God's Plan in Place

Good evening everyone. It's good to be back here with you.

If you've got a Bible, will you turn to Genesis 17?

Or if you're following on your phone, I'm trusting with, I never know in church these days,

people claim they're looking at their reading on their phone.

I'm never absolutely sure that's the case. I hope it is for you anyway, but yeah.

Good. Genesis 17.

We're going to be following our reading this evening, but let me begin by asking you a question

to think about at the beginning.

Does God watch the news at 10?

When you see national and world events, I just watch the news at lunchtime,

on television screens, yet another mass shooting in an American school,

seemingly unending, horrendous conflict in Syria,

sexual misconduct in aid organizations in Hollywood,

even in football,

and in terminable Brexit negotiations.

Do you wonder,

if God sees

and cares,

does God watch the news at 10?

Now, maybe you don't believe in God.

You believe that life has no

ultimate meaning.

History has no

real purpose.

But if you do believe in God,

if you believe in the God of this book,

and the God of the Bible,

you know that life has a meaning,

that there is a story behind it all,

with a plot line,

and that the author

is God.

Even on that most dreadful of days,

when our first parents

rebelled against God,

with disastrous consequences

for them,

and for our world,

God already had a plan in place

to put things right.

And that plan centered

on a 75-year-old man

whom God called

to leave his home

in the urban center of his day

in the Middle East

some 4,000 years ago,

and to set out on a journey

to a promised land.

The name of the man was Abraham.

And God promised

to bless him,

and through him,

his plan was blessing

God's intention,

his good intention,

for all peoples on earth.

Now,

the highlights

and lowlights

of Abraham's life

are described

in the first book

of the Bible,

the book of Genesis.

And you've been following them

in your series

on Sunday evenings

with this wonderful picture

you can see,

Father of the Faithful,

which I took off your website.

Now,

today we come to a particular point

in the narrative.

Almost a quarter of a century

has passed

since Abraham embarked

on his journey.

And we wonder,

as maybe Abraham himself did,

whether God is watching the news

in Canaan,

in Egypt,

in the surrounding nation.

Today we discover,

and this is our theme,

today we discover

that God's plan

is still in place.

God's plan

is still in place.

So,

let's follow this through.

We've got quite a big chunk

of the Bible.

I was looking at my records

when Graham asked me

to speak on this.

I discovered to my horror

I preached two 45-minute sermons

in Charlotte Chapel

on this section.

So,

hold tight

and do the maths.

But,

it won't be that long

so don't worry about it.

Okay?

So,

we're going to follow it.

And what I want to look at,

I'm trying to group together

so we can focus on this passage

and I hope it's helpful.

Three reminders

to Abraham

that God's plan

is still in place.

And,

we will find similar reminders

in our own lives

as we follow this through.

So,

here's reminder number one

that God's plan

is still in place.

The reassuring presence

of the Lord.

Genesis 17

Genesis 17:1–2

verses 1 to 2

or verse 1 in particular.

If you've got your Bible open

you'll see at the end

of chapter 16

the last verse

it says,

So,

Hagar bore Abraham a son.

I'm not going to go over the story.

You already followed it last week

or maybe you already know it.

Abraham gave him

the name Ishmael

to the sons he had borne.

Abraham was 86 years old

when Hagar bore him Ishmael.

Now you turn to chapter 17

and the opening verse says,

When Abraham was 99 years old

the Lord appeared to him.

In his daily reading book

which I commend to you,

my wife and I read it together

for our devotions,

Don Carson,

great New Testament scholar,

has written two volumes

called For the Love of God

which follows through

Robert Murray McShane's

daily reading plan

and he comments on one every day

and a few weeks ago

he commented on this passage

Genesis 17

and this is what he says.

I've got the two things

I get behind on my PowerPoint here.

We are not to think

that God disclosed himself

to Abraham every day.

The decisive moments

take place over considerable time.

Now he is 99

and Ishmael

is already 13.

So we ask ourselves

what has happened

in the intervening 13 years

between the end of chapter 16

and the beginning of chapter 17.

And I tell you

with some confidence

what has happened

in those 13 years

is nothing decisive.

No decisive moments,

just the daily routine of life

and work

and family.

