4_23_2023 - The All-Knowing God
Notes
Transcript
(Opening Prayer)
(Opening Prayer)
(Sermon Introduction)
(Sermon Introduction)
Today we begin our new series entitled “New Eyes,” focusing on seeing what we call the “Old Testament” with “New Eyes.”
(Series Context)
(Series Context)
We recognize that it takes a lot of time and study to unpack the Old Testament with “New Eyes.”
However, we cannot overlook the importance of the Old Testament to the development of the Early Church and to the understanding the Gospel message and the depth of what Jesus the Christ has done for us.
I cannot tell you the number of times over the years that I have had well meaning people tell me, even those claiming to be Christians, that Jesus Christ hasn’t always been.
As we begin today I want to set the stage for this series with an understanding that Jesus has always been, is, and will be forevermore.
John 1:1–5 (ESV)
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Jesus is a distinct person of the Trinity.
As we take a look at the First Testament with New Eyes, I find it interesting how many western believers miss the obvious things that eastern believers would see quickly.
For instance, Eastern Eyes when they meet Jesus for the first time, find that He is all over the texts of Scripture.
They see Him readily, while we struggle to make the connection.
I love what my friend Lynn Lapka says, “All Scripture is prophetic in one sense or another, all of it speaking and looking to Jesus.”
Rev. Lynn Lapka
Rev. Lynn Lapka
All Scripture is prophetic in one sense or another, all of it speaking and looking to Jesus.
Rev. Charles H. Spurgeon
Rev. Charles H. Spurgeon
Just as every road of England leads to London, every road of Scripture leads to Christ.
As we work our way through Scripture, we are going to be looking at different accounts in the Old Testament were Christ is revealed in a powerful way.
I believe that God is going to give you new eyes as you read the Scripture, so that you see Christ!
Before we jump the Scripture I want to spend a little time helping us to understand something profound that will be a part of the texts that we are going to be looking at over the next couple months.
I want to talk about “The Angel of the LORD” for a few moments.
Let’s define what is meant by The Angel of the LORD.
The “Angel” of the LORD - 4397 / mal˒âk, mal-awk’ / מַלְאָךְ
The “Angel” of the LORD - 4397 / mal˒âk, mal-awk’ / מַלְאָךְ
To despatch as a deputy; a messenger; spec. of God, i.e. a prophet, priest or teacher):— ambassador, angel, king, messenger.
To despatch as a deputy; a messenger; spec. of God, i.e. a prophet, priest or teacher):— ambassador, angel, king, messenger.
James Strong, The New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1996).
(Bible Project Video: Angel of the Lord - 4:14)
(Bible Project Video: Angel of the Lord - 4:14)
(Abram, Sarai, and Hagar Context)
(Abram, Sarai, and Hagar Context)
Today we are going to be talking about Hagar.
In Genesis 12, Abram and his wife Sarai are called by God to leave Ur in Chaldea (Iran), to a land that God would show them.
They did not know this God and had no relationship with him.
We find that God makes a promise to Abram that he will give him the land of Canaan (Israel) to his descendants.
The problem is, Abram and Sarai have no children, Sarai is barren.
Another problem, Abram and Sarai are old, too old.
Abram was 75 and Sarai was 65 when God called Abram.
Ten years later and still childless, God makes a covenant with Abram, declaring that he would have a son.
Sarai concocts this idea to have Abram take Sarai’s servant Hagar as another wife.
(Address Polygamy in the Bible?)
(Address Slavery in the Bible?)
Sarai believes that if Hagar can bear a son for Abram, at least he would have an heir.
The Lord had not yet told Abram who would bear him a son (He tells him, “Sarah” in Gen. 17).
The Lord had not yet changed Abram’s name to Abraham, or Sarai’s to Sarah (Gen. 17).
Abram decides to go through with Sarai’s plan and Hagar becomes pregnant.
This becomes a problem between Sarai and Hagar (as you would expect).
Sarai does not treat her well and Hagar flees to the wilderness.
This is where we pick up the story.
Genesis 16:7–13 (ESV)
7 The angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur.
8 And he said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai.”
9 The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her.”
10 The angel of the Lord also said to her, “I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude.”
11 And the angel of the Lord said to her, “Behold, you are pregnant and shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael (Lit. “God pays attention”), because the Lord has listened to your affliction.
12 He shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen.”
13 So she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,” (Heb. El Ro’i) for she said, “Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.”
7210 / El Ro’i / אֵל רֳאִי - The God Who Sees
7210 / El Ro’i / אֵל רֳאִי - The God Who Sees
The Hebrew root ראה (r'h) (“to see”) is used in a multitude of contexts.
