Sermon Tone Analysis

“A dispensation is a period of time during which man is tested in respect to his obedience to some specific revelation of the will of God.

“ Scofield

Primary Characteristics of a Dispensation

A different governing relationship in each economy

A resulting responsibility given to man

Revelation not previously given

Secondary Characteristics of a Dispensation

A test

Failure

Judgement

Last session then folks we looked at the third dispensation, which was the dispensation of Human Government.

This was the period from the flood to the tower of Babel.

The Test - Scatter & Multiply

The Failure - Didn’t Scatter they converged

The Judgement - Confusion of Languages

We now move on to the time after the Tower of Babel.

We now have different languages for the first time in human history.

We note that the different languages on the part of the human race was a judgement upon the human race, that helps us a little when we get into acts and the early Church when we see those speaking in different languages after pentecost, then the languages are a judgement upon Israel.

Getting back to our next dispensation, we are now entering the Age of Promise.

The fourth Dispensation is called the Dispensation of Promise

A. The Responsibility

Nine generations after Shem, Abraham was born.

Abraham was about 75 years old and living in Ur of the Chaldees when God one day spoke to him.

The covenant He made with Abraham was again unconditional and contained many promises

The only hint of a condition appears to be that Abraham had to forsake his home and family and go to a land God would show him.

The promises from God were:

1. Make Abraham a great nation (verse 2), this promise has been fulfilled both physically and spiritually.

Physically through Isaac and Ishmael, spiritually through all those who have Abraham’s faith

2. To bless him (verse  2), and He did this also both physically (13:14-18) and spiritually (15:6).

3. To make his name great (GEN 12:2), still today the name of Abraham is known and respected by millions.

4. Make him a blessing to others (GEN 12:2).

Abraham blessed people in his own time and blessed humanity by his seed Jesus Christ.

5. To bless those who bless him (GEN 12:3).

6.

And curse those who curse him (GEN 12:3).

God has not only blessed those who blessed Abraham, but He also blessed those who blessed the nation that sprang from his loins, Israel.

Those who cursed Israel (Babylon, Assyria, Rome etc.) must suffer.

Some have suffered already, but these promises will not be completely fulfilled until the future.

7. Bless all the families of the earth in him (GEN 12:3).

The fulfilment of this is Christ himself, who blesses all those who believe on Him with salvation and who will also physically bless all who are in the Millennium.

Like the Noahic Covenant this covenant also has a sign, and it is circumcision

God also revealed the boundaries of the land given to Abraham.

Moreover, God promised all of this to Abraham while Abraham was asleep!

This proves the covenant is unconditional.

The ceremony recorded in Genesis 15 indicates the unconditional nature of the covenant.

The only time that both parties of a covenant would pass between the pieces of animals was when the fulfilment of the covenant was dependent upon both parties keeping commitments.

Concerning the significance of God alone moving between the halves of the animals, it is to be noted that it is a smoking furnace and a flaming torch, representing God, not Abraham, which passed between the pieces.

Such an act, it would seem, should be shared by both parties, but in this case God’s solitary action is doubtless to be explained by the fact that the covenant is principally a promise by God.

He binds Himself to the covenant.

God caused a sleep to fall upon Abraham so that he would not be able to pass between the two halves of the animals.

Fulfillment of the covenant fell to God alone.

God reconfirmed the covenant again after Abraham passed his severe but revealing test of offering Isaac

Issac is a wonderful type of Christ

Isaac and Jesus were "only, beloved" sons of a righteous father; Ishmael had been sent away in Genesis 21:14 [Genesis 22:2].

Both Isaac and Jesus are identified as the "son of Abraham" [see Genesis 21:3; 22:2; Matthew 1:1].

Both were offered in sacrifice [Genesis 22:2; John 1:29; Matthew 27:35; Mark 15:24; Luke 23:33; John 11:5019:17-18].

The sacrifice was offered in the land of Moriah – Jerusalem [Genesis 22:2; 2 Chronicles 3:1; Matthew 16:21-23].

Both sons carried the wood for their own sacrifice [Genesis 22:6; John 19:17]

Both were "bound" and placed on top of the wood [Genesis 22:9; John 19:18-19; Philippians 2:8].

Both willingly allow themselves to be offered in sacrifice [Genesis 22:7-8; Colossians 2:6-8].

Both sons were "resurrected" or "given back" the their fathers on the third day.

What then, is the next mention of Isaac after he was to be sacrificed upon mount Moriah?

What we find is that Abraham is concerned that Isaac should have a bride and sends his servant out to find her.

The servant in this passage is a beautiful picture of the Holy Spirit.

The next mention of Isaac was with his father Abraham sending the servant out to find a wife for Isaac.

But in this scripture, we have the first time that Isaac is actually seen since his near sacrifice in Chapter 22.

Clearly, this also continues the picture of the Lord Jesus Christ who ascended into heaven after the resurrection and is not seen again until He meets His bride at His return.

From the scripture above we see three things that occurred at this time.

Firstly, we see that Rebekah prepared herself by covering her face with her veil.

Secondly, we see that Isaac took Rebekah back to his home, to his mother’s tent.

Finally we see that Isaac loved her and the two were married.

These three events foreshadow the meeting of Jesus and his bride, the church.

Now getting back to this dispensation we find that

The Dispensation began with the Abrahamic covenant and is called the Dispensation of Promise, as for the first time God has made promises to one group of people at the exclusion of all others.

The promises God made to Abraham He reconfirmed to his son Isaac, his grand-son Jacob, and then to Jacob’s sons, the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel.

The manner of behaviour God expected in this dispensation is much like the previous except that He told Abraham to go to a certain land and stay there (Canaan).

The responsibility of Abraham and his descendants during the fourth dispensation was to obey God on the basis of human conscience, human government, and promise.

As should be no surprise by now we move to...

B.The Failure

Abraham obeyed in going to the land, but when a famine came and times got hard he fled into Egypt for food.

Abraham and his descendants failed the test of the fourth dispensation.

Moreover, the character of the descendants of Abraham degenerated from that of Abraham.

Even though Abraham was afraid and lied in Egypt about Sarah, Isaac seemed to lie more easily

Jacob (meaning Deceiver Supplanter) was even more blatant in sin.

He lied, deceived, tricked, and schemed it appears without a second thought

Likewise, his sons (with the exception of Joseph) were even more mixed up in vice and evil.

From adultery with handmaids and harlots to murder and kidnapping.

Gen. 34:25, 37:23-36, 38:12-18, they all seemed to think lightly of sin.

So the test was failed once again, this leads us to..

C. The Judgement

The actions of everyone concerned, from Abraham on down, and the degeneration of the character of the family in each succeeding generation caused God to send Abraham's seed into Egypt and later into bondage.

The failure once again brought divine judgment.

The climax of the dispensation was reached when God, during the lifetime of Jacob, sent the children of Israel into the land of Egypt where they stayed for four hundred years under the strong taskmaster's whip, until they reached the place where they could stand it no longer, and they cried out unto God for deliverance.

They recognised what they should have known at the very beginning, but which they learned after bitter experience, what we all know if we believe the Word of God, but which most of us have to learn by bitter experience, that God's way is the best way.

When they reached that place and cried out to God for deliverance, God heard them.

However, in spite of the failure God displays his grace in this dispensation as indeed he does in all the others before it.

D. God’s Grace

We should remember that God knew what would happen and had informed Abraham in advance.

God would not forget his people, and there is a deliverer coming for Israel.

Conclusion

The Age of Promise began with faithful Abram obeying the Lord and leaving the idolatrous city of Ur for a land which was promised but was never possessed by either him, Isaac or Jacob.