Good morning. My name is Matthew Capone and I'm one of the pastors here at Cheyenne Mountain Presbyterian Church and it's my joy to bring God's word to you today.
Today we are continuing this morning our series in the book of Genesis which we were in, you'll remember, last summer.
Last summer, summer 2025, we were in the story of Abraham. Of course, Genesis tells the larger story, the origin story of God's people, Israel.
And so last summer we were in chapters 11 through 25 which talk about Abraham.
This summer we're in the story of Isaac and Jacob, mostly Jacob, chapters 25 through 36.
And to a certain extent, it's kind of the same theme of last summer. Remember our question was, what does it look like to follow God in faith?
And that will continue in the Isaac-Jacob story. We're also going to see some new layers though, some new themes that get special emphasis.
One of them was introduced last week. Andy talked about this, this emphasis on God's faithfulness.
So we have God's faithfulness to his covenant in the midst of human failure. Remember Andy pointed out last week that there's no good guys in the story.
Everyone's flawed and imperfect. God's faithfulness also, and this is kind of the emphasis this week, God's faithfulness generation by generation.
So we finished chapter 25 last week, the birth of the twins, Jacob and Esau, to Isaac and Rebekah.
This week we're starting chapter 26, which is actually moving back in time.
So chapter 26 is going to tell us about some things that happened before the birth of the twins,
and it is about Isaac taking on the mantle of Abraham.
And so you're going to hear some things, if you were with us last year, that sound familiar,
because there's going to be some repetition from chapter 12.
When God comes to Abraham, he's now going to say the same things to Isaac.
And so this passage, this chapter, is ultimately about God's faithfulness to his covenant.
So with that, I invite you to turn with me to Genesis chapter 26.
You'll find it on page 7 of your worship guide.
And as we turn to it, remember, Proverbs chapter 30 tells us every word of God proves true.
He's a shield to those who take refuge in him.
And so that's why we read now Genesis 26, starting at verse 1.
Now there was a famine in the land besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham.
And Isaac went to Gerar to Abimelech, king of the Philistines.
And the Lord appeared to him and said,
Do not go down to Egypt.
Dwell in the land of which I shall tell you.
Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you.
For to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands.
And I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham, your father.
And I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven,
and will give to your offspring all these lands.
And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.
Because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge,
my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.
I invite you to pray with me as we come to this portion of God's word.
Our Father in heaven, we do this morning praise you and thank you once again
that you have brought us together on a Sunday morning
to sing praises to you, to hear from you in your word.
Lord, we ask that you would pour out your Holy Spirit
in a powerful and special way among us here and now.
That you'd be at work by your word.
That you would open up our eyes, you'd unstop our ears.
That you would soften our hearts, you'd clear our minds.
That we would be able to see and hear and believe and understand
everything that you've written for us in your word.
Most of all, we ask that you would set our eyes on Jesus,
that we would see him clearly,
that he would be more beautiful to us than ever before.
And we ask all of these things in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
There is an important concept in police work or criminal investigations
that I imagine some of you are already familiar with,
and it is the idea of a chain of custody.
And the chain of custody is a list of who had an item in their possession
and when they had that item.
So imagine there's a crime scene,
you come to the scene, you're the police after the fact,
and there's a knife there at the scene,
and so you pick it up.
At that point, you have to keep track of who has the knife
and when they had it from the moment it is taken.
And if there's a gap in the chain of custody,
well, it's going to be very hard for you to use that knife as evidence.
So you take me to court, and you could say,
Matthew, your fingerprints are on the knife.
We think you're the murderer.
And I would say, okay, show me your chain of custody.
Because if there's a gap,
we know that's when you planted my fingerprint on the knife.
You have to prove that you knew where it was at all times.
Now you might be wondering,
what in the world does chain of custody have to do
with the book of Genesis chapter 26?
I'm glad you're wondering that because I'm going to tell you.
September 2025, we ended the Abraham story,
and then we return to our series in the book of Genesis.
And in the first half of Genesis chapter 25,
which we looked at September of last year,
Abraham dies.
