WEBVTT

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Well, I want to say good morning to all of you.

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If you're joining us here for the first time

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in the sanctuary, or if you're watching us online

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for the first time, we want to say welcome to

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all of you. We're blessed that you're here to

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worship with us here at Hosanna. I am Pastor

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Nathan, and today we're going to be talking about

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God's omnipresence. That word omnipresence is

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referring to the fact that God is everywhere

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at every time. There is nowhere that God isn't.

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And the truth of God's omnipresence has an incredibly

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powerful effect on our walk, on our encouragement,

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on our peace, on our faith, on our ability to

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resist temptation, and all of it. And I was trying

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to look up an illustration that would kind of

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accurately... summarize the reality of God's

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omnipresence. And I found this one which, you

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know, is of course lacking in the context of

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who God really is, but it kind of painted the

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picture for me. So imagine dunking a bucket into

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the ocean. And as you dunk that bucket into the

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ocean, you realize that that bucket is fully

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surrounded, fully saturated, fully filled with

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that ocean water completely. And the idea was

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that if we could fit our entire universe, everything

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in creation, every galaxy, every star, every

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nebula, every black hole, everything that exists

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in that bucket, all of creation, God would be

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the ocean. Because he is infinitely everywhere,

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beyond even our creation, at all times, all at

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once. You know, in Jeremiah chapter 23, verse

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23, it says, Am I a God who is only near? This

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is the Lord's declaration. And not a God who

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is far away? Can a person hide in secret places

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where I cannot see him? The Lord's declaration.

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Do I not fill the heavens and the earth? The

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Lord's declaration. Or in Psalm 139, David speaking,

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he says in verse seven, where can I go to escape

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your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?

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If I go up to heaven, you are there. If I make

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my bed in Sheol, you are there. If I live at

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the eastern horizon or settle at the western

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limits, even there your hand will lead me and

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your right hand will hold on to me. Those two

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verses, among many in God's word, are beautiful

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descriptions of the omnipresence of God. He is

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everywhere at every time, always. There is no

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place he isn't, and it's not just some aspect

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of God that is everywhere, right? It's not the

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picture that God is so infinitely big that, you

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know, over here is a part of him, and over here

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is a part of him. No, all of him is everywhere

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at all times. And it's not just spatially, it's

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not just positionally, but also relationally.

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And that is the lesson we're going to be looking

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at today, that God is with us. You know, during

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Christmas time, we often talk about the name

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that God gave himself in the scriptures, Emmanuel,

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that God is with us. And that truth, when internalized

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and lived, lifts us up to peace and joy and contentment

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like nothing else in this reality can. This is

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the primary lesson of Isaac's life, that God

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was present with him. And it's one of the many

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lessons that God wants to teach all of his children,

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that he wants all of us who believe in him to

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internalize, to believe, and to live according

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to. Because the reality is without the truth

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and the reality of God's presence, there is no

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hope. There is no life. There is no peace. But

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because he is here with us today. He is with

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each one of us every moment of every single day

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of our life here on earth. We can have peace

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in the midst of our successes, in the midst of

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our failures. We can have peace when things are

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good. We can have peace when things are traumatic

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because it's his presence that brings the peace

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of Almighty God. Now, before we get into that

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study today, we're going to spend time worshiping

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him. And I encourage you guys, as we praise his

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name, to just dwell on and think about his presence.

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Think about the fact that he's here with you

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right now. Sometimes we go, yeah, just think

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about him sitting right here. But then he's also

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sitting right here. And he's sitting behind you.

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And he is all around, not just outside of you,

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but he's inside of you. He dwells within each

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one of us children. And so know that he's here

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

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And God, in the midst of all that happens in

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this world, Lord, one of the truths that we have

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as your children that we can hang on to, that

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we should hang on to, is that you are everywhere

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at every time. You are everywhere at all times,

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in all places, Lord. Not just in this positional

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sense, Lord, but you are with us relationally.

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That you are with us in every thought. You are

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with us in every challenge. You are with us in

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every failure. You are with us in every success.

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And that, God, the presence of you being with

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us, Lord, dwelling within us via the Holy Spirit,

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God, we have nothing to fear in this world. Help

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us to learn that and to internalize that. Help

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us to learn the lesson you were teaching Isaac,

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God, through his life here in chapter 26 of Genesis.

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Lord, that we may be people who learn the lesson

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of your presence and then learn to live according

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to that. That the decisions we make would be

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without fear. because we know you are with us.

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That, God, we would be people who would live

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with the past, present, and future promise that

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you've been with us, you are with us, and you

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will always be with us, Lord. We love you so

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much. We cling to the promises of your presence,

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Lord. Bless us today as we worship you. It's

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in Jesus' name we pray, amen. Today, we are continuing

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in our study in Genesis. We're gonna be in Genesis

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chapter 26. And as I mentioned last week, the

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story of Isaac in the Bible, right? As we've

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been studying through the life of Abraham, there's

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been so much focus on God's promise and that

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he's gonna have an offspring and Isaac is the

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promised son, right? And then Isaac went up to

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Mount Moriah with his dad to sacrifice the child

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according to God's law or God's command. But

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God said, no, don't do that at the last minute.

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you know, here's the ram for the sacrifice, and

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all of that was God helping Abraham learn the

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extent of his faith, and so we've had this long

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story about Abraham all the way up to the birth

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and the early life of the promised son, and then

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we get to Isaac's story. Now, when it comes to

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biblical real estate, Isaac is really only given

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this chapter, chapter 26 of Genesis. We had some

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of his story in the birth of his sons in the

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previous chapter, but compared to the story of

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his father. And then compared to the story of

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his son Jacob, Isaac is a very short retelling.

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But that doesn't mean that his life isn't any

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less important for us to study, that the lessons

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in his life aren't as impactful because his life,

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his story that we read here in Genesis 26, as

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short as the narrative is, it packs one of the

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most fundamental truths that we as believers

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need to internalize so that we would then be

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the people who are living in the victory and

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the freedom that Christ has for us. And so, like

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I said, this chapter is the only large direct

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narrative of Isaac's life. And then after that,

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it's Jacob, Jacob, Jacob, Jacob, Jacob, all the

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way until chapter 35, where we then have a very

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brief telling of Isaac's death. And so... Now,

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what we do know about Isaac from the little information

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we have is that he was a man of faith, but he

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was also a man of weakness, just like us. The

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one big, big lesson in this chapter that outlines

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this whole chapter is that he needed to learn

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the presence of God, the truth that God was with

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him. This whole chapter is actually outlined

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by this truth. In verse three, we see the promise

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of God's future presence where the Lord tells

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him, I will be with you. And then in verse 24,

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we see God reiterate the present promise of his

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presence where he says, I am with you. And then

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in verse 28, we see that those who have been

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observing his life speak of what is God's past

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promise promise of presence that the Lord has

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been with him through everything that he went

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through. And so read with me in Genesis chapter

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26 verse 1. It says, there was another famine

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in the land in addition to the one that had occurred

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in Abraham's time. And Isaac went to Abimelech,

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king of the Philistines at Gerar. So there's

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some familiar details here as we start his story,

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right? His dad Abraham had also spent time in

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the area of this city Gerar and dealt with a

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king of the Philistines also named Abimelech.

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But the background to all of this is that a famine

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is again happening in the promised land. Now

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that's not surprising because this whole area

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is essentially a desert. It's a very arid desert

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climate, and so it would be a fairly common thing

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that famine would come. Famine would also be

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accompanied with lack of rainfall, so it was

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dry, it was hot. And so this famine comes, and

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it tells us that even though we may be people

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who are under God's promise, and we may be people

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who are living in the place of God's promise,

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just like Isaac, that doesn't necessarily mean

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that bad things aren't going to happen to us.

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You can be essentially in the promised land as

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Isaac is and trouble will still come. Now the

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reason that happens is because God is continually

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teaching us and molding us and shaping our lives

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to be people that know him and glorify him. And

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one of those very, very critical lessons is to

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learn that regardless of what's happening in

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our life, God is with us. God is present. And

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so it tells us that Isaac is going to be traveling.

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Gerar was south of Horeb, which is kind of where

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Abraham and his family lived predominantly. And

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so he's traveling down in the direction of Egypt.

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Now we know Isaac is traveling to Egypt because

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in verse two, God says, don't go to Egypt. So

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that's the clue, right? God knows where Isaac

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was headed. And that tells us a lot that Isaac

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is kind of following in his father's footsteps,

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right? Back in Genesis chapter 12, when there

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was a famine in the land, after Abraham had really

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just arrived in the promised land, he went down

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to Egypt, which was a fairly normal thing because

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Egypt was lush. You had the Nile River, you had

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the Nile River Valley. And so as there's famine

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up here in the area of the land of Canaan, Egypt

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would be the place that you would go to kind

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of wait out the famine. Now, biblically, we also

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understand that Egypt is symbolic of the world,

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right? It's symbolic of the world that opposes

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God or stands against God or says, I don't believe

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in God. It's symbolic of that whole idea of trust

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in yourself and trust in your own wisdom and

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your own plans. And so we see Isaac following

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this negative example of his father when the

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famine hits. Now, you might ask, Why another

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famine? Like, isn't this the promised land? Isn't

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this the land flowing with milk and honey? And

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as I said, yes, it is all those things, but God

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will allow stuff to happen so that he can try

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and test and mold our faith. And so Isaac is

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down, heading down south, gets to this place

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of Gerar, and he has an encounter with King Abimelech,

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just like his dad did in Genesis 20. Now, some

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ask the question, is this the same Abimelech

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that Abraham dealt with? The answer is could

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be, right? Because this particular encounter

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between Isaac and Abimelech is taking place approximately

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80 years after Abraham dealt with King Abimelech.

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And so it is possible with the lifespans of the

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time, right? We remember Abraham lived to be

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175 years old. So it's possible this is the same

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King Abimelech. Now, it's also possible, alternatively,

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that this is a different King Abimelech because

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there's evidence, archaeological evidence and

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stuff, that Abimelech might have been just the

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dynastic name of the king, right? Or just the

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family name. So, you know, you would have any

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king that rose up to be king in this land would

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be called King Abimelech, right? That was the

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title. Kind of like every pharaoh was called

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pharaoh, right? So we don't know definitively

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if it's the same one or not, but it doesn't have

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a whole lot of influence on the story, so that's

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that. All right, verse two. The Lord appeared

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to him. and said, do not go down to Egypt. Live

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in the land that I tell you about. Stay in this

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land as an alien, and I will be with you and

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bless you. For I will give all these lands to

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you and your offspring, and I will confirm the

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oath that I swore to your father Abraham. I will

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make your offspring as numerous as the stars

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of the sky. I will give your offspring all these

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lands, and all the nations of the earth will

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be blessed by your offspring. Because Abraham

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listened to me and kept my mandate, my commands,

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my statutes, and my instructions. So Isaac settled

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in Gerar. So as he's going the way of the world

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in a sense, God steps in and says, hey, don't

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do that. Stay here. You might remember I mentioned

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in a previous study that Isaac is never permitted

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to leave the promised land for his entire life.

00:14:01.769 --> 00:14:04.529
Even though he tries, he's always prevented from

00:14:04.529 --> 00:14:07.450
doing so or commanded not to. You remember in

00:14:07.450 --> 00:14:10.049
the story of Abraham, when he sent his servant

00:14:10.049 --> 00:14:13.909
to find Isaac a wife, the servant said, why doesn't

00:14:13.909 --> 00:14:16.789
Isaac just go? You know, I mean, it's his wife,

00:14:16.950 --> 00:14:18.710
right? I mean, shouldn't he be part of the process?

00:14:18.809 --> 00:14:21.990
And Abraham said, Isaac is not to leave the promised

00:14:21.990 --> 00:14:24.990
land. He's not to leave this land. The reality

00:14:24.990 --> 00:14:28.190
was because Isaac was the living embodiment of

00:14:28.190 --> 00:14:31.990
God's promises being true. And if this land was

00:14:31.990 --> 00:14:35.710
promised to the people as God had said, Isaac

00:14:35.710 --> 00:14:37.850
is the son of that promise, and so he's going

00:14:37.850 --> 00:14:41.570
to stay here as a symbol of God's truth and God's

00:14:41.570 --> 00:14:45.009
faithfulness. So Isaac is trying to leave. He's

00:14:45.009 --> 00:14:48.570
told not to. And then God steps in, and it tells

00:14:48.570 --> 00:14:51.960
us that when the Lord appeared to him, He told

00:14:51.960 --> 00:14:54.200
him the same things that he had told his father,

00:14:54.299 --> 00:14:56.759
Abraham. Now that word appeared there, it means

00:14:56.759 --> 00:15:00.539
physically. So it wasn't just a voice. God appeared

00:15:00.539 --> 00:15:03.980
to Isaac as he had appeared to his father on

00:15:03.980 --> 00:15:07.120
numerous occasions. And so God gives him the

00:15:07.120 --> 00:15:10.600
promise. Look, stay here. Stay in this land.

