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Well, good evening, everybody. 
It's good to be with you once again tonight. You can turn with me 
in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 22. I know you guys are going 
through Genesis on Wednesday night, but I figured I'm far 
enough away that you'll forget everything I said and just remember 
everything Pastor Butler says when you get there on Wednesday 
night. But we'll see some important things in Genesis 22. We're actually 
gonna look at verses 20, and we're gonna look at chapter 23 
of Genesis as well. So not the sacrifice of Isaac. 
We're going to look at the death of Sarah tonight. Genesis 22, we'll read beginning 
at verse 20 and all the way through chapter 3. So Genesis 22, verse 
20, this is the word of the living and true God. Now, it came to 
pass after these things that it was told to Abraham, saying, 
Indeed, Milcah has also born children to your brother Nahor, 
Huz, his firstborn, Buz, his brother, Kemuel, the father of 
Aram, Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaf, and Bethuel. And Bethiel 
begot Rebekah. These eight milk abhorred to 
Nahar, Abraham's brother. His concubine, whose name was 
Rumah, also bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maakah. Sarah lived 
one hundred and twenty-seven years, and these were the years 
of the life of Sarah. So Sarah died in Kirjath Arba, 
that is Hebron, in the land of Canaan. And Abraham came to mourn 
for Sarah and to weep for her. Then Abraham stood up from before 
his dead and spoke to the sons of Heth, saying, I am a foreigner 
and a visitor among you. Give me property for a burial 
place among you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight. And 
the sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him, Hear us, my lord. You are a mighty prince among 
us. Bury your dead in the choices of our burial places. None of 
us will withhold from you his burial place, that you may bury 
your dead.' Then Abraham stood up and bowed himself to the people 
of the land, the sons of Heth. And he spoke with them, saying, 
If it is your wish that I bury my dead out of my sight, hear 
me, and meet with Ephron, the son of Zohar, for me, that he 
may give to me the cave of Machpelah, which he has, which is at the 
end of his field. Let him give it to me at the 
full price, as property for a burial place among you. Now Ephron dwelt 
among the sons of Heth, and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham 
in the presence of the sons of Heth, all who entered at the 
gate of his city, saying, Know my lord, hear me. I give you 
the field and the cave that is in it. I give it to you in the 
presence of the sons of my people. I give it to you, bury your dead. 
Then Abraham bowed himself down before the people of the land, 
and he spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the 
land, saying, If you will give it, please hear me. I will give 
you money for the field. Take it from me, and I will bury 
my dead there. And Ephron answered Abraham, 
saying to him, My lord, listen to me. The land is worth four 
hundred shekels of silver. What is that between you and 
me? So bury your dead. And Abraham listened to Ephron, 
and Abraham weighed out the silver for Ephron, which he had named, 
in the hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of 
silver, currency of the merchants. So the field of Ephron, which 
was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field and the cave 
which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, 
which were within all the surrounding borders, were deeded to Abraham 
as a possession in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all 
who went in at the gate of his city. And after this, Abraham 
buried Sarah, his wife, in the cave of the field of Machpelah 
before Mamre, that is Hebron, in the land of Canaan. So the 
field and the cave that is in it were deeded to Abraham by 
the sons of Heth as property for a burial place. Amen. Let 
us pray. O great God, we know that we 
are wanderers on this earth. We know, O God, that we are pilgrims 
in this land and we do long for home. We're thankful, O Lord 
God, that we can come out of the world to learn the language 
of heaven, to learn more about you, to learn more about our 
God. We're thankful, O God, that you have prepared a place for 
us. Christ has prepared a place for us. And we know that when 
we pass on, we will be with you forever and ever. We know that 
in the intermediate state our body and soul is separated, but 
we know that our souls will be with you, but we still long, 
O God, for the reunion of body and soul and that transformation, 
that body that's conformed to the image of Christ Jesus, knowing 
that we have eternal bliss dwelling with you forever. We know, God, 
sometimes we still mourn and we still lament the losses that 
we face in this life, and we lose many people. We're thankful 
that you are with us and guide us through those difficult times. You comfort us and aid us and 
strengthen us during those difficult times. And for those that die 
in the Lord, we know that we will see them again. So God, 
we do pray that tonight that you would comfort us by your 
words, comfort us by what your word says, help us to trust in 
your faithfulness, even in the mundane and ordinary things. 
We're thankful, O God, that you are with us and you do protect 
us, O God. And we're thankful that you keep your covenant and 
your promises to Abraham. And we know that we see it fulfilled 
in the Lord Christ. So God, help us tonight by your 
spirit, we pray. Give us strength from on high 
by your spirit to understand the things found in your word. 
We're thankful that we have your word and we pray that you'd help 
us now. In the name of Christ, amen. Well, in the life of Abraham, 
the climax of the story comes at Genesis 22. We see in Genesis 
22 that testing of Abraham, the testing of Abraham's faith with 
respect to his son, his only son Isaac. And God says to Abraham, 
go offer up your son, your only son, at the place that I will 
choose for you. And Abraham obeys God. He does 
what he says he would do. And that's the climax of the 
story. But then as we begin to transition 
towards the next patriarch, namely Isaac, there are still some loose 
ends to tie up as we transition, namely the death of Sarah, finding 
a wife for Isaac, and then the death of Abraham. Tonight we're 
looking at the death of Sarah as we transition from one matriarch 
to the next matriarch. And you see, the problem that 
we see here in this section is something that we all face. Death 
and wandering. Even for God's people, we still 
face death. And even God's people, before 
we die, we wander on this planet, on this life, in this present 
evil age, until we die and pass on. And we see that problem here 
as well. God's people do pass. And so 
really what Moses is trying to show forth for us here in this 
section is that God keeps his promises in the midst of death 
by securing property in the promised land. And what we'll see is something 
quite different than what we've seen throughout the life of Abraham. 
Namely, God does it in an ordinary way. And so we'll look at this 
under three headings tonight. When God's people pass, chapter 
22, verse 20 to 23, verse 2. Then when God's people wander, 
chapter 23, verses 3 through 6. Then lastly, when God's people 
dwell, chapter 23, verse 7 to verse 20. So God's people pass, 
God's people wander, and then God's people dwell. So let's 
first look at when God's people pass, beginning at chapter 22, 
verse 20. And notice we see the passing 
of the torch in verses 20 through 24. Genealogies are found in 
the book of Genesis to set forth the next major character or major 
player in the story. And in this case, it's going 
to be Rebekah. We could spend time looking at all the names, 
Huz, and Buzz, and Kenuel, and the father of Aram, Hesed, Hazo, 
Pildesh, but the focus really of this genealogy is to set forth 
the matriarch, set forth the coming matriarch name, namely 
Rebecca. who will be the one that Abraham 
sends the servant to find for Isaac in chapter 24. So it's 
already setting the stage for the covenant romance in Genesis 
24. And so, Abraham, it comes to 
pass, after these things, it was told to Abraham, Indeed, 
Milcah has borne children to your brother Nahor. And then 
we list all of them there for us, because Isaac needs a wife. How in the world is Genesis 20 
to 18 going to come about? In your seed, all the nations 
of the earth shall be blessed because you have obeyed my voice. 
