If we have been saved by faith, we will now have to live a life of faith.
If so, what kind of life is a ‘believer’s life’?
It would be to live according to the will of God who granted us faith and to live the life that pleases God.
In that sense, we need pay attention to the people in today’s text.
Genesis 24 is where Isaac welcomed his wife and Abraham welcomed his daughter-in-law - Rebekah.
The Bible illustrates this scene in a very detailed manner.
It’s because through this story, the scripture tells us about the person whom God searched for and chooses.
The scene we read today begins with the scene where Abraham's old servant leaves for the hometown of Abraham.
Abraham's servant took ten camels on the trip.
He also left on the trip full of the best things from Abraham's house.
Who is this for?
It was for the one whom God had prepared, the one to be the wife of Isaac.
But that was not all.
In fact, there was a great blessing that could not be compared with any of those gifts and treasures.
The one that was chosen – if she follows the servant back to Abraham’s home, she would become a protagonist of great blessings.
That's right.
This too, would be the same for the life of all believers.
There is a wonderful blessing from God for those who are going through the path of faith.
You can enjoy the blessing of God in this land.
But there is even more.
In fact, a greater blessing awaits us in the house of Abraham, in that kingdom, is the Promised Land.
However, despite the blessing that God has prepared is so great, it’s not that anyone can be the protagonist of this blessing.
It must be a person who is in the heart of God ... because it is the protagonist of such a big blessing.
So who is the one that’s in the heart of God?
Who would be God's chosen one?
In Matthew 25 there are three parables that Jesus told.
The parable of the five virgins who prepared the oil, the parable of the talents, and the parable of the sheep and the goat.
These parables are very meaningful parables that are all analogies to the judgment of the last day.
Through this judgment, the person to be saved and the person not to be saved are clearly divided.
Who then will be saved, and who will not be saved?
In the parable of the ten virgins, those who prepare the oil are saved, and those who did not prepare the oil are not saved.
And in the parable of the talents, those who bear the task assigned to them and multiplied the talents are saved, and those who didn’t bear the mission are not saved.
In the parable of sheep and goats, the sheep are the saved people, and the goats are the unsaved people.
In this parable, the Lord speaks to those who are to be saved.
“‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” (Matthew 25:34-36)
Then they answered.
“Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?”(Matthew 25: 37-39)
Again the Lord answers.
“Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family,you did it to me.”(Matthew 25:40)
Who is that little one?
He was a stranger, a naked man, a sick man, a prisoner....
Those who need help, those who have nothing, those who are lonely and sick...
They are the ones of the least.
They are very small, and caring for them means caring for the Lord.
Therefore, salvation is proclaimed to those who have looked after and cared for them, and judgment is declared to those who ignored them.
So who is in the heart of God?
It is the person who prepares the oil.
It is also the person who carries out the mission assigned to him and bear fruits.
And what is the mission?
It is to care for those very small ones.
Because they are the children of God, and God’s sight is on them.
That's right.
Who fits the heart of God?
It is those who look after and care for the very little ones, on whom the heart of God stays.
God blesses such person and makes him the source of blessing.
After the long journey, Abraham's old servant finally arrived at Haran, Abraham’s hometown.
By the way, he did not go right into the village.
Rather, he stood at the well outside the village and was hesitant to enter the village. Why?
He has come a long way now to find Isaac's wife.
But he did not know anything about the town, Haran.
It would’ve been logical for him to go to someone who knew a lot about the town and ask where Abraham's relatives were.
But instead of doing so, this servant stood at the well and began to pray to God.
“OLord, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham.”(Genesis 24:12)
This is a very important scene.
This servant believed that there would be the one whom God had prepared in that town.
Therefore, he knew that he would not have to go look for her, but to meet her according to God's will.
So instead of going into town and meeting people... he prayed to God first.
Brothers and sisters, do we have this kind of faith?
Do we have the faith that God has prepared everything?
Do we pray first before we start anything?
Whether we have such a faith or not, let us become evident when we meet big things in life and are urgent.
Thosewho have faith gets on their knees and pray as the more urgent and bigger the task is.
However, people without faith do not have time to pray because they are in a hurry.
They often ask others to pray for them and they are busy to run around and try to solve the problem on their own.
Abraham's servant arrived in Haran and prayed to God before he met anyone.
“OLord, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham.I am standing here by the spring of water, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water.Let the girl to whom I shall say, ‘Please offer your jar that I may drink,’ and who shall say, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels’—let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I shall know that you have shown steadfast love to my master.”(Genesis 24: 12-14)
This is a very important prayer.
It is a prayer to meet the person whom God has chosen.
Because his prayer is a prayer that knows God's heart.
What kind of person suits God's heart?
It's simple.
It is a person with God's heart.
