Good evening everyone. It's good to be back here with you.
If you've got a Bible, will you turn to Genesis 17?
Or if you're following on your phone, I'm trusting with, I never know in church these days,
people claim they're looking at their reading on their phone.
I'm never absolutely sure that's the case. I hope it is for you anyway, but yeah.
Good. Genesis 17.
We're going to be following our reading this evening, but let me begin by asking you a question
to think about at the beginning.
Does God watch the news at 10?
When you see national and world events, I just watch the news at lunchtime,
on television screens, yet another mass shooting in an American school,
seemingly unending, horrendous conflict in Syria,
sexual misconduct in aid organizations in Hollywood,
even in football,
and in terminable Brexit negotiations.
Do you wonder,
if God sees
and cares,
does God watch the news at 10?
Now, maybe you don't believe in God.
You believe that life has no
ultimate meaning.
History has no
real purpose.
But if you do believe in God,
if you believe in the God of this book,
and the God of the Bible,
you know that life has a meaning,
that there is a story behind it all,
with a plot line,
and that the author
is God.
Even on that most dreadful of days,
when our first parents
rebelled against God,
with disastrous consequences
for them,
and for our world,
God already had a plan in place
to put things right.
And that plan centered
on a 75-year-old man
whom God called
to leave his home
in the urban center of his day
in the Middle East
some 4,000 years ago,
and to set out on a journey
to a promised land.
The name of the man was Abraham.
And God promised
to bless him,
and through him,
his plan was blessing
God's intention,
his good intention,
for all peoples on earth.
Now,
the highlights
and lowlights
of Abraham's life
are described
in the first book
of the Bible,
the book of Genesis.
And you've been following them
in your series
on Sunday evenings
with this wonderful picture
you can see,
Father of the Faithful,
which I took off your website.
Now,
today we come to a particular point
in the narrative.
Almost a quarter of a century
has passed
since Abraham embarked
on his journey.
And we wonder,
as maybe Abraham himself did,
whether God is watching the news
in Canaan,
in Egypt,
in the surrounding nation.
Today we discover,
and this is our theme,
today we discover
that God's plan
is still in place.
God's plan
is still in place.
So,
let's follow this through.
We've got quite a big chunk
of the Bible.
I was looking at my records
when Graham asked me
to speak on this.
I discovered to my horror
I preached two 45-minute sermons
in Charlotte Chapel
on this section.
So,
hold tight
and do the maths.
But,
it won't be that long
so don't worry about it.
Okay?
So,
we're going to follow it.
And what I want to look at,
I'm trying to group together
so we can focus on this passage
and I hope it's helpful.
Three reminders
to Abraham
that God's plan
is still in place.
And,
we will find similar reminders
in our own lives
as we follow this through.
So,
here's reminder number one
that God's plan
is still in place.
The reassuring presence
of the Lord.
Genesis 17
verses 1 to 2
or verse 1 in particular.
If you've got your Bible open
you'll see at the end
of chapter 16
the last verse
it says,
So,
Hagar bore Abraham a son.
I'm not going to go over the story.
You already followed it last week
or maybe you already know it.
Abraham gave him
the name Ishmael
to the sons he had borne.
Abraham was 86 years old
when Hagar bore him Ishmael.
Now you turn to chapter 17
and the opening verse says,
When Abraham was 99 years old
the Lord appeared to him.
In his daily reading book
which I commend to you,
my wife and I read it together
for our devotions,
Don Carson,
great New Testament scholar,
has written two volumes
called For the Love of God
which follows through
Robert Murray McShane's
daily reading plan
and he comments on one every day
and a few weeks ago
he commented on this passage
Genesis 17
and this is what he says.
I've got the two things
I get behind on my PowerPoint here.
We are not to think
that God disclosed himself
to Abraham every day.
The decisive moments
take place over considerable time.
Now he is 99
and Ishmael
is already 13.
So we ask ourselves
what has happened
in the intervening 13 years
between the end of chapter 16
and the beginning of chapter 17.
And I tell you
with some confidence
what has happened
in those 13 years
is nothing decisive.
No decisive moments,
just the daily routine of life
and work
and family.
