Sermon – “He Should Have Trusted God”

And Abraham journeyed from there to the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur, and stayed in Gerar. 2 Now Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. 3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, “Indeed you are a dead man be-cause of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.” 4 But Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, “Lord, will You slay a righteous nation also? 5 Did he not say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she, even she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands I have done this.” 6 And God said to him in a dream, “Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart. For I also withheld you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her. 7 Now therefore, re-store the man’s wife; for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.” 8 So Abimelech rose early in the morning, called all his servants, and told all these things in their hearing; and the men were very much afraid. ⁹ Then Abimelek called Abraham in and said, “What have you done to us? How have I wronged you that you have brought such great guilt upon me and my kingdom? You have done things to me that should never be done.” ¹⁰ And Abimelek asked Abraham, “What was your reason for doing this?” ¹¹ Abraham replied, “I said to myself, ‘There is surely no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’ ¹² Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father though not of my mother; and she became my wife. ¹³ And when God had me wander from my father’s household, I said to her, ‘This is how you can show your love to me: Everywhere we go, say of me, “He is my brother.”’” ¹⁴ Then Abimelek brought sheep and cattle and male and female slaves and gave them to Abraham, and he returned Sarah his wife to him. ¹⁵ And Abimelek said, “My land is before you; live wherever you like.” ¹⁶ To Sarah he said, “I am giving your brother a thousand shekels^[a] of silver. This is to cover the offense against you before all who are with you; you are completely vindicated.” ¹⁷ Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelek, his wife and his female slaves so they could have children again, ¹⁸ for the Lord had kept all the women in Abimelek’s household from conceiving because of Abraham’s wife Sarah.

10 Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land. 11 And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, “Indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance. 12 Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, ‘This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you.”

5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.

28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

As it is titled he should have trusted God and I’m going to be speaking about Abraham and we all know who Abraham is he should have just a god but you know what we could put our own name there we I should have trusted God we probably could all think back in our lives and think of a time. Where we should have distrusted God instead of trying to do it our own way he was talking downstairs sometimes we have the tendency to show God our plans and he just laughs at us right because it’s his plans or plans or foolishness but we should have trusted in God’s plans all along Abraham learned that lesson today in our scripture going to be reading from Genesis Chapter twenty verses one through eighteen here the word of the Lord. And Abraham journeyed from there to the south and well between dish and sure and stayed in there are now Abraham said of Sarah his wife she is my sister and a bimah Lek king of garage sent and took Sarah but God came to a been Malaccan a dream by night and said to him indeed you are a dead man because of the woman Him whom you have taken for C. is a man’s wife now I’ll guarantee it that’s going to get your attention when God speaks to you and says you are a dead man you are surely going to die but have been elect had not come near her and he said Lord will use lay a righteous nation also did he not say to may see is my sister and she even she herself said he is my brother. Had been the elect then says in the integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands I have done this and God said to him in a dream yes I know you did this in the integrity of your heart. For I also withheld you from sinning against me therefore I did not let you touch her now therefore restore the man’s wife for he is a prophet and he will pray for you and you shall live but if you do not resort her know that you shall surely die you and all who are yours so bimah lack rose early in the morning called all his servants and told all those sayings and their hearing and the men were very much afraid and a been elect called Abraham and said to him What have you done to us how have I offended you that you have brought on me and my kingdom a great sin you have done deeds to me that ought not to be done than a been elect said Abraham. What did you have in view that you have done this thing and Abraham said because I thought surely the fear of God is not in this place and they will kill me on account of my wife but indeed she is truly my sister she is the daughter of my father but not the daughter of my mother and she became my wife and it came to pass when God calls me to wander from my father’s house that I said to her this is your kindness that you should do for me in every place where ever we go say of me he is my brother than a bimah lect took sheep oxen and male and female servants and gave them to Abraham and restored Sarah his wife to him and a bimah Lex said See my land is before you dwell where it pleases you now how generous is that here is my land before you you choose whatever land you want you go into well there. Then to Sarah he said Behold I given your brother a thousand pieces of silver and the dismay in the case you before all who are with you and before everybody thus she was reviewed So