Podcasts about lord gen

March 21, 2025Today's Reading: Genesis 25:1-26Daily Lectionary: Genesis 24:32-52, 61-67; Genesis 25:1-26:35; Mark 8:1-21Afterward his brother came out with his hand holding Esau's heel, so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them. (Genesis 25:26)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Jacob is well-named. Ya-akob means “heel-grabber,” and he is called Jacob because he was born clutching his twin brother's heel. Esau's birth was straightforward, but his twin Jacob was born arm-first, which immediately put his life and his mother's in danger. “In the very midst of life, we are in death,” sings an old song in the church. Yet God had promised Rebekah that she would be the mother of two nations, and that promise sustained her through a healthy delivery. But just as they struggled in the womb, these brothers continued to struggle with each other for years, thus fulfilling the Lord's prophecy concerning these twins.Jacob continued to live up to his name, though. More broadly, Jacob means “supplanter.” The manner of Jacob's birth suggests that he was struggling to be born first, to hold his brother back. Before he knew the rules of inheritance, he struggled for the birthright of the firstborn. Later, Jacob would accomplish what he started when he grabbed his brother's heel, bartered for Esau's birthright, and tricked his father into blessing the whole thing. “The older shall serve the younger,” said the Lord (Gen. 25:23).The heel business is an interestingly inverted sign. Jacob grabbed hold of the promise by striking at his brother's heel and risking a crushed head at his birth. But it's not the struggle of two brothers that fulfills God's first promise. “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Gen. 3:15). The devil struck the heel of Jesus and even wounded His sacred head on the cross. But in striving to overcome the one and only Son of God, the devil suffered a bruise and more. “You went out for the salvation of your people, for the salvation of your anointed. You crushed the head of the house of the wicked, laying him bare from thigh to neck” (Habakkuk 3:13). Jacob grabbed the heel to get at the promise, but Jesus used His heel to keep the promise. So let us grab hold of Jesus' heel, that is, His promise, and we will be born again.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Bruise for me the serpent's head That, set free from doubt and dread, I may cling to You in faith, Safely kept through life and death. (LSB 352:5)-Rev. Jacob Ehrhard, pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church and School in Chicago, IL.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.Visit the timeless rhythms of the Christian life with award-winning author Harold L. Senkbeil. As he addresses the concerns and pressures of the world today, you'll discover that even while the world is dying, Christ's death brings about life. True life. One that He offers to you. Order Now!

All our readings this morning provoked much thought, indeed, deep meditation.  Psalm 7 is David's' plea for “refuge; save me from my pursuers and deliver me” [v.1]  But he also says, “if there is wrong in my hands … let the enemy … trample my life to the ground and lay my glory in the dust” [v.3,5]. David knew God could see all things!  This included how his mind worked, his real values and priorities in life; this is the reason he was so shattered after his sin with Bathsheba, God would not let him hide his sin..       Our thoughts then focused on our Genesis reading and what God “saw”. “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” [6 v.5]  God primarily sees in humans just two different qualities – either good or evil, righteousness or wickedness, love or hate!       Ways of living are tending in one or other of two directions, wheat or tares are growing and eventually produce one of 2 kinds of harvest – and what a harvest of godlessness was surrounding Noah!  Is it not the same today!  We are going to be part of a harvest of one kind or another.      “And God saw the earth, and behold it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way…” [v.12] We know when things are going bad, such as fruit we have bought. We see what can be saved to eat – and throw the bad away.  Noah's great grandfather Enoch “walked with God” and “God took him” [5 v.24] We are not told how – or where.  If God chooses not to tell us, it is pointless to ask questions.      This happened just 4 years before Noah was born, the situation had now developed so that many “harsh things that ungodly sinners” had been spoken against Enoch [Jude 14] “loud mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage.” [v.16]   Rings a bell with today, doesn't it the result when God is pushed right out of our thinking.     “But Noah found favour in the eyes of the LORD” [Gen.6 v.8] God has all seeing “eyes.” Do we, do you, find favour in the eyes of the LORD?  David's Psalms show he was very conscious of the need for that to be so.       Returning to Psalm 7, David writes; “judge me, O LORD …. according to the integrity that is in me … you who test the minds and hearts, O righteous God … who saves the upright in heart” [v.8-10]    May we all be “upright in heart.”  

“The psalm is ascribed to Solomon, and has perhaps a concealed signature in the expression his beloved (2), which is the word from which Jedidiah, his personal name from God, was formed (II Sam. 12:25)” Kidner, 440. Solomon carried on many building activities (I Kings 3:1-2; 7:1-11; 8:13; 9:1). This psalm has more of the characteristics of a wisdom psalms than other types. “A wisdom psalm ... ‘provides instruction in right living and right faith” NICOT, 917. “In Jewish practice the psalm is recited as a part of thanksgiving as a part of a thanksgiving service after children” VanGemeren, 793 127:1 Unless the LORD builds the house- “The Hebrew bayit equally means ‘house' and ‘home.' The emphasis in the second half of the psalm on progeny suggests that both sense of the word are in play here” Alter, 449.  “House could refer to a literal dwelling house (Gen. 19:10), a household (Gen. 7:1), the temple, or the king's palace (I Kings 9:1), or the nation as a whole (Amos 3:1, 13; 7:10)” Miller, 407. See NICOT, 918, for even more possibilities for the word house. They labor in vain who build it- Prov. 14:23 uses this word for labor and says in all labor there is a profit. The word for in vain is used three times in vss. 1-2. It is translated vain in the command not to take God's name in vain in Exodus 20:7; Deut. 5:11. It is translated false in warnings against false reports in Exodus 23:1; Deut. 5:20. It refers to worthless idols in Jer. 18:15; Jonah 2:8 and the false messages of false prophets in Ezekiel 13:6, 7, 8, 9, 23.Unless the LORD guards the city- Num. 6:24; Pss. 25:20; 34:20; 86:2; 97:10; 116:6; 121:3-5, 7-8.127:2 For He gives to His beloved even in His sleep The NIV has He grants sleep to those He loves. “This could signify the blessing God gives, or taken adverbially the time or way to which He gives it” Kidner, 442. 127:3 Behold, children are a gift of the LORD- Gen. 33:5; Deut. 7:13. The word children here and in vs. 4 is literally sons. “The martial imagery of the rest of the poem argues for the masculine sense of the term” Alter, 450. “The patriarchs of Israel and their wives recognized that children are gifts from God (Gen. 29:31-35; 30:1-6, 17-23; I Sam. 1:5-6, 11, 19-20) How much better our society would be if we recognized as much!” Miller, 407. The word sons vss. 3, 4 in Hebrew is very similar to the word for builders in vs. 1- McCann, 1198. The fruit of the womb is a reward- “It is not untypical of God's gifts that first they are liabilities, or at least responsibilities, before they become obvious assets” Kidner, 442. Gen. 15:1 God is our ultimate reward. 127:4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior- The word for warrior “is often used to describe military figures…II Sam. 23:8 names David's ‘mighty men' and in II Kings 24:16, the king of Babylon took captive all of the gibborim of Jerusalem, 7000” NICOT, 919. So are the children of one's youth- “. One might recall David's original power base was in part a kind of family militia, led by three nephews” Alter, 450. “Sons provide sufficient strength to enable the family to defend itself against marauders” Miller, 407. 127:5 How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them- “The larger the family, the greater the defense against the enemy” Miller, 407. “Children confer real advantage on a person in the battle of life. Indeed, the more the better” Longman, 426. 

