Tawa Baptist

God’s Finger Prints

Scripture: Genesis 24:10-27

Title: God’s Fingerprints

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Asking Prayer
  • Listening Prayer
  • Conclusion – Giving Thanks

Introduction:

Fingerprints are detailed, unique to the individual, difficult to alter and durable over a lifetime. For these reasons fingerprints are one means of identifying people

Today we continue our series on the life & faith of Abraham

–         In this episode Abraham’s servant finds a wife for Isaac

–         We see God’s fingerprints throughout this story

–         From Genesis chapter 24, verses 10-27, in the NIV we read…

Then the servant left, taking with him ten of his master’s camels loaded with all kinds of good things from his master. He set out for Aram Naharaim and made his way to the town of Nahor. He had the camels kneel down near the well outside the town; it was toward evening, the time the women go out to draw water. Then he prayed, “Lord, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water.

May it be that when I say to a young woman, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too’—let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.”

Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milkah, who was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor. The woman was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever slept with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again.

The servant hurried to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water from your jar.”

“Drink, my lord,” she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink. After she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have had enough to drink.”

So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels. Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the Lord had made his journey successful. When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels. Then he asked, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”

She answered him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milkah bore to Nahor.” And she added, “We have plenty of straw and fodder, as well as room for you to spend the night.”

Then the man bowed down and worshiped the Lord, saying, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the Lord has led me on the journey to the house of my master’s relatives.”

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this Scripture for us

 

When we talk about the finger prints of God we mean that God is involved in the details to make good things happen or to prevent bad things happening

–         We know something has God’s finger prints on it when three main variables line up: timing, placement & power

–         If you find yourself in just the right place at just the right time with just the right power or ability or knowledge to help someone, then that probably has God’s finger prints on it – God is likely involved somehow

For example, imagine you are walking down the street one day and you notice a ball rolling down a driveway with a child running after it

–         The ball hits your legs, so you pick it up and give it to the child

–         Just at that moment a truck rushes by and you realise that had you not been there at that exact moment the child would have run out onto the road after the ball and been hit by the truck

–         Right time, right place, with the right kind of power to help

God’s finger prints go by many names…

–         Theologians call it providence

–         Poets call it serendipity

–         Philosophers call it synchronicity

–         Gamblers call it luck

–         Scientists call it evolution

–         Pagans call it fate

–         And cynics call it coincidence

Whatever we call it though, prayer is the lens through which we see God’s fingerprints – as we pray we notice God’s timing, placement & power at work in our lives

–         In today’s reading from Genesis 24 Abraham’s servant prays and, as he does, he sees God’s finger prints in finding a wife for Isaac

–         The servant’s prayer includes asking God for help, listening for God’s response and giving thanks for God’s answer

 

Asking Prayer:

Abraham’s servant sets out to find a wife for Isaac with 10 camels

–         Camels are sort of the ancient equivalent of a late model Land Rover

–         They provide reliable transport over variable terrain and are the sort of vehicle only the rich can afford

Although the journey from Hebron to Aram Naharaim is hundreds of miles and would have taken weeks, the author of Genesis skips over that part and focuses on what happens when the servant arrives in the town of Nahor

–         As it happens Abraham’s servant arrives towards the end of the day when the women normally came to draw water from the well

–         The timing and placement has God’s fingerprints all over it

–         However the servant needs power to discern which of the women is to be Isaac’s wife

 So he prays, asking God for help…

–         “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water…

The servant’s prayer is interesting – it shows us that Abraham didn’t keep his faith a secret – he must have shared his faith with others in his household because Abraham’s servant knows about the Lord and he understands that faith has to do with depending on God

The servant says “Give me success”, which in the Hebrew literally means, “make happen before me” [1] (I’d like to see your finger prints here God)

–         The servant is asking the Lord to make it clear which one of these women is to be Isaac’s wife – he is asking for power to discern

–         But the success isn’t for himself – the success is for his master Abraham

–         The servant asks the Lord to show kindness to Abraham

The word translated as kindness there is hesed in the original Hebrew

–         You may recall me talking about hesed on other occasions

–         It’s one of those Hebrew words that needs more than one English word to capture it’s meaning

–         Sometimes it is translated as kindness, other times as mercy or steadfast love or loyalty. Hesed is often used in connection with God’s covenant

Hesed isn’t a trifling thing – hesed is an act of real importance, it’s a big deal, life & death stuff

–         With hesed the inferior partner depends on the kindness of the superior to meet a desperate need. [2]

–         So in this case the inferior partner is the servant and he is depending on God’s kindness/hesed to meet the desperate need he has of finding a wife for Isaac and being released from his oath to Abraham

In asking God to show hesed or kindness to Abraham the servant isn’t telling God what to do, nor is he asking God to do something out of character

–         God loves hesed – hesed is at the core of who God is

–         The servant is simply saying, be true to yourself God – keep your promise to Abraham by helping me to find a wife for Isaac

 

The servant also believes that God is present there with him – he says, ‘See, I’m standing here beside this spring…’

–         Unlike most other people of his time, who believed there were many gods who were limited to specific territories or domains, Abraham’s servant believes that the Lord Almighty is with him everywhere – because Abraham’s God is Lord of all the earth

This is amazing – the servant has caught something of the spirit of Abraham’s faith & theology, and we hear it reflected in the opening lines of his prayer

The servant continues praying…

  • – May it be that when I say to a young woman, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too’—let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.”

Abraham’s servant is asking for a sign and he’s telling God what the sign ought to be – something quite extraordinary

–         Giving a drink to a stranger would be expected of a woman in that culture but volunteering to go the extra mile, by watering 10 camels as well, would not be expected – it was quite a stiff test for Isaac’s would be wife

Now at this point I want to make a distinction between looking for God’s finger prints and asking for a sign – they are not the same thing

–         It is good for us to look for God’s finger prints

–         Part of listening to God includes looking for evidence of his presence in our lives – those little details which suggest that God is involved here

–         When we look for God’s finger prints we leave the initiative with God and we give him considerable freedom to act as he wants

–         But asking for a sign is like creating a little artificial box and expecting God to only do things inside that box

–         As a consequence we are less able to accept what God might want to do outside the box

Asking God for a sign is not generally a good thing in the Bible – in fact it usually reveals a lack of faith

–         When Gideon asked for a sign by laying a fleece – he did that because he didn’t really believe God [3]

–         Likewise when the Pharisees asked Jesus for a sign, Jesus was like, ‘Really? You’ve just seen me heal all these people and reveal all this wisdom and you still don’t believe me. The only sign you will get is the sign of Jonah.’ [4] (That’s my very loose paraphrase)

The tricky thing is that faith doesn’t just require us to trust God, it also requires us to trust ourselves (that we have heard God correctly)

–         Asking for signs suggests we have little or no faith in our own judgement

–         By asking for a sign I’m abdicating responsibility for my actions

–         I’m saying, ‘I don’t really trust myself to discern God’s will in this situation, so if things go wrong, it’s your fault Lord’

–         In a sense, asking God for a sign is like using God to cover your backside and that’s not cool

Part of having a mature faith is owning the decisions we make

–         Now some people have too much confidence in themselves – they have illusions of grandeur and need to question their own judgement more

–         Others of us don’t trust ourselves enough and need to take more risks

–         Managing our self-confidence is like riding a bike – it requires balance

–         We need time and truth to grow in self-awareness and humility

–         If we do our best to discern God’s will and still get it wrong then we don’t blame God, but nor do we lose heart and give up on ourselves

–         We ask for forgiveness and trust that our relationship with God is strong enough to handle it

It seems to me that Abraham’s servant trusted God – he just didn’t trust himself, and that’s why he asked for a sign

–         Even though it is not best practice, God in his grace accommodated the servant’s request – after all the servant was trying to discern God’s will for Abraham’s benefit

 

Listening Prayer:

Prayer is the lens through which we see God’s fingerprints – as we pray we notice God’s timing, placement & power at work in our lives

–         Sometimes we think that prayer is simply us talking to God

–         We might have a quiet time in the morning during which we say some words to God then get on with the rest of our day, completely forgetting our earlier conversation with the Lord

–         But prayer has a much broader application than simply talking to God

When the apostle Paul said, ‘pray without ceasing’,[5] he didn’t mean talk to God all the time – he meant, ‘live your whole life in conversation with God’

–         Sometimes that will mean us speaking to God but most of the time it will mean listening to God by looking for his finger prints, both in the bigger picture and in the details of our daily lives

 

Let me tell you a story…

–         Once there was man, called Caleb, who came to Christian faith at the age of 34

–         Caleb was a big bloke – tall & thick set, ideally suited for the position of lock in a rugby scrum

–         Despite his menacing physical presence Caleb was actually quite a gentle soul

Caleb caught the train to and from work and usually redeemed the time by reading the Bible on his phone

–         One evening he was kept late at the office to meet a deadline

–         By the time he made it to the station, the platform was virtually empty, except for a girl in her 20’s all alone

–         He stood a little way off from her, because he didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable, and busied himself by reading the Bible

–         It was that part in Exodus where some women were being harassed at a well and Moses protected them [6]

–         Caleb was just thinking about the qualities of a good shepherd when he noticed 3 young guys standing around the girl – they had been drinking

–         She didn’t seem to like it much and tried to move away but they kept following her

Caleb had a strong sense that he should walk over – so he did

–         He didn’t say anything – just stood there between the 3 guys and the girl

–         The guys shuffled off to the side but the girl stayed near him – she seemed grateful for his presence

–         The train arrived and the five of them; Caleb, the girl and the three young guys, all got on board

–         Caleb didn’t talk to the girl or sit too close to her either – he didn’t want to appear creepy – but his presence kept the drunk guys in check

Caleb was meant to get off at Tawa but when he noticed that the girl was staying and would be alone in the carriage with the three drunk guys he decided to stay too

–         The train went all the way to Waikanae before the girl got off and by that time the 3 guys had fallen asleep

–         When the girl saw that Caleb wasn’t leaving the carriage she realised he had stayed for her benefit and smiled at him as if to say ‘thank you’

As Caleb sat in the train on the way back to Tawa he thought about what had happened and realised that this situation had God’s finger prints all over it

–         It was unusual for him to be kept late at work

–         Not only that but what were the chances of him reading the story about Moses at just the moment the girl was being harassed

–         It was like God had arranged for him to be in the right place at the right time with the right kind of power to provide peace & prevent harm

 

Prayer is the lens through which we see God’s fingerprints – as we pray we notice God’s timing, placement & power at work in our lives

The bigger part of prayer and perhaps the more difficult part, is actually listening to God

–         Before Abraham’s servant had even finished praying Rebekah comes over with her jar on her shoulder

–         Apparently God had anticipated what Abraham’s servant would ask for and was already at work answering his prayer

–         So the servant asks for a drink and waits to see what will happen

He thinks he has set a pretty stiff test for God & Rebekah

–         You see, the water jar Rebekah was carrying most likely had a capacity of about 3 gallons or 13½ litres

–         Giving the servant water was no big deal

–         He might drink only 1 litre, if he was thirsty, but watering a camel was a far bigger task

Camels can drink up to 25 gallons at a time if they’re empty [7]

–         25 gallons equates to over 113 litres – that’s quite a bit of water

–         If Rebekah was using a 3 gallon water jar then it would take at least 8 trips from the well to the watering trough to satisfy just one camel

–         And Abraham’s servant had 10 camels – so that’s potentially more than 80 drawings from the well – over 1130 litres of water

–         As you can imagine this would take some time and effort

The fact that Rebekah volunteers to go the extra mile to help a stranger like this speaks volumes about her character

–         It shows she is strong and not afraid of work

–         It also shows that she has an outward focus and is hospitable

–         You will remember that hospitality (as opposed to consumerism) is one of the key characteristics of Abraham’s household

–         Furthermore it shows that Rebekah knows what is important for life – in this case water

–         One of the problems with affluence & wealth is that it tends to make people forget what matters

–         Rebekah is in touch with reality – she has her priorities right

In verse 21 we read, Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the Lord had made his journey successful.

–         The servant’s patient waiting & watching is an act of listening to God and is just as much a part of his prayer as the talking he did at the beginning

 

Conclusion – Giving Thanks:

Once the camels have had enough to drink Abraham’s servant asks whose daughter she is and learns that Rebekah is in fact Abraham’s great niece – that is, the grand-daughter of Abraham’s brother Nahor

–         That clinches it for the servant

–         After giving Rebekah generous gifts of gold the servant bows down and worships the Lord, saying,

–         “Praise be to the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness [his hesed] to my master. As for me the Lord has led me on the journey to the house of my master’s relatives.”

–         In other words, this has God’s finger prints of all over it

The servant’s prayer started with petition and ended in praise but was filled with listening. (Listening was the greater part)

–         Prayer is the lens through which we see God’s fingerprints – as we pray we notice God’s timing, placement & power at work in our lives

 

Let us pray…

–         Holy Spirit, help us to see God’s finger prints in our lives

–         Give us ears to listen and eyes to see you at work in the world around us

–         Encourage us by your presence and make us ready to do your will as we live for the praise of your glory. Through Jesus we pray. Amen.

 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

1.)    What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon?

2.)    What do we mean by the phrase, ‘the finger prints of God’?

–         In what ways do we see God’s finger prints in finding a wife for Rebekah?

–         How might we see the finger prints of God in our own lives?

–         Do you have a ‘finger prints of God’ story?

3.)    What does the servant’s prayer (in verses 12-13) reveal about Abraham?

–         What does the servant’s prayer (in verses 12-13) reveal about God?

4.)    How is ‘looking for God’s finger prints’ different from ‘asking for a sign’?

–         Why is asking God for a sign less than ideal?

5.)    How does your faith in God compare with your faith in yourself?

6.)    What do you think the apostle Paul meant when he said, ‘pray without ceasing’?

7.)    What does it say about Rebekah that she volunteered to water the servant’s 10 camels?

8.)    Take some time this week to listen to what God is saying to you?

https://soundcloud.com/tawabaptist/22-july-2018-gods-finger-prints

[1] Bruce Waltke, Genesis, page 328.

[2] Ibid

[3] Judges 6

[4] Matthew 12:38-39

[5] 1 Thessalonians 5:17

[6] Exodus 2:16-20

[7] Bruce Waltke, Genesis, page 328.

Tawa Baptist

Abraham’s Identity

Scripture: Genesis 24:1-9

Title: Abraham’s Identity 

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Two worlds
  • Identity
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Someone once said,

–         “We don’t know who discovered water but we know it wasn’t a fish.”

–         The point being that a fish is born into water and lives in water all its life, so it doesn’t realise the context it is in, unless it is taken out of the water.

–         We, like the fish, are often unaware of the cultural & historical context we are born into as well.

–         It is like we are blind to our own society unless we leave it to experience another context or spend time with people from another culture

 

Today we continue our series on the life & faith of Abraham

–         Last week we heard how Abraham responded when Sarah died

–         Abraham was in touch with his soul – he wept over Sarah and purchased land as an act of hope in the face of death

–         This morning we pick up the story from the beginning of Genesis 24 – page 25 near the front of your pew Bibles

–         In this scene Abraham asks his most trusted servant to find a wife for Isaac. In listening to this story we become aware that Abraham’s cultural water was very different from our own

–         From Genesis chapter 24, verses 1-9, we read…

Abraham was now very old, and the Lord had blessed him in everything he did. 2 He said to his oldest servant, who was in charge of all that he had, “Place your hand between my thighs and make a vow. 3 I want you to make a vow in the name of the Lord, the God of heaven and earth, that you will not choose a wife for my son from the people here in Canaan. 4 You must go back to the country where I was born and get a wife for my son Isaac from among my relatives.”

5 But the servant asked, “What if the young woman will not leave home to come with me to this land? Shall I send your son back to the land you came from?”

