Genesis - Part 39 | Pastor Paul McGee

Hallelujah all. Let's just thank him for his

goodness. Hallelujah, Hallelujah for his

goodness to you. Thank you Jesus.

Oh, I don't want to overlook the goodness of God.

Hallelujah, Jesus, Amen. He is good.

Sometimes you got to pause and think.

Take in consideration his goodness sometime this past week

there was just a lot of negative things going on around our house

or attached to each one of us. And so I just started saying

God, I thank you for this and that and it was just all kinds

of things that some people just might think was little, but

they're really big when you think about it.

A home to live in air conditioning.

I just started going, I just combat and everything that bad

was going on with just being thankful for all the good that I

knew about. Amen.

And sometimes it takes that got to combat the the bad with the

good, right? She's saying just the other day,

like within the past probably 24 hours, she's had her whole

college school schedule changed like 3 times and she's supposed

to go back to school tomorrow. I hope she knows where she's

going, but she was like, man, I'm finding a hard time to find

the good right now, you know, type thing.

And I believe we all get moments like that sometimes it's hard to

find the good, but it's there, isn't it?

Amen. The goodness of our God, Amen.

Please remember this week is Bishop and Sister Mcgee's

ministry appreciation Week. Also all the ladies are leaving

out those that are going that is to conference at 9:00 AM on

Friday, Amen. So we pray that the Lord be with

them travelling mercies and that they would be refreshed and the

Lord and maybe have you know something that conferences in

all things like this are just kind of they're they're they can

be remote gas stations on Long road sometimes that you just get

to just to get a fill up just to make it to the next spot.

Amen. So we pray that that is for

them. Haven Music Conference, 29th and

30th of this month and then the 5th Sunday of this month, Pastor

Anthony Wilkes, Sister Lisa Wilkes, Amen, will be with us.

And so we'll have a good time in the Lord.

Genesis chapter 21, that's where we're at.

Genesis 21 · chapter mention

Brother Fred had conversation with Pat, several conversations

about Pat said, going to be in Genesis tonight.

And brother Fred said, I imagine unless the Lord changes his

mind, that's exactly what we'll be for Pat.

So here we are. Amen.

Here we are, Genesis chapter 21 and I'm going to read the first

Genesis 21 · chapter mention

7 verses and then we'll read some more later, later in the

night here tonight. All right, all right, the Bible

says, and the Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and people are

giving me, maybe they were making light of, I don't know,

but they were joking that tonight is like my part 39.

But we had 37.5. So there's been 40 weeks of

Genesis. So they said it's about time for

Isaac to be born, 40 weeks. It just matches up well

nonetheless. Amen.

Sarah, as he had said. And the Lord did unto Sarah as

he had spoken. For Sarah conceived and bare

Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had

spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of

his son that was born to him, whom Sarah bear to him Isaac.

And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old as

God had commanded him. And Abraham was 100 years old.

Some of y'all thought it was bad having a child at the age you

had a child. And you're thinking, man, I wish

I did that when I was younger and have stamina, you know,

pitch around the old pigskin with the boy.

Imagine being 100. Lord help him when his son Isaac

was born unto him. And Sarah said, God hath made me

to laugh, so that all that here will laugh with me.

And she said, who would have said unto Abraham that Sarah

should have given children suck, or for I have borne him a son in

his old age. Amen.

Little while tonight in this title is encompassed in other

scriptures we'll get to, but it's all kind of here together.

Tonight. I want to talk about the weaning

moment. WEAN like weaning, like weaning

a child from having been breastfed.

I want to talk about the weaning, the weaning moment.

Amen. Let's ask the Lord to help us

the next little well, Father, I love you, God, Your word, the

Lord is forever settled. The grass, Mayweather, the

flower may fade, but the word of God will stand forever.

And there's not one jot or title of this word, God, that will not

be fulfilled. Lord Jesus.

God, I pray it all will be. Lord, it's a wholesome word.

It's a word for life. It's a word Lord Jesus for

salvation. God, we're thankful.

Let it be all of that and more to each of us, Lord, in our

daily walks and conversations with you, the lovely name of

Jesus Christ that I pray Hallelujah in the church say

Amen, Amen. You may be see you tonight.

Now, unless we think it's a little anti climatic that

there's only about 7 verses of scripture here or even probably

less than that, that totally relate to the birth of Isaac.

Don't let the feudeness of verses kind of over shadow the

miraculous event that has taken place right here.

Because as you know, for the past 10 chapters or so, there's

been little glimpses and hints of this going to happen all

along the way. And so now it's it's finally

has. All those other chapters have

been conditioning us for this very moment.