And I ask myself
does Abraham think
God has forgotten
after 13 years
is a long time,
isn't it?
What about this prospect
of future descendants
more numerous than stars
in the night sky?
What future prospects
for a childless marriage
of a man who is 99
and a woman who is 89?
But despite the passage of time,
God's plan remains in place.
For the one who made the plan
has a different idea of time
and concept of time.
The eternal God
stands outside of time
but is involved in time
but he sees things
differently to us.
If you've been following the series,
God has already said to Abraham,
you and your descendants
will inherit this land
in 400 years.
And once again,
as we come to chapter 17,
God takes the initiative.
He's the one
who starts the conversation,
who breaks the long silence.
Rarely do we seek God
and when we do it
it's only because
he has put that desire
within our hearts.
Most of the time,
let's be honest,
we are too consumed
with the daily routine
of living,
the concerns and cares
of daily life.
So God appears
to 99-year-old Abraham
to reassure him
that his plan is still in place.
When Abraham was 99 years old,
the Lord appeared to him
and said,
I am God Almighty,
walk before me faithfully
and be blameless.
And the Lord's words
revealed to Abraham
a new dimension
of God's character,
who he is.
Now you don't see this
in the text here
but there's a new name
that is introduced here,
the name for God
used here in the original Hebrew,
the Old Testament
was written mostly in Hebrew.
The word that's used,
El means God,
El Shaddai.
There's a lot of dispute
exactly what Shaddai means
but it's the idea
it's connected actually
to a word for mountain,
it's a word of immovability.
If you're interested,
the Greek translation
is Pantokrita
which means omnipotent God
and so our English translations
have translated it
by God Almighty.
It's quite a good translation,
it conveys the right sense.
When the title is used
later on in scripture
in the story
of the Old Testament,
it is usually the time
of great crisis
in the life of God's people,
a time when they need reassurance
that God can and will
fulfill his promises
despite outward appearances.
And so as we see
the breadth of the promises
that the Lord reaffirms
to Abraham
and their impossibility
from a human standpoint,
it is especially appropriate
title and revelation
of the Lord's character
which Abraham needs
at this particular time.
Let me pause and say,
perhaps it's a reminder
that some of us need
this evening
for God is the unchanging God.
David Jackman,
pastor, Bible teacher,
says,
when we're at the end
of our tether,
we need to remember
that at the other end
is El Shaddai.
When we're at the end
of our tether,
we need to remember
at the other end
is El Shaddai.
So what does El Shaddai
require of Abraham?
What he requires
is faithful commitment.
You see,
in the days,
the months,
the years of his pilgrimage
on earth,
when nothing dramatic
seems to happen,
Abraham is to faithfully
walk before the God
who sees,
enjoying fellowship
with him
as Adam and Eve did
before the fall.
We're told in those days
that God walked
with Adam and Eve.
And God still walks
with people.
He still,
in the day-to-day walk
of life,
shows his presence
to us.
And Abraham is to be
blameless.
It's not a word
that means perfect,
for no one is perfect.
Behind that word
is the idea
of wholehearted
commitment
to a relationship.
Now,
what God required
of Abraham,
he requires
of all of those
who believe in his word
and trust in his promises.
Those of you
who are older like me,
you can look back
over your life.
I'm over 70 now.
You all gasped
and said,
I would never have guessed,
but anyway,
as you look back over,
as I look back
over my life,
there are significant
moments in my life,
significant occasions
when God met with me
in a particular way.
And some of you
can look back on that.
But for most of the time,
it's just been a daily,
hopefully consistent,
not as consistent
as I would have wished
sometimes.
It's a daily,
consistent walk with God
day by day.
Walking by faith,
living by faith,
and eventually,
for most,
if not all of us,
unless Christ returns,
we will die in faith.
Significant,
isn't it?
Billy Graham,
99 years old,
died this week.
What a consistent life
over 99 years.
Faithful,
consistent
walk with God.
So,
the New Testament book
of Hebrews
comments
on
the life of Abraham
quite extensively,
encourages Christians
to walk
by faith
like Abraham.
This is what he says,
by faith
he made his home
in the promised land
like a stranger
in a foreign country.
