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The Loyalty of God

Genesis 24:1-67

June 29, 2014

 

Well, Judy Williams asked Wednesday night if I would finish Genesis while she was in the nursing home (implying that the study is taking a while)

 

So we’ll just go ahead and cover 67 verses this morning

And see if we can’t push the pace along.

 

No, actually we cover chapter 24 because (as is often the case)

The chapter forms a singular thought

That Moses was driving home to the children of Israel.

As you know we are the twilight years of Abraham’s life.

 

Abraham is a man at the end of his life,

With most of his major accomplishments behind him.

Now we said he is “Finishing Strong”

 

Charles Rogers – an old man at Crawford near death, would say:

“I’m in my sprinting years now”

 

That is where we find Abraham.

He is seeking to finish his race strong.

 

And for Abraham, that finish is seen in two very important decisions that he made late in life.

 

The first was to bury Sarah in Canaan.

This was bizarre because Canaan was not his home land, nor was it the land of his people.

Sarah’s death, would normally have resulted in Abraham returning to Mesopotamia to bury Sarah among her people.

But Abraham, banking on the promises of God, determined not to return, but to let it be known that Canaan was now his land.

 

Hebrews 11:13-16 “All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.”

 

And of course we learned that this is how we should live as well.

Hebrews 12:1-2 “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

 

So we saw Abraham finishing strong by deciding to remain in Canaan,

Even though it was now evident that the only portion of the land

That he would ever personally own was the tomb where Sarah was buried.

 

Well this morning we see another important decision from Abraham, and that comes as

Abraham seeks a wife for Isaac.

 

Abraham’s decision is simple:
Find Isaac a wife
Not among the Canaanites (Abraham was aware of their degrading nature)
But no matter what, DO NOT TAKE ISAAC BACK TO MESOPOTAMIA!

 

Abraham was adamant that Isaac stay in Canaan and there raise a family.

 

Abraham is finishing strong.

Abraham is not going to waiver at the end.

 

We could easily say that Abraham will remain loyal to God.

WHAT I WANT YOU TO SEE THIS MORNING:

Is why Abraham is loyal to God.

 

ABRAHAM IS LOYAL BECAUSE GOD IS LOYAL.

 

It is the unique thing about covenants.

Covenants only work if both sides remain loyal.

 

If one side breaks that loyalty, then the covenant is shattered and rendered useless.

 

While Abraham’s loyalty is good, and our loyalty is important,

It is just as important that God also remain loyal.

 

It is that loyalty that I want to show you this morning.

I want you to see that God is loyal to His people.

Now to show you this, I first need to introduce you to a Hebrew word.

 

“HESED” (pronounced “chesed” – like you’re clearing your throat)

 

And it is kind of tough word to define.

It is actually one of those words that can sort of get lost in translation.

By that I mean, there is no English word that sufficiently explains it.

 

The word is used over 250 times and it is translated in a variety of ways.

About 60% of the time it is translated “mercy”
Sometimes translated “lovingkindness”
Sometimes translated “kindness”
Sometimes translated “goodness”
Sometimes translated “steadfast love”

 

But obviously it is a word that

Is seeking to define a very important attribute of God.

The first time we see it is when God spares Lot from Sodom. 

Remember, Lot was hesitant to leave and so

The angels physically removed Lot from the city for his own protection.

 

Lot responded by saying:

Genesis 19:19 “Now behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified your lovingkindness [HESED], which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, for the disaster will overtake me and I will die;”

 

Lot obviously saw a favorable attribute from God

That caused God to act on his behalf, even when he himself was sluggish.

Lot referred to that attribute as HESED

We saw it again in Genesis 20 as that which Sarah did for Abraham.

Genesis 20:13 “and it came about, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said to her, ‘This is the kindness [HESED] which you will show to me: everywhere we go, say of me, “He is my brother.”‘”

 

So it was HESED that Sarah showed by putting herself in danger

To protect Abraham’s life.

 

It was a word used by Rahab the harlot as she bargained with the spies.

Joshua 2:12-14 “Now therefore, please swear to me by the LORD, since I have dealt kindly [HESED] with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father’s household, and give me a pledge of truth, and spare my father and my mother and my brothers and my sisters, with all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.” So the men said to her, “Our life for yours if you do not tell this business of ours; and it shall come about when the LORD gives us the land that we will deal kindly [HESED] and faithfully with you.”

 

There Rahab offered HESED and wanted HESED in return.

Translated there as “kindly”

And just by examining some context,

You are seeing that receiving HESED is a good thing.

 

Now HESED is actually a word that God uses to describe Himself.

Exodus 34:6-7 “Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness [HESED] and truth; who keeps lovingkindness [HESED] for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.”

 

God actually abounds in HESED, meaning He has a lot of it.

It is extended to His covenant people and results in their forgiveness

 

And whatever specifically God’s HESED is, it will never go away.

 

Lamentations 3:22 “The LORD’S lovingkindnesses [HESED] indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail.”

 

God’s HESED then is one of the attributes

That motivates our worship of Him.

 

Perhaps the most famous use of the word comes in Psalms 136,

Where the word is used 26 times, in each verse proclaiming “For His lovingkindness [HESED] is everlasting.”

 

Psalms 136:1-3 “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. Give thanks to the God of gods, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. Give thanks to the Lord of lords, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.”

 

And so on for 26 verses…

 

The point being that God’s HESED

Is what makes Him worthy of praise and adoration.

 

In fact, our salvation hangs upon God’s propensity to show HESED

Psalms 13:5 “But I have trusted in Your lovingkindness [HESED]; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.”

So already you are seeing the variety of uses for the word.

For Lot it was a type of mercy that delivered him from Sodom
For Sarah it was a type of self-sacrifice that protected Abraham
For Rahab it was an undeserved kindness that went beyond expectation
And it is also the word used of God’s faithfulness to unfaithful people

It is a word that describes God’s propensity to come to our rescue.
It is a word that describes God’s willingness to sacrifice self on our behalf.
It is a word that describes God’s mercy to save undeserving people.

 

You can call it “mercy”

You can call it “love”

You can call it “kindness”

 

But none of those words seems to fully do the trick of whatever this word means.

This morning I want to submit a different word for HESED

You may have figured out, but I’m going to call it “Loyalty”

 

And specifically – “God’s loyalty to His people”

 

·         God was loyal to Lot and so rescued him…

·         Sarah was loyal to Abraham and so put herself in harm’s way for him…

·         Rahab was loyal to the spies to protect them and expected loyalty in return…

·         God is loyal to His people, even when they are not loyal to Him…

 

And it is so important for you to understand that God is loyal to you.

Now I might ask you, WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FAITHFULNESS AND LOYALTY?

Faithfulness regards honoring a commitment – and certainly God does that.

When He makes a commitment, He keeps it.

 

Loyalty reveals the fact that God will never fail to make the commitment.

 

Faithfulness means God will do what He promises.

Loyalty means God will always make the promise.

 

Let me illustrate.

Let’s say you need your yard mowed

And you don’t have any money and you want someone to mow it.

 

And I tell you about a friend I have who mows yards, and I tell you he’s FAITHFUL.

 

Now does that mean he will mow your hard?No, it only means, that if he agrees to mow your yard that he will follow through with it.

 

But what if I tell you I have a friend who mows yards, and he is LOYAL.

 

That implies that he will agree to do it,

Because of his commitment to our friendship.

 

That is what HESSED refers to in God.

Yes He is faithful to do what He promises,

But He is also loyal to always promise.

 

The passage in the New Testament

That probably best illustrates God’s HESED to us is:

 

Romans 8:28-31 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become  conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?”

 

In short, God is for you.

·         God is loyal to you.

·         He will not forsake you.

·         He has set His love and kindness and mercy on you and that will never

                    change.

If you’ve ever been betrayed by a friend or a loved one,

You know how bitter disloyalty can be.

 

Well, you can always count on God to be loyal.

It’s probably also illustrated in what Paul wrote to the Philippians:

Philippians 1:6 “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”

 

Paul knew God was loyal.

God would not quit on you.

 

And I point you to this word and to the loyalty of God,

Because that is what Genesis chapter 24 is all about.

 

HESED is used 4 times in this chapter.

 

Now obviously we spent a greater amount of time on the introduction

So we are going to move through the story rather quickly,

But as we do, I want you to pay attention the loyalty of God.

 

Then begin to let it sink in what your response to God’s loyalty should be.

 

We are going to break this chapter down into 6 points,

And they all deal with the loyalty [HESED] of God.

#1 ABRAHAM EXPECTED IT
Genesis 24:1-9

 

It is important to note that God had

Never failed Abraham in any way throughout his life.

