• Ill. Todd Coget could feel the pressure. He was beginning to believe he had bit off more than he could chew and his wife was expecting way too much out of him.
• He had to finish painting the kitchen to the house they were building, pick up the kids, and somehow select the things to match the kitchen color they had selected. And he was running out of time.
• To make matters worse, he stepped into the paint tray, getting paint all over his sockless feet and sandals. Time pressure forced him to clean the bottoms of his sandals and keep painting, as fast as he could.
• When he got to a stopping point, he looked at his watch and realized his small kids had to be picked up from his sisters. He hurried out, not even thinking about the paint on his toes.
• When he got to his sister’s house, she had put the kids down for a nap. That created an opportunity for Todd to run to the appliance store and select the appliances.
• When he got there, he remembered his painted toes. He laughed all the way back to the appliance department. To select the right colors, all he had to do was put his tow up against each item.
• He realized, “All things all do work together….”
• God is awesome that way. His solutions are so much better than our plans.
Gen 17:17-18 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, "Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?" 18 And Abraham said to God, "Oh that Ishmael might live before you!"
• Abraham had become fond of the boy, Ishmael, his son.
• He had considered him the heir of promise until God nixed that idea.
• What did he mean, "Oh that Ishmael might live before you!"?
• First, he was praying that God would not abandon Ismael.
• Second, he was praying that this would not cause Ishmael to turn away from God.
• The Targum of Jonathan words it as,"O that Ishmael might live and worship before thee.
• I think that is the prayer of every good parent, that their children might live right before God and that God would bless them in their lives.
• Many believe that this is said under the suspicion that God had rejected Ishmael.
Gen 17:19 God said, "No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.
• God’s response was obviously that Abraham was asking God to reconsider, since his wife was beyond child-bearing years.
• But God confirms His plans to use Sarah to mother the son of inheritance.
• But He assures Abraham that He will not forget Ishmael.
Gen 17:20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, 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.
• He will be fruitful and blessed.
• Fast forward to Genesis 25.
• Gen 25:13-16 These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, named in the order of their birth: Nebaioth, the firstborn of Ishmael; and Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. 16 These are the sons of Ishmael and these are their names, by their villages and by their encampments, twelve princes according to their tribes.
Gen 17:21 But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year."
• This is such a vital part of Israel’s history.
• It begins with Ishmael = no. Isaac = yes.
• God called Abraham, but like is true even with his son, Isaac, not all of Abraham’s children are part of the promise.
• You will recall that Isaac had two sons, Joseph and Esau. One chosen, one not.
• God even gives Abraham the date of Isaac’s birth.
• This time next year.
Gen 17:22 When he had finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham.
• Where is Heaven? The simplest description is that Heaven is above our existence.
There are several points I want us to cover for a few minutes that will instruct and encourage us.
1. Our earthly answers are not good enough for God.
• Abraham’s and Sarah’s actions, trying to use the servant girl, Hagar, as a surrogate womb, put several things in action.
• Those actions are associated with heartache, pain, and trouble.
• Ishmael will be the father of the very enemies of Israel throughout history.
• Bloodshed, hatred, war and suffering has resulted in this poorly thought-out, completely prayer-neglected decision.
• Here is yet another regret, that we get attached to the results of our disobedience.
• We get comfortable in our plans (often made without God) and we even mourn the loss of them when we realize me must surrender them to God.
• Abraham operated in the flesh. That means he did not follow the leading of God in his decision.
• He based his decision on what he could see, what he could imagine, and what he could create.
• He did not operate in faith in this instance. And it was wrong.
• Now, he had a son he loved and God said, “He is not the one I promised.”
• Out of his deep love for Ishmael and a broken heart, he whimpers, “What about Ishmael?”
• Another broken heart that Abraham didn’t count on or plan for.
• This is true for us. When we don’t consider God in our decisions, we place a lot of heartbreaks in our pathway.
• As time goes on, those heartbreaks become more painful to deal with.
