Genesis 21: Living life with a Promise Keeping God

 

Sermon Title: Living Life with a Promise Keeping God

Sermon Text: Genesis 21

(Introduction)

Attention: Has God worked clearly providentially in your life? Providing Jimmy’s kidney - an act of divine providence. (Tell the story of testing and volunteer)

Need: No matter how difficult life gets, we can trust the promises from our covenant keeping God that are revealed to us as His people in the word of God.

Textual Idea: Abraham’s family experiences Yahweh working behind the scenes to keep His covenant promises by revelation, providence, and power.

Background: God’s covenant with Abraham has oaths, promises, and has unconditional and conditional parts. Gen 12, 15, 17. There are many beginnings in the book of Genesis. We will explore some today.

Sermon Idea: Faithful Yahweh keeps His covenant promises by revelation, providence, and power.

Interrogative: How does Yahweh keep His promises to His covenant people?

Transition w/ Key Word: Yahweh faithfully keeps His promises by providing revelation, superintending providence, and supernatural intervention.

(Body)

(Direction) We will explore 3 beginnings in this text. 1. Messianic Nation, 2 The Ishmaelites, 3. Cross cultural communication. What does God & then Abraham do?

Division 1 Statement: THE BEGINNING OF THE MESSIANIC NATION OF ISRAEL THROUGH ISAAC. vs 1-8

Explanation: A Miracle - promise keeping God. As ‘He had said.’ He did what He promised. At 100, and Sarah (noble woman) 90 years old, God did what man cannot do. Isaac (He laughs) brought laughter to this tent. Abraham (father of a multitude) obeys the word of God & put the sign & seal of – covenant--circumcision, on Isaac at 8 days old. He is obeying the word of God. The person to carry – Messianic seed was born by a supernatural birth.

Illustration: This miraculous birth foreshadows two other births. Elizabeth was not as old as Sarah, but she was unable to conceive. The angel announced to her and Zachariah that their son John would be a great prophet. But the even more astounding birth is - miracle birth that was the virgin conception and birth of Jesus the Messiah. He did not get his stepfather Joseph’s sin nature by this birth. Born without sin, He lived a holy life in our place, and he died a substitutionary death in our place.

Argumentation: Through your seed, Abraham, all the families of the earth will be blessed. Paul tells us in Galatians that part of the that fulfillment was through Jesus the Messiah (seed, a collective noun, use in the covenant means both the one and the many). The Jewish nation was supposed to be a nation of priests that would reach the other families on the earth. They did not always obey that mandate. The descendants of Isaac through Jacob were chosen to provide the Messiah for all peoples and to be a witness to all peoples. We have this purpose as well. In God’s providence, descendants of Ismael will take Joseph from Canaan to Egypt to provide protection for the future nation in the land of Egypt for 430 years.

Application: If we truly love God, out of that love will flow obedience to His word. We can trust God to keep His promises to us. We find His promises in – Bible, so we must know the book to know the God of the book and His words to us. When we properly handle the Bible and find promises that are for us, we can trust the powerful God of Abraham, Yahweh to keep them. We can get into trouble if we apply words that are not to us or for us or are not promises at all (like Proverbs are saying that come true 80% of the time and are not promises)

Transition: It was not just the nation of Israel that is begun in this chapter. We see next:

Division 2 Statement: THE BEGINNING OF A NEW NATION THROUGH ISHAMEL. vs 9-21

Explanation: Ismael makes fun of Isaac. Sarah, like a mother bear when someone messes with her cubs, steps up to protect him. Her remedy seems harsh to Abraham. His past sin has put him in a dilemma. He loves both of his sons, but -Messiah will not come through Ishmael (God will hear). Abraham’s weakness is also a hidden strength. Mercy & fatherly love. Sinful choices make our need for special revelation -God even more important in - future to try to do right. We can’t follow our emotions. Once he has the revelation from God, he does the hard, right thing. Abraham provided (lehem) food, could be grain & meat and water for the trip. Enough that she needs to carry on – shoulder, not just - hand. There is no Bible yet. God special revelation comes at this point in redemptive history by spoken words. Ishmael is 14-17 yrs. old. Abraham does this because God’s word to him confirmed it was the right choice. It was hard, as any parent or grandparent knows. Hagar and the boy head south toward Egypt. This – trial, need God’s wisdom. The water runs out. – boy under a bush & mom is about 18-32 meters away. God’s special revelation comes again. The angel of God reveals to Hagar that she & Ishmael will be fine. She can now see the well providence has led them to travel close too. God hears Ismael. Just like his name (God hears). Do not fear. I will provide and protect. God was with this young man and kept his promises about and to him. He was a great hunter and married a lady from Egypt. He lived in dessert near Egypt, south of Beersheba.

Illustration: Jesus said at the feast while they were pouring out large water pots, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.” Jesus fed over 5K with loaves and fish when they needed food. The Lord met Hagar and Ismael’s need for water. Jesus offered living water to a Samaritan woman at the well. I offer living water that is permanent. Once you have received the Holy Spirit, you have your source to meet your need with you at all times. God met their needs and can meet yours as well.

Argumentation: The messenger of God or of Yahweh in the OT is sometimes God the Son, our Lord Jesus the Messiah. Like the Father, God the Son is eternal and everlasting. So, it is possible that the person who made the promises to Hagar in Gen 16 and in Gen 21 about Ishmael, was the Son of God, long before his birth in Bethlehem and his death outside of Jerusalem. Moses, the human author was also a child sent out in nature, totally dependent on the power and providence of God, like the youth Ishmael, lying under the bush in the desert heat with no water. Both could have been harmed by wild animals, humans, or natural elements. God providentially superintended their protection to faithfully keep His covenant promises. God had directed them near a well but hid it until He provided further revelation & repeated His promises.

