Sunday Morning Worship

Sunday, March 23, 2025
9:30 AM 10:30 AM

Twin Valley Players Colonnade Theater 269 Center Street Millersburg, PA, 17061 United States (map)

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Great Faith Like Abraham!

We are in the Easter season.. Why did Jodi Lenker want to talk about Abraham this morning? Oh, she had her reasons!

Jodi’s message this morning was inspired by Lisa Harper… How many times have you read about God’s covenant with Abraham (or Abram) in Genesis, and skim over the details?

Everyone knows about Abraham’s faith in God to 1) trust Him for a child in his old age and 2) when he was willing to sacrifice the only son born of his wife, Sarah. However, neither of these situations are the first time Abraham showed his great faith in God.

Abraham made a blood covenant with God (which was common in that day and age - especially in the case of marriage). They didn’t have lawyers and contracts, so they made a covenant sacrifice (where you would dig a ditch, cut an animal, or multiple animals, in half and the blood would run into the ditch, then both consenting parties would walk through the blood as a sign of agreement and promise). If one party could not uphold their end of the promise, they would suffer the same ending as the animal sacrificed.

First, Abraham’s faith was tested in his waiting for God to come and fulfill this blood covenant practice. In Genesis 15, it says Abraham had to chase off vultures from eating the animals that were sacrificed. So, we know that he had to exercise his faith in waiting for God to arrive for this covenant.

In Genesis 15:17-18, it reads, “When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram…”

So, what does the Abrahamic Covenant have to do with Easter? Jesus’ broken body and blood was the fulfillment of this covenant. So, Abraham’s faith has everything to do with Easter.

Heavenly Father - Help us to have and exercise a faith like Abraham. May we NEVER take the covenant’s fulfillment, through Jesus’ sacrifice, for granted. In His name we pray. - Amen!

The Bible verses read and referenced this morning were: