Pendeta Stephen Tong: 2007

Humanity In Sin Part 36 - Jacob at Laban's Place

09.46

This is my personal summary of the preaching of Rev.Dr.Stephen Tong on 25th November 2007 in Newton Life. It was preached in Chinese with English translation.

Passage: Genesis 29

Many years have passed since the day Rebekah left her household. When Laban recognized Jacob was his sister’s son, he immediately ran to meet him because since the day his sister left with Abraham’s chief servant to marry Isaac, she never returned home anymore.

Laban welcomed Jacob to stay with him and Jacob worked for Laban in tending his flock. Later on, Laban asked what Jacob wanted, and he honestly said he was willing to work for 7 years to marry Rachel. Laban was pleased with the arrangement. His love was really great so time passed by very quickly.

However, Laban was a dishonest man. The Bible said he cheated Jacob’s wages 10 times. Although they were relatives, he was crafty when it concerned profit and loss. Superficially speaking, it seemed that Laban had won and Jacob had lost. But from God’s point of view, He was chastising Jacob for all the deceits he had done to his father and his brother. Jacob now met another deceiver and it was painful when God allowed punishment to come to him.

He was overjoyed at his wedding night as he had waited for 7 years before he could marry Rachel, only to find out that Laban had given Leah to him. For Laban, it did not matter whom Jacob married. He wanted to solve his own issue first, that was to fulfill the tradition to let his eldest daughter marry first. Since Leah was already married to Jacob, Laban now offered Jacob to wait another 7 days before giving Rachel to him, and in return he asked Jacob to work for him another 7 years.

The household would always have emotional battles and dissatifaction from then on, as Jacob loved Rachel much more than he loved Leah. Later on both Rachel and Leah let their maidservants sleep with him in order to compete in childbearing, so as to win their husband’s love. It was not Jacob’s intention to marry Leah. Jacob only wanted to marry one woman, Rachel, but Laban gave him both his daughters. And Rachel and Leah gave Jacob another two women. So eventually Jacob had 4 women, that gave him 12 sons and one daughter, Dinah. The Bible did not talk about other daughters.

But all these 12 sons became 12 tribes of Israel. Levi was not included in one of the tribes as it was set apart for priesthood, but there are two tribes from Joseph’s sons (Ephraim and Manasseh), so completing the 12 tribes.

All the other descendants would never exceed the importance of Jacob’s direct descendants. God would call Himself by the names of three successive generations, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Seen from human point of view, Joseph had a better character than all three of them. He did not lie and deceive others. Both Joseph and Daniel were almost faultless young men in the Bible as the Bible never recorded their sins specifically. They became the best model for young people in all history. But God never declared Himself as the God of Joseph, instead He called Himself the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as He made His covenant with them.

Abraham was the father of all who had faith. Isaac was an example of the man of peace. Jacob was the man who represents the great power of the gospel. Through Abraham, a new race was born. The kingdom that came from the 12 tribes of Israel became a representation of the rule of God. The existence of the nation of Israel became the representation of the kingdom of God. The law Israel received become the foundation of the most important laws of men. The tabernacle and temple of Israel become the most important symbolic representation of God with us. Under the Law of Israel, Jesus Christ the Son was born as the only Holy One who fulfilled the Law of God. God’s promise to Abraham that his seed shall become a blessing to all nation is a singular term which refers to Jesus Christ.

Through these people, God prepared the world for the Savior. So God changed Jacob’s name to Israel. Among the three meanings, one is most important. Isra refers to the Prince, and El refers to God. So Israel means the Crown Prince of God (Elohim). So the Israel represent the Church. In Christ, we are children of God. The Church is like the 12 tribes coming together.

The book of Genesis reveals God’s creation, experiences of generations, God’s judgment to the entire world and how He elected a few to be remnant to continue a new generation. When men went against the will of God, God destroyed them. Again the remnants were formed and history continued. Finally God chose the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to represent the Kingdom of God. The Jews are the foreshadow of the Church. The true Kingdom is from Jesus Christ. The true Israelites are those who believe and are baptized into His kingdom.

Humanity in Sin Part 35 - God's Revelation to Jacob

10.05

This is my personal summary of the preaching of Rev.Dr.Stephen Tong on 18 November 2007 in Newton Life. It was preached in Chinese with English translation.

Passage: Genesis 28

We have seen earlier that a spiritual family also have a lot of weaknesses. But God’s sovereignty rules. The Lord blessed Jacob before he was even born. We are not worthy to receive anything from God. Grace is based on God’s sovereign will. Grace is not to be conflicted with the justice of God. When God chooses to give grace to one and not another, it is not to be mixed up with God’s justice.

Justice is to be linked with God’s judgment. But often we demand that God gives us grace as He gives grace to others based on our own understanding of God’s justice. This is not biblical. On the matter of grace, it is in God’s sovereignty to give whatever He wants to whomever He wishes. He has mercy to whom He will be merciful. On the matter of judgment, God will judge based on His justice.

In the Bible we see two matters that do not seem to be related. First, the covenant of grace will come true no matter what happens. The blessings God gave to Abraham would follow Jacob. God would give the promise land to Jacob. At the same time, God would not let go of the sin His chosen one had committed. Jacob made many spiritual errors. He took blessings from his elder brother, deceived his father and did many other deceitful things. God would not just let him go simply because he received special blessings from God. As Christians we need to have balanced view on all the works of God. Else we will fool ourselves with our misunderstanding of God.

Although Isaac loved Esau, Isaac at least had some principles of God in his heart. So when Esau married Canaanite women, he was very displeased. Because he loved his son, he did not comment too much. Often times we compromise when people we like make mistakes. Isaac then asked Jacob not to marry a Canaanite woman, but to find one from his mother’s family. When Esau heard Isaac’s instruction to Jacob, he realized that he failed to fulfil his father’s wishes on one issue. Instead of repenting, he married again. Esau was after all filial. He did many things and did not realize that his father would not be pleased. But when he realized, he did not make amends of the past but rather tried to add on other things to please his father.

Esau represents many people today. Many people just want to do one more thing to please others instead of correcting the past mistake. We are lazy to preach the gospel and get used to it. So when we are asked to preach the gospel, we give excuses and just give more money for offering, and say it is not our calling. Many people know God has called them to ministry. But they have to give up high pay. So they do other things to compensate for it but they would not give up their job. So Esau did not receive the principle of the teaching. He only felt the pain of his mistake. It is very difficult for such a person to improve because his focus is to please people.

God is very strict when He first passed down some important principles to His people. When chastisement of God comes, we cannot first be concerned about our feelings or how people look at us. Aaron’s two sons were striken dead because they gave unauthorized fire at the altar. Aaron as the chief priest would have felt really bad because of this tragedy, yet God commanded him not to wail because of this. God wants us to wail because of our sin. There is no value if we are sad because of punishment.

We often never discover the correction God gives to us through difficult people He puts in our lives. We are very insensitive to our own mistakes, but sensitive to our feelings. It is because our hearts do not care about our mistakes, but we care for the praises and satisfaction from others. We are not concerned about what is right. We are not interested to correct ourselves but just want to preserve our face. So we go around in circles and never improve. Esau behaved in this manner. His solution was to marry a non-Canaanite woman. The Bible did not tell us what the father felt after Esau married again.

An important event happened during Jacob’s journey. While sleeping, he had a vision. Before the Bible is completed, God revealed His will to His specially selected people in various ways. We have to be very careful about dreams and visions because they are very relative personal experiences. Remember that the Old Testament itself spans a few thousands of years. There are not that many times of visions recorded over such a long time. It is not like today when people claim to have visions and dreams so frequently. People who get obsessed with these will find that they do not need the Bible and are not interested in the= already-completed revelation of God.

But Jacob’s dream was a revelation from God. It happened before the Bible was completed. And it was in line with the entire revelation of God. In what way is it consistent with God’s entire revelation? He dreamt of a ladder that reached to the heaven. This is the highest ideal of Chinese culture, that is, Heaven and earth be one. How can human beings have a relationship with God?

When men built the tower of Babel, it started from the earth but could not reach to heaven. But in this stairway, it came from heaven and reached down to earth. It is not something that could be achieved by men. It is God’s grace. This revelation surpassed what God has given to Abraham and Isaac. The greatest part of revelation to Abraham is the monotheistic faith and resurrection of the dead. Important aspects of Christian faith is contained in God’s revelation to Abraham.

God did not give Isaac any important revelation. But coming to Jacob, God revealed the mediation between God and man. This medium is the salvation that Jesus Christ completed by the shedding of His blood. He opened up for us a new and living way so that we can enter to the throne of God.

In the Old Testament, the high priest could only enter the Holy of holies once in a year. When Jesus died, there was earthquake, darkness, and the temple curtain were torn from top to bottom. The grace of God is now upon us. Sinners can enter into holy of holies. This is not part of general revelation but special revelation. God’s revelation to Jacob shows how Jesus would be broken for our sin. Jacob was able to see this. The Son of God Himself is the intermediary between God and man.

Jacob was so surprised when he woke up. He said it was the gate of heaven. He was so sensitive and accurate. In the Old Testament, the house of God always refers to a physical building with visible art and design. But Jacob woke up, he immediately said that the place where he laid was the gate of heaven. He did not place emphasis on outward things. His primary goal was to understand the thought of God. So God was pleased with him. From the eyes of man, Jacob was merely a deceitful man while Esau was a filial son. But God sees things very differently. He wants to see how we understand His revelation and how much we seek after it. For his life, Jacob always grabbed hold of the opportunity to know the heart of God.

