Faith, Promise, Mission

Good morning. My name is Matthew Capone and I'm one of the pastors here at Cheyenne Mountain Presbyterian Church and it's my joy to bring God's word to you today.

Today we are continuing this morning our series in the book of Genesis which we were in, you'll remember, last summer.

Last summer, summer 2025, we were in the story of Abraham. Of course, Genesis tells the larger story, the origin story of God's people, Israel.

And so last summer we were in chapters 11 through 25 which talk about Abraham.

This summer we're in the story of Isaac and Jacob, mostly Jacob, chapters 25 through 36.

And to a certain extent, it's kind of the same theme of last summer. Remember our question was, what does it look like to follow God in faith?

And that will continue in the Isaac-Jacob story. We're also going to see some new layers though, some new themes that get special emphasis.

One of them was introduced last week. Andy talked about this, this emphasis on God's faithfulness.

So we have God's faithfulness to his covenant in the midst of human failure. Remember Andy pointed out last week that there's no good guys in the story.

Everyone's flawed and imperfect. God's faithfulness also, and this is kind of the emphasis this week, God's faithfulness generation by generation.

So we finished chapter 25 last week, the birth of the twins, Jacob and Esau, to Isaac and Rebekah.

This week we're starting chapter 26, which is actually moving back in time.

So chapter 26 is going to tell us about some things that happened before the birth of the twins,

and it is about Isaac taking on the mantle of Abraham.

And so you're going to hear some things, if you were with us last year, that sound familiar,

because there's going to be some repetition from chapter 12.

When God comes to Abraham, he's now going to say the same things to Isaac.

And so this passage, this chapter, is ultimately about God's faithfulness to his covenant.

So with that, I invite you to turn with me to Genesis chapter 26.

Genesis 26 · chapter mention

You'll find it on page 7 of your worship guide.

And as we turn to it, remember, Proverbs chapter 30 tells us every word of God proves true.

Proverbs 30 · chapter mention

He's a shield to those who take refuge in him.

And so that's why we read now Genesis 26, starting at verse 1.

Now there was a famine in the land besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham.

And Isaac went to Gerar to Abimelech, king of the Philistines.

And the Lord appeared to him and said,

Do not go down to Egypt.

Dwell in the land of which I shall tell you.

Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you.

For to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands.

And I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham, your father.

And I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven,

and will give to your offspring all these lands.

And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.

Because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge,

my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

I invite you to pray with me as we come to this portion of God's word.

Our Father in heaven, we do this morning praise you and thank you once again

that you have brought us together on a Sunday morning

to sing praises to you, to hear from you in your word.

Lord, we ask that you would pour out your Holy Spirit

in a powerful and special way among us here and now.

That you'd be at work by your word.

That you would open up our eyes, you'd unstop our ears.

That you would soften our hearts, you'd clear our minds.

That we would be able to see and hear and believe and understand

everything that you've written for us in your word.

Most of all, we ask that you would set our eyes on Jesus,

that we would see him clearly,

that he would be more beautiful to us than ever before.

And we ask all of these things in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.

Amen.

There is an important concept in police work or criminal investigations

that I imagine some of you are already familiar with,

and it is the idea of a chain of custody.

And the chain of custody is a list of who had an item in their possession

and when they had that item.

So imagine there's a crime scene,

you come to the scene, you're the police after the fact,

and there's a knife there at the scene,

and so you pick it up.

At that point, you have to keep track of who has the knife

and when they had it from the moment it is taken.

And if there's a gap in the chain of custody,

well, it's going to be very hard for you to use that knife as evidence.

So you take me to court, and you could say,

Matthew, your fingerprints are on the knife.

We think you're the murderer.

And I would say, okay, show me your chain of custody.

Because if there's a gap,

we know that's when you planted my fingerprint on the knife.

You have to prove that you knew where it was at all times.

Now you might be wondering,

what in the world does chain of custody have to do

with the book of Genesis chapter 26?

Genesis 26 · chapter mention

I'm glad you're wondering that because I'm going to tell you.

September 2025, we ended the Abraham story,

and then we return to our series in the book of Genesis.

