A Rock-Solid Faith

Introduction

Well, good morning!

If you have a Bible and I hope that you do, open ‘em up with me to Genesis chapter 23…Genesis chapter 23.

Thank you, Justin, for your message last week. Thank you for your courage and your boldness to proclaim God’s Word. If you missed it, I really encourage you to go back and just watch as he walked us through chapter 22. Because listen, a lot of what he talked about last week, it just flows into our chapter this morning.

You know, this time of the year…most of you already know…for me, this is the best time of the year. I love Christmas. I love the decorations…I love the traditions…I love the music and the movies and the time we get with family and friends. I just love this time of the year…And I’m sure, many of you feel the same way, right?

But you know…for us as a body…I think it’s really important for us to recognize that not everyone feels that way. And listen, it’s not because they’re Grinches or because they just hate Christmas…Christmas, for some…its just a reminder of what they’ve lost. It’s a great reminder…more so than any other time of the year, it’s a great reminder to them…as they sit back and watch families gather around…as they see others enjoy the fellowship they have with loved ones…it’s a reminder to them of something they might’ve lost. Maybe it’s a parent…or a brother, a sister…maybe it was a spouse…or a child. Maybe it’s a broken relationship…or just some kind of other loss. Times of the year like this…it can be very difficult for us as believers…because the Bible’s message to us, it’s becomes a reality.

You see, as believers, we should expect loss as we sojourn in this world…But for many of us, we’re just too young…or we’re too inexperienced to really understand those things. And so, for those of us that haven’t experienced a ton of loss…I think this passage, its gonna show us that it’s a real reality that we’ll all face at some point. It’s a reality that we have to think about, because loss, its the result of sin…and if we don’t deal with sin…that loss we experience, it might just have a very different outcome than what we expect.

But listen, for those of us that have experienced loss in a real way…For those that understand the effects of sin and this fallen world…for this group…and quite frankly for all of us…this passage, it shows us that while we can expect loss, we get to handle that loss with hope in the promises of God! You see, those losses, they don’t define our future…they don’t rob us of our joy.

I think that’s what Abraham’s story, this morning, is gonna show us.

And so, if you’re there with me…let’s stand together and read, starting in verse 1. This is the Word of God:

Genesis 23:1–20 (ESV)

Sarah lived 127 years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. And Sarah died at Kiriath-arba (Khear-wrath ar-barb) (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. And Abraham rose up from before his dead and said to the Hittites, “I am a sojourner and foreigner among you; give me property among you for a burying place, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.” The Hittites answered Abraham, “Hear us, my lord; you are a prince of God among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will withhold from you his tomb to hinder you from burying your dead.” Abraham rose and bowed to the Hittites, the people of the land. And he said to them, “If you are willing that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me and entreat for me Ephron (E-phron) the son of Zohar, that he may give me the cave of Machpelah (Mac-Pee-La), which he owns; it is at the end of his field. For the full price let him give it to me in your presence as property for a burying place.”

Now Ephron was sitting among the Hittites, and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the Hittites, of all who went in at the gate of his city, “No, my lord, hear me: I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. In the sight of the sons of my people I give it to you. Bury your dead.” Then Abraham bowed down before the people of the land. And he said to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, “But if you will, hear me: I give the price of the field. Accept it from me, that I may bury my dead there.” Ephron answered Abraham, “My lord, listen to me: a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.” Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham weighed out for Ephron the silver that he had named in the hearing of the Hittites, four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weights current among the merchants.

So the field of Ephron in Machpelah (Mac-Pee-La), which was to the east of Mamre, the field with the cave that was in it and all the trees that were in the field, throughout its whole area, was made over to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the Hittites, before all who went in at the gate of his city. After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah east of Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. The field and the cave that is in it were made over to Abraham as property for a burying place by the Hittites.

Thank you, you can be seated.

