Faithful: Week 4

Abraham and Sarah take matters into their own hands and her maid, Hagar, has Ishmael. They disobey, yet God is gracious to Hagar and Ishmael. Further, God is gracious to humans thousands of years later because of what He is going to do in and through Abraham when the time is right. Abraham and Sarah will have a biological son in chapter 21 named Isaac and Isaac is the son of the covenantal promise, not Ishmael. Paul makes the point in the book of Romans that the promise is bigger than just the biological offspring of Isaac, though, and this is good news if you’re not an ethnic Jew. Look in Romans 3 and 4

Romans 3:28–29 CSB

28 For we conclude that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too,

Romans 4:22–25 CSB

22 Therefore, it was credited to him for righteousness. 23 Now it was credited to him was not written for Abraham alone, 24 but also for us. It will be credited to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

Based on Romans 3:28-29, is God’s plan of salvation only for one nation? How are we saved?

We know that we’re saved by grace through faith in Christ - God’s plan is worldwide and Gentiles are a part of that plan as we’re grafted in by faith, not by our last name

So, let’s track here, God is faithful to His promise with Abraham in chapter 12 and 15 to bless all the people’s of the earth through His offspring. We know that Isaac is his biological son with Sarah, but God’s promises are much bigger than just Isaac… this is pointing us to Jesus Christ who came to seek and save the lost - not just the lost and rebellious people in Israel, but sinners like you and I all around the world. Romans 4:24 reminds us that this is good news for all of us because we’re not saved by having the right last name, God is so big and gracious that He saves those who have faith in Him and Revelation 7:9 tells us that this includes people of every nation, tribe, and tongue. God’s plans are much bigger than just one country and they always have been!

It’s important to recognize where Abraham was coming from in Genesis whenever he doubted God’s initial promise. He was an old man and he had already waited 13 years and still had no son. It’s not a sin to question what God is doing - we see this throughout Scripture - however, acting out of doubt will lead to sin!

Think of a time that you acted out of doubt and it led to a problem

Abraham and Sarah did and it has led to lots of problems ever since!

Peter walked on water but began to act upon his doubt and he began to sink!

We’ve all been there and we have to make a decision to trust in the Lord and His power, we can question what He’s doing, but at the end of the day we have to trust in Him with our actions and our thoughts. He is faithful!

Seed of the Woman Continues Onward

Our lesson this week begins with the birth and life of Isaac. Isaac was born whenever Abraham was 100 years old - do you remember how old he was whenever God made His covenant with Him? 75! I’m not sure about you, but I don’t like waiting 25 minutes for most things… can you imagine waiting 25 years!? That’s 1/3 of the average lifespan today. Yet, God is faithful. He isn’t early and He isn’t late. He’s always on time and here Abraham and Sarah welcome their son, Isaac into the world. God has proven His faithfulness, but God isn’t done with this family! Fast forward several years, some estimate it was 4-5 years and others say as many as 30 years after his birth, but God calls Abraham in Genesis 22 to sacrifice Isaac on Mount Moriah. Abraham has waited 25 years for God’s promise of a son to come… now, several years later, God is calling him to sacrifice this same son? What on earth do you do with that? This is so important for us to understand - Abraham knew God was faithful, He has proven that to be true, and Abraham knew God would continue to be faithful. God had proven Himself to be the giver of life - If God could give life to the womb of a 90 year old barren woman, who is to say that God couldn’t bring the dead back to life. This is what Hebrews 11 tells us about Abraham’s faith in the Lord

Hebrews 11:17–19 CSB

17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. He received the promises and yet he was offering his one and only son, 18 the one to whom it had been said, Your offspring will be traced through Isaac. 19 He considered God to be able even to raise someone from the dead; therefore, he received him back, figuratively speaking.

We know the story, Isaac helps Abraham carry the supplies up the mountain and Abraham tells his other men that they will both come down the mountain together in Genesis 22:5. Isaac asks a little while later “Where is the lamb for this sacrifice?” A fair question! What does Abraham say in response?

Genesis 22:8 CSB

8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” Then the two of them walked on together.

2 options here: Either Abraham believed that God would provide a lamb and he wouldn’t have to sacrifice his son, or he believed that God would bring Isaac back to life. Either way, Abraham knew that they were both coming down that mountain! Why? Because God made a promise that through Abraham all the people’s of the earth would be blessed and that Isaac is that promised son. God provides for Abraham and Isaac is not killed on the altar… compare this with Jesus, Jesus is said to be the true and better Isaac.

