Podcasts about for abraham

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas' website.While I referred to a number of biblical passages, here are the extrabiblical texts cited (extra = Latin for outside; hence, "outside the Bible):“…You, O Lord… have not appointed repentance for the righteous, for Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, who did not sin against you.” Pr. Man. 8“For Abraham was perfect in all his actions with the Lord and was pleasing through righteousness…” Jub. 23.10.“And we find that Abraham our ancestor had performed the whole law before it was given.” Qidd. 4.14.“The faith with which their ancestor Abraham believed in me merits that I should divide the sea for them.” Mek. Exod. 14.15[35b]The discussion of justification by faith continues...Suggested for memory: "For what does the Scripture say? 'Abraham, believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness'" (Romans 4:3).

Shane and Abraham (Shanebraham) explore the not-a-disorder, but still very real experience that many people have. Misophonia (not the sound of musical miso, although that's what the name seems like it should imply) is a relatively common experience of an extreme aversion to certain sounds. For Abraham it is heavy machinery, for Shane, Avril Lavigne (jk!). Shane and Abraham have fun unpacking the science behind how misophonia develops and what you can do to change it you want to. Links for Today: 1. https://www.differentbrains.org/resources/misophonia/ 2. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/misophonia-sounds-really-make-crazy-2017042111534#:~:text=Nonetheless%2C%20misophonia%20is%20a%20real,more%20people%20than%20we%20realize. 3. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1534650114566924 4. https://www.soundrelief.com/treatments-for-misophonia/ 5. https://www.healthline.com/health/misophonia We are on Reddit! https://www.reddit.com/user/WhyWeDoWhatWeDo Recommendations - Abraham: Have a game night! - Shane: A Quiet Place (Movie; https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6644200/) You can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at info@wwdwwdpodcast.com, through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

Episode 087--This Thing Called Faith Faith is foundational on our Spirit-Led Transformation journeys. Without it, we have no transformation. Without it we cannot be Spirit-led. So what just what is faith and how do we know if we are really living our lives based on faith? I'm a words person, so let's see what the dictionary says faith is. First definition is “complete trust or confidence in someone or something.” Second definition says it is a strong belief in God. Hebrews 11:1-2 has long been the go-to verse to explain faith. In NIV is says, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.” But we read that and say what does that mean? To help us understand better, let's read this scripture the Amplified Bible, which has a way of explaining things better. It says, “Faith is the assurance, title deed, confirmation, of things hoped for or divinely guaranteed, and the evidence of things not seen or the conviction of their reality. Faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses. For by this kind of faith the men (and women) of old gained divine approval.” Remember the dictionary definition of faith we see that faith in God, or complete confidence in Him, comes from our foundational knowledge that we can trust Him to lead us. In other words, we must have complete assurance that God is leading us and the eventual outcome of where He is leading us is for our good and His glory (as it says in Romans 8:28). We have the title deed to whatever the outcome is that God wants to happen. We have the title deed to whatever God has already put in our hands! Several years ago we reached a milestone on our financial journey and paid off our house. We now have the title deed to our home. It is ours. Whatever God is telling you and me, if we have faith then we have the title deed to that. It is ours. It's not just guaranteed by a financial institution, it is divinely guaranteed by the God of the Universe, who just happens to be our Daddy.  The next part is harder to understand because it is in the future. “Faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses.” God already sees it. He has called what we can't see as if it has already happened because He stands outside of time and can see the whole picture of our lives.  Our faith in God has to help us comprehend as a fact what we cannot actually see, touch or feel right now. We cannot experience it by our physical senses right this moment but we trust God and have faith that what He has said will come true. This goes back to 2 Cor. 5:7 where Paul tells us, “We walk by faith not by what we see.”  Friends, it wouldn't be faith if we could see it! In the Bible, especially Hebrews 11, it lists men and women of faith who have gone before us and gained God's approval because of how they lived lives of faith. They are examples for us of how to walk in faith even when we cannot see the future. We, like they did, have a divine promise, which is our guarantee of what will happen when we put feet or action to our faith. In Romans 4, Paul seems to go off on a tangent about Abraham, whom he calls our forefather according to the flesh or humanly speaking. For this series, I was originally going to skip over this passage, but God kept calling me back it because faith is a foundational pillar on any Spirit-Led Transformation journey.  However, my big question with Abraham's story was why does God call Abraham a man of faith when he failed so many times? As I read his story, I saw that every time Abraham failed, he recognized his failure. Whoever he had wronged forgave him and so did God. He is not our forefather of faith because he was perfect. He is the forefather of faith because at critical junctures in his life, he listened to God and followed Him. To understand why Paul is talking about Abraham we need to begin in Romans 3:22 NIV. “We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. “ In continues in Romans 3:27-28 NIV:, “Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith.  So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.” In these verses Paul is trying to get those who are still following Jewish laws and sacrifices for their salvation to understand that faith is the foundation for salvation, not the law. Although the law is good, it is no longer how God counts salvation.  We are not saved by what we do, but if we have faith, it will move us to appropriate actions without following a set of elongated rules. Paul explains in Romans 4:14, 16-17 NIV: “If God's promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary and the promise is pointless. “So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham's. For Abraham is the father of all who believe. That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, ‘I have made you the father of many nations.' This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.” How did Abraham's life show He believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing? I see three times his life revealed this belief. First, Abraham left his homeland to go to a place God would show him. In doing that God promised to give the land to his descendants. This was when Abraham had no children at all.  Hebrews 11:8-9 NIV says, “It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents.”  His actions revealed that he believed God could create new things out of nothing. My friends, that's faith! The second time God brought the dead back to life for Abraham was when He opened Sarah's womb at age 90, way past child-bearing age. Abraham was 100 years old!  In Romans 3:18-20 NIV Paul explains, ”Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, ‘That's how many descendants you will have!' And Abraham's faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah's womb.” Now we understand why they both laughed when God told them Sarah would have a baby. (See Genesis 17:17, 18:11-15). I would have too! When the baby was born, Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter. All who hear about this will laugh with me. Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse a baby? Yet I have given Abraham a son in his old age,” (Gen. 21:6-7 NIV). They named the baby Isaac which means “he laughs.” The third time was when God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, his son of promise from God. Yet, Abraham trusted what God had said and by faith believed that somehow even if he had to go through with sacrificing his own son, God would bring him back to life.We see this clearly in Hebrews 11: 17-19 NLT: “It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God's promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, even though God had told him, ‘Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.' Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.” Ok I have to say it again, Friends, that's faith. I really don't think I have that level of faith to even begin the process to sacrifice either one of my children. Lest we think Abraham was godlike, we need to remember the two times he passed his wife off as his sister and in trying to protect himself stepped right into a few messes. He lied about her partly out of fear because she was so beautiful and was afraid someone would kill him for her. In truth it was a part lie because she was his half-sister to whom he was married, which is the part he failed to mention. At the time it was a legal union and wasn't forbidden in scripture until much later. God got him out of both situations by sending plagues on Pharoh who had taken her to be his wife (Gen. 12:14-20) and revealing the truth in a dream to Abimelech, who also wanted to marry her (Gen. 20:3). In the first instance, he was lucky to be escorted out of the country with his wife and possessions. In the second, we see clearly that he was sorry and paid restitution to Abimelech.  Another decision that wasn't Abraham's finest moment was listening to Sarah who told him to sleep with her maid Hagar in order to have a child because Sarah felt she couldn't get pregnant. It's clear from scripture that Abraham did this willingly. It likely made sense to him because God had promised to make his descendants as numerous as the stars, (Gen. 15:5).  God used both Ishmael, the son of the servant, and Isaac, Sarah's son to accomplish that promise. But God made it clear that Isaac was the son of promise. When Isaac was about to be weaned, Abraham prepared a celebration. During the party, Sarah saw 13-year-old Ishmael making fun of Isaac and demanded that Abraham send Ishmael and his mother away. Scripture tells us that this upset Abraham because Ishmael was also his son. Then in Gen. 21:12 God tells Abraham to do what Sarah says because “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.” He added that he would also make a nation out of Ishmael's descendants. So Abraham sent them away. The promise Abraham was given was a promise only Isaac inherited. In Gen. 26:4 NIV, after Abraham's death, God tells Isaac, “I will cause your descendants to become as numerous as the stars of the sky, and I will give them all these lands. Through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed. I will do this because Abraham listened to Me and obeyed all my requirements, commands, decrees and instructions.” Did you get that last part? It's really why God called Abraham the forefather of faith. It's because “because Abraham listened to Me and obeyed all my requirements, commands, decrees and instructions.” It's not because of the times he messed up. It's because his actions revealed that at critical times in his life, when God showed him what to do, he trusted God and did what He said. The first part of the book of Romans is really about the struggle between those who still wanted a law book to follow and those who understood that Jesus was teaching a deeper truth—the spiritual truth of living by faith, living in God's grace. As people we tend to want a rule book, but then we don't follow it! We say, “Just tell me what to do and I'll do it.” This seems easier than trusting God to lead us. I remember when I was in my 20s I would say to God, just tell me what to do like you did Noah in giving him the exact dimensions of the arc. I think I failed to understand the extreme ridicule he went through spending years building a huge boat. He was the laughing stock of the neighborhood, until the floods came! Faith is not a difficult concept to grasp. We have faith that when we go to work that we will get a paycheck, right? There have been a few times when we were newly married that my husband was working at small businesses and his paychecks started bouncing.That will cause you to lose faith in your boss really quick. We think when we do xyz, we are promised a certain result. For instance, if I follow the latest, greatest diet to a tee, I will lose x amount of weight. This might work, but nine times out of 10 it doesn't work like promised because we are all different. When I was into diets, I would always blame myself because I never could follow the diet perfectly. When I did I might lose some weight. The issue was when I stopped following the diet and went back to normal eating, I gained it all back plus more.  Why? I hadn't learned anything. I was following someone else's rules. I had no intention of making those any part of my ongoing lifestyle. This is the same thing with the law. God doesn't want us to just follow a set of rules. He wants us to follow Him. And that's so much more difficult than following the rules. At least then we think we know why we failed. When we are following God it seems more difficult to discern what to do. Maybe that's because our faith is in the rules, rather than in God. Faith in God has to be the main ingredient in any Spirit-Led Transformation. What that means is we trust God no matter what He says. Our faith, then, will always result in Spirit-Led action. Any other action is useless. James 2:21-24, 26 NIV adds, “Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.  And the scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,' and he was called God's friend.  You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone … As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.”   Fear many times keeps us from stepping out in faith. What if I didn't hear from God right? What if that wasn't even God? But Abraham gives me hope. He definitely didn't get it right all the time. Maybe Ishmael wasn't in God's plan, but somehow that act did not get counted against Abraham. What God saw were all the times Abraham's faith moved him forward on his own Spirit-Led Transformation journey. Romans 4:20-24 NLT says it this way: “Abraham never wavered in believing God's promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever He promises. And because of Abraham's faith, God counted him as righteous.   “And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn't just for Abraham's benefit. It was recorded  for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in Him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.” The important thing about Abraham's life is that he showed God he had faith when he did something God told him to do. Like when he left home headed to who knows where or when he trusted God to give him a heir of promise or when he raised the knife to sacrifice that same beloved gift from God. His faith led to action. Now any of these actions without direction from God would not have the same result. We can't go out and copy Abraham's actions and be counted as faithful. That was Abraham's journey. Ours may seem even more difficult than his. How can we see a way to pay the insurmountable amount of debt we have? How can we restore the broken relationship in our marriage, with our children, with our friends? How can we lose the mountain of weight that has attached itself to our bodies?  FAITH in what God asks you to do is always the answer. But that FAITH must be backed by whatever action God is telling you to take. It might be to wait for the promise, like it was with Abraham. I hope you don't have to wait until you are 100, but hey he lived to be 175 so there's that, too. It's all relative, my friend. I feel like I really started living by faith around 2009, when I was 56. It took me lots of years to lose 250 pounds. First I had to totally surrender to God and trust Him for the next step on my journey. I had to get His lifestyle change plan for me and do what He said to implement it. I made a lot of mistakes on my journey and as such I am well-equipped to steer others away from my same mistakes. One of the most beautiful and spiritual part of any transformation journey is learning how to have faith Jesus Christ, and to be led by the Holy Spirit in each step we take. Then the grace, mercy, favor and glory of God will surround us as we walk in tandem with Him.  Is it easy? I mean some of the things Abraham did look easy. Who knows, maybe he was glad to get away from his mother and father and go somewhere that he had inkling of. However it definitely wasn't easy waiting for the promised son. And I don't think for a minute it was easy preparing to sacrifice his promised son. Yet, through it all, He trusted God. I like to think it all started with that first step out the door of his homeland, going to a place God said He'd show him. That's faith. Let me ask you, what would it look like for you to have that kind of faith on your Spirit-Led Transformation journey? What would it take to do whatever God is whispering in your heart to do? It's time. He's calling you. Will you have the faith to take the next step?  Father God, I lift your children to You today. Give them clear directions. Remind them of Your promises and help them take that next step on their journey whatever that may be. Make it clear to them. Give them faith to take action. As always the action steps and challenges for this lesson will be in the Spirit-Led Transformation course along with the video and transcript. This course is only available in Overcomers Academy. Go to: teresashieldsparker.com/overcomers/ to join.