Series: Chaos to CovenantTitle: "Are you calling on the name of the Lord?"Scripture: Genesis 6:1-8 & 4:26Gen 4:19-26; 5:1-2Bottom line: The Way of Seth (and Jesus) is to walk with him. We walk with him by calling on and seeking him by grace through faith each day.INTRODUCTIONCONTEXTSERMON OUTLINECONCLUSIONNOTESOUTLINESQUESTIONS TO CONSIDER DISCUSSION QUESTIONSMAIN REFERENCES USEDMy opening prayer: Lord God, help us grow to be and do like Jesus, while abiding in him, and leading others to do the same. INTRODUCTIONIn the Lord of the Rings (LOTR) epic tale, there are two opposing forces at work--the way of Sauron who wants to enslave all of middle earth and the way of freedom that is very generically portrayed as some Providential power of good. This is not unlike many epic tales of good versus evil. This flows from the early pages of Genesis where we see it displayed as the way of Cain (evil) and the way of Seth (good, hope, prophecy).Genesis 3-5 is not unlike the new Amazon Prime series called the Rings of Power (ROP) which serves as the prequel to the LOTR epic. The ROP sets the stage for the tremendous evil storm coming in and through Sauron which is where the LOTR begins.Throughout the story (LOTR), the main characters Frodo, Gandalf and Aragorn all seem to have this unified belief that Providence (my word, not Tolkien's) is at work on their behalf (or that they are working on Providence's behalf), though Tolkien works with super subtly to avoid anything close to an allegory. The true story of Noah and the Ark and the flood (which we'll begin next week) is being set up even now. The tremendous wickedness across the planet at the time of Genesis 6 is unprecedented. And like in the LOTR series, there will be those who seek to rearrange their entire lives around seeking the favor of God, pleasing God, and seeking first his kingdom and his righteousness.What does it mean to "Call on the name of the Lord?"I think it's a posture of humility rooted in the conviction that we need God more than air. A conviction that causes us to arrange/rearrange our lives around his priorities. This is what we see the characters in LOTR do. This is what I see scripture repeatedly calling us to do. It's more than praying, though it is praying. It is earnestly seeking his word, his ways, his will and his wisdom with the intention of putting it into practice daily. It is surrendering your life to the One who saved yours.Are you calling on the name of the Lord daily?Are you seeking first his kingdom and his righteousness daily?Are you finding favor with the Lord daily?Are you pleasing God by believing that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him?Are you surrendering all to Him today?CONTEXTSpiraling from the fall into more and more evil, the Way of Cain is dominating the world stage while they Way of Seth is a mere remnant of people. They don't have much of God's word to live on. They don't have the ways of God spelled out to them. They are in need of lights in the darkness.But they do have a prophecy. A word from the Lord. (Gen 3:15)After seeing the Way of Cain summarized in Cain's evil genealogy, it's followed by the Way of Seth and his genealogy. Adam and Eve are still alive and watching this unfold with I can't imagine how much guilt and anguish over what they've done. The only thing keeping them alive and sane is the hope in the few words of God in Genesis 3:15, "And I will put enmity between you (Satan) and the woman, and between your offspring and hers (Jesus); he will crush your head, and you will strike his heal (at the cross)."At the beginning of Seth's genealogy, as Chris mentioned last week, we see God reminding us of how he created us--in his image. We were created God-like. Nothing in all of creation is more like God than humans. Now we're in a state of dreadful depravity. We're born sinners who are capable of incredibly evil attitudes, words and actions. And we don't have to look far to see not only the truth of that but that we're heading downhill towards a level of evil equal to that just prior to the Flood. But this reminder--that we're created in his image--is there to remind us and give us hope. Hope that the Way of Seth--the Way of Jesus--can and will deliver many from sin and death, shame and guilt, hell itself.The whole thing here about the sons of God, daughters of men, and the Nephilim is simply there to show us how bad things had gotten in the world. To show us that things were so bad that God grieved and regretted that he'd created humanity in the first place. As a result, God would wipe out all of creation (except for the ones following the Way of Seth) and re-create the world.SERMON Q. What do I want them to know?A. 1. The utter wickedness all over the earth; how bad we were and areThe consequences of sin are real badThe judgment of God on our sinfulness is holy and justThe depravity of humanity is on full display hereIt's setting the table for God's flood of judgment...and mercyQ. Why do I want them to know it?A. Because it's God's story being written by and through those of us with the humility, faith and courage to live it out. It's a costly journey. Q. What do I want them to do about it?A. 1. Call on the name of the Lord (Gen 4:26)Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness (Matt 6:33)Live to please him by grace through faith (Heb 11:6)Enjoy the Lord's favor (Gen 6:8)Follow Jesus (Luke 9:23)Ask yourself these questions:Do I understand the world and epic I'm in?Do I believe God has called me into this story? His-story? History?Do you not see the hand of God working in your life to this end? The end of an unlikely hope that will come through humble, courageous, hopeful men and women, boys and girls, who have hope in their Creator's epic story called life?Q. Why do I want them to do it?A. Because this is the Pearl of Great Price. This is the Treasure Hidden in a Field. He is worthy of everything in my life. My whole life. Luke 9:23Q. How can they begin to do this?A. Call on the Lrod daily to show you the way.4:26 "At that time, people began to call on the name of the Lord."God is light, life and love. (1 John)Remember who and whose you are in Christ. If you follow Jesus Christ, like follow him words, ways and works, then you'll remember...We're a son/daughter of Adam --born sinners in need of a SaviorBut, we're also a redeemed, forgiven son/daughter of Jesus Christ (the Way of Seth)We're created God-like from birth (in his image) (Gen 1:26-28; 5:1)We're created on purpose for a purpose (Gen 1:26-28; 5:2)Depraved, yes.Unredeemable, no!Unforgivable, no!Being created in God's image means we're more like God than anything else in the universe! Ex. I can't preach this message to any other creature on earth and move them to act like God calls us to. Only people can be inspired by God's word. We have to decide: Do I believe that? Will I act on that belief?Don't look to people to be your heroes. They are not your hope. Jesus is your Hero capital H. He calls us to live heroically (sacrificially) for his glory-not ours.Find favor in God's eyes by walking with God. (Gen 5:21-24; Micah 6:8)CONCLUSIONAre you calling on the name of the Lord each day? Are you seeking first...really seeking first...his kingdom and his righteousness? Are you rearranging your life around his priorities and perspective? This is all just pre-k for the rest of eternity. Do you get that?Examine your life right now. As we soberly remember the price that was paid by Jesus Christ when he died in our place for our sin to free us, he reminds us that he passes the baton to us to share this good news that forgiveness is available to all, though not automatic. If we don't tell them, who will? If we don't live this out, do we really believe it?Bottom line: The Way of Seth (and Jesus) is to walk with him. We walk with him by calling on and seeking him by grace through faith each day.““Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”” ‭‭Acts‬ ‭2‬:‭36‬-‭39‬ ‭NIV‬‬InvitationHow do we respond? Answer 2 questions:Take out a card or piece of paper right now. Write down the answer to these questions: What is God saying to me right now?What am I going to do about it? Write this down on a sheet of paper. What I hear you saying, Lord, is ___________________.[my name] is going to believe/do __________________________________________________ as a result.Finally, share this with your Home or Mission group this week when you gather as a testimony about what God is doing in your life. You don't have to get too specific to give him praise.PrayNOTESThe PatternSee D. J. A. Clines, Catholic Biblical Quarterly, No. 38 (1976), pp. 487, 488. Clines explains that Gerhard Von Rad initially observed a pattern of sin, mitigation, and punishment. Then Claus Westermann discerned another element, that of divine speech. Though he did not include it in the pattern, Clines does. Thus the following chart:I. II. III. IV. SINSPEECHGRACEPUNISHMENTFALL3:63:14-193:213:22-24CAIN4:84:10-124:154:16SONS OF GOD6:26:36:8, 18ff7:6-24FLOOD6:5, 11f6:7, 13-216:8, 18ff11:8BABEL11:411:6f10:1-3211:8Preach the Word, Genesis, Kent Hughes, chapter 1, note 3, p. 625Hamilton puts it this way:"God acts and speaks; man rebels; God punishes; God protects and reconciles." P. 201GOD ACTS & SPEAKS MAN REBELS GOD PUNISHES GOD PROTECTS & RECONCILESOUTLINESN/AQUESTIONS TO CONSIDERWho is God?What has he done/is he doing/is he going to do?Who am I? (In light of 1 & 2)What do I get to do? (In light of who I am)How do I do it?DISCUSSION QUESTIONSDiscovery Bible Study process: https://www.dbsguide.org/Read the passage together.Retell the story in your own words.Discovery the storyWhat does this story tell me about God?What does this story tell me about people?If this is really true, what should I do?What is God saying to you right now? (Write this down)What are you going to do about it? (Write this down)Who am I going to tell about this?Find our sermons, podcasts, discussion questions and notes at https://www.gracetoday.net/podcastAlternate Discussion Questions (by Jeff Vanderstelt): Based on this passage:Who is God?What has he done/is he doing/is he going to do?Who am I? (In light of 1 & 2)What do I do? (In light of who I am)How do I do it?Final Questions (Write this down)What is God saying to you right now? What are you going to do about it?MAIN REFERENCES USED“Genesis,” by R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word Commentary, Edited by Kent HughesExalting Jesus in Genesis, by BethancourtThe Genesis Record, by Henry MorrisThe Genesis Factor, by David Helms & Jon Dennis“Look at the Book” by John Piper (LATB)“The Bible Knowledge Commentary” by Walvoord, Zuck (BKC)“The Bible Exposition Commentary” by Warren Wiersbe (BEC)Outline Bible, D Willmington (OB)Willmington's Bible Handbook, D Willmington (WBH)NIV Study Bible (NIVSB) https://www.biblica.com/resources/scholar-notes/niv-study-bible/Chronological Life Application Study Bible (NLT)ESV Study Bible (ESVSB) https://www.esv.orgThe Bible Project https://bibleproject.com“The Bible in One Year 2023 with Nicky Gumbel” bible reading plan on YouVersion app (BIOY)Claude.ai

Jacob met the Lord (Gen. 32:22-26) Jacob met himself (Gen. 32:27-32) Jacob met Esau (Gen. 33:1-20) Life lessons for us from Jacob's encounter – Genesis 32:24 – 30 24 Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. 25 When he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched […]

Jacob met the Lord (Gen. 32:22-26) Jacob met himself (Gen. 32:27-32) Jacob met Esau (Gen. 33:1-20) Genesis 32:24 – 30 (NASB) 24 Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. 25 When he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of his thigh; so the […]

“One thing, I have desired of the Lord, that I will seek that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. To behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.” Psalm 27:4Pillars of the ChurchThe pillars of our church are PURSUING THE PRESENCE OF GOD, TRANSFORMATIONAL DISCIPLESHIP, KINGDOM COMMUNITY, AND SACRIFICIAL MISSION“At New Song Church, we pursue the presence of God by seeking him first and above all else.”-NSC websiteWe are to pursue.What we are to pursue is the presence.The what is actually a who, because it is the presence of God. 4. We are to do this first, above every other action/option.“The reason the church is in crisis today is because we have settled for the omnipresence rather than for the manifest presence of God.”- Frank Hartlythere is an aspect of God where he is OMNIPRESENT meaning he is everywhere all at once at all timesthere is a MANIFEST aspect of God's presence. Manifest means to display or show by one's acts or appearance; demonstrate.“The presence and the manifestation of the presence are not the same. There can be one without the other. God is here when we are wholly unaware of it. He is manifesting when and as we are aware of his presence.”- A.W. TozerPursue means to chase something, run after, seek to attain.“The church has developed a mentality that wants to do nothing, but yet receive everything. We don't want to make any effort on our part anymore, we just want to sit by and wait for God to hand it to us, drop it into our laps, so to speak.”- Pastor Curt (article on pursing God)“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near.” Isaiah 55:6“Seek the Lord and His strength; seek his face forevermore.” Psalm 105:4“The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God.” Psalm 14:2“3He (Zacchaeus) sought to see who Jesus was but could not because of the crowd…4 so he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him…5 And when Jesus…saw him he said ‘Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.'” Luke 19:3-5“27 When she heard about Jesus, she came behind him in the crowd and touched His garment…32 and He looked around to see her who had done this thing.” Mark 5:27,32“37 When she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisees house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood at his feet behind Him weeping and she began to wash His feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with fragrant oil…” Luke 7:37The Hebrew word for presence is parim=face.This implies a close and personal encounter with the Lord as the face reveals the unique identity of a person.“15 If your presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here. 16For how then will it be known that your people have found grace in your sight, except you go, with us?” Exodus 33:15,16“One thing, I have desired of the Lord, that I will seek that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. To behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.” Psalm 27:4“In America, there is a generation that is experiencing more options than any generation in all of history.”-Jesus Culture“And they (Adam and Eve) heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord…” Gen 3:8“Cain went out from the presence of the Lord.” Gen 4:16But what defines a true church is to run after (pursue) the presence (manifest/personal encounter) of God as our only hope (first/above all else).“One thing, I have desired of the Lord, that I will seek that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. To behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.” Psalm 27:4desire, decide, doWhen we desire to pursue the presence of God we will decide what we are willing to no longer settle for and we will do what others may not, because His presence is above all other things!

