of Isaac, Genesis chapter 21,
the birth of Isaac. Every doctrine of the New Testament
without exception is illustrated in the book of Genesis. That's
how important this book is. Someone once called it the seed
plot of the scripture. Every doctrine of the New Testament
is found in this book of Genesis. And the passage before us were
given the New Testament. This passage is quoted heavily
in the New Testament. And we're going to see the New
Testament in this historical narrative. There's not a more
important historical narrative in the book of Genesis than the
one before us. Now, look in verse 1 of Genesis
chapter 21, verse 1. And the Lord visited Sarah as
he had said. And the Lord did unto Sarah as
he had spoken. Now, the Lord began in Genesis
chapter 12. I want to read several passages
of scripture, Genesis chapter 12. God said to Abraham in verse
two, I will make of thee a great nation. That's what he said. Remember God did as he said.
I will make of thee a great nation and I will bless thee and make
thy name great and thou shalt be a blessing. Now this is the
promise of the seed of Abraham. I'm gonna make of thee a great
nation. Look in chapter 13, verse 14. And the Lord said unto Abram,
after the lot was separated from him, lift up now thine eye, and
look for the place where thou art northward and southward and
eastward and westward. For all the land which thou seest,
to thee will I give it, and to thy seed. Now remember, he didn't
have any seed yet. But this was God's promise to
him. I will make thy seed as the dust
of the earth, so that if a man can number the dust of the earth,
So shall thy seed also be numbered. Chapter 15, verse four, and behold, the word
of the Lord came unto him saying, this shall not be thine heir,
this servant that's born in your house, but he that shall come
forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. And he brought
him forth abroad and said, look now toward heaven and tell the
stars If you'd be able to number them. And he said unto him, so
shall thy seed be. This is God's promise. Now, if you're familiar with
what took place in chapter 16, it hadn't happened yet. And Sarah comes up with this
brilliant idea. You go into Hagar and we'll have
a child through her because obviously it's not working with me and
we need to help God out in order for God's promise to take place. So let's take this matter into
our hands and Ishmael came out of that. We know from Galatians
chapter 4 that Ishmael represents the law, man doing his part. If salvation is in any way dependent
upon you doing something before God can do something else, that's
salvation by works. That is salvation by the law. Now in chapter 17, verse 15, and God said unto Abraham, as
for Sarah thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarah, but
Sarah shall her name be. And I will bless her and give
thee a son also out of her. Yea, and I will bless her and
she shall be a mother of many nations. Kings of people should
be of her. Then Abraham fell upon his face
and laughed. Now this is not the laugh of
belief. This is the laugh of unbelief.
Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said in his heart,
Shall a child be born unto him that's 100 years old? And shall
Sarah that is 90 years old bear? And Abraham said unto God, O
that Ishmael might live before thee. Let's just forget about
this. O that Ishmael might live before
thee. And God said, Sarah thy wife
shall bear thee a son indeed, and thou shalt call his name
Isaac. And you know what Isaac means?
Laughter. Laughter. Look in chapter 18, verse nine. And they said unto him, these
men and the Lord who came to Abraham, where is Sarah thy wife?
And he said, behold, in the tent. And he said, this is the Lord
speaking to him. I will certainly return unto
thee according to the time of life. And lo, Sarah, thy wife
shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent
door, which was behind him. Now I like to picture that in
my mind. She's listening to everything that's said. And she hears the
Lord make this statement. Sarah, and she knew who Sarah
is. She's going to have a son. Now
remember, she's 90 years old. Verse 11, now Abraham and Sarah
were old and well stricken in age and had ceased to be with
Sarah after the manner of women. She was no longer able physically
to bear children. Therefore Sarah laughed within
herself. Abraham didn't laugh out loud.
He laughed within himself. Sarah did the same thing. She
laughed on the inside, the laugh of unbelief. She said, after
I'm waxed old, shall I have pleasure, my Lord being old also? Now remember,
she'd said all this in her heart. She didn't say it out loud. And
the Lord said unto Abraham, wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, shall
I have a surety, bear a child, which I'm old? Is anything too
hard for the Lord? At the time appointed, I will
return unto thee according to the time of life and Sarah shall
have a son." And Sarah denied saying, I'll laugh not. She was
afraid. And he said, nay, but thou didst
laugh. Chapter 21, our text, verse one, and the Lord. visited Sarah as
he had said. And the Lord did unto Sarah as
he'd spoken. Now you can just write this down.
