Beginnings: The Book of Genesis Gospel Preview

Gospel Preview

Psalm 55:5–16 NIV

5 Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me. 6 I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. 7 I would flee far away and stay in the desert; 8 I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm.” 9 Lord, confuse the wicked, confound their words, for I see violence and strife in the city. 10 Day and night they prowl about on its walls; malice and abuse are within it. 11 Destructive forces are at work in the city; threats and lies never leave its streets. 12 If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were rising against me, I could hide. 13 But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, 14 with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship at the house of God, as we walked about among the worshipers. 15 Let death take my enemies by surprise; let them go down alive to the realm of the dead, for evil finds lodging among them. 16 As for me, I call to God, and the Lord saves me.

Romans 4:1–16 NIV

1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? 2 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. 3 What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. 5 However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. 6 David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: 7 “Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 8 Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them.” 9 Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. 10 Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! 11 And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. 12 And he is then also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. 13 It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. 14 For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless, 15 because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression. 16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.

James 2:14–26 NIV

14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. 20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. 25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

Introduction:

Movies are usually advertised by giving you a preview of clips contained within the story. These clips are carefully created to catch your attention and focus and to gain your interest in watching the movie.

The Old Testament of the Bible has many such previews. These previews are seen in the life stories of historical personages detailed in the Bible.

We see God’s handiwork as we read about the life and times of these historical characters and how God reveals His story through their circumstances.

Today is just such a moment. I am reading a short passage from the beginning of Genesis 21, but we will be looking at most of the events of chapters 21 & 22. Stand with me for the reading of God’s Word.

Genesis 21:1–7 (NIV)

1 Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised. 2 Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him. 3 Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore him. 4 When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God commanded him. 5 Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6 Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” 7 And she added, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”

The Word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God!

Prayer

Sermon:

How would you feel if someone told you that all your life decisions and deeds were written into a book for others to read and learn from? Would it cause you concern or embarrassment? Would you think back over your life and wish you had done things differently? What if your life were an open book for years and generations to come?

When God told Abraham he would be a blessing to all generations, but I bet it never occurred to him that his life would be written in a book for all to read. He was thinking the blessing would be through the children yet to be born. And that is the case, but it was not that alone. God saw to it that Abraham’s life was included in God’s word for all men to read. It included Abraham’s great faith, but also Abraham’s great failures. It included Abraham’s fears and his celebrations. It also included Abraham’s perseverance and unfailing trust that God would deliver on His promises. In chapter 21, Abraham calls God by a new name. It is El Olam which means “The Everlasting God.” Abraham called God this recognizing that God was able to fulfill all His promises, both current and future.

Last week, we looked at the sad outcome for Lot who was so focused on providing himself pleasure, that he nearly lost his life except for the mercy of God. It was a story of judgement, but this story of judgement is followed by a story of victory as we see that...

A. God Keeps His Promises.

Abraham’s promise of a son was a long time in coming. God had made several promises to Abraham through the years.

The landmark statement and restatements of God’s promise came, first, when Abraham first set foot in Canaan, second, when under the stars he believed the Lord, third, when he saw the fiery presence of God glide between the flayed parts, fourth, when he heard the renamings “Father of a multitude,” “Princess,” and “Laughter” and was circumcised, and finally when he and Sarah held baby Laughter in their arms and he called the Lord El Olam (“Everlasting God”).

What an exciting time for Abraham! We can understand as we too have experienced cycles of life. There are times when we dream or have hope for future promises. Then there are the times of waiting for those future promises or dreams to become a reality. Then there are the disappoints or times of grief when things do not happen as we have hoped or expected. But then there are those moments of pure joy when a hope or dream is fully realized. When we hold in our hands that for which we have waited.

If you think about it, the longer the wait the greater the joy. Our society hates to wait for anything, but the truth is we appreciate things so much more when we have waited.

When Isaac was born, it was not out of delay or error, but it was just on time. Some Bible versions say “at the very time,” while others say, “just the time.” But the actual translation is the “appointed time.” God had appointed this moment and time for Abraham and Sarah to have their promised son.