00:15:10.740 --> 00:15:13.799
You're an alien here. This isn't your land. You

00:15:13.799 --> 00:15:16.940
don't own it. But stay here and trust me because

00:15:16.940 --> 00:15:22.779
I will be with you and bless you. That is a huge

00:15:22.779 --> 00:15:26.639
promise that all of us have in the Lord. That

00:15:26.639 --> 00:15:30.480
as we go through life and face situations and

00:15:30.480 --> 00:15:32.980
like this famine that Isaac's facing, we start

00:15:32.980 --> 00:15:37.179
to go, okay, I gotta figure this out. But we

00:15:37.179 --> 00:15:40.500
have to start with the fact that God is gonna

00:15:40.500 --> 00:15:44.799
be with us. That there's no future we need to

00:15:44.799 --> 00:15:47.139
worry about to fear because God is going to be

00:15:47.139 --> 00:15:50.840
with us. And so God says, look, stay here. It

00:15:50.840 --> 00:15:52.500
doesn't make sense. There's a famine here, but

00:15:52.500 --> 00:15:54.720
stay here because I'm gonna be with you. And

00:15:54.720 --> 00:15:56.720
then he reiterates all these promises, the promise

00:15:56.720 --> 00:15:59.679
of the people and the land and being a blessing

00:15:59.679 --> 00:16:03.120
to the world. And I can imagine that Isaac was

00:16:03.120 --> 00:16:06.220
pretty excited to see the Lord, right? Wow, you'd

00:16:06.220 --> 00:16:08.039
appeared to my dad. Now you're appearing to me.

00:16:08.080 --> 00:16:11.279
This is pretty awesome. And yeah, things are

00:16:11.279 --> 00:16:13.100
bad and there's a famine and I'm thinking about

00:16:13.100 --> 00:16:16.120
moving the family, but this was a huge test of

00:16:16.120 --> 00:16:19.820
faith for Isaac. Because one, famines are very

00:16:19.820 --> 00:16:24.899
bad. Two, as he's stopping in this city Gerar,

00:16:24.899 --> 00:16:27.820
he doesn't own anything there. He doesn't own

00:16:27.820 --> 00:16:30.320
any land, and yet he still has his flocks and

00:16:30.320 --> 00:16:33.519
his cattle and his family, and yet he doesn't

00:16:33.519 --> 00:16:34.940
have any land to go, okay, this is where I'm

00:16:34.940 --> 00:16:38.519
gonna settle. But God says, just stop here. And

00:16:38.519 --> 00:16:40.960
then in this community, because Isaac's not a

00:16:40.960 --> 00:16:43.879
citizen of that particular community, he's not

00:16:43.879 --> 00:16:47.000
a Philistine, that he has no legal rights there.

00:16:47.080 --> 00:16:49.879
He has no legal status in that community, that

00:16:49.879 --> 00:16:52.580
his presence in that community as an alien, he

00:16:52.580 --> 00:16:57.019
had to rely on the goodwill of the people. Now,

00:16:57.039 --> 00:16:59.940
those people that he was staying with happened

00:16:59.940 --> 00:17:02.820
to be pagans who didn't believe in his God, and

00:17:02.820 --> 00:17:06.420
yet God is saying, stay here, trust me. Now,

00:17:07.880 --> 00:17:11.759
If he did stay as God commanded, and he did trust

00:17:11.759 --> 00:17:14.460
God as his father Abraham had learned to trust

00:17:14.460 --> 00:17:19.779
God, God then says, I will be with you. Like,

00:17:19.779 --> 00:17:22.799
I'm here with you. You can trust me and all that.

00:17:22.880 --> 00:17:25.339
And this is where we see God's presence being

00:17:25.339 --> 00:17:28.380
linked to the idea of blessing, right? When we

00:17:28.380 --> 00:17:31.579
stay in where God has us, we trust in his presence,

00:17:31.660 --> 00:17:34.220
we trust that he's with us. Blessing comes from

00:17:34.220 --> 00:17:36.460
that. But it's very interesting that he says,

00:17:36.579 --> 00:17:39.000
you're gonna receive all this stuff that I promised

00:17:39.000 --> 00:17:42.240
to your father because Abraham listened to me.

00:17:43.240 --> 00:17:46.420
Because your dad listened to me, I'm gonna bless

00:17:46.420 --> 00:17:51.000
you, right? And you might think, well, how does

00:17:51.000 --> 00:17:54.420
that work? Like there's stories all over the

00:17:54.420 --> 00:17:59.880
place of godly fathers then having these less

00:17:59.880 --> 00:18:04.809
than stellar children, right? And yet if God

00:18:04.809 --> 00:18:07.750
made a promise to the father, God's gonna deal

00:18:07.750 --> 00:18:09.829
with the child, but the promises are gonna carry

00:18:09.829 --> 00:18:12.069
through because the idea is not that Abraham

00:18:12.069 --> 00:18:14.950
earned it, and so therefore his kid's gonna get

00:18:14.950 --> 00:18:18.029
the blessing of that. The idea is God made a

00:18:18.029 --> 00:18:20.910
promise. And God said, Abraham, I'm gonna bless

00:18:20.910 --> 00:18:22.990
your offspring. They're gonna be more numerous

00:18:22.990 --> 00:18:26.630
than the sky, and so boop, there's Isaac. So

00:18:26.630 --> 00:18:28.829
because I made this promise to your father, Isaac,

00:18:28.950 --> 00:18:31.190
I want you to know that I'm gonna honor this

00:18:31.190 --> 00:18:34.410
promise. Now he says, Abraham listened to my

00:18:34.410 --> 00:18:37.509
mandates and my commands. He kept the statutes,

00:18:37.509 --> 00:18:40.450
instructions. Those four words are kind of different

00:18:40.450 --> 00:18:44.269
ways to say the entirety of God's promises, right?

00:18:44.930 --> 00:18:47.130
Mandates are the things you're required to do.

00:18:47.470 --> 00:18:49.329
Commands are just authoritative instructions.

00:18:49.750 --> 00:18:52.829
Statutes are authoritative rules. And then instructions

00:18:52.829 --> 00:18:55.710
is just the idea of referring to the entirety

00:18:55.710 --> 00:18:58.670
of what God said. So God's like, look, when I

00:18:58.670 --> 00:19:02.220
spoke to Abraham directly, He obeyed me. When

00:19:02.220 --> 00:19:05.500
I just laid out the rules of how to be as a follower

00:19:05.500 --> 00:19:07.640
of me, he followed those things. Now, we might

00:19:07.640 --> 00:19:10.440
remember all the stories of Abraham and go, well,

00:19:10.440 --> 00:19:12.980
that doesn't sound all that accurate. Abraham

00:19:12.980 --> 00:19:16.779
didn't listen plenty of times. But God doesn't

00:19:16.779 --> 00:19:21.359
remember those things in faith. God remembers

00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:24.259
Abraham's rights, the good things he did. He

00:19:24.259 --> 00:19:25.700
doesn't keep the record of wrongs. That's what

00:19:25.700 --> 00:19:28.220
1 Corinthians 13 tells us about love. It holds

00:19:28.220 --> 00:19:32.339
no record of wrongs. Like some of us as human

00:19:32.339 --> 00:19:34.740
beings, like we can't remember where we put our

00:19:34.740 --> 00:19:38.039
keys, but we could remember that one thing that

00:19:38.039 --> 00:19:42.500
person said to us 52 and a half years ago. And

00:19:42.500 --> 00:19:46.420
that's why I still don't talk to them. There's

00:19:46.420 --> 00:19:49.319
no record here. Like through his faith, because

00:19:49.319 --> 00:19:51.200
Abraham said, I believe God, it was righteousness

00:19:51.200 --> 00:19:54.000
accounted to him. And so Isaac, he's telling

00:19:54.000 --> 00:19:58.960
Isaac, be like your father at his best, not at

00:19:58.960 --> 00:20:02.859
his worst. Like your dad did some bad things,

00:20:02.940 --> 00:20:05.319
but I want you to do the good things he did.

00:20:05.420 --> 00:20:07.220
I want you to follow after his good example.

00:20:07.339 --> 00:20:10.539
And as you do so, that promise that I made to

00:20:10.539 --> 00:20:12.660
your father is going to come to pass. And I promise

00:20:12.660 --> 00:20:15.079
those things to you as well. And so all of it,

00:20:15.160 --> 00:20:17.019
you know, this land that I'm telling you to stay

00:20:17.019 --> 00:20:18.680
in, yes, it is going to go to your offspring.

00:20:18.920 --> 00:20:23.119
And all of that he said. Now, the idea here is

00:20:23.119 --> 00:20:25.079
that he's trying to get Isaac to understand in

00:20:25.079 --> 00:20:28.059
this moment that, yeah, I'm God everywhere. I'm

00:20:28.059 --> 00:20:31.450
spatially present. but I'm relationally present

00:20:31.450 --> 00:20:38.130
with you. That you matter to me. Your life matters

00:20:38.130 --> 00:20:41.569
to me. Your situation matters to me. I'm not

00:20:41.569 --> 00:20:44.289
just God far away, right? In those verses we

00:20:44.289 --> 00:20:46.589
read in the intro, he's like, am I only the God

00:20:46.589 --> 00:20:49.849
who is near, but I'm also not God far away? Like,

00:20:49.890 --> 00:20:53.730
I'm God everywhere. I'm God both far and close.

00:20:53.809 --> 00:20:55.670
I'm the God who is with you in every moment of

00:20:55.670 --> 00:20:58.250
every day. I need you to trust that. I am with

00:20:58.250 --> 00:21:00.269
you relationally. I'm with you in every moment.

00:21:00.369 --> 00:21:04.190
I'm with you in every thought. And so this is

00:21:04.190 --> 00:21:07.029
God introducing to Isaac the foundation of his

00:21:07.029 --> 00:21:11.130
success in life. Understand and believe and know

00:21:11.130 --> 00:21:14.920
that I am present with you at all times. Always.

00:21:15.240 --> 00:21:18.240
So you stay close to me. You live in light of

00:21:18.240 --> 00:21:21.180
my never wavering presence. You live knowing

00:21:21.180 --> 00:21:23.579
that I'm right there with you at all times. You

00:21:23.579 --> 00:21:25.880
let that truth dictate your behaviors, your actions,

00:21:25.980 --> 00:21:28.700
regardless of the circumstances. If you do that,

00:21:28.839 --> 00:21:32.700
then you'll be able to live in peace. You'll

00:21:32.700 --> 00:21:36.160
be able to cast out all fear. You'll be able

00:21:36.160 --> 00:21:40.019
to live without anxiety. You'll be able to live

00:21:40.019 --> 00:21:44.740
without worry. Now, What I do find interesting

00:21:44.740 --> 00:21:46.759
here is as Isaac is on the way down to Egypt,

00:21:46.839 --> 00:21:50.900
God doesn't step in and chastise him. He doesn't

00:21:50.900 --> 00:21:54.359
belittle him. Like he's going down to Egypt and

00:21:54.359 --> 00:21:55.880
God appears. He's like, bro, where are you going?

00:21:56.039 --> 00:21:59.220
Egypt? You ingrate? Don't you remember what your

00:21:59.220 --> 00:22:02.160
dad did? No, he just steps in and he goes, hey,

00:22:02.220 --> 00:22:05.799
you're not believing I'm with you in this famine.

00:22:05.900 --> 00:22:08.720
I need you to believe that. So trust me and everything

00:22:08.720 --> 00:22:12.740
that I promised will come to pass. He obeyed,

00:22:12.740 --> 00:22:15.019
he settled in Gerar, and now one would think

00:22:15.019 --> 00:22:17.880
with the Lord appearing to you, and we said this

00:22:17.880 --> 00:22:21.000
with Abraham as well, that with God appearing

00:22:21.000 --> 00:22:23.440
and him seeing God and God saying, hey, let me

00:22:23.440 --> 00:22:25.400
reiterate these promises I made to your dad,

00:22:25.539 --> 00:22:27.160
and I'm telling you that I made them to your

00:22:27.160 --> 00:22:30.119
dad, so I'm gonna honor them, but you're gonna

00:22:30.119 --> 00:22:32.420
experience the fruit of them as you stay close

00:22:32.420 --> 00:22:34.779
to me, as you know my presence is with you at

00:22:34.779 --> 00:22:38.680
all times. If that had happened to me, I would

00:22:38.680 --> 00:22:40.400
like to think that I would have been rock solid.