That's right.
The man with God’s heart is the man of God.
In Philippians 2: 5-8, Paul says,
“Let the same mind be in you that wasin Christ Jesus,who, though he was in the form of God,did not regard equality with Godas something to be exploited,but emptied himself,taking the form of a slave,being born in human likeness.And being found in human form,he humbled himselfand became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross.”
Paul told us to embrace the mind of Christ Jesus.
What is the mind of Jesus Christ?
It is a humble heart.
It is a serving heart.
It is the mind that submits until death, that is, the mind that takes the cross.
It is the mind that is combined with the heart of God.
So Paul says.
“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2: 3-4)
Now, the woman that Abraham's servant is searching for is the one with this heart.
So he prayed earnestly first.
A woman who can give water to ten camels when he asks for a sip of water, so devoted, and so humble.. .
With humble hearts, treating others better than herself… also, a woman who knows how to look after others... he prayed earnestly to find her.
But it was not so easy to find such a person.
I heard that the amount of water a camel drinks is enormous.
One camel usually drinks at least 10 gallons of water at a time.
So if one camel drinks 10 gallons, it is 100 gallons of water for 10 camels.
If you try to lift it up from the well, even if you lift 2 gallons at a time, you have to lift more than 50 times.
Now, to a stranger whom you met for the first time, who would do that – let alone a young lady?
But in verse 15, it says “Before he had finished speaking....”
A lady already showed even before the servant finished his prayer.
She was a beautiful girl with a beautiful heart.
The servant might have realized right away that she was the one.
Her name was Rebekah.
She was just about to draw water and go home.
At that very moment, Abraham's servant ran toward her and said:
"Please let me sip a little water from your jar"
When the servant asked Rebekah, she immediately lowered the jar ad said,
"Drink my Lord"
What a humble answer this is!
In addition, after he had finished drinking the water, she said:
“I will draw for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.”
Yes, it is this immediate encounter with the one God has prepared, the one God has chosen.
This is important.
The prayer of the servant was thus immediately answered.
How could it be?
How did it come about so quickly?
Here is the secret of prayer response.
There is a prayer not answered no matter how many times you pray, but some prayers are answered immediately.
What’s the difference?
That’s because some prayers fit the heart of God.
This is because God is preparing for it.
That's right.
Such prayers are answered immediately.
We sometimes complain and doubt God's providence for our prayers not being answered.
But first we need to look back on whether our prayers were prayers that fit God’s will and His heart.
Do you want to pray prayers that are answered?
Then, do not pray according to my heart, but pray according to God's will and His heart.
Give up my thoughts, abandon my greed, and pray only according to the will of God.
That was the prayer of Abraham’s old servant.
It was a prayer that fit God's heart.
It was not his own way; it was a prayer according to God's will.
He did not try to look for someone that fit his criteria, but he tried to find the person whom God had prepared.
When God does not promptly respond to prayers, it’s often because that person may not be ready for what he’s praying for or the prayer does not fit the heart of God.
A prayer that is completed by faith, combined with God's will, is answered promptly.
Indeed, the girl, Rebekah, immediately began to carry water to the camels.
It must have been a tough task for a little girl, but she finished everything without complaining.
After verse 21, Abraham's servant was silently watching her.
He wondered if she was the girl whom God had prepared.
And after all is done, he asks "Whose daughter are you?"
One of the conditions to be the wife of Isaac was that she was one from Abraham's tree of relatives who live in Haran.
So he asked, "Tell me whose daughter you are?”
Then the girl answered.
"I am the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.”
Nahor is the brother of Abraham.
So she was obviously a relative of Abraham.
Yes, surprisingly, the girl answered not only her parent’s name but also her grandparents as well.
That's so Abraham's servant was able to tell that she was a relative of Abraham.
Yes, at the end, all of this was in God's amazing providence.
God had prepared all this.
So the servant again prayed to God.
It is Verse 27.
"Blessed be theLord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his steadfast love and his faithfulness toward my master. As for me, theLordhas led me on the way to the house of my master’s kin."
Brothers and sisters, who do you think is the person who lives the most wonderful and successful life?
It is the one who is used by God.
That's right.
The person God uses ... He is the most successful person.
So what should you do to become such a person?
How can we be used by God, and be God's chosen one?
You can be that one by having the heart of God.
Furthermore, if you pray with that heart, that prayer will be answered.
And if you live with that heart, then you become a man of God, and God will use you.
Rebekah was such a woman who had the heart of God.
So she could humble herself and know that she would serve her best and know how to treat each of the extremely small ones.
God saw that of Rebekah, and chose her to the most blessed family in the world, the family of the Abraham family.
And God took her son Jacob and made him Israel.
I hope that we, our heart, will be in God's will.
