Podcast appearances and mentions of king abimelech

In this Bible Story, Abraham again lies about his wife to protect his own life from King Abimelech. Abimelech then takes her but God warns him in a dream and he restores Sarah to Abraham. This story is inspired by Genesis 20. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year. Today's Bible verse is Genesis 20:1 from the King James Version. Episode 14: Once again, Abraham's fear for his life causes him to place his wife in harm's way. This time it's in the kingdom of Abimelech that he tells the men she is his sister. And as in Egypt, the king takes Sarah to be with him. This time, however, Abimelech does not touch her, and God comes to him in a dream, warning him of the situation he is in. Hear the Bible come to life as Pastor Jack Graham leads you through the official BibleinaYear.com podcast. This Biblical Audio Experience will help you master wisdom from the world's greatest book. In each episode, you will learn to apply Biblical principles to everyday life. Now understanding the Bible is easier than ever before; enjoy a cinematic audio experience full of inspirational storytelling, orchestral music, and profound commentary from world-renowned Pastor Jack Graham. Also, you can download the Pray.com app for more Christian content, including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories. Visit JackGraham.org for more resources on how to tap into God's power for successful Christian living. Pray.com is the digital destination of faith. With over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible, the Pray.com app has everything you need to keep your focus on the Lord. Make Prayer a priority and download the #1 App for Prayer and Sleep today in the Apple app store or Google Play store. Executive Producers: Steve Gatena & Max Bard Producer: Ben Gammon Hosted by: Pastor Jack Graham Music by: Andrew Morgan Smith Bible Story narration by: Todd HaberkornSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Send us a textWhat does it truly mean to embrace faith and obedience in the face of uncertainty? Join us for a transformative journey through the life of Abram, later known as Abraham, as we explore the profound lessons from Genesis chapter 12. You'll learn how Abram's call to leave behind everything familiar mirrors the modern Christian experience of spiritual transformation and the courage needed to prioritize one's faith over worldly ties. Our conversation delves into the symbolic departure from past affiliations and the call to pursue a heavenly citizenship, challenging listeners to reconsider the weight of earthly accomplishments against the backdrop of divine purpose.Throughout this engaging episode, we unravel the challenges Abraham faced and the temptations of seeking human solutions in difficult times. We highlight his struggles, from the deceptive encounter with King Abimelech to the birth of Ishmael, as cautionary tales that resonate with our tendency to lean on human reasoning rather than divine guidance. By examining these narratives, we encourage listeners to grow in their faith and trust God not only in life's eternal matters but also in everyday challenges. This discussion serves as a reminder of the importance of spiritual repentance and the hope found in returning to our foundational beliefs.Finally, we confront the delicate balance between spiritual and worldly concerns, drawing significant parallels between Abraham's story and the experiences of modern believers. Reflecting on Abraham's journey to Egypt and his subsequent trials, we emphasize the need to rely on spiritual insight and the urgency of repentance to maintain our connection to God. No matter how far we stray, there is always a path back to faith and light, and it's never too late to reignite that initial commitment we once had. This episode is an invitation to reflect, renew, and restore faith through the timeless lessons of obedience and trust.Support the show

Genesis 26 is a chapter in the Bible that focuses on the story of Isaac, Abraham's son, as he navigates challenges and blessings in the land of Gerar. Here's a summary and exploration of the key themes in this chapter: 1. God's Covenant with Isaac (Verses 1-5) The chapter begins with a famine in the land, similar to the one Abraham experienced. During this time, Isaac considers going to Egypt to find food, but God appears to him and instructs him to stay in Gerar, promising to bless him there. God renews His covenant with Isaac, the same promise He made to Abraham, saying, “I will be with you and will bless you… I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands.” This covenant shows that God's promises continue from one generation to the next, highlighting God's faithfulness and the importance of obedience. 2. Isaac and Abimelech (Verses 6-11) When Isaac settles in Gerar, he encounters King Abimelech of the Philistines. Out of fear for his life, Isaac tells the people of Gerar that Rebekah is his sister rather than his wife, mirroring a similar situation his father Abraham faced. Isaac is afraid that the men of Gerar might kill him to take Rebekah, who is beautiful. However, Abimelech eventually discovers the truth and warns his people not to harm Isaac or Rebekah, protecting them. This part of the chapter shows Isaac's human weakness and fear but also demonstrates God's protection over him and his family. 3. Isaac's Prosperity and Conflicts Over Wells (Verses 12-22) As Isaac obeys God's command to stay in Gerar, he begins to experience God's blessings in abundance. Isaac plants crops and reaps a hundredfold, becoming wealthy with flocks, herds, and servants. His success causes jealousy among the Philistines, who begin to fill in Isaac's wells with dirt to cut off his water supply. Isaac moves to different places to dig new wells, but each time he faces conflict with the locals who claim the wells as their own. Isaac names these wells Esek and Sitnah, meaning “dispute” and “opposition.” Finally, he moves to a new place and digs another well, which he names Rehoboth, meaning “room” or “open space.” Here, he finds peace, saying, “Now the Lord has given us room and we will flourish in the land.” This section emphasizes themes of perseverance, conflict resolution, and how God provides for those who follow Him. 4. God's Reassurance to Isaac (Verses 23-25) After these events, Isaac moves to Beersheba. God appears to him that night, repeating His promise: “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.” Isaac responds by building an altar to worship God and digs another well. This moment highlights Isaac's faith and his close relationship with God, showing his trust in God's promises. 5. A Treaty with Abimelech (Verses 26-33) Abimelech, seeing that Isaac has become very powerful, visits him with Phicol, the commander of his army. Abimelech acknowledges that God is with Isaac and asks to make a peace treaty with him. Isaac prepares a feast, and the two make a formal oath of peace. After Abimelech departs, Isaac's servants report that they've found water in a well they dug, and Isaac names the well Shibah, which means “oath” or “seven.” This is where the town of Beersheba (meaning “Well of the Oath”) gets its name. This treaty signifies the respect that even Isaac's enemies have for him because of God's presence and blessing on his life. 6. Esau's Marriage (Verses 34-35) The chapter ends with a note about Esau, Isaac's son, who takes two Hittite wives, Judith and Basemath. These marriages bring “grief” to Isaac and Rebekah, as Esau's wives were from the local Canaanite people and did not follow God's ways. This sets the stage for future tensions in the family and highlights the importance of being equally yoked in faith. Key Themes in Genesis 26 •God's Faithfulness: God keeps His covenant with Isaac, reaffirming His promises to bless him and his descendants. This shows that God's promises endure through generations. •Obedience and Blessing: Isaac's obedience to God's command to stay in Gerar results in God's provision and protection, even during conflicts. •Conflict and Perseverance: Isaac faces repeated challenges with the wells, but he continues to dig and find solutions, trusting God to provide a peaceful place. •God's Presence: God reassures Isaac multiple times, saying, “I am with you.” This highlights the importance of God's presence in overcoming challenges and fears. •Respect and Witness: Isaac's growing prosperity and God's evident blessing on his life cause even King Abimelech to seek peace with him, illustrating how following God can be a powerful witness to others. Genesis 26 is a story of God's enduring promises, the blessings of obedience, and how faith can help us persevere through challenges. Isaac's journey is a reminder that even when faced with fear, conflict, or uncertainty, God is with us, guiding and protecting us along the way.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sendme-radio--732966/support.

Sermon Summary: "Pressure Points" Speaker: Nick Scripture Reference: Genesis 26 Summary: Nick's sermon, titled "Pressure Points," delves into the life of Isaac, the son of Abraham, as a lens through which to examine the power of God's blessing and covenant. He emphasizes that God's blessing is not contingent on human worthiness or righteousness, but rather on His unwavering faithfulness and determination to fulfill His promises. The sermon begins by highlighting the parallels between Isaac and Abraham, particularly their experiences with famine and their dealings with the Philistines. Nick points out that both men faced similar challenges yet received God's blessing in extraordinary ways. He emphasizes that God's covenant with Abraham extends to Isaac and his descendants, demonstrating God's faithfulness across generations. Nick then discusses the concept of "faith in the face of pressure." He notes that Isaac, like many of us, faced moments of doubt and fear, yet he ultimately chose to trust in God's promises. Nick encourages listeners to remember that God's blessings often come in unexpected ways, even in the midst of trials and hardships. The sermon also addresses the importance of staying in God's will. Nick uses the example of Isaac's decision to remain in the land of Gerar, despite the famine, as a reminder that God's plans may not always align with our own. He emphasizes that it is crucial to listen to God's voice and follow His guidance, even when it feels counterintuitive. Nick concludes the sermon by emphasizing the power of God's blessing. He highlights how Isaac's obedience to God led to abundant blessings, both material and spiritual. Nick encourages listeners to trust in God's goodness and to seek His blessing in their own lives, no matter what challenges they may face. Bible References: Genesis 26:1-11 Genesis 26:12 Genesis 26:24-25 Genesis 26:26-31 Genesis 26:35 Additional Notes: The sermon is delivered in a conversational and engaging style, making it accessible to a wide audience. Nick uses personal anecdotes and examples to illustrate his points, helping listeners connect with the message on a deeper level. The sermon emphasizes the importance of faith, obedience, and trust in God's promises. The sermon provides encouragement and hope for those facing challenges in their own lives. Transcription My man, thank you Roland. Thank you everybody. Morning again. Genesis 26 we're on today. Genesis is a game of two halves you could say and we're entering in the second half. We've got all the way through. I was excited when I saw Genesis 26 come up because about ten years ago I did a whole series on this chapter, series about four or five sermons, so we only get one week per chapter here at MCF. We're rapidly going through Genesis but I called that Strange Maths. That was the nice catchy title I had for that series then and this one has got a title Pressure Points but we'll just leave it there. We'll see if what I say relates to the title or not. I want you to be honest when it comes to assessing your spiritual life, when it comes to your feelings about what it is that attracts the blessing of God to our lives, how many of us actually disqualify ourselves, write ourselves off, think well the blessing of God is for other people, people that are more worthy, better quality of faith, more righteous perhaps, more faithful, more gifted. Welcome to the book of Genesis because this is where all our assumptions go to die and we've read through the story of Abraham and all that has gone on there. We see the relentless determination of God to bless his people according to his nature and his covenant rather than according to what we are like. And you see constant faith. I just love it every time the Bible holds Abraham up as just an absolute hero of faith, never wavered in his faith. That's just the blessing of God because you read it you think actually it doesn't actually match up. He did waver in his faith. There were all sorts of things that he did wrong. There are all sorts of things that he did that might disqualify him in our eyes from the blessing of God and yet God was relentless and ruthless in pursuing him with his blessing and determined to bless him not only during his lifetime but beyond even up to today the blessing of Abraham is being played out. So there is a covenant of God that stands forever and the greatest accounts of the faithfulness and the blessing of God can be set against the most desperate examples of weakness and failure. Amen! That's good news isn't it? Wonderful examples of human frailty magnify the incredible power and faithfulness of God. So we shouldn't be afraid when we feel weak. I mean we know the Scriptures don't we? When you are weak then he is strong. Blessed are the weak, blessed are the poor, blessed are those who mourn, blessed are those for whom everything has gone wrong and who have got nothing together at all. You are blessed because in you can be seen the glory of God. If you've got it all together we're not going to worship God we're going to worship you. And so it's wonderful to see. So we've got this we've had this with Abraham all the episodes of Abraham's life up till today up till this this moment and now we're going to another generation. Isaac the child of promise and we see the same things played out again and again but first in Genesis 26 from verse 1 it says a severe famine now struck the land as had happened before in Abraham's time. So Isaac moved to Gerar where Abimelech king of the Philistines lived. The Lord appeared to Isaac and said do not go down to Egypt but do as I tell you. Live here as a foreigner in this land and I will be with you and bless you. I hereby confirm that I will give all these lands to you and your descendants just as I solemnly promised Abraham your father. I will cause your descendants to become as numerous as the stars of the sky. I will give them all these lands and 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, instructions. So Isaac stayed in Gerar. I just love the way the two paragraphs meet together and it goes on in verse 7. When the men who lived there asked Isaac about his wife Rebekah he said she's my sister. He was afraid to say she's my wife. He thought they'll kill me to get her because she's so beautiful but sometime later Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out his window and saw Isaac caressing Rebekah. Immediately Abimelech called for Isaac and exclaimed she's obviously your wife why did you say she's my sister? He said because it runs in the family. Because I was afraid someone would kill me to get her from me Isaac replied. How could you do this to us Abimelech exclaimed one of my people might easily have taken your wife and slept with her and you would have made us guilty of great sin. Then Abimelech issued a public proclamation anyone who touches this man or his wife will be put to death. So it's like this is a chapter of two halves. I mean the blessing of God the covenant blessing I will bless you I'll be with you Isaac yep and then he just flipped straight into character and does exactly what Abraham did with his wife and Isaac's mother pretending she was his sister. Just amazing just the way God is just doesn't try and pull the wool over our eyes does he just like it's all so laid out there he was trying to impress us this wouldn't be the book to do it but he's doing it and we see the glory of God manifest against the background of human weakness. So a severe famine has struck the land just as it did in Abraham's time and Abraham in his own time made the decision to go to Egypt it was a sensible decision it was a reasonable decision it was a logical one let's go to Egypt because there we won't suffer in the same way and we'll have what the crops that we need and the people will be safe and everything will be good and so he went down to Egypt for the sake of himself and all those that he was responsible for. So naturally just as Isaac is quite good at taking note of what his dad did with his wife he also took note of what he did during the famine and thought well actually since we're suffering in this way we're going to go to Egypt. His instinct was the same it's how we are wired aren't we follow the path we know follow the things that have been played out before do what has been done before because that in that is common sense it seems safe and wise and responsible. Isaac is living out his life and making his decisions much as we would be inclined to that's how we operate we have a frame of reference don't we but then into the middle of this frame of reference steps the Lord God and says do not go down to Egypt but do as I tell you live here as a foreigner in this land and I will be with you and bless you I hereby confirm that I will give all these lands to you and your descendants just as I solemnly promised Abraham your father and it counts when God intervenes and God speaks those are the things that can cut right across our common sense our understanding our history our precedents that have been set we have to be those who are able to hear the voice of God because sometimes he will say something contrary to what we expect and they won't actually ask us to walk on the well-worn paths as Terry Vogue to use Terry Vogo's phrase but to actually cut a new path according to what he's saying to us and that's really difficult to do but it really counts because no matter how many years we have in the bank no matter how much experience and wisdom we've notched up for us as individuals and for us as a church we need to learn to look at every new challenge in every circumstance with an ear turned to God because it's the only way sometimes things will just play out normally and sometimes there will be something that God wants to do that is actually not in line with what we expect not in line with what we want not in line with what makes us feel comfortable not in line with what is sensible but actually what is according to his word and so the Lord appeared to Isaac and said do not go down to Egypt but do as I tell you live here as a foreigner in this land and I will be with you and bless you have you noticed that our usual criteria for assessing what God is saying to us is what somebody has termed really helpfully felt led poisoning we can be felt led into all sorts of things but usually we're felt led towards what makes us comfortable we're felt led towards what we want we're felt led towards the decision that actually makes us feel best and that's the criteria I think bit well because because it makes makes sense to me because this is what I want because this is actually what I want to achieve in my life I believe God has spoken to me very rarely do you find somebody saying actually everything that I want to do is taking me in this direction but I've heard the Word of God and he's pulling me back in this direction along the path of sacrifice along the path of suffering along the path of difficulty or trouble or whatever it is those things don't usually add up in our minds to God speaking to us should this life we were just singing bring suffering Lord I will remember what Calvary has brought for me but often when this life brings suffering we think oh what dear what's gone wrong and so careful reading of Genesis reveals how our criteria are not always reliable Isaac would have been wrestling with his emotions his own understanding his fears and his insecurities he'd have been looking at the people who are looking to him they want food and he's saying sorry guys the Lord has told us to stay in the famine not a good way to become a popular leader God was establishing Isaac the understanding that his promises stand and even the most severe challenges of circumstances don't change what he wants to do or what he's able to do and so he promised to Abraham that he was going to do this and now he's saying to Isaac right now you're in a famine you everything is against you your life is at threat and I want you to stay here and trust me according to my promises not according to the circumstances that is a real challenge that can be brought right up into the present-day sentence he's talking about his promises that stand for generations Abraham was gone but the promise still stands I saw a meme at the other day on the internet that said ladies when your husband says he'll do something he'll do it you don't have to keep reminding him every three months which is quite funny and true but with God there's a strong vein of truth in that when God says he'll do something you don't have to remind him every thousand years he's gonna kid he's gonna do it he's gonna establish it even through generations he will do it Isaac would have had a strong streak of self-preservation what are we gonna do to get food on the table what are we gonna do to bring safety what are we gonna do to look after our animals what are we gonna do what are we gonna do what are we gonna do nose would have been the questions in his ears from people what are we gonna do and God wanted him to put all his trust in him and his promises rather than being driven by what he could see and feel and right up there in the challenges we face whether as individuals or as a church that is the challenge we have but interestingly though we've looked at the you know this is what God said and this is what he did with Rebecca and all of that and we're talking about human failings in it all there was a streak of faith because he's in the right family there's a heritage of faith the Lord appeared to Isaac and said don't go down to Egypt stay where you are and in verse 6 it simply says this so Isaac stayed in Gerar whatever the pressure whatever the difficulty whatever the challenge Isaac stayed and to us in our lives that can be the most profound and difficult challenge in our lives and the question will you stay is the one that we need to answer because we can face our own famines can't we we can face our own challenges we can face our own pain we can face our own grief we can face our own fear we can face our own lack and God says will you stay and trust in my promises will you start running around to Egypt thinking if we go there we'll be more comfortable if we go there that will solve our problems if we do this this will this will put everything right or will we actually hold on continue to speak the language of faith will we pray will we praise even in the middle of it all we're not talking about being a hero of the faith Isaac clearly wasn't getting it all right all the time it's not about always having the right response but it is about the disciplined decision to stay where we are to stay I often refer to it the time when the disciples all the people left Jesus and they ran in different directions and Jesus said to them are you gonna leave me as well and they said well where else can we go it's not a ringing endorsement is it but he's like well but sometimes that is the life of faith where else can we go people run off people backslide people run in different directions people go after what it you know in inverted commas the blessings of this world or whatever but for those who have received the covenant promise of God the genuine question is where else can we go there is nothing it might things might be going wrong the wheels might be falling off there might not be any answers to our questions this pain might not go away but where else can I go and I'll stay I will stay here I will stay looking at you Lord I will stay listening to you Lord I will stay believing in you Lord because there is nowhere else for me to go I will stay and that's the challenge that we have in our lives like I said straight after verse 6 we get another account of Isaac doing exactly what Abraham did in pretending his wife was his sister didn't make him a superhero didn't take away his fears or his insecurities or his or situations that put him under pressure didn't stop him making mistakes but he was in the right place as a result of the decision he'd made he's better off there making his mistakes and he was if he'd gone to Egypt because if he'd gone to Egypt he'd have given up on the promises of God because God was saying actually if you stay here I will bless you do not go don't keep marking yourself out of ten to see if you think God's going to approve of you because you're always going to fail that test but do make sure that you're in the right place do make sure that you're facing the right direction do make sure that you're holding on to the promises of God because it's so important because that's what will mark us out as the people of God and in verse 12 as we go on when Isaac planted his crops that year according to the Word of God he harvested a hundred times more grain than he planted for the Lord blessed him that's the strange maths so in the land of famine so where nothing's gonna grow and you'll reap a hundred times what you planted he sowed in a land of famine he did what he knew how to do and God blessed him and sometimes that's all we've got to sow in a land of famine stay where God puts us sow seeds on the hot dry barren land well it looks like there's no sense nothing's working it just doesn't feel it just feels it just feels horrible but I'm gonna trust you Lord I'm gonna sow in this famine and the promise of the Word of God is that God is able to and God will bless us even in the famine can be really comfortable with the idea of God withholding can't we without we understand that you know if there's if they've got withholds up from us if he tests us if he challenges us we think oh yeah that that's that's what we expect par for the course with God but what we read here is that God also blesses God blessed Isaac as a result of his decision to stay and we do have twisted teaching that has become known as the prosperity gospel and all of that you know where if you like God is a heavenly cash machine if you if you do this this and this they will just pour out cash on you and that's and that's the blessing of God I saw some videos online the other day of a guy who's boasting about how many private jets he'd gotten how many watches he'd gotten it was all the blessing of God and it's just all uglier stuff but don't let all of that divert us from the fact that God is a God who blesses God is a God who pours out his best on our lives someone once said God will always bless you more than you would bless you because he's richer than you and because he loves you more than you love you God loves you more than you love you God is interested in God is committed to you more than you're committed to your future God wants you established I remember having the weirdest thoughts this is not a confession time this is just that just there was just an unfortunate break as I said that sentence when we came back from Zambia to England in order to go to Zambia we'd sold our house we had a house in the south of England in the days when houses there it was a big boom in house prices and we we invested all of our resources in going to Zambia and in and in the life that we had there and so by the time we came back we needed a miracle in order to come back and get we God made it possible for us to buy a house in Mexico but we had very little left there was like that sense of well what do we do now well we can we've got a roof over our head but you know will we eat and all of that sort of thing and I remember thinking a weirdest thought well we have spoons in our house will we have a fridge and all this sort of I know I'm not doing it for sympathy because we do have we did have a fridge and we had a lot of spoons but the point was there was a friend of mine Norman Barnes he shook his head at me like so they said why would God give you less he loves you you know there is there is a there is a heart of God to bless you sometimes we really struggle with that because we look at our famine and we look at our second we think well maybe blesses other people but not me but God says if you will trust me even in your famine you will see the better your blessing might look different to somebody else's blessing but God will bless us and how all could we find it talking about the physical blessing of God there's so many different situations even in this room this morning so many different stories to tell so many different objections maybe to what I'm saying oh yes it's all very well for you but what about what about this situation but we have to lean on the promises of God to be faithful to us all of our lives our circumstances can be our starting point and we get discouraged but we need to look up and look out and remember where our help comes from truly our help comes from the Lord Greg was sharing you know about the situation in Emmaus there were people then in a very real human situation there were people that were struggling with what was going on they did not understand and yet God was able to give them the grace to open up their eyes and to see the situation that they were in even in the middle of that all that that grief and those and that uncertainty and that confusion they were able to see the blessing of God the blessing of God on Isaac was so profound that it caused fear and jealousy amongst the people around and he was ordered to leave the area as you read on in the passage all of his wells were filled in by the Philistines they didn't like it they didn't like the fact that he was blessed and he moved with his people and in the process this is a very in a very short nutshell started to open up the wells again but every step of the way there was a dispute people arguing over the water and Isaac was someone who through tough experience had learned that his future wasn't dependent on a well of water he was able to move on time and time again until finally they opened up a well where there was no dispute which he named Rehoboth saying at last the Lord has created enough space for us to prosper in the land and as we walk on in life and practice the journey of faith we should have it make it our ambition to shake off everything that we think will give us comfort don't start looking in this life looking around what's gonna what do I need what do I need to get what do I need to achieve what do I need to own what do I need to if I just had this if these circumstances were was different then my life would be different and we need to that's like looking for the well of his disputes here and there and this water is not good enough and that and somebody else claims it and all of that but he Isaac eventually got to that point where he said now what finally the Lord has given us room and we will prosper in this land and God wants to lead us to a place of peace and tranquility and space and security and freedom away from the grasping of this world that says actually if I just have this then my life would be better and in fact what we need just as God said to Abraham himself he said I am your shield and your very great reward God is our reward the Psalms say he makes me lie down beside still waters leads me in green pastures and that's what God wants for our lives not fighting for everything along the way but God will lead us in those green and spacious and peaceful areas the blessing of God brings favor King Abimelech who chased Isaac away when his wealth grew now came to him and said we can clearly see the Lord is with you wanted a covenant relationship with him there's a difference between chasing the blessing of God in whatever form we think that takes in our lives that's why the wealth preachers and all the people say if you just do this God's going to fill up your bank with money and all of that it's it's a deceptive so it's a misleading because that's not where we find our peace that's not where we find our joy but living and abiding in the constant blessing of God and receiving that to the extent that it is seen by other people they will look at and say well I can clearly see that God is with you remember that being my experience when I first encountered Christians there was something it the people were saying stuff that I didn't really understand they were trying to explain they've given me books to read and and you know understand this and talking about Jesus and the cross and all of that I didn't understand all of that stuff but I did see the blessing of God on people's lives I did see the favor of God did see the peace of God did see the prosperity and the joy of God in people's lives it was just so delightful to see and we can live and abide in that constant blessing of God even when we face the famine there's an aroma an atmosphere around the people of God remember we'll finish up in them just a second we were in some of some people know the story of our time in Zambia we lived in Zambia for six years from 2010 until somewhere else no no we came back in 2010 I've no idea when we went yeah anyway we went in Zambia sometime in the in this century and we were we went through with a great I mean I'm not trying to encourage Roland here but we weren't with a great sense of anticipation and excitement and wow we're gonna take the world by storm God's world changes and we went and it didn't work out exactly as we as we'd hoped and there were real challenges real real challenges that felt like a famine it was like all that we'd hoped for and it was just like dry and barren and fearful and uncertain and what have we done to our children and and all of that happened and we were really afraid as head and uncertain and there was a time when people were thinking well maybe maybe they could come back and there was a possibility of a job in a church in in High Wycombe and it was really appealing it was like a nice well that we could have looked at there was nice schools for the children there was a reasonable salary there was a house to live in all the things that we didn't have were there and there was a there was a possibility that we could have been offered that as an opportunity and yet against all of that we had that niggling feeling that actually this is not what God has called us to do and I remember driving in the car one time and listen to the that song Eye of the Tiger come on you're Rocky Eye of the Tiger and it came and it said something like I don't even understand what it means but it made sense to me that I said said you exchange your passion for glory and something about that just dropped into my heart said don't exchange what God has put in you for something else don't exchange don't just look for the well don't just look for the peace don't just look for the good but look go for God and he will give you all that you're searching for and I remember thinking at the time you know everything that we tried to to build I remember even saying to myself probably said it to other people great you know statement of faith oh it's dead there's nothing left there's nothing going on and yet in that famine in that dead famine God blessed us and here we are today we're talking about seeker we're talking about Lord's Way we're talking about the growth of the ministry there and it's exciting to see but one thing that happened was there was a time when we were really under threat and a friend of mine who lived down the road the immigration people so it's a long story though we haven't done anything wrong but there was this like the whole thing came and they came to him and they said something very intimidating like can you give me one good reason why we should not deport that man meaning me and and he gave them some reasons which was nice of him and and they listened and they said okay we'll give him 48 hours to get everything in place and and make the application and we did we did everything in 48 hours made the application they granted us a permit and we stayed and God blessed us in that land of famine and there was a time when we were the what was going on in the church and the things that you know were being because we were you know being foreigners and everything else there was investigation and people they're like saying nothing wrong that was done but it was just a very intimidating situation and so there was a time when people got involved in all of that and then by the time we came to leave having stayed and seen the blessing of God by the time we came to leave we had some senior government people from our local town actually came to see us off we left our place at six o'clock in the morning and these people came to to say bye to us and one man took me aside and he said we know what has happened we know what's been done against you we know all of that and we know what you've done in this country said and I just want you to know that this country is your country it's your home but wow how have we come from it's all dead and buried it's all finished there's nothing there's nothing left he might be deported all of that to the to the very same people saying actually we want to thank you and we want to bless you and that can only be the blessing of God manifested and demonstrated in our lives anyway that was a long convoluted story but it's so that's the point Isaac had no reliance on his physical circumstances but total reliance on God and God showed himself strong in his life so it doesn't matter who you are what challenges you face what background you have what your sin looks like you can sow in a place of famine and see a return a hundred times bigger and the blessing of God can attach itself to your life in such a way that you find the space and the peace of God and others will see and will testify now we've seen the work of God in your life and so as we consider that and as we consider what God is saying to us as I prepared that something the one thing jumped out and it was that question will you stay and I just think I just believe that there are people here that are struggling with their own famine struggling with pain struggling with disappointment struggling with fear struggling with lack struggling with whatever it could be you know what it is and you're thinking this is this gospel is not all it's cracked up to be because I thought you know things were going to be easier than this and the question is will you stay will you stay and will you trust will you believe will you turn your heart to God will you actually say all right Lord though the fig tree doesn't blossom though there be no cattle in the stalls though the olive crop crop casts its fruit and the rest that I've forgotten yet I will rejoice in you Lord yet I will trust in you yet I will pray yet I will pray will you will you sow in the land of famine will you sow will you take a decision on the basis of your your the things that have made you want to give up the things that have made you want to grind to a halt the things that have drained you of your energy in the middle of all of that will you actually say all right Lord I'm gonna sow something here I'm gonna I'm gonna believe I'm gonna praise you I'm gonna thank you for what I've got well what have I got try the things to thank God for thank God for our very life the fact that we're up and we're breathing this morning thank God for his blessing upon us thank God for our history thank God for how far he's brought us thank God that up till today he has sustained us thank God that he has our best interests at heart and thank God that he loves you more than you love you and is determined to bless you more than you would bless you so that faith and trusting God that in the middle of your famine you will see his blessing upon your life you'll see his breakthrough and that will look different to you than it does to me not selling a package here that says you could you know this is this is what you'll get this is what you get for your investment be between you and God but the question is will you study and I just want there maybe if the worship team could come and if you've got something first I just want us to to close as we close to think about that and to make some decisions perhaps in our hearts to yes I'm gonna stay yes Lord you've proved yourself faithful yes I'm gonna trust you I have nothing I have no reference point but I'm gonna believe you Lord it's painful to think about blessing because I don't feel blessed but I'm gonna trust you and as we worship and as we pray on just want just to turn our own thoughts today and it may be that you know that that word is for you and that there is there is real benefit sometimes there's real benefit in physical response in actually stepping forward and I you know we're not gonna quiz you or whatever but if you want as part of your statement to God to say Lord I'm gonna stay in this family I'm gonna sow my faith I'm gonna sow my thanks I'm gonna sow my my my trust in you and I'm gonna believe you for a for a blessing in my life and for a breakthrough if you want to make that declaration to God then I just ask you just to step forward just to come forward here and we can pray together there'll be space here just as a worship team leaders but please do that just as we just as we start don't even hesitate don't even waste any time just come forward and we believe God will meet people here

