Amen, so we're now in Genesis chapter 21 in our Bible study and the Bible reads in verse 1 the Lord visited Sarah as
He had said and the Lord did unto Sarah as he had spoken
for Sarah conceived and bare Abraham a son and his old age at the set time of which God had spoken to him and
Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him
whom Sarah bare to him Isaac and
Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old as God had commanded him and
Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born unto him and Sarah said God have made me to laugh
So that all that here will laugh with me now this kind of an interesting
Portion of scripture here, but we finally have this promise that we've been hearing about for several chapters throughout the Bible
God's constantly been telling Abraham. He's gonna have a seed
He's constantly telling him and that he's appointed to have a child through Sarah
Specifically even because he already did have a child through Hagar which was the handmade he married her and
Basically Sarah had told him this is the only way you can have children
Yet God performs this great miracle and blesses Abraham and Sarah and the Bible tells us that Abraham's basically 99 years old in the previous
Chapter Sarah was about 10 years younger
So basically around the age of a hundred and ninety they're given a child and the Bible makes it abundantly clear
That they were past or at least she was past
Childbearing years and so this is nothing other than a miracle that they've had this child
That's why it's so incredible to them. And what's interesting here is in verse number six. It says that Sarah
Said God have made me to laugh now
Laughter in the Bible is an interesting subject
Most of the time when people are laughing and especially when God's laughing it's in a mocking way
It's basically he's ridiculing his opponents or he's making fun of
His enemies or he's basically just basic
He's just kind of bewildered at their stupidity or something like that
And so that's what you see most of the laughter as being in the Bible, but we typically think of laughter as being joyful
Happy
You know having fun and that's really what the context is here that Sarah is kind of laughing because of joy
That she has a child
She's overwhelmed with joy
And and she's kind of bewildered by I had a kid and she can't do anything but laugh at
How funny it is that she's so old yet. She had a child but the laughter is not in a mocking or ridiculing tone
It's really just in a joyful
Happy way now go if you would to Psalms 126 for a moment go to Psalms 126
the Bible describes this in other places where people are basically laughing or
Having a good time and it's you know a good emotion, you know laughter is a good thing. It's a fun thing
I enjoy laughing and you know and rejoicing with fellow
friends
And sometimes it's at the expense of you know, stupid people but also it could be just simply you're just having a good time
You know, you're just enjoying one another's company and for her it's just cuz she's kind of laughing about the situation
You know and that happens
Sometimes you go through a difficult thing or you have some kind of a memory and whenever you think about it
It causes you to laugh because of the situation or just how interesting things worked or how the miracles of God
Or just kind of even laughing at the fact that you know
It's something you never thought would happen and then it happened and your only real reaction is just laughter because it's just it's so cool
How God is able to perform miracles in your life?
Look at Psalms 126 verse number one
The Bible says when the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion we were like them that dream
Then was our mouth filled with laughter and our tongue with singing then said they among the even the Lord have done
Great things for them the Lord have done great things for us whereof we are glad
Now what they're saying here in verse number one. This is a song we sing
You know, we've actually put this to music and it's a lot of fun to sing but it's saying in verse one
We're like them that dream meaning that this was something that they never thought was gonna be reality
They were really just kind of dreaming about it
They were just like wouldn't it be so great if we were able to go back to the Promised Land
Wouldn't it be awesome the Lord rescued us, you know, we could only imagine, you know
These great things happening and he's saying we're like them that dream and then he says but our mouth was filled laughter
They were so joyful. All they could do is just laugh
At how awesome it was that they were returning the land because Cyrus made a decree
saying they're allowed to go back to the land and they can have as many goods as they want and everybody that had taken them
Captive has to let them go free and then give them all these goods
And so it's just a great time of rejoicing and laughter and really this pictures
the end of the world in a sense that you know eventually
We'll be released from the captivity of this world and the oppression of this world and we're gonna go
rejoicing into the millennial reign with Christ and we're gonna have laughter and it's just gonna be fun and joyous and
And we're gonna be like look at the great things that God has done for us
And if I could put this, you know, I don't think this is gonna happen again
Let's get let's get a practical example of this. Okay, and this is dreaming
Okay, but just imagine if for some reason all the election audits that are going on in our country
They actually came to fruition and then they actually replaced, you know Biden
That would be kind of fun
Kind of be laughing and you'd be like wow
It's something you never thought could ever happen, but you're just like and it's not so much that I'm so excited at Trump
It's just the fact that Biden and all of these liberals would have to you know, basically, you know
Facepalm or whatever have all this shame for the election fraud that they did or whatever
But wouldn't that be just great and you just kind of fill those laughter and it's something that you never thought would ever happen
But it just happened. You're just like this is incredible
And so, you know or maybe there's a person in your life that you never thought would get saved
Or you never thought would serve the Lord or you never thought, you know
They were kind of someone that was really hardened
they get saved and all of a sudden you just kind of laugh about who they were in the past or the things that
Were in the past because it's just kind of cool to you to experience the miracles of God
And and so we have to understand that, you know, we will at some point in our life have laughter
Seeing the miracles of God whether it's in our physical lives or at least spiritually
we're going to see those go to Luke chapter number six go to Luke chapter number six and
The Bible basically teaches that you know, there will be a point in time when you get what I would call the last laugh
You know, a lot of people say, oh we got the last laugh. What does that mean?
Well, you know whenever there's a skirmish or there's a conflict, you know, and you go through battles
Sometimes you don't win every battle
Sometimes the enemy wins a battle here and there and then you kind of come back
and when we look at Christ in a sense
You could say he was defeated at one moment where he died on the cross and it's seemingly like death has victory over him
But guess what he's gonna get the last laugh meaning what he's gonna get the ultimate victory
So really it's a picture of getting the ultimate victory and the Bible teaches that Christians will get the ultimate victory
We will get the last
Laugh look at the Luke chapter 6 verse 21
Blessed are ye that hunger now for ye shall be filled blessed are ye that weep now
For ye shall laugh notice what the Bible promises the Bible is saying look
Hey, you might have weeping now and there might be struggle now and there might be difficulty now
But you know from the perspective of eternity
We're gonna get the last laugh. We're gonna be rejoicing and singing praises to God
Well, the whole unbelieving world is going to hell
while the whole unbelieving world is rejected and it's all wiped clean and we get a new heaven and we get a new earth and
We get to rule and reign with Christ. And so really we kind of have this
Story of a
Long struggle. I mean you think about what we've been reading, you know, it's pretty short for us
But this is literally 90 years for Sarah's life. That's a long time. No one in this room is 90
I don't think no one in this room is 80. I
I'm not gonna go down further because I don't want to make anybody nervous
Okay, but at the end of the day like she's gone that long without
Experiencing the joy because she's barren, you know being barren is not really a blessing necessarily and you can't control it
But Sarah has gone through a pretty difficult struggle, but guess what? She got the last laugh didn't she?