00:22:41.079 --> 00:22:44.920
Isaac should have been like, I'm good. I'm going

00:22:44.920 --> 00:22:48.920
to do everything you say without fault. But we're

00:22:48.920 --> 00:22:53.339
so weak. Humanity, we're so weak. We're so frail.

00:22:53.339 --> 00:22:55.660
We're so led by emotion. We're so led by fear

00:22:55.660 --> 00:22:59.299
and worry. And we experience all of that while

00:22:59.299 --> 00:23:03.799
we're living in faith. While we're like people

00:23:03.799 --> 00:23:07.099
who say, I believe God and I trust God. I believe

00:23:07.099 --> 00:23:12.210
his word. I believe God is with me. And then

00:23:12.210 --> 00:23:14.069
a famine hits in life and we're like, oh no,

00:23:14.150 --> 00:23:18.750
I'm alone. I've been abandoned. God has no idea.

00:23:18.769 --> 00:23:20.809
He's not paying attention and we start to freak

00:23:20.809 --> 00:23:24.049
out. It's the problem that we all have. And so

00:23:24.049 --> 00:23:27.509
Isaac falls here in a moment, verse seven, just

00:23:27.509 --> 00:23:30.109
like we can find ourselves falling. It says,

00:23:30.190 --> 00:23:31.869
when the man of the place asked about his wife,

00:23:32.009 --> 00:23:35.230
he said, she is my sister. For he was afraid

00:23:35.230 --> 00:23:39.769
to say, my wife. Where on earth did he get that

00:23:39.769 --> 00:23:44.180
idea? Like that had never happened before, had

00:23:44.180 --> 00:23:47.420
it, right? He was thinking the men of the place

00:23:47.420 --> 00:23:49.480
will kill me on account of Rebecca for she is

00:23:49.480 --> 00:23:52.619
a beautiful woman. When Isaac had been there

00:23:52.619 --> 00:23:54.980
for some time, Abimelech, king of the Philistines,

00:23:55.059 --> 00:23:57.640
looked down from the window and was surprised

00:23:57.640 --> 00:24:02.619
to see Isaac caressing his wife, Rebecca. That

00:24:02.619 --> 00:24:05.599
is strange behavior for a brother and sister.

00:24:07.180 --> 00:24:10.039
Abimelech sent for Isaac and said, so she is

00:24:10.039 --> 00:24:12.640
really your wife? How could you say she is my

00:24:12.640 --> 00:24:15.299
sister? And Isaac answered him, because I thought

00:24:15.299 --> 00:24:22.220
I might die on account of her. How quickly we

00:24:22.220 --> 00:24:26.799
waver, right? I mean, it's like, Isaac, bro,

00:24:26.900 --> 00:24:29.720
just the last chapter, we were applauding the

00:24:29.720 --> 00:24:32.039
fact that you didn't do the Hagar thing like

00:24:32.039 --> 00:24:34.980
your dad did. We were applauding that when you

00:24:34.980 --> 00:24:36.920
were faced with the barrenness of your wife.

00:24:36.980 --> 00:24:39.359
You prayed first and you went to the Lord. And

00:24:39.359 --> 00:24:45.640
now what is happening here? Like any child, Isaac

00:24:45.640 --> 00:24:48.019
is following in the footsteps of his father.

00:24:49.259 --> 00:24:51.380
And we're going to see that he follows both good

00:24:51.380 --> 00:24:55.640
and bad. See, first, when you think of Isaac's

00:24:55.640 --> 00:24:57.880
life and what he knew about his dad, what did

00:24:57.880 --> 00:24:59.799
his dad do when there was a famine in the land?

00:25:00.279 --> 00:25:03.759
He went down to Egypt. He started to trust in

00:25:03.759 --> 00:25:06.200
himself. He started to say, well, I'm not sure

00:25:06.200 --> 00:25:07.880
God's gonna provide for me in this situation.

00:25:08.220 --> 00:25:10.920
The second thing is, what does his dad do twice

00:25:10.920 --> 00:25:13.960
when he found himself in a situation worried

00:25:13.960 --> 00:25:16.359
about his beautiful wife and what the people

00:25:16.359 --> 00:25:21.819
would do to him to get her? He lied. And it was

00:25:21.819 --> 00:25:23.740
the same exact lie. Tell them that you're my

00:25:23.740 --> 00:25:28.759
sister. He didn't trust God in that moment. Parents,

00:25:28.779 --> 00:25:31.000
you have to understand that your influence on

00:25:31.000 --> 00:25:33.099
your kids is immense. And I know you all know

00:25:33.099 --> 00:25:37.140
that. But what they see you do has a greater

00:25:37.140 --> 00:25:40.880
impact on what you tell them to do. It's massive.

00:25:42.759 --> 00:25:45.200
If you tell them, you shouldn't blankety -blank

00:25:45.200 --> 00:25:49.700
cuss, guess what they're going to do? They're

00:25:49.700 --> 00:25:54.500
going to cuss. You see... Even if you're like,

00:25:54.599 --> 00:25:56.920
okay, I'm teaching them good things and I'm telling

00:25:56.920 --> 00:25:58.880
them good things. If you live it differently,

00:25:59.259 --> 00:26:02.180
they're gonna do what you did in the living.

00:26:02.259 --> 00:26:04.259
They're gonna see your example because when you

00:26:04.259 --> 00:26:06.619
live differently according to the words you say,

00:26:06.799 --> 00:26:10.440
it makes the words you say seem hollow and empty.

00:26:11.660 --> 00:26:15.380
And it's so important to be people who leave,

00:26:15.460 --> 00:26:19.759
let the influence be in line with what you preach.

00:26:20.740 --> 00:26:22.759
Parents, this is hugely important because your

00:26:22.759 --> 00:26:24.619
kids are going to follow after the example, both

00:26:24.619 --> 00:26:27.940
good and bad. They're going to have the same

00:26:27.940 --> 00:26:31.079
struggles you've had, maybe in different contexts.

00:26:32.180 --> 00:26:34.940
But if they've always seen you lose your cool

00:26:34.940 --> 00:26:37.059
when you're worried instead of saying, hey, God's

00:26:37.059 --> 00:26:38.680
with us, I'm good, guess what they're going to

00:26:38.680 --> 00:26:41.240
do? Lose their cool when things are difficult.

00:26:43.859 --> 00:26:47.019
And so he's like, well, dad went to Egypt. Dad

00:26:47.019 --> 00:26:49.680
lied about mom, so I'm going to do the same thing.

00:26:50.140 --> 00:26:54.019
Now, again, if God had appeared to you, wouldn't

00:26:54.019 --> 00:26:55.839
you think you would be spiritual at least for

00:26:55.839 --> 00:26:59.619
a little while? You know, like in youth ministry,

00:26:59.720 --> 00:27:01.619
we used to call this the mountaintop experience,

00:27:01.900 --> 00:27:05.359
right? You go up to camp. Kids are away from

00:27:05.359 --> 00:27:08.089
everything. used to be away from all their devices

00:27:08.089 --> 00:27:10.809
and everything. It's just the forest and the

00:27:10.809 --> 00:27:13.890
Bible and worship and fellowship. And oftentimes,

00:27:14.470 --> 00:27:17.029
kids will have this wonderful experience with

00:27:17.029 --> 00:27:19.789
the Lord, right? The last day of camp was always

00:27:19.789 --> 00:27:22.089
guaranteed. Everybody's crying, everybody's hugging,

00:27:22.190 --> 00:27:23.710
and everybody went forward at the altar call.

00:27:23.950 --> 00:27:25.630
And you're just like, well, I hope some of this

00:27:25.630 --> 00:27:27.890
is real, right? But then those kids, they would

00:27:27.890 --> 00:27:29.750
come down from the mountaintop, and they're just

00:27:29.750 --> 00:27:32.650
super Christians for a little while. And then

00:27:32.650 --> 00:27:36.880
it starts to fade. Well, This is kind of what's

00:27:36.880 --> 00:27:40.119
happening to Isaac, right? Now, narratively,

00:27:40.119 --> 00:27:43.259
this is happening, you know, right after he arrived

00:27:43.259 --> 00:27:45.119
in Gerard. It says that was some time later.

00:27:45.279 --> 00:27:47.880
And we know that he was living there for some

00:27:47.880 --> 00:27:51.000
time. But narratively, we have God appear. God

00:27:51.000 --> 00:27:54.200
deliver the promise of these, the promises that

00:27:54.200 --> 00:27:56.180
he gave to his dad. Say, I'm going to be with

00:27:56.180 --> 00:27:57.980
you. You don't have to worry about anything.

00:27:58.799 --> 00:28:02.940
But then he gets there and he lies. He forgets

00:28:02.940 --> 00:28:05.200
that God was with him, even though God just said,

00:28:05.240 --> 00:28:07.880
I'm gonna be with you. He forgets the implication

00:28:07.880 --> 00:28:10.200
of God's presence, that God is gonna protect

00:28:10.200 --> 00:28:13.079
him, God is gonna fulfill the promises, that

00:28:13.079 --> 00:28:15.519
he doesn't have to worry, and this might be amazing

00:28:15.519 --> 00:28:17.420
to us. We're like, how could you do that, Isaac?

00:28:17.539 --> 00:28:21.019
But we do the same thing. We do the same thing

00:28:21.019 --> 00:28:27.880
constantly. We're always like, uh. We face situations

00:28:27.880 --> 00:28:30.559
and we forget that right in the moment behind

00:28:30.559 --> 00:28:32.440
that, God had told us, I'm going to be with you.

00:28:33.220 --> 00:28:36.339
Remember Peter in Caesarea Philippi. We have

00:28:36.339 --> 00:28:39.660
what is probably the spiritual high of his career.

00:28:41.299 --> 00:28:43.619
He's there with Jesus. Jesus is looking at all

00:28:43.619 --> 00:28:45.859
the pagan idols and he goes, who do people say

00:28:45.859 --> 00:28:48.799
I am? And they're like, oh, some people say you're

00:28:48.799 --> 00:28:51.319
Elijah. Some people say this. And Jesus goes,

00:28:51.420 --> 00:28:54.470
who do you guys say that I am? And Peter steps

00:28:54.470 --> 00:28:57.130
forward. You are the Christ, the son of the living

00:28:57.130 --> 00:29:02.809
God. Whoa, big confession. Jesus is like, on

00:29:02.809 --> 00:29:04.990
this confession, I'm gonna build my church. You're

00:29:04.990 --> 00:29:10.589
no longer Simon, you are Peter. Wow. Two seconds

00:29:10.589 --> 00:29:12.710
later, by the way, guys, I'm gonna go to the

00:29:12.710 --> 00:29:15.029
cross and be crucified. And Peter says, no, you're

00:29:15.029 --> 00:29:20.130
not. Get behind me, Satan. So quickly, we go

00:29:20.130 --> 00:29:22.009
from our spiritual highs to our spiritual lows.

00:29:22.990 --> 00:29:25.710
So quickly we could let things just get us off

00:29:25.710 --> 00:29:28.890
track. And so Isaac here is going from the high

00:29:28.890 --> 00:29:31.190
right to the low. Now when it says there that

00:29:31.190 --> 00:29:34.150
the Philistine king looked from the window and

00:29:34.150 --> 00:29:37.630
he saw him caressing his wife, Rebecca, it's

00:29:37.630 --> 00:29:39.410
a different word in different translations. If

00:29:39.410 --> 00:29:41.289
you have a King James version, it says he was

00:29:41.289 --> 00:29:45.549
sporting with Rebecca, right? And it's like they

00:29:45.549 --> 00:29:47.349
were kicking a soccer ball around or something,

00:29:47.490 --> 00:29:51.789
right? The word means flirting. That's the idea

00:29:51.789 --> 00:29:55.460
here. That he was being playfully flirty and

00:29:55.460 --> 00:29:58.119
handsy with his wife. You know, now, married

00:29:58.119 --> 00:30:01.779
couples, y 'all can do that, right? That's just

00:30:01.779 --> 00:30:04.099
cute. That's this and that. But again, looking

00:30:04.099 --> 00:30:06.900
down and going, that's weird for a brother to

00:30:06.900 --> 00:30:11.700
be doing with his sister. And so he calls Isaac

00:30:11.700 --> 00:30:14.559
in and rebukes him. How dare you? Like, why did

00:30:14.559 --> 00:30:21.299
you do this? And it's a sad day. When non -believers,

00:30:21.299 --> 00:30:25.960
pagans, have good and legitimate reason to rebuke

00:30:25.960 --> 00:30:30.480
Christians. Like when liars say, dang, you're

00:30:30.480 --> 00:30:35.099
a liar. You did something wrong. They should

00:30:35.099 --> 00:30:37.599
be looking at us as people who trust the Lord,

00:30:37.680 --> 00:30:40.640
who are honest, who are faithful. But here we

00:30:40.640 --> 00:30:42.200
see that he's looking down and he's like, you

00:30:42.200 --> 00:30:45.339
lied to me. You're supposed to be a witness.

