Sunday, June 27, 2010

Sunday, June 27, 2010: God's Scorecard

God’s Scorecard
Genesis 18: 16 – 33.


I. Introduction.

Do you have an image of what God is like? There’s a cute story about a little boy in Sunday School. He was intently drawing a picture. His teacher asked him, “What are you drawing?” He answered, “I am drawing a picture of God.” The teacher said, “But no one knows what God looks like.” Undaunted, the little boy replied, “Well, they are about to find out.”

The Sunday School teacher was right. No one really knows what God looks like. However, that has never stopped us from trying to capture God in images. A popular image for many of us is God as a grandfather figure. He looks old and wise, with long white hair and a long white beard.

Visual images are not the only ways we try to capture God. Some people have an idea that God is like a cosmic watch maker. God made everything in heaven and on earth. He put all the individual pieces together, wound things up, greased the intricate gear works, and set things in motion. God never has to intervene in his creation, because it was made perfectly. All God has to do as the cosmic watch maker is to sit back and enjoy his creation.

Other people imagine God as the grandfather in the sky. And just like our earthly grandfathers, he doesn’t have any real authority. He comes into and out of our lives frequently. He never disciplines us. But God as our grandfather in the sky is the perfect person to ask when we want a special gift or blessing that no one else wants to give us.

On the completely opposite extreme is the view of God as a cosmic cop—a police officer in the sky. God walks a beat, and everywhere he looks he sees criminals. Nothing escapes the gaze of God the cosmic cop. He knows everything you have ever done wrong. And, God the cosmic cop has no greater joy than to catch you in your crimes and to punish you in public and humiliating ways.

Another view of God, similar to the cosmic cop, is to think of God as a heavenly scorekeeper. God has a scorecard for every person who has ever lived. The scorecard has your name at the top of the page, and below your name are two columns. On the left hand side of the scorecard is a place for God to record everything you have ever done right—all the good and righteous and religious and pleasing things you have ever done. On the right hand side of the scorecard is a place for God to record all the bad things you have done—all the evil and sinful and hurtful and disappointing things you have ever done.

None of these images really fit the image of God we encounter in the Bible. The Bible teaches us that God is highly involved in his creation. He is not like a detached watch maker, who has set things in motion. God is not a weak grandfather, whose only purpose is to give gifts to his grandchildren. God is not a police officer, who takes delight in catching you and punishing you. God is not even a scorekeeper. Even if God did keep score of all your good and bad deeds…And even if your good deeds outweigh your bad deeds…You still cannot earn your way to forgiveness of sin, relationship with God and eternal life.

God knew you could not earn your salvation, so God intervened. He sent his only Son to live, to die and to rise again. Placing your faith in Jesus Christ is the only way to be saved. Salvation is a free gift from a God who loves you and provided a way for you to be saved.

We see an example of this in the story of Abraham in Genesis 18…


Read Genesis 18: 16 – 33.


Three men came to visit Abraham. The author of Genesis tells us earlier in chapter 18 that one of these three men is the LORD himself. The other two men are more than likely angels.

The reason I think these three visitors are the LORD and two angels is because of what happens in our story today and the story which follows in Genesis 19. The LORD stayed with Abraham. The other two men traveled to Sodom and Gomorrah. When these two men arrived in Sodom and Gomorrah, they discovered a wicked city. Genesis 19 chronicles the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah and the results of that wickedness. The men rescued Abraham’s nephew Lot and his family from the wicked city. Then they brought complete destruction…Judgment for sin.

On one hand, these two chapters of Genesis demonstrate for us the consequences of sin. The sin of Sodom is described in several places throughout the rest of the Bible.


Ezekiel 16: 49 – 50, "'Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.”


Jude 7, “In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.”


Most of us associate the sin of homosexuality with Sodom and Gomorrah. Jude tells us that is true. But, Ezekiel tells us there were other sins as well…arrogance, overfed, lack of concern for the poor. In both cases, I think we can draw a close parallel between twenty-first century American culture and the culture of Sodom and Gomorrah.

We live in a culture that is engaged in the same kinds of arrogance, over-indulgence, lack of concern and sexual immorality. Sodom and Gomorrah faced the judgment of God for their sins. Perhaps we should be concerned about facing a similar judgment.

On the other hand, Genesis 18 shows us another side of God’s character. Abraham and God had a long conversation about the impending destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. It was a prayer. But it reads like a negotiation.

Abraham begs God not to destroy the entire city if there are 50 righteous people living there. God agrees. Abraham asks about 45 righteous people. God agrees. Abraham continues negotiating…50, 45, 40, 30, 20 and 10. Remarkably, God agrees to save Sodom and Gomorrah if only 10 righteous people can be found.

Of course, when the angels visit Sodom and Gomorrah, they cannot find 10 righteous people. They can only find four—and one of those four, Lot’s wife, is questionable. So, God did the next best thing. Since he could not find 10 righteous people to save the city, God saved the four he could find.

Abraham’s prayer and God’s actions show us that God is more interested in saving people than he is in bringing judgment.