And Abraham's death raises this question,
who will inherit the promises that God made?
God made promises to Abraham over and over again.
He gave him these blessings, these commands,
these promises in Genesis chapter 12 and 13 and 15 and 17.
They were promises about land and offspring
and blessing to the nations.
God said that he was going to make Abraham's name great.
He said that Abraham was going to inherit
and possess the land of Canaan,
and that not just a king,
but kings would come from Abraham's line.
So the big picture,
the main point of this passage,
these first five verses,
is this,
to confirm that God's promises to Abraham
do indeed pass to Isaac.
The point is to confirm,
to validate that in fact Isaac is the right heir,
the one to receive everything given to his father.
In fact, it's explicit in verse three.
I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham,
your father.
So chapter 26 is giving us the chain of custody
of God's promises.
By the way, this is going to continue throughout the book.
So we see it go from Abraham to Isaac.
Isaac then is going to bless Jacob, chapter 27.
If you're familiar with the story,
you know it's a stolen blessing.
And then what happens?
Jacob, near the end of Genesis,
is then going to pass the blessing on
to the 12 tribes of Israel.
So this is the first transfer,
but not the last, in the book.
We've gotten ahead of ourselves a little bit though.
There's three things we're going to look at this morning
as we see God's faithfulness to his covenant.
And the three things are faith,
and promise, and mission.
You don't need to write those down.
They're on page seven of your worship guide
because they're conveniently the title of the sermon.
So let's look first at faith.
Verse one tells us,
now there was a famine in the land
besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham.
And Isaac went to Gerar to Abimelech,
king of the Philistines.
So the former famine is referring to Genesis chapter 12.
You may remember this.
Abraham experienced a famine,
and so then Abraham goes down to Egypt.
The larger point though here,
the reason he's telling us,
hey, there was a famine before,
is not really about the famines.
It's part of this larger comparison
that he's making to say,
look, I want you to see all the ways
in which Abraham is connected to Isaac.
Remember, that's the focus of this passage.
So link Abraham to Isaac.
Abraham had a famine.
Isaac has a famine.
And therefore, get again and again
at this continuity of God's faithfulness to his people.
Abraham faced a famine.
Isaac faces a famine.
Now, what do you want to do if you're in a famine?
If you're in a famine,
the logical thing would be for you to go down to Egypt.
Why?
Well, the reason there's a famine,
most likely,
is that there's not enough water.
And who has water?
Egypt has water.
There is this thing called the Nile River.
What did Abraham do when he faced a famine?
Abraham, chapter 12, goes down to Egypt.
So Isaac here is doing the logical, rational,
smart, wise, prudent thing.
He is most likely starting his trip down to Egypt.
So he goes to Gerar,
which is closer to the coast than Bir-le-Hi-Roi,
which is where he is.
And what happens next, then,
should come to us as a surprise.
Verse 1, Abraham's doing the smart thing.
Verse 2,
the Lord appeared to him and said,
do not go down to Egypt.
That's a big ask.
A command is counterintuitive,
but it goes against all human wisdom.
And it's not just that he's not going to go down
to where the Nile is,
to where all the water is.
It's going to be even worse than that.
Verse 3,
he tells him,
sojourn in this land.
If you're familiar with Old Testament words,
you know that a sojourner
is a foreigner,
an immigrant.
So a sojourner is always at a disadvantage.
They are in a place of political
and social vulnerability.
So don't go to Egypt.
Actually stay in this other place
where you're standing.
That's a little shaky.
And so,
what happens here with Isaac
is similar,
once again,
to what happened with Abraham
in chapter 12.
Chapter 12,
Abraham
had to exercise faith
when God said,
go.
Chapter 26,
Isaac
must exercise faith
when God
says
stay.
Abraham
has to have faith
to go.
Isaac
has to have faith
to stay.
Now,
as I mentioned,
staying away from Egypt
is a big ask.
And because it's a big ask,
it also requires
a big
promise.
Remember I told you,
we're talking about faith,
promise,
and mission.
