WEBVTT 00:00:10.189 --> 00:00:13.849 We're going to consider two very simple, straightforward 00:00:13.849 --> 00:00:18.250 things in our text today. The first is the death 00:00:18.250 --> 00:00:23.730 of the patriarch, Abraham. We see this clearly 00:00:23.730 --> 00:00:27.449 taking place. We see it in verses 1 through 11. 00:00:27.949 --> 00:00:32.049 It's elaborated on in various ways. And then 00:00:32.049 --> 00:00:36.009 we also are going to see and consider the transcendent 00:00:36.009 --> 00:00:42.520 faithfulness of God in this. So we'll see that 00:00:42.520 --> 00:00:47.020 Abraham lived faithfully, that he was a man of 00:00:47.020 --> 00:00:49.799 faith, and really, this is what Abraham is known 00:00:49.799 --> 00:00:54.159 for in the Bible, being an exemplar of faith, 00:00:54.280 --> 00:00:59.079 a pilgrim with faith in this world, living faithfully, 00:00:59.079 --> 00:01:03.539 with justifying faith in the promise or the gospel, 00:01:03.799 --> 00:01:07.920 and having the righteousness of Christ imputed 00:01:07.920 --> 00:01:12.680 or... reckoned to him. And we'll also see later 00:01:12.680 --> 00:01:18.000 that it's not just that he had this faith, but 00:01:18.000 --> 00:01:21.480 it's that this faith grew. And it was strengthened 00:01:21.480 --> 00:01:25.680 progressively throughout his life. And that his 00:01:25.680 --> 00:01:28.620 confidence and his assurance and his boldness 00:01:28.620 --> 00:01:31.700 in the promise that God had given to him grows 00:01:31.700 --> 00:01:39.019 over time as he nears and draws closer To death 00:01:39.019 --> 00:01:44.680 over the years. But above this and above even 00:01:44.680 --> 00:01:48.640 the faithfulness of the great patriarch. We see 00:01:48.640 --> 00:01:51.340 over and over time and time again in the book 00:01:51.340 --> 00:01:54.900 of Genesis and throughout the word of God. That 00:01:54.900 --> 00:01:58.219 the scriptures primary purpose is not to reveal 00:01:58.219 --> 00:02:03.519 so much what man is like or who man is. But the 00:02:03.519 --> 00:02:08.819 scripture reveals to us who God himself is. And 00:02:08.819 --> 00:02:13.659 his character. And the faithfulness of God himself. 00:02:14.080 --> 00:02:18.080 The sovereignty and the divine character of God 00:02:18.080 --> 00:02:23.080 himself. So over and above the faith of the patriarch. 00:02:23.560 --> 00:02:29.800 We'll see this transcendent faithfulness of God 00:02:29.800 --> 00:02:35.599 in the text. To the patriarch. But also to all 00:02:35.599 --> 00:02:39.110 of God's covenant people. Throughout the ages. 00:02:39.210 --> 00:02:44.550 Because of the gospel. Of Jesus Christ. Because 00:02:44.550 --> 00:02:48.169 of the work. That the Lord Jesus Christ. Has 00:02:48.169 --> 00:02:51.830 done. In his life. His death. And his resurrection. 00:02:53.030 --> 00:02:58.050 So first. The death of the patriarch. Consider 00:02:58.050 --> 00:03:02.770 the reality. That Abraham. The man of faith. 00:03:03.849 --> 00:03:08.509 Died. Just stop there for a moment. And consider 00:03:08.509 --> 00:03:14.349 that. If anyone throughout the scriptures was 00:03:14.349 --> 00:03:20.430 going to be exempt from death, from the clutches 00:03:20.430 --> 00:03:24.069 of the grave, we might think that it would be 00:03:24.069 --> 00:03:28.229 the patriarch Abraham. We might think that it 00:03:28.229 --> 00:03:30.830 would be this one that had fellowship and communion 00:03:30.830 --> 00:03:34.469 with God for so long. This one that God called 00:03:34.469 --> 00:03:37.639 out and used. This one that... that God brought 00:03:37.639 --> 00:03:41.180 forth the Messiah from. One might think that 00:03:41.180 --> 00:03:44.659 he would be exempt from the clutches of death. 00:03:45.460 --> 00:03:52.460 But he's not. He dies. He goes to the grave. 00:03:52.520 --> 00:03:56.479 He has to face that reality at the end of his 00:03:56.479 --> 00:04:00.159 life. When it comes down to it, the patriarch 00:04:00.159 --> 00:04:08.360 is what? He's a man. He dies. His life comes 00:04:08.360 --> 00:04:11.280 to an end. He stops breathing. His heart stops 00:04:11.280 --> 00:04:18.879 beating at some point in time. It's true. For 00:04:18.879 --> 00:04:22.120 all those with faith, with the exception of a 00:04:22.120 --> 00:04:27.480 few throughout history that God has spared for 00:04:27.480 --> 00:04:32.100 various redemptive reasons. The best of men. 00:04:33.769 --> 00:04:41.230 are men. And they go to the grave. Just like 00:04:41.230 --> 00:04:47.649 every single person in this room will die. Just 00:04:47.649 --> 00:04:53.569 like the patriarch died. I will meet my end one 00:04:53.569 --> 00:05:00.670 day. Where will it be? I don't know. What will 00:05:00.670 --> 00:05:04.870 I be doing? I don't know. Who will I be with? 00:05:05.310 --> 00:05:08.290 I don't know. What will the circumstances and 00:05:08.290 --> 00:05:12.589 the situation be? I don't know, brothers and 00:05:12.589 --> 00:05:19.610 sisters, but I do know. I am going to die. I 00:05:19.610 --> 00:05:23.629 know that reality. I know that's a fact. Being 00:05:23.629 --> 00:05:26.910 a born -again Christian and having faith in the 00:05:26.910 --> 00:05:29.550 Lord Jesus Christ and the work that He has accomplished 00:05:29.550 --> 00:05:34.800 does not exempt us. From the difficulties. And 00:05:34.800 --> 00:05:39.199 the trials. And the circumstances. That all men 00:05:39.199 --> 00:05:44.339 face. That all men deal with. Being a believer. 