Alderwood Community Church April 28, How Believers Face Death Genesis 23:1-20

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1 1 Alderwood Community Church April 28, 2013 How Believers Face Death Genesis 23:1-20 Big Idea: Believers face death with realism and faith in the promises of God. Intro: I'm not afraid of death; I just don't want to be there when it happens. Woody Allen Life is hard. Then you die. Then they throw dirt in your face. Then the worms eat you. Be grateful it happens in that order. David Gerrold Suicide is mans way of telling God, You can t fire me, I quit. Bill Maher Author William Saroyan, just five days before his death from cancer, issued this statement: Everybody has got to die, but I have always believed an exception would be made in my case. Now what? (Reader s Digest [12/81]). He was probably being facetious, but underneath he was probably voicing a fear that has haunted most of us: How are we to think about and deal with death, be it the death of loved ones, or our own death? Death is no more than passing from one room into another. But there s a difference for me, you know. Because in that other room I shall be able to see. Helen Keller Warren Wiersbe tells of a conversation he had with the late Vance Havner. Shortly after Havner s wife s untimely death, Wiersbe shared his condolences with him. I m sorry to hear you lost your wife, Havner smiled and replied, Son, when you know where something is, you haven t lost it. Read Text: Genesis 23: Believers Face Death With Realism. Vrs. 1 Sarah lived to be 127 years old and then she died in the land of Canaan. In two different passages one in the Old Testament and one in the New we see Sarah as an example of what a godly woman is to be like. (Is. 51:1-2, 1 Peter 3:3-6) Sarah was not perfect, of course. She acted unwisely in giving Hagar, her maid, to Abraham. Later she was harsh with Hagar. When the angel announced the birth of Isaac, Sarah laughed in unbelief; and when the angel asked why she had laughed, she compounded her initial sin by lying ( I did not laugh, Gen. 18:15). Still, even these offenses they are greatly overshadowed by her virtues. She too walked by faith, having favor with God, and waiting for his salvation. In faith, being like-minded with Abraham, she left her homeland and her father s house. In faith, she

2 2 accompanied him through the long years of his exile, cheering him amid many troubles, and upholding him under many disappointments. She was known for her submissiveness (1 Peter 3:6). She stands enrolled among those in the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11 of whom the world was not worthy; and she shares this recognition: These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth (Heb. 11:11 14). Sarah was married to Abraham for more than 62 years; The longevity of their marriage is a model for all who are numbered among Abraham and Sarah s spiritual children. Sarah had completed her race and had gone on to her reward. A. Death is a physical reality. (23:1-2) We all die. We can t escape it or postpone it. Show me, O Lord, my life s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man s life is but a breath. Psalm 39:4-5 (1) Life is brief, therefore: Evaluate your life. (2) Death is certain, therefore: Prepare for death. B. Death brings emotional realities. (23:2) Abraham loved Sarah, and her death was a painful experience for him. He showed his love and his grief by his weeping. These are the first recorded tears in the Bible. Even though he was a man of faith, Abraham did not feel that his tears were an evidence of unbelief. There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance. Ecclesiastes 3:1,4 Tears are a natural and proper expression of our grief. God understands our sorrow and has given us tears as a gift to help heal our broken hearts. The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:15-18 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Romans 12:15 C. Exposition of verses 3-20: So, why is there but 2 verses dealing with Sarah s death and Abraham s grief and 18 verses dealing with his negotiation for a piece of property to bury his wife and future descendents?

