The Promise Of A Son
Sermon
Deformed, Disfigured, And Despised
First Lesson Sermons For Lent/Easter Cycle C
A son was a symbol of the strength of the inheritance. A son would carry on the family name and continue the family line. A son represented the promises of a realizable future amid clear and present dangers. A son would be the embodiment of hope and opportunity for future generations. A son would understand the meaning of sacrifice, fortitude, vision, and courage. Abram wanted a son so he could place his mantle upon him.
Here was a man whose faith had been tested. He set out as a man of 75 years to leave his country and his people to herald a new land and to become the father of a new people. He traveled into Canaan and received the promise of God that this land would one day be his land, and Abram, stepping out on faith, trusted and believed in God.
Because of famine, he went into Egypt. Because of the fear of his own death, he lied about Sarai being his sister instead of his wife. He saw Pharaoh afflicted and was set free, thereby escaping from Egypt with his wife and his life. He later rescued Lot from four kings who had captured him, made promises to God to keep his word, and gave to God a tenth of everything he had. Getting too old for all this adventure, and tired of being a high-plains drifter, he settled down for a time on the plains of Shaveh, still keeping watch and holding on to the promises of God.
Finally, God came to Abram in a vision with a promise that he would have a son who would be his heir who would come from his own body, more than the promise of the covenant, more than the promise of the new land, more than the promise of prosperity and protection, the promise of a son bolstered his hopes and renewed his energy and strength. The promise of all promises would be a son that would be born from the body of a man and woman who were past the age of childbirth. It was the promise of a son that cheered Abram and quickened his resolve to press on into the future. If God could lead him into a land he could not imagine, and give him a people to lead who were not yet in existence, God could give him a son he did not have. God, then, would do the impossible and make that impossibility a reality through the gift of his promises.
God does not break his promises. God makes good on his promises. If God promises something, we can trust that God will bring it to fruition.
The promise of a son would then secure Abram's legacy of faith. Birthrights included inheritances that made provisions for the firstborn sons and other sons. Inheritances of physical possessions were very important, particularly in nomadic communities where lurking dangers threatened long-term hopes and the future. An endowment could be fleeced away in the twinkling of an eye by roving and marauding bandits. More important was the inheritance of a spiritual legacy, a legacy of absolute trust and faith in God. More important for Abram was a legacy of faith that he could bequeath to his son, because faith is more precious than gold. Abram understood that faith in God is the quintessential gift of our power, our value, and our resourcefulness. A son would carry forth this legacy and share it with his people. This faith would be the cornerstone of a new nation and a new people.
The promise of a son would symbolize hope for the future. In Abram's time a fundamental question was asked: "Will I have a son to carry on my legacy and secure hope for future generations?" What good is that land without a son? What good is an inheritance without a son? What good is the present without hope for tomorrow?
A son would secure the future because he carries and transmits the seed of future generations. A son would realize the hopes, dreams, and visions of both predecessors and posterity. A son would embody and articulate the covenant promises of God's people. A son would make the necessary sacrifices for family and people and nation to move them forward. A son could instill within future generations the strong values of the past.
God sent us his son, Jesus, so that we might have a future hope that cannot be vanquished by the sorrows and trials of our lives. Our hope is in Christ, the son who gives to us the power to look upward and outward for a better day.
Do you have a legacy of hope for future generations and those who will come behind you? Do you have a seed that will bear the imprint of hope for future generations? A son promised hope for the future!
The promise of a son would mean God's continuing favor. The intent here is not to sound sexist, but the ancients believed that sons were directly a sign of God's favor for health, wealth, and prosperity of their families. So long as Abram was without a son, he could question God's approval of his faith and obedience to God. Doubts about God's affirmation could still linger, but God knew that Abram desired a son and granted him the desire of his heart. What Abram needed was confirmation that God was pleased with his faithfulness. The birth of his own son would thus be a sign of God's continuing favor of Abram's obedience, commitment, and faithfulness to God's vision and promises for his life and his people.
We look for signs of approval. We look for corroborating evidence and proofs that we are doing what pleases God. We seek some external confirmation that God is in favor of all that we do for him.
As Christians, we believe that God has sent us his son not only as a sign of God's continuing favor to his people, but also to secure our future and to preserve and strengthen our legacy of faith through him. Jesus, the son, was sent by the father as a sign of God's continuing favor to us. But unlike Abram who was wholly deserving of his son because of his faithfulness and obedience to God, we have not always been deserving, but it is out of God's love and concern for us that he sent us his son to give us eternal life.
For Abram, the son and his seed would continue for eternity. For Christians, the son Jesus and his seed give us eternal life. It is the promise that God makes to give that son that secures our hope, solidifies our faith, and tells us of God's continuing favor.
We sinners are imperfect and flawed, like Abram, but the promise of the son and the gift of God's son is a sign of redemption and hope. That God would love us so much that he would give his only son is continuation of that covenant promise he made to his people many generations ago.
The gift of Abram is God's promise of a son and the establishment of a covenant whose promises God would keep. The gift of Christians is what his son Jesus promises through the establishment of a new covenant. God promises to give Abram a son as a sign of God's continuing favor and prosperity. God gives us a son who promises to fulfill all that God has promised through his spiritual lineage.
