Genesis 23-25

This is the last sermon in this series. We've seen Abraham and his family go through a lot of stuff and had many teachable moments. Here's a few more to finish off the series. 

The final three episodes in Abraham’s life relate to the future:

Abraham buried his wife Sarah (Genesis 23).... Sarah passed away and Abraham mourned her death. He wept for her. But he had no land to bury her in, so he bought a cave and used it as a burial tomb. He was living in the promised land, but had no land, and yet he still clung to the promise God had made to him. 

Abraham secured a wife for his son Isaac (Genesis 24)... Abraham wanted to make sure Isaac married one of his people, so he sent a servant back home find a woman. The servant went and found Rebecca, a distant cousin to Isaac. Rebecca returns with the servant and marries Rebecca…. Parents can't control their child's destiny, but they can help set up their child for success and provide them with a good foundation. For people looking for a spouse, this story shows that you should determine the type of person you want to merry, look in the right places for them, and be faithful to God in the search. 

Abraham died and was buried by his sons (Genesis 25).... Abraham's spirit left him as he died surrounded by his people. His sons buried him with Sarah. Later, Isaac and Rebecca would also be buried there. Then Jacob and Leah. Finally, following the Exodus, Joseph's bones, which were 100s of years old, were buried in that cave too. We might not see everything fulfilled in our lives, but we can be confident that God will keep His promises in the future even if we don't see it. 

All these were still living by faith when they died (Hebrews 11:13-16).... There's more to come. We look forward to the future, where we know God's promises will be fulfilled. 

Abraham is still alive (Mark 12:26-27).... Jesus says that Abraham is still alive. God is the God of the living and when we pass away on Earth, we just go home to Heaven. 

If you believe in his offspring, Jesus, you can meet Abraham one day (Matthew 8:11).... There will be a reunion of God's people where we will get to meet everyone else who was saved by God's grace through faith.