 

(1) “Now Abraham was old, advanced in age, and the LORD had blessed Abraham in every way.”

 

It is safe to say that God was good to Abraham.

God had never done wrong by him.

And it is clear that Abraham was sure God never would.

 

And now Abraham (as we said earlier) is at the end of his life and he is making decisions based upon God’s continued faithfulness to him.

 

Abraham’s decision here is to get a wife for Isaac.

A wife not from Canaan (a corrupt land),

But a wife from his own people (the chosen line)

 

(2-4) “Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he owned, ” Please place your hand under my thigh, and I will make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live, but you will go to my country and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”

 

So Abraham has a commission to “his servant”

We assume that this servant is Eliezer whom Abraham identified in chapter 15 as the heir of his house before Isaac or Ishmael were born.

 

The placing of the hand under the thigh was a sign indicating that my descendants will avenge this agreement if you fail to follow through.

 

So Abraham is serious about this.

 

However, under such a serious oath,

It is no surprise that Eliezer has a few concerns.

 

Namely, what if the woman won’t come?

(5) “The servant said to him, “Suppose the woman is not willing to follow me to this land; should I take your son back to the land from where you came?”

 

Put yourself in his shoes.

You want me to travel to a different country, find a girl and get her to agree to leave her family and come back and marry a man she has never seen.

(That should be easy)

 

No doubt Eliezer thought this would be near impossible. 

In his mind, the best he could hope for was to get the girl to agree to marry Isaac if he first came there, and she could at least stay near her family.

 

But Abraham is staunch about this.

(6) Then Abraham said to him, “Beware that you do not take my son back there!”

 

Abraham is staying in Canaan and he insists his descendants do the same

 

But it doesn’t solve the problem.

Abraham, what makes you think that some woman is going to just up and leave with me to come back and marry Isaac?

 

The answer?

Abraham was counting on God’s loyalty.

 

(7-9) “The LORD, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my birth, and who spoke to me and who swore to me, saying, ‘To your descendants I will give this land,’ He will send His angel before you, and you will take a wife for my son from there. “But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this my oath; only do not take my son back there.” So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter.”

Now there we notice that God had made no promise to the effect.

If God had promised Abraham that He would send a girl back,

Abraham would have quoted the promise, but there was none.

Abraham wasn’t banking on God’s faithfulness,

Abraham was banking on God’s loyalty.

 

Abraham just figured that God was on his side, and would work on his behalf.

 

Obviously Abraham is an example to us there.

Abraham had reached a point in his life where he knew that God was for him.

 

If you are not at that place, I encourage you to go there.

If God has chosen you, God is for you – BELIEVE IT

 

Even without a specific promise, Abraham expected God would be loyal.

Abraham Expected It

#2 ELIEZER TESTED IT
Genesis 24:10-14

 

Now some people are mature in their faith like Abraham,

And for them God’s loyalty is an expected thing.

 

But some people aren’t quite so certain.

They want to believe it…
They hope it’s true…
But they still need to see it.

 

Those type of people “throw out the fleece” so to speak,

To see if God is really for them.

That is what Eliezer does here.

 

Did you notice the test?

(READ 10-14)

Now think about that for a second.

It’s one thing to find a nice girl who will give you a drink, but draw water for 10 camels?

Talk about narrowing the field…

 

But there is a specific reason that Eliezer asks for such a specific result.

 

(12) “He said, “O LORD, the God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today, and show lovingkindness [HESED] to my master Abraham.”

 

In short, Eliezer is saying,“Abraham seems to think you are loyal to him, well, let’s see… Bring me a girl that will draw water for me and for my 10 camels.”

 

(14b) “and by this I will know that You have shown lovingkindness [HESED] to my master.”

“If You’ll bring by a girl like that,

Then I’ll start to acknowledge that You are in fact loyal to Abraham.”

Now, I’m not one that is a proponent

Of continually asking God to jump through hoops.

 

Jesus in fact reiterated that “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.”

I know we often do…

I know Gideon did…

I know Eliezer does here…

 

The only time God ever sanctioned it was in regard to titheing

Where He told the Jews through Malachi, “Test Me in this”

 

But I’m not going to tell you to go out and make God prove His loyalty.

I would rather you just take Him at His word

And know that He is loyal to His own.

I wouldn’t tell you to test God’s loyalty.

But I will tell you that when God is tested, He always passes!

 

GOD IS LOYAL AND EVERY TEST ONLY PROVES THAT

 

So in regard to God’s loyalty:

Abraham Expected It, Eliezer Tested it

#3 GOD PROVED IT
Genesis 24:15-27

 

And hopefully you noticed that God wasted no time in proving it.

(15) “Before he had finished speaking…”

 

He couldn’t even finish the prayer before Rebekah shows up.

 

And notice,

She was in the right place…
She was of the right lineage…
She was beautiful…
She was a virgin (available)…
And she comes to draw water

 

And just as Eliezer had envisioned, he asked this girl to give him a drink and of her own accord she not only gave him a drink, but volunteered to draw water for all 10 of his camels as well.

 

And God now has Eliezer’s attention.

(21) “Meanwhile, the man was gazing at her in silence, to know whether or not the LORD had made his journey successful or not.”

 

In other words, “Eliezer was speechless”

God just blew his mind.

 

I don’t think Eliezer ever dreamed

That such a bizarre circumstance would actually occur.

I think he purposely picked a test

He didn’t think would happen in a million years.

 

But when the camels had finished drinking, and Eliezer verified that Rebekah was of the right lineage, Eliezer was blown away.

 

(26-27) “Then the man bowed low and worshiped the LORD. He said, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His lovingkindness [HESED] and His truth toward my master; as for me, the LORD has guided me in the way to the house of my master’s brothers.”

 

Eliezer is now a believer that God is loyal.

Eliezer knows that God is loyal to Abraham.

 

God proved His loyalty.

And He always does.

 

Abraham Expected It, Eliezer Tested It, God Proved It
#4 LABAN CONSENTED TO IT
Genesis 24:28-51

 

Now, as you notice most of that text is nothing more than Eliezer relating to Laban the circumstances of the story.

 

And after the story is retold to Laban,

You will notice that Eliezer gets to the main question.

 

(49) “So now if you are going to deal kindly [HESED] and truly with my master, tell me; and if not, let me know, that I may turn to the right hand or the left.”

 

In short, Eliezer wants to know if Laban is going to place himself in accordance with God’s obvious will or not.

 

And notice Laban’s answer.

(50-51) “Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “The matter comes from the LORD; so we cannot speak to you bad or good. “Here is Rebekah before you, take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the LORD has spoken.”

 

What did I tell you earlier?

“If God is for us…”

 

That’s exactly what Laban said.

Who am I to try and resist God’s selection?

 

If God is a loyal friend of Abraham, I sure don’t want to be an enemy…

 

And that is a good point for you and I to understand as well.

 

Not only can we trust God’s loyalty, we should also submit to it.

 

As a child of God there are times

When I can obviously see God’s loyalty to me.

 

There are those obvious times, when I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God must be for me, because things just too easily fall into place.

 

However, there are other times, when the circumstances make it look like

Maybe God doesn’t have my best interest in mind.

 

There are times when God asks me to walk into circumstances that I am unsure of.

That is where Laban is.

God is asking him just to surrender his sister to go off to a foreign land and marry a man they’ve never met.

 

It is obvious God is for it
It is obvious God is doing it
But it had to feel a little strange just to go along with it

 

At those moments you simply have to trust that God is in fact loyal to you.

It is the old adage, “When you can’t see His hand, trust His heart”

 

God has a plan, and it is good,

Even if it is a plan that you never saw coming.

 

Namely because God is HESED – God is loyal

His loyalty endures forever.

 

Abraham Expected It, Eliezer Tested It, God Proved it, Laban Consented to It
#5 REBEKAH EMBRACED IT
Genesis 24:52-61

 

Boy don’t overlook the great faith of Rebekah here.

 

And just for a second contemplate what she is up against.

Leave your family
Leave your homeland
Agree to marry a stranger

 

And even when the family is starting to get a little emotional

(hence the requested 10 day waiting period)

 

The decision is thrown directly in the lap of Rebekah.

(57-58) “And they said, “We will call the girl and consult her wishes.” Then they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” And she said, “I will go.”

Why would she do that?

Why would she leave?

 

Because it was obvious to her that God had chosen her.

& she was learning that when God chooses you, He is loyal to you.

She wasn’t placing her faith in Eliezer…
She wasn’t placing her faith in Abraham…
She wasn’t placing her faith in Isaac…
She was placing her faith in God.

Remember Abraham came from this land and was a pagan.

No doubt Rebekah had seen her share of disloyalty

From the pagan gods of her youth.