The promise of a son cheered Abram, renewed his strength, and bolstered his confidence in the future. The son Jesus Christ promises Christians a strength and power that will help them face the future. It is therefore not only the promise of a son but what the son promises that gives us confidence and faith for the future as Christians and as spiritual heirs of the legacy of Abram.
Here was a man whose faith had been tested. He set out as a man of 75 years to leave his country and his people to herald a new land and to become the father of a new people. He traveled into Canaan and received the promise of God that this land would one day be his land, and Abram, stepping out on faith, trusted and believed in God.
Because of famine, he went into Egypt. Because of the fear of his own death, he lied about Sarai being his sister instead of his wife. He saw Pharaoh afflicted and was set free, thereby escaping from Egypt with his wife and his life. He later rescued Lot from four kings who had captured him, made promises to God to keep his word, and gave to God a tenth of everything he had. Getting too old for all this adventure, and tired of being a high-plains drifter, he settled down for a time on the plains of Shaveh, still keeping watch and holding on to the promises of God.
Finally, God came to Abram in a vision with a promise that he would have a son who would be his heir who would come from his own body, more than the promise of the covenant, more than the promise of the new land, more than the promise of prosperity and protection, the promise of a son bolstered his hopes and renewed his energy and strength. The promise of all promises would be a son that would be born from the body of a man and woman who were past the age of childbirth. It was the promise of a son that cheered Abram and quickened his resolve to press on into the future. If God could lead him into a land he could not imagine, and give him a people to lead who were not yet in existence, God could give him a son he did not have. God, then, would do the impossible and make that impossibility a reality through the gift of his promises.
God does not break his promises. God makes good on his promises. If God promises something, we can trust that God will bring it to fruition.
The promise of a son would then secure Abram's legacy of faith. Birthrights included inheritances that made provisions for the firstborn sons and other sons. Inheritances of physical possessions were very important, particularly in nomadic communities where lurking dangers threatened long-term hopes and the future. An endowment could be fleeced away in the twinkling of an eye by roving and marauding bandits. More important was the inheritance of a spiritual legacy, a legacy of absolute trust and faith in God. More important for Abram was a legacy of faith that he could bequeath to his son, because faith is more precious than gold. Abram understood that faith in God is the quintessential gift of our power, our value, and our resourcefulness. A son would carry forth this legacy and share it with his people. This faith would be the cornerstone of a new nation and a new people.
The promise of a son would symbolize hope for the future. In Abram's time a fundamental question was asked: "Will I have a son to carry on my legacy and secure hope for future generations?" What good is that land without a son? What good is an inheritance without a son? What good is the present without hope for tomorrow?
A son would secure the future because he carries and transmits the seed of future generations. A son would realize the hopes, dreams, and visions of both predecessors and posterity. A son would embody and articulate the covenant promises of God's people. A son would make the necessary sacrifices for family and people and nation to move them forward. A son could instill within future generations the strong values of the past.
God sent us his son, Jesus, so that we might have a future hope that cannot be vanquished by the sorrows and trials of our lives. Our hope is in Christ, the son who gives to us the power to look upward and outward for a better day.
Do you have a legacy of hope for future generations and those who will come behind you? Do you have a seed that will bear the imprint of hope for future generations? A son promised hope for the future!
The promise of a son would mean God's continuing favor. The intent here is not to sound sexist, but the ancients believed that sons were directly a sign of God's favor for health, wealth, and prosperity of their families. So long as Abram was without a son, he could question God's approval of his faith and obedience to God. Doubts about God's affirmation could still linger, but God knew that Abram desired a son and granted him the desire of his heart. What Abram needed was confirmation that God was pleased with his faithfulness. The birth of his own son would thus be a sign of God's continuing favor of Abram's obedience, commitment, and faithfulness to God's vision and promises for his life and his people.
We look for signs of approval. We look for corroborating evidence and proofs that we are doing what pleases God. We seek some external confirmation that God is in favor of all that we do for him.
As Christians, we believe that God has sent us his son not only as a sign of God's continuing favor to his people, but also to secure our future and to preserve and strengthen our legacy of faith through him. Jesus, the son, was sent by the father as a sign of God's continuing favor to us. But unlike Abram who was wholly deserving of his son because of his faithfulness and obedience to God, we have not always been deserving, but it is out of God's love and concern for us that he sent us his son to give us eternal life.
For Abram, the son and his seed would continue for eternity. For Christians, the son Jesus and his seed give us eternal life. It is the promise that God makes to give that son that secures our hope, solidifies our faith, and tells us of God's continuing favor.
We sinners are imperfect and flawed, like Abram, but the promise of the son and the gift of God's son is a sign of redemption and hope. That God would love us so much that he would give his only son is continuation of that covenant promise he made to his people many generations ago.
The gift of Abram is God's promise of a son and the establishment of a covenant whose promises God would keep. The gift of Christians is what his son Jesus promises through the establishment of a new covenant. God promises to give Abram a son as a sign of God's continuing favor and prosperity. God gives us a son who promises to fulfill all that God has promised through his spiritual lineage.
The promise of a son cheered Abram, renewed his strength, and bolstered his confidence in the future. The son Jesus Christ promises Christians a strength and power that will help them face the future. It is therefore not only the promise of a son but what the son promises that gives us confidence and faith for the future as Christians and as spiritual heirs of the legacy of Abram.
