We live seeing, coveting, and taking. God abides true to His covenant. He keeps us even as we fail and manipulate. (Genesis 12:10-15; John 18)

Speaker(s): Thomas Schaller, Justin Schaller
Sermon #13109
Date: 2026-4-12
Time: Sun 6:30 pm

P. Justin Schaller –

Good evening. Great to be here. Good day? Love the singing. I wish I could sing like that. Is that the GGWO choir? That was great. Isn’t that one thing for people that can’t sing? Don’t you wish you could sing? Like, how does that happen? Is that just something that they can automatically do? I try so hard. Still doesn’t work. 

 

Hey, this evening, I just want to share from my heart. We’ll look at John 17, John 18. But to share just a meditation that I’ve had for the last couple weeks. And this morning at Fed Hill, I shared a little bit. I didn’t preach too long, but I shared just a short piece of something that has been on my heart and not necessarily that I’ll come to a conclusion, but more so that maybe you can go home and you can think about it. 

 

But growing up, like my dad was just sharing. We didn’t have money to buy golf clubs, but I had the best of the best in the sense of what he installed in us as kids growing up. And whenever my buddies would come over, it was very common. My buddies would come over. We’d be playing in the backyard or in the house. And we would run in the house and my dad would be over in the corner and he would be reading the Word. He was always there studying. 

 

And he would just say to us, Hey, stop just for a minute. I got to share something with you. And I’m like, oh, no! And all right, Dad. What are you, what are you going to share? And it would be some obscure passage in the Old Testament about Jezebel being thrown over a wall and then dogs eating her and then her palms just be – her palms are left and then he would just look at us. And I remember one time it was me and Danny Barenski and we’re just standing there, and we would just wait and he would go, What do you guys think? Too bad for her. Danny, what do you think? And then he’d be like, All right, you guys can go. 

 

And it was my whole childhood was just filled with stories that would be stories, but years later, God’s honest truth, years later, those stories would come back to me and it would be connected to something else that I would be studying. It was almost as though that those stories were installed. 

 

And the way that the Scripture works is the Scripture has patterns to it. Patterns in the sense that they look the same, but they’re different. And the more patterns that you see in the Scripture, the more you see that they connect with other patterns that might not be exactly the same, but they’re related. 

 

And I’m just so thankful that he installed all of that Scripture in me and I had the privilege to be able to have it. And at the time not necessarily knowing what to do with it, but then growing in understanding the Word more and more, connecting it. 

 

And one theme, and I shared this this morning, and I just want to touch this briefly, and then look at John chapter 17. But one theme, just look in Genesis chapter 3. One theme is something that we all know very well just with the story of Adam and Eve. But I just want you to pick up on a few words, because the writers of Scripture and the Holy Spirit inspired them to write it. They do it with a purpose. 

 

Every word has a purpose, because those words will pop up in other places in Scripture. And they’re meant for us to see a pattern and to compare the two Scriptures alongside each other and see that there’s differences, but there’s similarities as well. 

 

In meditation in Psalm chapter 1 for us to be fruitful people and to be the person in Psalm chapter 1 that meditates on the Word day and night. You’ll, the result of it is you’ll become a tree that is planted by rivers of water, and you’ll bring forth fruit and fruit is for other people. Fruit is so other people can come along and pick off of the tree. 

 

Like I’ve said it before, you don’t see an apple tree saying, I’m kind of hungry. Let me just eat my own apple. But an apple tree is there so other people can come and pick off of the tree. And that tree in Psalm 1 is wisdom. It’s that you’ll be a person that has wisdom in your life and you’re able to minister to other people. Don’t we want that? 

 

Wisdom is the principal thing. But we need understanding. So, look in Genesis 3, we’ll just zip through a few of these passages, but in Genesis 3:6, the woman, she saw. And I just want you to look at that word “saw.” She saw the tree and she saw that it was good and that it was a delight to the eyes. It was a beautiful thing to behold. 

 

Isn’t it amazing that in life there can be things that look beautiful, but the end result of it, if I take it, it turns out to be not good for me? You look at Las Vegas. Las Vegas, big, beautiful city. But if I make my home there – John Perkins, we love you. But if I live in the casino, if I live the life that it is portraying, not good, but it is beautiful to look at. And then it says, “A tree that would be desired.” So she took. So, I just want you to look at those three words. She saw, she delighted in it. It looked beautiful. And then she took. 