In order to continue the seed and continue the tradition or 
continue the covenant people, Isaac needs a wife. And so we 
see Rebecca here introduced for us before we see the death of 
Sarah. So that's why verses 20 through 
24 are there to set forth Rebecca. And then in chapter 23, verses 
1 and 2, we actually see the death of Sarah and mourning over 
the death of our mother. Notice it says in verse 1, Sarah 
lived 127 years. These were the years of Sarah. This is significant in the life 
of the people of Israel, because she is the mother of the people 
of Israel. And not only that, she is treated 
like a queen in the biblical record. What's interesting is 
commentators point out that Sarah is the only woman whose age is 
mentioned in the scriptures. She has a significant place in 
the scriptures as the mother of the covenant people, the only 
woman whose age is mentioned to show that the Queen has passed 
on. Sarah lived 127 years. These were the years of the life 
of Sarah. And then, verse 2, so Sarah died in Kirjath Arba, 
that is, Hebron, in the land of Canaan. So she dies. But notice we see as well where 
she dies. Kirjath Arba, that is in Hebron. You see throughout this section 
names and places are important because she dies in the land 
of Canaan. And even with the language here 
that is Hebron, Moses wants us to draw our attention back to 
Genesis 13, when Abraham actually inherits, not fully, but he actually 
inherits the land and dwells in the land at Mamre. And he 
stays there for quite some time until Genesis chapter 20. Because 
remember, God called Abraham out of Ur of the Chaldeans to 
a land that he would show to him. And he showed him the land 
of Canaan. And God appeared to him in the 
land of Canaan and showed him that this was the place that 
his descendants would inherit. And so Abraham only sees glimpses 
of that. He sees glimpses and foretaste 
of that land through Genesis 13 through 19. But she dies in 
the place in which they dwelt. She died in Kirjath Arba, that 
is Hebron, in the land of Canaan. So she dies in the promised land 
and notice Abraham comes to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. 
Isn't this something a husband should do over a lost wife? Mourning, 
lamenting, perhaps the idea of wailings involved here? He's 
his wife of many, many years, and many, many difficult hardships. They would have had a deep love 
that they shared with one another. Remember, when they came into 
the land of Cain, they had famine, they had to go into Egypt, and 
then they concocted that plan, or Abraham did, say, you're my 
sister. That doesn't go so well. Then 
Genesis 13 comes around, there's battles with Lot. Then Genesis 
14, there's a World War I that begins. Then Genesis 15, okay, 
then God says, it's in your seed all the families of the earth 
shall be blessed, or it's specifically with your seed in which they 
will be as numerous as the stars of the heavens. And then Genesis 
16, they take matters into their own hands, or Sarah does anyway. They grab Hagar. That doesn't 
work out so well. Fast forward 24 years and Genesis 
17, and God says, it's Sarah. She is the one in whom your seed 
shall come. And then finally, Genesis 21, 
that comes about. So they've gone through a lot 
together. He's lamenting and wailing over the loss of his 
wife, But what's interesting as well, not just when we think 
about pastorally, when we think about it theologically, Sarah 
is the mother of the promise, yet she dies. Abraham's the father 
of the promise, yet he dies. He won't see the promise because 
death is in the way. They won't see the fulfillment 
in its fullness because death is in the way. And see, what's 
interesting, what we see here is when even for God's people, 
God's people still face death and still face mourning. We have 
the promises and they are sure. Should we die before Christ comes 
back, we will be raised with him because of the Lord Jesus 
Christ. But sometimes death is still 
difficult, isn't it? Sometimes we have those rah-rah 
moments. Where, oh death, where is your 
victory? Oh death, where is your sting? 
But sometimes it doesn't always feel like that, does it? because 
we're subjected to sad deaths like the pagans. Christians still 
mourn and we're not robots, especially the death of loved ones. Listen 
to Dale Ralph Davis. So Abraham here reminds us that 
God's covenant people are not sticks and stones, impervious 
to grief and sadness. You may say, well, yes, but we 
face them with triumph and victory. Well, maybe. Often that is the 
case. But sometimes our losses are 
so sad, so distressing, so lonely, that even as Christians, we can't 
feel much of the victorious element. Sometimes there are difficult 
things that God's people go through. I think of one example of a prominent 
missionary in the 1800s, Adoniram Judson, an important missionary, 
an important Baptist missionary. He sets the stage for what we 
see today when we look at language training and cultural immersion. 