00:30:46.200 --> 00:30:48.099
of the God you proclaim. You're supposed to be

00:30:48.099 --> 00:30:50.940
a witness of who he is and how he wants you to

00:30:50.940 --> 00:30:53.400
live. And Christians, we shouldn't be living

00:30:53.400 --> 00:30:55.960
in a way that brings derision upon the name of

00:30:55.960 --> 00:30:59.000
the Lord. It's sad. It's unfortunate when that

00:30:59.000 --> 00:31:02.220
happens because the world is watching me. The

00:31:02.220 --> 00:31:04.920
world is watching you. The world is watching

00:31:04.920 --> 00:31:08.380
us. We have no idea when the king of the Philistines

00:31:08.380 --> 00:31:10.720
is looking down from a window. We have no idea

00:31:10.720 --> 00:31:13.140
when they're peeking into the window of our house

00:31:13.140 --> 00:31:15.039
or they're watching us at work in our cubicle

00:31:15.039 --> 00:31:17.019
when we think no one's around. We have no idea

00:31:17.019 --> 00:31:21.119
what they're seeing. And the question is simply

00:31:21.119 --> 00:31:24.740
this, that when they put you under the microscope,

00:31:24.839 --> 00:31:29.119
when they're observing your behavior, what are

00:31:29.119 --> 00:31:33.099
they seeing? Are they catching you in sin? Are

00:31:33.099 --> 00:31:36.880
they catching you in lies? Are they watching

00:31:36.880 --> 00:31:41.559
you fly off in rage instead of being at peace

00:31:41.559 --> 00:31:45.819
with God's presence and trusting him? Are they

00:31:45.819 --> 00:31:49.500
watching you yell at your spouse with just rude

00:31:49.500 --> 00:31:51.539
and unkind words? Are they watching you turn

00:31:51.539 --> 00:31:56.960
to drugs or alcohol when you're stressed? In

00:31:56.960 --> 00:32:00.759
Romans 2 .24, Paul was writing about how bummed

00:32:00.759 --> 00:32:03.900
he was. that God's name was being reviled by

00:32:03.900 --> 00:32:06.079
the behavior of professing believers. And he

00:32:06.079 --> 00:32:08.839
said this, for as it is written, the name of

00:32:08.839 --> 00:32:11.579
God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because

00:32:11.579 --> 00:32:15.759
of you. Paul was bummed out. He's like, the last

00:32:15.759 --> 00:32:18.960
people on the world who should bring dishonor

00:32:18.960 --> 00:32:23.839
onto God's name is God's people. But it happens

00:32:23.839 --> 00:32:27.559
sometimes. Now, why would Isaac do this, right?

00:32:27.680 --> 00:32:29.799
He had known about his father's two instances

00:32:29.799 --> 00:32:32.819
of lying about his mom. He had known the stories

00:32:32.819 --> 00:32:35.440
about how all that turned out. Why would he do

00:32:35.440 --> 00:32:38.440
this? It tells us that Isaac is a man who is

00:32:38.440 --> 00:32:43.039
prone to fear. He was afraid. It tells us right

00:32:43.039 --> 00:32:44.640
there, he was afraid that somebody would come

00:32:44.640 --> 00:32:47.460
kill him. He remembered that story about what

00:32:47.460 --> 00:32:51.019
dad did, and I'm sure dad said, and so son, don't

00:32:51.019 --> 00:32:54.779
do that. It didn't turn out well. But in the

00:32:54.779 --> 00:32:57.380
moment, Isaac is afraid because he's here in

00:32:57.380 --> 00:33:00.579
this place. He has no rights here. He has no

00:33:00.579 --> 00:33:03.519
ownership here. And yet God said, stay here.

00:33:03.740 --> 00:33:08.420
And he forgot the I will be with you part. And

00:33:08.420 --> 00:33:11.200
so therefore, he panicked. He gave in to his

00:33:11.200 --> 00:33:13.339
fear and he did what he thought was the best

00:33:13.339 --> 00:33:15.299
thing. Now, some believers are the same way.

00:33:16.349 --> 00:33:18.630
There's people I talk to on a regular basis that

00:33:18.630 --> 00:33:21.890
believe in God and say, I trust in his word and

00:33:21.890 --> 00:33:23.970
I trust in his presence, but they're prone to

00:33:23.970 --> 00:33:28.970
fear and worry and anxiety. And every time something

00:33:28.970 --> 00:33:32.170
stressful happens, it's, oh no, the sky is falling.

00:33:34.430 --> 00:33:37.349
You know, it's one thing to theologically affirm

00:33:37.349 --> 00:33:41.299
that God is omnipresent. To say it, to say, I

00:33:41.299 --> 00:33:43.259
believe that. He's everywhere. He's with me in

00:33:43.259 --> 00:33:45.480
every moment of my life. But it's something entirely

00:33:45.480 --> 00:33:48.940
else to have that truth dominate your life, to

00:33:48.940 --> 00:33:51.839
overshadow your reality, to be in every moment

00:33:51.839 --> 00:33:55.559
of your life. Recognizing God's omnipresence

00:33:55.559 --> 00:33:58.579
in your life, relationally and spatially, it

00:33:58.579 --> 00:34:05.130
crushes the temptation to compromise. For a lot

00:34:05.130 --> 00:34:07.490
of people, when you're alone in the dark room

00:34:07.490 --> 00:34:09.170
and you're like, oh, I want to click on that

00:34:09.170 --> 00:34:13.469
thing on the internet. You're not alone. God

00:34:13.469 --> 00:34:17.610
is with you. Take a moment next time that temptation

00:34:17.610 --> 00:34:19.769
hits and turn to the space beside you and say,

00:34:19.809 --> 00:34:23.210
God, is this good for me to click on? It might

00:34:23.210 --> 00:34:26.980
change the thinking in your heart. Have you ever

00:34:26.980 --> 00:34:28.699
seen that meme? Some of you have seen the memes

00:34:28.699 --> 00:34:31.019
where it's like a video or a picture of somebody

00:34:31.019 --> 00:34:33.019
doing something questionable and then the static

00:34:33.019 --> 00:34:35.880
picture of Jesus pops in from the side like he's

00:34:35.880 --> 00:34:39.039
watching you. I love that meme because I'm like,

00:34:39.079 --> 00:34:44.539
that's not too far from the truth, really. You're

00:34:44.539 --> 00:34:46.920
being tempted to do or say it or act in a way

00:34:46.920 --> 00:34:49.199
and yeah, the reality is, whoop, there's Jesus.

00:34:50.380 --> 00:34:53.309
What are you doing? What are you about to do?

00:34:53.409 --> 00:34:56.269
And see, his presence, it has the reality when

00:34:56.269 --> 00:34:58.949
we bring that presence into our moment, we say

00:34:58.949 --> 00:35:01.250
God is here, God is watching, God is listening.

00:35:01.789 --> 00:35:06.769
That has a way of crushing the temptation. Resting

00:35:06.769 --> 00:35:09.230
in his presence has a way of chasing away fear,

00:35:09.469 --> 00:35:14.090
chasing away anxiety. Being able to say the God

00:35:14.090 --> 00:35:15.670
that created this whole universe, he is with

00:35:15.670 --> 00:35:19.110
me right now in this moment, it grants confidence

00:35:19.110 --> 00:35:23.630
that he is here. That he is with us. That he

00:35:23.630 --> 00:35:27.449
is with you. And so if that's true, and it's

00:35:27.449 --> 00:35:29.250
true because it's in God's word, then what do

00:35:29.250 --> 00:35:33.269
we have to fear? What do we have to fear? Isaiah

00:35:33.269 --> 00:35:35.989
41 .10 says this, Do not fear, for I am with

00:35:35.989 --> 00:35:39.610
you. Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will

00:35:39.610 --> 00:35:41.590
strengthen you. I will help you. I will hold

00:35:41.590 --> 00:35:46.010
on to you with my righteous right hand. That's

00:35:46.010 --> 00:35:49.739
an amazing promise. Two verses later in Isaiah

00:35:49.739 --> 00:35:53.320
41, or three verses later, Isaiah 41, 13. For

00:35:53.320 --> 00:35:55.500
I am the Lord your God who holds your right hand,

00:35:55.579 --> 00:35:57.719
who says to you, do not fear, I will help you.

00:35:59.840 --> 00:36:04.179
Are you scared? Well, God says, let me hold your

00:36:04.179 --> 00:36:08.199
hand. Are you worried? God says, let me hold

00:36:08.199 --> 00:36:12.579
your hand. And my grandson James is starting

00:36:12.579 --> 00:36:15.300
to learn that because he wants to run around

00:36:15.300 --> 00:36:19.289
and do all the things. We'll be watching something

00:36:19.289 --> 00:36:22.909
on TV, like there's this scene in Cars from Pixar

00:36:22.909 --> 00:36:26.929
where Frank, the big bull, comes out to get him

00:36:26.929 --> 00:36:28.789
because they're tipping over the tractor cows.

00:36:29.409 --> 00:36:32.150
He knows it's Frank, but he pulls up his blanket

00:36:32.150 --> 00:36:36.409
and he reaches out and he grabs my hand. He's

00:36:36.409 --> 00:36:39.730
like, Frank! And then Frank comes out and he's

00:36:39.730 --> 00:36:41.050
like, oh, pull up your phone, I want to buy a

00:36:41.050 --> 00:36:43.480
Frank toy, right? Then he goes, rewind, rewind

00:36:43.480 --> 00:36:46.340
back. It's exactly 20 hits of the button. I know

00:36:46.340 --> 00:36:49.440
it. The whole scene. 20 hits back. Frank! He

00:36:49.440 --> 00:36:53.900
holds my hand again. He's like, I can do this

00:36:53.900 --> 00:36:56.619
because I know you're with me. I know you're

00:36:56.619 --> 00:36:59.280
here. God says, let me hold your right hand.

00:36:59.699 --> 00:37:01.760
Do not fear, for I will help you. And this is

00:37:01.760 --> 00:37:03.539
what Isaac needed to learn in his life. So verse

00:37:03.539 --> 00:37:06.880
10. Then Abimelech said, what have you done to

00:37:06.880 --> 00:37:09.809
us? One of the people could have easily slept

00:37:09.809 --> 00:37:11.769
with your wife and you have brought guilt upon

00:37:11.769 --> 00:37:14.829
us. This is what I think is weird. In the culture,

00:37:14.889 --> 00:37:17.829
the whole honor of not defiling another man's

00:37:17.829 --> 00:37:20.710
wife was a big deal, right? Like, if she's married

00:37:20.710 --> 00:37:23.889
and you go sleep with her, that's a bad, bad

00:37:23.889 --> 00:37:26.210
thing. Now, it was okay if you killed him and

00:37:26.210 --> 00:37:29.250
got him out of the way. But if he's still alive,

00:37:29.530 --> 00:37:31.670
don't sleep with his wife, right? Really weird

00:37:31.670 --> 00:37:36.190
and twisted in the culture. But the idea here

00:37:36.190 --> 00:37:40.559
is he's saying, Now, if this is the same Abimelech,

00:37:40.739 --> 00:37:43.980
what is up with your family, Isaac? Why are you

00:37:43.980 --> 00:37:47.280
doing this to us again? If it's a different Abimelech,

00:37:47.320 --> 00:37:49.079
maybe he had learned from his father's stories

00:37:49.079 --> 00:37:53.440
as well. Like, whoa, why have you done this to

00:37:53.440 --> 00:37:57.219
us? You would have brought guilt on us because

00:37:57.219 --> 00:37:59.500
of your lie if something had happened to your

00:37:59.500 --> 00:38:00.820
wife and somebody had slept with her. And so

00:38:00.820 --> 00:38:03.320
Abimelech warns all the people, whoever harms

00:38:03.320 --> 00:38:05.420
this man or his wife will certainly be put to

00:38:05.420 --> 00:38:09.519
death. Now what's sad here is due to his lack

00:38:09.519 --> 00:38:13.039
of faith, due to his lack of internalizing and

00:38:13.039 --> 00:38:15.340
living the fact that God is present with me here

00:38:15.340 --> 00:38:18.800
in this moment, he put God's promise in harm's

00:38:18.800 --> 00:38:22.539
way. He put his wife in harm's way. Now from

00:38:22.539 --> 00:38:24.480
God's perspective, God's like, it's my promise.

