(Disclaimer: This transcript is auto-generated and may contain mistakes.)

So, in Genesis chapter 15 there, this is actually a very famous passage because there's a very famous verse in here about Abraham believing God and that being imputed in him for righteousness. So, if I had a title for the sermon, it would be imputed righteousness and it's just a great chapter to show salvation by faith. But there's a lot in this chapter and I kind of want to just obviously go through the whole chapter and that's what we do on Wednesday nights is go verse by verse and so starting there in verse 1, it starts off with the Lord making this covenant with Abraham that his heir would be his physical seed, meaning someone that came forth of his own bowels and so not an heir that's just in his house that's adopted or anything like that but that it's going to be his physical seed. And so in verse 1, it says after these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision saying, Fear not Abram, I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward. And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus. And Abram said, Behold to me thou hast given no seed, and lo, one born to my house is mine heir. So the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir, but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad and said, Look now toward heaven and tell the stars, If thou be able to number them, and he said unto them, So shall thy seed be. Now what's interesting about this is then right after this is where we get into that famous verse that Abraham that he believed in the Lord and he counted it to him for righteousness is that actually what I believe is that Abraham actually that he actually believed before this happened right here. But what's interesting about the gospel that was preached unto him is the progression in which this covenant was shown to him. So if you remember the first place this is mentioned as far as this covenant that he's making with Abraham is in Genesis chapter 12 that we already covered right? So if you look back at Genesis chapter 12 and verse 1 this is when he's before he leaves his country God is giving him this promise or this covenant and it says, Now the Lord said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred and from thy father's house unto a land that I will show thee, and I will make of thee a great nation and I will bless thee and make thy name great and thou shalt be a blessing and I will bless them that bless thee and curse them that curse thee and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. Now did you see anything about seed in there? No it's actually it just kind of says hey it's gonna be through you but it doesn't really explain exactly how it's gonna be through him. Well then he doesn't really explain the land either until chapter 13 and there's definitely time going on because you remember at the end of chapter 12 he goes into Egypt and that whole deal with Pharaoh and Sarah and all that stuff. Well in chapter 13 at the end of the chapter he gives another portion he kind of explains a little more and what I want to explain here is that he doesn't give him all the information all up at once and he's kind of throughout time and it's obviously not as long a time giving more light to the promise. The promise has always been that it was gonna be to his seed and that through Christ all the nations of the earth would be blessed but he's progressively giving him more information about it. And so in Genesis chapter 13 verse 14 it says and the Lord said unto Abram after that lot was separated from him lift up now thine eyes and look from that place where thou art northward and southward and eastward and westward verse 15 for all the land which thou seest to thee will I give it give it and to thy seed forever and I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth so that if a man can number the dust to the earth then shall thy seed also be numbered arise walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it for I will give it unto thee. Now he's getting a little more information now he's saying to his seed this land is gonna be given so he's promising him this land he's saying look where you're at everywhere around you he's gonna give you this land and to his seed. But in chapter 14 obviously we have the story of Melchizedek you know where he slaughtered the kings and he saved Lot and then Melchizedek. And then we get in chapter 15 this is all chronological right? We get in chapter 15 now he's saying not only is he gonna bless Abraham and through him all the nations of the earth is gonna be blessed but not only that it's gonna be through his seed and it's not just a seed as far as an heir that's in his house it's actually gonna be of his own vows. Okay so you see how more information is given to him as the time goes on as far as the reason I want you to see that because I believe he believed the gospel from the very beginning. Okay because in Hebrews it says by faith when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance obeyed and he went out not knowing whether he went. So when did he have faith? He had faith before he even left his country but that gospel was preached unto him that in him all the nations of the earth shall be blessed and so that I personally believe that in Genesis 15 it's just stating the fact of something he already did right? If you said you know Jason believed and it was counted for him for righteousness after you like right now it doesn't mean I just believed it's just stating a fact that Abraham believed in the Lord and it was imputed unto him for righteousness or counted to him for righteousness but when did that actually happen? Now if you want to say that that happened in Genesis 15 I'm not against you okay but I don't see how you would say Hebrews chapter 11 would make sense that by faith he went out and even at the beginning of Genesis 15 it says that he was talking to Abram and he says I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward. Notice the present tense and it says that every word of God is pure and he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. So if God is his shield that means Abraham's already put his trust in him and so I believe it's just stating something that's already happened but basically it's still the same gospel right? What he's saying to him is the same gospel which is a little more information and this is important because when you think of the gospel