John 3:16 CSB

16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

God the Father sends His Son to die in our place so that we might be blessed. Jesus is actually killed but God raises Him from the dead as the Promised Seed of the woman finally reverses the curse from Genesis.

Abraham isn’t saved because of his works, we read in Romans 4 that he is saved because of his faith and this is true for us today. We are not saved because of the nice things that we do, we are saved because of the finished work of Jesus in our place on the cross as He wins for us the victory by dying the death we deserved to die. Faith in Jesus results in good works for the glory of God.

Orthodoxy leads to Orthopraxy - new Sunday school class on James - so important for us to realize that right belief about God must lead to right living for God. Not to save ourselves but because God has saved us and changed us from the inside out!

Abraham eventually will die but God’s promise to bless the nations continues on through Isaac and then Jacob and so on and so forth throughout the book of Genesis and the rest of the Old Testament. God uses some interesting figures in this story. Isaac had 2 sons, Jacob and Esau and the normal way things would have worked in that day and age was for the older son to receive the birth right and be the person who passes down a family promise or name because he came first. Yet, we see in Genesis 28 that God gives this covenantal promise to Jacob, the younger son, not Esau. God choses people that are different for His glory. He does this with Joseph in Egypt at the end of Genesis as Joseph was discarded by his brothers, yet God uses him to help save his family so that the seed of the woman could continue onward.

God’s plans are too powerful to be prevented - He is faithful to His promises!

However, this doesn’t mean that things are easy. After Joseph we know that times get hard for the Israelites as they come to Egypt and begin multiplying and threatening the Pharoah of Egypt. Even though Joseph rose to power in Egypt and showed mercy on his family, there were other people in government who didn’t feel as strongly as he… Eventually a new Pharoah rose to power who didn’t know Joseph and the story of him helping to save the empire and this pharoah ordered that every baby Israelite boy must be killed.

Exodus 1:22 CSB

22 Pharaoh then commanded all his people, “You must throw every son born to the Hebrews into the Nile, but let every daughter live.”

Even in the midst of this opposition, God is working out His promised plan and one of baby boys escapes. In the ancient world, the water was seen as a form of chaos as no one knew what was hiding underneath it. The Nile was treated as a god in Egypt as it was the lifeblood of the empire. There was much danger on the Nile with large crocodiles, hippos, and deadly snakes. This river was famous for some good and lots of bad reasons and into this river goes a 3 month old baby boy named Moses. Now, if you need an example of God’s providence and the way that He provides for His people, please look to Exodus 2 as Moses is put into a papyrus basket and he floats down the river and he just so happens to end up where? Where the Pharoah’s daughter, whose father gave this evil command, was bathing and she adopts the boy to be her son! Again, the waters in the ancient world were seen as chaotic and there was no order or structure to them… No one could control the waves. Yet, we read in the Bible that our God does. Moses is put into another Ark in the Hebrew and just as God provided for Noah in the Ark, God provides for Moses in this ark and God provides for His people to get on board the Ark of Jesus Christ so that one day we can escape His coming judgment against sin! God provides! Even when the people are experiencing suffering and affliction, God is faithful and God is working out His plan to bring His people out of bondage and to their promised land. God isn’t blind, He isn’t deaf, He’s aware and He cares about what is happening to His people in Egypt, this is why He uses a man trained by the best teachers in the world under the nose of the pharoah himself to be the instrument to lead the Israelites out of Egypt after 400 years of waiting.

God’s Covenant with Moses

God uses Moses and calls him to go to Egypt and tell the pharoah to let his people go. Moses comes up with a laundry list of reasons as to why he isn’t the right guy for the job. He can’t talk good. He killed a person. He left Egypt years ago. There are clearly better options! Yet, God says that he is the right man for the job not because of his giftings or strengths, but because God is going to work through him and use him. Ultimately, that’s all that matters right? It’s not what we bring to the table or our strengths or gifting, it’s all about God’s power and glory working in and through us.

Moses goes back and we know the story as Pharoah won’t let them go. 9 plagues come upon the people and he still won’t let them go. Yet, Moses continued to be a faithful servant of God and the 10th plague finally hits and the firstborn son for the Egyptian families passes away. Moses leads the people away from Egypt and are led by God by the pillar of fire and the cloud of smoke. God is providing just as He has been doing for generation after generation and finally the get to the Red Sea and there might be a temptation for the people that God has led them this far only to let them down… Have you been there before? You think that God has finally dropped the ball and abandoned you when you need Him the most? (Question 4 on outline: 1. Sometimes God’s plan doesn’t quite make sense, and we think that He isn’t going to come through (like the Israelites at the Red Sea). How has this study helped your faith in moments of uncertainty?) Look to Moses at the Red Sea and remember to trust in God even in the most difficult of moments. He is faithful! He doesn’t always do what we expect, but He always comes through on His promises. He promised to deliver these people and He would do so. God delivers His people from slavery to the Egyptians and we know that Jesus delivers us from our slavery to sin!

