A Life Faithful to The Lord is an Abundant Life - Genesis 25:1-34

Genesis 25 A Life Faithful to The Lord is an Abundant Life INTRO Most here know that in addition to serving as a pastor,…I also fulfill a role at the hospital performing the echocardiograms,..which are ultrasounds of the heart. I meet a lot of individuals on a weekly basis who are sent my way to investigate the health of their heart. Many find out their heart is in good working order providing welcomed peace of mind for them,….while others have revealed to them that further attention is needed with the possibility of intervention by various means. Within that full spectrum of outcomes,…I have found the uniqueness of my role there,….to bring about many opportunities for ministry with my patients in the conversations shared over the years which continues to be a great blessing and encouragement in my life. While, at the same time….there is a common occurrence I find to happen that brings great sadness to my heart. It’s when comments are made about hoping to get a few more years out of the ticker. “I’m not ready yet…they say…I’d like to get a few more things accomplished…get another five or ten years under my belt of living before I die.” Meanwhile I’m looking at them knowing that no matter how healthy their heart is right now…it’s still in the process of dying, and one day,…it will stop beating,…..and then often times others….who are saying the same such things are clearly living in a very uncomfortable state due to their poor health and/or age. In a constant state of discomfort and/or limitation because of poor health or simply being old and wearied with age,…. So,…when I hear the hope expressed from them of a few more days/years of life in this broken world,….but I don’t hear in their words the hope of Christ….I am downcast within…especially, when looking and probing with questions and salty speech for a window to open….praying God would grant me a place to speak on deeper levels,…..and that doesn’t take place. The door never opens and I’m left feeling inside this deep sadness over their lost state and unwillingness to go beyond the surface. For them…a Full Life , as in,…an Abundant life, is measured by accomplishments, experiences, a certain age number to reach and that’s it….things like these which are not intrinsically bad in themselves,…they are not bad…but are horrible replacements for living for the glory of God in the hope of the grace of God through Jesus Christ. “The chief end of man is to….? glorify God and enjoy Him forever”. So when ones chief end is anything other then that..it falls miserably short. A life as measured by achievements, experiences, acquired wealth and any sort of worldly riches,….even mere length of days lived, …is a Life of….Failure. “For when he dies he will carry nothing away; his glory will not go down after him.” Is this not what (Psalm 49:7-13)….is speaking to? “Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life, for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice, that he should live on forever and never see the pit. For he sees that even the wise die; the fool and the stupid alike must perish and leave their wealth to others. Their graves are their homes forever, their dwelling places to all generations, - though they called lands by their own names. - Man in his pomp will not remain; he is like the beasts that perish. This is the path of those who have foolish confidence; yet after them people approve of their boasts.” But on the contrary to that, those whose… “Chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever” can measure the Fullness of their Lives….the Abundance of their lives by - their Faithfulness to The Lord. For the only Abundant Life…in the truest sense….is a Life that is Faithful to The Lord. Which is the BIG idea for today’s sermon. The meaty TRUTH feast on. A Life Faithful to The Lord is an Abundant Life Chapter 25 of Genesis , this chapter where God’s story of redemption transitions from the unfolding events in the life of Abraham, and like the passing a baton in a relay race….God’s story of redemption continues to unfold through the life of Abraham’s son,….Isaac. And through this chapter, We see three ways this truth is highlighted for us. You can mark them as gifts from God. The first gift to highlight A Life Faithful to The Lord being an Abundant Life is the gift of children Our First point BODY 1) FIRST POINT - (Genesis 25:1-18). The gift of children The gift of children. This whole chapter really is dominated by the descendants who come from Abraham, Ishmael and Isaac. From (verse 1) through to the end… (verse 34). The descendants from these men span this chapter. But for this first point we are going to put our focus on (verses 1-18) in regards to The gift of children The chapters preceding chapter 25 tell us that Sarah had died and Isaac had taken a wife from Abraham’s kindred,,,,from Abraham’s native land. A beautiful story that Nathan led us through last Sunday. God’s story of redemption continues and we find in the opening verse of this chapter that “Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah.” We don’t know much about Keturah other than what is provided here in the passage. She bears 6 more son’s to Abraham whose names are provided here. There may also have been daughters as well. Sometimes when genealogies