that area. And now we’re more transient as people. And it takes it takes time to put your roots down, to develop those relationships you might have had as a child or or as a young adult. And, but, but we know in all of this, even in moving away from friendships that we have, even that separation reminds us relationships are important. And we look for for encouragement and strength and health and those friendships that we have just to even validate us and the decisions that we’re making as people. Sometimes we lack friendships so much that we will sacrifice and choose poor relationships for the sake of just having relationships. Uh, use the illustration of, um, when I was in high school, you would see that everywhere. Um, you had, uh, kids that liked goth and kids that liked to wear their pants down to their ankles. And, you know, there were just certain groups you knew, like, one kid would come and he’d be all preppy the next day, and that club did not fit for him.
So the next day, he’s all in dark and black and whatever, and he’s gothic, and he just wanted to fit in a social circle and feel like he belonged. It’s not to say those things are are bad. Some of them are weird, but they’re not bad. But but we want to be. We want to be connected. We want to feel like we’re a part. We’ll we’ll do things to feel like we belong to certain groups of people. Relationships are important to us, and picking the right relationships should be important to us. In fact, when Paul wrote to Timothy in Second Timothy two chapter two and verse 22, he said, flee also youthful lust, but follow righteousness, faith, charity, and peace with them who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. And so Timothy is learning from Paul, and Paul is saying to him, Timothy, you want to know where to put your circles as a person. You want to know what’s going to help you get where God has called you. You want to have those relationships that are really impact your life. Put your relationship circle around those that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. That’s not to say you can’t be friends with Joe down the street who may not fit in that club. I mean, God’s called you to impact hearts in this life or impact hearts in this world to to reach people with your life.
The gods also called us to walk with him. And Timothy is told by Paul, where do we draw those lines and what God desires for us? We all. We want friendships that bless us. And all the friendships that we could have. There’s no better friendship that. We as people could experience in this world than one with God. You. Maybe. Maybe you’ve been a believer for some time, or maybe even grew up in a church and and it’s not new to you that God would call us his friend. But when you study the fact that Christianity says that in comparison to all other religions in the world, that religions in the world don’t think of God in relationship to a friend. I mean even unreligious people or atheist agnostic type backgrounds. When when people think about God, they tend to think about this guy wearing this like bedsheet around his waist with no shirt and he’s ripped. He’s got a beard to die for with a lightning bolt in his hand. Right. And the only thing he does is he stands very distant from you in a very impersonal way. And the only time you ever hear from him is if he’s saying no to zap you in the rear end with some sort of bolt that he showed in your way. Right. That’s God. And and to think he can be a friend of mine is blown.
When it comes to the life of job. In chapter 24 and verse four, he said this, O for the days when I was in my prime, when God’s intimate friendship blessed my house. And this morning as we look at the life of Abraham. In James chapter two and verse 23. It’s recorded about this with Abraham. This is a quote from from Genesis. But Abraham believed God. And it was accounted to him as righteousness. And he was called a friend of God. Just as you crave relationships and friendships, just as you seek those out. The most important friendship we can learn to have as people. As a friendship with God. And the intentions of Genesis 15. The intentions of James chapter two. As we see that Abraham is called a friend of God, it’s just to get our minds to stop and think and say to ourselves, how do we get that? I mean, how how can I experience this, this friendship with God? How can I be blessed through a friendship with God? You know when I, when I, when I travel, I have this tendency where when I go back east and I speak, I decided, you know, I’m going to go back and I’m just going to try to meet with friends that I knew in my pre Jesus days. God, I just want to meet with him. I want to encourage them.
I want to find out what’s happening in their lives, and I want to share what’s happening in my life. Because my pre Jesus days to today, there is a there is a distinct difference in my life and and when I go back east, I try to meet with a friend or two and sit down with him and and just chat about life. And by doing that, I’ve seen one person come to know the Lord and put his faith in Christ, which has been really cool because it was a friend I would have never expected would have done that. But you know, when we when I sit with my friends and I and I and I talk to them about important things in my life, do you know what I find connects me to them and and the friendship that we’ve had together? It’s the crazy stuff that we’ve done. I mean, it’s the things where you don’t tell your mama about not not necessarily bad things, but, you know, your mom might be just a little worried that you’re climbing a cliff or whatever you’re doing, but it’s just it’s the crazy things that you’ve done that really bond those friendships. I mean, maybe you can even think of it in your own life where where you’ve got this friend, and as soon as you’re together, you sit and talk about just the the stupid things you did as a, as a kid and how just spending time together, doing unique things or goofy things, how that built the bond of friendship.
