Sermon, April 5, 1998

A smoking pot and a burning vision, why would God give Abram such a vision?
Let’s look at Genesis 15 and find the answer

Abram has come to God afraid. Afraid of what, we are not sure. Perhaps Abram is afraid that the kings, whom he had previously defeated would join forces and come seeking revenge. This would explain why God said to Abram,

"Do not be afraid, Abram.
I am your shield, your very great reward."

Genesis 15:2,3 would indicate that Abram is afraid that God isn’t going to keep his word. When God called Abram from Ur, God promised,

"I will make you into a great nation."

Many years have passed since God made this promise and still Abram has no children to show. Abram said,

"O Sovereign Lord, what can you
give me since I remain childless
and the one who will inherit my
estate is Eliezer of Damascus.
You have given me no children;
so a servant in my household
will be my heir."

God settles Abram fears by taking him outside and saying,

"look up at the heavens and count
the stars - if indeed you can count them. So shall be your offspring."

Genesis 15:6 tells us that

"Abram believed the Lord.."

but that did not put to bed all his fears because in verse 8 Abram said,

"O Sovereign Lord,
how can I know that I will gain possession of it (the land)?"

What is happening here? Abram is looking for some kind of confirmation some assurance that he was doing God’s will. After all he did leave everything and follow God on the promise that God would: make him into a great nation; bless him; make his name great; make him a blessing.

So God gave him his confirmation. He told Abram to get a variety of animals and make them ready for a sacrifice. Once Abram had done this a deep sleep fell over him. At this time God revealed to him the future.

"Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they
will be enslaved and mistreated
four hundred years. But I will
punish the nation they serve as
slaves, and afterward they will
come out with great possessions.
You, however, will go to your
fathers in peace and be buried
at a good old age. In the fourth generation your descendants
will come back here."

God is referring to the 400 years the Israelites would be slaves in Egypt until Moses would lead them across the Red Sea and back into the promised land.

Which leads me back to question I began with, why the smoking pot and blazing torch? God sealed His promise with a smoking pot and blazing torch which passed between the pieces of the animals. What God did with the smoking pot and blazing torch was to confirm His covenant with Abram. You might want to think of it has God putting his signature on a contract. The smoking pot and blazing torch made God’s covenant real.

Sound strange or absurd that God would use a smoking pot and blazing fire? Think about it. Is this any more absurd than God becoming a man in the person of Jesus? Is it any more absurd than Jesus dying on a cross? Is it any more absurd than Jesus rising from the dead? For what reason? To confirm God’s promise of salvation to you and me. The cross provides visible assurance to you and me that the covenant of salvation between God and humanity is real.

Unfortunately, we are often no different than the citizens of Jerusalem in Jesus’ time. They rejected the prophets. They rejected Jesus. We reject the truth that Jesus is,

"The way, the truth and the life."

We spend more time seeking happiness in temporary things. We busy ourselves and even exhaust ourselves striving for the American dream. We fail to understand that only Jesus can give us a peace, a perfect peace the surpasses all human understanding. Oh, we are quick to turn to God when our life is over come with fears, with worries, with anxiety. We turn to God as though He is a vending machine ready to give your quick fix.

In truth we are no different than Abram. In spite of our faith, there are times when fears overcome us, fears brought on by illness, death, tragedy, financial woes, uncertain future, the list is long. For every trial and tribulation life presents us with the there are promises from God. For example:

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God and trust in me." John 14:1 "I will not leave you desolate, I
will come to you."

Believing God’s promises, there are times however, when we need a sign from our Sovereign God: for Abram it was a smoking pot and blazing torch; for you and me, it is the cross of Jesus Christ.

It is the cross of Christ, the sign that God’s promises are true, that you and I are faced with a choice, to believe or not to believe. Upon seeing the smoking pot and blazing torch Abram's response was faith and obedience.

Upon seeing
the cross of Christ,
what is your response?

amen