00:00:00.000 - 00:00:15.480

[ Silence ] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:00:15.480 - 00:00:59.980

[music] I heard an old, old story How a Savior came from glory How he gave his life on Calvary

00:00:59.980 - 00:01:36.980

To save a wretch like me I heard about his mourning, of his precious blood atoning. Then I repeated all my sins, and I won the victory. ♪ All victory in Jesus ♪

00:01:36.980 - 00:02:03.400

♪ My Savior forever ♪ ♪ Peace on me and by me ♪ ♪ Let His redeeming blood ♪ He's come in here

00:02:03.400 - 00:02:21.400

I am in love He's new here He punched me to victory Beneath the winds and fire

00:02:21.400 - 00:02:45.900

I heard about His healing, all this cleansing power revealing How he made the lame to walk again And caused the blind to see

00:02:45.900 - 00:03:16.280

And then I cried, dear Jesus Come and heal my wounded spirit. And somehow Jesus came and brought to me the victory. Well, I heard about a mansion that

00:03:16.280 - 00:03:39.540

♪ That is built for me in the glory ♪ ♪ And I heard about the streets of gold ♪ ♪ Beyond the crystal sea ♪ ♪ About the angels that were singing ♪

00:03:39.540 - 00:04:08.940

♪ And the old redemption story ♪ Someday I'll sing out there the song of victory. Oh, victory! Give Jesus, my Savior, forever.

00:04:08.940 - 00:04:31.880

He's loved me and taught me. ♪ In His redeeming love ♪ ♪ Even though I knew Him ♪ ♪ At all my loss He is to Him ♪

00:04:31.880 - 00:05:19.540

♪ He finds me to be free ♪ ♪ Beneath the cleansing flood ♪ Hear this word, which is the basis of our morning message, recorded in the book of Genesis, portion of the 48th and 49th verses, the 24th chapter of Genesis, 48th portion of that and the 49th verses.

00:05:19.540 - 00:05:52.640

I praise the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me on the right road to get the granddaughter of my master's brother for his son. Now, if you will show kindness and faithfulness to my master, tell me, and if not, tell me, so I may know which way to turn."

00:05:52.640 - 00:06:11.600

The subject is "The Right Way." The right way. I praise the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me on the right road.

00:06:11.600 - 00:06:40.360

In a recent feature article in the New York Times, it was reported that interracial marriages are increasing. Interracial marriages doubled

00:06:40.360 - 00:06:54.760

from 1960 to 1970 and tripled from 1970

00:06:54.760 - 00:07:29.200

to 1980. So that now in the 90s, there are over a million and a half interracial couples. One of the problems that arise in such unions is that of racial identity.

00:07:29.200 - 00:08:08.400

Edward Cooper, a black Portland, Oregon businessman, is married to Barbara McIntyre, his business partner, who is white. And they have a 12-year-old son, Ethan. On Ethan's school farms, sometimes he has to present them to his parents, of course,

00:08:08.400 - 00:08:33.160

from time to time, and sometimes they check white, and sometimes they check black, and sometimes they check multiracial. Now there is a movement afoot through the Office of Budget and Management

00:08:33.160 - 00:08:51.120

to have the multiracial designation included on the census form, which will be used in the year 2000. But there is considerable opposition by civil rights groups

00:08:51.120 - 00:09:07.920

because they contend that certain federal appropriations are based on the census. That if you have multiracial, that there will be less given to blacks

00:09:07.920 - 00:09:26.660

than if you check them off as being black. So this whole matter of interracial marriages and racial identity is a very current issue. And you may well ask this morning,

00:09:26.660 - 00:09:42.260

why should I get up early hour in the morning and be present in this eight o'clock service to listen to a sermon? It goes back into antiquity, biblical antiquity.

00:09:44.340 - 00:10:11.440

that's related to a story about Abraham taking steps to secure a wife for his son, Isaac. Now marriage is still very much in the news. One of our major denominations recently approved

00:10:11.440 - 00:10:47.560

the marriage of homosexuals. The opposition contended that such approval is a serious threat to healthy family life and is a departure from the biblical model. Abraham desires a wife for his son Isaac.

