Where Faithlessness Leads You - Genesis 26:1-11 (3.20.19) - Dr. Jordan N. Rogers

[Music] why is God faithful to us it is not because of our strength it's not because of our wisdom it's not because of our worthiness it is because of his graciousness Genesis chapter 26 verses 1 through 11 tonight what I'm going to speak with you about is where faithlessness leads you where faithlessness leads you the way that the book of Genesis is constructed especially right here at the median point in in the entire book is is a bit different for us to see because right after Abraham dies you see that that Isaac and Rebekah have two sons Jacob and Esau and you see the expulsion of all of Abraham's other sons there they're given gifts but they're not given the blessing they're not given the Covenant blessing that that's given only to Isaac Isaac is the one who receives the blessing of God's covenant promises because he was the son of promise not Ishmael and not any of the other sons born to Abraham but then that the narrative the record in chapter 25 moves on very quickly it moves on very quickly almost as though Isaac doesn't have much of an adulthood and it moves on very quickly to his two sons Jacob and Esau and you see that Esau being the eldest who we would assume is going to receive the blessing he's not the one who receives the blessing it's in fact Jacob the younger the supplanter the the trickster and you see just in chapter 25 you see a number of decades advance a number of decades of years advance just in that one chapter the boys go from from their grandfather dying to being born to them being old enough to trick one another and to try to receive a blessing from their father you see multiple Cades be crossed there in chapter 25 and you begin to ask the question well what happened to Isaac well what happened to Isaac's life because seemingly it's just moved on past him very quickly but in Genesis chapter 26 you get a little more of a bird's eye view of Isaac's life so chapter 25 advances the narrative quite a bit it tells you which child is going to be blessed and then you're going to see that narrative play out so then in 26 it kind of zooms in on Isaac's life because Isaac is the one who receives the blessing he receives the Covenant promise from Abraham so you see how that covenant promise is brought about how God is faithful to his promise even to Isaac and when you read these first 11 verses in chapter 26 you start to ask yourself have I read this before it seems like I've already read this in the book of Genesis and in fact you have already read an account just like this twice you have read about Abraham handing his wife over to Pharaoh in Genesis chapter 12 and then you read about Abraham handing his wife over to Abimelech in Guerard in Genesis chapter 20 and now in Genesis chapter 26 you're reading another account it's not a repeat it's just another account and now it's not the the father now it's the son and son is handing over his wife to Abimelech king of the Philistines in Guerard but the first thing that you see is in verses 1 through 5 you you see the basis the basis the foundation for why Isaac should have trusted the Lord Isaac should have trusted the Lord because the Lord is always faithful to his word it's it's a it's a truth that's profound yet as simple as that Isaac should have trusted the Lord because the Lord always makes good on his promises and the Lord Rhea firms the promises made to Abraham that they are being received and will be reaffirmed to him to Isaac when you get down in verse 6 through 11 that that's where things start getting a little bit crazy that's where Isaac seemingly ignores the first five verses of the chapter he seemingly forgets that God Almighty is the one who's promised to bless him and to care for him and to protect him he seemingly forgot it just a few verses after unless we condemn lest we condemn Isaac too quickly let's just ask ourselves how often do we read God's Word and then seemingly just a few verses later in our life we start to question what we read and we seemingly forget brother Aaron Auer we're talking about some of these very simple commands in the New Testament don't be bitter against one another don't grumble don't murmur and we read those and we affirm those and then we find ourselves doing those things as though we we just never read it in the first place so unless we condemn Isaac too quickly let's let's remember that faithlessness is a path that all of us not only can walk down faithlessness is a path that all of us walk down all of us walk down that path from time to time so I'll show you two paths that faithlessness will lead you down once we get to verses 6 & 7 and they'll go there very quickly if you want to summarize the entirety of this passage you can write this sentence down with me when you act faithless ly God remains faithful for he cannot deny himself don't miss that that's the point of this passage when you and I'm going to carefully qualify what I mean by that when you act faithless ly there are people that act faithless ly toward God all the time they're not believers in God that does not mean that God is going to act faithfully toward them it doesn't mean that God is going to be gracious towards them note this about Isaac Isaac was the man of God's choosing Isaac was one of God's chosen ones Isaac was in covenant relationship with God by faith but he stumbled into faithlessness and when God's children who are in covenant relationship with