What God Means

Psalm of the Day: Psalm 111

Psalm 111 ESV

Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation. Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them. Full of splendor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever. He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and merciful. He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever. He has shown his people the power of his works, in giving them the inheritance of the nations. The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy; they are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness. He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name! The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!

Scripture Reading: Romans 5:1-11

Romans 5:1–11 ESV

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Sermon:

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Speaker 1

00:01

Good morning church. I was glad when they said to me let us go and worship. In the house of the Lord. If we remember back through the Saga of Abraham, who we've been talking about now for? Quite some time. It's been filled with ups and downs, and Abraham has made his fair share of mistakes. And the text we're looking at today. I would say Abraham is not going to make any mistakes he will be free from judgment in that regard. Instead, we need to tie up some loose ends from a past mistake. That he has.

00:44

Last week we preached on the birth of Isaac. And I said here, the child of Promise has come. Abraham finally has received this child that he has longed for that. He has waited. Abraham finally has.

01:00

And a couple people last week approached me. And rightly said. Will Abraham already had a son? He had Ishmael. And you're correct. If you say that, he did have a son. But God has already said that son is not the child of promise. The son that came from your wife's handmaiden, Hagar, the illegitimate son, not from your wife. That son is not the child of promise that child is not the one that God will grow and multiply into a nation that will be as numerous as the stars in the sky in the Sands on the beach. That sun will not become a nation that will be a blessing to all the nations around.

01:43

Not through Ishmael. And so we'd waited, and we've longed for the child of Promise that was Isaac. But now we can ask and wonder. Well, what's going to happen? To Ishmael. The text we will be looking at today will tell us the answer of what's going to happen. What will become of? Hagar and Ishmael, how do we finish up? How do we tie off this story where Abraham has once tried to? Abraham and Sarah have tried to take matters into their own hand. They've tried to fulfill God's promises their own way. They messed everything up. How is God going to fully complete and bring about the ending?

02:30

To that story. Well, that's what we'll be looking at today in Genesis chapter 20. Genesis 21, rather verse 8.

02:42

And God had the child. And the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. But Sarah saw the son of Hagar, the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham laughing. So, she said to Abraham cast out this slave woman with her son for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son, Isaac. And the thing was very displeasing to Abraham on the account of his son. But God said to Abraham, be not business pleased because of the boy, and because of your slave woman, whatever Sarah says to you do as she tells you for through Isaac, shall your Offspring be named?

03:24

And I will make a nation of the son of your slave woman. Also, because he is your Offspring. So, Abraham Rose early in the morning and took bread and the skin of water and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder along with the child and sent her away. And she departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba. When the water of the skin was gone, she put the child under one of the bushes. Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off about the distance of a bow shot. For, she said. Let me not look on the death of the child.

03:55

And as you sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. And God heard the voice of the boy. And the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, what troubles you Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is up, lift up the boy, and hold him fast with your hand. For I will make him into a great nation. Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.

04:24

And God was with the boy, and he grew up, and he lived in the wilderness and became an expert with the bow. He lived in the wilderness of piran, and his mother took a wife for him. From the land of Egypt. These are the words of the Lord for us this morning. Let's open our time together with a word of prayer. Dear Lord, we do thank you for your goodness and your grace. Your grace that extends to us in the midst of our wandering. In the midst of our darkness in the midst of the depths that we go through, you have called us, and you have saved us.

04:58

We thank you that you are The Sovereign King of Heaven, who holds all things who knows all things. May you work in our hearts and Minds reveal to us your word. May we see clearly your work all that you have said. Help us to see clearly. Our Savior, your son, our Lord Jesus Christ. It's in Jesus name, we pray. Amen. Amen. Anytime I come to a passage like this? You understand, especially. The more you read, and the more you dive into scripture, the more time you spend in it. There are levels to every story. There are different things going on here.

05:39

And I'll be honest. I missed one of the levels when I first prepared this message today. And that's what we'll be talking about. Grace group this week, your Grace point. It's in your bulletin. And that's the immediate level of Hagar and Ishmael. The two characters here that are at the center of this drama.