He's going to do as he says all the time. You can count on that. He's the faithful God. For Sarah conceived, verse two,
and bear Abraham a son in his old age at the set time of which
God had spoken to him. God said it was going to take
place at this time. That's when it took place, exactly
as God said. And Abraham called the name of
his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bared to him, Isaac.
There's some divine irony here. You know, the Lord told him,
you're going to name him Isaac. Remember? That's in response
to Abraham laughing, Sarah laughing. Well, here's what this boy's
name is going to be. Laughter. Isaac. Laughter. Verse 4, And Abraham circumcised
his son Isaac, being eight days old, as God had commanded him. And Abraham was an hundred years
old when his son Isaac was born unto him. And Sarah said, God
has made me to laugh. Now she wasn't talking about
that laugh in Genesis chapter 18. You know, I'd love to hear
the gospel in such a way as makes me laugh, makes me happy, makes
me laugh. I just think this is glorious.
Well, that's what Sarah was saying. God's made me to laugh. Verse
six, so that all that hear will laugh with me. Now that's all
that hear the gospel. They're gonna laugh right along
with me. I'm gonna rejoice in this message,
so is everybody else who truly hears with hearing ears. And she said, I love this statement.
Who would have said unto Abraham that Sarah should give children
suck? For I have borne him a son in
his old age. Who would have said it? Who would
have thought it? You know, grace has a beautiful
element of surprise to it, doesn't it? Who would have ever dreamed
anything like this could happen? Who would have ever dreamed that
Todd Nybert could say, and every other believer could say, I'm
holy. I don't have any sin. I am righteous. I have the very right. Who would
have thought anything like that? Oh, the element of surprise there
is in his grace. Verse eight, and the child grew
and was weaned, and everything I read said that would be at
least three or four years old. He fed on his mother's milk,
as newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word that you may
grow thereby, and he was weaned, and that same day, that he was
weaned, Abraham made a great feast. They had a party. Now, first of all, this man,
Isaac, is such a striking type of Christ throughout his life. Read Genesis chapter 22. Is there
a more powerful and more striking view of the gospel than when
Abraham offered up his own son in obedience to the father? Isaac
carrying up the wood that was going to be used for his execution
up Mount Moriah. And many have believed, and I
believe, that Mount Moriah and Mount Calvary are the same mountain. His birth happened according
to God's promise. The birth of the Lord Jesus Christ
happened according to God's promise. He was born at God's appointed
time. In the fullness of time, just
when God ordained it, God sent forth his son, made of a woman,
made under the law to redeem them who were under the law.
His birth was miraculous. Abraham was 100, and Sarah had
already gone through menopause, and this was a miraculous birth. Now, he wasn't born the way the
Lord was, of a virgin. But you think of the miracle
of the Lord's birth. He was born of a virgin. The
power of the highest shall overshadow thee. His name was determined
before his birth. God said in Genesis chapter 17,
you're going to call him laughter. You're going to call him Isaac.
With the name of Christ was determined before his birth. Thou shalt
call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. His birth was an act of omnipotence. God said to Abraham and to Sarah,
is anything too hard for the Lord? The angel said to Mary, the power
of the highest shall overshadow thee. He is the promised seed,
not Ishmael. Isaac, remember, cast out the
bondwoman and her son. Lord willing, we're gonna consider
that next week. He is the promised seed. In Isaac shall thy seed
be called. You know, Ishmael's never even
acknowledged as a son. Take now thy son, Genesis 22,
thine only son, whom thou lovest and offer him up as a burnt offering
to me. And Isaac shall thy seed be called. Now, I want to look at a few
places in the New Testament where this story is used. Would you
turn with me for a moment to Hebrews chapter 11? Hebrews chapter 11, verse 11. Through faith also Sarah received
her self-received strength to conceive seed and was delivered
of a child when she was past age because she judged him faithful
who had promised. Now, would you ever read the
account in the Old Testament and come up with this? In Genesis chapter 16, she didn't
believe God. She told Abraham to go in to
Hagar. What about chapter 18, where
she laughed at what God said in unbelief. She did not believe
God. I'm not exaggerating that. According
to the Old Testament account, you wouldn't see where she had
any faith at all. And yet the New Testament account
Through faith also Sarah herself received strength to conceive
seed and was delivered of a child when she was past age because
she judged him faithful which it promised. Now which account
is true? Both. Both. You see the Old Testament
account is the account of her old nature. That's your account
too. The account of her old nature.