Notice the phrase,
he lived in tents,
as did Isaac and Jacob
who were heirs with him
of the same promise,
for he was looking forward
to the city with foundations
whose architect and builder
is God.
So,
here's the first reminder.
Abraham is reminded,
encouraged that God's plan
is still in place
because of his reassuring presence.
For his part,
God then makes
a promise to Abraham,
a second reminder
that his plan
is still in place.
Look what he says.
Then I will make a covenant,
my covenant,
between you and me
and I will greatly
increase your numbers.
Now,
if you've been following
the story of Abraham,
you ask yourself,
what's this about?
Back in chapter 15,
all those years before,
God made a covenant
with Abraham.
On that day,
God made a covenant
with Abraham.
Genesis 15,
verse 18.
But now,
God graciously reaffirms
the covenant
he made with Abraham.
Just occasionally,
I don't know whether
any of you have done this,
and I certainly haven't yet.
Sometimes couples
decide after
a significant period,
maybe a golden
or diamond wedding,
to reaffirm publicly
the vows that they made
to each other
in the covenant of marriage.
It's not a bad idea.
My wife and I
just passed 40 years,
so if God preserves
us to 50 minutes,
it's a good thing to do.
But it reaffirms
that commitment.
Now,
here God,
the almighty God,
El Shaddai,
is renewing his covenant
with Abraham.
So let's read on.
We're going to keep reading
as we go through.
Verse 2,
Then I will make my covenant
between me and you,
and I'll greatly increase
your numbers.
Verse 3,
Abraham fell face down,
and God said to him,
As for me,
this is my covenant with you.
You will be the father
of many nations.
No longer will you be called
Abraham.
Your name will be Abraham,
for I've made you a father
of many nations.
I will make you very fruitful.
I will make nations of you,
and kings will come from you.
And I will establish my covenant
as an everlasting covenant
between me and you,
and your descendants after you
for the generations to come
to be your God
and the God of your descendants
after you.
The whole land of Canaan,
where you now reside
as a foreigner,
I will give as an everlasting
possession to you
and your descendants
after you,
and I will be their God.
Then God said to Abraham,
As for you,
you must keep my covenant,
you and your descendants
after you,
for the generations to come.
This is my covenant with you
and your descendants after you,
the covenant you are to keep.
Every male among you
shall be circumcised.
You are to undergo circumcision.
It will be the sign
of the covenant
between me and you
for the generations to come.
Every male among you
who is eight days old
must be circumcised,
including those born
in your household
or bought with money
from a foreigner,
those who are not your offspring.
Whether born in your household
or bought with your money,
they must be circumcised.
My covenant in your flesh
is to be an everlasting covenant.
Any uncircumcised male
who has not been circumcised
in the flesh
will be cut off
from his people.
He has broken my covenant.
Now, I just wonder again,
we can only speculate,
maybe after all these years,
after the covenant
was first made,
maybe,
maybe Aram looks at Ishmael
and wonders,
have I made a mistake here?
Whether after 13 years of silence,
God's plan is still in place,
but God leaves him in no doubt
as he renews the covenant
and Abraham falls on his face
in worship before El Shaddai,
who responds by giving him
two things,
a new name
and a new sign.
The new name is given
his name is changed
from Abraham,
a bit of Hebrew here,
to Abraham.
It's actually an anagram,
if you like anagrams,
in the original language,
it's switching around
to the letters.
All right?
Abraham means
a high, exalted father.
Abraham means
father of many
or a multitude.
It's a play in Hebrew
on the words,
I will greatly increase.
notice how this is
to come about.
God says to him,
I will make you
very fruitful.
Right back in the beginning,
God's command to Adam
was to be fruitful
and multiply,
Genesis 1.28.
He disobeyed God's word
and his descendants
were almost wiped off
the map of the earth,
nor emerged from the ark
and God says to him,
be fruitful and multiply,
Genesis 9.1.
And now,
the command is
a promise,
I will make you
very fruitful.
God Almighty
is at work through Abraham
to fulfill his promise.
The covenant,
which before was private
and personal,
is now corporate
and public.