It's been building our anticipation.

I don't know about you. I've been on pins and needles

just waiting on. Yeah, Brother Reese over.

He can hardly stand it. Been on pins and needles waiting

for Isaac, a man to be born. And for this moment.

And the reason why I think one of the reasons I should say this

is so important to us because when we started this journey

about the possibility of Isaac, which was actually Genesis 12.

But when you start the journey of Abraham and Sarah in their

marriage with each other, I just want to recall to you the whole

scenario of that back in Genesis 11.

Because the Bible told us then that the name of Abram, remember

this before his name change, that the name of Abram's wife

was Sarai. And it says that Sarai was

barren. She had no child.

And so that means it throughout their entire married lives, she

has been unable to have children throughout that, the entirety of

that. And so again, the 1st mention of

God making Abraham a great nation, which then unfolds the

concept of needing or would have children happens in Genesis

chapter #12 and soon from therefore.

And I'm not going to go through them all because I've done that

other times. But there is so many different

words that came to Abraham or to Sarah or Abraham and Sarah kind

of narrowing down or giving more details about this this great

nation, more importantly about the birth of the child, if

you'll remember. And I said, I'm not going to do

this. I'm not going to do this.

But nonetheless, you know, Abraham was the idea that even

in the beginning, you know, what are you going to give me?

I have no children. He thought maybe it would come

through something else, but the Lord specified it would be

through your loins, right? And then the specification got

more narrow that it wouldn't just be his loins and like some

other woman, right? But it would actually be Sarah.

And he was even given the name that they should give him even

before it ever happened. So this thing has come narrowed

down to this moment and the additional chapters.

Yes, they've explained to this more recently in Genesis 18 and

10 and it'll be before you tonight.

The Bible says and he and the he is the Lord said, I will

certainly return unto thee according to the time of life.

And lo Sarah, thy wife shall have a son.

He's very specific here. And Sarah heard it in the tent

door which was behind him. Verse 14 says, and the Lord is

saying is anything too hard for the Lord because they had their

concerns being the ages they were that this would happen at

the time of point. I will return to Thee according

to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.

So God again has reaffirmed this over and over again to Abraham,

Sarah, or both of them that He would do what He promised.

I know we're talking about a child, but that applies to

anything concerning the Lord. He will do what He promised.

It took time from about Genesis 12, when it was initially spoken

at the time that they're holding that baby in their arms is a

process of about 25 years. 25 years waiting on the promise, 25

years waiting on what God said He would do.

He did 25 years of holding that baby in their heart before they

held it in their arms. 25 years of time.

But I believe this little few verses that we have in chapter

21 comes to bear on all of this, letting us know that you can

trust God. I see.

I see the wording here in the 1st 2 verses here that the Lord

visited. As He said, the Lord did as He

had spoken, Sarah conceived at the set time at which God had

spoken to him. So all of these things what what

God his visitation, what he did and Sarah conceiving all of this

wasn't taken Abraham and Sarah really by surprise because God

said he would do it. God gave them the appointed time

in which it would be done and so we can trust in the Lord brother

makes them appreciative several weeks ago.

It's a common thing the message that happens sometimes in our

churches that just because God delays doesn't mean that God is

denying and so that is a 25 year delay, but they weren't denying

the child that God wanted to have them and no doubt they did.

We looked at this, Sister Sam, that the Abraham and Cerebell,

they have wrestled with the doubts concerning the promise.

They've wrestled with the doubts.

But I think it's important the first couple of verses, this is

what we should do. When you wrestle with the

doubts, with what God has promised, then you must go back

to what God said. You must go back to what God

said and God makes good on his promises, not just here, but in

other places. The Scripture, for instance, in

Numbers 2319 Balaam, he asked a record, a rhetorical question

about God's faithfulness that that were expected to be

answered in the affirmative that yes.

Whenever he asked these questions.

Here's the rhetorical question he asked, he said, has he said

he's Speaking of God and will he not do it or has he spoken and

will he not make it good? Of course the resounding answer

is yes, but that's speaking about your God.

Solomon was given a blessing upon the congregation of Israel

and he even spoke and said in First Kings 8.

He said there have not failed one word of all his good promise

Speaking of God. And so the Lord came and he, the

Bible uses this word and this is important word here in verse #1

He came and visited. He came and visited Sarah

because that little word visit there in the Hebrew means it

indicates a divine intervention for either blessing or cursing.

So either way, and for this one, it is definitely for blessing.

Either way, whenever God visits a people or a person or whatever

it may be in Scripture, when He visits, there's going to be a

destiny change. When the Lord visits, He won't

leave the person, the place, or the location.