We talked about the faith,
that's what it requires
for Abraham to stay.
Now that moves us,
it helps us understand
why God then
immediately
goes on to explain
his promise.
That's in verses
three and four.
Sojourn in this land
and I will be with you
and will bless you.
For to you
and to your offspring
I will give all these lands.
And I will establish
the oath
that I swore to Abraham,
your father.
I will multiply
your offspring
as the stars of heaven
and I will give
to your offspring
all these lands.
And in your offspring
all the nations
of the earth
shall be blessed.
Yes, Abraham,
what I am telling you
to do
makes no sense
from a human perspective.
but
and
verse three
you will have
my presence
and my blessing.
But
and
verse three
everything I promised
to Abraham
is now given
to you.
Yes,
verse three
you will
receive the land
to you and your offspring
I will give
all these lands.
Verse four
he repeats it again
not just the land
but the lands
plural.
verse four
your people
will be as many
as the stars
of the heavens.
Yeah,
it doesn't make sense
for you to stay in Gerar
but you know what?
I'll be with you
I'll bless you.
The promise
is even greater
than the command.
The promise
to Abraham
is now
the promise
to Isaac.
In case we missed it
in these five verses
Abraham's name
appears three times
verse one
verse three
verse five.
He's going to give
Abraham
and now he's going
to give Isaac
land
and people
and blessing.
Yeah,
it doesn't make sense
from a human perspective
to stay in Gerar
and it also
doesn't matter
and it doesn't matter
because God
has promised
his presence
and his blessing
to Isaac.
Point is this
and we talked
about this before
obedience
to God's
commands
are always
enabled
by belief
in his promises.
Obedience
to God's
commands
always find
their power
their motivation
in the promises
he's made
to his people.
Faith
and promise
always
go together.
It is not
a coincidence
that God
says stay
and then
immediately
reminds
Isaac
why.
God's
commands
for us
also
go
against
human wisdom.
They're also
counterintuitive.
They are also
things that
don't make sense.
Wait,
so you're
telling me
God
that abundance
in this life
actually comes
from giving
things away.
doesn't make
any sense.
God
says be
generous
that's the
command
and then he
says I will
provide for you.
That's the
promise.
Wait,
you're telling
me that
satisfaction
in this
life
over against
what the
world tells
me
actually
comes
from
containing
and restraining
sex
so that it's
only within
marriage.
that doesn't
make sense.
God
says be
pure
in heart.
That's the
command.
And then he
says I will
give you
real
and true
joy.
Joy
that the
world
cannot
offer
to you.
That's the
promise.
Wait,
so you're
telling me
God
that true
and real
and lasting
and full
and final
justice
come from
trusting
you
and not
from
taking
revenge.
Doesn't
make sense.
God
says trust
me.
That's the
command.
I will
punish
the wicked.
That's the
promise.
Trust me.
Believe
me.
I'm
actually the
one who
has the
good stuff,
the best
stuff,
the real
stuff.
Faith
and promise
go together.
And so
the command
in verse
two,
do not
go down
to Egypt
is in
some sense
actually a
question.
Do you
trust me
more than
you trust
what you
can see
with your
eyes?
Do you
believe that
I am
going to
provide for
you?
Do you
believe my
promises
are real
and true?
are you
going to
put me
first?
Are you
going to
put me
first not
just in
the words
that you
say and
the songs
that you
sing in
Sunday
morning?
Are you
going to
put me
first when
the rubber
meets the
road?
Do you
really
believe?
Jesus
says something
similar to
us in
Matthew
chapter
six,
but seek
first the
kingdom of
God and
his
righteousness
and all
these things
will be
added to
you.
Seek
first the
kingdom of
God,
command.
All these
things will
be added to
you,
promise.
Faith and
promise always
go together.
Okay,
I promised
you faith and
promise and
mission.
We've seen
faith.
Abraham had
to exercise
to stay.
We've seen
God's promise
of his
presence and
his blessing
to enable
that.
That takes
us to
the idea
of mission.