It's promised
not just to Abraham,
but to his descendants,
who will include
nations and kings
for generations to come,
people who inherit
the land of Canaan
as an everlasting
possession.
Now notice,
at this particular point,
nothing has yet changed.
But it is so sure
that the words are actually,
in what's called
the prophetic perfect,
they're written
as though it's already happened.
He does not say,
well,
I'll make you a father
of many nations.
Literally,
the literal translation says,
I have made you
a father of many nations.
Now,
to other people,
this must have seemed
rather ludicrous.
I kind of imagine,
you know,
Abraham meeting up
with some of the locals
later,
and one of them says,
good morning,
Abraham,
how are you?
And he says,
I'm fine,
thank you.
By the way,
I've got a new name.
What is it?
Abraham,
father of a multitude.
Kind of,
you can imagine,
I'm smiling.
Yeah,
a multitude.
How many kids have you got?
One by a servant girl?
Hmm.
Yet it is as sure
as the promise
of the one who has made it,
El Shaddai,
the Lord Almighty.
And along with this
is a new covenant sign,
that of circumcision.
The sign of his obedience
is circumcision
of every male member
of the covenant.
Circumcision was practiced
by other nations,
and we know from
contemporary documents
at the same time,
but normally it was
practiced when
a young man came
of a certain age
of maturity,
around the age
that Ishmael had been
13 or 14,
something like that.
But here it is
from birth,
and it marks them out
as belonging
to God's people.
This is my covenant
with you
and your descendants
after you,
the covenant you are to keep.
Every male among you
shall be circumcised.
Notice,
very importantly,
it is not a means
of salvation,
but a sign of obedience
which follows it.
If you know the Bible,
the Apostle Paul
in Romans 4
points out
that circumcision
was given
long after Abraham
trusted with God
and was declared
to be righteous.
However,
although circumcision
does not put a person
right with God,
it does not mean
it's unimportant
and can be ignored.
It's essential
that Abraham
is obedient
to the Lord.
And so,
at the conclusion
of Genesis 17,
we can kind of
just skip over a little
to verse 23,
and we'll come back
to the second section
in the middle.
Verse 23 says,
On that very day
Abraham took his son Ishmael
and those born with
in his household
or bought with his money
every male in his household
circumcised him
as God told him.
Abraham was 99 years old
when he was circumcised.
His son Ishmael
was 13.
Abraham and his son Ishmael
were both circumcised
on that very day
and every male
in Abraham's household
including those born
in his household
or bought from a foreigner
was circumcised with him.
See,
circumcision was an outward sign
of an inner consecration
to God
and it marked out
that you belong
to God's people.
Now,
of course,
both the prophets
and the New Testament
tell us that it can just
be an external thing.
They talk about
the circumcision of the heart
and it needs to reflect
an inner obedience
to God.
But it had great value
as a permanent
and tangible reminder
that an Israelite
belonged to the Lord
and his people.
Now,
jump over where we are.
We are not part
of that old covenant.
We are part
of the new covenant
and
notice the new covenant,
the new covenant sign
is baptism.
The apostle Peter
on the day of Pentecost,
the Holy Spirit
has been poured out
on God's people.
The crowd are horrified
to hear they've murdered
their Messiah
and they cry out,
what should we do?
And Peter says to them,
repent and be baptized
every one of you
in the name of Jesus
for the forgiveness
of your sins.
You'll receive the gift
of the Holy Spirit,
the promises for you
and for your children,
for all who are near,
for all who are far off,
for all whom the Lord
our God will call.
We often think of baptism.
Let me say a few words
about baptism.
I think I'm a good Baptist.
We often think it's some kind
of personal decision
that we make,
which it is.
Each one of us
needs to personally choose
by God's grace
to put our faith in Christ
and as an activist
to be obedient in baptism.
But there is a corporate sense
to baptism.
It's the sign that marks out
you're declaring publicly
in baptism
that I now identify
with the Lord
and with the Lord's people.
Now, in many parts of the world,
this is far more significant
than it is in our culture.
I think many years ago
of a young woman
that I had the privilege
of baptizing.
She was from a very wealthy family,
I won't even tell you
the country,
probably anyone will pick this up,
but in North Africa,
her father was a government minister.
