Peace
The Book of Beginnings • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 42:05
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· 324 viewsIsaac was a man who pursued peace, as Christians do we?
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INTRO
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_symbols
A number of peace symbols have been used many ways in various cultures and contexts. The dove and olive branch was used symbolically by early Christians and then eventually became a secular peace symbol, popularized by Pablo Picasso after World War 2. In the 1950s the "peace sign", as it is known today, was designed by Gerald Holtom as the logo for the British Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament,[1] a group at the forefront of the peace movement in the UK, and adopted by anti-war and counterculture activists in the US and elsewhere. The V hand signal and the peace flag also became international peace symbols.
Is there peace in your life right now?
Do you want to be at peace with others?
Christ called the prince of peace!
we are christians....
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Illustration of need addressed.
Connect illustration to present day hearers.
Transition = Show this need or similar issue was also the question behind the biblical text.
Clearly state the theme of the text/sermon.
Title & Text
Peace
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Theme
In the face of persecution this blessed son of Abraham sought peace.
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Pray
God our desire is to be at peace with all mankind so that your glory might be seen. We often fail to be as peace filled as we desire to be. We ask that through this text today you might show us how to grow in our ability to be peacemakers. Be with us in your Word today and grant us your Spirit so we might understand and apply it.
Amen
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THE SERMON BODY
12 And Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. The Lord blessed him,
13 and the man became rich, and gained more and more until he became very wealthy.
14 He had possessions of flocks and herds and many servants, so that the Philistines envied him.
15 (Now the Philistines had stopped and filled with earth all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father.)
16 And Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we.”
17 So Isaac departed from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar and settled there.
18 And Isaac dug again the wells of water that had been dug in the days of Abraham his father, which the Philistines had stopped after the death of Abraham. And he gave them the names that his father had given them.
19 But when Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found there a well of spring water,
20 the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water is ours.” So he called the name of the well Esek, because they contended with him.
21 Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that also, so he called its name Sitnah.
22 And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called its name Rehoboth, saying, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.”
23 From there he went up to Beersheba.
24 And the Lord appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of Abraham your father. Fear not, for I am with you and will bless you and multiply your offspring for my servant Abraham’s sake.”
25 So he built an altar there and called upon the name of the Lord and pitched his tent there. And there Isaac’s servants dug a well.
Gen 26.12-25
v12-16 = When we live as God directs it should not surprise us that people of this world are displeased with us and the blessings we receive.
If they hated me they will also hate you
18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.
- overcomers of the world.
12 And Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. The Lord blessed him,
Do not be deceived we sow what we reap don’t we!
Isaac sowed faithful obedience and reaped his reward from the LORD
7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
God’s faithfulness is not dependent on our circumstances
Famine in the land yet reaping 100 fold!
13 Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Behold, my servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry; behold, my servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty; behold, my servants shall rejoice, but you shall be put to shame;
19 they are not put to shame in evil times; in the days of famine they have abundance.
Do not think we ourselves deserve to increase.
The LORD blessed him
remember what this follows in Isaacs life
13 and the man became rich, and gained more and more until he became very wealthy.
13 and the man became rich, and gained more and more until he became very wealthy.
Faithfulness to God absolutely does NOT guarantee us prosperity!
Faithfulness to God absolutely DOES guarantee us blessing!
20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”
Where are we investing?
What are we seeking to sow?
14 He had possessions of flocks and herds and many servants, so that the Philistines envied him.
14 He had possessions of flocks and herds and many servants, so that the Philistines envied him.
4 Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.
These Philistines were envying him for perishable goods
No one ever envied anyone for their dust bunnies!
3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
When we view others as more deserving then ourselves we do not get jealous when they are blessed…
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
Are we living life like a Philistine or like Christians?
15 (Now the Philistines had stopped and filled with earth all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father.)
Inside information from Author
the foolishness of envy
the selfishness of envy
when we live a life of envy we hurt ourselves!
This was spitefully done. Because they had not flocks of their own to water at these wells, they would not leave them for the use of others; so absurd a thing is malice. And it was perfidiously done, contrary to the covenant of friendship they had made with Abraham, ch. 21:31, 32. No bonds will hold ill-nature.
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 2: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers C. Isaac and Abimelech (26:1–35)
Just as Abraham’s prosperity became the occasion for the conflict between his shepherds and those of Lot (13:5–7), so also Isaac’s wealth angered the Philistines
The New American Commentary: Genesis 11:27–50:26 Isaac’s Expulsion (26:15–16)
That they destroyed “all” of the wells indicates the intensity of their ire.
16 And Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we.”
Abimelech got it just right!
humility before the mighty
humility before God
cleaving to the mighty
Abimelech misses it!
3 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.”
Gen 12.
Greed - Pride - Power
fear!
v12-16 = When we live as God directs it should not surprise us that people of this world are displeased with our success.
displeased with us and the blessings we receive
When we live as God directs it should not surprise us that people of this world are displeased with us and the blessings we receive.
18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.
5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
v17-21 = When we live lives as God directs it should not surprise us if the road before us is still difficult.
now your work has thorns.
17 And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; 18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
17 So Isaac departed from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar and settled there.
Isaac does not leave promised land!
Isaac does not rage or fight but chooses peace
encamped = like Exodus - chose humility rather then being humbled...
We should deny ourselves both in our rights and in our conveniences, rather than quarrel: a wise and a good man will rather retire into obscurity, like Isaac here into a valley, than sit high to be the butt of envy and ill-will.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Are we most likely to fight for the glory of God or the glory of self?