Friday 11th June Rejoice - Joy reloaded 5. Stagnant water stinks but moving water stays fresh. Just like we have to drain the oil out of the engine of a car when it has lost its viscosity and freshness and fill it with fresh oil; we must ensure the oil of joy within us stays fresh. Rejoicing is how we reload and refresh our joy supply and gratitude is the key to rejoicing. When you can look at the situation challenging you and you can still break into praise, that's what joy is all about. Gratitude is that bubbling in your heart that spirit based on those inner conversations you have that shows you how much God has done in spite of the challenges. If you want to keep the oil of joy in your life fresh, you must be able to recount the things God has done regardless of how challenging the situations. Romans 4:18-20(AMPC), 18 [For Abraham, human reason for] hope being gone, hoped in faith that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been promised, So [numberless] shall your descendants be.19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered the [utter] impotence of his own body, which was as good as dead because he was about a hundred years old, or [when he considered] the barrenness of Sarah's [deadened] womb.20 No unbelief or distrust made him waver (doubtingly question) concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong and was empowered by faith as he gave praise and glory to God, Never forget, “Faith does not deny, it simply sees a higher fact based on God's Word”. Abraham clearly saw the odds against himself and Sarah having a child, his age and the deadness of Sarah's womb but it made no difference because he was completely focused on God's Word. He kept his faith and joy fresh by continual praise, and we know how the story ended – Isaac was born. Gratitude means to appreciate and to appreciate is to rise. As Abraham was appreciating God, he was rising higher to a new level. Gratitude elevated him and moved him to a place where everything was fresh and new. Keep the oil of joy in your life fresh by consciously practicing gratitude, not only will your joy be reloaded, you'll keep rising in your consciousness of your divine nature. God bless you and have a lovely weekend.

This Sunday is Trinity, celebrated every year the Sunday between Pentecost and the beginning of Ordinary Time. Christians have always understood the Trinity as a community of perfect love. Andrei Rublev's 15th Century icon “The Hospitality of Abraham/The Holy Trinity” depicts this beautifully, seeing the three angels visitation to Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 18 as paralleling and foreshadowing the Trinity we see in the New Testament. The most remarkable thing about the icon, though, isn't what's there. It's what's not there: an empty place among the Three. Rublev saw it as evoking an invitation…a seat at the table; a drawing into that loving and unselfish community. For Abraham and Sarah in its first sense, and for you and me in its second.