God Changes Timelines (audio) David Eells 7/31/24  By popular request I am sharing this again with our larger audience with some added proof. Dream of God Reversing a Timeline  Anna Stewart 7/22/24 (David's notes in red)  Keep in mind this dream is a parable about Babylon's fall but also God's miraculous ability to change timelines.  Last night I dreamed that an enormous sinkhole had opened up in a valley between two mountains in a mountainous area. Simultaneously, the entire mountainside of one of the mountains slid into the sinkhole. There was a mountain road on the mountain side and all the cars on it were swallowed by the sinkhole. I knew there were about 1,000 people buried in their cars in the earth. It was catastrophic. (Mountains many times represent Kingdom's. The Kingdom of DS Babylon as a Dragon swallowed up God's people and others but God made them cough them up and reversed their captivity. Jer 51:34 Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon hath devoured me, he hath crushed me, he hath made me an empty vessel (Most of God's people are empty Christians; not filled with the Word or the Holy Spirit.), he hath, like a monster, swallowed me up, he hath filled his maw with my delicacies; he hath cast me out. … 44 And I will execute judgment upon Bel in Babylon, and I will bring forth out of his mouth that which he hath swallowed up; and the nations shall not flow any more unto him: yea, the wall of Babylon shall fall.)  It happened on the eleventh of the month. (11 represents Judgment and False Flags like 9-11. Both sides have used False Flags in this war.) It was in the news, and they were detailing the difficulty of carrying out rescues, because the ground was still unstable. They were trying to get in there to dig vehicles out, but it was very risky and they were moving slowly for fear of losing the rescue crews into the sinkhole. (The Alliance has moved very carefully to extract people, including Christians, from the Dragon's captivity. This is because many have lost their lives in becoming witnesses of Babylon's sins. Three hundred plus; people were killed to shut up witnesses of JFK's assassination.)  It was then the 19th of the month—8 days after the incident—and little progress had been made. (19 represents the end of a faction war, where we are now, when David had lost 19 men. 2Sa 2:30 And Joab returned from following Abner: and when he had gathered all the people together, there lacked of David's servants nineteen men and Asahel. And we lost a few to the faction murders. But 8 is the number of “new beginnings” which then came to David and is now coming for us.) While we were gathered together, David Eells suggested we all put our faith together for these people and believe God for a different timeline. I wasn't sure what exactly God would do, but we believed together that He would move on behalf of the people to save them. (The timeline under Babylon DS gave way to the timeline under the Cyrus/Trump of the Medo Persian Empire of the Alliance and is nothing short of miraculous. This is darkness to light. We are going back many years to a republic. The next morning, when we all woke up, we were shocked to see on our phones that the day was the 11th! The sinkhole had never happened, nothing about it was on the news, and no one had been killed. No one knew that anything had ever happened or that time had reversed. We couldn't even tell anyone because no one was aware of it. For the rest of the world, nothing had ever happened—tomorrow had never happened.   (As far as the government is concerned, there has been a flip of timelines. Cyrus Trump is in charge of the world and we will soon know it. We got this by faith at random in this morning's prayer meeting. Ezr. 1:1-3 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of Jehovah by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, Jehovah stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, 2 Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath Jehovah, the God of heaven, given me; and he hath charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 3 Whosoever there is among you of all his people, his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of Jehovah, the God of Israel (he is God), which is in Jerusalem. This is not to say that there will not be guerilla warfare by the cornered rats. Things like anarchy, invaders, earthquakes, plague, hacking, etc. will come but there will be a new sheriff in town to deal with them and they will ultimately lose.)  We were all just in awe of how awesome God was to do this for these people. I knew two of them were associated with Matt's workplace. It really amazed me because these were not all known to be God's people, and yet the compassion of God reached out and changed time to save all these people through our faith. (And a Man-child reformer revival is coming for them.)  End of dream. Praise the Lord! John 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto the Father. (God is showing us this timeline change so that we could be encouraged to believe Him to do this again.)    God Changes Timelines David Eells 7/31/24 There is abundance of Biblical proof that negative timelines can be stopped, reversed and then brought forward in a positive timeline. People in the timeline parameters would not necessarily know this happened for they are IN the timeline.  First let's look at the fact that God stopped a timeline so that things could be changed for the people of God to have victory over their enemies. Jos 10:6-15 And the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, saying, Slack not thy hand from thy servants; come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us: for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the hill-country are gathered together against us. 7 So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he, and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor.   8 And Jehovah said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thy hands; there shall not a man of them stand before thee. (How was He going to accomplish this.) 9 Joshua therefore came upon them suddenly; for he went up from Gilgal all the night. 10 And Jehovah discomfited them before Israel, and he slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon, and smote them to Azekah, and unto Makkedah.   11 And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, while they were at the descent of Beth-horon, that Jehovah cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more who died with the hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword.   12 Then spake Joshua to Jehovah in the day when Jehovah delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel; and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; And thou, Moon, in the valley of Aijalon. 13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, Until the nation had avenged themselves of their enemies. (Our timeline is the Earth circling the Sun and the Earth rotating before the Sun. If these movements cease so does time.)  Is not this written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stayed in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. (This missing day and the sundial reversing was recorded by witnesses at NASA when they discovered the missing time in the timeline and a Christian pointed out this text as their answer. Of course the wicked have done everything they could to erase this miracle ever since.) 14 And there was no day like that before it or after it, that Jehovah hearkened unto the voice of a man (However, Biblical history proves God changed timelines at least several times in different ways.): for Jehovah fought for Israel. 15 And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, unto the camp to Gilgal.  God reversed Hezekiah's and Jerusalem's timeline to heal him and save Jerusalem from the Beast. Then he brought them forward in a good timeline of restoration. Isa 38:1-9 In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. (Notice on his timeline he would surely have died.) And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, Set thy house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live. 2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto Jehovah, 3 and said, Remember now, O Jehovah, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.   4 Then came the word of Jehovah to Isaiah, saying, 5 Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years. (Here is the promise of a believers timeline.) 6 And I will deliver thee and this city (Notice the parameter of the timeline change can be localized to a person, city, mountain landslide, etc. The Lord told me this a couple of months ago as I will explain later.) out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city. 7 And this shall be the sign unto thee from Jehovah, that Jehovah will do this thing that he hath spoken:   (Here is the sign of the reversal of time by reversal of the earth's rotation, which is a reversal of our time.) 8 behold, I will cause the shadow on the steps, which is gone down on the dial of Ahaz with the sun, to return backward ten steps. So the sun returned ten steps on the dial whereon it was gone down. (A reversal of the negative timeline which recovered his health.) 9 The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness.  Here it is again so we have two witnesses with some things added. 2Ki 20:8-11 And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, What shall be the sign that Jehovah will heal me, and that I shall go up unto the house of Jehovah the third day? 9 And Isaiah said, This shall be the sign unto thee from Jehovah, that Jehovah will do the thing that he hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or go back ten steps? 10 And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to decline ten steps: nay, but let the shadow return backward ten steps. (He thought he would make it hard on God. :0) 11 And Isaiah the prophet cried unto Jehovah; and he brought the shadow ten steps backward, by which it had gone down on the dial of Ahaz.  Here is another instance of a reversal of time to bring restoration. Most only see this as spiritual. However this happened to Israel in their restoration as a nation and it will happen to the Church in their restoration of spiritual Israel to “one holy nation”. Eze 37:1-14 The hand of Jehovah was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of Jehovah, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. 2 And he caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. (Bodies that were long dead.)  3 And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord Jehovah, thou knowest. (Watch as a reversal of time brings them back to life.) 4 Again he said unto me, Prophesy over these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of Jehovah. 5 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah unto these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live. (Watch as piece upon piece is restored just as they rotted but in reverse.)   6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am Jehovah. 7 So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and, behold, an earthquake.  (An earthquake was the same sign that was given when Jesus, the Man-child, resurrected and the out-resurrection of the saints long dead resurrected with Him. If we reverse the curse timeline, which Jesus did, you get a resurrection. This out-resurrection is the same sign that will happen with the spiritual resurrection of Jesus in the Man-child reformers because history always repeats (Ecc 1:9). NENT Php 3:10 that I may know him, and the power of his :resurrection, and fellowship of his sufferings, becoming conformed to his death; 11 if somehow I may attain unto the out-resurrection from the dead.);  Back to Eze 37:7and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8 And I beheld, and, lo, there were sinews upon them, and flesh came up, and skin covered them above; but there was no breath in them. 9 Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Come from the four winds, O breath (This Hebrew word is also Spirit), and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. (As we see resurrection is a reversal of a cursed timeline step by step and it is accomplished by faith and the Holy Spirit.)  11 Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel (Which is a type for the Church): behold, they say, Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are clean cut off. 12 Therefore prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, O my people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel.  (Which also happened when Jesus resurrected at the out-resurrection. We find this in Mat. 27:50-53 And Jesus cried again with a loud voice, and yielded up his spirit. 51 And behold, the veil of the temple was rent in two from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake; and the rocks were rent; 52 and the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints that had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming forth out of the tombs after his resurrection they entered into the holy city and appeared unto many.)  Back to Eze 37:13 And ye shall know that I am Jehovah, when I have opened your graves, and caused you to come up out of your graves, O my people. 14 And I will put my Spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I will place you in your own land: and ye shall know that I, Jehovah, have spoken it and performed it, saith Jehovah.  (Now we know this resurrection is spiritual and represents a revival. But a revival is more than spiritual in that they bring healing and deliverance to the body and resurrections of the dead and many other physical miracles if true preaching is there. But the physical aspect is clear too.  I was speaking with one of my angels named, Gregory, meaning, “watchful, alert”. I had been thinking of several big trees that had fallen on my property probably due to aluminum chemtrailed on them that rots them from the core. The outside of them looked great. I said to him that since I am not under the curse could they resurrect them. We know the answer is “yes” because Jesus said in Mar 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye received them, and ye shall have them. BTW, This is looking back for a future answer. But I was curious what he would say.  He said they could reverse the timeline of those trees back to when they were healthy and then bring them forward on a good timeline so they would be large again. I had seen that changing timelines could happen within the parameters that were needed, big or small. This is as we saw, Hezekiah or Jerusalem. Also this is done by faith. Hezekiah received faith when the sign of the sundial time was reversed. Wouldn't you?  Our missionaries were being killed in the Middle East because they were using our books to convert very quickly, people from other religions whose leaders were very jealous, competitive, factious and murderers. Even their leaders were being converted. It was amazing that some of these believed they were Christians but they obviously were not reading the Bible. I was in contact with the leader of our missionaries and the elders by email as they were hiding from the murderers.  The Lord through His angels were killing groups of the enemies when they endangered the Christians. There were no wounds on them, they just fell dead like the 14 satanists that had been attacking us. The leader of the largest group of killers complained to me that we were killing their people; what hypocrisy! I told him that “none of their people have seen a weapon in the hands of our brethren there. They have not even defended themselves. So that leaves you with one other choice. The angels of God are killing you.” Which of course was not acceptable because that would make him and his murderers wicked.  I was emphasizing faith to the missionary leaders and the converts so that the Lord would act on their behalf. One verse I asked them to pass around and put into action was Mar 11:23-24 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that what he saith cometh to pass; he shall have it. 24 Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. (BTW, they too are believing for the out-resurrection.) Then we began to see in the emails from overseas parallel timelines very clearly. One we called the believers timeline and the other we called the double minded timeline. Kathleen, Michael, Brandy, and myself all witnessed this in the emails. God was showing us this parable to share with people. A person in the believers timeline began to be protected from enemies who eventually fled. They ended up being fed, encouraged, their health began to recover, housing, prosperity, and they went back to work in the ministry, etc. Whereas a person in the double minded timeline would have just the opposite; they were conquered by the enemy or captured, hungry, sick, discouraged, gave up the ministry and were sometimes converted to the enemies error, no housing or prosperity, and sometimes death. They cried to us but we were not able to help them; why?  Well, it says in Jas 1:5-8 But if any of you lacketh wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing doubting: for he that doubteth is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord; 8 a doubleminded man, unstable in all his ways.  Sometimes people would change timelines for better and sometimes for worse. Some became angry in their tribulation and fell away to faction and died in the fallen timeline. Those on the believers timeline who endured in their faith are now prosperous, while their enemies either fled or sided with them. They are in their own homes and are literally bringing in hundreds of thousands of converts even though their country persecutes and disallows Christianity.  Another example of a reversal of time bringing regeneration is the story of Abraham and Sarah. They were both past the age for bearing children.   Gen 17:15 And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. 16 And I will bless her, and moreover I will give thee a son of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be of her. 17 Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is a hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? 19 And God said, Nay, but Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his seed after him. 21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.  Gen 18:9 And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. 10 And he said, I will certainly return unto thee when the season cometh round; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard in the tent door, which was behind him. 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, and well stricken in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. 12 And Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? 13 And Jehovah said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, who am old? 14 Is anything too hard for Jehovah? At the set time I will return unto thee, when the season cometh round, and Sarah shall have a son.  Sarah was then 90 years old and was so beautiful that King Abimelech in Gen 20:2, mistakenly took her to be his wife, and then Isaac was born in Gen 20:1-2. When Sarah died Abraham took another wife and raised another family of six children. Gen 25:1 And Abraham took another wife, and her name was Keturah. 2 And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah. 7 And these are the days of the years of Abraham's life which he lived, a hundred threescore and fifteen years.  Gen 25:8 And Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years, and was gathered to his people.  Another example, we have two neighbors who were preachers of a non-spirit-filled religion and taught their people to go to man because that is how God does His works now. Both were dying as we were told a lot of those people who listened to them were too. We preached healing to them but they wouldn't listen. One just died of a blood clot suddenly; sound familiar? The other was dying of turbo-cancers one after another that spread like lightening through his body. Sound familiar? The one with the blood clot had just seen an astounding creative miracle happen in front of his face and still couldn't believe it.  The short version is this: We had a very long PVC suction line going about 700' from the meter to the pump on our property that pushed the water up our mountain. The head pressure against the pump was extreme. But the city backflushed the line and blew the couplings off of the PVC pipe under the ground so the pump was getting zero water. The city man at the meter said the water was coming towards us wide open, he could hear it rushing through the meter, but we got not a drop at the pump.  The pump had burned up and the motor got water in it and went zero to ground and smoked the windings. There is no natural repair for this, you have to rewind the motor and rebuild the pump and the pipe leaks could not be found under a jungle of small trees. This equipment was in a concrete sarcophagus with a concrete lid to cover it. This was a literal grave and Michael, Brandy, and I were looking down into it feeling like the patient had just died. But Jesus had a plan!   What came to me was “Let's throw the lid on it and go up to the house and turn the breaker and water on so we did. When we got home I said, “Let's throw the breaker on, I am going to take a shower”. So Michael threw the breaker and I got in the shower and opened the faucet and it came full force and I hollered at Michael, “We've got water!!!” The preacher asked us how we fixed it because he saw the whole thing. We said, “We didn't, God Did”. He didn't say a word and walked away.  Father gave grace through faith, a gift from God. Eph 2:7 that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus: 8 for by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not of works, that no man should glory. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God afore prepared that we should walk in them.  If we are limited to man's works we may not live through the wilderness. After the wilderness one should believe in miracles because that was all that saved them. Jer 17:5 Thus saith Jehovah: Cursed is the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from Jehovah. 6 For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, a salt land and not inhabited.   7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in Jehovah, and whose trust Jehovah is. 8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, that spreadeth out its roots by the river, and shall not fear when heat cometh, but its leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.  Looking back I have wondered what method God used to heal the line, pump and motor. Could it have been a time reversal? Well something just happened a few weeks ago that makes me think so. I asked the angels to put my water bill on autopay, and I thought they had, but they did not, and now I know why. This was for the glory of God! Anyway, we ran up a two month bill and they shut off the water without warning us to shut down our pump. A ten-stage water pump must have suction pressure or it will tear up, which it did. Brandy went and paid the water bill and they turned the water back on and that's when we discovered they had destroyed the pump.  Now if you want to believe the angels just float around on clouds and do nothing, listen no further or believe this: Heb 1:13-14 But of which of the angels hath he said at any time, Sit thou on my right hand, Till I make thine enemies the footstool of thy feet? (No, the angels are servants.) 14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to do service for the sake of them that shall inherit salvation? (They serve us when we agree with the Word and speak it.) Psa 103:20 Bless Jehovah, ye his angels, That are mighty in strength, that fulfil his word, Hearkening unto the voice of his word. So if you agree with the Word you can understand what I am going to say here.  I asked the angels to go and change the motor and pump out. I knew they wouldn't charge anything and we didn't have the money either. I got curious about their method so I asked angel Gregory. “Did you turn the water off?” He said “No”. I thought, “They are changing the pump out and the suction water pressure is on? Are they working under water? How does that work?” So I asked, “Did you shut the electricity off?” He said, “No”. I thought “at least angels don't get electrocuted.” I thought, “But you have to take the motor and pump out of line to change it.”  Then it came to me! I said, “Did you reverse the time to restore the pump and motor while they were still in line.” He said, “Yes”. The fact is, the water pump is now putting out better volume and pressure than ever. Angels are creatures of few words. They just let you work through all your thoughts while helping you to come to a conclusion. I guess we learn better that way. They also need you to walk by faith and speak faith so they can do their work. Michael and Brandy were trusting with me and are witnesses of these things. Gregory read this and agreed with this testimony.  Even time and the curse cannot be a hindrance to us if we learn this one key. Mark 11:23 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that what he saith cometh to pass; he shall have it. (24) Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye received them, and ye shall have them.  Science has proven this text through Quantum Physics or Mechanics. In the quantum, subatomic particle area, which is everywhere all around you, there are only possibilities and probabilities. Things don't work like you think they should. Nothing is there until you look. All that exists is only an infinite number of possibilities. (Remember Jesus said, “All things are possible to him that believes,” Mark 9:23). Whereas gravity works whether anyone is present or not (a tree falls down, not up, even if no one observes it).  Subatomic particles are not there unless someone (an observer) looks for them. We can't really know what they're doing, or even if they exist when we are not looking. It is possible that they “are not.” 1Co 1:28 says that God has chosen the “things that are not to bring to naught things that are.” How can a thing not be? This scripture makes no sense at all until you bring it down to the atomic level. All things are made up of atoms, which are made of subatomic particles.  These particles are not really particles because they exist only in a state of possibilities until someone observes them at which point they appear as a particle. If that sounds crazy, read Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. When you hope for something, where does it exist? Only in your mind and heart. It “is not”, it is only a possibility. Heb 11:3 By faith we understand that the worlds have been framed by the word of God, so that what is seen hath not been made out of things which appear. “…so that what is being observed has not come out of what is appearing.”  (What is visible). This is a statement that could have been made by a physicist! What makes it appear? You, the observer, with faith that gives substance to your hopes and dreams. Faith observes that which “is not,” and gives it substance so that it may appear and become visible, The key to manifesting matter, is to interact with that which “is not” so that it becomes what you hope for. Your expectations and beliefs (or what you observe) is of primary importance. If you observe and expect failure, sickness or disaster, that is exactly what will manifest. There are an infinite number of possibilities that exist for your life. You alone have the power to choose which possibility becomes reality in your life. Choose wisely. 

