A Moment With Pastor Fred

Do you ever feel there is a huge distance between what God has promised and what you now see? If so, you are not alone. There are those who understand. May I introduce Abraham and Sarah. They knew what it was like to live with overwhelming circumstances. It is in their story in Genesis we find their examples of faith and yes, failure. The OT provides rich illustrations of these two who lived in the gap between promise and reality.

This is one reason why I’m excited about a new expositional series on Gen 12-25 beginning next Sunday. The lives of this patriarch and his wife provide tremendous lessons for us to learn. However, if we stop there, we will miss the main point. The question isn’t necessarily “what would Abraham do?” but what Jesus has done. You see we must, without getting weird or allegorical, see Jesus. The OT is about him.

In my early years of preaching I missed this I’m afraid.     Sermons expounded the OT text. They were biblical but Christ was unfortunately absent. I’m thankful I came to see how misfocused I was. True, we must not shy away from the

morals narratives teach, but let us not forget Christ. On the road to Emmaus the resurrected Jesus demonstrated this, And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself, Lu 24:27. The OT is thoroughly Christocentric. Our greatest need living in the gap between promise and reality isn’t a good example but a great Savior.