God is not a cosmic cop. God is not a heavenly scorekeeper. God honestly and earnestly wants to save people. That is why God was willing to save the entire city of Sodom and Gomorrah for the sake of 10 righteous people. That is why God rescued Lot and his family. That is why God sent his Son Jesus. God doesn’t want to catch you in sin and punish you for your sins. God wants to provide a way for you to be saved.

We need more people in our churches and community who reflect this character of God. We have too many judgmental Christians, who are searching for sins in other people. We have too many Christian cops, who are determined to catch others in their faults and to punish them in the most public and humiliating ways.

Abraham is an example of how God wants us to live…


II. Righteousness.


Genesis 18: 19, “For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him."

God did not tell Abraham he could live any way he wanted to live. There are expectations for God’s children.

Eventually, the Bible tells us that God gave his people the Law. The Law made ethical and religious demands on God’s people. The purpose for this Law was never that people could earn God’s favor or salvation by living a certain lifestyle. The purpose of the Law was to define God’s people by their ethical behavior.

This is what it means to be righteous. Christians are not perfect people. We are sinners like everyone else. But, we live a life that is different from the rest of the world. We live differently, because God has saved us and changed us. God doesn’t save us because we are different from the world.


III. Justice.

God demands both righteousness and justice from his people. There is a fine line between righteousness and justice…But, there is a line…There is a difference.

The best way I know to describe this difference is to say righteousness describes the way we live before God, while justice describes the way we live before other people.

The Old Testament is filled with commands for God’s people to take care of the poor. Sometimes it simply tells us to take care of the poor. In other places, it defines clearly who the poor are. God commanded Israel to take care of widows, orphans and foreigners living in their country.

Widows are women without anyone to provide for their needs. Orphans are children without a father to take care of them. Foreigners are the outsiders, who were often overlooked and forgotten by society in the Ancient Near Eastern World.

God’s people are to live righteously before God and show care and concern for the outsiders…Those who are forgotten by others.


IV. Compassion.

Abraham’s dialog with God demonstrates that Abraham did not think only of himself. He was concerned for other people…Specifically, Abraham had compassion for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah.

It would have been easy and even acceptable for Abraham to think only of himself. After all, God had chosen Abraham to be in an exclusive relationship with God as his Father. Abraham had a covenant with God. Abraham was a saved person. Yet, Abraham cared about the wicked people, who lived outside of God’s covenant promises.

This was God’s intention when he originally called Abraham. Remember God’s call to Abraham in Genesis 12: 1 – 3, “The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

Abraham is now putting God’s call into practice. He is allowing God to use him to be a blessing to Lot and all the people who live in the wicked city of Sodom and Gomorrah.



V. Conclusion: Intercession.

Abraham demonstrated his righteousness, justice and compassion by praying for the wicked people who lived outside of the covenant with God.

I remember hearing Paul Powell say that most of us spend our prayer time “keeping sick saints out of heaven instead of keeping lost souls out of hell.”

When was the last time you prayed for the wicked?

When was the last time you gossiped about the sins of other Christians?

Which of these better describes what God did with Sodom and Gomorrah?

Which of these better reflects the righteousness, justice and compassion God desires for his people?

God is more interested in saving people than destroying sinners. Abraham set an example for us to reflect God’s character.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Sunday, June 20, 2010: Father Abraham

Father Abraham
Genesis 18: 1 – 15.


I. Introduction.

Today is Fathers’ Day. The day we set aside to thank God for our fathers. I have to admit, I like having a day for fathers. After all, I am a father…And I like the idea that my three children will be required to acknowledge me at least one day a year for the rest of their lives.

Of course we all know that Mothers’ Day is a bigger deal than Fathers’ Day. It can be unsettling for us fathers to feel that Mothers’ Day has pushed our special day to the side. But, don’t worry fathers. I am here to help.

Mothers get one very special day every year. Fathers get one kind of special day every year.

But did you know that February 14 – 20 of this year was National Pancake Week? It is observed every year to coincide with Mardi Gras and Ash Wednesday (http://www.answers.com/topic/national-pancake-week)...

The first week of August is recognized as National Clown Week (www.nationalclownweek.org)...

May 21 – 31 of this year was International Pickle Week…Pickles must be very important since International Pickle Week lasts a full ten days (www.pickleweek.com)...

However, pickles are not as important as peanuts. The entire month of March is National Peanut Month (www.peanutbutterlovers.com)...


Now don’t you feel better? Mothers may outrank fathers, but even mothers are outranked by peanuts, pancakes, pickles and clowns…

Just a few weeks ago, I stood up to preach a Mothers’ Day sermon and apologized to you. I am not a mother, so I don’t think I am the right person to preach a Mothers’ Day sermon. Today is Fathers’ Day, so you would think I have a lot to say. Again, I am a father. I have three children—a five year old, a twelve year old and an almost fifteen year old. Surely I am the right person to preach a Fathers’ Day sermon.

Not so fast, my friend…If there is anything I have learned about being a father it is this: the older my children get, the less I know about being a father. I am not going to hold myself up as an example. I prefer to find an example from the Bible.