6 Abraham answered, “Make sure that you don’t send my son back there! 7 The Lord, the God of heaven, brought me from the home of my father and from the land of my relatives, and he solemnly promised me that he would give this land to my descendants. He will send his angel before you, so that you can get a wife there for my son. 8 If the young woman is not willing to come with you, you will be free from this promise. But you must not under any circumstances take my son back there.” 9 So the servant put his hand between the thighs of Abraham, his master, and made a vow to do what Abraham had asked.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this reading for us

 

Different worlds:

I have here a piece of wood and an axe. Wood has a grain to it

–         If I try to cut this wood against the grain like this – it’s really hard work

–         [Try cutting across the grain]

–         But if I cut the wood with the grain – it’s a lot easier [Cut with the grain]

This morning’s Scripture reading is one of those passages that goes against the grain for most of us – it just seems so at odds with the values of our society and so we may struggle with it

For example, we are a relatively egalitarian society – we value equality and personal freedom (we don’t like people telling us what to do)

–         So the idea of Abraham telling his servant to choose a wife for Isaac (arranged marriage basically), is repugnant to us

Likewise, our culture is a bit lite on commitment, so the idea of Abraham binding his servant with an oath by placing his hand under his thigh (whatever that means) is really strange to us

What’s more we like to think we are inclusive and not racist or sexist or prejudice or anything else-ist – so the idea of Abraham saying, under no circumstances is my son to marry one of those Canaanite girls, is shocking to us

What we need to remember is that the Ancient Near East, the world in which Abraham lived, had a very different set of values to the world we live in

On the wall here I have a table contrasting some of the differences between the modern western world and the ancient near eastern world [1]

Modern West Ancient Near East
Equality is valued Hierarchy is valued
Assert one’s own rights Submit personal rights to the group
Strong on personal identity Strong on group identity
Primary responsibility

to develop self

 Primary responsibility

to develop group
Think of self as separate Think of self as connected
Status is achieved Status is ascribed

So, for example, while we might value equality, Abraham’s world valued hierarchy

–         Kiwi culture is quite hard on its leaders, whereas people in the ancient near east were more respectful of their elders and leaders

–         We might think that asserting our own personal rights is a good thing

–         But to people in the Ancient Near East submitting your personal rights to the group was a far better thing

–         For them submission to hierarchy provided a framework for order

–         Whereas equality and insisting on your own rights was a recipe for chaos

 

We (in the modern west) have a strong sense of personal identity, whereas people in the ancient near east had a strong sense of family and tribal identity

–         In the modern west we tend to think our primary responsibility is to ourselves and developing our own individual potential

–         But in the ancient near east the primary obligation was to others and to the development of the group

–         Isaac & Rebekah would have been more inclined to accept the marriage that was arranged for them because they knew it wasn’t about them

–         It was about what was best for the group

 

People with a modern western world view tend to think of themselves as separate from the world around them and from other people

–         Whereas people with a more ancient world view tend to think of themselves as organically connected to the physical world and to others

–         In this respect at least, Maori culture is a lot closer to the culture of the ancient near east than Pakeha culture is

–         When Maori formally introduce themselves they often say the tribe they come from, what their river & mountain is and who their ancestors are

–         That’s because they think of themselves as connected to the world around them – they see themselves as part of a group not just as an individual

 

In our modern western world, status is achieved or earned by what you do

–         But in the ancient world status was ascribed or given

–         Abraham didn’t do anything to earn or achieve God’s promise & blessing – it was simply given to him by the Lord

–         Likewise we are made in the image of God – that’s not a status we achieve by trying really hard to be good

–         That’s a status ascribed to us by God and ultimately fulfilled by Christ

A lot of us struggle with issues of identity & self-worth don’t we

–         We might not feel good enough somehow

–         Or we might feel like we must achieve something in order to prove who we are. No – you don’t.

–         You are valuable because God says so, not because of what you achieve

–         You are beautiful because God made you – not because you have rock hard abs or an hour glass body shape or whatever

Now in comparing & contrasting these two worlds I’m not saying that one is better than the other – both worlds have their pros & cons

–         The point is, Abraham lived in a completely different world from the one we live in – the cultural water (context) he swam in was different to ours

–         We need to be careful to avoid the arrogance of imposing our modern western values on Abraham

–         Ultimately, Jesus is Lord of both worlds and he comes to transform our world into God’s kingdom on earth

 

Okay, so we’ve seen how Abraham’s culture was different to ours

–         I’d like to focus now on one of the key themes in this passage: Identity

Identity:

Identity is about who we are – it’s about our being

–         Those who are in tune with their soul have a strong sense of identity

–         They know who they are and have accepted who they are

–         And consequently, they make decisions in line with their identity

Let’s take some time to understand the modern western concept of identity and consider how this might (or might not) fit with Abraham…

Identity Moratorium

–         Actively exploring options but not yet committed

 Identity Achievement

–         Have explored the options and are now committed
Identity Diffusion

–         Not exploring the options and not committed

 Identity Foreclosure

–         Have committed without exploring the options

A developmental psychologist by the name of James Marcia, came up with a theory about identity in the 1980’s

–         Marcia identified what he called four ‘statuses’ of identity

Identity Diffusion, in the red box, describes the status of an individual who doesn’t have a strong sense of identity and isn’t really exploring their options – they sort of float without being committed to anything much

–         For example, they might be unsure what they want to do for a job and not at all motivated to explore career options

–         Or they might be undecided on what they believe about God and in fact quite uninterested in seeking him – neither hot nor cold

 

Identity Foreclosure, in the grey box, describes those who have committed to a certain identity without having explored the options

–         For example, their father was a baker so when they left school they became a baker too without trying anything else

–         Or perhaps they came to church from a young age and just accepted their parents’ beliefs without question

–         There’s nothing wrong with this if you enjoy being a baker and the beliefs you’ve inherited are sound

–         But it can become a problem if the identity you commit yourself to is in conflict with your soul

–         If you are wired up to be a pastor but you spend your life selling shoes, because that’s all you know, then life will be pretty miserable for you

 

Moratorium is just another word for ‘postponement’, so Identity Moratorium, in the green box, describes those who haven’t committed to a particular identity or occupation or set of beliefs yet, but they are actively exploring their options

–         For example, they may not have settled on a career but are trying different jobs to see what fits best for them – the gap year concept

–         Or maybe they grew up going to church but have gone off the rails a bit

–         This rebellious stage doesn’t necessarily represent their settled commitment, it is just a stage

 

Identity Achievement, in the orange box, describes the status of those who have made a firm identity commitment after exploring their options   

–         For example, they may have settled on a career in medicine after having worked in the hospitality & construction industries

–         Or perhaps they grew up not going to church but have decided to follow Jesus, like C.S. Lewis who became a Christian after being an atheist

 

We’re not stuck in one status (or in one box) our whole life

–         We are able to move around the boxes

–         For example, someone may start from a place of identity foreclosure, move to identity moratorium and end up in identity achievement

–         Maybe they become a motor mechanic because their dad was a mechanic. They do that for 10 years, then realise it isn’t for them, so they explore other career options before eventually finding their fit as an accountant

 

One thing we observe about NZ society today is that we are relatively strong on exploration but not so strong on commitment

–         And what we get with that is a more fluid society

–         People are more inclined to change their identity, almost on a whim

–         It’s like we have a wardrobe of identities we choose from

–         Again there are plusses and minuses with this

–         Fluid is adaptable, water can find a way where other firmer substances can’t, but it’s difficult to build a foundation on water

So can we apply Marcia’s identity theory to Abraham?

–         Well, there is some truth in Marcia’s theory – to a certain extent it does reflect the way we think & behave in the modern west

–         But it’s not the gospel and I don’t think it’s a model we can impose on Abraham’s culture

–         Marcia’s theory is humanistic – it doesn’t take God into account

–         It assumes that human beings achieve their own identity by the choices they make – that we define ourselves in other words

–         But the Jewish / Christian belief is that we don’t define ourselves

–         God is our creator and he defines us – he gives us our identity

–         Our identity is not forced on us by God – we still get to make choices

–         We can accept God’s definition of who we are or we can reject it

Faith Identity

–         After God’s call

–         Defined by God’s promise

 

 Fulfilled Identity

–         Isaac

–         Israel

–         Jesus
Finite Identity

–         Before God’s call

–         Unpromising future

 

 Fake Identity

–         Deceiving others

–         Defined by a lie

 

On the wall here we have another set of identity statuses which fit better for Abraham

–         Finite Identity, in the red box, describes Abraham’s unpromising future before God called him.

–         Without God, Abraham’s identity would have been limited & unfulfilled

–         He would have lived & died and been forgotten – we wouldn’t know who he was

But as a result of God’s call, Abraham moved from the red to the green, from a Finite Identity to a Faith Identity

–         God gave Abraham a new identity by calling him out of his home in Mesopotamia and literally giving him a new name

–         After God’s call Abraham’s life was defined by God’s promises

–         Sarah may have been barren but her barrenness did not define them

–         God’s promise to make Sarah & Abraham the parents of a great nation is what defined them

–         God didn’t fulfil those promises straight away – for much of Abraham’s life God’s promises remained just that, promises

–         Abraham’s task was to live his life in anticipation of God’s promise

Throughout this series we have heard how God tested Abraham’s faith in a whole variety of ways

–         Sometimes Abraham passed the test and other times he switched into the grey box of Fake Identity

–         For example, Abraham deceived Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and then sometime later he misled Abimelech the king of the Philistines

–         In those situations Abraham pretended to be something he wasn’t

–         He allowed himself to be defined by a lie, rather than God’s promise

In the end God fulfilled Abraham’s identity

–         Abraham didn’t achieve his identity through some journey of self-discovery – no.

–         God fulfilled Abraham’s identity initially through the miraculous birth of Isaac and then later through the nation of Israel

–         Ultimately though God fulfilled Abraham’s identity through Jesus Christ who was descended from Abraham

 

Returning to Genesis 24 – Abraham is very clear about Isaac remaining in the land of Canaan and not marrying any of the Canaanite girls because he wants to stay true to God’s promise

–         God’s promise requires Abraham to make an ethnic distinction

–         “At this early stage, intermarriage with the people of the land would risk assimilation into those people & thus jeopardise the covenant promises” [2]

–         Or said another way, if Isaac were to marry one of the locals the special  identity of God’s chosen people would be lost

–         Isaac marrying a Canaanite girl would be like choosing a fake identity

–         Abraham’s decision, therefore, is in line with his identity as the father of God’s chosen people

It is very important for us to make decisions in line with who we are

–         If we don’t, if we do things that go against the grain of our soul and against God’s purpose, then this creates tremendous stress within us

 

The movie Hacksaw Ridge tells the true story of Private Desmond Doss, the first conscientious objector to be awarded the medal of honour

–         During World War 2 Doss volunteered as a medic in the US Army

–         As a devout Seventh Day Adventist, Desmond Doss refused to carry a firearm – he was a strict pacifist

–         Desmond didn’t believe in killing – to him that would have been like assuming a fake identity, it would have gone against the grain of his soul

–         Despite getting a terrible time in boot camp Desmond stayed true to who he was and eventually saved 75 soldiers during the battle of Okinawa

Like Desmond Doss, Abraham had a strong sense of identity – not just personal identity but group identity

–         The decision to find a wife for Isaac from among his extended family, and not among the Canaanites, was in line with God’s purpose

–         Abraham wanted his descendants to stay true to the identity God had promised them.

 

Conclusion:

Identity is a hot topic in our world today

–         Our modern western society and our media culture seem to create a pressure around identity issues, and that pressure is felt most strongly by many of our young people

Are you male or female?

–         Are you liberal or conservative?

–         Are you in a relationship or are you single?

–         Are you gay or straight?

–         Are you Maori or European, Asian or African?

–         Are you environmentally ethical or a petrol head?

–         Are you a vegetarian or a meat eater?

–         Are you Gen X or a Millennial?

–         As if any of those man-made categories matter in the light of eternity

 

We are not God – it is not in our power to define ourselves

–         We are not defined by what we look like or how clever we are

–         We are not defined by our parents or our past

–         We are not defined by our achievements or our mistakes

–         We are not defined by our reputation or what others think of us

–         We are not defined by our job or what we own

–         We are not defined by our fears or our feelings

–         We are defined by God, our creator, we are made in his image

God calls us out of a finite identity into a faith identity

–         He calls us to put our trust in Jesus

–         Jesus embodies the promises of God

–         Jesus shows us what God’s image looks like

–         It is through Jesus that God fulfils his purpose and our identity

In his letter to the Galatians, Paul writes…

–         You are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptised into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. [3]

We need to live in tune with our soul – we need to discover who we are in Christ and live in a way that is consistent with that identity, as Abraham did

 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

1.)    What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon?

2.)    What aspects of Genesis 24:1-9 go against the grain of our modern western culture?

3.)    Compare & contrast some of the main differences between the modern western world and the ancient near east

–         In what ways might some non-western cultures today be quite close to Abraham’s ancient near eastern culture?

4.)    Discuss / reflect on James Marcia’s four identity statuses

–         Does Marcia’s theory fit with your experience? In what way?

–         How does Marcia’s theory fall short of Christian belief?

5.)    Discuss / reflect on Abraham’s four identity statuses

–         How did God give Abraham & Sarah a new identity?

6.)    Why did Abraham insist that Isaac not marry a Canaanite girl?

7.)    What is our God given identity?

–         How does God fulfil our identity?

8.)    Take some time this week to meditate on Galatians 3:26-29

 

[1] Refer John Walton’s NIVAC on Genesis, pages 25-26

[2] John Walton, NIVAC Genesis, page 529

[3] Galatians 3:26-29

Tawa Baptist

Loss & Hope

Scripture: Genesis 23

Title: Loss & Hope

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Abraham mourns
  • Abraham buys land
  • Hope for exiles
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

“The Kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then went and sold all he had and bought that field.”  [1]

Today we continue our series on the life & faith of Abraham & Sarah

–         Last time we heard how God tested Abraham by asking him to sacrifice his son Isaac. Abraham passed the test and Isaac’s life was spared

–         This morning our message focuses on Genesis 23

–         About 20 years have gone by and Isaac is a grown man – 37 years old

–         Sarah dies and Abraham finds hope in the face of death

–         Abraham is like the man who found the treasure and bought the field

–         From Genesis 23, in the NIV, we read…

 Sarah lived to be a hundred and twenty-seven years old. She died at Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her. Then Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites.

He said, “I am a foreigner and stranger among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead.”

The Hittites replied to Abraham, “Sir, listen to us. You are a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb for burying your dead.”

Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites. He said to them, “If you are willing to let me bury my dead, then listen to me and intercede with Ephron son of Zohar on my behalf so he will sell me the cave of Machpelah, which belongs to him and is at the end of his field. Ask him to sell it to me for the full price as a burial site among you.”

Ephron the Hittite was sitting among his people and he replied to Abraham in the hearing of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of his city. “No, my lord,” he said. “Listen to me; I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. I give it to you in the presence of my people. Bury your dead.”

Again Abraham bowed down before the people of the land and he said to Ephron in their hearing, “Listen to me, if you will. I will pay the price of the field. Accept it from me so I can bury my dead there.”

Ephron answered Abraham, “Listen to me, my lord; the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver, but what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.”

Abraham agreed to Ephron’s terms and weighed out for him the price he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weight current among the merchants.

So Ephron’s field in Machpelah near Mamre—both the field and the cave in it, and all the trees within the borders of the field—was deeded to Abraham as his property in the presence of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of the city. Afterward Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre (which is at Hebron) in the land of Canaan. So the field and the cave in it were deeded to Abraham by the Hittites as a burial site.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this reading for us

 

Abraham mourns:

During a storm we might see some lightning and hear some thunder

–         The lightning & thunder happen at the same time but because light travels a lot faster than sound we don’t hear the thunder until seconds later

–         You can roughly calculate how far away the lightning strike was by counting the seconds that pass between the lightning and the thunder

–         Sound travels one kilometre every 3 seconds [2]

–         So, if we hear were to count 15 seconds between a lightning flash and the sound of thunder we know the lightning struck 5 kilometres away, because 15 seconds divided by 3 kilometres per second = 5 km’s

–         Or if we were to count 6 seconds between the lightning and the thunder we know the lightning was closer, only 2 kilometres away

Our emotions are a bit like thunder – our feelings travel at the speed of sound, slower than the speed of light

–         Consequently there is often a gap between something happening to us and us feeling it

–         The more detached from our soul we are the longer it takes us to feel it

–         While the more in touch with our soul we are the quicker we feel it

For example, we might have an accident or get some really bad news and at the time we feel relatively okay, better than we expected we would

–         But then the feeling hits us a couple of days or weeks later – maybe we start freaking out or we break down in tears or whatever

–         Lightning, then the thunder

 

In Genesis 23 lightning strikes (so to speak) when Sarah dies

–         Sarah & Abraham have been together for well over 100 years and they have been through all sorts of experiences (good & bad)

–         Sarah was loyal to Abraham through thick & thin – but she was not one to ride on the coat tails of her husband’s faith

–         Sarah had her own relationship with God

–         Her faith was hard won and tested in the disappointment of barrenness

–         Sarah went from hope to despair and beyond, then back again

In losing Sarah, Abraham lost a great deal

–         Verse 2 tells us that Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and weep over her

–         Abraham is in touch with his soul – he knows who he is and what is important to him. He is comfortable being himself and isn’t trying to be something different

–         Because Abraham is in touch with his soul he is able to face loss honestly, without denial. When lightning strikes he feels the thunder

 

To mourn is to show the sorrow you feel for the death of someone

–         People in the ancient world mourned or showed their sorrow in a number of ways including wearing sackcloth, sitting in solemn silence, putting ashes on their head, tearing their clothes and so on

–         These days we mourn in quite different ways

–         We don’t wear sack cloth but we might wear black clothes

–         We don’t throw ashes on our head but we might dress up for a funeral or hang out with friends & family to share stories

However we do it, mourning is a way of being in touch with our soul and showing others the thunder we are feeling on the inside

–         Mourning is the opposite of hiding our feelings

–         Mourning is refusing to pretend we are okay when we are not feeling ok

–         Mourning means expressing our grief rather than holding it in

–         Mourning is a way of spring cleaning our soul, as opposed to sweeping things under the carpet

–         Many of us in this congregation have done quite a bit of mourning lately

 

We’re not told specifically how Abraham mourned, except that he wept

–         This reminds us of Jesus who wept at the grave of his friend Lazarus

–         Weeping releases something in us – it sets us free is some small way

–         Tears are like oil in an engine – tears lubricate the inner workings of our soul so things don’t over heat or seize up

–         Tears reduce the friction caused by death

Of course, when anyone dies there are usually a lot of practical things to organise – so Abraham doesn’t wallow in his sorrow

–         He takes a positive step – he rises to buy some land in order to bury Sarah

 

Abraham buys land:

Victor Hugo, the writer of the book Les Miserables, has a quote…

–         Virtue has a veil, vice a mask

A bride wears a veil over her face as a sign of her modesty – her purity

–         A veil is both delicate and transparent

–         It allows people to see who you are without giving everything away

A mask, on the other hand, is something people hide behind

–         People who wear masks are pretending to be something they are not

–         Virtue has a veil, vice a mask

–         Abraham has a veil, the Hittites (it seems) are wearing a mask

 

Abraham approaches the Hittites in the gate of their city

–         The gate of ancient cities wasn’t just an entry point – it was more importantly a place where legal decisions were made

–         Most ancient cultures were oral cultures, as opposed to writing cultures

–         So if you wanted to make an agreement or settle a dispute you didn’t do this in writing – you did it by speaking publicly with the people involved in front of respected witnesses

–         Abraham goes to the gate because he wants to legally purchase land

Abraham approaches the Hittites in an attitude of humility & vulnerability, as one wearing a veil – modest and transparent

–         He doesn’t come in force, nor does he beg – he is gracious & true saying,

I am a foreigner and a stranger among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead.

