Our Choices Reflect Our Faith

Genesis 21:3 ESV

Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore him, Isaac.

Genesis 21:5 ESV

Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.

Genesis 21:9–13 ESV

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 account of his son. But God said to Abraham, “Be not displeased 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. And I will make a nation of the son of the slave woman also, because he is your offspring.”

Abraham is in a dilemma because of a previous choice he made created a consequence outside of God’s perfect will. We could look at our past and see how one choice led to a consequence which would open up a new set of choices with new consequences depending on what we would choose.

When I was younger, I would love to read ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ books. Every choice would create new choices and there would be a different ending depending on what choice I made while reading the book. I would then go back and make different choices to see different endings. Would not that be wonderful if we could back in time and change our choices to come to a different consequence or different future? So how did Abraham get to this point?

Abram is very rich and has no son. He has moved away from all he had known because God told him to. God gives him a great promise.

Genesis 13:16 ESV

I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted.

So what do you do when God makes an impossible promise? God needs our help, right? So we, like Abram, decide to help God out because God needs us to solve the problem, right?

Genesis 16:2 ESV

And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.

Did this solve the problem? No, this created a whole new set of problems extending into our present time. Choices. Now Abraham gets a lot of static for this choice he made. He did not go to God and seek God’s will on this choice. If he had, our current world problems may look completely different.

Now, Abraham was not the only guilty party in this. Sarah felt she had to help God out also.

Robert Burns, Scottish poet wrote the words translated to modern English “The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” This is definitely what happened here.

Genesis 16:5 ESV

And Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my servant to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the Lord judge between you and me!”

Some would say this sounds like a woman. Sarah wants her husband to do something and he does it and then it does not turn out the way she thought it would and now she blames her husband. She should have taken responsibility for her part of this problem. It was her idea but no one put a gun to Abraham’s head either. When we try to help God out, it only has disastrous consequences. This brings us back to our scripture this morning. Abraham does not want to send Hagar and Ishmael away. This time he seeks out God and God provides. God gives a prophesy for Ishmael.

Genesis 16:12 ESV

He shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen.”

Genesis 17:20 ESV

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

Choices have consequences. God made another promise to Abraham.

Genesis 15:18 ESV

On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,

Map

The world has not seen this yet. This is what the promise looks like based on Ezekiel 37. This is referred to as Greater Israel. In an article dated November 24, 2020, by Hubert Luns in ‘Christians for Israel International News:

Just as the Palestinians are 100 percent convinced that the Jews will destroy the Al Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount as soon as they get the chance (and then build their own temple there), so are the political leaders in the Middle East convinced that the Jews want to push the boundaries until Israel encompasses all of Greater Israel. The Israeli politicians can shout out loud that that is nonsense, but the Arabs do not believe that.

Choices have lasting consequences. Good choices prayed about first have good consequences even if we do not see it at first. Bad choices result in bad consequences such as death and hell. What kind of choices are we making now? Is Jesus Christ our counselor? Do we bathe our choices in prayer? Or do we make decisions based on an emotion?

Jeremiah 17:9 ESV

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

But

Proverbs 3:5–7 ESV

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.

We need to turn to the author and finisher of our faith so our choices to reflect our faith in Jesus Christ. We cannot change the future, but by giving all to Christ, our present and future can be completely changed.

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Conclusion

A - Acknowledge

Romans 3:23 ESV

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

B - Believe

Acts 16:31 (ESV)

And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.”

C - Confess

Romans 10:9–10 ESV

because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.