There is one man in the Bible we naturally associate with being a father. It is Abraham, whose name actually means “father of nations.”

An amazing fact about Father Abraham is the way his life really wasn’t a good example of a perfect father. Abraham doubted God and devised a contingency plan to name his slave Eliezer as his heir. Abraham doubted God and laughed when God told him he would have a son in his old age. Abraham doubted God and went along with his wife’s contingency plan to have a child with Sarah’s maid.

I find this amazing for two reasons. First, if the Bible had told us only one story from Abraham’s life we would not hold up Abraham as our hero. His life was filled with bad choices and laughing in the face of God’s promises. Second, the entire Abraham story is a story about faithfulness. The individual stories about Abraham are stories of faithlessness. But the entire story of Abraham is a story of faithfulness.

There is only one thing that can change our faithlessness into faithfulness. It is the grace of God. Abraham’s story is more about God and his grace than it is about Abraham and his faithfulness.
Perhaps we all need to hear that message today. But, I think it is especially appropriate for the fathers in our church. You might not feel like the perfect father, the perfect mother or even the perfect Christian. But, if you are a Christian, then God is at work in your life. God, in his grace, is using your imperfections to write a story that is bigger than you are. It is God’s own story…The story of God’s grace. You may feel more like a sinner than a saint. You may think you are faithless instead of faithful. But the entire story demonstrates how God worked in your life and used you. We just cannot see it right now…Because the story of God’s grace has not ended.


Read Genesis 18: 1 – 15.


The story begins by sharing some inside information with the readers. The first words of verse one are the words “The LORD appeared to Abraham.” You and I know a secret that Abraham does not know. We know this is an encounter with the LORD himself. Abraham thinks it is an encounter with three strangers.

However, this secret does not prevent Abraham from doing the right thing. Ancient Near Eastern culture placed a high priority on hospitality to strangers. Treating strangers with respect was simply the right thing to do. So, Abraham did three things for his guests. He brought them water to drink. He brought them water to wash their feet. He prepared a feast fit for a king. He did all of this before he ever knew this was an encounter with God.

It is interesting to me to notice where this encounter took place. Verse one tells us, “The LORD appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre.” If you go back through the story of Abraham, you will see that Mamre was an important place. This was the place where Abraham worshipped the LORD.

Most of us would love to have an encounter with God like this. In Abraham’s encounter with God, God reiterated his promises. God gave Abraham a timeline. God even guaranteed his own power and ability to bring about his promises to Abraham. Would you like to receive the same kind of guidance from God? Would you like to have God’s assurance for your faith?

Perhaps there is a lesson for us about the place where we worship the Lord. Abraham encountered God and received assurance of faith in the place where he worshipped God. He wasn’t out fishing on the lake. He wasn’t playing golf on a Sunday. He wasn’t at a softball tournament. Abraham was in a place of worship when God appeared to him.


II. Why Did Sarah Laugh?

I think Abraham’s first clue that he was talking to God came in verse 9. One of the three strangers asked Abraham, “Where is your wife Sarah?” This is very subtle, but it is important. How did the stranger know the name of Abraham’s wife? Not only did he know her name, but he knew her new name. In Genesis 17, God changed her name from Sarai to Sarah. The stranger is obviously God, because he knew her new name.

The next verse is not so subtle. The stranger actually tells Abraham that he is God with the words, “I will return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.” Only God has the power to grant a child. Only God has the ability to look into the future and predict when Abraham and Sarah will have that child.

Sarah overheard this prediction and did the reasonable thing. She laughed. But, I want you to notice how Sarah laughed. Verse 12 tells us that she did not laugh out loud. She laughed to herself. Abraham did not hear her laugh. But God heard her laugh. God knows what goes on in the privacy of our hearts. Nothing escapes God’s attention.

There are several reasons why people laugh. The most common is the discovery of something unexpected. This is what makes a joke funny. We laugh when the end of the story is not what we expected it to be. We also laugh when other people’s misfortune makes us feel superior. It’s a way we express, “Wow. I’m glad that didn’t happen to me.” We even laugh to express our overwhelming sense of joy or happiness in the moment. But there is also the laughter of disbelief. We laugh when someone tells us something so absurd that we know it is impossible.
This is why Sarah laughed about having a baby. This was not the laughter of joy or of anticipating an unexpected ending. Sarah laughed because this was absurd. There was no human way for her to have a baby. It was impossible, and she knew it.

Verse 11 tells us that Sarah had three strikes against her. She was old. She was well advanced in years. She was past the age of childbearing. Sarah had every right to laugh at this prediction, because it was impossible.

Faith is believing God can do the impossible. Think about the birth of Jesus and why we celebrate Christmas. A young, unmarried virgin named Mary was visited by an angel. The angel told Mary she was pregnant with the Son of God. This is not possible. It is impossible…But it was God’s plan.

Or consider the first twelve men Jesus called to be his disciples. They were uneducated fishermen and unscrupulous tax collectors. Yet, Jesus pulled these twelve men to the side and taught them about the Kingdom of God. The Pharisees and the Jewish religious leaders could not believe Jesus would choose such uneducated and non-religious men. Again, in their minds it was impossible…But this was God’s plan.