Remember,
we talked
about this
back in
chapter 12.
God's
blessing is
not just
for Abraham,
not just
for Isaac,
not just
for their
line.
No,
the blessing
to Abraham
and Isaac
is,
verse
four,
for a
blessing
to the
nations.
I will
multiply
your
offspring
as the
stars of
heaven and
will give
to your
offspring all
these lands.
That's great.
And in
your
offspring,
all the
nations of
the earth
shall be
blessed.
So yes,
it is a
blessing to
you.
It's not
less than
that.
But it is
more than
that.
it is
also a
blessing
through
you.
How will
all the
nations be
blessed?
Well,
we talked
about it
in chapter
12.
Jim read
it for
us this
morning.
Galatians
chapter 3,
verse 10.
That was on
page 3 of
your worship
guide,
by the way.
So that
in Christ
Jesus,
the blessing
of Abraham
might come
to the
Gentiles,
so that
we might
receive the
promised
spirit
through
faith.
How will
all the
nations be
blessed?
All the
nations will
be blessed
because the
multiplication
of the
offspring of
Abraham,
Isaac,
Jacob,
and Joseph
will
ultimately
lead to
the birth
of Jesus
Christ.
And Jesus
Christ will
come as a
man, a
real human,
100% God,
and 100%
human,
and live
on this
earth,
the perfect
life that
we should
have lived.
And then
he will
die the
death that
we should
have died,
taking the
punishment we
deserve,
and then God
the Father,
by the power
of the Holy
Spirit,
will raise
him from
the dead,
showing once
and for all
that it
actually worked.
That is the
blessing of
the nations
that comes
through Abraham.
Abraham.
That is what
allows us
to have
God's
presence
and his
blessing.
The New
Testament makes
it clear.
Matthew chapter
one starts out
with a genealogy.
Genealogy of
Jesus Christ
and the first
two names,
Abraham,
Isaac.
The point is
this.
The blessing
that comes
to the
nations
is the
blessing
that is
through
Abraham
and Isaac
because
and only
because
they lead
to Jesus
Christ.
Faith,
promise,
mission.
Now,
why do you
care about
the chain
of custody?
Why does
it matter
to you
in
2026
in Colorado
Springs
that the
blessing
was passed
clearly from
Abraham to
Isaac,
that the
blessing will
be clearly
passed from
Isaac to
Jacob and
from Jacob
to Joseph?
The reason
that you
care is
because you
care about
God's
faithfulness
to his
promises.
You care
that God
really means
what he says
when he says
he's going
to be
faithful
from
generation
to
generation.
That his
steadfast love
really will
continue
forever.
His
commitment,
his promises,
he will
not go
back on.
No,
he's going
to keep
it.
It's
another
generation
following
after the
Lord.
It's
another
man
trusting
God's
promises.
God's
faithfulness
is
another
faithfulness
generation
to generation
through
specific
families
over the
course of
history
that leads
to Jesus
Christ.
And now
his
faithfulness
that includes
you.
Christian,
if you are a
follower of
Jesus Christ,
if you're going
after him in
faith,
the encouragement
for you is
this.
God kept his
promise to
Abraham and
Isaac.
God will keep
his promise to
you.
He keeps it
not because they
were perfect
or exemplary,
not because they
get it right.
as we saw
last week.
In fact,
they very much
don't.
No,
it's because of
his commitment
to his promise,
his covenant,
his mission.
That same
commitment,
that same
promise,
that same
presence,
that same
blessing
comes to
you if
you are
in him.
If you're
in Christ,
following
after him
in faith.
Faith,
promise,
mission.
Let's pray.
Our
Father in
heaven,
we do
thank you
and praise
you for
your steadfast
love that
continues
generation to
generation,
relying not
on us
and our
faithfulness,
but on
you and
your commitment
to your
promise,
that you
will do
what you
said you
would do.
We ask
that you
would grow
our hope
and trust
and faith
in that,
and that it
would overflow
into love
and obedience
to you.
We ask
these things
in Jesus'
name.
Amen.