He eventually got the promises of God. She eventually got the gift from God
She finally gets this son and now she gets this laugh
says a verse 22 blessed are you and men shall hate you and when they shall separate you from their company and shower approach you and
Cast out your name is evil for the Son of Man's sake and I don't think that's a coincidence that that's the next verse
He's saying look. Yeah, you might have some struggles, but you'll get a laugh and you know what you're actually blessed
When people hate on you, you're actually blessed when people say horrible things about you that aren't true
Just because you're a Christian just because you love the Word of God and you say well when am I gonna get that blessing?
later
The blessing isn't now, you know, it's not a blessing for people to lie about you now
It's not a blessing for people to make fun of you or lie about your slander you or or whatever they do right now
The blessings come later when God rewards you for being a partaker of Christ's sufferings
And so, you know, you have to look at all the things that we do in this life
It's not just being right now, but also future and realizing
Hey, we're gonna get that last laugh go if you would back to Genesis chapter 21 go back to Genesis chapter 21
The worst thing someone can do to a Christian is kill them. But after that they're done
And then they're gonna get the last laugh eventually
After they killed Christ they couldn't do it again death hath no more dominion over him
No one's ever gonna get the victory over Christ ever again. You know, he's swallowed up death
He has the keys of Helen of death and when he returns it's only given me in triumph when he returns
He's only going to be winning, you know, I mean Christ is no longer going to submit himself and subject himself
That was a one-time ridicule all those enemies that was their heyday
They got their little skirmish in they got through a battle where they felt like they won, but you know what?
It's all over now
You're not gonna get you're never gonna have victory over Christ again
Christ is gonna come and he's gonna rule the rod of iron and then after the millennial reign, you know
Everybody that didn't believe in him is gonna be judged according their works and those that are not written in his book
They're gonna get thrown into hell and the Bible says that he's gonna laugh at them
Now if you there's one person you don't want to laugh at you it's God and
And as much as we like to talk about laughter as being a positive thing
I as much as I studied the Bible every time God laughs it's never a good thing
It's always at someone's expense
It's always someone going to hell or being destroyed or he's mocking and ridiculing their stupidity
And so you don't want God to laugh at you
You want to be lifted laughing with God you want to be on his side and laughing with him?
Okay
Look at what it says in verse 7
And she said who would have said unto Abraham that Sarah should have given given children suck
For I have borne him a son in his old age
And the child grew and was weaned and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned and Sarah saw the son
of Agar the Egyptian when she had borne unto Abraham
Mocking
Wherefore she said and Abraham cast out this bond woman and her son for the son of this bond woman shall not be heir with
My son even with Isaac and the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight
Because of his son now
This is probably one of the biggest themes that we have here in this chapter and the Bible tells us that these verses right here
Are very important. It's actually quoted in the New Testament
Go if you would to Galatians chapter number four and let's see where this is actually quoted in Galatians
But the story of Abraham and Isaac and Ishmael is really important because it pictures
spiritual truths God uses physical stories and stories of historicity or things that actually
Happened to illustrate spiritual truths the things contained in the Bible are not accidental or coincidental
They're not just you know, a bunch of random collections of things that happen
But rather they're physical truths that illustrate spiritual truths and they're written for our admonition as the Bible describes them
Look at Galatians chapter number four the Bible says in verse 22
For it is written that Abraham had two sons the one by a bondmaid the other by a free woman
Now I want to pause for a second
Sometimes you have to understand that the way the Bible speaks is not always an overly
Literal statement. Okay, just like if I said, you know
The Bible says that all you have to do is believe in Jesus and you'll go to heaven
I'm not quoting the Bible
There's no Bible verse that I'm just verbatim saying what I'm basically do is summarizing
What the Bible is teaching and sometimes when the Bible is saying Ford is written. It's not a verbatim quote
He's
Summarizing what the Bible is teaching because you're not gonna find in a verbatim quote for all of these things that are always found
The Bible says Ford is written, you know, this is just him summarizing what we've been reading Abraham had two sons, right?
Isn't that what we've read so far and it says the one by a bondmaid and the other by a free woman
But it says but he who is of the bond woman was born after the flesh
But he of the free woman was by promise which things are an allegory
For these are the two covenants the one from the Mount Sinai which gender at the bondage which is agar
For this agar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and answer it to Jerusalem
Which now is and is in bondage with their children, but Jerusalem
Which is above is free
Which is the mother of us all for it is written rejoice thou bear and that bear is not break forth and cry
Thou that travail is not for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath and husband
Now we brethren as Isaac was are the children of the promise
But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the spirit even so it is now
Nevertheless what sayeth the scripture cast out the bond woman and her son for the son of the bond woman shall not be air
With the son of the free woman. So then brethren we are not children of the bond woman
But of the free so notice in verse number 30 though
It says nevertheless what sayeth the scripture cast out the bond woman now that is actually what the Bible did did say
That's like a more verbatim quote, but then it's kind of you know
encapsulated with just a summarization of what the Bible's teaching or saying so some people they'll look at where it says it is written or
You know the Bible says or David said or whatever any of the time when the Bible it seems like it's alluding to itself
And they're expecting it to be a verbatim quote, but it's not and that's fine
There's nothing wrong with the fact that it's not a verbatim quote. You just have to realize sometimes it is a verbatim quote
Sometimes it's just a summarization. It's no problem modern versions though. They don't understand this concept
So what they do is they make them both say exactly verbatim the same thing
And they actually end up making it more difficult to understand because the Old Testament New Testament will sometimes use different words
To help you realize the definition of words like Church and the New Testament
Congregation in the Old Testament and so you don't have to have this just
Verbatim quoting system from the Old and the New Testament because there's plenty of places where the Bible is saying like the Bible says and then
There's no verbatim quote anywhere
It's just basically saying this is what the Bible is teaching or this is a summarization of what was said or even sometimes
If you're quoting a person you don't always use their words
You change it a little bit to either the third person or first person or however
It is that they said if I was telling hey Dylan go tell you know the ushers to come inside
Dylan can walk out them and say hey pastor Shelley wants you to come inside
He said to come inside, but he's not quoting me verbatim
He's just basically summarizing or rewording exactly what I said
So don't get this weird idea when you're reading the Bible that you have to that's just a tidbit of information
But when we're reading this though the big picture is important, and what's the big picture here?
It's this allegorization
He says in or the Bible says in verse 24 which things are an allegory now according to the dictionary
one definition of an allegory is a symbolic
representation so
Some people accuse you know Baptist or us specifically
of
allegorizing the Bible or as I like to say
Spiritualizing the Bible and they'll say oh you can't spiritualize that why are you spiritualizing that it's like
It's not me that's spiritualizing the Bible. It's the Bible. That's spiritualizing the Bible
It's the Bible that's allegorizing the Bible
I'm just doing what it said
So you have to realize that the Bible actually teaches us to look at certain stories with spiritual eyes with spiritual understanding
And when Christ preached to the multitudes he didn't even preach directly priests and parables
And he says he that hath an ear let him hear so you know he's trying to make it clear that there's something else
Beyond just the surface meaning or the overly literal interpretation
And why did I bring up this fact of you know this isn't a literal quote is because when you have this overly
You know
Cartilizing physicalizing and literal viewpoint of the Bible you can't understand it
You have to realize that the Bible is understood as a spiritual textbook, and it's allegorized and that we have to take it
You know look I take the Bible literally, but sometimes. It's literally to be interpreted
Spiritually you know some by some people think the word literally is in reference only to something being taken
Physically meaning that you know when Christ is saying you have to drink my blood or you have to eat my flesh I
Believe that's literal, but here's the thing you literally have to do that
Spiritually you don't literally do that physically okay, so there's a big difference there between those two and
Sometimes when people mean literally they're meaning physical, and I get that but we ought to be careful
Hey, I believe the Bible literally, but sometimes. It's literally an allegory
Okay, so then we want to interpret the Bible through its allegorized understanding or its spiritual understanding
So he's saying that these two people
Represent two other things what do they represent two covenants?