Abraham is a ‘resident alien’ – he doesn’t have full citizenship rights so he can’t buy & sell land without permission from the locals

–         There is a certain irony here – Abraham is asking permission to buy the land that God has already promised to give him

–         Abraham doesn’t use God as an excuse to take the land by force – he doesn’t start a holy war with the Hittites to get what he wants, no

–         Abraham modestly puts himself somewhere near the bottom of the social ladder – he humbles himself before the people of the land

 

Again we see something of Jesus in Abraham – I’m reminded of Philippians 2 where the apostle Paul writes…

–         Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant…

–         Abraham didn’t grasp the land – but humbled himself saying, I’m a foreigner and an stranger among you

But at the same time he is quite direct & straight up about what he wants

–         There’s no hidden agenda – everything is above board & transparent

–         He wants to own a permanent stake in the land

The Hittites replied to Abraham, “Sir, listen to us. You are a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb for burying your dead.”

The Hebrew which is translated as ‘mighty prince’ there, literally means ‘a prince of God’ [3] (i.e. a prince of Elohim)

–         The Hittites recognise that Abraham has a special relationship with God

–         However, their politeness is somewhat of a mask – the truth is they are reluctant to sell any land to Abraham

–         Behind the mask they are saying, ‘you are welcome to use our land to bury your dead but we want to retain ownership’

Abraham is not so keen on that idea so he wisely requests that they ask Ephron (on his behalf) if he will sell his cave

–         That’s a smart move – Abraham isn’t getting the response he wants from the group so he gets more specific by asking an individual

–         This also shows that Abraham has done his homework – he knows the particular place he wants for a burial site and who owns that land

–         Ephron’s land is near Mamre, which is a sacred place for Abraham because God met Abraham at Mamre

Ephron happens to be there at the gate and says, ‘I’ll give you the field and the cave to bury your dead.’

–         Now, as generous as that sounds, Ephron is not offering to give the land to Abraham for nothing. It’s just a polite (masked) way of saying ‘let’s negotiate’. After all, Abraham didn’t ask for the field, just the cave

–         The fact that Ephron is now making the field part of the deal is a sign to Abraham that he is about to get more than he bargained for

Abraham is not interested in playing games – he gets to the point as quickly as he can and offers to pay Ephron

–         Ephron says the price is 400 shekels of silver – but what’s that between me and you?

–         Well, I can tell you 400 shekels is a lot – more than your average worker could expect to earn in a life time

–         But what can Abraham do? Ephron has him over a barrel

–         He needs to bury Sarah soon, before her body starts decomposing

–         Abraham agrees to Ephron’s terms without haggling with him – which is unusual in that culture. But it’s not about the money for Abraham

–         Clearly Abraham values his wife Sarah – he will gladly pay the price for the woman he loves

By paying what Ephron asked and not negotiating the price down, Abraham reduces the risk of the sale being contested in the future

–         No one can argue that Abraham ripped Ephron off with blankets & beads

–         Abraham is looking to the future – he is staking his claim in the land that God has promised him

–         You see, in that culture people had a strong desire to be buried with their ancestors in their native land. By purchasing a burial place in Canaan Abraham demonstrated his unswerving commitment to the Lord’s promise. [4] Canaan was his new homeland.

 

“The Kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then went and sold all he had and bought that field.”

–         Like the man in Jesus’ parable, Abraham was prepared to pay whatever was necessary to gain the treasure (the hope) that field promised

 

Hope for exiles:

This story of Abraham buying land in Canaan is really a story of hope for the exiles

Many centuries later Abraham’s descendants (the nation of Israel) were under siege by the Babylonians and the city of Jerusalem was about to fall

–         The people were facing either death or exile to a foreign land

–         At the very point of facing defeat God tells his prophet, Jeremiah, to buy a field

–         In many ways it was a crazy financial decision – buying land just weeks before the Babylonians seized possession of it

–         But God asked Jeremiah to do this as a sign of hope in the face of death & exile

–         The Lord was saying to the people, ‘I will restore you and your land. One day you will again buy & sell property in Canaan and live in safety’

 

In some ways it was similar with Abraham

–         Abraham was facing death – he had just lost his dear wife Sarah and he was, by this stage, an old man himself, at 137

–         As a resident alien, a landless foreigner, Abraham was also a kind of exile

–         He had left the land of his birth to follow the call of God and now Canaan was his new homeland – but he wasn’t yet a full citizen so he was sort like an exile in his own country

–         Buying real estate was a courageous act of hope – It was a way of saying our present circumstance does not determine our future

–         Beyond death there is resurrection – life with abundance

–         Beyond exile there is restoration – belonging with peace

 

New Zealand has undergone rapid change in recent years. Some of those changes have been good but other changes have been detrimental to community

–         I heard someone say recently that, ‘Culturally speaking, the church in NZ is in exile at the moment.’ There is truth in that statement

–         To be a Christian in NZ is to be like a resident alien in your own country

–         It’s not quite as difficult for us as it was for Abraham – we can still buy & sell property for example

–         But to a large extent the way of Christ is a foreign concept to our society

–         Even the stories of the Bible are foreign to many people today

–         We are a minority and we are not in power

 

Conclusion:

So what are we to do? Well, we take a leaf out Abraham’s book

We stay in touch with our soul so that we can face loss honestly, without denial

–         When lightning strikes we feel the thunder

–         We don’t pretend it doesn’t hurt – we mourn, we weep

–         But we don’t wallow in our sorrow either

–         After our tears we rise and act positively, doing what needs to be done

 

When dealing with those who don’t share our faith we wear a veil, not a mask

–         We don’t give everything away but we don’t pretend to be something we are not either – we don’t fake it, nor compromise who we are

–         We humble ourselves, remaining modest & transparent

–         We don’t seize, by force, what God has promised – we pay our dues

–         We don’t wage a holy war against our neighbours – we seek the peace, the wholeness, the shalom of the city in which we live

 

Above all we face death & exile with a spirit of hope – a determined belief that God’s kingdom will come in our land one day

–         That doesn’t necessarily mean we go round buying up real estate

–         The field where our treasure is buried is not a literal patch of dirt

–         Jesus is the treasure – Jesus embodies the Kingdom of God in his person – so the field is wherever we find Jesus

Three places we are likely find Jesus…

–         In the Bible

–         In right relationship with other believers

–         And in our own experience of suffering

But the key to finding Jesus is the Holy Spirit

–         So when we read the Bible we ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate Christ in the Scriptures – to shine his light on what we are reading so we can see the heart of God

–         And when we are hanging out with other Christians we ask the Holy Spirit to connect us – so we are aware of the presence of Christ among us (Where two or three are gathered in his name, Jesus is with them)

–         And when we are going through a difficult time we ask the Holy Spirit to make us one with Christ in his suffering – for if we share in his suffering we will also share in his glory

 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

1.)    What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon?

2.)    Can you think of a time in your life when lightning struck and then thunder followed a little later? What happened?

–         What does it mean to be in touch with your soul?

–         How in touch with your soul are you?

3.)    What does it mean to mourn?

–         How do you mourn?

–         Why is it important not to wallow in our sorrow?

4.)    Victor Hugo said, “Virtue has a veil, vice a mask”.

–         What do you think this means? How is a veil different from a mask?

–         In what sense did Abraham wear a veil in his dealings with the Hittites?

5.)    What is the significance of Abraham insisting on buying land to own in perpetuity, as opposed to borrowing a tomb to bury Sarah?

6.)    Discuss (or reflect on) the similarities and differences between Abraham’s and Jeremiah’s real estate purchases

–         How was the purchase of land an act of hope in the face of death & exile?

–         What acts of hope might we perform in the face of death & exile?

7.)    In what sense is the church in NZ in exile at the moment?

–         What can we do in a context of cultural exile?

8.)    Take some time this week to find the treasure of Jesus (with the help of the Holy Spirit)…

–         By reading the Bible

–         Spending time with other Christians

–         Or in some difficulty you are facing at present

 

 

[1] Jesus, quoted in Matthew 13:44.

[2] https://www.wikihow.com/Calculate-the-Distance-from-Lightning

[3] Refer Bruce Waltke’s commentary on Genesis, page 318.

[4] Refer footnote to Genesis 23:19 in the NIV Study Bible, page 40.

Tawa Baptist

Faith Tested

Scripture: Genesis 22:1-14

Title: Faith Tested

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • God’s test
  • Abraham’s faith
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

When I was applying for ministry training with Carey College in Auckland they required us to do some testing

–         We were interviewed by a psychologist and by various other people and we had to sit a psychometric test

–         I remember being put in a small room by myself, given a questionnaire and told to answer as many of the questions as I could within a certain time frame – it wasn’t long, only about 30 minutes or so, if my memory serves me correctly

While I was sitting the test someone walked by the open window behind me – it was clear they needed help and so I was faced with a choice:

–         Do I stop what I’m doing to help them and thereby jeopardise my psychometric test results? Or, do I just ignore the person in need?

–         I decided to see if I could help the guy

–         I don’t remember what he needed now (it was nothing major) but it chewed up a few minutes and consequently I wasn’t able to complete all the questions

–         It didn’t matter though because they accepted me anyway

–         Carey must have been desperate that year

At the time I didn’t think anything of it but, it occurred to me afterwards, that maybe the guy stopping by the window asking for help was actually part of Carey’s test

–         I thought I was sitting a written tick box test when in fact the real test was whether I would interrupt what I was doing, while under pressure, to see to the needs of someone else. I guess I’ll never know.

 

Today we continue the series on Abraham, focusing on Genesis 22, page 24 near the front of your pew Bibles

–         Just to bring you up to speed, Sarah has by this stage given birth to Isaac, the long awaited son & heir to God’s promise

–         Ishmael & Hagar have left home and Isaac is probably in his mid to late teens by now, maybe around 17 or 18 years’ old

–         In these verses the Abraham cycle reaches its climax with God putting Abraham’s faith to the ultimate test. From Genesis 22, verse 1 we read…

Some time later God tested Abraham; he called to him, “Abraham!” And Abraham answered, “Yes, here I am!”

2 “Take your son,” God said, “your only son, Isaac, whom you love so much, and go to the land of Moriah. There on a mountain that I will show you, offer him as a sacrifice to me.”

3 Early the next morning Abraham cut some wood for the sacrifice, loaded his donkey, and took Isaac and two servants with him. They started out for the place that God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham saw the place in the distance. 5 Then he said to the servants, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there and worship, and then we will come back to you.”

6 Abraham made Isaac carry the wood for the sacrifice, and he himself carried a knife and live coals for starting the fire. As they walked along together, 7 Isaac spoke up, “Father!”

He answered, “Yes, my son?”

Isaac asked, “I see that you have the coals and the wood, but where is the lamb for the sacrifice?”

8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide one.” And the two of them walked on together.

9 When they came to the place which God had told him about, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. He tied up his son and placed him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he picked up the knife to kill him. 11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, “Abraham, Abraham!”

He answered, “Yes, here I am.”

12 “Don’t hurt the boy or do anything to him,” he said. “Now I know that you fear God, because you have not kept back your only son from him.”

13 Abraham looked around and saw a ram caught in a bush by its horns. He went and got it and offered it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 Abraham named that place “The Lord Provides.” And even today people say, “On the Lord‘s mountain he provides.”

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this Scripture for us

 

God’s test:

In the 1971 movie version of Roald Dahl’s Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, Willy Wonka is in search of someone to take over his chocolate business

–         To select the right person, someone he can trust, Mr Wonka devises a test

–         Those lucky children who win a golden ticket get a tour through his chocolate factory

–         Before they enter the factory however, a villain by the name of Slugworth, approaches each child individually and offers to pay them a large sum of money if they will steal an everlasting gobstopper for him

–         During the factory tour each child gets given an everlasting gobstopper and so the test is set

One by one each of the children eliminate themselves by some moral failure until only Charlie is left – but even Charlie has disqualified himself by stealing fizzy lifting drink, so he is dismissed by Mr Wonka without getting anything

–         Charlie’s grandpa Joe storms out in a rage determined to sell Slugworth the everlasting gobstopper but, even though there is nothing in it for him, Charlie quietly leaves the gobstopper on Mr Wonka’s desk

–         Charlie would rather remain in poverty than betray Mr Wonka

–         “So shines a good deed in a weary world”

–         Charlie has passed Mr Wonka’s test and inherits the chocolate factory

 

Genesis 22 starts with the narrator telling us that God tested Abraham saying…

–         [Please] Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love so much and go to the land of Moriah. There on a mountain that I will show you, offer him as a sacrifice to me.

Probably the first thing we notice here is how out of character God’s request is

–         It does not make sense, it goes against who God is, it seems to be a contradiction of God himself

–         Previously the Lord had promised a son to Abraham & Sarah, and Isaac was born. It was Isaac that God said would inherit the promise

–         Isaac was the one through whom God’s blessing would flow

–         And yet God is now telling Abraham to kill Isaac

–         “The command and the promise of God are in conflict” [1]

Quite apart from being illogical, God’s request for Abraham to sacrifice his teenage son seems immoral

–         Some centuries later, in the Bible, God makes it clear that child sacrifice is evil and therefore not to be practised, although at that point in history the law had not yet been given

–         What we have to keep in mind here is that God never intended for Isaac to be sacrificed – as verse 1 makes clear, this was just to test Abraham

–         We might listen to this story and think that Isaac’s life is at risk here

–         But Isaac’s life was not at risk – we know God would not have let any harm come to Isaac because of the promises God had made about Isaac

–         The real risk here is to Abraham’s relationship with God – because it’s the relationship that’s being tested

–         Will Abraham trust God with everything?