The temple of God is not a building. It is the place where God meets man, where we receive God’s revelation, where through the sacrifice of Christ, we gain access to heaven. Paul understood it in the New Testament that the temple of God is not confined in a physical building. Jesus Christ Himself taught that the temple of God is His body. Paul said our body is the temple of God. So there is consistency of revelation in the whole Bible. And the first person to understand the house of God is Jacob, when he fled from his brother after tricking him. On one hand, he did not escape the punishment of God because of his deception, but God’s blessings on him was not taken away.

Humanity In Sin Part 34 - Jacob Gets Isaac's Blessings

09.21

This is my personal summary of the preaching of Rev.Dr.Stephen Tong on 11th November 2007 in Newton Life. It was preached in Chinese with English translation.

Some Sharing On Reformed Movement:

During the renaissance, people believed that the ancient accomplishment by the Greek and Roman empire was the most glorious. And they felt that Christianity had brought about a decline in culture. So they emphasized that culture needed to be reborn. But Christianity believes that man should be reborn. When we are reborn, we have a new life. But when we have revolution, many people will die.

Looking at the Greek art and academic thought, people wanted a rebirth of culture. But they relied on human reason as the truth to understand all things. They cast aside revelation and aimed on pragmatism, so eternity and heaven were thrown aside. The Scripture’s promises were all set aside. Although many giants during the renaissaince itself were Christians who tried to bring together God’s revelation and human culture, people were not able to differentiate them.

The 16th century Reformation is the only culture that is Bible-centered in the entire history of mankind. It is the movement that is most blessed by God as it is most in line with God’s eternal will and pleasing to God. It established most important principles, that are to be based on the Scripture, only by grace, only through faith. It relied on Christ alone and to the glory of God alone. Afterwards, the Enlightenment came about where people thought they have matured and presumed on reason as the ultimate authority to judge all things.

We need to return to the faith that is based on the Word of God. This is the only way we can maintain the faith God has given us. We need to learn to look at the lifestyle of men from the throne of God and His Word. We have to use very strict principles of God based on His revelation to see what He has to say about our lifestyle. In this way, our lifestyle is built upon the Word of God. The sovereign will of God will get rid of people who are arrogant, while continuing to draw more people towards His kingdom.

Continuing on Genesis:

Passage: Genesis 27:1-40

In business environment, it seems that those who can lie will be more successful while those who are honest will lose out. Yet, in parental education, parents ask the children not to fight and to be good, but keep seeing that those who conquer are those who are crafty. People tell children not to tell lies but often times the dishonest ones earn a lot of money while the honest ones almost have nothing to eat.

So is the content of this education useless? Does that mean we cannot make money if we are honest? Does God bless a person who gets what he wants in dishonest way? Does God bless us in secondary manner when we are honest?

On surface, this passage raises a lot of difficult questions. But we ought to understand that before this chapter, there were already problems among Esau, Jacob and Isaac.

When Isaac was old, he could not see clearly anymore and he thought he would die soon. When we start to lose our sight and know that we have not many days left, we will remember things we ought to have done but we have not done. And we would want to set aside some time to prioritize what we need to do. But our spirituality will determine our priority. What are our priorities in life? The book “First things First” contains some wisdom regarding the importance of order. When time gets lesser and tighter especially, more proportionally we need to link the two together. The opportunity will not return and wisdom comes when we are able to grab the most important thing in an important instance.

If we spend a lot of time doing foolish things, we are really foolish. But if within a short time we can get hold of very important things, we are wise. But Isaac lacked such training. He was a man with a peaceful life. He was a man who was not willing to live a life full of challenges. Many people are like that. They prefer a life with no risk, no conflictand full of harmony.

When Isaac thought he was going to die, the first thing in his mind was to ask Esau to cook good food. So the most important thing in his life is food. The life of Isaac in the end was so simple. He wanted to eat good food before he died. Esau obeyed and went. Esau was an obedient child. If a child is obedient blindly, it is not a good thing. Also, a good leader is not a person who just wants others to obey him. If a person just wants to flow smoothly with time, how could he face difficult challenges in life?

When we think our lives are ending, is it really ending? Often times our feelings and actions are often different from reality. Isaac thought he was going to die and he was 100 years old then. But Isaac actually did not die until 80 years later.

For his own selfishness he gave a command to his son. The principle of education is such that it should not done for parents’ own good. If we teach our children in manner beneficial to us, it is not education anymore but it is taking advantage of our kids. Often mothers hit their kids because they interfere with their lives. If we punish our children out of frustration, it is not education but vengeance. It is done to solve our own problems and not theirs. So in the matter of parental education, Isaac had failed. He was a glutton and all he commanded was based on his own selfishness.

Scripture said Isaac loved Esau but Rebekah loved Jacob. When we fight for our own benefit, we cannot be blessed by the truth. Often times, great men and women fail on trivial things. The greatest among us often cannot overcome small things in life. In fact, if Isaac had rejected temptation of gluttony that day, his favorite son would not have had ended with the tragedy of having secondary blessings. If we do not prioritize properly, if we are not able to see what is primary and what is secondary, God will allow us to lose the most valuable things in life.

Esau lost his blessings but Jacob received it although it was not his earlier. Jacob was a man of ambition who would take the opportunity to obtain blessings when he had the chance. We cannot say God blesses the deceitful. Rather, in this matter, God allowed His blessings to go from people who ignore the blessings to those who truly value them.

Rebekah knew all Isaac’s plan. When Esau left to hunt, she knew it would take quite some time before he came back. She wanted to take this opportunity to let Jacob get the blessings. Here the mother used her authority to force the child to be obedient. The child was curious why the mother asked him to do what was not right. God will punish mothers who taught children wrongly. She deceived her husband with food and taught the child to lie.

Abraham lied and Isaac followed his father’s example and lied. And Rebekah followed her husband’s example and lied. Then she taught the son to do the same thing. So the spirit of lies was passed down from generation to generation. The first time we lie we remember the fear. But repeat lies shear our conscience. Do not brag on experience just because you have gone through long passage of time. You may be experienced in making the same mistakes for 20 years.

Jacob took the blessings as God preserved the authority of the leader. Everything Isaac said could not be taken back. We need to be respectful of our own status and authority or else the younger generation will despise us and fall because of us.

Jacob was deceived by his mother and afterward he became very bold in deception. He was already born with a deceptive personality. He took opportunity to use his stew to snatch the status of the firstborn. He was not clean in his dealing in the first place. On the other hand, God despises those who sell their firstborn rights. Last time it was not his scheme to deceive Esau but it just happened that he had cooked and his brother came along asking for his stew. But this time his mother taught him to do anything to get what he wanted.

Esau came back wanting God’s blessing. Esau did not value the status, but just wanted the blessings that came with it. But the father said he could not take the blessing back. If we ignore important principles of life when we are given, we will be at a loss later on. If we let go of opportunities when they are here, when difficulties come there is no way to turn around. Hence we are destined to make the same mistakes over and over again.

Jacob received a lot of curses because of his deception. Do not think because God loved Jacob, He blessed him for the rest of his life. In fact, God allowed the brother-in-law of his father to deceive him ten times. It is very ironical. Jacob deceived his father once. God allowed Laban, his father’s brother-in-law, to deceive him 10 times. He deceived his father for one day, but he was deceived by his ten sons for decades. They lied to him that his favorite son Joseph had died by staining Joseph’s coat with blood. When Jacob met Joseph again, a few decades had passed.

Why would Jacob fool his father? It was because of his mother’s instruction. The mother was good in everything, except in giving this instruction to the son. God also punished Rebekah. After that event, Jacob had to leave his parents as Esau wanted to kill him, and Rebekah never had a chance to see her favorite son Jacob ever again. Rebekah already died when Jacob came back.

God is just and is not to be taken lightly. How solemnly God disciplines His own children! We need to see God’s authority, justice and severity, and not only see look at His mercy and love in unbalanced way. May the Lord help us that through His Word we learn to fear Him and follow His command. Evil will not produce goodness.

Humanity In Sin Part 33 - Isaac and Abimelech

21.14

This is my personal summary of the preaching of Rev.Dr.Stephen Tong on 28th October 2007 in Newton Life. It was preached in Chinese with English translation.

Passage: Genesis 26:1-22

This is the chapter in the Bible that talked about a few important events in Isaac’s life. Isaac was better than Abraham in some aspects, but he also inherited some of Abraham’s weaknesses. Isaac loved his wife from the first day he saw her and never had another wife. He was a consistent man all his life. Before marriage, we still have our freewill to choose. After marriage, we have given away our freedom and should stay committed to our marriage.

The Lord commanded Isaac not to go to Egypt although it was a better land than Canaan. When God commanded Abraham to leave Mesopotamia, it was the most beautiful city in ancient world. God wants him to live by faith, waiting in hope for His promises. Abraham’s faith is one that moves according to the guidance of God. God called him from the most civilized place to a place where the barbarians lived, from a large house to live in tents for 100 years. Afterwards, his son Isaac lived the same way. Everything he did influence his son.