00:05:44.560 --> 00:05:48.160 Being given the gift of faith. Does not exempt 00:05:48.160 --> 00:05:55.339 us. From the reality. Of death. But. The gift 00:05:55.339 --> 00:06:02.540 of faith. Does enable believers. To. face that 00:06:02.540 --> 00:06:07.000 reality in a way that honors the living God. 00:06:07.779 --> 00:06:13.360 It enables the believer to come face to face 00:06:13.360 --> 00:06:16.620 with that terrible reality that is meant to be 00:06:16.620 --> 00:06:21.740 judgment against sin and to do so without fear 00:06:21.740 --> 00:06:25.339 and without dread because that faith enables 00:06:25.339 --> 00:06:30.339 them to look past that reality. to further and 00:06:30.339 --> 00:06:33.180 more transcendent realities which are promised 00:06:33.180 --> 00:06:39.720 in the gospel. So it doesn't exempt us from these 00:06:39.720 --> 00:06:44.579 realities, but it enables the believer to face 00:06:44.579 --> 00:06:48.019 these realities different than the unbelieving 00:06:48.019 --> 00:06:53.920 world around us. And this is the case with Abraham. 00:06:54.379 --> 00:06:59.480 Now Abraham knew he was going to die. Just like 00:06:59.480 --> 00:07:03.560 he knew his wife Sarah, who died previously, 00:07:03.779 --> 00:07:08.360 would one day die. And so we see in this text 00:07:08.360 --> 00:07:15.860 that Abraham actually prepares to meet this reality. 00:07:16.319 --> 00:07:20.819 We see this in several ways. We see it in the 00:07:20.819 --> 00:07:26.959 fact that he gave gifts to his other sons. We 00:07:26.959 --> 00:07:47.980 see this in the text. It says this, What Abraham 00:07:47.980 --> 00:07:51.699 was doing in this is he was securing, to the 00:07:51.699 --> 00:07:55.519 best of his ability, the goodwill of his sons 00:07:55.519 --> 00:08:00.899 who will, who were potentially rival heirs for 00:08:00.899 --> 00:08:06.220 Isaac and all that God had promised. He's blessing 00:08:06.220 --> 00:08:10.500 them in the best ways that he can. Most likely 00:08:10.500 --> 00:08:13.620 when it says the sons of his concubines, it's 00:08:13.620 --> 00:08:17.519 referring to Keturah, who's mentioned in verse 00:08:17.519 --> 00:08:22.879 1, but it's most likely referring to Ishmael's 00:08:22.879 --> 00:08:27.949 mother as well, Hagar. I don't believe it's referring 00:08:27.949 --> 00:08:32.070 to a harem of concubines, but it's referring 00:08:32.070 --> 00:08:34.990 to these individuals who we've already encountered 00:08:34.990 --> 00:08:39.070 throughout the narrative of Abraham's life. So 00:08:39.070 --> 00:08:43.110 he gives gifts to his sons, his other sons. He 00:08:43.110 --> 00:08:48.409 doesn't give them the inheritance. He reserves 00:08:48.409 --> 00:08:55.720 this for Isaac. And then we see, That he gave 00:08:55.720 --> 00:08:59.740 everything that he had to the son of promise, 00:09:00.000 --> 00:09:04.019 Isaac. Because he believed that Isaac was the 00:09:04.019 --> 00:09:07.279 sole heir of the blessing and the promise that 00:09:07.279 --> 00:09:12.980 God had given to him. And then we see also that 00:09:12.980 --> 00:09:18.440 he sent the other sons away from Isaac. What's 00:09:18.440 --> 00:09:21.139 he doing there? He's protecting the promise. 00:09:22.379 --> 00:09:28.379 He's protecting the blessing and the heir, Isaac 00:09:28.379 --> 00:09:34.720 himself. And then lastly, we also see that he's 00:09:34.720 --> 00:09:40.419 buried at Machpelah, which is facing Mamre, the 00:09:40.419 --> 00:09:45.379 same place that Sarah is buried. He purchased 00:09:45.379 --> 00:09:49.159 a burial plot that his wife used, that he would 00:09:49.159 --> 00:09:53.139 use on many of his later... lineage would use 00:09:53.139 --> 00:09:57.419 as well. He prepared and he readied himself for 00:09:57.419 --> 00:10:02.259 death. He knew that it was coming. He knew that 00:10:02.259 --> 00:10:05.019 it was approaching and that it would come. It 00:10:05.019 --> 00:10:09.700 wasn't something that surprised him. He didn't 00:10:09.700 --> 00:10:13.620 come to the end of his life and, oh, I'm going 00:10:13.620 --> 00:10:20.960 to die. He knew it was coming. He knew it was 00:10:20.960 --> 00:10:23.840 approaching, and he knew that he was approaching 00:10:23.840 --> 00:10:29.159 that reality as well. He prepared and he readied 00:10:29.159 --> 00:10:34.419 himself for it. Now, what was he like when death 00:10:34.419 --> 00:10:38.480 came upon him? What was his condition in his 00:10:38.480 --> 00:10:41.919 heart and his mind? What was his spiritual condition 00:10:41.919 --> 00:10:47.740 and his spiritual state at the time of his death? 