 

Skip to Genesis chapter 6. You have another group of people, and the sons of God. Look at what it says in vs. 2. What does it say? “They saw.” And what did they see? They saw the daughters of men. Now, they’re not seeing a tree. In Genesis 3, it’s a tree, but now in Genesis 6, the tree is a woman, and she’s delightful to look upon. But do you see the progression of it?

 

They saw. They were delighted in seeing the woman, and then they did what? They took and they chose for themselves. So, that’s a pattern that you see just in those first few verses. Look at in Joshua chapter 7. Joshua 7, you have the victory of Jericho. And what does Jesus, what does God say to Joshua? Don’t take anything in the first city. It’s the principle of first fruits. He’s teaching them the first thing belongs to the Lord. So, the first city they conquered, they couldn’t take it. It belonged to the Lord. They second city and the third they could take from.

 

But in Joshua 7:21, there was a man who his name was Achan. And he took of the spoils. Look at in vs. 21. This is his response. Here’s the other thing, the other progression. They see, they delight, they take and then they hide. You know, Adam and Eve when they fell, what did they do? They hid. 

 

Look what Achan does in vs. 21. That’s a good thing. It’s a beautiful garment. Vs. 21. It adds a little bit to the pattern. But he saw and what did he see? Something that was delightful. And then look at what he says. I coveted it and then I took. And then what did he do? He hid. That’s a pattern. 

 

So, you compare those, all of those examples together and you say, What is going on? Look at, let me just show you one other one. Look in 2 Samuel. 2 Samuel 11. David’s sin with Bathsheba. Look at vs. 2. From the roof he saw, just like Eve saw the tree. David in his own wisdom sees something. And what did he see? He saw a woman that was very beautiful. Do you see the progression? 

 

So he looked upon her and then look at verse 4. David sent messengers and what did he do? He took her. In Joshua’s account, Achan coveted. David’s doing the same thing. He sees in his own wisdom something that his pleasurable and beautiful but doesn’t belong to him, but he covets it and then he takes it. 

 

What does he do after? Doesn’t he hide his sin? He hides his sin. I think the Scripture in all of these stories, they’re different, but they’re similar in all of them. And what can we see in all of these stories? That in man’s wisdom he has this problem. It’s another one in Genesis chapter 13. 

 

When Lot looked at Sodom and Gomorrah, it says that it looked like the garden of God. Garden of Eden. It looked good. Is the Garden of Eden good? What’s the point? Our eyes are not good at judging what is good. Our eyes judge based upon natural sight, and we take pleasure in it and in itself it is pleasurable, but when we take it outside of God’s wisdom, it becomes evil. 

 

So, I think we get the point. Now, let’s just look real quick, Genesis chapter 13. And I want to show you one other example of this, and then I want to get to the good stuff. Genesis chapter 13, and this has been my meditation. 

 

And again, I don’t have necessarily a point. I do, but I just want to stir up our own meditation because this is what God’s called us to do. In Genesis, let’s look at Genesis 12. We know that God calls Abraham out and he blesses him. Vs. 2. It’s the first promise that God gives. He makes him a covenant with Abraham. And I’ll bless you. All those who bless you, I will bless.  All those who curse you, I will curse. He gives him a covenant. That’s an amazing thing. Abraham, I will protect you wherever you go. 

 

Now, just like promises that God gives, God will test it. Now, we don’t see Genesis 12 as a faith test, but it’s the first faith test that Abraham has. We think of the faith test with Isaac, but this is the first one. And the reason is God gives him all of these amazing promises about land and fruitfulness and food and wealth and protection but look at what happens. Vs. 10. There’s a famine in the land right off the bat. 

 

Now Abraham is a crafty businessman. He’s been crafty most of his life, and he has to concoct a plan because there’s a famine in the land. But the thing is God just gave him a promise. So, look in vs. 11. As he’s going with his family and his wife, he’s thinking, How am I going to make this work? There’s a famine. I got to feed my family. We don’t have wealth. We don’t have protection. Yes, Yahweh gave me a covenant, but we need to concoct our own plan. So, what’s the plan that he comes up with? 

 

Well, let’s read in vs. 11. Came up with a plan. My own wisdom. Here it is. Vs. 11b-12. This is his wife. Meaning – I said this this morning – his wife was a 10 and he was a 1. She was beautiful. He wasn’t. And he’s afraid. He’s a coward. God just gave him a promise. Now, he’s concocting his own plan, and he’s throwing his wife to the wolves under the bus. 

