Good morning. My name is Matthew Capone and I'm one of the pastors here. It's my joy to bring God's word to you today.
We are continuing this morning, really not just continuing, actually we're ending this morning, our series in the book of Genesis.
Remember the book of Genesis tells the origin story of God's people beginning with Abraham.
That's been our focus over the last four or five months to prepare us to do what we're going to do next week, which is to return to our series in Romans.
We're going to be in Romans chapter 4 where Paul uses Abraham as this example that God's grace is by faith alone.
Of course, we've also been asking this question as we go throughout Genesis of what does it look like to follow God in faith.
Last week we looked at Genesis chapter 24 with Isaac and Rebecca and we saw that God was faithful through generations.
That even as Abraham and Sarah exit stage left, God's promises continue.
We also saw that God was faithful to Abraham, faithful to refine and grow him.
That Abraham was more and more obedient as his life went on.
Here we're in chapter 25, the death of Abraham.
We're at the end of the road, so to speak.
We're going to focus on two things.
First and mostly one final look at God's faithfulness to his promises.
And also a reminder, as death often reminds us, of a life well lived.
So with that, I invite you to turn with me to Genesis chapter 25.
If you're new to the Bible, Genesis is going to be very easy for you to find since it happens to be the very first book.
And so you just have to open up to the very beginning.
You can also turn where it's printed in your worship guide.
As we come to it, remember that this is God's word.
Jeremiah chapter 23 tells us that God's word is a hammer that breaks a rock into pieces.
It's a way of saying that there is nothing so powerful that it can stand against God's word.
So that's why we read now Genesis chapter 25, starting at verse 1.
Abraham gave all he had to Isaac.
But to the sons of his concubines, Abraham gave gifts.
And while he was still living, he sent them away from his son Isaac eastward to the east country.
Verse 7.
These are the days of the years of Abraham's life, 175 years.
Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age,
an old man and fool of years, and was gathered to his people.
Isaac and Ishmael, his sons, buried him in the cave of Machpelah in the field of Ephron, the son of Zohar, the Hittite,
east of Mamre, the field that Abraham had purchased from the Hittites.
There Abraham was buried with Sarah, his wife.
After the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac, his son.
And Isaac settled at Bir Lahai Roy.
Verse 12.
These are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar, the Egyptian, Sarah's servant, bore to Abraham.
These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, named in the order of their birth.
Nebaioth, the firstborn of Ishmael, and Kedar, Abdel, Mibsam, Mishma, Duma, Massa, Hadid, Tema, Jeter, Naphish, and Kedema.
These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names by their villages and by their encampments.
Twelve princes according to their tribes.
These are the years of the life of Ishmael, 137 years.
He breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people.
They settled from Havilah to Shur, which is opposite Egypt, in the direction of Assyria.
He settled over against all his kinsmen.
I invite you to pray with me as we come to this portion of God's Word.
Our Father in Heaven, you have promised us in Isaiah chapter 55 that your word does not return to you void, but it accomplishes your purposes.
So we ask this morning that you would honor that promise here and now,
that you would use this passage to accomplish great things in our lives.
You would remind us once again of your character, your steadfastness, your love,
that you would use it to shape us and form us,
that we would grow not merely in knowledge, but we would grow in love.
We'd grow in our love and affection for Jesus Christ.
We'd grow in our reverence and our awe for him.
We'd grow in our obedience to him.
That you would remind us of what matters.
You'd help us to see clearly.
Father, that we would worship you more and more.
We ask all of these things in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
December of 1988 was the next to last month of the eight years of the Reagan administration.
And so as they prepared for the handover in January of 1989,
when President George H.W. Bush would take the oath of office,
the administration published a 60-page book with four categories and 48 specific areas
where Ronald Reagan believed he'd accomplished great things for the American people.
And the title of that publication was this.
Promises made, promises kept.
And the point, of course, is to show, at least Ronald Reagan was trying to show,
hey, I honored my word.
