WEBVTT

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Good morning. How are y 'all doing today? Awesome.

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What'd you say? Better than we should be. Amen.

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Amen. Well, if you are here in our sanctuary

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for the very first time, or if you're watching

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us online for the first time, we want to say

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welcome to all of you. We're so here. So glad

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you're here today to worship with us. I am Pastor

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Nathan, and I also am doing better than I should

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be. But it is an awesome thing to be gathered

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together in the Lord's house with you guys to

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study his word, to worship him together. And

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today we're actually talking about a couple of

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very important topics that go together, but...

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how they go together is really the crux for some

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people. What we're talking about is the intersection

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between faith and death, and not the idea of

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us dying ourselves, but how do people of faith

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deal with death when it's death of loved ones

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in our family, people we deeply, deeply care

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about, and really learning from the example of

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this man, Abraham, that we've been studying.

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Death of a loved one is always a time to think

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about the eternal. You know, if you've been to

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a funeral, whether it's someone you knew, a friend,

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or someone deeply close to you, one of the things

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that often comes up in our minds and our hearts

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during those times are things like eternity and

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the brevity of life, the fragility of life. And

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it's one of the reasons why pastors were taught

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that funerals are for the living and not for

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the dead. Because the living are the ones that

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are still here, processing grief, processing

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sorrow. But also for those who don't have the

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hope of the Lord, it's a time to remind them

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about the warning that God has for them and the

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invitation to salvation. And so Solomon said

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this in Ecclesiastes 7, verse 2. He said, It

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is better to go to the house of mourning than

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to go to the house of feasting, since that is

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the end of all mankind, and the living should

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take it to heart. You know, years ago, I believe

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it was in 2005, my father passed away. And at

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that time, I had been saved just for a handful

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of years at that point. And I was in the middle

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of a very, very deep, deep, deep depression.

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When he passed, I was actually in the second

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year of this depression. And I was asked as his

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eldest son to speak at the funeral. And of course,

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I was going to do that, right? I put together

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like a bullet point list of things I wanted to

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share because it's like I know my dad, I know

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his life, I know what I want to say. And so I

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just had this very loose bullet point list of

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things to remind me of what to talk about as

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I shared. But when the time came for me to stand

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in front of everybody and to share, I looked

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down at the bullet point list and all I could

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think about was what a terrible son I had been.

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And I was not a great son. I'm looking at these

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bullet points, and all I could think about is

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despite everything my dad did to give me and

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my brother a better life than he had when he

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was growing up, despite all of that, I had done

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all these just terrible, disrespectful, horrible

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son things in my teenage years, and there was

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no more time to fix it. He was gone. His life

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had come to an end. There was no time to say

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sorry anymore. There was no time to make up for

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it. And I was just overwhelmed with the reality

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of that. He's gone. That's it. It's over. And

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so I couldn't remember anything I wanted to say.

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So as I desperately stared at my bullet points,

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I just started reading the bullet points. And

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that didn't make any sense at all. Because they

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weren't full sentences. And then I was so overcome

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with shame and guilt, I was crying so heavily,

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I couldn't even see my notes. And, you know,

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that was a really rough moment for me, dealing

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with close personal death, really, for the first

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time in my life. Since then, I've learned as

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a pastor, having walked with so many people now

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through times of loss, that for believers, those

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times, although they're hard, they're... difficult,

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they're grief -stricken, they're sorrowful, those

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times aren't goodbyes for believers. They're

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see -you -laters, right? Because of the hopes

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and the promises that we have that for every

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believer, those who have put their faith in Jesus

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Christ, one day we're going to stand before him

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together in his presence, fully redeemed, experiencing

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the full fruit of his grace and his mercy and

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his forgiveness to be united together with him.

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Forever. And when I realized that, believing

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that my dad was saved, I was like, well, one,

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I'm going to have forever to say I'm sorry. And

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then two, when we get there, neither one of us

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are going to care because we're going to be in

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the glory of God's presence. And so, you know,

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it's this hope. that Christians carry with us

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that colors how we live every day here on earth

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and how we deal with everything that we experience

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in life, including death. Now, like I said, for

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those without faith, death is something that

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causes the hopelessness to well up because all

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they have is nothing. And so we want to take

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those opportunities when we face death as people

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to share. The hope that we have in eternal life.

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To share the hope that we have that this life

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is fleeting and temporary and this body is just

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a temporary vessel because we know God's promises.

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We believe in God's promises. And this was the

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case for Abraham. Here in Genesis chapter 23

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is the record of him losing his wife Sarah, his

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lifelong soulmate, and having to go through the

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process of not just mourning her loss, but then

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doing all the planning in preparation for her

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burial. And yet in this story, although it's

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quite short and quite just matter of fact, we

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learn a lot from Abraham through this story that

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as he was mourning, The time for mourning came

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for an end, and the opportunity through all of

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that was an opportunity to declare his hope in

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the promises that God had made for him, and it's

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really the same for us. We're all gonna face

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death one day in our own lives, definitely, but

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in the lives of those around us, the ones we

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care about, our spouses, our friends, our family,

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our kids, and in those times, they hurt, and

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they're supposed to hurt because loss is loss.

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However, for those that have the hope of heaven,

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the hope of Jesus Christ, we are able to not

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only walk through those times, but to carry through

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those times and out the other side the hope and

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the promise that we will see God one day, we

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will see one another one day. And that is something

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that we are able then to share with the world

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around us. As people might look into the lives

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of believers and go, how are you dealing? How

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are you processing? How do you even have peace

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and joy in this moment? And we're able to share

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with them that we have a future that is secure.

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We have a hope that is sure. And even with the

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reality of death in this world, our peace is

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found in the truth that this is not all there

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is. This life is but a vapor and an eternity

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in perfect harmony and perfect peace awaits us.

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And that's what we look forward to. So we're

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going to be talking about that today in Abraham's

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life, but first we're going to spend some time

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worshiping God because he is holy. He is almighty.

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He is mercy. He is grace. He is light. He is

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love. He is everything. He is our hope. He is

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the one we trust in to get through this life,

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through every circumstance of this life. He is

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the one we can't wait to be with forever. Amen?

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Let's pray. Father, we love you so much. And

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God, the reality of death in this world is just

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that, it's reality, Lord. Some of us face it

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in one way and others face it in a different

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way. Some of us, Lord, will face it in a way

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that seems natural and others might face it in

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ways that are just make no sense, Lord. And yet,

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God, in all of it, you are with us, your people.

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You are with us as believers, Lord. And God,

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we know that death exists in the world because

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of sin. And yet, Lord, because of sin, you made

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a promise that you would deal with sin and death

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once and for all. And Lord, you've done that

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by dying on the cross. And for us who live today,

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Lord, we cling to that hope that death is not

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the end. Death is not a forever loss, but simply

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physical death in this world is a transition.

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And although it hurts when we lose someone and

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we're left behind, God, that we could still cling

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to you to find hope, to find peace, to even find

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joy when we don't think that's possible because

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of the reality of who you are, what you've done,

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and the promises you've made to us. So, Lord,

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we just want to praise you for all of that, God.

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We want to lift up our voices to you, lift up

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your holy name to give you all the glory that

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you are due. because you are due all the glory.

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We love you so much. It's in Jesus' name we pray,

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amen. So we are in Genesis chapter 23. As I mentioned

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in the opening, this is the record of the death

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of Abraham's wife, Sarah. And when she died,

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she had been married to Abraham for over 62 years.

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That is a long time. For those of you here in

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our fellowship that have been married for long

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amounts of times, God bless you. The example

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that you have set, especially in this world that

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disdains marriage so much, is such an incredibly

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huge blessing to the body. And so they had been

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together for a very, very long time through this

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journey of faith. And so we pick up the story

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here. Genesis chapter 23, verse 1, and it tells

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us this. Now Sarah lived 127 years. These were

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all the years of her life. Sarah died in Kiriath

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Arba, that is Hebron, in the land of Canaan.

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And Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to

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weep for her. Kiriath Arba, it says that is Hebron.

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Hebron is the location where the Oaks of Mamre

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were. That was the place that Abraham kind of

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settled there in the Promised Land earlier in

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his life. And his family had been growing there,

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his flocks, all his stuff had been kind of focused

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in this area, although he had left at different

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times for different reasons. And so if you're

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looking through, you know, the geographical details

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and stuff, Kiriath, Arba, Hebron, and the Oaks

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of Mamre, same place. Okay, so it's all. in the

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same vicinity here, but the idea is that this

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location was pretty much dead center in the promised

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land. So as Abraham had been called there, as

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he had walked the borders of the land, as he

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had been just living his life there in pursuit

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of God, receiving the promises, the place he

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settled was right there in the heart. It wasn't

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on the border like Lot. It wasn't on the edge.

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It was right in the heart of the promised land.

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And so Sarah, it tells us, died at the age of

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127 there in the promised land. That would make

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Abraham at this point 137 years old, and his

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son Isaac, or their son Isaac, is now 37 years

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old. And so some time has passed from the birth

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of Isaac that we read about. Now Sarah, as you

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can imagine, was Abraham's soulmate. They were

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just enmeshed together in love, in commitment,

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in service, in faith. They had been together

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through this entire journey that started out

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back in Ur where Abraham was called of God, where

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he was first heard the one true God of the universe

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speak to him and call him out of that land. She

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was with him as they traveled all the way to

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Canaan, which is the promised land originally.

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She was with him when they went down to Egypt

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and Abraham blew it there. And then when they

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came back to Canaan, give. the land to Lot. I

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mean, the whole journey here, she had been a

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part of. She had been a part of all his travels

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throughout the promised land, outside, inside,

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and every pinnacle of her husband's life, she

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had been there as a part of that as well. She

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was in his life during the covenants that God

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had made with him, promising him through covenant

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after covenant that the promise of a land and

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the promise of a people was going to come true,

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was absolutely dependable. She was there when

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her husband defeated the four kings of the east

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and defeated the armies and came back. She was

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there when Melchizedek blessed him and honored

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him there as a representative of God. She was

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there when God renamed them, obviously, when

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he said, you're no longer going to be Abram,

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but you're going to be Abraham. name is Abraham,

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and you're no longer going to be Sarai, you're

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going to be Sarah. She was there during his intercession

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for Sodom, right? She was a part of his life

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in that moment where he was interceding with

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God, please, if there's any faithful people there,

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save the place. She was, of course, there for

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the birth of Isaac, the son of the promise, and

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she was there for the offering of Isaac. When

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I say there, I mean in Abraham's life. She had

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been there for all these great moments of faith

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in her husband's life as he led his family, led

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her in his belief, in his worship, in his pursuit

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of God. But she was also there for all the failures

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as well. She had been twice pushed to lie. for

00:13:39.850 --> 00:13:43.090
her husband about being his wife once very early

00:13:43.090 --> 00:13:45.269
in their walk and once at the tail end of their

00:13:45.269 --> 00:13:48.750
story here that we have in Genesis. She was the

00:13:48.750 --> 00:13:51.230
one that suggested the whole Hagar situation

00:13:51.230 --> 00:13:54.370
where, hey, husband, let's help God along. And

00:13:54.370 --> 00:13:56.450
I have this great idea. Sleep with my servant.