you know as far as we know it it's the everlasting gospel we don't believe in dispensationalism. Dispensationalism is a lie out of the pits of hell and what dispensationalism teaches is that people are saved different ways and by different beliefs and different things okay and so what I believe is that it's always been by faith on Jesus Christ but Jesus Christ's name wasn't known until the New Testament until he was born of the Virgin Mary right? That name of Jesus Christ that's above all names wasn't revealed until later but the fact that we're going to believe on the Christ has always been the case. It's been that way from the foundation of the world and so Christ was in the wilderness. He was that spiritual rock which they drank of in the wilderness in Moses day and so Christ has always been there and it's always been by believing on Christ. Moses esteemed the riches of the sufferings of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt and so it's always been that way but you know all the details weren't always filled in until later right? Now we you know it says God who had sundry times in a diverse manner spake in time passed unto the fathers by the prophets but half in these last days spoken unto us by his son. You know it talks about the fact that you know the prophets they inquired diligently of what this was all about. They inquired diligently but we understand it a lot more perfectly than they did. Does that make sense? Because we have a lot more revelation than they did and so but they still understood it and actually we're going to get into that with Abraham that he understood eternal security. He understood that it was by salvation by faith alone and that you cannot in that it was eternal life and you can't lose it and it's very clear in the Bible of what he understood as far as that goes but he may not have understood exactly what was going to happen when it was going to happen how it was going to happen and stuff like that it was just more to the fact that he knew that God that Christ was going to save him from his sins and so that's the key but even in his life that message of what the gospel was was the knowledge of increasing understanding of it increases does that make sense? It starts off with just the fact that it's going to be through him then it's through that the land is going to be given to him in a seed but not just his seed but a physical seed of his own bowels and so or of his own loins and so I just wanted you to see that but another reason why I believe in Genesis 12 that that's when Abraham actually got saved or when it's talking about the fact that he believed and it was imputed on him for righteousness go to Galatians chapter 3 Galatians chapter 3 so that famous phrase and obviously it's going to be quoted a little different in the New Testament like it says counted imputed accounted same thing it's mentioned three times in the New Testament so that's quoted three times in the New Testament and I'm going to show you all three times but what's interesting is that the just shall live by faith is quoted in Habakkuk and it's you know how many times it's quoted in the New Testament three times and so those are like three those two phrases Abraham believed God and imputed on him for righteousness and the just shall live by faith are two very famous quotes and they're all quoted in the Old Testament once and then they're in the New Testament three times which is interesting to me but Galatians is actually that's in Galatians 3 that's why Galatians 3 is a fantastic chapter okay because not only says the just shall live by faith it also has this quote about Abraham but in Genesis chapter 3 and verse 6 notice what it says it says even as Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness so it's quoting that Genesis 15 verse 6 know ye therefore that they which are of faith the same are the children of Abraham in the scripture foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith notice this preach the gospel unto Abraham saying so he's saying what he preached what's the gospel that's being preached unto him in thee shall all nations be blessed so then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham where is that quoted from Genesis 12 in thee shall all the nations of the earth be blessed that's what he said to Abraham before he left his country so that's why I personally believe when you're looking at Abraham believed God and it was accounted unto him for righteousness happened before he even left his country but if you want to say you know it happened in Genesis 15 I'm not against you okay I just personally believe it was even before that for many reasons but you're still in Galatians chapter 3 verse 15 you know verse 16 I go to all the time but it keeps going on kind of explaining this promise and this covenant to Abraham brethren I speak after the manner of men though it be but a man's covenant yet if it be confirmed no man didst acknowledge or addeth thereto now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made he saith not into seeds as of many but as of one and to thy seed which is Christ so when we're talking about this seed that was going to be of his loins who was that talking about now obviously obviously Isaac was the physical one that he was talking about but what does that seed represent and Isaac is the child of promise and that's something you'll see throughout Romans is that what does Isaac represent Jesus right and ultimately Jesus Christ did come of the loins of Abraham he was of the seed of David and guess what David was the seed of Abraham and so that's why it's so important when you look at Matthew chapter 1 it starts off that way Abraham you know that the David was the son of Abraham you know and it goes in that why is it talking about that why does it start off and I'm misquoting it but I just want to because I forget I'm getting that mixed up with Mark how Mark starts off but a generation of the gospel of Jesus Christ Abraham begat yeah let me let me look at that real quick any of that in my notes but it's interesting that that's how the New Testament even starts off good night I will lose in the sword drill right now it's like glued together I'm like all right we're gonna get there eventually I'm just gonna have someone read it here soon the book of the generation of Jesus Christ the son of David the son of Abraham why do you think those two things are mentioned because he said that David to David remember in Psalms it