00:10:48.299 --> 00:10:52.899 Well, the text tells us in verses 7 through 8. 00:10:53.580 --> 00:10:56.659 It says in verse 8, Abraham breathed his last 00:10:56.659 --> 00:11:01.679 and died in a ripe old age, an old man and satisfied 00:11:01.679 --> 00:11:08.799 with life. That word ripe means full. It carries 00:11:08.799 --> 00:11:13.360 the idea that Abraham was full of blessing and 00:11:13.360 --> 00:11:17.639 blessedness, happiness. In his heart, in his 00:11:17.639 --> 00:11:23.720 mind, he was content with his life and the life 00:11:23.720 --> 00:11:28.120 that he had lived up until that point as he faced 00:11:28.120 --> 00:11:35.960 death. He was full, quantitatively and qualitatively, 00:11:35.960 --> 00:11:40.679 of divine blessing and divine favor, and he was 00:11:40.679 --> 00:11:45.600 conscious of that reality in his life. He knew. 00:11:47.210 --> 00:11:51.389 That his life was the object of divine favor 00:11:51.389 --> 00:11:57.789 and divine care. He understood this and he believed 00:11:57.789 --> 00:12:01.169 this. Not just early in his life when he was 00:12:01.169 --> 00:12:04.610 zealous. But he believed this later in his life 00:12:04.610 --> 00:12:08.470 as he was nearing death. As his life was closing 00:12:08.470 --> 00:12:13.870 and coming to an end. But it also says that he 00:12:13.870 --> 00:12:21.480 was satisfied with... life. He wasn't seeking 00:12:21.480 --> 00:12:27.659 to prolong his days. He wasn't discontent with 00:12:27.659 --> 00:12:32.200 the fact that he was dying. He was satisfied 00:12:32.200 --> 00:12:34.820 with the life that he had lived up to that point. 00:12:34.960 --> 00:12:38.059 And he was satisfied with the reality that he 00:12:38.059 --> 00:12:42.139 was passing from this world into the next. He 00:12:42.139 --> 00:12:46.399 was content. He was full of peace. And he was 00:12:46.399 --> 00:12:49.720 happy in the Lord, I believe. Listen to this 00:12:49.720 --> 00:12:53.820 quote from John Calvin. He says, The chief part 00:12:53.820 --> 00:13:02.179 of a good old age consists in this, a good conscience 00:13:02.179 --> 00:13:09.139 and in a serene and tranquil mind. So, here's 00:13:09.139 --> 00:13:14.840 Abraham who's 175 years old. Physically, he's 00:13:14.840 --> 00:13:20.080 not at the strongest he's ever been. He's an 00:13:20.080 --> 00:13:25.080 old man. He's frail. He's weak. He's brittle. 00:13:25.639 --> 00:13:31.259 He knows that he's about to pass. Yet, inside 00:13:31.259 --> 00:13:36.860 of himself, he's content and peaceful. He's joyful. 00:13:37.279 --> 00:13:40.419 He knows that God has been faithful to him all 00:13:40.419 --> 00:13:44.409 of these years. He knows that God has protected 00:13:44.409 --> 00:13:46.809 him and watched over him, that God has preserved 00:13:46.809 --> 00:13:49.970 him, that God has blessed him, that God has fellowshiped 00:13:49.970 --> 00:13:52.070 with him, that God has communed with him, that 00:13:52.070 --> 00:13:54.190 God has guided him, and God has directed him, 00:13:54.230 --> 00:13:58.169 and he knows that that will not cease at the 00:13:58.169 --> 00:14:02.830 grave. He knows, and he's confident, and he's 00:14:02.830 --> 00:14:07.110 assured in his heart, his mind, and his soul, 00:14:07.190 --> 00:14:11.299 and his affections, brothers and sisters. At 00:14:11.299 --> 00:14:15.960 this time in his life. That God is watching over 00:14:15.960 --> 00:14:20.059 him. Guiding him and directing him. And that 00:14:20.059 --> 00:14:22.659 he is justified in the sight of a living God. 00:14:22.840 --> 00:14:26.960 Because he has believed the promise that God 00:14:26.960 --> 00:14:31.440 has given to him. That God would bless him in 00:14:31.440 --> 00:14:34.919 future generations. He has believed what God 00:14:34.919 --> 00:14:42.620 has said to him. begs the question, how in the 00:14:42.620 --> 00:14:48.500 world is any person or how in the world is Abraham 00:14:48.500 --> 00:14:52.179 able to be like this at the end of his life? 00:14:53.500 --> 00:14:56.600 How is he able to look into the jaws of death 00:14:56.600 --> 00:15:00.120 and look at the grave and do so confidently and 00:15:00.120 --> 00:15:03.200 boldly with peace and contentment and tranquility 00:15:03.200 --> 00:15:07.679 in his heart and his mind? How can any sane person 00:15:08.220 --> 00:15:12.919 Do that. Well, what is Abraham known for, brothers 00:15:12.919 --> 00:15:21.100 and sisters? Faith. Believing God. Everything 00:15:21.100 --> 00:15:25.019 we see in this text points to the reality that 00:15:25.019 --> 00:15:28.639 at the end of Abraham's life, his whole world 00:15:28.639 --> 00:15:32.299 is oriented around the promise and what God has 00:15:32.299 --> 00:15:38.610 said to him. Everything. Why is Machpelah facing 00:15:38.610 --> 00:15:42.549 Mamre? Because God was faithful at Mamre. And 00:15:42.549 --> 00:15:44.909 he knew that God would give him the land at Mamre. 