The Fallout of Favoritism Genesis 27 is the topic that will be discussed today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast. Last week, on “Breaking Free from Lying: God's Covenant,” we explored how Isaac lied to King Abimelech out of fear, following his father's example. We delved into the nature of lying and provided valuable […] The post The Fallout of Favoritism Genesis 27 | RIOT Podcast appeared first on Riotpodcast.

Through his sin, Abraham puts both his wife, Sarah, and King Abimelech's whole household in danger. The story is laced with irony. The foreign king is presented as the righteous one, while the chosen prophet acts cowardly and brings cursing on the nation. The king is innocent, but he still has no power to reverse the effects of Abraham's sin. This story causes us to look forward to a better innocent king who willingly bears our sin to reverse the curse.

Abraham and Sarah have to move and find themselves in a compromised situation where they lie thinking they will protect Abraham's life. But God intervenes and comes in a dream to the pagan King Abimelech and saves him from violating Sarah who had already been brought to his palace. Apparently she is a very attractive woman at the age of 90 that would prompt the king to send for her. This is a very fascinating story of God's intervention on Sarah's behalf. Notice how the innocent seem to get the punishment and the guilty are not reprimanded.

In this Bible Story, Abraham again lies about his wife to protect his own life from King Abimelech. Abimelech then takes her but God warns him in a dream and he restores Sarah to Abraham. This story is inspired by Genesis 20. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year. Today's Bible verse is Genesis 20:1 from the King James Version. Episode 14: Once again, Abraham's fear for his life causes him to place his wife in harm's way. This time it's in the kingdom of Abimelech that he tells the men she is his sister. And as in Egypt, the king takes Sarah to be with him. This time, however, Abimelech does not touch her, and God comes to him in a dream, warning him of the situation he is in. Hear the Bible come to life as Pastor Jack Graham leads you through the official BibleinaYear.com podcast. This Biblical Audio Experience will help you master wisdom from the world's greatest book. In each episode, you will learn to apply Biblical principles to everyday life. Now understanding the Bible is easier than ever before; enjoy a cinematic audio experience full of inspirational storytelling, orchestral music, and profound commentary from world-renowned Pastor Jack Graham. Also, you can download the Pray.com app for more Christian content, including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories. Visit JackGraham.org for more resources on how to tap into God's power for successful Christian living. Pray.com is the digital destination of faith. With over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible, the Pray.com app has everything you need to keep your focus on the Lord. Make Prayer a priority and download the #1 App for Prayer and Sleep today in the Apple app store or Google Play store. Executive Producers: Steve Gatena & Max Bard Producer: Ben Gammon Hosted by: Pastor Jack Graham Music by: Andrew Morgan Smith Bible Story narration by: Todd HaberkornSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Exodus‬ ‭33‬:‭16‬ “… it is in Your going with us that we are distinguished, I and Your people, from all the other people upon the face of the earth” If we look at the lives of different people in the bible who had God's presence with them, there was always something that distinguished them or separated them from other people around them. When Abraham moved to live in Gerar in the land of the Philistines, there was something that distinguished him from other people and King Abimelech had no choice but to notice it!

Join me today,  for an exclusive conversation with my dear friend, John Bevere,  a minister known for his bold, uncompromising approach to God's Word. He is also an international best-selling author who has written more than 20 books that have collectively sold millions of copies and been translated into over 130 languages. Along with his wife, Lisa, John is the co-founder of Messenger International, a ministry committed to revolutionizing global discipleship. In today's episode, we dive into a profound exploration of his books, 'Relentless' and 'The Awe of God', where we unearth the significance of grace and its influence on our adoption journey. We also delve into the powerful concept of stewardship, drawing parallels with King Abimelech's biblical tale, and its connection to wisdom. You don't want to miss this episode, so take a listen and enjoy!  Make sure to follow John Bevere on the following platfroms: InstagramTwitterFacebookLearn more or purchase John's book here!Subscribe and tell a friend!Visit bekandkev.com today to sign up for our email newsletter.Access our Free health assessment HERE

In this Bible Story, Abraham again lies about his wife to protect his own life from King Abimelech. Abimelech then takes her but God warns him in a dream and he restores Sarah to Abraham. This story is inspired by Genesis 20. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year. Today's Bible verse is Genesis 20:1 from the King James Version. Episode 14: Once again, Abraham's fear for his life causes him to place his wife in harm's way. This time it's in the kingdom of Abimelech that he tells the men she is his sister. And as in Egypt, the king takes Sarah to be with him. This time, however, Abimelech does not touch her, and God comes to him in a dream, warning him of the situation he is in. Hear the Bible come to life as Pastor Jack Graham leads you through the official BibleinaYear.com podcast. This Biblical Audio Experience will help you master wisdom from the world's greatest book. In each episode, you will learn to apply Biblical principles to everyday life. Now understanding the Bible is easier than ever before; enjoy a cinematic audio experience full of inspirational storytelling, orchestral music, and profound commentary from world-renowned Pastor Jack Graham. Also, you can download the Pray.com app for more Christian content, including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories. Visit JackGraham.org for more resources on how to tap into God's power for successful Christian living. This episode is sponsored by Medi-Share, an innovative health care solution for Christians to save money without sacrificing quality. Pray.com is the digital destination of faith. With over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible, the Pray.com app has everything you need to keep your focus on the Lord. Make Prayer a priority and download the #1 App for Prayer and Sleep today in the Apple app store or Google Play store. Executive Producers: Steve Gatena & Max Bard Producer: Ben Gammon Hosted by: Pastor Jack Graham Music by: Andrew Morgan Smith Bible Story narration by: Todd HaberkornSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

These scriptures share the beginning of yet another famine. They are filled with more deception and even more amazing blessings.     What did God tell Isaac to do in the midst of the famine and how did Isaac obey? Isaac was very much like his father in these scriptures.  How did Isaac try to outsmart King Abimelech and why? What cued King Abimelech to the truth of the deception and what was his response? Once again God proves His faithfulness.  How did His faithfulness prevail in these scriptures?  How does His overwhelming faithfulness exist in your life?   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/whengodwhispers/message

Born to LeadDay 5We are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.—Ephesians 2:10With one targeted drop of a piece of an upper millstone from the top of a strong tower, the woman of  Thebez saved the lives of all the inhabitants of her city. Their adversary, the heartless, power-hungry King Abimelech was about to set fire to the door of the tower—just as he had recently done in the city of Shechem, where he'd burned 1,000 men and women alive as they sought refuge in a temple. This woman had no delegated authority, and she had no time to seek permission or approval from higher-ups for her proposed actions. She used her resourcefulness and threw down the millstone piece that crushed Abimelech's skull (Judges 9:53). Resourcefulness is the ability to find creative ways to solve problems. When faced with challenges, look outside the box for solutions. Confront adverse circumstances with ingenuity and passion. See what others do not and know how to connect the dots to embrace new opportunities. One benefit of resourcefulness that may be surprising is that it enhances self-development, self-improvement, and self-worth. As you lead, resourcefulness helps you reflect on your current skills and determine if there are any you need to strengthen or develop. All these involve the resolve and resilience of the human spirit. In the book Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success, legendary basketball coach John Wooden says, "Resourcefulness is using our wits, proper judgment and common sense to solve problems and meet challenges. It is using initiative in difficult situations and involves inventing, creating, imagining, synthesizing, evaluating, classifying, observing and analyzing solutions to overcome the trials that life throws at us. Resourcefulness is dreaming up ways to meet our goals."John Wooden had to be resourceful when he lived in a fraternity house at Purdue University. He had trouble studying because there was always so much noise, so he decided to start getting up at 3 a.m. to accomplish the task in peace and quiet. When he needed money, he had to put his resourcefulness to use again, selling food at football games and selling basketball programs during the basketball season. He says that most people would call this an entrepreneurial spirit, but he just saw it as being resourceful.Here are some questions you can ask yourself to ensure you are making the most of every situation:• Is there another way to get what I want? If your current plan does not work, prepare a plan B.• Is my desired outcome really what's best? You may be going down a wrong path and need to course correct.• Who else has the information I need? You may not have all the answers, but there is always someone who does. Find that person.Resourcefulness is a mindset, and to be successful, you must embody characteristics such as discipline, dedication, hard work, confidence, and willingness. If you don't know the answer, you must find out how to get it. As Ernest Hemingway said, “Now is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with what there is.” In the Bible, we can look to the Proverbs 31 woman as the epitome of resourcefulness. She is described as a woman of excellence in whom her family can place their full confidence. She is a hard-working woman who takes initiative and possesses great strength and courage. She is resourceful with whatever is placed in her hand, skilled in using wool and flax to make clothing for her household. She is a woman of influence, managing her household, servants, money, and land well. The Proverbs 31 woman is both a shrewd seller and a shrewd buyer, and she plans to avoid unforeseen calamities. Most importantly, she fears the Lord, and the text says such a woman is more valuable than rubies.Resourceful leaders find a way to achieve their goals. They are skilled in thinking creatively, generating ideas, and identifying alternative ways of accomplishing any given activity. Resourceful people are imaginative and can visualize how to achieve the seemingly impossible. Determination enables them to stay the course and emerge victorious.

Greed and wanting all of the accolades for yourself is not of God and God is a jealous God.  Vengeance is mine saithe the Lord!!! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sharise-johnson-moore/message

In today's extended episode, M continues our study of Abraham's story together. M admits she struggles to stay within the allotted time frame for episodes as she finds so many things that she feels she must share. Guilty as charged! LOL!   With this in mind, our reading begins with Sarai taking matters into her own hands and her servant Hagar then running away to the wilderness to meet with the God Who Sees. Abram is renamed Abraham, Sarai becomes Sarah, Sodom & Gomorrah are destroyed, Lot's wife looks back and is turned to salt, + God steps in to once again free Sarah from Abraham's lies – this time to King Abimelech.     Whew! That is A LOT, but it also sounds pretty intriguing, right?!   You also don't want to miss out on M's bit of a deep dive into how God can and uses the faithlessness often found in our lives to fulfill His promises and purposes. When we are faithless, He is faithful.   Oh, OOBT friends, you certainly don't want to miss this one!   For the full episode show notes, please go to https://mfahring.com/genesis-16-20/.

In this Bible Story, Abraham again lies about his wife to protect his own life from King Abimelech. Abimelech then takes her but God warns him in a dream and he restores Sarah to Abraham. This story is inspired by Genesis 20. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year. Today's Bible verse is Genesis 20:1 from the King James Version. Episode 14: Once again, Abraham's fear for his life causes him to place his wife in harm's way. This time it's in the kingdom of Abimelech that he tells the men she is his sister. And as in Egypt, the king takes Sarah to be with him. This time, however, Abimelech does not touch her, and God comes to him in a dream, warning him of the situation he is in. Hear the Bible come to life as Pastor Jack Graham leads you through the official BibleinaYear.com podcast. This Biblical Audio Experience will help you master wisdom from the world's greatest book. In each episode, you will learn to apply Biblical principles to everyday life. Now understanding the Bible is easier than ever before; enjoy a cinematic audio experience full of inspirational storytelling, orchestral music, and profound commentary from world-renowned Pastor Jack Graham. Also, you can download the Pray.com app for more Christian content, including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories. Visit JackGraham.org for more resources on how to tap into God's power for successful Christian living. This episode is sponsored by Medi-Share, an innovative health care solution for Christians to save money without sacrificing quality. Pray.com is the digital destination of faith. With over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible, the Pray.com app has everything you need to keep your focus on the Lord. Make Prayer a priority and download the #1 App for Prayer and Sleep today in the Apple app store or Google Play store. Executive Producers: Steve Gatena & Max Bard Producer: Ben Gammon Hosted by: Pastor Jack Graham Music by: Andrew Morgan Smith Bible Story narration by: Todd HaberkornSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Genesis 21:24-34 – Tools for Great Relationships – Have you ever messed up so bad and thought God would never again use you for His glory? Abraham is a terrible witness and lies to King Abimelech, but God reveals deep relational wisdom through a profound restoration of these two men! Listen to Pastor Dave’s message and […] The post Genesis 21:22-34 – Tools for Great Relationships appeared first on The Mission Church.

After the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham moved from Mamre to Gerar. Upon their arrival in the new land, he told King Abimelech that Sarah was his sister. And just like in Egypt, the king brought Sarah into his haram. All God's Women is a women's Bible study podcast and internationally syndicated radio show where we journey through the Bible one woman at a time. If you enjoy learning about women in the Bible, tune in each weekday for bite-sized Bible stories about Bible women.

After the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham moved from Mamre to Gerar. Upon their arrival in the new land, he told King Abimelech that Sarah was his sister. And just like in Egypt, the king brought Sarah into his haram. All God's Women is a women's Bible study podcast and internationally syndicated radio show where we journey through the Bible one woman at a time. If you enjoy learning about women in the Bible, tune in each weekday for bite-sized Bible stories about Bible women.

We continue our journey through the bible with the life of Isaac. Isaac lied to the same King as his father concerning his wife Rebekah. Isaac told his wife to lie and say that she was his sister. Isaac was blessed with the blessing and we begin to see the blessing and its manifestation, so much so that King Abimelech recognize it as he did with Abraham and came to make a covenant with him.Support this podcast: https://donate.stripe.com/dR601q6346XZacw9AC Get bonus content on PatreonSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/623b4f307483db0013d3a659. I pray that God "gives you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance" https://plus.acast.com/s/623b4f307483db0013d3a659. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

The second part features God fostering discord between the people of Shechem and King Abimelech, even though they first supported his rise to power. Though he wins in an initial skirmish, even burning down the city and the tower in which the remaining citizens were hiding, in the end King Abimelech was killed when he attacked another city, Thebez. This time his fate when an unnamed woman threw a millstone at his head, a stone that evokes the “one stone” on which he had originally killed 70 of this half-siblings. Abimelech's ruthless use of power ultimately sealed his own fate.

This episode features one of the strongest statements anywhere in the Bible about the power that undergirds politics. No wonder! Abimelech's elevation to the throne was based on his ability to murder 70 siblings. Only one survived this massacre, Jotham, who is responsible for the anti-politics diatribe when he tells the Parable of the Trees.