says of the fruit of my loins you know of David's loins I would sit on the throne and God is talking and then you have this where it's the seed of Abraham not to Abraham and his seed where the promise is made so it's making a very crucial point at the very beginning of the New Testament that Jesus Christ is of the seed of David and seed of Abraham because that's the promise that that seed would come through Abraham and that all nations would be blessed through through who Christ because that seed is Christ at the end of Galatians 3 there it says for in verse 26 for you are all the children of God by works and holding out faithful unto the end now by faith in Christ Jesus and it says for as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek there is neither bond nor free there is neither male nor female for ye are all one in Christ Jesus and if ye be Christ then are ye Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise you're of the children of promise you're of that Isaac Isaac's seed you're of you know that child of promise which was the Sarah that all represents something that all pictures something and obviously you had the physical aspect of Isaac physically being born but what did that represent the seed of promise that seed of promise goes all the way back to Genesis chapter 3 when they when Adam and Eve ate the fruit and it says that I'll put enmity between her seed and thy seed and her seed is Christ and that Gospels always been there since the fall of man that gospel of the seed coming that was gonna bruise Satan's head has always been there but information more information has been given to that as time has gone on and as Abraham steps on the scene there's a lot more information a lot more detail on who that's gonna be through so we obviously saw that Noah was gonna be the heir of righteousness which obviously if there's no one's left so he kind of inherited that by him being the only he was the patriarch at that point of what was gonna happen there but Abraham obviously took the mantle of that now the other another place that is mentioned is in James chapter 2 so go to James chapter 2 and I'm not gonna preach a whole sermon on James chapter 2 but I just want to show you this so James chapter 2 verse 23 in this verse I can explain to you James chapter 2 this is a quintessential verse right here but this is also where they're gonna go and say you know that Abraham you know the reason that he was saved is because he did good works well we're gonna go to Romans 4 don't worry but because that's the other place that is mentioned so but James chapter 2 and verse 23 it says in the scripture was fulfilled which said Abraham believed God and it was imputed on them for righteousness is that the end of the verse because people want to put a period there don't they when it's talking about it and he was called the friend of God so I'll explain James to like it just this the friend of God you want to be the friend of God do the works and if you're not doing the works and if you have faith without works then you're not the friend of God period that's it that's that's that's James to explain in a nutshell so but so this passage right here just clearly explains that hey but the prerequisite to be God's friend is you got to be saved right you got to start off with the foundation you don't build the house without the foundation or doweling in your rebar now I'm just kidding but that's another inside joke but you need a foundation obviously salvation believing faith in Christ that's the foundation without that then you know what's all the other stuff for you know it's all gonna crumble and so that's the second place that I was gonna show you but Romans chapter 4 now Romans chapter 4 is all about Abraham and Romans chapter 4 is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible because it just hones in on salvation by faith eternal security and it annihilates annihilates dispensationalism right and so I'm not gonna go through all of Romans chapter 4 if you want a full sermon on that go to my sermon on Romans chapter 4 but Romans chapter 4 starting there in verse 1 so you we saw that in James 2 everybody wants to just stick on James 2 well it said and he was called the friend of God right he that love of God is born of God and know with God right but in order to love you know they had that love of God you have to first be born of God but you'd be born of God and not know God right you can you can you can get saved and not know this book right and so but but obviously you're not gonna be able to love like God if you're not if you don't know them so anyway Romans chapter 4 and verse 1 it says what shall we say then that Abraham our father is pertaining to the flesh have found for if Abraham were justified by works he hath aware of the glory but not before God for what set the scripture Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness now the him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace but of debt but the him that worketh not but believeth on him that justifies the ungodly his faith is counted for righteousness see how it it just further explains exactly what it meant in Genesis chapter 15 when it says that he believed in the Lord and it was counted unto him for righteousness notice this is the explanation of that now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace but of debt so how was Abraham saved by grace and not of works and it goes further it says but the him that worketh not but believeth on him that justifies the ungodly his faith is counted for righteousness is counted for righteousness is exactly what it said to Abraham is that his faith was counted for righteousness why because he didn't try to work to get it he just believed and it was counted to him for righteousness but I'm not done in Romans chapter 4 because it just keeps going Romans chapter 4 is just fantastic in every shape form and manner but Romans chapter 4 verse 9 we're gonna skip over about David which is also another good point that David also you know believed it was by faith and not by works so that destroys so you in this chapter you have before the Old Testament Abraham saved by faith not by works David in the Old Testament saved by faith not by works and then I could be here all night showing you the New Testament words saved by faith not by works and so has it changed no but in Romans chapter 4 verse 9 it says cometh his blessings then upon the circumcision only or upon the