00:15:44.990 --> 00:15:47.750 Why did he send off his other sons? Because he's 00:15:47.750 --> 00:15:50.570 protecting the promise. Why did he give everything 00:15:50.570 --> 00:15:53.990 he had to Isaac? Because God had promised Isaac 00:15:53.990 --> 00:15:59.330 would be the sole heir. He's believing the gospel, 00:15:59.350 --> 00:16:01.769 brothers and sisters. And he's been transformed 00:16:01.769 --> 00:16:04.970 and transformed and transformed over the years. 00:16:05.610 --> 00:16:09.389 by that gospel, through his justifying faith. 00:16:10.669 --> 00:16:14.789 As he has believed the gospel, he has been progressively 00:16:14.789 --> 00:16:19.750 transformed over time in such a way that when 00:16:19.750 --> 00:16:24.389 he comes to death, his affections are settled. 00:16:25.049 --> 00:16:29.269 That when he comes to death, he's not tossed 00:16:29.269 --> 00:16:31.830 off kilter to the left and tossed off kilter 00:16:31.830 --> 00:16:36.179 to the right, but he's steady. Because he's resting 00:16:36.179 --> 00:16:40.000 in the steadfast faithfulness of the living God 00:16:40.000 --> 00:16:43.600 who has proved his faithfulness time and time 00:16:43.600 --> 00:16:51.000 again in his life. He's believing what God has 00:16:51.000 --> 00:16:54.539 said to him. This is why we read in the book 00:16:54.539 --> 00:17:00.740 of Romans that Abraham actually grows stronger 00:17:00.740 --> 00:17:08.180 in faith. as he progressively ages. Listen to 00:17:08.180 --> 00:17:12.599 this in Romans chapter 4. In hope against hope, 00:17:12.740 --> 00:17:16.960 he believed. Speaking of Abraham. So that he 00:17:16.960 --> 00:17:21.059 might become a father of many nations. According 00:17:21.059 --> 00:17:24.500 to that which had been spoken to him, so shall 00:17:24.500 --> 00:17:27.420 your descendants be. The promise, the gospel, 00:17:27.539 --> 00:17:30.920 which God has given to him. Without becoming 00:17:30.920 --> 00:17:35.690 weak in faith, He contemplated his own body, 00:17:35.809 --> 00:17:39.569 now as good as dead since he was about a hundred 00:17:39.569 --> 00:17:43.309 years old, in the deadness of Sarah's womb. But 00:17:43.309 --> 00:17:48.069 listen to this. Yet, with respect to the promise 00:17:48.069 --> 00:17:53.029 of God, he did not waver in unbelief, but grew 00:17:53.029 --> 00:17:58.789 strong in faith, giving glory to God and being 00:17:58.789 --> 00:18:04.039 fully assured. That what God had promised, he 00:18:04.039 --> 00:18:10.980 was able to perform. He grew strong in faith 00:18:10.980 --> 00:18:21.960 as he drew closer to death. Even though our physical 00:18:21.960 --> 00:18:27.359 situation digresses. Brothers and sisters, the 00:18:27.359 --> 00:18:34.450 inner man. That is wholly and completely strengthened 00:18:34.450 --> 00:18:38.589 and oriented. And built on and blessed by and 00:18:38.589 --> 00:18:45.250 through faith. Can grow strong over time. Can 00:18:45.250 --> 00:18:50.690 progressively increase in strength. And be formed 00:18:50.690 --> 00:18:54.750 more and more into the image and the likeness 00:18:54.750 --> 00:18:58.710 of Jesus Christ. This is why 2 Corinthians chapter 00:18:58.710 --> 00:19:03.589 4 talks about. being inwardly renewed day by 00:19:03.589 --> 00:19:08.970 day. The Spirit of God changes us and transforms 00:19:08.970 --> 00:19:16.750 us. This was the reality for Abraham. He finished 00:19:16.750 --> 00:19:21.190 well by faith. And, brothers and sisters, he 00:19:21.190 --> 00:19:29.500 went to the grave and he died in faith. Why is 00:19:29.500 --> 00:19:35.240 faith so important for the life and the death 00:19:35.240 --> 00:19:40.180 of the believer? Because if we want to come to 00:19:40.180 --> 00:19:43.759 the end of our lives, and we want to have a good 00:19:43.759 --> 00:19:47.619 conscience, we want to have confidence and boldness, 00:19:47.859 --> 00:19:51.259 we want to be free of fear, and we want to die 00:19:51.259 --> 00:19:54.930 well and honor God in our death. then brothers 00:19:54.930 --> 00:19:57.450 and sisters, we have to believe in a righteousness 00:19:57.450 --> 00:20:03.990 that is not our own. We have to believe in a 00:20:03.990 --> 00:20:07.230 righteousness that is alien and foreign to ourselves. 00:20:07.369 --> 00:20:10.490 A righteousness that is perfect and complete. 