And I ask myself

does Abraham think

God has forgotten

after 13 years

is a long time,

isn't it?

What about this prospect

of future descendants

more numerous than stars

in the night sky?

What future prospects

for a childless marriage

of a man who is 99

and a woman who is 89?

But despite the passage of time,

God's plan remains in place.

For the one who made the plan

has a different idea of time

and concept of time.

The eternal God

stands outside of time

but is involved in time

but he sees things

differently to us.

If you've been following the series,

God has already said to Abraham,

you and your descendants

will inherit this land

in 400 years.

And once again,

as we come to chapter 17,

God takes the initiative.

He's the one

who starts the conversation,

who breaks the long silence.

Rarely do we seek God

and when we do it

it's only because

he has put that desire

within our hearts.

Most of the time,

let's be honest,

we are too consumed

with the daily routine

of living,

the concerns and cares

of daily life.

So God appears

to 99-year-old Abraham

to reassure him

that his plan is still in place.

When Abraham was 99 years old,

the Lord appeared to him

and said,

I am God Almighty,

walk before me faithfully

and be blameless.

And the Lord's words

revealed to Abraham

a new dimension

of God's character,

who he is.

Now you don't see this

in the text here

but there's a new name

that is introduced here,

the name for God

used here in the original Hebrew,

the Old Testament

was written mostly in Hebrew.

The word that's used,

El means God,

El Shaddai.

There's a lot of dispute

exactly what Shaddai means

but it's the idea

it's connected actually

to a word for mountain,

it's a word of immovability.

If you're interested,

the Greek translation

is Pantokrita

which means omnipotent God

and so our English translations

have translated it

by God Almighty.

It's quite a good translation,

it conveys the right sense.

When the title is used

later on in scripture

in the story

of the Old Testament,

it is usually the time

of great crisis

in the life of God's people,

a time when they need reassurance

that God can and will

fulfill his promises

despite outward appearances.

And so as we see

the breadth of the promises

that the Lord reaffirms

to Abraham

and their impossibility

from a human standpoint,

it is especially appropriate

title and revelation

of the Lord's character

which Abraham needs

at this particular time.

Let me pause and say,

perhaps it's a reminder

that some of us need

this evening

for God is the unchanging God.

David Jackman,

pastor, Bible teacher,

says,

when we're at the end

of our tether,

we need to remember

that at the other end

is El Shaddai.

When we're at the end

of our tether,

we need to remember

at the other end

is El Shaddai.

So what does El Shaddai

require of Abraham?

What he requires

is faithful commitment.

You see,

in the days,

the months,

the years of his pilgrimage

on earth,

when nothing dramatic

seems to happen,

Abraham is to faithfully

walk before the God

who sees,

enjoying fellowship

with him

as Adam and Eve did

before the fall.

We're told in those days

that God walked

with Adam and Eve.

And God still walks

with people.

He still,

in the day-to-day walk

of life,

shows his presence

to us.

And Abraham is to be

blameless.

It's not a word

that means perfect,

for no one is perfect.

Behind that word

is the idea

of wholehearted

commitment

to a relationship.

Now,

what God required

of Abraham,

he requires

of all of those

who believe in his word

and trust in his promises.

Those of you

who are older like me,

you can look back

over your life.

I'm over 70 now.

You all gasped

and said,

I would never have guessed,

but anyway,

as you look back over,

as I look back

over my life,

there are significant

moments in my life,

significant occasions

when God met with me

in a particular way.

And some of you

can look back on that.

But for most of the time,

it's just been a daily,

hopefully consistent,

not as consistent

as I would have wished

sometimes.

It's a daily,

consistent walk with God

day by day.

Walking by faith,

living by faith,

and eventually,

for most,

if not all of us,

unless Christ returns,

we will die in faith.

Significant,

isn't it?

Billy Graham,

99 years old,

died this week.

What a consistent life

over 99 years.

Faithful,

consistent

walk with God.

So,

the New Testament book

of Hebrews

comments

on

the life of Abraham

quite extensively,

encourages Christians

to walk

by faith

like Abraham.

This is what he says,

by faith

he made his home

in the promised land

like a stranger

in a foreign country.