And in the first half of Genesis chapter 25,

Genesis 25 · chapter mention

which we looked at September of last year,

Abraham dies.

And Abraham's death raises this question,

who will inherit the promises that God made?

God made promises to Abraham over and over again.

He gave him these blessings, these commands,

these promises in Genesis chapter 12 and 13 and 15 and 17.

Genesis 12 · chapter mention

They were promises about land and offspring

and blessing to the nations.

God said that he was going to make Abraham's name great.

He said that Abraham was going to inherit

and possess the land of Canaan,

and that not just a king,

but kings would come from Abraham's line.

So the big picture,

the main point of this passage,

these first five verses,

is this,

is this,

to confirm that God's promises to Abraham

do indeed pass to Isaac.

The point is to confirm,

to validate that in fact Isaac is the right heir,

the one to receive everything given to his father.

In fact, it's explicit in verse three.

I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham,

your father.

So chapter 26 is giving us the chain of custody

of God's promises.

By the way, this is going to continue throughout the book.

So we see it go from Abraham to Isaac.

Isaac then is going to bless Jacob, chapter 27.

If you're familiar with the story,

you know it's a stolen blessing.

And then what happens?

Jacob, near the end of Genesis,

is then going to pass the blessing on

to the 12 tribes of Israel.

So this is the first transfer,

but not the last, in the book.

We've gotten ahead of ourselves a little bit though.

There's three things we're going to look at this morning

as we see God's faithfulness to his covenant.

And the three things are faith,

and promise, and mission.

You don't need to write those down.

They're on page seven of your worship guide

because they're conveniently the title of the sermon.

So let's look first at faith.

Verse one tells us,

now there was a famine in the land

besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham.

And Isaac went to Gerar to Abimelech,

king of the Philistines.

So the former famine is referring to Genesis chapter 12.

Genesis 12 · chapter mention

You may remember this.

Abraham experienced a famine,

and so then Abraham goes down to Egypt.

The larger point though here,

the reason he's telling us,

hey, there was a famine before,

is not really about the famines.

It's part of this larger comparison

that he's making to say,

look, I want you to see all the ways

in which Abraham is connected to Isaac.

Remember, that's the focus of this passage.

So link Abraham to Isaac.

Abraham had a famine.

Isaac has a famine.

And therefore, get again and again

at this continuity of God's faithfulness to his people.

Abraham faced a famine.

Isaac faces a famine.

Now, what do you want to do if you're in a famine?

If you're in a famine,

the logical thing would be for you to go down to Egypt.

Why?

Well, the reason there's a famine,

most likely,

is that there's not enough water.

And who has water?

Egypt has water.

There is this thing called the Nile River.

What did Abraham do when he faced a famine?

Abraham, chapter 12, goes down to Egypt.

So Isaac here is doing the logical, rational,

smart, wise, prudent thing.

He is most likely starting his trip down to Egypt.

So he goes to Gerar,

which is closer to the coast than Bir-le-Hi-Roi,

which is where he is.

And what happens next, then,

should come to us as a surprise.

Verse 1, Abraham's doing the smart thing.

Verse 2,

the Lord appeared to him and said,

do not go down to Egypt.

That's a big ask.

A command is counterintuitive,

but it goes against all human wisdom.

And it's not just that he's not going to go down

to where the Nile is,

to where all the water is.

It's going to be even worse than that.

Verse 3,

he tells him,

sojourn in this land.

If you're familiar with Old Testament words,

you know that a sojourner

is a foreigner,

an immigrant.

So a sojourner is always at a disadvantage.

They are in a place of political

and social vulnerability.

So don't go to Egypt.

Actually stay in this other place

where you're standing.

That's a little shaky.

And so,

what happens here with Isaac

is similar,

once again,

to what happened with Abraham

in chapter 12.

Chapter 12,

Abraham

had to exercise faith

when God said,

go.

Chapter 26,

Isaac

must exercise faith

when God

says

stay.

Abraham

has to have faith

to go.

Isaac

has to have faith

to stay.

Now,

as I mentioned,

staying away from Egypt

is a big ask.