00:10:47.560 - 00:11:30.560

Abraham is in the evening of his years. He knows that it will not be long before he passes off the scene. And he wants the consolation of knowing that Isaac has a good wife with whom to perpetuate the family heritage and fulfill the promise of God. So Abraham summons his trusted steward, Eliezer,

00:11:30.560 - 00:11:58.840

and instructs him concerning the right way to select a wife for Isaac. First he tells Eliezer to swear that he will not choose a wife from among the Canaanites,

00:11:58.840 - 00:12:25.160

in whose land he now dwells. Canaanites are strangers to the covenant. Canaanites are outside the circumcised community. Canaanites have strange family values.

00:12:25.160 - 00:12:50.220

So Abraham emphasizes this, he underscores it as he talks with his trusted steward. In all that you do, I want you to remember, Do not choose a wife from among the Canaanites.

00:12:50.220 - 00:13:07.540

Now the Canaanites were all around him. He wouldn't have to go to any special trouble to get a wife from the Canaanites. No doubt, there were numerous examples of Canaanites

00:13:07.540 - 00:13:25.500

shacking up all around. But he says, "Now look, in all that you do, "do not choose a wife for Isaac "from among the Canaanites.

00:13:25.500 - 00:13:51.840

"I want my son to be well married." And so he not only insists, but he has Eliezer to take an oath to take an oath by the God of heaven and earth. So Eliezer promises Abraham as

00:13:51.840 - 00:14:36.820

well as the Lord that he will carry out this particular wish. He will follow Abraham's instructions because in this word of instruction or direction, Eleazar is to travel to Abraham's own country and select a wife for Isaac from Abraham's own relatives. Now, Abraham wants to be sure that

00:14:36.820 - 00:15:03.560

the wife selected for Isaac will have a singular background, that in this particular way he will be equally yoked. Abraham wants Eliezer to go about selecting a mate for Isaac in the right way.

00:15:03.560 - 00:15:23.160

If she has a similar background, she will be loyal to the same family values. Sometimes, you know, we expect to select the right mate by going about it in the wrong way.

00:15:23.160 - 00:15:40.380

Old young man meets a young lady with a very beautiful physique. And he says, "That's the girl for me." He doesn't know anything about her values,

00:15:42.040 - 00:15:53.760

But he says, "That's the girl." Young lady sees a young man that's tall and handsome, looks good in his clothes, brown shoulders. And she says, "That's the man for me."

00:15:53.760 - 00:16:00.440

Like the mama, mama. Mama dear, come over here and see who's looking in my window. It's the butcher boy, the butcher boy.

00:16:00.440 - 00:16:09.360

And I'm in love with the butcher boy. And that's the boy for me. Then next, there's the baker boy. I'm in love with the baker boy.

00:16:09.360 - 00:16:40.520

That's the boy for me. or trial are, how happy I will be. Just give me that butcher boy or the baker boy. But those are the wrong ways. That's not the right road to travel. It's the wrong way. Abraham directs Eliezer in the right way. Do not select a woman from among the Canaanites. Get a woman

00:16:40.520 - 00:17:01.720

from my ancestral home, from among my kinsmen, a woman who embraces similar family values by which Isaac has been brought up. And then after having given out this word,

00:17:01.720 - 00:17:29.960

then Angel says to Abraham, well, suppose I go to the country she is unwilling, this woman that I have selected as the bride for Isaac, to come back. She's not willing to come back with me. Shall I take Isaac to the country so

00:17:29.960 - 00:17:47.540

that he can be married to this woman. So it's a good thing to get these things straight at the outset. Isaac is raising, not Isaac, but Eliezer is raising

00:17:47.540 - 00:17:53.840

some questions. He said, "What if?" Read the scripture there. It says, "What if she doesn't want to come back

00:17:53.840 - 00:18:02.720

with me? Shall I bring Isaac there? What if?" And there are a lot of what ifs.