Abraham allows fear to overtake his better judgement. This cause God to punish Abimelech for taking his wife Sarah. At the end of the chapter we see the reconciliation and the restoration of King Abimelech.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/christianboy/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/christianboy/support

Welcome back to Reading with Ben! Today I'll continue the lecture with chapters 20 & 21. Genesis Chapter 20, a similar pattern emerges. Abraham and company pull up stakes at Mamre and move to a place called Gerar, south of Gaza. Once again, Abraham and Sarah lie: claiming they are brother and sister (Genesis 20:13). The intent is to disguise the fact that they are married. Again, the most powerful man in the region, King Abimelech, takes this supposedly unattached woman for one of his wives (Genesis 20:2). Genesis Chapter 21, begins with the long-awaited birth of the son God had promised to Abraham and Sarah. This is the child through whom God would make Abraham a great nation (Genesis 17:6–7). --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/benlopezra/support

There is a famine in the land, so Isaac goes to King Abimelech of the Philistines in Gerar. The LORDwarns Isaac not to go to Egypt, but to settle in Gerar as an alien; God will be with him and bless him and his descendants here, fulfilling his oath to Abraham. So Isaac settles in Gerar, telling the local men that Rebekah is his sister, not his wife—like Abraham, he fears that he will be killed and Rebekah taken, because she is beautiful. One day, King Abimelech sees Isaac “caressing” Rebekah and realizes the truth. He warns his people that nobody may touch Rebekah.REF: https://www.litcharts.com/lit/genesis/chapter-26Our focus is on salvation and giving you the truth about Jesus. Jesus paid for your sins in his death and resurrection. Through this we have everlasting life. We believe that if you truly accept Jesus in your life and live by the words in the Bible you will one day be greeted at the gates of heaven and live eternally with Him. Join us for some conversation and real life testimony. Have questions or concerns Email us at hisservantbiblestudy@gmail.com we would love to hear from you. Join the conversation on our Instagram.com/servants_bible_study_podcast

Genesis 26: New Generation, Same Old Story | Isaac repeats the sins of his father, yet God still provides for him. Isaac's sons Jacob and Esau fight over their place in God's promises, and Jacob steals the birthright from his brother.Journey 3 | Foundations. Our third journey brings us to back to the foundations of the faith, and delivers some of the greatest stories and characters in the Bible. Genesis recounts the back story for all mankind and begins God's plan for redemption. Daniel presents phenomenal prophecies and the big picture of God's Kingdom, and Romans lays out the heart of the gospel with powerful answers to tough questions. This is Foundations. (84 days)Teacher: Kris LanghamAbout TTW: When the Bible is confusing, Through the Word explains it with clear and concise audio guides for every chapter. The TTW Podcast follows 19 Journeys covering every book and chapter in the Bible. Each journey is an epic adventure through several Bible books, as your favorite pastors explain each chapter with clear explanation and insightful application. Understand the Bible in just ten minutes a day, and join us for all 19 Journeys on the TTW podcast or TTW app!Get the App: https://throughtheword.orgContact: https://throughtheword.org/contactDonate: https://throughtheword.org/givingGenesis 26 Themes: Isaac, repeating mistakes, I am with you, God with usGenesis 26 Tags: covenant confirmed, Isaac and King Abimelech, she is my sister, Philistines, wells, well, altar, tentKey Verses: Quotes: Audio & Text © 2011-2021 Through the Word™ Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.Bible Quotes: The Holy Bible New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.

Readings for Tuesday, February 8, 2022 “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” -- John 7:7 Morning Psalm 42 1 As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me continually, “Where is your God?” 4 These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I went with the throng, and led them in procession to the house of God, with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival. 5 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help 6 and my God. My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. 7 Deep calls to deep at the thunder of your cataracts; all your waves and your billows have gone over me. 8 By day the Lord commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life. 9 I say to God, my rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I walk about mournfully because the enemy oppresses me?” 10 As with a deadly wound in my body, my adversaries taunt me, while they say to me continually, “Where is your God?” 11 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God. Psalm 146 1 Praise the Lord ! Praise the Lord, O my soul! 2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long. 3 Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help. 4 When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish. 5 Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God, 6 who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever; 7 who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; 8 the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. 9 The Lord watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. 10 The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the Lord ! Midday Genesis 26:1-6, 12-33 26 Now there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that had occurred in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar, to King Abimelech of the Philistines. 2 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; settle in the land that I shall show you. 3 Reside in this land as an alien, and I will be with you, and will bless you; for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will fulfill the oath that I swore to your father Abraham. 4 I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven, and will give to your offspring all these lands; and all the nations of the earth shall gain blessing for themselves through your offspring, 5 because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” 6 So Isaac settled in Gerar. 12 Isaac sowed seed in that land, and in the same year reaped a hundredfold. The Lord blessed him, 13 and the man became rich; he prospered more and more until he became very wealthy. 14 He had possessions of flocks and herds, and a great household, so that the Philistines envied him. 15 (Now the Philistines had stopped up and filled with earth all the wells that his father's servants had dug in the days of his father Abraham.) 16 And Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us; you have become too powerful for us.” 17 So Isaac departed from there and camped in the valley of Gerar and settled there. 18 Isaac dug again the wells of water that had been dug in the days of his father Abraham; for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham; and he gave them the names that his father had given them. 19 But when Isaac's servants dug in the valley and found there a well of spring water, 20 the herders of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's herders, saying, “The water is ours.” So he called the well Esek, because they contended with him. 21 Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that one also; so he called it Sitnah. 22 He moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it; so he called it Rehoboth, saying, “Now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.” 23 From there he went up to Beer-sheba. 24 And that very night the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham; do not be afraid, for I am with you and will bless you and make your offspring numerous for my servant Abraham's sake.” 25 So he built an altar there, called on the name of the Lord, and pitched his tent there. And there Isaac's servants dug a well. 26 Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his adviser and Phicol the commander of his army. 27 Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, seeing that you hate me and have sent me away from you?” 28 They said, “We see plainly that the Lord has been with you; so we say, let there be an oath between you and us, and let us make a covenant with you 29 so that you will do us no harm, just as we have not touched you and have done to you nothing but good and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of the Lord .” 30 So he made them a feast, and they ate and drank. 31 In the morning they rose early and exchanged oaths; and Isaac set them on their way, and they departed from him in peace. 32 That same day Isaac's servants came and told him about the well that they had dug, and said to him, “We have found water!” 33 He called it Shibah; therefore the name of the city is Beer-sheba to this day. Hebrews 13:17-25 17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls and will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with sighing—for that would be harmful to you. 18 Pray for us; we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things. 19 I urge you all the more to do this, so that I may be restored to you very soon. 20 Now may the God of peace, who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 make you complete in everything good so that you may do his will, working among us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. 22 I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, bear with my word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly. 23 I want you to know that our brother Timothy has been set free; and if he comes in time, he will be with me when I see you. 24 Greet all your leaders and all the saints. Those from Italy send you greetings. 25 Grace be with all of you. John 7:53-8:11 7:53 Then each of them went home, 8:1 while Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him and he sat down and began to teach them. 3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them, 4 they said to him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. 5 Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, sir.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.” Evening Psalm 102 1 Hear my prayer, O Lord ; let my cry come to you. 2 Do not hide your face from me in the day of my distress. Incline your ear to me; answer me speedily in the day when I call. 3 For my days pass away like smoke, and my bones burn like a furnace. 4 My heart is stricken and withered like grass; I am too wasted to eat my bread. 5 Because of my loud groaning my bones cling to my skin. 6 I am like an owl of the wilderness, like a little owl of the waste places. 7 I lie awake; I am like a lonely bird on the housetop. 8 All day long my enemies taunt me; those who deride me use my name for a curse. 9 For I eat ashes like bread, and mingle tears with my drink, 10 because of your indignation and anger; for you have lifted me up and thrown me aside. 11 My days are like an evening shadow; I wither away like grass. 12 But you, O Lord, are enthroned forever; your name endures to all generations. 13 You will rise up and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to favor it; the appointed time has come. 14 For your servants hold its stones dear, and have pity on its dust. 15 The nations will fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth your glory. 16 For the Lord will build up Zion; he will appear in his glory. 17 He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and will not despise their prayer. 18 Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet unborn may praise the Lord : 19 that he looked down from his holy height, from heaven the Lord looked at the earth, 20 to hear the groans of the prisoners, to set free those who were doomed to die; 21 so that the name of the Lord may be declared in Zion, and his praise in Jerusalem, 22 when peoples gather together, and kingdoms, to worship the Lord . 23 He has broken my strength in midcourse; he has shortened my days. 24 “O my God,” I say, “do not take me away at the mid-point of my life, you whose years endure throughout all generations.” 25 Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. 26 They will perish, but you endure; they will all wear out like a garment. You change them like clothing, and they pass away; 27 but you are the same, and your years have no end. 28 The children of your servants shall live secure; their offspring shall be established in your presence. Psalm 133 1 How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity! 2 It is like the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down over the collar of his robes. 3 It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion. For there the Lord ordained his blessing, life forevermore. You can also find all of today's readings at PCUSA.org. The Daily Lectionary podcast is a ministry of First Presbyterian Church of Plattsburgh, NY, read by Pastor Timothy J. Luoma.

We all have those people in our minds that Pastor Dan just mentioned a moment ago...when we think about our last conversation or interaction with them, we cringe. Well, today you'll see that Abraham and Sarah had one of those people in their lives. King Abimelech. Abraham tried to deceive Abimelech and it didn't go very well. Perhaps as you listen today, the LORD will bring that person to mind in your life that you're not quite at peace with. Maybe after listening, you'll be prompted to go and have an open and honest conversation with that person?

ABRAHAM AND KING ABIMELECH, Chapter 4 of Polygamy in the Bible  Pages 23 to 29 Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel and gavest It to the seed of Abraham thy friend forever? (2 Chron. 20:7) Many prophets have given several different descriptions of Abraham, but the most commonly known are those that describe him as a “friend of God” and “the father of the faithful”. For these reasons his life should be significant to everyone, but it is especially important to us because he was a polygamist. To Read this Chapter https://fundamentallymormon.tumblr.com/post/673662443910791168/abraham-and-king-abimelech-chapter-4-of-polygamy Read this book:http://ogdenkraut.com/?page_id=479 Read other books on Restoration Theology: http://ogdenkraut.com/?page_id=30 Fundamentally Mormon Goes Live Monday to Friday at 6pm Mountain time. Chat room and Live call in number for questions and comments found at link below also you can Find other teachings on this podcast here: https://www.blogtalkradio.com/fundamentallymormon Thanks for Liking, Sharing, Subscribing and Listening 

Today we return to Abraham and Sarah who find themselves in a familiar situation when King Abimelech mistakenly takes Sarah to be his own wife. Though this story shares many similarities with the story of Pharaoh just 8 chapters before (watch or listen to that episode here), today Pastors Clint and Michael explore what makes […]

Today we return to Abraham and Sarah who find themselves in a familiar situation when King Abimelech mistakenly takes Sarah to be his own wife. Though this story shares many similarities with the story of Pharaoh just 8 chapters before (watch or listen to that episode here), today Pastors Clint and Michael explore what makes […]

Originally inspired by J. Vernon McGee's Thru the Bible broadcast, narrator, Aaron J. Yancey, reads through the entire Bible in bite sized pieces to make it more digestible. Hopefully, these recordings will inspire you to read the Bible more often and see it as a valuable resource in your daily life. Enjoy! The scriptures are from various translations on the YouVersion Bible app found here: https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app Additional resources include: biblehub.com/timeline biblegateway.com gotquestions.org blueletterbible.org biblestudy.org Intro music by Cornelius E. Yancey II and The Saints. Follow us at

A new MP3 sermon from Iglesia Bautista Esperanza Viva is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: King Abimelech 2 (OD71) Subtitle: Opa's Devos Speaker: Andy Bonikowsky Broadcaster: Iglesia Bautista Esperanza Viva Event: Devotional Date: 9/17/2021 Bible: Genesis 20:7-18 Length: 5 min.

Today's class will finish up chapter 19 and start to study King Abimelech and Abraham in Genesis 19:30-38 and Genesis 20:1ff. Handout 1:  Text-for-Genesis-19v30.pdf Handout 2:  Text-for-Genesis-20v1-18.pdf --Michael D. Henson, Pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church (Herrin, IL). Picture: Pr. Jerry Dulas teaching at the Eldona Summer Camp in Kerrville, TX July 19-23, 2021. https://vimeo.com/587471965 Above is the video, below is the audio.

Love isn't just a noun. It's not just something that we have or don't have. Love is also a verb. It's a doing word. And the doing part of love, involves sacrifice. It involves sowing seeds that will result in an eternal harvest.   Planting Seeds Today The farmer who expects a harvest without planting any seeds in the field. Now I'm no farmer; I'm not even a particularly good gardener, but I'm smart enough to know that unless the guy plants some seed, he's not going to see any sort of harvest. In fact the only thing he'll see is an empty field full of dust or mud depending on how much rain he has had. He may be dejected, he may be upset that there's no harvest. But what does he expect? He didn't plant any seed. Pretty obvious – and yet all too often we live our lives on the very same, equally ridiculous basis. We wonder why our relationships aren't producing a harvest. We want our relationships to be rich and fruitful. We want them to be rewarding. We want relationships to be fun, as well as being strong and supportive. But all those desirable attributes of relationships don't just happen. They take investment. They take effort. And if your relationships aren't all that you want them to be – then maybe, just maybe it's time to plant a seed. This is the last message in a series that I've called, "Living a Life That Leaves a Lasting Legacy of Love". Bit of a mouthful but I guess you get the point. We all want to leave something good behind. We all want to leave a legacy of love in the lives of our children and their children. In the lives of our friends, even our work colleagues and our acquaintances. I hope that when I'm gone, some of the many people who have, over the years listened to these radio programs, will have a much better life, because I did what I did. I hope my children carry forward values that I imparted to them – decency, integrity, kindness – and hand them on to their friends, and their children. We all hope those sort of things and yet, all too often, we don't build and nurture the sorts of relationships that allow that to happen. When you think about it, by and large, we only really allow ourselves to be influenced deep down inside by people we respect and trust. If we don't trust them, why would we listen to them? If we don't respect them, why would we take on any of their values or ideas? It makes sense. I want you to think right now about a relationship that's important to you, but it isn't quite what you want it to be. This is a relationship that really, really matters … and yet, it's not as healthy as it should be. Do you have that person's face pictured in front of you at the moment? Now, what do you do with that relationship? One of the options is to run away. That's a distinct possibility if the relationship is causing you pain, or if you're just not quite up to working on it just at the moment. Sometimes, what we want to do is give up because the circumstances are against us. I'm pretty sure you know exactly what I'm talking about. I want to share with you a story of a man who wanted to run away from something, from a situation – but instead he stayed amidst his difficult circumstances and did something very, very important. Have a listen to this story: Now there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that had occurred in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar, to King Abimelech of the Philistines. The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, ‘Do not go down to Egypt; settle in the land that I shall show you. Reside in this land as an alien, and I will be with you, and will bless you; for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will fulfil the oath that I swore to your father Abraham. I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven, and will give to your offspring all these lands; and all the nations of the earth shall gain blessing for themselves through your offspring, 5 because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.' So Isaac settled in Gerar. When the men of the place asked him about his wife, he said, ‘She is my sister'; for he was afraid to say, ‘My wife', thinking, or else the men of the place might kill me for the sake of Rebekah, because she is attractive in appearance. When Isaac had been there a long time, King Abimelech of the Philistines looked out of a window and saw him fondling his wife Rebekah. So Abimelech called for Isaac, and said, ‘So she is your wife! Why then did you say, She is my sister?' Isaac said to him, ‘Because I thought I might die because of her.' Abimelech said, ‘What is this you have done to us? One of the people might easily have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.' So Abimelech warned all the people, saying, ‘Whoever touches this man or his wife shall be put to death'. Isaac sowed seed in that land, and in the same year he reaped a hundredfold. (Genesis 26:1–12) I shared that story because it has three very important lessons in it about planting seeds. The first one is about the famine – adversity. Our natural reaction is inevitably to run away, to withdraw. When a relationship is going through a difficult time, one of the things that we so often want to do is to crawl into a cave and hide from it. Anything just to get away. The last thing we think of doing is being proactive and planting a seed. Think about that difficult relationship I asked you to picture earlier – what have your thoughts been about it over the past week. Have you been thinking about how you can get out of the situation, or how you can make it better? Which one have you been focusing on. The second lesson is that Isaac, like his father Abraham, was far from perfect. He repeated his father's mistake by lying about his wife and putting her into danger. Sometimes, we think we have to be perfect to sort things out. Well, it's just not true – you and I will never be perfect and if we wait until we are to work on a relationship then we will never get around to it. And the third lesson is the lesson about planting seed in the middle of the famine. The most counter intuitive thing you can possibly do. Isaac sowed seed in that land and in the same year reaped a hundredfold. If you want to improve a difficult relationship then be prepared to plant seed in the middle of the famine, to plant a seed in the time of adversity, because chances are, you'll reap a hundredfold in return. What does it look like to sow seed into a relationship? Let's imagine that your relationship is with a teenaged son – he's causing you all sorts of grief and you just don't know what to do. He listens to all this weird music; he's into all these things that don't make sense to you. How do you sow seed into his life, to produce a hundredfold harvest? Well, it's time to get interested in the stuff that he's interested in. Ask to listen to some of his music, show interest, ask him who the band is, what they're singing about, why he likes their music. Maybe he's into Facebook and you're a complete novice – so ask him to show you how to setup an account and how to use it. Or maybe he's done really well at something and its time for you to celebrate with him. Entering into his space, listening to him, getting interested in the things that he's interested in … and that's just the beginning. Each one of those is like planting a seed. There's a famine – the relationship is difficult. It's a seed that says you care. It's a seed that says I love you and I accept you just the way you are. And my friend this is a seed that will reap a harvest of a hundredfold; it's a seed that will deliver a harvest. If we want to leave behind a lasting legacy of love then we need to deal with those difficult relationships – proactively, positively, on the front foot. And that means, quite simply, being prepared to plant seeds into good soil – the sort of soil that's ready to accept them – even during times of adversity. Especially during those difficult times. Because that's the sort of seed that's going to deliver the sort of harvest that we're looking for – a lasting legacy of love. Otherwise, we're just like that crazy farmer who expected a harvest, without planting any seeds.   Choosing Your Investments Wisely Don't worry, I'm going to give you just a little bit more time to consider your investment options. Over the last couple of weeks, we've been chatting about living the sort of life that is going to leave behind a lasting legacy of love. Because as our lives here on this earth draw to an inevitable conclusion, what we leave behind for those for whom we really care starts to matter more and more to us. The important things start getting really important, the shorter that our time on this planet becomes. Problem is, it's right now that we need to be doing the sorts of things, planting the sorts of seeds that are in fact going to leave behind that legacy of love – it's no good leaving it until it's too late. So that's what we are talking about in this series – what we need to do now, what seeds we need to plant now, who we need to invest in now – so that when our days on this earth draw to a close, we will really be at a place where we know that we're leaving behind that legacy of love. Now – how are you going on your investment questions? Still struggling with them? Well here they are again. You have $100,000 to invest and three choices. Option 1 – put it in an interest bearing deposit with a bank. Option 2 – invest it in a blue chip stock that's been performing handsomely over the past 3 years. Option 3 – invest it in a company that looks like it's about to go under. Which one will you choose? Now if we were talking about a real $100,000 the answer is actually pretty obvious. You'd pick between the bank account and the blue chip stock, depending on the degree to which you're a risk taker. In fact, probably what I would do, is I'd split 40% each to the bank deposit and the blue chip stock, and I'd take 20% and buy a CFD or a Contract for Difference – that's a stock market device which allows me to win if the stock of a company falls and put that on the struggling company. But now let's take that same investment question and look at the relationships that you're going to invest in between now and when you die. Let's draw a relationships analogy. Let's say that with the time and effort that you have to invest in relationships you can choose between (1) A rock solid relationship, (2) A slightly higher risk relationship but one that offers greater returns, or (3) A struggling relationship that looks like it's going to fail. Now, which one of those are you going to invest in? I know what you're thinking – right now, no doubt what's going through your mind us – hang on a minute, the criteria I applied to the financial investment quiz don't apply to relationships. And if that's what you're thinking … you're absolutely right. Because if the struggling relationship that's about to fail happens to be your marriage, or a relationship with a difficult child – there's every chance that you're torn – on the one hand, you want to throw everything into those relationships, on the other, you want to run a million miles from them because they're tough and they're hurting, they're demanding and the toll on you is huge. Some people make the decision to pull the plug on their marriage – and invest in a more pleasant relationship – an affair perhaps. Others will go down with the ship fighting to the last to save a marriage or a child. Because the main criterion in choosing the relationships we invest in is not the return, it's how important those people are to us. There is not a single person on this earth who is more important to me than my beautiful wife. I love her dearly – and if I had to, if she needed me to, I would abandon every other relationship, in order to save her. So, why are we talking about this stuff? What's the point of these tough questions – simply this. The sad truth is that a good percentage of people are so busy, or tired, or jaded that they don't invest in any relationships. It's like taking their $100,000 and stuffing it under the mattress. Some people never make the decision to invest in any relationships, or when they do, they do it half heartedly, and they go for the return that they get out of it, rather than how important that person is, or should be, to them. If you and I want to leave behind a lasting legacy of love then we need to invest in relationships – we need to be deliberate about choosing the relationships we invest in – and like any investment portfolio, there is going to be a spread of different types, with different risk/return profiles. A man whose marriage is struggling should throw all of his emotional energies into investing in his marriage. I remember hearing a man speak once, and he told of the last time he sat and talked with his grandfather in hospital before he passed away. He said Grandpa, "What's the one thing that you're most proud of in your life?" The Grandfather got a tear in his eye, and he answered, "Oh, that's simple. Growing old with the mother of my children." That's a powerful answer, wouldn't you agree. To any man or woman whose marriage is struggling, I want to implore you to invest all that you have in that company that looks like it's about to go under. It may be that you save your marriage, it may be that you don't, but I guarantee you that in the long run, whichever way it turns out, you won't regret having given it all that you have. I want to encourage you too, to invest in a handful of good friends. Some will give you more than you give them, others it will be the other way around. But friends are invaluable. Choose them wisely. I also want to encourage you to invest in some people who have nothing to give you, but who desperately need the help and love and care and concern of someone like you. And finally, please … please … invest in some young people, at home, at work, in your local community group and become their mentor. Hand on your wisdom and skills – as you pull alongside them and make them much greater and much better than they could ever have been without you. If you want to leave a legacy of love that lasts well beyond you, that ripples out from you and down through the generations, then what you need to do now, is get your relationships investment portfolio going. Jesus is a great example of this. He had thousands – thousands of disciples who followed him around. Often when you read about the Disciples in the Gospel accounts, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, the writer is talking about this wider group. But Jesus, out of all of those, selected only 12. Mostly uneducated bumpkins. Fishermen. Tax collectors. Not the educational elite from Jerusalem, but the flotsam and jetsam from the slums of Galilee. Simon (whom he named Peter); James son of Zebedee and John the brother of James; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. Those guys, when you read about them, so often got things wrong. They made a hash of things. They argued. Judas stole from the money that they all had. They tried to out do each other. He chose imperfect people and he built close relationships with them – and on their shoulders stands His Church around the world today. From the investment that Jesus made in those 12, has grown a massive, global church. Jesus' investment in his relationships with those men has left the most amazing legacy of love that has rippled down throughout the ages. He was so often frustrated with them. They so often fell short of his expectations, and yet his 12-fold relationship investment portfolio has returned more than anyone could ever have imagined.   An Eternal Harvest The whole point of sowing seeds is that eventually the yield a harvest. That's what we know, and that's precisely what Jesus taught in the parable of the sower. It may be quite a familiar parable to you, but have a listen to it again: That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen! (John 13:1–9) Now the part of that parable that you normally hear people focussing on is the bit about where the seeds fell and what that means. That's fine. When the Disciples asked Jesus to explain this parable to them, that's what He told them about. But I particularly want to focus on the harvest bit at the end. And how the harvest is achieved. Here it is again. Verse 8: Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. But where did the harvest come from? It came from those people in whom the seed – which, as Jesus later explains to His disciples is the Word of God – fell in good soil and took root and brought forth the grain. The return on one seed is massive – one seed in such a person yields a hundred, or maybe sixty or at the very least thirty more grains. How does that happen? Well, it's as natural as a farmer sowing wheat. When the Word of God takes root in our hearts, it produces an abundant harvest. Here's what I all too often observe. Well meaning Christians who think that impacting people's lives is all about working hard. Now to be sure, it involves hard work – and, as we've seen sacrifice a lot of the time. But that work and sacrifice flow out of us naturally, willingly, joyfully when they come through the Word of God, which, through the Holy Spirit, has taken root in our hearts. Think about it, the farmer may well sow, weed, fertilise, but who gives the growth? Who turns that one seed into a wheat stalk into a 100 grains – not the farmer! God does. And so it is with us. The more of God's Word that we get into us, the more He transforms our lives through His Spirit and his Word – the more grain we are going to produce. The more of a harvest we are going to see – because it's His harvest, not ours. And only God, by His Spirit and His Word, can produce an abundant, eternal harvest. Only God can win souls and transform lives through you. Your role, my role is to be close to Him, with the Word of God dwelling richly in us. Our role is to be one of His vessels, pure and clean and holy as we can be, ready to be about His business of winning souls and transforming lives. And the time for that to start is … not next week, or next month or next year my friend. The time for that to start is now. Here … and now. That's exactly what Jesus said: Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest'? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. (John 4:35) I want to encourage you today to live a life that is so close to Jesus, a life that is so transformed by Jesus, so full of His radically sacrificial, unconditional love. The sort of love that is prepared to lay down its life for others. This Jesus who laid down His life for you, my friend, if you put your trust in Him, if you put your life in His hands, he's calling you to lay down your life for others. God means to use you just the way you are, just the imperfect way you are, to sow the seeds that are going to make an eternal difference. With all my heart this is what I know; that's what it means to live the sort of life that is going to leave a lasting legacy of love. So as we come to the close of this series, let me ask you this. What are you going to do to change your life so that your life leaves a hundredfold harvest? What are you going to do to change your life so that when you're gone at least 100 people will have their lives touched and transformed by the love and the spirit and the word and grace and the mercy of God simply because they knew you? That's the plan God has for your life. It's a plan to produce an abundant harvest.

