Mistaken identity

Genesis 21:1-7 ESV

The Lord
visited Sarah
as he had said, and the Lord did to Sarah as he had promised.
And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age
at the time of which God had spoken to him. Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore him, Isaac.  And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old,
as God had commanded him. Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. And Sarah said,
"God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me." And she said, "Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age."
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How many times have you heard this story? I know I've heard it many times. And it seems to me every time I've ever heard it before I've left thinking of Abraham and even more so of Sarah. And to be sure both of them are key characters. We should empathise with them. It is an exciting miracle. A very old couple have become first time parents. Sarah is ninety! Ninety year old women don't have babies!
But this is not first and foremost a story about Abraham, Sarah, or Isaac.

This is a story about God!

If you take a moment to thumb through your Bible around these chapters in Genesis. Look for the number of times the narration punctuates the action with God or the Lord. God said. The Lord said. The Lord went. God came. God caused.
And crucially in these seven verses above, God has made.

Listen to how Paul puts God the focus of Abraham's sorry in Romans,
Romans 4:19-22 ESV

He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead ( since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was "counted to him as righteousness."

Romans 9:8-11 ESV

This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. For this is what the promise said: "About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son." And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls—

Later the author of the book of Hebrews sheds this light on these events,

Hebrews 11:11-19 ESV

By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore. These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, "Through Isaac shall your offspring be named." He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.

In every case the story is about God. Is your life story about God? Are you putting your faith in the promise of God to you?

When you review your past or contemplate your future is it seen though the lens of God's plan and God's promise?

Don't try to be the star of this epic saga. Trust God who, keeps giving. Expect God to enable you to fulfil his promise to you.

Do you even know God's promise to you? Here's a clue it is a promise about Jesus. Jesus is the son of promise, born out of time. Born into impossible circumstances. Born to declare God's intention to save. Born to show God to you. Jesus is ultimately the one who in every way fulfils the many promises of God.

Do you know him?
Do you trust him?
Are you expecting him to work out the promise of God to you?
Are you making sure the story of your life is a story about God fulfilling his promise through Jesus?

What is the story's climax?

Acts 13:38-39 NLT

“Brothers, listen! We are here to proclaim that through this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins. Everyone who believes in him is declared right with God—something the law of Moses could never do.

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Everyone loves a good story. What often makes a story more interesting is when we can relate to it and it includes something of our own history.

Paul was invited to speak some words of encouragement to the Jews in Antioch of Syria.

Now my interest in this account is all the more keen these days because I have a number of Syrian friends. And actually Paul summarises hundreds of years of God's work in a few paragraphs.

But the most exciting part is the climax of the story found in Jesus.

Paul says, proclaiming Jesus is the whole reason for the story,and Jesus is the reason for the events of world history and telling the story climaxing in Jesus was specifically why Paul was there in Antioch of Syria talking to people.

The reason is the good news about Jesus.

Jesus forgives sins. In fact, Jesus would forgive their sins. The disobedience against God done by them right there in Antioch of Syria wound be forgiven by Jesus. The lies of the Jews and Gentiles right then and right there would be forgiven by Jesus. The adultery, the theft, the pride, the selfishness, the lusts and the greed were all able to be forgiven by Jesus. And Jesus could make them right with God. These blessed Jews and Gentiles listening to Paul in Antioch of Syria were told that it wasn't through striving to be good by keeping Moses' (God's) law that would make then right with God. No.

Belief in the forgiveness of the risen son of God, Jesus was what would make them right with God.

Admission that they needed forgiveness, belief that Jesus could and would forgive, trusting Jesus' forgiveness made them right with God rather than their own failed attempts at keeping the law of Moses (God), this was the climax of the whole story. This was the climax of every story ever told in the Bible.

Oh and in these few verses in this the most exciting climax to all good and true stories we learn so much theology. Paul teaches us that: (read the passage below the line to get the larger context.)

Jesus is man and yet...
Jesus is the son of God
Jesus can and will forgive our sin
Jesus can and should be believed in.
Jesus can and will make the believer right with God.
Our sin makes us not right with God.
The law of Moses (God's law), can not make us right with God.
We need to be made right with God.

Can you agree with Paul, you are a sinner who needs to be made right with God?
Can you trust the Good News about Jesus?
Those who believe that Jesus forgives their sin are made right with God!
You don't have to keep the law and measure up.
You have to believe in Jesus.

This is good news indeed.

Will you believe it today?
Will you tell someone else?

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Acts 13:15-43 NLT

After the usual readings from the books of Moses and the prophets, those in charge of the service sent them this message: “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, come and give it.” So Paul stood, lifted his hand to quiet them, and started speaking. “Men of Israel,” he said, “and you God-fearing Gentiles, listen to me. “The God of this nation of Israel chose our ancestors and made them multiply and grow strong during their stay in Egypt. Then with a powerful arm he led them out of their slavery. He put up with them through forty years of wandering in the wilderness. Then he destroyed seven nations in Canaan and gave their land to Israel as an inheritance. All this took about 450 years. “After that, God gave them judges to rule until the time of Samuel the prophet. Then the people begged for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, who reigned for forty years. But God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.’ “And it is one of King David’s descendants, Jesus, who is God’s promised Savior of Israel! Before he came, John the Baptist preached that all the people of Israel needed to repent of their sins and turn to God and be baptized. As John was finishing his ministry he asked, ‘Do you think I am the Messiah? No, I am not! But he is coming soon—and I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the sandals on his feet.’ “Brothers—you sons of Abraham, and also you God-fearing Gentiles—this message of salvation has been sent to us! The people in Jerusalem and their leaders did not recognize Jesus as the one the prophets had spoken about. Instead, they condemned him, and in doing this they fulfilled the prophets’ words that are read every Sabbath. They found no legal reason to execute him, but they asked Pilate to have him killed anyway. “When they had done all that the prophecies said about him, they took him down from the cross and placed him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead! And over a period of many days he appeared to those who had gone with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to the people of Israel. “And now we are here to bring you this Good News. The promise was made to our ancestors, and God has now fulfilled it for us, their descendants, by raising Jesus. This is what the second psalm says about Jesus: ‘You are my Son. Today I have become your Father. ’ For God had promised to raise him from the dead, not leaving him to rot in the grave. He said, ‘I will give you the sacred blessings I promised to David.’  Another psalm explains it more fully: ‘You will not allow your Holy One to rot in the grave.’  This is not a reference to David, for after David had done the will of God in his own generation, he died and was buried with his ancestors, and his body decayed. No, it was a reference to someone else—someone whom God raised and whose body did not decay. “Brothers, listen! We are here to proclaim that through this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins. Everyone who believes in him is declared right with God—something the law of Moses could never do. Be careful! Don’t let the prophets’ words apply to you. For they said, ‘Look, you mockers, be amazed and die! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it.’ ” As Paul and Barnabas left the synagogue that day, the people begged them to speak about these things again the next week. Many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, and the two men urged them to continue to rely on the grace of God.