I am Richie, who leads our youth and plays bass here on music and helps coordinate our music for church. Um, he. It was interesting how he came to our church. My, my friendship with Richie goes back to the days when I was, I was a youth leader at a Christian camp, and and Richie was in my cabin once. And if you ever hear him talk about just an eventful thing in our lives that built a bond, we we we left our mark on this camp. But one of the things that we did was we had in this camp a lineman that played football, high school football, and he was the biggest kid on the team. And we found out in the course of this week that this kid could fit a lot of things in his belly button, and that was just it was like, what can fit in your belly button today? Can I game? And so finally, the last couple nights we get this bright idea where where we’re going to stick a maglite in there, it’ll stay, it sticks and stays and he’s sticking in and he starts wiggling around and the thing just bounces everywhere. It’s like he’s like, I don’t know how he does it, but it just goes and and we’re like, okay, okay, that’s hilarious.
Let’s flip off the light at night. We’re going to invite people into this cabin to come look, and you stay in the back, and we just want you to do like that. And this Maglite is going, you know, everywhere. And people walk in there like, that’s crazy. I’m like, how’s it going? So nuts like that? You can’t even do that with your arm. It’s so fast. And then all of a sudden we flip on the light and there’s this big guy standing there just like it was. It’s hilarious. And when he’s talking to Richie, it’s like, that’s one of the things where he thought, you know, Daniel at Christian camp loves Jesus. And he’s. And he’s just fun. He’s fun to be here. And so that’s one of the things that God used to bond our lives. One of the other things I think about is, and my wife will kill me probably for saying this, but, um, I went to a Christian event one time and my wife’s on stage. She’s doing this skit for this youth, and she’s in youth, and it’s the first time I ever saw her in my life. And she’s on stage with this other girl. This other girl has her arm raised. And somehow this related to the skit. Can’t even remember why, but my wife is licking peanut butter out of the armpit of this other girl. That it’s disgusting, I know, but but it seared in my mind.
You know that girl is a winner. I got to marry her. Any girl willing to lick peanut butter is going to be my wife, right? God uses unique circumstances. He uses challenging circumstances. He uses really memorable circumstances to build bonds. And it’s only those friends that you’ve really had time to spend with to go through those circumstances that you’d say, yeah, he’s a good friend of mine. I mean, Joe knows some stuff about me that I don’t want anybody else to know, but. But because he knows, man, he’s a friend. I remember when we were there and we did this as kids. We were crazy, weren’t we? Man, if my kid tried that. No kidding. Friendships. I mean, they’re built that way. And I think it’s like that with God. In fact, when you turn to Genesis chapter 15 and you read the story of Abraham starting in 12 all the way to chapter 15, you see a lot of events happening in Abraham’s life. A lot of unique things, a lot of challenging things. A lot of crazy things. And then in chapter 15, it takes a break. And it sort of pulls back the curtain for us so that we can examine. When James says that Abraham is a friend of God, what does that even look like? When it comes to Genesis 15 and verse one, it just says to us after this.
And what it means is that all of these things really happened in Abraham’s life. And in chapter 14, I mean, he just fought a battle and he went against a king with just his household, and he he’s trying to rescue his nephew, who got captured by this kingdom. And he and his household conquer this, this invading king who who took lot and these people away. They travel over 100 miles and capture them. Abraham Abraham has gone through a lot of unique things. Crazy things. I mean, he’s moved from Canaan. He’s gone through a famine. He lost his father. He almost lost his wife in Egypt. He had a family dispute with his nephew, who was his nephew was was captured by a king. He had to fight in a war. And he faced death in the middle of this battle, all between the ages of 75 and 85. He’s tired. And he needs some validation. And he needs a friend. Genesis 51 after this. The word of the Lord came to Abraham in a vision. Do not be afraid, Abraham. I am your shield, your very great reward. Don’t be afraid, Abraham. You know, one of the touching things about just God’s opening remarks to Abraham. So he’s acknowledging for us that people with faith are also people with feelings. And fillings must not be discredited or ignored. And Abraham had the promises of God. But right now he’s just feeling weak.