The same when the Lord visits. And that's what happened to

Abraham and Sarah. Isaac is born, the Scripture

tells us, and amazingly, the Bible also tells us, and it's

important that Abraham obeys God because in Genesis 17, again,

God had already spoke to them. This is what you'll call the

child. You'll call him Isaac.

What do we see happen in this chapter?

Abraham is calling that child Isaac, just as God prescribed.

Also, though in Genesis chapter 17, it's in that chapter that

Genesis 17 · chapter mention

the Lord made that covenant with Abraham and told him the sign of

the covenant, that it was circumcision, That you should

circumcise anybody that's born in your house or adopted into

your household, whoever they may be, on the 8th day.

You should do that because that's a sign of a covenant

between you and me. What do we see happening now in

this chapter? That Isaac is born on the 8th

day. The Bible says that Abraham

circumcised his son Isaac. This is important.

After the promise was born in their lives they continue to

obey God concerning the promise. Now let's apply that to life,

that once you've received the promise, you need to continue in

obedience with everything that concerns the promise.

Oh Lord, that means it's one thing to be born again or

receive the promise. It's another thing to walk in

obedience to what God says is accompanied or attached to the

promise. He was born, but He obeyed God

as well concerning this, this promise.

Abraham and Sarah, the Bible tells us that in the past, each

individual at their own time, when they heard about the

promise of God, they laughed within themselves, right?

It was within themselves, yet God called Him on it each time

because He knew their heart, He knew their thoughts, but they

laughed within themselves yet whenever God told them about

this. And this actually comes to

fruition now in chapter #21 Now whereas before their laughs

might have been some laughs of doubt or uncertainty or even

amusement, now today though, Sarah is laughing.

And it's a different laugh that Sarah has.

There's not the doubts or the amusement, but it is the joy and

the thrill holding what she wants, thought disbelief, could

or was amused that may even happen now.

It's a laugh of joy that's filling her life and she's

hoping she's saying God's caused me to laugh and he's probably

going to cause some other people to laugh in my life as well.

Number one, it could be two different things.

They might laugh at the absurdity of this old man and

this old woman having an infantile child here in their

hands, right? But they might also join in on

the joy that this woman's been bearing for her whole her whole

marriage, and now she's able to give a child unto her husband.

So there's a lot of different laughter going.

But maybe there's some critics too.

You know how it goes. Everybody's OK with getting

promises, but not OK with other people having them.

So there could be something else.

But none the less, here is Sarah.

She is ecstatic and she knows unequivocally that no one could

have predicted this but God. No one could have done what has

happened here but God. A barren woman, a post

menopausal woman, an old woman, 90 years old, an old man, 100

years old having the baby. Gosh.

Amen. The amazing thing about God

concerned Abraham and Sarah is what seemed impossible in their

lives. What seemed impossible in their

lives had become the very place that God demonstrated his power.

It was an impossibility, but God says watch.

Watch what happens when I step into the impossible.

Wasn't he not spoken with Mary concerning that?

All things though are possible with the Lord.

Amen. Let's continue with verse #8

here. Sorry, got to get out my

spectacles here. Although I see some among us are

wearing spectacles now too. Congratulations, we love you.

We do verse 8. So the child is born.

Here we go. And the child grew and was

weaned. And Abraham made a great feast

in the same day that Isaac was weaned.

And Sarah saw the son of Haggard the Egyptian, which she had born

to Abraham Monkey. Wherefore she said to Abraham,

cast out this bondwoman and her son.

For the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son,

even with Isaac. Please just note that Sarah

never calls either of them by their name, she just makes

references. Bondwoman, Son of the bondwoman

anyway. And the thing was very grievous

in Abraham's sight, because of his son.

God said unto Abraham, Let it be not grievous in thy sight,

because of the lad and because of the bondwoman.

And all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her

voice, For an Isaac shall thy seed be called, And also of the

son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy

seed. And Abraham rose up early in the

morning, took bread and a bottle of water, and gave it to Haggar,

putting it on her shoulder and the child, and sent her away.

And she departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.

Now you have to walk with me just a little bit here tonight,

OK? The whole Hagar Ishmael

situation here that we read in Genesis 21 needs to be held in a

little bit of tension through a view of New Testament Scripture

where the apostle Paul writes in the book of Galatians chapter #4

looking back on this whole occurrence.

Because in Galatians 4, Paul identifies Ishmael as the one

that was born after the flesh, and as Isaac as the one that was

born after the Spirit. The one that was born first in

Abraham's life was the one born after the flesh.

