Covenant Communion

Genesis 15:1-21

Communion with and confidence in God are found through his

with us.

1 After these events, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield; your reward will be very great.

2 But Abram said, “Lord GOD, what can you give me, since I am childless and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”

3 Abram continued, “Look, you have given me no offspring, so a slave born in my house will be my heir.”

4 Now the word of the LORD came to him: “This one will not be your heir; instead, one who comes from your own body will be your heir.”

5 He took him outside and said, “Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “Your offspring will be that numerous.”

6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

7 He also said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”

8 But he said, “Lord GOD, how can I know that I will possess it?”

9 He said to him, “Bring me a three-year-old cow, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”

10 So he brought all these to him, cut them in half, and laid the pieces opposite each other, but he did not cut the birds in half. 11 Birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.

12 As the sun was setting, a deep sleep came over Abram, and suddenly great terror and darkness descended on him.

13 Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know this for certain: Your offspring will be resident aliens for four hundred years in a land that does not belong to them and will be enslaved and oppressed.

14 However, I will judge the nation they serve, and afterward they will go out with many possessions.

15 But you will go to your ancestors in peace and be buried at a good old age.

16 In the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.”

17 When the sun had set and it was dark, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch appeared and passed between the divided animals.

18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “I give this land to your offspring, from the Brook of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates River: 19 the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites,
20 Hethites, Perizzites, Rephaim, 21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.” —Genesis 15:1–21 (CSB)

COMMUNION WITH GOD: (15:1-6)

We have communion with God through

.

We receive

for our fears.

God is our

and our

Reveal Answer

.

We receive

to our questions.

Don’t let

destroy your faith.

Don’t let

disturb God’s plan.

We receive

for our faith.

CONFIDENCE IN GOD: (15:7-21)

We can find confidence in God through his

.

The Lord establishes his promise with Abram through the cutting of a

.

A relational contract with defined stipulations & consequences for meeting/failing to meet them. —Covenant

God’s covenant is…

through blood sacrifice.

no matter our circumstances..

because of God’s actions, not our own.

The covenant God established with Abram finds it’s ultimate fulfillment in

through the cross.

DISCUSSION GUIDE

1. The message talked about experiencing communion with God through prayer. How would you describe your prayer life? What, from the message, stood out to you about prayer?

2. How might our doubts become a friend to our faith instead of an enemy if we take them to the Lord in prayer? What doubts do you have that you need to voice to God in prayer?

3. How have delays disturbed your plans but not God’s? What delays are you currently experiencing?

4. God is a rewarder of those who seek him in faith. How has God rewarded your faith in the past? How has Abram’s journey related to your own?

5. What promises of God give you confidence for your future? Which promise do you most need to cling to right now?

6. Why was blood sacrifice so central to OT covenants? In what ways do you think these Old Covenant sacrifices help prepare God’s people for the work of Jesus on the cross?

7. The message discussed how God’s covenants continue in every generation no matter our circumstances. What hard circumstance do you need to trust him with and how?

8. The covenants of God are completed by what God contributes, not us. Have you ever struggled with this dynamic in your relationship with God? How so?

9. If you go through all of the covenants in the Old Testament, what parallels do you see between them and the New Covenant God has established through Jesus?

10. What excites you most about the new covenant that God has made with you in Jesus? How will your life show the fruit of that relationship?