[Prayer]

If you’re taking notes, I have three points for us this morning. Number 1, We expect loss as we sojourn in this world…Number 2, We deal with loss by keeping an eternal perspective…And then number 3, We overcome loss by reinforcing our hope in God’s promises.

And so, if you’re there with me…let’s dig into point number one.

I. We Expect Loss as We Sojourn in this World (vv. 1-2)

We expect loss as we sojourn in this world.

Look at verses 1 and 2 with me again. It says:

Genesis 23:1–2 (ESV)

Sarah lived 127 years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. And Sarah died at Kiriath-arba (Khear-wrath ar-barb) (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.

Sarah, she’s the only woman in Genesis whose lifespan is given: “127 years,” it says. Moses, the author here, he’s recognizing the special place Sarah holds in this redemptive story of God’s people. According to the text, Sarah died in Hebron…which would’ve been in the heart of the Promised Land. Abraham and Sarah, based on the records we have here, they would’ve been married well over 100 years…and its been exactly 62 years since the two of ‘em left Ur. Abraham would’ve been about 137 years old and Isaac, 37.

We have to remember that while this story really centered around Abraham and how God worked through him…Sarah had been Abraham’s rock…She was his soulmate as they journeyed together from Ur and into Canaan…She was there with him as they fled into Egypt…She was submissive and she trusted her husband as she lied to Pharaoh…and later with Abimelech. Sarah was with Abraham at every pinnacle of his life…when he defeated the 5 kings in Genesis 14…when he recieved the covenant of circumcision…when God gave him a new name…when God visited with him just before Sodom and Gomorrah. Sarah stood by Abraham as they struggled in their faith journey. When Abraham asked crazy things of them…Sarah followed Abraham. She had shared his anxieties…she mourned with him. She raised their promised son together. The both of ‘em…they had shared their whole lives together.

Understand that as we get to this point in the story…Outside of God, Sarah was Abraham’s everything…and without Sarah, Abraham would’ve never had the strength he had to follow God. While God used Abraham to do great things…God used Sarah to keep Abraham faithful. He created Sarah to be Abraham’s helper. And she was exactly that.

And so, understand this…Sarah’s death, it left a huge gaping hole in Abraham’s life. He might’ve had Isaac to comfort him…and of course, we’ll see him remarry later on…but nothing could fill the hole left when Sarah died. Sarah’s death, it brought on pain and loneliness. And that’s exactly why the text says that Abraham went in to mourn and to weep for her. It’s the only place in his story where it shows he weeps. He might’ve been disappointed when Lot left in Genesis 13…and he might’ve been heartbroken when he sent Ishmael away in Genesis 21…and he might’ve been devastated when he had to offer up Isaac just one chapter back…but listen, the only time the Scriptures shows us that he wept, its at the death of his wife Sarah.

And listen, if you came to the Bible cold-turkey…you never heard of the story of Abraham and Sarah…You see all of these trials that they faced together…They finally get this promise of a son decades later…and then the story, it just ends with death. They don’t inherit the land promised to ‘em (we’ll come back to that in just a moment). They haven’t become a great nation yet. We left Abraham on a mountain, in the last chapter…literally at a peak in his faith journey as he witnessed the Lord give him a sacrifice in place of his son, Isaac. And now…we start the very next chapter off with death and loss.

Guys, let me just stop here, let’s address some things…and then we’ll move on. The Bible, it shows us, back in Genesis chapter 3…that when man and woman sinned against God…when we chose our own selfishness and when we chose our own ways, we introduced sin into the world. And the Bible, it’s clear…Romans 3:23, “All have sinned…all fall short of God’s glory” And according to Genesis 3…according to Romans 6:23, “The wages of sin, its death,” right? And then as we continue on in the Bible, it shows us that there’s nothing we can do about this problem on our own. “None of us seek God” (Romans 3:11). Ephesians 2:8

Ephesians 2:8 (CSB)

For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—

Meaning, without Jesus…we remain sinful, separated…destined for death and loss. That’s what sin brings on. And because of our sin…all of creation’s been impacted, and in the end, all of creation must pass away. We see that in Revelation…we see that when it talks about God’s justice…God’s a good and righteous God…who will bring justice to sin and evil.