06:02

But importantly, today, and what I want us to see is? There's a higher level. It's the story of of God's salvation and the story of what God is doing to bring about his Plan of Salvation. The title of our series through Genesis, I've said, is in the beginning God. The Genesis is telling us what God is doing, how God is working? God makes everything God makes covenants. God calls God regimes. This is all a work of God. And so even here. Before we get into the details of what's going on in the hearts and minds of the characters.

06:37

What I want us to do is take a step back and remember. That God is Sovereign and working all things. So, how do we do that in this text? Well, here was my thought. The the. Attentive of you might have realized. We skipped a portion of today's. Service. Since we started. So, over the past 36 weeks since we started Genesis, we've been memorizing one passage of scripture. Genesis 50, 19-20. And I said when we began this series that my goal was that we would all memorize a passage that connects to the theme and the Heart of the Book of Genesis.

07:18

Looks like the Genesis 59-20, because I believe this is Joseph speaking clearly. The message that Genesis has been trying to get across the whole book. So today, what I'd like to do is use our memory verse. To know and understand what God is doing, what what God means? To do in our text for today. So, to remind us. Let's all do. Our scripture memory didn't forget. We just postponed it just a little bit. So, if you can say it with me, I'll put it on the screen in case you forgot, but you should have it memorized.

07:57

Genesis chapter 50, verses 19 and 20. But Joseph said to them. Do not fear for. Am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good to bring it about. The many people would be kept alive as they are today, Genesis 50, 19. And. And so, as with that passage in mind, this memory verse that we've been seeing and pondering and studying for so long, now that I would like to interpret and read and understand the the higher level of what this story is meant to communicate to us.

08:41

And shortly is that God is Sovereign. And God is Sovereign over Abraham and Sarah and Isaac, and what he has called and the promise he's made to grow and multiply This Promise, but God is also Sovereign and in control of the Affairs of and Egyptian handmaid. And God is Sovereignty control over the quote? Unquote, illegitimate child of Abraham and God will care for them as well. So, as we open the story. Isaac is wean, so this is probably three years after the events of last week. I was, this is roughly speaking in this time and place. You were weaned at three years.

09:23

And so, three years after the birth of Isaac, and we should note here, ishmael's probably 16. That's our sort of best guess. At the age of ishma. Sushmael, 16 years. He spent his father's son 13 years. He was his father's only son. And now, here's this child. And all the promises that Ishmael probably hoped for all the things he desired. It's now all being given to Ishmael. And so, at this party, this great feast, the celebration celebrating the growth of Isaac. We have laughter again. Verse 9, Sarah saw the son of Hagar, the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, laughing Ishmael's laughing.

10:12

Probably mock laughter. Different ways of reading this. Some people say rough housing that he was mistreating that he was demeaning. We don't know exactly what's going on. He's laughing.

10:30

And Sarah realizes. This, son of the Egyptian. He might be a problem. So she wants to get rid of him. Verse 10 cast out this slave. Get rid of her. This isn't the first time she's done this, and we were to flip back just a few chapters. He was cast out. And there Hagar was sitting by a well. She thought her child would die, and God delivered her and sent her back well. Once again, Sarah is saying, I'm sick. I'm done with this. I'm done with this Egyptian woman. I'm done with this other child. We have Isaac. We don't need her. We don't want her. Get rid of her.

11:14

And I want us to know, we should say. Sarah certainly means this for you. In her heart is no care or compassion for Hagar or Ishmael, even the language she uses cast out this slave woman. Again, flipping bag. It's important we get the context. We remember that in chapter 16, this happened again Sarai at the time her name was Sarah. I got hadn't changed her name yet. Is the one who gives Hagar to Abraham? It is Sarah's idea for Abraham to sleep with her handmaiden to have a son. It's her idea. And when it all goes down, she realized this was not good.

11:58

She's making fun of me. She looks down on me. I don't like it. Get rid of her. I don't care about her. I don't care about this child. There is evil in her heart. So, she goes to Abraham and says, cast out this slave woman and her child. Not your son. Cast out this slave woman and her son for the son of this slave woman shall not be Heir with my son, Isaac. Get rid of him. They're going to cause problems. They're going to cause troubles. I don't care about them. Get rid of them. There is evil in Sarah's Hearts.