Dave Brisbin 5.23.21 Jesus says that if we believe in him, we will do the works he did and greater works than those. Most commentators say that those works are Jesus’ miracles and the greater works are not in quality but quantity—that Jesus’ followers had more time to do more works for more people. But the bible is a spiritual book conveying spiritual truths and principles, and if we take it too literally, we can miss its primary points. Of all the works Jesus did, what did he primarily do? Ask us to do? He tells us over and over, but most clearly in his simple commandment to love each other as he loved us, that we would be known as his followers by our love. Love. Not doctrine or theology or any other litmus test we can imagine. And to make sure we understand, Jesus shows us and tells us that it’s love of the enemy—in his language, someone of a different tribe, someone you don’t see as your own—that defines the love he’s talking about. Pentecost marks the entrance of Jesus’ closest friends into the freedom of spirit that allowed them to love tribelessly. Baptized in water, they were still thinking in physical and literal terms and living in fear. But at Pentecost, they are baptized again in fire, born again in spirit. What changed their limited, tribal thinking to encompass borderless spirit? The road to Pentecost begins at Calvary—the trauma of the loss of our exterior object of faith. For them, it was Jesus himself. For Abraham, it was Isaac. For the Hebrews, it was Moses. Jesus said it was to their advantage that he go so the spirit would come. An idiomatic way of saying that as long as we are focused on physical objects for our faith, we’ll never see our Helper. Jesus spent his life breaking through ethnic, social, and religious barriers to show us the extent of his love. After he is risen, he passes through walls as if they are not there. He occupies a borderless place between tribes from which he can love indiscriminately and see the oneness of spirit that connects us all. That is work we can do if we wish to follow.

Dave Brisbin 5.23.21 Jesus says that if we believe in him, we will do the works he did and greater works than those. Most commentators say that those works are Jesus' miracles and the greater works are not in quality but quantity—that Jesus' followers had more time to do more works for more people. But the bible is a spiritual book conveying spiritual truths and principles, and if we take it too literally, we can miss its primary points. Of all the works Jesus did, what did he primarily do? Ask us to do? He tells us over and over, but most clearly in his simple commandment to love each other as he loved us, that we would be known as his followers by our love. Love. Not doctrine or theology or any other litmus test we can imagine. And to make sure we understand, Jesus shows us and tells us that it's love of the enemy—in his language, someone of a different tribe, someone you don't see as your own—that defines the love he's talking about. Pentecost marks the entrance of Jesus' closest friends into the freedom of spirit that allowed them to love tribelessly. Baptized in water, they were still thinking in physical and literal terms and living in fear. But at Pentecost, they are baptized again in fire, born again in spirit. What changed their limited, tribal thinking to encompass borderless spirit? The road to Pentecost begins at Calvary—the trauma of the loss of our exterior object of faith. For them, it was Jesus himself. For Abraham, it was Isaac. For the Hebrews, it was Moses. Jesus said it was to their advantage that he go so the spirit would come. An idiomatic way of saying that as long as we are focused on physical objects for our faith, we'll never see our Helper. Jesus spent his life breaking through ethnic, social, and religious barriers to show us the extent of his love. After he is risen, he passes through walls as if they are not there. He occupies a borderless place between tribes from which he can love indiscriminately and see the oneness of spirit that connects us all. That is work we can do if we wish to follow.

Friday 14th May Friendship Prayer. 5 As we said, friendship prayer is that kind of prayer that helps us build intimacy with God. The life of Abraham stands out as one who practiced friendship prayer because of his intimacy with God. In fact, the bible says in James 2: 23 that Abraham was God's friend. Let's look at an account of His friendship prayer with God. Genesis 18: 17 – 28 (NLT) 17 “Should I hide my plan from Abraham?” the Lord asked. 18 “For Abraham will certainly become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him. 19 I have singled him out so that he will direct his sons and their families to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just. Then I will do for Abraham all that I have promised.”20 So the Lord told Abraham, “I have heard a great outcry from Sodom and Gomorrah, because their sin is so flagrant. 21 I am going down to see if their actions are as wicked as I have heard. If not, I want to know.”22 The other men turned and headed toward Sodom, but the Lord remained with Abraham. 23 Abraham approached him and said, “Will you sweep away both the righteous and the wicked? 24 Suppose you find fifty righteous people living there in the city—will you still sweep it away and not spare it for their sakes? 25 Surely you wouldn't do such a thing, destroying the righteous along with the wicked. Why, you would be treating the righteous and the wicked exactly the same! Surely you wouldn't do that! Should not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?”26 And the Lord replied, “If I find fifty righteous people in Sodom, I will spare the entire city for their sake.”27 Then Abraham spoke again. “Since I have begun, let me speak further to my Lord, even though I am but dust and ashes. 28 Suppose there are only forty-five righteous people rather than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And the Lord said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five righteous people there.” Here we see a typical prayer session that Abraham was having with God. There was an issue on God's mind and God had to discuss it with Abraham, He said “Abraham, I want to destroy this city because of their sin. What do you think about it? Abraham then begins to talk to God, trying to dissuade Him from destroying the righteous with the wicked, this is called the prayer of intercession. It is interesting to see intercession flows out of friendship prayers, and God actually listened to the case Abraham made the city because of the intimate relationship He had with Abraham. I pray that we will crave a new level of intimacy with God that is demonstrated in an active friendship with Him. God bless you. Enjoy your weekend.

In the Passover, we see how the sacrifice impacts the Messiah but in circumcision, we see how the sacrifice impacts us. Circumcision: Removal of the foreskin of the male penis. It signifies three things: 1. Identification: It was a strategy for people to recognize that the people belong to God (Genesis 17:9). No identification, such a person is cut off from his people. The purpose of the identification is the promise. 2. Promise: The promise is in the procreation and as such, a woman becomes a part of that covenant by carrying the seed of the circumcised. So, everyone partakes of the promise. 3. Protection: Exodus 12:48 The circumcision is like one placing a judgment on his flesh so that the security of the people is in the mark. We are not better than the world. It is by God's redemptive plan that we can escape this judgment. Hebrews 11:6 There must be a rub-off of my knowledge of God in my life. There must be confidence I must have had seen how God dealt with man all through scripture. Cain was marked and had confidence that he'd be untouched. David believed so much in God that when Goliath came around, he wasn't scared to face him. He didn't boast about his pedigree but he saw the circumcision as his protection. He saw a man without a covenant. Joshua lost a battle and knew something must be wrong. He had to inquire. Romans 4:8-12 In Abraham, we see that we do not have to be circumcised according to the law to be declared righteous but by faith. For Abraham, circumcision was a symbol of the covenant. The most important thing was not the symbol but the covenant. So those who were marked needed to believe in the covenant otherwise the circumcision meant nothing. That why we had uncircumcised believers and Jewish unbelievers. Circumcision - Post redemption Ephesians 2:11-13 Paul had to describe what circumcision he was referring to here because circumcision now had a new meaning. Christ is the actual circumcision. He was cut away so that we can be identified with God. Colossians 2:11-13 Christ on the cross is our circumcision, cutaway for us. The true doctrine of circumcision is that in Christ, we received a new life.

Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God? If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God's way. For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners. David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who are declared righteous without working for it: “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin.” Now, is this blessing only for the Jews, or is it also for uncircumcised Gentiles? Well, we have been saying that Abraham was counted as righteous by God because of his faith. But how did this happen? Was he counted as righteous only after he was circumcised, or was it before he was circumcised? Clearly, God accepted Abraham before he was circumcised! Circumcision was a sign that Abraham already had faith and that God had already accepted him and declared him to be righteous—even before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the spiritual father of those who have faith but have not been circumcised. They are counted as righteous because of their faith. And Abraham is also the spiritual father of those who have been circumcised, but only if they have the same kind of faith Abraham had before he was circumcised. Clearly, God's promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God's law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith. If God's promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary and the promise is pointless. For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!) So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham's. For Abraham is the father of all who believe. That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.” This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing. Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That's how many descendants you will have!” And Abraham's faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah's womb. Abraham never wavered in believing God's promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. And because of Abraham's faith, God counted him as righteous. And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn't just for Abraham's benefit. It was recorded for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God. Romans 4:1‭-‬25 NLT --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/pastor-lucy-paynter/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/pastor-lucy-paynter/support

At times believing what God has promised can be hard. What's often even harder, though, is trusting Him for when that promise will come to pass. For Abraham and Sarah, they have been waiting on a promise.And waiting... And waiting... But sure...