Having a beautiful wife is a blessing, but it also comes with its problems. There were people eyeing on her and it gave a lot of burden and fear. Where there is blessing, there is also responsibility. With the blessing from God, there comes a cross to bear. With boldness, we should fulfil our responsibility. Paul Tilich wrote a book on “The Courage to Be”, which says that since we already exist, we need to have the courage to face our existence. But Isaac repeated the mistake of his father. He lied regarding his relationship with Rebekah. People treated him well because of Rebekah.

One day Abimelech saw how intimate Isaac was with Rebekah. Abimelech was a man of integrity and rebuked Isaac for lying about his relationship with Rebekah. Many Gentiles respond to the general revelation of God in ways that surpass the believers. Unbelievers might become very good believers in the future, we certainly should not look down on them. On the contrary, many believers live very haphazard lives.

Should it be that a Christian lie and get rebuked by a pagan? In difficult circumstances, do we forget to rely on God and turn to our own craftiness? Can we forget our faith and begin using our own wisdom? Bible records this to show us our weaknesses so that we can learn.

God continued to bless Isaac in that land. When he gained wealth, he continued to fear God. His spirituality was not shaken by material world. But the people were not happy with his prosperity and he was asked to leave the land.

Isaac did not quarrel. He was the son of peace. In his entire life he never fought with others. He went to another place and opened another well. After he dug it, it was taken away and he gave way too. He went to another place and dug another well again and it was taken away again. He did not retaliate. Finally he moved and dug a well the third time. This last time nobody took it away from him.

These were important events in Isaac’s life. A person who is always bullied might not fall in the end. Do not be revengeful when people treat you badly. No matter how people treat you, if God wants to bless you, you will not fall. May God teach us to set our eyes on Him and all other things in the world will be secondary to us.

Humanity in Sin Part 32 - Jacob and Esau

19.40

This is my personal summary of the preaching of Rev.Dr.Stephen Tong on 21st October 2007 in Newton Life. It was preached in Chinese with English translation.

Passage: Genesis 25:7-11, 19-34

Isaac married Rebecca when he was 40, but only had children when he was 60. He had to wait for 20 years. Isaac prayed to God so that Rebecca could have children. In the ancient culture, an unmarried woman was a disgrace. And a barren wife was also a disgrace, no matter how deeply her husband love her. Isaac was faithful to his wife although she was barren, and he continued to pray for her. Isaac and Rebecca’s marriage was predestined by God. The Bible specifically mentioned about how Rebecca was brought out from Mesopotamia by Abraham’s chief servant for Isaac.

God gave Isaac 2 sons which represented two nations, where the older would serve the younger. The Scripture said God loved Jacob but hated Esau. Why did the Scripture say the elder would serve the younger before they were born? God is just, we cannot say He is biased or unfair. He was revealing His will. In the progression of events to come, God’s will unfolded.

The first child was very hairy like a garment, so called him Esau. The second child grabbed hold of his brother’s feet. Since birth, Jacob already showed himself to be one who always snatched every single opportunity. Esau and Jacob had very different personalities. Jacob was a quiet man who always stayed in the tent, while Esau was lively and always went hunting.

Isaac loved to eat delicious food. This was his weakness. Isaac especially loved Esau because he tasted Esau’s food. He did not love Jacob as much because Jacob only stayed in the tent and was not a hunter like Esau. He was biased towards Esau because Esau could cook. Later on, following the mistake of his father, Jacob was also biased towards his son. Esau took it as his most important purpose in life to please his father. This kind of filial piety is not based on the truth.

When the most important thing is not treated as most important in our life, we will end up wasting a lot of time on secondary things. And we will regret before leaving the world because we have not done many things we ought to do. We ought to examine ourselves whether we prioritize our lives properly. We need to ask whether we treat the absolute as absolute and relative as relative.

What are the absolute things? Those are the things important in the eyes of God. We must put God above our parents. God is the Creator of our parents. Esau was only pleasing to his father, but not interested in what pleases God.

Who was Esau? He was the firstborn. In Jewish culture, the firstborn is most important. The firstborn represents the entire family and would receive double portion of the father’s inheritance. God would bless the first son. But Esau did not understand this. When we put God first, He would bless us. From human perspective, Esau was very filial. But in the eyes of God, Esau was not pleasing to Him. Jesus said we are not worthy to be His disciples if we could not leave everything and follow Him.

Was it because God determined Esau to be rejected? Throughout the course of history, Esau proved himself to be unworthy. On the other hand, Jacob was not willing to lose even one moment of opportunity. Jacob’s life was marked by grabbing of opportunities. God spoke through Isaiah that among the Israelites there was none like Jacob who clung to God and His promises.

Many of us would just waste away our time and opportunities. Young people today should rise and grab hold of the Word of God. When Jacob wrestled with God, he would not let the Angel go until he received His blessings. God loves those who seek after Him.

Esau and Jacob represent two kinds of Christians. There is a group of Christians who seek after God. Another group of Christians would just waste their lives. Some would wake up early in the morning to read and study God’s Word. Others would just come to church on Sunday and even then fall asleep. Some would drive long distance and take leave just to listen to a sermon. Others would not turn up even though the church is just across their house.

When God sees from heaven, He sees some people who just waste away His grace, while others cling so tightly to it. Earthly father Isaac loved Esau because he cooked good food. But the Heavenly Father loved Jacob because Jacob honored God and grabbed hold of every opportunity to be a part of His will. Jacob’s greatest regret was that he was not the firstborn, so he was not born with the privileges like what Esau had no matter how hard he tried to catch up.

Many people who are not born with many privileges fight hard and advance a lot in life but others who are born with a lot more privileges betray themselves using the grace God have given them. This is a sad and pathetic world. We should never look down on ourselvew just because we are not born in good circumstances.

In Jacob and Esau’s case, we see that the one born with inferior circumstances could surpass the one who was superior. The most beautiful music was composed by Beethoven who was deaf. One of the greatest hymn was written by John Newton who was blind. One of the greatest physicists is Stephen Hawking who could not even move. We often blame God because of men’s inabilities. On the contrary, God would rebuke us using these people. A person like Helen Keller who was blind, deaf and mute was a great writer. God would ask us, since we are not blind, not deaf and not mute, what have we done? We are not worthy to ask God questions.

Although Jacob was not the firstborn, and his father did not love him the same way, but he grabbed hold of God and pursued things invisible beyond the material world. One day when Esau was back and tired from hunting, he saw Jacob cooking some red stew. He asked Jacob to give him some food. Jacob was very sly. He asked for an exchange. He would give some stew to Esau but asked Esau to surrender his birthright.

Birthright was unseen but the food was visible. Here is a battle between the spiritual and the worldly and the irony between what we can see and what we cannot see. The Apostle Paul said that we should fix our eyes on what is unseen and not on what is seen because what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal. A person who only takes care of immediate needs will have short-sighted spirituality although he might have some temporal enjoyment. But a far-sighthted person looks at long term investment so would not be satisfied with temporal enjoyment.

Many people think that Christians are idealists and look at the world as the fight between idealism and materialism. But Christianity is neither idealism nor materialism. Both concepts are the products of fallen reason. Christianity is about the truth. The truth that God create the world. The truth that comes from God’s revelation alone.

According to materialism, only material world exists and it is the material world that decides the thought process. Idealism on the other hand, believes that the material world does not exist, but is only a projection of the ideal. In summary it believes that reason decides the material world.

Christianity, however, teaches that God created both the material world and our reason. We can use our thinking process to understand the material world. But the existence of all things are contingent and only the existence of God is eternal and incontingent. And only through the Word of God can we understand the truth.

Esau saw the material things to be important. He despised spiritual things. His entire worldview and value system were material. This was how Esau lived. Jacob looked at God’s eternal will as more important than the material world. The need of our heart for the truth is more important than our material need.

Jacob asked for Esau’s birthright and made Esau to swear. In this way, he pulled God into the negotiation to secure not a human witness, but an Eternal Witness. He could see the essence of things that were invisible. Esau could not see the value behind the invisible things. Esau represents all who look at temporal things. Temptation from the material need is great indeed. Jacob represents Christians who could be far-sighted.

We must learn how to live our lives from this example. We should not make the the mistake of short-sightedness. Do not take run after things that are temporal but prepare ourselves for eternity. If we are able to see eternity in this temporal world, our life value will be elevated. When we see God, His throne and what is of eternal value, we will despise material world and be counted among the blessed and the wise.

Humanity in Sin Part 31 - Abraham's Old Age

19.22

This is my personal summary of the preaching of Rev.Dr.Stephen Tong on 14th October 2007 in Newton Life. It was preached in Chinese with English translation.

Passage: Genesis 25:1-11

The Scripture is unique in the way it recorded history. Normally people do want to reveal the weaknesses and shame of their ancestors and tend to write in the way to glorify their own history. Hence initially biographies in the world seldom world about how people fail. Since the confessions of St.Augustine, more people began to write about the struggles in their heart, about their ugliness and wrongdoings. The true source of influence actually came from the Bible.

The Bible never records human history with human subjectivity to glorify human beings. But God, as the Author, the subjectivity of Truth in Himself, records human history through the Scripture in an objective way. The Scriptures record things that are ugly. No single human record can compare with the Bible. The Scripture writes about how Abraham and Isaac lied to protect their lives, about David killed his enemies, snatched another man’s wife and killed the husband. All these are against human ethics so why should these be recorded in the holy Book?

