A Certain Faith

Introduction

Well, good morning!

If you have a Bible and I hope that you do, open it up with me to Genesis chapter 25. This is the last chapter in the second part of our Genesis sermon series. We’re gonna look at the first part this week and then the last part next week.

And listen, as you turn there, what you need to know about this chapter…it’s that Moses, he’s doing the exact same thing we saw him do at the end of the first section that we went through last year, just before he started writing about Abraham. Moses goes from the tree view, and he backs everything up to give us the forest view all over again. His purpose here, it’s to remind his reader…which remember, his readers, its the Israelites as they’re wandering around in the wilderness, right? He wanted to reminder his readers that God is sovereign. In fact, the main idea of our passage this morning, its that God’s completely trustworthy in what it is He says and He’s completely trustworthy in what it is He plans to do. Or in other words, God’s sovereign in His Word and in His purpose.

Listen, our will and our circumstances, they don’t determine God’s Word and they certainly don’t determine His plans. God is sovereign in all that He says and does.

That’s the purpose of this passage as we come to a close on Abraham’s life.

Listen, there’s very few biblical doctrines that have caused as much controversy in the global church as that of divine election…or predetermination…God’s choice or God’s sovereignty. There’s been a lot of controversy over the truth that God’s sovereign choice, it lies behind our salvation.

I actually came across a pretty funny story this week as I was studying. There was this church that got into an argument over this very issue. And as the debate got more heated, they separated the two sides of the sanctuary…but listen, there was this one man, he didn’t know what to do, and so he wandered over into the predestination side…And so, someone asked him, “Who sent you here?” The man said, “No one, I came on my own free will.” Well, they couldn’t tolerate that, and so they pushed him across the aisle to the other side. And so, someone in the free-will camp, they asked him the same question, “Why did you come over here?” He replied, “I had no choice; I was forced over here!”…This poor guy, he had no where to go!

Listen, I hope you know, my purpose this morning and every time I get the privilege to preach and teach, it’s not to stir up controversy. My purpose, its simply to teach you what’s been inspired and what’s laid out in God’s Word…even when some of these topics are difficult. Listen, some of you this morning, you’ll probably disagree with some of the stances I take with this text…and that’s okay…But listen, my challenge to you…if you don’t agree with me…have a teachable heart, be a Berean…examine the Scriptures to see if what I say is true…Amen?…I really believe if you do that, you’ll see that at the heart of the Bible’s message to us lies a God that sovereignly works all things out, including the salvation of His elect, according the counsel of His will (Ephesians 1:11). The apostle Paul, he even cites Genesis 25 in his defense of this very same doctrine in Romans chapter 9. And so listen, don’t tune me out…we need to think very carefully about this doctrine and how it all applies to us today.

Understand…Moses, he’s writing to a group of people that are about to go in and conquer a land that was promised to Abraham’s descendants generations beforehand. And we have to remember the story, the previous generation, they had the opportunity to conquer this same land, but they died in the wilderness because of their unbelief. And so now, this generation, they’re at the door step of the promised land. Of course, we know how the story goes, God’s purpose, it’s fulfilled, just as it was promised to Abraham, right? But the question, as his original readers are reading these accounts…its, “Will this generation be the one’s used by God to fulfill these promises…or will we, too, be set aside?”

The point Moses is making here, the thing he’s trying to impress upon his readers, it’s that God’s plan or God’s purpose, it will happen according to His will. God is sovereign, and what He says, He will do. And Moses’ point here, its that if we want to experience the blessings of God, we have to submit and we have to commit ourselves to what it is He says…and what it is He plans to do.

God’s sovereignty, it means that He’s in control. He’s the one pulling the strings. Charles Spurgeon said once, “That God’s so powerful that even on those sunny, summer afternoons…when the sun’s shining through the window and you can see all those little dust particles moving around…” He said, “God’s even sovereign over their movements (the dust particles).” That’s what it means for God to be sovereign. He’s in control of all things. It’s the same thing that the the Hebrews author says in Hebrews 1:3, where it says that Jesus upholds all things by the word of His power…all things! That’s the sovereignty of God. And listen, its not just that He’s in control over the present…He’s in control of the past, and the present, and the future…that’s why what God says, its trustworthy…and that’s why what God plans to do, its equally trustworthy.

