Good morning everyone, it is so good to be here this morning with you all. Right now we get to send out the kiddos to their class where you have the opportunity to learn about God in a way that makes sense to you. Then, remember, you gotta pay attention real good so that you can come find me after service and tell me something you learned today. Then of course we also want to welcome those of you joining us online, etc.

So, its Feb 5th, 2024. There have been some crazy things happening all over the world, and all over the US. There are tensions that are pretty much always rising over various issues, and they all impact us in one way or another. However, do all of these issues that are happening all over have any impact on Scripture? No they don’t…thats why every single week we come up here together and we join to focus on Scripture as we seek to figure out how to live in this world that we live in. However, I don’t want you all to lose perspective. You see, this world that we all live and operate in is not our final destination…We are here for now, but then one day we will be with the Lord in glory, or we will be separated from the Lord in hell…those really are the only options. So, every week we come together with the goal of becoming more Christlike and spreading the joy of the Lord so that we can all be with the Lord in glory, together. That is a huge goal that we have as a church. Actually, last week I said something specific. Last week I said that LRBC exists to Worship God and help others know God so they can worship him too… See that is what the Great Commission is all about and that is what we are focused on as a church. We want to worship God individually, and as a family. Amen? The question is, how do we do that most effectively? Well, we have a group of men and women that will soon start meeting together to discuss that very question. We have Elders who are meeting and praying about this exact thing, and as a large family we meet together every Sunday morning to follow the teachings of Scripture so that we can all learn together how to be more Christ like.

Today we are going to start a brand new series called, Isaac. We will be returning to Genesis and picking up where we left off previously. If you remember last year we walked through a large section of Genesis where we really paid attention to Abraham and the impact that God choose to have on the world using his servant Abraham. We ended that series last year having looked at Abraham sending a servant to find a wife for Isaac away from Canaan and the pagan beliefs that they were surrounded with. See, Abraham sent away for a wife for Isaac from his people where they had a shared belief in one true God. Abraham’s servant found a wife for him and then Isaac and Rebekah were married. The story of Isaac and Rebekah’s wedding is a beautiful example of how God provides for the needs of those who follow him. If you are unsure if God cares about the details of your life, let me encourage you to read up on Genesis 24 and be reminded about how God cared for the details of connecting Isaac and Rebekah.

I also want to give you a bit of a recap to bring you back up to speed from last year. So there was a guy named Abram and he was married to a woman named Sarai that he greatly loved. God called Abram and Sarai to leave their home and to go to the place that God would show them. That was a huge undertaking and showed immense faith from Abram. From here Ill share the big highlights. You see, God had promised that Abram and Sarai would have children and promised them that they would be a great nation. However, Abram decided that God was taking to long and maybe God needed a little help from him. So, Sarai gave Abram her servants for him to have children with them. The problem is that this was how the world dealt with things, and so this showed that Abram trusted the worlds wisdom more than God’s promises. So, God reminded Abram of his promise and then changed his name to Abraham. God also then told Abraham and a newly named Sarah, formerly Sarai that he would be fulfilling his promise to them, in his way, to which Abraham and Sarah laughed because sure God would not give them a new baby at 100 years old. Later, God then tells Abraham to sacrifice Isaac on Mount Moriah which was both a huge test for Abraham as well as an amazing picture of God fulfilling his promise even when there doesn’t seem to be a way. See that is what we see about God over and over again. God will make a way when there seems to be no way, that is what Abraham saw in the birth of Isaac, as well as the command to sacrifice Isaac. God made a way when there seemed to be no way.

So that roughly brings us up to today. See, when last we talked about Abraham and Isaac, they were managing the wedding of Isaac and Rebekah. We saw that Sarah had passed away. So what has happened since then? Well, today we are going to talk about

The Death of Abraham

So what happens when someone passes away? Well, depending on who it is, you will typically write an obituary, and you will have a service where the obituary is read to the public, and then later you will discuss the persons will or other legal issues that need to be dealt with. Well, that seems to have been laid out for Abraham and so I’d like to just take a look at these things. However, typically after a person dies, we read the obituary; and after the burial, we read the will. Let’s do that with Abraham.