He sets the stage for translation, really the pioneer worker in 
that. But he went through a very difficult grief period. In the 
span of like six months, he loses his two-year-old son, he loses 
his wife, he loses his newborn baby girl, and he loses his father 
as well, not to mention he's in Burma, away from his normal 
place that he grew up. And he went into an immense period 
of grief and sadness. He spent four years in this grief 
and sadness period, two of which he spent in a jungle infested 
or in a tiger infested jungle because he was so sad. He did 
some weird things too. He dug a grave and just looked 
at it day in and day out as he pondered what death was. Why? Because he's grieving. You see, 
it's not in those moments that we say to him, hey, listen, Adoniram, 
you know, your theology is a little off right now. No, you just wait, 
and you're patient with him, and you love him. Certainly, 
he's wrong in what he's doing, but God, you know, protected 
him and helped him through that difficult time. And thankfully, 
eventually, he snaps out of it, and God uses him in many different 
ways, but it wouldn't have been good for people to say, you know, 
you're being an idiot. You need to have better theology. You 
should do what his friend did. You know what his friend did 
when he was in the jungle? He built a hut and watched over 
him. That's what he did. Sometimes, even when we talked 
about this morning, when it comes to things like wisdom, sometimes 
we could say certain things, even if they're true, but that 
doesn't mean it's going to help someone out. Sometimes when someone 
is grieving and going through a difficulty, sometimes it's 
just best for us to say, I'm praying for you. How can I help 
in other ways, rather than trying to explain certain things that 
are going on in their life? Sometimes we need to have wisdom 
in those areas as well. because God's people still mourn, 
and sometimes that mourning creeps up upon us. So God's people do 
pass, and there's mourning tied to that. So let's then look, 
secondly, at when God's people wander, verses 3 through 6. So Abraham looked a lot of dead 
language. Then Abraham stood up before 
his dead, and he speaks to the sons of Heth. And he says, I 
am a foreigner and visitor among you. Give me property for a burial 
place among you that I may bury my dead out of my sight. You 
see, Abraham had been a wanderer in the land of Canaan, and he 
recognized that. He's an alien and a sojourner. 
He had no land of his own in that place. Yes, he dwelt in 
certain parts through Genesis 3 through 19, but it was like 
rented land. He dwelt in a tent. And certainly 
there's blessed language throughout there about him inheriting the 
land, but it is a temporal idea. Even at Mamre, he dwells in those 
tents. And so he comes and he makes 
this request to these sons of Heth. The sons of Heth are actually 
the sons of Canaan. They're in Genesis 10, 15. And 
he says to them, I want to buy some land. I want to buy a proper 
burial place, because I wish to bury my dead in the land of 
promise. And so these men then say and 
respond in verses five and six, and the sons of Heth answered 
Abraham saying to him, hear us, my Lord, you are a mighty prince 
among us, bury your dead in the choicest of our burial places. 
None of us will withhold from you his burial place that you 
may bury your dead. You see, Abraham is recognized 
as a prince among the Canaanites. They've recognized that God was 
with him, even throughout Genesis 13 or 12 through 22. Chapter 14, he goes against Keter 
Lamer, the giant king, and destroys him. And then we see in Genesis 
chapter 20, when he engages in a covenant, or Genesis 20 and 
21, when he engages in a covenant with Abimelech, Abimelech, actually, 
there's actually fear in the land, because you see, they recognized 
who he is, and they recognize that God is with him, and they 
want to be with him. That doesn't mean necessarily 
that they're actual Christians, but they recognized who the powerful 
God is, and that is Abraham's God. And whatever Abraham does, 
God is with him. So they recognize this. They 
recognize who he is. They recognize that he is a prince 
among them. And so they say, take whatever 
you want. Any land you want, you pick it. 
It's yours. You can bury your dead. in that 
place. You see, sometimes pagans can 
be civil, right? They can actually be kind and 
we can actually engage in proper conversation and trade with them. 
We should always be weary when someone says, stay away from 
pagans entirely. That's called not good. I can't 
think of what it was. It didn't go very well in that 
moment. But it's not a good thing. You see, we're supposed to be 
in the world, not of the world. And sometimes because of God's 
common operation or the common operations of the Spirit throughout 
the world, pagans sometimes actually engage and act more justly than 
Christians do. You want a good example of that? 
