The scripture you have just read today is from Genesis 17:1-8, and it is about Abraham. I have been talking about Abraham for the past four weeks. Abraham is very important to us as much. The most important figure in our faith is naturally Jesus Christ. Yet the reason Jesus Christ was cursed was to give us a blessing, and that blessing is called Abraham’s blessing. This means that the promise God made to Abraham has also been given to us. What God promised to do for Abraham, He will also do for us who believe in Jesus. Therefore, if we carefully observe the promise God made with Abraham, we will come to know well what we are to receive from God.

Many people are confused about their faith life. One of the reasons for this is that the Bible is a very thick book. The Bible contains so many things that at times, some seem contradictory to each other. When we are unsure about what to do, the best thing to do is to look at the very basics, what is the key point. We can find that the blessing God is giving us through Jesus Christ is the same blessing that He already promised to this person called Abraham. Therefore, it is important to examine what God said and promised to Abraham.

We are using the word “God” (with a capital “G”), and the Bible uses that word in the same way as “god.” So to put it simply, a certain god appeared to this man named Abraham. And that god promised Abraham, saying, “I will establish a covenant with you! This is what I will offer you, and I want you to give me such and such.”

And the scripture we looked at today is the word that Abraham received when he was 99 years old. It is when Abraham met this god at 99 years of age and the god was reaffirming His covenant with Abraham. The first time Abraham had met this god was when he was 75 years old. After 25 years had passed and he was 99, this god gave these words which we read to Abraham, summing up all the promises given to him.

God made three great promises to Abraham. First, He promised the land of Canaan, which is the present-day Palestinian region where Israel is established as a country, saying, “I will give this land to you and your descendants.” Second, God promised, “Your descendants will be as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore!” However, when Abraham was 99 years old, how many children did he have? He didn’t have any children with his wife. He had only one son through his maidservant, but God didn’t say that it would be through him that Abraham’s descendants would come. Instead, He promised, “Through the son born from your wife will come your descendants, as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore! It is your wife who will give birth to your son.” At that time, his wife was 75 years old. It is noted that her menstruation had stopped and she was no longer able to bear a child. But God said He would give him a son through his wife, and that this son would have many descendants to become a great nation. Third, God promised, “I will be their God! I will be their King!”

These were the three promises. Simply put, first, God promised to give land. Then He promised to give descendants. And thirdly, He promised that He would be their King and their God. Let’s think about whether or not these are possible. First, Abraham’s wife is beyond the age of childbearing. But God said that Abraham’s descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Based on common sense, biologically and scientifically, is that even possible? Is it impossible? It is impossible. Even if a man was full of vigor, it is impossible to have children if a woman is no longer able to bear children. Therefore, this promise is impossible. Next, the promise that Abraham’s descendants would take over the Palestinian region and occupy the land, is that possible? Is it impossible? Yes, it’s impossible. Is that land an empty plain? No, many nations were already living in that land. If the land is to be given to his descendants, that means they would have to be great in number to conquer it. However, if Abraham doesn’t have any sons, how can his descendants conquer the land? Thus, even this promise is impossible. And what about the third promise? God said, “I will dwell among them and be their God!” How can God be their God when “they” don’t even exist? Hence the third promise is also impossible.

In other words, this god appeared to Abraham and gave him lots of impossible promises. But this man called Abraham believed these promises and followed this god for 25 years. Later on, he could’ve thought, “Oh, I’ve been tricked!” However, he had already put in too much to walk away from it. He had followed for 25 years. After leaving his home country, he went through many trials. He would wish those promises were true, but there were hardly any grounds on which he could believe them to be true. Now, we believe in such a god. In a sense, we might think ‘Isn’t the god we believe in a deceitful god?’

So then let’s check one thing. Is there a way to check whether or not these promises are true? Is there a way for Abraham to see those promises being fulfilled? If his descendants are going to be as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore, that number would be in the millions, wouldn’t it? It could be tens of millions. Would Abraham get to see his descendants becoming so numerous during his lifetime or not? Even if that were to happen, how long would he have to live to witness it with his own eyes? He would have to live for 1000 or 2000 years to see it happen. Thus, there is no way to confirm that promise during his lifetime.