(2Sm.7:1-5,8b-12,14a,16;   Ps.89:2-5,27,29;   Rom.16:25-27;   Lk.1:26-28)  “The Lord God will give Him the throne of David His father.”  “I have made a covenant with David my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant: forever will I confirm your posterity and establish your throne for all generations.”  Here is the promise made to King David.  Upon his seeking to build a house for the Lord, “the Lord… reveals to [David] that He will establish a house for [him].”  Through the prophet Nathan, the Lord declares to His humble servant: “When your time comes and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins, and I will make his kingdom firm.”  This would seem like all the world to refer to the great King Solomon, but it does not.  For, like the earth itself, Solomon and all his gold – and even “the rest from all [his] enemies,” the peace the Lord establishes under his reign – will pass away; they cannot “endure forever” and neither can such a kingdom.  The prophet speaks of a kingdom established in heaven (where all by nature endures forever), not one of the earth. And so it is not Solomon of whom the prophet and the psalmist speak, but Jesus, He whose coming is hailed today by the angel's words to the Blessed Virgin: “He will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”  For Abraham has died and Jacob has died and David has died and Solomon has died… and their graves are with us to this day.  But Jesus, Jesus lives; Jesus lives forever at the right hand of His Father. It is indeed Jesus who most truly says to the Lord God, “You are my Father, my God, the Rock.”  It is He who is His only Son: it is He who is God Himself, one in being with the Father.  This is “the revelation of the mystery kept secret for long ages but now manifested through the prophetic writings”; this is “the command of the eternal God, made known to all nations to bring about the obedience of faith”: Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the only Son – and we must worship Him. Come now, brothers and sisters, to this Child Mary bears by the power of the Holy Spirit.  In Him your peace shall be established in the Father's kingdom.  Come to His holy throne, enter into His eternal reign… and with His humble king, and with His humble Mother, you shall be blessed forever. Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt. Music: "Removing the Log from my Eye" (first part) from Listening to the Lamp, ninth album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt. ******* O LORD, let the Mother of our Lord come to us, too, that new life may stir in us as well. YHWH, blessed is the womb of Bethlehem, of Israel, of Mary the Mother of your Son.  For in her you have prepared a body, the body of Jesus, the Word made flesh, that shall be as offering for our sins.  In Him we are saved, for in Him your majesty reigns, and so your glory is now in our midst. O let us leap like John the Baptist at the approach of your Son and His Mother!  Bring to life what has remained dormant for such a long time.  Arouse within us the joy of new life that we might be stirred to proclaim your glory.  He has come who shall shepherd us, LORD; let us be filled with the Holy Spirit. The sacrifices of old now pass away as all prophecy is fulfilled in the flesh of your only Son.  And so we pray, let your will be done.  Let your greatness reach to the ends of the earth and your peace reign in every heart by the power upon Jesus the Christ.  O LORD, let us be consecrated to you in His holy offering.

(2Sm.7:1-5,8b-12,14a,16;   Ps.89:2-5,27,29;   Rom.16:25-27;   Lk.1:26-28)  “The Lord God will give Him the throne of David His father.”  “I have made a covenant with David my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant: forever will I confirm your posterity and establish your throne for all generations.”  Here is the promise made to King David.  Upon his seeking to build a house for the Lord, “the Lord… reveals to [David] that He will establish a house for [him].”  Through the prophet Nathan, the Lord declares to His humble servant: “When your time comes and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins, and I will make his kingdom firm.”  This would seem like all the world to refer to the great King Solomon, but it does not.  For, like the earth itself, Solomon and all his gold – and even “the rest from all [his] enemies,” the peace the Lord establishes under his reign – will pass away; they cannot “endure forever” and neither can such a kingdom.  The prophet speaks of a kingdom established in heaven (where all by nature endures forever), not one of the earth. And so it is not Solomon of whom the prophet and the psalmist speak, but Jesus, He whose coming is hailed today by the angel's words to the Blessed Virgin: “He will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”  For Abraham has died and Jacob has died and David has died and Solomon has died… and their graves are with us to this day.  But Jesus, Jesus lives; Jesus lives forever at the right hand of His Father. It is indeed Jesus who most truly says to the Lord God, “You are my Father, my God, the Rock.”  It is He who is His only Son: it is He who is God Himself, one in being with the Father.  This is “the revelation of the mystery kept secret for long ages but now manifested through the prophetic writings”; this is “the command of the eternal God, made known to all nations to bring about the obedience of faith”: Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the only Son – and we must worship Him. Come now, brothers and sisters, to this Child Mary bears by the power of the Holy Spirit.  In Him your peace shall be established in the Father's kingdom.  Come to His holy throne, enter into His eternal reign… and with His humble king, and with His humble Mother, you shall be blessed forever. Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt. Music: "Removing the Log from my Eye" (first part) from Listening to the Lamp, ninth album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt. ******* O LORD, let the Mother of our Lord come to us, too, that new life may stir in us as well. YHWH, blessed is the womb of Bethlehem, of Israel, of Mary the Mother of your Son.  For in her you have prepared a body, the body of Jesus, the Word made flesh, that shall be as offering for our sins.  In Him we are saved, for in Him your majesty reigns, and so your glory is now in our midst. O let us leap like John the Baptist at the approach of your Son and His Mother!  Bring to life what has remained dormant for such a long time.  Arouse within us the joy of new life that we might be stirred to proclaim your glory.  He has come who shall shepherd us, LORD; let us be filled with the Holy Spirit. The sacrifices of old now pass away as all prophecy is fulfilled in the flesh of your only Son.  And so we pray, let your will be done.  Let your greatness reach to the ends of the earth and your peace reign in every heart by the power upon Jesus the Christ.  O LORD, let us be consecrated to you in His holy offering.

Senior Vice President of OpenDor Media (formerly Jerusalem U), Noam Weissman, joins Mark on the podcast today. Noam is also the host of the podcast ‘Unpacking Israeli History’, and prior to his current roles, he was the Principal of Shalhevet High School, where he taught a range of subjects, including Talmud, Tanakh, Jewish philosophy and Israel Education. Today, he has chosen two stories from Genesis, the narrative of Sodom and the binding of Isaac, as well as the connection between them, to discuss with Mark. Their conversation today is a wide ranging one which not only summarizes the two stories, but also delves deeply into the many themes and lessons within, their relevance to our present day, and, of course the connection between the two. Such notions as becoming the Chosen People, the invention of morality, divine commands and moral philosophy, Abraham’s great accomplishment, and identity protective cognition are explored all within the context of Abraham’s journey toward becoming a knight of faith. Noam concludes with the lessons he has learned about humankind, which quickly segues into the nature and styles of parenting. Drawing upon their own insights and the wisdom of a number of Torah scholars, Noam and Mark engage in a thoroughly rewarding back and forth exchange, alternating between challenging, supporting, and building upon each other’s interpretation of these two pivotal texts, ultimately revealing the eternal guidance the texts have to offer. Episode Highlights: · Noam’s summaries of Genesis 18 and 22 · “Perhaps the most instructive verse in the entire Bible.” · Covenantal morality · Becoming the Chosen People · God enjoying Abraham’s challenging Him · The invention of morality · The spiritual zenith of Abraham’s career · Why Abraham challenges God in Genesis 18 but no Genesis 22 · Divine commands and moral philosophy · The last encounter of Abraham with God, Isaac, and Sarah · Abraham’s great accomplishment and 21st Century social science · Humility – the most important quality · Identity protective cognition · Viewing the history and society of Israel from multiple perspectives · The tension of ideas · What it means to be a Jew · Becoming a knight of faith · The lessons Noam has learned about humankind · Parenting styles and the relationship between parent and child Quotes: “I’m going to invite Abraham into My thinking.” “Inviting Abraham into the conversation in order to construct morality.” “The very purpose of the Jewish people in the Bible, not because they are…the Chosen People, but to be the Chosen People.” “Are you really willing to kill the innocent with the guilty? That doesn’t seem to be very ethical.” “God never directly commands Abraham to sacrifice his son.” “For Abraham to take Isaac off of the altar was many times harder than for him to offer him up in the first place.” “Self-justification of our past…dictates our future.” “This was Abraham’s great accomplishment, is being able to say, ‘I was wrong, and I’m going to change’.” “Embracing the joy of being wrong.” “People don’t change their minds.” “We see Abraham transcend himself at the end without getting anything in return for it.” “I believe that people are good.” “Teaching students and teaching adults is really quite similar.” “In order to do good, you need a bilateral relationship.” Genesis 18 - https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.18.1-33?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en Genesis 22 - https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.22.1-24?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en Links: The Rabbi’s Husband homepage: http://therabbishusband.com/ Mark’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/markgerson?lang=en The Rabbi’s Husband Newsletter contact: daniel@therabbishusband.com ‘Unpacking Israeli History’ podcast: https://unpacked.media/unpacking-israeli-history-podcast/

