PARTIALITY (AUDIO SERMON)
Well, we are back together this morning in the Book of Genesis. This is if I've been counting correctly our 40th sermon in the Book of Genesis. We're almost there, but it's been a great study as we really listened to the message of Genesis, which is is giving us an orientation. To the world we find ourselves in Genesis offers us a Biblical worldview and a foundation upon which we can understand the nature of reality. There's there's so much that we need to know before we can know anything. We need to know who we are. We need to know where we are. We need to have an understanding of what's wrong and we need to to get some insight about where we are going in Genesis offers us this framework. It tells us who we are as Gods images made by God for God to live with God as his people. To join God in his work of bringing life out of nothing of bringing order out of chaos to spread the glory of God's kingdom throughout. God's creation as God's partner participants in God's work. We've learned that where we are is indeed in God's kingdom. We are in a good creation a functional creation a beautiful creation that has been defaced. by the rebellion of gods Imager an app that tells us what's wrong what's wrong is that the world is operating outside of the design parameters of the Creator. It's still running. It's still working to a point but it's not working the way that God has designed it and we're not only the victims of that we are the perpetrators of we are broken because we have broken. Genesis than impacts for us this beautiful reality of where we're going where we're going. Is it God is absolutely committed to his vision of his creation living and working in perfect Shalom. Peace and Harmony as God dwells in partners with his creation. His imagers man. Find God is not giving up on us, even though we have given up on him. Genesis tells us where we've come from what's wrong and where we're going. It frames for us an understanding of who God is and Who We Are and why this world is as broken as it is. As we get into chapter 21 this morning. Continuing the story of Abram now Abraham this man that God has chosen to deal with an issue that we see here in this text and we're going to see throughout the text and it's a question of fairness. It's a question of partiality is God Fair. Does God play favorites. What Genesis has revealed to us so far is that God is the maker of all humanity and all humanity is Made In His Image everyone everywhere. If you are a human being on this planet you've been made by God for God there is something in you in the very fabric of humanities creation is a representation of who God is we are made by. God has made all of us and there's an invitation out of that end in Genesis and throughout the scriptures that God loves his images God.
for his Imager
There's something about the Brokenness. of our life of our relationships of our world that makes it difficult to believe the God loves us all. Cuz that's not the way that we experience love in our human relationship. We experience at end and we see this with toddlers. We see it on the elementary school playground and we see it in the boardroom people play favorites. We have those that we like and those that we dislike. Sometimes we have valid reasons why we might just like often though. There's no valid objective reasons. It's just a suggestion feeling or experience week. We like this person. We don't like this person. We're for this person. We might actually go light a little if something bad happens to this person. I don't live in this relational reality of playing favorites. And sometimes we can read the scriptures this way really really likes some people and God doesn't like other people. When we buy into that the moment you buy into that you begin to justify and rationalize how you're in the first group and not in the 2nd, right? Everybody thinks well if my favorites Shirley I'm one of his favorite like me. Stopping at the volume like me to play favorites. Like I play favorites. This is just the way the human nature kind of works. It's all God in. To our way of playing favorites our way of demonstrating partiality. And so we create the ins-and-outs The Haves and Have Nots the good and the bad the US. and them
and we constructed in such a way that it's US versus them. What we seen in Genesis so far is that God made all of humanity and all of humanity was constantly rebelling against him move in judgment. And in Grace God would would would bring Justice and offer redemption and forgiveness. God continued. continually demonstrating both his Justice and his Mercy the group of this creation the continually and willfully rebelled against his rightful rulership. After the flood this great kind of cleansing this this great moment of judgement upon the Earth may not continue to proliferate as mankind once again begins to develop and grow we get to the Tower of Babel incident and in the Tower of Babel incident God comes and he separates the People by confusing their languages looked at and this was a few months ago when we looked at it when God that He gave the people what they were asking for They didn't want to be their God. They didn't want to be under God's Authority. They wanted to build their own Tower and bring got to them. They wanted to they wanted their autonomy and independence from God and so God disinherited the nation. We saw in this is this is throughout the entire the Nations and placed each of the nation each of the families, each of the different groups of people under the authority of the Divine Council and God makes this radical move in Genesis chapter 12 where he called unto himself a man by the name of Abram and his wife Sarah. God chooses for himself one person one, man. Becky is going to use to build one People Israel as his people that that's the story that were in as we come in the Genesis chapter 1. This is what God is up to and on the surface. It's easy to look at the story and and make some Foster advance and and and misrepresentations and misunderstandings about what's happening here. It's easy to buy into the idea.
the God loves Abram Moore the God loves anybody else that's on the planet the gods for Abram and against everybody else that what God is doing in picking Abram rejecting everyone else by selecting.