Or think about the crucifixion of Jesus. When the Jews listened to Jesus’ teachings about the Kingdom of God, it sounded like Jesus was making claims to be equal to God. Of course, that is exactly what Jesus claimed to be. He was the virgin-born Son of God. So, the Jews handed Jesus over to the Romans to be crucified by professional executioners. The men who crucified Jesus were experts. This was their job. There was no one in the world better at guaranteeing the death of a prisoner. Jesus died on the cross NOT to make resurrection possible. Jesus died so that resurrection would be impossible…Because this was God’s plan.

After the resurrection of Jesus, the same group of uneducated and non-religious men began preaching the Gospel to all nations. Then, the impossible happened. Men, women, slaves, free, Jews and Gentiles trusted in Jesus as Lord. The church was born and exploded in growth. A multi-racial, intergenerational movement began. God once again did the impossible by tearing down the walls that divide humans from one another.

Of course, this is not the end of the story. Jesus—the virgin-born Son of God, who died and rose again—promised that he will come back to take us to be with him in heaven. Jesus makes the same promise to you today that he made to his original twelve disciples. If you will just receive God’s free gift of salvation, you can be forgiven of your sins, reunited with God, live an abundant life on earth, find meaningful relationships with other people in a multi-racial, intergenerational church, and have eternal life in heaven. Nothing we believe as Christians is possible. Everything we believe as Christians is impossible.

Christian faith goes against everything that is reasonable and acceptable. Faith is the opposite of common sense and worldly values. Faith is not normal. It is believing that God powerful and able to do the impossible.


III. Is Anything too Hard for the LORD?

Notice God’s question to Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 18: 14, “Is anything too hard for the LORD?”

This is not a rhetorical question. This is a question that demands an answer. Abraham and Sarah must answer this question. … But…They do not answer. The question is left hanging.
There are several places in the Bible where we find unanswered questions. And in every unanswered question, I think the question is left unanswered so we can supply the answer. How will you answer the question?

If you say “Yes. There are things that are too hard for God.” Then, your god is not the God of the Bible. Perhaps your god is your family: your husband, your wife, your parents, your children. And, yes there are some things in life that are too hard for your family to accomplish. Perhaps your god is your money, or at least your ability to make money. And, yes there are many things in life that are too hard and money cannot buy. Perhaps your god is your self. If you don’t know this already, there are many things you cannot do for yourself.

Another way to think of this is to use the phrase “practical atheist.” Many Christians are practical atheists. You profess that you believe in God…You profess that Jesus is the Son of God who died and rose again…You profess that Jesus is the Lord of your life…But you live as if there are some things God cannot do. There are habits God cannot break. There are temptations God cannot overcome. There is pain God cannot heal. There are relationships God cannot reconcile. There are troubles from which God cannot deliver.

That is not my God. That is not the God who created the universe. That is not the God who gave a son to 100 year old Abraham and 90 year old Sarah. That is not the God who raised Jesus from the dead and is coming back to take all believers to heaven.

The right answer is “No. There nothing too hard for God.” My God is the God who does the impossible.


IV. Conclusion.

What are you withholding from God? Is there something in your life that seems impossible?

This is what the Gospel is all about. God can do in your life and in your family what you cannot do for yourself.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Sunday, June 13, 2010: Life Changing - Life Giving

Life Changing / Life Giving
Genesis 17: 1 – 22.


I. Introduction.

The U.S. Social Security Administration keeps records of the most popular baby names each year. That makes sense to me, because they ought to know how many people are applying for Social Security Numbers, and they ought to know the names of those new babies.

In May, the Social Security Administration announced the top 1,000 names for the year 2009. The number one name for boys in 2009 was Jacob. The number one name for girls was Isabella.[1] (The SSA.gov website can be searched by states as well. In 2009, the most popular name for girls in Texas was Isabella. The most popular name for boys was Jose. Jose has been the most popular name for boys in Texas since 1996!)[2]

There are several things about this that are interesting to me. First, the top ten baby names in 2009 are completely different from the top ten names of 50 years ago. In 1960, the most popular names were David and Mary. In 2009, David and Mary were not even in the top ten. Second, I find it interesting that Jacob and Isabella are two of the three main characters in the Twilight book series. Interesting… (By the way, Edward is number 137 on the SSA list of popular names.)

According to a CNN.com news article, parents are trying to give their children unique names today in hopes that their children will stand out from the crowd. Parents are hoping to develop individuality by selecting new and different names. We can see this by comparing the number of girls named Mary in 1960 and the number of girls named Isabella in 2009. Even though Isabella was the most popular name in 2009, there were twice as many girls named Mary in 1960.[3]

So, what do you think? Do you think naming a child is the key to developing individuality?