–         Of course Abraham doesn’t know it’s a test, at least not yet, just as Charlie didn’t know he was being tested by Mr Wonka and just as I didn’t know the true nature of my test to get into Carey – this sort of test only works if the one being tested doesn’t realise it’s a test

 

The other thing, which isn’t so obvious in our English translations, is the gentleness or tenderness with which God speaks to Abraham here

–         Most English translations have God saying: Take your son…

–         But the Hebrew has a particle of entreaty attached, which gives this phrase a feeling of tenderness:

–         Please take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love so much…

–         Gordon Wenham sees here a hint that the Lord appreciates the costliness of what he is asking Abraham to do [2]   

It’s interesting that God requires Abraham to travel to Moriah to make the sacrifice. Moriah is 3 days journey away from Beersheba

–         Three days walking and thinking

–         Three days for the reality of what God is asking to sink in

–         Three days to change your mind

–         But Abraham doesn’t change his mind

 

The exact location of ancient Moriah is disputed – some say Moriah is where the temple in Jerusalem would later be located, which has a certain poetry to it

–         But others say this is unlikely

–         What is perhaps more significant (and more knowable) is the name itself

–         Moriah is derived from the Hebrew word ra’ah which primarily means to see to or provide

–         So in the very word Moriah (which means something like provision) we have the seed of salvation & deliverance [3]

–         If Abraham reads between the lines then he will find a hidden message of providence from God

The bigger principle we draw on for our own application is that God’s testing usually contains his provision, his salvation, his grace

 

In Mark 10 we read how Jesus tested a man who came to him. From verse 17…

17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honour your father and mother.’ ”

20 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”

21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

22 At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

 

This gospel story shares a number of things in common with Abraham’s story in Genesis 22

–         In asking Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, God was basically asking Abraham to give up everything

–         Likewise Jesus was asking the rich man to sacrifice everything

–         And, in both stories, the Lord’s testing contained his provision, his salvation, his grace

–         We’ll get to God’s provision for Abraham shortly but in the case of the rich man, Jesus wasn’t asking him to sacrifice everything for nothing

–         Rather he was saying that his giving to the poor would be transferred for him into heaven, so it wouldn’t be lost

–         What’s more Jesus wasn’t asking the rich man to step into a vacuum

–         Rather he was inviting the rich man to walk with him – so the man would be provided for within the community of Jesus’ followers

–         The Lord’s testing contained his provision – it just required a step of faith

 

Another thing we note is the Lord’s love

–         God was testing Abraham in a spirit of love – not in order to catch him out or disqualify him

–         Likewise we read that Jesus looked at the rich man and loved him

–         Jesus wasn’t trying to make it harder for the rich man – he was helping to set the man free so it would be easier for him to find eternal life

–         To be tested by God is difficult but it’s also a sign of respect & affection

–         If God tests us it’s because he believes in us – he thinks we will pass the test. God doesn’t test us beyond what we can handle

–         His testing is done in love, to strengthen us – it is not meant to destroy us

 

There’s at least one more thing these two stories share in common

Walter Brueggemann says:

–         “God tests to identify his people, to discern who is serious about faith and to know in whose lives he will be fully God” [4]

You see, it’s possible to obey God in some aspects of our life but not in others

–         The reality is: God is Lord of our life in those aspects where we trust & obey him, but something else is lord of our life in those aspects where we don’t trust him and therefore don’t do what he wants

–         For God to be fully God of our whole life we must be willing to trust him with every aspect

–         The whole meaning and purpose of Abraham’s life hinged on Isaac

–         So in asking Abraham to sacrifice Isaac God was asking everything of Abraham

–         By choosing to obey God in this, Abraham was saying that he trusted God completely with Isaac’s life and with the meaning of his own life

–         Therefore the Lord knew he could be fully God in Abraham’s life

In the case of the rich man and Jesus (in Mark 10) we don’t know what the rich man chose in the end – we only know he went away sad

–         If he chose his wealth over Jesus then he was basically saying he didn’t trust God with his wealth and consequently he wasn’t willing to allow Jesus to be fully Lord of his life

 

Okay, so we’ve talked about God’s testing of Abraham

–         Now let’s consider how Abraham handled God’s test

 

Abraham’s faith:

Verse 3 tells us that early the next morning, after God had told him to sacrifice Isaac, Abraham cut some fire wood, loaded his donkey and headed off to Moriah with Isaac and two servants

–         The point is, Abraham wastes no time in obeying God

 

As they draw near to the place, Abraham tells the two servants to stay where they are, while he takes Isaac with him

–         Isaac carries the wood & Abraham carries the knife & coals for the fire

–         As Christians we look at this picture and are reminded of Jesus who carried a burden of wood on his back in preparation for his sacrifice on the cross. Isaac points to Jesus.

 

As they walk along Isaac asks Abraham, where is the lamb for the sacrifice?

–         And Abraham answers, “God himself will provide one”

 

The Hebrew word for ‘provide’ used there is ra’ah – from the same root used for Moriah – it means to see to it, as in God will see to it

–         Our English word ‘provide’ comes from the Latin word ‘pro-video’ [5]

–         Video means to see and pro means before

–         So pro-video means to see before

–         God is able to provide because he can see what is needed beforehand

–         Abraham doesn’t know how God will provide he simply trusts that God will see to it – such is Abraham’s faith in the Lord

 

In verse 9 we read that when Abraham came to the place God had told him about he built an altar, arranged the wood on it, bound his son and placed him on the altar, on top of the wood

 

Again we see something of Jesus in the way Isaac submits to his father’s will

–         As a boy of 17 or 18, strong enough to carry a heavy load of fire wood, Isaac could have easily resisted his elderly father – but Isaac doesn’t resist, he is the picture of meekness

–         What was it Jesus said? Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. Isaac actually did inherit the land

 

Abraham lifted the knife and was about to kill his son when, at the last second, the angel of the Lord called to him, from heaven, to stop

–         Speaking on God’s behalf the angel said, “Now I know that you fear God, because you have not kept back your only son from him.”

–         This sentence is interesting, especially the first part…

–         Now I know that you fear God…

 

What does it mean to fear God?

–         In the Bible, to ‘fear God’ is a term which basically means to obey God

–         Fear God is code for obey God

–         People might obey God for any number of reasons, many of which have nothing to do with fear, in the sense of being terrified or anxious

–         In this context Abraham doesn’t obey God because he’s scared of what God might do to him if he disobeys

–         No. Abraham is remarkably calm about all of this – he obeys God because he trusts God and believes God will somehow provide a way

 

But the really interesting thing here is that little phrase at the start of the sentence: ‘Now I know…’

–         ‘Now I know’ seems to imply that God didn’t know something about Abraham previously

–         What? Isn’t God supposed to know everything already in advance?

–         Shouldn’t the Lord have known beforehand what Abraham would do?

 

John Walton offers a good explanation I think. He writes…

–         “We must differentiate between knowledge as cognition and knowledge as experience” [6]

–         You see, there are different types of knowledge, aren’t there

–         There’s knowing something in your head, cognitively, and there’s knowing something practically, from experience

 

Cognitive knowledge by itself is not enough – it’s less than satisfying

–         For example, I have here a bar of chocolate

–         Looking at this bar of chocolate I know cognitively (in my head) that I will enjoy it, but knowing that in my head doesn’t actually satisfy me

–         It’s only when I experience the chocolate by eating it that I know the enjoyment of it

 

Or take another example…

–         R. knows cognitively (in her head) that I love her, but if she went through our whole marriage only ever knowing that in her head, then we would have a pretty sad and empty marriage

–         But when I do the housework or I buy her something I know she likes

–         Or I give her my undivided attention and listen to her

–         Or I tell her how much I like what she is wearing, or I take her out on a date or on a holiday, then she knows in her experience that I love her

–         And knowing something in your experience is far more satisfying

 

Because we believe that God is all knowing we can agree that God knew, cognitively, what Abraham would do (in advance) – but he didn’t know it in his experience until Abraham actually obeyed him

 

God’s test enabled the Lord to taste the quality of Abraham’s faith

–         I believe God experienced Abraham’s faith as genuine and pure

–         We know his faith was genuine because he obeyed God

–         And we know it was pure because Abraham obeyed even though there was nothing in it for him & in fact obedience would have cost him dearly

–         Knowing the purity (the quality) of Abraham’s obedience of faith, in his experience, delighted God, it blessed him

 

When was the last time you did something for God that caused him to know, in his experience, that you love him?

–         We can demonstrate our love for God in a whole variety of ways, both large & small

–         We can put our shopping list prayer aside for a few minutes and spend time simply adoring him, praising him, telling him how much we appreciate and value him

–         We can love those people he places around us – even people we find difficult

–         We can forgive others as he has forgiven us

–         We can give the Lord our undivided attention, spending time in the Bible trying to listen to what he is saying

–         We can follow the promptings of his Spirit

–         We can respond in obedience to his call on our life

–         And when it feels like our life is being emptied and we can’t see the way ahead we can trust that God will provide a way, somehow

 

In verse 13, having been stopped by the angel of the Lord, Abraham looks around and sees God’s provision in the form of a ram caught in the bushes by its horns. Abraham sacrifices the ram and Isaac lives

–         Then Abraham named that place Jehovah Jireh, ‘the Lord provides’

–         And guess what, the Hebrew word translated as provide is: Ra’ah

–         God saw beforehand what was needed and put the ram there in advance

 

Conclusion:

The writer of the New Testament book of Hebrews makes this comment on Abraham’s faith…

 It was faith that made Abraham offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice when God put Abraham to the test. Abraham was the one to whom God had made the promise, yet he was ready to offer his only son as a sacrifice. God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that you will have the descendants I promised.” Abraham reckoned that God was able to raise Isaac from death – and, so to speak, Abraham did receive Isaac back from death.  [7]

The writer of Hebrews is drawing a connection between Abraham’s faith and our faith, as Christians, in the resurrection of Jesus

–         If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you will be saved. [8]

 

It has been a testing time for many people in this congregation lately

–         Some of you have experienced significant loss and all the pain and disorientation that goes with that

–         In Genesis 22 God preserves Isaac’s life, but we know from our own experience that he doesn’t always preserve life

–         To those of you who have lost the Isaac in your life, the good news is: death does not have the final say. God has provided a way

–         Through Jesus’ resurrection God has seen to it that our losses can be restored and our mistakes redeemed

 

Let us pray.

–         Loving Father, save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil.

–         But if it is your will that we be put to the test, grant us the grace to keep trusting you and give us eyes to see your provision within the test. Through Jesus we ask it, Amen.

 

Questions for Discussion & Reflection

1.)    What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon?

2.)    How do you feel reading this story of Abraham being tested by God?

3.)    Have you ever sensed that God was testing you in some way?

–         How? What happened?

4.)    In what sense was God’s test of Abraham illogical and even a contradiction of God’s own character?

5.)    Compare & contrast God’s testing of Abraham in Genesis 22 with Jesus’ testing of the rich man in Mark 10. How are these stories similar? How are they different?

–         How is God’s love evident for Abraham and the rich man?

–         How did God provide for Abraham and the rich man within the test?

–         Is there any aspect of your life that you are yet to trust God with?

6.)    Can you think of other examples from the Bible, or from your own experience, where God’s testing also contained his provision?

7.)    In what ways does Isaac remind us of Jesus?

8.)    What does it mean to fear God?

9.)    In what sense did God not know? (refer Gen 22:12)

10.)       How do we know when our faith in God is genuine?

–         How do we know when our faith in God is pure?

11.)       Take some time this week to express your love for God.

 

[1] Calvin quoted in Walter Brueggemann’s commentary on Genesis, page 188.

[2] Gordon Wenham quoted in Paul Copan’s book, ‘Is God a Moral Monster?’ pages 47-48.

[3] Paul Copan, ‘Is God a Moral Monster?’ page 48.

[4] Walter Brueggemann’s commentary on Genesis, page 193.

[5] Karl Barth referred to in Walter Brueggemann’s commentary on Genesis, page 191.

[6] John Walton, NIVAC on Genesis, page 514.

[7] Hebrews 11:17-19

[8] Romans 10:9

Tawa Baptist

With God

Scripture: Genesis 21:22-34

Title: With God

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • God is with Abraham
  • Dispute resolution – grace & truth
  • The everlasting God
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

When I was a boy my Dad was digging in our vegetable garden at home and he unearthed a Maori adze – a greenstone axe head

–         It was a very special find – quite unexpected

–         After that, I went digging too for hidden treasure, but alas I found nothing

–         It’s funny isn’t it – we could easily go to a museum, to look at an adze, but that is never as cool as finding one yourself in your own back yard

Today we pick up our sermon series on the life & faith of Abraham

–         This has been a rather interrupted series for various reasons but that’s okay – we are getting there

–         Abraham’s journey of faith can be described as two steps forward, one step back, with some sideways steps thrown in for good measure

–         Both this week’s story and next week’s represent forward steps

–         Today’s instalment focuses on Genesis 21, verses 22-34, where Abimelech, the king of the Philistines, makes a treaty with Abraham

–         At first glance this story seems a bit vanilla, a bit ordinary, just a backyard vegetable garden, nothing interesting here

–         I don’t want to talk it up too much but as I dug beneath the surface of this passage I found a couple of hidden treasures. From the NIV we read…

22 At that time Abimelek and Phicol the commander of his forces said to Abraham, “God is with you in everything you do. 23 Now swear to me here before God that you will not deal falsely with me or my children or my descendants. Show to me and the country where you now reside as a foreigner the same kindness I have shown to you.” 24 Abraham said, “I swear it.”

25 Then Abraham complained to Abimelek about a well of water that Abimelek’s servants had seized.  But Abimelek said, “I don’t know who has done this. You did not tell me, and I heard about it only today.”

So Abraham brought sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelek, and the two men made a treaty. Abraham set apart seven ewe lambs from the flock, and Abimelek asked Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs you have set apart by themselves?”

He replied, “Accept these seven lambs from my hand as a witness that I dug this well.” So that place was called Beersheba, because the two men swore an oath there.

After the treaty had been made at Beersheba, Abimelek and Phicol the commander of his forces returned to the land of the Philistines. Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God. And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for a long time.

 May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this Scripture for us

Three things happen in this little vignette:

  • – Abimelech approaches Abraham to make a treaty with him
  • – Abraham accepts this treaty and in the process settles a dispute
  • – And thirdly, Abraham worships the Lord, the Everlasting God.

 

God is with Abraham:

It is easier to chop wood with the grain

  • – Toast tastes better with butter
  • – We see things with the lights on
  • – Conversation goes smoother with food
  • – Perspective returns with rest
  • – Love grows with trust
  • – Grief fades with time
  • – Memory forms with repetition
  • – Truth finds a way in with grace
  • – Paint sticks with sanding
  • – Peace is sustained with justice
  • – Life finds meaning with God

With – it’s a versatile word and its one of those hidden treasures I was alluding to earlier

 

In verse 22 Abimelech and his general, Phicol, come to Abraham to make a peace treaty with him

  • – If you think about it, this is quite remarkable really
  • – Normally, with peace treaties, the party in the weaker position approaches the one in the stronger position
  • – Outwardly Abimelech appears to be in a stronger position than Abraham
  • – Abraham is a wandering shepherd – he doesn’t have a fortress or an army like Abimelech does and so we wouldn’t ordinarily expect Abimelech to approach Abraham, cap in hand, yet that’s what happens.
  • – Why then does Abimelech feel the need to do this?

Well, Abimelech gives his reason in verse 22 when he says to Abraham…

  • – “God is with you in everything you do”
  • – What does it mean that God is with Abraham

To be with someone is to be alongside them

  • – Not above them, forcing them to do things against their will
  • – And not below them, to be used like a human tool
  • – But beside them, freely acting in their interests and for their well being
  • – God is with Abraham, as a friend, standing in solidarity with him,

I’ve come up with a little acronym which outlines some of the characteristics we would expect to find when we are in a relationship with someone

  • – W is for wellbeing, I is for intimacy, T is for trust and H is for help

You know someone is with you when they are committed to your wellbeing

  • – When they share themselves intimately with you
  • – When they trust you
  • – And when they provide you with help
  • – Likewise you know you are truly with someone when you are committed to their wellbeing, even if there is nothing in it for you
  • – When you are able to be emotionally intimate with them,
  • – When you trust them deeply
  • – And when you are ready to help them should they need it

God’s ideal for marriage is that husband & wife be truly with one another

  • – Marriage is a commitment to mutual wellbeing, intimacy, trust and help

 

God was with Abraham and he wants to be with us

  • – One of the names of Jesus is Immanuel – which means ‘God with us’
  • – Jesus is, God with us
  • – In John 14 Jesus says to his disciples: I will ask the Father and he will send you another Counsellor to be with you forever
  • – The Counsellor Jesus is talking about here is the Holy Spirit or the Paraclete – that is, one who comes alongside to be with us

 

Returning to Genesis, how does Abimelech know that God is with Abraham?           

Some people might argue that Abraham’s wealth is evidence that God is with him – but I don’t think that’s it

  • – Yes, some people like Abraham do become wealthy because God blesses them, in that way, but wealth in itself is no indicator that God is with you
  • – People can become rich for a whole lot of reasons including being ruthless or working hard and making sacrifices or simply being in the right place at the right time
  • – By the same token, poverty or loss is no indicator of God’s absence
  • – The Scriptures tell us that God is near to the poor, the widow, the orphan, the refugee, and the broken hearted – they hold a special place in his heart

So the question remains: how then did Abimelech know that God was with Abraham?