Now the good news of the gospel, of course through Jesus, who’s God, according to the gospel of John and so many other books…through Jesus, and because of His sacrifice on the cross, paying for the penalty of our sins…substituting Himself for us…because of His righteous, being imputed to those that’s repented and believed…we get something beyond death…we get hope in the resurrection and in the eternity He offers (again, we’ll talk more about this in just a moment)…but with that, we have to acknowledge our sinful nature…and because of that sinful nature, we have to acknowledge that all things must pass away. We expect it! Meaning, everyone of us, we’ll all experience loss and grief as we sojourn in this world…and everyone of us, at some point, we’ll all pass away ourselves. That’s the bad and worse news of the gospel…that’s something that none of us can escape.

And as believers…we should acknowledge this. Not only for ourselves…but also for those that don’t have the same hope in Christ. Sin, it’s real…and sin’s consequences, its real. Even with hope, its not wrong to mourn or to grieve…again, that’s what sin creates. Its’ the same reasons we see Jesus weep in John 11:35 as He looks over the city of Jerusalem. Loss, we should expect it…and it should create this even greater burden in our hearts to reach those around us with the gospel of Jesus Christ. There’s a reason people seem to get more serious about the Great Commission as they get older…there’s a reason we tend to get more serious about the gospel as we age…because we’ve typically experienced more loss…and that loss, it gives us a greater understanding of the gospel and our need for it.

Coming to Christ, it doesn’t remove the loss we’ll experience as we sojourn in this world…but listen to me, it does give us a brand new perspective as we face that loss…which leads us into point number two.

II. We Deal with Loss by Keeping an Eternal Perspective (vv. 3-18)

We deal with loss by keeping an eternal perspective.

It says in verse 3:

Genesis 23:3–4 (ESV)

And Abraham rose up from before his dead (there wasn’t much time…it doesn’t seem there’s much embalming practices until later on in Egypt) and [he] said to the Hittites, “I am a sojourner (“I’m an alien, I’m an exile…I’m a settler…I’m just traveling through your land.”…What’s he indicating by that statement? He’s indicating that he own’s nothing. “I’m just traveling through…I don’t own anything in this land even though God’s promised me everything in this land.”) He says, “I’m a sojourner and a foreigner among you; give me property among you for a burying place, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.”

Verse 5:

Genesis 23:5–9 (ESV)

The Hittites answered Abraham, “Hear us, my lord; you are a prince of God among us. (“You are a friend of God!” Not only does Abimelech, king of Gerar, recognize God’s hand on Abraham. Not only does Pharoah, king of Egypt, recognize God’s hand on him…but the Hittites, they recognize God’s hand on Abraham. They recognize God’s favor on his life. Didn’t God tell Abraham back in Genesis 12 that He’d make his name great?) They say, “Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will withhold from you his tomb to hinder you from burying your dead.” (And so, what we see right here…it’s not a business deal…it’s an offer. They’re saying, “We’ve got these caves all around here…Abraham, you don’t have to purchase any land…you don’t have to purchase a cave from us to bury your dead…You just tell us, you pick out which one you wanna bury Sarah in and we’ll let you use that tomb. Now, we’ll continue to use it for our own family too, but you can bury your dead there.” They’re just being curdiest…But understand this, they’re not giving him any property.)

And so, how’s Abraham respond?

Abraham rose and bowed to the Hittites, the people of the land. (He’s respectful, right?) And he said to them, “If you are willing that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me and entreat for me Ephron the son of Zohar, that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he owns; it is at the end of his field. For the full price let him give it to me in your presence as property for a burying place.”