00:20:10.569 --> 00:20:13.809 The righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Because 00:20:13.809 --> 00:20:17.569 only in His righteousness can we find perfect 00:20:17.569 --> 00:20:21.049 standing in the sight of God where we are free 00:20:21.049 --> 00:20:26.819 of condemnation. But if we have that faith, that 00:20:26.819 --> 00:20:30.059 Abraham had justifying, saving faith, at the 00:20:30.059 --> 00:20:32.599 end of our life, we can look at death and say, 00:20:32.680 --> 00:20:39.180 you have no place in me. You have no claim on 00:20:39.180 --> 00:20:44.119 me. I know my future. I know my fate. I know 00:20:44.119 --> 00:20:46.680 where I'm going. I know what Christ has done. 00:20:46.839 --> 00:20:49.839 I know what justification means. I know who I 00:20:49.839 --> 00:20:54.599 am in Christ. We can come to the end of our life 00:20:54.599 --> 00:21:01.660 wielding the same kind of faith that Abraham 00:21:01.660 --> 00:21:08.299 came to the grave with. And we can die well with 00:21:08.299 --> 00:21:13.859 boldness and confidence. It's only by trusting 00:21:13.859 --> 00:21:17.900 in a perfect righteousness, the righteousness 00:21:17.900 --> 00:21:23.329 of Christ, that any sinner can confidently look 00:21:23.329 --> 00:21:33.730 at death and say, I do not fear. We are sinners, 00:21:33.789 --> 00:21:37.769 brothers and sisters. And why does death exist? 00:21:38.789 --> 00:21:43.750 Because of sin and God's judgment against sin 00:21:43.750 --> 00:21:49.079 in the world. But listen. Because of the work 00:21:49.079 --> 00:21:51.640 of Christ and the righteousness of the Lord Jesus. 00:21:53.079 --> 00:21:59.319 The curse only brings us to the grave. It ushers 00:21:59.319 --> 00:22:03.339 us into the very presence of God though. So we 00:22:03.339 --> 00:22:07.680 can look at it boldly. And we can face it in 00:22:07.680 --> 00:22:12.579 Christ and His righteousness. Faith is the only 00:22:12.579 --> 00:22:15.980 way of being sanctified. And growing in this 00:22:15.980 --> 00:22:19.000 life. where we're transformed and changed as 00:22:19.000 --> 00:22:21.759 Abraham was transformed and changed, that we 00:22:21.759 --> 00:22:25.319 might have settled heart affections when we come 00:22:25.319 --> 00:22:30.160 to our death. Yes, justification is by faith, 00:22:30.160 --> 00:22:33.359 brothers and sisters, but we mustn't ever forget 00:22:33.359 --> 00:22:43.019 that sanctification is by faith as well. It's 00:22:43.019 --> 00:22:45.220 not just that we have to believe the gospel. 00:22:45.980 --> 00:22:49.519 To be saved. To be brought into right standing 00:22:49.519 --> 00:22:54.640 with God. To be declared as though we're not 00:22:54.640 --> 00:22:56.880 a sinner. To be declared righteous in His standing. 00:22:57.559 --> 00:23:00.299 But brothers and sisters, we have to continue 00:23:00.299 --> 00:23:05.640 to believe and exercise our faith that God would 00:23:05.640 --> 00:23:09.220 sanctify us and transform us progressively in 00:23:09.220 --> 00:23:11.720 this life so that when we come to the end of 00:23:11.720 --> 00:23:15.500 our life, our inner man is stronger than he used 00:23:15.500 --> 00:23:24.099 to be. That's by faith. Faith is vital for living 00:23:24.099 --> 00:23:30.359 well, but we can't forget that faith is vital 00:23:30.359 --> 00:23:38.819 for dying well also. It's only faith that is 00:23:38.819 --> 00:23:44.309 able to look beyond the grave. And to see realities 00:23:44.309 --> 00:23:49.309 which God has promised in the gospel. The carnal 00:23:49.309 --> 00:23:54.369 man, the man outside of Christ, doesn't look 00:23:54.369 --> 00:24:01.190 that far. He sees his life. He sees what's going 00:24:01.190 --> 00:24:04.390 on, what he has, what he doesn't have, his situation. 00:24:04.750 --> 00:24:10.289 And he's very, very limited in his sight. And 00:24:10.289 --> 00:24:13.079 when he comes to his death, He sees the grave. 00:24:14.099 --> 00:24:21.019 Most likely with a tormented conscience or so 00:24:21.019 --> 00:24:25.019 satiated by the things of this world that he's 00:24:25.019 --> 00:24:28.440 deceived himself into thinking he's done no wrong 00:24:28.440 --> 00:24:33.779 or that there is no maker. But the Christian 00:24:33.779 --> 00:24:39.039 can come to the grave and see beyond the grave. 