are listed in Scripture…just the son’s names are provided. That may very well be the case here but in any event, through her, at least 6 more sons were born to Abraham,…and if you included the grandchildren and great grandchildren listed here,…it was a total of 16… Again not including any daughters born that would be part of this family tree. I did some math once again,…drawn from the ages provided here and there from the chapters,….we’ve gone through thus far. We know that Abraham is 10 years Sarah’s senior. In chapter 23 we learn that Sarah died at the age of 127yrs which makes Abraham 137yrs at that time. He himself dies at the age of 175yrs…as stated in (verse 7) right here in chapter 25 before us. SO,…we have then a 38yr year span in which Abraham takes another wife and has more children. No passage is provided that gives his age when he took Keturah as his wife. 140 maybe…145??…regardless of the exact age…as (verse 1) in chapter 24 states it. “Now Abraham was old, well-advanced-in years…..” ……..…and still-fathering-children in his old age……….. THAT’S Impressive. Many props Abe. I tip my hat to you. And in the words of Forrest Gump… “That’s all I have to say about that.” Moving on….Abraham had a very full life..an abundant life,…and though flawed like ours…his life was Faithful to the Lord. And this Abundant Life of Abraham's experienced The Gift of Children. (Psalm 127:1-5). “Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth, (or in Abraham’s case.…advanced years also).. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.” The BIBLE is crystal clear on the blessings,..The Gift,..of Children. Unless called and enabled by God to remain single,…that you may be fully devoted to the Lord (1 Corinthians 7:32-40),…which is a wonderful life to be sure. If God provides you with a spouse….(Genesis 1:28). “Be fruitful and multiply…” have children…they are a gift,… a heritage from the Lord. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! There is no precise number given as to the amount, but God’s Word is clear. Children are a blessing from God. This doesn’t mean there is not turmoil and difficulty present. Sure there is. For some the approaching Holidays are a dread because it means gathering with those whom strife and contention is bound to flare up. This is true for many…maybe for you…but Just because the brokenness of this world, and of our own hearts,…because the effects of sin…bring this about,…it doesn’t change the TRUTH of what God’s Word says about the blessing of family. God’s Word stands True and Abraham models something helpful for us here in these opening verses that I don’t want us to miss. Abraham, you could say, is Christ focused. Why do I say that? (Verse 5) “Abraham gave all he had to Isaac.” Isaac got it all…son of the promise….translate it to our LIVES…it’s all about Jesus. The seed of the Offspring of Abraham through whom God’s blessing to all nations would come. From Abraham to Isaac then Jacob and all the way to David and ultimately the birth of God incarnate. God becoming a man. Jesus Christ our Lord being born of a virgin woman. The son of the promise through whom God’s story of redemption would be fulfilled. It’s all-about-Jesus. As a family slogan of one of our church body members here says, hanging on the wall inside their home as you enter the kitchen “because of the love of Jesus….” (fill in the blank, right?) It’s all-for-Him. He holds center stage always and our lives are oriented around living out the gospel of the grace of God that has saved us, that has rescued us from the wrath to come. Abraham models this by keeping the son of the promise distinguished from all the other. Not that the others were neglected,…no he provided for them, he loved them (verse 6) “…gave them gifts…” but he made clear,…ever so clear,…that Isaac was the heir….even by sending them eastward to the east country…ABRAHAM made clear. GOD’S promise through his son Isaac was to be CENTER STAGE. And in like manner, we are to make the “son of the promise”…JESUS CHRIST, center stage in our lives and in our family. FOR where CHRIST holds center stage and the gospel is adorned by His people, harmony among them is sure to be present even in the face of life adversities and convictional differences that may exist in a family. One more nugget on The gift of children before we move on. They are Christ formative - Dare I say few things are more formative in life to Christlikeness than parenting children. Steadfast love, Patience, Self Sacrifice…..these were mere words I aspired to have exhibited in my life but knew little about till they were put to the test like never before and forged into my being through…..parenting and continue so to this day,… ALONG with joy, gladness, and blessing and love. These all reach a whole new level…a level on it’s own as experienced by a parent. We’ve had some recent births in the church body and one soon to come…the Dietz’s,…Isn’t it amazing how instantaneous love, joy, gladness and blessing come at their arrival? It’s present at their conception,… and builds momentum all the way through the pregnancy till we are able to behold their face and hold them in our arms for the first time. They are not even my kids and I’m filled with those emotions. Only a parent knows what I am talking about. Children are tremendously formative in