12:33

And Abraham knows their Sarah and Evil's heart. And just sit there, and he was. There's evil in Sarah's heart. Because it displeased in verse 11, and the thing was very displeasing to Abraham on account of his son. So, even as we talk about Isaac, the child of Promise, this is the one the promising comes. This is Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He's the god of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. That's the line. Abraham still loves Ishmael. He still loves this child. So, Sarah says, get rid of him. It hurts his soul. It's very displeasing. Sarah intends harm. She does not care death. She does not care about this Egyptian slave woman and her son.

13:22

She does not care about one who elsewhere in scripture is called Abraham's wife, though she is a slave woman. And she does not care about his son. She means evil. But what she means for evil is all part of God's plan. He is still Sovereign. What Sarah means for evil, the evil in her heart. That is what is motivating her. God means for good. In verse 11, Abraham is there morning. He's got his wife on one side, saying, throw out this slave woman and her son and in Abraham's heart to the other side. This is my son who he has loved for probably again 16 years.

14:11

So, God comes to Abraham and says, what do not be displeased because of the boy, and because of your slave woman? Listen to your wife.

14:24

In one sense, God says. She's right. But we can't miss this. Verse 12, whatever Sarah says to you do as she tells you for because for this reason through Isaac, shall your Offspring be named? So, with Sarah has right, is that Abraham's son, Isaac, is the heir? What Sarah has right is Isaac is the one through whom the blessings will flow. What Sarah has correct is he is the heir. He is the one, and he needs to be treated as such. And Ishmael being there actually is a problem. Ishmael being there actually does cause some consternation. Obviously, it's caused consternation in ishmael's heart. He's laughing at the party, celebrating the weaning of Isaac.

15:22

But what if there are others? Hagar tries to platform her trial. We have stories in scripture. Where one child Solomon's supposed to be heir. But there's another child of that King who wants to, and now a civil War starts. So we have to quench the Rebellion. It could cause problems. Sarah's not wrong, the problems might be caused, but Sarah means evil. Get rid of them, kill them. God says, don't worry. I mean this for good. I will still keep your child. Though through Isaac, your offstream shall be named verse 13. I will make a nation of the son of your slave woman also because he is your offspring.

16:02

Your wife wants you to cast them out. Not care about them. Leave them for dead. Don't worry. God will work this about for good, such that you're the son of this slave woman. He shall become a nation too. God needs this for good. And God will work out this situation. This difficult, painful situation in such a way that both of these children will receive some sort of blessing, both in fact, will grow into a nation, though. Isaac is the child of Promise notice through Isaac that the promises and the Covenant and the Salvation that God gives to the world will come. Those through Isaac, that is happening, God has not forgotten about Ishmael. God has not not cared about Ishmael. God intends to bless him and grow him.

16:58

God means this to bring it about good. It protects the Covenant promise and also protects this woman and her child. What Sarah means for evil God is working about to ensure his plan and his thoughts and what he Wills will come to pass. God is still in control. Though Sarah is Raging against this child, and this slave woman, though Sarah is filled with evil in her heart against them. God will work this. For good. As we read through this, God is working things out for his plan. God is Sovereign. He is intending something with this. This story is in fact all about what God means, and God means this as a way to both bless Ishmael. He will become a nation, but also.

17:50

To ensure that his promises are Forefront and that we do not forget or minimize or misunderstand or not rightly. Think through who the child of promises and we don't get any of this Twisted? God means this all for good. For all of our good. Though, Sarah meant this for evil. It was all part of God's Sovereign plan.

18:16

One note we should make cuz some of these verses are maybe a little confusing. Verse 14 Abraham Rose early in the morning and took the bread in a skin of water and gave it to Hagar. So, the next morning, Abraham. Wakes up, his wife. Child. And they give. He give them bread and water. He puts the bread of water on his shoulder, and it says, along with the child. Now, I just said that Ishmael is probably 16 at this time. So, some people get confused. Well, how did he put a 16 year old on her shoulder? This is an idiom.