And God says to him, do not be afraid. And the next phrase, I am your shield. Abraham was a broken man. And he was weak. I love that about my walk with God. God’s not looking for perfection. God’s not looking for my strength. God’s just looking for me to be humble and faithful. The beauty of whatever God wants to do in us this morning is this is where we all get to start in our friendship with God. God. I don’t have anything to offer. God, you’re so far beyond my strength, my perfection. You’re so far beyond me. Now look at all the things that I go through in life. And it just it just really beats me up. I feel weak. And God’s response to Abraham in the midst of this and all that he’s going through and what he’s feeling, he just says, don’t, don’t be afraid, Abraham. I am your shield. You’re not the strength I am. I am your shield, and I am your very great reward. When it comes to a friendship with God, I would say do not stop there. When we go through challenges in life, we ask God a question. We see maybe within Scripture what it says, and then we just kind of go, okay, that’s good. And we go on and we have this idea of what it says, but Abraham doesn’t settle with that. In fact, he said, okay, God, I understand what you’re saying, but I really I really need you to assure this in me if if I’m going to trust in you and I’m going to take steps out in this life, I need to really know God that you’re going to be there to hold me up.
In fact, in First Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 13 and 14, Paul said this about the believers in Christ. He said, If Christ be not raised from the grave, our faith is in vain. We are the most pitied of all people. In the fall of Jesus. You really got to believe. Your home is not this world. You’ve really got to believe in his resurrection. And just as he was resurrected, the promise that he will resurrect you. You need to know that if you trust in him. He’s going to be there. Abraham says to the Lord. But Abraham said, sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless? And the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus? And Abraham said, you have given me no child. So a servant in my household will be my heir. Now you remember in Genesis chapter 12, the reason that Abraham went on this journey with God is because God came to him in verses 1 to 3 and he said, Abraham, follow after me. Go to the land that I will show you. I will bless you, and through you all nations will be blessed, and I will give you a land and an inheritance.
And do you know to the point that Abraham is now discussing this with God? It’s been ten years since that promise. And he’s still not seen a child. I mean, if God gave you a promise. And was delaying ten years on fulfilling it. And where would your faith be? Continuing to hope in him. Abraham is just saying to God, God, I just want to know. I just want to know that you’re there to hold me like a friend. God, that you’re going to support me, that you’re going to be my strength. He’s just spending time with his friend and this unique, crazy moment. And through it, God is deepening their relationship together. The truth of the matter is, for us as people, you’re probably not going to live in a tent in Canaan. But God has a cannon for you somewhere. I mean, when it comes to marriage or when it comes to kids, if God has that on the cards for you. And what is your goal with that? And what do you get? Married. And you’re just married because you’re supposed to be married. And your only goal for your spouse is, you know, I just want them to conform to what I need. Or I mean, what kind of plan is that for marriage? Where are your kids? They’re just.
They’re just kind of there. And I just hope they make it out and nothing bad happens. Or what about this? We buy. We buy into this lie a lot in people in life. In America, you you go to school, you make good grades so you can get in into college. And when you go into college, you make sure you make good grades so you can get into the right college or the best college. And and then when, when, when you’re in college, you do well in college so that you can get the job to make that you want. That gives you a lot of money. Right. And so the whole point is get good grades, get good grades, get to the college. So you can make lots, lots of money, or at least as much money as humanly possible as you can make. I mean, when you get to heaven, do you really think God’s going to be like, how how much money did you make? All that’s good, right? Oh, dude, I saw I saw that car that you had that was so sick, right? God doesn’t care. He doesn’t care about how much money you make. He doesn’t care what car you drove to church this morning. He doesn’t care. Do you know what he cares about? Cares about your relationship to him. We all have crazy battles to fight. But can I tell you this morning? It’s in that craziness that your relationship with God goes deeper.