Christlikeness….and dare I fail to mention God working through them to expose the ugliness in your heart….sinful behavior you once thought completely overcome by the Spirit of God, suddenly shows new life as buttons are pushed you didn’t know you had. Selfishness and Anger being chief culprits in my LIFE. I believe Every parent would attest to this. What we learn about our relationship with our Father in heaven and ourselves when we become parents is tremendous. And what a gift that is. The gift of children Abraham lived a Life Faithful to The Lord and therefore had an Abundant Life that experienced The gift of children ….And then…. (Verse 8). “Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people.” His sons, Isaac and Ishmael, (verse 9) tells us, buried him with his wife Sarah in the cave Abraham purchased for her. (Verse 11) “After the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac his son. And Isaac settled at Beer-lahai-roi.” The baton is passed. God’s story of redemption continues through the son of the promise. And as we move into that continued story now involving the life of Isaac,,…we have preserved for us, as if placing a token reminder of God’s faithfulness in coming through with every promise He makes, we have preserved for us in scripture the fulfillment of God’s promise about Ishmael made to Hagar back in (Genesis 16) at the very place ISAAC right here in (Verse 11),…settles at…..“Beer-lahai-roi.”…a WELL,..named such by Hagar because GOD saw her at this place to which she fled from the harsh treatment of Abraham’s wife Sarah,….who looked upon her with contempt because she (Hagar) conceived from Abraham while Sarah had not. Hagar flees to this WELL, God sees her and makes this promise to her. I will surely GOD says…“I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude.”…you shall bear a son. “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.” More of this promise revealed in chapter 17 (verse 20) that GOD makes to Abraham regarding Ishmael.…who is 13 years old at the time “I have blessed him (Ishmael that is..God says) I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation.” (Verses 12-18) right before us….are the fulfillment of every bit of it. You’ll see in those verses specifically… Ishmael had “12 sons, 12 princes…who settled over against all his kinsmen.” GOD’S promise is fulfilled as they always are. The Holy Spirit provides an account of this to remind us and keep this truth fresh in our minds. “He who promises is faithful, he will surely do it.” (1 Thess 5:24) The next gift to highlight A Life Faithful to The Lord being an Abundant Life starts off in stark contrast to the first. For while good O’L Abe is still having kids..…The gift of children….Isaac and Rebecca are not. Rebecca is barren. But from this,…comes a telling story about The gift of Marriage for us to receive this morning. We’ll be looking closely at this in (verses 19-21)…for Our second point - The gift of Marriage. (Proverbs 18:22) “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD.” 2) SECOND POINT - (Genesis 25:19-21). The gift of marriage The gift of Marriage. Nathan spent a good bulk of time on marriage last Sunday in the story told from scripture of how Isaac and Rebecca came to be husband and wife. I’d encourage you to listen online if you haven’t heard it yet. TODAY, some further content is given to provide more insight into their marriage that I believe is very helpful to us in both appreciating the gift of marriage and also living it out in faithfulness to the Lord. It all stems from (verse 21). “And Isaac prayed to the LORD for his wife, because she was barren. And the LORD granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived.” A Life Faithful to The Lord is an Abundant Life. Can you have a Life Faithful to The Lord if your prayers are hindered? Can you have a Life Faithful to The Lord if your prayers are hindered? I believe we all know well the answer. No. Which makes (1 Peter 3:7) so striking to any God fearing husband. “Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, (listen to this) so that your prayers may not be hindered.”….. so that your prayers may not be hindered.” The blessing of a marriage, the mystical union before God of a man and a woman in the covenant of marriage. Two LIVES brought together as one. Distinct but United. “The two shall become one flesh” (Matthew 19:5,6) “What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate” A picture of Christ and His bride the church. The mystical union before God of a man and a woman in the covenant of marriage. And I say with confidence in the Lord…A husband and wife operating Faithfully before the Lord in their complimentary roles as He designed them to do is a mighty ministry force to be reckoned with. A Christlike husband sacrificially leading and a wife coming respectfully under that leadership with the support and unique giftings given her by God to complete the man is a beautiful thing to behold. TWO image bearers of God with equal dignity and worth, joined together in that way by God’s design are a mighty ministry force to be reckoned with. One reflection of that is —- an effective prayer life. Rebecca is barren. This is saying a lot. She is not able to have children. ISAAC took her to be his wife at the age of 40 and the passage reveals that ISAAC is nearing 60yrs of age and still… BUPKIS. NO children to show after nearly 20yrs of marriage. At this point the question is unavoidable in her mind….