Now folks this requires a lot of faith
This is not him looking at the stars from Los Angeles. Okay
He sees every star very plainly. There's no smog
So he's God tells him to go out look at the stars count them number them and he's saying hey look
This is how your seed shall be
So in the mind of Abraham, he's thinking to himself
But I'm still childless though
How in the world
Are you gonna produce and give me this many children if I'm already old and we haven't even gotten started yet. Okay
He gives them a pretty grand promise and look aside from the fact that he's old more importantly
We see that Sarah is old and therefore she is sterile. Okay, she's past the time
To be able to produce she's incapable of producing offspring. And so obviously that poses a problem
But we see in verse 6 it says and he believed in the Lord and it was counted in him for righteousness. It's pretty amazing
so even though you know the
Circumstances seemed impossible
Even though it seemed contrary even though it seemed like it's just not gonna happen. What did Abraham do? He believed God
That's a testament to his faith and look folks
Sometimes we get on these Old Testament characters who had a lapse of faith
But just be reminded they didn't have the canonized Bible like you and I do
They didn't have the testimonies of the Lord of people who had a relapse in faith or obeyed God we do
We have all the testimonies of the Lord
We're able to read these stories and increase our faith because faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God
We have all these stories already completed in 66 books known as the Word of God
They didn't have that so guess what that required a lot of faith and this is one of the reasons why they call Abraham
the father of faith
Has a lot of faith to say all right well
I'm just gonna believe you then God if this is what you say if if this is gonna come to pass and what you say
It's gonna happen if you're saying that God is not a man that he should lie amen
He's believing him, and he's it was counted unto him for righteousness now
We know that obviously he's gonna have a lot of physical children and even his children are gonna have many physical children
Throughout the generations to follow
but this isn't this isn't what he was referring to when he talked about the the
Children being as the sand of the sea or the sea beaten as the center of the sea what he's actually referring to is
spiritual children, okay
Now go to Galatians if you would hold your place there in Genesis and go to Galatians chapter number three
You see one thing we need to understand is that
God
Often had is working in the background right?
He's working in behind the scenes he has other plans
And he has a bigger picture really often as Christians often focus on that which is immediate
What is the short term was resolved? Where is the reward now?
Where is this now whereas God sees in the future?
You know he sees what the plan is going to become what it's gonna be and so this is what we see taking place with
Abraham yeah, he's telling them your seed shall be as the sand of the sea or the stars of heaven
But what he's actually referring to is spiritual children people who will be saved in the years to come
Look at Galatians 3 verse 13
It says Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law
Being made a curse for us for it is written cursed as everyone that hangeth on the tree
That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ
That we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith now
What promise is he referring to the promise that he gave to Abraham Isaac and Jacob?
Brethren I speak after the manner of men do it be but a man's covenant yet if it be confirmed
No, man to sonolith or addeth thereto now to Abraham and his seed where the promise is made
He saith not and to seeds as of many
But as of one and to thy seed which is Christ now
There's people out there that want to teach that when Abraham blessed a or when God blessed Abraham, and he said hey
I'm gonna give you seed they refer to as physical descendants known as the Jews
This is obviously a false doctrine. It's not true
You know the Jews are not God's chosen people and Genesis 12 is not a valid portion of Scripture to use
To try to prove that because Galatians 3 defines what what Genesis 12 is talking about and it's referring to
Those who are of Christ