18:50

It means that Abraham has now placed on on Hagar the duty and responsibility to care for and look after this child. To say he placed the child on her shoulder, saying the weight and the burden of caring for this child is now upon her as well. He's saying this child will not receive. Inheritance. For me, this child is is not my responsibility anymore. To say he places the child on her shoulders. And so she departs and wanders in the wilderness of your sheep. She moves from. The blessing of living in Abraham's house with all of the good physical blessings that are there, and also the spiritual blessings as God has blessed and kept Abraham in his household. She's leaving that to go wander in the wilderness.

19:42

And very quickly. The situation turns sovereign. When the water of the skin was gone, she put the child under one of the bushes. Again, the word here to be put under the bushes. Like the phrase we might use in English?

20:01

She laid the 16 year old child six feet under. The idea of of being placed under the the word being pushed here is the same word that's being lowered into the grave. And so she has left this child for dead. They are out of what they've been wandering and the skin of water. Maybe lasted a day? Maybe Abraham was very generous and it lasted them two or three days, but they're in the desert Wilderness.

20:34

And so she lays her child down in the grave, and she walks off about a bow shot 200 yards, probably.

20:43

Pieces. I'm not going to watch my child die.

20:49

Not going to watch it.

20:53

And I want us to see is in this scene. This is what Hagar meant as evil, and this is what I mean by. This isn't evil in her heart. But this is what she looks at and sees in the world she sees. This is an evil. She has laid her child in the grave. She has left her own child for dead. She will not even look upon her child because she is afraid the last Vision she will see is her child dying of dehydration and a heat stroke? This in her heart is evil. She has left her child and she thinks of the evil and violeness of the world. She sees the Brokenness of the world. She sees her child dying.

21:35

This in Hagar's heart feels evil. Not that she has done evil, but she is wrestling with the evil of the world. Her child is dying. So, what does she do? She goes far off and she lips up her voice and she weeps.

21:57

She's crying. She's mourning the loss of her son.

22:04

It's interesting.

22:08

She's sharing water with him.

22:12

She's as good as dead too, probably.

22:17

She's here, mourning her son, her child. This is an evil in her heart. This is this is evil of the world around us, and she looks at. And she's like, this is evil. My son is dying. I won't even look at him. I can't even be near him. She goes far off, and she's weeping.

22:38

This is why I, I was careful with my language. Hey, I didn't mean this for evil, but she sees this as evil. This is evil in the world. I think we can see and understand what she's wrestling through here.

22:53

But again. Someone else means something in this text. What Hagar means is evil? The leaving of her child for dead? They're wandering in the desert. Her going a long way off. All of these things are to her a great evil. But God means it for good.

23:19

She lips up her voice, and she's weeping. And God hears the voice of the boy in verse 17. An angel of the Lord appears to Hagar. What troubles you? Really? My child's dying. I don't know what do you think's troubling me angel of the Lord? You heard me crying? What troubles you? But then the words that Angels often say, fear not. For God has heard the voice of the boy where he is, God knows. God sees. You may think the world around you is all evil and pain and difficulty, and it may feel that way. And as you live your life. You're looking. This is evil around me. Why do these evil things happen? Why is there evil all around?

24:12

And sometimes, it's evil at the hands of other people, and she might look and think of this is the evil that Sarah did. There's the evil that Abraham did. He didn't care for the evil someone else did. Or maybe she just looks at the world. This is the evil of dehydration. The evil of watering in the desert? The evil of the way. We are made that we are so fragile that we don't have water. We just die under a bush.

24:36

Because, as I'm watching. I've got you. You heard the boy?

24:48

That child you left for dead. That child who is in the grave go pick up his hand. God will raise him from the grave. That's the picture that's happening in this story. And I will make him into a great nation. And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. Now, what's going on with this well of water? Was it always there, and she just didn't see it? Did God miraculously place a well there for her to see, I don't know?

25:20

This, I do know God is providing.

25:25

God is caring. For this woman and child. And so God tells he reiterates. We heard the promise once to Abraham. God made the promise. And I will make a nation of the son of the slave on to Hagar. He makes the God makes the same promise. For, I will make him into a great nation. Verse 19, then God opened her eyes. She saw a well of water. She went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink, and God was with the boy.

25:57

This is a very important.

26:02

We won't see these characters again. The story will shift. We will look at we will be tracing the line of Israel. We're going to see how God's going to grow Abraham into a great nation that will become a blessing to the whole world. We're going to see all of that.