Guys, the purpose of this passage…its to show us God’s sovereignty…its not about Abraham…its never been about Abraham…all of it, its all about God and His redemptive plan to restore humanity through His Son, Jesus. It’s to show us that He’s in control and that He’s always been in control…and that His desire, it’s always been to save His chosen people.

And so, with that…for the sake of time this morning…I’m gonna do the same thing I did last week…I’m not gonna have us stand and read the text…I’m gonna walk us through it, stopping to explain it along the way

But let’s pause here for just a moment and pray before we do that.

[Prayer]

If you’re taking notes this morning, I have two points for us…number 1, God’s promises are always true…and number 2, God’s plan is always certain.

I. God’s Promises are Always True (vv. 1-18)

And so, if you have your Bible open, look at verse 1 with me.

Genesis 25:1–18 (ESV)

Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah (Ka-tore-ra). She bore him Zimran (Zim-ran), Jokshan (Jock-shan) , Medan (Me-dan), and Midian (Mid-dian),...

You know who Midian is? We read about him in Exodus chapter 2…Midian, he’s the son of Keturah (Ka-tore-ra) and Abraham…understand, each of these sons, they turn into nations. And so Midian, it was the nation or the region to which Moses flees in Exodus chapter 2, after he murders the Egyptian. And if you remember the story, Moses actually marries into the Midianites.

It says,

Ishbak (Ish-bak), and Shuah (Shu-ah). If you know the book of Job, one of Job’s friends that wasn’t so friendly, he was from the region of Shu-ah.

Verse 3:

Jokshan fathered Sheba and Dedan. (These are Abraham’s grandchildren)The sons of Dedan were Asshurim (A-sure-rem), Letushim (Lets-cuhim), and Leummim (Lay-uem).

Now notice, there’s a difference with the names here. The names changed a little bit, right? That suffix that’s added there, the ‘im’…in the Hebrew, its literally transliterated over to the English…when you see that suffix there, it actually turns the word into a plural word. And so, Moses isn’t necessarily talking about an individual person here…he’s shifting to talk about a people group.

It goes on:

The sons of Midian were Ephah (E-Fa), Epher (E-Fer), Hanoch (Han-nock), Abida (A-by-da), and Eldaah (El-day-a). All these were the children of Keturah (Ka-tore-ra).

Now listen, you’d think that with them all being the children of Abraham, they’d all get some kind of massive inheritance, right? We all know who Abraham is…we know that Abraham’s been blessed, that he’s been given much…that he’s become a multitude of people. But pay attention to the sparse gifts that’s given to these other sons.

Verse 5:

Abraham gave all he had to Isaac. But to the sons of his concubines Abraham gave gifts,

Abraham had a lot of sons…Abraham had a lot of grandsons…Abraham was extremely wealthy…respected in that entire region, and yet Abraham only gave gifts to his other sons and grandsons…he gives all that he has to who? Isaac!

Listen, what we’re seeing here, through these multitudes of people, coming from Abraham…we’re seeing God fulfilling His word of promise that He made to Abraham.

Let me just refresh your memory here. Genesis chapter 17, verses 4 through 8:

Genesis 17:4–8 (ESV)

“Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall 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. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.”

A lot of “I will’s”, right? You see…God, He’s very concerned with the details, isn’t He? God is concerned with every single detail with the words that He speaks. He didn’t just tell Abraham that he’d have a son that came from his body…He told Abraham that he’d be the father of a multitude of nations. And listen, He changed his name so that Abraham would never forget it.

Guys, understand this…Genesis 25, its a record of God’s fulfilled promise.

It says, “Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac.”

You remember what it says in Genesis chapter 21, verse 12? Abraham, he’s pleading with God…he’s pleading with God that Ishmael would be his heir. Abraham says, “Oh God, that Ishmael might live before you!” And what does God say to Abraham? He says, “No, but through Isaac shall your offspring be named!” And He says, “Don’t fear to cast Hagar and Ishmael out of your home…Isaac is the one who will inherit the promises.”

And so, who’s the one receiving the inheritance in verse 5 here? It’s Isaac, right? Isaac’s receiving all the blessings…he’s receiving all the inheritance.

Verse 6:

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.

That’s very similar to what Abraham had to do to Ishmael, isn’t it? And so, why’s it necessary that Abraham send away his sons?…because God promised that these covenant blessings would go to one son…and so, understand this, all of his other sons, they’re rejected…they’re cast out.