And that matters because as a voter, you know we are cynical when it comes to politicians.
Right?
And we're cynical because we've had experience with them.
Right?
We know politicians often will say anything to get elected.
And then magically, those things don't happen.
Right?
And so the perception is that politicians are lying.
Reagan, on his way out, wanted to say,
look, everything I said, I did.
I honored my word.
Now, whether he did or not, we'll leave to the historians.
The point is not whether you loved or hated Ronald Reagan.
The point is this.
As we come to this passage, Genesis chapter 25,
the Abraham administration is coming to an end.
It's coming to a close.
But the point is not about Abraham.
The point is about God.
The final word of Abraham's life,
final word of this story,
is that God has honored his word.
Promises he's made are promises he's kept.
If you've been with us throughout this series for the last several months,
you know God's promises are one of the major themes
that we've turned to over and over again.
And as we come to this passage,
the very structure of the passage points us in that direction one final time.
I've told you guys before that I don't want you to just learn things
that are in the Bible or about the Bible.
I actually want you to learn how to read the Bible.
And so whenever we come across a bookend,
I make a big deal about it.
And we are coming once again to a bookend.
Abraham's death is in verses 7 through 11.
It is enclosed on both sides by genealogy.
So it's bookended.
It's trapped there,
which tells us what the point is meant to be.
It's pointing us towards the emphasis of this passage.
It's telling us,
focus on this as you think about Abraham's death.
Focus on the genealogies.
Focus on his descendants as his life comes to an end.
There's another bookend that's happening,
not just in this story, but the entire story.
So this is the end of the Abraham story.
Go back with me to the beginning of the Abraham story.
Genesis chapter 12.
What do you need to become a great nation?
You need people.
And how do you get people?
You have sons and daughters.
Throughout the story,
this promise has intensified
as three different images were used
to represent how many children Abraham would have.
Genesis chapter 13.
God says,
If you can count the dust of the earth,
that's how many kids you will have.
Genesis chapter 15.
He comes to him and says,
Look at the sky.
Can you number the stars?
If you can number the stars,
that's how many children you will have.
Genesis chapter 22.
He comes back again,
repeats the stars,
and adds another image.
Can you count the sand on the seashore?
If you can,
that's how many descendants you're going to have.
Dust, sand, stars.
As Abraham dies,
it is already happening.
He's already multiplying generation by generation.
So the point is this.
We are given genealogies
before Abraham's death
and after Abraham's death
to remind us
God is keeping his promise.
One last time,
what we've been told over and over again,
we're reminded of once more.
Isaac will be the father of many nations.
Not just the father of Isaac,
as many children as the dust,
as the stars,
as the sand.
You might wonder,
that's great.
I'm glad that Abraham had lots of kids.
What in the world
does that have to do with me
in Colorado Springs
in September of 2025?
And it has many things to do with you.
The most important of which is this.
It is this promise of many descendants
from Abraham
that gets us fully and finally
to Jesus Christ.
It is because God honors his promise here
that he fulfills his promise there.
And it's related to another promise,
also Genesis chapter 12.
It wasn't just that God
was going to make Abraham
the father of many nations.
No.
In you,
all the families of the earth
shall be blessed.
How are all the families of the earth
supposed to be blessed?
It is not simply
by Abraham having lots of kids.
No.
The families of the earth
are going to be blessed
by fulfilling
an even earlier promise
from Genesis chapter 3
that the seed of the woman
will crush the head of the serpent.
In other words,
all the families of the earth
are going to be blessed
because one day
a descendant of Abraham,
that is Jesus Christ,
will come.
He will live the perfect life
that we should have lived.
He will die the death.
We deserve to die.
He will save his people
from their sins.
All families of the earth
blessed in Christ.
Not merely the Jews.
you as well.
I've been telling you
for weeks now,
one of our major questions
of Genesis is
what does it look like
to follow God in faith?
Following God in faith
looks like
constantly
reminding ourselves
of the promise
that he has kept
in Jesus Christ.