00:24:40.109 --> 00:24:44.009 And see beyond death knowing what is to come 00:24:44.009 --> 00:24:48.329 because of the gospel and the promises that God 00:24:48.329 --> 00:24:52.289 has made in Jesus Christ. Brothers and sisters, 00:24:52.369 --> 00:24:57.150 we can look with the eye of faith and see the 00:24:57.150 --> 00:25:02.130 power of the living God. And see the resurrection 00:25:02.130 --> 00:25:07.400 power of God to raise us on the last day. With 00:25:07.400 --> 00:25:09.740 the eye of faith, we can look at the grave, we 00:25:09.740 --> 00:25:13.160 can look at our lives, and we can see that He 00:25:13.160 --> 00:25:16.900 changes and He transforms through faith. We can 00:25:16.900 --> 00:25:20.160 look beyond the grave and see that even saints, 00:25:20.339 --> 00:25:23.539 that saints go and be with their Father into 00:25:23.539 --> 00:25:27.680 a sweeter, greater fellowship to such a degree 00:25:27.680 --> 00:25:31.339 that Paul can say in 2 Corinthians 5 to go and 00:25:31.339 --> 00:25:36.299 be at home with the Lord. Philippians chapter 00:25:36.299 --> 00:25:39.400 1, you can say, to live is Christ and to die 00:25:39.400 --> 00:25:48.059 is gain. That's all by faith. We can't look at 00:25:48.059 --> 00:25:50.539 death, think about death with the carnal eye 00:25:50.539 --> 00:25:53.700 or according to the flesh. It will bring us to 00:25:53.700 --> 00:25:56.859 despair and hopelessness. But if we look at the 00:25:56.859 --> 00:26:02.180 grave with the eye of faith, brothers and sisters, 00:26:02.380 --> 00:26:05.819 there is great hope. There is great encouragement, 00:26:05.980 --> 00:26:08.799 there is great strength, and there is great confidence 00:26:08.799 --> 00:26:13.460 that can be free of fear because of the gifts 00:26:13.460 --> 00:26:16.960 that God has given to us as a result of the gospel 00:26:16.960 --> 00:26:21.259 of Jesus Christ. Brothers and sisters, Abraham 00:26:21.259 --> 00:26:28.099 was the man of faith. Yet he died. But he did 00:26:28.099 --> 00:26:33.769 believe at the end of his life. This brings us 00:26:33.769 --> 00:26:35.450 to the second thing we have to consider this 00:26:35.450 --> 00:26:39.650 morning. The transcendent faithfulness of God. 00:26:41.890 --> 00:26:47.289 When we think about faith and the faithfulness 00:26:47.289 --> 00:26:50.829 of God, have you ever considered the reality 00:26:50.829 --> 00:26:56.549 that our faith and what we believe as Christians 00:26:56.549 --> 00:27:03.240 would be absolutely and completely vain? useless, 00:27:03.240 --> 00:27:09.039 and pointless, and to no end, to no avail, if 00:27:09.039 --> 00:27:13.599 God himself were not faithful to his promises. 00:27:15.140 --> 00:27:19.519 Our faith would be meaningless if we're not built 00:27:19.519 --> 00:27:23.880 on the foundation of God's own faithfulness to 00:27:23.880 --> 00:27:30.940 his promises. We see this in the text. Yes, Abraham 00:27:30.940 --> 00:27:34.819 was the man of faith. But his faith would have 00:27:34.819 --> 00:27:38.259 been worthless and vain if God himself were not 00:27:38.259 --> 00:27:43.319 true to his word. If God himself were not faithful 00:27:43.319 --> 00:27:47.819 to the promises that he has made to the man of 00:27:47.819 --> 00:27:56.019 faith. The reason we can believe is because of 00:27:56.019 --> 00:28:00.559 the faithfulness of God himself. Consider that 00:28:00.559 --> 00:28:03.740 God was faithful to Abraham throughout his life. 00:28:04.240 --> 00:28:06.740 Just think about the whole of Abraham's life 00:28:06.740 --> 00:28:09.500 and the Abraham narrative in the book of Genesis. 00:28:10.680 --> 00:28:17.079 Think about how faithful God was to him. He calls 00:28:17.079 --> 00:28:20.039 him out of this pagan world and this pagan society 00:28:20.039 --> 00:28:22.819 and this pagan lifestyle, brothers and sisters. 00:28:23.700 --> 00:28:27.460 He comes to Abraham and calls him out. Abraham 00:28:27.460 --> 00:28:30.990 doesn't go looking for the Lord. And then he 00:28:30.990 --> 00:28:34.829 gives him this promise graciously. He didn't 00:28:34.829 --> 00:28:37.970 have to give him this promise. He watches over 00:28:37.970 --> 00:28:40.369 Abraham throughout the years. He guides him. 00:28:40.450 --> 00:28:43.750 He meets with him. He fellowships with him. He 00:28:43.750 --> 00:28:46.710 blesses him. Think about the abundant blessings 00:28:46.710 --> 00:28:51.710 in the life of Abraham. His progeny and descendants. 00:28:52.809 --> 00:28:55.730 Think about his wealth and his influence in that 00:28:55.730 --> 00:28:58.650 world. And we can read in the Psalms how God 00:28:58.650 --> 00:29:02.789 protected him and guided him as a prophet and 00:29:02.789 --> 00:29:09.730 as the patriarch and as his people. God was faithful 00:29:09.730 --> 00:29:12.730 to him throughout his life. But we also have 00:29:12.730 --> 00:29:14.430 to consider that God was faithful to Abraham 00:29:14.430 --> 00:29:18.490 up to his death. All the way up to his death. 