Listen, this is just how Genesis works. It starts by giving us this cosmic view…, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” It’s a blessing…and then we see that blessing move down to one man. He created Adam and Eve, they populate the whole earth. And then we see a narrowing down through a channel of blessing in Noah…and then we have a narrowing even further, through a channel of blessing in Abraham. And now, in chapter 25, we see it pinpoint down on a man by the name of Isaac. The blessing goes to him. And then we’ll see, by the end of the chapter, it pinpoints even further to a man named Jacob.

And listen, what we’ll see as we continue this story next year…the Bible, it shifts again from a person, to begin focusing on a nation that comes from Jacob. Jacob, he’s gonna turn into the 12 tribes of Israel, the people of Israel…that’s where God’s blessing is gonna go.

And so, all of these other sons, they’re cast away…God’s plan of redemption, its not gonna be accomplished through them.

Now, that doesn’t mean that God’s promises to them aren’t kept…we see that very clearly with Ishmael’s section in this chapter.

But before we get to that, look at Abraham’s obituary here.

Verse 7:

These are the days of the years of Abraham’s life, 175 years. Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age

Listen, you know what it says in Genesis chapter 15? This isn’t just a phase here…it’s an echo to a promise God made in Genesis chapter 15.

Verse 15, “As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age.”…I mean the extra words God spoke to him, all those years prior in Genesis 15…Now at the end of his life, when he’s 175 - remember he’s been in the promised land at this point for 100 years - at the end of his life, the author’s remembering the promises of God. He’s highlighting it here…God’s promises, that’s the focus in this passage.

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. After the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac his son. And Isaac settled at Beer-lahai-roi (Beer-la-high-roi).

And so, again…Abraham had all these children…but he gave all that he had to Isaac…He blessed Isaac. Even Ishmael, he comes back on the screen here…but it says, “God blessed Isaac [Abraham’s] son.”

And so, pay attention to what’s going on here…we’ve seen Keturah’s son’s rejected…we’ve seen Abraham respected…and now we’re gonna see Ishmael and his sons also rejected.

Verse 12:

These are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s servant, bore to Abraham.

Listen, you’re gonna see something very different when we get to Isaac…when we get to Isaac, there’s actually no mention of his mother, Sarah, at all. It just says, “Abraham fathered Isaac.” But notice, when it talks about Abraham’s other sons…it was Keturah’s sons…or it’s Hagar’s son. Those were their children.

Verse 13:

These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, named in the order of their birth: Nebaioth (Na-bay-ya-th), the firstborn of Ishmael; and Kedar (Key-dar), Adbeel (A-ba-dell), Mibsam (Mib-som), Mishma (Mis-ma), Dumah (Do-ma), Massa (Mass-a), Hadad (Hey-dad), Tema (Te-ma), Jetur (Ge-tur), Naphish (Nay-fish), and Kedemah (Key-da-ma). These are the sons of Ishmael and these are their names, by their villages and by their encampments, twelve princes according to their tribes.

That’s a very specific reference, right? Again, remember Moses’ purpose here, he’s highlighting God’s promises throughout Abraham’s life…With this statement, he’s just referring to a promise God made Abraham about Ishmael.

Guys, see this…God’s been sovereign to His word, even to those He hasn’t chosen, those that aren’t His elect. He’s been true to His word.

Genesis 17:20 (ESV)

As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation.

Was God not faithful to His Word, even to Ishmael? Guys, there’s not a single thing that God has said that hasn’t come to pass. God’s Word is certain in all that He’s spoken…or other words, God’s promises are always true…that’s the first point.

Look at verse 17:

(These are the years of the life of Ishmael: 137 years. He breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people.) They settled from Havilah to Shur, which is opposite Egypt in the direction of Assyria. He settled over against all his kinsmen.

Notice what it says there…Ishmael was gathered to HIS people, right? He wasn’t buried with Abraham or Sarah…he wasn’t buried with Isaac. He wasn’t God’s chosen people. Now again, God blessed Ishmael, but very differently than He did Isaac.

And notice this as well…it says that he settled over against all his kinsmen…Guys, there’s always been conflict with the people over in the Middle-East. God’s Word, it shows us that that would be the case with Ishmael’s people. God said the same exact thing to Hagar back in Genesis chapter 16. This is just another promise or another word that’s been fulfilled.

God’s Word, it’s certain. His promises, they’re all true. Every detail, everything to the smallest, most minute detail…it’s all come to pass, just as God said it would.