I've said that before
over the last number of months.
That is the keystone
to every other promise.
It is the guarantee
of every other prophecy.
Romans chapter 8,
he who did not spare
his own son
but gave him up
for us all,
how will he not
also with him
graciously
give us
all things?
Which is a way
of saying
if God kept
his promise
about Jesus
which he did,
of course
he will keep
every other one.
If he kept
the hardest promise,
of course
he'll keep
the easy ones.
promise
that God
kept
to Abraham
is a promise
he has
kept
to us.
It's a promise
he's kept
to you.
That is a
north star
of the Christian life.
That's our
horizon line
as we try to
keep big things
big and small
things small.
I have a friend
who I've known
for many years
who has struggled
with a variety
of things
including his
own challenges
with depression
and at one
point he told
me
basically what
it comes down
to is this.
When I get
up out of bed
every morning
I answer
this question.
Did Jesus
rise from
the dead
or did he
not?
And if he
did,
everything else
flows from that.
Jesus rose
from the dead
everything else
will be
okay.
Whenever we're
tempted
to doubt
God's word
or to doubt
God's
goodness
we can do
one
very simple
thing.
We look
to God
fulfilling
his promise
in his
son
and our
savior
Jesus Christ.
that's what
it looks like
to follow
God
in faith.
Remember
2 Corinthians
chapter 1
tells us
all the
promises
of God
are yes
and amen
in Christ.
Promises
made
promises
kept.
There's a
focus here
not just
on children
in general
although that
is why we
have these
bookended
genealogies
but there's
also this
special focus
on Ishmael
in verses
12-18.
It's
first
the first
set we
get
verses 1-4
is Keturah's
children.
So apparently
Abraham had
another wife
we find out
later in the
passage she
was a
concubine
but we
end here
with this
word about
Ishmael
the special
focus
which raises
the question
why is
this important
as we think
about the
end of
Abraham's
life?
Ishmael is
important for
a couple
reasons.
One reason
is that
Ishmael
becomes one
of the
nations.
Remember
the promise
at the
beginning
in chapter
12 was
that Abraham
would become
a great
nation.
Later
God
adds to
that.
He says
actually
you become
many
nations.
Ishmael
is one
of that.
one of
those.
Another
reason
that we've
kind of
skipped over
a little
bit because
we were
focusing on
other things
is this.
Abraham
loves
Ishmael.
Remember
in chapter
21
Isaac is
born and
there's this
rivalry that
develops between
Isaac and
Ishmael.
So Sarah
comes to
Abraham and
she says
you have to
deal with
this Abraham.
Abraham.
We didn't
talk about
it at the
time because
we were
focused on
God's
fulfillment of
the promise
but in
the Hebrew
there even
more than
in the
English you
can see
Abraham is
livid.
He's
livid at
the suggestion
that Ishmael
would be sent
away because
he loves
him.
That's why
in that same
chapter God
has to come
to Abraham
and say
do what
your wife
has told
you to
do.
We saw
the same
thing back
in Genesis
chapter 17
God comes
to Abraham
and says
look it's
Sarah who's
going to
have a
child.
And Abraham
says yeah
but what
about Ishmael?
Sarah's in
her 90s.
Can't Ishmael
be good
enough?
There's a
promise that's
repeated multiple
times both to
Abraham and to
Hagar that
Ishmael is
going to be
also the
father of a
nation.
In fact God
tells Hagar
Genesis chapter
16 he will
have so many
children they
can't be
numbered.
So the
promise is
kept about
offspring yes
promise also
kept about
Ishmael.
So we're just
going through the
list.
Every promise
God makes
he keeps.
All the
loose ends
are being
tied up.
Promise
about the
children kept
promise about
Ishmael
kept promise
not just about
Ishmael but
now turn for
me for a
second promise
about the
land.
We saw a
hint of
this chapter
23 with
Sarah's
death now
it comes
again here
verses 9
and 10.
We get to
the burial
of Abraham
where is he
buried?