00:29:18.630 --> 00:29:20.950 Now remember the description that it gives us 00:29:20.950 --> 00:29:26.200 of how Abraham died? That is... A direct fulfillment 00:29:26.200 --> 00:29:32.259 of a promise that God makes to Abraham in Genesis 00:29:32.259 --> 00:29:37.619 chapter 15, verse 15. Listen to this. As for 00:29:37.619 --> 00:29:41.779 you, this is the Lord speaking to Abraham. As 00:29:41.779 --> 00:29:45.180 for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace 00:29:45.180 --> 00:29:50.299 and you will be buried at a good old age. God 00:29:50.299 --> 00:29:54.730 promised Abraham that he would die well. God 00:29:54.730 --> 00:29:57.309 promised Abraham that he would die at a ripe 00:29:57.309 --> 00:30:00.549 old age. And he brought it about. He accomplished 00:30:00.549 --> 00:30:04.990 it. He was faithful to the patriarch up to his 00:30:04.990 --> 00:30:07.150 death. But we also see, brothers and sisters, 00:30:07.349 --> 00:30:11.150 that his faithfulness did not cease when Abraham 00:30:11.150 --> 00:30:16.109 died. We read in the book of Matthew, and we'll 00:30:16.109 --> 00:30:24.359 go ahead and turn there briefly. In Matthew 22, 00:30:24.640 --> 00:30:45.380 31 through 32, we read this. This is the Sadducees 00:30:45.380 --> 00:30:48.140 coming and approaching Jesus and talking to Him 00:30:48.140 --> 00:30:50.259 about the resurrection. And they didn't believe 00:30:50.259 --> 00:30:53.720 in the resurrection. And here's some of the things 00:30:53.720 --> 00:30:57.380 that Jesus says. But regarding the resurrection 00:30:57.380 --> 00:31:01.180 of the dead, have you not read what was spoken 00:31:01.180 --> 00:31:07.960 to you by God? I am the God of Abraham, and the 00:31:07.960 --> 00:31:11.619 God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And listen 00:31:11.619 --> 00:31:15.720 to what the Lord says. He is not the God of the 00:31:15.720 --> 00:31:25.630 dead, but of the living. God, following the Exodus, 00:31:25.970 --> 00:31:32.410 when he says, I am, in the present tense, not 00:31:32.410 --> 00:31:39.470 I was, I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 00:31:40.130 --> 00:31:46.690 After Abraham's death, when Moses is speaking 00:31:46.690 --> 00:31:52.069 to God in the burning bush, God says, I am the 00:31:52.069 --> 00:31:58.670 God of Abraham. Meaning, I am now the God of 00:31:58.670 --> 00:32:01.849 the patriarch. Even though he may physically 00:32:01.849 --> 00:32:04.569 be dead, he may physically be in the ground, 00:32:04.650 --> 00:32:07.829 he is still in fellowship and communion with 00:32:07.829 --> 00:32:13.509 me. He is still the God of Abraham. There's a 00:32:13.509 --> 00:32:16.349 reason, brothers and sisters, that paradise or 00:32:16.349 --> 00:32:22.150 heaven is called... Abraham's bosom because he 00:32:22.150 --> 00:32:27.970 is in fellowship with the living God now in a 00:32:27.970 --> 00:32:31.490 different form, in a different sphere, in a different 00:32:31.490 --> 00:32:35.349 way than he was physically in this world when 00:32:35.349 --> 00:32:41.869 he walked as the patriarch by faith. God's faithfulness 00:32:41.869 --> 00:32:47.569 to Abraham continued in death. It didn't stop 00:32:47.569 --> 00:32:53.450 when he died. We even see that God was faithful 00:32:53.450 --> 00:32:57.730 to his word that he gave to Abraham after he 00:32:57.730 --> 00:33:03.250 died. When we consider Genesis 25 and we think 00:33:03.250 --> 00:33:08.730 about the lineage of Ishmael and the kings and 00:33:08.730 --> 00:33:11.809 the nations and the leaders and the things that 00:33:11.809 --> 00:33:16.400 would come as a result of Ishmael's in Ishmael's 00:33:16.400 --> 00:33:19.779 offspring and his children. And it specifically 00:33:19.779 --> 00:33:26.900 says that there was 12 tribes that came from 00:33:26.900 --> 00:33:31.440 Ishmael. Now, Ishmael outlived Abraham by many 00:33:31.440 --> 00:33:36.359 years. Abraham dies, and then Ishmael continues, 00:33:36.559 --> 00:33:40.700 and then he dies many later years after Ishmael, 00:33:40.799 --> 00:33:46.619 after Abraham does. This is important. Because 00:33:46.619 --> 00:33:49.319 it's not just listing the lineage and the offspring 00:33:49.319 --> 00:33:52.819 of Ishmael for no reason. Why is the author doing 00:33:52.819 --> 00:33:56.460 this? Because God had made a promise to Abraham 00:33:56.460 --> 00:34:01.200 regarding Ishmael and his offspring in Genesis 00:34:01.200 --> 00:34:06.460 chapter 17. He said in Genesis 17 verses 18 through 00:34:06.460 --> 00:34:11.260 20, And Abraham said to God, Oh, that Ishmael 00:34:11.260 --> 00:34:15.789 might live before you. But God said, No, but 00:34:15.789 --> 00:34:18.730 Sarah, your wife, will bear you a son, and you 00:34:18.730 --> 00:34:22.170 shall call his name Isaac. And I will establish 00:34:22.170 --> 00:34:25.050 my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant 00:34:25.050 --> 00:34:28.929 for his descendants after him. As for Ishmael, 00:34:28.929 --> 00:34:35.250 I have heard you. Behold, I will bless him and 00:34:35.250 --> 00:34:37.829 will make him fruitful and will multiply him 00:34:37.829 --> 00:34:40.969 exceedingly. He shall become the father of twelve 00:34:40.969 --> 00:34:44.639 princes. And I will make him a great nation. 