Okay, what are the two covenants that we have in the Bible the old covenant the new covenant the Old Testament the New Testament?
We're not dispensationalists. There's two okay. There's not seven or twelve or thirteen or a hundred
There's two there's the old covenant. There's the new covenant okay, and these are the two things that are pictured through
these two men Ishmael and
Isaac and it says one is
Mount Sinai which gender at the bondage now, what's Mount Sinai picture?
That pictures later in the Bible when we get to Moses
He's delivered the Ten Commandments or the law on Mount Sinai
So that first one is picturing bondage because the law
Brings bondage the law tells you what not to do the law is just saying like don't do that thou shall not kill
Thou shall not steal and all the law does is
Condemns you you know the law doesn't exonerate you the law only can condemn you and
So the first one is just a picture of bondage which is agar
which is from his mother and it says in verse 25 for this agar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and
answerth to
Jerusalem which now is now it's interesting that he says answerth to Jerusalem. What does he mean by that?
He's saying where is the bondage coming from who is that who is the basically the the oppressor?
It's the Jews and Jerusalem
He's saying which now is because at the time that this is written the Jews have not been destroyed by Rome yet
They're still there and all of the people in the world that are Jews
The authority structure goes all the way back to Jerusalem now there are synagogues throughout the world
Okay, but essentially those are just shoot-offs of the main source of authority which is at Jerusalem
And that's a picture of Judaism the law and the bondage that would come from the law
And it says and is in bondage with her children now. What's that bondage?
They're in bondage to the law if they don't follow the law of God
They're condemned
Now we have to understand that the law obviously is given to the children of Israel, but it pertains to everybody
Okay, it's not just locked in for them, but it's this is a picture again
It says in verse 26, but Jerusalem, which is above is free
So there's two different Jerusalem's one on earth one in heaven one is in bondage one is free
He says which is the mother of us all so where did every Christian come from?
From the Jerusalem in heaven not from a physical Jerusalem because we are not a physical people were a spiritual people
Physically, we're we're really different. I mean this room has all color skin Heights
I mean people from all different nations even different tongues
I mean, we're a very diverse group in this room physically
You know especially compared to other parts of the world or other religions. I mean if you go to a mosque
Anywhere in the world it's gonna be very demographically similar
It's gonna be a lot of the same type of people in that room. Okay you go to the Mormon Tabernacle
It's gonna be very demographically similar. Okay. It's gonna look a lot like Dylan
I mean you go if you go to other parts of the world
You know it's gonna be a lot more demographically similar, but you know Christianity is not based on a physical
Characteristic it's not based on your parents are it's actually based on believing in Christ is what the Bible teaches
He says in verse 27 for it is written rejoice thou bearing that bear us not
Break forth and cry thou that travail us not for the desolate have many more children than she which hath an
Husband so it's picturing how Jerusalem which is in heaven was not bearing for a long time in a sense
But now it has all these children
And it's kind of just picturing the fact that the Gentiles for a long time are not having salvation
They're not getting saved at all, but now they're having a great number of people getting saved think about Sarah
It was a long period of time where she's bearing where nothing's happening, but then all of a sudden
It's all about Isaac, and he's gonna enjoy
basically replace
Ishmael as
Abraham's son
Now it says in verse 28 now we brethren as Isaac was are the children of promise so Isaac is really a picture of
Spiritual promise spiritual picture that's because when we get saved
It's a spiritual promise that we trust in and that's what gets us born again verse 29
But as then he that was born after the flesh who's that Ishmael?
Persecuted him that was born after the spirit even so it is now so he's saying Ishmael mocked and laughed at Isaac
Okay, and he ridiculed and gave him a hard time
This is a picture of how the Jews are gonna mock and ridicule the Christians
And he's saying that's what's happening right now
He's saying even so it is now so he's saying that whole story was about one particular event when all the Jews
would persecute the Christians at the time of the Apostles going out and preaching the gospel and he says in verse 30 nevertheless
What say the scripture cast out the bond woman in her son for the son of the bond woman shall not?
Be heir with the son of the free woman now. This is really important because it's made a lot of sense here
It's been really easy to understand. It's just a lot of people don't want to believe anything that I'm teaching right now
But if we keep with this analogy
Who is?
The one that was born after the flesh that's Ishmael right and it says what are we supposed to do cast him out?
And some people say so you think that Israel has been cast out
Physical Israel. Yes
That's what the Bible teaches, you know, it's funny that the Zionist today and a lot of Christians today, you know, they think
Ishmael is
only Muslims
they basically think the
Iran and Iraq and Saudi Arabia and all these people that they're the only thing that the Bible teaches Ishmael is and look
From a physical picture. I would say yes, I would say sure
I'm sure a lot of people in the Middle East are physical descendants of Ishmael
I'm sure a lot more people are physical into descendants of Ishmael than we realize too
But I'm sure I'm sure that plenty of them are physical descendants of Ishmael
I have no problem with that. But here's the thing the Bible wasn't saying this was a physical picture
This is a spiritual picture and who's the real Ishmael according the Bible. It's the Jews
They're the real Ishmael and so who was actually cast out
Spiritually speaking. It was the Jews that were cast out and it says this is a really important phrase
For the son of the bond woman talking about Ishmael. So talking about the Jews
Shall not be heir
With the son of the free woman. So some people have this idea that God
Temporarily set aside the Jews but then is gonna bring them back and make them heirs with the Christians
But the Bible is clear. They're not gonna be heirs with the with the free. They've been cast out. They've been rejected
They've been completely replaced and the only way for any Jew
To receive the promises of Abraham or be a son of Abraham is they have to believe in Christ and become a Christian
that is their only hope the only hope for anybody is to believe on Jesus Christ and
They're no longer a Jew at that point. They're a Christian because there is neither Jew nor Greek
You know, we're all one in Christ Jesus and you say cast out. I don't know about that
We'll go to Romans chapter 11 go to Romans chapter 11
Let's see what the Bible actually says and I'll say this what I'm teaching right now may seem real
You know kosher to you guys
But the majority of independent fundamental Baptist churches would start throwing stones already at me for what I just said
They don't believe that you know the church
Is basically the spiritual Israel or to say that physical Israel has been cast out is almost blasphemy to them
They feel like you're attacking Christ somehow, which is bizarre because the Jews are the ones that are attacking Christ
Now look at Romans chapter 11 verse 1 I say then hath God cast away as people
So isn't that the question?
It's like has he cast away and they'll basically they'll read this and then just read the next phrase and then forget the rest of the
Bible they'll say God forbid see God didn't cast them away
You know, we can't believe in this replacement theology. God doesn't cast them away. But what if we just kept reading?
For I all summon Israelite of the seed of Abraham of the tribe of Benjamin God hath not cast away as people
Which he foreknew?
Now there's a phrase that you need to add
So he's saying there are some Israelites that he has not cast away
Well, you're not with the scripture say them Elias how he maketh intercession to God against Israel saying Lord
They have killed by prophets and dig down land altars and I am left alone and they seek my life
So he's saying he's bringing up a story
He's saying hey, there was an Old Testament story where Elias is saying I'm the only person left of Israel
But was he the only person left physically?
