Sermons / Talks
Ben Connelly - Sunday, 16 May 2021
Where is God in Everyday Life?
Scripture References: Genesis 23:1-20, 1 Corinthians 15:20-26, Ephesians 1:7-14
Gathering Growing Going
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CloseMuch of life is ordinary—work, family, responsibilities, obligations, the normal events of birth and life and death. It was no different for Abraham. And in all this, God was bringing about his promises in the regular, ordinary events of life. God has been no different with his people at any moment. Sure, there are extraordinary events, but God works normally in the ordinary. And that changes how we view him, his work, and the significance of our daily lives!
Scripture References: Genesis 23:1-20, 1 Corinthians 15:20-26, Ephesians 1:7-14
Related Topics: Genesis, Life | More Messages from Ben Connelly | Download Audio
When I search the word ‘grace’ in my Bible software, it says the word doesn’t occur until into 1 Samuel. In fact, passages like the one we are looking at today are drenched in ‘grace’. Grace is the beating heart of God’s promise to Abraham, which leads to the salvation of the world in Abraham’s descendant, Jesus Christ. Grace is what displays, for our benefit, the supreme significance of God and his nature and goodness.
We need to notice symmetry in the way Bible passages are put together—today’s passage is a case in point. If we take a bird’s eye view, we can see that it falls neatly into three parts: there are two bookends (vs.1-6, and vs.12-18), and then a middle section (vs.7-11). But it also raises the question of contentment as one of God’s people—am I content in life, will I be content in death, because I rest in the fulfilled promises of God?
It is wonderful to see the fruit of God’s faithfulness in Abraham’s life. Instead of working to create God’s promises by his own hands, Abraham is now making decisions within the context of God’s proven faithfulness—and it is so encouraging for us as people growing in the image of God to see!
Much of life is ordinary—work, family, responsibilities, obligations, the normal events of birth and life and death. It was no different for Abraham. And in all this, God was bringing about his promises in the regular, ordinary events of life. God has been no different with his people at any moment. Sure, there are extraordinary events, but God works normally in the ordinary. And that changes how we view him, his work, and the significance of our daily lives!
It is a familiar episode—the test of Abraham in God’s command to offer up Isaac—his only son—as a burnt offering. Even like that, it confronts our sensibilities, even outrages them.