uncircumcision also for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness how was it then reckoned when he was in circumcision or an uncircumcision so he's asking a question and he's saying was Abraham circumcised when he when this was counted unto him it says not in circumcision but in uncircumcision what's interesting is chapter 15 comes before chapter 17 and that's when circumcision is is instituted in Genesis we haven't got there yet so at this point Abraham in Genesis chapter 15 is not circumcised and no one circumcised and so it shows you that circumcision doesn't save anybody and circumcision doesn't count for righteousness but it explains this go to the next verse in verse 11 it says and he received the sign of circumcision a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised that he might be the father of all of them that believe though they be not circumcised that righteousness might be imputed unto them also notice that the imputing of righteousness has nothing to do with circumcision so that's why in the New Testament it says neither circumcision avail is anything nor uncircumcision but a new creature or in another place it says not circumcision nothing and it says but faith which worketh by love it's faith that's the key and Abraham it says that he and and it's proof in the end if you go back to where it's quoted it's before he was circumcised he circumcised in chapter 17 we still got another chapter between there do we get there and Ishmael is not even born yet and how old was Ishmael he was 13 years old when he was circumcised trivia fact of the day that's Bible trivia for you that's where that's that's how I remember that actually is playing Bible trivia but but so we know that that hasn't happened yet and also in Romans chapter 4 go down to verse 18 because you see here that it didn't say anything about works in this chapter in chapter 15 right Genesis chapter 15 when it says Abraham believed in the Lord it didn't say anything about he didn't believe in works you know it's just by faith it didn't explain all that to you this chapter explains that says but to him that worketh not but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly his faith is kind of for righteousness so it's clarifying that clarifying that about David because in David David in Psalm 32 doesn't say anything about you know he spake of the blessings of the man under whom God imputed righteousness without works notice that in Psalm 32 it doesn't say without works it just says faith right it's just talking about the fact that he's blessed by faith and so it clarifies a lot of this stuff well it's gonna clarify some more what it means when it said that he believed did he just believe in the Lord like I believe you exist I believe you're there Lord whoever you are whatever you are I believe I believe you're there and I believe that you exist now it's gonna explain exactly what he believed and so notice in Romans chapter 4 and verse 18 it says who against hope believed in hope that he might become the father of many nations according to that which was spoken so shall I see be notice how we're going back to Genesis 15 isn't that what it said in Genesis 15 and verse 5 right before you get in it says so shall I see be and he believed in the Lord and he counted it to him for righteousness so this is going right back to that and notice in verse 19 it says and being not weak in faith he considered not his own body now dead when he was about 100 years old neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief but was strong in faith given giving glory to God notice this in verse 21 this is the key and being fully persuaded that what he had promised he was able also to perform and therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness what did it mean when it said that he believed in the Lord he was fully persuaded that what he had promised he was able to perform and isn't that exactly what we preach when we preach eternal security is that when we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ we're not just believing he exists we're fully persuaded that what he had promised which is what eternal life that he's able to perform it not only that but you know it goes on talking about this it says in verse 23 now it was not written for his sake alone dispensational lists that it was imputed to him but for us also us Paul put that in your pipe and smoke and dispensational list he say this is not just for Abraham this is also for us that's writing in the New Testament talking to Romans Gentiles how many how many lines you want to cross there as far as your dispensational chart because it goes in and says for but for us also to whom it shall be imputed if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead who was delivered for our offenses and was raised again for our justification notice how it's so consistent Abraham believed in the seed that was to come which is Christ and who are we believing in Jesus the seed that was to come which is Christ and it's all consistent and it's all the same from the foundation of the world to the end of the world it's the everlasting gospel that everlasting gospel that's going to come down in Revelation chapter 14 when the angels are bringing down the everlasting gospel is the gospel that was preached to Abraham is the gospel is preached to David is the gospel that was preached to every single person that's in heaven now and that will ever be in heaven and it's the same gospel has never changed and these dispensationalists need to read Romans chapter 4 so but also notice in this it says that he is fully persuaded that what he had promised he was able also to perform go to 1st John 1st John chapter 2 for example what did he promise well we know that he promised the seed to come right that was the promise in the Garden of Eden or yeah when they were when they sinned and you know they were kicked out of the Garden of Eden well in 1st John chapter 2 and verse 25 it says and this is the promise that he has promised us even eternal life okay when I was talking about eternal life being the promise that he had promised us well is it let's see if that's consistent go to 1st John chapter 1 and verse 1 and hope of eternal life which God that cannot lie promised before the world began he promised eternal life since before the world began well how is that consistent with the fact that Jesus is the one that's promised from the world began oh look at jump 1st John chapter 1 