No, there's plenty of Israelites. He's saying like I'm the only person left spiritually speaking
I'm like the only saved person left in this entire nation. I'm the only real Israel
He's like that. He's like the Martin Luther, you know his answer
It's like though the Catholic Church left me, but obviously he's better than Martin Luther because he's actually saved
But here's here's the picture is he's saying there's only one guy left
But then verse 4 but what say the answer of God unto him I have reserved to myself
7,000 men who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal now in verse 4 does he say oh
You're wrong Elijah all of them are children of Israel
All of them are God's people. No, he says there's only 7,000
I've reserved so he's saying I didn't cast away everyone, but there was a small portion that I did save
He says in verse number five even so then at this present time also
There is a remnant according to the election of grace
So here's the thing
There's only a remnant that he has not cast away and why did he not cast them away?
Because they were elected by grace and you say what's grace well, it's not race
There's a G in front of it. Okay race means you're born into something
It's who your parents are in a sense and I don't even believe in race race is a man-made construct
There's only one kind of race. It's called man. Okay
Now you could say that some people devolve into brute beasts. That's a different sermon. But hey, there's only one race of man. Okay, and
This is saying that they were not chosen because of who their parents were it has nothing to do physically
It says in it by grace then is no more of works. Otherwise grace is no more grace
But it be of works then it's no more grace. Otherwise work is no more work
What then Israel have not obtained that which he seeketh for but the election hath obtained it and the rest were blinded
So he's making the distinction between two groups of people Israel and the election because what you could be physically
Israel and not elect
Now, what does elect mean? What's another word for elect?
chosen
What does that mean? Some people are physical Israel and they're not the chosen people
Yet this is blasphemy in most churches today if I got up and said there are physical Israel
People that are not God's chosen people. They're like
What?
But that's what the Bible just said
The Bible said hey Israel didn't get it but the election did and then he says this the rest were blinded
Meaning they're not saved
Now, I don't I could read the entire chapter here but skip to verse 15 for a moment. Skip to verse 15
What's the point I'm trying to make
Cast out the bond woman isn't that we read in Genesis chapter 21, isn't that what we read in Galatians?
Isn't that we read in verse number one now we have a caveat to that
What's the caveat a remnant of those who are physical Israeli Israelis or Israelites got saved?
But they got saved through election of grace. They got saved by believing in Jesus Christ
So then what happened to the rest are they cast away?
Well, what does it say verse 15 for if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world?
Which are the receiving of them be but live from the dead? He's bringing up a hypothetical but the
Hypothetical is predicated on the fact that they were cast away
he's saying
Because the children of Israel cast away and that basically reconciles the rest of the world unto Christ
What would have happened if all of Israel had gotten saved what would have happened if they had all believed on Jesus Christ?
He's saying it would have been better
So he's trying to make it clear that it's not like it's a good thing that the Israelites rejected Christ
Okay, it's actually a bad thing
But even though they did though the rest of the world was still able to be reconciled by the preaching of the gospel
But look Israel was always supposed to be a light unto the Gentiles. So if Israel had received Christ
they could have sent everybody out to be
apostles and
witnesses of Christ and could have gotten even more people saved and that's what the Apostle Paul is basically alluding to is the fact that
It would have been better if they had received him. It would have been more people that basically preached the gospel
But hey, they were cast away
You have to believe they were cast away or this verse makes no sense at all
He's bringing up the fact that they've been cast away and you say well, I don't like that fact
Well, then you don't like the Bible go to go to Matthew 21 go to Matthew chapter 21
And you say well God's not done with Israel
Okay. Well first of all when you say Israel, what do you mean by that?
Okay, because we let's define Israel, okay
Now I think no matter what you define Israel as you could probably say God's not done with Israel because if we said the the physical
Israel that's mentioned here in the Bible. God wasn't done with them because he saved a remnant. Okay?
God wasn't done with
Spiritual Israel for sure. Hey, we're Israel and God's not done with us
Okay, so it's God done with Israel no not not in that sense how about Christ rejecting Jews that live in Israel today
God's not done with them either because he's not willing that in should perish but that also come under repentance
So he'd love for any of them to get saved
So look that's just a weird straw man argument. God's not done with Israel. Okay, sure
That doesn't mean anything though
What's true though is they've been replaced
Now look what it says in Matthew 21 verse 43
Therefore I say unto you and he's talking to the Pharisees and the Jews the kingdom of God shall be taken from you and
given to a nation
Bringing forth the fruits thereof now. This is what Christ said would happen
So you have one of two options to interpret this verse either it's already happened or it will happen. But here's the problem
Nobody is thinking that it's going to happen that rejects what I'm teaching you
No one's saying like well, I know that the Israel is gonna lose the kingdom in the future
But they haven't yet, you know, they're just teaching they're never gonna lose it
Whereas Christ is saying there is gonna come a time when you guys lose it and you say well, when was that 70 AD?
They were completely wiped off of the map and there is no there is no option at that point
if you live after all the Jews have been decimated in
70 AD you're not wondering like well did God replace Israel? They're gone
It's like yeah, he did it's only in modern recent times with basically the modern
State of Israel the modern country of Israel. Can anybody even claim that God's not done with them or all this nonsense
That's being taught because essentially Israel was just gone and vanished
So it's like of course they've been replaced because there's no one to even allude to as being God's chosen people
That's why Christians throughout history have always believed in replacement theology and
look
Catholics that's what they've always taught and you say well, do you believe that because the Catholics believe it?
No
I don't care what the Catholics believe but I'm telling you facts that they did believe that
That Christians as a whole and just basically always believe that it's a modern idea
That Christ rejecting Jews are God's chosen people somehow
every nation basically hated
Physical Jews because there was moneylenders and they're ripping people off and look it's not right to just hate people
Look, even if they are ripping you off and even if they are enemies, you know
You should still love them and preach them the gospel
Okay
So I'm not teaching that you should hate Jews just because they are the least receptive to the gospel
But it's a fact that they're least receptive to the gospel and it's a fact that they're not God's chosen people unless
They're elected by grace. That is the only way they could be God's chosen people
They have been replaced and you say well, what kind of nation will go to first Peter chapter number two
Go to first Peter chapter number two. Is it is it Rome because Rome took them over and Rome, you know took over that land
So are they the nation that it's talking about? No, because again, we're talking about a spiritual book talking about spiritual promises
And if it was an allegory alluded to in Galatians about a spiritual picture
Then it has to be an allegory or a spiritual picture that's being alluded to here in this place as well
Look what it says in first Peter chapter 2 verse 6
Wherefore it is contained. I'm sorry
Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture be old I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone
Elect precious and he that believeth on him should not be confounded now who's that stone? That's Christ
Precious meaning rare. He's elect. He was the chosen one and we believe in him
We won't be ashamed or notice how it's worded here
Confounded verse 7 unto you therefore which believe he is precious but unto them which be disobedient the stone which the builders
disallowed the same is made the head of the corner and
A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense even to them which stumble at the word being disobedient
Where unto also they were appointed so the Bible saying the builders who's the builders that was the Jews
They're the ones that set up
The nation of Israel, they're the ones that built the temple. They're the ones that built the altar
they're the ones that built all of these things and basically made them and allowed them for Christ even come and
They were built by hands, you know and Christ came but here's the problem. They rejected the head of their corner
They rejected their Christ. They rejected their rock. They were disobedient and
God had already known they were gonna do that
And so it says in verse 9 but II so making a contrast from them are a chosen
generation a royal priesthood notice this and holy
Nation of peculiar people that ye should show forth the praise of him who have called you out of darkness into his marvelous light
So what's the nation that God gave the kingdom of God to to Christians?