Notice the phrase,

he lived in tents,

as did Isaac and Jacob

who were heirs with him

of the same promise,

for he was looking forward

to the city with foundations

whose architect and builder

is God.

So,

here's the first reminder.

Abraham is reminded,

encouraged that God's plan

is still in place

because of his reassuring presence.

For his part,

God then makes

a promise to Abraham,

a second reminder

that his plan

is still in place.

Look what he says.

Then I will make a covenant,

my covenant,

between you and me

and I will greatly

increase your numbers.

Now,

if you've been following

the story of Abraham,

you ask yourself,

what's this about?

Back in chapter 15,

all those years before,

God made a covenant

with Abraham.

On that day,

God made a covenant

with Abraham.

Genesis 15,

Genesis 15:18

verse 18.

But now,

God graciously reaffirms

the covenant

he made with Abraham.

Just occasionally,

I don't know whether

any of you have done this,

and I certainly haven't yet.

Sometimes couples

decide after

a significant period,

maybe a golden

or diamond wedding,

to reaffirm publicly

the vows that they made

to each other

in the covenant of marriage.

It's not a bad idea.

My wife and I

just passed 40 years,

so if God preserves

us to 50 minutes,

it's a good thing to do.

But it reaffirms

that commitment.

Now,

here God,

the almighty God,

El Shaddai,

is renewing his covenant

with Abraham.

So let's read on.

We're going to keep reading

as we go through.

Verse 2,

Then I will make my covenant

between me and you,

and I'll greatly increase

your numbers.

Verse 3,

Abraham fell face down,

and God said to him,

As for me,

this is my covenant with you.

You will be the father

of many nations.

No longer will you be called

Abraham.

Your name will be Abraham,

for I've made you a father

of many nations.

I will make you very fruitful.

I will make nations of you,

and kings will come from you.

And I will establish my covenant

as an everlasting covenant

between me and you,

and your descendants after you

for the generations to come

to be your God

and the God of your descendants

after you.

The whole land of Canaan,

where you now reside

as a foreigner,

I will give as an everlasting

possession to you

and your descendants

after you,

and I will be their God.

Then God said to Abraham,

As for you,

you must keep my covenant,

you and your descendants

after you,

for the generations to come.

This is my covenant with you

and your descendants after you,

the covenant you are to keep.

Every male among you

shall be circumcised.

You are to undergo circumcision.

It will be the sign

of the covenant

between me and you

for the generations to come.

Every male among you

who is eight days old

must be circumcised,

including those born

in your household

or bought with money

from a foreigner,

those who are not your offspring.

Whether born in your household

or bought with your money,

they must be circumcised.

My covenant in your flesh

is to be an everlasting covenant.

Any uncircumcised male

who has not been circumcised

in the flesh

will be cut off

from his people.

He has broken my covenant.

Now, I just wonder again,

we can only speculate,

maybe after all these years,

after the covenant

was first made,

maybe,

maybe,

maybe Aram looks at Ishmael

and wonders,

have I made a mistake here?

Whether after 13 years of silence,

God's plan is still in place,

but God leaves him in no doubt

as he renews the covenant

and Abraham falls on his face

in worship before El Shaddai,

who responds by giving him

two things,

a new name

and a new sign.

The new name is given

his name is changed

from Abraham,

a bit of Hebrew here,

to Abraham.

It's actually an anagram,

if you like anagrams,

in the original language,

it's switching around

to the letters.

All right?

Abraham means

a high, exalted father.

Abraham means

father of many

or a multitude.

It's a play in Hebrew

on the words,

I will greatly increase.

notice how this is

to come about.

God says to him,

I will make you

very fruitful.

Right back in the beginning,

God's command to Adam

was to be fruitful

and multiply,

Genesis 1.28.

He disobeyed God's word

and his descendants

were almost wiped off

the map of the earth,

nor emerged from the ark

and God says to him,

be fruitful and multiply,

Genesis 9.1.

And now,

the command is

a promise,

I will make you

very fruitful.

God Almighty

is at work through Abraham

to fulfill his promise.

The covenant,

which before was private

and personal,

is now corporate

and public.