"Abraham is considered the father of faith, for both Jew and Gentile. The essence of what we believe is traced all the way back to him. There's something that we all believe about God and Jesus Christ. When we believe that God has raised Jesus from the dead, it is credited to us as righteousness. We believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. For Abraham to be the father of faith, he had to believe in resurrection. Genesis 22 recounts the story.

Monday 7th September,2020. Hello and a lovely Monday to you in the name of Jesus. Today is the second Monday in the month of September and we thank God because we are moving forward. It takes men and women of great conviction to change the world. Without conviction we can't change anything. The stronger our conviction is, the deeper our conviction is, the more robust our conviction is, then we are positioned to conquer. Last week, our focus was about our conviction being our faith and the things we need to have convistion in. This week, we will be looking at the things we should point our conviction at, if we need to conquer. We are talking about conviction to conquer, this week we will be focusing on conviction to conquer but to conquer anything you need to focus your conviction on that thing. So we first take our conviction and root it then we focus it on the mountain, on the challenge or situation until it moves. For Abraham, the issue was that God has promised him a son, his wife was old, his body was old. So he took his root down into God's promise, he stood on God's promise but then he pointed his conviction on delivering Isaac and Isaac he got. 1 John 5:4(NKJV) says"4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world our Faith". Remember, our faith is our conviction. It takes conviction to overcome the world, whatever is out there that is challenging you, challenging me we need to focus our conviction on it and it will come down. I remember the story of the young boy David. David was a simple shepherd boy taking care of his father's flock. His father called him one day and said "Go to the battle field, go and give your brother some food and check how they are doing". So David packed things and he went to the battle front and as he got there he saw Goliath challenging everybody and as Goliath was talking, everybody was hiding including the king. David heard it and said; "who in the world is this man? I am going to challenge him." They took what David said to Saul and said; "Listen, this young man said he can face him" and Saul said; " You can't face Goliath, he is a trained warrior" David said" King I can face him and I can kill him! You know why? I don't fight my battle, God fights my battles for me. I have faced the lion in the past, I have faced the bear and God helped me, I killed them and the same way God helped me to kill the lion and the bear because God fights my battles, God will fight this battle for me". So he said "I have pointed my Faith, my conviction at the lion, at the bear and I am pointing my conviction now at Goliath and he will be dead". The moment he did that, he went into the battle field and his conviction prevailed. Goliath went down. So put your conviction in God and put it His promise, put it in His love, put it in His power to deliver, put it in His grace but after that, point it to the challenge you are facing. It might be a health condition, a financial condition, point your faith at it and watch your Faith conquer. Thank you for listening today. God bless you! God keep you!! Have a lovely day.

"Abraham is considered the father of faith, for both Jew and Gentile. The essence of what we believe is traced all the way back to him. There's something that we all believe about God and Jesus Christ. When we believe that God has raised Jesus from the dead, it is credited to us as righteousness. We believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. For Abraham to be the father of faith, he had to believe in resurrection. Genesis 22 recounts the story.

"Abraham is considered the father of faith, for both Jew and Gentile. The essence of what we believe is traced all the way back to him. There's something that we all believe about God and Jesus Christ. When we believe that God has raised Jesus from the dead, it is credited to us as righteousness. We believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. For Abraham to be the father of faith, he had to believe in resurrection. Genesis 22 recounts the story.

Tune in for another Truth Wisdom Freedom Conversations with Abraham Heisler, who is based in California, about decreasing stress while increasing productivity and profitability through breathwork. Abraham is the CEO of Internal Leverage as a Mindset and Performance Coach who helps entrepreneurs develop more focus and clarity in their businesses by unlocking FLOW STATES. Abraham has spent the last 20 years researching the connection between mind, body, and business and has helped over 100 entrepreneurs increase their income and impact by accessing more of their potential. For Abraham's free breathwork training videos: http://bit.ly/immune2020   Connect with Johnson ChongInstagram: johnsonchong_sagesapienWebsite: https://johnsonchong.com/Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/johnsonchongcoaching/ Facebook group: Truth Wisdom, Freedom for Conscious Leaders LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnson-chong-9475b848/ Connect with Abraham HeislerInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/abeheisler/ Website: https://www.heislercoachingsales.com/offer-breathwork    

Key Scriptures Proverbs 29:18 King James Version 18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. Luke 18:35-43 The Message 35-37 He came to the outskirts of Jericho. A blind man was sitting beside the road asking for handouts. When he heard the rustle of the crowd, he asked what was going on. They told him, “Jesus the Nazarene is going by.” 38 He yelled, “Jesus! Son of David! Mercy, have mercy on me!” 39 Those ahead of Jesus told the man to shut up, but he only yelled all the louder, “Son of David! Mercy, have mercy on me!” 40 Jesus stopped and ordered him to be brought over. When he had come near, Jesus asked, “What do you want from me?” 41 He said, “Master, I want to see again.” 42-43 Jesus said, “Go ahead—see again! Your faith has saved and healed you!” The healing was instant: He looked up, seeing—and then followed Jesus, glorifying God. Everyone in the street joined in, shouting praise to God. Luke 18:35-38 New International Version A Blind Beggar Receives His Sight 35 As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” 38 He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 1 Peter 1:19-21 Living Bible 19 But he paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. 20 God chose him for this purpose long before the world began, but only recently was he brought into public view, in these last days, as a blessing to you. 21 Because of this, your trust can be in God who raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory. Now your faith and hope can rest in him alone. Luke 18:39 New King James Version 39 Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Mark 10:49-50 New International Version - UK 49 Jesus stopped and said, ‘Call him.’ So they called to the blind man, ‘Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.’ 50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. 15 This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: ‘In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it. Romans 8:32 New Living Translation 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? Luke 18:42-43 New International Version 42 Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.” 43 Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God. Romans 4:16 New Living Translation 16 So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe. Luke 18:43 New International Version 43 Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God. Mark 10:52 New American Standard Bible 52 And Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has [a]made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him on the road. Philippians 3:15-16 The Message 15-16 So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you’ll see it yet! Now that we’re on the right track, let’s stay on it.

