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Bro. Bill Nichols
Issue 2, when I wrote it down. If Jesus is the only way, what do we need to assure that we're on that way? Let me do that again. What do we need to do to assure that we're on that way, John? Once we know that we've been put on the path, it is our responsibility to stay on the path as best we can.
And I know you wander off the path every day. I know I do. And I feel bad about it.
We all...
You're just crossing the path. Nobody put you on it. Yeah. Well, where I went with this is, do we do as the rich young ruler did? Say, good master, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?
That was what his question was. And what did Jesus tell him? Do you remember? Okay, that was way down the list. But you're right. That was the defining moment. When he said, sell all you've got, give it to the poor, take up your cross, and follow me.
But before that, he said, you've got the laws. What do the laws tell you to do? And he says, I've kept all of these laws from my youth. I've kept them all. You don't think I could say that, Miss... Well, I'm going to argue with you, and I'm going to say Jesus could.
But yes, Jesus is the only one who could. The rich young ruler couldn't say that. I couldn't say that. None of us could say that. No, we haven't kept them from the youth. In fact, he just violated one of them right then, when it says, thou shalt not lie.
So going down below what Mr. Huber said, then the disciples heard it, and they were exceedingly amazed. What did they hear? They heard Jesus' answer. And so they said, well, who then can be saved? And Jesus beheld them and said unto them, with men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.
So that was another issue. What is it that we need to do to be on the way? We need to have been chosen. That's what we need. Now, once we have been chosen, John, you're right, then it said we are created unto good works.
What does that mean? To act like a Christian. To act like a Christian. And I think someone told me once that that was the essence, really, of the commandment not to take the Lord's name in vain. We kind of take that to mean don't curse, but what it really means is don't claim you're a Christian and then not act like it.
That would be taking the Lord's name in vain, wouldn't it? I'm taking on to myself the name of a Christian. I am Christ-like, and then I go off and I do things that are outside of that. Well, I think you're right, and I think there's a difference between wandering off the trail and regretting it and repenting of it and getting back on the correct path than just someone that, for the benefit of their business or some sort of gain, takes the name of Christian and then doesn't make any attempt.
I think so. The other issue that bubbled up for me and we kind of did this at the end of last week is I got this from Romans 9 and I was going to read it all, but I'm not going to. I'm going to skip down to verse 4 when Paul says, Who are the 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?
Who are the fathers of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came who is over all? So, he's identifying the Israelites as being adopted. Adopted out of the world into the family of God. Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect for they are not all Israel which are of Israel neither because they are the seed of Abraham are they all children but in Isaac shall a seed be called that is, they which are the children of the flesh are not the children of God but the children of promise are counted for the seed.
That was in Romans 9 and the last verse was 6. We started at 4 and we went through 6. We went through 7? Okay. Yeah, we went through 8. So, who is it that's adopted into the family of God? His chosen, the elect, however you want to count it.
Who else? Well, all of them that are... Yeah, it depends on how you read it. All of the children of the promise and who are the children of promise? Those that are the adopted and it's not all because it says neither because they are the seed of Abraham are they all children they which are the children of the flesh are not children of God but the children of promise are counted for seed.
Not all of the Israelites are counted for seed and as Paul said over and over again you don't like it but there are some children of the promise that are not of the seed of Abraham. The Gentiles, they're children of the seed too.
So, who are the promise? The children of the seed. The children of the promise are the seed. Not because of anything that they did but only because God chose them. He goes on to say in verse 10 and not only this but when Rebecca also had conceived by one even our father Isaac for the children being not yet born neither having done good or evil one was chosen and the other rejected.
Jacob was chosen and Esau was rejected clearly not because of anything they had done but that the purpose of God according to the election might stand. Not of works but of him that calleth. They did things on their own.
They are responsible for what they did. They are responsible for what they did at the point that they were elect though they had done neither good nor evil. Us either. So, who are the elect and how did it come to be so?
Everyone of the elect are adopted into the family of God. And I think it was brother David last week that referred to this as when they were adopted they became a new race. That the word meant a new race, a new tribe brothers and sisters in God.
If you accept the fact that we were all chosen in eternity past before the world existed before anything existed good and evil didn't exist I guess at that time. Whether it did or not I don't know. But certainly we hadn't done any good or evil.
I'm in agreement totally with you. I think that's what this illustration is about. Before they had an opportunity to do good or evil they were chosen. And rejected. One chosen and one rejected. Okay, one last thing and then we will then I'll let you give me some things and then we'll go on.
The one last thing I have is I think it was last week or the week before last I alluded to the role of Isaac as a type or a model of Christ. And I said one of the things that I hadn't recognized through this passage is he was faithful totally to his wife.
