September 17, 2023 "Reflecting The Character Of God To The World"

ReNew Ames Messages

How did they conduct business 4000 years ago? They made covenants. Here's how the covenant ritual worked: they cut animals in half, made an aisle, stated the terms of the deal, and both parties would walk through the dead animals saying, "Maybe I become like these animals if I fail to keep my end of the deal." So then comes Genesis 15. God promises Abram descendants and a home. Abram asks how does he know that's gonna happen, God has him get some animals, and Abram does. He cuts them up - sets up the covenant ritual. Then a smoking pot and a blazing torch appears and goes down the aisle alone. That's not how covenants work. Abram should have walked through, too. Here's the point: God is committing to keeping both ends of the deal. God will be faithful even if Abram makes a mess of things. God isn't angry or petulant. God isn't demanding anything from Abram - God is only asking Abram to trust - to be in a relationship with a God who has been revealed as love, grace, and generosity. We, as the people of God, have the opportunity to reflect the character of God back to the world. We don't exist to tell people what they have to believe in order to make it to heaven. That's missing the point. We don't exist to police the behavior of people in here or out there. That's missing the point. We exist to be in a relationship with God and to reflect the character of God back to the world. To be a place of grace. A place of generosity. A place of love. Speaker: Aaron Vis Scripture: Genesis 15:1-21 http://bible.com/events/49140538