He says, “Just give me one cave at the end of Ephron’s field…you don’t have to annex anything. I don’t need the field…I’m not asking for much, one hole in the side of a rock.

Listen to their response.

Genesis 23:10–18 (ESV)

Now Ephron was sitting among the Hittites (And so, he’s there…don’t miss this…there’s witnesses all around), and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the Hittites, of all who went in at the gate of his city, “No, my lord, hear me: I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. In the sight of the sons of my people I give it to you. Bury your dead.” (And so, he says, “You don’t just have to bury your dead…I’ll just give you the cave.”…Which of course, it just makes us think, “Wow, I mean, how generous.” Guys, that’s just the eastern way of negotiating, its to act as if you’re giving something. And then the person receiving the gift says, “Oh no, I could never receive something from you for free…What’s the going price for a piece of property like this?”…”Oh, you know, just a few hundred dollars here and there.” It’s polite politics.)

Then Abraham bowed down before the people of the land. And he said to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, “But if you will, hear me: I give the price of the field. Accept it from me, that I may bury my dead there.” Ephron answered Abraham, “My lord, listen to me: a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.” Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham weighed out for Ephron the silver that he had named in the hearing of the Hittites, four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weights current among the merchants.

And so, there was a naming of the price…there was a naming of the boundaries of the property…there were witnesses to watch the transaction take place…and then, there were even merchants there to measure the weight of the silver. This isn’t a gift…Abraham made sure this was a business deal.

So the field of Ephron in Machpelah, which was to the east of Mamre, the field with the cave that was in it and all the trees that were in the field, throughout its whole area, was made over to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the Hittites, before all who went in at the gate of his city.

And so, what in the world’s going on here? This isn’t just some insufficient piece of Scripture we’re reading here. It’s a contract…a business deal, that gives Abraham his first major piece of property in a land that’s been promised to him. Now, understand this…the promise isn’t fulfilled here. God’ll give all the land to his descendants, right? We know the story. But why does Abraham wanna make sure this cave isn’t just a gift, but that it’s a business deal? Why does he wanna make sure this cave’s his if he’s just traveling through…if he’s just a sojourner?

Guys, he does it because he believes what God told him back in Genesis 12 and 15…that his descendants, they’d inherit the Promised Land and that it’d be an eternal inheritance. Guys, you don’t bury your loved ones in a place you’re never gonna come back to…in a place you have no intentions of returning, right? Abraham believed that the Promised Land, it would be their eternal home. And so, he made sure Sarah had a resting place in the land they’d inherit. He dealt with lost through an eternal lens.

Guys, for us, as believers, it’s no different. Is lost hard? Yes! Just like anyone else, we grieve…we struggle with the emotions of lost, just like Abraham here…But guys, we do it with the same eternal perspective, right? Believing that this world we sojourn in…this world, it’s not our home…its not our final destination…we deal with lost by trusting in the new heavens and in the new earth that’s yet to come…we do it, believing in the eternal home that God sets up for us.

But guys, understand this, while it’s okay to grieve…while it’s okay to deal with the emotions that come with lost…how we deal with that lost, it paints the picture of who we belong to. If you go all the way back to verse 6…it says that the Hittites, they knew God was with Abraham. And guys, they knew that because of how Abraham responded to adversity…to lost.

Everyone knows that lost is real…everyone, regardless of their belief in God, everyone knows they’ll experience it one day…but guys, how we respond to lost in our own life, it demonstrates for others that while sin consumes us, there’s hope through the person and work of Christ…which moves us into our third and final point.

III. We Overcome Loss by Reinforcing our Hope in God’s Promises (vv. 19-20)

We overcome loss by reinforcing our hope in God’s promises.

Look at verses 19 and 20 with me again. It says:

Genesis 23:19–20 (ESV)

After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah east of Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. The field and the cave that is in it were made over to Abraham as property for a burying place by the Hittites.