He was not like Abraham or like Jacob after him that went to someone else. And in fact it said about Abraham while in the side notes to some of the old Bibles while Sarah was yet alive he took Keturah to a wife.
That may or may not be so because it wasn't in the scripture. It was only in a side note to some old Germanic Bibles. But in any case Isaac was true to his wife but in the end Isaac was just a man like we are.
And as such we recognize he's subject to error. And there's only one chapter in the Bible that deals extensively with Isaac. And that's right here in chapter 21 26 we're getting ready to go into. And the first thing we do is we see a slippage away from God.
We first see him attempt to leave the promised land because he was afraid God couldn't supply his needs. And then we see him follow his father's example concerning his wife. What did he say about his wife?
You remember when he met when he went down into the country of Amimelech? What did he tell Amimelech? That his wife was his sister just like his daddy had done years before. Probably not to the same Amimelech.
This was probably a title not a name. But it might have even been to the same Amimelech. Who knows? Because he was afraid God could not protect him. So he was subject to error too. Just because we can take a model we can view him as a model of Christ doesn't mean he was Christ.
Far from it. He was a man like we all are. Anything you guys would like to add at this point before we go on? Because I'm 26 now. In a sense he also told Nicodemus to do something he couldn't do either.
So the rich young ruler couldn't do what he was told to do because no man can follow the law. And Nicodemus couldn't do what he was told to do. And that was be born again. So we go back to the question that the disciples asked.
Then how can anyone be saved? And the answer is with men it's impossible. Only God can do that. So yeah that is amazing. So you're telling me you thought that you think that Isaac when he went down to speak before Amimelech knew that God could protect him.
But just to make certain he was going to remove the temptation from him. I think we all tend to do that. We all want to step in and help out God. Okay. Verse 1 of 26. And there was a famine in the land besides the first famine which was in the days of Abraham.
And Isaac went into Amimelech king of the Philistines unto Ger. Now Isaac where was Isaac when this happened? In the land of promise. But just because he was in the land of promise didn't mean he was without trouble.
And in fact we talked about this earlier. People, God's people in the world are in a world that's hostile to them. So if you're God's people and you're in the world you're going to be not without trouble.
I think I did that right. That was double negative. What we have here is obedience and deceit sitting right together in the same verse. Isaac attempted to leave the land. But God said now wait a minute.
I don't want you to go to Egypt. Go instead to Ger. And Isaac obeyed God and stayed in the promised land because that promised land was part of what was given to him. And yet while he did that, while he was in obedience about not leaving the promised land for Egypt as his dad did, he lied about his wife.
And just like Abraham did not really need to lie neither did Isaac. And yet both chose to. And the Lord appeared unto him and said, Go not into Egypt. Dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of. Sojourn in this land.
Now, you know what that means. It means not to take possession of it. Live there, but live as a stranger. Israel is not to take possession of this land for another 400 years. You know why? That was not God's plan.
And in fact, God had already revealed His plan. He had already told them that it would be 400 years. And this is not 400 years. So, you're not to take possession of it yet. This is in harmony with a promise that God made to Abraham.
Back in Genesis 15, 12. Let's go to chapter 15, verse 12. Let's go there for just a minute. You'll recognize this. I kind of started in the middle, but I don't think I need to go all the way to the beginning.
And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abraham. And lo, a horror of great darkness fell upon him. And he said unto Abraham, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs.
And they shall serve them, and they shall afflict them 400 years. And know also that the nation whom they shall serve, I will judge. And afterwards they shall come out with great substance. And thou shalt go to thy father in peace, and thou shalt be buried in good old age.
But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. I was interested in those two passages. They shall serve them for 400 years, but in the fourth generation they shall come hither again for the iniquity of the Amorites are not yet full.
So when was that? When was the iniquity of the Amorites full, and when did they come back? Well, actually when they left Egypt and wandered in the wilderness for 40 years and then came in.
Yeah. He.
Was talking about they were not to possess the land for 400 years, because they were waiting for whatever was in store for the Amorites to do for them to get done. Brother Otis always said what the Amorites were doing during that 400 years is building up material for the Israelites to gather when they got there.
And maybe that's so. Verse 3. So join in this land, and I will be with thee, and I will bless thee. For unto thee and unto thy seed I will give all these countries. That's including Gier. That's including the land of the Philistines.
That's included what now we call the Gaza Strip. That includes what now we call Syria and Lebanon and Jordan. Has he done that yet? Is he going to? If he says it, it's as good as done. Will it happen in our lifetime?