The New Testament account is the account of her new nature.
Both are true. She did have this unbelief that
we read of in the Old Testament, and she by faith received strength
to conceive seed. This is the New Testament account.
This is the works of the old man. The other is the works of
the new man. And that's found throughout the
scripture. It's amazing to read the Old Testament accounts of
things and then read the New Testament accounts where they're
perfect. I mean, where would you find any unbelief or sin
in Sarah in this New Testament account? Yet in the Old Testament
account, where would you find faith? You wouldn't find either,
really. This is the way it is. And this
is throughout the scripture. This is true. And the fact of
the matter is, every time we pray, we have reason to pray
this, Lord, I believe that's the new nature. Help vow mine
unbelief. That's the old nature. Now in Galatians chapter four,
these two sons are given to illustrate law and grace. And I want us
to remember this. This is very important. These historical events
that are recorded in the Old Testament are all literal events
that literally took place. Sarah did come up with this idea. Now, I know God's promised to
give us a seed, but His promise won't take place unless we do
our part. So here's what I want you to do, Abraham. Go into Hagar. Abraham went into Hagar. He had
Ishmael. And God said, only in Isaac shall
thy seed be called. Ishmael is not acknowledged. Isaac is the promised seed. You see, Isaac represents the
Lord Jesus Christ. And in Isaac shall thy seed be
called. Turn to Romans 9 for a moment. As you get an opportunity this
week, read Galatians chapter four. I don't have time to get
into it because there's other things I need to say, but look
here in Romans chapter nine. Verse three, for I could wish
that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen,
according to the flesh. who are Israelites, to whom pertaineth
the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving
of the law, and the service of God, and the promises, whose
are the fathers, and of whom concerning the flesh Christ came,
who is over all God blessed forever. Amen. Now he thinks of all the
unbelief of the Jewish nation. And he says, it's not as though
the Word of God hath taken none effect, even though all these
people do not believe. It's not as though the word of
God would take none effect. Four, they are not all Israel,
which are of Israel. Just because someone is a physical
descendant of Abraham, that doesn't make him a true Israelite. Neither
because they are the seed of Abraham are they all children,
but in Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is They, which are the children
of the flesh produced by something in the flesh. These are not the
children of God, but the children of the promise are counted for
the seed. The true seed of Abraham, the
true seed of Isaac comes through Isaac, not through Ishmael by
grace, not by works. Now remember, Ishmael represents
works. Man doing his part. Ishmael comes
out. Isaac is a supernatural work
of God, and that is salvation. It's a completely supernatural
work of God. Now, this same story is used
by Paul in Romans chapter four, if you turn there. And this is what I wanted to
spend the last several minutes of this message looking at. Verse 13, for the promise that he should
be heir of the world. And we've read that promise throughout
Genesis, haven't we? The promise, God made a promise. The promise that he should be
heir of the world. was not to Abraham or to his
seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. Now, God made promise to Abraham
and that promise he made was not contingent upon Abraham doing
anything. Is that clear? It was not, I'll
do this if you do that. It's, I will do this. That's God's promise. It was not through the law, through
it can't take place until you first do something. I think this word before you
can't be saved unless you first do this or you first do that,
you won't be saved then. That's salvation by works. That
is contrary to the gospel of God's grace. If I can't be saved
unless I first do something, that's salvation by my doing.
That's the cause of salvation. Now, this promise that he should
be heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through
the law, but through the righteousness of faith. Now, faith has a righteousness, the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
Everybody who believes the gospel, they have the righteousness of
Jesus Christ. If I believe the gospel right
now, I have the righteousness, the perfect merit, the law keeping
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 14, for if they which are
of the law be heirs, if your place in heaven is in any way
dependent upon something you do. That's what law is. Now,
most people think, well, the law is the Ten Commandments.