Now, what is the kingdom of God?
The kingdom of God is the same as the kingdom of heaven don't let Kent Hovind confuse you on this. Okay. He's a liar
But the kingdom of God the kingdom heaven are the same thing and it's basically getting saved
You know, what are the keys the kingdom of heaven it's the gospel he gave that to Peter
He gave that to disciples and they go out and it's like how do I get in the kingdom?
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved now. You're a citizen of that nation
Now you are part of that kingdom
And so it's a spiritual key that unlocks a spiritual kingdom because if I said hey, I want to go to Israel
I want to be part of that nation that's bringing forth the fruits thereof. Where do I go? Pastor Shelley?
You don't have to go anywhere
You believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and now you're part of that kingdom. That's how you enter into that kingdom
It's not a physical kingdom that you enter into anymore
It's a spiritual kingdom and you say well, how do I get there if you're saved you're there
You are part of that kingdom. You are now in the kingdom of God
you're in the kingdom of heaven and look obviously there's gonna be a physical manifestation of the kingdom of God a
Physical manifestation of the kingdom of heaven it's gonna literally descend from heaven down on earth and we're gonna rule and reign with Christ in a
Physical sense and we're gonna be with them. But guess what if you're saved you're already part of that city
You're already a citizen the thing is right now you're just so journey
You've been granted citizenship you're part of that nation, but right now we're just on a permanent visa
You know traveling visa, we're tourists on this this this vagabond place or whatever you want to call it
You know this fugitive area that we're in basically preaching the gospel trying to get other people to what coming to the kingdom with us
And
Look, that was the whole point of the physical nation was to bring people into the physical nation picturing what salvation and he said man
You're really spiritually in the Bible
yes, because it's a spiritual book and
God used physical truths of a physical nation and people physically becoming part of that nation through circumcision in the Passover to
spiritualize what happens in the New Testament how we enter into the spiritual kingdom through what belief in Christ and he's our
Passover lamb and we're circumcised with Christ and Isaac was circumcised and it's a picture of the spiritual circumcision
That we now have go to the Romans chapter 2. Let me show you even more verses on this
You say well, I already get this
well
Look, we need to know all these scriptures and believe all these scriptures and for some weird reason. This is a very
Controversial doctrine that I'm teaching you but think about how much Bible we're reading right now. That's so clear on this
It's crazy how Baptist today have just decided to reject so much of what the Bible just clearly teaches and
It's not even bad. Isn't this great?
I mean to find out that you're really you're the real Israel
And we're into that kingdom of God and we need to get other people in the kingdom of God by rejecting this doctrine
you basically devalue us and you elevate people that hate Jesus and hate Christ and
I've noticed that the devil always likes to do something
he always liked to devalue the children of God and
Elevate the children of the devil and to try to emphasize the children of the devil and it's really funny
how two groups really hate each other the children of God and the children of devil and
Fake Christians fall over themselves to show grace and kindness to the children of the devil
Acting like they don't hate anybody and they're great and they're kind or whatever. It's like look, you know
Why can't we just embrace the doctrines of God, you know, we need to as God's
ministers and as you know
Saved Christians to believe the right doctrines about who we are and who the world is
So that we can be effective in our mission if we're confused. We're not gonna be very effective
We don't know who the enemy is if we don't know what the objective is
We don't know the target is and look I guarantee the churches that are really mixed up on Zionism
Probably are not the biggest soul-winning churches
Because the devil loves to come in and twist things and confuse people and try to elevate
that which is wicked and get you to love and praise and adore that which is wicked rather than
The Word of God or the Bible and God's children now, I had to turn to Romans chapter 2 and we're talking about that circumcision
Well, look at what it says in verse 28
Free is not a Jew which is one outwardly neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh
But he is a Jew which is one inwardly and
Circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit and not in the letter whose praise is not of men
but of God so notice he makes it clear that being a real Jew a
Spiritual Jew has nothing to do with your outward physical
Circumcision you could even be uncircumcised and be a Jew if you're inwardly
Circumcised meaning what you believed on Christ and
While it's true that in the Old Testament
people who were unsaved
But a physical Jew were in a sense God's chosen people. It's also always been true that the real
God's people were always spiritual only meaning when we looked at Elias in their earlier place
He's the real Jew though, even though he's the real spiritual Israel
Even though he's amongst other Israelites and everything like that and God used those physical pictures to illustrate the spiritual truths in the future
So that's an important point because later in parts of the Bible. It's gonna tell you there's a distinction between Israel
They'll say there's two different Israel's and you have to understand that distinction or you're gonna get really confused
Really quickly go if you go to Romans chapter 9 now
Romans chapter number 9. Let me show you what I'm talking about
Because just because your Israel doesn't make you Israel
Look what the Bible says in Romans chapter 9 verse 6 not as though the Word of God have taken an effect for they are
Not all Israel which are of Israel
And he said that sounds confusing
What is on the surface?
But what does it mean?
