Hope of Israel
Hope Reborn • Sermon • Submitted
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· 12 viewsShow the creation of the nation of Israel...Slavery...redemption and promised land...refusal to accept promise of hope.
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The Hope of Israel
The Hope of Israel
Good morning everyone. I trust you all had a great week. Good morning to those of you that are joining us online and I want to thank you all for hanging in there with us as we have attempted to continue to improve our video service for you. We do hope that for Christmas Eve that we will have a more solid viewing experience for you.
This Christmas season has already started out being a bit difficult for some, if I can just be honest with you all for a moment. There have been some that have passed, there are some that are extremely sick, there are some with financial stress, there are some that are lonely and scared for various reasons. That is all talking about personal relationships within our church fellowship. Then when you look outside of our fellowship we have others that are searching and seeking for help in various areas of life. I mean those that have lost a loved one in this past year are facing their first Christmas without their friend or family. I mean, I hate to just jump right in here, but the reality is for many people this year, and specifically this season, feels hopeless…it feels like what is the point of celebrating. My heart goes out to those, because honestly I have felt that way in my life at various times. There have been times of despair and fear and well…anger also. You know those are all aspects of hopelessness, and that is really what we are talking about in this series called Hope Reborn. You see, I actually believe, and I know many of you feel this as well. I actually feel that these is a hope that has been reborn and we just need to acknowledge and really cling to that hope. I was reminded this week of a time that I felt some hopelessness in the past few years and there is a song that really helped to remind me of the hope that has been born. This song is called “Save My Life” by Sidewalk Prophets. Now, that song really talks about the person that feels this hopelessness and reminds us that it really is our job as Christians to share the hope that we have in Christ. So I have a question for you all this morning. And this is a question that is between you and God. Who did you share hope with this week? Did you share with a fellow believer? Did you share with a nonbeliever? You see, they will not know the only true hope, unless you and I tell them. However, I guess I have another question…Do you know the hope you have in Christ? Do you know why you have that hope, or the history behind why this hope is important? That is what I want to talk about briefly this morning. We have talked about creation and how God made us in his image, and we have talked about how we lost hope when sin entered the world, but that God gave a picture of hope as he clothed Adam and Eve. But how did we get from there…to here? Really that is a question that many people don’t know and I believe that it is vital to our faith for us to know the base of our faith. So, you’re gonna have to listen well, and I am going to try to talk fast this morning…ok. We are going to start with some
History
History
So far we have talked about Adam and Eve and how they were tempted and fell to temptation. That’s not the end of the story though, really as in the name Genesis, this is only the beginning of an amazing story of God’s redemption and hope throughout all of history.
Adam—} Noah
Adam—} Noah
Fram Adam to Now there is a story of Cain killing Able, and him receiving the consequences from that action. We see in that story that there are other people around the Earth at that time, and they may already not be living for the Lord because Can is worried that they may kill him. Then we know that the whole Earth was filled with people that rejected God. Look wit me at
The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.
So within approximately 1600 years and 10 family generations this is what the whole Earth was filled with. However, that is still not the end because we know at the end of this story God protected Noah and his family so that they would be able to start over. Then after the flood we move to
Noah —} Abram
Noah —} Abram
As we look to Abram we need to realize that Abram was born approximately 300 years after the flood. Abram was born and his name means Abram=High Father. When Abram was 75 years old he was led by God to leave the place of his family and follow God into a new place. We read that in
Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
God is making a promise to Abram here that Abram will be a great nation. Actually there is something pretty important about the promise that God makes to Abram. There are actually
3 Aspects to the Promise.
3 Aspects to the Promise.
Land: God promised Abraham that He would give him a new home, which we know as Palestine, or the promised land.
Seed: God promised Abraham that He would give him a son and large family.
Blessing: God promised Abraham that He would bless Abraham and all the peoples of the world through Abraham.
As this story progresses we will see various parts of this promise being fulfilled. You should know however, that at this point Abram does not have any children. Later we read in
No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.
that God has changed his name. Now this is kind of cool because at this point God has already made a covenant with Abram that he would bless him. Now, I do want to look briefly at this covenant that God made with Abram in Gen. 15 because it is actually pretty important. Look at Genesis 15 we see the actual action of God increasing his promise into an actual covenant between Him and Abram. Then in chapter 17 God tells Abram that his name will now be Abraham. That name change is significant because while Abram meant “high father” Abraham=Father of a Multitude. You should also remember that names carried the weight of describing the person. Therefore we have a 99 year old man that has no children, but God is calling him a father of a multitude. God fulfilled that promise through a son Isaac
Abram—} Isaac
Abram—} Isaac
Isaac is the son of Abraham after being called the father of a multitude. The name Isaac carries weight because when God told Abraham and Sarai that they would have a child in their old age, they laughed…Isaac=Laughter. Now in the life of Isaac there was a serious test to the faith of Abraham in order for Abraham to have the opportunity that not even Isaac (as the child of the promise) would be withheld from God. That story is found in Genesis 22 and I highly recommend you read that to learn about the faith of the father of faith.
Anyway, Isaac lives his life and God renews his covenant with Isaac in Genesis 26, actually lets take a look at this together.