A text this morning reveals to us that that is not the right way of perceiving what God is doing in his work in and through Abrams. Let's jump into the text Genesis chapter 21. Start with vs127. Start out this way the Lord Yaweh visited Sarah as he had said and the Lord to Sarah as he had promised moment. This was for this this woman who all of her life had long with an intense yearning to Bear a child. She and Abraham had been confronted month after month after month by a failure to conceive and bear a child. They did that not only through their childbearing years, but out of their child because they are now in a season where by Arizona county is worn out. She's an old woman. She's past the time when her womb can conceive. And yet God had come to Abraham. God had come to Abraham and Sarah and said I will give you a child. You're going to have a seed an offspring it through that Offspring and this is key to our text and understanding this morning the peoples of the world. Will be blessed. Speak in a very calling of Abraham. We're given the understanding that God is going to bless Abraham. He's going to bless a Rams going to make his name great is favors going to be with him and he is going to become the father of many nations.
Yes. Is whip and God is for Abraham. No doubt about it. the question though does dogs Spanish of Abraham delight and choice of Abraham mean that he's choosing and blessing Abraham over and against all the other people. In other words Abraham's on team one. He's on the good team and everyone else. Who's on team to the bad team and write in the calling in Genesis chapter 12. We God promises this child this Offspring The Abraham and Sarah Hart of the promise. Is that through this sea? All of the peoples of the earth will be blessed. What we see is that God is going to choose and God is going to use Abraham and Sarah and in choosing them. He's not choosing everybody else. That's just a logical reality. He's not going to bring about Redemption. For everyone through everyone. He's going to bring about Redemption for everyone through this man Abraham and his wife Sarah and through their offspring God now come.
And this is not the time frame they would have like what this is. This is at least 25 years after God called them in Genesis chapter 12 at least 25 years. and now God come Just to see if set a year earlier said about a year from now. I'm going to come and you're going to have this baby and just as God said it would happen. It happened to Sarah as God promised and Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him. So now we have the blessing of Abraham beginning to be manifested.
Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him whom Sarah bore him. Isaac or laughter obedience on Abraham's part when God came a year earlier and and told Abraham and Sarah in their 90's late 900 years old. They were going to have a baby any sane person would do and laugh they laugh. Either in unbelief or in amazement big laugh and got said I like that laughter name and laughter. But every time you call his name you're reminded of the faithfulness of God to do what is impossible for man kind young man. If he grows up Isaac Isaac will be reminded of the faithfulness of God.
Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was 8 days old just as God had commanded him. So this is the sign of the Covenant. This is what God has said as a way for everyone else to know that you belong to me and not to any other God not to any other way that you belong to me circumcision is the sign of the Covenant Abraham faithful. Does that when Isaac is 8 days old Abraham was 100 years old when his son Isaac was born.
I'm 49.
and the thought of having a newborn makes me want to run screaming. A hundred years old is a hundred years old.
God blesses him. with what his heart has always longed for and Sarah Sarah Sarah said has made the laughter for me his name laughter Isaac the baby that she's holding. But but also the laughter of a woman who's had her dreams fulfilled. God has made me laugh for me everyone who hears will laugh over me. But I think she understands the strength is what? 100 years old with a baby that there's a there's a point of laughter like pet crazy and a point of laughter like amazing. She said everyone who hears will laugh over me and she said who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children yet. I have borne him a son in his old age. What a what a moment this was. In the lives of Abraham and Sarah a moment of God's faithfulness God's provision God's Supernatural blessing. Upon their lives is given to them.
We wouldn't have this story. If Abraham and Sarah had perfectly and patiently waited for God to do what God had said he was going to do But we know that's not the case. We know that years earlier. In fact 13-14 years earlier Sarah. in her
depression failing to conceive in her impatience of God fulfilling his promise said to Abraham here. I want you to take my maidservant Hagar and I want you to have a child with her. We're going to help God out. God promised us a child. He promised it to me and you and well Hagar is my maidservant. So she belongs to me. So kind of like that. So you you have a child with her.
