GOD’S WAY OF BLESSING THE FAMILY

BIBLE PASSAGE: GENESIS 15: 1-21

Picture taken from Google

Lesson Prepared by: Krisha of Solomon’s Wisdom FB page

NOVEMBER 27, 2022

 

MEMORY VERSE

Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

PSALMS 127:1

 

INTRODUCTION:

Who wants his/her family to be blessed? Of course every one of us want that. That’s the reason why we try our best in this world to be productive: we study hard for us to have a good job and supply the family’s needs. One of the proofs here is, our country has a lot of OFWS (Overseas Filipino Workers). They go abroad in order for the family to meet not just the basic needs and also other needs as well. Like somebody else, we get worry at times when we see that there are no visual evidences of your future. Because of this, sometimes we do things and decide without thorough thinking and prayer.

In our lesson today we will talk about a family who had been called by God in a special purpose. From the passage we’ve read, we already knew the story and we have ideas what this family went through in their life.

LESSON OUTLINE:

1.  BELIEVE IN GOD’S PROMISES

You will remember that God called Abraham to leave his homeland and go to a land far away that he had never seen. Here God promised to make him and his descendants great. God promises a son to Abraham through whom these descendants would come. In Genesis 15 we can the Lord and Abram had a covenant and in Genesis 17: 9, 15 and 16, God mentioned again His promises to Abram and Sarai. The promises came directly from the mouth of God. Did Abraham believe in God’s promises? Yes!

 

Personally, let’s ask ourselves “How deep our faith in believing God’s promises?” In our present time, we cannot directly hear from God’s mouth the promises but we have in His word, the Bible. How many promises in the Bible we can mention or can remember? There are a lot of promises in the Bible but sometimes we don’t hold onto it.

(INSERT TESTIMONY)

 

2.   WAIT FOR GOD’S TIMING

Many years passed and the son was not born. Sarah decided to take matter into her own hands. In Genesis 16: 1-4,

¹Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. ² And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. ³ And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife. ⁴ And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.

 

Before we judge Sarah for her over anxiousness, let us remember that there have probably been many times when we have run ahead of God. Can we relate to this? We waited for days, weeks, months, years and nothing happened. Like Sarah, we did also what she had done – we take matter into our hands.

 

Abraham found himself 86 years old and his wife 76. This was long past the time of bearing children. He feared that his chief servant, Eliezer of Damascus, would be his heir. Abraham cried out to God expressing his fear. God assured him that Eliezer was not his heir. One from his own body would be that heir. Several years passed, and Sarah still did not conceive. In order to help God along, Sarah persuaded Abraham to take her servant, Hagar, as his wife and bear her children through her. This was perfectly acceptable according to the custom of the day. If a woman could not bear children, she could have her servant have them for her through using her husband. The children after birth were considered hers. Though this custom was accepted still Sarah, took the matter into her hands.

Abraham followed Sarah's bad advice.  Sure enough, she became pregnant and bore a son whom they named Ishmael.

 

The time frame of God is different from ours. They waited for years and finally, when Abraham was 100 and Sarah 90, she conceived and bore a son. They named him Isaac, and he was the son of God's promise.

God’s timing is always perfect!

 

 

3.  FOLLOW GOD’S WAY

 

Have you thought why Abraham followed his wife’s advice? (allow the audience response) Like everyone else, we sometimes think, maybe this is the way of God wants me to be blessed. God’s way is different from ours. Let’s read Genesis 17:15-18.

 

Tagalog: ¹⁵ Sinabi pa rin ng Diyos kay Abraham, “Hindi na Sarai ang itatawag mo sa iyong asawa kundi Sara^[b] 16 sapagkat siya'y pagpapalain ko. Magkakaanak ka sa kanya at siya'y magiging ina ng maraming bansa; may magiging hari mula sa kanyang mga salinlahi.” ¹⁷ Muling nagpatirapa si Abraham, ngunit napatawa siya nang kanyang maisip na siya'y matanda na. Nasabi niya sa sarili, “Magkakaanak pa ba ang isang lalaki na sandaang taóng gulang na? At si Sara! Maglilihi pa ba siya gayong siya'y siyamnapung taon na?” ¹⁸ At sinabi niya sa Diyos, “Bakit hindi na lang po si Ismael ang magmana ng mga ipinangako ninyo sa akin?”

