Powerpoint Pictures: Milky Way; Sun

If you go out into the countryside at night and look up you might see the sky filled with stars.  Just think for a moment about the stars.  Does anyone know how many stars there are in our galaxy the Milky Way? [200-400 billion stars].  Can anyone tell me what the nearest star to earth is? [The Sun].  But the sun isn’t particularly near is it?  It would take 221 days to reach the sun by space shuttle, 177 years by car and 3000 years by walking.

Stars are important in the next part of the true story of the Bible.  So far we’ve seen that God spoke to a man named Abram and told him to leave his home, his country and go to the place He would show him.  He also made two wonderful promises: a great nation would come from him and also a Saviour who would mend this broken world.  But there was a problem.  Sarai his wife could not have children.

Abram travelled to the land God showed him.  While he was there, years passed by, and still no child.  Abram began to wonder whether the promise would ever come true?

Then we read that “God took Abram outside and said “Look up at the heavens and count the stars – if indeed you can count them.”  Then God said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” (Genesis 15:5)

Look up at the stars and count them.  Can you count them?  No, there’s too many.  Well, Abram, that is how many people there will be in your family, and one of those stars represents the Saviour!

To show that He was going to keep this promise, that He was serious, God made a covenant with Abram (a bit like making a deal and shaking hands on it).  Instead of shaking hands, they did it a bit different.  They would get some animals, cut them in half, and walk between them, and by doing so what they were saying is that what happened to the animal will happen to you if you break this promise.

However only God passed between the animals.  God was promising that He would keep His promise.  But how is He going to do this?