00:13:57.009 --> 00:13:59.110
She'll have a baby. We'll call that one your

00:13:59.110 --> 00:14:02.549
son. And then she hated that idea right after

00:14:02.549 --> 00:14:06.129
it happened. And so that was her sin there where

00:14:06.129 --> 00:14:08.470
when God finally showed up and said, look, I'm,

00:14:09.039 --> 00:14:11.320
telling Abraham, your 90 -year -old wife is going

00:14:11.320 --> 00:14:14.340
to have a baby. She laughed in disbelief. She

00:14:14.340 --> 00:14:16.659
laughed because it was just an absolutely ridiculous

00:14:16.659 --> 00:14:21.659
notion. But then in her old age, miracles happened.

00:14:21.720 --> 00:14:24.720
She became the mother of Isaac, the mother of

00:14:24.720 --> 00:14:28.000
promise, the mother of laughter. And so this

00:14:28.000 --> 00:14:31.419
was all as much her journey as it was her husband's

00:14:31.419 --> 00:14:33.779
journey. And like her husband, through all the

00:14:33.779 --> 00:14:36.639
ups and downs, despite the failures and the lies

00:14:36.639 --> 00:14:39.179
and the sins and everything else, despite all

00:14:39.179 --> 00:14:42.299
of that, the Bible tells us, records her legacy

00:14:42.299 --> 00:14:45.559
as one, as a woman of faith. In Hebrews 11, 11,

00:14:45.639 --> 00:14:49.379
it tells us, by faith, even Sarah herself, when

00:14:49.379 --> 00:14:51.279
she was unable to have children, received power

00:14:51.279 --> 00:14:54.679
to conceive offspring, even though she was past

00:14:54.679 --> 00:14:58.000
the age, since she considered that the one who

00:14:58.000 --> 00:15:01.980
had promised was faithful. So right there at

00:15:01.980 --> 00:15:04.259
the moment, even though she had been faithless,

00:15:04.299 --> 00:15:06.659
she got to the place finally where she said,

00:15:06.700 --> 00:15:08.500
look, if God said I'm gonna have a baby, I'm

00:15:08.500 --> 00:15:10.840
gonna have a baby. It doesn't matter if it's

00:15:10.840 --> 00:15:12.759
a biological impossibility, and she was there

00:15:12.759 --> 00:15:14.919
for that, and she had the son of the promise.

00:15:15.080 --> 00:15:18.659
And so for over 60 years, these two soulmates

00:15:18.659 --> 00:15:21.620
had traveled on this journey of faith together.

00:15:23.480 --> 00:15:27.299
Just a beautiful, beautiful picture, but now

00:15:27.299 --> 00:15:30.759
she was gone. She had passed away from this life.

00:15:30.860 --> 00:15:35.500
Her physical shell was done and Abraham was mourning

00:15:35.500 --> 00:15:38.360
his wife. Mourning is natural. Mourning is a

00:15:38.360 --> 00:15:41.580
normal, good thing. Especially those people that

00:15:41.580 --> 00:15:43.960
are closest to us that we've spent so much of

00:15:43.960 --> 00:15:46.879
our life with. When they leave this world, there's

00:15:46.879 --> 00:15:50.179
a deep, deep, deep sense of emptiness, a deep

00:15:50.179 --> 00:15:53.679
sense of unfairness, a deep sense of why, God?

00:15:53.759 --> 00:15:55.940
There's all these emotions and things that go

00:15:55.940 --> 00:15:58.139
through when death hits, when death comes into

00:15:58.139 --> 00:16:01.659
our lives. And so Abraham is rightly and appropriately

00:16:01.659 --> 00:16:05.919
mourning the loss of his wife. It tells us he

00:16:05.919 --> 00:16:07.879
is weeping. That's the word for tears, great

00:16:07.879 --> 00:16:10.779
tears. It's not just a, oh, shucky darn, she's

00:16:10.779 --> 00:16:16.679
gone. He's sobbing in grief. But what we're going

00:16:16.679 --> 00:16:20.379
to see here in chapter 23 is that her passing

00:16:20.379 --> 00:16:26.220
presented Abraham with a number of truths and

00:16:26.220 --> 00:16:28.960
a number of opportunities. The truth, one, is

00:16:28.960 --> 00:16:32.440
that he was faced again with the reality that

00:16:32.440 --> 00:16:36.720
life is temporary. That he had been walking for

00:16:36.720 --> 00:16:38.519
so many years with the Lord at this point with

00:16:38.519 --> 00:16:41.120
this. promise of a future hope, the promise of

00:16:41.120 --> 00:16:43.120
a land, the promise of all these things, and

00:16:43.120 --> 00:16:45.299
the woman who had walked with him through all

00:16:45.299 --> 00:16:48.279
of that, all hoping and looking forward to, well,

00:16:48.340 --> 00:16:50.200
the promises weren't yet here and now she was

00:16:50.200 --> 00:16:54.879
gone. She had missed out on those promises, if

00:16:54.879 --> 00:16:57.659
you will. Abraham was still faced with the reality

00:16:57.659 --> 00:17:00.860
that, okay, now I'm here by myself, still a foreigner

00:17:00.860 --> 00:17:04.660
in this land, still a temporary resident in the

00:17:04.660 --> 00:17:07.000
land that God had promised to me and my family.

00:17:08.359 --> 00:17:10.559
She died in the very heart of that promised land

00:17:10.559 --> 00:17:15.259
without receiving the promised land. She was

00:17:15.259 --> 00:17:17.960
the first among generations who would die without

00:17:17.960 --> 00:17:23.359
receiving the promise of the land. Now, if God

00:17:23.359 --> 00:17:25.420
has promised something in your life that is kind

00:17:25.420 --> 00:17:29.140
of a broad -ranging generational family promise,

00:17:29.619 --> 00:17:32.960
are you able to reconcile the fact that you may

00:17:32.960 --> 00:17:36.759
never see the promise come to pass? And yet,

00:17:36.819 --> 00:17:38.900
you are still called of God to lay the foundation.

00:17:40.099 --> 00:17:42.740
To speak into the lives of those who would be

00:17:42.740 --> 00:17:44.720
a part of that promise as it comes into full

00:17:44.720 --> 00:17:47.940
fruition later. To be the person that says, hey,

00:17:47.980 --> 00:17:50.019
I need to teach you such faith in what is to

00:17:50.019 --> 00:17:52.660
come that I believe in it even if I'm never gonna

00:17:52.660 --> 00:17:56.200
see it here on this earth. And this is what Abraham

00:17:56.200 --> 00:17:58.380
had been. This was the opportunity he had had

00:17:58.380 --> 00:18:00.480
in his life. And here at the death of his wife,

00:18:00.559 --> 00:18:03.660
he still believed. He still believed in God's

00:18:03.660 --> 00:18:06.140
promise. His faith was still strong and still

00:18:06.140 --> 00:18:08.200
intact that this land would indeed go to his

00:18:08.200 --> 00:18:10.579
offspring. And so in verse three, we find him

00:18:10.579 --> 00:18:12.859
that after he's been kneeling next to his dead

00:18:12.859 --> 00:18:16.039
wife, mourning the loss, crying over here, knowing

00:18:16.039 --> 00:18:18.759
God's promise, verse three says, when he got

00:18:18.759 --> 00:18:21.400
up from beside his dead wife, he then spoke to

00:18:21.400 --> 00:18:24.619
the Hethites. I am an alien residing among you.

00:18:25.059 --> 00:18:27.539
This is in the middle of the promised land. Give

00:18:27.539 --> 00:18:29.720
me burial property among you so that I can bury

00:18:29.720 --> 00:18:32.750
my dead. Now, as I've already said, mourning

00:18:32.750 --> 00:18:38.309
is a healthy and a proper thing to do. Some of

00:18:38.309 --> 00:18:40.269
us mourn for a short period of time. Some of

00:18:40.269 --> 00:18:42.049
us mourn longer. Some of us are going to carry

00:18:42.049 --> 00:18:43.650
things that we're going to mourn in one way or

00:18:43.650 --> 00:18:46.150
another for the rest of our life. But it is healthy.

00:18:47.289 --> 00:18:53.009
However, mourning does need to come to an end

00:18:53.009 --> 00:18:55.329
at some point, at least in the dominating aspect

00:18:55.329 --> 00:18:58.650
of it, dominating our lives. See, the Hebrews,

00:18:58.789 --> 00:19:00.170
when someone would die in the Hebrew culture,

00:19:00.210 --> 00:19:03.230
they would mourn for 30 days. And after 30 days,

00:19:03.250 --> 00:19:06.190
it was like, okay, that's done. It's time to

00:19:06.190 --> 00:19:08.609
continue living. It's time to continue moving

00:19:08.609 --> 00:19:12.690
on. The Egyptians mourned for 70 days. And so,

00:19:12.710 --> 00:19:16.289
although it is good to mourn, we have to be people

00:19:16.289 --> 00:19:18.970
that are ready to come to the end of that time

00:19:18.970 --> 00:19:21.369
to move on with the life that God has given us

00:19:21.369 --> 00:19:24.529
here on this earth. Because we believe in his

00:19:24.529 --> 00:19:28.220
promises. Because although the loss hurts and

00:19:28.220 --> 00:19:30.680
the loss is painful, the loss isn't forever.

00:19:31.559 --> 00:19:34.380
That we're going to see our loved ones with the

00:19:34.380 --> 00:19:37.380
Lord in heaven one day again, should they be

00:19:37.380 --> 00:19:40.140
in the Lord. And that is one of the things that

00:19:40.140 --> 00:19:42.220
helps us process and get through these things.

00:19:42.359 --> 00:19:44.440
Abraham, he took the time to mourn his wife.

00:19:44.859 --> 00:19:47.619
He took the time to feel all the feels and go

00:19:47.619 --> 00:19:51.339
through all this stuff, but then he got up. To

00:19:51.339 --> 00:19:53.779
move forward with the business of life, and specifically

00:19:53.779 --> 00:19:56.099
the business of life for him was to now move

00:19:56.099 --> 00:19:58.180
forward with the business of burying his wife.