You have to add a word in your mind to make sense of this
Okay for they are not all
Spiritual Israel, which are of physical Israel, that's what it's saying
So whenever you realize what those two different words are meaning now
It's gonna make perfect sense and look that's always been the case you go back in the Old Testament. They were not all
Spiritual Israel who were physical Israel and today they're not all spiritual Israel, which are physical Israel
Even if you were a hundred percent pure-blooded Jew
Unless you believed in Christ, you're not really Israel. It's a fake Israel
It's just it's only a physical Israel that has no purpose or meaning. That's why Christ often in the Gospels
He's talking to them and he says I know you're the seed of Abraham
But you're the children of the devil. You're not his children
You're not his seed because when he was saying you're not his seed. He didn't mean physically meant spiritually
He's saying you're of your father the devil why because they were spiritually children of the devil
They hated Christ they rejected Christ and because of their hatred for him they become reprobate
They couldn't even believe as John chapter 12 clearly illustrates. Okay
Now I want you to go to a few more places because this is an important doctrine go to
Galatians chapter number three Galatians chapter three. So what are you trying to teach us Pastor Shelley Isaac replaced Ishmael and
Christians replaced physical Jews
and
You say well all the physical Jews know because some of the physical Jews were some of those Christians that replaced the physical Israel and
God basically replaced physical Israel with the church and he gave them the keys and that happened at the end of the gospel
We entered in the New Testament
The New Testament was with his with the shedding of Christ's blood and then his death thrown resurrection. He ends up, you know
Empowering and
Commissioning the disciples to go out and now the church is taking over and they wait
You know obviously for power on high from the Holy Spirit and we see all these changes
Happening where we're no longer under the old covenant
We have the new covenant and now we have the New Testament and now we have the church and now we're basically doing things differently
That's really important to realize, you know
The church does kind of doesn't even make sense
If the chosen people didn't change at all if it was just a physical nation
It's like well
then do we all need to become Jews and they wrestled with that through the book of Acts where they're trying to Judaize people or
Try to convert them to Judaism and and Paul and Peter sometimes
He's kind of on the fence of both sides of this, but they have to constantly remind them like no
No, we're not like Judeo Christian
We're just Christian now and I don't like that term Judeo Christian because we're not like part Jew and part Christian
we're just all Christian and
People that are Jews. They need to just become all the way Christian. I don't even like messianic Jew
Because that's a misleading term. You should just be a Christian. That's it
And look, it's not like I go out and say like I'm a Caucasian
Christian, you know, I'm a messianic Christian
Like it doesn't make any sense. You know, it's kind of a misleading term. It's usually people that say that they're mixing
Both religions and they probably have not even actually trusted Christ because to be saved
it's an all-or-nothing deal either all the way in Christ and you're Christian or
Faith and works you're damned to hell
Doesn't matter if you recognize he's the Son of God you have to put your trust in him, too
Now what I'm teaching you is called in a fancy
theological term
super
Secessionism, okay
And what that means is it's really like this super means to like kind of go above and the session isms like replace
So it's basically saying like we're replacing or we're superseding is another way you could kind of word that
the the
Previous group here, but that's what happens Isaac is
superseding Ishmael he's now coming in the place of and
Replacing Ishmael and Ishmael's completely gone and at one point
Abraham only has one son. Who is that Ishmael? It's the apple of his eye. It's his boy
It's his son. He loves Ishmael
He was grieved when he had to cast out Ishmael
He didn't want to cast out Ishmael, but here's the thing Isaac is the real deal
And so because of that he has to replace him and he has a cast out Ishmael and Ishmaels no longer in the story
He's no longer part of Abraham's life and in fact when we get later in the book
Whenever it refers to Isaac, it's his only begotten son
That's a pretty that's kind of a spitting in the face of Ishmael when you think about it
He's saying like this is my only son
This is my only begotten son, but he had it
He had the other guy meaning like God just just completely disregarded Israel. He doesn't care about physical Israel at all
God is not a respecter of persons. They're completely done
There's nothing special about being physically descended from Abraham who probably all are if you took a DNA test, okay?
But I believe this doctrine I've seen people they're like, oh man, you're teaching super secessionism or you're teaching replacement theology
I'm thinking like yeah, they think it's like a cuss word or something
You know, they think that you're saying like you you go to the satanic temple or something
It's like no the synagogue of Satan is the Jews read revelation
Now look at Galatians chapter 3 look at verse number 6
even as Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness know you therefore that
They which are of faith the same are the children of Abraham and the scripture for seeing that God would justify the heathen through faith
Preached before the gospel and Abraham saying in thee shall all nations be blessed
So then they which be by which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham
For as many as are the works of the law are under the curse for it is written
Cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things which were written in the book of the law to do them
But that no man is justified by the law on the side of God
It is evident for the just shall live by faith and the law is not of faith
But the man that doeth them shall live in them
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of law being made a curse for us for it is written
Person is everyone that hangeth on a tree that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ
That we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Now what the Bible is teaching is that the the Jews
Physically physical Israel they receive the law
Okay, they have the law but there's a problem with the fact that they had received that law
The problem is that no man is justified by the law
Notice you're only going to be condemned and the only way is for the to basically be just is by faith as it says in
Verse number 11 and it makes it clear cursed. Is there anyone that doesn't do everything that's written in the book of the law?
So they were given the law, but here's the thing. That's all they have and because they rejected Christ. They're still on that law program and
Until they get on Christ program. The only thing they have is the condemnation or the curse of the law
So they had to break that curse or break that condemnation through believing in Christ and that's what gives us that same
basic blessing and redemption from the curse of the law go back if you would to
Genesis 21 go back to Genesis chapter 21
and
We could look I have so many places in the Bible
We could possibly turn to on this subject because it's just flooding the Bible's just flooded with this type of information
I'll read for you from 1st Thessalonians chapter 2 the Bible says for you brethren became followers of the churches of God
Which in Judea are in Christ Jesus for he also suffered like things of your own countrymen
even as they have of the Jews who both killed the Lord Jesus and their own prophets and have
Persecuted us and they please not God and are contrary to all men
Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved to fill up their sins
All wait for the wrath has come upon them to the uttermost
now that's
Important because again, they're being persecuted by the Jews, which is what I?
Ishmael making fun of Isaac that we just read and
Also, it's saying that they please not God. How can you say they're God's chosen people when they don't please him at all?
How can you say that they're special or they're blessed when the Bible says the wrath has come upon them to the uttermost?
That doesn't sound like a blessing
He's saying they're the most cursed
The most wrath and in fact when you read the Bible they are the putt they're punished the worst of
anybody
Even worse than Sodom and in Gomorrah and some of these other places because the Bible teaches that not all deaths are equal
You know the sword is not the worst way to die. He says starving to death is worse
He says dying of hunger and what happens to the children of Israel when they're punished by Babylon
They literally starve so much that they start eating their own children
That is a worries way worse punishment. I mean he brought the hammer
He punished them double for their sins as the Bible describes it
They got the wrath of the uttermost and here's the thing Christ rejecting Jews are in danger of receiving the greatest wrath
That's why they really need to get saved
Well, they really need to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
And we should love them and preach them the gospel and not tell them they were on their way to heaven
Oh, you have your covenant. Here's a problem your covenants only of condemnation
You need that new covenant
Everybody needs the new covenant verse 12 and God said in Abraham. Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad and
Because of thy bondwoman and all that Sarah said unto thee hearken in her voice for an Isaac shall thy seed
Be called and you know, that's what the Bible had told us in Romans chapter number 9
It is said in Isaac shall thy seed be called and it I'll just read for you
It says that is they which are the children of the flesh
These are not the children of God
But the children of the promise are counted for the seed for this is the word of promise at this time
Will I come and Sarah shall have a son so Romans chapter 9 10 11 basically explain how?
God wants the children of Israel to get saved Paul wants the children is will get saved
but they're not and there's a difference between the physical Israel and the spiritual Israel and
Eventually, there will be no difference
There will be a point in time when all Israel shall be saved
But that's only at the millennial after all the Gentiles have come in and they've all gotten saved
Now we'll have a physical Israel that matches spiritual Israel, but there's never been a point in time where that's been true
There's never been a point in time where all physical Israel is also all a spiritual Israel that
Fulfillment is at the millennial reign of Christ that fulfillment is later gonna happen in the future and
It's gonna be a glorious thing when Israel is just the saved and we're and we're having a good time together
We're gonna get that last laugh verse 13
And also of the son of the bond woman
Will I make a nation because he is thy seed?
nay ram rose up early in the morning and took bread and a bottle of water and gave it unto Hagar
putting it on her shoulder and the child and sent her away and she departed in water in the wilderness of Beersheba and
The water was spent in the bottle and she cast the child under one of the shrubs and she went and sat her down
over against him a good way off as
It were a bowshot for she said let me not see the death of the child
and
She sat over against him and lift up her voice and wept and God heard the voice of the lad and the angel of God
Called to Hagar out of heaven and said under what aleth thee Hagar
Fear not for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is arise lift up the lad and hold him in thine hand
I will make him a great nation and God opened their eyes and she saw a well of water and she went and filled the
bottle with water and gave the lad drink and
God was with the lad and he grew and dwelt in the wilderness and became an archer and he dwelt in the wilderness of Peron
And his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt now
In this section the Bibles make it clear though that God even though this was an allegory and it pictures a lot of things
It doesn't mean that God hated Ishmael or something and we see even God showing mercy
Under Ishmael blessing Ishmael and it says something very important in verse 20 says and God was with the lad
You know picture the fact what?