And in that way God's promise will be fulfilled and the rest of that story that we looked at several weeks ago that God doesn't need our help to fulfill his promises. Beyblade stepped out and Abram did as his wife asked he went in with Hagar they had a child. The child came to be called Ishmael.
Silver State the child grew and was weaned and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. So this is now probably three to five years after the birth. Children were weaned at about that time frame 3 to 5 years in ancient near Eastern cultures when Isaac is weaned away from his mother able to take his own and exist on his own and with some Independence Abraham made a great feast a celebration continue the celebration that God has given them Isaac. but Sarah on this great day of joy in the midst of this celebration Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian whom she had born to Abraham. Laughing in the English there. It's like she sound laughing. What's they're upset about a play on words that Isaac's name? And it doesn't mean simply laughing. It means mocking it means scoring in other words what Sarah is witnessing here is the son of Hagar Ishmael who's now 13 14 years old young man. Celebration Feast of person Isaac who's 3 or 5 years old this 13 year old is mocking making fun of picking on shaming. Her son, I think the implication the play on words. Maybe he's making fun of his name right after you are a joke. He's been Abraham's are for 13 years. He's been Abraham's son. He has been the one that everybody including Abraham thought was going to be the Fulfillment of God's promise. Everybody except God. Who said thank you for trying to help out but I don't need your help in This I Promise You a child was Sarah. You'll have a child with Sarah and what God promised is exactly what happened. But now now they're left with the consequences of their own choices and decisions. And that consequence is a person that consequent is a young man a child and it is it's inconceivable to imagine this playing out any other way that there wouldn't be intense anxiety intense jealousy. between Ishmael and Isaac The first born is supposed to be the son of prominent supposed to be the are the one that is going to carry on the name. But God has said no, it will not be the first born Ishmael. It will be a promise Isaac.
So here we have the scene where Sarah Witnesses this and she she goes in the mama bear mode. She's not going to allow this to happen. So she says to Abraham cast out this slave woman with her son for the son of this slave woman will not be Heir with my son Isaac is interesting what she doesn't say and what she said, she won't name Hagar and she won't name Ismail. She will not call Ishmael Abraham's son. Even though he is Abraham's son Egyptian slave woman and her son and cast them out for they will not be are you not being there with my son Isaac? It's this is harsher than even appear that word there passed out cutoff is a word that we've experienced in Genesis a couple of times already. In fact, we got it right at the end of chapter 3 going into chapter 4 when Adam and Eve rebelled and sin against God they were cast out of the garden same word same concept. They cannot beat the canopy. You must cast her out. After Cain killed Abel he was passed out from the people in his family. This the same Concepts that we've encountered with Adam and Eve and with tame. We now experience with Hagar and her son Ishmael. Sarah says cast her out.
This thing was very displeasing to Abraham. my account of the sun, of course it was Love the son. He been with him for 13 or 14 years. This is encrypt painful incredibly tragic He is now the consequences the fruits of his decision to not trust God to fulfill God's promises and to try to make God's promises happen in his way in his time have now come. fruition
got to deal with it.
Saracen cast them out at the mall. Abraham is hurting. But God comes to Abraham. God said to Abraham
be not displeased. because of the boy and because of your sleep on whatever Sarah says to you do as she tells you. 4 through Isaac shall your Offspring being a Abraham? I know this is going to be hard for you. But you need to understand. My plan has always been to work through Isaac. Ishmael was not my plan is your plan. So you need to listen to what Sarah said you need you need to do. This is going to be hard. But you need to do it. He says I will make a nation of the son of the slave woman also because he is your Offspring member when God called Abraham. He said I'm not going to give you a nation unit be the father of many nations. Listen, my plan has always been to work through Isaac. It's not to work through Isaac just for Isaac. Let's remember this it's to work through Isaac on behalf of whom everyone everywhere the nation Shelf. My plan is to work through Isaac, not through Ishmael, but my plan is to work through Isaac or Ishmael and for everyone else so don't be concerned about your son Abraham. I promised you that I would bless you. I would make of you a great nation. And this son that you now have to cast out understand. I will take care of him. I will be his father. I will watch over I will make him into a great nation. Because he is your offspring.