  • – You may remember, in Genesis 20, how Abraham deceived Abimelech by saying that Sarah was his sister, all the while leaving out the part about her being his wife
  • – Abimelech unwittingly took Sarah into his harem but before he slept with her the Lord confronted Abimelech in a dream and told him to return Sarah to her husband, Abraham
  • – When he had done this Abraham prayed for Abimelech and the Lord healed Abimelech, his wife and the women in his household, so they could have children
  • – So that was one obvious sign, to Abimelech, that God was with Abraham

After this, Sarah became pregnant to Abraham and gave birth to Isaac

  • – Sarah was 90 years old when that happened
  • – Given that Sarah had gone past the age of menopause this was a miracle comparable to that of resurrection
  • – Sarah’s pregnancy at 90 and Isaac’s birth were another clear sign, to Abimelech, that God was with Abraham in a life-giving way

Consequently Abimelech makes a treaty with Abraham in order to align himself with Abraham’s God who holds the power of life & death

  • – Abimelech is looking for some insurance – a hedge against spiritual risk
  • – He doesn’t want to get on the wrong side of Abraham or his God
  • – Abimelech wants Abraham to deal honestly with him and to treat him with kindness

The Hebrew word translated as kindness here is hesed

–         We don’t really have one single word in English for hesed

–         It is a Jewish term which is sometimes translated as kindness, sometimes as mercy and other times as steadfast love or loyal (covenant) love

–         Hesed isn’t just an abstract concept though – it is an action, something tangible that one does for someone else’s well-being

Katherine Sakenfeld, who did her PhD on this subject, outlines the three main criteria of hesed… [1]

–         Firstly, the action is essential to the survival or the basic wellbeing of the recipient – so it’s not something you do to entertain a whim or a fancy

–         Secondly, the needed action is one that only the person doing the hesed is in a position to provide – given the circumstances no one else can do it

–         And thirdly, hesed takes place in the context of an existing relationship

 

Abimelech wants Abraham to make a solemn commitment to always treat him and his descendants with hesed – and Abraham quickly agrees

–         It appears Abimelech’s treaty provided Abraham with the opportunity to sort out a problem – a dispute over watering rights

–         And Abraham’s creative solution to this dispute un-earths another hidden treasure

 

Dispute resolution – grace & truth

Abraham had dug a well of water and Abimelech’s servants had seized it

–         Water wells were vitally important in that part of the world

–         Rain fall was seasonal – it wasn’t all year round – so wells were essential to the survival of people and animals alike

 

Abimelech wanted peace with Abraham but without justice there can be no peace – peace is sustained with justice

–         Therefore Abraham sought justice over the well

–         What’s interesting here is the way Abraham resolves this dispute – with truth and grace

–         Abraham doesn’t sweep the issue under the carpet – he doesn’t fudge the truth or pretend there is no problem

–         Rather he addresses the issue by speaking the truth

 

I imagine this was an awkward moment, especially for Abimelech

–         The Philistine king has just given a speech about how he has treated Abraham with ‘kindness’ or hesed and now he is learning that in actual fact his servants have done nothing of the sort

–         The servants have embarrassed Abimelech and the king is quick to plead ignorance, as he had done when God confronted him about Sarah

 

What happens next is quite unexpected – like finding a hidden treasure in a vegetable garden

–         Normally the one who has been wronged – in this case Abraham – would be owed some compensation

–         When Abimelech returned Sarah to Abraham he gave Abraham 1000 pieces of silver by way of vindicating Sarah and compensating her

–         But in this situation Abraham doesn’t seek compensation for himself

–         He does the opposite – he compensates Abimelech by giving him 7 sheep

–         Abimelech is confused by this act of grace – he asks what does this mean

–         And Abraham explains that by accepting these sheep you are acknowledging the well is mine

Truth and grace you see

–         By taking Abraham’s well Abimelech’s servants had done an injustice to Abraham and brought shame on their master

–         To save face Abimelech might feel it necessary to punish his servants

–         But Abraham comes to the rescue of the men who seized his well by providing compensation on their behalf

–         In this way Abraham has preserved Abimelech’s honour and shielded the servants from punishment

–         Touched by Abraham’s act of grace, Abimelech and his servants will now stay away from Abraham’s well

Abraham’s act of grace toward his enemies is at the same time an act of hesed

 

Let me tell you a story…

–         Once there was a police officer who worked in a small town

–         This police officer had a son called Ned

–         Ned tended to get picked on at school because it was a small town and everyone knew who his Dad was

–         Ned responded to the treatment he got by becoming a bit of a rebel – he felt a strong urge to prove to everyone that he wasn’t like his dad

One day, to show how tough he was and how little he cared for the rules Ned stole an orange Mark 2, Ford Escort – and took it for a joy ride. He was 16 and still on his restricted.

The Escort was in mint condition – it was owned by a retired guy called Jim

–         Jim had plenty of time on his hands and had lovingly restored the car, partly because he liked that sort of thing but also because the car used to belong to his late wife and so he felt a sentimental attachment to it

–         It didn’t take much for Jim to figure out who had stolen his car – a neighbour saw Ned driving away in it

–         Jim didn’t react in the heat of the moment – he gave it a few days and thought about what he would do

–         On the one hand he didn’t want to ruin the boy’s life with a criminal record or a bad reputation but on the other hand there still needed to be some kind of consequence

–         Without justice there is no peace, for the victim or the perpetrator

In the end Jim called the policeman and asked him to come over to his house

–         Jim explained the situation, how Ned had been seen stealing his car four days ago

–         What Jim wanted was restoration – both for himself and Ned

–         If Ned was willing to admit what he had done and return the car, Jim would drop the matter

–         He just wanted his car back and for Ned to unburden his conscience

The policeman went home and confronted his son about it

–         Sure enough Ned knew where the Escort was, abandoned not far out of town in an old quarry

–         The car had a few more k’s on the clock and it needed a clean but apart from that it was okay

When Ned and his father returned the Escort to Jim they found him working on an old Cortina in his garage

–         Shame faced and embarrassed Ned made his apology and asked if there was anything he could do to make it up to Jim

–         Jim listened and said, ‘Yes, since you seem to like driving so much I bought this old Cortina for you. You can help me restore it.’

Ned was deeply touched by Jim’s act of grace and for the next six months they worked on the car together, after school and in the weekends

–         Ned stayed out of trouble and learned some skills at the same time

–         With a project to keep his mind occupied he didn’t worry so much about what others thought of him

–         In more than one way Jim put Ned on a life-giving path

 

It’s amazing what an act of hesed can do – the power of grace & truth, you see

 

Okay, so far we’ve heard how God was with Abraham

–         We’ve also heard how Abraham resolved a dispute in a creative way – with an act of hesed and in a spirit of truth & grace

–         Our passage this morning concludes with Abraham worshipping the Everlasting God

 

The Everlasting God:

At our church forum last November we had a time of prayer

  • – Just prior to that meeting one of our church members shared a vision they had seen of a giant cactus growing in this auditorium
  • – We are not entirely sure what the meaning of the vision is but we discussed it at the meeting and one of the things that came out was the resilience of the cactus plant
  • – Cacti have a number of good qualities including the ability to survive in very arid and desolate environments

 

In Genesis 21, verse 33, we read that Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and there he called upon the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God

Tamarisk trees have a deep-ranging root system which searches out water and enables the tree to survive in very dry conditions

  • – The fruit is a capsule with numerous seeds
  • – There are many varieties of tamarisk – some can grow as tall as 18 metres
  • – Tamarisks are valued for their ability to withstand drought and salty soil [2]
  • – They are a hardy tree often planted for shelter or feed
  • – The tamarisk is similar to a cactus plant in that it is resilient in harsh environments but it is perhaps even more versatile in that it provides a good wind break in the desert and its leaves can be eaten by livestock

 

Elsewhere in Genesis Abraham is noted as building an altar and calling on the name of the Lord – here he plants a tree and calls on the name of the Lord

  • – In this context planting a tree is like building an altar – it serves as a living memorial to the Everlasting God
  • – It’s a way saying: God is in this place, even a desolate dry place like Beersheba

Abraham probably chose to plant a tamarisk because it suited the environment but I can’t help noticing how Abraham is a bit like the tamarisk tree

  • – Through years of waiting in barrenness God has grown Abraham & Sarah’s faith strong & deep, like the root system of a tamarisk tree
  • – Abraham, who is now over a 100 years old, has moved from place to place in obedience to God’s call and he has shown resilience, prospering in even the harshest of environments
  • – Perhaps too the tamarisk tree is a parable for the nation of Israel
  • – Through Abraham, God was making a nation that would be resilient and life-giving – a source of shelter and sustenance to those who find themselves in the wilderness

 

Conclusion:

Sometimes our journey of faith can take us to barren, desolate, dry places

  • – Abraham’s story is similar to our story – it reminds us that God can still be found in the places we least expect

 

Let us pray…

  • – Everlasting God, resilient God, life-giving, hesed making God. God of grace & truth, justice & peace – be with us we ask
  • – May we be aware of your loving commitment to our well-being, in whatever circumstances we find ourselves in
  • – Help us to discover you in unexpected places
  • – Fill us with your Spirit of grace & truth that we may settle our disputes and reconcile our differences in ways that are creative & life-giving
  • – May we be open to receive the help you provide, and ready to pass on your help where there is a need
  • – May we grow in our intimacy & trust with you and each other
  • – Through Jesus we pray, Amen.

 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

1.)    What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon?

2.)    What does it mean that God was with Abraham?

–         How might we know that God is with us?

–         How is Jesus present with us today?

3.)    What is hesed? (E.g. what sorts of words begin to describe hesed, what three conditions need to be met for an act of hesed?)

–         Can you think of a time in your own life when you have been the recipient of hesed? What happened?

–         Is there someone you can do hesed for?

4.)    How did Abraham handle the dispute over the well?

–         What was unusual / creative about Abraham’s approach?

5.)    What is the significance of Abraham planting a tamarisk tree?

6.)    Discuss / reflect on the acronym W.I.T.H. (Well-being, Intimacy, Trust, Help)

–         Who do you need to be with this week, this month, this year?

 

https://soundcloud.com/tawabaptist/10-june-2018-with-god

[1] Katherine Doob-Sakenfeld, Ruth, page 24

[2] https://www.britannica.com/plant/tamarisk

Tawa Baptist

The Holy Trinity

Scripture: John 3:1-17

Title: The Holy Trinity

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • The Spirit’s role
  • The Son’s role
  • God’s love
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

The Spanish artist, Bartolome Murillo, has a painting of the Holy Trinity

–         ‘Trinity’ is a word theologians use to describe one God in three divine persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit

–         We might think of the Trinity as a community of divine love or as the life of God

In Murillo’s painting God the Father is in heaven, as an older man with a beard, while Jesus is the boy (on earth) standing between Mary & Joseph

–         In between God the Father and God the Son is God the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove

What I like about this painting is it shows humanity participating in the life of God, through Jesus

–         This is essentially why Jesus came – so we could join the divine community (the holy trinity) and experience abundant life with God

This morning’s message is based on John 3:1-17, the lectionary reading for last Sunday, the 27th May – Trinity Sunday

–         I had originally planned to preach this sermon last week but decided to postpone it because I felt to bring a different message last Sunday

–         In John 3 a Pharisee by the name of Nicodemus talks with Jesus at night and through their conversation we catch a glimpse of the Trinity

–         We also hear how we might participate in this community of divine love

–         From John 3, verses 1-17 we read…

Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2 He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.”  4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.  7 Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ 8 The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?

11 “Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.  14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

17 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

May God’s Spirit illuminate this reading for us

In this conversation Jesus reveals to Nicodemus how a human being can participate in the life of God

–         Jesus begins by talking about the renewal or rebirth brought about by the Holy Spirit, then Jesus talks about his own role in revealing God and redeeming humanity. First let’s consider the role of the Spirit

 

The Spirit’s role:

We human beings were made to breathe air and to live above ground

–         If we wanted to go under water we would need to put on scuba gear

–         That would enable us to breathe under water for a little while but we couldn’t really live there under the sea – not without growing gills and changing internally so we could cope with the cold water

–         It would be similar if we wanted to live on Mars – we couldn’t survive on Mars without a space suit, there is too little oxygen and too little warmth

–         To be able to live on Mars naturally our whole body chemistry and physiology would need to undergo a fundamental change

 

In John 3 Jesus talks about the ‘Kingdom of God’ & ‘eternal life’ & ‘heaven’

–         In the context these three expressions are different ways of describing the same thing – life with God or life within the Trinity, God’s life

–         The way we come into this world, the way we are born naturally, we could no more live in heaven or in God’s kingdom than we could on mars or underwater

–         To be able to participate in the life of the Trinity we need to undergo a fundamental change – we need to be born again or born from above

–         (The Greek word used here can be translated both ways)

This concept of transformation is illustrated in nature by frogs and butterflies

–         To be able to live on land and breathe above water a tadpole must undergo a fundamental change

–         Likewise to become a butterfly a caterpillar must be reformed in a cocoon

–         So it is with us – to enter God’s life we must be reborn, but our re-formation is not something we can bring about ourselves

–         It is the Holy Spirit who transforms us and makes us able to enjoy heaven

Now this may seem old hat to us because we have had these words of Jesus for 2000 years – but for Nicodemus this was shocking news

–         Nicodemus was a Pharisee – someone who had taken a vow to learn and apply the entire Old Testament Law, plus all the other man-made rules the Pharisees had put around God’s Law

–         Nicodemus had grown up being taught and believing that he would get into God’s Kingdom by being a descendant of Abraham and following the rules – but Jesus was telling him, what he had devoted his whole life to wasn’t going to cut it

Going back to my previous analogies of living underwater or on Mars – it doesn’t matter how much I practice holding my breath I’m never going to be able to hold my breath long enough to live in the sea or survive on Mars

–         My body has to change to suit the environment

–         Same thing with living in heaven – it doesn’t matter how hard I practice keeping the Law, that won’t support eternal life

–         Heaven isn’t a list of rules to follow to the letter – it is a divine community of love to be enjoyed forever

–         Now don’t get me wrong – I’m not saying the Law is redundant now and we can do whatever we like

–         Many aspects of God’s Law are still helpful to us in this life

–         The point is: heaven is different to earth and if we are going to breathe the air of heaven we need to be changed by God’s Spirit

Nicodemus was having a hard time accepting this so Jesus goes out of his way to explain in terms that a Biblical scholar like Nicodemus would understand…

–         I am telling you the truth: no one can enter the Kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.

–         To be born of water and the Spirit is a reference to cleansing & renewal

–         In Ezekiel 36:25-27 God says to the Jewish exiles…

I will sprinkle clean water on you and make you clean from all your idols and everything else that has defiled you. I will give you a new heart and a new mind. I will take away your stubborn heart of stone and give you an obedient heart. I will put my Spirit in you and I will see to it that you follow my laws and keep all the commands I have given you

In this passage Ezekiel was looking forward to the time when God would give his people a new heart and a new mind so they could love him and each other naturally, without having to hold their breath as it were

–         By alluding to this prophecy from Ezekiel, Jesus is pointing out to Nicodemus that the time of renewal (or being born again) is at hand

–         But this renewal – this total conversion experience – is a gift from God

How exactly the Spirit brings about this change in us is a mystery – there is no magic formula

–         We can’t tell the Spirit what to do any more than we can tell the wind what to do.

–         The Holy Spirit is a powerful and untameable movement of life

Okay, so that’s one of the things the Holy Spirit does – he brings about a fundamental change in us so we can participate in the eternal life of the Trinity

 

The Son’s role:

Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, has the same purpose only his role is slightly different: Jesus reveals God and redeems humanity

Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night – in the dark

–         If we give Nicodemus the benefit of the doubt this is most likely because he wanted to have a decent conversation with Jesus without being interrupted. During the day Jesus would be surrounded with people and it would be difficult to talk for very long

Elsewhere in the gospel of John, Jesus is described as the light of the world

–         What does light do? It reveals things – so we can see

–         Now physical light – from the sun in the sky – reveals physical things

–         But spiritual light – from Jesus the Son of God – reveals spiritual things

–         Nicodemus has been in the dark and when we are in the dark we can’t see

–         So in coming to Jesus, the spiritual light of the world, Nicodemus is stepping out of the darkness and into the light in order to see spiritual things – that is, the things of God

 

Imagine someone, you’ve never met or even seen before, who lives in a completely different country, making a proposal of marriage to you

–         (For the sake of this illustration those who are already married will need to imagine they are single)

–         The deal is you have to leave your old life behind and make a new life with them – follow them wherever they go

–         It sounds a bit dodgey doesn’t it – like some sort of internet scam

–         Most of us wouldn’t take up a proposal like that

But what if the person who was proposing marriage came to you in the flesh, so you could see what they were like and get to know them a bit – then you wouldn’t be making a decision in the dark, so it would be easier to trust them

–         The person’s presence shines light on their character and their motivation

–         As it turns out this person is gracious and true – they are powerful but also understated & kind

–         They don’t have any photos of the country they come from (so you can’t see where you’ll be living) but they do describe to you (by way of parables) what their country is like – a beautiful & peaceful place

–         What’s more you get the feeling they really love you – that they would even die for you

–         In the end you are faced with a choice: either reject the proposal and stick with life as you know it, or, trust the person and go with them

If you think about it, that’s pretty much what God is proposing: leave your old life behind and make a new life with him

–         But so we don’t have to make a decision in the dark Jesus came, from heaven to earth, to shine light on God – to show us what God is like so we would be better able to trust God and find redemption for our souls

–         Jesus is the light of the world who reveals God’s heart & mind, his character & motivation, in order to redeem humanity.

–         In verses 11-13 we read…

11 “Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen… Notice Jesus says ‘we’, not ‘I’.

–         It’s not entirely clear who Jesus means by ‘we’ but perhaps he is referring to the divine we: God the Father, Son & Holy Spirit – it fits the context

–         …yet you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?