With Sarah
in the cave
he purchased
in the land
God had
promised.
Once again
we end
where we
started.
Remember
Genesis chapter
12 we had
the promise
great nation
we had the
promise of
great blessing
we also had
the promise
of land.
In fact that
came first.
Go from
your country
and your
kindred
and your
father's
house
to the
land
that I
will show
you.
And then the
land promise
just like all
the other
promises is
repeated over
and over
again in
Genesis chapter
13 and 15
and 17.
and here
at the
end
Abraham
is buried
in the
land God
promised
to give
him.
Promises
made
promises
kept.
God has
kept his
promise
about children
that they
would be
as many
as the
dust
and the
stars
and the
sand.
God has
kept his
promises
about
Ishmael
whom
Abraham
deeply
loved.
God has
kept his
promise
about the
land.
Everything
God
said
he's done.
Every
promise
fulfilled.
We've
talked about
the promise
of the
blessing
to all
the nations
how that
overflows
to you
in Jesus
Christ.
The promise
of the
land
also
comes
to you
Christian.
Jesus
in the
New Testament
expands
the promise
of the
land
from this
one
specific
plot
to the
entire
earth.
That's
what he
teaches
in the
Sermon
on the
Mount
in Matthew
chapter 5
Jesus
says this
blessed
are the
meek
for they
shall
inherit
the
earth.
That's
the
Christian
promise
the
Christian
hope
that
heaven
is
when
God's
presence
fills
not just
the
promised
land
not just
Jerusalem
no the
entire
world.
Promise
of land
to Abraham
is just
the beginning
and Abraham
himself
knew that.
Even
Abraham
was looking
beyond
this
one
plot
of
land
to
something
larger
and
greater.
Brit
read it
for us
this
morning.
We
talked
about
it
before
in
our
series
on
Abraham.
Hebrews
chapter
11.
This
is on
verse 2
of your
worship
guide.
Speaking
about
Abraham
verse
10.
For
he
was
looking
forward
to
the
city
that
has
foundations
whose
designer
and
builder
is
God.
mentioned
to you
just a
few
minutes
ago
the
north
stars
of the
Christian
the
things
that
we
fix
our
eyes
on.
One
of
them
is
Jesus'
death
and
resurrection.
That's
a main
thing.
I wake
up every
morning.
Has
Jesus
or has
he not
risen
from
the
dead?
If
he
has
everything
else
flows
from
that.
But
here's
another
north
star
we
look
to
the
heavenly
city
to
come.
We
look
to
the
future
that
God
is
preparing
for
his
people.
The
same
place
Abraham
looked.
Abraham's
hope
was more
and
greater
than
one
plot
of
land.
And
so
for us
we
look
beyond
this
one
story
and
this
one
man
we
look
to
the
same
city
he
longed
for.
Thankfully
we
don't
have
to
wonder
too
much
about
it
because
God
tells
us
there's
another
bookend.
The
Bible
begins
in
Genesis
in a
garden.
It
ends
in this
city,
the city
that Abraham
looked
forward
to.
The
book
of
Revelation
tells
us
what
this
city
looks
like.
This
is
Revelation
chapter
21.
verse 1.
behold, the dwelling place of God is with men.
He will dwell with them, and they will be his people,
and God himself will be with them as their God.
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes,
and death shall be no more.
Neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore,
for the former things have passed away.
What does it look like to follow God in faith?
Christian, it looks like remembering every day two things.
It looks like remembering every day that Jesus Christ did in fact die and rise again from the dead.
And that because of that, he will honor every single promise.
It also looks like remembering every single day exactly what your future will be.
And your future will be this, that God will dwell with you,
you will be his people,
and God himself will be with you as your God.
And your future, like Abraham's, involves God wiping away every tear from your eyes.
It looks like death being no more,
and it looks like no mourning, no crying, no pain,
for the former things have passed away.
That is what it looks like to follow God in faith.
Promises made, promises kept.
If you live with those two things as the horizon line of your life,
I promise you,
everything else will fall into place.