00:38:25.119 --> 00:38:27.460
You can't mess up my promise. But from man's

00:38:27.460 --> 00:38:31.929
perspective, in Isaac's perspective, He's putting

00:38:31.929 --> 00:38:34.409
what God had promised to do at jeopardy because

00:38:34.409 --> 00:38:38.630
he's fearing the people in Gerar. King Abimelech

00:38:38.630 --> 00:38:42.630
has the same exclamation whether he's a new one

00:38:42.630 --> 00:38:44.349
or an old one. Why did you put us in the path

00:38:44.349 --> 00:38:47.590
of God's judgments? Why did you do this to us?

00:38:47.730 --> 00:38:50.949
You're responsible for that. And the ironic thing

00:38:50.949 --> 00:38:54.269
is it's the pagan king that protected Isaac's

00:38:54.269 --> 00:38:58.409
wife. It's the pagan king who by extension protected

00:38:58.409 --> 00:39:04.030
the promise. God's promise. On the pain of death,

00:39:04.150 --> 00:39:06.670
if anybody harms this man or his wife, you will

00:39:06.670 --> 00:39:10.050
be put to death. Now, from this point forward,

00:39:10.210 --> 00:39:13.650
even though it's not specifically stated, Isaac

00:39:13.650 --> 00:39:17.269
now behaves like a man who had been chastened,

00:39:17.349 --> 00:39:20.610
a man who had been repentant, a man who had learned

00:39:20.610 --> 00:39:23.489
the lesson and was now living in light of the

00:39:23.489 --> 00:39:26.170
fact that, whoa, God is with me. What do I have

00:39:26.170 --> 00:39:27.869
to fear? We see this moving forward in verse

00:39:27.869 --> 00:39:31.300
12. Isaac sowed seed in the land, and in that

00:39:31.300 --> 00:39:33.480
year he reaped a hundred times what was sown.

00:39:33.880 --> 00:39:36.460
The Lord blessed him, and the man became rich

00:39:36.460 --> 00:39:38.460
and kept getting richer until he was very wealthy.

00:39:38.880 --> 00:39:42.900
He had flocks of sheep, herds of cattle, many

00:39:42.900 --> 00:39:45.199
slaves, and the Philistines were envious of him.

00:39:46.320 --> 00:39:48.059
Philistines stopped up all the wells that his

00:39:48.059 --> 00:39:49.860
father's servants had dug in the days of his

00:39:49.860 --> 00:39:53.599
father Abraham, filling them with dirt. And Abimelech

00:39:53.599 --> 00:39:55.679
then said to Isaac, leave us, for you are much

00:39:55.679 --> 00:40:00.500
too powerful for us. So, God had said, stay.

00:40:01.340 --> 00:40:05.460
Isaac got there, settled down, but lied. Then

00:40:05.460 --> 00:40:07.619
he gets rebuked by King Abimelech, and we see

00:40:07.619 --> 00:40:10.440
Isaac said, apparently, okay, I'm gonna stay.

00:40:11.050 --> 00:40:13.389
I'm going to stay as God has told me to do. I'm

00:40:13.389 --> 00:40:15.630
going to sow seed. I'm going to try and, you

00:40:15.630 --> 00:40:17.550
know, take care of my family and everything like

00:40:17.550 --> 00:40:19.590
God has told me to do. And then it says that

00:40:19.590 --> 00:40:22.710
God blessed him a hundredfold, that God's protection

00:40:22.710 --> 00:40:25.650
was evident in his life. God's blessing was evident

00:40:25.650 --> 00:40:28.210
in his life. He stayed as God had told him to.

00:40:28.349 --> 00:40:30.389
Apparently he's living in light of the promise,

00:40:30.429 --> 00:40:33.510
trusting in God's presence, and God is blessing

00:40:33.510 --> 00:40:40.750
him. That's the lesson. If you do what God says

00:40:40.750 --> 00:40:42.250
you're gonna do, you're gonna be a millionaire.

00:40:42.449 --> 00:40:48.309
No, that's not the lesson, right? In this circumstance,

00:40:48.449 --> 00:40:51.309
that is how God is blessing Isaac. But the idea

00:40:51.309 --> 00:40:54.329
is that when we stay in God's presence, trust

00:40:54.329 --> 00:40:58.230
his presence, dwell in his presence, God's blessing

00:40:58.230 --> 00:41:00.750
comes upon our life in whatever manner God chooses

00:41:00.750 --> 00:41:05.650
to bless us. The biggest way is peace. Okay,

00:41:05.690 --> 00:41:08.730
I could go on with my life and do what God's

00:41:08.730 --> 00:41:11.630
calling me to do and live how God's calling me

00:41:11.630 --> 00:41:14.369
to live and I don't have to worry. I don't have

00:41:14.369 --> 00:41:16.349
to be in fear of the people around me. I don't

00:41:16.349 --> 00:41:18.050
have to be in fear of the government. I don't

00:41:18.050 --> 00:41:20.789
have to be in fear of anything because God is

00:41:20.789 --> 00:41:24.170
with me. And what's interesting is he's here

00:41:24.170 --> 00:41:26.289
living in this pagan land, in this pagan city

00:41:26.289 --> 00:41:30.130
under a pagan king and he is so blessed that

00:41:30.130 --> 00:41:34.130
the Philistine people are envious. A hundredfold.

00:41:34.210 --> 00:41:37.190
You guys know what a hundredfold return is? I'll

00:41:37.190 --> 00:41:40.690
give you an example. You invest $1 ,000, it turns

00:41:40.690 --> 00:41:45.449
into $100 ,000. Now, would anybody like to make

00:41:45.449 --> 00:41:48.809
that investment? Yeah, that would be pretty cool.

00:41:50.489 --> 00:41:54.289
A hundredfold return. This guy is now rich. But

00:41:54.289 --> 00:41:57.510
here's the detail we need to think about. He's

00:41:57.510 --> 00:42:01.230
sowing seed. And there's so much return from

00:42:01.230 --> 00:42:03.949
the seed that he's becoming exceedingly wealthy

00:42:03.949 --> 00:42:09.090
in the middle of a famine. He's still in the

00:42:09.090 --> 00:42:13.369
land. There's still a famine in the land. Everybody

00:42:13.369 --> 00:42:16.210
else is trying to farm their land and stuff and

00:42:16.210 --> 00:42:18.650
just the food's not coming. There's no rain.

00:42:19.150 --> 00:42:24.250
And yet this Isaac guy. Wherever he sows seed,

00:42:24.349 --> 00:42:26.789
grass pops up. Look at his herds. They're grazing

00:42:26.789 --> 00:42:30.130
like crazy. They're growing like crazy. Of course

00:42:30.130 --> 00:42:33.650
they were envious. And this resulted in conflict.

00:42:34.489 --> 00:42:37.550
Conflict that I believe is allowed by God because

00:42:37.550 --> 00:42:39.510
it's a part of the continuing lesson for Isaac.

00:42:39.909 --> 00:42:44.449
All right, Isaac. We got past the, do you realize

00:42:44.449 --> 00:42:46.730
and trust and believe I'm with you in the time

00:42:46.730 --> 00:42:50.389
of famine? Do you believe that? You got nothing.

00:42:50.489 --> 00:42:53.750
There's no food. So much so that you're driven

00:42:53.750 --> 00:42:55.769
to go back to the ways of the world, but no,

00:42:55.829 --> 00:42:59.389
stay here, trust me. Do you believe in my presence

00:42:59.389 --> 00:43:02.809
in the time of nothing? Okay, we got that one

00:43:02.809 --> 00:43:04.510
figured out. We've worked through the wrinkles.

00:43:05.130 --> 00:43:08.250
Now I need you to trust me the same way in the

00:43:08.250 --> 00:43:11.750
time of plenty. Don't forget about God because

00:43:11.750 --> 00:43:14.489
now you have plenty. Don't forget about trusting

00:43:14.489 --> 00:43:16.989
God because now you have more resources than

00:43:16.989 --> 00:43:20.679
you know what to do with. And so this conflict

00:43:20.679 --> 00:43:23.340
comes up. The Philistines are now resorting to

00:43:23.340 --> 00:43:25.119
vandalism because it's something that they had

00:43:25.119 --> 00:43:28.079
done in the past. All those wells that Abraham

00:43:28.079 --> 00:43:31.079
dug back when he dealt with the king of the Philistines

00:43:31.079 --> 00:43:33.079
and they had this oath and they said, okay, non

00:43:33.079 --> 00:43:35.119
-aggression pact. You're going to treat us nice.

00:43:35.179 --> 00:43:37.260
We're going to treat you nice. Abraham lived

00:43:37.260 --> 00:43:39.980
there, was blessed abundantly. Wells all over

00:43:39.980 --> 00:43:42.639
the place. But after Abraham had died, all these

00:43:42.639 --> 00:43:44.360
people, the Philistine people had filled all

00:43:44.360 --> 00:43:48.280
the wells in. Now that's kind of background to

00:43:48.280 --> 00:43:50.219
what's about to happen, but before we get to

00:43:50.219 --> 00:43:53.079
those details, the king says, you need to leave.

00:43:54.760 --> 00:43:58.559
You need to leave. Why? Possibly out of fear

00:43:58.559 --> 00:44:01.579
that the people were growing so envious of his

00:44:01.579 --> 00:44:04.739
prosperity that the king was like, I can't control

00:44:04.739 --> 00:44:08.219
them anymore. I can't stop them from doing bad

00:44:08.219 --> 00:44:09.960
things to you, and we see that that happens.

00:44:11.420 --> 00:44:13.920
Or he was just like, you're becoming so influential

00:44:13.920 --> 00:44:17.530
that you're going to, start affecting my power.

00:44:17.690 --> 00:44:19.809
We don't know exactly which, but in verse 17,

00:44:20.030 --> 00:44:23.889
Isaac obeyed. He said, okay, I'll leave. And

00:44:23.889 --> 00:44:25.530
he camped in the Gerar Valley and lived there.

00:44:25.909 --> 00:44:27.889
Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in

00:44:27.889 --> 00:44:30.250
the days of his father Abraham and that the Philistines

00:44:30.250 --> 00:44:33.070
had stopped up after Abraham died. He gave them

00:44:33.070 --> 00:44:35.670
the same names his father had given them. Then

00:44:35.670 --> 00:44:37.449
Isaac's servants dug in the valley and found

00:44:37.449 --> 00:44:39.969
a well of spring water there. But the herdsmen

00:44:39.969 --> 00:44:42.070
of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's herdsmen and

00:44:42.070 --> 00:44:44.929
said, the water is ours. So he named the well

00:44:45.569 --> 00:44:47.969
because they argued with him. Then they dug another

00:44:47.969 --> 00:44:49.869
well and quarreled over that one also, so he

00:44:49.869 --> 00:44:52.690
named it Sitna. He moved from there and dug another,

00:44:52.889 --> 00:44:55.510
and they did not quarrel over it. He named it

00:44:55.510 --> 00:44:57.489
Rehoboth and said, for now the Lord has made

00:44:57.489 --> 00:44:59.510
space for us, and we will be fruitful in the

00:44:59.510 --> 00:45:02.210
land. So the Gerar Valley is not too far from

00:45:02.210 --> 00:45:05.289
the city of Gerar. Obviously, Isaac was very

00:45:05.289 --> 00:45:07.210
close to the vicinity of the city. King says,

00:45:07.250 --> 00:45:10.389
you need to go. People are getting upset. You're

00:45:10.389 --> 00:45:12.809
planting, you're growing, your flocks are, and

00:45:12.809 --> 00:45:14.469
it's not happening to anybody else. Get out of

00:45:14.469 --> 00:45:19.369
here. So Isaac says, okay, I'll do that. I'll

00:45:19.369 --> 00:45:22.429
move. I'll avoid the conflict. Now could have

00:45:22.429 --> 00:45:25.730
Isaac have stood up and said, no, this isn't

00:45:25.730 --> 00:45:27.849
right. I shouldn't have to move. God's blessing

00:45:27.849 --> 00:45:29.630
me. You're the ones that are pagans. Could he

00:45:29.630 --> 00:45:33.369
have done that? Yeah, but he didn't. He said,

00:45:33.409 --> 00:45:36.829
okay, I will move. Matthew 5, 9, Jesus said,

00:45:36.889 --> 00:45:38.909
blessed are the peacemakers for they will be

00:45:38.909 --> 00:45:43.530
called the sons of God. Blessed are the peacemakers.