verse 1 it says that which was from the beginning which we have heard which we have seen with our eyes which we have looked upon our hands have handled of the Word of Life for the life was manifested and we have seen it and bear witness and show unto you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifest unto us that eternal life which was since the world began is Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ is the way the truth and the what life he is the eternal life he is the seed to come he is the promise to come and that's what we're believing in so when someone says well you know they don't believe in the eternal security you mean they don't have to believe in eternal life you mean Jesus because it's just as much as you saying that someone doesn't have to believe the Word of God to be saved which is God Jesus right Jesus is the word it's just as ridiculous to say that you don't have to believe it's eternal life because he is eternal life right guess what first John starts off with that guess how it ends go to first John chapter 5 and verse 20 notice it calls them the Word of Life in chapter 1 at the same time he's calling me eternal life and in first John chapter 5 is a famous verse first John 5 7 for there are three to bear record in heaven the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost and these three are one well it ends here in verse 20 it says and we know that the Son of God has come and have given us an understanding that we may know him that is true and we are in him that is true even in his son Jesus Christ this is the true God and eternal life so it's very clear that Jesus Christ is eternal life that's the promise that was the comment and this is a promise they had promised us even eternal life so when Abraham believed the promise what was he believing he's fully persuaded that what he had promised he was able also to perform that's exactly what we preach when we go out soul winning and that's why it's so important to go into eternal security because if someone's not fully persuaded and they think they can lose their salvation they're not believing and it's not going to be imputed unto them for righteousness because in general in Romans chapter 4 it says in being fully persuaded that what he had promised he is able also to perform and therefore that's a big key therefore means it's going back to what was just said and therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness so the beginning of the chapter is clarifying saying hey when it said he believed in the Lord it's clarifying saying he believed and it was no works it was just faith no works but he's also clarifying saying hey you know what that believe means that you're fully persuaded that what he had promised he was able also to perform you believe the promise of eternal life you believe the promise of Jesus Christ being your Savior all that stuff links together and everything fits like a glove so I wanted to show you that that's kind of the main point in the sermon but we're gonna obviously finish off the chapter here so go back to Genesis chapter 15 the imputing of righteousness and I mean this is throughout the Bible in Philippians chapter 3 it says that I may be found in him not having mine own righteousness which is of the law but that which is through the faith of Christ the righteousness which is of God by faith and it talks about for he's made to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him throughout the Bible the imputing of righteousness is just throughout and even in Romans chapter 4 talks about to whom the Lord will not impute sin so he's imputed righteousness unto you and he will not impute sin and so very clear doctrine in the Bible and so Genesis chapter 15 is a very famous chapter because of that but as we go on in the in the chapter here he's gonna do an offering and so in verse 7 Genesis chapter 15 verse 7 it says and he said unto him I am the Lord that brought thee out of Ur the Chaldees to give thee this land to inherit it and he said Lord God whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it so he's basically asking him you know how am I gonna know that this is true it's kind of you kind of think of Gideon how he's like one of the sign of you know are you gonna really deliver the many nights into my hand and he had the wool fleece and all that stuff and so but anyway so God says okay you're gonna do this sacrifice notice what it says here in verse 9 it says and he said unto him take me and heifer of three years old and a she-goat of three years old and a ram of three years old and a turtledove and a young pigeon and he took unto him all these and divided them in the midst and laid each one at each piece one against another but the birds divided he not and when the fowls came down upon the carcasses Abram drove them away and when the sun was gone down a deep sleep fell upon Abram and lo and horror of great darkness fell upon him and he said unto Abram no of assurity that thy seed shall be a stranger and a land that is not theirs and shall serve them and they shall afflict them four hundred years so there's actually a lot of information in this and I'm not gonna claim that I know all the sim symbology that's going on here but there's three different animals that he's sacrificing and each of them have to be three years old now anytime you're looking at three obviously there's a lot to deal with that and we were kind of talking about that brother Chris and I with with the three crosses and and just what would that represent you know but you think about three the Trinity obviously you think about that but you also think about the fact that Jesus went to the heart of the earth for three days and three nights and so but also how long was Jesus ministry about three years he was 30 years old when he began his ministry and and he died around 33 years old because if you just the reason that I believe that is because there was three Sabbaths or three passovers I keep saying Sabbath there's a lot more than three Sabbath but there was three Passovers that happened so there was two Passover you know until he died on the Passover so that's why I believe you know he's probably maybe a little over three thirty three years old so there's three years dealing with his ministry and stuff like that so there could be a lot of symbology dealing with that I think a lot of this has to do with the threes representing in the three days and three nights that he was in the heart of