Children of Promise Ephesians 4:28

 

Children of Promise 

Hear the call, descendants of Abraham!

• Genesis 12:1-3 - The Lord said to Abram, "Go from your country, your people and your father's household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

**The desert winds whisper of a time long past, a covenant etched in the stars. We are the seed of promise, destined to carry the light of faith. **

• Genesis 15:5-6 - Then he took Abram outside and said, "Look towards heaven and count the stars, if indeed you can count them." And he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." Abram believed the Lord, and it was credited to him as righteousness.

Like Isaac, we are the answer to prayer, born from barren ground, a testament to God's enduring grace.

• Genesis 17:17-19 - Abraham fell facedown in laughter, saying to himself, "Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Can Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?" Then Abraham spoke to God, "If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!" But God said to Abraham, "No, it is your wife Sarah who will bear you a son. You will name him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him."

Like Jacob, we wrestle with doubt, but emerge stronger, forever marked by the touch of the divine.

• Genesis 32:24-28 - Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob's hip so that his hip socket was dislocated while he was wrestling with the man. Then the man said, "Let me go, for it is daybreak." But Jacob replied, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." The man asked him, "What is your name?" "Jacob," he replied. Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome."

The wilderness stretches before us, yet we are not alone. The mantle of Joseph falls upon our shoulders, a promise of provision in times of want.

• Genesis 50:20-21 - "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children here."

We are David's sling against the giants, wielding faith as our weapon, hope as our shield.

• 1 Samuel 17:45-47 - David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. With your own sword I will give the flesh of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field, so that all the world may know there is a God in Israel, and so that this entire assembly may know that the Lord saves not by sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give all of you into our hands."

The prophets sing of our coming, a beacon of righteousness in a world shrouded in darkness.

• Isaiah 42:6-7 - "I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand and keep you; I will appoint you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and those who sit in darkness from the prison house."

The time has come, Children of Promise! Rise up, answer the call. Let your voices be a chorus of hope, your actions a testament to the covenant.

Together, we shall inherit the land, a tapestry woven from faith, compassion, and justice.

• Psalm 23:1 - The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

Take heart, for the Lord is our shepherd, and we shall not want.

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The Children of Promise

Introduction

In our journey of faith, we encounter two distinct groups of people: the children of the flesh and the children of promise. Today, let’s explore what it means to be counted among the children of promise.

I. The Children of the Flesh

• These are individuals born according to natural processes, without any supernatural intervention.
• They represent human effort, striving, and works.
• Their lineage is traced through physical ancestry.

II. The Children of Promise

• As believers, we are part of this privileged group.
• Our birth is not merely physical but also spiritual.
• We are born according to God’s promise and grace.
• Our lineage is traced through faith in Christ.

III. Biblical References

1. Galatians 4:28:

   • “Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise.”
   • Just as Isaac was born supernaturally to Abraham and Sarah, we too are born into God’s family through faith in Christ 1.

2. Romans 9:8-9:

   • “That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sarah shall have a son.”
   • God’s promise to Abraham and Sarah resulted in the birth of Isaac, a foreshadowing of our spiritual birth 2.

3. Galatians 4:25-29:

   • “Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.”
   • Just as Isaac faced opposition from Ishmael, we may encounter challenges as children of promise 3.

Conclusion

Let us rejoice in our status as children of promise. Our identity is not rooted in the flesh but in the eternal promise of God. May we live out our faith, knowing that we are part of His forever family.

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Remember, dear brothers and sisters, you are not mere products of biology; you are children of promise—chosen, redeemed, and destined for eternity. May this truth shape our lives and draw us closer to our Heavenly Father.