Look at Lot in Genesis 19 and Abimelech in Genesis chapter 
20. We know that Lot is a believer because of the New Testament, 
but Abimelech is not. But who acts more justly in a 
civil sense? Abimelech does. And I asked this 
question when I preached at Surrey Reform. If two guys were running 
for office, who would you vote for, Lott or Abimelech? Because you see, a Bimelech would 
be a better person in office because of the way in which he 
knows that the law is written on his heart. He knows some semblance 
of justice, not because of his own goodness, but because of 
the image of God there. So sometimes pagans actually 
act better than Christians. Sometimes pagans are better workers 
than Christians. It shouldn't be the case, but 
it is sometimes the case, because God's common operations are still 
operative, namely the Noahic Covenant. The Noahic Covenant 
is still in operation, and that is something we need to remember, 
not for salvation, but for justice and preservation. So, they're 
still civil. He says, they say these things 
anywhere you want to go. And what this teaches us is that 
God's people still wander this earth. We are wanderers, we long 
for home, we are nomads. The Christian life is actually 
one of exile, isn't it? Isn't this how the New Testament 
describes these things? And even Abraham and Sarah don't 
actually dwell in the land, but especially in 1 Peter 2, verse 
11. He drives these points home. with respect to proper living. You see, we're supposed to live 
in a way that is becoming of where we're from. Usually when 
we go to another country, we wanna actually act in such a 
way that makes our country look good. How much more so our heavenly 
country? 1 Peter 2 verse 11, if I can 
get there. Beloved, I beg you as sojourners 
and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, 
having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when 
they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works 
which they observe, glorify God in the day of his visitation. 
But it's verse 11, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain 
from these things. And as he addresses them in 1 
Peter 1, 1, to the pilgrims or the exiles of the dispersion. Because this place is not our 
home. And you know what drives that home? Death. drives that 
home. Listen to Davis again. You must 
never forget who you are, how fragile and rootless and utterly 
dependent on God, and sitting loosely to this age and all that 
it holds and offers. There is a certain and proper 
detachment that should mark us, but sometimes grief or loss or 
reversals can bring this mindset home with fresh force. You see, 
brethren, we are supposed to live a contented detachment in 
this life. Not saying we can't work hard, 
buy houses, that sort of thing, but those things are going to 
pass. And that's okay, because it's far greater to know those 
things are going to pass because we're with God in heaven, dwelling 
with Him forever. A contented detachment should 
be becoming of God's people in this life. So that's when God's 
people wander. Let's then look thirdly and finally 
at when God's people dwell in verses 7 through 20. Abraham wants to be in the land, 
and so he makes a specific request in verses 7 through 9. He stands 
up, he bows himself. He's got proper manners. He bows 
in gratitude. And he says to them, to the people 
of the land, the sons of Heth, and he spoke with them saying, 
if it is your wish that I bury my dead out of my sight, hear 
me. There's this guy named Ephron, 
the son of Zohar, for me. And I wish that he would give 
me the cave of Machpelah, which he has, which is at the end of 
his field. Let him give it to me at the full price as property 
for a burial among you. You see, he desires this specific 
cave, and the reason he asked them to do it, and he asked them 
to ask, is so that they would be witnesses of the transaction. You see, they didn't necessarily 
have video cameras. They probably didn't necessarily 
have parchment to sign papers at that time. So you need a bunch 
of witnesses in order to have the deal go through. So he says, 
sons of Heth, be my witnesses. That's why I'm asking you these 
things. And so he says, I wish to purchase this among you. I 
wish to bury my dead. I want this cave of Machpelah, 
which is at the end of his field. Let him give it to me at the 
full price as property for a burial place among you. So he wants 
his body to rest in the promised land, not in her. He wants to be in the place that 
God showed him. He wants to be in the promised 
land. He wants a place to bury his dead. So he makes this request. And in verses 10 through 16, 
we see the deal with Ephron. So they gather. Now Ephron dwelt 
among the sons of Heth. And Ephron the Hittite answered 
Abraham in the presence of the sons of Heth. So we'll see a 
lot of the sons of Heth. That's just highlighting that 
they're the witnesses. All who entered at the gate of 
his city. They typically did transactions at the gate of the 
city. You'll see this with Lot as well. Lot's waiting at the 
gate. That's where the civil, that's where town hall was, where 
city hall is. And so they entered the gate 
of his city saying, and this is what his response is. Know 
my Lord, hear me. I give you the field and the 
cave that is in it. I give it to you in the presence 
of the sons of my people. I give it to you, bury your dead. 