 

But now she was confronted with a God who was loyal.

·         Now she was confronted with a God who would never fail to act on her behalf.

·         Now she was confronted with a God who would never ceased to promise her

                         good, or to come through on those promises.

 

And Rebekah did what every one of us should do

SHE JUMPED ON BOARD!

And for those in here who do not have a relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ, let me encourage you to do the same.

 

I’m not asking you to follow some fickle God

That you have to win over day in and day out.

 

I’m asking you to follow a God who will forever be for you.
I’m asking you to follow a God who describes Himself as loyal.
I’m asking you to place your life in the hands of a God who will never fail to act in your best interest.

 

Rebekah saw that and immediately signed up.

And it is obvious that her family knew what she was signing up for,

Because notice what they said:

It wasn’t weeping…

It wasn’t a prayer for protection…

 

They gave her a blessing of expectation

(60) “They blessed Rebekah and said to her, “May you, our sister, Become thousands of ten thousands, And may your descendants possess The gate of those who hate them.”

 

They knew Rebekah was going to be blessed as she served the loyal God.

And so will all who make the same choice she made.

 

Now, one final thing about the loyalty of God.

#6 ISAAC BENEFITED FROM IT
Genesis 24:62-67

 

Now men, I’m going to guess that when you found your sweet thing,

It wasn’t nearly that easy.

 

Isaac didn’t have to do anything here.

God went out and found him a beautiful wife
Who was also hospitable…
Who was also hard working…
Who also had a heart for God…

 

And Isaac “loved her”

 

And through this relationship Scripture also says that“Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.”

 

Can we reiterated what a loyal friend God was to Isaac?
God just went out and acted on Isaac’s behalf.
Isaac didn’t even have to ask Him to.

 

God did it because of His HESED

God had chosen Isaac and so God was a true and loyal friend

 

Call it mercy if you want

Call it kindness if you want

Call it steadfast love if you want

 

But whatever HESED is,

It is obvious God is that to those He has entered into covenant with.

AND HE IS THAT FOR YOU AS WELL.

His loyalty to you never fails.

 

And don’t you think that was in important message for Moses to deliver to the children of Israel?

 

Don’t you think it was important for them to know that God was loyal to them?

But the real question is: WHAT SORT OF RESPONSE SHOULD THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL HAVE HAD TO THAT?

And I think you know the answer.

God’s loyalty, should have inspired their loyalty.

 

And that is my encouragement to you.

God is a loyal friend

God is for you

IS IT TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR YOU TO BE LOYAL TO GOD?

·         Is it too much to ask for you to be for Him?

·         Is it too much to ask for you to make Him a priority?

·         Is it too much to ask for you to work on His behalf?

 

Certainly not.

And it was God’s loyalty that inspired Abraham’s loyalty

To stick with God in the land of Canaan.

Let me encourage you to be like Abraham.

Expect the Loyalty of God.

 

And if you are like Eliezer and are just a little skeptical, then once God proves His loyalty (and He will) then you worship Him for it.

 

And like Laban

Consent to the Loyalty of God

 

And like Rebekah

Embrace the Loyalty of God

 

So that like Isaac, you can benefit from the Loyalty of God.

 

And by all means, be loyal to Him in return.

God is loyal to His children – trust it!

 

Exodus 34:6-7 “Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.”

The Losses of Legalism
Galatians 5:2-6
June 22, 2014

Perhaps if you’ve ever found yourself contemplating a big decision about something in life, you’ve thrown out the options to a friend
And they answered, “What have you got to lose?”

In reality that isn’t a bad way of evaluating your decisions.
Every decision comes with a cost and a payoff.

You are wise to actually ask yourself what do I have to gain,
And what do I have to lose.

That is precisely decision Paul is putting before the Galatians tonight.

So far the Judaizers have come in and filled the heads of the Galatians
With all that they have to gain from circumcision.

They have promoted circumcision to be the cure all
For sin, salvation, blessing, and inheritance.

Of course what they have offered has not been true.

No different than a snake oil salesman, they stood in their wagons offering the wonder tonic guaranteed to cure everything from athletes foot to water on the knee, but they are selling false hopes.

Their product cannot deliver on the promises they are selling.
• Circumcision will not save you
• Circumcision will not sanctify you
• Circumcision will not make you a participant in the blessing
• Circumcision will not secure your inheritance
• Circumcision will not draw you closer to God
• Circumcision will not make you more pleasing to God

So in reality all that they hoped to gain from circumcision
Was really a false hope.

But tonight Paul is going to put the shoe on the other foot
And show them what they have to lose if they accept circumcision.

You can choose one or the other, but there are consequences,
SO LET’S LOOK AT THE LOSSES OF LEGALISM.

Let’s look at what it will cost you if you determine
To be saved by the works of the Law, namely circumcision.

Paul will outline four things you will lose if you do that.

#1 CHRIST
Galatians 5:2

That alone is very pointed and penetrating statement.

“Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you.”

Now first it would do us good to remember
What the purpose of circumcision was.

We talked about it a couple of months ago in our study of Genesis,
I hope you remember.

Romans 4:9-12 “Is this blessing then on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also? For we say, “FAITH WAS CREDITED TO ABRAHAM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.” How then was it credited? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised; and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them, and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had while uncircumcised.”

Very simply stated Paul called circumcision both a “sign” and “a seal”

WHY CIRCUMCISION?

You are familiar with what Paul taught us in Romans 5
About how through Adam we all died.

• Mankind was created perfect and placed in perfection.
• Everything was good in the garden.
• However Adam chose to transgress the command of God and the curse came upon this world.
• Sin came and death came through sin.
• And this was a problem that could not be undone.
• Since that fall, every child is not born perfect, and placed in the garden until they blow it.

Now, every child is actually conceived in iniquity (David said in Psalms 51)
And actually born with the sin nature of Adam.

In a very basic sense, the sin nature is passed down through procreation.

Circumcision then was a picture of putting a stop to the spread of sin.
By removing the foreskin of the reproductive organ,
It was symbolic of putting a stop to sin.

It was merely as SIGN or a SYMBOL
Of what should have taken place in the heart.
Jeremiah 4:4 “Circumcise yourselves to the LORD And remove the foreskins of your heart, Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, Or else My wrath will go forth like fire And burn with none to quench it, Because of the evil of your deeds.”

In some ways circumcision was no different
Than other symbolic gestures of repentance.

Joel 2:12-13 “Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “Return to Me with all your heart, And with fasting, weeping and mourning; And rend your heart and not your garments.” Now return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness And relenting of evil.”

Joel didn’t speak of circumcision but of people rending their garments.
That is all well and good, but only if your heart is also affected as well.

So it is with circumcision.
It was the sign of symbol of what God was doing in your life.

It was also “a seal”
It was a seal in the sense that it confirmed Abraham’s faith.
True faith obeys and true faith endures.

If Abraham claims to trust God, but refuses to obey God,
We have all the reason in the world to wonder if his faith is truly genuine.

But when Abraham obeyed God in circumcision,
We saw evidence that his faith was genuine.
His obedience sealed his faith.

Now that was the purpose of circumcision.
It was a sign and it was a seal.

But if you will remember,
The Judaizers had turned it into much more than that.
THEY TURNED IT INTO A MEANS FOR SALVATION

Acts 15:1 “Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”

So the Judaizers came in saying circumcision is more than a sign,
It is more than a seal, it is a means of being saved.

This is when works take a dangerous turn.
Even today people can talk of things like baptism, or church attendance, or participation in communion, or giving, or hospitality, or involvement in missions.

All of those things are a “seal” of faith.
Some of those things are a “sign” of faith.

But none of those things are a means of salvation.
This what the Judaizers had taught,
And because of that the Galatians were jumping on board.

But Paul says, hold on a second.
You are focusing on what you think you gain from circumcision, let’s look at what you will lose.

And I’m telling you that “if you receive circumcision Christ will be of no benefit to you.”

Whatever benefit you receive from Christ,
You will no longer receive that benefit if you choose circumcision.

Now that sounds serious.
“WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF CHRIST?”

Well I certainly won’t give you an exhaustive list,
But try some of these benefits on:

FORGIVENESS
Ephesians 1:7 “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace”

RIGHTEOUSNESS
Romans 3:21-22 “But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction;”

SALVATION
Romans 5:9 “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.”

What is more, Peter said:
Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

PEACE
Ephesians 2:13-14 “But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall,”

Colossians 1:19-20 “For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.”

Romans 5:1 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,”

INHERITANCE
Ephesians 1:10-11 “In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will,”
HOPE
John 14:3 “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”

FREEDOM
Romans 6:6 “knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;”

Romans 7:24-25 “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.”