Abraham prayed to God and. His wife and his female servants then they bore children for the Lord has closed up all the wounds of the house of a bin elect because of Sarah Abraham’s wife may god add his blessings to the here and in the reading of His Holy Word let us pray Heavenly Father we do thank you and praise you for your words and or your words reveals your truth it reveals your relationship with mankind and Father we thank you for we thank you for your Holy Spirit gives us understanding and wisdom and for all that I just pray that everything spoken here today would be for your glory in your honor while the two would just touch our hearts and our minds with what you would have us to receive today from you and or May we give you the glory in the honor in Jesus precious name Amen. You know if someone had never read the Bible didn’t know any of the characters in the oven and the Bible you know if you’ve been in church what do we consider Abraham what we call Abraham. Father Abraham right I mean the chip the children did that song Father Abraham had many sons and many sons out Father Abraham they were like that song Romans making a face there maybe remembers that song but do you know anyone within the church knows of Abraham and we believe Abraham to be a very faithful man you know he’s listed in the Hall of Fame faith and Hebrews. But if you took someone that had never been in a church didn’t know anything about the Bible Dune didn’t lay the characters of the Bible and if you read that story to them and say now which man would you consider to be a man of integrity. Of him aleck or Abraham. Which one if you was not in church which one you going to say was a man of integrity. Probably a bomb Aleck why because Abraham fit did well you know technically that was not a lie. She was his half sister but the deception was there so brother and sisters that really truly made a lie because he withheld the truth the whole truth. So Ben Aleck appears to be the man with the greatest integrity here he didn’t do anything wrong he didn’t do anything that kings didn’t do back then you know they had many wives and and maidens and concubines and all these sayings so he didn’t do anything in any other kings didn’t do he didn’t do anything that was illegal. But what Abraham did though when you think about it was kind of selfish the fact that he Haut had to do this to spare his own life he’s worried about his own skin he’s worried about any harm or death coming to him self so this reveals to me that instead of walking by faith believing what God said to him that he started to walk by sight he was worried about anything that these other kingdoms or Kings was going to do to him worried about saving his own self. Abraham knew and Sarah knew God told them when they caught him out caught him out of his father’s land he says I’m going to bless you you’re going to be the father of many nations your descendants will be as a state the sand of the sea shore and in you all the earth will be blessed so there was also that blessing that the Messiah was going to come through his lineage so really when you think about it if Abraham would have been walking by faith man he could walk with that fearlessness to know that no one’s going to come against me because I believe the One True God has given me this promise Sohan know that no harm is going to come to me he’s not going to let them kill me because it’s true May God told him it was through Sarah through you into your wife served that all the world shall be blessed but again he took things into his own hands tell them you’re my sister so that they won’t harm me the truth is this is not the very first time that. He has done this I have a little test for you this morning to see if you can figure out who or what I’m talking about. Says you may know me I am your constant companion I’m your greatest helper I’m your heaviest burden I will push you on word or I will drag you down to failure I am at your command half the tasks you do might as well be turned over to me I am able to do them quickly I am able to do them the same every time if that’s what you want I am easily managed all you’ve got to do is be firm with me show me exactly what you did what you want done after a few lessons I’ll do it automatically I am the servant of all great men and women of course the servant of all failures as well I’ve made all the great individuals who who have ever been great and made all the failures too but I work with all the perception of a marvelous computer with the intelligence of a human being take me and be easy with me and I will destroy you be firm with me and I will put the world at your feet who am I I am habit. Habit. What kind of habits do we have well Abraham kind of made a little bit of a habit of taking matters into his own hands look what he allowed Sarah to talk him into to take in his her concubine or her maid. But it wasn’t the first time that he said Tell the kings that you are my sister in Genesis Chapter twelve. Vs ten through thirteen says now there was a famine in the land and they Abraham went down to Egypt to dwell there for the famine was severe in the land and it came to pass when he was close to enter in Egypt that he said to his wife indeed I know that you’re a woman of beautiful countenance therefore it will happen when the Egyptian see you that they will say this is his wife and they will kill me but they will let you live please say that you are my sister that it may be well with me. For your sake and that I may live because of you says Tell them your sister your my sister because I want to be well with me for your sake sounds good doesn’t it for your sake Sara was a very beautiful woman he knew that she was a beautiful woman now there’s a number of years of passed between this the account with the bimah elect she was nearly ninety years old it was not long before she conceived and she was nearly ninety years old but yet still a very beautiful woman. But they member they lived a lot longer