A lot of people accuse the Bible of being unethical because of what it records. But the Word of God is like a mirror. It reflects our true nature. We cannot accuse the mirror as dirty simply because it reflects how dirty we are. In fact, it is because the mirror is very clean that it can reflect our filthiness. That is the essence of the Bible. Because it is holy, it records the shortcomings of the greatest people.

The revelation of God is progressive in nature. Initially the Bible recorded that Abraham lied and told half-truth but did not say directly whether he was right or wrong until the time of Moses where God passed the 10 commandments, one of which said that we cannot give false testimony.

Abraham had to live 38 more years as a widower after Sarah died. Although Sarah was 10 years younger, she passed away earlier. It is harder for a man to live a widower’s life than for a woman to live a widow’s life. Abraham married again when he was very old because he needed a companion in his old age.

He sent all his children off after they grew up. When Sarah was still alive, he gave everything to Isaac. The things he had acquired before Sarah died, he gave all to Isaac. The other things he had acquired he distributed to his other children. So the God-given child, Isaac, received all the inheritance as he ought to. Earlier, he had dealt well with Ishmael too. Abraham showed himself to be very wise in his dealings with his family and his children. He did things beautifully.

When he died, he had not received the promised land, but with faith he looked up to God, because God’s timing had not come. He is the father of all with faith.

All the teaching of the Bible is full of the wisdom we need, so that we will fear God and live a life fulfilling our responsibility before God.

Humanity in Sin Part 30: A Wife for Isaac (2)

09.04

This is my personal summary of the preaching of Rev.Dr.Stephen Tong on 7th October 2007 in Newton Life. It was preached in Chinese with English translation.

Genesis 24:10-67

In the entire Scripture, Genesis 24 is the only chapter dedicated entirely to one event, that is, on how Abraham prepared a wife for his son Isaac. There have been billions of marriages in history, so is it worth writing so much detail on one marriage? This marriage is not a special one. It is not simply about the need to get marriage after a certain age. It is not simply about the need to start and raise a family. It is about the building of an entire nation that would be a blessing to the entire world. God’s plan for the world is to be accomplished through Abraham.

Nowadays we think that matters relating to sex and marriage are things related to this generation only. Often times we treat important things as unimportant and vice versa. Here we see that Abraham is very clear and responsible about the marriage of his child. And he has a very faithful servant. A good master will have good servants. Christian employers should look at their relationship with their employees more than a matter of profit and loss.

Abraham taught his servant not only to be responsible before him, but also before God. This elderly servant has a very clear mind. He prayed to God that when he asked a woman God has chosen for water, she would give water to his camels as well.

He is an old servant. The other person is a beautiful girl. Why would a beautiful girl serve an old man and so many camels? So his prayer to God was to draw out the girl’s character. Was she a good woman? Would she serve others or herself only?

Rebecca immediately gave this old servant drink and prepared for his camels as well. A lot of times we tend to suspect people’s motivation first and as a result we miss out a lot of opportunities to do good.

But what is good? True goodness is done for its own sake, not in order to achieve some personal gain. It is true that we will be blessed when we do good, but it is very important to get the order right. Receiving blessings should not be the motivation for good works. When we do good for the sake of gaining something in the end, we are not doing true goodness.

Christians often get challenged by others that they believe in Jesus because they want to go to heaven. They do good because they want God’s blessings. How do we respond to these? It is not because we want to go to heaven that we believe, but we have faith in the truth because truth itself is believable and dependable. Going to heaven is the result, not the reason, for believing. And we do good because God Himself is Goodness and we are made in His image and likeness, so we can reflect His goodness naturally in our lives. But shouldn’t we get rewarded for doing good? Yes, because this is God’s principle of righteousness. We will indeed be rewarded for doing good. But it should not be the motivation, rather it is the natural by-product. And indeed it is not true goodness when it is done for personal gain. We need to have clean motives. The Scripture says to guard our heart because it is the wellspring of life. Only when our motives are pure, we can be God’s witnesses.

The servant was focused on the purpose of his journey. When he found that the woman was from the family of his master Abraham, he worshiped the God of Abraham and praised him for making his journey successful. Abraham worshipped the one true God. Isaiah said when Abraham was alone, God called him. He is the ancestor of monotheistic belief. After Abraham, the world is segregated into two kinds of religions, revelatory and non-revelatory. Christianity is a revelatory faith. Revelatory religions have deep reverence towards God and their relationships with men is based upon their understanding of God.

Rebecca told all her family background and genealogy to the servant. The servant was not willing to leave but waited for the girl to come back after telling his family. He asked if he could stay over at her house. After entering the house, the servant told them he wanted to take the girl away. The family wanted Rebecca to stay another 10 days. But the servant refused to compromise. He said since it is God’s will, it should not be delayed. He said not to detain him, because this is what God has set for the son of his master Abraham. This is a very important principle. A lot of people know that God sent them but they kept delaying. When we are clear of the guidance of God, we should not delay.

When they saw that he was so genuine, the did not know what to do. They asked the sister if she wanted to go. She said she would go now. It seemed so easy. But the fact is that Isaac had been single for 40 years. The Scripture said that Rebecca was very beautiful. When Isaac saw her, immediately he loved her and took her as his wife. Since the mother’s death, Isaac was finally comforted by Rebecca.

Is it difficult to get married? Is it complicated to fall in love? When God’s time has come, everything fits in well. In this chapter, we see how marriage is predestined. If God gives it to you, nobody can take it away. If God does not give it to you, you cannot keep it. Often times we find things in life very complicated and difficult because you are not willing to pay the price to establish your relationship with God. If we truly struggle before God, every day becomes very restful. We enter into God’s rest.

Humanity in Sin Part 29: A Wife for Isaac (1)

15.35

This is my personal summary of the preaching of Rev.Dr.Stephen Tong on 30th September in Newton Life. It was preached in Chinese with English translation.

Passage: Genesis 24:1-9

In Genesis 23, Abraham was not willing to get the land for free to bury Sarah. Today’s young people have very different mentality. They are not willing to sacrifice, work hard and pay price. They think the best is to have everything easy and free. As a result whatever their words and their life have no power.

Genesis 24 talks about about how a godly father Abraham worked hard to get a good daughter-in-law for his son. He had only one son who is given by God and he took his son’s marriage seriously. All our possessions belong to the materialistic realm, but our children came from our life. Our wealth is expandable but children are heritage from the Lord and we have to give an account to God on how we raise them. The material world will pass away, but like us, if our children do God’s will they will live forever. Our children will stand before God’s judgement too. So how should we take care of our family and teach our children to be accountable to God?

Our attitude towards our children is very important. Today, many parents are busy making money and neglect their children. This will end in tragedy. Socrates said that if we labor hard to dig for every single gold but lose our children, we have no gain.

After Sarah’s death, Abraham started to make preparation for Isaac’s marriage. Isaac was already 40 years old. Abraham called the oldest chief of the household to him to swear before God. Abraham is a great man because he had faithful servant who worked for him for life. It shows that he took care of the future of his servant. Today, in our company, how do we deal with our workers? When we hire someone, do we plan for their future? For many companies, they just hire what they need and just fire when they do not need them. Only when you are a good master, you are worthy of good servants and they will serve you long term. The Bible recorded that Abraham had over 300 people in his house. Many were born, raised and trained in his house. All these servants under the protection of Abraham loved him very much. In this matter, Abraham also set an example for us. This chief of the household took care of everything in his house.

Abraham entrusted his chief servant with a very important task. He wanted to send him to his original hometown Mesopotamia to get a wife for his son. Because Abraham worshiped the one true God while the Canaanites worshiped idols, Abraham did not want his son to marry a foreigner. It does not mean that a lady from his hometown is definitely good, however there is at least a continuity in tradition and culture.

If we are being commissioned to do a big task, how should we respond? We should not be over-confident, deceive ourselves or run away from it. We should think through the possible problems and bring them out. The chief servant asked what to do if the lady refused to come, whether he should bring Isaac there.

Abraham immediately refused. He is fully committed to the calling of God. Today we do not have the same attitude towards God. We do not really sever ties with our past. But Abraham had a very genuine heart. He said that God had called him out of his homeland so in his obedience he would never return. He left when he was 75 and he died when he was 175. For 100 years since God called him, he never returned to his homeland. He never built himself a house but lived in tents. Why would his wife Sarah follow him for so many years living in tents? But Sarah did follow Abraham in this manner until she died. The obedience of Abraham to God and the obedience of Sarah to Abraham is our example. Abraham knew his calling and never changed his direction. So he told his chief servant never to bring his son back to his hometown. At the same time, he walked as a sojourner in Canaan but would not let his son intermarry with the people there.

In this situation, it is very easy to compromise if he could not get the right wife for the son from his hometown. But 4000 years ago, Abraham treated the marriage of his son very seriously. We are so much advanced today but we are so messed up in our marriages. In the past there were far less divorces. When civilization get too easy with their marriages, it will collapse.

Why did Abraham get an old servant to go? Why would a woman want to follow an old man back? It is a difficult task. But Abraham was firm in his faith so he would not compromise. He said if the woman refused to come with the chief servant, he would be released from the oath. Here Abraham brought an important principle, that is to do first and not to be to preoccupied about the problems and escape our responsibility. We should just do first and see how God leads us.