And because it's a big ask,

it also requires

a big

promise.

promise.

Remember I told you,

we're talking about faith,

promise,

and mission.

We talked about the faith,

that's what it requires

for Abraham to stay.

Now that moves us,

it helps us understand

why God then

immediately

goes on to explain

his promise.

That's in verses

three and four.

Sojourn in this land

and I will be with you

and will bless you.

For to you

and to your offspring

I will give all these lands.

And I will establish

the oath

that I swore to Abraham,

your father.

I will multiply

your offspring

as the stars of heaven

and I will give

to your offspring

all these lands.

And in your offspring

all the nations

of the earth

shall be blessed.

Yes, Abraham,

what I am telling you

to do

makes no sense

from a human perspective.

but

and

verse three

you will have

my presence

and my blessing.

But

and

verse three

everything I promised

to Abraham

is now given

to you.

Yes,

verse three

you will

receive the land

to you and your offspring

I will give

all these lands.

Verse four

he repeats it again

not just the land

but the lands

plural.

verse four

your people

will be as many

as the stars

of the heavens.

Yeah,

it doesn't make sense

for you to stay in Gerar

but you know what?

I'll be with you

I'll bless you.

The promise

is even greater

than the command.

The promise

to Abraham

is now

the promise

to Isaac.

In case we missed it

in these five verses

Abraham's name

appears three times

verse one

verse three

verse five.

He's going to give

Abraham

and now he's going

to give Isaac

land

and people

and blessing.

Yeah,

it doesn't make sense

from a human perspective

to stay in Gerar

and it also

doesn't matter

and it doesn't matter

because God

has promised

his presence

and his blessing

to Isaac.

Point is this

and we talked

about this before

obedience

to God's

commands

are always

enabled

by belief

in his promises.

Obedience

to God's

commands

always find

their power

their motivation

in the promises

he's made

to his people.

Faith

and promise

always

go together.

It is not

a coincidence

that God

says stay

and then

immediately

reminds

Isaac

why.

God's

commands

for us

also

go

against

human wisdom.

They're also

counterintuitive.

They are also

things that

don't make sense.

Wait,

so you're

telling me

God

that abundance

in this life

actually comes

from giving

things away.

doesn't make

any sense.

God

says be

generous

that's the

command

and then he

says I will

provide for you.

That's the

promise.

Wait,

you're telling

me that

satisfaction

in this

life

over against

what the

world tells

me

actually

comes

from

containing

and restraining

sex

so that it's

only within

marriage.

that doesn't

make sense.

God

says be

pure

in heart.

That's the

command.

And then he

says I will

give you

real

and true

joy.

Joy

that the

world

cannot

offer

to you.

That's the

promise.

Wait,

so you're

telling me

God

that true

and real

and lasting

and full

and final

justice

come from

trusting

you

and not

from

taking

revenge.

Doesn't

make sense.

God

says trust

me.

That's the

command.

I will

punish

the wicked.

That's the

promise.

Trust me.

Believe

me.

I'm

actually the

one who

has the

good stuff,

the best

stuff,

the real

stuff.

Faith

and promise

go together.

And so

the command

in verse

two,

do not

go down

to Egypt

is in

some sense

actually a

question.

Do you

trust me

more than

you trust

what you

can see

with your

eyes?

Do you

believe that

I am

going to

provide for

you?

Do you

believe my

promises

are real

and true?

are you

going to

put me

first?

Are you

going to

put me

first not

just in

the words

that you

say and

the songs

that you

sing in

Sunday

morning?

Are you

going to

put me

first when

the rubber

meets the

road?

Do you

really

believe?

Jesus

says something

similar to

us in

Matthew

chapter

six,

but seek

first the

kingdom of

God and

his

righteousness

and all

these things

will be

added to

you.

Seek

first the

kingdom of

God,

command.

All these

things will

be added to

you,

promise.

Faith and

promise always

go together.

Okay,

I promised

you faith and

promise and

mission.

We've seen

faith.

Abraham had

to exercise

to stay.

We've seen

God's promise

of his

presence and

his blessing

to enable

that.