him when they are in covenant relationship with him when they stumble in faithlessness fear not God remains faithful why because God has made a covenant with you as Christians God has made a covenant with you through Jesus and he's not going to abandon that covenant he's not going to abandon his faithfulness when we are full of faithlessness so when you act faithless ly God remains faithful for he cannot deny himself look at verse one through five and you're gonna see the foundation for trusting God the foundation for trusting God and it's simply this God is faithful to his word look at verse 1 it says now there was a famine in the land when you read chapter 26 in Genesis if you're if you remember back in chapter 12 it is almost a parallel account it is almost an exact parallel account in Genesis chapter 12 starting there in verse 10 there's a famine in the land and that famine in the land in the land of Canaan prompts Abraham to do what it prompts him to leave than to give to leave the southern part of Canaan and it prompts him to go down into Egypt he goes down into Egypt and he tells Sarai his wife if anybody asks you just tell them that you're my sister because I don't trust these people they're gonna kill me because you're beautiful he thinks highly of the way his wife looks but he thinks lowly of the way that God protects so says now there was a famine in the land besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham far more than 60 years since that time far more and it says and Isaac went to Gura to Abimelech king of the Philistines so he goes to gara gara is the southern most border there in Canaan it's the land of the Philistines at this time now you read this and you think that ok so Isaac goes to Gerard to Abimelech king of the Philistines so he's running into the same guy that Abraham ran into in Genesis chapter 20 it would seem though that that that would be a wrong assumption what's more likely is that Abimelech king of the Philistines is not a name it's actually a title because in Genesis chapter 20 that precedes this passage by at least 60 years so the Abimelech that Abraham ran into if it's the same guy would have had to have been very young at that point in order for for Isaac to run into the same guy and it seems like a bimolecular into Gerard so it says that he went to Gerard to Abimelech King is my father's what Abimelech means went to Abimelech king of the Philistines verse 2 and the Lord appeared to him the Lord didn't just appear to Abraham now the son has inherited the promises and so the Lord Almighty appears to Isaac and said do not go down to Egypt why would the Lord command Isaac to not go down to Egypt there could be a multitude of reasons why the Lord would command Isaac not to go down there but one of the reasons might simply be this that's what his father had done when there was a famine his father had gone down to Egypt and so it would be Isaac's natural inclination to imitate his father and he'll see that that Isaac is seemingly Abraham 2.0 anyway he was going to go down to Egypt unless the LORD commanded him so he 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 your offspring I will give all these lands and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father that passage right there is strikingly parallel like I said to Genesis chapter 12 in fact 26 1 through 3 and 12 1 through 3 are almost identical in chapter 12 verse 1 through 3 the Lord issues his call on Abraham's life and he tells him to pack his things up and to leave his father's home and erv the Caddy's and he says go to a land of which I will show you and I bless you and I'll multiply you and I'll make you fruitful and those who bless you I bless them those who curse you I'll curse them and I'll give you possession of all of this land to you and your offspring so that you are a blessing to all the peoples of the earth so now the Lord gives a call to Isaac and his call is prohibitive his call says don't go down to Egypt you just sojourn in the land that I will show you I'm not gonna tell you exactly where I'm gonna take you I'm just gonna promise you that I'll be the one taking you let's not miss that the Lord tells Abraham and the Lord tells Isaac you go into a land that I will show you I'm not going to tell you where I'm taking you but I will tell you that I'm going to be the one taking you if God acted that way toward Abraham and God acted that way toward Isaac does that not establish for us a timeless principle about the way God acts towards his children see God does not tell us the future but God tells us that he'll be with us every step of the way God does not tell us everywhere that he is going to take us and God does not tell us the timing of everywhere that he is going to take us but what he has told us is I will never leave you nor will I forsake you so let's not distance ourself too much from this call that was on Abraham's life or the call that was on Isaac's life the Lord appeared to Isaac and said Isaac it's time to go and you're going to follow me where I take you I'm not going to tell you where it is but I'll tell you that I'll go with you he says I'm going to bless you I'm going to bless you I'm taking you there not for your harm I'm taking you there for your good Isaac seemingly forgets this right there in the very next paragraph he forgets that God Almighty has just told him I'm going to bless you I'm gonna care for you I'm gonna do good things for you he says sojourn in this land you