How blessed we are to read that “…Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (Gen. 6:8). Such a life spared destruction of all within the world. Much in Noah's life presents a good example for us to follow. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1561/29

Daniel Simmons

We need to take what we have and put it on the alter. Although this seems scary, remember that He is in charge and the odds are in His favor. God tells us to not be afraid because He is with us and will help us. He is our shield and our reward.

This episode provides witnesses of those that because of their faith, and belief in the LORD Jesus received their healings instantaneously. Jesus once again emphasizes that the "kingdom of God" is associated with healing the sick. There were those that could witness, that when He healed them that He did it, suddenly. There was the man that sat by the roadside and heard of the man Jesus and called out to Him, Jesus informed him that his faith had made him whole. The man received his sight immediately, and Jesus granted him his request for sight. Prayer refers to the multifaceted communication of believers with the LORD God. In addition to such words as "prayer" and "praying," this activity is described as calling upon God (Ps. 17:6), calling upon the name of the LORD (Gen. 4:26), crying unto the LORD (Ps. 3:4), lifting up one's soul unto God (Ps. 25:1), seeking the LORD (Is. 55:6), coming boldly unto the throne of grace (Heb. 4:16), and drawing near to God (Heb. 10:22). Just as those in this message believed by faith that Jesus could deliver and that He could do it suddenly. Although, they might not have expected it to happen instantaneously. However, no one knows the Mind nor the Will of God. The man lay by the side of the pool hoping to be able to make it to the waters when the Angel came to trouble the water for there was none that would help him. Because of his belief, Jesus told him to take up his bed and walk. Thus, he did walk. Prayer is the necessary link alone with having faith, trust, and knowing that He is able to receive God's blessings and power, and the fulfillment of His promises. Not only must we pray according to God's will, but we must be in God's will if we expect Him to hear and answer us. God will give us the things we ask for only if we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. The apostle John unequivocally states: "And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight." Why are some prayers answered and others are not? John declares that an effective prayer life is related to our devotion to God. Obeying God's commandments, loving Him, and pleasing Him (John 8:29; 2 Cor. 5:9; Eph. 5:9; Eph. 5:10; Heb. 13:31) are indispensable conditions in order to receive what we ask for in prayer. Know that Jesus said that men/women should always pray. Pray and believe. I heard a Pastor say, "And if He does not heal you on this side, it's not because He couldn't, know that your healing still awaits you." The New Birth Choir sings, "He did it suddenly". Blessings, Elder Barbara Full Life Bible

The Lord called Abram (Abraham) to leave his home and go to a land that God would show him. He also promised to make of Abram “a great nation,” to bless him and make his name great as a blessing to “all the families of the earth” (Gen. 12:2–3). “Abram went, as the LORD had told him” (Gen. 12:4), and in Canaan “he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD” (Gen. 12:8). He “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness” (Rom. 4:3). Here the grace of God is manifested, that He “justifies the ungodly” (Rom. 4:5), not by works of the Law, but through faith in His promises. He removes all of our sins and lawless deeds through Jesus Christ, the offspring of Abraham in whom all the Lord's promises are realized. This forgiveness of sins is the Word of the Gospel, the voice of the Holy Spirit, which “gives life to the dead” (Rom. 4:17). It opens the eyes of faith to behold Christ Jesus, the Son of Man lifted up on the cross, “that whoever believes in him may have eternal life” (John 3:14–15). ----- Trinity Lutheran Church, School and Child Care have been "Making Known the Love of Christ" in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and throughout the world since 1853 as a congregation gathering around God's Word and Sacraments to receive forgiveness and life everlasting. Trinity is located in downtown Sheboygan, only one block from the Mead Public Library and the Weill Center for the Performing Arts. We invite you to visit us in person! Trinity Lutheran Sheboygan is a proud member of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Visit their website: https://www.lcms.org/​​​​ Music for this production was obtained through a licensing agreement with One License, LLC. The copyright permission to reprint, podcast, and record hymns and songs is acquired through ID Number: 730195-A #LCMS #Lutheran #DivineService

Recorded Feb 25 1979

Recorded Feb 25 1979

Pastor Rick Brown exhorts the men through the life of Joseph. Part 2. This teaching is from the Men's Conference, Calvary San Jose, Calf. Let's get equipped from Gen 39:1-20 with Rick. Don't miss this opportunity to listen in, friends. I know you'll be encouraged! In this message, God has many reasons to drive us through Joseph's life, some more obvious than others. Let's look at one perhaps lesser obvious reason. 1. Joseph's Journey – Gen 39:1 2. Joseph's Lord – Gen 39:1 3. Joseph's Boss – Gen 39:1 4. Joseph's Witness – Gen 39:1 5. Joseph's Promotion – Gen 39:4-5 6. Joseph's Attractiveness – Gen 39:6 7. Joseph's Temptation – Gen 39:7-12 8. Joseph's Punishment – Gen 39:13-20 “The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man..” Gen 39:2 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Romans 8:37 Respond today. Now, more than ever, we must anchor ourselves in the Word of God; it will provide us with a firm foundation in an uncertain culture. Rick reminds us to seek God in prayer, to open our Bibles to fill our hearts with His truth, and to look up to remind ourselves that God is with us. Get the Anchored in the Word Bible reading plan: https://pastorrickbrown.com/reading-plan/ As we continue to stand for truth in these unprecedented times, make sure you subscribe to this channel and follow us on all our platforms to always stay up to date with our latest content! LIVESTREAM Watch Pastor Rick Brown on Saturdays @ 4pm PST on https://pastorrickbrown.com BIBLE READING Get the Anchored in the Word Bible reading plan at https://pastorrickbrown.com/reading-plan/ Pastor Rick Brown, founder and leader of Kingdom-X. Leadership consulting for churches and organizations: https://kingdom-x.org Founder of Free Ventura: https://freeventura.org Founder and Former Senior Pastor of of Watersprings church and school, Idaho Falls, ID Rick Brown | Co-Senior Pastor of Godspeak Calvary Chapel,Newbury Park, CA Founder of Seek First Bible teaching ministry: https://pastorrickbrown.com SEEK FIRST WITH RICK BROWN PODCAST: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6ryzHPLzLRxeUJqNNhGTOP Google: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy82ZWFhMmQwMC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw?sa=X&ved=0CAUQrrcFahcKEwiw-OPgt-r2AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ Apple Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/growing-in-gods-word/id1317430575?mt=2 WATCH: Rumble: https://rumble.com/user/pastorRickBrown Teachings: https://pastorrickbrown.com/teachings/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/CCIdahofalls Bible Teaching: https://pastorrickbrown.com/teachings/ GIVING: We appreciate your support of Seek First Ministry. Seek First Ministry is a 501(c)(3). All donations are tax-deductible. Donations can be made from the donation page at https://pastorrickbrown.com/giving/, or, if you would like to donate by mail: Seek First PO BOX 5813, Twin Falls, ID 83303-5813.

Positive and Negative Volition In this lesson, Dr. Cook continues his study of positive and negative volition as it's revealed in Scripture. Below are examples of negative and positive volition in the Bible.  Examples of negative volition include The antediluvian generation (Gen 6:5-13; 2 Pet 2:5) The city of Sodom (Gen 13:13) The first generation of Israelites after the Exodus (Num 32:10-13; Deut 1:35) Israel during the Judges (Judg 17:6; 21:25) Solomon when he turned away from God and worshipped idols (1 Ki 11:1-10) Israel under the leadership of Jeroboam (1 Ki 12:26-33) Israel under the leadership of Ahab (1 Ki 16:29-33) Judah's pre-exilic leaders (Jer 25:3) Jesus' generation who rejected Him (John 3:19; 12:37; cf. Matt 23:37-38) The last generation of the church age (2 Tim 3:1-5) Unbelievers living during the Tribulation (Rev 9:20-21; 16:8-11). The last generation of the millennial kingdom (Rev 20:7-9). Examples of positive volition include Enoch, who walked with God (Gen 5:21-24) Noah, who obeyed the Lord (Gen 6:22) Moses, who led Israel out of Egypt (Ex 3:1—14:31) Joshua, who led Israel into the Promised Land (Josh 1:1-18) The Ninevites who responded positively to Jonah's preaching (Jon 3:1-10) Elijah, who turned Israel back to the Lord (1 Ki 18:17-40) King Josiah, who delayed God's judgment against Judah (2 Ki 22:1-20) The apostles (Matt 19:27-28) Saul, who believed in Jesus and spread the gospel (Acts 9:1-20). Conclusion      Every person we meet is either positive or negative to God and His Word. Though we are not neutral and try to persuade people to believe the gospel (John 3:16; 20:31; Acts 4:12; 1 Cor 15:3-4; Eph 2:8-9), and live righteously (Rom 6:11-14; Tit 2:11-14), each person must choose to accept or reject the offer. Those who believe in Jesus will be forgiven all their sins (Eph 1:7), given eternal life (John 10:28), and will spend forever in heaven (John 14:1-4); and believers who pursue righteousness will be rewarded in eternity (1 Cor 3:10-15). Those who reject the gospel have no other way to be saved and will forever be separated from God in the Lake of Fire (John 3:18; Rev 20:11-15).    