00:19:58.339 --> 00:20:01.079
Now, as we move forward into chapter 24 and move

00:20:01.079 --> 00:20:03.599
forward into chapter 25, we're going to see that

00:20:03.599 --> 00:20:07.140
Abraham did indeed move forward with life. I

00:20:07.140 --> 00:20:09.240
believe the idea and the picture was, is, well,

00:20:09.279 --> 00:20:13.769
I'm still here. And I still trust God and I still

00:20:13.769 --> 00:20:16.690
believe God and I still have a call to example

00:20:16.690 --> 00:20:19.269
God and preach God. And so I'm gonna move forward

00:20:19.269 --> 00:20:22.329
with my life here, continuing to do what God

00:20:22.329 --> 00:20:24.009
wants me to do, even though I've lost someone

00:20:24.009 --> 00:20:27.410
very dear and close to me. And so he gets up

00:20:27.410 --> 00:20:29.529
to keep living. In chapter 24, we're gonna read

00:20:29.529 --> 00:20:31.549
that he goes on continuing to lead his family

00:20:31.549 --> 00:20:34.269
as he seeks out and finds a wife for Isaac, his

00:20:34.269 --> 00:20:37.880
son. that the family line would continue. We're

00:20:37.880 --> 00:20:40.240
going to read in chapter 25 that he even goes

00:20:40.240 --> 00:20:43.619
on to get remarried in his life later on after

00:20:43.619 --> 00:20:46.960
his wife has died. He goes on to have more kids

00:20:46.960 --> 00:20:49.400
as his family continues to grow because although

00:20:49.400 --> 00:20:52.079
his wife's time was done, his time was not yet

00:20:52.079 --> 00:20:56.299
complete here on earth. Hope is what allows us

00:20:56.299 --> 00:21:00.369
to do that. Hope is what allows us to move forward

00:21:00.369 --> 00:21:02.369
in the face of death. When we have the hope of

00:21:02.369 --> 00:21:04.069
heaven, we have the hope of a future, we have

00:21:04.069 --> 00:21:08.230
the hope of what's next. We are able, through

00:21:08.230 --> 00:21:09.710
the strength and the power of the Holy Spirit,

00:21:09.789 --> 00:21:12.549
to grieve and then to conclude our grieving and

00:21:12.549 --> 00:21:15.769
say, okay, it's time to keep living. It's time

00:21:15.769 --> 00:21:18.329
to keep living. That's the hope that also maintains

00:21:18.329 --> 00:21:20.630
our witness to those that don't know the Lord.

00:21:21.689 --> 00:21:23.750
Many of us have had experiences where in the

00:21:23.750 --> 00:21:26.210
time of our grief and our sorrow, where we're

00:21:26.210 --> 00:21:29.190
truly grieving rightfully, we still can experience

00:21:29.190 --> 00:21:32.109
a sense of peace, a sense of being okay. And

00:21:32.109 --> 00:21:33.809
the unsaved world doesn't get that. And they'll

00:21:33.809 --> 00:21:36.329
be like, how can you be okay? How can you go

00:21:36.329 --> 00:21:39.410
on? How can you have a smile on your face after

00:21:39.410 --> 00:21:42.559
that? And it's because of the hope that believers

00:21:42.559 --> 00:21:44.619
have in heaven, we're able to move through our

00:21:44.619 --> 00:21:47.079
grieving process and even past our grieving process

00:21:47.079 --> 00:21:50.079
with that peace that is then a witness to those

00:21:50.079 --> 00:21:52.940
who don't know the Lord. This is one of the reasons

00:21:52.940 --> 00:21:56.619
why I really appreciate that when there's a funeral

00:21:56.619 --> 00:21:59.559
or memorial service for Christians and believers,

00:21:59.660 --> 00:22:03.319
they often call it a celebration of life. Because

00:22:03.319 --> 00:22:06.640
we're not just here to say, oh my gosh, lost,

00:22:06.819 --> 00:22:08.500
but we're here to say, look at the life they

00:22:08.500 --> 00:22:11.079
lived for the Lord, and let's celebrate what

00:22:11.079 --> 00:22:13.019
God has done, because we believe in the promise

00:22:13.019 --> 00:22:14.559
that although they aren't here physically anymore,

00:22:14.960 --> 00:22:17.339
they're already with our Father in heaven. We're

00:22:17.339 --> 00:22:19.160
going to see them again. And this is what we're

00:22:19.160 --> 00:22:20.779
going to see in Abraham's life through this chapter.

00:22:21.220 --> 00:22:22.859
Now, it says that after he was done mourning,

00:22:22.960 --> 00:22:25.200
he got up and he spoke to the Hethites. Okay,

00:22:25.279 --> 00:22:28.720
if you have a traditional translation, King James,

00:22:28.779 --> 00:22:31.609
New King James, it might say the Hittites. Now,

00:22:31.630 --> 00:22:34.049
there is some scholarly debate on whether the

00:22:34.049 --> 00:22:36.589
Hethites and the Hittites are the same exact

00:22:36.589 --> 00:22:40.089
people, and I'm not gonna get into all that,

00:22:40.170 --> 00:22:42.190
okay? I personally believe that the Hethites

00:22:42.190 --> 00:22:45.710
here are the Hittites, and this is why. The people

00:22:45.710 --> 00:22:48.450
groups that we read about in Scripture were often

00:22:48.450 --> 00:22:52.309
named after their forebearer. So the Hethites

00:22:52.309 --> 00:22:56.569
were the sons of Heth, okay? Now, if we go back

00:22:56.569 --> 00:22:58.390
through the genealogies here, we'll find out

00:22:58.390 --> 00:23:02.099
that Heth was the son of Canaan. And this is

00:23:02.099 --> 00:23:04.460
why the land here is called the land of Canaan.

00:23:05.740 --> 00:23:08.640
Canaan was the son of Ham, who was the son of

00:23:08.640 --> 00:23:12.400
Noah. So we go back to the line of Noah that

00:23:12.400 --> 00:23:16.900
we understand that largely the African and Arabic

00:23:16.900 --> 00:23:20.539
peoples came from the line of Ham, whereas the

00:23:20.539 --> 00:23:23.039
Jewish people came from the line of Seth. And

00:23:23.039 --> 00:23:26.799
so following that genealogy back, the Hethites,

00:23:27.470 --> 00:23:30.130
are also what we know archaeologically and all

00:23:30.130 --> 00:23:32.690
that as the Hittites. And they were in this area

00:23:32.690 --> 00:23:34.849
predominantly, the predominant people in the

00:23:34.849 --> 00:23:38.309
land of Canaan at this time. So Abraham approaches

00:23:38.309 --> 00:23:40.890
the people who are inhabiting the land, the people

00:23:40.890 --> 00:23:42.910
who don't really believe in God, the people who

00:23:42.910 --> 00:23:45.710
are worshiping pagan idols, the people who are

00:23:45.710 --> 00:23:48.089
the dominant presence here in this land that

00:23:48.089 --> 00:23:50.670
he will one day have and his descendants will

00:23:50.670 --> 00:23:53.470
have, and he's asking for something really important.

00:23:53.650 --> 00:23:57.140
Can I have a place to bury my wife? Now, the

00:23:57.140 --> 00:23:59.220
first question might be, why don't you take her

00:23:59.220 --> 00:24:01.519
back to where you're from and bury her? Because

00:24:01.519 --> 00:24:06.039
that was typical of the day, right? But he's

00:24:06.039 --> 00:24:10.319
like, no, you don't understand. This land will

00:24:10.319 --> 00:24:14.920
be mine one day, my people's one day. So I don't

00:24:14.920 --> 00:24:16.380
care that you guys are the dominant presence

00:24:16.380 --> 00:24:17.940
here. I don't care that you're the owners of

00:24:17.940 --> 00:24:21.299
the land. I want to bury my wife here in the

00:24:21.299 --> 00:24:24.200
land that God has said we are going to have one

00:24:24.200 --> 00:24:27.480
day. He was so sure that his future people would

00:24:27.480 --> 00:24:29.799
be in the land, he wanted to make sure Sarah's

00:24:29.799 --> 00:24:31.319
bones were there when they finally got there.

00:24:32.059 --> 00:24:35.220
That he wanted it to be a witness from his time

00:24:35.220 --> 00:24:37.740
until then that we believe this land is ours,

00:24:37.759 --> 00:24:40.400
so much so that we not only plan our lives here,

00:24:40.480 --> 00:24:42.599
we not only live our lives here while we're foreigners,

00:24:42.839 --> 00:24:46.680
but we bury our dead here as well. And so really,

00:24:46.859 --> 00:24:50.220
Abraham asking for this burial plot in the land

00:24:50.220 --> 00:24:53.180
from the Hethites is an act of faith on his part.

00:24:53.789 --> 00:24:55.910
It's also a prophecy of the future ownership

00:24:55.910 --> 00:24:58.170
because his faith is what allowed him to see

00:24:58.170 --> 00:25:01.230
past the present circumstances into what was

00:25:01.230 --> 00:25:04.609
going to be in the future. That he believed,

00:25:04.710 --> 00:25:06.789
in the future, this is my land, so I can act

00:25:06.789 --> 00:25:13.170
today as if I possess it. Now, as we go on, we're

00:25:13.170 --> 00:25:15.210
going to see that his faith is what is central

00:25:15.210 --> 00:25:18.250
to his declaration through all of this that takes

00:25:18.250 --> 00:25:22.099
place here. But in Hebrews 11, 9, It tells us

00:25:22.099 --> 00:25:23.960
by faith he stayed as a foreigner in the land

00:25:23.960 --> 00:25:26.720
of promise, living in tents as did Isaac and

00:25:26.720 --> 00:25:30.619
Jacob, co -heirs of the same promise. So again,

00:25:30.759 --> 00:25:33.099
this isn't my home, but I'm living here right

00:25:33.099 --> 00:25:35.240
now because I know it'll be a home in the future.