It's promised

not just to Abraham,

but to his descendants,

who will include

nations and kings

for generations to come,

people who inherit

the land of Canaan

as an everlasting

possession.

Now notice,

at this particular point,

nothing has yet changed.

But it is so sure

that the words are actually,

in what's called

the prophetic perfect,

they're written

as though it's already happened.

He does not say,

well,

I'll make you a father

of many nations.

Literally,

the literal translation says,

I have made you

a father of many nations.

Now,

to other people,

this must have seemed

rather ludicrous.

I kind of imagine,

you know,

Abraham meeting up

with some of the locals

later,

and one of them says,

good morning,

Abraham,

how are you?

And he says,

I'm fine,

thank you.

By the way,

I've got a new name.

What is it?

Abraham,

father of a multitude.

Kind of,

you can imagine,

I'm smiling.

Yeah,

a multitude.

How many kids have you got?

One by a servant girl?

Hmm.

Yet it is as sure

as the promise

of the one who has made it,

El Shaddai,

the Lord Almighty.

And along with this

is a new covenant sign,

that of circumcision.

The sign of his obedience

is circumcision

of every male member

of the covenant.

Circumcision was practiced

by other nations,

and we know from

contemporary documents

at the same time,

but normally it was

practiced when

a young man came

of a certain age

of maturity,

around the age

that Ishmael had been

13 or 14,

something like that.

But here it is

from birth,

and it marks them out

as belonging

to God's people.

This is my covenant

with you

and your descendants

after you,

the covenant you are to keep.

Every male among you

shall be circumcised.

Notice,

very importantly,

it is not a means

of salvation,

but a sign of obedience

which follows it.

If you know the Bible,

the Apostle Paul

in Romans 4

points out

that circumcision

was given

long after Abraham

trusted with God

and was declared

to be righteous.

However,

although circumcision

does not put a person

right with God,

it does not mean

it's unimportant

and can be ignored.

It's essential

that Abraham

is obedient

to the Lord.

And so,

at the conclusion

of Genesis 17,

we can kind of

just skip over a little

to verse 23,

and we'll come back

to the second section

in the middle.

Verse 23 says,

On that very day

Abraham took his son Ishmael

and those born with

in his household

or bought with his money

every male in his household

circumcised him

as God told him.

Abraham was 99 years old

when he was circumcised.

His son Ishmael

was 13.

Abraham and his son Ishmael

were both circumcised

on that very day

and every male

in Abraham's household

including those born

in his household

or bought from a foreigner

was circumcised with him.

See,

circumcision was an outward sign

of an inner consecration

to God

and it marked out

that you belong

to God's people.

Now,

of course,

both the prophets

and the New Testament

tell us that it can just

be an external thing.

They talk about

the circumcision of the heart

and it needs to reflect

an inner obedience

to God.

But it had great value

as a permanent

and tangible reminder

that an Israelite

belonged to the Lord

and his people.

Now,

jump over where we are.

We are not part

of that old covenant.

We are part

of the new covenant

and

notice the new covenant,

the new covenant sign

is baptism.

The apostle Peter

on the day of Pentecost,

the Holy Spirit

has been poured out

on God's people.

The crowd are horrified

to hear they've murdered

their Messiah

and they cry out,

what should we do?

And Peter says to them,

repent and be baptized

every one of you

in the name of Jesus

for the forgiveness

of your sins.

You'll receive the gift

of the Holy Spirit,

the promises for you

and for your children,

for all who are near,

for all who are far off,

for all whom the Lord

our God will call.

We often think of baptism.

Let me say a few words

about baptism.

I think I'm a good Baptist.

We often think it's some kind

of personal decision

that we make,

which it is.

Each one of us

needs to personally choose

by God's grace

to put our faith in Christ

and as an activist

to be obedient in baptism.

But there is a corporate sense

to baptism.

It's the sign that marks out

you're declaring publicly

in baptism

that I now identify

with the Lord

and with the Lord's people.

Now, in many parts of the world,

this is far more significant

than it is in our culture.

I think many years ago

of a young woman

that I had the privilege

of baptizing.

She was from a very wealthy family,

I won't even tell you

the country,

probably anyone will pick this up,

but in North Africa,

her father was a government minister.

