DON’T SETTLE FOR ISHMAEL WHEN YOU CAN HAVE ISAAC
GENESIS 15:1-16:5
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR
1. A college professor was giving a final exam to his students. He distributed the tests to the class and waited for his students to finish. When the students handed in their completed tests, one of the tests had a one-hundred-dollar bill attached with a note that explained, "One dollar for each point."
2. When the student got his exam back, he had a grade of 45 with $55 in change attached! Maybe it didn't work that well!
B. TEXT Genesis 16:1-5
1 Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; 2 so she said to Abram, "The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her."
Abram agreed to what Sarai said. 3 So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. 4 He slept with Hagar, and she conceived.
When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. 5 Then Sarai said to Abram, "You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my servant in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the LORD judge between you and me."
C. THESIS
1. Compromise has literally crippled the body of Christ. We see it everywhere. We compromise for various reasons: lack of trust, lack of patience, peer pressure.
2. But you need to understand today, that God has not called us to a life of compromise, but He has called us to be committed to whatever He has called us to do, and to stand on the promises that He has given to you.
3. In our text today, we have the ‘father of faith’ struggling with compromise. Compromise: is defined as “to make a dishonorable or shameful concession.”
4. God has called and destined him to be the ‘father of many nations,’ but yet he’s ready to settle for second best!
5. That sounds a little like us, God has promised us great blessings: powerful ministries, great exploits, but instead we settle for what we can SEE, what we can understand, what we can manipulate. We’ve got to stop settling for Ishmael, when God has already promised us Isaac!
I. STORY OF HAGAR & SARAH
A. THE MYSTERIES OF MARRIAGE
1. God had promised to make Abraham the father of many nations. But Sarah his wife was barren. Finally, in desperation, Sarah made the decision to give her maidservant, Hagar, to Abraham as a concubine, a surrogate (16:2).
2. This arrangement was a legal and moral arrangement in that day in order to produce an heir. In addition, this child would be counted as Sarah’s child.
3. Mark Twain was asked his views on polygamy. He stated that it was impossible to live in such a situation as being married to two women. When asked why, he quoted the Bible verse, Matthew 6:24, which says, "No man can serve two masters."
4. Everything seemed to go smoothly until Hagar became pregnant and began despising her mistress. That's when Sarah said to Abraham, "You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering” (16:5)!
5. Wait a minute; if it was her decision, why is he responsible? That's one of the mysteries of marriage! OTHER TIMES GUYS FAIL TO UNDERSTAND THEIR WIVES:
a. A man was reading his paper early one morning at the breakfast table. His wife came over to him and patted him on the shoulder. She looked at him, smiled, and said, “I bet you don’t know what today is, do you?” He looked at her and said, “Of course I know what day it is!” and went back to reading his paper.
b. He didn’t have a CLUE, but he was AFRAID that he would make his wife UPSET—she was really SENSITIVE about SPECIAL OCCASIONS. He thought to himself, “Is it her BIRTHDAY? That must be it.” So after he got to WORK he called the FLORIST and had a BOUQUET of WHITE ROSES sent to his wife.
c. Then as the day went on, he began WORRYING that FLOWERS may not be ENOUGH for such an IMPORTANT DAY. “What if it’s our ANNIVERSARY?” So he went to the JEWELRY STORE down from his OFFICE, picked out a beautiful TENNIS BRACELET and had it special DELIVERED to his WIFE.
d. As he started home from work he decided that maybe he should also stop and buy an expensive BOX of CHOCOLATES to bring to her—just in case. He pulls into the DRIVEWAY and his WIFE runs out to GREET him.
e. As he gets out of the CAR and PRESENTS her with the BOX of CHOCOLATES, she throws her arms around him and says, “Oh, honey, this is the best GROUNDHOG DAY I’ve ever had!”