So Abraham Rose early in the morning Abraham Rose early in the morning. I took bread and a skin of water and gave it to Hagar putting it on her shoulder and then he gave her the child and sent her. away Again, another one of these stories that seem so brutal. So harsh But it is an act of faith on Abraham's part. God has promised to take care of them. So God's going to take Abraham's going to take God as we're so it gives them some food gives them some water. Not a lot of provisions. And spend them away and she departed and wandered Into the Wilderness of Beersheba.
more left What does feeling are gotta like this is so. hard and painful It seems like maybe God. Is being unjust maybe God is being unfair. Maybe God loves Sarah more than he loves Hagar. Maybe God loves Isaac more than he loves Ishmael. Now Hagar and Ishmael remember is an absolute innocence in this whole he didn't ask to be born didn't ask to be brought into this dysfunctional reality and yet he is now as a young man and his mother are cast off from everything that he if he thought he was going to inherit. He thought he was going to be the heir of his father Abraham now, he's left with nothing in his mom or give him some bread and some water and they're sent into the wilderness.
I have to wrestle with this.
What scripture tells us clearly in Romans 2:11?
I'm sorry, we're not there yet when the water in the skin was gone. She put the child under one of the bushes. So goes from bad to worse. So they go out into the wilderness. They eat the bread they drink the water in the desert water is life. You got water you can live you don't have water you. It's that simple and they get to the point where the water is gone. It's gone. They have no water. Which means their death? They're going to that end. In fact that the young boys smell begins to. They can't walk anymore. They can't move anymore. He's beginning to cry out beginning to grow Beyond hydrated. He begins to die and Sarah and Hagar. Sorry puts the child under one of the bushes. get them out of the sun find a little bit of shade puts them under a bush and then 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.
I don't even know what to do with that kind of emotional Payne have a mother her son is 9 she can do nothing to save him. so she goes away because she She says herself. I can't. Watch this. I can't watch him die.
As she sat opposite him. She lifted up her voice and wow.
Here's I can't and don't want to imagine. tears of watching her precious son
the god heard the voice of the boy. and her wife and God shows up and the angel of God and we we talked about when when we see that phrase the angel of God where we're not just talking about an ordinary messenger were talking about a theophany and appearance of God himself. This is a pre incarnate appearance of Jesus. The angel of the Lord called Hagar from the heavens and said to her.
It's almost funny if this wasn't so tragic what troubles you Hagar? It almost seems incredibly cruel and capricious angel.
That's that's not the way to read this. This is a an act of consolation.
I know your heart is breaking but fear not for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. Lift up the boy hold him fast with your hand or I will make him into a great nation. Hagar I know it seems like you're at the end of your rope and you are you're at the end of it you can go no farther on your own on your own all that awaits you is dead. Haggar, don't be afraid I've got you. I've got you and I've got your boy. I've heard I've seen remember his name means the Lord hears and the Lord sees right that. That's that's who Ishmael is the one that the Lord see he's not the Covenant son of Abraham. He's not God has made a choice that he's going to work through Abraham and through Abraham's son Isaac and he's going to do that on behalf of all people by choosing that line. Logically. He doesn't choose the other line. That does not mean that God is not for Ishmael. God is absolutely for his Methuen Ishmael is dying and Hagar has given up.
Like I said, I can't bear to look.
God shows up lift up a boy. Hold fast. I'll make him into a great nation and then God opened her eyes.
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 but a moment. It's beautifully written. I can't look got this life. God opens her eyes God shows her that he is for her. She felt abandoned. She felt mistreated. She felt the victim of an unjust reality. And in that reality God comes to her. Ishmael
What I hear you. I'm with you.
And God was with the boy. And he grew up. You lived in the wilderness and became an expert with the bow. interesting cheap went off about a Bose shot and then he grows up and becomes an expert in the butt which you have to be if you're going to live in the wilderness you just have Baby comes this expert with a bone. We see throughout the the Hebrew scriptures later on. His descendants are experts with the bow that this is just this at this is what happens if you lived in the wilderness of Brown and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
C a text like Romans 2:11. It says this for God shows no partiality.
shows no partiality
Play favorite. It seems like he's playing favorites. But this the story reveals to us that God's choice of Abraham and God's choice of Isaac is a choice of them and for them. But in that choice, it's not a choice against Ishmael or anyone out that choice of Isaac is a choice of Isaac.