And she started to show

an interest in the Christian faith

and by God's grace

put her faith in Christ.

So far, so good,

even with her family.

The day I baptized her,

we baptized her in the church.

After that day,

her father then told

all his friends and family,

my daughter is dead.

See, there's a tremendous cost.

You'll find,

having worked in Pakistan,

for example,

for several years,

that the mark of belonging

to God's people

is baptism.

I simply ask you,

have you taken

that decisive step

of baptism

at far less cost,

let's face it,

in our culture?

It's very important.

It's a covenant sign.

So, Abraham is a reminder

that God's plan

is still in place.

First of all,

God's reassuring presence.

Then secondly,

his renewed covenant.

Thirdly and finally,

the third reminder

is the repeated promises

of God.

As I said before,

I wonder if Abraham realized

he'd made this mistake

by trying to fulfill.

God had made this promise,

you'll be fruitful,

many people will come from you.

As his wife got older and older,

he began to think,

this is never going to happen.

We need to help God out here.

And his wife said,

I've got this servant girl,

why don't you take her

and we can have a family

through her.

Studying it and you realize

what a disaster that was.

Still with us today.

Had it not taken that step,

you wouldn't be talking about

ISIS and Al-Qaeda

and Islam, frankly.

But anyway,

it seemed successful

with the birth of a son,

but now 13 years have gone

and it seems even more

unlikely that anything

is going to happen

as far as Abraham

and Sarah are concerned.

Certainly had no more

expectations

of a son and an heir

through Sarah.

But now God surprises him

by what he promises.

Let's just read on a bit

in verse 19.

Sorry, verse 15.

God also said to Abraham,

as for Sarah, your wife,

you're no longer to call her Sarah.

Her name will be Sarah.

The two names actually

both mean princess.

It's not quite clear

why the change of name

with her.

I will bless her

and I will surely

give you a son

by her.

I will bless her

so that she'll be

the mother of nations,

kings and peoples

will come from her.

Now here's Abraham.

We're studying him.

Abraham, the man of faith.

When Abraham hears this,

Abraham lifted his voice

to heaven

and praised God

and said,

marvelous, fantastic.

No, Abraham fell face down

and laughed

and said to himself,

will a son be born

to a man a hundred years old?

Will Sarah bear a child

at the age of 90?

And Abraham said to God,

if only Ishmael

might live in your blessing,

surely Lord,

he's the one.

Then God said,

yes, but your wife Sarah

will bear you a son.

You will call him Isaac,

which means he laughs.

Every time they shouted at Isaac,

it's time for dinner,

they would remind themselves

of their laughter,

of joy as well,

of unbelief.

As for Ishmael,

I've heard you,

I'll bless him,

I'll make him fruitful,

greatly increase him in numbers,

he'll be the father

of 12 rulers,

I'll make him into a great nation,

but my covenant

I will establish

with Isaac,

whom Sarah will bear to you

by this time next year.

When he'd finished speaking

with Abraham,

God went up from him.

It's hardly the response

of faith, is it?

Abraham fell face down

and laughed.

He fell face down

and laughed.

But God graciously assures him,

there is no mistake,

it will happen.

Abraham is not rebuked

for his laughter and unbelief,

rather the Lord reaffirms

what he said about Sarah,

gives her a new name,

and the promise of this child,

Isaac,

he laughs.

And this is reaffirmed

in the next chapter,

so let's just look,

we'll all look in detail,

we won't get another 45 minutes

on chapter 18,

if you were dreading

or anticipating it,

but let's read on

in chapter 18

because we see

the repeated promise

of a son

through Sarah.

It's this wonderful story.

Shortly afterwards,

the Lord appeared to Abraham

near the great trees

of Mamre

while he was sitting

at the entrance to his tent

in the heat of the day.

Abraham looked up

and saw three men

standing nearby.

When he saw them,

he hurried from the entrance

of his tent

to meet them

and bowed low

to the ground.

He said,

if I've found favor

in your eyes,

my Lord,

do not pass your servant by,

let a little water

be brought,

then you may all

wash your feet,

rest under this tree,

let me get you

something to eat

so that you can be refreshed

and then go on your way

now that you've come

to your servant.