Sermon given online by Stephen Pohlman for Riverside Community Church, 6 June 2021. Steve continues in this series looking at how David processes, prays and worships after having acted crazy in the presence of King Abimelech.

Audio Transcript: This media has been made available by Mosaic Boston Church. If you'd like to check out more resources, learn about Mosaic Boston in our neighborhood churches or donate to this ministry, please visit mosaicboston.com.Good morning. Welcome to Mosaic Church. My name is Jan. We're the pastors here at Mosaic along with Pastor Shane and Pastor Andy. And if you're new or visiting we'd love to connect with you. We do that through the connection card in the worship guide. The physical one or you can also get the digital version in our app or on our website. And if you fill it out we'll be sure to get in touch with you over the course of the week. Happy summer. And happy bring an iced beverage to church day. If you see my last station back there I've got 18 water bottles back there. Stay hydrated my friends. Stay hydrated. Oh, that said would you please pray with me with the preaching of God's Holy Word. Heavenly Father we thank you that you are good God and you are a great God. Although our sins, our rebellion, our transgressions deserve punishment. Instead, you poured out that punishment upon your Son Jesus Christ. The Lamb of God, the Son of God. Jesus on the cross, you got what we deserved so that you could offer to us what you earned.We thank you for the gift of salvation. We thank you for the gift of grace that just doesn't make any sense. Why would you do that? You did that because you are God who is love. We thank you for the Holy Scriptures. We thank you for the story and the example of Abraham that often he was not a hero, he was actually an anti hero. And yet you came in and you worked with him and he poured out your love upon him and you kept sculpting him, kept molding him, kept shaping and sanctifying him and I pray that you do the same with us.If there are habitual sins in our lives. If there is recidivism in our lives where we fall back into patterns of sin I pray today pull us out by your grace and give us a vision for our lives to be people who are a blessing to many. Bless our time the holy word. Holy Spirit we welcome you into the space. We love you and we love your presence. We pray that you today convict us and encourage us where we need to be encouraged. We pray this in Jesus name. Amen.We are in a sermon series. Going through parts of the book of Genesis. We're calling it Jesus in Genesis. And we're in particular looking at the story of Abraham and how our story relates to his story and more importantly how his story and our story points to the story of Jesus Christ and our need for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The title of the sermon today is Déjà vu All Over Again. And we see Abraham committing his greatest sin that he's ever committed. And he does it again. In chapter 19 we saw the story of God's punishment coming down on Sodom and Gomorrah. God pulls through the angels Lot out and ends the story in a very hopeless situation. So now we're done with Lot and we'll hear nothing more of him. And after the promise that God made in chapter 18, where Jesus Christ as a Kristoff and he shows up.He's flanked with angels. And he comes to Abraham and Sarah and promises that in a year you will have the promised son. You've been waiting for over two decades. Probably 25 years but next year he's coming. And what we're expecting after chapter 19, is that in chapter 20 Isaac is born. Why do we expect that? We expect that because Abraham has been winning. He's been growing in his faith. God called him in chapter 12. He said I'm going to bless you, I'm going to make your name great, I'm going to bless those who bless you. And I'm going to bless the nation's through you Abraham. He follows God and we see him early on his walk with the Lord was serpentine. It was wandering. Kind of like Storrow Drive. Just wavering back and forth. And what we see with Abraham is now he's beginning to string wins together.We see that beginning with Lot and goes to his nephew Lot and he gives him a pic of the land generously. And then after Lot is taken into captivity by a coalition of kings, Abraham the great warrior gets his 318 trained men and they together go to war to save Lot and he comes out victorious. He's recognized by Melchizedek as a man of God. He resists temptation. When the king of Sodom offers him financial profit, the Lord appeared to him twice to reaffirm and elaborate the covenant. And God said here's a sign of the covenant. You need to circumcise yourself. And Abraham in his '90s probably his greatest act of faith promptly obeys, circumcised himself with a flint knife and does the same to 318 trained men. You see just his faith guides everything that he does. Win after win after win after win and apparently he got tired of all that winning. So after Abraham wins, now Abraham sins.And in chapter 20, Abraham takes his 90-year old wife. He's 100. He takes his 90-year old wife and passes her off to King Abimelech. And she's taken into his harem. He pimps off his 90-year old wife. Apparent grandma was really good looking. I don't know what it was. A different oxygen, different food levels, no GMO, Pilates. I have no idea. But apparently at 90 she was still smoking hot and King Abimelech takes her into his hands. So we'll get into that.The worst part is. The worst part that as I sat down and I'm like chapter 20. I'm writing this sermon. I'm crestfallen. I'm like, "Oh, no. Not again." The worst part of this whole situation is he's done this before. He pimped off his wife who was a little younger to the king of Egypt back in chapter 12. And God intervened and God saved him. And now he does the same thing again. Big lesson for us is dear Christian sin clings so closely. And time with the Lord does not make you impervious to sin. It doesn't make you impervious to falling back into old patterns of sin. Into tragic recidivism where you relapse. The point of the whole text is Abraham's a sinner saved by grace. Still remains a sinner. He's a saint, he was a sinner and a sinner who's a saint. So never lose sight dear Christian. That we have to be aware of sin and that we are to fight the good fight of faith.We'll do the same thing we've done in the past weeks. We're going to walk through the text verse by verse. But three big sections. Three points to frame up our time. Point one is Abimelech restrained. Second is Abraham rebuked and third is Abimelech restored. First Abimelech restrained. Genesis 20:1. And from there Abraham journeyed toward the territory of the Negeb and lived between Kadesh and Shur. And he sojourned into Gerar. So Abraham was called by God to go to the land of Canaan. That's the promised land. The first time he sinned against his wife and against God, he went from the promised land to Egypt. Now he goes from the promised land to Kadesh and Shur into Gerar. He's traveling from the extremely southern point of Palestine. Shur was on the border of Egypt. And he visits the royal city of Gerar which is just above the Gulf of Suez on the way to Egypt. Suez we've heard recently in the news. The Suez Canal. That's where the container ship got stuck in the Suez Canal. This is the general vicinity where Abraham goes. It's hostile territory.We're not told why he goes. Perhaps he went because there was famine in the land or perhaps he went because he was afraid of God who judged Sodom and Gomorrah and Abraham watched him judge Sodom and Gomorrah. Perhaps he was afraid of retaliation from the neighbors of Sodom and Gomorrah, that they will retaliate against Abraham in order to retaliate against God or perhaps he was bitter. Later on the text he says God made me go from my hometown to land of Canaan. There's a bitterness. Perhaps it's because he expected that when he interceded for Lot in Sodom and Gomorrah that God would answer him.And he didn't get what he wanted from God. Perhaps he's... But we're not sure. So now we see him going into hostile territory with his flocks, with his herds, with the people he has with him. He's a chieftain. There's over 300 people with him. So it's a huge caravan. And he's going into hostile territory as a believer. These are different people, they worship different gods. It's kind of moving to Boston from somewhere where it's acceptable to be a Christian. You move up to Boston and you keep your bumper stickers on your car.You keep the little fish on your car. Why do you keep the fish on your car? Because you're a Christian. That's why. Why'd you put the fish in your car in the first place? Because back in Mississippi when Christian police officers pull you over, they're going to let you go. You're a Christian. Up here no one cares. I remember when Pastor Shane moved up here, he had a little Toyota Camry. And he had a little Jesus fish on the back of his car. And after an evening service, we show up this car and the back windshield was just mis shattered. Someone threw a brick through the back of his car. Why? I don't know. Jesus fish maybe. So if you've got Jesus fish on your car, man congratulations. You are a very bold Christian. And now you have to drive like a hostile territory. He goes there. He knows that he is not like these people. That he believes unlike these people. These are enemies of Israel.We'll learn later on. The Philistines come from this general land. So what happens? Well, Genesis 20:2. Abraham said of Sarah his wife. So now people are asking, "Hey Abraham. Who's that woman next to you? She's apparently very good looking." And the tradition of that land was the king could take any unmarried woman into his harem or the king could kill any husband of the married woman to take her into his harem. So that's why Abraham said of his wife Sarah. She is my sister. And Abimelech King of Gerar sent and took Sarah. He takes Sarah the wife of Abraham.First thing Abraham does is exactly the same thing he did 30 years ago. Why? What's he motivated by? Motivated by fear. Fear for his life. And he gives up his dear wife Sarah. Decades they've been married. Gives her up to a King Abimelech into his harem. Now I've been married by God's grace and my wife Tanya. It's going to be 15 years this week. Someone came up to me. Praise... Yea, clap for her. Good job. Thanks, Edgar. And I've made some faux pas. Some mea culpa. Some my bads in my life in my marriage. I have some bad ones. The first one I think is first year married. I forgot it was her birthday. I just forgot her birthday. Show up at home, she's dressed up, makeup on. It's dinner on the table. Beautiful. And I'm like, "What's the occasion? Of course I know. Well, I forgot your present in the car."So I run down. And I go to the nearest store that was next our apartment building. It was TJ Maxx or Marshalls. And I went to the first thing I could find. And it was a little wooden bucket with soap stuff. And some country CDs. So that's what I grabbed for. I was like, "You're from Ukraine. You like country music." No, she did not. That was a... So still to this day I'm recovering. I've made some bad mistakes in my marriage. But I've never pimped off my wife. Praise God. And the lesson here gentlemen is don't pimp off your wife. That's number one. Number two, is Abraham the great father of the faith does this. And he does it twice. And what's the lesson here? The lesson here is under pressure, under stress, under anxiety. When motivated by fear, it's so easy to relapse the former sins. It's so easy to go back to old patterns of life. So the question for us today is what sins from your past are you prone to return to? Especially when under stress. And when are you prone to return to them?And you need to know that. You need to reverse engineer your walk with the Lord and you need to know yourself and when you're tempted so that you do not make provision for the flesh. Don't put yourself in positions where your flesh takes over. And instead of walking by the spear you walk by flesh. Speaking of harems. The custom of the land. You have power, you have money, you can make yourself a harem. A harem is just a group of women that you sleep with. Your concubines. Perhaps you don't have the money and the power and the opportunity to build yourself a harem. But we live in a day and age when people are building not physical harems but definitely digital ones. And Jesus spoke right into that. And he said whoever looks upon a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Abimelech committed the sin of adultery when he just looked at another man's wife. And so we see Abraham sinned and we see Abimelech sins and there's a lesson for us that we are to fight our sin and protect in particular sexual sin. So the question is what's going to happen? Who will protect Sarah from being defiled? Because God promised that Sarah is going to have a child with Abraham.God promised a unilateral covenant that he's not going to break his word. That's exactly what we see God coming to the rescue. This is verse three. But God. I love that phrase because that's the same phrase that's used in Ephesians when it says that you are dead in your sins and your trespasses. All of us are on our way to hell but God intervenes but God sent his Son. But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you've taken for she is a man's wife. Now Abimelech had not approached her. So he said Lord, will you kill an innocent people? Did he not himself say to me she is my sister and she herself said he is my brother. In the integrity of my heart. And the innocence of my hands I have done this.God speaks, God intervenes. Speaks to him in a dream. Does God still speak in dreams? Yeah, he does. And sometimes to you, sometimes to your loved ones. This week I was sitting at home in my basement. It was 11:00 PM and I smell something burning. And I run around. I ran upstairs and make sure it's nothing upstairs. And then I ran back downstairs and one of my outlets was on fire. I had to pull out a plug and sparks were flying. I was like, "Whoa, that was weird." The next day my daughter Elizabeth wakes up and says to my wife, "Hey, Mom. I had a dream that our basement set on fire." Sounds trippy. She had no idea.And I was like, "Did we make it on alive?" She said yeah. I was like, "All right. Praise God." It's just once a month. So sometimes God speaks in prophetic dreams. Sometimes it's just to reaffirm yes, I'm with you. Yes, I'm here to protect you. Sometimes it encourage, sometimes is to sanctify. So God speaks to an unbeliever through a dream. Can God speak to unbelievers? Yeah. God can do whatever he want with whomever he wants. He sovereign speaks to this guy in a dream and says you're a dead man. The same God who set Sodom and Gomorrah on fire, judgment, fire, brimstone comes to King Abimelech who's definitely heard about what went on Sodom and Gomorrah. And he says you are a dead man. I'm going to kill you. Does God have the authority to take our life? Yeah. The God of the universe who gives us life can take it at any single moment. And God says that you're dead. Maybe you've taken another man's wife. Why? Because God cares about marriage. He cares about marriage a lot. Abimelech says I haven't approached her yet. And Abimelech says Lord, that's a great start. Lord, he knows that this is God and he speaks of innocence. He's like, "God, I'm innocent." Actually a relative term. He's sinful in other ways. But from this perspective, he's innocent. He did what he did without knowing the full story.And Abimelech makes the same argument to God that Abraham made to God as He was interceding for Sodom and Gomorrah. He says will not the just God of the universe do what is right. And he's got a case. What he's really saying is, God I didn't deserve this. If anyone does deserve it, who is it? If anyone does deserve to get whacked for the situation that they're in, who deserves to get whacked? Abraham. God why aren't you coming after Abraham? Why are you coming after Sarah? Who also isn't a total victim. Apparently they played this con whenever they've when because that's what Abraham says later on the text.I asked my wife. I was still talking about this text. And she's like, "You know what? I bet Sarah wanted to leave." I was like, "Why did you say that?" She's like, "Just imagine you have the option of being a princess. You were living in a tent. Now you get to live in a mansion. She's not completely innocent either. You get a black American Express Card. You get your hair's done and your nails done, your hair done and all that done like everyone's pampering. Who knows. But she went along with this plan." And what's fascinating about this text is Abimelech the pagan king is more righteous. Presented as more righteous in this text than the man of God.In chapter 18, God said about Abraham. I've called him. He's mine. I've chosen him to be righteous, teach righteousness to his children. And we see the unbeliever behaving more moral than the believer. And that's often the case. Unbelievers are sometimes some of the most moral people just really, really good people. Generous people, caring people, loving people. And then on the flip side, it's the believers that are sometimes the most mischievous and the most sinful. You ever do business with a Christian? With an unbeliever, you got to sign one contract. With believers, two. At least two. Because of the Christian, when they became a Christian, they understand how wicked they are. That's what makes them a Christian. What makes you a Christian is I have sinned against God, I need to repent. It's really bad. Every Christian that you see is a really bad person. But the difference is they know they're a bad person.Sometimes the moral people are very moral people to get away from God. Abimelech is the moral person in this text. At the end of the text, he's very generous but he never becomes a Christian. He never loves God. You can do a lot of good things. And you can be a very moral person and not be a believer not go to heaven because you are doing all the great things not for God but for self. Back to Abraham. What was motivating him? What motivated him to sin again? It might have been bitterness against God. It might have been just time has elapsed. It's been 30 years since chapter 12 and chapter 20. It might have been that he knows just how lavish God's grace is. Did Abraham deserve to be called by God? No. Did Abraham deserve to get a word from God? No. Did Abraham deserve for God to speak to him and show him the covenant? No, no, no, no. Did Abraham deserve for God to tell him I'm making a unilateral covenant with you even if you break your end of the bargain, I'm still going to hold up mine? He didn't deserve that.Abraham also knew that God saved him once. I sinned you save me again. You also promised me that within a year I'm going to have a son. So clearly, you are going to work out your plan. And you might not need me in the process. This whole idea of I can sin because God will come to the rescue. This idea is called cheap grace. Where you say Jesus died on the cross for all my sins past, present and future. So why not continue to sin? God will forgive me. It's his job. I think part of that is going on in this idea of cheap grace. And yet God will forgive. Dear Christian, if you are in your sins. If you sin, God will forgive you if you repent of that sin. But it doesn't mean you won't bear the consequences of that sin. And it definitely doesn't mean that God won't discipline you like a loving father. Does God discipline Abraham in this text for this sin? Oh, yeah.He publicly shames Abraham through Abimelech. And he publicly shames Abraham for 1,000s of years by including this text in the Bible. So we look at this guy like, "You're a loser. You're a loser twice." God does discipline. Look at Hebrews 12:5-11. Have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? My son do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves and chastises every son whom he receives. It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline. If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the father of spirits and live.For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them. But he disciplines us for our good. That we may share his holiness. For he disciplines us for our good that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant. But later, it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Shows us that we're saved not by a morality. This is what the text shows us. But just by sheer grace. We're saved by sheer grace not because we're better. We're not Christians because we're better. We're Christians because we're saved, forgiven. And we're not saved because we're good. We're not forgiven because we're good. We're saved because God is good. That's really what this chapter is highlighting. That despite Abraham's sin, how great God's grace is to intervene and help him. God intervenes just like in chapter 12 showing you that God is the only hero of the story and of the book of Genesis of the whole Bible.And God intervenes his work in the marriage of Abraham and Sarah, right? And that's what God is doing. He's exposing sin in their marriage. He's exposing deception in their marriage. A lack of faith prior to the child coming. And this is important lesson that before you have a child, you need to know that whatever sin there is, you got to work through and repent of it and do the hard work because when children come, everything just gets magnified. It's just exponentially harder. Not only does your wife see your sin but the kids see your sin and oh, your sin then impacts your kids. And imagine Isaac wakes up and he says, "Abraham. Dad. Daddy, where's mommy?" And then Abraham's like, "Oh, long story. Hear I pimped her out to King Abimelech. You want cereal for breakfast." That would scar the kid for life.So God is working on their marriage exposing the sin. So there's repentance prior to when the child comes. Verse six. God speaking to Abimelech. Then God said to him in the dream. Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart. And it was I who kept you from sinning against me. Therefore, I did not let you touch her. Now then return the man's wife for he is a prophet so that he will pray for you. And you shall live but if you do not return her, know that you shall surely die. You and all who are hers. So I didn't touch her. You wanted to obviously. That's why you married her.I don't let you consummate the marriage. So God here is sovereign even over sin. He's the one that keeps Abimelech from sinning and the part of the Lord's Prayer is Lord, lead us not into temptation. God I beg you please keep me from sin. Prevent me from sin. And God does that with Abimelech. And then God gives Abimelech a choice. You can either return her and live or if you don't, you'll die. And that's the same choice that God gives every single human being. Either repent and that's turning from sin and you will live. Repent and believe in Jesus Christ. You will live if not, you shall surely die. The decision is yours. If Sarah had stayed even one night with Abimelech, there would have always been a question of is Abraham Isaac's dad? And the other thing I want to point out is this is the first use of the word prophet in scripture. And which is very ironical though.We're prophets messenger for God. And the first time the word prophet is used is in the context of the Prophet's sin. Showing that every single human prophet is fallible and sinful and it points to our need for a greater profit who's never sinned. And Abraham will pray for you. And at this point, Abimelech is got to be thinking what in the world? The guy sinned against me, lied to me. And now it turns out he's a prophet. And it turns out he needs to pray for me so that I can get saved. It doesn't make any sense. Just from a human perspective from a societal justice perspective. It doesn't make any sense. We'll leave that hanging until point three. Point two. Abraham rebuked. We see this in verse eight. So Abimelech rose early in the morning which is contrast to Lot when God warned him through the angels. Hey, get out of Sodom and Gomorrah because fire and brimstone coming. Lot slept on it woke up had breakfast. Finally, the angels had to drag him out.Here Abimelech wakes up first thing in the morning. This what he does. Called all his servants and told them all these things. And the men were very much afraid. Abimelech fears God. His servants fear God. And yet they don't become believers at the end. They fear God like children fear a stranger. Please I don't know what you're going to do with me. I'm afraid of you. Abraham fears God as a child. There's a difference. There's a loving relationship. Here Abimelech never becomes a Christian. His father's never become Christian. They're just afraid of punishment. Whereas a real child of God fears disappointing God which obviously Abraham did in this situation. So he too needs to grow in fear of God. Verse nine. Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, "What have you done to us? How have I sinned against you?" That's interesting. Because the very first time that the word sin is used in this chapter is from God talking to Abimelech. I kept you from sinning. So now Abimelech has an understanding of sin. That sin is transgressing God's law.How have I sinned against you that you brought on me and my kingdom of great sin? You have done to me things that ought not to be done. And here what's fascinating is Abimelech preaches a sermon to Abraham. Abimelech gets everyone to get the whole court together. Puts Abraham in front. It just lights them up with the words that God gave them. So this is God speaking through Abimelech that you Abraham are a hypocrite. Your witness is terrible. Your witness to God. If God didn't intervene, all of us would have perished. You would have brought great sin on me and the kingdom. You did what ought not to have been done. And that's a fascinating term.Abimelech how did you know what ought to be done? How do you know? God told him. Abraham, did you know what ought to be done? Yeah. So you sinned against me. And this is a fascinating idea. And every single person you ask that's alive and a christian or non Christian. You ask them is the world as it ought to be? And every single person says no, the world is not as ought to be. There's a lot of crime and there's a lot of evil and there's a lot of terrible things in the world. Corruption in the world. The world is not as it ought to be. Are you as you ought to be? No, I'm not. Well, how do you know? Because there's a moral law written on your heart. A moral compass. Is it calibrated perfectly? No, it takes God's word brought in to recalibrate Abimelech's moral compass here. Abimelech's concern isn't just for himself but for his kingdom. Which shows that he's a good ruler and again shows that he's a good person despite the norms of the day. Verse 10, Abimelech said to Abraham. What did you see that you did this thing? Abraham said I did it because I thought there is no fear of God at all in this place and they will kill me because of my wife. So Abimelech is like, "Why do you do this?" And Abraham says I did this because you guys don't fear God.And here Abraham is the hypocrite of Matthew seven where Jesus says before you pull out the speck in your brother's eye, make sure there's not a log in your own eye. So Abraham to Abimelech. He's like, "I did this because you don't love God. You don't fear God. I did this because you have a toothpick in your eye." As Abraham has a two by four in one eye and a telephone pole in the other. He's just the biggest hypocrite of this whole text. You guys don't fear God. I just knew all of you guys are perverts and sickos and weirdos. You kill me to take my wife. So I decided to pimp her out before you did that. Just the logic is so warped. I knew you were so sinful. So I'm going to sin to prevent you sinning against me. And this just shows a lack of faith. He didn't go into the place on mission to share the gospel. He went to the place selfishly to preserve his wealth, kind of like Lot did when he went to Sodom. And apparently there was more fear of God in Abimelech than there was in Abraham. That's the contrast.Verse 12. Besides. So now Abraham is... He knows he's caught. But he lawyers up and he just... Oh, what a text. Besides, he pathetically tries to make excuses. He's caught in sin and he's like, "Besides." He's like, "I knew you don't fear God. And besides she is indeed my sister. Cue the country music. She is indeed my sister." Like a pro. Why are you even...? Don't even bring that up. Why did you marry your sister? Oh, because it was easier. We didn't have to change last names. You're a pervert. Don't do that. This is pathetic. It's like you get caught in a sin and then you try to excuse it and the excuse is even worse than the sin. You get pulled over by a cop and the cop is like, "Why are you speeding? Why are you speeding?" And you say, "I swear to drunk. I'm not God. I'm not God." The first service nobody got it. Here, a couple...The excuses are worse than the sin itself. Kids do this all the time. Where you get caught in a sin and then you just try to excuse it. That's what Abraham is doing. He knows he's caught. He's caught by daddy, he's caught by Abimelech. And then he starts saying this is my sister that I married her. My father though not the daughter of my mother and she became that way. And when God caused me to wander from my father's place that's it. That's the verse. God caused me to wander. When God forced me to wander. Remember last week I was talking about Lot. He got saved but he wasn't happy about it. It's like a high schooler getting saved before they start freshman year in college. And like, "Don't save me yet I want frat parties." That was Lot. That's Abraham. He wants to sin right now. And he's just caught in the sin. And then who does he blame for this whole situation? Oh, God caused it. Same thing Adam did. Adam sins, eats of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.God comes looking for him. Adam where are you? And what does Adam say? The wife whom you gave me. She forced me. You see the past 70. You see he's trying to shirk his responsibility. Pass it off. There's bitterness toward God. And I said to her this is the kindness you must do to me at every place to which we come. Say of me he is my brother. And he's saying this is the kindness you got to do me. This is how you need to love me. That's what we're doing. Instead of saying how can I love my wife and sacrifice myself to protect her, he goes to his wife and says this is how you must love me and sacrifice yourself to protect me. He's just got everything back. And remember last week I was talking about Abraham was a great patriarch and Lot was a soytriarch. Where here Abraham, he's back to soytriarch land. He loses his spine. His faith spine and he goes to his wife and he says I want you to sacrifice yourself for me anti gospel.What is the gospel? The gospel is Jesus Christ sacrificing himself for his bride. And then Jesus says to husbands. Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. Abraham is doing the opposite here and technically was Sarah his sister. Yes, technically yes. But it's not the full truth. She was also his wife. His sister wife. A half truth masquerading as the full truth is a full lie. And we need to know this. If you are going to grow in discernment and understanding of reality, you need to understand that this is the thing. People lie with facts. Just like Abraham lies with facts. People lie with statistics all the time. Your head could be in the oven and your feet in the freezer and on average, very comfortable temperature. You're not comfortable. Statistic lie all the time.If you want to understand politics and you understand the news. You need to understand that people all the time spin one fact and present one fact which is half truth as the full truth. And they do it for click bait and they do it for eyeballs and they do it to persuade us with a narrative et cetera. So we as believers need to grow in discernment knowing that people lie all the time with facts. And this is what Abraham was doing. Abraham's behavior is pathetic, it's an excusable, it's deeply disappointing. He's here no different than Lot was in last chapter. Last chapter Lot takes the angels into his house, shows them hospitality and then an order protect himself and the angels, he passes off his daughters to the gang rapers. And he says, "Hey, take my virgin daughters instead of the angels." He's sacrificing his beloved ones for himself. Abraham's doing the same exact thing here. The worst part he's in the middle of his Christian life. It should be expected that he would do better but he suffers from what something that all of us suffer from is thing called spiritual amnesia.And once again he falls on his face, fails in his faith. We see cowardice, selfishness, indifference. He stumbles badly. So will his son Isaac. Who will do the same thing. And then his great, great grandsons will sin as well Judah in particular. Abraham stumbled, so have I. And so have you. And this just shows the fallibility of the saints. And when you become a Christian, you're still a sinner. You're a sinner saint and a saint sinner. And the privileged position doesn't preclude him from failure. It doesn't preclude him from floundering. Genesis 20:14. Then Abimelech took sheep and oxen and male servants and female servants and gave them to Abraham and returned Sarah his wife to him. And Abimelech said, behold my land is before you, dwell where it pleases you. To Sarah he said, behold I've given your brother... Tremendous Abimelech. Tremendous little jab. Behold I've given your brother 1,000 pieces of silver. It's a sign of your innocence in the eyes of all who are with you before everyone you were vindicated.What in the world just happened? Abraham sins against Abimelech. Abimelech is the one giving gifts to Abraham. This makes no sense. It should have been Abraham saying here Abimelech. I'm sorry. My bad man. Here's some animals. Here's some silver. Instead, Abimelech is the guy. He's like, "Take the animals, take any real estate you want. Here's 1,000 pieces of silver. Half a piece of silver was a monthly wage of an average worker. Half. So that means 1,000 pieces is working 167 years. That's like if our average salary is 40 grand. He's given him $7 million. Just incredible wealth. On top of that, this is what Abimelech is doing. This why I think he's a funny guy.When you get married, the price of a bride was 50 shekels and he's like Abraham I'm not just going to give you 50 shekels. I'm going to give you the price of 20 brides. 1,000 shekels. It's boss right here. And part of what he's doing is, he's vindicating the honor of Sarah. He cares more about her reputation than Abraham did himself. So Abraham was a complete anti hero here. Abimelech takes God's warning seriously. Abraham doesn't. Story continues. These are point three. Abimelech restore. Genesis 20:17. Then Abraham prayed to God and God healed Abimelech and also healed his wife and female slaves so that they bore children. Apparently part of what happened with Abimelech was there was a curse put on all the people for Abraham's sin. And the wombs of the people were closed. And what's ironic is... Oh, and this is verse 18. For the Lord had closed all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.The irony is that in order to open Sarah's womb for the promised son, God closed the wombs of many other women. Here the Lord is Lord of Abraham's sin. He's the Lord of Abimelech's non sin and he's the lord of childbirth. And he's the Lord over everything. A question here that I want to wrestle with at the end in closing is why is this text here? Why is this here? It teaches the lesson that we all stumble, that we all fall. We have a proclivity to relapse into sin. But is that all it's teaching us? I think it is teaching us more. Because by the end of the chapter, despite Abraham's sin. Abraham is a better man for it. He's learned from this sin. In a sense he's been sanctified by his sin and he's been blessed through the process of the sin. So there's a deeper lesson going on here. And I think there's a doctrine here. A doctrine that's taught by theologians in their books not often taught out loud. Because of the danger of this doctrine being twisted to justify sin.The doctrine's called O felix culpa in the Latin. O happy fault. And the phrase goes back to Gregory the Great in the end of the sixth century. And he got it from Augustine. And who got it from St. Paul in Romans seven. That yes, we wrestle with sin undeniably. But at the end, it brings glory to God because our sin... It turns our attention to Christ like nothing else does. Sin is undeniably ugly is disreputable, inexcusable, it's harmful. It's an abomination before God. But sin is also an occasion often to learn the absolute deepest lessons of our lives. Life changing discoveries. Now sometimes you know what true. You know a truth. I'm a sinner saved by grace. You know a truth. And then you sin.You commit a sin that scares you. Why I did that. And you walk out of that sin by God's grace pulls you out. And you have such a deep awareness of sin like you never have a deeper fear of God. A deeper love for God and more zeal to fight the good fight of faith without the fall, without the sin of Adam and Eve, we would have never had the incarnation. We would have never had the death of Christ on the cross. The resurrection. We wouldn't have had some of the most incredible victories in the spiritual warfare. One theologian says there would certainly have been no display of some of the divine attributes of God had sin not been. They would have been conserved forever and the depth of the Godhead. So in a sense, we get to know more of God, the depth of God, the greatness of God because sin entered the world. And obviously, we can't use that as an excuse to excuse our sin, to justify our sin. God hates sin. Sin is wickedness.But there is this undeniable reality. As John Owen says the greatest evil in the world is sin. And the greatest sin was the first. And yet Gregory feared not to cry O happy fault which found such a redeemer. And I think we can't deny that. Some of the greatest lesson we've ever learned in our lives about God, about the truth, the reality of good and of evil, of God and of Satan, we've done through the sin. Romans 7:14-25. This is the text that Augustine points to. For we know that the law is spiritual but I am of the flesh sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells within me that is in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right but not the ability to carry it out.For I do not do the good I want but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want is no longer I who do it but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies closer and for I delight in the law of God in my inner being. But I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am. Who will deliver me from the body of death. Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then I myself serve the law of God with my mind but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.The logic is irresistible. I'm wrestling with sin. St. Paul says he struggled with sin. If he was always finding himself flat on his face even near the end of his life mourning his great moral weakness then there's hope for me and there's hope for you. His sin pointed him to the glory of the Savior Christ. And Christ gets glory from saving us from sin. And then God uses our sin in the process of sanctification because we realize what it took for Jesus to turn my sin into sanctification. What did it take? It took the cross of Jesus Christ. There on the cross of Jesus Christ, Jesus got what we deserved. Punishment for our sin to extend to us where he earned. Kind of like Abraham and Abimelech.Abraham sins, God goes to Abimelech and says you're a dead man. Abraham gets what he didn't deserve. And then Abimelech gives to Abraham... So Abimelech gets what he didn't deserve. Abimelech gives to Abraham what Abraham didn't deserve. It's a double imputation. This is what happens when we believe in Jesus Christ. That our sins get counted to him. His righteousness gets counted to us. He who knew no sin became sin so that we might become the righteousness of God. Obviously the danger here is that we can sin as a way to get more grace and Romans six deals with that. And obviously that's false. In Romans two, St. Paul sternly condemns that idea that doing evil may bring about good.Does God want us to be complacent with sin? Does God want us to sin? Of course not. But this chapter's showing that God is greater than our sin. Whatever the things in your path, God is greater than our sins and God can use those sins as a sculptor. We're all block of marble and Jesus is sitting here with a hammer and chisel and just chiseling away the sinful parts of who we are so that we can be more faithful to him. And the final analysis Abraham is a better man. He's prepared for the rest of his life to live a life of faithfulness. 2 Timothy 2:13. If we are faithless he remains faithful for he cannot deny himself. Did Abraham betray the covenant? Yes, he did. But God did not. Abraham gave God reason to withdraw the promise but God would not. Abraham dishonored the Lord's name, dishonored his word but the Lord not only forgave him not only rescued him but blessed him abundantly with land, with animals, restored his marriage and gave him $7 million. God used Abraham's misbehavior then to create peace and harmony with the people in the land. Now back to the question. Is this fair? Was this text fair?Was it fair that Abimelech almost gets whacked for doing something that he didn't know he was doing? Oh, it's not fair. Is it fair that Abraham who commits the sin is called a prophet and has to intercede for the guy that didn't do anything wrong? Is that fair? No. Is it fair that Abimelech then gives the sinner Abraham $7 million, land and vehicles? Is that fair? No, it's not fair. Is it fair that Jesus Christ dies on the cross for my sin? That's not fair. It's not fair. God is greater than fair. That's not fair. But that's grace. And that's why grace makes us so... Makes God so great. Look, you might be a great person. Good person. You might be much better person than I am. You might recycle much better than I do. Sometimes a plastic bottle goes in the garbage in my house. It's terrible. You might drive an electric vehicle. You're much better than I am. You might waive the right flags and you might go the right parades and be an activist for the right things. You might be a great moral person.Being a good person doesn't get you into heaven. It doesn't. That's the point with Abimelech. It's not about being a good person. It's about being a perfect person. And there's only one perfect person and that's Jesus Christ. And the only way we can be reconciled with God and have our sins forgiven is to believe in Jesus Christ and ask for his righteousness to be counted on to us. And that's the beauty of the gospel. That through faith in Jesus Christ, God sees Christ's righteousness in you. It's as if Jesus Christ is interceding for us. Abimelech needed Abraham to intercede for him but Abraham died. So who can intercede for us? There's one who can intercede for us who is not dead. He's sitting at the right hand of God interceding for us. Isaiah 53:12. Therefore, I will divide him a portion with the many and he shall divide the spoil with a strong because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors yet he bore the sin of many. It makes intercession for whom transgressors.This one means to be a Christian you say God I am a transgressor. I have sinned. God I need you to intercede for me. Jesus intercede for me. And Hebrews 7:25. Consequently, he is able to save the uttermost those who draw near to God through him since he always lives to make intercession for them. If you are not a Christian we welcome you to become a Christian today by repenting of sin and believing in Jesus Christ. If you do that you are welcome and partake in communion. Today for homeless communion it's for repentant Christians. How do you become a Christian? You repent of sin and turn to Jesus Christ is for repenting Christian. So if you're Christian, if you have repented of sin but are currently living in habitual sin, you know that our sins in your life that you have not repented of them you have not turned from then right now is the opportunity to repent of those sins and partake in Holy Communion. If you don't repent today, if you don't become a Christian today, we ask that you refrain from this part of the service per 1 Corinthians 11.Right now we're going to pray for Holy Communion. If you haven't received a cup and you'd like to partake in communion, raise your hand and the ushers will pass them out as I'm praying. Let's pray. Heavenly Father we thank you for the gift of grace. What a gift it is. We thank you that you are more than fair. That you are also a loving God, a gracious God, a merciful God, a God that's long suffering. A God that longs to bless us not just in our lives but to the third, the fourth, the 10th, the 10,000s generation that comes from us. Lord we thank you for the story of Abraham. We thank you that you didn't give up on him when he was faithless but you remained faithful. In our own lives Lord, we repent of sin and we ask you to forgive us for all those times we've been faithless. And fill us with the spirit to fight the good fight of faith. Continue to sanctify us Lord and make us people who not only wage war against sin but our daily victories over.Lord Jesus we thank you for pouring out your blood and we thank you for your broken body. And I pray that you cleanse us through your blood and that you heal us through the brokenness of your body. I pray this in Christ's name. Amen. Take off the first piece of plastic, take the bread and then peel off the second piece of plastic which opens up the cup. And the night Jesus Christ was betrayed he took the bread and after breaking he said this is my body broken for you. Take eat and do this remembrance of me. Then proceeded to take the cup. And he said this cup is the cup of new covenant of my blood was poured out for the sins of many. Take drink and do this in remembrance of me. Lord Jesus we thank you for your intercession on our behalf as you sit the right hand of the throne of God the Father. We thank you not just for forgiveness of sin but that you use even our past sins to shape us and sanctify us and to sculpt us into the people that you have created us to be.I pray Lord Jesus that you send us the Holy Spirit and fill us and empower us. Give us the wisdom and the power and the strength to live in a manner worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ and use us here in the city to share the gospel with many so that many are saved. Draw the elect into your kingdom. And please use us in the process. We pray this in Jesus name. Amen.

King Abimelech does a lot to make sure Sarah's reputation is not solid.  He is the more righteous man in this chapter.  He is not about defending just himself, but is truly a man, carting about all those who have been under his care, even if they lied to him.  Can that be said of us?

1. Is the book of Nehemiah in the Old or New Testament or neither? 2. From 1 Kings 11, what was the number of wives and princesses, along with 300 concubines of King Solomon? 3, 50, 100, 700 3. When he had a vision, who said "Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean"? Adam, Reuben, Samson, Peter 4. From Acts 7, who was the first person martyred for his belief in Jesus Christ? Apollos, John the Baptist, Jehu, Stephen 5. When he met King Abimelech, Abraham pretended that Sarah was his ...?...Article Link

What is the Church’s teaching on homosexuality? Using both the Scriptures and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Cale explains why the Church teaches that homosexuality is wrong. Cale also looks at Genesis 20 where Abraham once again lies about Sarah being his wife – this time to King Abimelech. What is a prophet? Resource […] All show notes at A Whole “Lot” of Sin - This podcast produced by Relevant Radio

Friday 19th February Praise God! We thank God for this lovely Friday. I pray it would be a wonderful weekend for every one of us in the name of Jesus. We are still continuing our discussion on the different shades or expressions of love. We spoke about the 7 kinds of love recognised by the Greeks which we also see their instances in the bible, and yesterday we began to look at the different shades of love one by one. Today we will talk about Storge and Pragma. Storge is what we can call familiar or the family love. It is something close to Phieo, but not exactly. Phileo is the love between friends but Storge goes deeper than that. It is the love between family. The love that parents have for their children and the children for their parents. We saw this kind of love when the prodigal son experienced when he met his father. When the prodigal son demanded for his inheritance and messed up his opportunity, his father still took him back because of Storge. We see Storge demonstrated again when Jarius. He was the leader of synagogue and normally he should not be seeing Identifying with Jesus not to talk of bowing to Him publicly. But because of the love he had for his daughter, he humbled himself and met Jesus publicly worshipping Him. It was the love of the parent for his dying child that made him do that. It was Storge the family love. (Mark 5 vs 22-23) The next type of we will talk about love is Pragma. The word pragmatic was derived from the Greek word Pragma. This type of love is enduring or lasting. It is the love that grows over time. It is the love that develops between a husband and wife after many years of marriage. It is not the honeymoon kind of love. It is much deeper than that. This type of love endures because it's been tested over time. Imagine when you have been married for 20 years or you are still able to maintain your love for each other. This kind of love we see expressed between Abraham and Sarah. As they grow older, the love they have for each other made them protect each other. In Genesis chapters 11 and 20 we see how they protect each in the face of threat from King Abimelech and King of Egypt. These kings wanted Abraham's wife. Abraham told Sarah to tell people that she was his sister. It was the pragmatic thing for Abraham and Sarah to act in that way to preserve their lives and love. In Jacob and Leah story, we saw the same thing. Leah wasn't Jacob's wife of love, it was Rachel. But after Rachel's death, the Bible talked about Jacob and Leah keeping themselves in love till the end of their days. After the death of Rachel, he grew to love Leah and they stayed that way till the end of their lives. Pragma is a type of love that grows over time. It is enduring love. What shade of love are you expressing or experiencing? Pragma? Eros? Storge? Or Phileo? God bless you and have a lovely weekend.