You know, you can really tell where someone’s hope is by where they run when things get hard. Where does God rank on that list? I mean, is it like you tell 17 friends and you’re like, oh yeah, there’s a God somewhere. I better talk to him. It’s in the craziness, the uniqueness, the peanut butter and armpits. Those are things that you tie back to. Like, man, I remember. God showed up here. And he was with me in this. And Abraham is saying, in the midst of this weakness, Jesus, I just I just need to know your strength is with me. You don’t have to be strong. You just have to be honest, humble, faithful, trusting in him. And Keteyian looking at Genesis chapter 15, it’s okay to question God. I mean, it’s okay to stop. You hear God’s truth and you’re like, God, I see what you’re saying. In a minute, we’re going to look at a verse that is just crazy. And at the end of this verse, we’re going to stop and say, God, what in the world? What are you talking about? What does this even mean for me? It is okay to question God. In fact, the book of Habakkuk in chapter one and verse two, the whole premise of the book starts with the question Habakkuk says this oh Lord, how long shall I cry for help? And you will not hear? Or cry to you, violence, and you will not save.
God, I don’t understand. Or James one five. If any of you lack wisdom. It’s not the question of truth, but it’s the application of truth that’s wisdom. If any of you lack wisdom, how am I going to? How am I going to live in this marriage? God, how how am I going to handle my kids? God, what do you want to do with me in this? How much money do I need to make God, where do I really need to go to to work? What kind of education do you want me to have? God, how can you be glorified if any of you lack wisdom? Ask God. It’s in that adversity that God uses to deepen your relationship with him. I can tell you this. Don’t accuse him. And Jonah chapter four and verse two, it says, and he prayed to the Lord and said, O Lord, is it not this what I said when I was in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish. God told Jonah to go to Nineveh to preach his message, that he would see Nineveh, come to know the Lord. And Jonah leaves to Tarshish. And so in Jonah was saying, God, I didn’t even want to do that, for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful God. I’m just telling you, I didn’t want to do that.
And so what you’re doing is wrong, and he’s just accusing God. Rather than just walk in understanding with the Lord. It’s okay to question God, in fact. It helps us in our relationship with them. In Genesis chapter four and verse, uh, chapter 15 and verse four and five. This is God’s response. Then the word of the Lord came to him, this man will not be your heir. So Abraham saying, God, I don’t have a kid. You promised this kid Eliezer is going to take over my household. He’s my number one servant. But you promised me, seed. I want to know. I want to know that I’m going to have a child. And so he says, then the word of the Lord came to him. This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir. He took him outside and said, look up at the sky and count the stars, if indeed you can count them. Then he said to him, so shall your offspring be. The Hebrew passage does a beautiful illustrative job that we don’t quite get in English. And what God communicates to Abraham here. When God says, this man will not be your heir. This this statement is an emphatic no. I mean, sometimes you want a clear answer from God. How about this? No. Like I promised you this.
Abraham, don’t. Don’t let you waver in this. Let your strength rest in me. I’m saying no. But he also says this. God took Abraham outside. The Hebrew gives this idea. He’s not just saying, oh, Abraham, come here. I want to show you something. Check out the star. Really cool. I call it the Dipper. What do you think? It’s not what God does. It says in the passage that God violently lifts up Abraham, and he just slams him outside and says, look up, son. I mean, look at what I’ve made. Look. Look at what I’m capable of. Just try to count those stars, I dare you. God. Points Abraham in the right direction. That’s why good friendships are important, right? When things are tough. And compromise is easy. I mean, it’s easy for us as people to make excuses. God, I see what you’re saying for everyone else, but for me, that just really doesn’t apply. And God comes into Abraham’s life and he’s just saying, no, that’s not the way it’s going to be. Abraham. There’s a statement in Christianity that says this, uh, God, God says it, I believe it. That settles it. And I’ve never liked it because this is the truth of the matter. It if God says it, that settles it. And it doesn’t even matter if you believe it. I mean, he is supreme. And God is trying to remind Abraham in these moments. Abraham, if you’re looking to leap and you want to trust in me, let me just show you with this power how much this will be fulfilled.