Maybe. We've seen a combination. We've seen a combination. I think that when it will come to completion is during the Millennial Kingdom, which will be after the Rapture, the Tribulation, and when God, when Jesus returns to rule.
That's when the entirety of the promised land will finally be possessed. You know, it could have been possessed when Joshua at Joshua's time. It could have been possessed then. It could have been possessed in Moses' time when Moses led them out of the wilderness and he went up to the edge of the country.
And they sent spies in and they said, well, let's wait a minute. And then they said, well, we're ready to go now. And he said, not for 40 more years, you're not. So they wandered around in the wilderness for 40 more years.
Then they came in. Joshua went in. The biggest city, the most powerful fortified city in the whole of the land falls to him even more than easily. All they do is walk around the city and yell. And the city falls and they take the biggest city.
And so what do they do? Okay, God, we're ready. We can do it now. So they go to the next little city, little tiny city, Ai. And they got beat. Why? Because they were relying on themselves, not on God.
They could have taken Ai. They could have taken the hills. They could have taken the valleys. They could have taken the places where they thought, well, the chariots are so big and strong that we can't fight there.
We'll take the hills, but we'll leave them in the plains. They didn't do all that, but they could have. Okay. I will be with thee, and I will bless thee, and into thy seed will I give these countries, which I will perform thee oath, which I swear to Abraham thy father.
And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven. And I will give unto thy seed all of these countries. All of them. And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. This is an extension to the promise that God made to Abraham way back in chapter 12, when he said in verse 3, I will bless them that bless thee, and I will curse him that curseth thee.
And in thee shall all the families be blessed. Now, how is that? How are all the families going to be blessed through Abraham? Through Jesus? And it is a promise that Peter recalls with his charge to the people of Jerusalem in Acts 3, 12.
Go there, please. Acts 3, 12. Peter, I think, Peter, I know, and John, I think, were in the city of Jerusalem, and a lame man, I believe, was asking alms from the pastor of eyes, and they said, well, silver and gold, we have none, but that that we do have, that we will give you, and so they cured him of his lameness.
And the people were amazed, and when Peter saw it, he answered the people, You men of Jerusalem, why marvel you at this? Why look so earnestly on us, as though by our own powers or holiness we made this man to walk?
The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son, Jesus Christ, whom you delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.
But you denied the Holy One and the just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you. You killed the Prince of Life, whom God hath raised from the dead, whereof we are witnesses. And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom you see and you know.
Yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. And now, brethren, I will not through ignorance that you did it, that means I know that it was through ignorance that you did it, as did your rulers.
But those things which God hath before shown by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath fulfilled. Repent ye, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the time of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.
And he shall send Jesus Christ, which was before preached unto you, whom the heaven must receive, until the time of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of his holy prophets, since the world began.
For Moses truly said to the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord raise up to you of your brethren like unto me. Ye shall hear him in all things whatsoever he saith unto you. And it shall come to pass that every soul which will not hear the prophet will be destroyed from among the people.
Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel to those that follow after, as many as have spoken likewise foretold these days. Ye are the children of the prophet, and the covenant which God made with her father, saying unto Abraham, that in thy seed shall all the kindred of the earth be blessed, unto you first, unto the Jews first.
God, having raised up his son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning every one of you away from his iniquities. Now, who does he turn away from his iniquities? Every Jew or just those Jews that he chose?
And where did he go first? To the Jews. Now if he goes first to the Jews, what does that imply? That's one thing it implies, but it also implies there must be a second. If there's a first, there must be a second.
So where did he go second? To the Gentiles. They'll come a time. Right now, the Jews and the Gentiles are all treated with the same footing. But there will come a time when the roles will kind of flip-flop, and every Jew that is the descendant of well, every Jew will receive Christ.
I was fumbling around with that, yes. And then back in Genesis 26, because that Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. Did he keep them all? No, he didn't keep them all, but I'm sure that he regretted when he didn't.
And Isaac dwelt in Gea, and the men of the place asked him of his wife, and he said, She is my sister. For he feared to say, She is my wife, lest said he, The men of the place should kill me for Rebekah, because she was fair to look on.
Just like Abraham. Well, almost like Abraham. Abraham had at least a half-truth to lean on. She was his half-sister. Isaac had nothing but the full lie. And it came to pass when he had been there a long time, a long time, that Abimelech, king of the Philistines, looked out at the window, pardon me, I'm trying to suppress a sneeze, and I think I did.
And it came to pass that when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech, king of the Philistines, looked out the window and saw and beheld Isaac was sporting with Rebekah, his wife. Now, John Calvin had a very interesting comment here, and I didn't type it in, so I'm going to try to recall it.