Is there a way for him to check his many descendants conquering that land? Is it possible? No, it’s impossible. He can’t see that happen. And is he able to verify that this god will dwell among his descendants and be their king? Can he or not? He can’t. Promises that can make people feel heavy are those that promise the impossible. They are impossible to believe. Furthermore, Abraham has no way of confirming whether this god would do these things or not. It is literally the same as giving him a blank bank cheque. There’s no need to rejoice over these promises because they are impossible anyway and can’t be verified.

Do you know what it is like? Let’s say I make a promise to you. I’m a pastor and my son will later grow up and get married. Then he would probably have his own child who would be my grandchild. Let’s say that I promise you saying, “I am praying for my grandson to become the CEO of Samsung. And I am sure he will! On the day that he becomes the CEO I will buy each of you a brand-new car!” Would you be happy to hear that or not? Are you happy? If I were, I may not be happy. First of all, it does not seem that the grandson of Pastor Ki-Taek Lee will become the CEO of Samsung. But also, would I even be in this world by then? I won’t be probably. So, it is like I’m handing out a blank bank cheque. I don’t think many people would be thrilled to hear what I just said. They’d just laugh over it.

Likewise, when this god promised these things to Abraham, a normal person would have just giggled about it. But Abraham actually believed them and followed him. If his faith stopped there, if our faith stopped there, it would be so useless and in vain. I wouldn’t even need to encourage you to follow this god and worship him. But then the god made another promise to Abraham when he was 99 years old. It’s not in this chapter we read, but what he promised Abraham who was 99 years old was this: “At this set time next year, you will have a son. Your wife will give birth to a son.” But if we look at this promise, h said Abraham would have a son. Is that possible? It’s impossible, isn’t it? Once again, it is impossible. So, there shouldn’t be any reason to be happy about it.

Yet one thing is possible. Abraham could check it himself. When could he check it? Around the same time next year, he would be able to confirm whether the promise was true or not. So, when the next year came and a son was born to him, he could confirm that the impossible actually happened. Therefore, he could be sure, “Oh even though His promises seem impossible, they surely come true!” But if next year came and his wife did not have a son, then he could be sure that this god had been tricking him for 25 years, and he could finally leave that god.

So, Abraham started to wait from this time on. To him, that one year was very significant. What was he always looking at? Every day, whenever he returned home, what do you think he looked at first? His wife’s belly – did it grow or not? After 6 months, it would’ve grown, wouldn’t it? But still, he couldn’t be sure. How could he be certain that his wife’s belly was growing because of a baby inside or because of old age? But one year later, his wife named Sarah actually gave birth to a baby, a son. The impossible happened right before his eyes. This is real. It actually happened. Because he had that son, that son later had children, and they became the nation of Israel that we know today. We are not talking about a dream. This is how Israel came about. Abraham had Isaac, and among Isaac’s two sons, Jacob’s descendants grew to form the nation of Israel we see today.

Thus, it was crucial that he witnessed the fulfillment of what was impossible. Why? Do you remember the three other impossible promises? First, “I will give you this land.” Second, “You will have many descendants.” Third, “I will be their God.” What would become of these impossible promises? Would they come true or not? Yes, he had received the testimony that they would be fulfilled. He received the testimony. People might have laughed at Abraham for 25 years, saying, “Why are you following this absurd god? What kind of god can make you a great nation? How can he give you a son when your wife can’t have any children? And how can all nations be blessed through you? And how can this God, the Creator of heaven and earth, be with you? Are you insane? Don’t be deceived! You left your father’s house for nothing!” Can you imagine how painful it would’ve been for him when people said that?

So, he would’ve needed a testimony. And finally, when he saw his son being born, he received the testimony and was certain: “Whatever this god says comes true! It seemed impossible but it happened!” Although he didn’t see the rest happen before his eyes, Abraham believed. It was as though he saw it with his own eyes. “My descendants will become numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore! Even if other nations live in the land of Canaan, my descendants would later conquer that land!” He had this faith. He believed, “God will dwell among us and my descendants and be our God! He will lead us!”