00:45:44.529 --> 00:45:46.309
Now, the reason it told us that all these wells

00:45:46.309 --> 00:45:48.369
had been stopped up because as Isaac was going,

00:45:48.429 --> 00:45:52.070
he's like, oh, let's dig this one back up. Then

00:45:52.070 --> 00:45:53.849
the Philistines still show up and start fighting

00:45:53.849 --> 00:45:55.130
him. And he goes, well, we're going to name this

00:45:55.130 --> 00:45:59.510
Essek, which means contention. And then, well,

00:45:59.610 --> 00:46:01.750
okay, I'll let them have that well. And he retreats

00:46:01.750 --> 00:46:05.210
again, digs another well. Oh, sitna, that means

00:46:05.210 --> 00:46:09.550
hostility. And so he goes from well to well to

00:46:09.550 --> 00:46:12.190
well. And they just keep coming after him, keep

00:46:12.190 --> 00:46:13.690
coming after him. He finally gets far enough

00:46:13.690 --> 00:46:16.030
away where they're no longer coming after him,

00:46:16.110 --> 00:46:18.750
and then he just kind of settles there. But the

00:46:18.750 --> 00:46:21.849
idea here is that he's avoiding the conflict,

00:46:21.929 --> 00:46:24.230
the unnecessary conflict, as the people of the

00:46:24.230 --> 00:46:27.769
world are coming against him. Yes, there is a

00:46:27.769 --> 00:46:30.670
time for Christians to stand up and fight. Yes.

00:46:32.889 --> 00:46:36.570
But that should be our last resort. Really, it

00:46:36.570 --> 00:46:39.960
should be... It shouldn't be our hope that a

00:46:39.960 --> 00:46:42.639
fight happens. It shouldn't be our desire, our

00:46:42.639 --> 00:46:45.000
goal, like, oh, I want conflict with the world.

00:46:45.079 --> 00:46:48.079
The idea is that, okay, you want it, I'll step

00:46:48.079 --> 00:46:51.260
back. Because God is with me. I don't need to

00:46:51.260 --> 00:46:53.639
quarrel with you. God is with me. I don't need

00:46:53.639 --> 00:46:56.300
to fight with you. God is with me. It's through

00:46:56.300 --> 00:46:58.420
seeking peace, I believe, that the most effective

00:46:58.420 --> 00:47:03.550
witness is established by a believer. I have

00:47:03.550 --> 00:47:05.750
a good friend here in the church who had a situation

00:47:05.750 --> 00:47:09.710
where he was at work and he had a client and

00:47:09.710 --> 00:47:12.530
it was a commission type of environment where

00:47:12.530 --> 00:47:15.550
you help the client with financial needs and

00:47:15.550 --> 00:47:17.210
you get commissions off of that and it was a

00:47:17.210 --> 00:47:20.690
significant client. And then something happened

00:47:20.690 --> 00:47:23.130
where one of the coworkers came in and had met

00:47:23.130 --> 00:47:25.329
with that client and was now kind of in a position

00:47:25.329 --> 00:47:28.510
to take that business and everybody in that place

00:47:28.510 --> 00:47:32.900
was telling my brother, You need to report this

00:47:32.900 --> 00:47:34.559
and you need to go after and dah, dah, dah. And

00:47:34.559 --> 00:47:37.400
that's not right. And they were right. It wasn't

00:47:37.400 --> 00:47:39.960
right that the person was going to intrude on

00:47:39.960 --> 00:47:43.619
this business and take it away. But what my brother

00:47:43.619 --> 00:47:45.739
did instead is he just said, you know what? You

00:47:45.739 --> 00:47:50.260
keep it. You can have it. The witness that that

00:47:50.260 --> 00:47:52.360
put forth to everybody in that place was incredible.

00:47:53.840 --> 00:47:55.539
And then correct me if I'm wrong, like right

00:47:55.539 --> 00:47:58.449
after that, you got like bigger business. You

00:47:58.449 --> 00:48:00.250
know, something that was even more blessed than

00:48:00.250 --> 00:48:04.730
what he gave up. The next customer. So blessed

00:48:04.730 --> 00:48:07.210
are the peacemakers, right? Remember Abraham

00:48:07.210 --> 00:48:10.590
and Lot? Hey, Lot, you take whatever you want.

00:48:10.969 --> 00:48:12.789
I don't need it. Why? Because God is with me.

00:48:12.849 --> 00:48:14.949
I believe he's here. I believe he's given me

00:48:14.949 --> 00:48:16.409
this promise. He's going to take care of me.

00:48:16.449 --> 00:48:17.809
He's going to provide for me. Take whatever you

00:48:17.809 --> 00:48:21.489
want, Lot. And so Isaac is kind of living this

00:48:21.489 --> 00:48:25.429
same idea here. I don't need to fight unless

00:48:25.429 --> 00:48:29.610
God tells me to. Otherwise, I'll let God fight

00:48:29.610 --> 00:48:31.989
my battles. You see, in Romans 12, verse 18,

00:48:32.269 --> 00:48:35.489
this is what Paul said. If possible, as far as

00:48:35.489 --> 00:48:37.190
it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

00:48:38.789 --> 00:48:41.170
Friends, do not avenge yourselves. Instead, leave

00:48:41.170 --> 00:48:43.789
room for God's wrath. Because it is written,

00:48:43.849 --> 00:48:46.230
vengeance belongs to me. I will repay, says the

00:48:46.230 --> 00:48:48.969
Lord. But if your enemy is hungry, feed him.

00:48:49.280 --> 00:48:51.320
If he is thirsty, give him something to drink.

00:48:51.360 --> 00:48:54.119
For in doing so, you will be heaping fiery coals

00:48:54.119 --> 00:48:56.679
upon their head. Do not be conquered by evil,

00:48:56.860 --> 00:49:03.260
but conquer evil with good. Knowing that God's

00:49:03.260 --> 00:49:07.440
with you allows you to do this. I don't need

00:49:07.440 --> 00:49:10.840
to defend myself. God will defend me. I don't

00:49:10.840 --> 00:49:15.119
need to fight. God will fight. Right? Leave room

00:49:15.119 --> 00:49:18.050
for God's wrath. My wrath is... be any compared

00:49:18.050 --> 00:49:20.610
to God's wrath. I'd rather leave room for him

00:49:20.610 --> 00:49:24.329
to defend me. He's bigger. He's stronger. He's

00:49:24.329 --> 00:49:26.309
more powerful. I don't need to defend myself.

00:49:26.829 --> 00:49:29.789
In fact, what I'd rather do is retreat to the

00:49:29.789 --> 00:49:31.349
point where somebody goes, why are you doing

00:49:31.349 --> 00:49:36.230
that? And I could say, because God. I don't need

00:49:36.230 --> 00:49:42.309
to take and hold on to and grasp. I want to be

00:49:42.309 --> 00:49:44.829
a peacemaker because I want to be called a son

00:49:44.829 --> 00:49:49.329
of God. And so God had said the land's going

00:49:49.329 --> 00:49:53.309
to go to Isaac's offspring. It would. Now, as

00:49:53.309 --> 00:49:55.409
he backed up from these wells, he did name them,

00:49:55.429 --> 00:49:58.190
however, you know, these new wells. Yeah, I'm

00:49:58.190 --> 00:50:00.409
going to name this well, you guys are terrible.

00:50:00.590 --> 00:50:02.349
And I'm going to name this well, stop coming

00:50:02.349 --> 00:50:04.809
after me. And if he kept going, it might have

00:50:04.809 --> 00:50:06.670
been, I'm going to name this well, come on, bro.

00:50:06.789 --> 00:50:10.030
And I'm going to name this well, you know. So

00:50:10.030 --> 00:50:11.909
he retreats back, but then he finally gets to

00:50:11.909 --> 00:50:13.750
this place where they stop pursuing, they stop

00:50:13.750 --> 00:50:16.719
fighting, and he names it Rehoboth. which means

00:50:16.719 --> 00:50:20.920
roomy. All right, now we got all this space to

00:50:20.920 --> 00:50:23.300
ourselves. I'm gonna name this place roomy, but

00:50:23.300 --> 00:50:26.260
you might go, okay, he's supposed to be learning

00:50:26.260 --> 00:50:28.019
about God's presence. Where's God's presence

00:50:28.019 --> 00:50:31.719
in this? Retreat, they fight. Retreat, they fight.

00:50:31.800 --> 00:50:33.820
Retreat, they fight. Where's God in all of that?

00:50:36.119 --> 00:50:39.320
Here's where God is in all of that. It's a famine,

00:50:39.420 --> 00:50:42.480
and yet every time Isaac digs a well, he finds

00:50:42.480 --> 00:50:47.130
water. There's no rain. There's no crops. Oh

00:50:47.130 --> 00:50:49.789
yeah? Dig, dig. There's another well. Dig, dig.

00:50:49.909 --> 00:50:53.550
There's another well. In fact, there's all these

00:50:53.550 --> 00:50:56.449
wells. I could just keep naming them. That's

00:50:56.449 --> 00:50:58.849
God's presence in his life. That's God's provision.

00:50:59.130 --> 00:51:03.570
That's God's protection. So verse 23. From there

00:51:03.570 --> 00:51:07.170
he went up to Beersheba. And the Lord appeared

00:51:07.170 --> 00:51:09.190
to him that night and said, I am the God of your

00:51:09.190 --> 00:51:11.510
father Abraham. Do not be afraid for I am with

00:51:11.510 --> 00:51:14.190
you. I will bless you and multiply your offspring

00:51:14.190 --> 00:51:16.329
because of my servant Abraham. So he built an

00:51:16.329 --> 00:51:18.389
altar there, called on the name of the Lord,

00:51:18.409 --> 00:51:20.789
and pitched his tent there. Isaac's servants

00:51:20.789 --> 00:51:24.610
also dug a well. So now God's I will be with

00:51:24.610 --> 00:51:27.489
you. Move forward and trust that I'm there. My

00:51:27.489 --> 00:51:31.110
presence is with you is now I am with you. Here

00:51:31.110 --> 00:51:35.369
in the moment. I told you I would be. And I have

00:51:35.369 --> 00:51:39.309
been, haven't I? And so now know that I'm with

00:51:39.309 --> 00:51:41.909
you. It's basically like Isaac, look, I told

00:51:41.909 --> 00:51:44.329
you, you've lived it, you've experienced it,

00:51:44.389 --> 00:51:46.809
and now you know it. Not just in your head, but

00:51:46.809 --> 00:51:49.849
in your heart. You believe it in a greater way

00:51:49.849 --> 00:51:52.710
than you did before because it's true. And so

00:51:52.710 --> 00:51:55.429
yeah, again, I made promises to your dad. I'm

00:51:55.429 --> 00:51:57.929
gonna keep those promises because I need you

00:51:57.929 --> 00:51:59.809
to understand that that's who I am and that's

00:51:59.809 --> 00:52:04.070
what I do. Pay attention, bro. Famine, I told

00:52:04.070 --> 00:52:07.039
you to stay here. We had a wrinkle. You lied

00:52:07.039 --> 00:52:12.420
about your wife. Fix it. Yeah, you know, God

00:52:12.420 --> 00:52:15.219
protected her through the pagan king. Hmm, I'm

00:52:15.219 --> 00:52:17.639
pretty ashamed about that. All right, so keep

00:52:17.639 --> 00:52:21.019
living. Watch me bless you in the middle of a

00:52:21.019 --> 00:52:25.000
famine. But God, now I have all this stuff and

00:52:25.000 --> 00:52:27.760
now conflict is coming. I'm still with you. Just

00:52:27.760 --> 00:52:32.440
back up. Dig another well. They come again. God,

00:52:32.659 --> 00:52:34.719
I just keep. Yeah, didn't you notice that you

00:52:34.719 --> 00:52:36.199
kept digging wells and there was water in every

00:52:36.199 --> 00:52:42.619
single one? God was with him. God was blessing

00:52:42.619 --> 00:52:49.000
him. Verse 23. Oh no, I just read verse 23. But

00:52:49.000 --> 00:52:53.320
the idea here is that he went, followed God.

00:52:53.380 --> 00:52:55.780
God reiterated that I am with you. You've learned

00:52:55.780 --> 00:52:58.079
it. And then he says he built an altar. What

00:52:58.079 --> 00:53:01.260
was Isaac's response? Is he following in his

00:53:01.260 --> 00:53:04.500
dad's good example now? Yeah, he is. That's what

00:53:04.500 --> 00:53:06.360
Abraham did, right? God did something awesome.