God’s Word is certain…Meaning, I hope you can see what’s going on here. Just like Abraham’s other sons…we’ve all be rejected, cast out of God’s family…And that’s true, not because of God, but because of our condition. According to Romans chapter 3, we’re all sinners, all of us fall short of God’s glory…and the wages of that sin, its death…its separation from life…which we know, based on John chapter 1, Jesus is life. We’re cast out from the blessing of life. We saw that with Adam and Eve and the garden of Eden.

And according to Scripture, there’s absolutely nothing we can do about that on our own. Without a fix…without a Savior…we’ll all die and we’ll all remain separated from the glory of God for all eternity.

But you see, unlike the Israelites…wandering around in the wilderness…we don’t just have the first 5 books of the Bible…we have all of God’s inspired words to us. We know, that according to Jesus in John 15, through faith, we get to be grafted into the seed of Abraham…through Jesus, where God’s plan is leading us to in Genesis 25…we know that for those outside of Abraham’s physical seed - just as God promised back in Genesis chapter 12 - we get to experience God’s blessings through Abraham’s seed in Jesus.

Guys, see Moses’ point here. God chooses certain people…or He elects certain people to bring about His promises. And guys, God’s choices, they’re contrary to man’s wisdom. He doesn’t operate on the basis of merit…if He did, Ishmael, being the first son, he would’ve received the inheritance and blessing…God operates on the basis of grace. It’s all about His favor…what He wants to do. That’s literally Paul’s point in Romans chapter 9. God’s the Creator…and so, what God chooses, its about Him, its not about us.

And listen, according to that same chapter…it says God chooses some of us as vessels for honorable use…and some of us for destruction. Or other words…God’s chosen some for salvation…and He leaves the rest to their own decisions. Now, we’ll talk about this more in a moment when we talk about God’s plans.

But guys, understand that what God lays out in His Word…its certain, its true…In His sovereignty, if it hasn’t already come to pass, it will. God’s promises are always true. Genesis 25 shows us that. God told Abraham everything that would happen before it happened…down to the very last detail…And listen, this isn’t about God just seeing the future…this is about God orchestrating these events, just the way He wanted. You see, without God coming to Abraham, without God intervening so many different times…none of this would’ve happened.

And so, for us…either as believers or as unbelievers…if that’s true…then, it’s extremely important to understand what it is God’s Word says about each of us, right?

And listen, when we’ve gained that knowledge, about God’s Word…we have to understand that God’s Word, it stands true…its certain. And so, if it says you’re a sinner that’ll die, separated from God…believe it. And if it says you’re saved by faith, through grace and that you’ve inherited eternal life…believe that what it says is true.

That’s the first point…God’s promises, they’re always true. Why? Because He’s sovereign!

II. God’s Plan is Always Certain (vv. 19-26)

Let’s keep going…look at verse 19 with me…we’ve seen all the other sons rejected…we’ve seen the grandsons rejected. Abraham’s been respected, at the end of his life…it’s almost as if this chapter’s come to a close…But we still haven’t seen Isaac blessed…we haven’t seen God’s continued plan to save the world through this blessing, which was promised all the way back in chapter 12.

And so, look at Isaac here, not only being confirmed in his election…but even his son, its not the eldest…its not the one you’d think…we see the youngest son chosen for blessing.

Verse 19:

Genesis 25:19–26 (ESV)

These are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: (There it is…) Abraham fathered Isaac,

Isaac, he’s the legitimate heir…he’s the legitimate son.

Verse 20:

and Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel, the sister of Laban, to be his wife.

We read all about that last week…the events that transpired. How Abraham’s servant found Isaac a wife among Abraham’s family…we saw Rebekah’s faith in coming to Isaac.

And so, Rebekah became Isaac’s wife…and now, the question for us, “Where’s all the kids?”

I mean that’s what everybody asks when you get married, right? “Where’s the grandkids?” That’s what you should be asking when you read this passage…”Where’s the kids?”

And listen, what seems to only take a couple of verses here, I want you understand that what we see next…it takes 20 years…It took 20 years for Rebekah to become pregnant. It took a miracle for her to become pregnant.

Verse 21:

And Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren.