And she started to show
an interest in the Christian faith
and by God's grace
put her faith in Christ.
So far, so good,
even with her family.
The day I baptized her,
we baptized her in the church.
After that day,
her father then told
all his friends and family,
my daughter is dead.
See, there's a tremendous cost.
You'll find,
having worked in Pakistan,
for example,
for several years,
that the mark of belonging
to God's people
is baptism.
I simply ask you,
have you taken
that decisive step
of baptism
at far less cost,
let's face it,
in our culture?
It's very important.
It's a covenant sign.
So, Abraham is a reminder
that God's plan
is still in place.
First of all,
God's reassuring presence.
Then secondly,
his renewed covenant.
Thirdly and finally,
the third reminder
is the repeated promises
of God.
As I said before,
I wonder if Abraham realized
he'd made this mistake
by trying to fulfill.
God had made this promise,
you'll be fruitful,
many people will come from you.
As his wife got older and older,
he began to think,
this is never going to happen.
We need to help God out here.
And his wife said,
I've got this servant girl,
why don't you take her
and we can have a family
through her.
Studying it and you realize
what a disaster that was.
Still with us today.
Had it not taken that step,
you wouldn't be talking about
ISIS and Al-Qaeda
and Islam, frankly.
But anyway,
it seemed successful
with the birth of a son,
but now 13 years have gone
and it seems even more
unlikely that anything
is going to happen
as far as Abraham
and Sarah are concerned.
Certainly had no more
expectations
of a son and an heir
through Sarah.
But now God surprises him
by what he promises.
Let's just read on a bit
in verse 19.
Sorry, verse 15.
God also said to Abraham,
as for Sarah, your wife,
you're no longer to call her Sarah.
Her name will be Sarah.
The two names actually
both mean princess.
It's not quite clear
why the change of name
with her.
I will bless her
and I will surely
give you a son
by her.
I will bless her
so that she'll be
the mother of nations,
kings and peoples
will come from her.
Now here's Abraham.
We're studying him.
Abraham, the man of faith.
When Abraham hears this,
Abraham lifted his voice
to heaven
and praised God
and said,
marvelous, fantastic.
No, Abraham fell face down
and laughed
and said to himself,
will a son be born
to a man a hundred years old?
Will Sarah bear a child
at the age of 90?
And Abraham said to God,
if only Ishmael
might live in your blessing,
surely Lord,
he's the one.
Then God said,
yes, but your wife Sarah
will bear you a son.
You will call him Isaac,
which means he laughs.
Every time they shouted at Isaac,
it's time for dinner,
they would remind themselves
of their laughter,
of joy as well,
of unbelief.
As for Ishmael,
I've heard you,
I'll bless him,
I'll make him fruitful,
greatly increase him in numbers,
he'll be the father
of 12 rulers,
I'll make him into a great nation,
but my covenant
I will establish
with Isaac,
whom Sarah will bear to you
by this time next year.
When he'd finished speaking
with Abraham,
God went up from him.
It's hardly the response
of faith, is it?
Abraham fell face down
and laughed.
He fell face down
and laughed.
But God graciously assures him,
there is no mistake,
it will happen.
Abraham is not rebuked
for his laughter and unbelief,
rather the Lord reaffirms
what he said about Sarah,
gives her a new name,
and the promise of this child,
Isaac,
he laughs.
And this is reaffirmed
in the next chapter,
so let's just look,
we'll all look in detail,
we won't get another 45 minutes
on chapter 18,
if you were dreading
or anticipating it,
but let's read on
in chapter 18
because we see
the repeated promise
of a son
through Sarah.
It's this wonderful story.
Shortly afterwards,
the Lord appeared to Abraham
near the great trees
of Mamre
while he was sitting
at the entrance to his tent
in the heat of the day.
Abraham looked up
and saw three men
standing nearby.
When he saw them,
he hurried from the entrance
of his tent
to meet them
and bowed low
to the ground.
He said,
if I've found favor
in your eyes,
my Lord,
do not pass your servant by,
let a little water
be brought,
then you may all
wash your feet,
rest under this tree,
let me get you
something to eat
so that you can be refreshed
and then go on your way
now that you've come
to your servant.