• This was 12-13 years after the failure of trust in God.
• Now it is hurting in a new way.
• Yet God is merciful and full of love and compassion.
2. God is concerned with our earthly worries.
• God could have said, “You got into this mess, don’t drag me into it now.” But He didn’t.
• He stuck with His plans, as He should, but He also heard Abraham’s plea.
• Gen 17:20 “As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, 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.”
• God does not remove the consequences of our sins and our decisions in which we failed to consider Him.
• Gal_6:7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.
• Consequences go with our choices and are not removable.
• However, God is concerned with our earthly worries, even when we face the consequences of our mistakes and sins.
• God had just told Israel how tough their consequences of rebellion were going to be.
• In Isaiah 43, the next chapter, He shows us His character and love for us, even in our consequences.
• Isa 43:1-2 But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.
• That is also true for us. Jesus said He will never leave or forsake us.
• Nothing can separate us from the love of God. Nothing can take us out of His hand.
• No matter what you are going through, God cares. He is concerned for you and will be with you.
• Abraham, don’t you worry about Ishmael. I will be with him and I will be your comfort.
3. There will be a time that our greatest moments and fellowship with God will be uninterrupted, but that time is not now.
• “When he had finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham.”
• Abraham had just had awesome fellowship with the mighty creator of the universe.
• However, that time ended as God went up.
• How empty the moments without God’s fellowship must have seemed empty and lonely.
• There are times in this life, in the Christian life, that God seem everywhere.
• Oh, those are wonderful times.
• There are other times when God seems nowhere.
• One preacher even said during those times, his prayers seem to echo back from a ceiling of brass.
• That is life. That is in part our testing.
• Jesus said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
• It was Jesus who paid for you to be near God.
• Eph 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
• So how do we explain those moments of felt isolation?
• A test. Are you going go believe God or how you feel?
• Are you going to believe Jesus or how things look?
• Are you going to believe that Jesus took care of all obstacles or how things seem at the time?
• I am not saying it is wrong to enjoy those moments where everything screams the presence of God.
• No, enjoy them. Soak them up.
• What I am saying is do not be frustrated about those times when God seems far.
• I have constantly being bombarded by suggestions of how to make God closer.
• There are suggestions that teach you can make your prayers more powerful.
• There are suggestions that there are things we can do, or we can have, or we can touch, that give us more power with God.
• There are even teachings that there are things that will free us from control something or someone has over us.
• May I suggest, it is not the power we lack? Jesus paid it all.
• There is nothing we can do to add more of God into our lives. We either have Him or we don’t.
• So, what about praying more? What about reading the scriptures more? Doesn’t that give you more power?
• No, 1Jn 5:11-12 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
• It has benefit in that it allows you to live “in the power that He is supplying.”
• I have quoted the scripture to pieces. In Jesus we have everything we need for life and peace.
• We have not been given a spirit of fear but of power, love and self control.
• Now we just need to renew our minds to the real truth of what has already been done for us.
• There will come, however, a time when our testing is over.
• In that time, the presence of God will be known for eternity.
• Jesus said He is going to prepare a place for us so that we can constantly be away of His unity with us, His presence with us, and His power and life in us.
• Now it is a time to test if we are going to believe His promises of His constant presence with us and His power already given to us if we are saved.
• In Paul’s prayer for the Philippians, he prayed, “Php 3:10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,”
• We sing, Jesus paid it all.
• Do we mean it, or must we insist on paying some.
• The problem? It is either receive God’s offer though Jesus Christ or reject it.
• Back in 1830 George Wilson was convicted of robbing the United States Mail and was sentenced to be hanged. President Andrew Jackson issued a pardon for Wilson, but he refused to accept it. The matter went to Chief Justice Marshall, who concluded that Wilson would have to be executed. “A pardon is a slip of paper,” wrote Marshall, “the value of which is determined by the acceptance of the person to be pardoned. If it is refused, it is no pardon. George Wilson must be hanged.”