know that word sojourn is interesting it's a favorite word of Moses here as he records Genesis chapter says the entirety of the book actually sojourning means to travel as a foreigner to live as a foreigner so abraham was a sojourner Isaac was a sojourner Jacob was a sojourner they lived in the land but they weren't counted as residents they were counted as aliens they were told to sojourn to live in the land as though it belonged to them already but the land did not belong to them already they were commanded to live there trusting God's promise that God would give them a land that God would give them that possession and so they were called their entire lives to live by faith live as though the promises of God are in your hands trusting that they are secure you just sojourn in this land you don't have the title to the land but you have the promise to the land it's the same way that we're called to live in this world we are called to live as sojourners as resident aliens knowing that we have the promises of God already but we have not yet received them in fullness so he says sojourn in this land and I will be with you and I will bless you for to you and your offspring I will I will future tents I will give you all these lands and I will establish I will confirm I will carry it out I will fulfill the oath then I swore to Abraham your father now where is it that God swore an oath to Abraham so God made promises to Abraham he reiterated that promise he made promise to Abraham in Genesis 12 in Genesis 13 in Genesis 15 17 19 21 he made promise to Abraham but in Genesis chapter 22 the Lord swore an oath you see the promises of God are binding when God makes a promise they are binding but when God swears an oath not only are they binding they are emphatic they are emphatic God took a special sense in order to to make the promise and to seal it to make sure that they knew and they understood that promise there's one place in Abraham's life in the Abrahamic narrative where God swore an oath interestingly enough Isaac was present for it Isaac heard the oath Genesis chapter 22 I'm gonna read verses 15 through 18 it says and the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time well when did he call to Abraham the first time in Genesis chapter 22 The Binding of Isaac the angel of the Lord called to Abraham the first time when Abraham had the butcher knife in his hand and he was about to slay his son his only son as proof of his faith and as he's about to slay his son the angel the Lord speaks up and says don't lay a hand on the boy but then the angel the Lord speaks again and it says in the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven if Abraham could hear this who else could hear it Isaac Isaac was probably 12 inches away from Abraham Isaac probably still had the binding on his hands and feet when he heard this oath and he says and said by myself I have sworn what does he mean by myself I have sworn that's essentially saying God saying on my honor God can't say I swear by God so he has to say I swear by myself by myself I have sworn declares the Lord because you have done this what has he done he's obeyed the Lord's command he's kept his statutes he's kept his laws because you have done this and not withheld your son your only Son I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply that's what God's Way of saying amen to himself and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of the heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore and your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed because you have obeyed my voice the Lord swore an oath to Abraham and at this point Isaac has a front-row seat Isaac hears this same oath and so now as Isaac has become a man Isaac has become a father Isaac is going to be reaffirmed in this covenant I swore an oath to Abraham and you're receiving the fruits of that oath he says I will establish back in chapter 26 verse 3 I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father I will listen how this is just a rehearsal of chapter 22 I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give 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 he says by myself I've sworn this Isaac you can know that this is going to be true Isaac you can bank your life you can bank your eternity on the promises that are made to you they were made to Abraham and God Almighty has sworn an oath he'll carry this out that's the foundation for trusting God's promise because God's the one that made it and God doesn't go back on his word God remains faithful to his word why why does God remain faithful to his word he can't deny himself he's not going to go back on who he is the Lord is faithful in everything so now look at chapter 26 verse 6 through 7 Isaac seemingly forgets these first five verses very quickly because he receives this appearance from the Lord as he's in Guerard and so now he has time to set up his tent as it were verse 6 so Isaac settled in ger our two paths two paths that faithfulness faithlessness will lead you down Isaac settled in Guerard when the men of the place asked him about his wife he said she is my sister for he feared to say my wife thinking lest the men of the place should kill me because of Rebecca because she was attractive in appearance he seemingly again like his father he sure did believe in the beauty of his wife but he didn't trust in the faithfulness of the Lord he thought people would move heaven and earth murder him in order to