The one that was born secondly in Abraham's life was the one

that was born secondly in Abraham's life was the one that

was related to the Spirit. So we need to keep that

intention. Scripture bearing on Scripture

here is vital for us going forward tonight.

So Isaac was born, Let's just get real.

Isaac was born of the Spirit because number one, by this

time, by the time his parents conceived, they were fleshly or

biologically dead. OK, nonetheless, when the Spirit

wanted to bestow the promise upon them and it did, here is

the amazing thing to me. Spirit want to bestow this upon

two people who are biologically and fleshly dead, yet it still

required in their involvement. Naturally, their bodies are

dead, deemed dead. But I'm not going into all the

mechanics of it. I think everybody's OK and we

got young ears around here. But there was still involvement

both for Abraham and Sarah's part.

Someone say Amen. For me, In my view, this is just

a beautiful picture of us receiving the promise of the

Father because we couldn't make it happen.

Bible tells us works couldn't do it.

We couldn't make it happen. Flesh wise, there's nothing we

can do, but God still involves and incorporates us in the

process. He uses our mind, our tongue,

other members of our human bodies, our intellect, and our

obedience to bring about what only He can get the glory for.

Which is amazing to me. Isaac grew, the scripture says,

and was winged. Now here's the thing.

I looked at this today. I looked at it several times.

Isaac grew and was winged. In ancient Israel, mothers

typically winged their children around the age of three years

old. Around the age of three years

old, they would nurture them, nurse them up into that period

of time. The amazing thing concerning

Ishmael, if you'll remember from our studies gone by, remember

Ishmael had the right father, but he had the wrong mother.

Do you remember that conversation?

Because a Hebrew faith comes from the mother.

A Hebrew is only a Hebrew if Mama is a Hebrew.

Hagar was an Egyptian. Ishmael had the wrong mother.

You remember I told you that whenever we talk about that,

just for today's language, there's a lot of people that

claim God is their father, but they don't have the right

church. They don't have the right

mother. And yet you're not a spiritual

child unless you got the right mother and the right nurturing

that comes from Mama. All right, well, in ancient

Israel, here's here's Isaac, though he's got the right

father. His mother is a Hebrew.

She's she's Sarah. He's nursing there.

And so three years in, she's going to wean him from nursing

and they're going to have the Bible says a festival, a great

celebration. As a result of all this, I start

asking myself the question, Brother Fred, you know, I'm just

I'm just Paul McGee living in this century.

What's so celebratory about a child quitting nursing?

I mean, I'm sure it is for the mother.

But I mean, as far as gathering everybody around and let's have

a big party, you know, Johnny's not going to be hanging on, you

know, mother all the time anymore.

Let's eat some roasted lamb and you know, all these things.

What's so celebratory about that?

What is celebratory about that is this is that there was a high

mortality rate, high mortality rate for children for sure,

particularly between that zero to three years old range.

In that day, lot of children died, lot of children never made

it. And so Isaac is here and his mom

has nursed him and she has done this for three years.

Listen to me carefully now, because she couldn't chance his

survival without him having a purposeful attachment to her.

Oh, Jesus, help me right now. He has the right Mama, but for

good success, there's going to have to be a a concrete

attachment for several years in his infantile stage in order for

him to be able to survive. God hear me.

What I'm saying tonight is we get, we get born by the promise,

but sometimes we're not staying at mother's breast drinking the

sincere milk in order to mature and grow in stamina enough that

we can survive after our new birth.

Come on, come on. A purposeful attachment is

necessary. Yes, with the church, but mostly

after you first come to know him.

Because you know what I found out?

People sometimes get the Holy Ghost, their greatest battles,

right after that, soon as they exit the double doors, it's on

them like Donkey Kong. You know what they need?

They need to be able. There's hours and hours they're

being cradled in the arms of Mama, hours upon hours they're

laying in her breast, hours and hours that they're being

nurtured and they're being Amen. Because now if this infant gets

to a toddler stage three years in, they'd said this is not me,

this is culture. They said it was reasonably sure

that the child was past that, that stage of of possibility

being one of those deaths that it was reasonably sure that they

would live. That's the reason why there was

a celebration at the weaning because everybody's wiping their

brow about whether or not the child would die from zero to

three years old if they would make it or if it would be laying

the grave. But once they got to the three,

they were pretty sure that he was going to be able to make it.

And so they gather all the family and rejoicing because

this child's going to be able to live because he had a concrete

attachment to Mama for the first 3, someone say Amen.