Eventually God leads the people to Mt. Sinai as Moses goes up and receives the Law from God and God establishes His covenant with Israel. We see this in Exodus 19 as the Bible says this

Exodus 19:5–8 CSB

5 Now if you will carefully listen to me and keep my covenant, you will be my own possession out of all the peoples, although the whole earth is mine, 6 and you will be my kingdom of priests and my holy nation.’ These are the words that you are to say to the Israelites.” 7 After Moses came back, he summoned the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him. 8 Then all the people responded together, “We will do all that the Lord has spoken.” So Moses brought the people’s words back to the Lord.

God promised to make Abraham into a great nation, years later his offspring are delivered from Egypt because of God’s promise to Abraham. Now the people of Israel are responsible to keep God’s Word and the people vow to do what the Lord instructs. Obey and be blessed, disobey and be punished. This is what is before the people yet we know they will fall short. The good news with the Law is that God has provided grace with the sacrificial system that is instituted shortly thereafter. The people can’t keep their own salvation through good works because they always fall short - they must remember that God is faithful and gracious and it’s only through His work that they are saved and belong to Him. The law reveals that our God is holy and just and it also reminds us that we fall short. Because of this, the law points us to Jesus Christ who wins for us salvation and redemption not because we deserve it but because God is merciful and loving.

Jesus, the Greater Moses, Fulfills the Old Covenant

Some are confused about the words Old Covenant and New Covenant and they want to know why there were these 2 covenants and how the New one comes around if God is faithful to His covenants. Because God is faithful to His covenants, what had to happen to God’s covenant with Moses? Could He ignore His law and abolish it?

The Old Covenant can’t just be ignored or skipped over… it must be completed and fulfilled! This is what Jesus said that He has come to do, in the Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 5:17 CSB

17 “Don’t think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.

The Old and New Testaments are not at war with one another. They are not separate. They are united because of Jesus Christ and what Jesus does for us as sinners! He fulfills the Old Covenant and brings about a New Covenant that is not dependent upon our obedience and works but simply upon His amazing grace and based on faith in His finished work in our place. See, the only way the Old Covenant could be fulfilled was for someone to never break the law and to be our substitute and bear our curse for breaking the law. In other words they not only had to be perfect but they had to willingly stand in the place of guilty sinners… Who would do this!? You and I wouldn’t dare think about it because if we happened to be perfect we’d probably want to rest on our good works - we don’t want to be punished for something we didn’t do! Yet, this is what Jesus does! He saves us by dying in our place.

Have you ever heard someone say that Salvation is free? That statement is true and false. Think about Romans 6:23

Romans 6:23 CSB

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This gift from God is free - we don’t have to do good works to earn our way and we can’t pay enough money to receive the gift in the first place. In that respect it’s free… but you know as well as I that salvation wasn’t free. Our salvation cost Jesus Christ His life and in that respect, salvation is the most expensive gift of all-time. In fact, if you want to follow Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, it will cost you something as well

Luke 9:23 CSB

23 Then he said to them all, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.

It will cost you your life. Tonight, consider simply this: Has Jesus Christ saved me from the penalty of my sin? If so, am I following after Him faithfully? God is faithful, friends! He doesn’t drop the ball. He has saved sinners through His sacrifice on the cross. If you want to follow Him, He says that you must die. You must die to self and be born again as a new creation! Only Jesus has the power to bring about this change but He is faithful to do it.

He did what we could never do: He perfectly obeyed the law of God so that through His blood, we might be judged by God as if we kept it perfectly. Do you see the grace in that transaction? We don’t deserve it, just like Abraham and Moses didn’t deserve the promises God made them, yet we receive it by faith and we are granted a righteousness that we could never earn. From beginning to end, our salvation is a gift from our good and gracious king who is faithful to His promises. Trust in Him and live for Him today.

Sunday we’ll dive more into this compare and contrast between Jesus and Moses in Hebrews 3:1-6 as Jesus is the greater Moses who isn’t just a faithful servant in God’s Kingdom but He is the faithful Son who saves us and brings into God’s family in the first place. We serve a good God!

Related Media

Related Sermons