Panoramic: Seeing the Gospel in All of Scripture
Summer 2011 Sermon Series

The Beginning of Israel and The Grace of The GospelGenesis 25 and 27 | Pastor Joshua Michael Soto | June 19, 2011 | 51mn:07sc

Renown biblical theologian, Graeme Goldworthy writes,

The most compelling reason for Christians to read and study the Old Testament lies in the New Testament. The New Testament witnesses to the fact that Jesus of Nazareth is the One in whom and through whom all the promises of God find their fulfillment. These promises are only to be understood from the Old Testament. The fulfillment of the promises can be understood only in the context of the promises themselves.

The New Testament presupposes a knowledge of the Old Testament. Everything that is a concern to the New Testament writers is part of the one redemptive history to which the Old Testament witnesses. The New Testament writers cannot separate the person and work of Christ, nor the life of the Christian community, from this sacred history which has its beginnings in the Old Testament.

This Summer we will discover how the story of the bible does not begin with Jesus in the New Testament but rather begins with Jesus in the Old. Joins as we discover how the Panoramic of the Scriptures point is to Jesus.

Panoramic: Seeing the Gospel in All of Scripture

The Beginning of Israel and The Grace of The Gospel

So last week we were introduced to Abraham, who emerged from a world that was divided because of sin and rebellion. God, by grace, decides to call Abraham out from among the rebellious nations and away from his home. God promises to make Abraham’s name great by giving him a child, that will be the start of a great nation.

This nation would enter into a unique relationship with God. In turn, the rebellious and divided world would see what it would mean to live under the rule of God. Consequently, from this nation, would come a Savior that would bless the world by reversing the curse of Adam.

So when we jump in to Genesis 25, around a hundred years have passed. Abraham has just died. Isaac, the promised son is getting older and is married to a girl from his dad’s home town, named Rebekah.

The story begins to shift from Abraham to Issac and like with story of Abraham, the story of Isaac and his family one of grace. Really, the whole book of Genesis is the chronicle of God’s grace in lives of a particular family from generation to generation. So today are going to focus in on Isaac and his family, which is really the story of the beginning of the nation of Israel.

We are going to confine our attention to Genesis 25:19-34 for the first portion of the sermon and Genesis 27 for the second. But before we begin, I want to take a moment and define what I mean when I say, “Genesis is a chronicle of grace in the lives of a particular family.”

Because I think, many times when people hear Christians say things like, “God’s has been gracious to my family” they get the picture of this a perfect family dancing through clover colored hills, rocking matching pink polos and pleated tapered kakis.