 

Let’s take note of verse 18. Sometimes we don’t understand but truly God’s way is different from ours and His way is the best. The birth of Ismael, however, was according to the flesh not a promise. God promised Abraham a son, but it would not come this way.

Let’s ask ourselves, how many times we keep on doing our way and not God’s ways?

 

CONCLUSION:

Let’s read Galatians 4:21-31; 5:1 (Let them open their Bible)

²¹ Sabihin nga ninyo sa akin, kayong nagnanais mapasailalim ng Kautusan, hindi ba ninyo naririnig ang sinasabi ng Kautusan? ²² Sinasabi roon na si Abraham ay nagkaanak ng dalawang lalaki, isa sa aliping babae at isa sa malayang babae. ²³ Ang anak niya sa aliping babae ay ipinanganak ayon sa kagustuhan ng tao, ngunit ang anak niya sa malayang babae ay ipinanganak bilang katuparan ng pangako ng Diyos. ²⁴ Ito'y isang paghahambing. Ang dalawang babae ay larawan ng dalawang kasunduan, ang isa ay ang tipan sa Bundok ng Sinai na kinakatawan ni Hagar at ng kanyang mga anak, na pawang mga alipin. ²⁵ Si Hagar ay kumakatawan sa Bundok ng Sinai na nasa Arabia,^[b] at larawan ng kasalukuyang Jerusalem sapagkat siya'y nasa pagkaalipin, kasama ng kanyang mga mamamayan. ²⁶ Ngunit ang Jerusalem na nasa langit ay malaya, at siya ang ating ina. ²⁷ Ayon sa nasusulat, “Magsaya ka, O babaing hindi magkaanak!
    Humiyaw ka sa galak, ikaw na hindi pa nakaranas ng hirap sa panganganak!
Sapagkat higit na marami ang anak ng babaing nangungulila
    kaysa babaing may asawa.” ²⁸ Mga kapatid, tulad ni Isaac, tayo'y mga anak ayon sa pangako. ²⁹ Kung noong una, ang ipinanganak ayon sa Espiritu ay inuusig ng ipinanganak ayon sa kagustuhan ng tao, gayundin naman ngayon. ³⁰ Ngunit ganito ang sinasabi ng kasulatan, “Palayasin mo ang babaing alipin at ang kanyang anak, sapagkat ang anak ng alipin ay hindi dapat makibahagi sa mana ng anak ng malaya.” ³¹ Kaya nga, mga kapatid, hindi tayo anak ng alipin kundi ng malaya.

Paul tells the story of Abraham and Sarah and their child Isaac and also of Hagar and Abraham and their child Ishmael. Ishmael was born as a result of a plan by Abraham and Sarah to hurry up what God seemed to be taking too long to do. Hagar was the Egyptian slave of Sarah. Ishmael was not the son of promise. He was the son of the flesh. Isaac was the son of promise that God promised to Abraham and Sarah.

After using the story as an analogy, Paul explains how the heritage of the line through one mother, Hagar, is lost while the heritage through the other mother, Sarah, is salvation and freedom.

In Paul's analogy both of them represent the spiritual being assaulted by the unspiritual. The physical and spiritual descendants of Hagar and Ishmael have persecuted and opposed the physical and spiritual descendants of Sarah and Isaac. From Ishmael come the Arabs, many of whom are Muslim. From Isaac come the Jews and Christians. If you are at all familiar with history, you know that the Jews and Muslims have a long history of persecuting one another.

 

Keeping with the analogy, the descendants of Ishmael, representing the ungodly, will persecute the descendants of Isaac, representing those who are godly. The Galatians were perfect proof of the truth of Paul's analogy. They were persecuting those who accepted Paul's message of salvation through the grace of God. They were telling them they needed to add their good works to the salvation process. Paul was telling them that would never work. It is a picture of unbelievers persecuting believers. https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons

 

Good news in Galatians 5:1, Jesus made us free. Whatever descendants you came from, Jesus made you free just accept Him into our lives.

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

TAGALOG: Malaya na tayo dahil pinalaya tayo ni Cristo. Kaya magpakatatag kayo at huwag nang paalipin pang muli!

 

Which is better for the family follow things after the flesh or follow according to God’s promise? Whether we like it or not we already chose which one is for our family. It can be seen based from the lifestyle of the family. If we don’t prioritize spiritual things, then we know the answer. God’s plan has a greater purpose. We hope and pray we follow GOD’S WAY and not our way!