Doing Righteousness

Pastor Martin Saine preaches on Genesis 15.

I chuckled to myself when I was preparing for today’s message on Genesis 15, which begins with “After these things” , which as you know, always prompts us to ask “what things?”. In this case the “what things” was Abram’s response to Lot’s kidnapping in Genesis 14. When I went back to review that response I was amazed once again how well the Holy Spirit orchestrates things.

Genesis 14

¹⁴ Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. ¹⁵ He divided his forces against them by night, and he and his servants attacked them and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is ^[d]north of Damascus. ¹⁶ So he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people.

¹⁷ And the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley), after his return from the ^[e]defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him.

Abram and Melchizedek – 

¹⁸ Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. ¹⁹ And he blessed him and said:

“Blessed be Abram of God Most High,
Possessor of heaven and earth;
²⁰ And blessed be God Most High,
Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.”

And he gave him ^[f]a tithe of all.

²¹ Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the ^[g]persons, and take the goods for yourself.”

²² But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, ²³ that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich’— ²⁴ except only what the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me: Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.”

The Bible tells us that Abraham was justified by faith.
Romans 4:3

³ For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was ^[a]accounted to him for righteousness.”

⁵ Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?— ⁶ just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” ⁷ Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.  Galations 3:5-7

So Abraham was justified by faith, but he wasn’t justified for the sake of justification alone, but to do good works from the position of justification.

The best way I can explain this is to let God explain it!  Ephesians 2:4-10

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), ⁶ and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not of works, lest anyone should boast. ¹⁰ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. 

Abraham was called to be righteous, and to do righteousness! Just as we are.

Abraham took 387 trained men in his household and took down 3 kings and their armies at the direction and under the banner and power of God and he did all this over the age of 75!
How many countless people have been encouraged through the millennia to do the same?

God’s children are called to be bold and steadfast, faithful and immovable because our God is bold and steadfast, faithful and immovable!

Standing for righteousness (particularly for those who are too weak to defend themselves or have no voice of their own) is doing righteousness!

Abraham is the father of the faithful and is an example set forth for all who would believe.
I was encouraged that just as Abraham mustered the forces “born in his own house”, God musters his musters His forces “born in His own house”!

Are we children of God?
Are we “born in His own house”?
Are we bold and steadfast, faithful and immovable?

If last week was any indication, we’re waking up!

Genesis 15
Gen 15:1 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid (268 times…), Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”
“After these things”
Abraham demonstrated that he now only desired to be righteous, but that he was willing to “do righteousness”.
He faced down an overwhelming force in the power of God. (I wonder if David ever thought of this example in relation to his facing Goliath?)
Abraham was not willing to share God’s glory with anyone else.
He refused to take any rewards or accolades from the enemy.
He was blessed by his stand!

“I am your shield”

This was fresh in Abram’s mind. After all, God had just demonstrated that very thing in Lot’s deliverance and Abraham’s victory!

“Your exceedingly great reward.”

Genesis 14:22-23 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich’—

God was Abraham’s reward! AND He is a rewarder!
God is just! Every evil work just be judged- either by the cross for those who receive Christ – or by the offender himself in eternal separation from God.

On the other hand, every work of righteousness must be rewarded!

² Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. Matthew 6:2

Matthew 6:5 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
Matthew 6:16  “Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
Rewards will be given out, but who do we want to receive the rewards from?

This statement is the reason Abraham is called the Father of the Faithful. It is the very basis for the covenant God will make with Abraham, and is in fact, the very basis and method by which our individual salvation is made.

Why now?
Abraham had already been walking in faith:
He left his country,
He went where God told him to go,
He separated himself from Lot, demonstrating humility and humbleness as he did so,
He faced the enemy in the power of God,
He refused reward from any but God,
He had already receive advanced word from God that an official Covenant was coming (Genesis 12) and was waiting for it.

But THIS (vs 4&5) was something entirely different!
Abraham was already past child bearing age. The hope of generations of descendants was gone. This covenant was ENTIRELY based on the miraculous! Without a miracle beyond understanding this covenant could not come to pass!
God designed it that way! God promised Abraham something that ONLY GOD COULD DELIVER! And He STILL works that way!

Are you struggling with the promises of God?
Are there things you’re sure the Lord has promised, but time seems to have expired?
Do you feel too young? Too old?
Age isn’t a thing with God!
Samuel was a child when God called to him.
David was a young boy when he slew the lion and the bear and then Goliath.
Abraham was old when God called him.
Even older when God told him He would give him the land.
Older even yet when God promised Children from his own body.

Caleb was 80 when he said “Give me this mountain!”
Joshua was also 80 when God sent him to take the children of Israel into the land.

You’re not too young or too old! God told Jeremiah that before He formed him in his mothers womb, God called him, set him apart, and ordained him to be a prophet.
Elisha’s last miracle occurred after he was dead!

From cradle to grave, God uses those He calls. You fit in this category!

Do you feel too small? Too timid? Gideon was the least of his family of the least of the tribes and was hiding behind the winepress when the angel called him a mighty man of valor and used him to deliver Israel!

It’s been said that if your dreams are easily attainable, they’re too small for God. God calls us to things that only He can pull off!

There’s no age, size, or any other caveat to this except “those whose heart is loyal to Him.”
This is a time to dream big!
A time to prepare for the work of the Lord!
A time to stay steadfast in the promises of God!
A time to not lose heart!

Abraham did not faint at the promises of God, let us take that as an example!

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