To be in God’s ministry is to watch how God works. As we work, we will realize that actually it is not us working, but it is God working through us and we give all the glory to God. When God gives us instructions, He seldom frightens us by letting us see all the problems we might face. He would lead us step by step to see His sovereignty. Abraham told his servant that God would be with him and make his journey successful.

Did the chief servant manage to get the right woman for Isaac? Later development of history would influenced by this. If we do not honor God in our marriages, how can we lead our descendants? If we do not pray for them, how can we guide them to understand God’s will? Abraham took care of his son and prayed for his son. Our attitude towards our marriages and children need to be solemn.

Humanity in Sin Part 28 - Abraham's Integrity

09.36

This is my personal summary of the preaching of Rev.Dr.Stephen Tong on 9th September 2007 in Newton Life. It was preached in Chinese with English translation.

Note: There is no preaching in Newton Life on 16th and 23rd September.

Passage: Genesis 23

Genesis 22 told us about the sacrifice of Isaac. Genesis 23 talked about the death of Sarah. Abraham was 137 when Sarah died. Isaac married at 40 years old. About 3 years after Sarah died, Isaac married. So she did not witness the marriage of Isaac. She lived to 127 years. Abraham mourned for her. They had a good relationship and Abraham loved Sarah till she died. Abraham lived 38 years as a widower after Sarah’s death. It is very sad to lose one’s spouse at old age. It is very hard to adjust because they have spent such a long time to adapt.

We do not know how long Eve, Esther, Rahab, or even Mary lived. This is the only passage of the Bible where the lifespan of a woman is recorded. Sarah was 10 years younger than Abraham, and died earlier than Abraham. Hence for a long period of time Abraham had to live alone. A widow often would be able to arrange for her husband’s burial even though she never does it before. But a widower would find it hard to bury his wife. It is harder for a man to live alone than for a woman to live alone. In fact, the Bible says, “It is not good for a man be alone” but never says it is not good for a woman to be alone. Generally woman is able to live an orderly life alone, but it is difficult for a man to do so.

This is due to the differences between man and woman. Generally, man looks at big picture while woman looks at detail. Man takes care of career while woman takes care of the house. Man tends to rationality while woman to emotions. But here we see Abraham burying his wife.

Abraham is a man of integrity who knew his status very well. God had led him to Canaan and given him that land. By the promise of God, he was the rightful owner of the land. But practically he would not abuse that to demand his right from the inhabitants of the land. So he humbly said to them he was a foreigner living among them. This is the correct attitude. A lot of times Christians become arrogant and start to bully others on the basis that they have spiritual promises from God.

We are children of God. The earth and all that is in it belong to God. But temporarily God allows Satan to control the world. God says we do not belong to the world. He saved us from evil but put us in this world to live among the sinners as witnesses to His righteousness. Do we ask the Lord to bless us through the pagans or do we let others receive blessings through us?

As guests, we have to respect the owners of the house and appreciate what they have done. We cannot just take whatever they have and say this is our Father’s world. Abraham lived among the heathen. He pleaded with them to buy a property for his wife’s burial. He did not become arrogant or self-centered but followed the rules and regulation.

The leaders of the Hittite responded by saying Abraham was well-respected and they could give any land he wanted for free. Every pagan family knew him, honored him and liked him. Whichever land he chose, nobody would refuse him. It means Abraham was very successful socially. He had very good relationship with his neighbors. All the pagans honored him. How many Christians are like that today? What sort of reputation do Christians have today? Unfortunately, although many people think Christianity are great they think Christians are not great. Many people agree the Bible is great but the believers are not. And many acknowledge Christian teaching is good but the teachers are not.

Abraham was a man of integrity. His relationship was real. He does not want to receive the things he ought not receive. He is not quick to take gain from others. He is different from Lot. At the saddest time of his life, he still stood by his principles and did not let his emotions to take over. He feared God and respected men. Once the price of the land was revealed, Abraham immediately paid. When others are good to us, we should not grab the opportunity immediately. They might be testing us. They might want us to fall. Only those who are wise would not haphazardly accept the goodness of others. But even when we know it is genuine goodness, we still have to ask ourselves whether it is appropriate for us to receive them.

But today we do not distinguish what is from God and what is from Satan. Many Christians are quick to seize whatever they can gain. They base their meaning of life on profit and loss. We need to understand that when we gain something, it is not necessarily from God. Sometimes God also wants to test us whether we love money or we love Him, whether we will glorify God and will do things beneficial to mankind with what He gives.

Abraham became our example. He did not take advantage of others. He was very willing to pay the price. He was honored by the Hittites. He did not sell away his birthright and receive things haphazardly. 400 shekels is a lot of money. He paid the full price. He dared to pay what he should, honor what he should and held fast to the right principles. The unbelievers would honor this kind of believer.

Humanity in Sin Part 27 - Give Me Your Only Son

09.46

This is my personal summary of the preaching of Rev.Dr.Stephen Tong on 2nd September 2007 in GRIIS. It was preached in Indonesian and I personally translated to English. Newton Life has it preached in Mandarin with English translation.

Note: I did not attend the service but did my transcript by translating from Indonesian transcripts.

Passage: Genesis 22:4-18

On the third day, Abraham looked up and knew that he had reached the place where he was to sacrifice his son to God. This is a very good example for us to follow. He was very sensitive and responsive to God’s command. Once he heard it, he headed towards the right direction, he did not turn to the left or to the right and reached the correct destination. How many of us could follow God so closely?

When God asks for our “only son”, we should be willing to dedicate him to God. Genesis 22 is the only passage in the Bible where God asked man to sacrifice his only son to Him to see man’s reaction towards Him. But more important than that is the significance and meaning behind this event, that is the fact that God gave His One and Only Son to us. In the Old Testament, there is only one instance where a man gave his only son to God. In the New Testament, there is only one instance where God gave His only begotten Son to men.

When God asked Abraham to offer Isaac to Him, Abraham did not discuss with his wife. He simply obeyed. When he was about to kill Isaac, God asked him to stop. We need to be sensitive to God’s leading, to be ready to change and not have our thinking bounded by tradition. In our difficulties, we too often complain to God and judge Him. But God cannot be judged. When men judge God, He keeps silent. When He keeps silent, instead of becoming irreverent, we need to quiet our heart and ponder how we should react before Him.

What is the meaning of the fear of the Lord? That means we are willing to accept everything under His sovereignty, even when we cannot understand. Faith is acknowledging God’s sovereignty and submitting our soul to our Maker who reigns over all.

Abraham did not discuss with his wife in this matter. There are times where husbands have to make tough decisions in ministry and avoid the influence of emotions from their wives. Many ministers fail because their wives have too much say in their ministry and they obey their wives while men ought to be the head of the household. God is the head of Christ, Christ is the head of man, and man is the head of woman. This order cannot be violated because God has ordained it according to His will. If we want to do God’s will, God has to be the first before our family. The church has to be more important than ourselves.

Abraham asked his servants to stay while he continued to walk with Isaac. The Bible said Abraham carried the fire and the knife while he placed the wood for burnt offering on the shoulder of Isaac. A father who allows burden on his son is a very good father. A father who gives all the facilities his son needs deprives his son of fighting opportunities. Young people who are willing to work hard and to face difficulties, but willing to live a simple life, will be used by God. The world will become a better place when there are people who are willing to sacrifice and deny themselves. This is the teaching of the Scripture.

On their way up, Isaac asked Abraham where the lamb of the burnt offering was. At this point, Abraham continued to walk up. There was no point of return. This is the way to obey God. Many people give God promises but never fulfil them. But Abraham simply told his son that God would provide the lamb. Is this an honest statement? The Scripture did not comment. Isaac might run away and told Sarah if Abraham told him that he was the lamb to be sacrificed.

When they reached the place, the prepared the altar together. After that, Abraham bound Isaac and laid him on the altar. This is an existential moment for Isaac, where he realized that he is a human being and not a lamb. But at this point Isaac was submissive. Serving God is not easy. We need to be willing to obey first. When we willingly obeyed, we will see the glory of God. The Levites need to step their feet on the Jordan river first before the river was split into two. Without obedience, we will not see the glory of God.

Did not God promise Abraham that his descendants would multiply as the sand of the sea and the stars in the sky? But the reality was that Isaac was the only son of Abraham at that time. Abraham was already very old and it would be even harder to have another son. But when God speaks, that is final, supreme and there is no return. Great artists like Rembrant and Carvagio take this theme as an inspiration to draw how Abraham killed his son. They would have read and reflected the Bible many times to capture the significance and detail of this event. In this way, their drawings could portray the meaning of the passage. In the same way, pastors and preachers ought to deeply reflect on the Scripture to deliver preaching responsibly.

Just when Abraham was about to slay his son, an Angel called out and asked him to stop. And God re-confirmed His promise to Abraham that He would make his descendents to be as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand of the seashore. Here God swore by His own name. The book of Hebrews in the New Testament quotes this. God swore by Himself because there is none greater than Him.