back then than you do today. There is such a valuable lesson that we can learn though and these this account of Abraham and others that the Bible always tells us the absolute truth. The Bible tells absolute truth about all things even if it makes those that we think are great men and women of faith look kind of bad. It still tells the true. Remember David. David committed adultery in plot of the death of a soldier the husband of the wife that he committed adultery with and then tried to cover it up but has also said if they did He is a man after God’s own heart because he repented remember Peter. Want to Jesus twelve disciples so bold so strong but yet when Christ was. On trial he denied him three times how about a lodge of. That great profitable who called fire down out of heaven. And it consumed the sacrifice in the water out of the pit that he dug around the altar but yet right after that great victory all Mount Carmel he ran for fear of Jess a bill that wicked wicked queen How about Noah. That man did spent over a hundred years building an ark and then he got drunk and exposed himself How about Moses. Moses lost his temper and Numbers Chapter twenty verses seven and eight. This is then the Lord spoke to Moses saying take the rod you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together speak to the rock before their eyes and I will yield its water thus you shall bring water for them out of the Rock and give drink to the congregation and their animals God told Moses to speak to the rock. Now if you read that entire passages concerning the whole situation we know that you know most of this was a faithful man Moses went up on the mountain of God and God gave him the ten commandments many come down the children of Israel and sinned and God wanted to destroy them God says I’m just I’m just going to destroy that stiff neck people and I’ll make a great nation of you but Moses pleaded with God on their behalf and God spared them. God wanted to bring them out of Egypt and take them directly that promised land but because of lack of faith they had to take the long way around forty years in the wilderness and Moses had grown impatient with them I mean I can’t blame him for that they were constantly whining and complaining about one thing or another so in this passage there whine and complain and about no water the lack of water we should have just died out there with our ancestors with our fathers they complained so Moses is frustrated but God said Speak to the rock but in his frustration he struck the rock twice instead of speaking to it he struck it. Here’s the thing in his frustration he missed a great opportunity to glorify God. In an even greater way because God said speak he’s given Moses the opportunity to do is God had done how to God bring all this about he spoke it into existence he spoke the earth into existence he spoke and the herbs came forth they spoke in the trees came forth they spoke in the waters were separated he spoke and there was light he say in the Moses spake and will bring water forth look at the opportunity he missed. He had the opportunity to speak water out of a rock but in his frustration and he’s angry he struck it in set instead. There is consequences. Whenever we do not follow God’s plans God’s purpose Moses paid the consequences because of that act he did not enter the Promised Land imagine leaving those children around in the wilderness for forty years and then he himself did not get to enter into that promised land I know that up John from Abraham the Moses The point is to show us that even those we consider amazingly faithful people faithful servants of God They still had times when they didn’t appear to be very godly interactions did. By sharing this though don’t think well since these faithful men sin it must be OK to sin it is not OK to sin. Each of us. We may stumble. But as Dave it’s called a maverick and God’s own heart we must repent they stumble but they repented. They did not continually walk in their sin they made things right with God as we must do. There were consequences for their actions oftentimes they would miss out on a greater blessing as I said with Moses they missed opportunity to make a spiritual difference in other’s lives. Because now they may not hold them to the high integrity that they would have Abraham missed out when he deceived King. For one he lost his character character is what they find you it’s what people see in you your character is what people see in you it’s one of the most important things that you have how are you investing in your character today. Do people see faith in the things you say in the things you do is your character reflecting the kingdom of God. It’s the one thing that endures Horace Greeley. How to quote that Harry Truman used as you say he says fame is like a vapor popularity is an accident riches take wings those who cheer today may curse tomorrow only one thing indoors character. That’s the only thing that truly indoors is character. That’s what you’ll be remembered by. Second Peter one vs five through nine says. But also for this very reason giving all diligence add to your faith virtue to Virtue knowledge to knowledge self-control to self-control perseverance to perseverance godliness to godliness brotherly kindness to brotherly kindness love for if these things are yours in a bound you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ for He lacks these sayings is short sighted even to blindness and has forgotten that he has that he was cleansed from his old sins that were kind of talk and the other day it is a process we add to our faith it begins with faith that’s the very beginning is faith to believe that God is God To believe in His Son Jesus Christ but then we add to that we don’t stay it’s not a tomb you’re there but you add to it you grow in it you add to faith virtue then you add to Virtue knowledge you add to knowledge self control it’s a process we go through for some it’s a longer process than others but it