I suppose there are two views on this. We will call the first view the “Juliet view.” Do you remember Juliet’s famous words from Shakespeare’s play “Romeo and Juliet?” She said, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet…” Juliet wishes her Romeo had been born to another family, because his name was her enemy. Oh if he just had a different name, they could be together. His name was the problem, and his name had nothing to do with his character. A rose by any other name would still be a sweet-smelling flower.

On the other hand, we have the biblical view of names. In the Bible, a person’s name was an important part of who they are. A person’s name reveals their character and their destiny. This is the reason why we have several biblical examples of characters who underwent a name change. When God changed their character, God changed their name. When God changed their destiny, God changed their name.

In Genesis 17, we read the story of Abram and Sarai on the day God changed their character, changed their destiny and changed their names…

Read Genesis 17: 1 – 22.

This is the second time God has made a covenant with Abraham. The first was the strange story of Genesis 15. In that story, God promised to be Abram’s “shield” and “great reward.” He promised that Abram would have a son from his own body to serve as his future security and his everlasting heir. God instructed Abram to select five animals and cut them into halves. Abram arranged the halves and stayed awake all night to keep the birds from carrying off the dead carcasses. At dawn, a smoking firepot—symbolizing the presence of God himself—walked in between the animal halves.

More than likely this is an ancient practice of making a covenant between two parties. The person who walks in between the animal halves is making a statement, “If I do not keep my promise to you, then you can treat me like these animals.” Or, “If I do not keep my promise to you, may God do to me what you did to these animals.”

The covenant in Genesis 17 is different. It seems more straightforward. There are no visions, and it lacks symbolism. God speaks, and Abraham listens. God gives Abraham instructions, Abraham obeys God. In fact, Genesis 15 is all about God and his responsibility to keep his promises. Genesis 17 introduces the idea that Abraham and his descendants must practice circumcision as a sign that they are God’s covenant people.

There are so many differences between Genesis 15 and Genesis 17, that some people are tempted to interpret this as a second covenant. Some people think God made a covenant with Abram in Genesis 15 and then replaced that covenant with a new covenant with Abraham in Genesis 17.

I see it differently. I see this as an example of the way God reveals himself to us. God knew how much Abraham could handle. God knew how difficult it would have been for Abraham to understand everything about faith when he first called Abraham in Genesis 12. Therefore, each time God spoke to Abraham, Abraham understood more and more of God and God’s will.

I take this as a sign that God wants us to grow in our faith. God loves you just the way you are. But God loves you too much to leave you the way you are. God will change you…Just like God changed Abraham.


II. Changed Character.

We know that God changed Abraham, because God changed his name from Abram to Abraham. This is not the only time this happened in the Bible. We encounter stories about name changes in both the Old Testament as well as the New Testament.

Later in the book of Genesis, we meet one of Abraham’s grandsons named Jacob. The name Jacob literally means “one who grasps at the heel.” Figuratively it means, “the one who trips” or “the deceiver.” And Jacob lived up to his name. He was the second of twins and was born holding onto the heel of his brother Esau. He later deceived his brother and stole both his birthright and his father’s blessing. Eventually, Jacob had an encounter with God in which he stayed up all night long wrestling with God. At the end of the night, God changed his name to Israel, “one who wrestles with God.”

In the New Testament, Jesus had a disciple named Simon. It is possible this name is derived from the Hebrew name Shimon, which means “listen” or “hear.” But, I prefer to think of this as a Greek name. In Greek, the name Simon means “flat nose.” I think that is an appropriate name for Simon. Either he was born with a flat nose, or he ran his mouth so much that someone gave him a flat nose. However, the Gospel of Matthew tells us that Simon made his profession of faith that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. When Simon acknowledged who Jesus is, Jesus changed his name to Peter, which means “the rock.” And Jesus said, “On this rock, I will build my church.”

Also in the New Testament, we read about a Pharisee named Saul. In the Old Testament, the name Saul is associated with the first King of Israel. Saul was the king the people asked for, and that is what Saul means—“asked for.” In the New Testament, Saul was the number one persecutor of Christians…Until he finally met Jesus. When Saul met Jesus, Saul’s life was changed. Jesus gave him the name Paul. On one hand, Paul could simply be the Greek form of the Hebrew name Saul. And that would make a lot of sense, because Paul’s ministry became the work of evangelism and church planting among the Greek people. On the other hand, Paul could be a shortened form of the Latin name Paulus, which means “little one.” Saul thought he was important before he met Jesus. But when Jesus changed his life, he knew he was the “least of God’s people.”

In Genesis 17, we read about how God changed BOTH Abram and Sarai’s names. Abram became Abraham. Sarai became Sarah. Abraham means “father of nations.” Sarah means “princess.” Both Abraham and Sarah became the ancestors of the greatest kings of God’s people: King Saul, King David, King Solomon, and eventually, King Jesus. When God changed their status, God also changed their names. Abraham and Sarah were no longer the childless couple in their sunset years. Now, they will be the father and mother of God’s people.

Notice how this change of character came about. It begins in verse one when God reveals HIS NAME to Abraham. Keep in mind that the biblical understanding of name is that a person’s name is that person’s character. God reveals his character as El Shaddai, God Almighty.