The Book of Hebrews gives very amazing and accurate arguments on why Abraham was able to sacrifice his son Isaac. It is because he could see with the eyes of faith. Since God promised that his descendants would multiply through Isaac and since God asked him to sacrifice Isaac, he believed that even if Isaac died, God had the power to raise him from the dead and God would raise him from the dead. Here we see the concept of resurrection for the first time in history. The concept of resurrection did exist in one of the Egyptian myth at that time. So did Abraham get his inspiration from these myths? Not at all. Myth is myth but what Abraham was facing was the reality of sacrificing his own son and he believed God would resurrect him. This is true faith. Faith is walked out in daily life and does not rest in mythology.

Abraham did not sacrifice his son because God stopped him. However, God did sacrifice His One and Only Son. When Christ came to earth, He really suffered and died and rose from the dead. God tested Abraham whether Abraham really loved Him by asking him to sacrifice his only son Isaac. But more than that, God let us see how much He loved us when He sent His Son to be born in a manger, to suffer persecution and to shed blood and die on the cross. Only once in history did God ask man to sacrifice his only son as an expression of love to God. And only once in history God sacrificed His Only Son for our sin. This will never be repeated.

Are we willing to give our best to God? What and who is our “only son”? It could be our career, our hobby or our loved one. God has the right to take anything away from us. A lot of times His demand seem to be illogical based on our fallen logic.

When Jesus asked Matthew to follow Him, he simply left everything and followed Him. When Jesus asked Peter to follow Him, likewise Peter left everything and followed Him. But today we like to follow half-heartedly. We want to hold both worldly and spiritual riches. If God calls us fulltime, we should not dedicate ourselves as part timers.* If God calls us part time, we should not dare ourselves to be fulltimers. It is not by might nor power, but by the Spirit of the Lord.

* Translator’s Notes: According to the doctrine of vocation, all Christians are fulltimers in that we do everything unto the Lord. In the past, being a parttimer and fulltimer are more straightforward. But in today’s society, in the age of labor mobility and globalization, there is blurring distinction between what is “full time” and what is “part time”.

Humanity in Sin Part 26 - Abraham Offered Isaac

19.34

This is my personal summary of the preaching of Rev.Dr.Stephen Tong on 26th August 2007 in Newton Life. It was preached in Chinese with English Translation.

Passage: Genesis 22:1-18

Abraham was 100 when Isaac was born. Abraham was a person with a simple faith towards God. Sarah made use of her life experiences and rationality to respond to God’s promises. This is the method of liberal theology in 19th century, which put a lot of emphasis on science, human phychology, experience and rationality. They want to use science and medical principles to determine whether it is reasonable. Christianity accepted this kind of method in 19th century. This is anthropocentric methodology. Man-centered approach can never produce great faith. All sort of explanations will be subjective through limited reason and tools of knowledge that has been stained by sin.

The revealed truth of the Bible, on the other hand, not only has the content of the truth, but the principles and approaches towards faith. The Scripture is not constraint by systems of thought and transcends nature. Abraham believed that God creates reason, nature and humans, so God must transcend reason, nature and humans.

Abraham viewed the world as an open system, while Sarah viewed it as a closed system. These two represent the two great systems in history. Apostle’s Creed’s first statement, “I believe in the Father, Creator of the heaven and earth.” already broke through Greek’s close system. Christianity starts a new page in history and reveals the relationship between God and the created world in creation and salvation. This is the foundation of Abraham’s faith.

He demonstrated his faith in God the Creator when he believed in God’s promise that he would have a son in his old age. If God could create all things out of nothing, why can’t one believe that God can enable an old person to have a child? For nothing is impossible for God.

After God gave him Isaac, God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. But Isaac was still a child, not married and had no kids yet, so if he died, God’s eternal promise would be disrupted. What kind of faith did Abraham have when he sacrificed Isaac? The New Testament reveals that Abraham acted in obedience based on his faith in God who could resurrect the dead. This is salvation.

According to Islam, Isaac was never the only son of Abraham. He already had Ishmael for 13 years before Isaac was born. So Islam believes that the Bible’s record is wrong. Islam accepts four books of revelation, the Law, the Psalms, the Gospels and Quran. It also has the concept that the newer revelation is more important and accurate than the older revelation.

Reformed theology believes in continuity between the old and the new testament but emphasizes that there should be no contradiction because of God’s consistent character. It has a different doctrine of revelation from Islam.

The Scripture says only through Sarah would the seed be reckoned, hence in that sense, Isaac is the only son of Abraham. God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac to Him. This seemed very cruel. Since God had given Isaac to Abraham, the long-awaited promised son, why then He asked him to offer his child as a sacrifice?

When Abraham heard this command, he replied with the instinct that God is the Lord. Early in the morning, he woke his son and got ready to move. This time the Scripture did not record that he discussed with Sarah. Sarah might have argued with him if he did.

Abraham saw the place God had prepared on the third day. It means the journey was quite a long one. Why would God demand he travel so far away? This is related to God’s timing. The theology of time is greatly neglected because people want instant- noodle theology. People cannot wait and want to see results right away. But God wants us to learn to wait on His timing. God’s timing often transcends our thoughts, which through our trials and reflections, we will gradually learn. We often do not realize that we are proud and think we have the ability to do what God wants us to do with our own strength and in our own way.

When Israel was about to enter Canaan, God did not let them go through the nearer path, but through the wilderness. God is not constrained by time, so He never hurries, but for us as human beings, we are anxious because we feel we have not much time. In our actions that are based on our anxiety, we often clash with God’s timing.

On the third day, Isaac asked Abraham where was the lamb for sacrifice. In this great difficulty, Abraham said, “My son, God himself will provide the lamb for burnt offering.” This is the extension of Abraham’s faith. The God who could not make a mistake had commanded something so difficult and seemingly contradictory.

Abraham could escape God’s command for a thousand reasons. Didn’t God promise that his descendants will be reckoned through Isaac? Would not His eternal will be thwarted if Isaac died? He had reasons to disobey. But Abraham saw this from the eyes of faith. The book of Hebrews said that Abraham believed that God would resurrect Isaac from the dead. God is the God who creates something out of nothing, who provides all our needs, who resurrects the dead. The extension of our faith would enable us to understand that God would provide on His mountain.

Whatever God has given us, He has the right to take it away. Are we willing to surrender to Him what is most precious to us? Let us learn to respond in worship and submission like Abraham.

Humanity in Sin Part 25 - Isaac and Ishmael

09.53

This is my personal summary of the preaching of Rev.Dr.Stephen Tong on 19th August 2007 in Newton Life. It was preached in Chinese with English Translation.

Passage: Genesis 21:1-21

Abraham was already very old and Sarah’s menstruation had stopped. It is beyond reason, science and experience for Sarah to give birth to a child in her old age. Beyond all these, God fulfilled His promises. Sarah felt ashamed that she once mocked the words of God using human reason. Using her own finiteness, she judged God as finite too. The covenant did not seem to be reasonable. It is normal for Sarah to feel that way because God’s promise was not normal.

Yet Abraham believed in God beyond the limits of nature. The God Abraham believed in is the God who creates something out of nothing (God the Creator) and resurrects the dead (God the Savior). The Bible tells us that Abraham is the father of faith. If we believe in God as Abraham did, we are Abraham’s children. Therefore the New Testament refer Abraham’s children as those who are spiritual descendents rather than physical descendents of Abraham.

When God’s timing comes, all the things He has promised will come true. But when does God’s timing come? This is a difficulty for us. Many people have academic knowledge, but the time to truly understand the knowledge might not have come. Systematic theology lacks the study regarding theology of time. Many people spend a lot of time to achieve degrees but they still do not know God. It has to come through our struggles when we walk with God.

Abraham was obedient to God. Whatever God told him, he almost never debated. It seems like Abraham was not a rational person. But Abraham did know that God’s promises transcended nature. Sarah seems like a rational person but allowed her rationality to hinder her faith. So she walked ahead of God and suggested to Abraham to sleep with Hagar her maid. But God’s promise never needs the intervention of man. When we try to help God, we will create mess for ourselves.

Many spiritual failures result not because we do not have enough knowledge, but because we do not follow the timetable of God. We want to see the results now. The Bible shows that Sarah was 14 years ahead of God’s timing. Ishmael was born as a result. Just because of this one mistake, it resulted in wars between two nations for thousands of years. The most difficult problem today is religious hatred, not political, environmental or scientific problems. Judaism and Islam could never solve their problem because their faith does not have the concept of forgiveness for their enemies.

When Jesus Christ came, we are taught to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. These statements are the greatest breakthroughs in history on ethics. Not only He taught these, He walked them out. Later on, Stephen was inspired and walked in the same path. It became a new ethical history for Christianity. Whether Judaism or Islam, they could not produce such a high standard of ethics and the spirit to pray, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.”

At the height of technological development, we will see the war of Armageddon. It would surpass all other wars. The Arabian population is increasing today and their hatred for Judaism is very great. The Arabian population came from the descendants of Ishmael. And Ishmael was born because of Sarah’s suggestion.

Man is the head of the household. A good wife is the glory of a family. This is the status of a crown. It was a mistake for Abraham to accept Sarah’s suggestion immediately and forgot his status as the head of the family. Sarah rationalized God’s promise and asked Abraham not to wait, but to get a child by sleeping with her maid. This sort of suggestion would be accepted by many men because it sounded very reasonable and gave men a kind of ‘freedom’ to enjoy themselves. We are in danger if we listen to our wives when we should not.