It necessitated a celebration, especially for this couple

that's been barren for so long. The last thing you want is a

child born and dying in the first three years for someone

that's waited 25 years for their And here's the interesting thing

though, and you read it just right down through there.

They had this festival. He's winged in verse 9 is where

you see them. The mocking as it's described in

the King James Bible of Ishmael, the first born toward Isaac, the

second son of Abraham. The Bible says that Ishmael, if

I'm put in these terms, the son of the flesh mocked as the King

James says, the son of the promise.

One ancient translation says that he was playing with her son

Isaac. There are other tenses that I

could get into it, but I I don't want to bore you all out of your

gourd, but a certain verb tense that this is used compared to

cause the word mocked here is the same word as Isaac's name.

Isaac's name is Yitzhak in in Hebrew, same word, but it's a

different tense. And as a result of it, the verb

stem here means to jest, to make sportive, to play with, not

simply just to laugh. And so there's a lot of

different ideas out there. And I don't know if anybody

knows for sure what it was that Sarah saw, but note that

whatever she saw took place at the celebration or shortly

thereafter what she saw. Some believe that they saw what

now was a three-year old Isaac being scoffed at or made fun of

by Ishmael, who is now every bit of 16 to 17 years old.

Others see a Ishmael that is laughing and Sarah seeing

another boy, the product of the flesh, laughing, attempting to

fulfill Isaac's namesake, which is laughter.

Whatever she saw, it triggered something inside of that Mama

that she come to the realization and told her husband that I

don't want Ishmael to be an heir with Isaac again.

We don't hear about it like there were three years.

We don't hear anything about this until the celebration until

the someone say until the celebration because it wasn't

until the celebration. Follow me here that Ishmael

didn't have any certainty that Isaac was going to survive until

the weaning moment. So why in the world even mess

with it? He might not survive anyway.

But once you reach the stage that you prove the statistics

wrong, God Almighty and all the naysayers wrong, and you're

still here the third year and you're still here the 4th year

and you're still maturing and God the 5th year and you're

climbing up higher from where you started the 6th year and the

7th year. You've involved yourself in the

body and you're doing things to help see others.

And by the 8th year, you're, you're winning people to God.

And by the 9th year, do you understand what I'm saying?

Once you reach a stage that they say, hey, wait a minute, there's

a certainty here that they're going to be able to survive.

They're going on. That's when your flesh wants to

rear its head and say, hey, wait a minute, I got some competition

on my hand. Because what you were first born

into, Brother Trout, was your flesh.

What you was first born in into Brother Fred, was your flesh.

And how old were you whenever you got the Holy Ghost?

Come on, Sister Sheila, do the math.

We'll go over here. Reese, what age were you when

you got the Holy Ghost? 17.

The Flesh has had 17 years with him.

Do you hear me? The Flesh has had 17 years him.

But when he gets the promise, it's starting right there at 17.

17 years the flesh has had his way with him. 17 years the flesh

has been able to weave itself into his heart. 17 years the

flesh has been able to weave himself in his mind.

But now there's a Isaac on the scene and the flesh is wondering

what's going on. But we're waiting one year and

then two year and three years. He stayed attached to Mama.

He's been nurtured by Mama. I think he might survive.

And the flesh is, I got competition on my hand, I can't

have that. And troubles him, and tempts

him, and tries him because. I'm I'm like border lighting

treat you in here. You know you what's amazing Ray

your flesh didn't think he was going to survive it never raised

a hand or gave any qualms until they still see you there so many

years now coming to the church, him baptizing Jesus name and

filled with the gift of the Holy Ghost.

And it says she's still here and it begins to mock and play and

spore and jest and antagonize and someone said I'm still here.

Yes. Ishmael realizes his

competition, all that nourishing he received from his mother, all

that nurturing he received from his mother has brought Isaac to

a level of maturity that he isn't solely dependent upon mom,

that there's been enough take place in that time frame that he

can stand on his own 2 feet. Brother Mickey, what are you

talking about? OK, case in point, Moses.

Moses. During that day, all the boys

were to be thrown into the river.

Bible says Jacobet saw that Moses was a goodly child.

She hid him away. She made him a basket of bull

rushes, put him into the river. Pharaoh's daughter found him.

Miriam, Moses's sister, talks to Pharaoh's daughter.

Do you need a nurse for him? Yeah, I do.

Miriam go gets her Mama Jochebed.

That was Moses's mother. He's he is now under the care of

the daughter of Egypt, but he's being nurtured for and fed by

his Hebrew Mama. And the Bible says when the time

comes, he's taken into the palace of Pharaoh.

But he said, I'd rather suffer the afflictions with the people

of God. And what how's that happened?