26:19

But before, we just want to throw off Hagar and Ishmael, like, well, that wasn't the child of Promise. We don't care about them. Verse 20 God was with the boy God. Didn't forget God did not throw him off. God still care.

26:36

And so, as we face challenges and difficulties.

26:43

How much more? Can we trust in the good promises of God?

26:53

While there is evil all around, while there is evil raging all around in this story, Sarah means this is evil. She desires the downfall of Hagar and Ishmael. Though the world is conspiring. To destroy this woman and child. As he lies for dead under a bush, and she leaves him for dead. God is working things about according to his Sovereign will and his Sovereign plan. God is always Sovereign.

27:25

And so, as we read through, we understand, well, what's going on here? Well, this is what different people mean, and this is what's going on, but God is God is holding all of this, and God is good.

27:37

So for us. To face difficult times and challenges. The world seems to be going wrong.

27:50

It feels like the world's in a state of mourning right now.

27:57

Many of us just a few months ago. The pastor. That meant a lot to a lot of us, John MacArthur. He died. We have the recent events with assassinations. It's heartbreaking. Just on Friday. My favorite Pastor vadibaka. Want to be with the Lord? We sit here morning. Because the world's evil? There's death all around.

28:30

God is Sovereign. God is working all things for good.

28:37

And again, we can. It's not that God has to go around fixing all of these things. God is ordaining them.

28:50

God doesn't say to Abraham. Do what Sarah says, and I'll try to figure out a way to fix this, he says. Do what, she says, because I've already got this plan. I know what's happening, and I will use this to grow him into a nation. God's not unaware of the difficulty of Hagar and Ishmael. In fact, he has heard the voice of the boy, right, where he lays as he lays under that bush. God sees God, knows God hears, and God provides salvation for him. God knows.

29:25

So we should trust in. The good God who works all of these things out for his good purposes.

29:38

I was talking to someone a while back. A long while back at this point. We were discussing what's commonly known as the problem of evil. It's a philosophical problem. The short version is this if God is good. Why do bad things happen? If God is good. And God can fix everything. Why do people get cancer if God is good, and God can fix everything? Why are people allowed to murder people. If God is good and God can fix everything, why are children born with special needs? If God is good, right? These are real questions.

30:18

He said, well, I refuse the person I was talking to, said, I refuse to believe in a God. Who allows bad things to happen? Fair enough.

30:32

So, you're saying God doesn't exist? Well, why do bad things happen?

30:40

Because where I've landed in life? This isn't a deeply philosophical, but as a deeply personal place. Bad things will happen, whether I believe in God or not. It's just the way the world works.

30:57

But oh, the joy that I can have in my soul. To know that there is a sovereign God. Who is working all of these things out for good?

31:11

Though they feel like random evil events that occur all around us, and it feels like the evil in the heart of Sarah, and it feels like the evil in the world around him.

31:23

God is still good. And he will work this out. How do I know this?

31:31

There's a few ways. Here's the most important one. For he who did not spare his own son, will he not with him graciously give to us all things?

31:44

How do I know that God will work things out? Well, God himself entered into creation Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity, God, fully God, and fully man. He, his deity thinly veiled in humanity as he enters in. He is born of the Virgin Mary. He lived in this same broken world he suffered in this same broken world, and he died in this same broken world. But the grave could not hold him the perfect lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the earth. He died bearing the wrath that my sins deserve, and then he rose victoriously on the third day, saying Jesus has conquered sin and death.

32:28

And so is therefore now in my heart and in my soul. No worry that God will again condemn sins that were punished with Jesus. And if Jesus can conquer the grave, what must I fear? For, I am convinced that neither height nor depth, nor angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future or any power. Neither hide or death. Nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus, our lord, so I can because of the work of Jesus walk in Victory.

33:04

That was good. Doesn't matter what the world means, it doesn't matter what the evil around me is Raising. It does not matter. Jesus has conquered it all. That's the point.

33:15

And this story is important because we get in this. That God has through Isaac, a Plan of Salvation for the world, but he has not forgotten, and he has not neglected. This young boy God was with the boy. God hears his voice. And God hears us too. Let's pray.