God shows no partiality. He didn't choose Isaac because Isaac was better than Ishmael. He didn't choose Isaac because Isaac was more righteous than Ishmael Isaac was a toddler who was just weaned rats. This is not this is not because of his moral performance or his behavior or or or is intelligence or anything that is magical reality that if I'm going to choose to move through One Direction or one person. I am logically eliminating all the other that does not mean that I'm not for it does not mean that I hate the other it doesn't mean that this one is good and the other one is bad. It just means I'm choosing
That's what we see in this story got is not showing partiality in his choice of Isaac. He's showing in demonstrating Universal love and compassion of everyone everywhere.
story continues At that time we met last week. He's the king of this Philistines City. and that Abram blew it. Once again said Sarah was his sister and his wife and almost went really really bad. At the end of it God came to abimelech and told him what was going on. It didn't like repented and Abraham prayed for him and then looks like hey go wherever you want be be here. And then so Abraham stayed in the area Abraham was prosperous and wealthy and he was there and and and it a hundred years old. He had a kid. And I'm word of something like that that's going to travel was going to get out this great celebration of a son and at that time abimelech and in Phi call the commander of his army said to Abraham God is with you in all that you do now therefore swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or my descendants or with my posterity. But as I have dealt kindly with you, so you will deal with me and with the land where you have Soldier
I've been acting brings the commander of his army and they come and they're saying wow. Congratulations on Isaac. God blesses you we never seen this before. We never seen a hundred year old man a 99 year old woman have a baby like God is clearly with you. Okay. So here's here's what I'm thinking you've chosen to dwell in our land. He throws that it has to be good to you. Let's formalize this session Pat. I'll treat you. Well you treat us. Well, we're we're not going to be enemy. Let's let's do life together.
the Abraham said
that sounds good. But before we do that, we're going to talk about something Abraham reproved abimelech about a well of water that have been Alexa servants had seized not remember water in the wilderness. Abraham he's got large flocks. He's got lots of servants. He is been prosperous and blessed by God in abundance. Ain't he's dwelling as a nomad in the wilderness in order to do that. One of the things that you got to do to get a dick well, You just need to happen Abraham have done this. He dug a well in the wilderness. I provided good water water source, not only for him, but for the blocks that he depended on to survive. He says that before we enter this Covenant where we're going to treat each other well. What about this weather would I be your servant sees?
and then like says I know what you're talking about. I do not know who has done this thing. You didn't tell me I have not heard of it until today if interested in what he does. He has his first of all, I don't know what you're talking about and you haven't even told me about this. How can you expect me to deal with something that one I didn't know about until you didn't tell me about that. There's a little bit of defensiveness and I'm innocent of this like I came here in good faith. Let's work this out. So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to abimelech and the two men made. Covenants. I like this they made a covenant Hebrew. It literally means cut the Covenant and I know this is hard for us and in our culture we get our meat at supermarkets and we don't have to see them the mess of it. But this is this is what they take these animals and they literally cut the Covenant. How covenants were made in the ancient near East Abraham would cut the throat of the goat of the sheep of the animal in a bit of a make this Covenant in the blood of these animals. They cut the Covenant. The imagery is easy to understand right made my throat be cut me my blood be spilled if I break the Covenant that I'm making with you.
They make this Covenant together. Abraham does something interesting Abraham set 7u lambs of the flock apart. These are them for a nomadic herdsmen. The year the female lamb is is the most important in the flock without them the flock cannot perpetuate. These are incredibly valuable. All right, this is this is not a trivial amount. This is a significant. amount of wealth represented in these 7u lamps And abimelech said to Abraham. What is the meaning of these 7 you Lambs that you have set apart. I like this because so often I'm reading this and because the Bible was written for us but not to us. I read the stuff in like what is it? What is what is going on here? We already cut the Covenant now you're bringing me these and this is a lot right like armored truck of goal. This is this is a significant Abraham brings out these seven that you lambs and any's like why have you set them apart? And and he said these 7 you Lambs you will take from my hand that they may be a witness for me that I dug this well. Abraham same listen, we're going into this Covenant together or we're going to be for each other not against each other. Aetna who is Abraham Abraham is God's covenant Choice. The one that God is going to blast so that all the peoples meant may be blessed. So we should not be surprised to see something like this take place. Abraham is being blessed by God so that others may be blessed abimelech Witnesses the blessing of God and said, wow, I would like some of that blessing. So now they've entered into a relationship and Abraham is doing what he is blessing hymn here. I want you to take these seven lambs and they're going to stand as a witness that I took this well and then it belongs to me and we've got this this packed and and we're going to be in this together there for the place was called Be'er Sheva because both of them swore an oath Beersheba interesting though play on words, it can mean one of two things it either means well of the oath or well of the seven depending on how you want to do it and either one works. It is the well where the old was made and it's the wealth where Abraham gave this great and generous gift of seven lamps.