–         In other words, ‘Nicodemus, you just don’t get it. And you’re not getting it because you don’t really trust me, at least not yet. Trust, faith, belief precede understanding

–         13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.

–         Jesus is basically saying: “I’m here to reveal God to you. I’ve been to heaven. I’m not talking in theory. I know what the life of God is like from the inside, from my own experience.”

The Son of Man is Jesus’ favourite way of referring to himself

–         It’s a phrase which has different layers of meaning

–         On the lips of Jesus it is often a veiled way of saying ‘Messiah’ and at the same time an identification with humanity

–         You see, in shining light on God, Jesus is also shining light on what it means to be human. Jesus reveals our purpose – he shows us what it looks like to be made in the image of God

 

In verses 14 & 15 Jesus goes on to talk about his role in redeeming humanity…

–         And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

Once again Jesus is making it easy for Nicodemus to understand by referring to a story from the book of Numbers (which Nicodemus would be familiar with)

–         While living in the wilderness the people of Israel were attacked by venomous snakes and cried out to be saved

–         The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it on a pole; anyone can look at it and live.”

–         Moses did what God said and those who looked at the bronze snake were saved

Jesus is saying, “I’m a bit like that bronze snake – I am God’s means of salvation (his redemption) for people.”

–         Nicodemus wouldn’t have understood at the time but later, when he was taking Jesus’ body down from the cross, he would have realised Jesus was saying, “My crucifixion, my being lifted up on a pole, will save those who look to me in faith”

 

God’s love:

And so we come to perhaps the most famous verse in the Bible…

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

17 Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Although God the Father is not explicitly mentioned in these verses, talk of God’s Son implies there is a Father

–         Here we see God reaching out through the Son to save the world

–         In the gospel of John the world means those who are opposed to God

–         Those who have rebelled against God – God’s enemies

–         God’s motivation is not to condemn the world but to save it

–         God doesn’t just love his friends – God loves his enemies as well

Once there was a wealthy land owner who grew all kinds of fruit on his orchard

–         Although he was wealthy he was also generous & kind

–         The people in the nearby village relied on this man for their livelihood

–         He provided paid employment for everyone and the whole valley prospered because of his enterprise

–         In all his dealings the landowner never left anyone out of pocket

–         Some people loved him but others were envious

One day a group of villagers decided they didn’t want to work for the orchardist anymore and, in the dark of night, they set fire to his fruit trees and then scurried home for fear of being caught

–         It was a senseless move really because they were cutting off their own living – without the trees they would be out of work

The wind picked up and the fire got out of control threatening the village

–         As the orchardist looked down the valley he had a choice to make – let the sleeping village burn (that would be justice) or send someone to warn the villagers and save them (that would be mercy)

–         The orchardist chose mercy and sent his son – the villagers knew his son and would surely listen to him

 

The son ran door to door waking people and warning them to escape

–         Those who had started the fire pretended to be asleep, ignoring the warning – they knew they had done wrong and thought the orchardist’s son had come to take revenge on them, when he had actually come to redeem them

–         But those who trusted the son and heeded his warning were saved and welcomed into the Father’s house

 

God is like the orchardist – he didn’t start the fire, his enemies did. But he didn’t stand by and do nothing either

–         God loved all the villagers enough to send his only son to save anyone who would believe in him

 

Conclusion:

Through his act of mercy in saving us, Jesus reveals the love of God

–         And through the power of the Holy Spirit we experience the renewal that is necessary for us to participate in the life of God (the divine community of love)

 

Questions for discussion & reflection

1.)    What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon?

2.)    What do you imagine ‘heaven’ or ‘eternal life’ or the ‘Kingdom of God’ to be like?

3.)    What role does the Holy Spirit have in preparing us for eternal life with God?

–         What does it mean to ‘born again’ or ‘born from above’?

–         Why did Nicodemus struggle to accept what Jesus said about being born again?

4.)    What role(s) does Jesus have in our salvation?

5.)    Thinking of the broader context of John’s gospel – what is the significance of Nicodemus coming to Jesus at night?

6.)    How does God make it easier for us to trust him?

7.)    What is the meaning of the bronze snake on the pole story, from Numbers 21?

8.)    What do verses 16-17 of John 3 show us about God’s heart (his motivation)?

–         What do you think God’s attitude is toward you? (E.g. Do you think he means you harm or good?)  Why do you think this?

 

Tawa Baptist

Healing

Scripture: Matthew 11:28-30

Title: Healing

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Hope vs. condemnation
  • Energy vs. exhaustion
  • Appreciation vs. entitlement
  • Lament vs. denial
  • Inter-dependence vs. independence
  • Nurture vs. neglect
  • Giving vs. greed
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

It’s been a difficult week for many in our congregation

–         I had originally planned to preach about the Trinity but it didn’t seem to fit for the week we’ve had – so this morning we are going to draw from the well of Jesus’ wisdom in caring for the soul

In Matthew 11, Jesus says…

–         Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Jesus was a carpenter by trade and as a carpenter he made wooden yokes to go across the shoulders of oxen

–         The purpose of a yoke is to make it easier to carry something

–         A yoke for a team of oxen wasn’t a one size fits all, it was custom made to fit the individual animals

–         The ‘yoke’ Jesus speaks of is his wisdom or his teaching

–         When we take on the yoke of Jesus’ wisdom we find that it fits who we are and makes the burdens we carry in this life a bit easier to bear

–         Jesus’ wisdom brings healing, well-being and growth to our soul

 

A few weeks ago now, as Robyn & I were walking around Lake Taupo, I gave some thought to some future sermon series ideas and came up with this acronym:

–         HEALING.

–         Each letter represents a word which, when put into practice, is life giving to the human soul…

–         Hope, Energy, Appreciation, Lament, Inter-dependence, Nurture & Giving – these are all strategies for well-being

–         They help us to carry our burdens without rubbing our backs raw

–         At some point I would like to take seven weeks to explore these words and their application, through a sermon series – but for today I will simply introduce the concepts to help us in taking care of our soul

–         First let’s consider hope

Hope:

Hope is the ability to imagine a good future

–         If life is good in the present then we tend not to think too much about the future

–         But when life is difficult we find the strength to get through that difficulty by imagining something good coming our way in the future

–         Without hope, without the thought that something better awaits us on the horizon, our burdens seem impossible to bear

The Christian hope, the picture of the future we hold in our minds, is heaven

–         Heaven goes by a number of different names including eternal life and the Kingdom of God

–         The best thing about heaven is God’s presence

–         In the book of Revelation chapter 7 we find these verses of hope…

He who sits on the throne will protect them with his presence. Never again will they hunger or thirst; neither sun nor any scorching heat will burn them, because the Lamb [that is: Jesus], who is in the centre of the throne, will be their shepherd and he will guide them to springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

Revelation was written for Christians in the first Century who were suffering persecution – they got through it by placing their hope in Jesus, by imagining a future in the presence of God

–         In the same way we get through the difficulties we face in this life by believing that one day (through Jesus) we will abide in God’s presence forever

Sometimes we understand what something is by its opposite

–         Condemnation is one of the opposites of hope

–         To feel condemned is to feel like there is nothing good for us in the future

–         Jesus (the Son of God) did not come to condemn us – he came to redeem creation, to save the world

–         There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus

Sometimes we lose our hope – we lose our ability to see a good future and we might feel condemned

–         It’s like the clouds of depression hang low & thick so we can’t see the sun’s rays of hope and everything is grey & gloomy

–         But just because you can’t see the sun behind the clouds doesn’t mean the sun isn’t there

–         Hold on – the clouds will pass and the sun will become visible again

–         Jesus does not promise a life without clouds but he does offer us certain hope of a future enjoying abundant life in God’s presence, when we put our trust in him

 

Energy:

‘E’ stands for Energy

–         The opposite of energy is exhaustion

We have different types of energy – physical energy, emotional energy, mental energy, sexual energy, spiritual energy and so on

–         Two things that help to sustain and support our energy levels are rhythm and balance

–         It’s like riding a bike – to keep the bike upright and moving forward you need to maintain the rhythm of your pedalling and your balance

To put it in more practical terms, we get energy from maintaining regular sleep patterns, eating a healthy balanced diet, as well as taking the right amount of exercise and rest

Our primary source of energy though is the Spirit of God [1]

–         The Holy Spirit is often compared to the wind

–         In fact, the Greek word for spirit (which is pneuma) is the same word used for wind, just as the Hebrew word for spirit (which is ruach) also doubles for wind

Like the wind, the Spirit of God is a powerful energy, untameable and free

–         We can try and do things under our own steam (by rowing or paddling the ship of our soul against the tide of circumstance) but it is far better to trim our sails to catch the wind of God’s Spirit and be carried along by the energy of God

 

Sometimes though we hit the doldrums, where there is no wind

–         We might trim our sails by reading the Bible, spending time in prayer and seeking to listen to God but nothing seems to happen and we sort of drift spiritually

–         We can’t control the Spirit any more than we can tell the wind what to do

–         When we find ourselves in the doldrums we simply have to wait for God

–         Keep up our daily & weekly devotional rhythms & rituals until the wind of God’s Spirit visits us again

 

Appreciation:

‘A’ is for appreciation

–         Appreciation is a word that carries more than one meaning

–         It can mean gratitude or thankfulness but it can also mean enjoying what is in front of you, not rushing past but stopping to smell the roses

A sense of entitlement is poison to appreciation

–         If we think we’re entitled to something because we’ve worked hard & we deserve it then we will lose the simple joy of appreciating what we have

–         The key to appreciation is remembering that life is a gift from God

–         Not a duty to be performed or a goal to be achieved, but a gift to be enjoyed

 

In Luke chapter 10 we find two sisters, Mary & Martha

–         Mary sits still at the feet of Jesus, simply listening and appreciating him

–         While Martha runs around in a flurry of busy-ness and self-righteous contempt for her sister

–         Martha feels her service for the Lord entitles her to tell Jesus what to do:

–         “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to come and help me.” But Jesus says to her…

–         “Martha, Martha. You are worried and troubled over so many things, but just one is needed. Mary has chosen the right thing and it will not be taken from her.”

 

Mary paused to appreciate the Lord – to enjoy the presence of God (in the form of Jesus) who was in front of her. We need to do the same

–         One thing I often do at the end of the day is think of the things that went well in the day: things I appreciated, situations that were redeemed, anything really that had the finger prints of God on it

–         And then I thank God for those things before going to sleep

 

‘H’ is for hope, ‘E’ is for energy, ‘A’ is for appreciation and…

Lament:

‘L’ is for lament

–         Lament is an old word that we don’t hear very often, which is a great shame because it is a practice that is needed more than ever today

Lament is a way of expressing the sad, bitter, angry & painful truth of what we are feeling inside

–         The opposite of lament is denial – pretending everything is okay with us when it isn’t

The psalms are full of laments – people grieving with raw honesty, pouring out their rage, their sadness, their doubt before God

–         Apparently God is big enough to handle it

We might practice lament in a number of ways – perhaps through music & song, maybe by writing a poem or painting a picture or simply with our tears

–         Lament takes a stink feeling, a sucky feeling, and does something creative with it

At the end of Matthew 23 Jesus laments over Jerusalem saying…

–         “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing. See, your house is left to you desolate.”

Jesus could see the coming destruction of the city with the unnecessary suffering of its people – and the waste of life, the futility, grieved him

–         It didn’t have to be this way – it’s not what God wanted

–         God’s instinct is to gather and protect his people but on this occasion, as on so many other occasions, God didn’t get what he wanted

There’s been a lot to grieve about this past week

–         Give your grief to God – tell him honestly & respectfully how you feel

–         Ask him to do something creative with it

 

Inter-dependence:

In the movie Guardians of the Galaxy there is a character called ‘Groot’.

–         Groot is a tree in the shape of a human

–         All through the movie Groot says only one thing: “I am Groot”

–         It doesn’t matter what the question is or what the topic of conversation he always says: “I am Groot”

–         Until the end of the film when he lays his life down to save his friends and says: “We are Groot

‘I’ is for inter-dependence, in contrast to independence

–         Inter-dependence is about being connected to one another in a good way

–         It’s about depending or relying on one another

–         Inter-dependent relationships function on trust

–         In contrast independence is about being isolated or alone

–         Independence is often the result of mistrust

 

Healing, wholeness, growth – these things don’t happen in isolation, they happen in community

–         If you injure your finger the doctors don’t seek to heal the finger by separating it from the hand – no, they keep the finger attached

 

Our body is an inter-dependent unity. As the apostle Paul says…

  •  25 And so there is no division in the body, but all its different parts have the same concern for one another. 26 If one part of the body suffers, all the other parts suffer with it; if one part is praised, all the other parts share its happiness. 27 All of you are Christ’s body, and each one is a part of it.

 

The death this past week has affected a lot of people and that’s because we are all connected

–         Whether we like it or not, what happens to one part of the body affects the rest – and that’s true whether you were close to the one who died or not

If you are hurting, don’t do your grieving alone – talk with someone

–         There will be people available to pray with you here, by the water cooler, after the service or you can catch up with Daryl or me

–         It has been really good to see the way many people in the church have come together to lend support to each other – especially the youth & young adults. There is healing in community

‘H’ is for hope, ‘E’ is for energy, ‘A’ is for appreciation, ‘L’ is for lament,

‘I’ is for inter-dependence, and…

 Nurture:

‘N’ is for nurture, as opposed to neglect

–         Nurture is about taking care of someone or something

–         One of the primary images we are given of Jesus is that of a shepherd

–         A shepherd takes care of his sheep

It’s interesting how Jesus restores Peter

–         After Peter had denied him three times, Jesus tells Peter to feed my sheep

–         Jesus heals Peter by giving him some people to nurture and take care of

–         The wisdom of Jesus seems to be that healing, well-being and growth of our soul doesn’t happen by self-analysis alone – it happens as we look outside ourselves to the nurture and care of others

Sometimes when we are hurting or in pain we can become quite self-absorbed and our perspective gets smaller & smaller until we find ourselves locked in self-destructive thought patterns – the temptation in grief is to self-pity

–         Nurturing others, looking to the well-being of others, actually enlarges our perspective and frees our mind, lifting our thought patterns out of the rut we sometimes get ourselves into

–         Self-pity leads us to neglect our soul. Nurture, of others, saves us from self-pity

Giving:

Related to this idea of nurture is our final letter: ‘G’ for giving

–         Jesus said: It is better to give than receive

–         By giving I don’t think Jesus just meant giving money

–         I think he meant giving in the broader sense of that word – being generous in our attitude toward others, giving time to listen, giving people the benefit of the doubt, forgiving others, giving ourselves

The thing is we can only give what we have received – we can’t give what we don’t have, so giving implies receiving, not earning or taking, but receiving as a gift. God offers us life as a gift, both to enjoy and to share with others

The classic illustration for the benefits of giving is the Dead Sea

–         While the Dead Sea receives water from the Jordan River, it doesn’t have an outlet and consequently the salt & mineral deposits increase to such an extent that nothing can survive in the water there

–         It is similar with our soul – when we don’t give, our soul becomes constipated or bunged up with bitterness

Jesus encouraged generosity, not to make us feel guilty about not meeting some impossible ideal, but in order to set us free from the constipation of greed

 

Conclusion:

There is a lot more we could say about each of these things (and at some point in the future we might explore them further) but that’s enough for now

–         As you process the events of the past week (whether it’s been a good week for you or torrid), which one of these words or areas of well-being do you think you need to focus on, both for your own healing & growth, as well as that of those around you?

 

Let us pray…

Father God, you are just and merciful. You understand us completely because you made us. You are the ground of our being.

Jesus, Son of God, you are our brother and our hope. Because of you we have friendship with God and a future to look forward to.

Holy Spirit, you are the source of our energy, the wind in our sails, the warmth in our heart, the one who connects us to Jesus.

God you are our home – we come from you and we return to you. In you we can be ourselves. We pray for those in NZ and in the world at large who have nowhere to live. Provide each one with affordable accommodation and a caring community to belong to.

God of the easy yoke we pray for those who are weary and heavy laden. Help each of us to take care of the soul you have given us. Save us from the constipation of greed. Keep us from that self-pity which leads to neglect of the soul. Help us to express our grief in creative & satisfying lament. Give us eyes to appreciate the good news all around us. Strengthen our trust in one another that we would do the ups & downs of life together, in an inter-dependent way. When we find ourselves in the doldrums help us to keep our balance and maintain healthy rhythms, while we wait for the wind of your Spirit. And when our mood is overcast and we lose sight of hope, hold on to us and remind us that the clouds of depression will pass. Restore us as we care for and nurture your lambs. Give us wisdom to live generously & well, in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

 

Questions for discussion or reflection

1.)    What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon?

2.)    Jesus’ metaphor of the easy yoke can be understood in a variety of ways – how do you understand it?

3.)    Where is your hope placed? (What is your picture of the future?)

4.)    How are your energy levels at the moment? Are you rowing against the tide or catching the wind of God’s Spirit?