the earth because you're dealing with a sacrifice first of all a burnt offering and basically you know he does the sacrifice and then he's having to like shoo away these birds so they don't eat the flesh and so there's a lot of stuff in here and I'm not claiming I know all the different things but it's just interesting obviously there's probably something to the fact that these three animals the she goat the ram and the heifer were all separated but the pigeon the young pigeon and the turtle dove was not separated so I'm not sure what all that represents okay I'm just gonna be candid with you I don't have all the answers in the Bible when it comes to you know what all of this I didn't look it up in the commentary so I didn't get see what Gil thought on it or or what Henry Morris thought on or whoever but what I see from this because of what happens to Abraham after he does this sacrifice notice in verse 12 and this always sticks out to me when I'm reading this chapter I'm always like that's really interesting I don't know why it's just certain things stick out in my mind it says and when the Sun was gone down a deep sleep fell upon Abram and lo and horror of great darkness fell upon him that's interesting a horror of great darkness fell upon him so when I think about this you think about the sacrifice being made and there's three animals could represent three days three nights you know when it comes to what Jesus was going to do in the future and obviously everything foreshadows Jesus when he rose from the dead he said that you know all the scriptures you know testify of him and so all this stuff is obviously a picture somehow of the coming of Jesus but the deep sleep and the horror of great darkness fell upon him well think about this well when Jesus on the cross how long was it dark on the earth three hours so just go to Matthew chapter 27 that it's it's just interesting how all this would kind of fit but the horror of darkness can kind of represent that it can represent the fact that hell is is just a pit of darkness and you'd be there for three days and three nights and so obviously that even the three hours of darkness on the cross kind of foreshadowed what his soul to go through when he died and so but the horror of it this isn't pleasant you know it's not like Abraham was having a good dream here what dream he had was a horrific nightmare and so in Matthew chapter 27 verse 45 it says now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour so do the math it's three hours and it says in verse 46 and about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice saying Eli Eli lama sabachthani that is the same my God my God why hast thou forsaken me so obviously this is a very gut-wrenching passage dealing with Jesus being on the cross three hours of darkness and then he says this famous line that's in Psalm 22 and obviously he gives up the ghost after this and then we know the soul went to hell for three days three nights and his body went to the tomb but obviously he raised from the dead but also what's interesting too is the fact that when he when he's in this dream God is telling him about what's gonna happen to his seed later on meaning that that they were gonna wander in the wilderness or not wander in the wilderness they're gonna be in Egypt being afflicted for 400 years so he mentions that which obviously is not a good thing so you could say the horror was about that but it could be but also right in verse 14 so Genesis 15 verse 14 it says and also that nation so he's talking about that nation that was gonna afflict his people whom they shall serve will I judge and afterward shall they come out with great substance so we know that that came true with them but it says that he will judge them well we know that to be the ten plagues of Egypt well what was the one of the plagues of Egypt go to the Exodus chapter 10 Exodus chapter 10 and actually there's a lot of stuff that represents at the end there we know the last plague represents Jesus the Passover it's the you know the killing of the firstborn we know that represents Jesus the Passover lamb and how he gave his place for us and so that's no doubt but the plague that happens right before that is very interesting and it also very much pictures what Jesus did for us keep in mind the three hours of darkness you know on the cross and Exodus chapter 10 verse 21 it says in the Lord said unto Moses stretch out thine hand toward heaven that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt even darkness which may be felt and Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days they saw not one another neither rose any from his place for three days but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings so very interesting because you know even if you were to say well it's more so about the children of Israel being afflicted and him judging them that why he came in the horror well you could see the horror could be the affliction on his people or it could be talking about you know the plagues that he's putting on Egypt and very much you know in pictures that that darkness because it talked about this darkness that fell on Abraham because when he had this dream it said a great horror fell upon him and horror of great darkness fell upon him so there's this idea of darkness that's there and that's just something that's brought up a lot when we're dealing with Jesus the plagues and right before that what happened there was locusts well you can see how that represents hell because in Revelation you know chapter 8 or chapter 9 I'm sorry what comes up out of the pit of hell when they open up the bottomless pit a bunch of locusts so nothing's in the Bible by coincidence you know accidental coincidental or incidental you know everything's there for a reason okay and so I just wanted to show you those little kind of nuggets there with that but so maybe when you're looking through the plagues of Egypt you'll kind of look at that a little closer and you know there's three there was three hours or three days of darkness before you know the lamb that was slain and all this other stuff and these the three hours on the cross of darkness the three hours or three days and three nights of Jesus being in hell that's definitely a horror of great darkness okay of what Jesus had to do and so everything foreshadows the Jesus coming so going back to Genesis chapter 15 Genesis chapter 15 verse 15 and so we're almost we're almost up with what we got here