Those are the north stars of the Christian.
Those are how we live life in focus and on mission.
It's how we keep our lives in perspective.
In the midst of those, of course,
Abraham actually dies.
Verses 7 through 11.
We have been with Abraham on a journey.
We started with him in chapter 12.
We were told he was 75 years old.
In chapter 21, when Isaac is born,
we're told he's 100 years old.
And now, verse 7, he's what?
175.
Now, our focus has been really on like 40 to 50 of those years.
Obviously, the story spans a full 100.
Reminds us again of what I told you last week.
All of us, at some point,
will exit stage left.
All of us, at some point,
end our walk in this world.
Following God in faith
looks like living with death in mind.
How do we keep our future front and center,
that new Jerusalem?
Well, we have to remember
that what we have here and now is temporary.
And we remember that
as and when we think about the day of our death.
Christian,
are you ready to die?
Because, by the way, you will.
If you're not a Christian,
are you ready to die?
Or are you pretending,
living as if,
this life will continue forever?
Will you let your death,
which will happen,
shape your life today?
There's an old saying you may have heard
that goes like this,
only one life
will soon be passed.
Only what's done for Christ
will last.
Another person puts it this way,
this is on the back of your worship guide.
When life ends or is about to end,
absolutely everything else comes into focus.
The things that don't really matter,
but which we gave so much time to,
now seem so empty and pointless.
The lives we touched
and the generosity we showed
and the love we gave or received
now mean so much more.
At the end of a life of great faith,
Abraham died.
Christian, non-Christian,
you will too.
Live like it.
In his fantasy series,
The Stormlight Archive,
Brandon Sanderson introduces us
to a character named Terevangian.
And Terevangian is a king
who has an unusual problem,
which is that his days flip
between two things.
Some days,
he is extremely intelligent.
He's a genius.
He's able to think at a level
that the rest of us can only imagine.
On other days,
he's extremely compassionate.
He has an empathy
that we cannot imagine.
But those two things
are never true on the same day.
So the compassionate days,
he's not smart.
The smart days,
not so compassionate.
And so when he's very intelligent,
he realizes he has to prepare himself
for the days when he's not.
And so on the days
when he thinks clearly,
when he really sees what matters,
he hurries to write down
what it is he needs to remember.
He writes this book
called The Diagram,
which is his plan
to save the world.
And then on the days
he can't think straight,
he comes back to it.
Because it reminds him,
okay,
when I was thinking clearly,
this is what I knew
had to happen.
Now,
if you're familiar with the series,
you know Teravangian
has some ethical problems.
The point,
though,
is this.
He thinks clearly
on some days,
his mind is muddled
on others.
What does it look like
to follow God in faith?
It looks like
living with focus
on what matters
more than anything else.
and on the days
that we see that clearly,
we cling to it.
We write it down.
We return to it
again and again.
And so that on the days
when we are filled
with doubt
and fear
and confusion,
we return
back to what is true.
God has given us,
in a sense,
our own diagram,
the things that we need
to cling to
more than anything else.
That as we're distracted
in this world,
pulled in so many
different directions
and loves
and affections,
we return
over and over again
to the fact
that Jesus
has died
and risen from the dead.
And we return
over and over
that no matter
what happens now,
we know
what will happen
then.
That we will be
with God
forever
as our God.
all I have needed,
thy hand
have provided.
Great is thy
faithfulness,
Lord,
unto me.
Let's pray.
Our Father in heaven,
we praise you
and thank you again
that you have not
left us
as orphans
in a merciless universe,
but you have come
and spoken clearly
to us in your word
that you remind us
of what matters.
We ask that you would
capture our hearts,
that we would look
at the right horizon line.
We would have
the correct north star,
that we would return
again and again
to Jesus
and his death
and his resurrection,
to the future
that you hold
for us in this world,
that it would cause us
to walk forward
in faith
and obedience
and love.
We ask these things
in the mighty name
of Jesus Christ.
Amen.