–         What can we do when we find ourselves in the doldrums?

5.)    What form of lament works best for you? (E.g. music, writing, painting, crying, something else creative?)

6.)    What has God given you to share with others?

7.)    Which of the 7 areas (words) of well-being, mentioned in the sermon, do you need to focus on for the welfare of your soul (and for others)?

8.)    At the end of each day this week, think of three things in the day you appreciated and give thanks to God for them.

 

https://soundcloud.com/tawabaptist/27-may-2018-healing

 

 

[1] Note to self for future sermon: use the story of an exhausted Elijah being feed by an angel, rested and carried by the Spirit (God restores Elijah’s physical & spiritual energy)

Tawa Baptist

Pentecost

Read Acts 2

Why did Jesus send the Holy Spirit?

–         Well, very simply, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to connect us to himself

–         The Holy Spirit makes Jesus’ presence & power close & real

 

I need a volunteer – [choose someone]

–         Okay, can you sit here near the front

–         Put this blind fold on so you can’t see me

–         I’m going to put a small weight in your hand and I want you to hold on to it – don’t let go

–         You may feel a slight tugging but you need to hold onto your end

–         I’m going to walk away from you now and I want you to sit where you are and just hold on – [I walk back to the pulpit]

 

Even though you can’t see me and even though I’m not close enough for you to reach out and touch, we are still connected

–         And you know we’re connected because when I tug at my end of the line you can feel me – like I’m close & real

–         It’s a bit like that with the Holy Spirit – the Holy Spirit connects us to Jesus sort of like this fishing line connects you and I

–         Even though Jesus is in heaven and we can’t see him – we still feel a connection with Jesus through the Holy Spirit

–         In fact, sometimes if we feel a slight tugging in our heart it might be Jesus getting our attention through the line of his Spirit and tugging us in the direction he wants us to go

 

Well done, you can take your blind fold off now – here’s something for being such a good sport – [give a reward]

 

In Acts 2, Peter knew Jesus was with him because the Holy Spirit was in him

–         Not only that but Peter was able to tell others about Jesus because the Holy Spirit gave him power to speak – and power (in Peter’s situation) meant the ability, the words & the courage to speak

–         The Holy Spirit worked through Peter to make Jesus’ presence & power close & real to other people so they would believe in Jesus and become connected to Jesus themselves

 

In some ways, not in every way, but in some ways the Holy Spirit is a little bit like electricity in your home

–         Imagine your soul is like a house and the Spirit of God is like electricity – although we can’t see the electricity we know we are connected when the lights come on, the oven heats up & the water in the shower is warm

–         It’s similar with Jesus – although we can’t see Jesus we know Jesus is close & real because the Holy Spirit connects us

–         It’s like the Holy Spirit turns the lights on inside our mind so we understand who Jesus is – that he is God’s Son and our Saviour, that he is risen from the dead as our Lord & our friend

–         It’s like the Holy Spirit warms up the water in our soul so we know our sins are forgiven and God accepts us – and when we know we are forgiven and loved by God we are able to forgive & love others

 

Now I need to say that fishing line and electricity are not adequate for describing the Holy Spirit – there is more to the Spirit than that

–         The point is, the Holy Spirit connects people to Jesus with warmth & energy – he makes Jesus close & real

 

Given that the Holy Spirit connects us to Jesus it is reasonable to ask, how do we receive the Holy Spirit?

–         Well, receiving the Holy Spirit doesn’t happen in the same way as having electricity connected to your house – you can’t just pay for someone to come and hook you up

 

In John chapter 3 Jesus compares the Holy Spirit to the wind. Jesus says,

–         The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.

–         Part of the message here is: the Holy Spirit cannot be manipulated or controlled. The Holy Spirit initiates the connection between us and Jesus

 

Although we can’t tell the Holy Spirit what to do (any more than we can tell the wind what to do) we can ask God for his Spirit and be ready to receive it

–         We know that God wants us to have a connection with Jesus – so if we ask God in good faith, trusting Jesus, it’s just a matter of time before the wind blows on us

–         The thing is, God’s Spirit doesn’t always turn up in the way or at the time we might be expecting.

–         We might expect the Holy Spirit to initiate something while we’re singing or praying in church – and he might – but he is just as likely to turn up while we are at school or work or home or on the train talking to someone

The other thing we need to remember is that the Holy Spirit isn’t all about us

–         He isn’t there just to make us feel good or powerful

–         The Holy Spirit is primarily about Jesus and that means sometimes he will involve us in connecting others with Jesus, like he involved Peter

–         So we need to be ready to respond to the Holy Spirit when he wants to use us to make Jesus’ presence & power close & real for someone else

–         The Holy Spirit is not interested in attracting attention to us or himself

–         He would rather turn people’s attention to Jesus

 

https://soundcloud.com/tawabaptist/20-may-2018-pentecost

Tawa Baptist

God is faithful

Scripture: Genesis 21:1-21

Title: God is faithful

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • God’s faithfulness to Sarah & Abraham
  • God’s faithfulness to Hagar & Ishmael
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

On the wall here is a picture of the newly elected Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mahathir Mohamad

–         At the age of 92 he is the oldest elected Prime Minister of all time

–         He looks in pretty good nick for 92 I reckon

–         This morning we continue our series on Abraham & Sarah, picking up their story from Genesis 21

–         By this stage Abraham is 100 years old and Sarah is 90

It has been about 25 years since Abraham left Haran in obedience to God’s call

–         More than once during that time God promised to make Abraham the father of a great nation

–         Because Sarah was unable to have children they did, on one occasion, take matters into their own hands and Abraham had a son (Ishmael) through Sarah’s maidservant, Hagar

–         But God made it clear that the son who would inherit God’s promises would come from Sarah

–         From Genesis chapter 21, verse 1 (in the NIV) we read…

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.”

8 The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. 9 But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, 10 and she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.”

11 The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son. 12 But God said to him, “Do not be so distressed about the boy and your maidservant. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. 13 I will make the son of the maidservant into a nation also, because he is your offspring.”

14 Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the Desert of Beersheba.

15 When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went off and sat down about a bowshot away, for she thought, “I cannot watch the boy die.” And as she sat there, she began to sob.

17 God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. 18 Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”

19 Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.

20 God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer. 21 While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt.

 

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this Scripture for us

 

On the face of it Genesis 21 tells the story of two mothers in very different circumstances

–         We don’t have to scratch too far beneath the surface though to see God’s faithfulness at work

–         God is faithful in keeping his promise to Sarah & Abraham

–         And he is faithful in taking care of Hagar & Ishmael

God’s faithfulness to Sarah & Abraham:

On the wall here is the picture of a Cabbage Tree – an iconic sight on the NZ landscape. Some facts about Cabbage trees… [1]

–         The trunk of the cabbage tree is so fire-resistant that early European settlers used it to make chimneys for their huts.

–         Conveniently, too, the leaves made fine kindling.

–         Cabbage trees have a strong root system which gives the tree stability and helps stop soil erosion on steep slopes and along river banks.

–         Māori used cabbage trees for food and medicine. The root, stem and top are all edible, a good source of starch and sugar, while the leaves can be made into tea to cure diarrhoea and dysentery

–         Cabbage trees generally live for a long time – there’s one in Golden Bay that is thought to be between 400 – 500 years old.

 

We have a cabbage tree along the boundary of our section

–         Just over a year ago I cut the trunk off about a metre from the ground because it was becoming a problem to my neighbour

–         Given I had pruned it so hard I thought it would die – but it didn’t

 

The root system is so strong it regenerated new leaves straight out of the trunk where I had cut it off.

–         This is a picture of the regrowth. The tree has resurrection properties

 

In some ways Sarah & Abraham remind me of the humble NZ cabbage tree

–         I don’t know if they had a cure for diarrhoea but they were hardy souls

–         They had longevity, a strong root system and a God given ability to regenerate when they had been cut off at the stump

 

At the age of 90, and after a lifetime of disappointment, Sarah becomes a mother for the first time

–         This is nothing short of a miracle of God

–         Although Sarah & Abraham were probably in pretty good condition for their age Sarah had been through menopause and shouldn’t have been able to conceive – yet God, in faithfulness to his promises, made it possible for her to give birth to a son

–         The miracle of Isaac’s birth is on a par with the virgin birth of Jesus and the miracle of his resurrection

 

The message here at the beginning of Genesis 21 is that God is faithful – he keeps his promises, and when promises are kept trust is strengthened

 

You may be wondering why God made Sarah & Abraham wait so long

–         Why wait until Sarah’s biological clock had stopped ticking?

–         That’s sort of like cutting her off at the trunk

–         Why not just give them a child when they were young and could handle the sleepless nights?

–         Well, I think God may have been developing their root system

–         The longer we have to wait for God the deeper the roots of our faith grow

–         If God fulfilled is promises to us too quickly the roots of our faith wouldn’t have the time they need to develop properly

–         When the roots of our faith grow deep the tree of our life (that is, our relationship with God) is stronger and more stable – better able to handle the pruning’s of life

 

Genesis 21 gives three reactions to Isaac’s birth

–         Praise, obedience and scorn

 

In verse 6 Sarah responds in joyful praise saying…

–         “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” 7 …Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”

 

Isaac’s name means ‘laughter’

–         A year earlier Sarah had laughed in disbelief when God predicted she would give birth to a son

–         Now, a year on, she laughs in gratitude and praise at the miracle God has performed – no one would’ve thought she would become a mother at 90

–         Notice how Sarah refers to herself nursing ‘children’ – not just a child

–         Isaac was Sarah’s first and only child – why then does she refer to herself as the mother of children (plural)?

–         Well, since God fulfilled his promise to Sarah her eyes have been opened, in faith, to see a nation being born through Isaac

 

Sarah responds in joyful praise and Abraham responds in obedience

–         Abraham named his son Isaac and circumcised him at 8 days old as God commanded him

–         Circumcision, we remember, is the sign of God’s covenant with Abraham – obedience follows faith

 

Sarah’s praise & Abraham’s obedience are fitting and appropriate but Ishmael, Isaac’s older half-brother, mocks Isaac (he treats him with scorn)

–         Ishmael (who incidentally isn’t named at all in this passage) laughs at Isaac but not in a good way

–         To give you some context Isaac is about 2 or 3 years old at this stage and Ishmael is about 16 or 17 – so it’s not a good look for Ishmael

 

When Sarah sees this she tells Abraham to send Hagar and Ishmael packing

–         This may seem like an over-reaction on Sarah’s part but we need to remember that 16 or 17 years earlier Hagar had treated Sarah with similar contempt when Hagar had a son and Sarah couldn’t

–         So this touches on an old wound for Sarah and old wounds are often the most sensitive

–         It seems to Sarah that Ishmael is following in his mother, Hagar’s, footsteps – Sarah doesn’t want her son bullied

 

This puts Abraham in a difficult position – he is the meat in the sandwich between two people he loves – between Ishmael and Sarah

–         Whatever choice he makes he loses

 

But God tells Abraham to listen to Sarah because Isaac is the one to inherit the covenant

–         God, in his grace, makes it easier for Abraham by reassuring him that he will take care of Ishmael

 

Sending Hagar & Ishmael away like this might seem a bit harsh to us (through our super sensitive, over anxious, 21st Century lens) but we need to look at God’s action practically & theologically

 

Practically, it’s not really going to work for Hagar & Ishmael to stay – it’s already problematic and (as Sarah can see) it’s only going to get worse

 

Theologically, by separating Isaac & Ishmael God is performing an act of creation

–         You remember in Genesis 1 God created by separating things: light from darkness, earth from sky, land from water

–         Separating Isaac & Ishmael was necessary for the creation of Israel

 

The other theological point not to be missed here is that God is asking Abraham to trust him – God is testing Abraham’s faith

–         In a sense God is asking Abraham to sacrifice Ishmael

–         Later in Genesis 22 God will ask Abraham to sacrifice Isaac

–         Will the roots of Abraham’s faith run deep enough to obey God?

–         On this occasion Abraham passes the test – first thing the next morning he sends Hagar & their teenage son, Ishmael, away with some food & water

 

God’s faithfulness to Hagar & Ishmael:

In 1980 the pop band Abba released a song called “The winner takes it all”

–         It’s one of their sad songs

–         Bjorn wrote it after separating from his wife and fellow band member, Agnetha

–         It’s about a divorce where one person doesn’t want to separate and clings desperately to the marriage

–         Bjorn said: “I had this image of a man walking through an empty house with all the furniture removed for the last time as the symbol of divorce and just describing what I see.”

–         The winner takes it all, the loser has to fall…

–         To the one who doesn’t want the marriage to end it feels like they are the loser and the other partner (the winner) takes it all

–         It is a feeling of powerlessness, of hopelessness

–         Having said that, Bjorn insisted the song wasn’t about him & Agnetha, it was more of a fictional imagining

–         In reality there are no winners in divorce

 

Hagar wasn’t officially married to Abraham but she may as well have been – she couldn’t marry anyone else and yet was forced to separate from him

–         We don’t know if she loved him but we can be pretty sure that, as a single woman at that time in history, she was vulnerable on her own, without a husband to protect her or a welfare system to provide for her

–         I imagine, that to Hagar, it must have felt like Sarah was the winner who took it all and she was the loser who took the fall

 

Now at this point we may feel some sympathy for Hagar & Ishmael

–         While they weren’t perfect they do seem to get a raw deal

–         It’s not like Abraham was paying child support or maintenance – he just sent her off with food & water to last a couple of days (good bye & good luck)

 

We might also be looking at God sideways because he seems to condone Hagar & Ishmael being sent away

–         Well, I don’t think we can blame God for this situation

–         Through the history of their relationship together Sarah & Abraham, along with Hagar & Ishmael have all made some poor choices which have resulted in a less than ideal situation for everyone

–         God is now in the position of having to work with the choices other people have made – God is having to make the best of a bad situation

 

Interestingly, God does not come to Hagar & Ishmael’s rescue immediately

–         God waits until both the boy and his mother are at the end of their rope and crying out in despair. What was it Jesus said?

–         Blessed are the poor in Spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven

–         Hagar & Ishmael are poor in spirit and they know it

–         I think God waits for us come to the end of our own resources, before stepping in to help, so that we will learn the vital lesson that our life depends on him – that we can’t save ourselves  

–         You see it’s an awareness of our need that brings us to God

 

17 God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. 18 Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”

 

This is the second time the angel of the Lord has called to Hagar – the first time was in Genesis 16

–         Hagar is a foreigner, an outsider and a servant – she is literally down & out, but God is attentive to her and to Ishmael

–         More than simply being attentive though, God is faithful and provides

 

The angel of the Lord says five things to Hagar…

 

What’s the matter Hagar?

–         God knows Hagar’s name and calls her by name

–         In the ancient world, to know someone’s name was to know their character, to know what they are like on the inside.

–         God knows your name too – he gets you, he understands

 

Do not be afraid

–         Do not let your thoughts run wild. Do not anticipate the worst. Be calm

 

God has heard the boy as he lies there

–         In other words, God is listening. He understands your situation and your concerns for your son – you both have his attention

 

Lift up the boy and take him by the hand

–         God gives Hagar something to do – he basically says, ‘You’ve got an important role to play in your son’s life. Don’t abandon your son. Your job is to lift your child up’

–         I love that. Whether you are a single parent or parenting with someone else, your job is to lift your children up and take them by the hand

 

‘Lift your child up’ could mean speaking words that build them up, that encourage them, words that help them to see a perspective beyond the little piece of dirt they are sitting on at this present moment

–         ‘Lift your child up’ might also mean helping them practically with things until they get the hang of it themselves, setting them up to succeed

 

‘Take them by the hand’ means leading them gently in the way they should go.

–         We shouldn’t drive our kids with threats or pressure

–         Take them by the hand. Walk with them.

–         We don’t need to be hovering over them all the time, but it is helpful to listen and be present when they need us

 

…for I will make him into a great nation.

–         In saying this God is giving Hagar hope – the future is bright

–         From our perspective in history we see the fulfilment of this – the Arab nations claim descent from Ishmael

 

God then opens Hagar’s eyes to see the next step (that was always there) – a well from which she can draw water

–         Interesting that God doesn’t give a detailed plan in advance

–         He doesn’t spell out to Hagar how she and Ishmael will go from utter despair to being a great nation – God simply shows her the next little step

–         Refill your water skin and give your son a drink

 

Conclusion:

Genesis 21 tells the story of two mothers in very different circumstances.

–         In this respect it reflects our experience too…

For some (like Sarah) mothers’ day is a happy time of laughter and family gathering.

–         If you find yourself in Sarah’s position then you need be free to praise God and to celebrate, without feeling bad about that

–         There is no sin in showing gratitude

 

For others (like Hagar) mothers’ day only highlights what is lost or perhaps never was.

