An Improper View Of The Father Series

Spirit of Ishmael

An improper view of the Father

Text:

Gen 21:1-20

1 And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken.

2 For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.

3 And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac.

4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him.

5 And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him.

6 And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me.

7 And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck? for I have born him a son in his old age.

8 And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned.

9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking.

10 Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.

11 And the thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight because of his son.

12 And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.

13 And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.

14 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.

15 And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs.

16 And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.

17 And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.

18 Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation.

19 And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.

20 And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.

I want to look tonight at the spirit of Ishmael

Here Ishmael is:

- He is a child of the flesh

- He was not the child that God had promised Abraham and Sara

- He was born out of their unbelief

- Spiritually this child is illegitimate

- He is not the rightful heir

- He is not the promise

This word illegitimate means unlawful

- He was not the lawful heir

- He was not the promised child

Deut 23:2 A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the LORD. (KJV)

- This is speaking about those that are illegitimate

- For ten generations

I. Hagar

I want to look at Hagar for a moment

Her very name means stranger

- She is not part of the kingdom of God

- Her customs are different

- Her beliefs are different

- She is a Egyptian

- She is a slave in Abraham’s house

Egypt is a picture of the world

- Picture of sin

Sara gives her to her husband to bear a child

- She does this out of unbelief

- Hagar conceives and bears Abraham a son

- He is named Ishmael

What is birthed in the flesh

- Birthed in the world

- Birthed in unbelief

Will never have a proper few of the father

I have seen many children that have been raised with out fathers

- They are born out of wedlock

- Or their father abandon them when they were young

- Or maybe it was a bad divorce

I have seen these children that have been raised by bitter hurt mothers