18 And Isaac dug again the wells of water that had been dug in the days of Abraham his father, which the Philistines had stopped after the death of Abraham. And he gave them the names that his father had given them.
Water is life in the desert
Look for water where it can be found
our fathers wells
bad water
good water
Where do you most often find yourself looking for water?
13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again,
Author pointing to the rightful ownership of the wells = “Isaac dug again” - “gave the same names”
new truths - scripture - society
enduring truths - scripture - God
new truths
14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
19 But when Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found there a well of spring water,
10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”
Zao = Greek - Chay = Hebrew / living / alive
Here in the valley
Here away from others
Here as a cast away
continues source of water
enough to share
Are you getting enough to drink or afterward do you leave thirsty?
If you are continuously thirsting would you be willing to consider that your at the wrong well?
20 the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water is ours.” So he called the name of the well Esek, because they contended with him.
Similar dispute = Lot & Abraham
Esek = Hebrew word for contention
Jesus and his message is a well of living water and is always causing contention with the world.
21 Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that also, so he called its name Sitnah.
Don’t let this surprise you!!
Sitnah = Hebrew - enmity / accusation
Sitnah in Hebrew shares the same root as Satan
Seed of the man and seed of the serpent
Satan the accuser of the brethren
Jesus and his message is a well of living water and is always causing contention with the world.
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
sd
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 2: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers C. Isaac and Abimelech (26:1–35)
Clearly the narrative intends to point to the patriarchs as those whose lives most clearly pictured the kind of blessing God intended his people to enjoy. At the same time, these narratives point to the stark reality that even the fathers did not enjoy the full blessing. They too had to face adversity; but they trusted God, and he blessed them amid the conflict.
Those that open the fountains of truth must expect contradiction.
What is often the lot even of the most quiet and peaceable men in this world; those that avoid striving yet cannot avoid being striven with, Ps. 120:7.
7 I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war!
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
When we live lives as God directs it should not surprise us if the road before us is still difficult.
When we live lives as God directs it should not surprise us if the road before us is still difficult.
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Clearly the narrative intends to point to the patriarchs as those whose lives most clearly pictured the kind of blessing God intended his people to enjoy. At the same time, these narratives point to the stark reality that even the fathers did not enjoy the full blessing. They too had to face adversity; but they trusted God, and he blessed them amid the conflict.
v22-25 = When we live as God directs it should not surprise us that eventually He will remove our obstacles from us.
in my fathers house are many rooms and I am going to make a place for you
1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.”
2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?
22 And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called its name Rehoboth, saying, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.”
3 For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said, “As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest,’ ” although his works were finished from the foundation of the world.
Again Isaac moves
Again Isaac digs
Are you willing to work for peace?
finally he has rest
Rehoboth = wide / broad places / room
Isaac resting in God’s Promises
those who seek peace will eventually find it!
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
How hard are you willing to work for peace?
23 From there he went up to Beersheba.
This is looking familiar!!
24 And the Lord appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of Abraham your father. Fear not, for I am with you and will bless you and multiply your offspring for my servant Abraham’s sake.”
That same night!
find comfort in that statement
the LORD will not always terry long with us
sometimes people think that opposition means that they are on the wrong path for God but sometimes the right path is filled with hardship.
Are we willing to allow God to use predicaments, people, and possessions to push us to the place we need to be to hear from Him?
LORD appeared to Isaac
similar to (Abraham & Lot)
confirms His Identity
confirms promise
Explain what is meant by the term: “for my servant Abraham’s sake”
The New American Commentary: Genesis 11:27–50:26 Theophany at Beersheba (26:24–25)
The efficacy of the blessing did not rely on the merit of Abraham but rather was on account of the divine commitment made to Abraham and his descendants.
33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and called there on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God.
Explain what is meant by the term: “for my servant Abraham’s sake”
25 So he built an altar there and called upon the name of the Lord and pitched his tent there. And there Isaac’s servants dug a well.
Isaac Worshiped!!
Isaac committed to God
built an altar
pitched his tent
dug a well
Home at last
Where do we place our home?
When we live as God directs it should not surprise us that eventually He will remove our obstacles from us.
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
This is why Jesus says…
1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.”
That people of this world are displeased with our success.
That the road before us is at times, still difficult .
That eventually He will remove our obstacles from us.
Expose the structure of the text.
Main points should support the theme.
points should follow textual sequence unless good reason to change.
use simple and clear transitions to give structure to movement.
Use verse references before quoting so that listeners can read along.
Use personal observances to illustrate difficult concepts.
CONCLUSION
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
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Don’t introduce new material.
narrow the focus don’t expand it.
Clinch the goal.
Give concrete applications.
Goal
Since you are a blessed child of God, be a peacemaker.
Application
There can be no peace until we have peace with God through Christ! Come to God and receive peace through Christ.
Jesus is called the prince of peace, therefore as His children who are called by the name Christian let us also pursue peace with our fellow man.
Jesus is called the prince of peace, therefore as His children who are called by the name Christian let us also pursue peace with our fellow man.
Understand that as Christians we will always experience enmity with the world until Christ comes again or calls us home.
CLOSE
Pray through !
COMMUNION
What it stands for
Warning
Communion Verses
COMMUNION TOGETHER
Fellowship With Each Other
Peace symbols = the cross of Christ…