3 3 A few observations: These verses give us a look into the customs of ancient times. We see the elaborate and courteous exchange as Abraham and Ephron negotiate for the sale of a piece of land. (1) James Boice believes that this long account of a business transaction shows us how a Christian is to do business with the world. Notice how Abraham conducted himself in this business transaction: (a) Abraham displayed humility and courtesy. (b) Abraham was just and fair (c) Abraham was prudent/wise (transaction was at the gate before other witnesses) (2) Some believe that Ephron s words in vrs. 11 I give you the field. Are to be taken literally and he is actually offering to give him his land. Those who hold this view also note that Abraham probably declines his offer and insists on paying the full price of the land because just as in the case of the King of Sodom offering Abraham some of the spoils of war, Abraham refused so that the King of Sodom, nor in this case Ephron, could say that they made Abraham wealthy. Abraham s indicated his full trust in God and that God alone was the source of his hope and blessings. Others seem to think that this is just an expression of a business transaction and has no intention of actually giving the land to Abraham free and clear. If you notice Abraham in verse 9 wants to simply buy a cave to bury Sarah in, but Ephron says he will sell him the field and the cave. Notice the level of respect they pay Abraham in vrs. 5 You are a mighty prince. (3) Another possible reason this lengthy transaction being preserved here in Scripture is that Moses was writing to people on the verge of entering that land to conquer it from some frightening enemies. Many of them weren t so sure it was a good idea. As reports of the giants in the land spread through the camp, slavery in Egypt didn t sound too bad! Moses is showing how their forefather Abraham paid for legal title to this burial ground because he believed what God had promised. Not only Sarah, but Abraham, Isaac, Rebekah, Leah, and Jacob were buried in that cave as a testimony of their faith in God s promise to give the land of Canaan to their descendants. Genesis ends with Joseph dying in Egypt, away from the promised land, but charging his sons to take his bones with them when God led them back there. So now Israel must go in and claim the land God had promised. (4) But here is the main point I believe in being made in this passage: When Abraham purchased the cave of Machpelah for a tomb, he was making a statement of faith to all who were there. He did not take Sarah back to their former home in Ur (as was the normal custom) but buried her in the land God had given him and his descendants. Abraham s purchase of Ephron s field was an expression of his confidence in God s promises concerning this promised land and the future of his descendents.

4 4 2. Believers Face Death With Faith In God s Promises. A. Death provides believers the opportunity to express their faith in God s promises. (1) Abraham s response To your offspring I will give this land Genesis 12:7 Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you. Genesis 13:14 17 To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites. Genesis 15:18 21 When Abraham buried his beloved, it was a sign of his faith that God would fulfill his promises and give the land to his seed forever. In later years, Abraham s descendants made the cave in Ephron s field the family cemetery. It was in this very location that Isaac and Ishmael buried Abraham. Isaac and Rebekah were also buried in Machpelah. Here Jacob buried Leah, and here Joseph buried his father Jacob (Gen. 49:29 32). Abraham s faith in God s promises went far beyond just the land of Canaan. When he rose from weeping over his dead wife Sarah, his words to the Hittites were, I am an alien and a stranger among you (Gen. 23:4). This is not simply an expression that the land of Canaan was not yet his possession, therefore he needed to purchase land to bury his wife, but it is an expression that conveys that his home was not here on this earth but in heaven. All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. Hebrews 11:13 16 (2) How we respond: Are you ready to die? Opportunities for us to express our faith in God: -Conversations that turn to the subject of death and dying. -When facing death ourselves. -When dealing with the death of someone we care about. B. God s promise of heaven shapes the believers attitudes and behaviors in this life.

5 5 [those who live as enemies of the cross of Christ] Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and my crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends! Phil. 3:19b-4:1 (1) It removes the fear of death. Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:55-58 Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. Yes says the Spirit, they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them. Revelation 14:13 (2) It creates an anticipation for heaven. (Phil. 3:19-4:1) Christians have been accused of being so heavenly minded, they are of no earthly good. But according to the Scripture, just the opposite is true. The more heavenly minded you are, the more earthly good you accomplish. (3) It shapes our values. Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Colossians 3:1 (4) It determines our behaviors. Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us. 1 Peter 2:11-12 Conclusion: 1. Believers face death with realism and faith in God s promises. 2. The promise of heaven: a. Removes our fear of death. b. Creates anticipation for heaven. c. Shapes our values. d. Determines our behaviors. 3. Are you ready to die? Story of couple in our church: I m reminded of a precious moment that Pastor Fred had with a couple in our church a few years ago. The wife was in the hospital and it looked like she might be dying. Fred expressed his sympathy and assured the husband of his prayers. The husband responded, Thank you, we so appreciate and need those prayers, but I m really good. What

6 6 good would all the promises of the bible be it they weren t true right now? Just last week my wife and I affirmed to each other, I m good if I die, I m ready. Are you? 4. We are about the participate in Communion. Our Lord told us that every time we eat the bread and drink the cup at the communion table we are to remember what Jesus has done for us through the shedding of his blood. Jesus Christ secured our salvation, our forgiveness and our home in heaven through his sacrificial, substitutionary death on our behalf. We no longer must pay the penalty of our sins- Jesus did that for us. So when you partake of the bread and the cup, remember the Lord s sacrifice for you and thank him for the confidence you have to face death, with the anticipation of living eternally with him. Closing: Offer of salvation in Jesus Christ- John 3:16 Benediction: Jude 24-25