I pray that we all be blessed people of faith who are used by God and whose prayers are answered by God. Amen.
20181021 Sunday Sermon
Genesis 24: 10-20
"With the Heart of God"
If we have been saved by faith, we will now have to live a life of faith.
If so, what kind of life is a ‘believer’s life’?
It would be to live according to the will of God who granted us faith and to live the life that pleases God.
In that sense, we need pay attention to the people in today’s text.
Genesis 24 is where Isaac welcomed his wife and Abraham welcomed his daughter-in-law - Rebekah.
The Bible illustrates this scene in a very detailed manner.
It’s because through this story, the scripture tells us about the person whom God searched for and chooses.
The scene we read today begins with the scene where Abraham's old servant leaves for the hometown of Abraham.
Abraham's servant took ten camels on the trip.
He also left on the trip full of the best things from Abraham's house.
Who is this for?
It was for the one whom God had prepared, the one to be the wife of Isaac.
But that was not all.
In fact, there was a great blessing that could not be compared with any of those gifts and treasures.
The one that was chosen – if she follows the servant back to Abraham’s home, she would become a protagonist of great blessings.
That's right.
This too, would be the same for the life of all believers.
There is a wonderful blessing from God for those who are going through the path of faith.
You can enjoy the blessing of God in this land.
But there is even more.
In fact, a greater blessing awaits us in the house of Abraham, in that kingdom, is the Promised Land.
However, despite the blessing that God has prepared is so great, it’s not that anyone can be the protagonist of this blessing.
It must be a person who is in the heart of God ... because it is the protagonist of such a big blessing.
So who is the one that’s in the heart of God?
Who would be God's chosen one?
In Matthew 25 there are three parables that Jesus told.
The parable of the five virgins who prepared the oil, the parable of the talents, and the parable of the sheep and the goat.
These parables are very meaningful parables that are all analogies to the judgment of the last day.
Through this judgment, the person to be saved and the person not to be saved are clearly divided.
Who then will be saved, and who will not be saved?
In the parable of the ten virgins, those who prepare the oil are saved, and those who did not prepare the oil are not saved.
And in the parable of the talents, those who bear the task assigned to them and multiplied the talents are saved, and those who didn’t bear the mission are not saved.
In the parable of sheep and goats, the sheep are the saved people, and the goats are the unsaved people.
In this parable, the Lord speaks to those who are to be saved.
“‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” (Matthew 25:34-36)
Then they answered.
“Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” (Matthew 25: 37-39)
Again the Lord answers.
“Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” (Matthew 25:40)
Who is that little one?
He was a stranger, a naked man, a sick man, a prisoner....
Those who need help, those who have nothing, those who are lonely and sick...
They are the ones of the least.
They are very small, and caring for them means caring for the Lord.
Therefore, salvation is proclaimed to those who have looked after and cared for them, and judgment is declared to those who ignored them.
So who is in the heart of God?
It is the person who prepares the oil.
It is also the person who carries out the mission assigned to him and bear fruits.
And what is the mission?
It is to care for those very small ones.
Because they are the children of God, and God’s sight is on them.
That's right.
Who fits the heart of God?
It is those who look after and care for the very little ones, on whom the heart of God stays.
God blesses such person and makes him the source of blessing.
After the long journey, Abraham's old servant finally arrived at Haran, Abraham’s hometown.
By the way, he did not go right into the village.
Rather, he stood at the well outside the village and was hesitant to enter the village. Why?
He has come a long way now to find Isaac's wife.
But he did not know anything about the town, Haran.
It would’ve been logical for him to go to someone who knew a lot about the town and ask where Abraham's relatives were.
But instead of doing so, this servant stood at the well and began to pray to God.
“O Lord, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham.” (Genesis 24:12)
This is a very important scene.
This servant believed that there would be the one whom God had prepared in that town.
Therefore, he knew that he would not have to go look for her, but to meet her according to God's will.
So instead of going into town and meeting people... he prayed to God first.
Brothers and sisters, do we have this kind of faith?
Do we have the faith that God has prepared everything?
Do we pray first before we start anything?
Whether we have such a faith or not, let us become evident when we meet big things in life and are urgent.
Those who have faith gets on their knees and pray as the more urgent and bigger the task is.
However, people without faith do not have time to pray because they are in a hurry.
They often ask others to pray for them and they are busy to run around and try to solve the problem on their own.
Abraham's servant arrived in Haran and prayed to God before he met anyone.
“O Lord, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham. I am standing here by the spring of water, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. Let the girl to whom I shall say, ‘Please offer your jar that I may drink,’ and who shall say, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels’—let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I shall know that you have shown steadfast love to my master.” (Genesis 24: 12-14)
This is a very important prayer.