INTERCESSION
Hebrews 7:25 “Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”

HELP
Hebrews 2:18 “For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.”

PRESENCE
Matthew 28:20 “and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

And I’m sure there are many more, but that is just to name a few.
Those are some of the obvious benefits of having Christ.

But if you receive circumcision, kiss all of those benefits good-bye.
If you determine to do it yourself, Christ will not do it for you.

If you are going to try and earn your salvation by works of the Law,
Then you lose all the benefits of Christ.

Things like forgiveness, peace, hope, help, freedom, and salvation
Are all things you are going to have to try and find somewhere else.

Those things are benefits of having Him.

So, what do you have to lose if you choose legalism?
Well, first you lose Christ.

#2 FREEDOM
Galatians 5:3

Now here is something that I seriously doubt
The Judaizers had spelled out in full to the Galatians.

• This would be that fine print on the bottom of page 127 of the contract.
• This is what the announcer is saying super fast at the end of the commercial.

This is something no doubt the Galatians had failed to grasp.

“And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law.”

See, the Judaizers were crafty.
All they came in saying was you have to be circumcised.

They just made it sound like you only had to do this one little thing
And then you’re good.

It only takes a couple of minutes and then you are pleasing to God.

But that isn’t how it works at all.

See, you either choose Christ or your choose the Law,
And you can’t choose only part of either.

If it’s Christ then it’s all of Christ.
And if it’s the Law, then it’s all of the Law.

James 2:10 “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.”

That’s the funny thing about the Law.
It doesn’t matter which law you break, or how many times you break it.

If you break one small command 1 little time, then you are still a law breaker.

Someone counted and it has been said that
There are 613 commands in the Law of God.

You don’t just get to pick 1.
If you determine to be under the Law, then you are under all 613,
And if you break any one of them, you are guilty of all of them.

Now, can I show you an easier way?
Matthew 5:17-20 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. “Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

• Jesus did not abolish the Law
• Jesus did not nullify the Law
• Jesus did not take the effect of the Law away

Certainly not, the Law had purpose, Paul himself said the Law is good

Jesus came and fulfilled the Law, so that in Him we also fulfill it.
And now in Christ we have freedom.
• We are not bound day in and day out by the commandments.
• We are righteous in Him and declared free from our labors.
• We rest in Him.

But, if you want to be under the Law,
Then kiss that freedom, kiss that rest good-bye.
It’s another way of saying, “read the fine print”

If you choose works…
If you choose circumcision…
You lose Christ and you lose Freedom

#3 GRACE
Galatians 5:4

Now we have to do a little clean up here
Before we talk about how it relates to the Galatians.

This verse has been one of the texts used for years
For those who hold that salvation is not secure.

They site here that the Galatians nearly fell from grace, and equate that to mean
That the Galatians were in danger of losing their salvation.

That is not at all what Paul is talking about.
In fact, when in doubt, read the verse.

WHAT WERE THE GALATIANS IN THIS VERSE SEEKING?
“you who are seeking to be justified”

Would we say a person in need of justification is a saved person or a lost person?

Saved people are already justified.
They are in the process of being sanctified, and they look to be glorified,
But justification has already happened.

The people Paul is dealing with in verse 4 are not saved people.
They are people who want to be saved
And they think circumcision is the way to do it.

And through their choosing circumcision, not only have they lost Christ “severed from Christ” as we saw earlier.

But notice what else they lose:
“you have fallen from grace”

That is to say, if you want to earn your salvation through works of the Law, then you have no need or desire for grace in your life.
Just throw grace out the window.

WELL, WHAT IS GRACE ANY WAY?

Ephesians 2:1-10 “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

Grace takes sinners who love sin and who are doomed to suffer the consequences of sin, and pulls them out of that sin, forgives that sin, and sets them on a new course.

It is unfathomable.
• Apart from grace sinners don’t even know they are sinners
• Apart from grace sinners certainly don’t want anything but sin
• Apart from grace sinners cannot be forgiven
• Apart from grace sinners have no shot at anything but destruction

And yet God gave amazing grace to sinners who do not deserve it.
When we were sinful, He chose to save us anyway.

Titus 3:3-7 “For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

In short, grace is really the only reason any of us were saved.
Grace is really the only way anyone else can be saved.

We are saved “by grace”

So if you have “fallen from grace” then it is not a stretch to say that
YOU CAN KISS SALVATION GOOD-BYE

• Who is honestly going to stand before God apart from grace and think they have a legitimate shot at being justified in His sight?

• Who will honestly set their resume before Him as one who deserves eternal life?
Of course no one can.
For “there is none righteous, not even one”
Grace is the only way anyone ever gets saved.

It’s like that song Peggy has sung:
“Were it not for grace, I can tell you where I’d be. Wondering down some pointless road to nowhere, with my salvation up to me. I know how that would go, the battles I would face. Forever running, but losing the race, were it not for grace.”

To be “fallen from grace” is to lose the hope
That there is any chance of reconciliation with God.

And that is one of the losses of legalism.
Sure, their message of circumcision may sound all wonderful
And may look very pious, BUT READ THE FINE PRINT.

• You lose Christ
• You lose Freedom
• You lose Grace

And when you put all of those together, we find one more thing you lose:

#4 GLORY
Galatians 5:5-6

Now here Paul is obviously CONTRASTING those who have chosen to be saved by grace with those who have chosen to be saved by works.

And Paul (being a man of grace) confidently asserts his position:

“For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness.”

That is a great statement summarizing the Christian life.

First of all, what is our hope?
“the hope of righteousness”

A true believer isn’t hoping to be made righteous,
He has hope because he knows he will be made righteous.

• We know there is a day coming when the sin nature will be completely done away with, and we will be perfectly conformed into the image of Christ.
• We know there is a day coming when our salvation will be perfectly complete, and we will be like Christ.
• We are declared righteous now, we will be righteous some day.

And since we have that hope, what are we doing?
“we are waiting”

If you’ve read your Bible through, you know that the word “wait”
Is a very important word to God.

Isaiah 40:31 “Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.”

Psalms 37:7-9 “Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. Cease from anger and forsake wrath; Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing. For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land.”

And there you can see as well that the word “wait”
Is very near to the words “trust” or “hope”

And in saying that, we realize that in those instances were we are told to “wait” or “trust” or “hope”, that the burden is all on the back of God.

If you are told to “wait” you are obviously not
Being commanded to do anything on your own.

And that is a very important distinction.
• Paul did not say “we are working, hoping to obtain righteousness”
• Paul said, “we are waiting for the hope of righteousness”

Those are two very different statements.

• A true believer knows that God will make him righteous, and so he is simply waiting for God to complete it.

• A false believers has no faith that God will make him righteous, so he is working tirelessly to earn it.

Now, why has a true believer reached a point of hope, whereby he can simply wait on righteousness to come?

Because a true believer has “faith”
Paul said, “by faith, [we] are waiting”

In short, we can wait for righteousness,
Because we trust that God will in fact give it to us.

And this is no small issue.
If we don’t obtain righteousness, we will not spend eternity in heaven.

God only accepts righteousness, without it you will not dwell with him.
And so, of all the things we should not be careless with,
Righteousness is certainly at the top of the list.

I mean, you could leave a lot of things up to chance,
But your desire for righteousness should not be one of them.
But for a believer we have placed that hope
In the greatest hands we know.
We don’t worry about whether or not we will obtain it
Because we believe God will do it.

We wait “by faith”

But even that brings an important thought.
Faith in faith is of no consequence.

What exactly are trusting?
How do we believe this righteousness will actually come?

Paul said, “For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting”
• Our faith is not sentimental…
• Our faith is not in faith…
• Our faith is not some myth…

Our faith is rested upon the power of God’s “Spirit”
To accomplish all that He has begun in us.

We know we aren’t doing this on our own.
We know that God is doing it in us.

Philippians 2:12-13 “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”

We are not worrying, we are not in anxiety
That somehow we might come short of righteousness.

We know that God is doing it through His Spirit, we trust in that,
And therefore we have hope.

“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.”

In other words, once you’ve come to Christ and you have God’s Spirit
There is no longer a preoccupation with religious works.

You know that so far as your future glory is concerned,
Your works don’t mean a thing.
Rather it is your faith in Christ, rooted in your love for Christ
That makes all the difference.

That is a true believer.
• They love Christ
• They trust Christ

And they have hope
Because they know that Christ will finish what He started
And will definitely make them righteous and take them to glory.

BUT…
• Someone who has rejected the benefits of Christ…
• Someone who has embraced the works of the Law…
• Someone who has disregarded the gift of grace…
They have no such hope or assurance.

Where as Paul said that “we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness.”