00:18:02.720 - 00:18:15.780

They ought to be discussed at the outset. You know, sometimes people get married, and then they raise the question about what if. But if the what ifs were raised before,

00:18:15.780 - 00:18:39.460

then many of these things might be as many divorces. There would be more happy relationships. But this is a strong word, underscore Abraham to Eliezer, make sure, make sure you do not take my son back

00:18:39.460 - 00:18:55.880

to that country from whence I have come. Oh, there's so many things that our ancestors want to make sure that we don't go back to what they had to go through.

00:18:56.860 - 00:19:35.780

And every event is given this blessed assurance that the God who promises also is the God who accompanies us on the journey to fulfill His promise. So Abraham says, "God who brought me out of my father's household and my native land will go with you.

00:19:35.780 - 00:19:58.060

God who promised me will go with you. He will send his angel before you so that you can get a wife for my son in that country." In other words, it is that you're not alone in this. I've already talked with God about it.

00:19:58.060 - 00:20:18.480

And this God who brought me out of that land will go with you to that land and will guide you. He will send his angel before you to lead you, who directs you in the path that you should go

00:20:18.480 - 00:20:42.720

so that you will walk in the right way. Well, Eliezer is to be guided by God. Abraham has already put this matter in God's hands. Oh, it would be a wonderful thing if parents

00:20:42.720 - 00:21:08.200

and grandparents and all of that for that matter knew more about the person that we would like to be the mate for our offspring as Abraham does here. A friend of mine was saying that he was getting ready, he was asked to marry a couple and

00:21:08.200 - 00:21:19.340

said, "Well, who is this fellow that your daughter is marrying?" He said, "I don't know, Pastor. They call him Mr. High Pocket. I don't really know much about him,

00:21:19.340 - 00:21:32.160

but he's Mr. High Pocket, that's what they call him. And as it turned out when they got married, he turned out to be Mr. Low Pocket. But we need to know, need to know.

00:21:32.160 - 00:21:51.300

Eleazar is told that the Lord will go before you. And it's a wonderful thing to have the right person to go before you and prepare the way for you. I was going away to seminary,

00:21:51.300 - 00:22:04.260

I had a dear friend named Harold Thompson and he went ahead of me, he was a year ahead of me and he told the people about me and so when I came, I already had a job prepared for me,

00:22:04.260 - 00:22:13.760

I had people who already knew me, who were already expecting me and had made some preparations for me because he had gone before.

00:22:13.760 - 00:22:35.160

God has a way of preparing the way before us. Said I will send my angel. God will send his angel to go before us. And so he directs this servant of Abraham on the right road.

00:22:35.160 - 00:23:09.440

He walks with him on the road. He not only directs him, but he walks with him on the road and guides him step by step, pointing to the pitfalls to avoid, warning us of the dips and the rough places he goes before us, the turns and the curves, as well as the detour.

00:23:09.440 - 00:23:34.500

Wonderful thing to someone to tell you who's been on that road before who's already said, "Watch that curve! There's a dangerous curve up the road there. And don't travel too fast because there are some dips in the road." And then watch it because there's some details. Don't get off the main road.

00:23:34.500 - 00:24:12.440

Watch where you're going. Observe the traffic signs. as you travel on that road. So before Eliezer embarks upon the journey, he prays, "Oh Lord God of my master Abraham, give me success today and show kindness to my master when he gets where he's going he has the camels to kneel at the

00:24:12.440 - 00:24:51.240

well outside the city where the women gather and he asked God to guide him in what will happen that he would say the right thing to the right woman so that when he would ask for a drink that she would not only give him a drink but give water to the camels also and so almost as it seems before he finishes praying

00:24:51.240 - 00:25:25.160

God is fulfilling that prayer but when he gets there he sees a damsel a beautiful damsel by the name of Rebecca who shows up with a jaw on her shoulder. She's the daughter of the Abraham's brother and he gave she gave Eliezer water and drew water for the Campbells and Eliezer presents her with gifts and

00:25:25.160 - 00:25:40.040

and asked if there's any room in her household. And she said yes, that there is room for Eliezer and his company. And Eliezer praises God.