1SAMUEL 13:In yesterday's story, God's Spirit came powerfully upon the new king Saul, and he succeeded in mobilizing all of Israel's fighting men. They won a stunning victory over king Nahash and the Ammonites. Afterward, Samuel led the people in renewing Israel's call to Saul to be king and then Samuel confronted them all about staying true to the Lord. PSALM 97:Even though the psalms (and our translations) may cast a verse in the present tense, the intent of the writer may be about future things. Hebrew is very fuzzy as to verb tense. But also we may consider that all times are present to the Lord, and the psalmist may see things as happening or already happening in his vision that refer to future events. We see an example of this in today’s psalm. ROMANS 4b:The new way of being made right with God by means of fully believing which Paul has been talking about, is it a new religion, or is it based on the past? It is based on the past. We follow Abraham's example of believing, and this also fulfills the prophetic promises given to Abraham. Not only that, but we become heirs to the same promises. And note: Paul uses questions to propel his logical arguments all the way through Romans— just like I did at the start of this paragraph. GNT Translation notes:Rom. 4:11 He was circumcised later, and his circumcision was a sign to show that because of his [believing//faith] [before he had been circumcised//0] God had accepted him as righteous [0//before he had been circumcised]. And so Abraham is the spiritual father of all who believe in God and are accepted as righteous by him, even though they are not circumcised. 12 He is also the father of those who are circumcised, that is, of those who, in addition to being circumcised, also live the same life of [believing//faith] that our father Abraham lived before he was circumcised.14 For if what God promises is to be given to those who obey the Law, then [our believing//faith] means nothing and God's promise is worthless. 16 And so the promise was based on [believing//faith], in order that the promise should be guaranteed as God's free gift to all of Abraham's descendants—not just to those who obey the Law, but also to those who believe as Abraham did. For Abraham is the spiritual father of us all; 17 as the scripture says, “I have made you father of many nations.” So the promise is [valid//good] in the sight of God, in whom Abraham believed—the God who brings the dead to life and whose command brings into being what did not exist. 20 His [did not waver in his believing//faith did not leave him], and he did not doubt God's promise; his [believing//faith] filled him with power, and he gave praise to God. 22 That is why Abraham, through [believing//faith], “was accepted as righteous by God.”

1SAMUEL 13:In yesterday's story, God's Spirit came powerfully upon the new king Saul, and he succeeded in mobilizing all of Israel's fighting men. They won a stunning victory over king Nahash and the Ammonites. Afterwards, Samuel led the people in renewing Israel's call to Saul to be king and then Samuel confronted them all about staying true to the Lord. PSALM 97:Even though the psalms (and our translations) may cast a verse in the present tense, the intent of the writer may be about future things. Hebrew is very fuzzy as to verb tense. But also we may consider that all times are present to the Lord, and the psalmist may see things as happening or already happening in his vision that refer to future events. We see an example of this in today’s psalm. ROMANS 4b:The new way of being made right with God by means of fully believing which Paul has been talking about, is it a new religion, or is it based on the past? It is based on the past. We follow Abraham's example of believing, and this also fulfills the prophetic promises given to Abraham. Not only that, but we become heirs to the same promises. And note: Paul uses questions to propel his logical arguments all the way through Romans— just like I did at the start of this paragraph. GNT Translation notes:Rom. 4:11 He was circumcised later, and his circumcision was a sign to show that because of his [believing//faith] [before he had been circumcised//0] God had accepted him as righteous [0//before he had been circumcised]. And so Abraham is the spiritual father of all who believe in God and are accepted as righteous by him, even though they are not circumcised. 12 He is also the father of those who are circumcised, that is, of those who, in addition to being circumcised, also live the same life of [believing//faith] that our father Abraham lived before he was circumcised.14 For if what God promises is to be given to those who obey the Law, then [our believing//faith] means nothing and God's promise is worthless. 16 And so the promise was based on [believing//faith], in order that the promise should be guaranteed as God's free gift to all of Abraham's descendants—not just to those who obey the Law, but also to those who believe as Abraham did. For Abraham is the spiritual father of us all; 17 as the scripture says, “I have made you father of many nations.” So the promise is [valid//good] in the sight of God, in whom Abraham believed—the God who brings the dead to life and whose command brings into being what did not exist. 20 His [did not waver in his believing//faith did not leave him], and he did not doubt God's promise; his [believing//faith] filled him with power, and he gave praise to God. 22 That is why Abraham, through [believing//faith], “was accepted as righteous by God.” NLT Translation notes:Rom. 4:3 For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his [fully believing//faith].”4 When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned.5 But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their [believing//faith] in God who forgives sinners. 9 Now, is this blessing only for the Jews, or is it also for uncircumcised [non-Jews//Gentiles]? Well, we have been saying that Abraham was counted as righteous by God because of his [fully believing//faith].11 Circumcision was a sign that Abraham already had [believed//faith] and that God had already accepted him and declared him to be righteous—even before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the spiritual father of those who have [believed//faith] but have not been circumcised. They are counted as righteous because of their [fully believing//faith]. 12 And Abraham is also the spiritual father of those who have been circumcised, but only if they [believe the same way Abraham did//have the same kind of faith Abraham had] before he was circumcised.13 Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by [fully believing//faith].14 If God’s promise is only for those who obey the law, then [believing//faith] is not necessary and the promise is pointless.16 So the promise is received by [believing//faith]. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we [believe like Abraham did//have faith like Abraham’s]. For Abraham is the father of all who believe. [Here is my new attempt at rendering the meaning of this verse:] So the promise is received by [believing//faith]. It is given as a free gift. And if we become Abraham’s spiritual children by believing like Abraham did, we are certain to receive it— whether or not we live by the Law of Moses. For Abraham is the father of all who believe.]19 And [Abraham did not weaken in his belief//Abraham’s faith did not weaken], even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb.20 Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his [believing//faith] grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God.21 He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. 22 And because of [Abraham fully believing God’s promise//Abraham’s faith], God counted him as righteous.25 [Jesus/He] was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.

1SAMUEL 11-12:Yesterday we heard of the way God arranged for Saul to meet Samuel, and how God revealed amazing details to Samuel about what would happen to Saul in the short term. Saul became king. It is such a shame that Saul fulfilled the earlier prophecy given by Samuel a few chapters back, rather than continuing to be humble like he was at the start of his reign. PSALM 96:EC Olsen’s chapter on this psalm is entitled, “A Psalm which ought to give every living person a thrill!!” He’s right. This psalm is like vitamins for the soul. This is one of the most loved of all psalms. ROMANS 4a:Yesterday Paul arrived at the first explanation of his main point in 3:23-31. This happens to be a difficult passage to translate. GNT and NLT do a great job making many difficult concepts clear. You might particularly compare verses 23 and 26 with a literal translation. GNT Translation notes:Rom. 4:3 The scripture says, “Abraham believed God, and because of his [belief//faith] God accepted him as righteous.” 5 But those who depend on [believing//faith], not on deeds, and who believe in the God who declares the guilty to be innocent, it is this [believing//faith] that God takes into account in order to put them right with himself. 6 This is what David meant when he spoke of the happiness of [a//the] person whom God accepts as righteous, apart from anything [the//that] person does:9 Does this happiness that David spoke of belong only to those who are circumcised? No indeed! It belongs also to those who are not circumcised. For we have quoted the scripture, “Abraham believed God, and because of his [belief//faith] God accepted him as righteous.”11 He was circumcised later, and his circumcision was a sign to show that because of his [believing//faith] [before he had been circumcised//0] God had accepted him as righteous [0//before he had been circumcised]. And so Abraham is the spiritual father of all who believe in God and are accepted as righteous by him, even though they are not circumcised. 12 He is also the father of those who are circumcised, that is, of those who, in addition to being circumcised, also live the same life of [believing//faith] that our father Abraham lived before he was circumcised.14 For if what God promises is to be given to those who obey the Law, then [our believing//faith] means nothing and God's promise is worthless. 16 And so the promise was based on [believing//faith], in order that the promise should be guaranteed as God's free gift to all of Abraham's descendants—not just to those who obey the Law, but also to those who believe as Abraham did. For Abraham is the spiritual father of us all; [Here is my new attempt at rendering the meaning of this verse:] 16 So the promise is received by [believing//faith]. It is given as a free gift. And if we become Abraham’s spiritual children by believing like Abraham did, we are certain to receive it— whether or not we live by the Law of Moses. For Abraham is the father of all who believe.]17 as the scripture says, “I have made you father of many nations.” So the promise is [valid//good] in the sight of God, in whom Abraham believed—the God who brings the dead to life and whose command brings into being what did not exist.