Today we are talking about hidden things, lies and half truths. What is done in the dark will come to light. King David and Bathsheba's relationship was exposed as well as Abraham and Sarah telling have truths about their relationship to King Abimelech. When a lying spirit is invited into your life someone is bound to get hurt.

Abraham meets King Abimelech and God intercede on his behalf. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/john-walker43/message

THE LAW OF CONTRACT: ESTABLISHING A COVENANT RELATIONSHIP ••• Bible Study Verses: John 15:5, Genesis 26:26-31, I Samuel 20:16-17, Genesis 12:1-3, Hebrew 13:5, Exodus 11:3, Genesis 39:21, Exodus 3:21, Joshua 11:20, Esther 5:8, John 3:16, Revelation 3:20. ••• “Some Christians overlook the blessing of sanctification, and yet to a thoroughly renewed heart this is one of the sweetest gifts of the covenant. If we could be saved from wrath, and yet remain unregenerate, impenitent sinners, we should not be saved as we desire, for we mainly and chiefly pant to be saved from sin and led in the way of holiness” Charles Spurgeon, ‘Treasury of David-Psalm 23' † ••• “The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant.” Psalm 25.14, NKJV ••• What are 3-attributes of a relationship that glorifies our Creator, The Lord Christ Jesus, and leads to a more fruitful year ahead? ••• What type of relationship did King Abimelech and Isaac have? ••• What type of relationship did David and Jonathan swear too? ••• What are the 3-elements of a conditional covenant? ••• What are the positive aspects of a covenant? ••• What type of Covenant did God make with Abraham? ••• What are 3-elements God’s Covenants? ••• What life action must you do to get blessings from God? ••• Why is a Covenant Relationship Important? ••• What are at least 5-Benefits of a Covenant Relationship with our Creator God? ••• Will you respond to God’s invitation to establish a covenant relationship with Him today? ••• Pastor Godwin Otuno expounds on this and much more on the exciting journey of Fresh Encounters Radio Podcast originally aired on January 2nd, 2021 on WNQM, Nashville Quality Ministries and WWCR World Wide Christian Radio broadcast to all 7-continents on this big beautiful blue marble, earth, floating through space. Please be prayerful before studying The Word of God so that you will receive the most inspiration possible. ••• This Discipleship Teaching Podcast is brought to you by Christian Leadership International and all the beloved of God who believe in it’s mission through prayer and support. Thank you. ••• Study Guides at: https://shows.acast.com/fresh-encounter-radio-podcast/episodes ••• Photo by Greg Rakozy (@grakozy), https://www.buymeacoffee.com/grakozy & Joshua-Sortino http://www.sortino.co/, me@joshuasortino.com, @sortino, art direction by gil on his mac. ••• † Source: https://christian-quotes.ochristian.com/Charles-Spurgeon-Quotes/ ••• Podcaster Website: http://www.lifelonganointing.com/ ••• FERP 210102 Episode #153 GOT 210102 ep153 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

After Isaac is born, King Abimelech asks Abraham to form a peace treaty with him. The awesome thing about this peace treaty is the fact that Abraham finally gets exactly what he longs for - security. Shop the P40 Ministries Store here: www.p40ministries.com/shop

Abraham moves from Mamre. Once again, he tells the King of the new region that his wife Sarah is his sister. God intervenes hard.

On this segment of Sunday Morning Stories, we share a small portion of Issac's life: he lied to King Abimelech, became wealthy, got hated on and ran out of town.   If you would like to be a guest on the Moore Substance podcast, have inquiries, input or constructive criticism, you can email us at MoorSubstance@gmail.com

Rev. Joe Baldinger joins J. Thomas for this discussion of Isaac's first interaction with King Abimelech. The full video of this conversation is available at the following link:  https://youtu.be/FRsLFWu_zgA

When Abraham moved into dangerous territory, he lied about Sarah being his wife again to protect himself. God spoke to King Abimelech in a dream to call out Abraham for his sin. Fortunately, God doesn’t reject us when we sin, even if we keep making the same mistake over and over again like Abraham did. […]

Genesis 20:1-18 This lesson is the account of the third major failure of Abraham.  Sadly, it was a repeat of his first failure, when he purposely hid the truth that Sarah was his wife and not just his sister.  If even a great man like Abraham (the "father of faith" and "friend of God") sins, we certainly know none of us are exempt!  One of the reasons (among multitudes) we know the Bible is truly God-inspired is because it always speaks the truth about people, even "the best" of God's people.  We read about Noah's drunkenness, Moses' temper, David's adultery, and Peter's denials.   We look at Abraham's iniquity, God's intervention, and King Abimelech's integrity and inquisition of Abraham and Sarah.  In this account, we find the first healing miracle recorded in the Bible!  Find out what it was and on whom it was performed!

Blknerd's Biblecast: In this episode Isaac receives his father's blessing, Isaac also lies to King Abimelech about His wife Rebecka just as His Father Abraham lied to King Abimelech about His Wife Sarah. There is a dispute over water wells in the land He settles in ultimately Isaac enters into covenant with King Abimelech and the two make peace. Hope You Enjoy Please Subscribe and Share. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/blknerd-50/message

A famine ensues, but Isaac is rewarded with a crop that produces one hundred fold. King Abimelech fears how prosperous Isaac has become and bids him leave, but later comes to him seeking an oath of mutual safety.

In Podcast Episode 55, “A Courageous Voice in Trying Times,” Kim discusses the opportunity each follower of Christ has to be a courageous voice in these trying times. At the time of the recording of this episode, the world is in the beginning stages of the fight against COVID-19. May all who have a relationship with the Lord commit to practicing the presence of God, receiving God's message for this time and then courageously speak to others on His behalf. The primary scripture text for this episode is Judges 9:7-21, 57b, with the focal scripture 7.   7 When Jotham heard about this, he climbed to the top of Mount Gerizim and shouted, “Listen to me, citizens of Shechem!     Listen to me if you want God to listen to you!   Jotham had a target on his back, as the only son of Gideon Abimelech had not managed to kill. Yet, in the midst of imminent danger, Jotham went up on Mt. Gerizim, in earshot of the newly crowned King Abimelech of Shechem, and spoke boldly God's truth.   Our BRAND NEW Facebook Group is devoted to providing a place for us to encourage each other through all the seasons of life. Follow the provided link to request admittance into “Encouraging Others in Loving Jesus”—https://www.facebook.com/groups/encouragingothersinlovingjesus/ Feel free to invite others who will be good encouragers and/or need encouragement to follow Jesus. Would you like to take a deeper dive into the book of Joshua and learn more about the Israelite story, join Kim as she teaches “Finding Courage for Life's Battles: Life Lessons from the Book of Joshua.”   To take her FREE 3-Day Online Bible Study entitled “Let  God Transform U through His Word: Why Is Personal Bible Study So Important to Your Christian Life?”.   Check out Kim's website at https://gettinghealthyall4hisglory.com for blog posts and her PDF Printable collection.   Remember, “It's Always a Trust & Obey Kinda Day!”   If you have questions or comments or would like to learn more about how to follow Jesus, please email Kim at gettinghealthyall4hisglory@gmail.com.   National Suicide Prevention Lifeline   1-800-273-8255   https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/  

Yesterday, we saw Isaac walk in the footsteps of his father by lying about who his wife was and then making to deal with King Abimelech.  Let's continue Isaac's story. Reflection Questions Why do you think blessings and curses had so much weight in Scripture?  Think back to the very beginning. What other bible story …

In our Bible readings for today as we follow the Robert Murray M'Cheyne plan, we will begin with Job 7. In this passage, Job is crying out in anguish and the deep bitterness of a crushed and wounded spirit. It is honest and powerful and bracing and nearly hopeless. One of Job's complaints is that when he tries to escape his pain by sleeping or napping, God sends him haunting dreams and visions. More on that in a moment. In Mark 11, we see Jesus coming into Jerusalem to give His life as a ransom for many. Before the crucifixion, however, He cleanses the temple of money changers and befuddles the chief priests, scribes and elders of Jerusalem. Romans 11 contains the implications of the rejection of Jesus that we are about to read in Mark. At the time of Romans 11, Jesus has been rejected by the leaders of Israel, crucified, resurrected, and ascended into heaven for several years. Paul is writing in light of that rejection of the savior, and giving hope for the future, including a tantalizing (and highly debated!) promise in Romans 11:26, "All Israel will be saved." As promised yesterday, our focus today is on dreams and visions, and our focus passage is Genesis 41, which features Joseph interpreting dreams for Pharaoh and being elevated to a high place in his kingdom. Dreams in general are a frequently addressed phenomenon in the Bible, both in the Old Testament and the New Testament, and the word appears just shy of 100 times in the Bible. After we read Genesis 41 together, we will have a brief discussion on the nature of dreams in the Bible, and whether or not God still speaks that way. The first clear time that God speaks to somebody in a dream in the Bible occurs in Genesis 20, when God has a conversation with King Abimelech. Jacob and Laban also have dreams with great spiritual significance, and it could be argued that some of Abraham's encounter with God in Genesis 15 occurred during a dream. Dreams would be a prominent feature in the life of Joseph, son of Jacob. He had multiple prophetic dreams in his youth, and interpreted multiple prophetic dreams in his adulthood. His brother's even (sarcastically) referred to him as a dreamer, or even an expert dreamer. They said to one another, “Oh, look, here comes that dream expert! Genesis 37:19 In Numbers, God tells the leaders of Israel that He himself speaks to prophets via dreams and visions (but with Moses, He spoke face to face.) 5 Then the Lord descended in a pillar of cloud, stood at the entrance to the tent, and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When the two of them came forward, 6 he said: “Listen to what I say: If there is a prophet among you from the Lord, I make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. Numbers 12:5-7 So, God confirms that He speaks to His people here in dreams and visions - at least during the Old Testament/Old Covenant times. There is also a cautionary warning given in Deuteronomy 13, however, that there can and will be false prophets and false dreamers: “If a prophet or someone who has dreams arises among you and proclaims a sign or wonder to you, 2 and that sign or wonder he has promised you comes about, but he says, ‘Let us follow other gods,' which you have not known, ‘and let us worship them,' 3 do not listen to that prophet's words or to that dreamer.  Deuteronomy 13:1-3 Jeremiah 23 contains a very similar warning from God - this one even more stark: 24 Can a person hide in secret places where I cannot see him?” —the Lord's declaration. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” —the Lord's declaration.25 “I have heard what the prophets who prophesy a lie in my name have said: ‘I had a dream! I had a dream!' 26 How long will this continue in the minds of the prophets prophesying lies, prophets of the deceit of their own minds?...I am against those who prophesy false dreams”—the Lord's declaration—“telling them and leading my people astray with their reckless lies. It was not I who sent or commanded them, and they are of no benefit at all to these people”—this is the Lord's declaration. Jeremiah 23:24-26+verse 32 By the day of King Saul, it is apparent that one of God's obvious ways of guiding His people was through dreams. We can see this in 1 Samuel 28, when Saul is flummoxed (and ultimately goes down a bad path) because God won't speak to him in dreams: He inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him in dreams or by the Urim or by the prophets. 1 Samuel 28:6 After the exile of Israel, we encounter a young man named Daniel, one of the few people in the entire Bible that there is nothing negative said about their life and no sinfulness is recorded. (this does not mean that Daniel was sinless, but it probably does mean that he led an unusually righteous life.) I note here that the two most prominent dreamers in the Bible (Joseph and Daniel) both led lives of exemplary righteousness and Godliness. Jacob, another prominent biblical dreamer, did not, however, so we can't make too many conclusions about a connection between dreaming and Godliness. God gave these four young men knowledge and understanding in every kind of literature and wisdom. Daniel also understood visions and dreams of every kind. Daniel 1:17 The prophet Joel gives a tantalizing end-times prophecy about dreams and dreamers in Joel chapter 2, that becomes quite important on the birth-day of the church in Acts 2: After this I will pour out my Spirit on all humanity; then your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will have dreams, and your young men will see visions. 29 I will even pour out my Spirit on the male and female slaves in those days. Joel 2:28-29 A simple word search will show that the vast majority of the occurrence of dreams from God happened in the Old Testament, but that doesn't mean that this practice died out. In the New Testament, God communicates with Joseph, father of Jesus, in a series of dreams, directing the holy family to safety during the early years of Jesus's life. God also speaks to the wise men in dreams and to Pilate's wife, warning her that her husband should not condemn the innocent Jesus. There are also a series of incidents in the book of Acts where the word dream is not used, but what happens is quite similar to God communicating in a dream: 8 Passing by Mysia they went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision in which a Macedonian man was standing and pleading with him, “Cross over to Macedonia and help us!” 10 After he had seen the vision, we immediately made efforts to set out for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. Acts 16:8-10 9 The Lord said to Paul in a night vision, “Don't be afraid, but keep on speaking and don't be silent. 10 For I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to hurt you, because I have many people in this city.” Acts 18:9-10 The above gives us a sort of high-level and brief overview of dreams in the Bible. We didn't cover every passage or principle, but enough to have an elementary understanding. In our overview what we have here is a pattern of God speaking in the Old Testament AND the New Testament to His people. It is obviously not a frequent occurrence, but rather a rare and special happening. Tomorrow we will go deeper into our primary question: Does God STILL speak to His people with dreams and visions, but I will close today with a good answer from Gotquestions.org's Michael Houdmann and some fascinating dream-anecdotes from Charles Spurgeon: I firmly believe that the Bible is the perfect and complete Word of God. It contains everything we need to know to follow God's will for our lives. While it does not give specific instructions related to the personal situations and decisions we face, it does provide all the wisdom we need to be able to make right judgments in those situations and decisions.With that in mind, I do not see any reason for God to “supplement” His Word with additional revelation. But, at the same time, there is nothing in the Bible that indicates God NEVER speaks today. I do not know the mind of God, and therefore I do not claim to know every reason why God might say something to someone (Isaiah 55:8-9; Romans 11:34).What I do know is this: if God were to speak today, what He said would be in perfect agreement with His Word. God does not contradict Himself. God does not change His mind. Compare any supposed message from God with God's Word, and if the message in any way is in contradiction or disharmony with God's Word, reject the message. If you think God has spoken to you, but are unsure about it, ask Him for confirmation (Judges 6:36-40; 1 Samuel 3:1-10). Seek wise counsel from men and women of God whom you respect and trust (Proverbs 11:14; 15:22). https://www.gotquestions.blog/God-still-speak.html I READ a story the other day of an elder of a Scotch kirk, who at the elders' meeting had angrily disputed with his minister, until he almost broke his heart. The night after he had a dream which so impressed him, that his wife said to him in the morning, “Ye look very sad, Jan; what is the matter wi' ye?” “And well I am,” said he, “for I have had a dream that I had hard words with our minister, and he went home and died, and soon after I died too; and I dreamed that I went up to heaven, and when I got to the gate, out came the minister, and put out his hands to welcome me,” saying, “Come along, Jan, there's nae strife up here, I'm so glad to see ye.” So the elder went down to the minister's house to beg his pardon, and found in very truth that he was dead. He was so smitten by the blow that within two weeks he followed his pastor to the skies; and I should not wonder but what his minister did meet him, and say, “Come along, Jan, there's nae strife up here.” Brethren, why should there be strife below? Let us love each other, and by the fact that we are co-heirs of that blessed inheritance, let us dwell together as partakers of a common life, and soon to be partakers of a common heaven. C. H. Spurgeon, Flashes of Thought (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1874), 449–450. I have heard of a man who had a dream in which he thought he stood at the gates of heaven, and his wife with him. She went in, but the porter shut him out, saying, “The other day you said to your wife, ‘You may go to church and pray for us both.' Now she shall go to heaven for you both, and you must stop outside.” Is that not just? There must be a personal hearing and listening to the Word for yourself. I ask you, do not make yourself absent from the hearing of the Word, for “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word about Christ” (Rom 10:17). Charles Spurgeon, Galatians, ed. Elliot Ritzema, Spurgeon Commentary Series (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2013). Myconius, the friend of Luther, had made up his mind that he would not help Luther, but that he would keep in a monastery, quiet and alone. The first night he went there, he had a dream to this effect:—he dreamed that the Crucified One appeared to him, with the nail-prints still in his hands, and that he led him away to a fountain, into which he plunged him,—a fountain of blood. He beheld himself washed completely clean, and being very rejoiced thereat, he was willing to sit down; but the Crucified One said, “Follow me.” He took him to the top of a hill, and down beneath there was a wide-spreading harvest. He put a sickle into his hand, and he said, “Go and reap.” He looked round him, and he replied, “But the fields are so vast, I cannot reap them.” The finger of the Crucified One pointed to a spot where there was one reaper at work, and that one reaper seemed to be mowing whole acres at once. He seemed to be a very giant, taking enormous strides. It was Martin Luther. “Stand by his side,” said the Crucified One, “and work.” He did so, and they reaped all day. The sweat stood upon his brow, and he rested for a moment. He was about to lie down, when the Crucified One came to him, and said, “For the love of souls, and for my sake, go on.” He snatched up the sickle again, and on he worked, and at last he grew weary once more. Then the Crucified One came to him again, and said, “For the love of souls, and for my sake, go on.” And he went on. But once he dared to pause, and say, “But, Master, the winter is coming, and much of this good wheat will be spoiled.” “No,” said he, “reap on; it will all be gathered in before the winter comes,—every sheaf. I will send more labourers into the harvest, only do thou thy best.” So now, methinks, the Crucified One takes me to the brow of that hill, and yourselves with me, and shows us this great London, and says, “See, this great field is ripe for the harvest, take your sickles, and reap it.” You say, “Lord, I cannot.” “Nay,” says he, “but for the love of souls, and for the sake of the Crucified One, go on and reap.” C. H. Spurgeon, “The Sluggard's Reproof,” in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 48 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1902), 82–83. And, an excellent teaching to close out with: You must also surrender yourself at discretion to his method of operating upon you. One says, “I would believe in Jesus, sir, if I felt the horror and terror which some have experienced on account of sin.” What do you demand of God that he should drag you through horrors and terrors before you will believe? Submit yourself to be saved in a gentler way. “But I read of one,” says another, “who had a dream: I would believe if I saw a vision too.” Must God give you dreams? Must he play lackey to you, and save you in your preferred way? He tells you plainly, “If you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ you will be saved.” Will you believe or no? For if you do not, neither dreams, nor visions, nor terrors, nor anything else can save you. There is God's way, sinner: I ask you, and perhaps your answer will settle your fate for ever, will you follow that way or not? If you will not, you have chosen your own destruction; but if you will have it, and will submit yourself to be saved by believing in Jesus Christ, it is well with you. I know there are some in this place who feel ready to burst, for their broken hearts are saying, “I will yield at once. Oh, if he would but save me.” How glad I am to hear you say so, for “he gives grace to the humble.” I recall the time when I have stood and cried to God, “O God, if I must lie on a sick bed till I die, I don't care as long as you have mercy on me; if you will but conquer my proud will, and make a new man of me, you may do whatever you please with me; only save me from the guilt, the power of sin.” It was when the Lord brought me down there that he enabled me to see life and salvation in Jesus Christ; and if he has brought you down to that point, sinner, then you have nothing to do but simply trust the Lord Jesus Christ, and you are assuredly saved. C. H. Spurgeon, “Unconditional Surrender,” in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 22 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1876), 71. modernized