God also said to him, “Kings of nations will come from you! And from your descendants will come the one who will possess the gates of the enemies!” Abraham was certain that the Savior who would redeem mankind would come through his descendants. And by his assurance, this has been fulfilled upon us today. Jesus Christ did come as a descendant of Abraham and of David, and through Him, we have received Abraham’s blessing. That’s how the blessing came upon us. God promised Abraham, “I will be with them and be their God!” This promise has been fulfilled upon all of us. “I will be with you and be your God!”

Therefore, the goal of our faith is not this earth. It is the kingdom of heaven, the eternal kingdom. When we go there, we won’t be floating around like ghosts without bodies. We will go there in bodily form. It will not be a body that gets tired or decays, but we will have a body that doesn’t decay. It’s hard to believe, isn’t it? It is very hard to even imagine this. It is hard to believe that a person lives after death, and that a person would never die but live in heaven. Yet this is not an obscure and vague belief.

When Jesus promised this to us, He gave us a promise that we can verify right now. What is that? He said, “When I go to the Father in heaven before you, I will ask the Father and send the Holy Spirit to you!” This means He will send the Spirit of God to us. He promised that when the Holy Spirit comes, He will guide us into all truth, help us understand God’s word, and reveal the spiritual reality to us. Though we will enjoy eternal life after resurrection in heaven, receiving the Holy Spirit doesn’t happen in heaven. Where do we receive Him? Here, while we are on earth. If God didn’t exist and there was no resurrection, we wouldn’t receive the Holy Spirit either. But if God does exist, Jesus is in heaven, and the resurrection is true, then we also receive the Holy Spirit while we are on earth. That is why, in the name of Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit, we drive out demons, heal the sick, and do all kinds of miracles on earth.

Likewise, our Christian faith is one that has experiences and testimonies. It is not something vague or unclear that we only come to know after we die. We don’t have to die to know what this faith is about. Through this faith, we can receive testimonies while we are on the earth. Everyone, if you don’t have a testimony regarding God, then even if you might be attending church right now, you may return to the world later and lose interest in the church. You may attend the church for two or three years but then leave saying, “I’ve been disappointed!” You have to have a testimony. You need to have a testimony that is unwavering. You must experience the impossible taking place right before your eyes, that is, the promise of God being fulfilled.

So, a faith life is not always a smooth sail. You have to endeavor to experience the word. Hence, you need to make an effort. You have to pray. You have to ask for the impossible. And therefore, you should have experiences. If you have an illness, you must pray for that to be healed. Our senior overseer was close to becoming blind at one point. I remember I met him for the first time, and then the second time I met him, he couldn’t recognize me. At first, I thought he wasn’t good at remembering people’s faces. That was when I had returned to Korea after serving as a missionary in China. I said to him, “I just came back from China.” And he asked me, “Are you a Chinese immigrant?” He asked me that the next time when I met him. So, I thought it was because he met so many people that he couldn’t remember each person. But I found out later that for a long period of time, he was close to losing his eyesight. But he prayed. He prayed for what seemed impossible because doctors had told him it would be impossible to recover. He set his heart and prayed about this for one year, and one day, as he was preaching, he started to see clearly from front to back. Because he couldn’t see properly, another person read the sermon outline instead. He also tripped and fell over many times because he couldn’t see. Yet, he prayed for the impossible. He held on to the promise of God. And now his eyesight is restored. Now he has very good eyesight.

We can have many such testimonies throughout our lives. You must have such testimonies so that no matter what others say, you can tell them, “I have met God!” If you go to other churches, you will often hear people say, “I believe in God! I believe in Jesus!” However, in our church, you will hear people saying, “I met God!” I met God in 1992. We say that we have met God.

We really do meet God. It is not just a unilateral confession saying, “I believe! I believe!” It is about having an experience. It is about having a testimony. I bless you all in Jesus’ name to truly meet God. I’ll pray.

<Prayer>

God our Father, help every person here to truly meet the living God. May that become a great experience and a testimony of the everlasting hope that God has promised. While they are on earth, help them to have the testimony of the truth that there is the kingdom of heaven and that we will resurrect and share in the glory of the Son of God the Father. In Jesus’ name. Amen.