 

Not only is he a 1, he’s a 1 and he’s a coward. His wife is really proud of him! She’s thinking, this guy. So he says, I’m going to concoct a plan, and when we come, the Egyptians are going to see you. Do you see wisdom in his mind, in his own eyes? Do we do that as well? Do we look at the landscape of our life and say, Okay. I trust God, but at the same time, I’m going to have to come up with some sort of plan if God doesn’t show up. This is what he’s doing. He’s doing wisdom in his own eyes. Wisdom would be just to trust what God’s already given them and operate in it. 

 

So, look at vs. 12. God just gave you a promise, great nation, children, but he says they’ll kill me, but they will save you alive. Vs. 13. He’s saying, Let’s just be deceptive. Just go along with the plan, because I don’t want to die. And it’ll be good for you. And guess what? It might be good for both of us. 

 

Why would it be good for both of them? Because in the ancient world, when you were going to marry somebody off, the person who was going to marry the bride would have to give some sort of money for her. So, he’s working out a plan that if he’s, if the father’s not there, he could be the older brother. And then the person who wants to marry her has to deal with him and he’s going to set the price. So, not only is he going to save his life, but he’s going to get rich. God already promised riches to him, but he’s going to do it his own way. 

 

So, look at vs. 14-15. Oh, where did I see that? I saw that in Genesis 3, Genesis 6. They saw something that was beautiful. Now, it’s not the tree, but it’s a woman. Sarah. Sarah’s the tree. Okay, now I’m starting to understand. Sarah’s the tree. And who’s looking? The Egyptians are looking at her. So, they’re like Adam and Eve in the story. They’re beholding something beautiful. 

 

And look at what it says. Vs. 15-16. Seven different blessing that Abraham receives from Pharaoh. He gets rich. How does he get rich though? Deceptively. I said this this morning as well. If you think of the Garden of Eden and you take this little picture, and this was, been my meditation. 

 

You take this little picture. If Sarah’s the tree and Pharaoh is the human looking at the tree, there’s another character in the garden called the snake. And the snake was the one who lied to the humans, so the humans would take something that didn’t belong to them. And the amazing thing to me as I’m thinking about this is who’s the snake in this story? It’s Abraham. 

 

So, if you think about it, you expect a snake to be someone from an evil line, but now you have God’s chosen man who God’s made a covenant with. Who’s the snake? And guess what happens in the story? As we know, just like Genesis 3, just like Genesis 6, Genesis 6, a flood, Genesis 3 they’re kicked out. What happens in this story? There’s a plague. There’s sin that comes on the people in Egypt. 

 

And as the story goes, you think, wow, Abraham gest out of this. He was deceptive. And he leaves Egypt and he’s rich. But as you progress through the story, his riches actually aren’t a blessing. He’s thinking, I’m smart. In my own mind, I concocted my own plan with my own wisdom, and I came out, and we’re safe, and we are rich. 

 

But isn’t it a little bit later that all of his cattle that he has causes division of brothers. And isn’t it so that there’s a female servant from Egypt named Hagar that comes with them that causes division with him and his wife. 

 

The story is to say that man in his own wisdom can concoct his own wealth and his own prosperity, but it might not be what you thought it was going to be. Versus respecting and honoring what God’s plan is and trusting his covenant. 

 

Now, this is I say all that because I want to say this. In Genesis 3, when the snake deceived, God cursed him forever. But in this story, God’s already made a covenant with Abraham. So, what is he going to do with Abraham? He doesn’t curse him. He protects him. He acted just like the serpent, but since God had already made a covenant with him, he had to honor the covenant and protect him. 

 

And Abraham learns as you progress through the story, because when it comes to Isaac, there’s no questions of his own wisdom of how to get out of it. He just does what God tells him to do. Is that the story of our life as well? That we are like Abraham at the beginning of our walk of faith and we say, Lord, I have to kind of safeguard. I know you’re going to bless me and take care of me, but I have to safeguard because this looks really good and it could turn out that it actually makes me wealthy or protects me. 

 

But then we realize when we do it our own way, the end result of it is more confusion and division. But when we do it God’s way, it might not look good at the front end, but the back end it is a blessing. And I just love the fact that God still blesses Abraham. And he is still faithful not to him being a snake, but he’s faithful to the promise that he made with Abraham. 

 

So, look in John 17 just in closing. You guys following that with me? Okay, it’s a good meditation. You can, we can think on it. But this portion of Scripture speaks to me so much, because there’s no other portion of Scripture like John 17. And this, as we know, Jesus is going to the cross and Jesus is going to suffer and die. 