That takes

us to

the idea

of mission.

Remember,

we talked

about this

back in

chapter 12.

God's

blessing is

not just

for Abraham,

not just

for Isaac,

not just

for their

line.

No,

the blessing

to Abraham

and Isaac

is,

verse

four,

for a

blessing

to the

nations.

I will

multiply

your

offspring

as the

stars of

heaven and

will give

to your

offspring all

these lands.

That's great.

And in

your

offspring,

all the

nations of

the earth

shall be

blessed.

So yes,

it is a

blessing to

you.

It's not

less than

that.

But it is

more than

that.

it is

also a

blessing

through

you.

How will

all the

nations be

blessed?

Well,

we talked

about it

in chapter

12.

Jim read

it for

us this

morning.

Galatians

Galatians 3:10

chapter 3,

verse 10.

That was on

page 3 of

your worship

guide,

by the way.

So that

in Christ

Jesus,

the blessing

of Abraham

might come

to the

Gentiles,

so that

we might

receive the

promised

spirit

through

faith.

How will

all the

nations be

blessed?

All the

nations will

be blessed

because the

multiplication

of the

offspring of

Abraham,

Isaac,

Jacob,

and Joseph

will

ultimately

lead to

the birth

of Jesus

Christ.

And Jesus

Christ will

come as a

man, a

real human,

100% God,

and 100%

human,

and live

on this

earth,

the perfect

life that

we should

have lived.

And then

he will

die the

death that

we should

have died,

taking the

punishment we

deserve,

and then God

the Father,

by the power

of the Holy

Spirit,

will raise

him from

the dead,

showing once

and for all

that it

actually worked.

That is the

blessing of

the nations

that comes

through Abraham.

Abraham.

That is what

allows us

to have

God's

presence

and his

blessing.

The New

Testament makes

it clear.

Matthew chapter

one starts out

with a genealogy.

Genealogy of

Jesus Christ

and the first

two names,

Abraham,

Isaac.

The point is

this.

The blessing

that comes

to the

nations

is the

blessing

that is

through

Abraham

and Isaac

because

and only

because

they lead

to Jesus

Christ.

Faith,

promise,

mission.

Now,

why do you

care about

the chain

of custody?

Why does

it matter

to you

in

2026

in Colorado

Springs

that the

blessing

was passed

clearly from

Abraham to

Isaac,

that the

blessing will

be clearly

passed from

Isaac to

Jacob and

from Jacob

to Joseph?

The reason

that you

care is

because you

care about

God's

faithfulness

to his

promises.

You care

that God

really means

what he says

when he says

he's going

to be

faithful

from

generation

to

generation.

That his

steadfast love

really will

continue

forever.

His

commitment,

his promises,

he will

not go

back on.

No,

he's going

to keep

it.

It's

another

generation

following

after the

Lord.

It's

another

man

trusting

God's

promises.

God's

faithfulness

is

another

faithfulness

generation

to generation

through

specific

families

over the

course of

history

that leads

to Jesus

Christ.

And now

his

faithfulness

that includes

you.

Christian,

if you are a

follower of

Jesus Christ,

if you're going

after him in

faith,

the encouragement

for you is

this.

God kept his

promise to

Abraham and

Isaac.

God will keep

his promise to

you.

He keeps it

not because they

were perfect

or exemplary,

not because they

get it right.

as we saw

last week.

In fact,

they very much

don't.

No,

it's because of

his commitment

to his promise,

his covenant,

his mission.

That same

commitment,

that same

promise,

that same

presence,

that same

blessing

comes to

you if

you are

in him.

If you're

in Christ,

following

after him

in faith.

Faith,

promise,

mission.

Let's pray.

Our

Father in

heaven,

we do

thank you

and praise

you for

your steadfast

love that

continues

generation to

generation,

relying not

on us

and our

faithfulness,

but on

you and

your commitment

to your

promise,

that you

will do

what you

said you

would do.

We ask

that you

would grow

our hope

and trust

and faith

in that,

and that it

would overflow

into love

and obedience

to you.

We ask

these things

in Jesus'

name.

Amen.