00:25:35.680 --> 00:25:38.720
More importantly, as Sarah didn't actually get

00:25:38.720 --> 00:25:40.920
to experience the promise of the land in her

00:25:40.920 --> 00:25:44.839
lifetime, neither did Abraham. But it tells us

00:25:44.839 --> 00:25:47.019
later in Hebrews 2 that Abraham wasn't necessarily

00:25:47.019 --> 00:25:50.059
looking for this land for him. He was looking

00:25:50.059 --> 00:25:52.059
forward to the heavenly land. He was looking

00:25:52.059 --> 00:25:53.819
forward to a different city whose builder and

00:25:53.819 --> 00:25:56.380
architect is God. So he was like, I'm so sure

00:25:56.380 --> 00:26:00.039
that I'm here in this life temporarily that I

00:26:00.039 --> 00:26:01.720
can just trust God's promises and keep moving

00:26:01.720 --> 00:26:03.779
forward. It's the same with us today in this

00:26:03.779 --> 00:26:06.500
world. In Philippians chapter three, verse 20,

00:26:06.559 --> 00:26:08.880
it tells us our citizenship is in heaven and

00:26:08.880 --> 00:26:12.119
we eagerly wait for a savior from there, the

00:26:12.119 --> 00:26:15.900
Lord Jesus Christ. We know this isn't our home.

00:26:17.119 --> 00:26:19.980
This is what helps us deal with things like death

00:26:19.980 --> 00:26:23.319
in our life. Oh, this is everything. This is

00:26:23.319 --> 00:26:25.839
the purpose of existence, the point of existence,

00:26:25.940 --> 00:26:28.599
this life. And when someone dies, that's it,

00:26:28.640 --> 00:26:30.599
they're gone forever. That was what I was thinking

00:26:30.599 --> 00:26:32.759
back when my dad died, that I'm never going to

00:26:32.759 --> 00:26:37.079
be able to say anything to him again. But the

00:26:37.079 --> 00:26:39.619
hope of believers is, no, this isn't our home.

00:26:40.859 --> 00:26:43.420
So even though someone passes away here, it's

00:26:43.420 --> 00:26:46.440
just the physical shell that passed away. them,

00:26:46.460 --> 00:26:50.900
they, who they are, has moved on. And that is

00:26:50.900 --> 00:26:53.240
what allows us to have the hope to live with

00:26:53.240 --> 00:26:55.880
faith like Abraham. And so his example, it calls

00:26:55.880 --> 00:27:00.140
us to a faith just like his. That as death touches

00:27:00.140 --> 00:27:03.440
our lives, especially death of those that are

00:27:03.440 --> 00:27:07.680
close to us, it's meant, it's allowed to help

00:27:07.680 --> 00:27:12.029
us look by faith beyond the present. beyond the

00:27:12.029 --> 00:27:15.009
temporal material world to our future home in

00:27:15.009 --> 00:27:19.490
heaven. Now what follows here in Genesis 23,

00:27:19.789 --> 00:27:23.650
verse five forward, is basically one long real

00:27:23.650 --> 00:27:28.569
estate transaction. Right? Exciting. We're all

00:27:28.569 --> 00:27:31.450
excited for the real estate transaction. Ooh.

00:27:32.569 --> 00:27:35.650
But it's here in God's word. And we're gonna

00:27:35.650 --> 00:27:38.289
walk through this because what we see in this

00:27:38.289 --> 00:27:41.900
lengthy well, not so lengthy, but real estate

00:27:41.900 --> 00:27:44.099
transaction between Abraham and the Hethites

00:27:44.099 --> 00:27:48.579
is really the picture of how Abraham is practically

00:27:48.579 --> 00:27:51.619
declaring his faith even in the midst of the

00:27:51.619 --> 00:27:55.200
death of his wife. How he is witnessing to the

00:27:55.200 --> 00:27:58.420
people there about his God and his faith in that

00:27:58.420 --> 00:28:01.059
God and the promises of that God through how

00:28:01.059 --> 00:28:02.900
all of this is taking place. And so read with

00:28:02.900 --> 00:28:05.380
me in verse five. It says, the Hethites replied

00:28:05.380 --> 00:28:09.279
to Abraham, listen to us, my Lord. You are a

00:28:09.279 --> 00:28:12.400
prince of God among us. Bury your dead in our

00:28:12.400 --> 00:28:15.720
finest burial place. None of us will withhold

00:28:15.720 --> 00:28:17.700
from you his burial place for burying your dead.

00:28:19.079 --> 00:28:21.299
Well, right there, it sounds pretty nice, right?

00:28:21.420 --> 00:28:24.339
How nice of you guys. Abraham doesn't own any

00:28:24.339 --> 00:28:25.960
land here. Nothing's here. He just said, hey,

00:28:25.980 --> 00:28:27.980
can you please give me a burial plot? And they're

00:28:27.980 --> 00:28:31.259
like, yeah, sure. Right? They open up with, you're

00:28:31.259 --> 00:28:34.079
a prince of God. The language there in the original

00:28:34.079 --> 00:28:36.539
language is that they are acknowledging that

00:28:36.539 --> 00:28:39.250
he's royalty. Even though he doesn't have a kingdom

00:28:39.250 --> 00:28:42.309
or a castle, they're acknowledging that he's

00:28:42.309 --> 00:28:46.650
somehow royal or a man of means of power. And

00:28:46.650 --> 00:28:49.329
it's just the idea that his reputation has preceded

00:28:49.329 --> 00:28:52.349
him within the land. Even though he's a foreigner

00:28:52.349 --> 00:28:54.009
in that land, people are like, hey, that guy

00:28:54.009 --> 00:28:57.160
follows God. He's been blessed by Melchizedek.

00:28:57.599 --> 00:29:01.220
He's wealthy beyond belief. Like, don't mess

00:29:01.220 --> 00:29:03.039
with him, right? We've heard about Abimelech.

00:29:03.099 --> 00:29:05.160
He almost died. Don't mess with this guy. He

00:29:05.160 --> 00:29:08.000
is someone who serves someone very, very powerful.

00:29:08.299 --> 00:29:11.039
And so they start out with this, oh, of course.

00:29:11.859 --> 00:29:14.480
Of course we will give you a place to bury your

00:29:14.480 --> 00:29:17.180
dead. We will withhold nothing from you for this.

00:29:17.240 --> 00:29:18.819
But as we're going to read through the story,

00:29:18.980 --> 00:29:21.640
they had no intention of giving Abraham anything,

00:29:21.920 --> 00:29:26.849
okay? Now the customary Middle Eastern transaction

00:29:26.849 --> 00:29:31.450
process is engaged. Verse 7, Then Abraham rose

00:29:31.450 --> 00:29:33.490
and bowed down to the Hethites, the people of

00:29:33.490 --> 00:29:36.190
the land. He said to them, If you are willing

00:29:36.190 --> 00:29:38.670
for me to bury the dead, listen to me and ask

00:29:38.670 --> 00:29:42.349
Ephron, son of Zohar, on my behalf to give me

00:29:42.349 --> 00:29:45.829
the cave of Machpelah that belongs to him. It's

00:29:45.829 --> 00:29:48.829
at the end of his field. Let him give it to me

00:29:48.829 --> 00:29:51.410
in your presence for the full price as burial

00:29:51.410 --> 00:29:54.670
property. Well, Ephron was sitting among the

00:29:54.670 --> 00:29:57.490
Hethites. So in the hearing of all the Hethites

00:29:57.490 --> 00:29:59.430
who came to the gate of the city, Ephron the

00:29:59.430 --> 00:30:02.950
Hethite answered Abraham, no, my lord, listen

00:30:02.950 --> 00:30:05.529
to me. I give you the field and I give you the

00:30:05.529 --> 00:30:07.609
cave that's in it. I give it to you in the sight

00:30:07.609 --> 00:30:13.190
of all the people. Bury your dead. Abraham had

00:30:13.190 --> 00:30:15.670
already identified a burial site. He had done

00:30:15.670 --> 00:30:18.329
the research on who owned it and then he made

00:30:18.329 --> 00:30:20.549
his ask. Can I have this cave that's at the end

00:30:20.549 --> 00:30:24.349
of this guy's field? If you've never been to

00:30:24.349 --> 00:30:29.049
Israel, you likely don't quite understand the

00:30:29.049 --> 00:30:32.029
customary Middle Eastern transaction process,

00:30:32.410 --> 00:30:37.990
okay? To sum it up very simply, it's where each

00:30:37.990 --> 00:30:41.089
party tries to out -courtesy the other party

00:30:41.089 --> 00:30:43.950
while feigning offense to get what they want,

00:30:44.170 --> 00:30:48.130
okay? I've been to Israel a couple times and

00:30:48.130 --> 00:30:50.769
this is my least favorite part of Israel, okay?

00:30:50.970 --> 00:30:53.849
I hate haggling. Anybody like haggling? Some

00:30:53.849 --> 00:30:55.769
people love haggling. Okay, there's a couple,

00:30:55.849 --> 00:30:59.849
right? Yeah, Eric's really good at it. I'm terrible

00:30:59.849 --> 00:31:01.750
at it. I'm like, just tell me what the price

00:31:01.750 --> 00:31:04.910
is and let me decide. And then we'll part ways,

00:31:05.089 --> 00:31:08.670
right? But it's just easy, right? I hate the

00:31:08.670 --> 00:31:10.650
whole like, okay, I gotta enter into this thinking

00:31:10.650 --> 00:31:13.349
you're trying to take advantage of me, but I'm

00:31:13.349 --> 00:31:15.849
gonna try and take advantage of you back. Oh

00:31:15.849 --> 00:31:18.910
my gosh, it drives me nuts. This is the life

00:31:18.910 --> 00:31:22.309
in Israel. If you ever had a chance to go, you

00:31:22.309 --> 00:31:24.670
visit Jerusalem and you go through all the stalls

00:31:24.670 --> 00:31:27.349
and the marketplaces, and what happens is you

00:31:27.349 --> 00:31:30.849
go into the place and they'll start by, you know,

00:31:30.869 --> 00:31:33.130
you go, how much is that? And they'll start with

00:31:33.130 --> 00:31:35.230
an offer that is usually outrageous, but you

00:31:35.230 --> 00:31:36.890
don't know because who knows shekels, right?

00:31:38.410 --> 00:31:41.789
And then you're like, huh. The expectation is

00:31:41.789 --> 00:31:43.670
that you're gonna be like, oh no, I couldn't

00:31:43.670 --> 00:31:46.589
possibly pay that much. How about I offer this?

00:31:47.349 --> 00:31:50.789
And then the shop owner goes, oh. That's an affront

00:31:50.789 --> 00:31:52.990
to me, but you know what? I want to honor you,

00:31:53.029 --> 00:31:54.769
and he lowers his. And then you guys do this

00:31:54.769 --> 00:31:56.529
back and forth thing to where you end up on what

00:31:56.529 --> 00:31:59.049
the item probably really costs with a small markup.

00:32:00.029 --> 00:32:03.700
It's infuriating. It's infuriating, but... This

00:32:03.700 --> 00:32:05.960
is how they do it in the Middle East, right?

