1. The Creation Stage Gen. 1–11
2. The Patriarchal Stage Gen. 12–50; Job
3. The Exodus Stage Exod.—Deut.
4. The Conquest Stage Josh.
5. The Judges Stage Judg.—1 Sam. 1–7
6. The United Kingdom Stage 1 Sam. 8—1 Kings 11; 1 Chron.—2 Chron. 9; Pss.—Song of Sol.
7. The Chaotic Kingdom Stage 1 Kings 12—2 Kings; 2 Chron. 10–36; Isa.—Lam.; Hos.—Zeph.
8. The Babylonian Captivity Stage Dan.; Ezek.
9. The Return Stage Ezra—Esther; Hag.—Mal.
10. The Gospel Stage Matt.—John
11. The Early Church Stage Acts
12. The Epistles Stage Rom.—Rev.
Our Inheritance
GENESIS 26
As we begin this journey with the Patriarchs of our Faith it is important to remember that they are not our models of virtue and character. They are the men and women we look at and say God work through them, great I can be apart of this story.
The story is written from the perspective of how God breaks into the world and people lives to bring about blessing and redemption.
Isaac repeats his Fathers mistake while simultatiously benefiting from his Fathers Faith and blessing.
What we receive from our Parents is both Good and Bad, and I want us to wrestle with the reality of our own mixed inheritance.
Politically - interrelationships among people in a society
Dad (grocery story manager, Lions Club Pres.) My Senior year of High school turning cookies in the front of the school board and Superintendent (Student Body President).
ISAAC – Inherits his Fathers reputation (defeated 5 kings as a Nomad). He has wells which are more valuable than Gold mines. Isaac has a conflict with the King and he is not executed he is given assurance of his safety
No one is touch Isaac or Rebecca without incurring the death penalty.
What is your political inheritance from your family? With the mobility of our society this is often more fluid, but let me break it down a little more for us.
Erwin Mcmanus asked a highly educated UCLA graduate what he was planning to do with his life. Looking for clarification he asked, “you mean to pay the bills?” Erwin answered with no small amount of passion, “No, not to pay the Bills” He went on to explain to him that if his only goal was to pay his bills, he would be living a nauseating, self-indulgent life. Some people live the kind of life where survival is a daily struggle, others, at their best can barely pay the bills. However those who have be privileged with a healthy upbringing and great education have to embrace more responsibility than paying the bills.
“If it were within his reach to produce wealth, to create jobs for the unemployed, if he had been entrusted by God with the skills and capacity to improve the quality of life for hundreds, if not thousands, it would be sin for him to do anything else.
Crazy misnomer it is not virtuous to have little, but to be generous with everything we have.
Psychological
ISAAC – Inherited incredible Fearfulness and insecurity attitude from his Father. If you think it is bad that Isaac tried to pass his wife of as his sister, remember Abraham did this twice. In Egypt and with this Abemelch dynasty. I did some research and it is likely not that Abemilech lived 200 years through the life of Abraham and Isaac but it was a dynasty name like Ceasar.
So the question is What is your Family, Father, mother afraid of? Because they have passed it down to you, and you will pass it on to your children.
Our Magazine talk about a few common fears
1. Fear of failure
2. Fear of rejection
3. Fear of loneliness
4. Fear of abandonment (loss or separation)
5. Fear of being worthless
6. Fear of being helpless
7. Fear of pain
8. Fear of being controlled
We can recognize the negative fears that would control us and control our Children.
Tell yourself the truth: God loves me, I am his Child, I am a new person
Look at Reality: What we are successful at. Fear can thrive in spite of reality.
Behavioral
ISAAC – What are some behaviors he inherited from His Father? (occupation, Peace maker (Abraham and Lot) Isaac and Philistines (filling well was an act of war). Diplomat, Self – preserving, Ruler of people (servants) Listens to God (Egypt)
Inheritance of Father
• Workaholic
• Peace maker
• Responsible
• respect for Women my father promotion (shoot if that was my wife)
Spiritual
ISAAC – the carrier of a blessing and Promise
and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. 4 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed
Because of Abraham’s Faith he has been able to pass this blessing one to his son.
Blessed to be a blessing
This is the thesis of the Bible, this is the heart beat of all creation
Creation finds its fulfillment in giving
In some species, the mother dies when the young are ready to go off on their own, and the spiderlings eat her carcass
That sound gross but it is the brokenness in our world that causes us to hold back from other people all of who we are and what we have.
God plan in the Patriarchs is to bring blessing in order that it might be given. In Jesus we see the culmination of the thesis. Being the ultimate giver, giving up divinity, giving up control, giving up his life, in order to bless others.
Jesus was for Israel what the church is for the World. We are now the sons and daughters of God, who are to receive and give blessings to the world. To give ourselves away.
Now to the question Did your Family pass on this Spiritual heritage to you. That you are blessed to be a blessing, and what does it look like.
Does you family have great faith.
Are they gifted encouragers
Are they gifted teachers
Do they know how to serve
Are they hospital.
Do they love and care for the poor