Well, I think it's very interesting. We need to go back into Galatians
chapter 4, and yes, the law is the Ten Commandments, but the
law is also Sarah saying God's promise won't take place unless
we do our part. That's law. That's all it is. For if they which are of the
law be heirs, faith is made void. It's meaningless. It's just a
term that doesn't really have a meaning. And the promise is
made of none effect. It nullifies God's promise. If salvation is dependent upon
you, salvation is not dependent upon the promise of God. Just
forget that. He says this, I think this is so interesting in verse
15, because the law worketh wrath. That's all it does. The law worketh
wrath. For where no law is, there is
no transgression. Now what in the world does that
mean? If there's no law, no need for law. You know why? There's nobody transgressing.
The law was not made for a righteous man. Paul put that clearly in
1 Timothy 1. The law was not made for a righteous
man. A righteous man doesn't need
law. Why do you have locks? Is it to keep righteous people
out or criminals out? Why do you have laws regarding
society? Well, it's because of the criminals.
It's not because of the righteous people. Righteous people do not
need law. Whenever someone shows a desire
to be under law in any way, all they're confessing about that
is, I'm an evil person. I don't think they understand
that, obviously, but that's the truth. I have to be governed
by law. A righteous man, a holy man does
not need law. Now, are you saying that the
Ten Commandments are not important? No, I love the Ten Commandments.
I love the law of God, don't you? And listen to this. This
is so important. I don't try to keep the Ten Commandments.
I've kept them. That's the gospel. I've kept
them. Somebody says, well, y'all try
to keep the Ten Commandments. Huh, you better have kept them. And in Christ, I have kept them. I stand without guilt before
God's holy law. Whenever somebody wants to be
under law, they don't realize that, but all they do is expose
that they have no love for God. Let me tell you this about law.
Law never produces love. It can't produce love. If you
think that there's something God requires of you before he
can do anything for you, you know what it's gonna do? It's
gonna make you resent him. It's gonna make you hate him.
It doesn't work. The only thing that produces
true love is where there's no law. God satisfied with me. God's
pleased with me. God sees no sin in me because
there is no sin by what his son did. You know what that produces?
Love. The strength of sin is the law. All you got to do is put somebody
under law and they're going to come out swinging. The strength
of sin is the law. Now where no law is, there is
no transgression. The law worketh wrath. All the
law does, it brings God's wrath down upon somebody and it makes
that person wrathful toward God and resentful toward God and
having no love for God. Therefore, verse 16, therefore
it is a faith. Now that word it is, To italics,
I think probably almost every time we read the word, the italics,
we ought to just go ahead and leave them out because the Holy
Spirit did. He never used these words. Therefore, of faith. Why? That it might be by grace. Now the only way salvation can
be by grace is it's of faith and not of works. Therefore,
it is a faith that it might be by grace to the end that the
promise, the promise of God might be sure to all the seed. Now, the only way the promise
is sure is if it's not by works. If it's by works, not only is
it not sure it's not going to happen, but it's sure in grace. Therefore, it's a faith that
it might be by grace to the end that the promise might be sure
to all the seed, not to that only which is of the law, the
Jews, but to that also, which is the faith of Abraham, who
is the father of us all. Every believer, Abraham, I'm
a true spiritual Jew. I'm a Hebrew. I am the seed of
Abraham if I believe the gospel. Now, I think it's so I wish it wasn't this way, but
people try to make some kind of difference between God's plan
for the Jews and God's plan for Christians, as if he's got two
different plans. That's never been the case. The
Jews are those who believe the gospel. I'm a Jew. Every believer
is a true Jew. As it's written, verse 17, As
it's written, I love the way Paul appeals to it's written. Here's the authority of this.
Now it's not, it has no authority because some man says it. Here's
what I believe, nobody cares what you believe. What's written?
What's written? As it is written, I have made
thee a father of many nations. Now notice it doesn't say, because
when God said this to him, he still didn't have any children.
But he didn't say, I will make you a father of many nations.
He said, I have made you a father of many nations. Now, you know
what that tells me? When God says something, it is
accomplished past tense before it takes place. That's the supremacy
of his will. I have made thee a father of
many nations. That's the foundation of our
faith. It's written as it's written. I have made thee a father of
many nations. Now, here's another comment upon
that. Everything that we trust is what
he has done. I have made thee a father of
many nations. We only trust what he has already
done. I'm not looking to what he's
going to do. I'm looking to what he has already
done. Listen, my dear friends, when
Christ said it is finished, my salvation was finished, finished,
accomplished. I have everything that I am. He made me before I was ever
born. Somebody says, explain that.