     According to Scripture, all mankind is fallen, corrupted by sin, and our natural proclivity is to think and act in conformity with Satan's world-system, which is everywhere and always at odds with God and His plan.      The book of Genesis reveals that God created Adam perfect and assigned him to serve as His theocratic administrator over His creation. This meant Adam was to exercise responsible dominion over the creation (Gen 1:26-30; 2:7-8, 15-17), and Eve was created to help him, to stand with him to do God's will (Gen 2:18-25). But Satan, possessing a serpent—a subordinate creature that would have posed little threat to Adam and Eve—tempted them to act contrary to God and His commands. Henry Morris says, “Demonic spirits evidently have the ability, under certain conditions, to indwell or ‘possess' either human bodies or animal bodies (Luke 8:33); and Satan on this occasion chose the serpent as the one most suitable for his purposes.”[1] The serpent here is identified as “the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world” (Rev 12:9; cf. Rev 20:2).      Satan was shrewd and intentional in his attack as he approached the woman and questioned her understanding of God's command, asking, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden?'” (Gen 3:1). And Eve answered, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.'” (Gen 3:2-3). According to Allen Ross, “Eve disparaged the privileges, added to the prohibition, and weakened the penalty—all seen by contrasting her words (Gen. 3:3) with God's original commands (2:16-17).”[2]      When Satan heard Eve misrepresent God's instructions (Gen 2:16-17), he boldly advanced his argument, saying, “You surely will not die!” (Gen 3:4), calling God a liar, stating, “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Gen 3:4-5). Satan's argument was that God was withholding divinity from Adam and Eve, and if they were willing to eat the fruit, they could be like God, which was the same mental attitude sin committed by Lucifer at his fall (Isa 14:12-14). Here, Eve was confronted with an antithetical claim to what the Lord had told her, but rather than seek the Lord about the matter, she let Satan convince her to abandon faith in God and operate independently of Him. The influence of Satan brought an epistemological shift in Eve's thinking, and rather than seeing the tree from the divine perspective as harmful, she saw it as attractive, that is “was good for food…a delight to the eyes…[and] desirable to make one wise” (Gen 3:6a). Being deceived by Satan's argument, “she took from its fruit and ate” (Gen 3:6b; 1 Tim 2:14). Eve then “gave also to her husband with her, and he ate” (Gen 3:6c), and Satan's strategy to advance his kingdom of darkness and take possession of the world and humanity was complete.      Adam and Eve became aware of their failure, as “the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings” (Gen 3:7). Remembering they were to “multiply and fill the earth” (Gen 1:28), According to Morris, Adam and Eve “realized that the very fountainhead of human life had now become corrupted by their disobedience and they became acutely aware of their nakedness. Their children would all be contaminated with the seed of rebellion, so that their feeling of guilt centered especially on their own procreative organs.”[3]      Spiritual death (i.e., separation from God) brought an irrational shift in their theology as well as their behavior as they sought to hide from the Lord (Gen 3:8-9), saying, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself” (Gen 3:10; cf. Jer 23:24).      When confronted about their sin (Gen 3:11), Adam blamed his wife as well as God, saying, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate” (Gen 3:12), and Eve blamed the creature, saying, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate” (Gen 3:13). Hiding from God and shifting blame for sin are common characteristics of mankind's fallenness.      The serpent was judged by God and physically changed to crawl on its belly as a perpetual reminder to mankind about the fall (Gen 3:14). Here, the curse was actually against Satan, who possessed the serpent, as the Lord declared, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel” (Gen 3:15). Having brought Adam and Eve under his control, it is possible Satan thought he would gain total control over all their children, but the Lord had other plans and made it known to Satan there would be “enmity” between him and the woman, as well as his “seed and her seed; [and] he shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.” This verse is commonly referred to as the protoevangelium—the first gospel—because God promised there would come a “seed” from the woman's line who would defeat Satan and disrupt his kingdom.[4]      God pronounced judgment upon Adam, Eve and the creation. Eve's judgment was that she would have increased “pain in childbirth” and that her husband would “rule over her” (Gen 3:16), and the ground that Adam was to cultivate would be cursed, and “in toil you will eat of it all the days of your life” (Gen 3:17-19).      Though atheists and liberal theologians treat the first eleven chapters of Genesis as myth, the NT writers treat Adam and Eve as historical persons and the fall as literal. Luke traces Jesus' genealogy back to Adam (Luke 3:38), and Jesus based His argument on marriage on the first human couple (Matt 19:4-6). Paul also states, “I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ” (2 Cor 11:3). And Paul wrote, “it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression” (1 Tim 2:14). Paul argued that through Adam “sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Rom 5:12; cf. 1 Cor 15:21). And all humanity is said either to be in Adam or in Christ, and this determines whether we are spiritually alive or dead, “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive” (1 Cor 15:22). Adam's sin brought corruption and decay into the whole universe, “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now” (Rom 8:20-22). We now live in a very flawed world with sinful people and all sorts of problems. Henry Morris comments: "Things are not 'very good' in the world now! In the physical realm, everything tends to run down and wear out. In the living world, each animal is engaged in a perpetual struggle against other animals and against disease, as well as the universal process of aging and death. Culturally, one civilization after another seems to rise for a time, then decline and die. In the spiritual and moral realm, each individual invariably finds it easier to do wrong than right, easier to drift downward than to struggle upward. The world is full of hatred, crime, war, pollution, selfishness, corruption—evil of all kinds. Something has gone wrong with God's perfect creation."[5] The Effects of the Fall      The historic fall of Adam and Eve fundamentally changed the human race and the world, resulting in disease, decay and death among all living things, and that the tendency of humanity is to behave in a spiritually and morally corrupt manner, suppressing God's truth and rejecting His solutions to life's problems. Understanding this helps us make sense of the world in which we live and why people behave the way they do.      Sin is a dominant theme from Genesis chapter three to the end of the Bible, at which time God will do away with sin and its effects, creating a “new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells” (2 Pet 3:13; cf. Rev 21:1). The word sin is found throughout Scripture, and both the Hebrew and Greek share the same basic meaning. The Hebrew word חָטָא chata means “to miss the target, or to lose the way,”[6] and the Greek ἁμαρτάνω hamartano is defined as “miss the mark, err, or do wrong.”[7] Sin is when we transgress God's law and depart from His intended path.[8] The apostle John states, “Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4). Merrill Unger writes, “The underlying idea of sin is that of law and of a lawgiver. The lawgiver is God. Hence sin is everything in the disposition and purpose and conduct of God's moral creatures that is contrary to the expressed will of God (Rom 3:20; 4:15; 7:7; Jam 4:12, 17).”[9]      Sin impacts all things including family life, nature, economics, society, law, politics, science, education, etc. All sin and evil exist in connection with the willful creatures who manufacture it, and its effects can be short or long-lasting. Even the creation is cursed because of Adam's sin, as the Lord told him, “Cursed is the ground because of you” (Gen 3:17), to which Paul added, “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now” (Rom 8:20-22). Sin negatively impacts everyone and everything, and no one was impacted or hurt more by sin than God. On several occasions we read, “The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart” (Gen 6:6), and though God loved Israel, their ongoing sin “grieved His Holy Spirit” (Isa 63:10). As Christians, we are commanded, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Eph 4:30). Sin ultimately cost God His Son, who came into the world and died on a cross in order to atone for it (Mark 10:45; John 3:16; 10:14-18; Rom 8:32; 1 John 4:10), and to set us free from spiritual slavery (Rom 6:6; Gal 5:1; Heb 2:14-15).      The Bible reveals we are sinners in Adam, sinners by nature, and sinners by choice. To be a sinner in Adam means we sinned when he sinned, that his fallen position is our fallen position, and his guilt is our guilt (Gen 2:16-17; 3:1-24; Rom 5:12; 1 Cor 15:21-22). This is commonly referred to as original sin. Since the fall of Adam, every person is born with a sin nature (except Jesus),[10] and it is this nature that internally motivates people to rebel against all legitimate forms of authority, both human and divine. More so, the sin nature is not eradicated from the believer during his time on earth, nor is it ever reformed, as though it can be made to love God. To be a sinner by nature means it's our innate tendency to sin (Jer 17:9; Matt 7:11; Rom 7:18-21; Eph 2:1-3). To be a sinner by choice means we personally choose to act contrary to God and His revealed will (1 Ki 8:46; Prov 20:9; Ecc 7:20; Isa 53:6; Rom 3:10-12; 1 John 1:10). Cumulatively these reveal that we are totally depraved, which means sin permeates and corrupts every aspect of our being, including our mind, will, sensibilities and flesh. Though we may be moral to the best of our ability and others may applaud us for our good deeds, our best efforts are tainted by sin and have no saving merit before God (Isa 64:6; Rom 4:1-5; 5:6-10; Gal 2:16; Eph 2:8-9; Tit 3:5).      One of the major areas where sin impacts us is in the mind, which theologians refer to as the noetic effects of sin. This means sin impacts our ability to think rationally, especially about God, who has made Himself known through general revelation (Psa 19:1-2; Rom 1:18-20) and special revelation (1 Cor 14:37; 1 Tim 5:18; 1 Th 2:13; 2 Tim 3:16-17). The majority of people throughout history think evil thoughts and are consumed with themselves and their own agendas rather than God's will. Of Noah's generation it is said, “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen 6:5). Later, Solomon declared, “the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil and insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives” (Eccl 9:3). And Jeremiah wrote, “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jer 17:9). And Jesus Himself spoke of the human condition, saying, “for out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, [and] slanders” (Matt 15:19). One would think that when Jesus came into the world that mankind would rejoice in His light; however, Scripture provides a different picture, telling us, “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil” (John 3:19; cf. 1:4-5). When talking to religious Pharisees, Jesus declared, “Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word” (John 8:43). This is true of all unbelievers, for “the natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised” (1 Cor 2:14). Even something as simple as the Gospel message is “foolishness to those who are perishing” (1 Cor 1:18), in whose case “the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Cor 4:3-4). The tendency of fallen people who operate on negative volition is to “suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Rom 1:18), and to operate by a worldly wisdom that is not “from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic” (Jam 3:15).      At the moment of salvation, God the Holy Spirit indwells us and gives us a new nature that, for the first time in our lives, has the desire and capacity to obey God; however, the sin nature is not removed, and so we experience ongoing internal conflict between these opposing natures (Gal 5:17; Rom 7:14-23). As Christians, we are directed to “lay aside the old self…and put on the new self which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth” (Eph 4:22, 24). Since we have been “born again” and given new life (1 Pet 1:3, 23), the sin nature no longer has domineering power over us, and we can choose a life of righteousness (Rom 6:5-13). As we grow spiritually, we will be transformed from the inside out and gradually become more and more righteous as we walk with God. Sinless perfection will not be attained until we leave this world, by death or by Rapture, and are “conformed to the image of His Son” (Rom 8:29), who will “transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory” (Phi 3:21). Until then, we are commanded to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts” (Rom 13:14). We do this by choosing to live according to the Spirit's guiding, and starving the monster that is our sin nature. To “make no provision for the flesh” means we stop exposing ourselves to the things of the world that excite the flesh and lead to sinful behavior. The positive action is to grow spiritually with biblical teaching (2 Tim 2:15; 3:16-17; 1 Pet 2:2; 2 Pet 3:18), Christian fellowship (Heb 10:23-25), selfless living (Phil 2:3-4), prayer (1 Th 5:17), worship (Heb 13:15), and doing good (Gal 6:10; Heb 13:16). It is only by spiritual growth and drawing closer to God that we learn to glorify the Lord and live in righteousness.   [1] Henry M. Morris, The Genesis Record: A Scientific and Devotional Commentary on the Book of Beginnings (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1976), 108. [2] Allen P. Ross, “Genesis,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 32. [3] Henry M. Morris, The Genesis Record, 115. [4] Of course, we know this to be Jesus, the Messiah (Luke 1:26-33), and His victory occurred at the cross, where “the ruler of this world has been judged” and defeated (John 16:11; cf. Col 2:15; Heb 2:14; 1 John 3:8). Satan and his angels will eventually be cast into the Lake of Fire (Matt 25:41; Rev 20:10). [5] Henry M. Morris, The Genesis Record, 105. [6] Ludwig Koehler et al., The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1994–2000), 305. [7] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 49. [8] In Judges 20:16 the Hebrew word is used of skilled soldiers who do not miss their target, and in Proverbs 19:2 of a man who hurries and misses his way. [9] Merrill F. Unger and E. McChesney, “Sin,” ed. R.K. Harrison, The New Unger's Bible Dictionary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1988), 1198. [10] According to Scripture, Jesus “knew no sin” (2 Cor 5:21), was “without sin” (Heb 4:15), and “in Him there is no sin” (1 John 3:5). His sinless life qualified Him as a perfect sacrifice to go to the cross and die as a substitute for others (Rom 5:6-10; Heb 10:1-14; 1 Pet 3:18).