And so he says this to to Abraham. And then the Bible gives us one of the most important statements in all of Scripture. In Genesis chapter 15 and verse six. This passage is so important. It’s it’s used as a, as a crux of an argument for, for the salvation that Jesus brings us as people. In Galatians chapter three, it Paul quotes this in verse six, in Romans chapter four and verse three, Paul quotes this again James in chapter two and verse 23. He quotes this passage of Scripture. What God does here in our relationship with him is phenomenal to our walk with him. Let me just say this before I tell you the answer. You know, watch on T.V. there’s a lot of persecution happening with Christians right now. America’s good. As believers, I should say not. Not necessarily the media, but as American Christians, our heart grieves over that. And that is a that’s a good thing. We we want to pray with those that are in bonds as if we were in bondage with them. And we look at that physical persecution, we think, gosh, I don’t I don’t even know if I could endure that. I don’t even know. I don’t even know how I would respond to that. I’m definitely going to pray for that.
But man, that is just horrific. My mind can’t even my mind can’t even fathom that. You know why? As Americans, we built our country on this thought. We’re all created in the image of God. And so when people are treated violently, it raises an eyebrow. I mean, it’s in our Constitution, Declaration of Independence. It’s it’s there. It’s we’re all created equal before the Lord. And. But when it comes to. Spiritual persecution. Truth of the matter is we’re blind. We’ve grown up in a society that tells us to divorce the conversation with God from everything. And when it comes to understanding the spiritual warfare of life. We are weak. We look at the physical persecution and we think horrific. But don’t let that be blind to the spiritual persecution you face in your own land. Your friendship with God is the most important thing about your life. Says in Genesis 15 six, Abraham believed the Lord, and he credited to him as righteousness. Let me just give you a few thoughts on why the the New Testament quotes this so often. This this word for believed literally means to lean your entire weight upon this word for count. That means it’s a legal term. It means to put to one’s account. So he’s Abraham’s believing God. He’s not doing anything. He just. I’m just taking you at your word, God. I’m just trusting that I’m putting all my weight.
God, I’m going to jump. And I’m just trusting in all that you are. And God’s looking at Abraham saying, Abraham, you are bankrupt. And so and so, rather than depending upon your own strength, I’m taken from my account and I’m crediting it to your account. And now, Abraham, you are declared righteous, which means conformity to an ethical or moral standard. What this passage isn’t saying for us, it’s not saying that Abraham suddenly became perfect and kept sending, in fact, he’s going to sin again and we’re going to read about it. Abraham is not perfect. Abraham did not conform to God’s standard. Abraham hadn’t even changed. But here’s what happened Jesus intervened in his life. God intervened for him. Abraham was not saved by faith plus works, but rather by a faith that works. It’s what you’re trusting in. And James chapter two. I hear this sometimes about Christianity. You know, faith without works is dead faith. It’s true. If you have a faith and it’s in the right thing, it should be working for something. I mean, if God literally dwells in you, you should see that. But the reason that James quotes this passage for us in James chapter two is to say Abraham did nothing to earn it. But God created him for a friendship desired so much to be a friend of Abraham that he’s giving his own life. He’s crediting his righteousness to him. So Abraham has this promise.
We’re not saved by making promises to God, but by believing the promises of God. And then this crazy thing happens. Abraham says, okay, God, I understand now that you’re giving me seed, but what about land to Lord? I’m looking at this land that you’ve promised me, and there are people everywhere. How in the world am I ever going to have this land? And and so he says in verse eight, But Abraham said, sovereign Lord, how can I know that I will gain possession of it? And so the Lord said to him, bring me a heifer and a goat and a ram, each for each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon. Abraham brought all these to him, cut them into, and arranged the halves opposite each other. The birds, however, he did not cut in half. Well that’s great. The birds didn’t get cut in half, but everything else gets slaughtered. And that’s what I’m saying. You look at a passage like this and you need to question God on this one. Like. Say what? What just happened here? I mean, these animals get slaughtered, they get separated. And what God is doing is something culturally significant to the people in Abraham’s time. This is literally called cutting a covenant. God is making a covenant, and it’s called cutting a covenant because they would cut animals to make a covenant. And so the way that it worked was when two guys wanted to make an agreement or ladies or whatever, in this covenant, they would slaughter animals.
They would invite friends and family around to observe the covenant, and these guys would walk through the middle of these animals together. And it was to demonstrate that if we do not fulfill this covenant, may what happens to us be what happened to these animals? They’re literally giving their lives for this covenant. This is the interesting thing of this passage. In verse nine. When it begins to elaborate further into the story, it says. As the sun was setting, Abraham fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. And when the sun had set and the darkness had fallen, a smoking fire pot with a blazing torch, which is the image of God, appeared and passed between the pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abraham and said to your descendants, I will give this land from the wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates, and the land of the Kenites, and the Shiites, and the Catamites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Raphaelites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites, and the everyone of lights and whatever else is there, everybody that lives in this land. Abraham, you’re worried about them going, and I’m telling you, they’re going to be gone. And the crazy thing about this covenant.