Now, Isaac’s a loving husband. We read about that in chapter 24…It said, “Isaac loved Rebekah.” But understand that Isaac here, he’s serving as an intercessor…as a mediator…as a patriarch, he’s serving as a priest for his people. He’s saying the same kind of prayer that Abraham made for Abimelech and his household.

You remember in Genesis chapter 20, when Abimelech had taken Sarah, he had taken her as his wife? Abraham said, “She’s my sister!” You remember that?

And God afflicted Abimelech’s home. You remember what He did? He closed the wombs of all the women. He said, “If you don’t give Sarah back you’re a dead man.” And Abimelech did what any sane person would do, he repents and he gives Sarah back to Abraham. And then God said to Abimelech, “You go to Abraham, and you ask him to pray for you…because Abraham is” what? He says, “Because Abraham’s a prophet!”

And so, Abraham intercedes for Abimelech and it says that God opens the wombs of Abimelech’s household.

You see, Isaac here…he’s not just serving as a loving husband. He’s serving as an interceder…as a priest for his family.

It says this:

And the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived.

Here’s Isaac, functioning in a prophetic role…in a priestly role for his wife. It says, “The Lord granted his prayer…and Rebekah his wife conceived.” What does that tell us about child bearing? What does that tell us about the process of conception? Conception, it’s not merely a physically event that happens between a man and a woman…conception, is a supernatural event. It takes God to open the womb…it takes God to grant and create life. The man and the woman, we’re simply vessels to bring about God’s purposes. We have to see that.

It says in Psalm 127: verse 3:

Psalm 127:3 (ESV)

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,

the fruit of the womb a reward.

That word, “heritage,” it literally means “property” or “possession”. Meaning, children, they’re a property or a possession of the Lord. Its God who blesses people…its God who opens the womb and gives us children. People who instantly have children, they take this for granted. People in our culture, they talk about babies like they’re just lumps of cells.

Guys, see the point here…while our actions are a component of conception…God’s the one that allows life…He’s the one that gives life. And when He does…regardless of the circumstances, that life, its precious…because only God can give it. God is the one sovereignly superseding the entire process.

And so, Rebekah conceives…but the pregnancy, it doesn’t go as she plans or as she would’ve thought. It says in verse 22:

The children struggled together within her, and she said, “If it is thus, why is this happening to me?”

“So what’s the meaning of this? What’s the meaning of this suffering? Why am I suffering in this way? God, what are you doing, what are you trying to tell me?”

I’m sure she’s the only one to ever ask that question, right?

And so, in her struggle, what’s she do?

Verse 22:

So she went to inquire of the Lord.

She recognized God’s sovereignty in her circumstances. She recognized that the meaning of her suffering, God had a plan…a purpose, right? She acknowledged God’s sovereignty.

And look at what God said to her:

And the Lord said to her,

“Two nations are in your womb,

and two peoples from within you shall be divided;

the one shall be stronger than the other,

the older shall serve the younger.”

That would have been a scary thing to hear, right? And notice what the Lord’s saying here…its a prophecy. It’s poetry…its the same style of writing we get from Isaiah or Jeremiah or Ezekiel. It’s the same when we see prophetic literature in the Psalms.

These two kids, that are in Rebekah’s womb…they’re characterized as nations. They’re not just children…they’re nations.

It says, “One’s stronger than the other!” Well, that’s obvious, someone’s gotta be stronger than the other…but who’s that gonna be? Look at the last half of this prophecy.

“The older shall serve the younger.”

That would’ve been shocking for them to hear. It’s not a big deal in our day…in our day, parents don’t normally give a double portion of inheritance to the firstborn, right? That’s just not fair…we’re all about fairness and all that kind of stuff…we’re about participation and making everyone happy.

But in their day…it wasn’t about fairness at all. In their day, the firstborn, they got a double portion of the inheritance. And all those that came after, they get what’s left over.

But now, what God’s saying…its not gonna be the firstborn that’s blessed.

It wasn’t the firstborn in Isaac’s case either, was it? Ishmael was the firstborn, but he didn’t receive the blessing…WHY?…Because he wasn’t the son of promise…he wasn’t the son that God chose. There were other son’s born to Abraham by Keturah, those were son’s younger too…but they weren’t blessed either…WHY?…Because they weren’t chosen by God.

And so now, Rebekah, she’s having two children…and the older, they won’t be the inheritor of the covenant promise…WHY?…not because he’s older…not because of anything lacking in his character. Its not because God just simply knows the future…Isaac tries everything even after this prophesy, he tries everything to give the blessing to the oldest son…its nothing Esau did or didn’t do. It’s simply because God chose the younger.