Abraham hosted the Lord well so He and his family were blessed. The post Hosting the Lord (Gen 18) appeared first on Revival Life Church Boca Raton, FL.

“The LORD appeared to [Abraham] by the oaks of Mamre” (Gen. 18:1) and received his hospitality. But Abraham received the gracious promise of a son. Though Abraham and Sarah were very old, nothing is “too hard for the LORD” (Gen. 18:14). His Word appointed the time and fulfilled the promise. In the same way, the Lord Jesus “entered a village” and received Martha's hospitality (Luke 10:38). “Martha was distracted with much serving” because she was “anxious and troubled about many things” (Luke 10:40–41), but her sister, Mary, “sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching” (Luke 10:39). The service of love is no sin, but “one thing is necessary” for both faith and love — the Word of Christ (Luke 10:42). Thus, the ministers of Christ are sent “to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints” (Col. 1:25–26).----- Visit our website: https://www.trinitysheboygan.org/​​​​Trinity Lutheran Church, School and Child Care have been "Making Known the Love of Christ" in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and throughout the world since 1853 as a congregation gathering around God's Word and Sacraments to receive forgiveness and life everlasting. Trinity is located in downtown Sheboygan, only one block from the Mead Public Library and the Weill Center for the Performing Arts. We invite you to visit us in person!Trinity Lutheran Sheboygan is a proud member of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Visit their website: https://www.lcms.org/​​​​Music for this production was obtained through a licensing agreement with One License, LLC. The copyright permission to reprint, podcast, and record hymns and songs is acquired through ID Number: 730195-A #BibleStudy #LCMSSupport the show