00:32:06.079 --> 00:32:08.859
At least in the culture. And so this whole thing,

00:32:08.900 --> 00:32:10.799
as we read through it, it starts out here. Abraham,

00:32:10.900 --> 00:32:13.640
like, hey, I don't live here. I'm kind of at

00:32:13.640 --> 00:32:16.700
your guys' mercy. Please, my wife has died. Can

00:32:16.700 --> 00:32:19.539
someone give me a place to bury my wife? In fact,

00:32:20.160 --> 00:32:22.059
you know, I noticed this cave. It's the end of

00:32:22.059 --> 00:32:24.599
this guy's, Ephron's field. Can I bury my wife

00:32:24.599 --> 00:32:29.180
there? Oh, of course. nothing will be withheld

00:32:29.180 --> 00:32:32.079
from you. Gosh, we're honorable people. Of course

00:32:32.079 --> 00:32:33.539
we're gonna give you this land. It's like, oh,

00:32:33.579 --> 00:32:36.259
okay, well, you're so kind. You know, that spot

00:32:36.259 --> 00:32:39.059
that I have my eye on, just to be kind back,

00:32:39.140 --> 00:32:41.839
to out -courtesy your generosity is I'm willing

00:32:41.839 --> 00:32:44.660
to pay for the cave. Like, I'll pay you for the

00:32:44.660 --> 00:32:46.920
cave, and that's how I'm gonna out -courtesy

00:32:46.920 --> 00:32:50.160
that. And then they respond with, oh, no, no,

00:32:50.220 --> 00:32:53.470
no, no, no. Like, look. I'll give you the cave.

00:32:53.509 --> 00:32:55.309
In fact, I'll give you the land around it too.

00:32:55.410 --> 00:32:57.230
Oh, now I've out -courtesied your offer to buy

00:32:57.230 --> 00:32:58.990
the cave. I'm throwing in the land in the deal.

00:33:01.529 --> 00:33:04.230
Right, I already got a headache just reading

00:33:04.230 --> 00:33:07.490
those few verses. Let's move on to verse 10.

00:33:08.369 --> 00:33:10.450
Abraham bowed down to the people of the land

00:33:10.450 --> 00:33:12.589
and said to Ephron in the hearing of the people

00:33:12.589 --> 00:33:16.849
of the land, listen to me if you please. Let

00:33:16.849 --> 00:33:20.089
me pay the price of the field. Accept it from

00:33:20.089 --> 00:33:23.829
me and let me bury my dead there. Now, what's

00:33:23.829 --> 00:33:29.609
happening here is something unusual. Instead

00:33:29.609 --> 00:33:32.250
of going, oh, no, no, no, no, you know, I don't

00:33:32.250 --> 00:33:35.710
want that or anything. He just simply says, okay,

00:33:35.750 --> 00:33:37.829
you've countered my offer to buy the cave with

00:33:37.829 --> 00:33:39.089
you're going to give me the land in the cave

00:33:39.089 --> 00:33:42.829
for free. I'm going to counter with let me pay

00:33:42.829 --> 00:33:46.890
for the field and the cave, right? Now, you guys

00:33:46.890 --> 00:33:48.750
will notice, like, through this transaction so

00:33:48.750 --> 00:33:51.940
far, nobody has mentioned a price. There has

00:33:51.940 --> 00:33:54.559
been no price mentioned, right? That is intentional.

00:33:55.099 --> 00:33:57.920
Because watch what Ephron does in verse 14. Ephron

00:33:57.920 --> 00:34:00.980
answered Abraham and said to him, my Lord, listen

00:34:00.980 --> 00:34:05.039
to me. Land worth 400 shekels of silver, what

00:34:05.039 --> 00:34:08.980
is that between you and me? Bury your dead. Wait,

00:34:09.000 --> 00:34:14.900
what? How much? Now, we're going to deal with

00:34:14.900 --> 00:34:16.760
that in a little bit because we're like 400 shekels,

00:34:16.760 --> 00:34:18.800
right? Isn't that like 50 cents in American money?

00:34:19.340 --> 00:34:22.900
No, it's not a ton today, but back then it was

00:34:22.900 --> 00:34:26.360
a huge amount. But here's the idea. Hey, can

00:34:26.360 --> 00:34:30.480
I have a burial plot? Yeah, whatever you want.

00:34:31.179 --> 00:34:34.139
Okay, I want that cave. I'll pay for it. No,

00:34:34.179 --> 00:34:35.800
no, we're not going to charge you for the cave.

00:34:35.880 --> 00:34:37.380
You know what? Look, take the land and the cave.

00:34:38.599 --> 00:34:40.820
Well, he's already offered to pay, so let's keep

00:34:40.820 --> 00:34:43.929
upping the deal here. Fine, I'll pay for the

00:34:43.929 --> 00:34:47.989
field to get the cave. Oh, that's so gracious

00:34:47.989 --> 00:34:50.730
of you because what's $10 million between you

00:34:50.730 --> 00:34:56.230
and me? Hold up. How much, right? This is what's

00:34:56.230 --> 00:34:59.630
taking place here. Now, it tells us in verse

00:34:59.630 --> 00:35:01.929
16, Abraham agreed with Ephron and Abraham weighed

00:35:01.929 --> 00:35:03.769
out to Ephron the silver that he had agreed to

00:35:03.769 --> 00:35:06.449
in the hearing of the Hethites, 400 standard

00:35:06.449 --> 00:35:09.849
shekels of silver. Here's what's taking place.

00:35:10.400 --> 00:35:12.619
In the midst of Abraham's grief, in the midst

00:35:12.619 --> 00:35:14.320
of the loss of his wife, in the midst of his

00:35:14.320 --> 00:35:17.719
sorrow, the Hethites are extorting him. They're

00:35:17.719 --> 00:35:19.860
taking advantage of Abraham in the moment. He

00:35:19.860 --> 00:35:21.679
just wanted the cave. He didn't want the land.

00:35:21.860 --> 00:35:23.539
But they're just going to throw the land in.

00:35:23.599 --> 00:35:26.300
Now, in the idea of this haggling and back and

00:35:26.300 --> 00:35:28.639
forth, there's an honor built into it too. So

00:35:28.639 --> 00:35:31.079
once you've reached a certain level in the haggle,

00:35:31.139 --> 00:35:33.199
it's incredibly dishonorable to say, no, no,

00:35:33.219 --> 00:35:35.480
let's go back to step one. You're kind of locked

00:35:35.480 --> 00:35:38.769
in, right? At least culturally. He knew what

00:35:38.769 --> 00:35:40.949
was going on, and since he had offered to pay

00:35:40.949 --> 00:35:43.809
the price for the cave, well, they knew they

00:35:43.809 --> 00:35:45.909
could extort the price of the field out of him

00:35:45.909 --> 00:35:48.610
as well. They didn't say that up front. They

00:35:48.610 --> 00:35:50.210
just countered with, let us give it to you as

00:35:50.210 --> 00:35:52.489
a gift. And so, you know, the next honorable

00:35:52.489 --> 00:35:54.389
thing for him to do was, well, if he was willing

00:35:54.389 --> 00:35:56.369
to pay for the cave, and they were willing to

00:35:56.369 --> 00:35:58.230
give him the field and the cave, well, then it

00:35:58.230 --> 00:35:59.969
would be honorable for him to pay for the field

00:35:59.969 --> 00:36:04.030
too. Maybe Abraham rolled his eyes. You know,

00:36:04.090 --> 00:36:05.670
he's like, come on, guys, I'm just trying to

00:36:05.670 --> 00:36:08.769
bury my wife, you know? But he says, fine, I'll

00:36:08.769 --> 00:36:11.050
buy the whole field from you. And then Ephron's

00:36:11.050 --> 00:36:13.690
reaction is just so awesome. Oh, that's so nice

00:36:13.690 --> 00:36:18.030
of you. 400 shekels, you got a deal. Now here's

00:36:18.030 --> 00:36:21.010
frame of reference. How much is 400 shekels?

00:36:21.010 --> 00:36:23.469
Today, that's about 10 pounds of silver, okay?

00:36:24.429 --> 00:36:27.969
At the current price of silver, it's not a whole

00:36:27.969 --> 00:36:31.090
lot, but it's quite a bit of money. But is that

00:36:31.090 --> 00:36:33.110
a lot or a little in their time? Well, here's

00:36:33.110 --> 00:36:36.400
the frame of reference. Later on... David purchases

00:36:36.400 --> 00:36:39.800
the entire top of Mount Moriah. Mount Moriah

00:36:39.800 --> 00:36:42.559
is where Abraham went to sacrifice Isaac. It's

00:36:42.559 --> 00:36:44.460
where the temple mount is today, you know, that

00:36:44.460 --> 00:36:47.519
big rectangular temple mount area. David went

00:36:47.519 --> 00:36:51.239
to buy it in 2 Samuel chapter 24, that whole

00:36:51.239 --> 00:36:55.179
area, and he paid 50 shekels of silver for it.

00:36:56.219 --> 00:36:59.900
So that whole area, 50 shekels. What he's getting

00:36:59.900 --> 00:37:02.800
over here is a plot of land much smaller than

00:37:02.800 --> 00:37:05.280
that, and he's paying 400, or he's being charged

00:37:05.280 --> 00:37:09.880
400. Now, to be fair, based upon the Middle Eastern

00:37:09.880 --> 00:37:12.900
haggling and transaction processes, Ephron may

00:37:12.900 --> 00:37:15.400
have started insanely high because the expectations

00:37:15.400 --> 00:37:17.840
that Abraham would counteroffer, right, as I

00:37:17.840 --> 00:37:20.500
said earlier. You know, oh, how much is this

00:37:20.500 --> 00:37:23.719
land that's worth $100? 10 million, oh, that's

00:37:23.719 --> 00:37:25.300
such an offense that you would do that to me.

00:37:25.340 --> 00:37:27.860
I'm gonna give you five bucks, oh. That's so

00:37:27.860 --> 00:37:29.619
offensive to me, but you know what? Because you're

00:37:29.619 --> 00:37:31.400
my friend, I'll knock it down to five million.

00:37:31.800 --> 00:37:35.380
This is the whole deal. But Abraham didn't haggle.