00:34:45.199 --> 00:34:52.139 Now Abraham died. But God keeps his word to Ishmael 00:34:52.139 --> 00:34:57.219 following Abraham's death. God is good to his 00:34:57.219 --> 00:35:00.860 word even after the patriarch has exited the 00:35:00.860 --> 00:35:04.940 scene. And then we see in verse 11 that God blesses 00:35:04.940 --> 00:35:13.019 Isaac. As he told Abraham he would. God is faithful 00:35:13.019 --> 00:35:18.440 to the promise throughout the generations. The 00:35:18.440 --> 00:35:27.000 faithfulness of our God, His mighty faithfulness, 00:35:27.000 --> 00:35:31.320 brothers and sisters, transcends circumstances, 00:35:31.920 --> 00:35:41.260 situations, problems, and even people. It transcends 00:35:41.260 --> 00:35:49.480 the grave, brothers and sisters. What can hold 00:35:49.480 --> 00:35:52.619 back the faithfulness of God to His covenant 00:35:52.619 --> 00:35:59.019 people? What can stay the hand of our sovereign 00:35:59.019 --> 00:36:03.920 God who has said, I will be faithful to my people? 00:36:05.139 --> 00:36:09.010 What can keep Him? What can hinder Him? from 00:36:09.010 --> 00:36:12.489 bringing about His purposes and His plans in 00:36:12.489 --> 00:36:17.570 this world for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Can 00:36:17.570 --> 00:36:21.650 we, as sinners, hold back the faithfulness of 00:36:21.650 --> 00:36:26.130 God in our own lives? Can our sin and our frailty, 00:36:26.230 --> 00:36:30.070 can our weakness, can our lack of faith hinder 00:36:30.070 --> 00:36:33.510 the faithfulness of God in our lives? Can we 00:36:33.510 --> 00:36:37.809 constrain the mighty, powerful, sovereign, faithful 00:36:37.809 --> 00:36:41.429 hand of the living God? No, brothers and sisters. 00:36:41.590 --> 00:36:45.869 He will accomplish His purposes. His faithfulness 00:36:45.869 --> 00:36:51.190 transcends all of these things. Many times in 00:36:51.190 --> 00:36:56.530 my own life, I find myself overestimating my 00:36:56.530 --> 00:37:01.840 ability to keep God from doing something. And 00:37:01.840 --> 00:37:05.519 underestimate God's ability to bring about his 00:37:05.519 --> 00:37:12.780 purposes in my life or in that situation. Do 00:37:12.780 --> 00:37:16.420 you know why that is, brothers and sisters? That's 00:37:16.420 --> 00:37:19.199 because of the remnant of sin that dwells within 00:37:19.199 --> 00:37:23.480 me. That's because of the remnant of sin that 00:37:23.480 --> 00:37:27.599 dwells within you. That we underestimate the 00:37:27.599 --> 00:37:30.250 faithfulness and the power. And the divinity 00:37:30.250 --> 00:37:35.130 of God himself. And we make him like a man. And 00:37:35.130 --> 00:37:38.590 we overestimate. Our significance. And our importance. 00:37:39.090 --> 00:37:46.750 And our ability. Or our inability. Can we. Hold 00:37:46.750 --> 00:37:52.010 back. The transcendent. Faithful hand. Of the 00:37:52.010 --> 00:37:58.679 sovereign God. No. Can our enemies. Hold back 00:37:58.679 --> 00:38:03.679 the faithfulness of God. Can the world, the flesh, 00:38:03.699 --> 00:38:09.960 or the devil? Can Satan thwart God's gospel purposes 00:38:09.960 --> 00:38:15.360 in your life? Can Satan thwart God's gospel purposes 00:38:15.360 --> 00:38:19.679 in this world for the church? No, brothers and 00:38:19.679 --> 00:38:23.820 sisters. Our enemies cannot hold back the faithful 00:38:23.820 --> 00:38:31.500 hand of God. Can death hold back the faithfulness 00:38:31.500 --> 00:38:36.619 of God in the life of His covenant people? Can 00:38:36.619 --> 00:38:39.340 our weakness and frailty in our old age keep 00:38:39.340 --> 00:38:42.780 the hand of God from accomplishing His divine 00:38:42.780 --> 00:38:46.880 purposes in our lives? No, brothers and sisters. 00:38:47.300 --> 00:38:52.780 None can hold back. None can keep the faithfulness 00:38:52.780 --> 00:38:57.380 of God from being brought about. God is faithful. 00:38:59.199 --> 00:39:06.099 And it transcends every situation, every circumstance, 00:39:06.280 --> 00:39:10.500 every enemy, every hardship, every child, and 00:39:10.500 --> 00:39:15.000 even death, brothers and sisters. Why? Because 00:39:15.000 --> 00:39:17.760 of the faithfulness of the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:39:18.780 --> 00:39:21.599 The work that He has accomplished in the Gospel. 00:39:22.099 --> 00:39:29.659 The glorious Gospel of God. Christ was faithful. 00:39:30.460 --> 00:39:34.980 And God is faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:39:35.159 --> 00:39:37.860 And that means, brothers and sisters, that God 00:39:37.860 --> 00:39:43.800 is faithful to all those in Christ. All His covenant 00:39:43.800 --> 00:39:48.880 people. And He will be so perfectly for all time, 00:39:49.000 --> 00:39:52.139 even beyond the grave.