00:53:06.440 --> 00:53:08.820
Abraham's like, build an altar, worship. This

00:53:08.820 --> 00:53:11.719
is what we see Isaac doing now. Echoing his father's

00:53:11.719 --> 00:53:15.599
example that God is true and God is real and

00:53:15.599 --> 00:53:17.380
in those moments where you're like, oh my goodness,

00:53:17.500 --> 00:53:20.579
it was God. I believe it. He started worshiping

00:53:20.579 --> 00:53:24.010
God. It says he put down the tent spikes, right?

00:53:24.110 --> 00:53:26.210
He's like, I don't have to fear anymore. I don't

00:53:26.210 --> 00:53:28.710
have to wander. I don't have to keep moving away

00:53:28.710 --> 00:53:31.230
anymore. Look, I'm far enough away. They're not

00:53:31.230 --> 00:53:33.369
chasing me anymore. God is protecting me. He's

00:53:33.369 --> 00:53:35.190
taking care of me. So I'm going to put my tent

00:53:35.190 --> 00:53:37.630
spikes down. And then it says the servant started

00:53:37.630 --> 00:53:41.449
to dig another well. Why is he able to do that?

00:53:41.570 --> 00:53:45.550
Because God has been with him. How can we find

00:53:45.550 --> 00:53:47.550
that peace in the midst of our trials, in the

00:53:47.550 --> 00:53:49.329
midst of our conflicts, whether we're in a time

00:53:49.329 --> 00:53:52.210
of famine or a time of prosperity? It's simply

00:53:52.210 --> 00:53:55.289
we know that God is with us. Those things don't

00:53:55.289 --> 00:53:58.130
matter because God is with us. The conflict doesn't

00:53:58.130 --> 00:54:02.570
matter because God is with us. You don't need

00:54:02.570 --> 00:54:04.769
fear. You don't need anxiety. You don't need

00:54:04.769 --> 00:54:07.409
to give in to any of that because God is with

00:54:07.409 --> 00:54:13.969
you if you were his child. And so we see this

00:54:13.969 --> 00:54:16.170
deepening faith, this deepening obedience taking

00:54:16.170 --> 00:54:17.989
place in Isaac's life, and it's the same thing

00:54:17.989 --> 00:54:21.610
that happens in our lives when we internalize

00:54:21.610 --> 00:54:25.230
this truth that he is with us. Verse 26, now

00:54:25.230 --> 00:54:28.309
Abimelech came to him from Gerar with Ahuza his

00:54:28.309 --> 00:54:30.429
advisor and Pichol the commander of the army.

00:54:30.769 --> 00:54:32.789
Isaac said to them, why have you come to me?

00:54:32.849 --> 00:54:35.789
You hated me and sent me away from you. And they

00:54:35.789 --> 00:54:38.469
replied, we have clearly seen how the Lord has

00:54:38.469 --> 00:54:41.530
been with you. So first promise, God says, Isaac,

00:54:41.630 --> 00:54:44.829
I will be with you. Isaac goes through the stuff,

00:54:44.929 --> 00:54:47.150
learns that lesson. God comes up the second time

00:54:47.150 --> 00:54:51.130
and says, I'm still with you. And then now the

00:54:51.130 --> 00:54:54.469
world shows up and says, hey, we've seen God

00:54:54.469 --> 00:54:57.769
has been with you. There's no question, right?

00:54:58.190 --> 00:55:01.469
They're speaking almost in a desperate exasperation.

00:55:03.400 --> 00:55:07.119
Bro, can you dig us a well, please? Because we

00:55:07.119 --> 00:55:11.059
ain't got no water. Now, of course, Abimelech's

00:55:11.059 --> 00:55:13.019
statement comes from a materialistic conclusion,

00:55:13.300 --> 00:55:15.199
right? Look at your flocks. Look at your herds

00:55:15.199 --> 00:55:17.019
of cattle. Look at all your material wealth.

00:55:17.119 --> 00:55:19.559
Gosh, obviously, that's God. You know, in this

00:55:19.559 --> 00:55:22.079
time of famine and all of that. But today, God's

00:55:22.079 --> 00:55:24.780
presence in the lives of his children isn't necessarily

00:55:24.780 --> 00:55:27.710
or primarily determined that way. Yes, there

00:55:27.710 --> 00:55:30.050
are people in this world, believers, who God

00:55:30.050 --> 00:55:33.869
financially blesses and materially blesses, and

00:55:33.869 --> 00:55:35.769
I hear stories about that all the time. When

00:55:35.769 --> 00:55:37.969
the economy's down, this believer's business

00:55:37.969 --> 00:55:42.329
booms. And that's awesome to hear, but the primary

00:55:42.329 --> 00:55:44.530
way that God's presence in his lives affects

00:55:44.530 --> 00:55:47.750
the world around us, it's more through the expression

00:55:47.750 --> 00:55:50.130
of the internal than the circumstances of the

00:55:50.130 --> 00:55:54.510
external. It's seen by those who don't believe

00:55:54.510 --> 00:55:57.349
through the behavior of God's people through

00:55:57.349 --> 00:56:02.269
their ups and downs. How are you living God's

00:56:02.269 --> 00:56:04.269
presence in your poverty? That's what the world's

00:56:04.269 --> 00:56:07.469
looking at. How are you living God's presence

00:56:07.469 --> 00:56:09.449
in your prosperity? That's what the world's looking

00:56:09.449 --> 00:56:12.630
at. You see what happens with prosperity often,

00:56:12.750 --> 00:56:15.130
many times, not all the time, but a Christian

00:56:15.130 --> 00:56:17.230
will be in a time of prosperity and is like,

00:56:17.269 --> 00:56:20.210
God's blessing them and yay! And so instead of

00:56:20.210 --> 00:56:22.389
giving more to the kingdom, I need a new truck.

00:56:24.519 --> 00:56:28.320
The truck you have is fine. No, but it doesn't

00:56:28.320 --> 00:56:31.880
have the new bells and whistles. God's like,

00:56:31.920 --> 00:56:35.280
I've blessed you like a hundredfold. You know,

00:56:35.280 --> 00:56:37.900
just, hey, I'm just asking you to be generous

00:56:37.900 --> 00:56:40.619
and give back. Oh, yeah, no, no, no. My giving

00:56:40.619 --> 00:56:46.579
will stay the same. It's like, what? The idea

00:56:46.579 --> 00:56:49.500
here is as God is working, it's like, remember

00:56:49.500 --> 00:56:53.380
that God's with you. It says in the New Testament

00:56:53.380 --> 00:56:55.739
that God will give you more because he trusts

00:56:55.739 --> 00:56:57.440
you with the more, that you're gonna use it wisely,

00:56:57.599 --> 00:57:00.619
right? Now, again, sometimes it's not just the

00:57:00.619 --> 00:57:03.219
material stuff. It's how do we deal with the

00:57:03.219 --> 00:57:06.780
trauma? How do we deal with the loss of a loved

00:57:06.780 --> 00:57:11.139
one? How do we deal with the getting the new

00:57:11.139 --> 00:57:14.019
job or losing a job? How do we deal with the

00:57:14.019 --> 00:57:17.940
issues with our kids or our spouses? Those are

00:57:17.940 --> 00:57:20.159
the things that the world will see God's presence

00:57:20.159 --> 00:57:24.219
in. When we're hurt, when we're betrayed and

00:57:24.219 --> 00:57:26.300
they see forgiveness and mercy instead of vengeance.

00:57:28.199 --> 00:57:30.300
When they see these things that don't make any

00:57:30.300 --> 00:57:32.980
sense to them. What do people see when they look

00:57:32.980 --> 00:57:36.159
at your life? Do they see faith and trust and

00:57:36.159 --> 00:57:39.079
peace or do they see what they already see in

00:57:39.079 --> 00:57:42.800
the world around them? Lies and manipulation.

00:57:43.119 --> 00:57:48.050
You see. It's an incredible witness, an incredible

00:57:48.050 --> 00:57:51.170
evangelistic opportunity when the world sees

00:57:51.170 --> 00:57:53.670
God's presence and you're living the reality

00:57:53.670 --> 00:57:58.570
of God's presence in your life. The opportunity

00:57:58.570 --> 00:58:01.150
where you and a coworker are like, oh my gosh,

00:58:01.190 --> 00:58:02.989
we need to lie to the boss about this. And you

00:58:02.989 --> 00:58:05.190
go, I'm not gonna do that. And they go, why not?

00:58:06.429 --> 00:58:09.510
Because God is here and God is watching me. And

00:58:09.510 --> 00:58:12.309
I'm a Christian. What do you mean God is here?

00:58:15.789 --> 00:58:19.789
He is here, and I, as his child, cannot do what

00:58:19.789 --> 00:58:22.110
he tells me not to do. You think that's going

00:58:22.110 --> 00:58:24.449
to have an effect on your coworker? Absolutely.

00:58:26.530 --> 00:58:35.130
So, verse 26, 28b, or chapter 26, 28. We think

00:58:35.130 --> 00:58:36.949
there should be an oath between two parties between

00:58:36.949 --> 00:58:38.829
us and you. Let us make a covenant with you.

00:58:38.909 --> 00:58:40.949
You will not harm us, just as we have not harmed

00:58:40.949 --> 00:58:46.920
you. What? but have done only what was good to

00:58:46.920 --> 00:58:52.400
you, sending you away in peace. King Abimelech,

00:58:52.500 --> 00:58:54.340
I'm not quite sure you're in touch with what's

00:58:54.340 --> 00:58:56.780
happening with your people. You are now blessed

00:58:56.780 --> 00:59:00.340
by the Lord. So he prepared a banquet for them

00:59:00.340 --> 00:59:02.079
and they ate and drank. They got up early in

00:59:02.079 --> 00:59:03.599
the morning and swore an oath to each other.

00:59:03.659 --> 00:59:05.500
Isaac sent them on their way and they left in

00:59:05.500 --> 00:59:10.940
peace. Isaac knew they weren't being honest.

00:59:11.000 --> 00:59:15.130
Isaac's like, uh, bro, go look at Sitna. Go look

00:59:15.130 --> 00:59:18.610
at Essek. Go look at all the other wells that

00:59:18.610 --> 00:59:20.969
I kept my father's name on because they belong

00:59:20.969 --> 00:59:24.389
to us, but I still retreated back to keep the

00:59:24.389 --> 00:59:29.409
peace. You're not being honest here, but still,

00:59:29.489 --> 00:59:33.829
blessed are the peacemakers. And so he makes

00:59:33.829 --> 00:59:37.590
this banquet. hospitality and friendship. And

00:59:37.590 --> 00:59:40.610
then verse 32, on that same day, Isaac's servants

00:59:40.610 --> 00:59:42.530
came to tell him about the well they had dug

00:59:42.530 --> 00:59:47.809
saying, we have found water. Why are they surprised?

00:59:49.210 --> 00:59:53.090
We had found water in every well we dug all the

00:59:53.090 --> 00:59:55.510
way down, but he called it Sheba. Therefore,

00:59:55.630 --> 00:59:57.710
the name of the city is still Beersheba today.

00:59:58.849 --> 01:00:01.210
Of course they found water. That was the point.

01:00:01.230 --> 01:00:02.769
That's what God has been trying to teach him

01:00:02.769 --> 01:00:06.269
the whole time. I'm with you. I'm here to protect

01:00:06.269 --> 01:00:08.929
you and to provide for you. Trust me. Even when

01:00:08.929 --> 01:00:11.489
it's famine, I'm still here with you. Even when

01:00:11.489 --> 01:00:13.769
you have nothing, I'm still here with you. Trust

01:00:13.769 --> 01:00:17.289
me. I am here. What is happening is under my

01:00:17.289 --> 01:00:20.349
providence. And so don't fear. Don't be anxious.

01:00:20.469 --> 01:00:26.869
Don't worry. Trust me. And then in the time of

01:00:26.869 --> 01:00:30.050
prosperity, don't forget about me. That's what

01:00:30.050 --> 01:00:31.969
happens a lot, right? I don't need to pray anymore.

01:00:32.050 --> 01:00:33.389
I got more money and I know what to do with.

01:00:35.619 --> 01:00:37.659
Talk to rich people. They'll say that's probably

01:00:37.659 --> 01:00:40.980
the biggest time you need to pray because you

01:00:40.980 --> 01:00:43.159
need wisdom on what to do with that. Okay, what

01:00:43.159 --> 01:00:45.980
if it's about influence and friendships and stuff?

01:00:46.719 --> 01:00:48.960
I have no friends. It's so sad. God's like, I'm

01:00:48.960 --> 01:00:51.619
with you. You're not alone. Then your social

01:00:51.619 --> 01:00:53.539
circle blows up and you got more friends to know

01:00:53.539 --> 01:00:56.519
what to do with. Don't forget about God. How

01:00:56.519 --> 01:00:58.059
about you introduce them to the new friend circle?