00:37:36.039 --> 00:37:41.099
He didn't haggle. He was quoted this insanely

00:37:41.099 --> 00:37:44.300
high price, and he just accepted it. Okay, I'll

00:37:44.300 --> 00:37:47.039
pay the price for the field. Why? Why didn't

00:37:47.039 --> 00:37:50.480
he haggle? There's a number of details here that

00:37:50.480 --> 00:37:55.269
kind of... picture to me that he's not only trying

00:37:55.269 --> 00:37:57.409
to just get a site to bury his wife, but there's

00:37:57.409 --> 00:38:01.929
a witness in his activity here to the very people

00:38:01.929 --> 00:38:04.769
that he's purchasing this land from. It's already

00:38:04.769 --> 00:38:06.710
told us that the transaction's taking place in

00:38:06.710 --> 00:38:09.280
the gate of the city. The gate of the city is

00:38:09.280 --> 00:38:11.539
where all the city rulership would hang out,

00:38:11.579 --> 00:38:13.500
all the important people, all the rich people.

00:38:13.699 --> 00:38:16.219
You guys remember back in Sodom, Lot was hanging

00:38:16.219 --> 00:38:19.199
out in the city gates because he was an official

00:38:19.199 --> 00:38:21.500
at that time, right? So this is where all the

00:38:21.500 --> 00:38:24.559
people that mattered hung out. The people who

00:38:24.559 --> 00:38:27.019
had reputations to consider, the people who had

00:38:27.019 --> 00:38:29.960
honor to protect. And so this transaction was

00:38:29.960 --> 00:38:32.380
there. And then it's also told us a couple times

00:38:32.380 --> 00:38:35.239
that it was done in the hearing of the Hethites.

00:38:36.269 --> 00:38:40.469
So not only was this process done publicly, but

00:38:40.469 --> 00:38:43.130
it was done in such a way so everybody gathered

00:38:43.130 --> 00:38:45.909
heard every detail of this agreement. They heard

00:38:45.909 --> 00:38:48.610
every detail of the haggle. They couldn't pass

00:38:48.610 --> 00:38:51.309
judgment on Ephron or Abraham. There was nobody

00:38:51.309 --> 00:38:53.690
here in this area that could possibly say, you

00:38:53.690 --> 00:38:56.010
know what, Ephron cheated Abraham or Abraham

00:38:56.010 --> 00:38:59.190
cheated Ephron or this Hebrew guy didn't follow

00:38:59.190 --> 00:39:01.010
through with his commitment. Nobody could say

00:39:01.010 --> 00:39:03.110
that. It was all public and in the hearing of

00:39:03.110 --> 00:39:05.550
everybody. And then it tells us very specifically

00:39:05.550 --> 00:39:08.130
that they even watched him count out the silver,

00:39:08.269 --> 00:39:12.670
the 400 shekels of silver. Why are we given those

00:39:12.670 --> 00:39:16.869
details? Why didn't Abraham haggle? Well, I think

00:39:16.869 --> 00:39:21.489
he accepted this price that was so high because

00:39:21.489 --> 00:39:25.150
everything was talked about and offered and negotiated

00:39:25.150 --> 00:39:28.829
in front of all of these witnesses. That from

00:39:28.829 --> 00:39:31.710
this time forward, there would be no... possible

00:39:31.710 --> 00:39:36.750
way for anybody to doubt that the land, this

00:39:36.750 --> 00:39:40.210
field, and this cave belonged to Abraham. Nobody

00:39:40.210 --> 00:39:42.630
could doubt that. Nobody would be able to go

00:39:42.630 --> 00:39:44.090
back and say, no, that's not really what Ephron

00:39:44.090 --> 00:39:46.210
said. We all heard it. That's not really what

00:39:46.210 --> 00:39:49.429
Abraham said. We all heard it. We all watched

00:39:49.429 --> 00:39:51.349
them. We saw the money counted out. He paid an

00:39:51.349 --> 00:39:53.889
outrageously ridiculous high price for it. There's

00:39:53.889 --> 00:39:57.980
no doubt that this land belongs to him. And I

00:39:57.980 --> 00:39:59.659
think that was a part of the detail here that

00:39:59.659 --> 00:40:03.579
as Abraham has been, who knows, definitely with

00:40:03.579 --> 00:40:05.420
his family, but saying this land is the promised

00:40:05.420 --> 00:40:07.039
land, this land is gonna go to my descendants,

00:40:07.380 --> 00:40:09.579
although he's been living peaceably with people,

00:40:09.760 --> 00:40:13.239
he's saying, look, God has made promises to me

00:40:13.239 --> 00:40:16.039
that you don't believe in, but to show you how

00:40:16.039 --> 00:40:20.639
absolutely sure I am in this promise that I'm

00:40:20.639 --> 00:40:23.039
gonna sacrifice this great amount of money to

00:40:23.039 --> 00:40:25.840
show you that I believe what God said. That's

00:40:25.840 --> 00:40:28.369
what I believe is taking place here. And it's

00:40:28.369 --> 00:40:31.610
interesting that Ephron goes, what's 400 shekels

00:40:31.610 --> 00:40:35.190
between me and you? And I personally think what

00:40:35.190 --> 00:40:37.849
Abraham is thinking in his mind is, God, what's

00:40:37.849 --> 00:40:41.889
400 shekels for you? Like money's irrelevant.

00:40:42.969 --> 00:40:45.590
Your promises are more valuable than any possession

00:40:45.590 --> 00:40:47.309
I could ever have. And so I'm not going to sit

00:40:47.309 --> 00:40:50.210
here and haggle over the price of this in a land

00:40:50.210 --> 00:40:51.750
that you've already said is going to go to my

00:40:51.750 --> 00:40:54.210
people. So, so what? 400 shekels is ridiculously

00:40:54.210 --> 00:40:58.820
overpriced. Sure, I'll pay it. It's a picture

00:40:58.820 --> 00:41:02.099
of what we do today when we say, God, I believe

00:41:02.099 --> 00:41:04.239
in your promises, I believe in the future, I

00:41:04.239 --> 00:41:06.880
believe in heaven, I believe in hope, that all

00:41:06.880 --> 00:41:09.400
the material stuff in this world today, it's

00:41:09.400 --> 00:41:12.840
not all that valuable to me. That I'll invest

00:41:12.840 --> 00:41:14.719
in the kingdom of the things I have in this world

00:41:14.719 --> 00:41:17.239
because it's all yours anyways, right? Now you

00:41:17.239 --> 00:41:20.500
might say, God didn't give Abraham this land,

00:41:20.599 --> 00:41:24.039
it was Abraham's money. Who gave Abraham the

00:41:24.039 --> 00:41:28.400
money? God did. You go all the way back to the

00:41:28.400 --> 00:41:30.400
beginning in Egypt. Abraham lied. Pharaoh gave

00:41:30.400 --> 00:41:34.559
him so much riches, he left. Abraham just continued

00:41:34.559 --> 00:41:36.920
to get richer and richer. And so he just simply

00:41:36.920 --> 00:41:38.860
purchased the land that God had already promised

00:41:38.860 --> 00:41:41.019
him with money that God had already given him.

00:41:41.900 --> 00:41:44.039
And Abraham didn't balk at the price at all.

00:41:44.099 --> 00:41:46.699
What we see here is this very clear picture,

00:41:46.800 --> 00:41:49.980
at least I see this very clear picture, that

00:41:49.980 --> 00:41:52.699
God's promise that the land would belong to him

00:41:52.699 --> 00:41:56.389
and his people is slowly coming into focus. through

00:41:56.389 --> 00:42:00.510
God's providence. Sometimes the way God brings

00:42:00.510 --> 00:42:03.190
his promises to be are in ways we didn't consider,

00:42:03.409 --> 00:42:07.849
ways we didn't expect, ways that were kind of

00:42:07.849 --> 00:42:11.230
like, nope, that wasn't on my radar. But when

00:42:11.230 --> 00:42:13.989
we're people walking in faith and we believe

00:42:13.989 --> 00:42:15.889
God has told me this and I don't know how it's

00:42:15.889 --> 00:42:17.550
going to come to pass, which that has characterized

00:42:17.550 --> 00:42:20.329
Abraham's life so long, that when the opportunity

00:42:20.329 --> 00:42:22.190
finally comes and the world's trying to take

00:42:22.190 --> 00:42:25.559
advantage of us and we're like, You're accountable

00:42:25.559 --> 00:42:28.539
to God. I don't care. I know God said this is

00:42:28.539 --> 00:42:30.360
going to happen. God's provided the means, sure.

00:42:31.880 --> 00:42:36.739
And this is what we see Abraham doing. Now, and

00:42:36.739 --> 00:42:39.260
then of course, you know, I can't walk past that,

00:42:39.340 --> 00:42:42.260
you know, no price was too high for his bride.

00:42:42.739 --> 00:42:46.059
No price was too high for his princess, you know.

00:42:46.679 --> 00:42:48.579
Guy could have probably said, you know, a million

00:42:48.579 --> 00:42:52.940
shekels and he'd be like, fine. But, verse 17.

00:42:54.960 --> 00:42:57.139
So Hebron's field at Machpelah near Mamre, the

00:42:57.139 --> 00:42:59.059
field with its cave and all the trees anywhere

00:42:59.059 --> 00:43:01.860
within the boundaries of the field, became Abraham's

00:43:01.860 --> 00:43:04.760
possession in the sight of all the Hethites who

00:43:04.760 --> 00:43:07.980
came to the gate of the city. After this, Abraham

00:43:07.980 --> 00:43:09.940
buried his wife Sarah in the cave at the field

00:43:09.940 --> 00:43:13.380
of Machpelah near Mamre, that is Hebron, in the

00:43:13.380 --> 00:43:16.360
land of Canaan. The field with its cave passed

00:43:16.360 --> 00:43:19.380
from the Hethites to Abraham as burial property.

00:43:20.809 --> 00:43:23.809
So as it turns out, the way this is worded, it's

00:43:23.809 --> 00:43:26.329
like Abraham got way more land than he was expecting,

00:43:26.650 --> 00:43:31.469
but now it was all his. It was all his. God's

00:43:31.469 --> 00:43:33.230
promise that the land is gonna belong to you

00:43:33.230 --> 00:43:35.389
and your people is slowly coming into the focus

00:43:35.389 --> 00:43:39.090
here. This location, incidentally, exists today.

00:43:39.769 --> 00:43:42.530
This town of Hebron, you could visit it in Israel

00:43:42.530 --> 00:43:45.909
today. It's currently under, or most of it's

00:43:45.909 --> 00:43:49.250
under Muslim control, but especially this site.

00:43:49.849 --> 00:43:52.070
that is known as the Cave of Machpelah, today

00:43:52.070 --> 00:43:54.090
is known as the Cave of the Patriarchs. It's

00:43:54.090 --> 00:43:56.210
under heavy Muslim control, and so you can't

00:43:56.210 --> 00:43:59.070
really just readily visit it anymore. But over

00:43:59.070 --> 00:44:00.809
the centuries and over the years, it has been

00:44:00.809 --> 00:44:04.849
recognized that this is this cave. One of the

00:44:04.849 --> 00:44:07.769
reasons people believe that is because there

00:44:07.769 --> 00:44:10.369
is a wall surrounding it that was built during

00:44:10.369 --> 00:44:12.449
the time of Herod. It's called a Herodian wall.