Listen, let me ask you a question…why would Abraham buy this piece of land, in Hittite country…in the land of Canaan…especially when he just heard at the end of chapter 22, his family had been prosperous in Harran, where they came from…why this land, why this property? Why not go back to Harran and bury his dead there? Why not go back home where the rest of his family’s at? Why bury Sarah in the land of Canaan?

You know what Abraham’s saying with this purchase here, with this burial? He’s saying to God, “I believe that you promised me possession of this land…and as a verification of my trust in you…as a permanent place for my wife’s body and for my body to follow after her, and for my children…we’re buying this plot of land in the very center of the land you promised!” He’s saying, “Lord, we believed you in life…and now, we’re gonna believe you in death!”

Guys, this was an act of faith on Abraham’s part. You see, according to the promises of God, Abraham, he already owned all of this land…but he had yet to come into possession of the fullness of that promise. This is Abraham showing, believing that he can buy the part…and that God would supply the whole. That’s what Abraham’s believing here.

Listen to what it says in Hebrews chapter 11 about how Abraham viewed this life.

Hebrews 11:13 (ESV)

These (talking about Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob) all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.

Verse 14.

Hebrews 11:14–16 (ESV)

For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone 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 for them a city.

Abraham viewed the land of Canaan as already but not yet.

He had an unwavering, rock-solid faith in the Lord’s promises…even amid lost. And listen, he doesn’t just believe he will own it, he truly believes its already his…and so you know what he does? he gets that stake out and he takes that hammer and he drives it in the ground…right there in the land of Canaan. And he says, “I believe, so much so, that this is my property.” He believes that what the Lord’s promised…He not only will come through with it, but that He already has, in His own timing…as God showed with Isaac.

Its the same reason Paul says we receive our down payment today in Ephesians chapter 1…so that we, like Abraham, might have a part of the whole promise right now.

Paul says:

Ephesians 1:13–14 (ESV)

In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

This might be a bad illustration…but God’s sealing of the Holy Spirit in us, as believers…its our burial place. It’s our plot of land as we sojourn…its a piece of the promise now to show that what God’s promised, not only will it come to pass…but with this sealing, its already come to pass in God’s timing.

And so listen, the question’s not “Will we face lost as we sojourn here”…the question, its, “How will we deal with lost as we sojourn here.” Will it be trusting in God’s promises…or listen, will it be allowing Satan and the grips of sin to pull us down to a place of grief and unbelief.

I mean, can’t you see what this story’s showing us here? Aren’t we expected to have the same kind of faith in God today? Justin talked a lot about God’s promises last week. The Bible’s full of God’s promises to us. He says He’s redeemed us…reconciled us…given us new life…sealed us…justified us…it says He’s sanctifying us today…it says He’ll come back for us…that we’ll inherit all the riches of Christ and sit beside Him on His throne.

Guys, I’m afraid that more and more Christians today are allowing their loss to cripple them because they don’t know God’s promises to them. They’ve not read it…they’re not digging into it…they’re not meeting with other Christians to discuss it. And so, when loss comes their way, it decommissions ‘em. And what happens a lot of times, its that they look just like those in the world…not knowing where to turn…allowing their emotions to overpower ‘em.

Guys, here’s what this passage is showing us…Believe God’s promises. Believe that what He says, it’ll happen. That’s the purpose of God’s Word to us…and without reading it…without going to it, you’ll never know God’s promises and for that reason, you’ll not be grounded in ‘em when loss comes your way.

I’ve said this before…but how many of us would say we believe all of God’s Word? How many of us believe all of this to be true? Hopefully all of us, right? But listen, how many of us have read every single word?

The point of this passage…understand you will experience loss…you will. But guys, understand there’s hope in the brokenness of life…and as Christians, we’re to respond in the same ways as Abraham…not just wishing God’s promises’ll happen…but listen, certain God’s promises’ll happen.