Just believe it. Just believe it. I can't explain
time and eternity, but I do believe. I have made thee a father of
many nations before him whom he believed, even God, who quickens
the dead and calls those things which be not as though they were."
Now, faith is believing God. Abraham believed God. God said,
your seed is going to be as the stars of the sky. Abraham believed
God, and it was counted to him for righteousness. uh... how it says before him who believed
even God who quickens the dead. Now who's the only one who can
give life to the dead? That's easy to answer. God. He
gave life to his dead son because his dead son completely satisfied
him. He gives spiritual life to those
dead in sins. You know, your new birth is a
greater miracle than the creation of the universe. Think about
that, the fact that you believe it's a greater miracle than the
creation of the universe. And the last day he's going to
raise the dead in Christ, incorruptible. Oh, our faith has something to
do with God raising the dead. Quick, he raised Christ from
the dead and he said, I'm satisfied with him and everybody he did
it for. He raised us from the dead spiritually so that we'd
believe that. And we're going to enter into it in its fullness
when he raises us at that final day. And look at this next phrase. He calleth those things which
be not as though they were. Literally. He calls those things
not being as being. I'm not holy. Yeah, I am. He calls those things
that are not being as being. And that's the stuff of faith.
Verse 18. Who against hope? There wasn't any hope that Sarah
would have a child. Who against hope? Believed in
hope. Now, do you believe that anything
God says, he has the power to accomplish? Sure you do. That's who he is. Is anything
too hard for the Lord? Anything that's not contrary
to his character, he does. Now he can't lie, you know that.
He can't sin, he can't act contrary to his word, but he has the power
to do anything that does not violate his glorious character.
And that's why it said of Abraham, against hope he believed in hope
that he might become the father of many nations according to
that which was spoken. So shall thy seed be. He believed what God said. God
said, so shall thy seed be. And he believed, so shall his
seed be, because God had spoken it. Oh, the word of God. Verse
19, and being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body,
now dead when he was about 100 years old, neither yet the deadness
of Sarah's womb. If you're 100 years old and you
have a wife that's 90 who is past the age of childbearing,
is it too hard for God to make her to be with child? No. No. He staggered not at the promise
of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith. Now, once again, this is the
New Testament account. Because you can find him laughing, him
not believing God. I mean, his disobediences are
proclaimed throughout the book of Genesis. His unbelief is proclaimed
throughout the book of Genesis. We've seen that. But yet the
scripture says, he staggered not at the promise of God through
unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God, being fully
persuaded. Who persuaded him? God did. You know, if God persuaded you,
you'll be fully persuaded. Being fully persuaded that what
he, God, had promised, he was able also to perform. Now that's the very heart of
faith. 2 Timothy 1, 12, Paul said, I know whom I have believed,
and I'm persuaded that he is able to keep that which I've
committed to him against that day. And I love thinking about
this because I want to do this every day. I want to commit the
entire salvation of my soul to him, hands off, hands off. If he doesn't do it all, I won't
be saved. Now, if I don't commit that way,
I've not really believed. Verse 21, being fully persuaded
that what he promised he was able also to perform. I love
what the Lord said to those blind men. Do you believe I'm able
to do this? Yay, Lord. Yes, Lord. And therefore it was
imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his
sake alone that it was imputed to him. You know the only way
anybody's ever been righteous before God is for God to take
the righteousness of Christ and impute it to him. It becomes
theirs. It becomes theirs. It is theirs. That's the only way anybody's
ever been righteous. Now it was not written for his sake alone
that it was imputed to him, but for us also to whom it shall
be imputed if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord
from the dead, who was delivered for our offenses and was raised
again for our justification. Now as we prepare to take the
Lord's table, keep this in mind as we do this in remembrance
of him. He was delivered for our offenses. and he was raised
again for our justification. And that is what we're celebrating
at this time. Let's pray. Lord, how we thank you for the
gospel, how we thank you for the salvation that's in your
son. Now, we ask in his name that you would take your word
and apply it to our hearts for the Lord's sake and give us grace
to believe your gospel. Lord, let us be like Abraham
and stagger not at thy promise through unbelief, but be strong
in faith, giving glory to you, being fully persuaded that what
you have promised, you are able also to perform. Enable us to
observe this table in remembrance of thy dear son. In his name
we pray.