Ecclesiastes 3 talks about time.

Ecclesiastes 3:1–2 (NIV)

1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: 2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,

Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NIV)

11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

Ecclesiastes 3:14 (NRSV)

14 I know that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it; God has done this, so that all should stand in awe before him.

You see, what makes God so awesome to us, is His ability to work in the life of a person in a personal way, that brings benefit too everyone. A son was a dream and hope for Abraham and Sarah. They expected to never see this dream fulfilled. However, when God did fulfill it, the years of waiting made this precious son even more special. God then blessed Abraham and Sarah with long lives to enjoy this son of blessing. Sarah will live to enjoy her son for 36 years. Abraham will live long enough to know his grandchildren into their teen years.

But God’s work in Abraham’s life went well beyond just the personal. Allow me to quote pastor and author Chuck Swindoll here.

“God established a covenant with Abraham as the first step in a plan of cosmic proportions—a comprehensive, predetermined strategy through which He will redeem the world from sin and evil.”

(Swindoll, Charles R.. Abraham: One Nomad's Amazing Journey of Faith (pp. 175-176). Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. Kindle Edition.)

How incredible to see God work in such a personal way with such far reaching benefits to all mankind!

The same way God worked in a personal way in Abraham’s life, He can work in our lives. Our life stories will never benefit as many as Abraham’s has, but God can still use our life situations to be a benefit to others.

Here are some personal encouragements we can learn through Abraham’s story.

The Bible is full of promises to God’s people, but God is also a personal God and there are times He speaks personal promises to us. When we read the promises in the Bible, we need to be sure we take them in context. Are the promises personal to the person we are reading about in the Bible such as God’s promise to give Abraham a son? Not every promise in the Bible is meant for us. However, there are other promises in the Bible that are meant for all people. Such as Matthew 11:28.

Matthew 11:28 (NIV)

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

There are also times when God promises something more personal to us but these times we need to be very cautious not to read our own interpretation into them. When we do, we can become very disillusioned when they do not play out the way we have mapped them out.

We can also learn how to wait on a promise from Abraham. As we read of Abraham’s waiting, his concerns as he waits, his mistakes in trying to make it happen and his final reward of a fulfilled promise, we gain wisdom to apply to our own life as well as encouragement that one day we will see our promises fulfilled.

There are two important things we learn about God and His promises:

God is never in a hurry. God is not limited to time, nor should we feel pressured to do so when we are waiting on God. He is never too early or too late with His delivery, but His timing is just right!

God never forgets His promises. They are all eventually fulfilled. We can always count on this!

Now as we saw, Abraham did make some mistakes along the way, but here we find encouragement also. You see...

B. Our Interference Doesn’t Stop God’s Plan

As Isaac began to grow, conflict arose once again. Ishmael was jealous of Isaac and during a celebration in Isaac’s honor, Ishmael mocked Isaac. Sarah quickly realized that this attitude would not pass but in time would become a threat to her son. So she demands that Hagar and Ishmael be sent away.

Now this seems petty on Sarah’s part considering she was the one who initiated the birth of Ishmael, but the threat she perceived was real. Technically, Ishmael was the first-born by birth, but Isaac was the first-born by choice of God. So God tells Abraham to do as Sarah as stated, but God assures Abraham that he will take care of Ismael and bless him as well according to God’s promise.

Here again we find a very important encouragement to us all. We mess up sometimes! Whether it be due to sin as with King David and his affair with Bathsheba, or by mistaken assumptions that God needs are help, like when Abraham fathered a child through Sarah’s handmaid. The truth is that we are all fallible! In such times, do we mess up God’s plans?

The answer is “no”. Remember, God knows all things. So we can never throw Him a curve ball He isn’t ready to deal with. We have free-will and will at times make poor choices, sometimes even sinful choices. But God is able to use them to accomplish His plan. There are many scriptures regarding God’s sovereignty and control in all circumstances.