THE BEGINNING OF THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT. Grace Bible Church & Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries Copyright © 2009 by Pastor Robert R. McLaughlin Gbible.org 02/24/08 Rom 9:1-4, “I am communicating doctrine, I am not lying, my conscience bearing joint testimony with me in the Holy Spirit, but I have a great sorrow and constant pain in my right lobe, so I could wish that I myself would be accursed, consequently, separated from Christ, but it cannot be, for the sake of, or on behalf of my brethren, the racial Jews, my fellow countrymen, national Jews according to earthly descent, who are Israelites, to whom is the adoption as sons and the glory [the Shekinah glory], and the covenants and the gift of the law, and the worship of the true God, and the promises.” We now move to the next three Greek words, Kai hai diatheekai, correctly translated and the covenants. This is referring primarily to the Abrahamic covenant, though others are included as well. The Abrahamic covenant was the beginning of the Jews, and the beginning of God's promises to Israel. The whole issue in these covenants is very simple. God is faithful, and God keeps His word; God will fulfill every obligation. The integrity of God makes it impossible for Him not to fulfill an obligation. Remember that the integrity of God is composed of His justice and His righteousness, and the only Jews to whom these promises are pertinent are the spiritual, rather than the physical, seed of Abraham. Only those Jews who receive the imputation of Divine righteousness (+R), as did Abraham, in Genesis 15, where Abraham was told that his progeny would be as the stars of the heaven, or like the sands of the sea. In that passage it also says, “Abraham had believed in the Lord [GEN 15:6], and it was credited to his account for righteousness.” The only Jews who receive the promises of the Abrahamic, Palestinian, Davidic, and New Covenants to Israel are those Jews who have +R. Remember that the justice of God imputes blessing to the righteousness of God only, and no Jew is a true Jew until he has the righteousness of God. Human life imputed at birth, plus Adams original sin, equals the first potential, the potential of salvation. Then the pertinent doctrine, the Gospel, equals the first hope or absolute confidence that when you believe in Christ you have eternal life. Then comes the adjustment to the justice of God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. There can be no blessing from God, unless you possess God's righteousness. Through perception, metabolization, and application of doctrine, one attains maturity and develops capacity to receive Divine blessing. We have the imputation of eternal life, plus the imputation of blessing in time which equals the third potential: Pertinent doctrine plus undeserved suffering equals absolute confidence that when we stand at the judgment seat of Christ in a resurrection body, we are going to receive the imputation of Divine blessing; and this is the plan of God. So, there can be no blessing, no eternal blessing to anyone, without +R. The ditheke, the covenant, is a disposition made by God to Abraham, and in this case we're dealing with the heritage of Israel. Like all the covenants, this is a part of the Divine decrees, and Abraham is a beneficiary without merit. God promised Abraham, he would crack the maturity barrier. God promised unconditionally certain things to Abraham and his spiritual seed; not all Israel is Israel, only those who believe on Christ for +R, as Abraham did in GEN 15:6. These promises are forever so you have to have God's life, eternal life. These promises demand a point of imputation. God can only bless on the basis of His righteousness (+R), not on the basis of our righteousness; today we have people inserting their own self-righteousness, and of course that does not work. We can't reinvent the wheel; God's already done it; it's His plan, not our plan! There is no place for self-righteousness, or any action or any deed no matter how legitimate, no matter how wonderful, or no matter how legalistic; there's simply no place for any human effort to try to gain blessing from God. The justice of God is free to fulfill the Abrahamic covenant to any Jew (anyone who has the genes of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) who is born again through faith in TLJC. That is absolutely necessary. So, all of these promises we simply call the Abrahamic covenant are merely a summary of everything that God promised to Abraham and to his spiritual seed. GEN 12:1-3, Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” These verses emphasize the isolation and separation necessary for the development of the new race. The third dynasty of Ur is about to be destroyed, and God is separating Abraham from that famous Acadian nation. This is why verse 2 says And I will manufacture from you a great nation. This does not refer to the seed of Ishmael nor does it refer to the seed of the five sons of Keturah. Abraham had seven sons; but the great nation would come through one only, Isaac: one great nation called the Jews, the Hebrews. Now there are a lot of nations from Abraham; many of them are descendents through Ishmael, or descendents from Abraham through the five sons of Keturah. However, the great nation in GEN 12:2 is elected, but not adopted until the Second Advent, because while Israel has been great in the past, it is nothing compared to what will happen in the Millennial reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. Israel will be the source of blessing for the entire world. Israel in the Millennium is the great nation. Israel in all eternity after the Millennium is the great nation, but the only racial Jews who can be in that great nation are those who are qualified by having +R and eternal life. No-one can qualify without believing in Christ for eternal life. Now it becomes important, and that's why Paul was so burdened in Romans 9, because these Jews, many of them in arrogance, thought that they recognized their great heritage, but they misinterpreted their heritage and related it to physical birth, rather than the new birth. That's why, to one of the leaders of the Jews, the Pharisee Nicodemus, Jesus said; “Ye must be born again.” Even though this man was a Pharisee and a brilliant scholar and understood his racial heritage, he was still relating the heritage of Israel to physical life rather than spiritual life. But at least he was positive, for he is one of the Pharisees who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as a result of His earthly ministry. Being born again is only possible through believing in the salvation work of our Lord. That was the challenge, not only to Nicodemus, but to all Jews: They must be born again. So, our Lord tells Nicodemus that it isn't a physical re-birth; it's a spiritual re-birth. It's a birth by means of the Spirit, from the water of the Word and from the Spirit. It isn't the physical seed of Abraham that has the great heritage of the future; it is the spiritual seed of Abraham, those who are born again. When God promised unconditionally He simply said I will. That's it. “I will manufacture from you a great nation, I will bless you, and I will cause your name to become famous, therefore become a blessing, and I will bless those who bless you.” That brings us to today. The United States of America is a client nation of God, right now. We do not have the spiritual heritage of Israel. We have a glorious heritage of freedom, but nothing compares to the spiritual heritage of Israel in the past. So here we are today, a client nation of God. With that we have the responsibility. We have, first of all, the freedom with its privacy, its property, and its umbrella of authority. We have the freedom to evangelize. From this freedom comes the ability to advance to maturity. From this freedom comes missionary activity to reach out to any nation, or any group of people wherever they may be found, who are positive toward God and God-consciousness, and they will hear the Gospel. God will provide the missionaries and the means, and they are generally sent from a client nation. One other thing that's keeping us going today, and is very important to continue and protect, is that we as a nation are not anti-Semitic. We have some anti-Semitic people in the nation, but as a nation we are not anti-Semitic. We are pro-Semitic with relationship to the Jewish people. We have offered our country, as a client nation to God, as a haven for the Jews, where they have the same opportunity and the same citizenship that we have. No distinction is made and they are protected. We are about to have a great attack of anti-Semitism in this country, which is just one of the many manifestations of Satan's action. One of the worst things that you can ever do, is to ever become involved with anyone who is anti-Semitic. We want to stay absolutely clear from that vicious, monstrous evil. Nothing is more Satanic than anti-Semitism. The greatest Satanic movement in all of history, reaching its peak in the middle of the Tribulation, is anti-Semitism. The reason for Satanic opposition to the Jews is related to the four unconditional promises (covenants) of God: The Abrahamic, Palestinian, Davidic, and New Covenant. All of these covenants guarantee the future of Israel and have not yet been fulfilled, with one exception. God will destroy any person or any nation involved in anti-Semitism. It is not God's will for you to enter into anti-Semitism. Racial prejudice is one of the greatest evils you could ever imagine. Whenever anyone feels any racial prejudice, all they have to do is remember that Christ was judged for that person on the Cross. How did all of this evil in the Middle East start? We must begin with a descendant of Shem who for 99 years was an Arab, and the Arab's claim him as one of them. However, at age 99 God claimed Abraham for Himself and started a brand new race called the Jews. Let's review the profile of Abraham so that you will know something about him as an Arab and how he became a Jew. This applies directly to America's war in the Middle East. Abraham was called Abram in the Bible before God changed his name. Abraham was a Gentile who became a Jew when God started the Jewish race through him at age 99. He was the ninth generation descended from Noah's son, Shem. He was born in the city of Ur about 2161 B.C., and the accounts about Abraham are found in GEN 11:26 - GEN 25:11, with the focus on four important aspects of his life. First, his migration: Abraham's story begins with his migration with the rest of his family from UR of the Chaldeans in ancient southern Babylonia (GEN 11:26-32). He and his family moved north along the trade routes of the ancient world and settled in the flourishing trade center of Haran, and there, at the age of 75, Abraham received a call from God to go to an unknown land that God would show him. Remember at this time in human history, there was no Bible so God spoke personally to those whom He chose. The Lord promised Abraham that He would make him and his descendants a great nation, according to GEN 12:1-3. However, like many promises from God to His people, because they are so fantastic, they seem unbelievable. The promise must have seemed unbelievable to Abraham because his wife Sarah (Sarai) was childless and he had no children. GEN 11:26 And Terah lived seventy years, and became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. Terah was an Acadian unbeliever and in JOS 24:2, he was an idolater. His name Terah means delayed; he's well named for he delayed Abraham from getting to the place where the Lord wanted him. God had a plan for Abraham, but as long as Abraham stayed with his father he was delayed in fulfilling the will of God. Now, the king of Ur was a very well known worshipper of the moon God called Ur and Ur was the great center of moon-god worship and other forms of idolatry. The city of Ur built the famous ziggurats, a system of terraced platforms on which temples were erected. It was a very prosperous and high class city! Now Abraham was saved in this city under most unusual conditions. Ur of the Chaldees was a great and powerful empire; however it was destroyed after Abraham left. Abraham left Ur to go north and then south down to Canaan, and on his way to Canaan Abraham passed the Amorites who were on their way to destroy his home area. Now, if Ur had a lot of believers then Ur would have been spared, but the Lord was going to have Ur destroyed; therefore He told Abraham to get out of it. There were only three believers in Ur, Abraham, Sarah, and Lot; so the Lord took the pivot out, and then He destroyed one of the great empires of the ancient world, the third dynasty of Ur. Abraham's spiritual life was very limited in Ur, and he needed to get to a place where he could learn doctrine without being distracted. You may find out that your spiritual life is limited because the place where you are or the people you're with become a stumbling block to your spiritual growth. Sometimes, geographical change is necessary for spiritual growth. Abraham stayed with his father, and that was a mistake because his father led him down the path to reversionism. His father was a priest of the moon-god Ur, as well as one of the wealthiest men in this city. So Abraham is in a place that was prosperous and secure, and no one ever dreamed that the dynasty would ever come to an end; however, it was destroyed right after Abraham left. Why? Because the Lord Jesus Christ controls history, and since He knew what was going to happen to Ur, He got Abraham out. This is why we should always be sensitive to the leading and guidance of the Lord, and this can only be done by learning the mind of Christ through Bible doctrine. When Abraham left Ur, it was entering into the peak of its prosperity, and he appeared to be leaving a sure thing, a good thing, but it wasn't. But he left! HEB 11:8 tells us how he left, “By means of doctrine resident in the soul, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.” This verse brings out the importance of resident doctrine, positive volition, and being motivated by that doctrine. The change of geographical location was the basis for separating Abraham from his family and relatives. The principle is that when family or relatives hold you back then family has to go and relatives have to go. A lot of people cannot seem to handle the family relative problem, but Abraham did. Relationship with God must have priority over relationship with people. Your number one priority demands that you have a right relationship with God. Emphasis on people over God must be set aside; this includes emphasis upon yourself. The greatest issue is always doctrine vs. the details of life. Whether its family, friends, loved ones, success, pleasure, social life, sex, status symbols, materialism, or wealth. There's a very important principle brought out by the life of Abraham. The glory road which is saving grace, living grace, super-grace, dying grace, surpassing grace, was not open to Abraham in Ur of the Chaldea. It wasn't because of Chaldea, but rather because of his family and relatives; Abraham never hit super-grace until he was totally separated from all his relatives. He had to be separated from his father and his nephew Lot! Therefore, it was necessary for Abraham to have a permanent change of residence. Abraham's spiritual growth was the most important thing! Abraham was uprooted in time, so that he will be rooted forever in the eternal state. He left social life, family life, and friends. He was leaving a place where he was well known and apparently a place where he was even appreciated, and that is always very difficult! To leave some environment where you're appreciated, or in some cases, you think that you're appreciated, but your being appreciated is also keeping you from getting Bible doctrine, is vital. Note also that Abraham had positive volition, and doctrine was available to him in Ur of the Chaldea, up to a point. When it ceased to be available, God had to uproot Abraham and get him out of there. It ceased to be available when Abraham's family and relatives and friends and social life and perhaps even his celebrityship - when these things got in the way of his advance down the glory road. Wherever there is positive volition toward doctrine, God provides the spiritual food even if it means a change of residence. The circumstances in Ur of Chaldea limited Abraham from becoming a spiritual champion, invisible hero, and finally a visible one. When Abraham obeyed he did so from the motivation of doctrine in the soul. Doctrine in the soul motivates the believer to come to doctrine class in spite of whatever distractions are a test to you. So, there must be separation from those loved ones or friends residing in the cosmic system. However, a very important principle; it