1SAMUEL 11-12:Yesterday we heard of the way God arranged for Saul to meet Samuel, and how God revealed amazing details to Samuel about what would happen to Saul in the short term. Saul became king. It is such a shame that Saul fulfilled the earlier prophecy given by Samuel a few chapters back, rather than continuing to be humble like he was at the start of his reign. PSALM 96:EC Olsen’s chapter on this psalm is entitled, “A Psalm which ought to give every living person a thrill!!” He’s right. This psalm is like vitamins for the soul. This is one of the most loved of all psalms. ROMANS 4a:Yesterday Paul arrived at the first explanation of his main point in 3:23-31. This happens to be a difficult passage to translate. GNT and NLT do a great job making many difficult concepts clear. You might particularly compare verses 23 and 26 with a literal translation. GNT Translation notes:Rom. 4:3 The scripture says, “Abraham believed God, and because of his [belief//faith] God accepted him as righteous.” 5 But those who depend on [believing//faith], not on deeds, and who believe in the God who declares the guilty to be innocent, it is this [believing//faith] that God takes into account in order to put them right with himself. 6 This is what David meant when he spoke of the happiness of [a//the] person whom God accepts as righteous, apart from anything [the//that] person does:9 Does this happiness that David spoke of belong only to those who are circumcised? No indeed! It belongs also to those who are not circumcised. For we have quoted the scripture, “Abraham believed God, and because of his [belief//faith] God accepted him as righteous.”11 He was circumcised later, and his circumcision was a sign to show that because of his [believing//faith] [before he had been circumcised//0] God had accepted him as righteous [0//before he had been circumcised]. And so Abraham is the spiritual father of all who believe in God and are accepted as righteous by him, even though they are not circumcised. 12 He is also the father of those who are circumcised, that is, of those who, in addition to being circumcised, also live the same life of [believing//faith] that our father Abraham lived before he was circumcised.14 For if what God promises is to be given to those who obey the Law, then [our believing//faith] means nothing and God's promise is worthless. 16 And so the promise was based on [believing//faith], in order that the promise should be guaranteed as God's free gift to all of Abraham's descendants—not just to those who obey the Law, but also to those who believe as Abraham did. For Abraham is the spiritual father of us all; [Here is my new attempt at rendering the meaning of this verse:]16 So the promise is received by [believing//faith]. It is given as a free gift. And if we become Abraham’s spiritual children by believing like Abraham did, we are certain to receive it— whether or not we live by the Law of Moses. For Abraham is the father of all who believe.]17 as the scripture says, “I have made you father of many nations.” So the promise is [valid//good] in the sight of God, in whom Abraham believed—the God who brings the dead to life and whose command brings into being what did not exist. NLT Translation notes:Rom. 4:3 For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his [fully believing//faith].”4 When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned.5 But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their [believing//faith] in God who forgives sinners. 9 Now, is this blessing only for the Jews, or is it also for uncircumcised [non-Jews//Gentiles]? Well, we have been saying that Abraham was counted as righteous by God because of his [fully believing//faith].11 Circumcision was a sign that Abraham already had [believed//faith] and that God had already accepted him and declared him to be righteous—even before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the spiritual father of those who have [believed//faith] but have not been circumcised. They are counted as righteous because of their [fully believing//faith]. 12 And Abraham is also the spiritual father of those who have been circumcised, but only if they [believe the same way Abraham did//have the same kind of faith Abraham had] before he was circumcised.13 Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by [fully believing//faith].14 If God’s promise is only for those who obey the law, then [believing//faith] is not necessary and the promise is pointless.16 So the promise is received by [believing//faith]. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we [believe like Abraham did//have faith like Abraham’s]. For Abraham is the father of all who believe. [Here is my new attempt at rendering the meaning of this verse:] So the promise is received by [believing//faith]. It is given as a free gift. And if we become Abraham’s spiritual children by believing like Abraham did, we are certain to receive it— whether or not we live by the Law of Moses. For Abraham is the father of all who believe.]19 And [Abraham did not weaken in his belief//Abraham’s faith did not weaken], even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb.20 Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his [believing//faith] grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God.21 He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. 22 And because of [Abraham fully believing God’s promise//Abraham’s faith], God counted him as righteous.25 [Jesus/He] was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.

INTRODUCTION:Throughout the history of mankind there have been new beginnings.With the invention of the wheel, a new beginning for humanity, the developmentof roads, highways, steam engines, railway lines, combustion engines, steamlocomotives, automobiles, etc.With the invention of the telegraph by Samuel Morse, a new beginning forhumanity in terms of the development of great advances in telecommunicationsallowing the possibility of communicating immediately between places separatedby hundreds of miles, the appearance of the telephone and later the radio , allthis constituted a vital aspect of communication giving way to moderninformation and communication technologies as we see it today.In the Word of God there have also been new beginnings.For Abraham, for Moses, for Jacob, for the people of Israel, for Joseph, for David,etc.But today I want to tell you about the biggest event with an eternaltranscendence that changed the history of Christianity and is the powerful fact ofthe resurrection of Christ our Lord and Savior.We would not be in this place if our Lord Jesus Christ had not resurrected, in vainit would be the preaching of the gospel, in vain it would be our faith, you and Iwould be the most miserable beings on earth, we would be in our sins andChristianity would have disappeared because no It would have a solid foundationto support it. The resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ is the foundation of theChristian faith.2But due to the fact of the resurrection those who had doubted, those who hadnot believed, those who were insecure and those who had believed, their liveswere transformed in a powerful way and the Kingdom of God began to expandthrough cultures, languages, ideologies, beliefs, reaching peoples and nationsspreading everywhere and becoming the greatest people as God had promised toAbraham that his offspring would be like the stars of the sky and like the sand ofthe sea.Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=TU4ST3G79LFDE&source=url)

This leadership message, shared at Lead Summit in England by Dave Gilpin, looks at the ‘peril’ of everything that moves- it has to lose something to gain something. For Abraham he ‘lost’ his son, for Gideon he lost almost all his men, for Joseph he lost his reputation. You may be part of a reduction … Continue reading "The God of Reduction"

Daily Quote “There are no small parts, only small actors.” Constantin Stanislavski Daily Verse Genesis 18:18-19 “For Abraham will certainly become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him. I have singled him out so that he will direct his sons and their families to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just. Then I will do for Abraham all that I have promised.” Daily Challenge Try a new perspective. No matter what you are doing today, say to yourself, “God can use this to fulfill his purpose.” Daily Resource Living Unleashed has a YouTube channel. Click on the link in the show notes or go to YouTube and search Living Unleashed Channel and it will appear in the top search results. Look for the icon with the sunset windmills. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPs_rsWgSQYipubaJhZYnTw (The Living Unleashed YouTube Channel)  