is a process that we go through to build that character to be. COM that Godly man or woman. Abraham also lost his testimony how could a Abraham possibly then after that go in share God’s truth whenever he told a lie. He lost the ability to be able to go and shares testimony with his neighbors he lost the opportunity to minister to them instead of being a source of blessing to his neighbors he brought a great curse upon them when King a been elect to accept their god close up the wombs of all those and his house. Probably his entire kingdom he closed up the wombs even though he didn’t really do anything sinful God kept them from it God even said in the dream I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart and that he God withheld him from sinning against Him Abraham’s half truth his slipping character brought this curse upon this people because he took things into his own hands. He failed to trust and believe the promise of God made to him and Sarah if you read this entire event you know read that whole passage. Where they’ve been. Told that half truth and said that he closed up the wombs and then after Abraham prayed for him that the wounds are opened back up but you read this and you think well it sounds like this all took place in a very short period of time this kind of goes back to kind of thinking with the twelve oxen Another thing is more to it sounds like a very short time but when you read how would they have known that the wounds were closed up if it was only a week or two. How would they have known it’s very possible that it was many months. That Sarah was in the harem of Cain abysmal it I think of Esther when they took Esther in the harem she had twelve months of beauty treatments twelve months for the oils in the whatever whatever they do you know what these women to take into their MY don’t know but whatever they do you know the beauty treatments and the I don’t know maybe teaching them so Sarah may have well been there for months because they know no one in the kingdom is getting pregnant what’s going on here there’s a great curse upon us because of that woman they brought in. This text shows that God is present and active even among those that we may consider outsiders to the faith of God engages non christians in dialogue and uses them to teach the community of faith last Wednesday we were talking about in Bible study but how there are people out there who are truly honest con moral very upright people but yet they do not have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ there’s a lot of good people out there. I believe there is a lot of good people in a bit Moloch’s kingdom he seemed to be a very good man he seemed to be as I said a man of integrity a been elect went above and beyond when he restored Sarah all God says was restored her to her husband but he went above and beyond. It said to him a leg said See my head my land is before you dwell were ever pleases you wherever you want choose the best it’s yours then he said to Sara behold I’ve given your brother a thousand pieces of silver indeed this vindicates should be for all who are with you and before everybody he was very generous gave them even servants silver many things so we can see how God worked things out between Abraham and of them elect. It verifies of truth that we like to refer to in the New Testament. Romans eight twenty eight and we know that all things work together for good to those who love God to those who are called according to his purpose we like that verse don’t we. We like that God can work all things out to the good God took this situation is still worked out to the good. Because God is always going to carry out his plans and his purposes his purpose is the key Abraham might have messed up but God was true to his promise he was not going to let anything happen to Abraham or Sarah. Sometimes or maybe many times we’ve messed up. For some it’s many for some it’s a few but we know that God is patient. He’s patient with us he’s patient with us whenever we try to take matters into our own hands when we want to be self-sufficient God is patient with us we can see as patients with the nation of Israel but he is also patient with us a farmer tells this story. How one of the sheep would often wander off and head toward a rocky cliff face he says the grass only has mountains is very sweet and the sheep like it he says in fact the sheep will jump down ten or twelve feet to reach this grass that they love so much the problem is that they can’t jump back up again and so they are stuck says now even the farmer hears the sheep bleeding in distress he leaves it there for a few days in tow they’ve beaten all the grass and he deliberately waits for the sheep to grow weary so weary that the sheep cannot even stand and only then will he put a rope around himself and wherever the edge of the cliff to rescue that sheep some one asked the farmer why don’t you go and fetch the sheep back when you first hear it bleating his reply is very insightful he says because sheep are foolish. They would resist me and probably fall over the edge of the Clift and be killed. The farmer had to wait until the there were no longer self-sufficient and then he could help them how are we. Like that she. How are we like that see how often does God have to wait. And do the same thing with men have to wait until we give up on our own self-sufficiency and just trust Him Abraham should have trusted the promise of God But you know I mean how many times have we done the same thing. The same thing in our lives I’m guilty are you willing to distrust God. Give up when you’re your own plans your own will your own self sufficiency. And give it to him. Trust in Him trust and obey Him today. Because friends has a song say there is no other way. No way that no other way but God’s way search for his plans. Listen seek Him seek his plan for your life. For your family and I know that he will be faithful he’s faithful never to leave us still for psychosis they meant.