Ancient people thought that humans could not know the names of the gods. They thought the only way to know the name of a god was to trick the god into revealing it to them. That is not the way Abraham’s God is. God tells us who he is. God reveals himself to us. God WANTS us to know him. This is why God sent his Son, Jesus to live a human life. God has shown us who he is. God is almighty, and God loves us so much that he has provided a way for us to know him and to be one of his children.

The story of Abraham shows us that we will never know who we are until we first know who God is. And, once we know who God is…God changes our character.


III. Changed Actions.

We need to be very careful here, because faith is not the same thing as understanding. Yes, God has revealed himself to us perfectly through the life, death and resurrection of his Son, Jesus. Yes, it is possible to know God and to understand that he loves us and provides the only way for us to receive forgiveness of sins and eternal salvation. But, faith is not something that takes place in the mind.

Biblical faith might begin in the mind, but it is always expressed through our actions. Belief in God is proven by the things we do.

This is why God makes demands of Abraham. In Genesis 12, God called Abraham to be in relationship with himself. God would be his God, and Abraham would be God’s man. But, Abraham had to demonstrate his faith by beginning a 400 mile journey to a new land. In Genesis 17, God changed Abraham life and made him the father of many nations. But, Abraham had to demonstrate his new life by adopting the practice of circumcision.

Genesis 17: 11 tells us that circumcision is simply the sign of what God already done in Abraham’s life. Circumcision was not the covenant itself. It is the SIGN of the covenant. Compare this to what we read in Genesis 15: 6, “Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.”

Circumcision was not what made Abraham righteous. God made Abraham righteous. Righteousness was a gift from God to Abraham. It was not the result of anything Abraham had done.

The same thing is true for you and me. Righteousness—or salvation—is a gift from God to anyone who will receive it. We cannot earn God’s forgiveness. We cannot earn a right relationship with God. We simply receive it.

However, once we receive God’s gift of salvation, God changes the way we live our lives.
God expects from us the same he expects from Abraham. No, I do not mean circumcision…Genesis 17: 1 says, “When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless.”

God wants us to live with him and to live a “blameless” life. This is what it means to grow as a Christian. Everyone who believes is “credited as righteous.” Then, God begins to work in our lives, convicting us of sin and convincing us of the kind of life we ought to live. It doesn’t happen overnight. And, no one will ever become completely “blameless” until the day we are reunited with God in heaven. But, every Christian goes through a process of growing and becoming more like God.


IV. Changed Community.

Notice that God’s promises were not just for Abraham. God promised to change Abraham’s character and to change Abraham’s actions. Then, God promised to form a community of changed people—Abraham’s descendants.

In several places God used both the singular and plural when addressing Abraham. Genesis 17: 9 says, “Then God said to Abraham, "As for you, you must keep my covenant, you (singular) and your descendants (plural) after you for the generations to come.”

The Christian life involves BOTH an individual side and a corporate side. God has not called us to be rugged individuals. God has called us to be changed individuals, living out our faith in a changed community. This is the church. This has been God’s plan from the very beginning.

God did not call Abraham to be a lone herdsman, wandering around the foreign land of Canaan. God called Abraham to be the first individual in a community of changed men and women. Men and women who have been changed by God, and as a result change the world.


V. Conclusion.

God changed my life when I was nine years old. I was in Vacation Bible School at West Jackson Street Baptist Church in Tupelo, Mississippi. That is when I received God’s gift of salvation. But that was not the end of my spiritual life.

No, I did not stop growing physically when I was nine years old. I did not stop growing mentally and emotionally when I was nine years old. And, I did not stop growing spiritually when I was nine years old.

Imagine what the world would look like if everyone stopped growing physically, mentally and emotionally at nine years old. Now, imagine what the church would look like if all Christians stopped growing spiritually at nine years old.

That is not God’s plan. God’s plan is to change the world with individuals who are growing spiritually to become “blameless” and more like Jesus. God’s plan is to change the world with a church that is becoming “blameless” and more like Jesus.



[1] http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/
[2] http://www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/namesbystate.cgi
[3] http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/05/26/naming.names.importance/index.html?hpt=C2

Sunday, June 06, 2010

Sunday, June 6, 2010: Giving God a Hand

Giving God a Hand
Genesis 16: 1 – 16.


I. Introduction.

In 1995, a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania man named McArthur Wheeler was arrested for bank robbery. He walked into two banks in broad daylight and robbed them at gunpoint. He thought he got away with the cash, but he was arrested later in the same day. The police sat him down and showed him the surveillance tapes. It was clearly his face on the tapes.

Wheeler couldn’t believe they had his face on tape. He was wearing a disguise. The problem was that his disguise didn’t work. He didn’t wear a traditional ski mask or a mask of a dead president or even heavy makeup. Instead, Wheeler had covered his entire face with lemon juice. He thought that lemon juice would make him invisible to the security cameras.

I think McArthur Wheeler’s story could fall into at least two categories. He might be an example of a “dumb criminal.” Or, he could be an example of a person who had an idea that seemed like a good idea…But it didn’t turn out so well.