Some of the more significant include (Naudé, “ראה, r'h”):
1. physical sense perception with the eyes (e.g., Gen 3:6)
2. seeing in a vision, receiving a revelation (e.g., Num 24:17)
3. becoming mentally aware of, realizing, taking note of (e.g., Gen 16:4–5)
4. experiencing an activity or state (e.g., Psa 16:10)
5. the act of taking care of, looking after (e.g., Gen 39:23)
What seems to distinguish ראה (r'h) from other words referring to visual perception is that ראה (r'h) “denotes the experience of seeing as totality, in which sensation and perception merge.
The experience of the visual nature of reality has as its content the meaning, character, and nature of the images perceived; this experience is the polar opposite of sensation” (Fuhs, “ראה, r'h”).
Kevin W. Larsen, “El Roi,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).
Today, we are talking about The All-Knowing God.
1. He Sees
1. He Sees
John 1:43–51 (ESV)
43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.”
44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!”
48 Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
50 Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.”
51 And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
Why is this story so amazing?
It seems that Nathanael has a massive transformation because Jesus saw him “under a fig tree?”
Why is that so amazing?
Listen to this prophecy about the Messiah from Zechariah 3:8-10 (also in Isaiah 11).
Zechariah 3:8–10 (ESV)
8 Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who sit before you, for they are men who are a sign: behold, I will bring my servant the Branch.
9 For behold, on the stone that I have set before Joshua, on a single stone with seven eyes, I will engrave its inscription, declares the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day.
10 In that day, declares the Lord of hosts, every one of you will invite his neighbor to come under his vine and under his fig tree.”
Joshua (Yehoshua) and Jesus (Yeshua) have the same transliteration and therefore the same basic meaning, “The Lord is Salvation.”
Jesus knew that Nathanael knew the Scriptures and makes a connection for Nathanael.
What’s the connection?
Nathanael had issue with Nazareth being the place Jesus is from, so Jesus cleverly reveals the Scriptures to him.
What does Nazareth mean in Hebrew?
Nazarene / Branch
Nazarene / Branch
There is a play on the word “Nazarene,” which connects to the “branch” (נֵצֶר, netser) of Isa 11:1 (MT; Luz, Matthew 1–7, 150; Keener, Matthew, 114).
The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Nazareth in Relation to Matthew 2:23)
5342 / nêtser / nay’-tser / נֵצֶר / Branch
5342 / nêtser / nay’-tser / נֵצֶר / Branch
In the sense of greenness as a striking color; a shoot; fig. a descendant:— branch.
nāṣar / נָצַר. vb. to guard, keep, watch. This verb primarily means “to guard.”
To tend (nāṣar; Prov 27:18) a fig tree.
James Strong, The New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1996).
When Jesus responds to Nathanael with, “I saw you under the fig tree,” it was a direct rebuttal and correction of Nathanael’s understanding of the Scriptures.
Jesus saw him and then Nathanael saw Jesus!
He recognized like Hagar that God has just shown up and revealed Who He is and by virtue He has revealed the truth we needed all along.
2. He Hears
2. He Hears
Genesis 21:14–21 (ESV)
14 So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.
15 When the water in the skin was gone, she put the child under one of the bushes.
16 Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot, for she said, “Let me not look on the death of the child.” And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept.
17 And God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is.
18 Up! Lift up the boy, and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”
19 Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.
20 And God was with the boy, and he grew up. He lived in the wilderness and became an expert with the bow.
21 He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
Can you think of another time when a tragedy was overheard?
Can you think of another time when a tragedy was overheard?
Mark 5:35–36 (ESV) The Daughter of Jairus is healed by Jesus
35 While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler’s house some who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?”
36 But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.”
3. He Cares
3. He Cares
God wants us to know that He always sees, He always hears, and He always cares.
God wants us to know that He always sees, He always hears, and He always cares.
Deuteronomy 31:8 (ESV)
8 It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
Psalm 8:4 (ESV)
4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?
Isaiah 41:13(ESV)
13 For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.”
Matthew 11:28 (ESV)
28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
1 Peter 5:7 (ESV)
7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
Psalm 139:7–14 (ESV)
7 Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,”
12 even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.
13 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
(Response)
(Response)
(Invite the Worship Team and the Prayer Team)
(Sermon Recap)
(Sermon Recap)
The All-Knowing God:
He Sees
He Hears
He Cares
(Closing Challenge)
(Closing Challenge)
Jesus has shown the character of God throughout the Scriptures and desires to reveal Who He is to us as well.
He is the All-Knowing God.
He sees you.
He hears you.
He cares for you.
How are you going to respond to the All-Knowing God?
(Closing Blessing)
(Closing Blessing)
Numbers 6:24–26 (ESV)
24 The Lord bless you and keep you;
25 the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
26 the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
(Response Card)
(Response Card)
1. What did you hear? (Blank Lines)
2. How will you live it out? (Blank Lines)
3. Who will you share it with? (Blank Lines)
4. Who are you discipling? (Blank Lines)
5. What are you praying for? (Blank Lines)
6. How has God answers your prayers? (Blank Lines)