Application: The text says God was WITH the boy. When God is with someone, He is there to provide His protection and provision. If you belong to Jesus, God is with you. He will work His plan in and around you and hopefully through you. His providential care will not fail to accomplish His secret plan. You do not have to let fear overcome you. Call out to God. He will hear your voice. He will accomplish His plan right on His time. Trust Him, love and obey Him. It is a wonderful thing to be part of – covenant community with a covenant bond to – God that rules from heaven. Don’t try to fix things for God like Abraham taking Hagar as a second wife. We should check out our special revelation Bible before making key choices just like Abraham should have done by asked God before he made that sinful choice. Sarah & the culture were wrong, and in this chapter, Sarah deeply regrets her bad advice over 14 yrs. ago.

Transition: Not only did two nations start, in this chapter, but we also see – beginning of covenant people relating to – cultures around them. We see next:

Division 3 Statement: THE BEGINNING OF COMUNICATING ACROSS CULTURES THROUGH ABRAHAM. 22-34

Explanation: The geography in the text. Abimelech (my father is king) is from Gerar, to the west of Beersheba, to west of Gerar is Gaza & - Med. Sea. North of Beersheba is Bethlehem (61km), & Jerusalem is (9.7 km) N. of Bethlehem. We see Yahweh working here through superintending providence. Everyone can see God is with Abraham. He is blessing him to build a Messianic Nation. Jesus will be one of Abraham’s descendants. The key One. Abraham enters a covenant to operate as a good citizen of the land where he dwells. Abraham lied to Abimelech in the past, so now this king wants a solemn oath. It will one day be Abraham’s land, but he is seen as a stranger in the land by - Philistines. Abraham brings up a conflict with clear communication so that it can be resolved. He is dwelling in Beersheba (the well of the oath of 7). He gives 7 lambs to symbolize this agreement. Abraham and his family can now use this well. It is vital for survival for both people and animals. It was a big problem that the Philistine’s took over this well. He is starting to build a nation. Planting of – evergreen shade tree is an act of faith in God’s promises. (This kind grows 30’ tall, spreads out, and requires little water). God’s promise: I will give you this land. Abe, thinks, I am going to need some shade in - future to stay where God has placed me. Abraham is a foreigner, has a different culture that the Philistines and Canaanites. He is one who is worshipping the everlasting God, Yahweh (the eternally present one, covenant keeper) and Him Only. We see from Genesis that worshipping the true God is what a believer like Abraham does on a regular basis and wherever he moves. He loves God. He trusts. He fails, but tries to obey God, even when it hard because of the results of past sins. Wait until next week when you consider the ultimate covenant test for Abraham.

Illustration: Again, we note that Jesus chose to travel straight through Samaria instead of avoiding it like other Jews. He offered living water to a Samaritan woman at different well than Abraham used. He reached across cultures and prejudices. If a Samaritan’s shadow fell on a Jewish merchant’s cart of melons, he would discard them as defiled. Not Jesus. Some Greek came to the Apostles, “We would like to speak with Jesus.” He healed a Gentile Syrian woman’s son. In the Great Commission, the church is commanded to disciple every people group. The father of faith, Abraham, models cross culture communication without compromise. You can discuss difficult matter with truth and kindness. Focus on what is important. Abe needed water to build -Messianic nation.

Argumentation: We not only have things that have begun for the first time in Gen. chapter 21, but we also have things that continue from earlier in Genesis. We see with Abraham, his weakness, his faith, his obedience, and his worship that continue from previous chapters. This is in contrast with Yahweh’s continuing revelation, power, providence, and faithfulness. God does not change. When He says, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in you heart that God raised Him from the dead, YOU WILL BE SAVED. You can trust this promise and the God who gave it.

Application: Like Abraham, we are also to be in the world, but not just like the world. Don’t let the pagan world squeeze you into its mold. We are to please God first and then, we as children of light will be different than the children of the darkness. On cultural matters the Bible does not address in word or principal, we can use those common bonds in the culture for a bridge for the gospel of Jesus Christ. What the Bible command, we should do, what it forbids, we should avoid. But things like using electricity for light, is fine to use it or not. We have - freedom to choose.

Transition: We have a rare event in this chapter and elsewhere in the Bible.

(Conclusion)

Visualization: There was a baren woman in Israel years latter who was married. The angel of Yahweh told her she would give birth to son who would be a judge. The messenger came back and told her husband and her together. They were surprised they survived when they realized this was a visitation from God. They lived & Samson was born, another miraculous birth. The prophet Samuel was another. These are rare in the Bible, but the providential protection and provision of God for His people is on every page & happens every day. I will be your God; and you will be my people. The presence of God will be much greater in heaven, but we have the Holy Spirit with us now.

Reiteration: We considered today 3 beginnings from this text. 1. The Messianic Nation by Isaac; 2 The Ishmaelites by Ishmael; and 3. Cross cultural communications by Abraham.

Action: You can have a new beginning if you have not yet surrender to Jesus the Messiah. If any person is in Christ, he is a new creation. Believer, are you willing to do the hard things God asks you to do in the Bible? Are you willing to build bridges to communicate clearly across cultural divides? Will you study the Bible to avoid sinful choices and learn from Abraham’s sin to not repeat it?

Appeal: Trust Jesus. Love Him and follow Him. Do not fear. He sees and He hears when we call out to him in prayer. Pray, trust, believe, worship Him. He is faithful and true. His providence is with you every day. Be grateful for His care.