And we have to acknowledge that here…we have to acknowledge God’s choosing…it had nothing to do with Esau or Jacob…it had nothing to do with their actions, because they have none at this point. The text doesn’t say that God looked into the future and saw their actions…it doesn’t say God chose them based on that. It doesn’t say that God knew Esau would be a selfish man and that He’d sell his birthright and so God just planned accordingly. God wasn’t reacting to man’s actions. It says, “No, God prophesied…He declared a solemn oracle over these children…The older shall serve the younger.”

It continues, verse 24:

When her days to give birth were completed, behold, there were twins in her womb. (Sovereignty at work here.) It says, The first came out red, all his body like a hairy cloak, so they called his name Esau. Afterward his brother came out with his hand holding Esau’s heel, so his name was called Jacob.

Now, that’s the noun form of Jacob…the verbal form of Jacob in the Hebrew means “supplanter - one who deceives…a cheater.”

You think about someone, when you’re running on the playground…think about when you were a kid. Someone’s running on the playground and all you had to do was kick them at their foot while they’re running and what happens? I never did this…but what happens? Their foot just wraps around and they just go plastered all over the ground. Of course, you turn around and say, “Well, who did that?”

That’s a cheater…that’s a supplanter. That’s Jacob’s name from the get go. The older will serve the younger. Not, because the older’s stronger but because the younger’s a cheater. You see, God didn’t chose Jacob based on his merits…Jacob’s a cheater, he certainly didn’t deserve God’s blessing.

Verse 26:

Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.

Just do the math there…how old was Isaac when he married Rebekah? He was 40, right? And how old was Isaac when she bore children? He’s 60 years old here. Isaac had to wait 20 years for God to fulfill His promise He made to Abraham. If you remember, Abraham, he had to wait 25 years, right?

But pay attention to the main idea here…whose the one blessed? Whose the elect son? It’s not the one that man would’ve chosen…its not the stronger…its not the older…

Its the younger…its the weaker. In fact, the one whose chosen, he’s the cheater. He’s the deceiver. He’s the one seemingly, more evil than Esau. He’s the one chosen for these blessings.

They fight in the womb…they fight at their birth…and then in the very next section, they’re gonna fight again. They fight in the prenatal…they fight at the neonatal…and then they fight where we fight most often, at the dinner table. And listen, they fight in every situation…they fight up until the very end of their life where they reconcile.

Jacob comes up to him…Esau has a stronger military force…Jacob’s bowing down to Esau…he’s afraid for his life. He took everything from Esau…and we see God sovereignly intervene…the older serves the younger. We’ll see that play out next year.

And so, we saw in the first part of this chapter, God’s Word, its certain in all that He’s spoken, right? But this second section, verses 19 through 26, we see that God’s purpose is certain in all that He’s determined…or in other words, God’s plan is always certain.

When you see chapter 25 from a zoomed out view…and I believe that’s Moses’ intentions here…when you do that, when you see how God’s worked through these generations…I mean these are decades upon decades that are encapsulated in chapter 25…when you see God’s work…(you see God chose Abraham…God chose Isaac. God sent everyone else away…He honed in on Isaac. Isaac had two children…but God sent the older away. God blesses Jacob. And God gives all of His covenant promises to Jacob.)

When you see that God’s elected Jacob and that God’s elected Isaac…and that God’s elected Abraham…He sent every one else away. We look at that, we say, “Well, that’s not very fair. That’s not very fair God treated them that way. They’re human beings…just like Isaac and just like Abraham…and just like Jacob…they’re human beings just like everyone else. Why did God choose Jacob?”

Guys, the point, its not that God sent these sons away…its not that He sent them away because they were so evil…The surprising point here…its that God would ever elect Jacob or Isaac or Abraham. They’re not any better off. Towards the end of their life, they expressed faith…but for most of their life, they hand their wives over to other men. We saw that with Abraham…we’re gonna see that with Isaac. They spend their lives deceiving family members, robbing family members…The surprising point, its that God would chose anyone. That’s the surprising point here.

And listen, the even more surprising point…its that as God zooms in on Abraham and Isaac and Jacob…His plan, His purpose, its not to just bless these three…God chose to bless them, so that through them, He could bless the entire world.