His Isaac had held himself in a close enough righteous position so that when Abimelech looked out the window and saw him, what he says, sporting with Rebekah, his wife, he interpreted that as being the wife of Isaac, not as some, well, obviously not as a sister, but I'm trying to think of a less harsh way of saying what I've got to say.
I'll just say a harlot. He didn't say, ah, this lady is a lady of the night. This is his wife, because his first assumption was Isaac would not be doing that. So, obviously, since Isaac is doing those sorts of things, that this must be his wife.
Well, I'm not sure, because I'm not sure it's the same Abimelech. It's been a long time between Abraham and Abimelech. Abraham and his issue with Abimelech. Remember, when Abraham went into the same country and met with Abimelech and told him that this was his sister, Isaac was not yet conceived.
Okay, what I'm trying to say is I don't think it was the same man because the first event happened before Isaac was born. Isaac took a wife when he was, I want to say, 40, and sometime by 60, he had a son.
So, this was at least 40 years later, and that's a pretty long time. So, it may be the son. This Abimelech may be the son of the other one. There might have been stories. It... That's right. It would have been a big deal.
They would have remembered it. I guess he did. That is, I had never thought about that. Did Abimelech know that this Isaac was Abraham's son? And if he did, would he have thought, well, maybe this sister is not really a sister?
Well, something gave it away. Actually, God revealed it to Abimelech. Unlike the earlier issue, here, God sovereignly revealed the relation. Take that back. How did the first Abimelech know that Sarah was the wife instead of the half-sister, instead of the sister?
Because God told him. God told him that don't mess with her because he's my man and this is his wife. Leave her alone. That happened to the first Abimelech. This one just happened to look out the window.
Well, we know you just don't happen to look out the window. He happened to look out the window because the Lord made him look out the window. And he saw some behavior that was indicative of marriage. And so he called Isaac and he said, Behold, of a surety she is thy wife.
How sayest thou she is my sister? And Isaac said what we all say, I said it lest I die for her. That would make me feel good if I was his wife. Wouldn't you? I'm going to throw my wife to the pagan so I won't get killed.
And Abimelech said, What is this that thou hast done unto us? One of the people might likely have lain with thy wife and thou shouldest have brought guiltiness upon us. And Abimelech charged all his people saying, He that touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.
Now that is pretty extreme, isn't it? He didn't say think about what he said. He said, What have you done to us? One of my people might have lain with your wife and we know what happened the last time that event happened and should have brought guiltiness upon us all.
So what did he do? He didn't say, You ought not tell these lies. He called his people and said, He that touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death. He took the side of Isaac. He took the side of the liar.
And he took the side against his people and said, If any of you touch this man or his wife, you will surely be put to death. So, John MacArthur said that a pagan king imposed the death penalty on anyone troubling Isaac or Rebekah suggests that God was at work preserving his chosen seat.
That's the only reason that the pagan king would have taken that path. And I kind of agree with that. It really does. And I apologize for not recognizing that as we went through first time. Yes, it does.
And we don't want this to happen again so if any of you mess with him or his wife, you'll be put to death. Now, I've got an answer for you, but I want you to give me the answer. They couldn't. It's not that...
Now, did any Philistine ever worship the true God? Well, yes. Absolutely. Had they wanted to, they would have, but they didn't want to. And going back to Brother David's comment, how could they possibly not want to?
How is it possible for a guy not to want to worship the true God? Well, after they put on the piano, they don't always do right, but they always feel bad when they do wrong. And that is a good thing. I can remember many times when I have since I knew I was saved, did things that I knew I ought not do, and whereas earlier I kind of enjoyed doing them, afterwards I said, not only did I not enjoy it, but I didn't want anybody to know that I'd ever been there.
I can remember a time when I was in a place I ought not to have been and I was looking around to see if anybody there might see me. I was in Providence, Rhode Island. I didn't know anybody within a hundred miles, within a thousand miles.
And I was worried around, looking, worried around, seeing is there anybody here that might see me, that might know who I am? Well, you know what? There was. God was there, and he saw me, and I knew that somebody was seeing me.
And Isaac sowed the land and received in the same year a hundredfold. And the Lord blessed him, and the man waxed great and went forward until he grew, until he became very great. For he had the possession of the flocks and the possession of herds and great stores of servants, and the Philistines envied him.
The promise had been made that he would bless them. And he has. In spite of the fact that Isaac was not perfect in all of his ways, he was God's chosen one. Most gracious Heavenly Father, thank you for this day, and thank you for all our many blessings.
Keep us and protect us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.