How Can Ishmael Lead Us to the Mind of Christ?

In Genesis 21, the story of Ishmael raises a pressing question: What do we do with Ishmael? Too often, he’s dismissed as the “problem child” while Isaac is celebrated as the child of promise. But a closer look at Scripture tells a different story—every time God speaks about Ishmael, He speaks blessing. God promises to multiply him, make him fruitful, and raise up nations from him.

This sermon challenges the simplistic Isaac-good/Ishmael-bad framework and calls us to think with the mind of Christ. God’s covenant line runs through Isaac, leading to the Messiah, but His blessing rests on Ishmael as well. History shows that Ishmael’s descendants became the Arab peoples, and later, Islam tightly bound Ishmael, Arabs, and religion into one cultural identity. Today, that raises difficult tensions. But followers of Christ are not called to hate the descendants of Ishmael—nor any people group. Instead, we are called to see God’s eternal purpose: that all families of the earth, including the descendants of Ishmael, will be blessed through Christ, the true offspring of Abraham.

The sermon highlights four truths: (1) Christians are not called to hate Ishmael’s descendants; (2) the real dividing line is not culture but which descendant of Abraham brings salvation—Christ or Muhammad; (3) Arab culture is no more resistant to the gospel than Western culture; and (4) we must be so gospel-focused and kingdom-minded that we rise above cultural hate and love the descendants of Ishmael as God does.

The gospel is for the world—for every tribe, tongue, and nation.

Sermon Date: September 28, 2025

Text: Genesis 21.1-20

Preacher: Todd Pylant