Now, there’s a ton in the New Testament that shows God’s fulfillment of this plan but let me just read one…this is about the fulfillment of God’s plans…plans He made long before the world was ever formed. Colossians chapter 1, verses 15 through 20:

Speaking about Jesus, Paul says:

Colossians 1:15–20 (ESV)

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and [what’s it say here] and for him.

Why was God working through Abraham and Isaac and Jacob…because that was the purpose of God. To bring Him glory through Jesus.

Verse 17:

And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

And so, through Jesus…what’s God doing? He’s reconciling, to Himself, all things. You see, Abraham…and Isaac…and Jacob…what are they? They’re conduits…they’re vessels…to get us to Jesus.

And so, in Jesus…all of these sons, that were rejected…all of these people that are cast away…through Jesus they can come into the family of Abraham.

When God set out to accomplish this purpose…before He ever called Abraham, back in Genesis chapter 12…that was His purpose…and now He’s worked it all out, through these men…even through their mishaps and their sins…God’s been faithful to His covenant even when they failed Him…so that He could bring about His plan of redemption…because God’s purpose, its certain in all that He has determined.

Closing

And so, in closing…what’s this mean for you and me? God’s no different today. He’s still sovereign…He’s still working all things out for His glory. Paul says in Ephesians, at the foundations of the earth…our salvation, each of us personally, He chose us at the start. The fact that you’ve heard the gospel…the fact that you’re hearing it now. It’s because God’s chosen you…He’s elected you in the same ways He did Abraham and Isaac and Jacob…and because of Jesus, it doesn’t matter what you’ve done…it doesn’t matter what you will do…it doesn’t matter that you’ve rebelled against Him…He’s reconciled you through the promised seed, through Jesus.

And listen, that’s the message of the Bible to us…that God so loved the world that he gave who? He gave his only Son, that whosoever…(Whose the whosoever? Is it only the physical family of Abraham…Is it just the Israelites? Is it Cows? No, its none of that…John actually shows us in his epistles…the whosoever, its God’s elect). In God’s sovereignty…God gave us His Son, Jesus…and in His sovereignty, He looked down on those He chose, He saw our sin and He demonstrated grace by giving faith…which we know, according to John 3:16, that faith, that belief in Christ, it gives us eternal life.

I’ll close with this story…someone asked a Little Leaguer how his team was doing…And the boy replied, his team, it was doing good but that they were behind 17-0. The man asked the boy, “Are you discouraged? You’re behind so far!” The boy said, “Oh no, we haven’t even been up to bat yet!”

Guys, people ask all the time…why’s this doctrine of election so important…what’s Moses’ point here? Listen, it’s its easy to look up and just see all the evil around us, right? We forget sometimes that all have sinned…all far short of God’s glory…meaning, without God, nothing’s good…there’s nothing righteous. It’s easy to look up and think, “Wow, this other side, its slaughtering us…it’s not even a ball game,” right? But guys, remember the Book of Revelation…we just went through that…remember what it teaches us…its showing us what the bottom of the ninth looks like.

Because God’s sovereign…because God’s elected some…because He’s the one in control of all things…God won’t just win…He’ll triumph mightily. You see, as Christians…it might look like we’re losing the fight…but we all know how the story ends. We’re on the winning side. But guys, the only way we’ll find any comfort in that…especially as we walk through some really difficult things…it’s to trust in God’s sovereignty. We have to see that what He’s laid out in His Word, its all come to pass just as He’s said…and we have to trust that what He’s determined is certain. Without seeing and understanding election, its impossible to fully acknowledge God’s sovereignty. That’s where anxiety and worry stem from.

See Abraham’s life…see how God chose him…see how God fulfilled everything in his life exactly as He said. If He can do that with Abraham…if He can do that with Isaac and Jacob…Guys, not only CAN He do that in your life…God is doing that in your life.

Every head bowed and every eye closed.

Listen, I’ll keep this short…I just wanna give you some time to respond to this. The praise team’s gonna come and lead us in worship.

My challenge for you this morning…as a believer, see God for who He is…and be comforted by that, acknowledge that.

And as an unbeliever…acknowledge your sin, the consequences of that sin…and listen, see Jesus for who He is…see His sacrifice as sufficient for your sins. Confess with your mouth, believe in your heart…you do that, and its certain, you will be saved.

And so listen, you take this time…I’ll close us in just a moment.

[Prayer]