Proverbs 16:4 (NIV)

4 The Lord works out everything to its proper end— even the wicked for a day of disaster.

Proverbs 19:21 (NIV)

21 Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.

Job 42:2 (NIV)

2 “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

One of the amazing things about “God’s sovereign control is that it doesn’t necessarily invalidate or override our ability to choose or determine our own future. Within God’s plan, there is a wide latitude for human free-will.” (Swindoll) In fact, there is far more freedom within God’s will than under the bondage of Satan and sin.

I remember a time when I felt God allowed me to choose what I would do. I could have stayed in Yakima to work as a children’s leader in our church or I could move away to go to Bible College to become a children’s pastor. I felt God was saying that there was a need in both places for me to serve and God allowed me to make the choice. I clearly heard Him say He would bless either choice. Of course, Abraham and David’s situations were not necessarily a choice God encouraged them to make, but the point is that we cannot mess up God’s plan. It will happen one way or another.

One illustration was that of a ship. If you are on a ship and it has a certain destination, you can do a variety of activities on that ship while it makes the journey. Whether you swim, skeet shoot, dine or play shuffleboard, the ship will still make its destination. (Of course, this is not the most accurate illustration as we all know that there are things that can hinder a ship making its final destination, but with God, the final destination will always be obtained. But this illustration is about us and our choices, not God and the destination.

However, when those times come that we make a poor choice, such as Abraham jumping ahead of God by having Ishmael, we need to forgive ourselves. The truth is, we will all make such mistakes at time. It is through such times that we learn and grow. We learn more about God and we grow in our understanding of how to follow God.

If we do not forgive ourselves, Satan will use the past to defeat us in the present. Paul encourages us to leave the past in the past and press forward to the goal.

Philippians 3:13–14 (NIV)

13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

So Abraham sends Hagar and Ishmael on their way. It was not an easy thing to do as Ishmael was his son and he loved Ishmael despite the fact that he was the son through a servant.

Genesis 21:22-34 shows that even as Abraham says goodbye to his son Ishmael, life presses him to move on as he has to see to the duties of life. But then we come to chapter 22 and we find that a considerable time has passed. Contrary to many pictures of this event, Isaac was most likely a young man. Jewish tradition states he was 37 years old while other commentaries suggest he was a teenager or early 20’s. Whatever the case, the word translated for us as “boy” often refers to young boys to even young men. Details of the event point to the fact that Isaac was no little child. Whatever the case, we learn another very critical truth through this story.

C. Blessings Should Be Held Lightly

Genesis 22:1–2 (NIV)

1 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. 2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”

Can you imagine what Abraham felt in that moment? I bet he felt like he had just been kicked in the breadbasket! He had waited all those years for a son and now, suddenly, God is calling for him to sacrifice him on an altar. What God was asking was not so unbelievable in those days. The Canaanites and Chaldeans practiced child sacrifice, so it was not unheard of for Abraham. But would God really have him do so to Isaac?

Abraham trusted God and believed that God would raise his son from the dead. Hebrews 11 tells us as much.

Hebrews 11:19 (NIV)

19 Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.

Abraham believed God would make it right. God had been very clear that Isaac was the recipient of the covenant blessing and Abraham believed it would be so, but it was still not an easy task. How would he explain it to Sarah? How would he explain it to Isaac?

As we read further, it is obvious that Abraham is distracted as he prepared for the trip. Look at verse 3.

Genesis 22:3 (NIV)

3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about.

Have you ever tried to do something when you mind is distracted by something else? You find you do things in unusual and unorganized ways. This is what we see here. Typically a person would cut their wood and not saddle the donkey until they are ready to load and leave. But Abraham saddles the donkey and loads it and then leaves it sitting while he goes and cuts the wood. Then the wood would need to be loaded also.