–         If you find yourself in Hagar’s position, a solo parent, feeling alone and overwhelmed by your problems, in a place of dryness and utter despair

–         God knows you by name – he understands

–         Don’t try and solve everything at once, just take little steps

–         First cry out to God – he is big enough to handle your heartbreak

–         Then open your eyes – look around

–         Find the well (the source of refreshment) God has provided – it might be right in front of you

–         Drink your fill, refresh your child, lift up those in your care.

 

And then there are those (like Abraham) who feel torn and in an impossible situation – the meat in the sandwich, perhaps caring deeply for two parents who no longer care for each other

–         If you are a daughter or a son and you find yourself in that situation then I want to say to you, ‘Unlike Abraham, you don’t have to choose’

–         It doesn’t always have to be either / or, it can be both / and

–         What transpires between your parents is their problem to solve, not yours

–         You need to be free to love, honour & forgive both your mum & your dad

 

We are so accustomed to thinking of God as a Father because that is the way the Bible usually presents God to us

–         But the Bible does at times shine a light on the motherly nature of God

–         In Isaiah 49, verse 15 we read:

–         “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you.”

–         In this verse God is saying to his people in exile, I love you like a mother (to the moon and back)

–         Whatever feelings mothers’ day touches for you, God is faithful, even more faithful than your mother.

 

Questions for discussion & reflection

1.)    What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon?

2.)    In what ways was God faithful to Sarah & Abraham?

–          In what ways has God been faithful to you over the years?

3.)    Discuss the three reactions to Isaac’s birth (i.e. praise, obedience & scorn/mocking)

–         How can we respond to God’s faithfulness to us?

4.)    Why do you think God agrees with Sarah in telling Abraham to send Hagar & Ishmael away? (e.g. theological & practical reasons)

5.)    In what ways is God faithful to Hagar & Ishmael?

6.)    What does it mean to ‘lift up your child and take them by the hand’?

(Think of some practical examples)

7.)     What feelings does mothers’ day touch for you?

–         Who do you identify with most in this story and why?

8.)    Take some time this week to reflect on Isaiah 49:15 and the motherly aspects of God’s character

 

https://soundcloud.com/tawabaptist/13-may-2018-god-is-faithful

[1] https://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/native-plants/cabbage-tree-ti-kouka/

Tawa Baptist

Fear & Grace

Scripture: Genesis 20

Title: Fear & Grace

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Fear
  • Grace
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

In the 1980’s the NZ band Split Enz released a song called History Never Repeats

–         The chorus says: “History never repeats, tell myself before I go to sleep”

–         I’m not sure what the band had in mind when they wrote the song but it has always carried a sense of irony for me: History often repeats, despite what we might tell ourselves

This morning we pick up our series on the life of Abraham, from Genesis chapter 20 – page 22 near the front of your pew Bibles

–         Abraham’s journey of faith could be described as two steps forward, one step back – with a few sideways steps thrown in for good measure

–         Genesis 20 seems to be describing a backward step for Abraham

–         This is one of those occasions when history repeats itself

–         In Genesis 12 Abraham led Pharaoh to believe that he wasn’t married to Sarah, so that Pharaoh would treat him kindly

–         Now in Genesis 20 Abraham does the same thing by misleading king Abimelech. From Genesis 20, verse 1 we read…

 Abraham moved from Mamre to the southern part of Canaan and lived between Kadesh and Shur. Later, while he was living in Gerar, 2 he said that his wife Sarah was his sister. So King Abimelech of Gerar had Sarah brought to him. 3 One night God appeared to him in a dream and said, “You are going to die, because you have taken this woman; she is already married.”

4 But Abimelech had not come near her, and he said, “Lord, I am innocent! Would you destroy me and my people? 5 Abraham himself said that she was his sister, and she said the same thing. I did this with a clear conscience, and I have done no wrong.”

6 God replied in the dream, “Yes, I know that you did it with a clear conscience; so I kept you from sinning against me and did not let you touch her. 7 But now, give the woman back to her husband. He is a prophet, and he will pray for you, so that you will not die. But if you do not give her back, I warn you that you are going to die, you and all your people.”

8 Early the next morning Abimelech called all his officials and told them what had happened, and they were terrified. 9 Then Abimelech called Abraham and asked, “What have you done to us? What wrong have I done to you to make you bring this disaster on me and my kingdom? No one should ever do what you have done to me. 10 Why did you do it?”

11 Abraham answered, “I thought that there would be no one here who has reverence for God and that they would kill me to get my wife. 12 She really is my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but not of my mother, and I married her. 13 So when God sent me from my father’s house into foreign lands, I said to her, ‘You can show how loyal you are to me by telling everyone that I am your brother.’”

14 Then Abimelech gave Sarah back to Abraham, and at the same time he gave him sheep, cattle, and slaves. 15 He said to Abraham, “Here is my whole land; live anywhere you like.” 16 He said to Sarah, “I am giving your brother a thousand pieces of silver as proof to all who are with you that you are innocent; everyone will know that you have done no wrong.”

17-18 Because of what had happened to Sarah, Abraham’s wife, the Lord had made it impossible for any woman in Abimelech’s palace to have children. So Abraham prayed for Abimelech, and God healed him. He also healed his wife and his slave women, so that they could have children.

 

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this reading for us

 

We notice two themes in Genesis 20, fear & grace. First let’s consider fear…

 Fear:

Basically, fear is a feeling of distress caused by impending danger

–         In some ways fear is sort of the opposite of hope

–         Hope is a feeling of joy caused by impending satisfaction

 

Fear (like hope) comes from what we think or imagine might happen

–         When what we think or imagine is accurate & true, then fear protects us

–         For example, I imagine (quite accurately) that if I try to monkey climb the steel ‘I’ beams in this auditorium I will probably fall and hurt myself

–         This thought creates a feeling of distress which prevents me from attempting to climb the blue beams

 

By the same token, when what we think or imagine is inaccurate & untrue, then fear becomes something which puts us at risk

–         For example, if I were to imagine (quite wrongly) that the floor was covered in snakes then the feeling of distress caused by that thought might cause me to climb the walls, which would inevitably lead to me falling and hurting myself

 

With these two examples we see that fear can act as both a brake and an accelerator

–         Sometimes fear stops us doing things

–         Other times fear moves us to do things, at speed

 

The really disconcerting thing is that we are subject to what we fear – which means we are not usually in the driver’s seat

–         When we are afraid we are not the ones with our foot on the brake or the accelerator – we are the passenger

 

Fear is taxing – it sucks the life out of us, kind of like an anti-energy

–         For example, we may be afraid of failure and that fear motivates us to work extra hard to succeed, but at the same time it also stresses us out and exhausts us

 

The other thing fear does is it makes us forget, at least temporarily

–         Fear has this way of locking out every other thought

–         In Genesis 20 Abraham appears to forget God’s promise to make him a father of nations

–         He also seems to forget what happened with Pharaoh in Egypt

–         Abraham’s fear of being killed overwhelms him and he manages the feeling of distress by deceiving Abimelech

–         In verse 11 Abraham says, “I thought that there would be no one here who fears God and that they would kill me to get my wife.”

–         Given that the people of Sodom & Gomorrah had no fear of God we can understand why Abraham might think Abimelech was similar

–         But in this situation at least, Abraham’s fear is based on a false assumption and when our fear is based on a lie it inevitably leads us to put ourselves or others at risk

 

When you hear the word ‘Philistine’, what do you think of? [Wait]

–         The Philistine’s were an ancient race of people who we read about in the Bible – traditionally thought of as enemies of Israel

–         David killed the Philistine giant, Goliath

–         These days though the word ‘Philistine’ has come to mean someone who is hostile toward culture and the arts – sort of like a bogan

–         Someone who is uncouth or ignorant, perhaps even dangerous

 

This may be quite an unfair prejudice

–         King Abimelech was a Philistine and yet (in Genesis 20) he behaved better than Abraham

–         I’m not saying Abimelech was perfect – after all, he already had a wife and some concubines and then decided he would have Sarah as well, like an all you can eat smorgasbord

–         (I’m not sure that women had a lot of choice in the matter in those days)

 

Despite his rapacious appetite king Abimelech still had a moral code

–         Contrary to Abraham’s prejudice Abimelech did fear God

–         He was probably what we might call a good pagan

 

A pagan (by definition) lives in fear of the gods

–         A pagan lives with the feeling of constant distress, that if they put a foot wrong the gods will punish them

–         While we are not pagan, it’s not difficult for us to understand the utter exhaustion of living with constant fear

–         Anxiety is very much a part of the fabric of our society – it is epidemic today

 

To people in the ancient world (whatever their religion) adultery was a heinous crime – it was one of the worst sins you could think of

–         If you committed adultery in the ancient world you could expect a severe punishment, if not from the community then from the gods

 

Abimelech’s fear that God might kill him if he did commit adultery was accurate and true

–         When God told him in a dream that Sarah was married to Abraham, Abimelech was quick to point out that he didn’t know and he hadn’t touched her yet – he wasted no time in repentance

–         Abimelech returned Sarah to Abraham with livestock and silver, not because he was feeling guilty, but out of fear & respect for God Almighty

 

You see fear is a form of respect – we are subject to what we fear

–         When we react in fear of something we are saying (often unconsciously) that the thing we fear has power over us

–         To fear God then is to say (in a very deep way) God is more powerful than I am and therefore I am subject to him

–         Abimelech’s fear of God caused him to bend his knee in submission and obedience to God

 

Fear of God is quite close to faith in God

–         Proverbs talks about the fear of God being the beginning of wisdom

–         Or to use a metaphor – if faith in God is the butterfly, then fear of God is the caterpillar. Before we can fly we must first crawl

–         Before we can learn to trust God we must first fear him

–         That is, we must first submit to God in the realisation that he is more powerful than anyone or anything else

–         I wonder if the pandemic of anxiety in our society today is partly due to the fact we have lost our fear of God

–         We have made ourselves subject to so many things (that aren’t God) and consequently we are afraid of many things

 

What we notice in Genesis 20 is that Abraham believed (temporarily – in that moment) that God was not the most powerful one in the neighbourhood and as a result he put Sarah’s virtue and God’s promise at risk

–         This is all upside down and back to front – here we have Abraham, a hero of the faith, showing more fear of man than of God

–         While king Abimelech, the Philistine – the one we least expect, fears God more than Abraham does

The lesson is: both fear of God and faith in God can be found anywhere – sometimes those outside the church have a greater fear of God than we do

–         I think of the Roman Centurion who said to Jesus:

–         “Lord do not trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof… But say the word and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go’, and he goes and that one, ‘Come’, and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this’, and he does it.”

–         When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him and… said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” [1]

 

There is something of God’s image (something noble) in everyone, even those we may write off as Philistines – but we have to be humble to see it

–         Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.

 

Grace:

Okay, so far we have talked about Abraham’s fear of man and Abimelech’s fear of God

The other main theme running through these verses is grace – in particular God’s grace for Sarah & Abraham, as well as the Lord’s grace for Abimelech and his household

–         Grace is a gift, something we haven’t earned – it is undeserved favour

–         Grace is different from fear

–         Fear is the stick – grace is the carrot

–         Fear is about punishment – grace is about freedom

–         Fear makes us a passenger – grace puts us in the driver’s seat

–         Fear is a feeling of distress – grace is a feeling of humility

 

Once there was a boy, who we’ll call Hunter

–         Hunter came from a dysfunctional family

–         Dad wasn’t around anymore & Mum was preoccupied

–         Hunter was left to fend for himself most of the time

On benefit day (which was a Tuesday) there was usually something in the pantry, some instant noodles or budget bread

–         But by Thursday there wasn’t much food left in the house so Hunter went to school without lunch three days a week

–         Although he was really hungry he didn’t steal from the other kids because he didn’t want to get in trouble

–         He had been taken away from his mum and put into foster care once before and he didn’t want to do anything to risk that happening again

–         Foster care is a bit of a lottery – Fear kept him in check

Hunter’s teacher saw what was going on and quietly snuck sandwiches, biscuits & fruit into Hunter’s bag on Thursdays, Fridays and Mondays

–         At first Hunter didn’t realise how the food got there, but it didn’t take him long to figure it out

–         That teacher had always looked out for him – like a guardian angel

–         It made him feel strangely warm and humble inside

One day the winter show came to town

–         We don’t have winter shows in Wellington – it’s more of a regional town thing, with Ferris wheels, hot dogs, side shows and candy floss

–         Hunter couldn’t afford the ticket price but that didn’t stop him, there was always a hole in the fence somewhere he could squeeze through for free

–         He didn’t have money to go on any of the rides or buy any food – he just enjoyed being there, the sights, the sounds and the smells

As he walked along he noticed a purse on the ground – small enough to fit in your pocket. It had $40 inside and a lipstick

–         He could really use the money

–         Finders keepers, he thought to himself – whoever she was she wouldn’t miss it anyway

As he stood in line waiting to buy some hot chips he noticed his teacher, in the distance on the merry go round, with her family

–         She saw him and smiled – he looked away, suddenly conscience stricken

–         How could he steal this money when she had been so good to him?

–         Realising he couldn’t enjoy the chips now, he handed the purse in to lost property (with the money intact) and slipped out the gate feeling hungry

On Monday at school the teacher called the roll and, as usual, went round the room giving the kids a chance to talk about what they did in their weekend

–         Lots of people talked about going to the winter show and, as usual, Hunter said nothing

When everyone had finished the teacher shared her own news, saying that she had gone to the show with her 11 year daughter who had lost her purse

–         Her daughter was upset because there was $40 in the purse which she had earned from doing various odd jobs

–         Fortunately someone handed the purse in and all was well

Realising he had done something good Hunter smiled to himself as he looked at the ground, feeling strangely warm and humble inside.

 

God’s grace is manifold – it’s not one dimensional

–         It’s layered, like a trifle or filo pastry

We see God’s grace in the way the Lord appears to Abimelech in a dream, warning him of the danger he is in

–         In Genesis 12 God communicated with Pharaoh through sickness and disease but in Genesis 20 the Lord has a conversation with Abimelech

–         Probably because Abimelech is more willing to listen than Pharaoh was

 

One thing we notice is that God’s grace comes to Abimelech in the form of truth – Abraham had lied to Abimelech but God speaks the truth

–         Grace & truth go together with God

–         The Spirit of Jesus is a Spirit of grace & truth

–         Being told that he is at risk of committing adultery with Sarah is not an easy truth for Abimelech to face but there is grace in the timing of it

–         In fact, verse 6 tells us that God has kept Abimelech from sinning by not letting him touch Sarah

–         God has a wonderful way of saving us from temptation and delivering us from evil – diverting us in the nick of time, sort of like Hunter was diverted by a smile from his teacher

 

God’s grace in preventing Abimelech from sleeping with Sarah is at the same time an act of grace for Sarah & Abraham

–         Despite Abraham’s faithless action on this occasion the Lord still intervenes to protect Sarah and save Abraham’s life

 

I’m impressed with the way Abimelech restores the relationship with Abraham

–         After learning from God that Sarah is actually Abraham’s wife Abimelech calls Abraham in and asks for an explanation

–         While this was probably an awkward moment for Abraham it actually enables the two men to clear the air and makes it possible for Abraham to remain in the land

–         Pharaoh gave Abraham no such hearing – he simply sent Abraham & Sarah packing

 

In spite of the way Abraham insults Abimelech (saying, I thought there would be no one here who fears God) the Philistine king gives Abraham livestock, servants, the pick of pastureland & 1000 pieces of silver to vindicate Sarah

–         This silver in some way undoes any shame or slur on Sarah’s reputation

–         It is an incredible amount of money – more than most people would earn in their life time at that point in history

–         As mentioned before Abimelech’s generosity is more out of respect for God, than anything else

 

Finally we see God’s grace in the way the Lord answers Abraham’s prayer to heal Abimelech and his household so they could have children

–         God had promised that Abraham would be a blessing to the nations and this prayer of intercession is one example of that blessing

–         God’s gift of children for the Philistine royal family surely sounds a note of hope for Sarah & Abraham

–         If God is willing to do that for Abimelech, who has been promised nothing, then the Lord will surely make good on his word to Abraham & Sarah

 

Conclusion:

Fear & grace are part of our experience too

–         Although fear & grace are different they both have the power to humble us before God, as Abraham & Abimelech were humbled

 

https://soundcloud.com/tawabaptist/29-april-2018-fear-grace

 

Questions for discussion & reflection

1.)    What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon?

2.)    What is fear?

–         How does (or has) fear affected your life?

3.)    How might we manage the thoughts which govern our fear (in a healthy way)?

4.)    What is the relationship between fear of God and faith in God?

–         How are they similar? How are they different?

–         How might fear of God make us less anxious?

5.)    What is grace?

–         How is grace different from fear?

6.)    In what ways can you see God’s grace in Genesis 20?

7.)    Can you think of times when God has diverted you from making a mistake in the nick of time? (e.g. as he prevented Abimelech from committing adultery with Sarah)

–         What other ways have you experienced God’s grace in your life?

8.)    Take some time this week to thank God for the noble Philistines you’ve known

 

 

[1] Luke 7:6-9