He obviously senses
these are important people
and this is
Eastern hospitality.
Very well,
they answered,
do as you say.
Rather than a little bit
of water,
we get a full meal.
So Abraham hurried
into the tent to Sarah.
Quick, he said,
get three sears
of the finest flour,
knead it,
bake some bread.
He ran to the herd,
selected a choice tender calf,
gave it to a servant
who hurried to prepare it.
This is no instant
McDonald's meal,
is it?
This is pretty,
pretty serious stuff.
He then brought
some curds and milk
and the calves
that had been prepared
and set these before them
while they ate.
He stood near them
under a tree.
Where is your wife,
Sarah,
they asked him.
They're in the tent,
he said.
Then one of them said,
I will surely return
to you about
this time next year
and Sarah,
your wife,
will have a son.
It turns out
this one,
two of them
are angelic beings.
One is the Lord himself
as you'll see
as you read on.
Now Sarah was listening
at the entrance
to the tent
which was behind him.
Abraham and Sarah
were already very old
and Sarah was past
the age of childbearing.
So Sarah laughed
to herself
as she thought,
am I worn out
and my Lord is,
after I am worn out,
my Lord is old,
will I now have
this pleasure?
Then the Lord,
it seems it's the Lord
himself,
said to Abraham,
why did Sarah laugh
and say,
will I really have a child
now that I'm old?
Is anything too hard
for the Lord?
I will return to you
at the appointed time
next year
and Sarah will have a son.
Sarah was afraid
so she lied
and said,
I did not laugh
but he said,
yes,
you did laugh.
Here's the promise
reaffirmed.
I will surely
return to you
about this time
next year
and Sarah,
your wife,
will have a son.
And the response
of Sarah
is like that of Abraham.
So Sarah laughed
to herself
as she thought,
after I am worn out
and my Lord is old,
will I now have
this pleasure?
And notice the Lord's
response to Sarah's
unbelief.
Why did Sarah laugh
and say,
will I really have a child
now that I'm old?
Is anything,
here's the key verse,
is anything too hard
for the Lord?
I'll return to you
at the appointed time
next year
and Sarah
will have a son.
Sarah is afraid,
she denies,
she laughed
but the Lord says,
yes,
you did laugh
but here's the important point.
Nonetheless,
the laughter,
the unbelief
of Sarah and Abraham
does not negate
the promises of God
or frustrate his plans.
David Pryor,
commentator in his book
on Abraham
living by faith
says,
God had brought
their unbelief
to the surface
and forced them
to face up to it.
He had spoken
his definite word
of promise
into their unbelief.
So Abraham and Sarah
are reassured
that despite
all the seeming
impossibility,
God's plan
is still in place.
David Pryor comments
again very helpfully,
I think.
The last 25 years
had not been
haphazard
or pointless.
Abraham and Sarah
had not destroyed
or even damaged
God's purposes
by their doubts,
fears,
and unbelief.
God had been
weaving everything
into his
predetermined pattern.
Living by faith
means such a ready
but not irresponsible
acceptance
of God's sovereignty.
You see,
the challenge
to us is
not how big
is your faith
but how big
is your God.
Jesus said
you want to need
faith the size
of a mustard seed,
the tiniest
possible seed,
providing that faith
is focused
on the great God,
El Shaddai,
the God
for whom
nothing is impossible.
So again
in Hebrews 11
we get the record.
By faith
Abraham,
even though
his past age
and Sarah
herself was barren,
was unable
to become a father
because he,
here's the key bit,
because he considered
him faithful
who had made
the promise.
And so from
this one man
and he as good
as dead
came descendants
as numerous
as the stars
in the sky
and as countless
as the sand
on the seashore.
So we look back
and see
a year later,
less than a year later,
a month later,
little laughter,
Isaac is born.
And we look back
on the history,
on the story
for the Bible
as a narrative
that traces God's plan
through the generations.
All that God promised
came true.
From Isaac
came all his descendants,
numerous descendants.
And finally,
through this line,
the Lord comes again
to earth,
again,
this time in human form,
as a tiny baby,
as a promise
is made
to a young girl,
a promise made
by a prophet
700 years before,
that a virgin
will give birth
to a son.
