Today we will study Isaac, another ancestor of our faith. See how quickly you can answer the following review questions: Who was mother?

Transcription

1 GROWING IN GOD: Characters in the Bible: ISAAC 1 Today we will study Isaac, another ancestor of our faith. See how quickly you can answer the following review questions: Who was father? Who was mother? Did Isaac have any brothers or sisters? YES/NO Write down one reason why birth was so amazing: 1

2 Genesis 21:5-7 reveals why birth was unusual, and incredible: Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. Sarah God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a Isaac was part of promise to Abraham, he was his hope for the future. In the Bible faith, and obedience becomes important in plan to fix the problem of sin in His creation. Have 3 children in the class look up 1 of the following references each, and read promise aloud. Genesis 17:16 Genesis 17:19 Genesis 17:21 Who was to be heir? Circle the correct answer: ELIEZER: slave ISHMAEL: firstborn son of Abraham; born to the slave woman ISAAC: second son born to Abraham; born to the free woman 2

3 In the same way, we who are born again have been born through promise (Galations 4:21-26 and 28-31). We too are children of promise! Who would want to be a slave to worthless rules?!! Instead, being born again by the Spirit, we should live in the freedom that we have in Christ. Were you born again by going to church every week? Did you get saved by trying really hard to be good all the time? Do people come into a right relationship with God by following rules? NO! We are born again by the Spirit of God. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions it is by grace you have been saved. (Ephesians 2:4-5) Since we were not born again through slavery to rules and laws, but by grace into freedom in Christ, we should never return to living as if we are slaves to rules and laws. 3

4 One day when the boys got a little older, Sarah felt that Ishmael was mocking Isaac and she said to Abraham with my son Isaac (Genesis 21:10) Isaac gets a wife Just as the son could not live alongside the child of the free woman, we cannot allow ideas that come from a worldly perspective to live within us in our freedom! We cannot earn love or acceptance by trying to be good, following rules, or being trapped by laws. When Isaac grew up, Abraham realized that it was time for him to get married. Solve the problem to discover how old Isaac was when the time came to find a wife: Start at 100 and subtract 50 = Add 20 and double the answer = Add your age = Subtract 100 = Take away your age from your total = Isaac was years old 4

5 In Genesis 24 we see how God controls the events leading up to marriage. Abraham sent his servant to Mesopotamia, a journey that would take about 3 weeks to reach from Canaan. He told his servant to find a wife for Isaac from his relatives in Haran. When the servant reached his destination, he began to pray silently in his heart that God would have chosen wife say a very specific thing. Do you think that God can answer a prayer like that? 5

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7 With a friend, use Genesis 24 to help you pair up the following questions and answers: Why did Abraham want a girl from his own family? Who did he send to look for a bride? Why did Abraham send the servant instead of going himself to search for a bride? Why Isaac go with the servant? Why did the servant take camels and gifts? What did the servant do to help him find the right girl? Where did he find Rebekah? Was Rebekah willing to go with the servant and marry Isaac? Who was the first person to see the Rebekah when the group returned? Isaac, who was in the field meditating He sent his servant She was at the well He prayed Oh yeah His relatives worshiped God, not idols The custom of Bible times was for the families to arrange the marriage. Couples met for the first time after the marriage contract was made. A bridal dowry was given to marriage contract He was way old 7

8 Like Sarah, Rebekah was also barren (she was not able to have children). As we have seen, God definitely made events happen leading Rebekah to be wife. However, she was also barren! Looking at things naturally, Rebekah seems like a strange choice to be the wife of the son of the promise! What did Isaac do? Unscramble the letters to find out: He Y E D P A R He God showed His faithfulness to His promise even when natural situations seemed to stand in the way (Genesis 25:21). How great that God is the same today as He was all those years ago! When Isaac was 60 years old, Rebekah became pregnant, not with one baby, but with TWINS! When she felt them struggling within her, she talked to God about it. Even though the babies had not been born yet The LORD said to her, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older (Genesis 25:23) 8

9 Normally, in the culture of those days, the younger brothers were viewed as lower than the oldest brother. The firstborn son was usually allowed special things, and had rights that the other brothers and sisters did not. However, God had a plan for Isaac s son who was born second. God chose to call the younger brother, just as He chose to call Isaac, who was not the firstborn. God is not limited by our culture either! Who did God call at 75 years of age? God does not call us because of the things that we do, whether good or bad. God calls those that He chooses (Romans 9:8-12). We will find out more about this younger twin at another time! ASSIGNMENT: 1. Ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit each day and pray in tongues if you can 2. Practice reciting EPH ESI A NS 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast. 3. Listen and sing along to the track 02 from the Seeds of Faith CD ( GRACE ) 9