I tell you how that happens. For all those years of nurturing

and nursing, he had attachment to Mama and now he had grown to

a place of maturity. He can stand on his own in the

palace of Egypt and say, this is not my lot in life.

I know who's I am. It's.

He's listen, I'm not saying, well, if you can just be three

years in the church, all your problems go away now.

Wrong. That's when Ishmael is going to

show up. Well, I'm saying we've made it

through some rocky roads if we can get through those first few

years of living for the Lord with the promise He's birthed in

our lives, we've made it through some iffy spots.

Galatians 429. I got to hurry.

It's my famous words. Now listen, I didn't get through

everything. I wanted to get through today to

be here. This is what Paul reflecting

back on this time. This is what he said.

But as then he that was born after the flesh, Ishmael, and

it's there in Galatians where you can read all of the chapter

persecute everybody say persecuted him, meaning Isaac

that was born after the Spirit. Even so it is now Paul inspired

by the Holy Ghost. He takes his back on what was

happening with Isaac and Ishmael.

He gives the definitive definition in my estimation.

He says Ishmael was persecuting him.

The Son of the flesh was persecuting the Son of the

spirit that we're persecuting. The Greek means to put to

flight, to chase away, to pursue.

He's being hard on the old boy. But what that interprets for me

is that your flesh, the Son of the flesh, is not happy with the

growth of the promise. For sure.

You're not happy with the growth of the promise to have a more

substantial, secure standing in His existence than He did at His

birth. So my word to you is this,

Sister Amaya, you better expect conflict when you start growing

in the Spirit. As you grow stronger in God,

that gets the attention of Ishmael.

And the Spirit, or the flesh rather, will always want to come

along and resist the Spirit's maturity.

Yes, Sir. Yeah, that's right.

It's hard times. I know.

Sometimes we say I just don't understand why this is

happening. You need to reflect.

Have you been trying to make strides and growth patterns in

God? Because if so, he's going to put

all the the blockades and all the speed bumps in your path to

try to prevent that. He's he is afraid of someone

that is growing in their experience.

It's one thing to get born again and always be in diapers and

sucking your thumb and cooing and all that, but it's another

thing to learn how to start to walk and talk and articulate

what you have subscribed to. You're dangerous in the eyes of

your flesh. So Sarah tells whatever she

observes her, the the mocking, the jesting, the persecuting, or

maybe just seeing those two children even playing there.

Both of those are Abraham's kids.

One of those is mine. One of those is Egyptian and

just starts processing maybe the past 25 years.

And she tells Abraham Ishmael's not going to be an heir or an

inheritor with Isaac. So she comes up with this

brilliant idea. I want you to cast out again.

She don't mention them by names. I want you to cast out the

bondwoman. So what?

Galatian 4 even in reference to us along with the child, the

amplified, the classic amplified version version says it like

this. I don't want him to inherit

anything. It should all go to my son.

Now here's the interesting thing about that culture.

In time, Sarah, She can request the banishment, but it's

Abraham's responsibility to issue the banishment.

Sarah can do what she pleases with Hagar, but Hagar is her

handmaiden. It belongs to Sarah.

She belongs to Sarah. But the child Ishmael belonged

to the man who sired it, Abraham.

Because whenever Abraham accepted Ishmael and has his

son, you know what that meant. That meant then that son was

entitled to inherit part of Abraham's estate.

But here's the caveat. If a person releases an enslaved

person like Hagar and for sure the son, then along with her

then they lose rights. To inherit any property of the

estate. So when Abraham let them go,

particularly when he let Ishmael go, Ishmael now has no rights as

an heir to Abraham's portion. Someone say Amen.

Now here's here's the real life stuff, folks.

Upon first mention of having his wife tell him, why don't you

cast out Hagar and Ishmael? This kind of sets a little heavy

for Abraham. I mean as as as Sarah, not my

boy. You know what I mean?

And I know I had the bright idea for this whole scheme to begin

with, but not my boy. But this was flesh and blood of

Abraham, if you'll remember even that I don't know, several,

several times ago there came a portion in, in I think it was

Genesis 16, that whenever all this covenant was being made and

it was brought up again that they would have a son, that

Abraham even raises his hand and says, Lord, what about Ishmael?

Let Ishmael live before you. And God even told him then, oh,

bless Ishmael. But my covenant that's that's

that's with Isaac. All right.

And so whenever this is first mentioned to Abraham, the Bible

says that he's very grievous, which means he shook violently.

He's very grievous again. Why brother Reese?

Because he's had 16 or 17 years with Ishmael.

Mr. Merlin. I mean, you're oldest Graceland.