does not have to be physical separation. There are two categories of separation from people: First there is mental separation. In mental separation, there is one-way antagonism from those in the cosmic system toward you. Your volition protects you from becoming antagonistic toward them by your use of impersonal unconditional love. Mental separation emphasizes the integrity, honor, and doctrinal application of the believer residing inside the PPOG. Impersonal love is not influenced by those loved ones who are residing in the cosmic system, who are apostate and/or antagonistic to doctrine. Impersonal love functions on its own integrity and perpetuates its own priorities from the metabolization of doctrine. Impersonal love emphasizes personal love for God while setting aside the functions of personal love for friends or loved ones. Impersonal love does not compromise the believer's status inside the PPOG. Secondly, there's physical separation. There are some cases where switching from personal love to impersonal love will not work. For example, getting false information in the local church. You must leave physically as well as under the principle of impersonal love. When a woman is used as a punching bag by her husband, she should leave (ROM 12:17-19). The most basic reason is to avoid the compromise of doctrine resident in the soul. Physical separation means to avoid any personal contact with a person under any circumstances. This means severance of all relation with that person of any kind. Physical separation is sometimes needed to maintain one's priorities and to use one's volition to remain inside the PPOG (PRO 13:20; 2TI 3:5-6; 2TH 3:14). Separation from unbelievers inside the cosmic system is taught in 2CO 6:14-17. Every time you hook up with something or someone in the cosmic system, you are in partnership with the cosmic system. Separation is also important in social life (JER 15:16-17; 1PE 4:3-4). The believer is to separate from a superficial social life, a fun crowd. There comes a time when the believer grows spiritually, and his first function is to separate from the crowd that will lead him in the wrong direction. Abraham, in effect, had to choose between his father whom he loved dearly and the will of God, and at the beginning he loved his father more than the will of God. We all must decide in our lives whether we love the will of God and the word of God more than anything else in life. If you do, you take one course of action. You take in doctrine every day either through face to face teaching or by tapes, or any of the many methods available today. You learn from whoever is your right Pastor-teacher. Remember, every Pastor-teacher is assigned to a certain congregation (ACT 20:28). Every believer is assigned to a certain Pastor-teacher (1PE 5:3). That particular Pastor-teacher is to equip the believer to execute the Christian way of life (EPH 4:12). So, Abraham was told to separate from his father and his relatives and to leave Ur according to GEN 12:1. Sooner or later in your spiritual advance you're going to have to face the issue of family members or friends who are not positive or are aggressively negative. The ones that are closest to you are often the ones that hinder you from taking in the Word the most, and nothing is more important than the Word. Abraham was told to get away from his father and to get away from the geographical location of Ur in order to advance in the spiritual life. THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT. PART 2. Learning God's will for your life. 03/02/08 In relationship to our main verse in ROM 9:4, we have begun a study on the covenants, mainly the Abrahamic Covenant. We have been noting the question of the will. First, there's the viewpoint will of God. In other words, what does God want you to think? Obviously, He wants you to think Divine viewpoint (ISA 55:7-9; PRO 23:7). There is also 2CO 10:1 “Now I, Paul, myself urge you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ-I who am meek when face to face with you, but bold toward you when absent!” Paul had heard that they were gossiping about him, saying he had been cowardly when he was with them, but harsh and demanding when he was writing letters. Remember 1TI 5:17-20, Those pastor-teachers who have ruled well with the result that they keep ruling honorably, they must be considered worthy of double honor, most of all those who work hard to the point of exhaustion in the study of the word and the teaching of doctrine. For the Scripture says [DEU 25:4], ‘You shall not muzzle the bull while he is threshing, and [DEU 24:15] The laborer is worthy of his wages.' Do not receive an accusation against a pastor-teacher except on the basis of two or three witnesses. Those who continue in the sin of receiving or making accusations, reprimand in the presence of all, in order that the rest of the congregation also may have respect. So be careful what you say about God's man behind the pulpit; let the Lord deal with him. As for God's man behind the pulpit, remember such scriptures as: 2TI 4:14 “Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds.” (See also ISA 54:17; 2CO 13:8). So the Corinthians were gossiping and trying to discredit the apostle Paul. In 2CO 10:2-6 Paul is saying, please don't force me to take a hard line when I'm present with you. Don't think that I'll hesitate a single minute to stand up to those who say I'm an unprincipled opportunist. The world is unprincipled. It's dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn't fight fair, but we don't live or fight our battles that way. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity. So, first, there's the viewpoint Will of God. Secondly, there's the operational Will of God. What does God want you to do? The operational Will of God involves everything that a Christian should do to the glory of God. Thirdly, there's the geographical Will of God. Where does God want me to be? This category has to do with location. However, the geographical Will of God is never considered apart from the operational Will of God. And the third is the geographical will of God which is where God wants you to be and that's solved by resident doctrine. Now, there are also classifications of the Will of God. There's the directive Will of God which is the same as the desire of God. These are direct commands. It was the directive Will of God that called Abraham out of Ur of Chaldea, and it was the directive will of God to which he responded. The permissive Will of God is permitted, but is not God's desire. For example when God permitted Abraham to lie twice about Sarah not being his wife. The overruling Will of God means Jesus Christ controls history. For example when God revealed to Pharaoh that he was touching Abraham's wife in GEN 12:17-20. The overruling Will of God also took place when God took Abraham's father from Abraham when he was in Haran. There are seven basic mechanics of the Will of God, or how you can receive Divine guidance: 1) Guidance through prayer (ACT 11:5). 2) Guidance through objective thinking of Bible doctrine (ACT 11:6). 3) Guidance through perception of doctrine (ACT 11:7-10). 4) Guidance through providential circumstances, the people we meet (ACT 11:11). 5) Guidance through fellowship and comparison of spiritual data (ACT 11:13-14). 6) Guidance through recalling of doctrine (ACT 11:16). 7) Guidance through disaster. In other words, you have to have a shock or a great disaster in order to realize what's really important. This happened with the death of Abraham's father. The principle is that Bible doctrine in the soul plus the free will in man equals Divine guidance, and the execution of the Will of God. Abraham was getting doctrine in Ur of the Chaldea, but because of his family and relatives, he never reached spiritual maturity until he was totally separated from them. This is why the Lord said to Abraham in GEN 12:1 “Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father's house, To the land which I will show you.” Abraham had to be separated from his father and his nephew Lot! Therefore, it was necessary for Abraham to have a change of residence because his spiritual growth was the most important thing. Abraham had to learn the principle of separation, but Abraham made a mistake and went to Haran which means the dried up place. As long as God's people do not separate from those weirdos who are in reversionism, they will be dried up spiritually as well. Abram's name is also interesting. The first part of his name Ab means father, and ram means high and windy places. Abram lived in a very flat place, Ur of the Chaldees was very flat and it was hard to find a place above sea level anywhere. However, Abram was called father of heights because his father, who was one of the chief priests in Ur, named his son after the only high place around. Going over 100 feet in the air was the famous temple, and the last 75 feet a famous tower, on top of the tower another famous temple: the Ziggurat of Ur, and Abram was named after this. So his name actually means father of the heights or father of the high places. Abram was obviously ear-marked for a life of religion and idolatry in Ur, but God had better things for Abram just like God has better things for you. In HEB 1:4 “We have become as much better than the angels, as we have inherited a more excellent name than they have.” (See also HEB 6:9; HEB 7:19; HEB 7:22; HEB 8:6). In our study of Abraham, there are five geographical locations that illustrate different principles concerning his life. The first is Ur which represents separation from glamour (Ur was the glamour city of Abram's time) and all the human advantages of life. 600 miles north up the Euphrates river we have Haran, the trade center between Syria and Egypt, and it represents the dried up spiritual life. It represents separation from the idolatrous place of Ur, but not enough separation. It represents going in the right direction, but making a wrong turn into the dried up spiritual life. The third area is Canaan which represents the place of blessing, the place of positive volition, and the place of spiritual advance and blessing. Then there is the Negev; Abraham will break camp and go south from Canaan into the Negev, which represents not rejection of doctrine, but neglect of doctrine. The key to the Negev is neglect. It represents neglect of doctrine, apathy, indifference, once interested, but now starting to get sloppy in the daily attendance to Bible class. Then, after he was in the Negev a while, he went on down to Egypt, and Egypt is the place of the rejection of doctrine. To neglect the Word is to reject the Word, but the neglect comes first. First comes the Negev and then comes Egypt, and both came after Canaan, the land of promise. For us it is a picture of individuals getting into doctrine, and then falling away! So don't miss the principle behind those five cities: - Ur represents separation from glamour. - Haran represents the dried spiritual life. - Canaan represents the place of blessing. - The Negev represents neglect of doctrine. - Egypt is the place of rejection of doctrine. GEN 11:28 And Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans. Beginning in verse 29, we are getting ready to move out of Ur but before Abraham can be taken out of Ur, we have to have some weddings. GEN 11:29 And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. Please notice that the subject is the man not the woman. This of course is an old custom that goes back to the nature of the male; he is to be the aggressive one, he is to do the wooing or the charming. No male should stand around waiting to be introduced when he finally thinks that he spots someone who is his right woman or someone who is attractive; you just don't stand around and wait, you get into action as quickly as possible. By the way a woman in response can be aggressive. She doesn't have to stand around and wait for the right man to be aggressive, he doesn't have to be the aggressor on every occasion. Before we study this verse, we have 18 principles concerning the selection of a mate or really 18 reasons why relationships fail: 1) The most obvious one: bad decisions in the selection of a mate (PRO 12:4). This is why believers should never make a decision for marriage until doctrine matures them. 2) The inability to handle personal problems before, during, and even after the marriage. If you can't deal with your own problems how will you deal with the problems of your mate? (1CO 7:28). 3) Another reason relationships fail is because of failure to learn and apply the problem-solving devices. This means that if you are unstable in the intake of doctrine that you bring that instability in any of your relationships in life. 4) Relationships fail because of taking bad advice from friends, ministers, mommy, daddy, etc. People with problems will usually listen to anyone. Remember PSA 1:1 “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!” In sharing your problems with others, when you tell your side of the story, the other person always looks like the rat. One of the signs of growing up is keeping your personal problems private and to yourself. 5) Relationships also fail because of disloyalty or unfaithfulness on the part of one or both mates. Faithfulness is extremely important in the selection of a mate (PRO 6:23-32). 6) Relationships fail because of no personal sense of responsibility on the part of one or both mates. Many are getting married today as children mentally. 7) Remember that relationships and marriage are not designed for perfect people, but for people with old sin natures who are far from perfect, so don't think there's a person for you who is perfect. It is true that God has designed someone who is perfect for you, but that does not mean that they will be perfect. 8) Therefore, the only thing wrong with marriage is not the Divine institution of marriage designed by God but the people involved in marriage. 9) No woman can be successful in any relationship unless she has learned to entertain herself. Ladies, if you can't stand to be alone and he has to be there, you'll never be successful in marriage. You did not marry an entertainer, but a provider. 10) No man can be a successful lover of a woman and at the same time be a lover of himself. Arrogant men do not make good lovers; this also includes the sexual realm. 11) No man can exercise his authority properly without honor, integrity, and virtue. If he has no honor, integrity or virtue, he will abuse his authority. COL 3:19 “Husbands, love your wives, and do not be embittered against them.” 12) No woman can respond to authority without humility, integrity, and virtue. COL 3:18 “Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.” If she lacks these qualities she will be hypersensitive and react to authority instead of responding. 13) Beauty, health, and attractiveness are not necessarily permanent; the only permanent thing we have in this life is truth or doctrine. God is permanent, so relate your love life to God! Doctrine is permanent so relate your love life to doctrine! 14) Because the body is related to the soul only the right soul can satisfy the body of the woman or the man. The greatest sexual organ is the soul not any other part of the human anatomy. 15) Beauty is not the basis for recognition of the mate God has for you! Recognition signals are not related to the body but to the soul. 1CO 7:9 talks about the burning of the souls wanting to be with each other, not lust, when it says “But if they do not have self-control, let them marry; for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.” This is soul compatibility; it has nothing to do with libido. It refers to when two souls have climaxed because the two people are soul compatible, even though they are not yet able to make love and enter into extreme intimacy. No sex can compare with the sex between right man and right woman. Therefore, it is better to marry than to burn in personal love for right man or right woman after you have made the soul identification. 16) Recognition signals are revealed in the soul, so how are you ever going to find the right one if you're touching the body and not the soul? Many people today begin their relationship with the touching of the body and not the soul, when in reality the soul must be touched first. In other words men, she has a soul, she thinks, she has a viewpoint and opinion. In the right man right woman relationship that will turn you on as well. There's PRO 18:22; PRO 19:14; GEN 2:22; ECC 9:9; 1CO 7:17, for those of you who doubt right man, right woman. 17) Identification is made in the soul, but there is also a physical attraction to you because God has designed it. For men, your right woman may not be attractive to someone else, but she will be attractive to you, and the same is true for women. 