take his wife but he didn't think God would move head earth to protect him so look at these two different paths that faithlessness led Isaac down understanding that faithlessness will lead us down those same paths path number one faithlessness will lead you to fear man rather than trust God faithlessness will lead you to fear man rather than trust God we don't yet live in a society in a that has canonized laws that outlaw Christianity but we live in a culture that has unwritten rules we live in a culture that has unwritten laws where if you talk about Christian beliefs if you talk about biblical truths those are the same things by the way you talk about biblical truths in a public sphere what happens that kind of person is not celebrated that kind of person is told that they are intolerant tolerant they're told that they are bigoted they're told that they're hateful when you tell people the truth of God's Word faithlessness will say this well I don't I don't I don't want people talking badly about me I don't want people looking poorly at me I don't want people thinking lesser of me because I really care about what people think of me I really care and so I'm not gonna bring that up I don't want to make people feel bad and so will fear man rather than trust God how often do we reason like this let's take this and turn the other way how often do we think this we are commanded very clearly it is a command just as much as it is a command to not lie or to not kill Jesus said go he said go into all the world and make disciples that includes going across the street to our neighbors that's not just something that evangelists do that's not just something that soul-winners do or a pastor does that's something that every Christian is commanded to do we say well if I go across the street and I I talked to my neighbor I just don't know what they're gonna say to me I don't know that I'm gonna be able to answer them I I just really think that they're going to be hostile to what I have to say what is that that's that's not just fear of the interaction that is fear of man that is fear of the response that this person may or may not give and rather than trust God and just obey the great commandment the Great Commission to go we would we would rather offend God by disobeying him then we would offend an unbelieving person with the truth of the gospel whoever thought of it that way that we hold off speaking the truth to people who don't believe the truth because we're worried about hurting them or we're worried about offending them and all the while it doesn't bother us that we offend God it doesn't bother us that our disobedience is dishonouring to God what does it amount to it amounts to faithlessness it amounts to not not really trusting God that he'll be there with us that he'll give us the words to speak that he has indeed filled us with His Holy Spirit and he's told us that when you're brought before these people you don't even have to prepare what you're going to say I will give you the words do we really believe that we really believe that God will give us those very words to say I was think I was encouraged as brother Dale right before the service was telling me about an interaction that he had with somebody down history where he got to talk about the Lord well that's not going to happen if he doesn't walk across the street and have that conversation and risk having an awkward conversation and risk possibly upsetting somebody I can tell you one person he didn't upset God it didn't upset God in fact he was pleasing to God by doing that's a wonderful example for all of us and I'm sure that you'd have a story like that just as well you might have been nervous about sharing Jesus with somebody but instead you said you know what Lord I'm just gonna trust you Lord just give me the words to say and it turns out that the person may or may not have received Christ but you know one thing you obeyed the Lord friends were not responsible for the result we are responsible to obey that's what we're responsible for if people were jack guess what people rejected the word preached from the Apostle Paul people rejected the word preached from Jesus himself even after he was raised up from the dead they're gonna reject us too but there will be people who will hear the voice of God Jesus says my sheep know me they hear my voice we're just called to go out and find them that's what we're called to do just to be obedient faithlessness will lead you to fear man rather than trust God that's what Isaac did Isaac was more fearful of the Philistines than he was fearful of God he's more fearful of the Philistines than he was willing to trust God when God just said in the previous verses I will bless you I will be there with you you just go and you sojourn path number two the faithlessness will lead you down faithlessness will lead you to scheme rather than trust God not only to fear man but faithlessness will lead you to scheme rather than trust God well I know what God said to me but what God said to me is something I don't really trust and so I'm just going to kind of scheme my way around this I'm gonna find a different path to the solution so God tells me don't worry about money it's what he says in the book of Hebrews he says don't worry about money for he has said I will never leave you nor will I forsake you you know that that very is about dependence on money and the rider Hebrew says don't worry about money don't worry about depending on that because