A Study in at least THREE parts.
Part TWO. This week’s exciting adventure
• Last time. PART ONE. Promises made to
Abraham. We went from the Creation Story
to Abraham.
This TIME. (GRACE)
• PART TWO. It all goes wrong for Isaac. Also
featuring Jacob & Esau. (Joseph moved)
• PART THREE. Joseph, Moses, Joshua and then
to Solomon (not written yet!) (beyond
Solomon could be PART 4)
Here comes AMAZING GRACE
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God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.
GRACE is a game changer.
GRACE is like oil in a machine.
GRACE flowing down the MOTHER line.
Amazing GRACE how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now I'm found.
Was blind but now I see.
REMEMBER
Abraham?
& God’s
Promise of
A NATION
Here is a problem
Abraham had many sons, and THREE wives.
Sarah = Isaac, Keturah = 6 sons—after Sarah);
Hagar the au pair = Ishmael
The MOTHER LINE
ABRAHAM
KETURAH = 6 Sons
Probably the African
NATIONS (Disputed)GRACE LINE
JESUS CHRIST
Abraham
Sarah
Isaac
Rebekah
Jacob
Leah
Judah
David
Mary
Jesus
HERE COMES ISLAM
FLAWED
Ishmael is believed
to be the father of
the Arab nations and
Islam.(Hunter/Traders)
Here is a little PROBLEM!
Ishmael the father of the Arab nation
• In Islamic belief, Abraham had prayed to God
for a son and the answer was Ishmael.
• Sarah asked Abraham to “marry” her Royal
Egyptian (au pair) handmaiden Hagar because
she herself was barren.
• Hagar soon bore Ishmael, Abraham’s first son.
THIS ALL HAPPENED BECAUSE ABRAHAM AND
SARAH INVENTED THEIR OWN SOLUTION TO
GOD’S PROMISE. (FLAWED INTENTIONS)
Christianity, Judaism, Islam
All from the root of Abraham.
In the book of Galatians (4:21–31),
•Paul uses the Hagar incident to symbolize how
the OLD and NEW covenants were fulfilled by
Jehoshua ben Joseph .
•In Galatians 4:28–31,Hagar/Ishmael =
Sinai/Law Covenant (Law and Regulation)
•Sarah/Isaac = the Covenant of Grace
(Grace/Love/Forgiveness)
Consider the Covenant contrasts
Sinai/LAW Covenant.
ISLAM/Muslims believe that
paradise must be earned
by performance.
1. The testimony of faith
2. Prayer 5 x daily
3. Giving
4. Fasting
5. Pilgrimage
Sharia law in the UK 1996
Rules for Living
Grace Covenant.
For God so loved the world
He gave his only son and
whoever believes in Him
shall be saved. (Not our
performance but HIS.)
1 Grace
2 Love
3 Forgiveness
TWO commandments I give.
1 Love God and 2 Love your
neighbour as yourself
Isaac who was born to Abraham and Sarah,
who had laughed at God as she assumed
she was too old for children. (UNDERSTANDABLE)
A close run thing but GRACE
intervenes at the last moment
Where were Social Services?
THE DAYS OF ISAAC
& THE BIG DIVIDE
When Isaac was 40
he married
Rebekah at
around 1,820 BC.
Isaac and Rebekah
had twins boys called
Jacob & Esau. Ahhh!
Esau older by a foot!
MAJOR EVENT
Jacob’s name was
changed to Israel. This is
where the nation’s name
came from. He had four
wives and 12 sons.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Bilhah
Leah
Zilpah
Rachel
They didn’t have TV in those days!
JACOB
Badly FLAWED
A MASSIVE STEP CHANGE
Jacob the original scammer!
• Esau sold his inheritance for stew which was a
poor trade .(FLAWED logic) (Daddy’s boy)
• Jacob (Mummy’s boy) committed identity
theft by posing as his brother Esau at the
equivalent of the READING of THE WILL—or
the father to son “blessing ceremony”.
• Where there is a will—there will be relatives!
• The impact is very much alive in 2017.
When GRACE is suspended
things go badly wrong!
• The row between Jacob and Esau goes on
even at Westminster last week.
• We may say “ridiculous”--- get over it! but
have you never had a family dispute?
This week has demonstrated two things.
1. The horror of a meltdown between brothers.
2. GRACE appeared when emergency services
treated the victims and perpetrator equally.
Jacob’s 12 sons would
become known as-----
the children of Israel or
the 12 tribes of Israel.
NEXT TIME
JOSEPH &
BIG SHIFT
FLAWED
Joseph (famous for his
STEP CHANGE
To FORGIVENESS
coat of many colours and
fantastic dreams)
was one of those 12 sons.
By GRACE God uses FLAWED
characters like us to do the job.
Lord, if You mark our
transgressions
Who would stand?
But thanks to Your grace
We are cleansed by the blood of
the Lamb. (Live in this zone!)
Here ends the second lesson!
• What next---PART THREE?
• A MASSIVE STEP change with the advent of
Moses—the Law bringer, Joshua and Solomon.
• PART THREE –Do we really need all this
consistent teaching? (BORING)
• It was so much better when we had random
subjects. (EXCITING)
IT’S YOUR CHOICE!