“It seemed like a good idea at the time,” is not a good excuse. But it does explain a lot of the things we do.

A woman in my first church told me that he son once asked her to make him a sandwich. She asked him what kind of sandwich. He answered, “Ham and mustard with peanut butter and jelly.” She asked him why. He said, “My two favorite sandwiches are ham and mustard and peanut butter and jelly. I want to put my two favorite sandwiches together.” (I don’t remember the rest of the story, but it was probably one of those “it seemed like a good idea at the time.”)

Do all of your good ideas work out exactly as you thought they would? Probably not. Most of the pain and disappointment in our lives can be traced back to ideas that seemed like good ideas at the time.

In my personal experience, this is usually the difference between doing things God’s way versus doing things my way. Or, allowing God to work in my life versus trying to give God a helping hand.


Read Genesis 16: 1 – 16.


Genesis 16: 1 rewinds the Abram story back to where we were last Sunday. In Genesis 15: 2, Abram complained to God about not having any children and started working on a contingency plan. Abram’s contingency plan was to name his servant Eliezer as his rightful heir. But, this was not God’s plan. God said that Abram would have a son “from his own body” to serve as heir to his estate.

This was a terrible situation for a man in the ancient world. There was no such thing as Social Security or a 401 (k) retirement plan. Children were the only retirement plan available. If Abram had no children, then he had no one to take care of him in his old age, and he was already 86 years old. This situation is even worse when we take into consideration that God promised Abram descendants that would be as numerous as the sands of the earth and stars in the sky.

Ten years. That’s how long it has been since God first made his promise to Abram. That’s also the accepted amount of time for a man to wait on his wife to provide him with children. In fact, it was acceptable grounds for divorce. If a woman could not have children in ten years, the husband was free to divorce her or to take a second wife.

Now, it was Sarai’s turn to complain to God and work on a contingency plan. Sarai’s plan was different from Abram’s. It was different, because it took seriously God’s word that Abram’s heir would be a son from Abram’s own body. It was also different because they acted on Sarai’s plan.

Abram’s wife Sarai had a slave named Hagar. We don’t know much about Hagar, except that she was Sarai’s slave and that she was from Egypt. It is very probable that Hagar was one of the slaves Abram and Sarai had acquired from Pharaoh when they went to Egypt to escape the famine in Canaan.

Abram’s sojourn to Egypt was a tragic story about doubting God’s promises. God told Abram that he would bless him with numerous descendants and that God would use Abram’s descendants to serve as a blessing to all the peoples of the earth. God had a plan for Abram and his family. All Abram had to do was trust God and follow God’s plan for his life. But, Abram took matters into his own hands.

When famine struck the land of Canaan, Abram took his wife Sarai to Egypt for safety. Sarai was a beautiful woman, and Abram feared for his own safety. If the Pharaoh wanted to take Sarai as his wife, he would abduct her and kill her husband. But, if Pharaoh thought Abram was Sarai’s brother, then Abram would be richly rewarded as Pharaoh would pay Abram to take Sarai as his wife. So, that is exactly what they did.

The Pharaoh of Egypt paid a large sum to take Sarai as his wife. Genesis 12: 16 tells us that Pharaoh gave Abram “sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, menservants and maidservants and camels.” More than likely, Hagar was one of those female servants Abram received from Pharaoh. Her presence was a constant reminder of the time Abram and Sarai had doubted God’s promises. And, now she plays a prominent role in another occasion for doubt.


II. Helping God Is a Compromise with the World.

From a purely human standpoint, Sarai’s plan offered an acceptable solution. In the Ancient Near Eastern world, there was a precedent for a man taking a second wife to provide him with an heir. But we need to remember that worldly solutions are not always what God wants for his people.

Notice how Hagar’s status changed twice in Genesis 16: 3 – 6, “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. He slept with Hagar, and she conceived.
When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. 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."
"Your servant is in your hands," Abram said. "Do with her whatever you think best." Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.”


In the beginning of verse 3, Sarai was Abram’s WIFE and Hagar was Sarai’s MAIDSERVANT. At the end of verse 3, Hagar was Abram’s WIFE. Her status had changed. She had been elevated from slave to wife. She had been elevated from Sarai’s inferior to become Sarai’s equal. This is what caused the problem with Sarai.

It seemed like a good idea at the time. But, now that Sarai had an equal in the family structure, she also had a rival. So, for the second time, Sarai voiced a complaint. Her first complaint was against God. Her second complaint was against Abram. Sarai never took responsibility for her action. It was her idea—not Abram’s idea—to seek alternative means for having a son.

Abram is not innocent in this scenario. He committed adultery by taking a second wife.

In verse 6, Abram changes Hagar’s status a second time in order to keep the peace in the family. Sarai gave Hagar to Abram to become his WIFE. Abram gave Hagar back to Sarai to become her SERVANT again. It was the right thing to do, but the damage to Abram and Sarai’s relationship was already done.