B. A SON THROUGH SARAH
1. The Chinese symbol for crisis is composed of the symbol of two women living under the same roof! That's exactly what happened in Abraham's house -- it became an area of crisis/conflict. For 13 long years Abraham lived with this turmoil.
2. Then one day God shows up: "Sarah is going to have a son. It will be through this son of Sarah’s that your descendents will be reckoned."
3. Abraham must have been thinking, "God, you're a little behind on the news: Sarah is barren! There's no way she's going to have kids. Forget about her. Just let Ishmael be the one you're promising me. He is my kid, after all." God says, "I'll bless him too, but Ishmael is NOT to be your heir; rather your heir will be by the barren woman."
4. Ultimately, it happened; Sarah bore a child and named him Isaac. Soon afterward, a problem arose because of Ishmael mocking Isaac.
5. Genesis 21:9-10 describes what happened; “But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, and she said to Abraham, "Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac." The Bible tells us that Abraham was very grieved about this request, but God confirmed to him that this was His will also. So Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar and set her off the next morning with the boy into the desert.
II. THE ALLEGORY OF SARAH & HAGAR
A. TEXT: GALATIANS 4:21-31
“For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. 23His son by the slave woman was born in the ordinary way; but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a promise.
24These things may be taken figuratively, for the women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. 26But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother.
28Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29At that time the son born in the ordinary way persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. 30But what does the Scripture say? "Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman's son." 31Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman. Gal. 4:22-24, 26, 28-31.
B. PAUL’S DESCRIPTION
1. Paul tells us in Galatians 4:21-31, that these two women – Sarah & Hagar -- are actually an allegory of two different ways of living. Each of these women stand for a way of approaching God, a way of living for God. For us, they represent the miraculous life God wants us to live or a natural life devoid of God's intervention. This morning, I'm warning you to also get rid of the slave woman and her son out of your life!
2. Below is an analysis of the differences between Ishmael and Isaac as mentioned in Galatians Chapter 4.
PAUL’S OUTLINE OF DIFFERENCES IN GALATIANS
Galatians 4:21-31
Text ISHMAEL ISAAC____________
Vs.22 SON OF SLAVE WOMAN SON OF FREE WOMAN
23 BORN IN NATURAL WAY RESULT OF PROMISE
(supernatural)
24- COVENANT OF SINAI JERUSALEM ABOVE
26 CHILDREN ARE SLAVES CHILDREN ARE FREE
29 PERSECUTES SON BORN NOT UNDERSTOOD…
BY THE SPIRIT BECAUSE DIFFERENT
30 GET RID OF THE SLAVE FREE SON HAS PERMAN-
WOMAN & HER SON, HE ENT PLACE & GUAR-
WON’T RECEIVE INHER- ANTEED INHERITANCE
ITANCE.
C. DOES YOUR WORLDVIEW MATTER?
1. Hagar and Sarah represent two paradigms/viewpoints: one -- natural, the other -- supernatural; One -- limited, the other -- unlimited; One -- of unbelief, the other -- of faith; One has a God who is limited to the past, the other has a God who can and will do anything for you right now.
2. The following retraction had to be printed in the Milton-Freewater Valley Herald. "The title of a First Christian Church program in last week's paper should have been recorded as "Our God Reigns." It was inaccurately recorded as "Our God Resigns." Thankfully we serve a God who has not resigned or given up on his sin stained world, but is chosen instead to reign as the Lord of Lords and King of Kings!
3. Abraham represents the believer, who is supposed to be married to Sarah -- who represents “faith in God”, but at times “faith” seems to have no results/children. Isn't it always easier to just go with the natural, because you can see its results? That's what Abraham did.
4. Abraham didn't care which wife he got a child/result through, as long as he got a child. With him the ends
justified the means. Not so with God; with God, the means are just as important as the end. Abraham was blind to the fact that God didn't just want a child, but wanted a child in the right way. To God, it's not just about quantity, but quality. But this wasn't just Abraham's child, this child would be God's child.