He obviously senses

these are important people

and this is

Eastern hospitality.

Very well,

they answered,

do as you say.

Rather than a little bit

of water,

we get a full meal.

So Abraham hurried

into the tent to Sarah.

Quick, he said,

get three sears

of the finest flour,

knead it,

bake some bread.

He ran to the herd,

selected a choice tender calf,

gave it to a servant

who hurried to prepare it.

This is no instant

McDonald's meal,

is it?

This is pretty,

pretty serious stuff.

He then brought

some curds and milk

and the calves

that had been prepared

and set these before them

while they ate.

He stood near them

under a tree.

Where is your wife,

Sarah,

they asked him.

They're in the tent,

he said.

Then one of them said,

I will surely return

to you about

this time next year

and Sarah,

your wife,

will have a son.

It turns out

this one,

two of them

are angelic beings.

One is the Lord himself

as you'll see

as you read on.

Now Sarah was listening

at the entrance

to the tent

which was behind him.

Abraham and Sarah

were already very old

and Sarah was past

the age of childbearing.

So Sarah laughed

to herself

as she thought,

am I worn out

and my Lord is,

after I am worn out,

my Lord is old,

will I now have

this pleasure?

Then the Lord,

it seems it's the Lord

himself,

said to Abraham,

why did Sarah laugh

and say,

will I really have a child

now that I'm old?

Is anything too hard

for the Lord?

I will return to you

at the appointed time

next year

and Sarah will have a son.

Sarah was afraid

so she lied

and said,

I did not laugh

but he said,

yes,

you did laugh.

Here's the promise

reaffirmed.

I will surely

return to you

about this time

next year

and Sarah,

your wife,

will have a son.

And the response

of Sarah

is like that of Abraham.

So Sarah laughed

to herself

as she thought,

after I am worn out

and my Lord is old,

will I now have

this pleasure?

And notice the Lord's

response to Sarah's

unbelief.

Why did Sarah laugh

and say,

will I really have a child

now that I'm old?

Is anything,

here's the key verse,

is anything too hard

for the Lord?

I'll return to you

at the appointed time

next year

and Sarah

will have a son.

Sarah is afraid,

she denies,

she laughed

but the Lord says,

yes,

you did laugh

but here's the important point.

Nonetheless,

the laughter,

the unbelief

of Sarah and Abraham

does not negate

the promises of God

or frustrate his plans.

David Pryor,

commentator in his book

on Abraham

living by faith

says,

God had brought

their unbelief

to the surface

and forced them

to face up to it.

He had spoken

his definite word

of promise

into their unbelief.

So Abraham and Sarah

are reassured

that despite

all the seeming

impossibility,

God's plan

is still in place.

David Pryor comments

again very helpfully,

I think.

The last 25 years

had not been

haphazard

or pointless.

Abraham and Sarah

had not destroyed

or even damaged

God's purposes

by their doubts,

fears,

and unbelief.

God had been

weaving everything

into his

predetermined pattern.

Living by faith

means such a ready

but not irresponsible

acceptance

of God's sovereignty.

You see,

the challenge

to us is

not how big

is your faith

but how big

is your God.

Jesus said

you want to need

faith the size

of a mustard seed,

the tiniest

possible seed,

providing that faith

is focused

on the great God,

El Shaddai,

the God

for whom

nothing is impossible.

So again

in Hebrews 11

we get the record.

By faith

Abraham,

even though

his past age

and Sarah

herself was barren,

was unable

to become a father

because he,

here's the key bit,

because he considered

him faithful

who had made

the promise.

And so from

this one man

and he as good

as dead

came descendants

as numerous

as the stars

in the sky

and as countless

as the sand

on the seashore.

So we look back

and see

a year later,

less than a year later,

a month later,

little laughter,

Isaac is born.

And we look back

on the history,

on the story

for the Bible

as a narrative

that traces God's plan

through the generations.

All that God promised

came true.

From Isaac

came all his descendants,

numerous descendants.

And finally,

through this line,

the Lord comes again

to earth,

again,

this time in human form,

as a tiny baby,

as a promise

is made

to a young girl,

a promise made

by a prophet

700 years before,

that a virgin

will give birth

to a son.