Ishmael pictures the Jews and God was with the Jews and God blessed the Jews and God did good under the Jews and
Look, I even think it's likely Ishmael's probably been saved a
Lot of people hate Ishmael, but you know Ishmael is not someone to hate
Physically, we shouldn't hate physical Ishmael. We shouldn't hate the Muslims
We shouldn't hate those that are in Iran and Iraq and what does Zionist do they try to make Ishmael physical so they can bomb him
basically Israel will shoot rockets and kill women children in these Iraqi countries and
Republicans and Fox News Baptist will basically rejoice and be like, oh we're blessing Israel and we're blessing God to kill that
You know Muslim or whatever and it's like while Muslims are unreceptive the gospel the Jews are more unreceptive and
You know what? I'm not gonna rejoice that women and children being killed. That's a horrible thing
You know, there's a lot of people they get mad at me for my hatred so-called yet. They hate Muslims all day long
They hate all kinds of different people. They just don't want to admit it
You know, whenever Osama bin Laden was killed everybody's rejoicing everybody was excited about his death
you know lots of people rejoice over the death of people who they perceive to be wicked and
Look my perception of wickedness doesn't matter. The only wickedness that matters is what God said, you know
Jonah would have been really happy if Nineveh had been destroyed
Nineveh was basically, you know the Muslims to him. He was just like nuke him, you know, just like take him out
He was mad that God didn't kill them
You know a bunch of Fox News Baptist would be mad if Israel never shot another rocket at them
You know or if Palestine was taken back over by the Muslims or something like that
You know what? Hey if a bunch of Muslims got saved and they took over the physical promised land
I would say praise the Lord. I
Wouldn't be upset of that. I wouldn't be mad at that and look I don't want any war
I don't want people to be fighting each other. I'm not saying it's good for the
Palestinians or the people in the Middle East to fire at Israel. I think they should be peace
Okay, but the only way they're gonna be peace is if you stop supporting Israel and enforcing the takeover all this land
it's not really theirs and
America, you know historically at least the last several decades when we're under Republican leadership or conservative leadership has really advocated for
More war and more bloodshed and allowing Israel to basically destroy its enemies and look
I'm not for that as evil and as wicked as the Democrats are and look they're really wicked
They're not really on the wrong side of that issue
They're usually saying like we should have peace and we shouldn't support Israel and bombing
You know all of these Israeli, you know
These Iraqi countries and look it's not as always as simple as Republicans are always right and Democrats are always wrong
I look at as they're both pretty much always wrong
That's a lot easier, okay, so if you want an easy way just look at them both probably being wrong almost all the time
But at the end of the day, we need to make sure that our doctrine is what the Bible says not what the world thinks
Don't let John Hagee tell you who Israel is. He's not even saved
Okay, he's written books and preached that they don't even need to get saved
They don't even need to believe in Christ
That's wicked and some Baptists seem to go all the way to that extreme at times and we need to reject that false doctrine
Look what it says in verse 22 and it came to pass at that time
That Abimelech and Fichol the chief captain of his host, Begin Abraham saying God is with thee and all that thou do is now
Therefore swear unto me here by God
That thou wilt not deal falsely with me nor with my son nor with my son's son
But according to kindness that I have done unto thee thou shalt do unto me and the land where in thou sojourn
And Abraham said I will swear and Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water which Abimelech servants had violently taken away
And Abimelech said I woe not who had done this thing neither didst thou tell me neither yet heard I of it
but today
and Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them unto Abimelech and both of them made a covenant and
Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves and Abimelech said unto Abraham
What mean these seven ewe lambs which thou has set by themselves and he said for these seven ewe lambs that shalt thou take
Of my hand they may be a witness unto me that I have digged this well
Wherefore he called that place Beersheba
Because there they swear both of them thus they made a covenant Beersheba
Then Abimelech rose up and Fichol the chief captain of his host and they returned into the land of the Philistines
And Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba and called there on the name of the Lord the everlasting God and Abraham sojourned in the Philistines
land many days, so
It kind of just has this interesting dialogue here and you know
I just want to point out a few things in this this dialogue at the end
First of all, the Bible tells us that you know, he's dwelling amongst these other people and Abraham's a peaceful person
He's just trying to dwell amongst these other people and he's not trying to hurt or harm them
Yet the Bible makes it clear that they had hurt him or harmed him in some way and they're coming and trying to say we
Want to have peace with you after they've already harmed him and it is said in verse 25
That Abimelech's servants had violently taken away a well that it owned that had been in possession of Abraham
His servants dug a well
had done all the work and effort and then Abimelech came and
Violently, they beat them up or they hurt them or they harm them. They may even kill somebody. We don't know they vandalize something
they basically did evil unto them and took that and
before Abraham's basically
Making peace with this guy. He's saying well, why don't I give you a present? Why don't I give you seven?
Lambs ooh lambs would be like baby lambs as a present and then that'll be a witness that this is really mine
now what I find interesting about the story is Abraham's done nothing wrong and
Then he gives a present unto his enemy and buys back
Basically this well that was taken away from so imagine someone comes at you and steals something
They steal your computer, and then they say hey, I want to be your friend, and you're like well
You stole my computer, and you're like okay. I'll be your friend. How about I buy the computer from you?
It's like isn't that being pretty nice isn't that being pretty generous
Couldn't he have just been like no
I won't be your friend unless you just give me back that well
But notice he just goes ahead and makes this peace offering unto him is willing to just go ahead and buy it from him
Even though it's already his it was wrongfully taken from him, but what is he doing?
he's being a peacemaker and
Sometimes being a peacemaker means that you're gonna suffer wrong
You're gonna be defrauded
Evil may happen to you, and you just take it patiently
And this is a Christian attribute of us taking things patiently you know 1st Corinthians 6 is all about this
Have your brother and Christ trespasses against you that'd be sometimes better. Just be defrauded
You know just let people do you wrong and just get over it now?
Go if you would to Psalms chapter 15, I want to show you a few verses here
Why do you say that look? It's just better to be at peace with people if someone does wrong to you
Even if they're not apologetic even if they don't admit it you can still let things go
Okay, now. I'm not saying you're forced to I'm not saying you have to what I'm saying is a mature
Christian someone who has basically realized that it's not worth fighting
Every single fight will realize sometimes you should just let things go even when you're in there
You've just been wronged completely and the other person won't even take ownership of it because whenever he's telling Abimelech this
Abimelech is is not saying like yeah, we did this. He's like. I don't know who did this. I don't know anything about it
He's not saying like yeah, we did that yeah, we took it. Yeah, we did wrong
He's been it's basically like you caught someone red-handed stealing from you, and they're just like I don't know what happened
I think it's my computer, and you're like here's a video of you taking it
It's like I don't know where that video came from I don't you know I know not the man. You know it's like
In this picture. He did him wrong. It's proven that he did it wrong. He didn't apologize
He didn't ask for forgiveness, and then what does Abraham do he just goes ahead and just says what let me just buy it from you
Back anyways, and then we'll just be friends anyways because why because that's what it means to make peace some people have this idea
You know that the only way you can make peace with someone is if they sincerely apologize for every transgression
Now ideally they would
Okay, what would have been the best-case scenario?