 

But as Jesus is walking there, his disciples are with him, and they’re going from the upper room, and they’re going to the Garden of Gethsemane. As they’re walking down, Jesus tops and makes this intercessory prayer. And we get an inside look at what he’s saying to his Father. 

 

On all of those nights that he goes out and he prays alone to his Father, it maybe looks something like this. And what Jesus is saying in vs. 12. If it was up to the disciples, they would be out of there. The only thing that kept them was Jesus. But in this prayer, Jesus prays to his Father and he says, Father, I’m going to go on the cross and I’m going to die. During that period of time, I have been keeping them, but during that time, can you keep them? 

 

It’s this whole thing in John 17 is that our eternal security is that Jesus is the one keeping us. Abraham would be gone. We would all be gone. If it was up to me to keep my salvation, I would be gone. But Jesus is the one who’s ordaining all things to keep me. 

 

Now, in John 18, John 18, the example of – I love John 18, because it gives you the practical look at how Jesus keeps us. And he brings his disciples to the garden. And he didn’t have to bring them there, but he went to the garden, because he knew that Judas would know that he was there. This is a place that he would spend time when he was there at the Passover. And he went to that place. 

 

And John is writing this so that we understand that Jesus is in control of all things, and he’s in control of his arrest and his crucifixion. But he wanted to bring his disciples along with him, because he wanted to show them that he was keeping them. 

 

And so in vs. 4, after John 17, you get to John 18:4. Now, this I think is an important thing for us to understand. His disciples are with Jesus and it could be that all of them get arrested; and if all of them get arrested and all of them are either stoned or crucified or thrown in prison, the disciples would lose their faith. They didn’t have enough faith in themselves to be able to sustain whatever tribulation or trial they would go through. 

 

So, Jesus makes this statement, Who are you seeking? Because he wants the police and the Pharisees to say what name they have on their warrant. Who legally do you have to arrest tonight? 

 

So, John 17 is, Father, I’ve kept them and I haven’t put them in a position that would be more than the faith that they would need to persevere through the trial. And John 18 is a look where Jesus is keeping them and he’s keeping them from not being arrested. 

 

So, in vs. 5, they answered we’re looking for Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus said, I am he. Vs. 7-8. You have no legal right to touch them. So, this is Jesus’ prayer in John 17. I’ve kept my sheep from trials and tribulations that would be too much for them. And he’s doing it through this altercation with the police that if you only have one name on the warrant, I am he. Take me and let them go. 

 

But we know that Peter, the way that he is, he wants to protect in his own wisdom and he wants to defend Jesus even though he doesn’t know that Jesus is defending him. Peter, if you were to take up a sword and start fighting for me, within two hours you’d be denying me. You don’t have the faith. 

 

But Peter goes, he cuts off the ear of Malchus. John 18:11, he says to Peter, this is a good point in the story. If you live by the sword, you die by the sword. What does that mean? Capital punishment. Because it’s in the book of Leviticus. If you take someone’s life, your life is required of you. And if your life is required of you, Peter, you would die in unbelief. It’s true. 

 

He’s saying if you kill somebody, you’ll be killed and you’ll be killed without faith. But Jesus keeps him. And I’ve said this before, but how does Jesus keep Peter? Well, he doesn’t want Peter to be arrested. So, he’s got to do his last miracle to an enemy who’s arresting him, who’s going to put him on the cross. So, he heals Malchus’ ear so there’s no evidence of Peter ever doing it. 

 

The high priest Jesus is protecting Peter. Even when Peter goes out in his own wisdom and does something stupid, he still protects his sheep. And he doesn’t just protect his sheep in the sense that he said it and he’s going to see to it, which he is, but he is using providence in life to keep us from things, so that we wouldn’t fall into unbelief. 

 

I know you say, Well, that could never happen. Of course, it couldn’t happen. But it’s because Jesus is interceding for us and keeping us even to this day. And I love how the Bible gives us these glimpses into these amazing people that we call heroes of faith. And we say, Wow, these people are amazing. But then you read that they’re just like the serpent in the garden. Just like I’m the serpent in the garden, deceiving people so that I can get what I want in my own wisdom. 

 

But I have to get to a point, and I’m sure Abraham got to this point that he realized that his wisdom wasn’t that wise. Have you ever felt I have this figure out? I got it all under control. I have this. My life figured out and I can maneuver and I’m good at business. I’m good in relationships. I can figure this whole thing out and I’m good. 