That's asleep up here in my wife's lap.

Are you asleep, Gracely? She is.

How old is she? Right.

Even Brother Zach couldn't imagine her with being without

her at this juncture in the road of your life.

Just because how she has woven her life into yours.

Here's Abraham, 16 to 17 years of the weaving of the sun of the

flesh into the life of Abraham. But God has already set the

expectations. Again, I'll bless Ishmael, but

my covenant is with Isaac. And so here again then in our

chapter, God is affirming that He tells even Abraham he'll

become a great nation. Ishmael was, and the only reason

that's possible is because of his relational attachment to

Abraham. Abraham's going to make you a

great nation. There's a lot of people that

came from Abraham's bowels that wasn't through Sarah, that still

became quote UN quote, great nations just because of their

association with Abraham. But the seed, the Bible said

would be called in Isaac. The seed that's most important

in particular is that we trace all the way into the New

Testament of the birth of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

That's not coming through Ishmael.

It's coming through the seed of promise that's coming by Isaac.

The Bible says in Romans 9 and verse number 7 and now skip up

just verse 5 and grab the phrase verse 5 says of whom as

concerning the flesh of Christ came.

It's Speaking of of the seed. Neither because verse 7 neither

because they are the seed of Abraham.

Are they all children? But in Isaac shall the seed be

called? That's the line of direction.

Now let's go on a little further.

I'm doing 3941. You guys ahead of me, I'll go by

my clock. Amen.

Divine, Divine assurance, You only do it whenever it's

favorable to you. Divine assurance, though, had

Abraham consenting to do what his wife asked him to do.

It wasn't just that she asked, but God said, and ladies, let me

tell you, if you want to underline and highlight a verse

of the Bible, this is the one to highlight and I'm going to read

it from the ESB because it's just more poignant.

The Bible says God said this. Whatever Sarah's Sarah says to

you, he's speaking to Abraham. Whatever Sarah says to you, do

as she tells you, underline it, write it down and vote it.

That's one that you want to take home.

He's basically whatever Sarah said.

Go on, go on with that. Alex has just highlighted it so

he knows to make sure his wife doesn't use it.

He's up here like so he for him did as Hagar, as Hagar said and

as God encouraged, he sent away Hagar in Ishmael.

And here's something what I want to know, the difficulty of

separating from the sun of flesh that's been in your life, the

difficulty separating from the Son of flesh that's been in your

life. Because we note the struggle the

Bible says talks about him giving them provisions of bread

and water, and then they wandered in the wilderness.

But look, look at the struggle here of the sending off of the

Son of the flesh. The Bible says that he rose

early in the morning. He rose early in the morning.

Verse #14 Some might say, well, he's just being quick to obey.

But I sense with the other things that I read, Sister

Sheila, that he doesn't necessarily want to see anybody,

doesn't want anybody to see him doing what he's doing, telling

this boy that's been born with an Egyptian, the son of his

flesh, that it's time for you to go.

He gets up early in the morning and he does this.

And I think the order is important.

He gives her bread. He gives her water first.

The Bible talks about him placing that bottle of water on

her shoulders. All right, or on her shoulder

just for a moment. A goat skin for water held about

3 gallons. That's about 30 lbs of water.

So he's placing this on her back lot of people interpret well

she's placing the and he says in child.

Well, she's placing Ishmael on her back.

No Ishmael 1617 years old. I don't know anybody around here

wants to give their 17 year old a piggyback right along with 30

lbs of water on their back. That's not happening.

But he's placing the look what he's doing Bishop, here's

provision, here's water. Oh here, let me get that on your

back. But then the child, he's doing

everything he can do up to the point of having to release the

child. He could have did the child

first, no. And then did the bread and the

water, No. But he's doing everything he can

do until the moment comes. He's got to then entrust the

child into the hands of that Egyptian woman.

Oh, listen folks, because I see this in my life.

I see it in our lives. We don't want to part with the

flesh. And so we'll do all everything

else we can do to buy us a little bit more time without

having to take it and say you need to go now.

I'll find things, I'll invent things.

You need bread, you need. Oh, what else can I do?

What without addressing what God said needed to be addressed?

Please understand, God didn't say anything about giving her

bread or water. The mandate was let them go.

But He's given bread and water and that's fine.

I think that, I mean, as long as we live in this earth, we still

got to have this flesh to a degree.

You understand what I'm saying. But nonetheless, so He's doing

everything he can because he's committing trusting the Son of

his flesh to her. I think it's a telling of of his

attachment that has grown. Alan P Ross and I got to hurry.

I know I've just said it three times.