Closing

And so, in closing…what’s all this mean for us? Abraham was a man of amazing faith! And a lot of times, we read these things and we think, “Well, that was for Abraham,” right? “Like that’s what God wanted from Abraham.” But doesn’t God expect the same things from us? Doesn’t God expect us to believe that He will fulfill His promises? Not here, but in eternity? Aren’t we called to believe? Aren’t we called to live our life and to give our death in such a way that we put our trust in God by showing that we’re looking for a heavenly home…aren’t we called to turn from the world and set our eyes on the kingdom?

“I know you promised me everlasting life…a seat at your table…a home…a room in your kingdom…Lord, I know you promised me that…already…but I don’t have it yet. God, I’m gonna live today as though I know…and not just that but that I’ve already obtained all those things because I believe that I will get it.”

You see guys, the way we live our life…the way we walk through the darkness of this world…it reveals our faith in the future fulfillment of God’s promises. Abraham left everything he knew…everything he had to follow a God, he believed, would give him everything He promised; a son, a land, a nation, a legacy. God took the impossible…and through Abraham, He made it possible. Not just with the physical promises of a son or a nation…but through Abraham…God took what was dead and lifeless and He breathed life into it all over again.

You see through Abraham…God’s plan for redemption was made possible. We’re here today, of course because of God, but also because of one man’s faith that God would deliver on His promises.

Understand that without God, our world, it’s dark…it’s sinful, evil. And every single person that’s ever been born (minus Jesus - because He was conceived of the Holy Spirit), every person, they were born with a sin nature…and every person since has chosen themselves; which has led to even greater darkness. As a result, because the wages of sin is death…all mankind will experience loss. As Christians, we acknowledge this. It’s impossible to come to God without recognizing our sin nature and the consequences of that sin nature. And as Christians today, we understand that even now, we sojourn in a world that’s consumed by sin.

But here’s what we cling to…the Bible tells us that Jesus, being God, He stepped off his throne and came to dwell with us as man. He lived a righteous life…bringing glory to the Father…He went to the cross where He wore the weight of our sin…where He took on His own wrath for us. And He died the death we deserve. But what we cling to…it’s what happened in the grave 3 days later…we cling to Jesus’s resurrection, believing in God’s promise for our resurrection…we cling to His promise of Jesus’s return and a new creation. We cling to His promises to sanctify us into the image of Jesus. We cling to His promises to protect us and to provide for us. We believe that in our salvation, God didn’t just forgive us of our iniquities…but that He gave us a great inheritance in His kingdom…We believe that we’ll sit beside Him and that we’ll inherit the kingdom as co-heirs. We believe, even now, we’re His body…His children, united under the blood of Christ. We believe in already fulfilled but not yet obtained.

And listen, the beauty of the Bible’s message…its that its all a free gift to us. It’s not about works…its’ not about what we have to do…it’s not about being good enough. All we have to do is turn from the world and believe in Christ as Lord. All we have to do is trust in the promises of God. That’s it!

And so listen, here’s what I want us to do this morning. If you would…bow your head and close your eyes with me.

The praise team’s gonna come back up.

If you’re here and you’ve already put your faith and trust in Jesus…maybe you’ve experienced some loss recently…maybe you haven’t…I want you to reflect…Are you living your life in a way that shows you have victory over loss? That shows where your hope’s found? What you believe God will do, regardless of your circumstances?

Are you living your life in such a way that’s preparing yourself for loss? Are you growing in your faith? Are you diving into God’s promises through His Word? Are you discipling others? Are you being discipled?

But listen, if you don’t know Christ this morning…why are you holding back? What’s keeping you from coming to the feet of Jesus this morning?

And so listen, as the praise team plays…that’s what I want to reflect on…and that’s what I want you to respond to. Either ask the Lord for the strength to live in such a way that testifies to His promises…or ask Him for the faith to turn to Him.

You take this time and I’ll close us in just a moment. I’ll be at the back if you need me for any reason.

[Prayer]