Paul would have to say about them, that “they through the flesh, by works, are working in hope that they can obtain righteousness.”

And you and I both know how that will go.

Romans 3:20 “because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.”

So if through their works they can’t be justified…
If through their works they can’t be righteous…

Then we know that
• Despite how hard they work,
• Despite how hard they try,
• Despite what religious ordinances they submit to.

THEY WILL NEVER OBTAIN
THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OR GLORY THEY SEEK
There will be no glory for them.

Romans 9:30-33 “What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, just as it is written, “BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.”

So be sure and take inventory of that.
If you want to embrace legalism, and you want to embrace circumcision, and you want to become Jewish, and you want to get under the law.

What will you gain?
• Acceptance from the Jewish crowd
• A Pious reputation from those on the outside
• A momentary assurance based on your great efforts
• The ability to hold your head high in religious circles
But what will you lose?
• You will lose Christ and all His benefits
• You will lose Freedom to worship as you please
• You will lose Grace and the favor of God
• You will lose any chance at future glory

So, it’s your choice.
You can pick which every you want,
Just be sure and read the fine print before you sign on the dotted line.

You may think there is something to gain from coming under the Law,
But don’t forget what there is to lose.
It is my observation that Christ is the better deal by far.
So no longer would I try to earn anything,
I much prefer to simply wait
While Christ accomplishes in Me all that He promised He would do.

And instead of focusing on all the works I might do as a checklist,
I will just focus on loving Christ and trusting Him.

“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.”

Finishing Strong
Genesis 22:20 – 23:20
June 22, 2014

Well as you know we have been studying through the book of Genesis – “The Gospel According to Moses”
And we’ve been learning the gospel message of God.

This message, told by Moses, through the lives of specific characters.
Adam taught us about sin
Noah taught us about judgment
Abraham is teaching us about salvation

And we’ve spent a great deal of time examining the life of Abraham.
• We saw him when he was nothing more than a pagan chosen by grace
• We saw him when was saved, being justified before God
• We saw him when God was pruning on him and growing his faith
• We saw him with the ultimate expression of worship, offering Isaac to God

Abraham’s life has been a perfect picture of
What salvation is supposed to look like in a person’s life.

• We start as sinners, chosen by God, recipients of grace
• We come to a point of saving faith and justification
• God then works on us and prunes us until we become the type of worshipers He deserves.

That is us, and that is Abraham.

Well this morning we begin looking at the final chapter in Abraham’s life.
And if we were going to give this final chapter a name we would call it “FINISHING WELL”

I cannot stress the importance of this enough in life.

While we are all on basically the same spiritual journey, in the sense that God is working on all of us to conform us into the image of His Son,
There is no doubt we are all at different stages in the race.

And anyone who understands anything about running a race is that
In order to win, you must do all things well, but especially finish well.

• A bad start can be overcome…
• A bad stretch in the middle of the race can be overcome…
But failing to finish well will get you beat every time.

You may remember what Jesus told the church at Philadelphia:
Revelation 3:10-11 “Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. ‘I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
The church at Philadelphia had run a strong race,
All that was left was for them to finish strong.

That is where we are now with Abraham.
Most of his race has been run, now he must finish well.

And the way Abraham is going to do this is
By settling once and for all which inheritance he has chosen.

You’ll actually see him do this a couple of times.
• First with the death of Sarah
• Second with the marriage of Isaac

But as we look at the story, understand that what we are looking at
Is Abraham settling once and for all which inheritance he wants.

NOW JUST TO CLARIFY THAT CONCEPT A LITTLE.

You must understand that when we come to Christ
We are made heirs of a heavenly kingdom.

Part of the expectation then is that we let go of our earthy inheritance.
That doesn’t mean no believer will ever receive an inheritance from their parents or grandparents, but it does mean that we no longer live for that one.

We now are in pursuit of what God has for us,
Not what we can get out of this life.

Let me give you an example or two.
Luke 9:59-60 “And He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.” But He said to him, “Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.”

That passage doesn’t speak of a man whom Jesus called
While he was attending his father’s funeral.

• That man’s father was alive and well.
• That man just didn’t want to leave and follow Jesus until after his father died
and he had a chance to collect his inheritance.

Jesus told him to let go of that inheritance and follow Him.

You may remember when Jesus called the disciples,
James and John had to leave their fishing nets and their father.

Even when Peter questioned about the reward for their sacrifice:
Matthew 19:29 “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life.”

The emphasis there is on the fact that God compensates every sacrifice,
But it does bring to light that sacrifice is made.

• Those people did leave houses and brothers and sisters and father and mother and children and farms.

• Those where people who laid their heavenly inheritance beside their earthly inheritance and chose heaven.

• They were willing to forsake the goods of this world for the sake of a greater inheritance from God.

It’s as Martin Luther wrote in that great hymn “A Mighty Fortress is our God”
“Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also, the body they may kills, God’s truth abideth still, His kingdom is forever.”

Or as Isaac Watts wrote in “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”
“Where the whole realm of nature mine, that were an offering far too small. Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.”

God’s people have understood that the call to follow Christ
Was a call to forsake all earthly treasure.

That is what Paul had in mind when he wrote:
Philippians 3:17-21 “Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.”

You understand what Paul wrote there.
There are many who live for this life.
• Their “god is their appetite”
• The “set their mind on earthly things”
• Incidentally they are “enemies of the cross of Christ”

But that is not how a Christian views this world.
• “For our citizenship is in heaven”

We aren’t seeking an earthly prize, we are seeking a heavenly one.
Anyone who still loves and clings to this world
Is completely missing the call of Jesus in their life.

Abraham is about to seal the deal on which inheritance he wants,
By the end you will see that nothing could have pleased God more.

So first let’s work through this story
And then we’ll get some application out of it.

5 divisions this morning
#1 ABRAHAM’S PEOPLE
Genesis 22:20-24

Now this passage really sets the stage for a story coming later.
Namely Moses is showing you the lineage of Rebecca.

It will be important to Abraham in chapter 24
That Isaac not marry a Canaanite, but rather someone from his home,
And so Moses is giving you the lineage of his future wife.

But in this passage we are also reminded of
Who and where Abraham’s family is.

If you will remember God gave a specific command to Abraham years ago
When He called him out of Canaan.

Genesis 12:1 “Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you;”

Abraham was called to forsake his family
Abraham was called to forsake his inheritance
And Abraham did that.

Now we are reminded that his family has flourished
And stayed back in Mesopotamia while he is in Canaan.

So first just remember that Abraham has left his family
And has dwelt in Canaan.

#2 ABRAHAM’S PAIN
Genesis 23:1-2

And here is the sad news of the passage.
“Sarah died”

If we had time we could spend a while here and give Sarah quite a funeral.

What a woman of faith she turned out to be.
A model of great submission, Sarah was also a woman of great faith.

• Who could forget her willingness to follow Abraham?
• Who could forget her submission to say she was his sister?
• Who could forget her faith to conceive Isaac?
• Who could forget her discernment to make sure Ishmael was removed?

Certainly Abraham couldn’t forget all of that.
Sarah was his help-mate
Sarah was his life partner
Sarah was his wife

And now, Sarah has died.
And rightly so, “Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.”

Now we certainly don’t want to minimize the death of one of God’s saints.
“precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones.”

However, the main reason for including the story of Sarah’s death (and more importantly her burial)
Is not just to get nostalgic over Sarah, but rather to highlight the decision Abraham made in regard to her burial location.

Abraham is a man in emotional pain at the moment
And yet he is about to make one of the greatest decisions of his life.

Abraham’s people, Abraham’s pain
#3 ABRAHAM’S PETITION
Genesis 23:3-4

Now that request may not seem like a very significant one to you,
But in Abraham’s culture, it said a great deal about Abraham’s faith.

In that culture you buried your dead in your homeland.
You buried your dead near your family.
It was a sacred thing.

You may remember Joseph’s request when he was dying:
Hebrews 11:22 “By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones.”

Remember Joseph made the children of Israel take his bones with them
When they went to the Promised Land.

The burial place was of huge importance.

And the significant thing here is that Abraham first admits to being a stranger and yet still chooses to bury his wife here.

(4) “I am a stranger and a sojourner among you; give me a burial site among you that I may bury my dead out of my sight.”

Abraham confessed that he was a foreigner.
In fact in the next chapter when Abraham is getting ready to send his servant to find a bride for Isaac, notice what he says:

Genesis 24:3-4 “and I will make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live, but you will go to my country and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”

Notice that Abraham knew where his country was,
And Abraham knew who his people were.
And yet, Abraham chooses to bury his dead here in the land of Canaan.
• A land where he owned no land
• A land where he had no people
• A land where he was “a sojourner” (traveler)

The main point is that Abraham was staying in Canaan.
If there was ever a time to return to your homeland, this was it.