Sometimes we have great ideal but we cannot reach it so we give it up. As is the case, both Abraham and Sarah misinterpreted God’s promise. God must have been disappointed by Abraham’s decision. After 13 years, God told Abraham that he would become a father, although Abraham had been a father for 13 years. He was far too early from God’s timing.

The time God has appointed is something we cannot alter on our own. The Scripture frequently emphasizes the importance of right timing. When the time had not come, Jesus would not go to Jerusalem. When the time had not come, Jesus forbade the disciples to proclaim He was the Son of God. He lived according to the timetable of God. Why would He be born only many thousands of years after Adam’s Fall? Why would Jesus preach only when He reached 30 years old? Why would God abandon Moses for 40 years in the desert? Because the time has not come.

We cannot fight against it, we can only obey. We should not reject God’s timing, but we should learn. Scripture says that at the appointed time, Jesus was born under the law through a woman. Scripture says that Jesus died on the cross according to the time set by God. When entering garden of Gethsemane, Jesus sang the Psalms 118, with this phrase. “This is the day that the Lord has made.” That was the day for His passion, not earlier, not later.

Abraham and Sarah could not understand this. So they are 14 years ahead of God. The descendants of Ishmael become a terrorist group today. There are many good Muslims as well and although not all Muslims are terrorists group, almost terrorist groups are Muslims. They have become the greatest threat in the civilization of mankind.

Do not be too eager when God’s timing has not arrived. When we oppose the will of God and do not follow His timing, we create disasters for ourselves. Going against God’s timing, a lot of charismatic churches want quick growth so they throw away God’s principles and do things their own way. God’s judgment would come to those who treat Him lightly, like Uzzah who tried to hold on to the ark of God and was smitten by God.

Sarah realized her mistake when she saw 14-year-old Ishmael mocking her 1-year-old Isaac. Till today, Islam still looks at Christianity and Judaism with this attitude of seniority because they reckon their ancestor was the elder brother.

Sarah was very furious. She went to tell Abraham that Hagar and Ishmael could not stay with them anymore. Abraham was very distressed because Ishamel was his son after all. The heart of a woman is often more narrow in this matter because she wants to protect the orthodoxy of the family.

It is difficult to turn around once a mistake was made. It was easy to do the first thing, but difficult to solve it. Abraham was indecisive about this. Abraham could be harsh to Sarah and said he was the head the household, but he kept quiet. This became a great conflict in the family. At the most crucial time, the wife thinks she is right, the husband thinks he is right and both look at each other as ridiculous. This is the time they need to get back to the Word of God.

God said something unusual. He asked Abraham to listen to Sarah. It was a difficult moment. 14 years ago, Abraham accepted immediately when she suggested him to sleep with Hagar. But now he was not willing to accept when she asked to send Hagar off because of Ishamel. On Hagar’s side, she lived under a mistress and accepted the love of a married man. After so many years living in this condition, Hagar could not solve her family problem and in the end she had to leave with nothing. We are inviting trouble when we get involved in family conflict. We should never accept the love and feelings of those who are already married.

When all these happen, God stood with Sarah. This tells us that God honors the status of othodox marriage. So God commanded Abraham to listen to Sarah. It was a humbling moment for Abraham because he did not need to defend this wrong sexual relationship anymore. He had to admit it was wrong and to banish her with her son. Abraham did not debate or defend himself. He obeyed God. He brought water and food to Hagar and sent her away. God told Abraham that His promise is to be reckoned through Isaac, but He would bless Ishmael as well.

After Hagar was asked to leave, she finally had to accept that the man in the house was not her husband. After so many years of living in luxury, she was now without any house and possessions. Hagar left because she could not bear to see her son die. But the angel of God heard the boy’s cry because Ishmael after all was still a son of Abraham. God still had grace on Ishmael. The child of illegitimacy is still God’s creation.

In the second commandment, God says He would bless the descendents of those who love Him up to 1000 generations, but will punish the children of those who hate Him down to the third and forth generation. It is hard to understand how 1000 generations of blessings relate with 3-4 generations of curses.

If a man hates God and worship idols, he put himself under bondage of evil spirit for a few generations and God allows that. But if someone under this generational curse turns to God, the blessings of a thousand generations will be upon him. The Apostle Peter said He saved us from the bondage that come from our ancestors. If one generation is about 40 years, then 1000 generations is about 40,000 years. Since Abraham until today, we have not even passed 10,000 years yet. So this 1000 generations should be understood as partaking in the blessings of eternal life.

In matters of sex, we need to be extra careful. We have to follow the will of God. In the way we treat time, we cannot rely on our rationality and impulse to change the will of God. In selection of our spouse, we need to be cautious to follow God’s principle. Family conflicts are difficult to solved in a short time. A mistake could bring a lifetime pain. With an attitude of carrying the cross, we need to learn to accommodate and love one another.

Humanity in Sin Part 24 - The End of Following Our Own Ways

18.05

This is my personal summary of the preaching of Rev.Dr.Stephen Tong on 12th August 2007 in GRIIS. It was preached in Indonesian and I personally translated to English. Newton Life has it preached in Mandarin with English translation.

Genesis 19:23-38

God’s Word is final. We need to listen with fear because what comes from God’s mouth will not return empty. Happy is he who carefully listens and obeys God’s Word, for man lives not on bread alone but on God’s Word.

God did not hide His plan to judge Sodom and Gomorrah from Abraham. Here there is God’s willingness to reveal His heart to Abraham. Lot was raised by Abraham like his own son but Lot was not a thankful person. A person’s mark of spirituality is seen by what he thinks and reacts when those who treat him badly are in trouble. When Lot was in trouble, Abraham always came to help. So great was Abraham’s heart that he prayed for Sodom and Gomorrah so that God would not destroy them if 10 righteous people could be found. In God’s eyes none are righteous, but God still had mercy on Lot and his immediate family. The sons-in-law were not saved. God rained sulphur from heaven and destroyed the cities. The end of a man who loves the world comes to nothing. Material wealth is temporary. At the end of Lot’s life, he was physically poor and lived in caves.

Scripture records a horrifying incident to plainly reveal what happened in history as a mirror of our sin and corruption. If we do not correct ourselves after seeing our reflection we are very foolish. Knowing ourselves is the foundation of all knowledge. What is the use of knowing all else but we do not know our own heart? They are all external, not internal. Socrates said knowing oneself is the beginning of knowledge.

But how do we know ourselves? Calvin said two most important things to know: God and ourselves, and both are interrelated. Further back, Augustine said he only wanted to know two things in life, that is God and his own soul. The reason why the world is so messed up is because men do not know God and themselves. And between God and men, we need revelation. The Scripture records incidents to let us understand how depraved we are after Adam’s fall.

Here Lot’s two daughters slept with Lot. This is a very evil incident. Why did the daughters, especially the elder sister, think to initiate such an evil thing, to get their father drunk and to have sex with him? This is because she was raised up in a wrong environment. Many people, in search for money, move their entire family to places of corruption that are unhealthy for upbringing. This is the investment of Satan to make us feel happy and blessed but step by step we are entering into destruction. Little by little the seeds of corruption grow in our heart.

Many people, thinking of worldly success and other attractive things, send their kids too early to different places, but neglect their spirituality so pay very high price for it. Many are exposed too early to Satan’s temptations. How did Lot’s daughters learn to make their father drunk and to have sex with him? They learnt all these from their environment and friends. Similarly, today we get influenced by our friends and environment too. What movies do we watch? Do not fool around with the torrent of modern society.

The liberals today refuse to be taught by tradition and parental education and think that in that way they have freedom. But true freedom is in the Son of God. Many young people today feel bondaged by tradition of the church and by their parents so they decide to get themselves out of them. They think they are free but later on they destroy their lives in their false concept of freedom.

Lot’s daughters were still virgin then. It means that outwardly Lot had educated them. However, although their bodies were still clean their minds were already full of corruption. Their minds are no longer pure. The investment of Satan had crept in and grown in their hearts.

Lot eventually went to the mountains because he saw God’s judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah. But God’s anger was still greater than what he saw with his eyes. Many of us who hear God’s Word are always satisfied with shallow spiritual understanding but never satisfied with the money we have. Our fear of God is too limited. We never follow God step by step at the pace God set for us. If we fall behind, we cannot be God’s witness to bear fruit for Him. We need to synchronize with God’s will. When we get used to falling behind, we become insensitive to all our lack.

The heart of Lot’s wife was tied with the things of this world. She was still thinking of her possessions. She was unwilling to leave the things that were not from God so she was left behind. We lose ourselves when we do not want to part with the things that are not from God. If what we have is from God, He will take care of it. But if what we have is not given by God, no matter how hard we try we cannot keep it. The blessings of the Lord, it maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrow with it. (Prov.10:22)

Lot still obeyed and followed the angels’ instructions. But Lot’s wife looked back and judgment fell upon her. God’s judgment started from the household of God. In the midst of escape, the judgment for the unbelieving fell upon those who were supposed to be saved. Jesus said that if we put our hand to the plough and look back, we are not worthy of the Kingdom of God. Whoever follows God needs to be wholehearted.