In our Bible readings for today as we follow the Robert Murray M'Cheyne plan, we will begin with Job 7. In this passage, Job is crying out in anguish and the deep bitterness of a crushed and wounded spirit. It is honest and powerful and bracing and nearly hopeless. One of Job's complaints is that when he tries to escape his pain by sleeping or napping, God sends him haunting dreams and visions. More on that in a moment. In Mark 11, we see Jesus coming into Jerusalem to give His life as a ransom for many. Before the crucifixion, however, He cleanses the temple of money changers and befuddles the chief priests, scribes and elders of Jerusalem. Romans 11 contains the implications of the rejection of Jesus that we are about to read in Mark. At the time of Romans 11, Jesus has been rejected by the leaders of Israel, crucified, resurrected, and ascended into heaven for several years. Paul is writing in light of that rejection of the savior, and giving hope for the future, including a tantalizing (and highly debated!) promise in Romans 11:26, "All Israel will be saved." As promised yesterday, our focus today is on dreams and visions, and our focus passage is Genesis 41, which features Joseph interpreting dreams for Pharaoh and being elevated to a high place in his kingdom. Dreams in general are a frequently addressed phenomenon in the Bible, both in the Old Testament and the New Testament, and the word appears just shy of 100 times in the Bible. After we read Genesis 41 together, we will have a brief discussion on the nature of dreams in the Bible, and whether or not God still speaks that way. The first clear time that God speaks to somebody in a dream in the Bible occurs in Genesis 20, when God has a conversation with King Abimelech. Jacob and Laban also have dreams with great spiritual significance, and it could be argued that some of Abraham's encounter with God in Genesis 15 occurred during a dream. Dreams would be a prominent feature in the life of Joseph, son of Jacob. He had multiple prophetic dreams in his youth, and interpreted multiple prophetic dreams in his adulthood. His brother's even (sarcastically) referred to him as a dreamer, or even an expert dreamer. They said to one another, “Oh, look, here comes that dream expert! Genesis 37:19 In Numbers, God tells the leaders of Israel that He himself speaks to prophets via dreams and visions (but with Moses, He spoke face to face.) 5 Then the Lord descended in a pillar of cloud, stood at the entrance to the tent, and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When the two of them came forward, 6 he said: “Listen to what I say: If there is a prophet among you from the Lord, I make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. Numbers 12:5-7 So, God confirms that He speaks to His people here in dreams and visions - at least during the Old Testament/Old Covenant times. There is also a cautionary warning given in Deuteronomy 13, however, that there can and will be false prophets and false dreamers: “If a prophet or someone who has dreams arises among you and proclaims a sign or wonder to you, 2 and that sign or wonder he has promised you comes about, but he says, ‘Let us follow other gods,' which you have not known, ‘and let us worship them,' 3 do not listen to that prophet's words or to that dreamer.  Deuteronomy 13:1-3 Jeremiah 23 contains a very similar warning from God - this one even more stark: 24 Can a person hide in secret places where I cannot see him?” —the Lord's declaration. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” —the Lord's declaration.25 “I have heard what the prophets who prophesy a lie in my name have said: ‘I had a dream! I had a dream!' 26 How long will this continue in the minds of the prophets prophesying lies, prophets of the deceit of their own minds?...I am against those who prophesy false dreams”—the Lord's declaration—“telling them and leading my people astray with their reckless lies. It was not I who sent or commanded them, and they are of no benefit at all to these people”—this is the Lord's declaration. Jeremiah 23:24-26+verse 32 By the day of King Saul, it is apparent that one of God's obvious ways of guiding His people was through dreams. We can see this in 1 Samuel 28, when Saul is flummoxed (and ultimately goes down a bad path) because God won't speak to him in dreams: He inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him in dreams or by the Urim or by the prophets. 1 Samuel 28:6 After the exile of Israel, we encounter a young man named Daniel, one of the few people in the entire Bible that there is nothing negative said about their life and no sinfulness is recorded. (this does not mean that Daniel was sinless, but it probably does mean that he led an unusually righteous life.) I note here that the two most prominent dreamers in the Bible (Joseph and Daniel) both led lives of exemplary righteousness and Godliness. Jacob, another prominent biblical dreamer, did not, however, so we can't make too many conclusions about a connection between dreaming and Godliness. God gave these four young men knowledge and understanding in every kind of literature and wisdom. Daniel also understood visions and dreams of every kind. Daniel 1:17 The prophet Joel gives a tantalizing end-times prophecy about dreams and dreamers in Joel chapter 2, that becomes quite important on the birth-day of the church in Acts 2: After this I will pour out my Spirit on all humanity; then your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will have dreams, and your young men will see visions. 29 I will even pour out my Spirit on the male and female slaves in those days. Joel 2:28-29 A simple word search will show that the vast majority of the occurrence of dreams from God happened in the Old Testament, but that doesn't mean that this practice died out. In the New Testament, God communicates with Joseph, father of Jesus, in a series of dreams, directing the holy family to safety during the early years of Jesus's life. God also speaks to the wise men in dreams and to Pilate's wife, warning her that her husband should not condemn the innocent Jesus. There are also a series of incidents in the book of Acts where the word dream is not used, but what happens is quite similar to God communicating in a dream: 8 Passing by Mysia they went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision in which a Macedonian man was standing and pleading with him, “Cross over to Macedonia and help us!” 10 After he had seen the vision, we immediately made efforts to set out for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. Acts 16:8-10 9 The Lord said to Paul in a night vision, “Don't be afraid, but keep on speaking and don't be silent. 10 For I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to hurt you, because I have many people in this city.” Acts 18:9-10 The above gives us a sort of high-level and brief overview of dreams in the Bible. We didn't cover every passage or principle, but enough to have an elementary understanding. In our overview what we have here is a pattern of God speaking in the Old Testament AND the New Testament to His people. It is obviously not a frequent occurrence, but rather a rare and special happening. Tomorrow we will go deeper into our primary question: Does God STILL speak to His people with dreams and visions, but I will close today with a good answer from Gotquestions.org's Michael Houdmann and some fascinating dream-anecdotes from Charles Spurgeon: I firmly believe that the Bible is the perfect and complete Word of God. It contains everything we need to know to follow God's will for our lives. While it does not give specific instructions related to the personal situations and decisions we face, it does provide all the wisdom we need to be able to make right judgments in those situations and decisions.With that in mind, I do not see any reason for God to “supplement” His Word with additional revelation. But, at the same time, there is nothing in the Bible that indicates God NEVER speaks today. I do not know the mind of God, and therefore I do not claim to know every reason why God might say something to someone (Isaiah 55:8-9; Romans 11:34).What I do know is this: if God were to speak today, what He said would be in perfect agreement with His Word. God does not contradict Himself. God does not change His mind. Compare any supposed message from God with God's Word, and if the message in any way is in contradiction or disharmony with God's Word, reject the message. If you think God has spoken to you, but are unsure about it, ask Him for confirmation (Judges 6:36-40; 1 Samuel 3:1-10). Seek wise counsel from men and women of God whom you respect and trust (Proverbs 11:14; 15:22). https://www.gotquestions.blog/God-still-speak.html I READ a story the other day of an elder of a Scotch kirk, who at the elders' meeting had angrily disputed with his minister, until he almost broke his heart. The night after he had a dream which so impressed him, that his wife said to him in the morning, “Ye look very sad, Jan; what is the matter wi' ye?” “And well I am,” said he, “for I have had a dream that I had hard words with our minister, and he went home and died, and soon after I died too; and I dreamed that I went up to heaven, and when I got to the gate, out came the minister, and put out his hands to welcome me,” saying, “Come along, Jan, there's nae strife up here, I'm so glad to see ye.” So the elder went down to the minister's house to beg his pardon, and found in very truth that he was dead. He was so smitten by the blow that within two weeks he followed his pastor to the skies; and I should not wonder but what his minister did meet him, and say, “Come along, Jan, there's nae strife up here.” Brethren, why should there be strife below? Let us love each other, and by the fact that we are co-heirs of that blessed inheritance, let us dwell together as partakers of a common life, and soon to be partakers of a common heaven. C. H. Spurgeon, Flashes of Thought (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1874), 449–450. I have heard of a man who had a dream in which he thought he stood at the gates of heaven, and his wife with him. She went in, but the porter shut him out, saying, “The other day you said to your wife, ‘You may go to church and pray for us both.' Now she shall go to heaven for you both, and you must stop outside.” Is that not just? There must be a personal hearing and listening to the Word for yourself. I ask you, do not make yourself absent from the hearing of the Word, for “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word about Christ” (Rom 10:17). Charles Spurgeon, Galatians, ed. Elliot Ritzema, Spurgeon Commentary Series (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2013). Myconius, the friend of Luther, had made up his mind that he would not help Luther, but that he would keep in a monastery, quiet and alone. The first night he went there, he had a dream to this effect:—he dreamed that the Crucified One appeared to him, with the nail-prints still in his hands, and that he led him away to a fountain, into which he plunged him,—a fountain of blood. He beheld himself washed completely clean, and being very rejoiced thereat, he was willing to sit down; but the Crucified One said, “Follow me.” He took him to the top of a hill, and down beneath there was a wide-spreading harvest. He put a sickle into his hand, and he said, “Go and reap.” He looked round him, and he replied, “But the fields are so vast, I cannot reap them.” The finger of the Crucified One pointed to a spot where there was one reaper at work, and that one reaper seemed to be mowing whole acres at once. He seemed to be a very giant, taking enormous strides. It was Martin Luther. “Stand by his side,” said the Crucified One, “and work.” He did so, and they reaped all day. The sweat stood upon his brow, and he rested for a moment. He was about to lie down, when the Crucified One came to him, and said, “For the love of souls, and for my sake, go on.” He snatched up the sickle again, and on he worked, and at last he grew weary once more. Then the Crucified One came to him again, and said, “For the love of souls, and for my sake, go on.” And he went on. But once he dared to pause, and say, “But, Master, the winter is coming, and much of this good wheat will be spoiled.” “No,” said he, “reap on; it will all be gathered in before the winter comes,—every sheaf. I will send more labourers into the harvest, only do thou thy best.” So now, methinks, the Crucified One takes me to the brow of that hill, and yourselves with me, and shows us this great London, and says, “See, this great field is ripe for the harvest, take your sickles, and reap it.” You say, “Lord, I cannot.” “Nay,” says he, “but for the love of souls, and for the sake of the Crucified One, go on and reap.” C. H. Spurgeon, “The Sluggard's Reproof,” in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 48 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1902), 82–83. And, an excellent teaching to close out with: You must also surrender yourself at discretion to his method of operating upon you. One says, “I would believe in Jesus, sir, if I felt the horror and terror which some have experienced on account of sin.” What do you demand of God that he should drag you through horrors and terrors before you will believe? Submit yourself to be saved in a gentler way. “But I read of one,” says another, “who had a dream: I would believe if I saw a vision too.” Must God give you dreams? Must he play lackey to you, and save you in your preferred way? He tells you plainly, “If you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ you will be saved.” Will you believe or no? For if you do not, neither dreams, nor visions, nor terrors, nor anything else can save you. There is God's way, sinner: I ask you, and perhaps your answer will settle your fate for ever, will you follow that way or not? If you will not, you have chosen your own destruction; but if you will have it, and will submit yourself to be saved by believing in Jesus Christ, it is well with you. I know there are some in this place who feel ready to burst, for their broken hearts are saying, “I will yield at once. Oh, if he would but save me.” How glad I am to hear you say so, for “he gives grace to the humble.” I recall the time when I have stood and cried to God, “O God, if I must lie on a sick bed till I die, I don't care as long as you have mercy on me; if you will but conquer my proud will, and make a new man of me, you may do whatever you please with me; only save me from the guilt, the power of sin.” It was when the Lord brought me down there that he enabled me to see life and salvation in Jesus Christ; and if he has brought you down to that point, sinner, then you have nothing to do but simply trust the Lord Jesus Christ, and you are assuredly saved. C. H. Spurgeon, “Unconditional Surrender,” in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 22 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1876), 71. modernized

Yesterday was a BIG day.  Isaac was born.  Ishmael and Hagar were banished.  And Abraham made a covenant with King Abimelech for a well.  Let's continue the journey in Genesis chapter 22. Reflection Questions  What did you see God doing in this passage?  What does it teach you about who He is? How does this …

The account of Genesis 21:22-34 records the development of an unusual working relationship between Abraham and King Abimelech of Gerar. After Abraham’s last encounter with Abimelech in Genesis 20 which didn’t go so well, this time, their interaction – particularly from Abraham’s point of view – went so much better! The section of text is […]

The Well Ministry w/ Rev.Pat - God's Plan of Salvation - Isaac and Abimelech Pt. 2 God's Plan of Salvation - Isaac and Abimelech Pt. 2 In Genesis 26:12-33, Isaac lies to King Abimelech about Rebekkah. The story gets familiar and interesting from here.The blessings on Isaac's life are proof that God's promises have no end. Please listen and enjoy, also share with someone. Thank you listening. God's Plan of Salvation - Isaac and Abimelech P... Purpose to reach the churched and unchurched. To expose all hearers to the unadulterated word of God with boldness and truth. To Glorify God in all that we do. To reach those who may not know Jesus in the pardon of their sins. All public contact information: The Well Ministry on Facebook revpathewellministry@gmail.com revpathwellministry@twitter.com revpathwellministry@instagram.com Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Storm Talk 365 Radio, any of the affiliates or concerned parties represented by the network. **We Do Not Own The Rights To Any Music. Or The Contents of This Podcast. Used For Entertainment Purposes Only** www.stormtalk365radio.com https://www.facebook.com/stormtalk365msb/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/stormtalk365radio/ https://www.facebook.com/stormtalk365msb/ Tags: rev.pat thewellministry biblestudy salvation religion spirituality religion Christianity wordofgod jesus saviour stormtalk365

The Well Ministry w/ Rev.Pat - Plan of Salvation - Isaac and Abimelech Pt. 1 In Genesis 26:1-11, Isaac and his wife Rebekkah arrive at Gerar the territory of King Abimelech. The story gets familiar and interesting from here. Please listen and enjoy, also share with someone. Thank you listening. Purpose to reach the churched and unchurched. To expose all hearers to the unadulterated word of God with boldness and truth. To Glorify God in all that we do. To reach those who may not know Jesus in the pardon of their sins. All public contact information: The Well Ministry on Facebook revpathewellministry@gmail.com God's Plan of Salvation - Isaac and Abimelech P... revpathwellministry@twitter.com revpathwellministry@instagram.com Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Storm Talk 365 Radio, any of the affiliates or concerned parties represented by the network. **We Do Not Own The Rights To Any Music. Or The Contents of This Podcast. Used For Entertainment Purposes Only** www.stormtalk365radio.com https://www.facebook.com/stormtalk365msb/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/stormtalk365radio/ https://www.facebook.com/stormtalk365msb/ Tags: rev.pat thewellministry biblestudy salvation religion spirituality religion Christianity wordofgod jesus saviour stormtalk365

The Well Ministry w/ Rev.Pat - God's Plan of Salvation - Abraham does it again In Genesis 21, Abraham and Sarah are in Gerar and Abraham presents Sarah as his sister. King Abimelech takes her into his quarters, God steps and Abraham prays for the King. You have to listen to the ​podcast to get the whole story. Thanks for listening. Purpose to reach the churched and unchurched. To expose all hearers to the unadulterated word of God with boldness and truth. To Glorify God in all that we do. To reach those who may not know Jesus in the pardon of their sins. All public contact information: The Well Ministry on Facebook revpathewellministry@gmail.com revpathwellministry@twitter.com revpathwellministry@instagram.com All information, content, and music provided solely for general information, reference and entertainment purposes only. No copyrights in fringements implied. Tags: rev.pat thewellministry biblestudy salvation religion spirituality religion Christianity wordofgod jesus saviour stormtalk365

Judges 9. The story in this chapter about Abimelech is a tragic story for all of us today. This study by Fairview Evangelist Zack Howard examines the story of King Abimelech and how his heart affected his actions and those around him.

Abraham's servant returns with Rebekah as a wife for his sun Issac. Rebekah provided comfort after the death of Sarah. Abraham took another wife and had many more sons. Then Abraham died. Issac and Ishmael buried Abraham in the field Abraham bought from the Hittites. Rebekah gives birth to Esau and Jacob. Esau sells his birthright to Jacob for a pot of stew. God makes a promise to Isaac. Isaac lies to King Abimelech.

Abraham's servant returns with Rebekah as a wife for his sun Issac. Rebekah provided comfort after the death of Sarah. Abraham took another wife and had many more sons. Then Abraham died. Issac and Ishmael buried Abraham in the field Abraham bought from the Hittites. Rebekah gives birth to Esau and Jacob. Esau sells his birthright to Jacob for a pot of stew. God makes a promise to Isaac. Isaac lies to King Abimelech.

Genesis 26: New Generation, Same Old Story | Isaac repeats the sins of his father, yet God still provides for him. Isaac's sons Jacob and Esau fight over their place in God's promises, and Jacob steals the birthright from his brother.Journey 3 | Foundations. Our third journey brings us to back to the foundations of the faith, and delivers some of the greatest stories and characters in the Bible. Genesis recounts the back story for all mankind and begins God's plan for redemption. Daniel presents phenomenal prophecies and the big picture of God's Kingdom, and Romans lays out the heart of the gospel with powerful answers to tough questions. This is Foundations. (84 days)Teacher: Kris LanghamAbout TTW: When the Bible is confusing, Through the Word explains it with clear and concise audio guides for every chapter. The TTW Podcast follows 19 Journeys covering every book and chapter in the Bible. Each journey is an epic adventure through several Bible books, as your favorite pastors explain each chapter with clear explanation and insightful application. Understand the Bible in just ten minutes a day, and join us for all 19 Journeys on the TTW podcast or TTW app!Get the App: https://throughtheword.orgContact: https://throughtheword.org/contactDonate: https://throughtheword.org/givingGenesis 26 Themes: Isaac, repeating mistakes, I am with you, God with usGenesis 26 Tags: covenant confirmed, Isaac and King Abimelech, she is my sister, Philistines, wells, well, altar, tentKey Verses: Quotes: Audio & Text © 2011-2021 Through the Word™ Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.Bible Quotes: The Holy Bible New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.

WE DECREE!!! In the Name of Christ Jesus!!!! 1. The Baptism of Repentance for the remission of sins and the Baptism of the Holy Ghost to be common place in this ministry. 2. Eternal Life to all that enter the gates of the Christian Ministries. 3. Perfect health, emotional and mental strength spoken into your life from this day forward. 4. Freedom from distress, uncertainty, worry, anxiety, sorrow, difficulty and pain this year.5. Authority over the spirits of doubt, fear, unbelief to be replaced with the Spirit of Faith. 6. Posterity and long life, unity, accord, social fabrication, a single heart beat and mind governed by the Holy Spirit in the church. 7. That the presence of God never forsake us, and that He grant every member the Spirit of wisdom, knowledge, understanding and righteous judgment. 8. Authority over all of the works of the devil; over principalities, over powers, over rulers of the darkness of this world, over the god of this world, over spiritual wickedness in high places, over sickness and disease. 9. That the Spirit of obedience, love, peace and happiness overrun and consume us. 10. Sanctification and good health and wellness for us and our children. 11. That God do with us the same as he did with King Abimelech; withhold us from sinning against Him. That he set barriers, jersey walls, escape routes, circumstances and conditions that will protect and keep us from the unlawful companionship of the spirits of lusts and enticement and that these characteristics will have no dominion or fellowship in our life. 12. The Spirit of hunger, zeal and thirst for Him and His word and no weapon formed against us will ever prosper and every tongue that will arise against us from this day forward is condemned in the name of Christ Jesus. 13. We call all these things to be performed and put into effect and executed immediately in the lives of every member and those under the sound of his voice.  

WE DECREE!!! In the Name of Christ Jesus!!!! 1. The Baptism of Repentance for the remission of sins and the Baptism of the Holy Ghost to be common place in this ministry. 2. Eternal Life to all that enter the gates of the Christian Ministries. 3. Perfect health, emotional and mental strength spoken into your life from this day forward. 4. Freedom from distress, uncertainty, worry, anxiety, sorrow, difficulty and pain this year.5. Authority over the spirits of doubt, fear, unbelief to be replaced with the Spirit of Faith. 6. Posterity and long life, unity, accord, social fabrication, a single heart beat and mind governed by the Holy Spirit in the church. 7. That the presence of God never forsake us, and that He grant every member the Spirit of wisdom, knowledge, understanding and righteous judgment. 8. Authority over all of the works of the devil; over principalities, over powers, over rulers of the darkness of this world, over the god of this world, over spiritual wickedness in high places, over sickness and disease. 9. That the Spirit of obedience, love, peace and happiness overrun and consume us. 10. Sanctification and good health and wellness for us and our children. 11. That God do with us the same as he did with King Abimelech; withhold us from sinning against Him. That he set barriers, jersey walls, escape routes, circumstances and conditions that will protect and keep us from the unlawful companionship of the spirits of lusts and enticement and that these characteristics will have no dominion or fellowship in our life. 12. The Spirit of hunger, zeal and thirst for Him and His word and no weapon formed against us will ever prosper and every tongue that will arise against us from this day forward is condemned in the name of Christ Jesus. 13. We call all these things to be performed and put into effect and executed immediately in the lives of every member and those under the sound of his voice.

Discovering the Old Testament, Part 9 Two episodes from Abraham’s life are difficult for many readers: Abraham’s attempted deception of King Abimelech, and the Sacrifice of Isaac. Apart from the questions they raise, they give the character of Abraham the … Continue reading → The post Part 9: The Trials of Abraham first appeared on Lafkos Press.

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Genesis 20:1-18

Introductiuon

Meet Rebekah - another woman having to overcome problems and difficulties. Friday, March 13, 2009 This is a reference to the previous case history of Ishmael and Isaac. Human viewpoint might object to the first case history. It might object on the basis of the fact that Ishmael, the firstborn of Abraham, was also a bastard or born illegitimately. Neither physical birth nor the character of the mothers, nor any other human factor, is the issue. The eldest twin is a Gentile, Esau; the youngest twin is a Jew. The difference between them was not in their natural birth, their personality, or anything related to their human birth. Their difference was in their spiritual birth or lack of it. In eternity past the omniscience of God knew that the firstborn, Esau, would reject Christ as Saviour. This means that his printout includes condemnation for all eternity and many types of discipline for time. Omniscience fed into the computer of divine decrees information, resulting in the election of Jacob and the condemnation of Esau. Rebekah - becca - “a heifer, a young cow” = a symbol of fertility. Jacob - “he who grabs for something” = either his brother's heel at the moment of birth, or his brother's inheritance later on. Esau was nicknamed Edom, which meant “red” either of complexion or hair; Esau was born with a ruddy complexion, then spent most of his time outdoors in the sun, so his face and skin may have been unusually reddened. This story shows the gradual fulfillment of the promise made by God that Sarah and Abraham would have many descendants, enough to become a nation. GEN 26:8 And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife. - KJV The New King James - GEN 26:8 Now it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked through a window, and saw, and there was Isaac, showing endearment to Rebekah his wife. The RSV - GEN 26:8 When he had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out of a window and saw Isaac fondling Rebekah his wife. The Living Bible - GEN 26:8 But sometime later, King Abimelech, king of the Philistines, looked out of a window and saw Isaac and Rebekah making love. Isaac is 137 years old, GEN 47:9; GEN 41:46; GEN 31:38; GEN 25:26. Listen - Qal imperative - shama = to obey. Smooth - adjective chalaq = although it refers to his skin, its basic meaning is to be smooth with the tongue. All three verbs here are in the imperative mood = obey, go, and get them. Here we see Rebekah doing the same thing that Sarah did, trying to achieve the divine promise by human viewpoint. Human viewpoint never can assist divine plans but merely complicates matters even more. When you get into the ginger bread stuff and the dog and pony show like most believers today, you get involved with all that nonsense and you end up rejecting doctrine. You get out in ginger bread land, the fluffy stuff, all the nonsense and you become a stereo type Christian.