Seems like a nice gift. Hey, look, I recognize who you 
are. Here it is. I want you to have it. So Abraham 
responds in verse 12. He bows himself again, in gratitude. He recognizes the civility and 
the kindness from Ephron. Before the people of the land 
he bows. But notice in verse 13. And he spoke to Ephron in 
the hearing of the people of the land, saying, if you will 
give it, please hear me. I will give you money for the 
field. Take it from me, and I will bury my dead there. Why won't 
he just take the land and run with it? You see, he wants the 
actual possession of that land. And perhaps in the future, the 
sons of Ephron might say to the sons of Abraham, look, this is 
our land. You did not purchase it. It was 
a gift given to you. We want it back now. So Abraham, 
rather than receiving the gift, wants to say, I want to buy the 
land so that I actually own something in this land and it cannot be 
revoked. So he says, I will give you coin 
for it. I insist on giving you money 
for this. I wish to own some land in the 
land of Canaan, the land of promise. And so Ephron answers in verse 
14 and 15, saying to him, my lord, listen to me. The land 
is worth 400 shekels of silver. What is that between you and 
me? So bury your dead. Now, Ephron's colors come out. 
Pagans aren't all good. This is probably a stiff price 
for that land. It's not fair market value. And Ephron's just blowing smoke. 
He's just saying, oh, you know what? It's just 400 shekels, 
no biggie. He's like that person who wants 
to capitalize on someone's grief, and he does so. This is a nice, 
shiny coffin for you and your family to be buried or your loved 
one to be buried in as they pass on. That's kind of his demeanor 
when he realizes what Abraham is willing to do. So he says, 
400 shekels. Abraham doesn't care. He wants 
to own land, and so it's weighed out in verse 16. Abraham listened 
to Ephron, and Abraham weighed out the silver for Ephron, which 
he had named in the hearing of the sons of Heth. 400 shekels 
of silver, currency of the merchants. So he pays it out. He pays in 
full. And then we see the deed given 
in verses 17 and 18. This is deed language here. Notice, 
so the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before 
Mamre. That's important. Machpelah in 
Mamre. That's why he wants the cave 
of Machpelah so much, because it was the place that they dwelt 
together, the land that God had given them in Genesis 13. So 
he wants to own that. I want the cave of Machpelah, 
which is in Mamre. And so he says, so it says, Moses 
shows it was before Mamre, the field and the cave and all that 
was in it. And all the trees that were in the field, which 
were within all the surrounding borders, were deeded to Abraham 
as a possession in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all 
who went in at the gate of his city." He's got the real estate. He's got a place to bury his 
wife. We see the language of deeded given to him. And then 
we see in verse 19, the actual burial. And after this, Abraham 
buried Sarah, his wife, in the cave of the field of Machpelah. 
Lots of language about place again before Mamre, that is Hebron, 
in the land of Canaan. So Sarah's body's dwelling in 
the land of Canaan. And verse 20, so the field and 
the cave that is in it were deeded to Abraham by the sons of Heth 
as a property for a burial place. Abraham, after many years, finally 
owns a possession in the land of Canaan. And it came about 
through the death of his wife, Sarah. And this cave will be 
important to the rest of the book of Genesis because it's 
where Abraham and Sarah are buried, it's where Isaac and Rebekah 
are buried, and it's where Jacob and Leah are buried as well. 