Abimelech said I didn't know about that, but you're right. I'm so sorry. We're gonna fix it
Here's the well and in fact
I'm gonna give you some money for the time lost of not having that well
And we'll fix it wouldn't that been the best response shouldn't that would have been a bim like did
But he's not willing to meet him halfway
So you know what Abraham is basically coming across the aisle to meet a bimelech even though
It's not fair even though. It's not perfectly equitable and a mature Christian can do this
Immature Christians are tick for tack
You hit me. I hit you back. You stole my pencil. I'm stealing your pencil back
You don't do it you do wrong to me
I do wrong back to you
and I'm not willing to forgive you unless you basically fall down on your knees beg me and tell me how wonderful I am and
You think I'm joking. I'm not joking. I've seen many Christians do this
I've had this problem happen to me as far as people bringing me issues like this and like over silly stuff
And when I say silly, it's so silly. I don't want to mention it. Okay. It's basically like stealing a pencil
And
It's weird. We'll have people come up to me like he stole my pencil in church, and he didn't give it back
And I'm like okay. What did you say something to him? Yeah? I told him he stole my pencil
But he didn't apologize, and it's like what if I buy you a pencil no he has to apologize
I'm ready to throw him out of the church
It's like what throw him out of the church. It's a pencil like get over it
Just mature just grow up. You know you have to you tell this to your children the children coming. He took my toy and
They expect you to basically be like you you have to give back the toy sometimes. You're like well play with something else
and
They give they get all their like befuddled by they're like he took my toy
You know it's like sometimes you have to get over it sometimes you have to realize he took you well, okay?
Get another one
Buy it back do something else, and you don't want to just make everybody have to you know
Basically beg you to be your friend or beg for goodness every time sometimes you just reach across the aisle
That's what makes you a good friend, and wouldn't you want that once you've you were in the wrong?
Like it if people are willing to come across the aisle towards you
Now look what it says in Psalms 15 verse 4 and his eyes a vile person is content
But he honored them that fear the Lord
He swereth to his own hurt and changeth not now in the story. He's basically saying will you be my friend. He's like yes
Now if you've already promised to be his friend
Then when this goes south you know you're just gonna swear to your own hurt and change not
Abraham's like not gonna do anything to harm this guy or hurt this guy and when you make a promise
Even if it's to your own detriment
You need to just go ahead and keep your word
If you promise to do something for somebody if you're making a you know basically you're trying to entrust somebody with something
You need to make sure that you're always gonna do it even if it hurts you a little bit
Even if it's at your own detriment. I mean this was that Abraham's detriment to buy his own well back
Obviously it's taking it back
But he's basically promising that piece of this guy and swearing to be his friend
Go to Proverbs chapter 3 for a moment go to Proverbs chapter 3 the Bible says if it be possible as much as lieth in
You live peaceably with all men so the Bible says if it be possible as much as lieth in you
so whenever a
Church member approaches me
And I'm basically just telling you this so you'll know in the future you can be prepared when a church man approached me and says I'm
upset at this other church member I
Usually say well is this something you can just let go
is this something that's not a big enough deal that you can just move on anyways and
If they say yes, you know the best thing to do is just move on
Now sometimes it crosses a threshold where it has to be addressed right you know I try to liken this on you stole my pencil
Whatever now you get a knife, and you slash my tires. You know
That might be something. I'm like I want to dress that you know that's kind of a serious deal right or
Let's say you hurt my child or something or something bad happens
Then maybe that needs to be addressed and that threshold could be a little bit different for each person
And I get that and there's gonna be some discretion here what I'm teaching little minor grievances or little petty things
She doesn't want to be my friend. She didn't invite me to this or he said this or he did this
It's like just get over it
Who cares you know if it's a serious enough deal then yeah, maybe we need to you know talk about it
It's like he told me he was gonna pay me back for lunch, but he didn't
Really
Now someone ripped somebody off for like 10,000 bucks in the church
I get that you may like think like I want to you know have a reconciliation on this
You know I want something to be done about this, but look if it's just a few bucks who cares
He had to pay seven limbs that was a lot of money so for his threshold
It was pretty high wasn't it Abraham was so mature
He was willing to spend a lot of money to maintain her friendship with somebody without having to have reconciliation truly
Now if it had been all the wells
Maybe Abraham would have been like no
I can't just you know let you just take all the wells, but it was just one he's like
I'll buy this one back who cares
You know having a friend is more important than a little bit of money or a little bit of inconvenience or a little bit of
discomfort or whatever
Proverbs chapter 3 verse 29 the Bible says devise not evil against thy neighbor seeing each well securely by thee
You don't want to piss off your neighbors
You don't want to piss off your friends
You want to have is a good a relationship with people as possible and even if it's your own detriment or hurt
You want to have that go to mark chapter 11 last place. I'll turn ok Matt Matt mark chapter number 11
The Bible says in verse 24 therefore I stand you what things so every desire when you pray
Believe that you receive them and you shall have them and when you stand praying forgive if you have ought against any
That your father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses
But if you do not forgive neither will your father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses
Another thing if someone asks forgiveness the Bible commands you to forgive them
But even beyond that it's saying when you're just praying within yourself if you can just forgive somebody they have ought against
You should just go ahead and do it
That way God the Father
Can have that with you look if you have this is how I say it if you're upset with anybody
That's a brother in Christ
you need to either immediately get rid of that you know unforgiveness if you can or
Talk to them in person and reconcile it, but you shouldn't just let bitterness develop in your heart
You shouldn't just let these things fester and because what happens is you just like a little bit upset
But you don't resolve it and then the next time you see them
They just get you a little bit more upset
But you don't resolve it and then the next time you see them you get a little bit more upset
But you don't resolve it and then eventually you're just really mad at this person you hate this person everything
They do upsets you just the way they look the way they talk the way they dress how they handle themselves
Just everything just makes you mad about them. You just look at them like can you Matt?
Can you believe how they're sitting in that chair?
Can you believe how they're looking right now, and it's like why because of unresolved tension?
Unresolved issue unresolved ought and you know what odd is anything
So that's why it's important if you have a problem with someone and you can't get over it
Fix it you know go to the person try to resolve it, but if you can't just let it go
Let it go and even you know what if it cost you a little bit extra
It's better to just be at peace with people than having physical possessions anyways. Let's close in prayer. Thank you father so much for your word
Thank you so much for these examples you've given us the Bible
Thank you for allowing us to be the the chosen nation this royal priesthood
to have this spiritual kingdom of God that we can go out and preach the gospel and I pray that as we
Do this great work that?
We wouldn't have the need to always be
Fully recompensed on every transgression that we'd actually just love our brethren
We'd love our brothers and sisters in Christ
and that we'd be willing to just forgive people and to reach across the aisle and to be
peacemakers and that we would swear to our own hurt and change not and that
Whatever inconveniences we have that we would just seek peace and that we try to have as much unity as possible in the church
And we wouldn't be petty and carnal about little grievances
But rather we would have love and charity in our hearts and in Jesus name we pray Amen