Lot knew nothing of what his daughters did. His education seemed successful but actually he had failed. He only told them the ‘do’s and ‘don’t’s. Children might say “ok” to these ‘do’s and ‘don’t’s but they can find smarter ways to do other things. Many parents do not realize that the courage of young people far surpasses their imagination. They are too advanced, innovative and smart. Parents are left behind. They think kids will listen to them but they are actually very bored already. Moreover, in many cases kids see through the depravity of all the educators. We should learn to be consistent so that who we are outwardly and who we are inwardly are the same. Our mind and our action should be in line. Many people keep hiding but all will one day be exposed.

Lot was passively played by his daughters and the Bible says that Lot did not know when his daughters slept with him and got up. Perhaps Lot only knew when he saw the babies. It became very confusing. Are they his sons or grandsons? God declared that the Amonites and Moabites could not enter God’s temple for 10 generations. Sons of illegitemacy are still God’s creation however they have confused status. Should we give birth to kids who have to take our sins and blame? Should we be so irresponsible? Do we then find the easy way out through abortion? Do we have the right to do so?

Let men who fear God think of the result before doing anything. One sin can cause many generations to suffer. Let God’s Word bind us in our young age where all our sense are still so alive and vital.

Humanity in Sin Part 23 - Judgement on Sodom and Gomorrah

19.32

This is my personal summary of the preaching of Rev.Dr.Stephen Tong on 5th August 2007 in Newton Life. GRIIS combined the preaching of Newton Life for 29th July and 5th Aug because they had memorial service for the Late Rev Amin Tjung on 29th July.

Genesis 19:1-26

God has imparted the principle of justice to mankind through general revelation. But it is special revelation that shows that God is the Judge of the whole world and He will judge right. Abraham had a very deep understanding of the doctrine of God when he made this declaration.

Abraham recognized that although Sodom and Gomorrah were very sinful, there must be some righteous people inside. He had a big heart to pray for them. Abraham himself saved the king of Sodom once when his nephew Lot was captured by Sodom’s enemies. This time he interceded for Sodom and Gomorrah because Lot lived there.

Gen.18:33 said that when the Lord finished speaking to Abraham, He left. When the number of righteous persons needed to spare the cities went down to 10, God was done speaking with Abraham. This is the limit of Abraham’s prayer of intercession. We can pray but eventually it is God’s will that will be done. What God has decided in His sovereignty cannot be changed.

But is there a righteous person in Sodom and Gomorrah? There is one, Lot. The epistle of Peter says that Lot was a righteous person who often grieved over the sin of the wicked around him. In the midst of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot is the minority among the minority. But why did Lot keep staying there? On one hand, Lot tried to keep his righteousness but on the other hand he wanted to earn more money in the midst of the unrighteous people. This describes the situation of many Christians. Many Christians want to keep the basic principles of righteousness but still want to reap benefit among the sinful generation. In this way, they try to get much enjoyment of the world as possible, while securing the promise of heaven.

When Lot saw the messengers of God, he immediately invited them to his house to dine and spend the night. He was kind to strangers and messengers of God. This kind of hospitality is very rare today. If we never welcome others and share good things with other people, we will live a very selfish life. The book of Hebrews said that some people entertain angels without realizing it.

But the two travelers said they wanted to stay in the street instead. It is because they wanted to observe the sinful lifestyles of the city in the open square. But by Lot’s insistence, they consented to spend the night in Lot’s house. After that, many people surrounded Lot’s house and asked him to surrender the guests. This mob wanted to fulfil their lust on these two men.

When he heard that demand, Lot answered, “Don’t do this wicked thing. If you really want to do this, I still have two daughters who are still virgin. Do whatever you want to do with them.” In one aspect, Lot was successful in bringing up his daughters because in such a sinful city he could still declare that his daughters were still virgins. Today, how many brides are still virgin before marriage?

But the mob were not interested in Lot’s daughters, whether virgin or not. They wanted the men and kept pressuring Lot. At this point the angels reached out and pulled Lot back into the house. This situation is very similar to the big picture of reality. The wrath of God is coming. On one hand, the people who know the plan of God are trapped in the small house. On the other hand, the people outside still have no idea what God was about to do and still think they can do whatever they want.

The angels asked Lot to bring everyone Lot knew to leave the place immediately. This is an urgent command. But people inside the house are not taking it seriously. Lot is still hesitant. The sons-in-law, who were betrothed to Lot’s daughters, still thought that Lot was joking. This is a horrifying situation. Sometimes people still laugh when listening to a serious preaching. A person who treats true as false and takes solemn matters as a joke will plunge himself in horrifying situation. God is very displeased with such attitude. We need to see what is holy, real and solemn and have proper attitude to respond to them.

Those who can only talk light stuffs will be very ill-prepared to respond properly when serious time comes because they will take lightly the coming crisis. In another word, they have very insensitive sense of crisis. If a person knows that he is walking at the edge of the cliff, he will be very cautious. This attitude will preserve you when crisis comes. Christian believes in the providence of God but He will preserve those who would preserve themselves by remaining in the love of God. And God will give us the peace that surpasses all understanding in times of trouble.

Although Lot had brought up his daughters well, but they were pledged to marry men who are not believers. This is very pitiful. Often parents compromise on this matter because time has come for their children to get married. And many people are raised in Christian family with good teaching, but life outside church and family is different matter. This is a great irony. We should not ignore long term implication of our choices just because of the allurement of worldly riches or what we can gain in short term. We should not search for gold by digging every inch, but are careless what happen to our children. We should not ignore spiritual loss and only take care of material riches.

Finally the angel commanded them to go because the fire of God is coming. Lot was still reluctant because he had too many things to leave behind. The things which we can earn but cannot keep and must eventually give up are not very valuable. There is no need to work so hard for them in the first place because we trap ourselves in that way. To escape we need to let go of them eventually. This is the situation with Lot. He made a lot of money but could not bring anything with him. As he kept waiting and waiting, the angels pulled him and his wife and children out.

What we gain is what God gives and what we lose is what He never gives us in the first place. God gives His blessings and He does not add sorrow to it. The more we accumulate what is not from God, the more bitter our life becomes. Paul said the love of money (not money) is the root of all evil. Many people will betray morality, integrity, friends and faith for love of money.

God is not against rich people. There are many men of faith who were rich, like David, Solomon, Job and Abraham. Their riches are from God. But blessings outside of God will create a lot of trouble. Lot was a righteous man but he did not love God. He sought after the enjoyment of the world more than the blessings of God.

After the angels grabbed them out of the cities, Lot was still not very willing to let go. He asked to go to a small city nearby, called Zoar, rather than going to the mountain. They stayed there to see everything destroyed in Sodom. Lot’s wife was disobedient (or probably not clear) as she looked back and saw that the fire had not come. She must have thought that the angels must be wrong. She looked back because she could not bear to lose all the hard-earned properties lost. God had commanded them to move forward but because of the accomplishment of the world, she looked back. The Bible says that Lot’s wife became a pillar of salt. So Lot left Sodom in a very sad state. His wife died and when he reached the small city, fire came. Everything was burned up in Sodom and Gomorrah.

Abraham declared that the Judge of the whole world would judge right. So God knows how to preserve the righteous in times of crisis. But Lot left with nothing behind. He was afraid to stay in Zoar because this city had the same type of people with the same kind of attitude, social structure, culture and tradition. Lot lived in Sodom many years and got used to it, but after God’s judgment come, he knew that the experiences of the secular world had not much meaning. In the end he went to the mountains. This is very ironical. Initially the angels have asked him to run to the mountains but he did not want to and requested to stay in Zoar.

Often we delay the command God gives to us and struggle to do things our own way first and with pride we say we want to help God. But God is sovereign. If we are disobedient, when we finally want to be used by God, He might not want to use us anymore. Some people think that they want to earn a lot of money first and serve God later. But this is often a lost case. What happen is that often times those who are successful in money making find it hard to stop and get trapped in material pursuit. Those who fail are too embarrassed to go back. And those who earn and are finally ready to serve are too old and have not much time left.

The things we fight so hard for ourselves we cannot keep for long. Old Lot had no house, no property, and became a caveman living in the mountain with his two daughters.

Do we demand of ourselves? Do we have a solemn attitude towards God’s Word? Do we have a solemn attitude in opposition to the Satan’s temptation? Rely on God to have victory and do not rely on your own intelligence.

Pendeta Stephen Tong

Humanity In Sin Part 36 - Jacob at Laban's Place

Humanity in Sin Part 35 - God's Revelation to Jacob

Humanity In Sin Part 34 - Jacob Gets Isaac's Blessings

Humanity In Sin Part 33 - Isaac and Abimelech

Humanity in Sin Part 32 - Jacob and Esau

Humanity in Sin Part 31 - Abraham's Old Age

Humanity in Sin Part 30: A Wife for Isaac (2)

Humanity in Sin Part 29: A Wife for Isaac (1)

Humanity in Sin Part 28 - Abraham's Integrity

Humanity in Sin Part 27 - Give Me Your Only Son

Humanity in Sin Part 26 - Abraham Offered Isaac

Humanity in Sin Part 25 - Isaac and Ishmael

Humanity in Sin Part 24 - The End of Following Our Own Ways

Humanity in Sin Part 23 - Judgement on Sodom and Gomorrah

About me

recent posts

Follow Us

Labels

Blog Archive

Press

Popular Posts

Like us on Facebook

Flickr Images