It is a prayer to meet the person whom God has chosen.
Because his prayer is a prayer that knows God's heart.
What kind of person suits God's heart?
It's simple.
It is a person with God's heart.
That's right.
The man with God’s heart is the man of God.
In Philippians 2: 5-8, Paul says,
“Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross.”
Paul told us to embrace the mind of Christ Jesus.
What is the mind of Jesus Christ?
It is a humble heart.
It is a serving heart.
It is the mind that submits until death, that is, the mind that takes the cross.
It is the mind that is combined with the heart of God.
So Paul says.
“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2: 3-4)
Now, the woman that Abraham's servant is searching for is the one with this heart.
So he prayed earnestly first.
A woman who can give water to ten camels when he asks for a sip of water, so devoted, and so humble.. .
With humble hearts, treating others better than herself… also, a woman who knows how to look after others... he prayed earnestly to find her.
But it was not so easy to find such a person.
I heard that the amount of water a camel drinks is enormous.
One camel usually drinks at least 10 gallons of water at a time.
So if one camel drinks 10 gallons, it is 100 gallons of water for 10 camels.
If you try to lift it up from the well, even if you lift 2 gallons at a time, you have to lift more than 50 times.
Now, to a stranger whom you met for the first time, who would do that – let alone a young lady?
But in verse 15, it says “Before he had finished speaking....”
A lady already showed even before the servant finished his prayer.
She was a beautiful girl with a beautiful heart.
The servant might have realized right away that she was the one.
Her name was Rebekah.
She was just about to draw water and go home.
At that very moment, Abraham's servant ran toward her and said:
"Please let me sip a little water from your jar"
When the servant asked Rebekah, she immediately lowered the jar ad said,
"Drink my Lord"
What a humble answer this is!
In addition, after he had finished drinking the water, she said:
“I will draw for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.”
Yes, it is this immediate encounter with the one God has prepared, the one God has chosen.
This is important.
The prayer of the servant was thus immediately answered.
How could it be?
How did it come about so quickly?
Here is the secret of prayer response.
There is a prayer not answered no matter how many times you pray, but some prayers are answered immediately.
What’s the difference?
That’s because some prayers fit the heart of God.
This is because God is preparing for it.
That's right.
Such prayers are answered immediately.
We sometimes complain and doubt God's providence for our prayers not being answered.
But first we need to look back on whether our prayers were prayers that fit God’s will and His heart.
Do you want to pray prayers that are answered?
Then, do not pray according to my heart, but pray according to God's will and His heart.
Give up my thoughts, abandon my greed, and pray only according to the will of God.
That was the prayer of Abraham’s old servant.
It was a prayer that fit God's heart.
It was not his own way; it was a prayer according to God's will.
He did not try to look for someone that fit his criteria, but he tried to find the person whom God had prepared.
When God does not promptly respond to prayers, it’s often because that person may not be ready for what he’s praying for or the prayer does not fit the heart of God.
A prayer that is completed by faith, combined with God's will, is answered promptly.
Indeed, the girl, Rebekah, immediately began to carry water to the camels.
It must have been a tough task for a little girl, but she finished everything without complaining.
After verse 21, Abraham's servant was silently watching her.
He wondered if she was the girl whom God had prepared.
And after all is done, he asks "Whose daughter are you?"
One of the conditions to be the wife of Isaac was that she was one from Abraham's tree of relatives who live in Haran.
So he asked, "Tell me whose daughter you are?”
Then the girl answered.
"I am the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.”
Nahor is the brother of Abraham.
So she was obviously a relative of Abraham.
Yes, surprisingly, the girl answered not only her parent’s name but also her grandparents as well.
That's so Abraham's servant was able to tell that she was a relative of Abraham.
Yes, at the end, all of this was in God's amazing providence.
God had prepared all this.
So the servant again prayed to God.
It is Verse 27.
"Blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his steadfast love and his faithfulness toward my master. As for me, the Lord has led me on the way to the house of my master’s kin."
Brothers and sisters, who do you think is the person who lives the most wonderful and successful life?
It is the one who is used by God.
That's right.
The person God uses ... He is the most successful person.
So what should you do to become such a person?
How can we be used by God, and be God's chosen one?
You can be that one by having the heart of God.
Furthermore, if you pray with that heart, that prayer will be answered.
And if you live with that heart, then you become a man of God, and God will use you.
Rebekah was such a woman who had the heart of God.
So she could humble herself and know that she would serve her best and know how to treat each of the extremely small ones.
God saw that of Rebekah, and chose her to the most blessed family in the world, the family of the Abraham family.
And God took her son Jacob and made him Israel.
I hope that we, our heart, will be in God's will.
I pray that we all be blessed people of faith who are used by God and whose prayers are answered by God. Amen.