The first place was called Beersheba because they're both of them swore. I know. They made a covenant a bear. She by then abimelech and Fike will the commander of his army rose up and returned to the land of the Philistines. And that's the first time it says the Philistines are those of us who have gone up in the church and we're used to hearing the Philistines as a completely bad thing as the enemy as the other as as the one to be feared.
Then what we see right here in and that does become a reality later not by God's design, but but man's willful sin and Rebellion. But what we see here in this text is that Abraham was called by God to be a blessing to all the other people's is actually functioning the way he's supposed to he is being a blessing to this.
We should all rejoice.
Because God shows no partiality.
Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Be'er Sheva and called there on the name of the Lord. The Everlasting God interesting interesting and if I call the command of the army, they leave they go back to the city. And Abraham is left there. And now the well is his and everybody knows it and and and God's Thoughts with him and got swarmed got to bless them with his son Isaac. It's up there by that. Well, he plants this cameras. Teresa is the desert tree that can grow to 20-30 feet high provides a substantial amount of shade. So they're next to the plants as a memorial so that they come back and they Witnesses tree to remember what God has done. And there he does. What we were made to do. If he makes a temple. He calls upon the name of the Lord he worships God there. The Abraham is functioning as God's Imager. And in this moment and it looks so sweet. It looks so good. And so he calls on the name of the Lord the Everlasting God, LOL.
Set some translations the Eternal God the Everlasting God the god of perpetua T perpetuity the god The God Who makes things. Work the way they're supposed to.
Got a Blessing we got a faithfulness In This Moment Abraham looks he plants his tree Worship the Lord. He's got the well, he's got Isaac God is faithful. He worships the name of the lorello have the Everlasting God and Abrams surgeon many days in the land. of the Philistines
what moment the moment of profound peace and joy and Hope that's about to be shattered, but you got to come back next week for that.
we think about What Genesis 21 is communicating to us about who God is in about Who We Are. We see in this text that while on the surface and maybe a first quick read through it. Looks like God is playing favorites. It looks like God is Not impartial. We see that actually this text reveals that God is for all of his imagers. And the way that God is showing that he is for everyone is by choosing one person and his line putting his blessing upon them and using them as his instrument of blessing for all people everywhere. But this text shows us that God indeed shows no partiality.
Jesus in Matthew chapter 5 Sermon on the Mount talking about relationships with others in this world. Jesus says this you heard that it was said You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.
What who says that everybody says that? Every Buddy says everyone was common sense. Treat treat your friends good and treat your enemies, Portland. That's just the way the world works. You think there's common wisdom in this world that says play favorites. Play be good to the people that you like and be bad to the people that you don't lie. Love your neighbor hate your enemy.
this is this is the way the world Works everybody thinks this way and I know we don't like to admit it but We think this one.
all the time
we're prone. Play favor. Rhonda partiality He says you may have heard of everybody's heard everybody thinks this way, but I say to you. Love your enemy.
Pray for those who persecute you.
Jesus is calling us back to the original heart and plan of God that there is no us and them there just dots. That there's just us.
It is if you want to live in the ethics and the righteousness and the Peace of the Kingdom, if you want to be a part of me, if you want to take my yoke upon you if you want if you want to live the way that are righteous and blessed man lives. You don't play favorites. You don't show partiality. You don't love your neighbor and hate your enemy you love everyone and if you have an enemy, it's not because you're there and I mean it might be because they want to be your enemy. But whatever it is you love them and you pray for them.
This is what righteousness looks like. I don't just love those who love me and don't just love those who are easy to love. I love everyone why because they're all made by God for God. There is no partiality. Every person you meet is an image bear every person, you know an encounter in this world no matter how evil or broken they maybe
And made by God forgot your job is not to play favorites. Your job is to love you got enemies. Love them.
Pray for them up at church. We could just get this. We could just get this in our Facebook post. Political conversation if we could just get this in our day-to-day interactions with co-workers and neighbors and nnnn bills that live in our communities if we could just this what a difference it would make in our world today.