00:44:12.630 --> 00:44:16.309
And it was built around this cave system to protect

00:44:16.309 --> 00:44:20.139
it, like a holy site, right? Now, the fact that

00:44:20.139 --> 00:44:22.260
it's a Herodian wall means that that wall was

00:44:22.260 --> 00:44:24.139
built during the time of Herod. What that means

00:44:24.139 --> 00:44:27.559
is during the time of Herod, they believed that

00:44:27.559 --> 00:44:29.920
this was the location of the cave of the patriarchs.

00:44:31.099 --> 00:44:33.460
It's just like in the writings of Josephus, who

00:44:33.460 --> 00:44:36.480
was a historian during the time of Christ. He,

00:44:36.619 --> 00:44:39.699
in his writings, says that people of that day

00:44:39.699 --> 00:44:44.639
still visited the site of the ark up in the mountains.

00:44:44.780 --> 00:44:47.989
And we go, what? Apparently in the days of Josephus,

00:44:47.989 --> 00:44:49.429
there was still enough of the ark there to go

00:44:49.429 --> 00:44:51.469
visit. Well, you know, these things, when they

00:44:51.469 --> 00:44:53.409
take place during these times, we say in that

00:44:53.409 --> 00:44:55.869
time at least, they believed that these things

00:44:55.869 --> 00:44:58.250
were true. And so if you go there today, or if

00:44:58.250 --> 00:45:00.090
you're allowed to go there today, there's this

00:45:00.090 --> 00:45:02.010
little hole on the ground that was like the access

00:45:02.010 --> 00:45:03.909
into the cave system. And of course, they've

00:45:03.909 --> 00:45:06.849
built this gaudy shrine over it, right? Just

00:45:06.849 --> 00:45:08.329
the other thing that frustrates me about the

00:45:08.329 --> 00:45:11.710
Holy Land, Jesus stepped there. Let's build a

00:45:11.710 --> 00:45:14.130
gaudy church on top of it. But it's happened

00:45:14.130 --> 00:45:17.349
over the centuries. But people have gone down

00:45:17.349 --> 00:45:19.530
into these cave systems and found bones there,

00:45:19.590 --> 00:45:23.989
and the belief is that these are bones of people

00:45:23.989 --> 00:45:26.230
buried there, possibly the patriarchs, but at

00:45:26.230 --> 00:45:29.630
least this is the cave system. And so the idea

00:45:29.630 --> 00:45:32.929
here is Abraham buying this cave, paying whatever

00:45:32.929 --> 00:45:36.110
price you wanted, I don't care. That's nothing

00:45:36.110 --> 00:45:39.360
to God. Burying his wife there means that from

00:45:39.360 --> 00:45:41.980
her time all the way through time until now,

00:45:42.139 --> 00:45:44.519
this cave where her bones were buried, where

00:45:44.519 --> 00:45:46.920
the bones of the patriarchs were buried, all

00:45:46.920 --> 00:45:50.380
the beginning of the Jewish people, in the land

00:45:50.380 --> 00:45:55.679
insists that this land belongs to those people.

00:45:56.920 --> 00:46:00.900
That God had promised Abraham through Isaac,

00:46:01.099 --> 00:46:04.130
not Ishmael. through Isaac and the people down

00:46:04.130 --> 00:46:07.030
from that line that this land belongs to them.

00:46:07.110 --> 00:46:09.590
It is a witness that has screamed out down through

00:46:09.590 --> 00:46:14.869
the centuries. This is our land. Now, chapter

00:46:14.869 --> 00:46:17.309
23, it just shows us this picture of how sure

00:46:17.309 --> 00:46:19.869
Abraham's faith was that as he took these steps

00:46:19.869 --> 00:46:21.690
to buy this land and to bury his wife there,

00:46:21.829 --> 00:46:23.949
the witness to all the people around here, like,

00:46:24.010 --> 00:46:26.550
look, you live here right now, but God has made

00:46:26.550 --> 00:46:29.679
a promise. And I'm so sure of that promise that

00:46:29.679 --> 00:46:32.480
I'm going to bury my wife here in what is a foreign

00:46:32.480 --> 00:46:36.039
land to us now. But really, it's ours. We just

00:46:36.039 --> 00:46:38.940
don't have it yet. Instead of taking Sarah back

00:46:38.940 --> 00:46:41.380
to the homeland in Ur, he buried her there. No

00:46:41.380 --> 00:46:43.219
doubt in his mind that their family would indeed

00:46:43.219 --> 00:46:48.340
one day possess the land. By faith, Abraham lived

00:46:48.340 --> 00:46:52.059
in this land for over 100 years. By faith, in

00:46:52.059 --> 00:46:54.280
God's promise, he purchased the land for whatever

00:46:54.280 --> 00:46:57.849
price they asked. By faith, He buried his wife

00:46:57.849 --> 00:47:01.489
there. By faith, Abraham was buried there by

00:47:01.489 --> 00:47:05.530
Isaac. By faith, Isaac was buried there by his

00:47:05.530 --> 00:47:09.409
son, Jacob. And then there was the big famine.

00:47:09.429 --> 00:47:11.070
They had to go down to Egypt. While they were

00:47:11.070 --> 00:47:14.469
in Egypt, Jacob was like, look, my dad and my

00:47:14.469 --> 00:47:16.869
grandfather, we believe that God was going to

00:47:16.869 --> 00:47:18.449
give us this land. So even though we're in Egypt,

00:47:18.650 --> 00:47:22.000
he told his sons, asking you, commanding you,

00:47:22.059 --> 00:47:24.820
that when I die, take my bones back there and

00:47:24.820 --> 00:47:26.900
bury them in that cave because that is a witness

00:47:26.900 --> 00:47:31.159
to the belief in the promise of God. By faith,

00:47:31.159 --> 00:47:35.099
Joseph, as he was one of the main powerful people

00:47:35.099 --> 00:47:37.739
in Egypt, when he died, he was embalmed, put

00:47:37.739 --> 00:47:40.380
into a coffin in Egypt and waiting for the future

00:47:40.380 --> 00:47:42.559
that one day take me back to the promised land.

00:47:43.699 --> 00:47:47.360
430 years later, Moses leads the children of

00:47:47.360 --> 00:47:50.360
Israel out of Egypt, takes Joseph's remains while

00:47:50.360 --> 00:47:52.260
they wandered through the desert, carried them

00:47:52.260 --> 00:47:53.719
with them the whole time they were wandering

00:47:53.719 --> 00:47:55.840
through the desert, and eventually, by faith,

00:47:55.840 --> 00:47:59.320
when Joshua entered into the land and started

00:47:59.320 --> 00:48:02.679
conquering the promised land, Joseph was buried

00:48:02.679 --> 00:48:06.440
in the promised land in Shechem. These are generations

00:48:06.440 --> 00:48:08.659
of people that believed in the promise of God.

00:48:09.369 --> 00:48:11.429
All the different people around them that lived

00:48:11.429 --> 00:48:13.809
in that land knew that these people believed

00:48:13.809 --> 00:48:15.690
in this promise. It was preached. It was lived.

00:48:15.750 --> 00:48:17.650
That cave was there. You could go visit it. You

00:48:17.650 --> 00:48:24.269
could see it. And so when we face death in this

00:48:24.269 --> 00:48:29.710
world and we go, this hurts. This is terrible.

00:48:29.789 --> 00:48:32.869
This is loss. I'm grieving. But then we get up

00:48:32.869 --> 00:48:35.469
and we keep living for the Lord. And we keep

00:48:35.469 --> 00:48:37.469
moving forward to the Lord. We declare to the

00:48:37.469 --> 00:48:41.500
whole world around us. That all this future promise

00:48:41.500 --> 00:48:44.460
of glory in heaven isn't here right now. We're

00:48:44.460 --> 00:48:47.719
going there one day. And so while I grieve the

00:48:47.719 --> 00:48:50.800
loss of my loved one, I'm not stricken with the

00:48:50.800 --> 00:48:52.539
hopelessness that I will never ever see them

00:48:52.539 --> 00:48:54.739
again because I have a promise I believe in.

00:48:56.280 --> 00:48:58.820
And when we exercise our lives that way to the

00:48:58.820 --> 00:49:00.579
people that are around us that don't know the

00:49:00.579 --> 00:49:03.940
Lord, it's a witness to them. When Israel first

00:49:03.940 --> 00:49:05.760
arrived in the promised land, incidentally, they

00:49:05.760 --> 00:49:08.300
sent 12 spies in there. You guys remember that

00:49:08.300 --> 00:49:10.900
story? And it says they went as far as Hebron.

00:49:11.800 --> 00:49:15.079
And then they came back. Now that experience

00:49:15.079 --> 00:49:18.699
in Hebron, where the cave of the patriarchs is,

00:49:18.920 --> 00:49:21.940
caused two of those 12 spies to be like, oh,

00:49:22.099 --> 00:49:25.760
we could take this place. I went to the place.

00:49:25.900 --> 00:49:31.559
We saw the place. God's promise. Come on. The

00:49:31.559 --> 00:49:35.460
other 10, however, oh, there's giants. And they

00:49:35.460 --> 00:49:37.139
didn't go in, and then they wandered for another

00:49:37.139 --> 00:49:39.599
40 years there in the desert. But this place,

00:49:39.699 --> 00:49:41.519
Hebron, it was such a powerful place of witness.

00:49:41.579 --> 00:49:43.679
So much happened there through the history of

00:49:43.679 --> 00:49:46.519
Israel. David was anointed king there in that

00:49:46.519 --> 00:49:49.800
same area. It was just these bones of the patriarchs

00:49:49.800 --> 00:49:52.519
just shouted from this grave for generation after

00:49:52.519 --> 00:49:57.039
generation, this is our land. This is our land.