00:25:40.040 - 00:25:57.740

His prayer was fulfilled. Abraham's heart's desire was realized. He was successful in securing the right wife for Isaac because he traveled the right road.

00:25:57.740 - 00:26:19.760

And too often, we don't get the right mates because we don't travel the right road. Isaac saw Rebekah when they returned. He was out in the field, and he looked,

00:26:19.760 - 00:27:00.500

and he saw Rebekah, and he said, and the scripture says that he loved her. It was love at first sight and they lived together in a polygamous environment where men had many wives. Isaac in that polygamous environment only had Rebecca and they lived happily together. So she became his only wife in a

00:27:00.500 - 00:27:31.480

community surrounded by polygamy. So as we travel the right road we secure the right things and praise is due to God because God does not abandon us when we travel the right road. Praise God. Why? As we look back over our lives, why are we here? What happened in

00:27:31.480 - 00:27:50.300

the course of our existence? Well, somewhere along the way we encountered God. And we got on the right road. Sometimes we've come to the fork of the road and we have not known which way to turn, but God has spoken unto us saying, "This is the way."

00:27:50.300 - 00:28:15.440

Isaiah says that you shall hear a voice from behind you saying, "This is the way." And when you have Christian parents, many Many times they have gone on, but somehow you still hear that voice from behind. Pointing the way that you should walk, and Isaiah says that when you get at the crossroads

00:28:15.440 - 00:28:40.140

of history, that your holy heritage will speak from behind you, saying this is the way. Walk in it. So Abraham represents our ancestors. I'd like to think of Eliezer as being the one who represents the challenge of the present.

00:28:40.140 - 00:28:57.900

The challenge of the present, the challenge of our responsibilities as children of God. The challenge to walk in the right way, to do the right thing. And then Isaac is the hope of the future. Hope of the future.

00:28:57.900 - 00:29:10.580

It's all for Isaac. preparing for a better future, preparing for the fulfillment of the promise of God. Well, in all of it, praise is due to God

00:29:10.580 - 00:29:29.420

because He is with us from beginning to end. He leads us to walk in the right way. Oh, this God is revealed to us through His Son, Jesus Christ. "Oh, Master, let me walk with Thee.

00:29:29.420 - 00:29:47.420

"And lowly paths of service free, "teach me Thy secret, help me bear "the strain of toil, the fret of care." And we come to know that way

00:29:47.420 - 00:29:59.020

and to walk in that way at the cross. At the cross, at the cross. As we sing at the cross, we extend the invitation to accept Jesus Christ as Lord of your life.

00:29:59.020 - 00:30:30.980

(piano music) He sets before us an open door. We invite you to come. [ Music ]

00:30:30.980 - 00:30:55.980

♪ Have mercy, you my Savior be ♪ ♪ And give my song goodnight ♪ ♪ For he devoteth sacredly ♪ ♪ For sons of her exile ♪

00:30:57.480 - 00:31:24.420

At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light, at the burnout of my heart, far away. It was there by faith I received my sight, and now I am happy all the day.

00:31:24.420 - 00:31:49.660

♪ Was it for prouds that I have done ♪ ♪ He groaned upon the tree ♪ ♪ Amazing pity, grace of God ♪ ♪ Can love beyond degree ♪

00:31:51.420 - 00:32:18.920

At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light, and the burdens of my heart thrown away. It was there, I think, I received my sight, and now I am happy on the day.

00:32:18.920 - 00:32:44.060

♪ Where might the sun in darkness hide ♪ ♪ And show His glory's hair ♪ ♪ When Christ the mighty Maker died ♪ ♪ Born and God rejoiced and said ♪

00:32:45.700 - 00:32:59.080

♪ At the cross, at the cross ♪ ♪ Where I first saw the light ♪ ♪ And the burden of my heart ♪ ♪ Rolled away ♪

00:32:59.080 - 00:33:15.660

♪ It was there by faith ♪ ♪ I received my sight ♪ ♪ And now I am happy home away ♪ We come now to.

00:33:15.660 - 00:33:25.660

[BLANK_AUDIO]