“Am I to have children at all?” ISAAC, likewise wondering… “Am I ever going to be a dad? I am the son of the promise. What’s going on? For this to move forward, children…a son in particular,….are necessary. When or is this going to happen?” (verse 21) “Isaac prayed to the LORD for his wife, because she was barren.”…and BOOM…she conceives. I would confidently say ISAAC’S prayers are not hindered…he is living with his wife in an understanding way, showing honor to her who is heir with him of the grace of life. Let’s note something though,…that I believe to be important. The passage does not say that ISAAC began praying to the Lord for his wife when he was 59yrs old. No time frame is identified. What is known,…is at this point, prior to Rebecca conceiving a child,….they have been married just shy of 20yrs and that Rebecca has been barren since day ONE. I’m inclined to think that ISAAC’S prayers to the Lord for his wife have been taking place for some time. I venture to say, since early on…maybe year 2 or 3….in the least year 5 of marriage…a marriage that yielded no gift of children…. NO family planning back in these days. You got married,…typically kids started showing up shortly after as the Lord would allow. So for Rebecca to be barren upwards of 20yrs there must have existed an internal struggle no different from any married couple today desiring to have children and not having it be so. At a recent dinner shared between Marcy and I and Nathan and Vanessa, … we thought on this some. And believe it or not, there was a time the ability to have children was in question for the Rice’s. Never would guess that now,… but,…early on in their marriage…a couple years pass, no pregnancy… they do however, during this time, receive news from Vanessas’s sister that she is pregnant. A strange emotional conflict is bound to be present,…right? Happy at the news but sadly wondering,..why not me. That was a couple years… Rebecca is well into DECADE #2, while all along she is receiving announcements from OLDS Abraham’s wife Keturah of conceiving children… plural. I see Rebecca doing one of these numbers… “I’m so happy for you.” SO, for those reasons, I believe ISAAC, who is not removed from the emotional turmoil his wife Rebecca must have been going through and he himself likewise, I believe he,…ISAAC,…honored his wife well who is heir with him of the grace of life not by a one time prayer and done,….sort of thing,…but rather,…a regular prayer offered up to the Lord. “Isaac prayed to the Lord…” AS IN…that was his practice…and steadfastly so………and so it should be ours husbands. PRAY for your wife and PRAY with your wife. KNOW your wife in such a way where you know how to pray for her specifically…where her heart is touched by your prayers, where she is moved with love and gratitude toward God by your words and she is strengthened and encouraged in her walk with her God to fulfill her ministry as your wife, as a mother, and in whatever vocation or area of influence she is placed in by GOD. Pray for and pray with, your wife men……… And pray for your future wife….young men. YES, YOU…the youth here and not just the teenagers but all youth whose attention I have in these matters on marriage…direct your heart in prayer your spouse to be. Ask God to help you (Psalm 119:9) help you “keep yourself pure by guarding your life according to His Word” that you would do your best to be ready and prepared to commit your life to another in marriage and likewise prayer for your spouse to be to do as well that you both would be kept…for one another alone…and receive all the blessings that accompany that. “And Isaac prayed to the LORD for his wife, because she was barren. And the LORD granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived.” The gift of Marriage. A truth to both appreciate and live out in Faithfulness to The Lord for when doing so you’ll have an effective prayer life and by God’s design, together as has husband and wife, BE a mighty ministry force to be reckoned with. Such is an Abundant Life. And sure to bode…every ministry force will meet it’s myriad of struggles.…For Rebecca, it begins within her very womb. And YET, even in these struggles our lives can be filled with great comfort and hope in experiencing The Gift of God’s Saving Faithfulness. Which is our final and 3rd point. Abundant comfort and Hope through…. The gift of God’s Saving Faithfulness. 3) THIRD POINT - (Genesis 25:22-34). The gift of God’s saving faithfulness The gift of God’s Saving Faithfulness. Looking at the remainder of the chapter (verses 22-34) Hands raised for those here who have been rock solid faithful all their lives… c’mon. Get them up there high with mine. Don’t leave me hanging here. NO one dares to claim that right? Save one…..Christ our Lord. (2 Timothy 2:13) “…if we are faithless, he (Christ Jesus) remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.” And praise be to God for this. If God’s story of redemption depended upon our faithfulness, it would have stopped short long ago….Barely gotten off the ground,…IF AT ALL. We have an example here of a struggle, a mess of lives you could say, that BEGAN even before these brothers were breathing air. BUT this doesn’t thwart