God said I'll never leave you nor will I forsake you so because we don't have to be dependent on money because we're dependent on God we are free to bless people with the things that God has given us even if we don't have a lot of it or even if we did have a lot of it we are free to bless people because money is not our God money is not our friend money is not faithful to us God is and so we're free to love other people we're free to obey God by being faithful with that money because we trust that God will take care of us we don't have to scheme we don't have to scheme and plan about how we can hold on to as much money as possible and be greedy and build barns for ourself and say soul you have much stored up for yourself eat drink and be merry what did the Lord say about that kind of person in the parable he said you fool tonight your soul is required of you and the things that you have amassed whose will they be instead what should we do we should store up for ourselves treasures in heaven we don't have to scheme we don't have to try to manipulate situations if God wants to open the door he'll do it if God wants to close the door he'll do it but we don't have to get a pry bar out and try to open the door for ourselves we don't have to scheme because we can trust God but faithlessness will lead you down a path of scheming rather than trusting God that's the path that Isaac has gone down he's fearing man and he is scheming when he didn't have to do either really all he had to do is just trust what God had said very clearly in his word Isaac didn't have to be a seminary student in order to exegete that he knew exactly what God has said he just didn't trust what he said she says she's my sister he here to say she is my wife thinking less the men of the place should kill me because of Rebecca because she was attractive in appearance now look at what it says down in verse eight through eleven because this this passage seemingly sandwiches that little interaction that that little faithless episode verse 1 through 5 is God declaring I will be faithful to my covenant and then verse 6 through 7 there's Isaac not trusting God to be faithful in verse 8 through 11 you see God's gracious act of faithfulness and you see it lived out through an unlikely character you see God sovereignly using a foreign man a an unbelieving man in order to accomplish his will in order to protect Isaac from his own sin look at verse 8 through 11 the demonstration of God's gracious faithfulness it says when he had been there a long time so he lived in this lie for quite a while when he had been there a long time don't you think that must have bothered him I think about that and I think how could I is except at night every night going to sleep laying next to a woman that he's telling everybody she's my sister it's got to bother his conscience at some point we had been there a long time Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out of window out of a window and saw Isaac laughing with Rebekah his wife as an interesting phrase he saw Isaac laughing with his wife we don't talk like that I think that I think that that Moses as he records this he's being modest about it you say well Isaac was laughing they're telling a joke well that's not what that he word means that Hebrew word does not mean that some translators actually say that it means caressing some of them are a little less coo than they say that that word actually means fondling he was playing around with his wife whatever that word means exactly let's just say it left no doubt in a BIM Alexa mind right when he saw it those are not the things that brothers and sisters do those are things reserved only for a husband and a wife literally the Hebrew sounds like it says this and Abimelech saw Isaac Isaac with Rebecca it's a play on his name a play on his the word for his name which means laughter it says he looked out of the window and saw Isaac laughing with her Becca and his wife that's actually the same word that Potiphar's wife in Genesis 39 verse 14 and 17 she says at two times when she rehearses the the story to the servants and then also to her husband she said you brought this Hebrew slave into our home and he laughed at me she was accusing Joseph of raping her so it says he saw her him laughing with Rebecca his wife so Abimelech called Isaac and said behold she is your wife there's no doubt about this she is your wife how then could you say she is my sister what does that sound like that doesn't sound like an inquisition that doesn't sound like he is just asking a question that is a rhetorical question that is a rebuke how could you then say she is my sister Isaac said to him because I thought lest I die because of her what would any right standing man actually say at that point shouldn't you be willing to die for your wife isn't that a given shouldn't you be willing to lay down your life for her purity not Isaac at this point he said I thought lest I die because of her verse 10 Abimelech said what is this that you have done to us again this is not a rehearsal of previous events in Genesis 12 when Abraham hands his wife Sarai over to Pharaoh king of Egypt Pharaoh rebukes Abraham in Genesis 20 when he hands Sarah over to Abimelech Abimelech rebukes Abraham you remember Pharaoh Pharaoh actually had them under armed guard and had them escorted all the way out of Egypt Abimelech had to kind of bow the knee before Abraham because God told him I'm gonna kill you and all your family if you don't