In their culture what Abraham did really didn’t make much sense,
But Abraham was not walking by his own understanding.

Abraham was walking by faith that this would be the land of his people.

This was a declaration of faith,
And if you don’t see it now, I’ll prove it in a moment.

#4 ABRAHAM’S PURCHASE
Genesis 23:5-16

And we aren’t going to spend a lot of time here, but basically you see the procedure Abraham went through in order to purchase this cave.
The procedure was not necessarily easy and it wasn’t necessarily cheap.

Abraham had to find a cave, find the owner, settle a price, and pay for it.
And yet that is precisely what he did.

He found the place he desired and purchased the tomb for Sarah.
#5 ABRAHAM’S POSSESSION
Genesis 23:17-20

There we find that “Ephron’s field, which was in Machpela, which faced Mamre, the field and cave which was in it, and all the trees which were in the field, that were withing all the confines of its border, were deeded over to Abraham for a possession…”

Why was that a big deal?

Because that is the only part of the Promised Land
That Abraham would ever own.

God had promised Abraham the land of Canaan.
• Abraham saw it
• Abraham enjoyed it
• Abraham wanted it

But as far as actually owning it,
This cave along with its field was all he would ever own.

The only land he ever possessed was the cave where he buried his wife.
Now, does that seem a little disappointing?

I mean, after all, God had promised it would be his.

Genesis 13:14-15 “The LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever.”

And now we find out that Abraham never really owned this land.
Just this small portion of it to bury his wife.

WHAT DO WE DO WITH THAT?
Well fortunately we aren’t left in confusion.
The Bible explains the situation quite clearly.

TURN TO: Hebrews 11

Now we looked at Hebrews some last week as well
So you are already up on what is going on there.

We have those Jews who have confessed Christ, but because following Christ has been so hard, they are debating returning to Judaism.

And last week we listened as the writer of Hebrews used the fact that God swore to Abraham to give those same Jews hope to press on.

Well the writer of Hebrews is still working on their endurance.
It actually starts in chapter 10 (look there with me)

(READ 10:32-39)

Again you hear the writer comment on their former obedience
And again he tells them to press on.

Notice (36) “For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.”

There is a promise to you, be sure you persevere to receive it.

And then the verse that transitions for us:
(39) “But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.”

So notice what the preacher is doing.
He is encouraging these battered believers to be people of faith.

Be the type of people who persevere, who obtain the promises,
Who have faith, and who don’t quit.

And then to illustrate his point comes the chapter you are all most familiar with, it is the faith chapter.

Now, we don’t have time to hit it all, but we could start with the definition of faith, and then take a quick look at the life of Abel and Enoch and Noah.

But we’re going to skip them for time sake and jump down to Abraham.

(8-12) “By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised. Therefore there was born even of one man, and him as good as dead at that, as many descendants AS THE STARS OF HEAVEN IN NUMBER, AND INNUMERABLE AS THE SAND WHICH IS BY THE SEASHORE.”

You are familiar with all of those truths.
We’ve seen each of those come to fruition in Abraham’s life.

So the writer is encouraging the Hebrew believers to have faith
And he gives them the example of Abraham as to what that looks like.

And then comes the passage I want you to see.
(13-16) “All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.”

Now let’s spend a little time here,
Because you will notice that these passages fit Abraham to a “T”,
Especially in regard to the story we just covered in Genesis.

Notice what the preacher said:
“All these died in faith, without receiving the promises…”

Put another way, their faith outlasted their life.
(And might I say that it better)

If your life lasts longer than your faith you’ve got a bad problem.

Abraham and Sarah would die in faith
Without fully realizing all that God had promised.
As we said a moment ago, all Abraham ever owned
Was the grave where he buried Sarah.

So they did not receive it all.
“but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.”

Now Abraham never fully realized the fulfillment of that promise,
But there were three things he did do.

All three of them are listed by the word “having”

So what did Abraham do in regard to the promise?
• “having seen them” (understood)
• “having welcomed them” (liked what he saw)
• “having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.” (chose them as his own)

DO YOU REMEMBER ABRAHAM CONFESSING THAT?

We just covered it:
Genesis 23:4 “I am a stranger and a sojourner among you; give me a burial site among you that I may bury my dead out of my sight.”

And remember we said that Abraham was
Choosing the land of his inheritance over the land of his people.

Abraham realized that his natural home was not his home.
He had seen the promise of God and he was holding out for that.

• It didn’t matter that he was a stranger
• It didn’t matter that he was an alien
• It didn’t matter that he was a sojourner
• It didn’t matter that he didn’t have it all yet

He knew he would someday and that was enough for him.

He saw them and welcomed it from a distance.

(14) “For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own.”

We know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Abraham wasn’t interested
In going back to Mesopotamia and claiming his former inheritance.

Abraham was seeking what God had for him.
Abraham was seeking what was ahead.

(15-16) “And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.”

That was Abraham wasn’t it?

If he had wanted to go home,
Burying Sarah would have been the perfect excuse.

• You’ve spent your life as a foreigner in this strange land,
• You still don’t own any of it,
• Your wife is now dead
• It’s time to go back to your people and your land – correct?

Not for Abraham.

When the opportunity to return was the greatest, Abraham made the strongest declaration.
• He asked only for enough land to bury his wife.
• Canaan would be his home
• Canaan would be home to his descendants
• God would give it to him and Abraham believed it

“Therefore God [was] not ashamed to be called [his] God”

What a statement!
God loved the faith of Abraham, to believe even in a moment like this.

Now if you are familiar with the faith chapter, you know that from there the writer picks back up with more illustrations of faith.

He’ll carry you through Isaac, and Jacob, and Joseph, and Moses, and the children of Israel, and Rahab and others he doesn’t have time to talk about.

And then notice once again how he closes the chapter.
(39-40) “And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.”

DID YOU CATCH THAT?
None of them fully received what was promised.

Because God wasn’t going to give it to them apart from us
(apart from everyone else He had promised it to)

And this is something you must understand:
GOD’S PROMISES TO THOSE IN FAITH
ARE NOT EXHAUSED IN THIS LIFE
(Bible Knowledge Commentary)

The promises of God would not be fully realized until the next life.
And this is something you have to understand too.
I know all those “name it – claim it” preachers out there want you to have your best life now, and promise instant healing, and prosperity.

Just read Abraham’s life story…
Just read Hebrews 11…

“And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised…”

There was a whole multitude of people who lived this life without
Because they were counting on an inheritance that could not be seen.

They willingly chose to forsake what they could see,
In order that they might gain what they could not see.

And that is the call for the writer of Hebrews to those he is preaching to.

YOU TOO MUST DO THE SAME.
• Let go of this life…
• Let go of your present inheritance…
• Pursue the city whose architect and builder is God.

In fact, the writer of Hebrews takes the momentum of this chapter
And drives it home with this great plea of invitation.

(12:1-2) “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

“since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us…”

I’ve heard it preached that they are in a stadium cheering us on.
I don’t really think that is the point.

I think the point is that since so many
Have gone before us and done it correctly…

“let us also lay aside every encumbrance”
• Abraham did, didn’t he?
• He let Lot go
• He let Ishmael go

“and the sin which so easily entangles”
• Abraham did, didn’t he?
• Not taking the bait of the king of Sodom’s gold
• Willingly leaving his pagan faith for the one true God

“let us run with endurance the race that is set before us”
• Abraham did, didn’t he?
• Even when Sarah died, he didn’t return
• He lived as s stranger and an alien and a sojourner all his life

“fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith”
• Abraham did, didn’t he?

John 8:56 “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.”

AND THAT IS OUR ADMONITION OR INVITATION TODAY AS WELL.
It’s not just how you start, it’s how you finish.

In the Christian life, starting strong is easy.
You start the Christian life with the joy of forgiveness
And the gift of the Holy Spirit.

But finishing strong takes faith.
After a few years of this Christian walk, you get chewed on by the world,
You get chewed on by the devil, you have to endure over and over.

Your side starts cramping…
Your legs are like jello…
You are out of breath…

And it is then that you have to dig deep and finish strong.

And the means by which to do that are given to us.

“lay aside every encumbrance”

Is there something that is keeping you from running the race?
We aren’t even talking about sin here (that is next)

• Debt can keep you from giving
• Plans can keep you from going
• Friends can keep you from standing
• Any number of things can keep you from staying focused

What are those things? LAY THEM ASIDE

And “lay aside…the sin that so easily entangle us”

Some things aren’t sinful, but they still hinder.
This is sin, and it definitely has to go.