00:49:58.219 --> 00:50:00.800
Then that promise, that hope came to pass through

00:50:00.800 --> 00:50:04.139
the lives of Joshua and David and Solomon and

00:50:04.139 --> 00:50:08.199
so on and so forth. But for Abraham, this purchase

00:50:08.199 --> 00:50:10.920
here in this moment of his faith was just a declaration

00:50:10.920 --> 00:50:15.679
of his faith that God is going to do what God

00:50:15.679 --> 00:50:20.260
said he is going to do. And so when we have a

00:50:20.260 --> 00:50:24.929
funeral and we're grieving the loss, we still

00:50:24.929 --> 00:50:26.789
have to hang on to the promise that God is going

00:50:26.789 --> 00:50:29.309
to do what God said he's going to do. And if

00:50:29.309 --> 00:50:31.050
it's a loved one we know that lived a life in

00:50:31.050 --> 00:50:32.869
the Lord and we're doing a celebration of life,

00:50:33.070 --> 00:50:36.869
yeah, I hurt that they're gone. But God said

00:50:36.869 --> 00:50:39.730
they're with him. God said they're in glory.

00:50:40.550 --> 00:50:42.250
And that means I'm going to see them again one

00:50:42.250 --> 00:50:45.789
day. And so, man, it's not goodbye. It's just

00:50:45.789 --> 00:50:50.670
see you later. Now... Abraham was living this

00:50:50.670 --> 00:50:53.309
life looking for this city of hope. He wasn't

00:50:53.309 --> 00:50:54.909
even looking for this land. He goes, my people

00:50:54.909 --> 00:50:56.789
will get this land, but I'm looking for the place

00:50:56.789 --> 00:51:01.269
God has taken me to. And so in Hebrews, it says

00:51:01.269 --> 00:51:04.550
this about him and the other previous Enoch and

00:51:04.550 --> 00:51:06.650
Adam and all these guys. They all died in faith,

00:51:06.829 --> 00:51:09.289
although they had not received the things that

00:51:09.289 --> 00:51:11.650
were promised. But they saw them from a distance,

00:51:11.789 --> 00:51:14.789
greeted them, and confessed that they were foreigners

00:51:14.789 --> 00:51:18.150
and temporary residents on earth. Now those who

00:51:18.150 --> 00:51:20.269
say such things make it clear that they're seeking

00:51:20.269 --> 00:51:23.230
a homeland. If they were thinking about where

00:51:23.230 --> 00:51:25.550
they came from, then they could have gone back

00:51:25.550 --> 00:51:27.849
or had the opportunity to return. But now they

00:51:27.849 --> 00:51:30.570
desire a better place, a heavenly one. Therefore

00:51:30.570 --> 00:51:32.929
God is not ashamed to be called their God, for

00:51:32.929 --> 00:51:36.630
he has prepared a city for them. Now if you look

00:51:36.630 --> 00:51:39.329
through the history of Israel, the sad, sad testimony

00:51:39.329 --> 00:51:42.329
is although they gained the land at one point,

00:51:42.349 --> 00:51:45.809
they lost it again. Why? Because they became

00:51:45.809 --> 00:51:48.630
more interested in the land than the one who

00:51:48.630 --> 00:51:52.369
promised them the land. And they've been wrestling

00:51:52.369 --> 00:51:59.449
with this ever since. Longing for heaven. Knowing,

00:51:59.530 --> 00:52:01.389
believing that we're going there when we pass

00:52:01.389 --> 00:52:02.829
from this life. It's one of those things that

00:52:02.829 --> 00:52:06.789
characterizes the believing soul. It's one of

00:52:06.789 --> 00:52:08.690
the things that screams a witness to those that

00:52:08.690 --> 00:52:11.250
don't know the Lord. It's one of those things

00:52:11.250 --> 00:52:13.250
that allows us to have hope and to find peace

00:52:13.250 --> 00:52:17.150
in the midst of loss and in all of that. And

00:52:17.150 --> 00:52:19.250
just like Abraham who mourned, but then he got

00:52:19.250 --> 00:52:21.469
up to declare his faith. Why? By purchasing that

00:52:21.469 --> 00:52:23.929
cave, by moving forward. We do the same thing

00:52:23.929 --> 00:52:25.909
when we move forward in our life saying, look,

00:52:25.949 --> 00:52:28.570
I'm hurting, but God's promises are still true.

00:52:30.030 --> 00:52:32.469
God is not a liar. God is not wrong. God is not

00:52:32.469 --> 00:52:34.989
any of that. You see, times of death are exactly

00:52:34.989 --> 00:52:38.230
the times for our greatest demonstrations of

00:52:38.230 --> 00:52:41.820
faith. And so this is the challenge for us as

00:52:41.820 --> 00:52:44.300
believers. It's found in Colossians 3, verse

00:52:44.300 --> 00:52:47.320
1 through 4. It says, so if you have been raised

00:52:47.320 --> 00:52:49.780
with Christ, seek the things above where Christ

00:52:49.780 --> 00:52:53.400
is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your

00:52:53.400 --> 00:52:55.380
minds on things above, not on earthly things.

00:52:56.119 --> 00:52:58.880
For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ

00:52:58.880 --> 00:53:01.960
in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears,

00:53:02.079 --> 00:53:05.179
then you also will appear with him in glory.

00:53:07.049 --> 00:53:09.590
Now, the reality that we believe in that allows

00:53:09.590 --> 00:53:12.170
us to have hope regardless of our circumstances

00:53:12.170 --> 00:53:14.510
as we move forward is found in Ephesians 2 .6.

00:53:14.949 --> 00:53:18.250
Here's the hope. He also raised us up with him

00:53:18.250 --> 00:53:20.710
and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ

00:53:20.710 --> 00:53:25.469
Jesus. So then how do we live and deal with loss

00:53:25.469 --> 00:53:27.150
here on this earth while we're in this world?

00:53:27.250 --> 00:53:30.329
How are we able to have faith in the midst of

00:53:30.329 --> 00:53:34.489
death? And to find ourselves healing and moving

00:53:34.489 --> 00:53:37.750
on, well, that's 2 Corinthians 4 .18. So we do

00:53:37.750 --> 00:53:40.829
not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen.

00:53:41.909 --> 00:53:44.969
For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen

00:53:44.969 --> 00:53:49.650
is eternal. So like Abraham, while we are here

00:53:49.650 --> 00:53:52.909
in this life, on this earth, while we are here

00:53:52.909 --> 00:53:54.630
faced with everything we deal with, including

00:53:54.630 --> 00:53:57.050
the physical death and the loss and the grief

00:53:57.050 --> 00:53:59.980
and the sorrow, our hope is in the future. Our

00:53:59.980 --> 00:54:02.519
hope is in the promises that God has given us.

00:54:02.739 --> 00:54:05.579
And that hope allows us to continue living, to

00:54:05.579 --> 00:54:08.440
seek a life where we continue to invest in God's

00:54:08.440 --> 00:54:10.639
kingdom and to sow into God's kingdom, taking

00:54:10.639 --> 00:54:12.860
our pain with us so that we can share the hope

00:54:12.860 --> 00:54:14.820
we have through pain with those who don't have

00:54:14.820 --> 00:54:17.980
it. It allows us to lay up our treasures in heaven

00:54:17.980 --> 00:54:20.380
declaring to everybody, look, we're heirs of

00:54:20.380 --> 00:54:23.800
the promise. We know that time is coming even

00:54:23.800 --> 00:54:27.579
when our circumstances say otherwise. Because

00:54:27.579 --> 00:54:32.090
faith, conquers death. Death is not the end for

00:54:32.090 --> 00:54:35.550
those that are of faith. It's not a goodbye when

00:54:35.550 --> 00:54:37.650
we lose our loved ones in the Lord. It's simply

00:54:37.650 --> 00:54:44.469
a see you later. Let's pray. Father, we thank

00:54:44.469 --> 00:54:47.429
you, God, for your spirit. Lord, your word tells

00:54:47.429 --> 00:54:52.210
us that your spirit is a great comforter. And

00:54:52.210 --> 00:54:54.849
Lord, we know that death shouldn't exist, but

00:54:54.849 --> 00:55:00.849
it exists because of sin. But Lord, because of

00:55:00.849 --> 00:55:04.030
that sin that led to death, you made a promise.

00:55:05.909 --> 00:55:08.949
There would be one who comes, who would come,

00:55:09.130 --> 00:55:13.110
who would conquer death, who would defeat death.

00:55:14.869 --> 00:55:17.369
He would defeat the result of sin, which is not

00:55:17.369 --> 00:55:19.250
just a physical death, but an eternal separation

00:55:19.250 --> 00:55:23.250
from you. And God, in that, we could find hope

00:55:23.250 --> 00:55:27.309
and have joy and patience and peace. But God,

00:55:27.349 --> 00:55:30.739
you know. You know the hurt of losing someone

00:55:30.739 --> 00:55:35.840
close to us, Lord, in this life hurts. God, you

00:55:35.840 --> 00:55:38.880
even wept at the grave of your friend Lazarus,

00:55:38.900 --> 00:55:43.179
Lord. But God, it was there you did your greatest

00:55:43.179 --> 00:55:45.079
miracle as you brought him back from the dead,

00:55:45.199 --> 00:55:48.880
proving to all who witnessed that and all who

00:55:48.880 --> 00:55:52.260
have read the account ever since that you are

00:55:52.260 --> 00:55:56.380
the resurrection and the life. And although we

00:55:56.380 --> 00:55:59.090
may have loss in this life, Lord, It's not forever.

00:55:59.269 --> 00:56:01.369
It's not permanent. It's only temporary, God.

00:56:02.750 --> 00:56:05.090
And so, Lord, help us through our grief to find

00:56:05.090 --> 00:56:08.329
peace in the hope that is you. To find peace

00:56:08.329 --> 00:56:12.329
in the hope that are your promises. To even find

00:56:12.329 --> 00:56:15.150
purpose in why we are still here and they aren't.

00:56:18.070 --> 00:56:20.449
That, Lord, we would find a purpose in just living

00:56:20.449 --> 00:56:23.949
for you and following your spirit, your will,

00:56:23.969 --> 00:56:27.940
and whatever that means, God. But having a peace

00:56:27.940 --> 00:56:29.659
Lord knowing one day we will see them again.

00:56:31.940 --> 00:56:36.360
But God as we live by your power by the power

00:56:36.360 --> 00:56:38.119
of your spirit through these things God may the

00:56:38.119 --> 00:56:42.719
world see the hope that we carry with us. May

00:56:42.719 --> 00:56:47.139
the world see the possibility of what a relationship

00:56:47.139 --> 00:56:49.719
with you can bring even in the face of the worst

00:56:49.719 --> 00:56:54.039
times of our lives. And that they too would come

00:56:54.039 --> 00:56:57.429
to know you. and to receive that same hope and

00:56:57.429 --> 00:57:00.809
that same peace through Jesus Christ. Lord, we

00:57:00.809 --> 00:57:04.150
love you. We thank you. It's in Jesus' name we

00:57:04.150 --> 00:57:07.230
pray. Amen. Well, let's worship, church.