5. Abraham is called “the Father of faith” ( ). He was to be the Great-Grandfather of God’s Son, Jesus Christ. But God was also concerned about who the Great-Grandmother would be. Sarah was just as important a part of God's plan as Abraham, but SHE WAS THE SIDE OF THE EQUATION THAT WAS LEFT OUT. She was barren; she couldn't have children; only a miracle could make her womb give birth. GOD WANTED HIS SON TO BE OF SUPERNATURAL ORIGIN, NOT JUST IN BETHLEHEM, BUT IN GERAR, 1900 YEARS BEFORE, WITH HIS GREAT GRANDPARENTS! HAGAR WOULD NEVER DO!
III. RESULTS OF THE WORLDVIEWS
Ishmael and Isaac are the RESULTS of the two perspectives. Isaac brought forth a nation/people who were the Redeemed/ Chosen/ Elect/ God's people. Ishmael brought forth the people who are like wild donkeys, who buy and sell Josephs, who...
A. THE WILLINGNESS TO ACCEPT ISHMAEL
1. At one time, Abraham was very willing to accept Ishmael as the fulfillment of the promises that God had made him for a son to be born from Sarah and his union. He was very willing to accept far less than God's best because his vision of what God could do was dim. His faith was not at a high-level.
2. He already had Ishmael; so his faith, weak though it was, could embrace that. You seem to be comfortable accepting the natural and foregoing the supernatural. It is always a stretch of our faith to step out and believe God. It is always easier to accept the natural. It is a sad fact that most of us have to be pressed before we will pursue a supernatural solution. We are all too comfortable accepting the natural, the normal, the understandable.
3. We choose the Ishmael solution to our finances/ our marriage problems/ our child rearing dilemmas/ our
husband’s salvation/ our job situation/ our unforgiveness/ our bitterness/ our jealousy/ our prejudice/ our health problems/ etc. and other issues, because we can’t seem to have faith enough for the Isaac solutions to them.
B. THE COMMAND: ALLOW ONLY ISAAC!
1. Don't settle for the Ishmael Christianity when you can have the Isaac Christianity! Isaac:
is supernatural
is under the new covenant
holds promise
has the rights of an heir, a vast inheritance
is the only one God accepts
was to be the ancestor of Christ.
God wanted the right one who was a type of what Christ would be.
2. Ishmael Christianity
….. is ritual without the Spirit.
….. doesn't change your life
….. is natural, ordinary -- not supernatural
….. is old wine in the old wineskins.
3. The command to us as believers is not to allow ourselves to walk in the ways of the world, but the ways of God; "Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac." Do we want to share in the inheritance? Then we must have a miraculous mother and a miraculous birth, and not be born or live in the “normal” way.
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTATION
1. School children were used for an experiment in education. The children in three groups were equally average students. Controllers of the study made a significant change, though. They placed the three groups with three different teachers and told each teacher the status of the students.
2. One teacher was told her group consisted of "exceptional" students. Another teacher was given average students and the third acquired slow children. All of the students were equal but classified differently. Throughout the school year each of the three teachers subconsciously treated their students just like they had been classified.
3. At the end of the year the students were tested, and the results were startling. Although they began the school year as equals, at the end of the year each group scored exactly as they had been classified and treated.
4. The exceptional students tested above average, the average scored in the middle and the slow students ended up with below-average grades.
5. In essence, each student lived up to the expectations and treatment of the teachers. Could it be that we, like the last teacher, expect less of ourselves and so get less? Could it also be that if we dared to believe in our true potential, we would also rise to achieve it?
* "Seeking, Finding, and Developing Leaders," Robert Logan, The Pastor's Update, March 1992
B. ALTAR CALL
1. Even though every believer has the Holy Spirit, it is possible to operate our lives apart from His control.
2. No one can go back and have a new beginning, but everyone can start now and have a new ending!
[This is a rewrite of Kirk Devine’s message of the same name.]