The sin in your life has to be removed.
• Bad choices…
• Bad relationships…
• Bad habits…

It will entangle you and it must be removed.
And then you must run with endurance, focusing on Jesus.

In the Greek the word race is “AGON”,
It is where we get our word for agony.

This is a marathon, not a sprint, and it requires endurance.
For your focus, look to Jesus, who already finished the course
And received the reward even though His race led Him through the cross.

YOU MUST REALIZE THAT
THIS IS GOD’S WILL FOR THE BELIEVER.

Abraham’s life is a picture of salvation.
• God take’s pagans and chooses them and gives them grace
• God leads them to saving faith
• God prunes them and shapes them
• God desires worship from them
• And God expects them to finish strong

Abraham did, now you do the same.

HAVE YOU STARTED THE RACE YET?

ARE YOU RUNNING IN A WAY THAT WOULD PLEASE GOD?
• Is there something encumbering you?
• Is there something entangling you?

ARE YOU RUNNING WITH ENDURANCE?
• Or have you stopped running because it was to hard?

Just because there is an opportunity to quit, doesn’t mean we can.

“And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return.”

But that is not what we do.
We press on

This morning let me encourage you to run with endurance,
Run with perfection, and finish your race strong.

Hebrews 11:16 “But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.”

Abraham’s Hope
Genesis 22:15-19
June 15, 2014

Well, last time we met we studied one of the most penetrating passages in Scripture on worship that you will ever find.

Indeed, it is the first time worship is ever mentioned in Scripture,
And what a picture it was.

• God asked Abraham to sacrifice what was most important to him.
• God asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son, whom he loved.

And hopefully you remember the story.

We saw the promptness of Abraham to immediately jump up and gladly give God all that He asked for.

There was no complaint, there was no argument, there was no grumbling.
Abraham was glad to give God exactly what God wanted.

We saw the poise of Abraham saying confidently, “God will provide”

Abraham knew that there was nothing which God would ask for in worship that God could not restore, redeem, or replace.

And that included his own son, whom Abraham figured God could raise from the dead.

And sure enough God did provide, staying Abraham’s hand and providing a ram caught in the thicket to be the sacrifice in the place of Isaac.

And we said then that it became obvious that even though God asked for Isaac, it was clear that Isaac is not who God wanted.

God wanted Abraham.

And after Abraham presented Isaac, God responded:
Genesis 22:12 “He said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”

• God didn’t say “Now I know that you trust Me”
• God didn’t say “Now I know that you love Me”
• God said, “Now I know that you fear [Me]”

That is that reverential awe – that true heart of worship.

Abraham had no heart idols.
His heart belonged only to God.

Nothing proves who your heart belongs to like worship.
When we present God what He desires, that worship proves the devotion of our heart.
And then we really just sort of rushed through these last 5 verses.
The point we made was how pleased God is with a true worshiper.

God was pleased with Abraham’s worship
And God’s favor prompted these 5 amazing verses.

What God does here is one of the most remarkable things
He could have possible done for Abraham.
Here God gives Abraham the gift of hope.

THAT IS AN AMAZING GIFT
• There is not a person in here who does not want hope.
• There is not a person in here who when the doctor comes in wants him to say, “Sorry, but there is nothing we can do”

We crave hope
And generally we want hope because it makes us feel so much better.

But hope is not just a sentimental gift from God.
Hope serves a very important purpose.

It is not just a good thing to have hope, it is a necessary thing.

And here is why:
HOPE IS THE POWER THAT FUELS YOUR FAITH

Now we have said it many times before, but how do we know if you have real saving faith?

There are two main fruit that indicate true saving faith.
Faith Obeys
Faith Endures

But here is the kicker.
If you don’t have hope you won’t obey or endure.

If I told you that there is no hope that you will go to heaven when you die, or that your circumstances will get better, are you going to continue to obey the commands of Jesus?

Without hope you’d just go into self-preservation mode
And focus only on what is immediately gratifying.

Hope is the power that fuels your faith.
• You keep believing…
• You keep obeying…
• You keep enduring…
Because you have hope that it will all be worth it.

Take away hope and you lose faith.
HOPE IS ESSENTIAL
And this morning that is precisely what God gives Abraham.
God gives him the gift of hope.

When Abraham worshiped, God gave him hope.

Now, one other distinction that must be made.
God did not here give Abraham security.

Abraham already had security.
Abraham was already secure – we’ve seen that time and time again.

Hope is not the presence of security.
Hope is the recognition and enjoyment of that security.

You can be secure and still have no hope.
Those people who are stuck in denominations
That teach you can lose your salvation are in this boat.

If they have fully trusted in Christ, then they are secure,
But their knuckleheaded preachers who tell them there is no security
Have refused to let them enjoy it.

God here gave Abraham the gift of hope.
God is about to let Abraham enjoy his security.

And again why would God this?
(Because if you have hope you are more apt to obey and keep obeying)

Those same knuckleheads who refuse to give security to their people,
Do so because they think fear is a great motivator.

They plan to keep their people obeying
By holding over their head the fear of losing their salvation.

What they don’t understand is that
Fear has never been as good a motivator as hope.

God wants you to have hope,
And that is what He gives here to Abraham and also to you.

And this morning I want to show you that hope,
And if you have trusted in Christ I want to give you that hope as well.

Now we are going to look a little deeper at those same verses we read last week, and then we are going to study a commentary on those two verses.

(Do you like reading commentaries?)
You’ll like reading these commentaries

Two points
#1 THE PERMANENCE OF THE BLESSING
Genesis 22:15-17

Now you recognize that this statement is an added bonus.
• God already provided a sacrifice
• God already spared Isaac
• Abraham is already worshiping God for His great provision.

And then God decides to go one step further.
“By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seek shall possess the gate of their enemies.”

Now at first we read that and think to ourselves,
Well that is certainly good, but it isn’t new information.

I mean hasn’t God already told that to Abraham?
Genesis 12:2-3 “And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

Genesis 13:14-17 “The LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever. “I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth, so that if anyone can number the dust of the earth, then your descendants can also be numbered. “Arise, walk about the land through its length and breadth; for I will give it to you.”

Genesis 14:18-20 “And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High. He blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” He gave him a tenth of all.”

Genesis 15:5 “And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”

Genesis 17:1-5 “Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless. “I will establish My covenant between Me and you, And I will multiply you exceedingly.” Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying, “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, And you will be the father of a multitude of nations. “No longer shall your name be called Abram, But your name shall be Abraham; For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.”

And that doesn’t even count the promises to Sarah
Or the fact that God had given Abraham Isaac just as He promised.

I mean, what makes this statement so special?

5 words set this statement apart.
“By Myself I have sworn…”

Every other time God spoke to Abraham, it was a promise, it was a plan.
But this time God takes an additional step and puts Himself under oath.

Well that is interesting, why would God do that?

Well, now it’s time to read the first commentary.
TURN TO: Hebrews 6

While you are turning I have to give you a quick backdrop to the chapter.

We have here the writer of Hebrews preaching to a group of Jews
Who have claimed to follow Christ,
But because of persecution, are debating abandoning Christ.

They recognized Christ, they confessed Christ,
But they aren’t sure if it is worth it to keep following Christ.

Now, let me ask you, what does a believer who is struggling with obedience and endurance need?

(You could say, “A swift kick in the pants” – and they’ll get that too)

But obedience and endurance are elements of faith, and what is the power that fuels our faith? – HOPE

These battered believers need hope that their struggle won’t be in vain.

Now before the hope comes the “swift kick in the pants”
(VERSES 1-8)

Without spending too much time here,
The preacher vents his frustration for their spiritual apathy and lethargy.

They are quitting, they are stopping, and the preacher pulls no punches
In telling them that this would be a mistake of the largest proportion.

You don’t confess Christ and then turn away from Him.
That is the sin of apostasy and it is impossible
To renew that person to repentance.

A person who fully understands the gospel
And chooses to reject it anyway cannot be saved.

That is a sobering warning. (“A swift kick in the pants”)

But notice the preacher soften the blow a little because after all what he really wants them to have is what? HOPE

(VERSE 9)
He just told them of the grim reality for those who fall away, but then says, “But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things which accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way.”

• We don’t really think you are the quitting kind.
• We don’t really think you are going to turn away from Christ.
• We think you really are saved and that you really do have faith.

I’m kicking you in the tail here, but understand
I don’t think you are that kind of phony.
I don’t think you are worthless ground that needs to be burned.

WHY DOES HE NOT THINK THAT?
(VERSE 10)

He thinks they are really saved
Because of the fruit he has seen from them in the past.
He saw their love and ministry for the saints.
And he is convinced that they really are saved.