01:01:00.820 --> 01:01:03.280
And they dug the well and they found water. Sheba,

01:01:03.420 --> 01:01:07.989
that word Sheba means oath. or promise, Beersheba

01:01:07.989 --> 01:01:12.030
simply means well of the oath. You can visit

01:01:12.030 --> 01:01:14.190
Beersheba today. It still exists. It's still

01:01:14.190 --> 01:01:16.989
a city in Israel. And you could go visit where

01:01:16.989 --> 01:01:19.849
all this took place. But, you know, the picture

01:01:19.849 --> 01:01:23.369
here, those that believe, those who believe that

01:01:23.369 --> 01:01:25.769
God is with them, that he will be with them,

01:01:25.809 --> 01:01:28.449
that he has been with them, are people who are

01:01:28.449 --> 01:01:30.309
going to be able to live without fear and anxiety

01:01:30.309 --> 01:01:34.630
and worry. If you're depressed, The book of Proverbs

01:01:34.630 --> 01:01:37.869
says anxiety causes depression. So if you're

01:01:37.869 --> 01:01:42.250
depressed, what are you worried about? If you

01:01:42.250 --> 01:01:44.849
internalize this truth and let this truth just

01:01:44.849 --> 01:01:47.150
saturate your soul like that bucket dipping into

01:01:47.150 --> 01:01:49.570
the ocean, that God is with me in every moment

01:01:49.570 --> 01:01:52.449
and everything and I can trust him, the anxiety

01:01:52.449 --> 01:01:54.230
melts away. Guess what happens when the anxiety

01:01:54.230 --> 01:01:58.050
melts away? So does the depression. I can speak

01:01:58.050 --> 01:02:02.269
to the truth of that. Reality is that God is,

01:02:02.900 --> 01:02:05.079
spatially all present, yeah, everywhere all at

01:02:05.079 --> 01:02:08.119
once, even beyond our universe. There's no place

01:02:08.119 --> 01:02:10.820
he isn't, but he is relationally present. He

01:02:10.820 --> 01:02:15.300
is here with you. He is here with me. He is here

01:02:15.300 --> 01:02:19.500
with us, personally, intimately close. He is

01:02:19.500 --> 01:02:21.619
with you in every moment of every day. He is

01:02:21.619 --> 01:02:24.760
with you in every thought. He is with you in

01:02:24.760 --> 01:02:26.280
every challenge. He is with you in every victory.

01:02:29.230 --> 01:02:31.130
Husbands, he's with you in that fight with your

01:02:31.130 --> 01:02:33.469
spouse. Wives, he's with you in that fight with

01:02:33.469 --> 01:02:36.010
your spouse. And he's also with you when everything

01:02:36.010 --> 01:02:39.690
is wonderful. Parents, he's with you when your

01:02:39.690 --> 01:02:48.050
kids are just demonic. Kids, he's with you when

01:02:48.050 --> 01:02:52.809
your parents are not being right. But you know,

01:02:52.849 --> 01:02:54.489
he's also with you when everything is great.

01:02:55.190 --> 01:02:58.239
The time's to celebrate. He's with you when you're

01:02:58.239 --> 01:03:01.840
poor. He's with you when you're rich. He's with

01:03:01.840 --> 01:03:03.539
you in the famine. He's with you in the prosperity.

01:03:06.139 --> 01:03:09.239
And when those times of fear come and anxiety,

01:03:09.719 --> 01:03:14.260
don't forget that he's with you. So there is

01:03:14.260 --> 01:03:17.519
nothing to fear. There is nothing to worry about.

01:03:19.559 --> 01:03:23.960
Do you believe he's with you today? Do you believe

01:03:23.960 --> 01:03:26.469
that he's... going to be with you, that he will

01:03:26.469 --> 01:03:28.650
be with you this week, this month, this year,

01:03:28.730 --> 01:03:31.090
and whatever it is you're facing, whatever trial,

01:03:31.190 --> 01:03:33.210
whatever tragedy, whatever triumph, he's with

01:03:33.210 --> 01:03:36.849
you. Do you believe that? That what you're dealing

01:03:36.849 --> 01:03:38.670
with, he's right there in the middle with you

01:03:38.670 --> 01:03:41.090
to hold you, to support you, to give you wisdom.

01:03:41.769 --> 01:03:44.530
Do you believe he's with you here today? Maybe

01:03:44.530 --> 01:03:46.530
you came to church today and there's hurt or

01:03:46.530 --> 01:03:49.909
there's conflict in your life. There's confusion

01:03:49.909 --> 01:03:51.989
in your life and you're like, God, I don't know

01:03:51.989 --> 01:03:53.949
what to do. Do you believe he's with you now?

01:03:56.960 --> 01:03:58.599
And do you believe that he's always been with

01:03:58.599 --> 01:04:01.360
you? That as you look back through all those

01:04:01.360 --> 01:04:04.199
months and those years, every moment of every

01:04:04.199 --> 01:04:06.840
day through every up and every down, as you look

01:04:06.840 --> 01:04:09.119
back on the testimony of what God has done and

01:04:09.119 --> 01:04:11.340
how he has helped you and blessed you and ministered

01:04:11.340 --> 01:04:13.159
into your life, how he has walked through the

01:04:13.159 --> 01:04:15.260
tough times and the difficulties and the valleys,

01:04:15.460 --> 01:04:20.760
do you believe it? Do you believe it with all

01:04:20.760 --> 01:04:24.219
your heart, soul, mind, and strength? Because

01:04:24.219 --> 01:04:38.300
it's true. Let's pray. Father, we're so grateful

01:04:38.300 --> 01:04:48.360
for your presence in our lives. Lord, we're not

01:04:48.360 --> 01:04:50.460
deserving of your presence in our lives. We're

01:04:50.460 --> 01:04:52.039
definitely not worthy of your presence in our

01:04:52.039 --> 01:05:00.019
lives, but God, you're with us. Lord, you were

01:05:00.019 --> 01:05:02.239
even with us all before we even knew you, Lord,

01:05:02.360 --> 01:05:06.400
drawing us to you, surrounding us with people

01:05:06.400 --> 01:05:09.940
to speak the truth of your gospel, God. And then

01:05:09.940 --> 01:05:11.840
the day came for many of us where we came to

01:05:11.840 --> 01:05:14.599
know you, Lord, to experience your presence in

01:05:14.599 --> 01:05:16.699
our lives, that forgiveness, that mercy, and

01:05:16.699 --> 01:05:26.489
Lord, every day, you've been with us. And Lord,

01:05:26.550 --> 01:05:28.690
through everything up and down and difficult

01:05:28.690 --> 01:05:33.170
and not difficult, in our poverty and our prosperity,

01:05:33.449 --> 01:05:37.650
Lord, because you've been with us through all

01:05:37.650 --> 01:05:40.449
of that, we have nothing to fear, especially

01:05:40.449 --> 01:05:43.829
we don't have to fear whether or not you will

01:05:43.829 --> 01:05:48.210
be with us in the future. So Lord, we want to

01:05:48.210 --> 01:05:52.510
live lives that reflect that. Help us. I know

01:05:52.510 --> 01:05:54.590
your spirit is here right now within every single

01:05:54.590 --> 01:05:57.849
one that believes in you. Lord, that you are

01:05:57.849 --> 01:06:02.949
here today with your church, ministering, supporting,

01:06:03.289 --> 01:06:06.769
encouraging, speaking wisdom, speaking rebuke

01:06:06.769 --> 01:06:11.329
when necessary. But Lord, all in love and compassion

01:06:11.329 --> 01:06:14.750
and patience and all that your love is to us,

01:06:14.809 --> 01:06:17.510
God, you are here right now doing that. And I

01:06:17.510 --> 01:06:19.349
pray, God, for your people and your church that

01:06:19.349 --> 01:06:23.719
they would Just sense that presence. Feel that

01:06:23.719 --> 01:06:25.500
presence of you. But Lord, even if there's no

01:06:25.500 --> 01:06:29.380
tangible feeling or anything, God, the truth

01:06:29.380 --> 01:06:33.340
is not changed. The truth is, is you're here.

01:06:34.440 --> 01:06:36.780
And so God, with what's coming up in our lives

01:06:36.780 --> 01:06:40.039
this next month and this next week, maybe even

01:06:40.039 --> 01:06:43.980
later this afternoon, Lord, help us to not forget

01:06:43.980 --> 01:06:47.880
that you will be with us. That Lord, you're gonna...

01:06:48.469 --> 01:06:50.349
lovingly guide us and direct us. You're going

01:06:50.349 --> 01:06:53.210
to lovingly challenge us and point us in the

01:06:53.210 --> 01:06:55.030
right direction. But Lord, we don't ever have

01:06:55.030 --> 01:06:56.670
to worry if you're going to forgive us because

01:06:56.670 --> 01:07:01.550
you already did. And so Lord, in the tough times,

01:07:01.610 --> 01:07:03.489
help us to remember that you're with us so that

01:07:03.489 --> 01:07:05.809
instead of fear and instead of anxiety and worry

01:07:05.809 --> 01:07:11.670
and depression, Lord, we would be at peace. Help

01:07:11.670 --> 01:07:13.710
us to be people who not only live that, but we

01:07:13.710 --> 01:07:15.309
share that, that others would be able to come

01:07:15.309 --> 01:07:20.500
find that same peace. And Lord, I pray for those

01:07:20.500 --> 01:07:22.920
in this room today that don't have that peace

01:07:22.920 --> 01:07:27.579
because they don't know you. I pray, God, even

01:07:27.579 --> 01:07:29.420
now as we're praying, Lord, that within their

01:07:29.420 --> 01:07:32.719
own heart that they would simply acknowledge

01:07:32.719 --> 01:07:37.039
that, God, you are real. And they would say yes

01:07:37.039 --> 01:07:41.400
to that, that, God, you are real. That they want

01:07:41.400 --> 01:07:44.800
the peace that only comes from you. They want

01:07:44.800 --> 01:07:50.019
the mercy that only comes from you. And that

01:07:50.019 --> 01:07:51.679
the Lord in their heart right now, they would

01:07:51.679 --> 01:07:56.679
say, God, please forgive me of my sin. God, please

01:07:56.679 --> 01:08:03.079
come into my life. God, please give me the peace

01:08:03.079 --> 01:08:07.739
that goes beyond all my understanding. Help me

01:08:07.739 --> 01:08:13.920
to live without fear, without worry. Help me

01:08:13.920 --> 01:08:23.819
to live in hope and trust. God, I pray, Lord,

01:08:23.939 --> 01:08:25.920
that as your spirit even fills them as they're

01:08:25.920 --> 01:08:28.819
praying this prayer, God, that they would know

01:08:28.819 --> 01:08:30.640
the depth of the love that you have for them.

01:08:32.640 --> 01:08:34.539
God, although they have sinned, they have been

01:08:34.539 --> 01:08:38.340
forgiven now and forever. And that they can have

01:08:38.340 --> 01:08:43.479
the peace that comes from knowing you. The peace

01:08:43.479 --> 01:08:46.760
that comes from your presence. God, we love you.

01:08:47.340 --> 01:08:52.479
We thank you. Lord, may our lives be one long

01:08:52.479 --> 01:08:56.659
reflection of gratitude. And Lord, when we stumble

01:08:56.659 --> 01:09:02.840
the way Isaac did, Lord, may we repent, may we

01:09:02.840 --> 01:09:05.899
recognize, and then start living in faith again,

01:09:06.000 --> 01:09:10.819
to start walking according to you again. Lord,

01:09:10.939 --> 01:09:12.960
we want our witness to the world to be one of

01:09:12.960 --> 01:09:18.189
people who believe you're here. Not people who

01:09:18.189 --> 01:09:20.149
think you're far away, not paying attention to

01:09:20.149 --> 01:09:25.930
our lives. And so God bless your people. Bless

01:09:25.930 --> 01:09:29.229
us, Lord. We love you and we thank you. It's

01:09:29.229 --> 01:09:33.729
in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Well, God bless

01:09:33.729 --> 01:09:36.970
you guys. We're gonna close in worship and I

01:09:36.970 --> 01:09:42.560
just encourage you. God is here. He's sitting

01:09:42.560 --> 01:09:44.699
right next to you. He's sitting behind you. He's

01:09:44.699 --> 01:09:46.420
sitting in front of you. He permeates this entire

01:09:46.420 --> 01:09:51.020
place. Praise him. Thank him. Love him. Because

01:09:51.020 --> 01:09:52.920
he loves you beyond anything you could ever imagine.

01:09:54.380 --> 01:09:55.239
God bless you guys.