so now the King Abimelech rebukes the son just as well now notice this I found this quite striking and convicting you would like to think that Isaac he's received the Covenant promises that's reaffirmed verse 1 through 5 Abraham Genesis 22 such a faithful man right he obeys the Lord to the point of sacrificing the willingness to sacrifice his only son Abraham's a man of faith and when you read Genesis 22 you seemingly forget about Genesis 12 and Genesis 20 where he hands his wife over because Abraham has now learned the lessons of faith hasn't he he's learned the lessons of faith he has reached a point of of spiritual maturity in his walk with the Lord and his dependence on the faithfulness of the Lord but when Isaac comes onto the scene what do you see you would like to think that Isaac would would imitate his father's faith but the first thing you see Isaac do is imitate his father's fault not his faith when I started thinking about that I tell you what I was very convicted I was very convicted because I would like to think that I I could hope that when my children look at me they see a man of faith but you know what they also see they see a man with fault they see a man with failures and I would like to think that my kids would imitate all the all of the more spiritual parts of me as they age but I'm fearful I'm fearful that but for the grace of God my kids are going to imitate my faults too my kids are going to imitate the the less sanctified parts about me I pray that God overcomes that I pray that God God keeps my children from that I see some of our more seasoned members looking at me and kind of just shaking their head like yep that's seemingly how it works that our kids our kids will probably more than likely imitate our faults before they ever imitate our faith so we need to make sure that we are quick to identify our faults quick to repent of our faults and very quick to reaffirm in our children's eyes and their ears and their presence that faith is the way that we follow the Lord we apologize and we repent and confess our faults and that's not the way that we should act that's not the way we should live and that's not the way that they should live either we're still growing in grace son we're still we're still growing in our face imitate my faith what does Paul say to the churches in the New Testament he says imitate me as I imitate Christ no doubt Paul was not a perfect man Paul said I am the chief of sinners sure he's not going to tell the churches of the New Testament imitate all the poor parts about me imitate the unsanctified parts about me but friends we like to think our faith is on full display but most of time faults are taking center stage so we need to be humble again I'm not just saying this to you I'm saying this to myself because I know Mike children watch me and though they listen to me and I know that but for the grace of God they'll imitate my faults before they imitate my faith now Abimelech is rebuking Isaac a grown man for the exact same sin that his father had committed how then could you say she is my sister verse 9 Isaac said to him because I thought lest I die because of her you would think that the son would learn to cherish his wife instead he treated his wife just the way his father did bhim elect and said what is this that you have done to us one of the people might easily have lain with your wife and you would have brought guilt upon us so Abimelech warned all the people saying whoever touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death I've been like Abimelech announces to Isaac what Isaac was blinded by his faithlessness to see Isaac because of his faithlessness was filled with cowardice and he had no inclination he didn't understand what was going on right in front of him that his actions put his wife in grave danger and put the Philistines in grave danger his sin was not privatised his sin was open for everybody his sin was going to bring mass casualties I hope we understand that at this point that sin is not like sniper fire sin is like shrapnel sin is like a bomb going off it affects far more people than we ever intended we would like to think that sins consequences are localized to us but they're not they extend far more than we would think and Isaac can't see this he's blinded by his faithlessness blinded by his fear and his cowardice but Abimelech an unregenerate heathen a pagan he sees it it's very clear but Isaac is abandoned reason for convenience he's abandoned wisdom for security so he thinks and yet he's put everyone in jeopardy she would have you would have brought guilt upon us get this verse 11 so Abimelech warned all the people saying whoever touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death whoever lays a finger on this man Isaac because of his fear wrongly impune the character of the Philistines and now the man this is ironic isn't it the very man that Isaac thought he had to fear is the one who issues a regal decree to protect him why the Bible says that the heart of a king is like a stream in the hands of the Lord that's why because Abimelech is a heathen man he doesn't know Yahweh but the heart of a king is like a stream in the hands of the Lord and he turns it as he wills wherever he wants it to go and so now God has used just like he will use Pharaoh to display the glory of His grace now God is using Abimelech to display the gloriousness of his gracious covenant with Abraham and Isaac you might ask yourself why has Isaac been