07-27-2025 No Faith, No Future

Text: Genesis 15:1-6.

                   When we study the Word of God we’re able to learn how God shows us that without faith, we truly have no future.  Let’s look at the Abrahamic Covenant found in Genesis 15:1-6 which says:  “ (1)After these things the Word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying ‘Fear not Abram.  I am your shield, and your exceeding great reward’.  (2)And Abram said, ‘Lord God, what will you give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is Eliezar of Damascus?’  (3) And Abram said, ‘Behold, to me You have given no seed; and lo, one born in my house is my heir’ [this means that as it stands at the present, the son of his house is not born of Abram so there is no heir.]  (4)And behold, the Word of the Lord came unto him saying, ‘This shall not be your heir but he who shall come forth out of your own bowels shall be you heir.’  (5)And He [the Lord]  brought him [Abram] forth abroad, and said, ‘Look now toward Heaven, and tell the stars, if you be able to number them;’ and He said unto him, ‘So shall your seed be’.  (6)And he [Abram] believed in the Lord; and He [the Lord] counted it to him [Abram] for righteousness.” 

                   This is one of the single most important Scriptures passages in the entirety of the Word of God.  The words ‘Abram believed the Lord’ we learn the meaning of what it means to be justified (or redeemed) by faith.  Abram, who was later called Abraham, was saved by grace through faith, not by his good works.  There’s no other way of salvation anywhere in the Bible.  God demands righteousness.  However, it’s the righteousness given to us by Christ and Christ alone.  Anything else is self-righteousness and totally unacceptable to God.  The moment a sinner believes God’s testimony about His Beloved Son; the sinner is not only declared righteous but is made a child and an heir to God the Father.  Abram trusted God’s call by faith and left his homeland to follow God’s command. 

                   The call of Abram was accompanied by promises from God.  Earlier, we learn in Genesis 12:1 how God promised him a new land if he would leave his own country and go to a place that God would show him.  Abram is further promised in verse 2 of chapter 12 that he would have many descendants and be a blessing.  Verse 3 of chapter 12 shows that Abram was further promised God’s protection for him and his family from enemies.  So by faith, Abram left his homeland and began his great adventure of faith.  This is the same adventure we begin when we, by faith, accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior.  The future belongs only to those who put their faith and trust in Jesus.

                   God has a special interest in families.  Verses 1-3 of our text show us how faith affects our family.  The call of Abram had to do with his family if he had the faith to leave his homeland of Canan for the place shown to him by God.  Eliezer was Abram’s most trusted servant, whom he appointed as his household administrator.  According to custom, if Abram were to die without a son, this eldest servant would become his heir.  Although Abram loved his servant, he wanted a son of his own to continue the family line.  He had not seen God’s promise fulfilled, so he thought this was the only possibility for him.  But Abram would soon learn that God can do more than we can ever imagine.  Abram’s family isn’t the only that was protected by God.  Noah and his family were called into the safety of the ark in Genesis 7.  The Philippian jailer was offered salvation for him and his family while guarding Paul and Silas in prison as is written in Acts 16.  But Abram struggled with unbelief over having not having a family of his own when God promised him a seed.  Paul said in Galatians 3:16 that Abraham’s seed became Jesus Christ and Jesus is both God and Man.  Therefore, the covenant between God and Abram could never be broken.  Like the faith of Abram, our faith in Jesus must be an example to our families. 

                   Verses 4 and 5 show how faith affects our future.  Think about what might have happened if Abram didn’t take off on this adventure of faith offered to him by God.  Yes, God would have found someone else to do what Abram decided to do.  But if he didn’t what God was promising, there would be no promised blessing for him and his family, and he would have missed out on the greatest adventure of his life.  Faith is what assured his future.  He was led to the Promised Land.  He was blessed with more descendants than the number of stars in the heavens.  And even though his wife was past the age for childbearing, he did have a son in his old age.  And his name is great and will be remembered forever.

                   Abram wasn’t promised wealth or fame.  The truth is already had that in the eyes of the world.  God promised him descendants like the stars in the sky or the grains of sand on the seashore – all too numerous to count.  To appreciate the vast number of stars scattered in the sky, we need to be away from any interfering lights or buildings.  Have you ever picked up a handful of sand and tried to count the gains?  It’s impossible to do.  Just when Abram was struggling over ever having an heir, God promised him descendants too numerous to imagine.  The same applies to God’s blessings to us.  They are too numerous to count and are far beyond what our minds can fully comprehend. 

                   Faith brought Abram into a right relationship with God.  He believed God and that was what caused him to be seen as righteous in God’s sight.  This man Abram, a sinner, was justified or redeemed of his sins before God by faith.  Although Abram had been demonstrating his faith through his actions, it was his faith and trust in the Lord and not his actions that made Abram right with God. 

                   This is good news for us today.  Romans tells us that we are all sinners.  It also tells us that Jesus died to save sinners like us.  And, like Abram, we are justified – or redeemed of our sins - by our faith in Jesus Christ.  We can have a right relationship with God by trusting Jesus as Savior.  Our outward actions – that include regular church attendance, prayer, sharing God’s love with others, and acts of service – won’t by themselves make us right with God.  A right relationship is based on the kind of faith that gives us a deep heartfelt inner confidence that God is who He says He is and does what He says he will do.  When we have that, the right actions will follow naturally as the byproducts of our faith and trust.  It’s our faith in God and acceptance of what He has done for us through Jesus on the Cross that gives us the assurance of a future in Heaven for all eternity.  So you see, without faith, we truly have no future.

                   Until we meet again, may God bless you and keep you, may He shine His light on you, show you grace, and give you peace in all the days ahead.