Now there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar to Abimelech king of the Philistines. And the Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you. Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”
So we see here that God has renewed his promise that was given to Abram, later called Abraham to Isaac and now Isaac will be a father to the nations and through Isaac all nations of the whole earth will be blessed. That is amazing.
Now, there was a struggle between 2 of Isaacs children. There is Jacob and Esau and there story is fascinating. You should go read that it is found in Genesis 25-33. You will be able to read about various times of theft and honor stolen and family betrayed…its incredible. However, this promise that God has made first to Abram, later Abraham and then to Isaac will now be passed down to
Isaac—} Jacob
Isaac—} Jacob
Now, with Jacob things start getting really interesting as we see his life and we are intrigued by the way God has blessed him in various ways. He was cheated, but God provided for him as he promised to both Abram and Isaac. Look with me though as we see God renew this same covenant promise with Jacob as he has with his father and grandfather. Look at
And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
Now did you see that? Again in this promise from God to Jacob we have land…seed…blessing. This is the basis for everything so far within this family. God will provide land, he will provide, seed (or a large family…a nation) and he will bless the whole earth through this family. Now…as you read these stories you are going to see alot of hopelessness. I mean the family is homeless for a while, they are scared as the face various kingdoms. There is even more hopelessness as we look at...
Jacob’s Life
Jacob’s Life
Jacob lived a life that saw his family constantly increase. Jacob has 12 sons and then they have sons, and they bring others into the family as servants, and through marriage to the point that Jacob’s seed has grown quite a bit. Now, we looked at what Abram, Abraham, and Isaac’s name means, and so I think we should take a look at what Jacob means. Jacob=One Who Supplants (deceives),now, the reason that Jacob was named that is seen in
Afterward his brother came out with his hand holding Esau’s heel, so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.
Jacob came out…holding Esau’s heel. That is the life that Jacob led for a very long time. Actually, in one point later in Jacob’s life he had cheated his brother Esau out of the family blessing, and the family birthright basically meaning he had stolen everything from Esau. Well, he was going to meet with Esau again after a long time and he had a private moment between him and God. Now, this moment is unlike any moment that anyone else had encountered. In Genesis 32 Jacob wrestles with God, or more probably an angel with the authority of God. It is really interesting because in this moment after a night of physically wrestling, God touches Jacob’s hip joint and dislocates it. However, Jacob is stubborn and Jacob is strong and does not give up even while in pain. Jacob held on to the angel and refused to let go until he had recieved a blessing. Take a look at this with me in
Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.”
So now God has changed the name of Jacob, one of a deceiver, into the name of Israel, meaning one that struggles with God. Israel=One Who Struggled with God. Now this is really confirmed by God later when God renews his covenant promise with Jacob. Read with me in
God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him. And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” So he called his name Israel. And God said to him, “I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body. The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you.”
Did you see that…First of all God confirmed that Jacob will no longer be called Jacob. Now he will be called Israel. Now, he will also be the father of a nation who will have a land, and this nation will rise up to be a nation of nations…that’s interesting.
Now, there is alot to really unpack in this story and I hope that you are as excited as I am as we read through these passages. Actually I hope you are excited enough to go home and read these stories for yourself this week. Read through the mystery and mayhem as God’s chosen family messes up time and time again. This week I want us to realize that there is a time of hopelessness for Israel as they are growing and becoming the nation that God has created…but there is a bit of a snag in the story. Look at
Moreover, all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth.
You see, Jacob, who is Israel is in the middle of a great famine. This is not a famine that is regional…no, based on this passage, this famine is over all the earth…There is true
Hopelessness
Hopelessness
At that time, all over the known world there was hopelessness. There were men, women and children with no food. When there is no food then there is disease. When there is no food then there is violence from people attempting to get food. When these things occur then people will begin to question their leaders…That is the common attitude when there is a famine. Many will cling together and you will have families holding together and providing for their children and those that are weaker or more vulnerable.
If you look all around, you will see people all over with a feeling of hopelessness this season. You will see a large number of people looking for something to give them hope. In this passage in Genesis we see the large family of Israel looking for something to give hope. That hope, for them, comes in trusting God’s historical covenant faithfulness. What about those around you today? What about you today? Where does your sense of hope come from when feel hopeless? Where does your sense of hope come from when things are hard, and there is a virus that is traveling around the globe? Where does your hope come from when you feel there is no way out of the crazy mess that you are in. We know that through this season there will come a time when hope will be reborn, and that is the time we re all looking forward to. We have named that day Christmas Eve, but we don’t have to wait until Christmas Eve to receive the hope that comes from God’s historical covenant faithfulness. We can make the choice today to turn from our sin and turn into God’s grace as we search for hope. Whether you are a young believer or a mature believer use this time this morning to remember where your hope comes from and praise God for carrying you along when need be. If you are here this morning, or joining us online and you are not a believer, let me encourage you to take the step today to seek the hope of God’s Faithfulness through Christ Jesus. Look what the writer of Hebrews says about our how...
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
Let me encourage you this morning, no matter where you are in life to
Choose Hope…not hopelessness