but Genesis 15 and verse 15 it says and thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace thou shalt be buried in a good old age and we know that to be true because you know he dies actually it was 175 years old when he died so that's I mean I'm never gonna make it to that I mean that no one's making it to that these days but 175 years old we know that from Genesis chapter 25 in verse 7 it says and these are the days of the years of Abraham's Abraham's life which he lived in 103 score and 15 years which is 175 3 score is 60 plus 15 75 and so 103 score in 15 years then Abram Abraham gave up the ghost and died in a good old age an old man and full of years and was gathered to his people so this came true obviously in Genesis 25 later on and so he lives for another you know with Ishmael when he has Ishmael or so he's he's like in his 80s at least here so he lives for another you know at least 95 years that's crazy to think about that at this point he's gonna live for another 90 years or whatever it's somewhere around there and so he's still got a long life to live after this and he's already you know in his 80s so but anyway so he lives to a good old age that comes true verse 16 is kind of interesting and I have it I can have some thoughts on this but it says but in the fourth generation they shall come hither again for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full come I personally and it is the thing you could say well what does it mean that they're gonna come hither again I personally believe this is talking about after they're afflicted and God judges their people because that's what he just got done talking about in verse you know 13 and 14 or whatever and so I believe this is talking about the fourth generation you know basically of them being afflicted and them coming into the promised land and so because later on as you get to them to the end of the chapter he's talking about them getting the land and basically possessing all the people that are in the land the Amorites and the Hittites and the you know all them and so but here's here's a thought on that he's afflicting his people for 400 years but Levi's the one that goes really in there right and Jacobs kind of he goes in there but he's pretty much about to die so he's not in there very long before he dies so Levi you would say would maybe be one generation and and then Kohath is his son and you can go to first chronicle six if you wanted to to see this to be true first chronicle six is where the chronicles come in handy to see these genealogies but first chronicle six and one it says the sons of Levi Gershon Kohath and Mararai and the sons of Kohath Emram Ishar and Hebron and Uzziel and then it says the children of Emram Aaron Moses and Miriam and so we see that Levi had Kohath which had Emram which had Moses Aaron and Miriam so so there could be four generations if you counted Levi but you may say well Aaron didn't make it into Promised Land well maybe the maybe the generation started with Kohath you know as far as them being afflicted you know because they were in Egypt before they were afflicted right they they were dwelling there for 430 years and 400 of those years they were afflicted so you could say that it's it's Kohath Emram Aaron and then his son Eleazar and Finnehaz because those are the ones that really went into the Promised Land and so that's what I believe because it's saying for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full come because to me it sounds like you know it and it you also think about the fact that Aaron was supposed to go into the Promised Land right but obviously God knows to the end the beginning from the end so he knows that that's not gonna happen so it's not that out of the question to think that the fourth generation is talking about the fact that they're being afflicted for 400 years but after the fourth generation you know they're gonna go into the Promised Land they're gonna take out the Amorites and they're gonna take out the land and so so that's why when you get to the end of the chapter it goes into right after it talks about that it gets into into verse verse 17 or at the end there gets into the fact that he's gonna get the land right and so that's just a theory if you have a different theory about what that means about the fourth generation you know then let me know so but that's just my thoughts on it as far as what that's talking about you know you could say it's four generations to them being afflicted that's I'm fine with that that's what I would say to a certain extent for a generation until they go into the Promised Land because we know that one generation did wander in the wilderness for you know until they were all out so that was Aaron's generation that was Moses' generation and so but anyway that I you know it's just when you're reading through this you're just like that's interesting I'm not sure exactly what that's talking about but that's just my thoughts on that that fourth generation and so I don't believe it's the fourth generation from Abraham it could be you know because it was kind of the fourth generation that went in to Egypt so you could look at it maybe that way like Abraham Isaac Jacob and then like his sons would be the fourth generation and those are the ones that went into the into Egypt so either way you slice it it's either the fourth generation going into Egypt or them being in Egypt and the fourth generation getting out of Egypt so but it to me it sounds more like the fourth generation getting out because it's talking about the the sins of the Amorites is not yet full come and to me it sounds like they were there for that long period of time until like it's fully come God's ready to wipe them out kind of thing and so but anyway as we get into verse 17 I believe this is kind of answer remember we're in verse 8 so Genesis 15 8 it says and he said Lord God whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it right now at this point God has basically he gave him a big kind of nightmare but he does this he does this offering and then he basically goes into this deep sleep has his nightmare and then but he doesn't really I don't think he really gives him that sign until verse 17 so verse 17 I believe this is kind of like the the the wool that's dry or wet you know with Gideon kind of like that that little sign of like hey this this is showing you that hey this is gonna come come to pass and so in verse 17 it says and it came to pass