protected here why doesn't Isaac get his comeuppance why doesn't he get what's coming to him why does he get protected Isaac deserves to be harmed you know why he doesn't get harmed here why his wife doesn't get hi here one word we've said this word before here one word grace one word grace it was the graciousness of God's covenant promises not to a man who deserved it otherwise it wouldn't be grace it was a covenant promise made to a man who didn't deserve it Abraham learned how to live the life of faith he didn't always walk anything so he did the same thing his son would eventually do Isaac is not walking by faith here but Isaac will learn the lessons of faith why is God faithful to us it is not because of our strength it's not because of our wisdom it's not because of our worthiness it is because of his graciousness that's why God is kind to us that's why God is faithful to us you know God's grace is never God's grace is never poured out on worthy individuals in fact God's grace is only poured out on unworthy in fact the more unworthy the greater the demonstration of grace I want you to listen to what it says in 2nd Corinthians chapter 4 verse 7 the Apostle says but we have this treasure in Jars of Clay to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us yet interesting we have this treasure in Jars of Clay in other words there's nothing special about us in fact there's a lot more worthy vessels out there there's vessels of gold and silver but we have this treasure this Christ treasure in us jars of clay you think about a vessel holding what's inside of it from the outside it holds it together from the outside but that's not the way Paul describes being a Christian he says we have this treasure in Jars of Clay the treasure we have we are not holding together the treasure we have holds us together from the inside we have this treasure in Jars of Clay it's not our worthiness that God is after it's the demonstration of His grace that he is seeking so God seeks out people who are not just unworthy but people who are very unworthy lest we ever think we have reason to boast listen to what Paul says 1st Corinthians chapter 1 verse 26 through 31 this is stunning he says for consider your calling brothers who is he writing to he is writing to the church to born-again believers in Corinth 4 consider your calling brothers not many of you were wise according to worldly standards can you imagine preaching that to your people not many of you were wise according to worldly standards not many were powerful not many were of noble birth but God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong God chose what is low and despised in the world even the things that are not to bring to nothing the things that are so that no human being might boast in the presence of the Lord and because of him notice that and because of him you are in Christ Jesus who became to us with the wisdom from God righteousness and sanctification and redemption so that as it is written let hint let the one who boasts boast in the Lord and because of him because of Jesus you are in Christ Jesus is because of His grace we have a treasure in Jars of Clay unworthy vessels what is Isaac Isaac inherited a promise he was not of Abraham received a covenant promise that he was undeserving of but God remained faithful to that covenant promise why because God's the one that made the promise because God was displaying the glory of His grace we are faithless God remains faithful for he cannot deny himself listen to what it says in 2nd Timothy 2:11 through 13 he says the saying is trustworthy for if we have died with him if we're in relationship with him if we have died with him we will also live with him if we endure we will also reign with him if we deny him he will also deny us if we our faith faith less he remains faithful for he cannot deny himself isn't that the wonderful truth of the gospel that I'm not called on to be perfect in order to receive the gift of the gospel what does he say that I have to do to receive forgiveness of sins everlasting life and the eternal covenant aloneness of God what is it that I have to do what does he say in 2nd Timothy he says if we have died that's it if we have died with him we will also live with him God doesn't call on me to be perfect in order to receive what to do God calls me to recognize I'm not perfect and to die to that person and then be raised up with Jesus and by the power of the Spirit now walk in newness of life now Paul says walk worthy of the gospel to which you were called I'm thankful that when I'm faithless that God remains faithful I'm thankful that God cannot deny himself because if God could go back on his word when I've acted faithless God would have left me a long time ago God's been faithful God's been gracious and by his kind Providence he has kept us he has maintained us why so that no one may boast in themselves friends let the one who boasts boast in the Lord would you pray with me [Music]

Channel: Dr. Jordan Neal Rogers

Views: 5,789

Keywords: preaching, teaching, preacher, teacher, sermon, sermons, Genesis, Scripture, Bible, biblical, Christ, Jesus, Christian, faith, faithful, faithfulness, Gospel, salvation, Abraham, Isaac, Abimelech, Rebekah, covenant, promises, Old Testament, Torah, Tanach, Yahweh, Jehovah, Hillcrest, Baptist, Church, Nederland, Texas, Dr. Rogers, Jordan, Neal, Rogers, Jordan Rogers, Jordan Neal

Id: 1C3S9UUxdDs

Length: 51min 36sec (3096 seconds)

Published: Wed May 15 2019