This is one of several Old Testament examples of men who took a second wife. Sometimes we read biblical stories like this and wonder if taking multiple wives was an acceptable practice in the Old Testament. Well, it wasn’t an acceptable practice. It was acceptable to the world, but it was not acceptable to God.

There are no positive examples in the Bible of a man having more than one wife. Solomon—the son of David and the last king of united Israel—had hundreds of wives. But, these wives led Solomon and the people of Israel into idolatry. Jacob’s father-in-law tricked him into marrying the wrong sister. As a result, Jacob’s life was filled with strife and rivalry among his twelve sons.

Abram and Sarai had received a promise from God. God would give them a son. They would have numerous descendants. They would become a great nation. God would use them to bless “all peoples of the earth.” But, ten years seemed too long to wait. When they tired of waiting, they decided to give God a helping hand.

Again, from a human point of view, Abram and Sarai didn’t do anything wrong. They had a son by a surrogate mother. It was acceptable. It was legal. Everyone understood…Everyone, that is, except God.

Sometimes we make the same mistake. Instead of waiting for God to fulfill his promises to us, we compromise with the world and try to give God a helping hand.

We try to help God find us a husband or wife by compromising God’s standards of sexual purity.

We try to help God get us through school by cheating on tests.

We try to help God bring justice in the world by attacking other people.

We try to help God by becoming judgmental Christians, who insist on pointing out the flaws and mistakes in other people.

We try to help God bless us by gambling, playing the lottery or adopting questionable / illegal business practices.

We try to help God grow the church by compromising the message of the Gospel.

We try to help God grow the church by adopting worldly gimmicks to attract people to the love of God, which needs no gimmick.

We try to help God grow the church by insisting on doing things our way instead of praying for God to bring revival.

Ultimately, Jesus has a word for us in the Model Prayer in Matthew 6: 9 – 10, “Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name, (let) your Kingdom come, (let) your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”

The Kingdom of God and the will of God are two things you and I have no control over. We cannot bring the Kingdom of God to earth, and we cannot manipulate God’s will. All we can do is pray that God will do the work of establishing his Kingdom on earth and that God will accomplish his will on earth. On one hand, that makes us feel very helpless. On the other hand, it should make us feel liberated! God takes full responsibility for bringing about his Kingdom and his will. If God made the promise, only God can fulfill the promise!


III. Helping God Is Like Playing God.


In Genesis 16, Sarai reminds me of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3. Remember what Eve did when God confronted her with her sin? God asked, “Why did you eat from the forbidden fruit?” Eve answered, “The serpent tricked me.” God asked Adam, “Why did you eat from the forbidden fruit?” Adam answered, “The woman YOU made for me gave it to me.” They didn’t think it was their fault. At least, they tried to blame it on someone else. Eve blamed the serpent. Adam blamed God.

In verse 2, Sarai introduced the idea of using Hagar to bear a son to Abram. In verse 5, Sarai blamed Abram for the conflict and rivalry.

But there is another parallel in verse 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.”

Sarai did with Hagar the same thing Eve did with the forbidden fruit. First, she TOOK Hagar. Then, she GAVE Hagar to her husband.

Remember Abram is not innocent in this story. He committed adultery and almost split his family. And, I am not in any way trying to say Adam was innocent. Adam knew firsthand that God had forbidden the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. He was tempted, but he ate the fruit of his own free will.

More than likely, the author of Genesis wants us to remember the story of Eve in Genesis 3. He doesn’t want us to blame the women more than the men. He wants us to notice how this is exactly like what happened to Adam and Eve. It was a sin!

The serpent’s words to Eve show us what sin really is: “you will be like God.” This is the reason we sin and the result of our sins…We don’t want to be LIKE God… We want to BE God.

Faith is never easy. It wasn’t easy for Eve in the Garden of Eden. It wasn’t easy for Abram and Sarai. And, no one has ever promised it would be easy for you and me. The hardest part of faith is waiting on God.

Faith is believing the unseen promises of God more than the circumstances we can see.

Faith is being persistent when persistence runs counter to our common sense.

Faith is allowing God to work his will and establish his Kingdom when we are tempted to give God a helping hand.


This is the biggest mistake we make as Christians. We tell God what we are planning to do and ask him to bless our plans. “These are my plans, God, please bless them.” “This is my choice, God, please bless it.” It is better to ask God what to do than to tell God what you’re going to do.



IV. Conclusion: Can I Mess Up God’s Plan for My Life?


Abram and Sarai did everything in their power to “mess up” God’s plans for their lives. In just a few weeks, we will learn that Ishmael was not the son God promised them. We will also see that God’s promises are fulfilled and God’s plan for their lives comes to pass. But, in the meantime, we are left to wonder…Can I mess up God’s plan for my life? Is it possible to make a choice that takes me outside of God’s will?

In the story of Abram, Sarai and Hagar, we see God’s plan in jeopardy. The only way God’s plan gets back on track is when God sent an angel to intervene. This is the good news today. Yes, you and I can mess up God’s plan. Yes, we can make choices that take us outside of his will. But, God will never let us go. God continuously intervenes in the circumstances of our lives to save us from our ideas that seemed like good ideas at the time.