God’s purposes. HIS story of redemption continues to unfold,…un-deterred by the failures, flaws and faithlessness of the human agents He works through. And so it is all the way to the coming of - THE FAITHFUL ONE, that is Christ Jesus our Lord. (Verses 22-34) introduce US to Isaac and Rebecca’s twin boys Esau and Jacob. Rebecca conceives (verse 22) “The children struggled together within her, and she said, “If it is thus, why is this happening to me?” (Like yeah I’m pregnant and boo I’m miserable to no end because of it). “If it is thus, why is this happening to me?” (Rebecca is hurt’n here…you can hear so in those words….but I love what she does about it) So she went to inquire of the LORD.” (Perhaps by influence of her husband, no doubt, whose habit was to inquire of the Lord on her behalf)…in like manner, she goes to the Lord in prayer about this struggle. A good influence of Isaac and a good example to us when we encounter struggle. “….inquire of the Lord.” about it. The struggle taking place in Rebecca’s womb here,….is simply setting the stage for conflict that will span generations as God foretells in answering Rebecca’s prayer in (verse 23). “…two nations will come from her womb…two peoples from within you……who shall be divided…” The Edomites being 1, the people of Edom, the name given to Esau’s descendants as coined in these (verses) by his, Esaus’s,..red hair,…seen immediately when he exited the womb and his brutish care for red stew which he thought of greater worth than his own birthright. From Esau, the people, the nation of Edom will come, the Edomites who are frequently seen in scripture being in conflict with the nation, ….ISRAEL. Where did the name Israel come from? We’ll learn further ahead in Genesis that it is the name GOD gave who?… JACOB. After Jacob wrestled with God all night. JACOB was told… (Genesis 32:28) “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” The conflict between these two nations…the Edomites and the Israelites,…started in the womb with Esau and Jacob. All this to say…..none of this thwarts God’s purposes. His story of redemption continues to unfold,…un-deterred by the failures, flaws and faithlessness of the human agents He works through. And so it is all the way to the coming of the FAITHFUL ONE, I say again who is Jesus Christ our Lord. Favoritism shown by parents, as (verse 28) makes known to us doesn’t thwart it. Careless and near sighting living as depicted by what (verses 29-34) inform us of Esau’s character traits doesn’t thwart it. Nor does the sly, sneaky, conniving behavior that marks Jacob’s life prove to prevent God from accomplishing His will. All of these failures, flaws and faithlessness, though damaging to relationships with lasting, painful ramifications…still do not thwart God’s purposes. CONCLUSION And therefore our lives may have Abundant Comfort and Hope through…. The gift of God’s Saving Faithfulness….because even “…if we are faithless, (in our endeavor to be faithful to him) he (Jesus Christ) remains faithful.” FAITHFUL to His bride the church whom He “laid down His life as a ransom for many” being obedient to the Father’s “will to the point of death, even death on a cross.”… that the bride of Christ, the Church of the Living God, would be purchased and made pure by His sacrificial blood. FULLY redeemed and forever secure by God’s Saving Faithfulness. Which makes abundantly clear to us ALL that the only Abundant Life in the truest sense,…is a Life Lived for JESUS…THE FAITHFUL ONE. He who is FAITHFUL and Steadfastly so. A life as measured by achievements, experiences, acquired wealth and any sort of worldly riches, even mere length of days lived,…is a Life of Failure,… and falls miserably short of what it means in the truest sense to have an Abundant Life. “For when he dies he will carry nothing away; his glory will not go down after him.” …..Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life, for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice, that he should live on forever and never see the pit. For he sees that even the wise die; the fool and the stupid alike must perish and leave their wealth to others. Their graves are their homes forever, their dwelling places to all generations, though they called lands by their own names. Man in his pomp will not remain; he is like the beasts that perish. LISTEN! - - A life lived for anything but JESUS does-notcount. BUT praise be to God…I repeat that even in our endeavors to be faithful to the Lord, that our lives would count… (2 Timothy 2:13) “…if we are faithless, he (Christ Jesus) remains faithful.” And it’s in this life alone, the life of a Christian,…United to Jesus Christ by faith whose chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever…in which every achievement, all experiences, whatever wealth acquired, however many days you live…ALL exist and serve the culminating purpose of bringing glory to God with everlasting joy. It’s only through this life alone that we may, through FAITH in Jesus, have True Abundant Life to the glory of God. - PRAY COMMUNION - (John 10:8-11) BENEDICTION (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24) In the words of Barnabas…. Therefore, I exhort you all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose,..” (Acts 11:23). “When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose,..”