You see, there are certain places it would be fun to be at on the 
resurrection day, beside beside your spouse. But this would be one of them, 
wouldn't it? When the patriarchs are raised up. Or perhaps I like 
to think of Bunhill Fields in England, where John Owen and 
John Bunyan and a bunch of those Puritans were all buried. That 
would be pretty great, too. I mean, we're being raised up. It would 
just be great all around. When you think about certain 
places where certain men and concentrations of people are 
buried, those are some of the ones that just come to mind. So Abraham has this land. He 
has this dwelling. Because you see, the purpose 
and the point of this text is really not about death. It is 
about dwelling. Abraham finally has a place in 
the land of Canaan. And what's fascinating and interesting 
throughout this text, whose name is never mentioned? God's name 
is never mentioned throughout this text. And it's an interesting 
contrast between Genesis 22 and Genesis 23, where God appears 
to Abraham, speaks audibly to him, calls out from heaven, and 
affirms the promises once again. But in this text, God's name 
is never mentioned, but that doesn't mean he's still not in 
operation, securing and fulfilling the promises that he said he 
would to Abraham. You see, God is faithful in the 
big things, but he's also faithful in the little things as well. And this is God showing forth 
his promises once again to Abraham, securing land for Abraham, for 
Sarah, and for the rest of the patriarchs in the land of Canaan. 
Because you see, God's people will dwell, and we will dwell 
forever. That's what we long for. That's 
what we hope for. We long and hope for home. And 
the patriarchs longed and hoped for home. But you see, the patriarchs, 
even though they wandered, they knew even, and even in this instance, 
Sarah's dead, and finally he's got a place for her to be buried. 
And Abraham still wanders, and then he's finally buried there 
as well. They're still looking for that home in which they would 
dwell and live forever. You see, even Abraham understood 
something about the resurrection because Genesis 23 is on the 
heels of Genesis 22. And according to the writer of 
the Hebrews, he says that Abraham believed that God would raise 
Isaac from the dead. You see, Abraham believed in 
the resurrection and he knew it would come and he knew it 
would come through the seed, the seed, the promised seed, 
namely the Lord Jesus Christ. Abraham didn't necessarily know 
that, but he still believed God and it was counted for him as 
righteousness. And he believed that Isaac would 
raise him from the dead and that they would dwell forever. Abraham 
longed for that, and we as God's people long for that, but we 
know that it's set and it's sure because God is faithful. And 
how much more so for us, because we're on the other side of the 
Lord Jesus Christ coming. Heaven has been prepared, heaven 
has been purchased, and we will dwell in heavenly bliss forever 
and ever because of Abraham's seed, the Lord Jesus Christ. 
And if you don't know the Lord Jesus today, I would implore 
you and encourage you to believe on him and you will dwell forever 
in everlasting bliss with the sons and daughters of Abraham 
and Sarah. Well, let us pray. Dear Heavenly Father, we are 
again thankful for your faithfulness. We're thankful, O God, that even 
in what seems to be ordinary things, you still remain true. 
And O God, sometimes when we are forgetful of you, you still 
answer our prayers and you're still merciful to us. We give 
you praise for these things. We know, O God, that unless you 
come back at a certain time, we know that we will all face 
death. But, O God, help us to know that we can pass through 
death knowing that Christ has passed through it for us. That 
doesn't mean it's not going to be difficult and hard when we 
see loved ones pass on, O God. We pray that you comfort us and 
aid us during those difficult times. We're thankful that you 
do comfort us and aid us during those difficult times. And we 
know, O God, that you will be true to your promises, for you 
are a faithful God. So God, if there are any here 
today who do not know you, we pray that you would change them, 
work in them, to save them. For any here today who are your 
people, are part of the people of God, comfort them and aid 
them tonight, O God. We're thankful that you are a 
faithful God. So help us to rest assured that you are a God who 
does not change, and you are a God who is faithful. So God, 
we pray that you'd be glorified now in the name of Christ. Amen. 
We'll close with a brief time of meditation. When the canoes 
finish, you are dismissed.