TEXT: Genesis 21:1–7 (ESV) 1 The Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did to Sarah as he had promised. 2 And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him. 3 Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore him, Isaac. 4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5 Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6 And Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.” 7 And she said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”   In verses 8-21 we see a divorce take place between Abraham and Hagar (the slave woman that Abraham had married and conceived the child Ishmael with). Abraham divorces Hagar as well as Ishmael. They are sent out of his life entirely. In 22-34 we see a treaty had been struck at Beersheba with Abimelech the Philistine King. Abraham, Sarah, and now Isaac were enjoying a time of peace. The last thing we see in Chapter 21 was Abraham planting a tree a sign that he planned to put down roots. Abraham calls upon the Lord as El Olam – the Everlasting God.   Genesis 22:1 (ESV) 1 After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”   I am very thankful that the Holy Spirit saw fit to give us a clue that this was a, “test” so we could read what follows with that in mind. Abraham however had no such heads up.   Genesis 22:2 (ESV) 2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”   Notice how God demonstrated the significance of this command -    Take your son - This was Abraham’s son, if God has given you a child you know it is a special thing. For a dad, there is always something unique when the Doctor says, “it’s a boy”. To be honest, girls freak us out a little bit. We aren’t sure what to do with girls. But a boy - we’ve been down that road before. For Abraham the birth of his son was all of that and more - this was the child he should not have been able to have. Sarah was well past child bearing years. Beyond this Isaac was the conduit of the promise - he was the next step in God’s promise, God’s covenant to bless the entire Earth. Your only son - Was this Abraham’s only son? Well there was Ishmael, but practically speaking yes. Ishmael had been sent away. Abraham had only one son left – Isaac. The promise would happen through Isaac or it would not happen at all. Not only that - the first born son was subject to the ironclad law of PRIMOGENITOR. You see in the ancient world inheritance wasn’t divided equally between all the children. But the firstborn son would receive everything. So in a very real sense in offering Isaac God was calling Abraham to lay everything he had, or ever hoped to be, every hope, every dream, all of his possessions on the alter. Whom you love – Don’t think for a minute that Abrahams journey of faith had been a series of theological equations. God is acknowledging that Abraham would FEEL this deeply. ILLUSTRATION: I was traveling back to AL for a funeral this week. At one point on the journey I heard a song that my son Cole plays on guitar. That simple music reminded me of how much love my son, how proud I am of him… I don’t expect Abraham love Isaac any less. No doubt, his knees buckled, his stomach twisted into a knot.  For a brief moment despair, doubt, disillusionment, disappointment flooded his soul. This is the son that he LOVED! Genesis 22:2b (ESV) 2…and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”   The word Moriah literally means "foreseen by God."  It is not coincidental that God wanted this event to occur on Mt. Moriah.  In the mind of God this was a sacred spot.  There was no other place any place like this place.  Why did it have to be this place? Out of all of the galaxies God choose the milky way.  Our of all the solar systems God choose our’s.  Then he laid his finger on a little blue planet called earth.  Out of all of the expanses of land on planet earth, God choose the sands of Canaan.  And out of all of the mountains that sprung out of the land of Canaan God choose one Mountain called Moriah. It is on this mountain that redemption would occur. Because there on the Mountains of Moriah - there was one particular place called, Golgatha, the place of the skull… upon a hill called Calvary.   Genesis 22:2–3 (ESV) 2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. Gordon Wenham calls us to notice order of action—first saddling his donkey and then cutting wood – the progression is illogical which indicates that Abraham was quite disoriented. Was it because he was about to have to sacrifice Isaac??? Yes, but more than that. You see God’s COMMAND was in direct contradiction to God’s COVENANT.  Isaac was the child through which God promised to carry out the covenant promise. Now God is saying, “Sacrifice him as a burnt offering”. How could Abraham make sense of this seemingly impossible situation.   God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac to him. That would require Abraham cutting the throat of Isaac, draining his blood, cutting off his arms and legs, then burning his body completely. Somehow or another God was going to have to put this boy back again. Some how God was going to have to reinstate that spilt blood. Somehow God would have to breath again the breath of life. The promise of God demanded that Isaac have a child. That had not occurred. Abraham was believing God for the unbelievable – a resurrection. We get some hint of that in verse 4 and 5…   Genesis 22:4–5 (ESV) 4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.”   You say Pastor that’s quite a stretch that Abraham would assume that God intended to raise Isaac– No not at all - Hebrews 11:17–19 (NAS) 17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; 18 it was he to whom it was said, “In Isaac your descendants shall be called.” 19 He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type.    Friend the ONLY reason Abraham was able to obey God in this command was because Abraham KNEW that God HAD to be true to His word. DO YOU REMEMBER THE COVENANT? The Shikina Glory of God passed through the torn pieces of the animals. If God didn’t keep His promise - God called down a curse upon Himself.    The death of Isaac could NOT be the end… Abraham believed that deeply.  Genesis 22:6–8 (ESV) 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together.   Isaac would be required to carry wood up Mt. Moriah, the very wood that was designed to claim his life. It would be thousands of years later before another Son would carry the deadly wood up the mountain…    Church do you see the analogy that Isaac is portraying? The loving father giving His only begotten son as a sacrifice.     7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8 Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.   Now I don’t know if Abraham really believed that or if he was trying to convince Isaac to go along. We are told Abraham expected resurrection. Either way - what a prophetic word that was!    God will provide HIMSELF a LAMB. Dear church:   We don’t serve a God that demands your son’s to die… we serve a God that provides HIMSELF a lamb.  We don’t serve a God that call your good to outweigh your bad so that he is appeased… we serve a God that provides HIMSELF a lamb. We don’t serve a God who calls you to EARN his good favor… we serve a God that provides HIMSELF a lamb.   Genesis 22:9–14 (ESV) 9 When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”   The Hebrew word for fear means an “Awe, reverence” it carries the idea of wonder, amazement, astonishment… it’s very similar to our word for ultimate love. He is saying Abraham - you have passed the test. You have proved that I’m the absolute most important thing in your life.     13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.   Do you see it? This Ram wore upon his head a crown of thorns pointing to another who would bear a thorny crown. Up until this point Isaac has been the type pointing to Christ, but the analogy could go no further. For you see Isaac also needed a redeemer, there must be a substitute also for Isaac.  ULTIMATELY - the mind of God wasn’t fixed on Abraham, it wasn’t fixed on Isaac, it wasn’t fixed on the ram caught in the thorns…look at verse 14 -    14 So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.” You see the word Moriah literally means "foreseen by God.”    God could look into the future and see another Son, carrying the wood up the mountain, another Father prepared to slaughter His son…. Other thorns upon another head…. But this time, no angel stepped in.    ILLUSTRATION: Years  ago I read about a preacher who was backing out -of his driveway.  His little boy loved to play hide and seek with his daddy.  And this preacher's little boy jumped out from behind the bushes and said, "Boo,  Daddy." But Daddy didn't hear him because he was behind the auto- mobile.  This preacher heard that sickening thud as he backed out over and crushed the body of his little boy. And he picked up that crushed little body.  The life had already gone from the little youngster.  And he was  so broken-hearted.  Later on, he told a preacher friend about it.  And the preacher's friend's name was Bob. And this older preacher told the younger preacher with the tears streaming down his cheeks, he said concerning the death of his son, "Bob, I wouldn't have done it for the world.  I wouldn't have done  it for the world. But God did for the world, for the world.    For God so loved the world, that He gave, He gave He gave His only begotten Son for the world.     Friend - if you are to find the power to take your dreams and sacrifice them to God’s glory….   You will have to look to a God who didn’t stop the knife.    God looked at Abraham who almost sacrificed his son and said, “Now I know how much you love me”.    We look at God who DID Sacrifice His Son and say, “Now I know, how much you Love me”.       

Pastor Gordon continues unpacking the rich understanding introduced in the previous show entitled "Sex and Property", explaining how permitting those two instincts to run wild, without limits, brought creation to ruin and forced God to kill the whole world. The property instinct and the sexual instinct must remain balanced by God's law or else they become destructive. After the world-wide flood, Noah's great grandchildren had incentive to honor the importance of dominion in line with God's law. They knew what Christians uphold today: wealth, prosperity, and power must be tempered by the warning, "Thou shalt not steal" and "Thou shalt not covet." Sex and fatherhood must be tempered by the warning, "Thou shalt not commit adultery" and "Thou shalt not covet." Abraham came into great wealth, prosperity and power by guarding his life through honesty and integrity in the stewardship of his property instinct. He was the polar opposite of a thief - he was a tither. Yet he was unable to have children. The promise of blessing upon mankind's sexual instinct (created in Genesis 1:28) was unprecedented, so the inability of Abraham and Sarah to participate in it (barrenness) was equally staggering. Despite the fact that the misuse of the sexual instinct could bring a curse beyond comprehension, Sarah's barrenness enticed the couple into sin. Abraham's adulterous act with his mistress, Hagar, resulted in world-wide terrorism still haunting us to this very day. Yet Abraham finally found forgiveness and redemption by putting the principles of John 3:16 in action upside-down, and his willingness to give God his only son born from Sarah became the catalyst of our covenant through Jesus Christ, today. Said another way, "For Abraham so loved God he gave his only son" and "For God so loved the world He gave His only son." Abraham left dysfunctional dominion behind and by finally submitting both his sexual and property instincts, returned to the divine dominion God originally commanded in the Garden of Eden. Are you walking in the kingdom dominion of Christ or dysfunctional dominion of Adam and Eve? Are you a once-born child of Adam or a twice-born child of God? Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus!

Negotiating with God! Part 4 in the series Bold Prayers!   God invites me to intercede for our broken, sinful world!   “Should I hide my plan from Abraham?” the Lord asked. “For Abraham will certainly become a great and mighty nation, and all the...