Abraham’s Obituary:

Let’s go ahead and turn over to

Genesis 25:7–10 ESV

These are the days of the years of Abraham’s life, 175 years. Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people. Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, east of Mamre, the field that Abraham purchased from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried, with Sarah his wife.

So what can we really learn from reading this short piece of Abraham’s life? Well, we actually see quite a bit. We see that he died in a good old age as the Lord had promised him

Genesis 15:15 (ESV)

As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age.

e see that Abraham walked with the Lord for 100 years.

Genesis 12:4 (ESV)

So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

We know that he was a and had been a friend of God

James 2:23 (ESV)

and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God.

Now, how did Abraham live this long and stay productive for so long? Well, there is a passage we just read that said that Abraham was full of years. The question is what does that mean? Does that mean he was old…yeah, he defiantly was. However, this translation isn’t indicating the number of years, but the quality of years. See, Abraham was satisfied with his life. Abraham is a picture of old age and being content with where God has taken you. So few people actually can say that though. See, Abraham was still flourishing and fruitful to the very end. Many of you today are examples of that. Merle getting out almost every day and walking around Leaf River in all seasons…man thats an inspiration to me. How few people actually experience the fullness of life that Abraham had though. Many will look back with regret, look forward with fear, and look around with complaint. You are not experiencing fullness of years…Abraham is an example to all of us to stay focused on what actually matters.

You see, God promised that Abraham would die “in peace” (Gen. 15:15), and he did. Abraham was saved by faith (15:6), so he had “peace with God” (Rom. 5:1). He had walked in the way of righteousness, so he experienced the peace of God (Isa. 32:17). Then, the God who had guided him for a century would not forsake him at the very end (46:4), and Abraham knew that to be true. So Abraham was able to look around with satisfaction that comes from the Lord. Many of you today can relate to this. You have faithfully served the Lord throughout your life and so you are confident and satisfied in the Lord. Many of your younger brothers and sisters would love to know how you got to that point because they are striving and failing over and over. Well, her’s the secret…Like everything else in life, to be successful in old age, you must start working at it very young. This doesn’t mean that Abraham got it right all the time, we all know that is not the case at all…but Abraham was able to repent and return to God when he did get it wrong.

Of course, now that we have read Abraham’s obituary, we need to gather together to read

Abraham’s Will

Let’s go back and read it

Genesis 25:1–6 (ESV)

Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah. She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. Jokshan fathered Sheba and Dedan. The sons of Dedan were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim. The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah. Abraham gave all he had to Isaac. But to the sons of his concubines Abraham gave gifts, and while he was still living he sent them away from his son Isaac, eastward to the east country.

Wow…Abraham was pretty old and just had a whole other family. Here is what we are going to find through, Abraham left his material wealth to his family and his spiritual wealth to the whole world, all who would believe on Jesus Christ. See if you are joining us and you have believed in Jesus Christ, not just as a man or a teacher, but as the sinless Son of God who sacrificed once for all, then you get to participate in this will reading. We read that in

Galatians 4:28 (ESV)

Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise.

If you submit to Jesus, then you are a child of the promise…thats huge folks. So what did Abraham leave for us? Abraham left us a clear witness of salvation through faith. See, Abraham was saved by faith and not the law becuase the law had not been given yet. Abraham was saved by faith and not ritual practices like circumcision becuase God declared him faithful long before he was circumcised. Plain and simple, like everybody else who has ever been saved, Abraham was saved by faith and by faith alone.

Abraham also left us an example of a faithful life. Later Jesus’ brother James writes a book and he uses Abraham to illustrate the importance of proving your faith though your works. You see, wherever Abraham went, he pitched a tent and built an alter. He let everyone around him know that he only worshiped the one true God. even going as far as worshipping God as he was going up the mountain with Isaac his son. Abraham proved his faith in God and his love for God. He was not saved by works, but he proved his faith by his works.b

Abraham left us an example of walking by faith. True, he had his lapses of faith; but the general way he lived his life was evidence of his faith in God’s Word. “By faith Abraham … obeyed” (Heb. 11:8). However, Abraham didn’t just have faith in some mystical being or statue, or other false ideology. No, Abraham left us an example about walking in the faith of God the Father, creator of the universe. Today you will have people all over say things like, “Im spiritual” or “I have faith”, but they can’t say anything that they actually have faith in, or what spirits they are listening to. See, through Abraham we see what it looks like to live by faith in what is real…not the false belief that so many in our culture today have “faith” in. That’s important to make that distinction. Im going to say something potentially controversial here, but I want to be very very clear with everyone who ever hears these words.