So, Abraham was clearly not thinking straight. He was deep in thought. We see this again later. Abraham, Isaac and the servants get to a certain location and Abraham tells the young men to wait while he and Isaac go on to the sacrifice site. Abraham places upon Isaac’s back the bundled firewood. Abraham carries a torch and knife and the proceed. You can imagine it was a quiet trip. There is not the usual chatter or banter between Abraham and Isaac that was sure to have been normal. Isaac breaks the silence.

Genesis 22:7–8 (NIV)

7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” 8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

When they reach the spot, Abraham built the altar and piled the wood on top. I can just picture it. As he lays the last piece he turns and faces Isaac and says, “Son, do you trust me?” “Why sure dad, I trust you! Why?” “Well son, I need to tie you up and place you upon this altar. It is God’s request and I trust God. This is important and we may not understand it, but I believe God is going to do an amazing thing if we obey.” Isaac knows his dad loves him and he trusts his dad. This is the man who always caught him when he jumped out of a tree when he was little. Isaac trusts his dad implicitly. So he holds out his arms and says, “Dad, I trust you and I trust God. Do what you must.” Isaac must of willingly obeyed because if Isaac was old enough to haul the wood to the appointed place, Isaac was big enough to fend off a father who is well over 100 years old at this point in time.

I believe that Abraham didn’t need to actually do it because in his mind he had actually done it. He had fulfilled the heart of the task. Look with me at Genesis 22:10-13

Genesis 22:10–13 (NIV)

10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. 12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” 13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.

Abraham then called the place, “The Lord Will Provide,” or a more literal translation is, Yahweh Yireh! “The Lord Will See To It.”

God then makes His final confirmation of all He has promised Abraham.

Genesis 22:15–18 (NIV)

15 The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”

Do not be surprised if at sometime there is something important to you that God says, “Will you sacrifice that for me?” Often times, it is the things we cling to the hardest, that God has us to release. However, there is something incredible that happens when we make these sacrifices. God often replaces them with something or someone of more value.

I remember my first experience with this. I was saving money to buy a home. I had bought a single wide trailer and was going to pay it down or pay it off, in order to acquire a down payment for a home. Just a month or two before God called me to go to the Bible College, God asked me if I was willing to give up owning a home in order to serve him. I said “yes.” I truly believed I would never own a home. A month or so later I found myself at the Bible College and there was just enough money left over from my trailer and move to pay a down payment on a town home that was nicer than anything my son and I could have rented. I sold it and lived in a really nice rental in CA, but in Idaho and Pennsylvania, God provided me ownership of beautiful new homes.

Abraham was given the life of his son and a beautiful promise of fulfillment of all God’s promises.

However, that is not the end of this story. You see, Abraham had no idea that he was providing an illustration of justification by faith for God’s people fro all time. He didn’t know that this act would fore shadow the sacrifice of God’s only Son—a Son who would not be spared because he was the provided lamb. You see...

D. The Ultimate Sacrifice is God’s

John 1:29 (NIV)

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

John 3:16 (NIV)

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Three different times God said to Abraham, “your son, your only son.” God was obviously making a point. This is not the normal way one would address something unless they are trying to make a point. Besides, technically, Isaac wasn’t Abraham’s only son except for the fact that Ishmael had been sent away. God was illustrating what He would do to fulfill this covenant. God had walked the “walk of death” in the covenant ceremony. That meant that God would provide the death in Abraham’s place. There was no way that Abraham and his descendants would fulfill their part of the covenant. That required a death and the death would be born by God.

Some have counted as many as 30 similarities between this event and the crucifixion account. I have listed them in your notes, but allow me to quickly point out a few.

It was a sacrifice of a one and only son.

Isaac carried the wood to the sacrifice site and Jesus carried his cross.

Both sacrifices were offered on Mt Moriah.

Both sons were delivered from death.

God was helping Abraham to see that He would carry out what he had just walked Abraham through. And somehow Abraham understood. Jesus tells us so.

John 8:56 (NIV)

56 Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”

The next time you are tested, tried, or facing a moment of sacrifice, remember what God sacrificed on your behalf. And that is what we are going to do right now as we prepare our hearts to receive communion.

Communion

Pray