that when the Sun went down and it was dark behold a smoking furnace and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces and those pieces are talking about the pieces of the those the offering so if you look back up in the chapter calls them pieces and so he had the the heifer the she goad and the good night the heifer she I always forget one of them yeah the rain is it the RAM which verse am I on there the heifer she oh yeah Ram always I always forget one of them like the RAM the she go and then I'm like oh yeah the heifer I'm always forget anyway so those three this lamp this smoking furnace and a burning lamp passed through the between the pieces so I believe this is kind of like that sign as far as showing them hey this is this is gonna come to pass it's he that's what he asked him he wanted to know how he was gonna know that he's gonna inherit the land because right after this happens with this lamp going through there it says in verse 18 in the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram saying unto thy seed have I given this land so he's basically confirming this to him and it says from the river of Egypt unto the great river the river Euphrates the Kenites and the Kenizzites and the Kadmonites and Hittites and Perizzites and the Rephans and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Gergesites and Jebusites if you've ever read through Joshua and all those books these should sound familiar these are all the people that they take out the Hittites the Gergesites the Jebusites Jebusites that's where Jebus that's where Jerusalem was at it used to be Jebus then maybe Jerusalem and so these people they're given into their hand for an inheritance and they were to completely annihilate them and so this is a foreshadowing of that all this stuff is foretell foretold to Abraham that this is gonna happen but if you remember in Hebrews none of that did Abraham see you know he knew that this wasn't gonna be to him this is to his seed and obviously so because he's talking about them being afflicted for 400 years he knows he's not gonna be there when they go to get this land because he said first they're gonna go into this strange country country which is not their own which is Egypt and they're gonna be afflicted there 400 years by them but then God's gonna judge them and then they're gonna go take out the Amorites the Hittites the Gergesites and the Canaanites and all of them and so Abraham knew that this wasn't gonna happen in his lifetime but he was promising was saying hey you're gonna die in a good old age it's kind of like you think about Daniel when he had that vision and he's and he's like trying to understand he's like Daniel you know this is not for you this is for the future you're gonna you know you're gonna sit in your lot until the end of those days basically you'll be there when that happens but it's because you've already died a long time ago and so it's one of those things that Abraham he's kind of telling that to me he's like you're gonna die in a good old age this stuff's not happening until the future you know it's a covenant and a promise to him but he's just showing like hey this is gonna happen you know later on and all this stuff has to happen first and so it's just an interesting chapter a lot of the stuff and again when you're when you're looking at when I'm looking through these chapters there's always things that kind of get my eye or when I'm listening to the Bible I always hear it I'm just like that's interesting and one of the things that I always find interesting is whenever you see threes mentioned you know threes is a big 140 obviously there's numbers in the Bible that and I'm not talking about new numerology like the stupid you know Kabbalah stuff and all this weird stuff with with uh someone's call me on the phone there anyway with the with the Kabbalah and all the Jewish tradition garbage you know there's numbers in the Bible that just spell out numbers right when you're looking at like this numerology stuff you're not dealing with basically numbering verses and stuff numbering verses doesn't make any sense because verses weren't even in the Bible until later on okay so don't get sucked into all this numerology stuff but when you're dealing with numbers that are in the like it doesn't matter what language it is the numbers still there right when it says three that's in any language you put it's gonna say three right and so those numbers are significant and so anytime you see that you can definitely see how that applies because there's a lot to deal with the number three when it dealing with God who he is he's three and one but also in the fact that you know what he did for us the three days and three nights that he was in the heart of the earth the three hours of darkness that was on the cross there's just a lot that you can see and kind of glean from the Old Testament and just seeing that I always love seeing the pictures of it and seeing how it was there you know it's kind of like hindsight's 20 20 and I'm sure his disciples were thinking that too when he was opening their eyes to the scriptures and showing them hey this was right there and they're just like I can imagine just be like wow I've been reading that all my life and didn't see that and so obviously we were a little more fortunate because we had the whole New Testament and you know we already know all that stuff and so when we go back until we can see how it all fits so Genesis chapter 15 you know the imputed righteousness of God the the everlasting gospel this is a great chapter to show that and and obviously in the New Testament it clarifies it even more and so I love the book of Genesis is a great chapter and and obviously we're going to continue on through it but just definitely very interesting stuff so let's end with the word of prayer do you only follow what we think of today and praise you be with us as we go home give us safe travels and Lord I pray to particularly give us safe travels to go out to the conference I pray that you would let your word have free course out there and and Lord that you would deliver everyone from unreasonable and wicked men or anybody will try to do anything dumb or try to stop anything out there and well we know that you're powerful and that you're you can take care of all those issues and and Lord just pray again that you'd bless us as we sing another song to you and then pray that you'd get the glory for it in Jesus Christ's name amen