But when you made a covenant. Two guys or two people walk down that aisle together in agreement. People in Abraham’s time, when they would read the story, their jaws would have dropped because they realized that when God is making this covenant with man, he’s doing it by himself. It’s by his strength, not yours. And this covenant is ultimately the foreshadowing of the coming of the Messiah who would die for us as people. You know, there’s two ways a covenant is fulfilled. One is you fulfill the demands. The other, you die. When Jesus comes. Jesus tells us he came not. To destroy the law or abolish the law. But to what? Fulfill it. Jesus came to fulfill the law and he came as a sacrifice for the covenant. Both ways Jesus fulfills this law. And so we look at this story and we’re thinking, well, what does this mean for us? I can’t even relate to this. Let me just tell you that we don’t cut animals today, but we still make covenants. Do you know how we do this? As people call it? Marriage? Till death do us. What? Part. And his marriage covenant. When Jesus comes for us as people. It says in first Corinthians chapter 11, we read this every Sunday. We’re going to do this next Sunday for communion. We read this every time we take communion in the same way. Also, he took the cup after supper, saying this this cup is the new covenant in my blood.
Do this as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me. Jesus not only fulfilled the old covenant. But he established a new covenant. You know what the Bible calls his church. His bride. In John chapter 14, it says this. Jesus thinking about the covenant and you as a church as his bride. He says, do not let your hearts be troubled. You know why? Because it’s not up to you. He’s got this. You believe in God, believe also in me. My in my father’s house has many rooms. If that were not so, I would have told you. And I’m going to the to there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me, that you also may be where I am. You know that the way to the place where I am going. Can I just tell you, as a pastor, if you want to know when communion is happening, what’s happening in my head? It’s this passage. And Jesus’s time when a man wanted to marry a young woman. In this case, Jesus wanted to be your bride. That young man would go to the father of the bride, and he would talk to the father about marrying the daughter. And he would say, okay, what kind of dowry do I need to pay to make her my bride? How can she be my wife? And the father would name a payment that the young man would make after he named the payment, they, he and his future bride.
They were betrothed to one another. They would. They would partake of a communion cup together, symbolizing the covenant that had been fulfilled. Then that young man would leave that house, and he would go to another place and build a home for where he and his bride would be together. Until he returned for the wedding ceremony. Jesus is saying this about us. Jesus showed up. To make a payment for his bride. And the payment he made. Was his life. His life became the covenant for you, that you could enjoy a friendship with him. You didn’t pay anything. He paid it all. Abraham comes before the Lord and he begins to question God, and he’s saying, God, God, I want to I want to understand that I’m taking these steps and I know you’re with me, but I really I really want to know how deep this friendship goes, because I want to trust you with every step I have. And let me just say to you this morning, I know in our lives we go through a lot of crap that just keeps us as people from wanting to trust in anything. But if you could trust in something, let me just tell you this there is a God who has given his life for you.
He has paid it all. He has blessed you with everything in the heavens. It tells us in Ephesians that you may just walk with him and enjoy him, and in that relationship they have, and you want to know where that relationship is really sharpened. It’s in the midst of the crazy things we go through as people. And you want to know how Abraham’s relationship with God really took off. Well, in Genesis chapter 15, Abraham just stopped and all of this craziness and he just said, God, I’m weak, God I’m weak. I don’t even understand this God. I just want to know that wherever I go from here, that that you, as my friend, are going to be close and and in that Lord, our relationship just continues to deepen. But listen. God wants to be your friend. I mean, he is Lord. I don’t know how Abraham calls him Adonai Yahweh. He called him in this passage, Lord God. He is Lord. Manage your friend. Matter of fact, he’s the most important friend that you’re ever going to have. And the midst of whatever you go through. Why not trust in such a one who just loved you with such grace? A covenant. It’s as deep as relationships go. And people that love one another intentional about spending time together. And God desires unity with you. And where are you in relationship to him?