Whatever Alan P Ross said, the divine approval of sending away

Hagar in Ishmael was a sign not of divine abandonment of

Ishmael, but of protection for Isaac that these two couldn't

coexist, both couldn't be heirs properly.

And we even see later in Abraham's life after Sarah dies,

the Bible talks about how he has another wife, Katura, and they

have children. And this is what the Bible says

concerning that in order in order to preserve the Isaac in

his life, the promise in his life, those other sons he sent

away as well. Look at it.

Genesis 25. I'm coming, I'm coming to the

land, and I see the tarmac. Amen.

Genesis 25 and verse 5 And Abraham gave of all that he had

unto Isaac. What is that?

No parting or portioning out the estate.

It all goes to Isaac, every last bit.

How's that happened? Verse 6 But unto the sons of the

concubines which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts and sent them

away from the promise, from Isaac his son, while he yet

lived eastward unto the E country.

So it just wasn't a Ishmael thing.

Anything else that was going to come and be competition for the

promise. He says you can be blessed and

I'll give you gifts, but you can't stay here.

Don't say that. Now the very last portion of

verse 14 will set us up for next week.

That gave you great comfort. I see the amplified classic

Bible says this, the last phrase of verse 14.

And she, Speaking of Haggar, wandered on aimlessly and lost

her way in the wilderness of Beersheba.

And the root of the word wondered in the Hebrew is

describing like strain, animals or a person who is lost.

So next week we'll begin to investigate what God can do with

people who have lost their way while tending to the sons of

their flesh. Stand with me tonight.

So the weaning, the weaning moment just wasn't a

celebration. It was a revelation to show that

God's promises and dirt right that His covenant prevailed, and

ultimately that the Spirit's work surpasses all efforts of

the flesh. And Isaac survived Sister Abby

because he belonged to the promise, when Ishmael, though he

had been born of Abraham, was of the flesh, and he would not

inherit what God had ordained for the Spirit.

Even the book of Corinthians tells us that certain reason why

some people have a hard time with spiritual things is because

their carnal mind can't comprehend that which was first

was carnal and that which was second was spiritual.

And people are grappling with spiritual concepts and spiritual

things when they're still sons of flesh.

But whenever you're born again, the Bible talks about how the

Holy Ghost to lead you and guide you into all.

There comes an understanding of revelation.

Here's what I know tonight, that God is probably doing a similar

work in our lives tonight. And here's the question, though

I have for us. Have you reached your weaning

moment yet? Have you reached your weaning

moment? That moment when the promise

becomes visible and tangible? That moment when there might

come some extra opposition and doubt or even mockery from the

flesh or even the world because you reached a moment they're

like, surely there's no turning back after this.

I tell you what I want. I want there to be a moment in

my life that my flesh and the adversaries like he's too far in

now. It would take a lot for

mortality now. Our glory, the weaning moment.

Doesn't that just have a nice ring to it?

The weaning. What's your pastor teach about

life? Oh, he teach.

Talk about the weaning moment. Oh, God, we need your help.

Let's talk to him right now and close here tonight.

Father, I love you, oh God help me Jesus in my walk, in my

process, God to have some apparent attaches the Lord to

Mama. I pray God that there is

nurturing, there is growing, there is stability, there is a

life giving source to Lord Jesus that is happening God and being

maintained right there. But God let there be also be a

moment God when I can stand and I can walk and I can talk and I,

I can make it and I, I still have an attachment, but it's not

like that I had in those formative times that there's a

certain amount of maturity and growth and stability and God

there that we can March on God. The flesh is always beckoning,

always calling, always the Lord trying to get our attention or

God somehow divert our attention.

I pray, O God, today it persecutes even today.

Lord, the Apostle Paul said, help US, O Lord to give in to

the things of the Spirit. Help us Lord not allow the flesh

Lord room to be in competition with the promise to be in

competition with the Spirit. I pray God empower us now.

Help us Lord to go forward in this week Lord, and to live

Lord, after the pattern, Lord, and after the promise that you

have birthed in US. I pray, O God, today and let us

continue to celebrate Lord, that experience like we did when we

were first born. Let there be a continuous

celebration, I pray and will not feel the thank you in the name

of Jesus Christ, Hallelujah and Amen and the church say Amen.

MMM the weaning moment. It's just fun to say God bless

you tonight, Jesus name ladies, you're leaving Friday at 9.

Those that are going Friday at 9, you'll want to be here before

that so you can load your luggage.

I know how you say well it's just one night.

I know what a woman can take in one night, Amen.

So be early to load your luggage, Jesus.

I know.