So he thinks they are saved, but they are also afraid and discouraged.
WHAT DO THEY NEED? HOPE

(VERSE 11-12)

Remember how diligent you were to minister to the saints?
Well, show that same diligence in trying to understand your hope.

Why does he want them to have hope?
“so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”

He thought they were true believers, but they were “sluggish” believers.

WHY WERE THEY SLUGGISH?
They had no hope

Incidentally, if you are a sluggish believer without obedience and endurance
Then one of true things is true.
Either you’re not a believer or you’re a believer who has lost sight of hope

And to give these sluggish believers hope,
Guess what passage he chooses to teach them?

Yep, Genesis 22:15-17
These next verses are the commentary on Genesis 22:15-17.
I’d preach them to you, but we are better served
To let the writer of Hebrews teach them to you.

And you will notice that the main thing the writer of Hebrews seizes upon
Is that God made an oath to Abraham.

(VERSES 13-15)
There it is.
God made an oath.

Now, God swore by Himself why?
Because He could swear by no one greater.

• People today say, “I swear to God”
• Well, God had no one greater He could swear by, so He swore by Himself.

And He swore, “I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you” (Genesis 22:17)

And the writer of Hebrews wants to expound on that a little bit for you.

(16) “For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute.”

The writer is explaining why men take oaths upon themselves.
Oaths are mean to settle disputes.

“dispute” translates ANTILOGIA
“to speak against”

• In some places the word is translated “hostility”
• In other places it is translated “rebellion”
• In other places it is translated “contradicting”

The point is that men are in disagreement, and they don’t believe each other.
There is distrust regarding what is being said or promised.

And in order to get someone who doesn’t believe you to believe you,
You say, “I swear”

That is the purpose of the oath, to cause doubters to believe
That what you are saying is in fact true.

(17) “In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath,”

So there we read that just like men, God “interposed with an oath”

NOW THAT SEEMS STRANGE.
Is God prone to lying? No (in a minute you’ll see He can’t lie)
Does God need to swear? No

So why would God take an oath when His word is 100% credible?

(17) “desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose…”

The only reason God took an oath
Is because He wanted the heirs of the promise to know
Beyond the shadow of a doubt that He would not change His mind.

He knew He wouldn’t change His mind
He wanted Abraham to know He wouldn’t change His mind

(18) “so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.”

What a great encouragement!

“two unchangeable things”
1) God can’t lie
2) God took an oath

By those two things God was strongly encouraging us to go ahead and “take hold of the hope set before us.”

In other words don’t hesitate to have hope.
Its setting right there in front of you, grab it.

To make sure you have hope, God took an oath
PLEASE – PLEASE – PLEASE have hope!

That is what the writer of Hebrews wants these sluggish believers to have
• They need hope to face the persecution
• They need hope to face the hardship
• They need to know that their suffering is not in vain
• They need to know that God will do for them what He promised

Please – Please – Please have hope!

(19-20) “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”

And there he tells them the importance of their hope:
It is “an anchor of the soul”
He tells them the RELIABILITY of their hope:
“both sure and steadfast”

He tells them then the POWER of their hope:
“one which enters within the veil”

I want you to have this hope because it will anchor your soul

What is this hope?
Well, for Abraham and his descendants
• It was the hope of the land,
• The hope of God’s favor,
• The hope of multiplied descendants.

In short, it was the hope of an inheritance.

AND IT IS THE SAME FOR US.
Look at what Scripture says our hope is:

Galatians 5:5 “For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness.”

Colossians 1:27 “to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

Colossians 1:5 “because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel”

1 Thessalonians 5:8 “But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.”

1 Peter 1:3-5 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

Titus 1:2 “in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago,”

Titus 3:7 “so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

Our hope is nothing less than eternal life and the guarantee of it.
And the security of our hope is that
Jesus has entered the veil and protects that hope for us.

And the writer of Hebrews wanted them to know this.
GOD HAS SWORN YOUR HOPE IS SECURE!
And to carry out the application, that means:
• You don’t have to fear the consequences of obedience.
• You don’t have to fear the consequences of endurance.

GOD HAS SWORN HE WILL NOT CHANGE HIS MIND
ABOUT GIVING YOU YOUR INHERITANCE!

Have hope! You are secure!

Abraham, you are a worshiper of Me, and I want you to now have hope, because I swear that I will not change My mind about what I promised you!

That is the permanence of the blessing.
#2 THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE BLESSING
Genesis 22:18-19

Now, this is important.
Don’t miss this.

• We read a passage in Genesis about God making a promise to Abraham (the father of the Jews)

• And then we read a passage in Hebrews (written to Jews) about the guaranteed promise.

The obvious question is:
WHAT DOES ALL THIS HAVE TO DO WITH A BUNCH OF GENTILES?
I’m not a Jew
I’m not a direct descendant of Abraham

This is where you need to step up and pay attention.

Verse 18 indicates that the blessing isn’t just for Jews alone.
(18) “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”

As a Gentile I can share the blessing.
As a Gentile I can be blessed with an inheritance as well.

So what do I need to do?
• Do I become Jewish?
• Do I become a Jewish activist?
• Do I start defending Israel?

Well, again let’s read a commentary on the passage.
TURN TO: Galatians 3

Now we won’t spend as much time here as we did in Hebrews.
Partly because those of you coming on Sunday nights have recently studied this passage since Galatians is our Sunday night study.
In the book of Galatians we have a group of Gentiles
Trying to answer the very question I just asked you.

As a Gentile, how do I partake in the blessing that God made to Abraham?

Well, you should know that some Jews came along
And told them that they had to become Jewish.
They told them to get circumcised and get under the Law.

But Paul is wholeheartedly refuting that and clarifying that
You do not partake of the blessing to Abraham by becoming Jewish.

Then how do you partake of it?

Look at verse 16.
“Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as referring to many, but rather to one, “And to your seed,” that is, Christ.”

WOW!
That is great commentary on the Old Testament passage.

That means if in Genesis 22:18 it is translated “In your descendants”
Then you need to mark out that “s” on the end of “descendants”,
Because the translators got it wrong.

HOW DO I KNOW THAT?

Because Paul here clearly says that God DID NOT make that promise
To Abraham and all of his descendants.

God only made that promise to Abraham and 1 of His descendants.
And that descendant was who? – Christ

You say, well now you’re losing me preacher.
If that promise is only for those two then how do I get it?

Well, you certainly don’t get it by becoming Jewish
(the promise wasn’t for them)

You only get it through Christ.
I become a partaker of the promise when I am “in Him”

Look down in Galatians 3 to verse 29.
“And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.”

I become and heir of that promise
When I die to myself and am raised to life in Christ.
• The hope of glory…
• The hope of righteousness…
• The hope of salvation…
• The hope of eternal life…

That’s not hope you get by becoming Jewish.
That’s hope you get when you die to self and give your life to Christ.

How does the song go?
“My hope is built on nothing less than _____________________and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on _______________”

“On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand.”

“His oath, HIS COVENANT, His blood, support me in the whelming flood. When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay.”

“When He shall come with trumpet sound, Oh may I then ________________, dressed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne.”

“On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand.”

DO YOU SEE IT?
• There is a promise…
• There is a blessing…
• There is an inheritance…

God gives it to everyone who is in Christ.
And when you are in Christ, God promises, God swears, God takes an oath, that He will not change His mind about giving it to you.

No matter what you face, not matter what you endure,
Stay strong, the inheritance is yours!

HAVE HOPE!
Romans 5:1-2 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.”

• We know that through Jesus we have peace with God
• We know that through Jesus we stand in grace
• We know that through Jesus we will receive the glory of God
And because of that “we exult in hope”

And as Paul said – HOPE DOES NOT DISAPPOINT!
• Can I tell you to have hope this morning?
• Can I beg you to take hold of the hope set before you?
• Can I plead with you to take hold of Jesus?

Can I promise you that no matter what you face,
If you are in Christ, God will not change His mind?

God says, because you are in My Son, the inheritance is yours,
I will give it to you, I promise, I swear!

Friends, no matter what this life holds for me,
• I know I’m going to heaven when I die.
• I will not lose my salvation.
• I cannot lose my salvation.
• God won’t let me lose my salvation.

 

See, my soul has an anchor.
• It is an anchor that is “sure and steadfast”
• It is an anchor that is hooked gripping behind the veil
• MY ANCHOR IS JESUS AND HE WILL NOT LET ME GO

 

And if you are in Christ, He won’t let you go either.
Now, don’t be sluggish
Don’t be lazy
Don’t be a doubter
But instead rise up, have faith, be obedient, and persevere!

Hebrews 6:11-12 “And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”