Abraham had faith in a very true and present God who led him and showed him that he was in control and sovereign over all things great and small. Abraham did not simply, “have faith”. What you place your faith in is the most important decision any of you will ever make. If you place your faith in the God of the Bible, then after you pass you will be with Jesus int he home he is now preparing for you. However, if you place your faith in anything else…even if it is seemingly good sounding, if you faith is in anything else, then you will be those that have gone before you that are going to be eternally separated from God in Hell. This is a VERY real place, I don’t care if some TikTok video tells you that Hell is just a state of mind or some other imaginary place that you don’t need to think about…you do, and the decisions that you make today, will stay with you for an eternity…That is part of what Abraham has left for you and I today. Not just an example of living a life a faith, but showing us where that faith should be placed.

That leads us to the last thing that Abraham left us. Because of Abraham, we have a Savior. You see, when we look to the New Testament and we read about the linage of Jesus, we see that Abraham’s name is right there with David as part of that linage. God promised Abraham that through him all of the world would be blessed, and he has kept that promise in his Son Jesus Christ. The problem is that much of the church is not telling the world that they even need a savior, let alone that Jesus is that Savior. Much of the church is keeping this good news to ourselves, because we don’t want to offend anyone, when we should be doing everything we can to make the name of Jesus Christ famous in the world today.

There is only one Abraham in God’s redemption story. However, God has give you personally tasks to preform in order to let the whole world know. God has given you a purpose to fulfill within the lives of others. Today, you are writing the obituary of your life. What you do and say today will be the things that stay with the world after you pass. Are you joining Abraham in leaving a legacy that points to Jesus, or are you leaving a legacy that points toward yourself?

Everything that I just said about you as a person is true for us as a church family. Are we, as a church, willing to take the tasks that God has given to us right here in Northern Illinois? Do we even know what those tasks are? Are we allowing God to build us, as a church, into what he has called us to be, or would we rather keep things simple and do things our own way? See, God did not call Abraham to sit back and do nothing. God called Abram to go to the place he would show him, and Abram obeyed that call. Today God is calling us to do the same. We are called to go to the place he will show us to be the church he has created us to be…the question is, are we willing to accept that call?

This morning I am going to close out and we are going to have communion in moment. While we prepare for communion I want to ask every single person here to think about your own relationship with God. I want you to thank the Lord for bringing you into relationship with him, and make a commitment to follow him where he leads. In other words, say these words to God as you pray… “where you lead Ill go”

Now that of course assumes that you have already come into relationship with the Father. If you haven’t then let me encourage you in a different way. Let me encourage you to acknowledge that you do actually need a savior in your life. You see, maybe you’ve been doing things your own way for a while and it’s not working. Maybe you have reached out to God and then ignored God’s calling on your life. Maybe you’ve reached out to God like a genie, and thats not how God works. If that describes you or how you have been dealing with things, then let me encourage you to actually make a decision to submit to God as a loving father who can take all of your sin and remove it as far as the east is from the west. Make that decision today before you leave here. Then, reach out to me and let me know you are making that decision so that I can walk alongside you and help you understand what it means to submit to the Father in your life. Whether this is your first time submitting to God or your current time resubmitting to God, let me just encourage you to tell God, “where you lead Ill go”

Prayer (pray that God will convict the hearts of those who have not submitted to Him. Pray that those who have submitted to him will have the strength they need to follow God wherever he leads them to go. Pray that as a church we continue seeking to follow God no matter where he leads us.

Now, lets move into a time of communion and commitment to the Lord. I am going to read and remind us all of what Paul taught the church in Corinth about this moment. Then there will be some music playing, specifically a song about following God where he leads as we all contemplate what it means to follow God in our lives. Then, as you are ready, come up and take the elements of communion and return to your seat to take those elements when you are ready.

1 Corinthians 11:23–26 ESV

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Prayer (pray that God will continue to work in our lives individually and as a church as we seek to follow)