We continue with these promises to Abraham. We have seen God promise Abraham that he would have a son. Abraham believed God (Genesis 15:6). Now we have the Lord appearing again to this family. Abraham does have a son, but not the promised son. This couple are old. They are far past the child-bearing years. Sarah was barren all her life, and she is old, it is now physically impossible for her to have children. So when Abraham tells her what God says she laughs. Of course she does, it is laughable to think that a 90 year old lady who never had children would become pregnant. It would be all over TV, Internet, tabloids, etc today. She would be a freak of nature. Yet God, in an impossible situation, would soon perform a miracle.
   There are times in our lives when we have a difficult time trusting in God because our situation looks so grave. However, God's promises are true, and as laughable as the promise to Sarah was, it was a true promise. God always uses the impossible to show that He is God. When God does something in the realm of the possible then we try to take the credit, but in the realm of the impossible only God receives glory. God would receive the glory for the birth of Abraham and Sarah's baby. God receives the glory in all of His promises!
   - Assistant Pastor Rick Mitton

   God promised to Abram a child that would bear him a great nation twice. Abram was growing old and his wife was barren. In Genesis 16 we see Sarai, Abram's wife, took it upon herself to come up with a solution. This solution was not what God had planned for Abram and his family, yet He allowed it to take place. The proposed solution was for Hagar, an Egyptian handmaid of Sarai's, to bear a child for her. Hagar conceived and had a son named Ishmael. Once Sarai knew Hagar was pregnant she realized that she had made a mistake. Hagar left and went to the wilderness and as she stayed there the Angel of the Lord appeared. A promise was given to Hagar. Even when it was not God's plan He gave Hagar a similar promise to her as He had given to Abram. He told Hagar that out of Ishmael would be a great nation. God confirms this promise to Abraham in Genesis 17:20.
   God's promises are true, and as we see confirmation and reaffirmation of the promise of this son to Abram we also see how God works in spite of man's attempt at intervention. Ishmael's birth was not what God had originally intended, yet God has used Ishmael and his descendants to further His plans. Ishmael's people are the Arabs of today, the Muslims, those who would destroy Israel. Even though Abram and Sarai disobeyed God, the promises was kept, and reiterated once more in Genesis 17.
  - Assistant Pastor Rick Mitton

   We saw in Genesis 12 how Abram was promised a nation. Remember he had no children so the idea of him birthing this great nation was preposterous. Now in Genesis 15, Abram receives a vision. And in this vision God is conversing with Abram. And he says that He is Abram's shield and reward. This reward is for Abram's faithfulness and Abram knows exactly what the reward is: a nation. God had protected Abram from the War of the Kings (Genesis 14) and Lot was rescued from his capture. So God tells Abram that He is the shield that has protected Abram, and for his faith he will receive his reward. Abram replies, "I have no children, are you saying that my servant, Eliezer is to have the children and through him I have a nation?" God says "No! It will not be a child of your servant as an heir, but your child, Abram you will have your own child!" Then in Genesis 15:5 we see that Abram believed God! What faith this Abram had, he had faith that he would have child even though he was old and his wife couldn't have children!
   God had reiterated this promise to Abraham, and it was fulfilled later on. God also promised and prophesied of Abram's children being enslaved in Egypt. So God not only told Abram of his nation, but of some of the events that would unfold through history.
   These things have happened, and we know that the promises God made were completed perfectly. We can also trust that promises from God given today are also going to be completed in this day and age. God is a trustworthy God!
   - Assistant Pastor Rick Mitton

   Following the Flood mankind multiplied, and as they multiplied they again grew sinful. They tried to build a tower to reach Heaven, but God stopped that project by creating many languages and scattering the people (Genesis 11:9). More time passed and a man named Terah had a son named Abram. Abram was told by God to leave his homeland and go to another land (Genesis 12:1-5). Abram did not know where this land was, or what would be there, or how long it would take. All he knew was that God has told him to go. Abram obeyed the Lord and began traveling. Abram's wife is barren, meaning she cannot have children, yet in this command to leave Ur, his home, God tells Abram that a great nation would come from him.
   This was a great promise that God gave to Abram, an unbelievable statement to make. It was impossible for Sarai to give birth to a child, how could there be a great nation come forth from Abram? We know that in this promise there was also the promise of a son. A foreshadow of the Savior. Just as God promised Abram a physical son, also the promise of the Son who would come to save the world!
   One of the great lessons was how Abram obeyed God, he left Ur and followed where God had told him to go, each step was in direct obedience to where God wanted Abram to go.
   We have not been given this promise, but all Scripture is given to us to learn from, and here we have obedience and faith in God's promises. A lesson for us, to obey our God, and to trust Him with everything. God may lead us to a place or guide us in some path of life that seems impossible, but God shows Himself through the impossibilities of life. Sarai could not have children, and they were too old for children, yet God in His sovereignty proved Himself, they had Isaac, and the nation of the Jews was born.
   What a God we serve, we do not need to know what He has in store for us, we just need to follow Him!
     - Assistant Pastor Rick Mitton