 

And then the whole thing eventually you realize like I said this also to the church few weeks ago. I said it would be like if you have a pond, you got a beautiful pond up in a nice little country home up in Pennsylvania, and there’s too many mosquitoes and you’re like, I want to get rid of the mosquitoes. And so you bring in some foreign frog into the pond and it eats up all the mosquitoes and next thing you know, all the fish are dead. 

 

Human wisdom is good at seeing the initial thing, and let’s kill the mosquitoes, but we don’t know what the end result of the repercussions of what those decisions actually bring. 

 

And Jesus is very confident in his ability to keep us, but he will show us at times you’re acting like a snake. You’re acting like you’re so wise like David on the rooftop, and he’s just having a nice evening time. He sees a beautiful woman. I’m the king. He justifies it in his own mind. Then he takes something and the repercussions of it, there’s a man dead and a baby dead. 

 

When we are lifted up in our own eyes, like Peter taking the sword, I’m going to be the hero. Jesus is like, you’re an idiot. You would be crucified and you would die in your unbelief, but I’m going to keep you. And he allows us to see. 

 

I love it as believers that it could be that we are making decisions, but the Holy Spirit is teaching us and saying, Hey, listen. You’re a little out over your skis right now going down a black diamond. You’re a little, you’re a little, you’re getting a little too far out in what you think is right. 

 

Wisdom is always trying to judge what is right and what is evil, what is right and wrong. You know what Solomon said? I love this. Solomon said when he became king of Israel, he said to Yahweh, he said, I’m like a little child, and I don’t know the difference between good and evil. The Hebrew word is “ra.” Ra is evil. Tov is good. Same words for the tree, the good and evil. It’s Tov and Ra. 

 

Solomon came like a little child and said, I’m a little child. I don’t know how to make decisions. I don’t know what is good or what is evil. But you have a capable person that comes in and they say, I know what’s good and evil. Throw it on my desk and I’ll figure it out. And what God is saying is, What man deems to be good, I see as evil. And what man deems to be foolish, I deem to be my plan. It’s an amazing thing. 

 

We’re not good at doing it, because we could end up being like Peter cutting off an ear trying to go for a head and then next thing you know I’m being crucified and I am blaspheming Jesus. But the Holy Spirit teaches us, doesn’t he? Softly. And he says, hey, just slow yourself down a little bit. Back up. How about you just commune with me and talk with me? 

 

And it could be my attitude shifts to say, I don’t know as I ought. I don’t really know what’s going on. How am I going to be judging what is good and evil or who is good or who is evil? I don’t even know. Can barely tie my shoes. And I’m thinking that I could be the judge of the – you get the point.

 

Look at 1 Corinthians 10:13. We’ll just close with this verse. Well, if I’m eternally secure, he could throw anything at me. But he doesn’t do it that way, because he’s just like the high priest in the garden protecting his sheep. Well, if they’re eternally secure, just let them be arrested and martyred. Jesus goes, No, that’s not how I keep you. I keep you by not allowing things that would overcome the ability of your faith.

 

So, he says, I will not give you – because “God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above what you are able, but with the temptation make also a way of escape that you may be able to endure it.” 

 

Just in closing, I just love the fact that Jesus is so personal to each one of us. He’s keeping you. We all screw up. We’re just like Abraham. We’re a snake gonna get rich and protect my life. Selfish. We’re selfish. Self-absorbed. Wisdom in our own eyes. I know what’s good for my life. God’s like, You don’t. 

 

But he will allow us to go our way. But when we hit a certain point, he will redirect us. But when you hit the point where you become like Abraham and you lie and Egypt is filled with plagues, you’ll learn the lesson. 

 

And God is willing to teach us all along the way so that when we get to be like Abraham going to the mountain with his son, the thing that’s most precious to him, he will be able to obey God’s wisdom. And out of that came unbelievable blessing. 

 

When we follow God’s wisdom, we meditate on his Word. I love it in Ephesians chapter 6 where Paul the Apostle, great apostle says be watchful and be prayerful. When he says pray, he says in all prayer. I was going to preach on this. All prayer and supplication. All prayer means all forms of prayer and then specific supplication. 

 

He’s saying have your life, your inner life and your day-to-day life just be talking to God. I don’t know how to make this decision. Talk to God. And when we are there in that place with every decision, when we’re there, he will give us the wisdom. And then our eyes would be open. 

 

It’s like putting on glasses. And Lot’s looking at Sodom and he sees a glorious place and city. Abraham puts on his glasses that God gave him to see wisdom through. And he sees it and he sees hell fire coming around the corner. Wisdom gives him that ability. Amen. Amen. (Prayer)

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