Feels like beating a dead horse reality is we don't get this. Most within the church operate not out of Jesus principle of love your enemies and pray for them, but out of the principle of the world, which says love your neighbor and hate your enemy with no problem demonizing and n n and L attacking people that think differently than us people that vote differently than I was people that fit operate or belong to different political parties have no problem. Publix crucifying them And delighting in evil or downfall comes upon them and then boasting about it and then publicly posting upon it.
Not the way Jesus is not the way of God. We don't get the place to us and them in and out the good and bad. Because what Jesus came to reveal is that there's just us and that we're all bad. But God is good and in his love he offers us Grace and Redemption and Reconciliation. You don't get to look at other people as if they're Sinners and I'm not we look at everyone we meet and we're all Sinners for all of sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, but God in his beautiful generous righteousness gave us Jesus and you didn't just give me Jesus just give the people that I like Jesus for the sins of the world.
I say to you love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
So that you may be Sons Daughters of your father who's in the heavens?
I love this for he makes his sun rise on the evil. And on the good he sends rain on the just and unjust. Are you want to use your categories good and evil just and unjust? Sun comes up every day for everyone the rain falls them just fall on the good Farmer's field. And leave the bad Farmer's field dry. That's not the way it were.
You want to be a son you want to be a daughter of your father. You want to leave like God made you to live you want to be a faithful imager of who God is you want to partner with God in his work of bringing order out of chaos and life out of death, or do you want to do that? Don't show partiality?
If you love those who love you. What reward do you have? Don't even the tax collectors do the same. You picking like the worst of the worst in the culture, right? Everybody hated. The tax collectors is probably true the day right? Everybody hated the tax collector. Nobody wants to pay their taxes. Even the tax collectors have their own little community of tax collectors and they treat each other really well. So you just treat you just love those who love you. What you think that that's worth boasting about you think you've accomplished something? Because if if you only greet your brother. Mom are you doing than others don't don't even the Gentiles do the same all the peoples. That doesn't everyone do that already.
Jesus didn't come so that we could be just like everyone. Jesus came so that we could stop being just like everyone and offer everyone the chance to stop being like everyone comes in offers a new way up better way of Being Human the right way of Being Human and it's not the way of partiality is not the way of self righteous judgement. It's not the way of US versus them if the way of us for them.
This is what Jesus came to do. The Break Down The Walls the wave erected
the brings back to the heart of the father. Even after we consciously Ravel from his rightful ruler show.
You therefore must be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect. I can give you some anxiety. I'm guessing but listen to the context. work perfect. It means whole Innings completed means you need to function the way that you're supposed to function god designed us as His Image bearers. to live as family
to love each other not to hate each other. God designed us to be for each other not against each other. What Jesus is saying is like if you want to be a part of God. You got to love like God loves. And yes, God does choose God chose Isaac. Not not because Isaac was better than Ishmael God chose Isaac because he
by choosing to use Abraham and his seed as a blessing Gods logically obligated not to choose any one. That's Isaac.
Because he is for Ishmael. And he's four.
Church week we've got to
we got work on RC. Heli. We really do.
We see it playing out in our world today on both sides. When I have the stomach to get on Facebook or Instagram or Twitter. I see it from both sides. I see the Christians on the right. Crucifying and ridiculing the left. I see the Christians on the left crucifying and ridiculing the Christians on the right. And that's how we're treating each other.
We treat each other that way. What do we expect about how we treat those who aren't of the FAE what exactly as you would think if we just Bauer and destroy each other what hope do we have a blessing and reaching those Jesus came to rescue just like she rescued us.
You only love people like us and vote like us what good is it? Doesn't everybody already do that. That's what Jesus would say today. Right? Does everybody already do that. This whole to party got to be left and right red or blue democrat or republican is not God's design for Humanity. How do Christians function in a two party system? Not very well because it's not God's design. Right if we start with the two party system. If we start with the two party system and then try to live out our Christianity, we're going to end up blowing it if we start with our Christianity, we can navigate it two party system. Just like we can navigate any human system.
Because love will guide us.
I'm deeply deeply convinced that God is calling us. to deal with the sin of partiality
set the repented run to him for grace and forgiveness to let him close us with the perfect righteousness of Jesus that we might live like Jesus live. Then we might Love Like Jesus loved. That we might be perfect as our father is perfect. for our God shows no. partiality