Joe Leach - February 1, 2026
Accepted as you are
Genesis 15 Abram’s life is secured by God’s promises even when Abram still questions God’s ways. God promises him descendants as numerous as the stars and he believes God’s word. That right there is the whole basis of the Christian faith. Like Abram, we are counted righteous (‘in the right’) with God not based on our actions, but by faith alone (quoted in Romans 4 and Genesis 3). It’s not about the strength of our faith, as Abram’s doubts shows us. It’s relying on the certainty of God’s word. God proves this to Abram with a traditional covenant ritual which was common in that area. Usually both people pass through the middle of the animals to say, “if I don’t keep my end of the deal, may I be cut up like these animals.” Shockingly, only God walks through. Our promise-keeping God takes full responsibility. It’s one-sided. He will pay the penalty for his people’s rebellion ultimately on the cross of Christ on another dark day. For more about Christ Central Church Portsmouth visit: https://christcentral.church Or via socials: www.facebook.com/christcentral.ch www.instagram.com/christcentralchurchportsmouth To connect with us email: hello@christcentral.church or give us your details at https://www.christcentral.church
From Series: "Genesis - God's people in God's plan"
The Bible has clear instructions in parts, but most of it is story. Stories of people messing up. Stories of people discovering God’s grace. Stories we can learn wisdom from. The middle bit of Genesis tells the story of three generations who discover what it means to be God’s people in God’s plan for his world. And they don’t always get it right. Their stories include: marriage problems, death and grief, parenting struggles, choosing a spouse, sexual immorality, deception, reproductive ethics, unjust employers, relationships that distort God’s design, the strength of friendship, birth, infertility, abuse, betrayal, forgiveness, aging, value of life from womb to tomb, loneliness, racism, politics, war, buying land, wealth management, and learning wisdom from all the ambiguity of ordinary life trying to trust God in a fallen world. We face many issues in life where we have to ask: What does it mean to be God’s people in this? What’s God’s plan for it?