Impossible.

How will this be,

she asks.

The answer

of the angelic messenger

promises

a greater miracle.

The angel answered,

the Holy Spirit

will come upon you.

The power of the Most High

will overshadow you.

So the Holy One

to be born

will be called

the Son of God.

Even Elizabeth,

your relative,

is going to have

a child in her old age

and she who was said

to be barren

is in her six month.

Very interesting parallels.

Elizabeth and Zechariah

with Abraham,

Sarah,

we don't have time

to look at it.

But nothing

is impossible

with God.

When God

makes a promise,

he keeps it.

But notice

the response

of Mary,

not like that

of Sarah.

She doesn't laugh.

She doesn't say

ridiculous.

She exhibits

a greater faith.

I am the Lord's servant,

Mary answered.

May it be to me

as you have said

according to your word.

So we know

the story.

Her baby,

Jesus by name.

is born.

He fulfills

perfectly

in every detail

all the promises

of God made

over hundreds of years

in his perfect life,

in his sacrificial death,

in his resurrection

from the dead,

and his ascension

into heaven.

The plan

is still in place.

Now we await

the final chapter

in the story.

Promised by angels

again to those

who saw him

ascend into heaven.

Here's the end

of the story.

This same Jesus

who has been taken

from you

into heaven

will come back

in the same way

you've seen him

go into heaven.

That's the end

of the story.

All of human history

is working towards

that ultimate goal.

In ways that we

cannot understand

through all the details

of the news

and all the things

that are happening

in our world,

God is working out

his sovereign purposes

towards that ultimate goal

when Christ will return

in power and great glory.

We may look back

and say it seems

a long time,

2,000 years.

Right back in the New Testament,

one of the last books

were in the New Testament.

The Apostle Peter says

people are still saying that

and what is his answer?

One day with the Lord

is a thousand years.

A thousand years

is one day.

Like one day.

God is giving people

an opportunity

to repent

and as an opportunity

for mission

to fulfill

God's plans

and purposes.

God is still

working out

his purposes.

Now,

let me finish.

I've almost finished.

Are you ready

for his return?

Are you looking

for his return?

Are you longing

for his return?

Are you part of the plan?

Are you ready

when he returns?

Because when he returns,

he will return

either as your judge

or as your saviour.

We need to be ready

for that.

We need to anticipate

this greatest event

that is happening.

If you said this

on BBC News,

they would say

you're stupid.

What a ridiculous claim.

But nothing is impossible

with God.

If God has kept

all of his promises

right back to Abraham

as we've seen today,

through the generations,

through the centuries,

surely he will fulfill

his ultimate purpose

at the end of time

when Christ returns

and we live

by faith,

we walk by faith,

we die in faith

in this great hope

that God's plan

is still

in place.

I hope that's

your assurance.

Let's pray together.

Gracious God,

we thank you

that you are

the sovereign Lord

who works out

all things

according to your

great purposes.

And when you make

a promise,

it will be fulfilled.

We look back

over history

even briefly

this evening

and see that

all your promises

have been kept.

But your word

says all of them

are yes and amen

in Christ.

We look back

and affirm

that nothing

is impossible

for you,

that you delight

to work in situations

that seem humanly

impossible,

to show your

great power

and to show

that it is you

who is at work

and that you

have done it.

Lord,

we pray this

evening as we

bow in your

presence,

that if we're

not ready for

this,

that we might

repent while

there is still

opportunity

and put our

faith in him

who is the

savior,

who died for

our sins.

And for those

of us who have

that hope,

reaffirm it in us

again this evening.

Maybe for some

of us,

it seems a long

time since we

first put our

trust in you.

We look back

over the years,

but we thank you

as we sang right

at the beginning.

You are the

faithful God.

Your promises

are unchanging.

So fill us

with great and

renewed hope

in believing.

Reassure us

by your presence.

Renew that hope

within us in that

new covenant

in Christ.

And remind us

of all your

promises,

which will be

fulfilled.

And we look

forward to that

great day when

Christ himself

shall return.

Help us and

encourage us,

we pray.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.