Impossible.
How will this be,
she asks.
The answer
of the angelic messenger
promises
a greater miracle.
The angel answered,
the Holy Spirit
will come upon you.
The power of the Most High
will overshadow you.
So the Holy One
to be born
will be called
the Son of God.
Even Elizabeth,
your relative,
is going to have
a child in her old age
and she who was said
to be barren
is in her six month.
Very interesting parallels.
Elizabeth and Zechariah
with Abraham,
Sarah,
we don't have time
to look at it.
But nothing
is impossible
with God.
When God
makes a promise,
he keeps it.
But notice
the response
of Mary,
not like that
of Sarah.
She doesn't laugh.
She doesn't say
ridiculous.
She exhibits
a greater faith.
I am the Lord's servant,
Mary answered.
May it be to me
as you have said
according to your word.
So we know
the story.
Her baby,
Jesus by name.
is born.
He fulfills
perfectly
in every detail
all the promises
of God made
over hundreds of years
in his perfect life,
in his sacrificial death,
in his resurrection
from the dead,
and his ascension
into heaven.
The plan
is still in place.
Now we await
the final chapter
in the story.
Promised by angels
again to those
who saw him
ascend into heaven.
Here's the end
of the story.
This same Jesus
who has been taken
from you
into heaven
will come back
in the same way
you've seen him
go into heaven.
That's the end
of the story.
All of human history
is working towards
that ultimate goal.
In ways that we
cannot understand
through all the details
of the news
and all the things
that are happening
in our world,
God is working out
his sovereign purposes
towards that ultimate goal
when Christ will return
in power and great glory.
We may look back
and say it seems
a long time,
2,000 years.
Right back in the New Testament,
one of the last books
were in the New Testament.
The Apostle Peter says
people are still saying that
and what is his answer?
One day with the Lord
is a thousand years.
A thousand years
is one day.
Like one day.
God is giving people
an opportunity
to repent
and as an opportunity
for mission
to fulfill
God's plans
and purposes.
God is still
working out
his purposes.
Now,
let me finish.
I've almost finished.
Are you ready
for his return?
Are you looking
for his return?
Are you longing
for his return?
Are you part of the plan?
Are you ready
when he returns?
Because when he returns,
he will return
either as your judge
or as your saviour.
We need to be ready
for that.
We need to anticipate
this greatest event
that is happening.
If you said this
on BBC News,
they would say
you're stupid.
What a ridiculous claim.
But nothing is impossible
with God.
If God has kept
all of his promises
right back to Abraham
as we've seen today,
through the generations,
through the centuries,
surely he will fulfill
his ultimate purpose
at the end of time
when Christ returns
and we live
by faith,
we walk by faith,
we die in faith
in this great hope
that God's plan
is still
in place.
I hope that's
your assurance.
Let's pray together.
Gracious God,
we thank you
that you are
the sovereign Lord
who works out
all things
according to your
great purposes.
And when you make
a promise,
it will be fulfilled.
We look back
over history
even briefly
this evening
and see that
all your promises
have been kept.
But your word
says all of them
are yes and amen
in Christ.
We look back
and affirm
that nothing
is impossible
for you,
that you delight
to work in situations
that seem humanly
impossible,
to show your
great power
and to show
that it is you
who is at work
and that you
have done it.
Lord,
we pray this
evening as we
bow in your
presence,
that if we're
not ready for
this,
that we might
repent while
there is still
opportunity
and put our
faith in him
who is the
savior,
who died for
our sins.
And for those
of us who have
that hope,
reaffirm it in us
again this evening.
Maybe for some
of us,
it seems a long
time since we
first put our
trust in you.
We look back
over the years,
but we thank you
as we sang right
at the beginning.
You are the
faithful God.
Your promises
are unchanging.
So fill us
with great and
renewed hope
in believing.
Reassure us
by your presence.
Renew that hope
within us in that
new covenant
in Christ.
And remind us
of all your
promises,
which will be
fulfilled.
And we look
forward to that
great day when
Christ himself
shall return.
Help us and
encourage us,
we pray.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.