18) The right woman is never shocked by the good or bad points of her right man and vice versa. So much then for the introduction to a wedding in Gen 11. In GEN 11:29 And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai; The name Sarai is very meaningful; it means contentious, a fighter, domineering. We think of men many times like this, but here is a woman who was a fighter. Ten years younger than Abraham, Sarai (Sarah) was his half sister; they had the same father but different mothers according to GEN 20:12. She was contentious at times, a fighter, and even domineering. However, she was a ravishing and stunning woman because whenever she is described it takes two and sometimes three Hebrew words to describe her beauty. She had maximum beauty, the epitome of feminine magnificence after 65. Many probably would like to know how did she stay that way, and we'll actually take that up in view of the fact that she is famous as being a nag. Abram married a nagging woman, he was carried away by her great beauty, and she was one of the most beautiful women of the ancient world. Living at home under the authority of his father Terah, Abram apparently never had the full impact of her personality until after marriage. Many men have started with a terrible handicap by marrying someone who was totally attractive to him but whose soul turned out to be totally unattractive. However, Sarai was a woman whose beauty did not fade. She was a very petty woman and quite a nag; however we are going she made God's hall of fame as time goes on. She starts very poorly and ends very well. GEN 11:29-30, “And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and Iscah. And Sarai was barren; she had no child.” The barrenness of Sarai is mentioned because it constitutes a test to determine if the circumstances of life are more real than the attributes of God. God has told Abram in Ur that out of him would come many great nations, and yet the first thing he finds is that Sarai is barren. So God says to Abraham in effect, What's more important to you, what I say, My word, My character; or your circumstances? That's what God is saying to you right now. One of the things that Abraham had to overcome through doctrine was that God is more real than the apparent adverse circumstances. God must become more real than adverse circumstances or you will be miserable all of your life. Always remember that the persistence in learning doctrine causes the believer to seek Him who is invisible. HEB 11:6 And without doctrine resident in the soul it is impossible to please Him, for he who is occupied with the God must be convinced by resident doctrine that He is, and that He becomes a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. This is how the invisible becomes more real than the visible. If God is not more real to you than people, through perception of doctrine, you will never discover the true meaning of life. Doctrine has to be real to you; in fact, it has to be more real to you than anything else in life or as HEB 10:35 says “you will throw it away as trash.” When God becomes more real to you, and Christ becomes more real to you, and the power of the Holy Spirit becomes more real to you, all of this will be because Bible doctrine has become more real to you than anything else in life. The more doctrine we learn the more real become the unseen blessings designed for us from God the Father from eternity past. The more doctrine we learn, the more real becomes the Lord Jesus Christ...we are able to see Him Who is invisible. The more doctrine we learn, the more real becomes the plan of God and the perfect essence of God behind that plan. So in the first half of his life Abram must face a challenge. Is Bible doctrine more real to me than the circumstances of life, or are adverse circumstances more real than doctrine? It took Abraham about half of his life to work that out. Once he worked that out things worked out a lot better for his life. All of us have problems in life that take time to work out; they can't be worked out instantaneously. God is not the little fairy god-mother who touches you with the wand and tells you that everything is going to be alright. Work out your problems through the daily intake of doctrine. Don't look for solutions; look to the source of solutions, doctrine resident in your soul. The environment for all solutions to the problems of life is bound up in doctrine resident in your soul. THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT. PART 3. God must remove from our reach the things that hinder our spiritual growth. 03/09/08 We are now ready to study the promises made to Abraham which has to do with the Abrahamic Covenant. GEN 11:29-32, Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and Iscah. Sarai was barren; she had no child. Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife; and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans in order to enter the land of Canaan; and they went as far as Haran, and settled there. The days of Terah were two hundred and five years; and Terah died in Haran. So Terah, Abraham's father is dead. This was a great adversity for Abram or Abraham, however, under the plan of grace, great adversities can become great blessings. Abraham is about to receive one the greatest blessings of his life, the Abrahamic Covenant. The death of Terah was a shock which brought about the recovery from reversionism for Abram, and removed Abram from Haran (the dried up place). The principle is that God must remove the things that hinder our spiritual growth. Often what seems to be a demotion in the eyes of the world is actually a promotion in the eyes of God. HEB 12:27 This expression, “Yet once more,” denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Many times the Lord will take people or things away from us so that we will learn the value of the eternal things which we possess. HEB 12:28 Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; We have an unshakable kingdom! We should not only be thankful, but also overflowing with worship, and deep reverence before God, for God is not an indifferent bystander. HEB 12:29 for our God is a consuming fire. He's actively cleaning house, and He won't quit until it's all cleansed. ROM 8:29 tells us, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren;” This message is designed for the soul and the human spirit to feed on Christ, not just on His teachings, He is the One to be truly worshipped. PHI 2:9 “Therefore also the God has highly exalted Him to the maximum, and bestowed on Him the name or rank which is above every name, and that every tongue should acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, resulting in the glory of God the Father.” When you think in this manner, then passages like PSA 45:11 become a reality; “Then the King will greatly desire your beauty; Because He is your Lord, bow down to Him.” Accept your thoughts of despair and of faith, your doubts and their solutions, your moments of madness and their passing away. Become a part of the solution not the problem. Remember that the only opportunity you have to glorify Him and live His plan for your life is in time. Like Job, be determined only to cling to God, even if He slays you, even if He challenges your faith (JOB 13:15). If you lose your faith, then remain faithlessly His. Paul said in 2TI 3:1 “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.” As the end approaches, people are going to be self-absorbed, self-promoting, slanderers, addicted to lust, and allergic to God. The Bible says stay clear of these people. Peter said in 1PE 4:12 “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;” When life gets really difficult, don't jump to the conclusion that God isn't on the job. Be glad that you have the opportunity to taste a little bit of what the Lord Jesus Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner (1PE 4:14-17). Remember, people are watching how you handle sacrificing your life, death or eternity. MAT 5:16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Be generous with your lives. Open up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, the generous Father in heaven. The point is that we all need to go through situations when we are alone with God and get down into solitary confinement with Him. MAT 11:28-30, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My load is light.” He brings gifts into our lives, things like affection for others, exuberance about life, and serenity. Life has its share of trials and adversities, but as JOH 16:33 says, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” So, we now go back and review the Divine command given to Abram when he was in Ur of the Chaldees, and this is the Abrahamic covenant. GEN 12:1-3, Now the Lord had said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Abram not only needs to be separated from certain people, but he also must be in the environment of freedom for spiritual growth to occur. That's why the doctrine of privacy is so important,, we are to let others grow at their own pace not ours. So in GEN 12:1 the Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you;” This is the breaking up of a family, always remember that God has the right to make up and break up families. God broke up Abram's family, but a new family will be made from which will come a great race and a great nation, the Jewish race or the nation of Israel. After salvation the believer has two obligations to God: The first of these obligations is a negative, responsibility to separate from the distractions to the intake of Bible doctrine. This is the only way you will ever remain faithful to doctrine and acquire spiritual growth. The second of these obligations is positive, the responsibility of executing God's will under the principle of Divine guidance. This always calls for maximum doctrine resident in the soul. In GEN 12:1 the term “to the land” which in the Hebrew phrase el-ha'arets means literally the land of God. There is only one land and simply leaving Ur is not getting into the land. That's the story of a lot of believers, they leavethe world and the bad habits that they have developed, but they never go forward to the promise land, the land of doctrine and glorification of God. Not only is Abraham going to see the land, but he is going to enjoy the land. So the whole verse says GEN 12:1 Now the Lord had said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will cause you to see and to enjoy;” Notice something very interesting about the Divine command. The specifics are all on the part of certain things you have to do, the negatives. For example, Get out of Ur, get away from your family, and your father. Then there are the positives, “go to the land which the Lord will show you.” While the land is specified as to direction, there is certainly no detail here that encourages obedience. Abram is not given all of the Divine promises that he will receive if he goes to the promise land, he is just giving the direction to go in, as God does to us at times. There are many commands in the Bible that we are told to obey without God telling us what type of blessings we will receive if we fulfill them. This requires faith in the character and nature of God. Therefore you have to have faith that if you do what God wants you to do, that you will get blessed. However, that is not to be your motivation, your motivation should be PHI 1:21 “For me, living is Christ, likewise dying is profit.” Or PHI 3:7-8, “But whatever quality of things were gains to me, those things[gains] I have concluded as an expert as loss for the sake of Christ. Not only this but more than this, I conclude as an expert all things [Paul's pre-salvation human achievement] to be loss because of the surpassing greatness of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have forfeited all things, also, I keep on concluding as an expert them to be piles of dung in order that I may win for Christ.” When someone in authority over you gives you an order, you don't have to know the whys all the time, just do it. Until Abram becomes a good recruit, where he will go ahead and obey an order without questioning it, he's not any good to God. You have to learn to obey God and do it whether you feel like it or not. Once you do, you continue your spiritual growth. For Abram, not much is said about the land he is to go to, but to receive the land, Abraham will have to fulfill: HEB 11:8 By means of doctrine resident in the soul, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. This is the way in which faith is tested. What God does not make clear to us through personal revelation of His word to us, He intends for us to operate in by means of faith, trusting in the object of faith, God Almighty. So, details are not given on the land yet, that will come later. In the spiritual realm there must be a relationship between your personal motivation and your spiritual life, the Bible calls this doing it as unto the Lord (PRO 16:2). So to believe the promises of God before you see the results of those promises is the greatest demonstration of growing up spiritually. So, what is the Abrahamic Covenant? First of all, let's describe the word covenant. A covenant is an agreement between two parties. There are two types of covenants: conditional and unconditional. A conditional (bilateral) covenant is an agreement that is binding on both parties for its fulfillment. Both parties agree to fulfill certain conditions. If either party fails to meet their responsibilities, the covenant is broken and neither party has to fulfill the expectations of the covenant. An unconditional (unilateral) covenant is an agreement between two parties, but only one party has to do something. The Abrahamic Covenant is an unconditional or unilateral covenant. God made promises to Abraham that required nothing of Abraham. GEN 15:18-21 describes a part of the Abrahamic Covenant, specifically dealing with the dimensions of the land God promised to Abraham and his descendants. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land, From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates: the Kenite and the Kenizzite and the Kadmonite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Rephaim and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Girgashite and the Jebusite.” The actual Abrahamic Covenant is found in Genesis 12:1-3. The ceremony recorded in Genesis 15 indicates the unconditional nature of the covenant, to understand this unilateral covenants, you need to understand the unconditional promises. GEN 15:1-7, After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great.” And Abram said, “O Lord God, what wilt Thou give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Since Thou hast given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir.” Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir; but one who shall come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.” And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. And He said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it.” Here we see three pictures, all of which serves to illustrate the point that the One who made the covenant or the promises has the ability to keep them. The first one is the stars. You see, God has solved greater problems than Abraham's. There are millions and millions of stars in space all moving at unbelievable rates of speed. They do not collide, but hold their orbit. God has established a traffic pattern in the universe, this requires knowledge, and God has omniscience. It also requires power and God has the omnipotence to accomplish it. Immutability is also required, God cannot change, if He weakens, the universe collides! COL 1:16-17, “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities all things have been created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” No matter how you look at it, if God has the power to hold the universe together, God has the power to handle any problem you or Abraham, or anyone ever had, or ever will have. So, not only has Abraham been promised an heir from his own loins but also he is told that even as the stars are innumerable, so will his seed be. Then there is the promise of salvation (verse 6). This points back to a decision that Abraham had already made, he believed in the Lord, in fact Abraham had been saved for over twenty-five years, he had salvation. God is simply saying to Abraham “you trusted Me and at the time you believed, and I credited to your account My righteousness. I provided everything. I did the most for you at the point of salvation, providing eternal life and justification. You did not earn or deserve it, just as with the stars, I do the work.” This passage also brings out faithfulness (verse 7). GEN 15:7 And He said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it.” In other words, “I been faithful to you in the past Abram, and I will continue to be faithful to you in the future.” Has God been faithful to you in the past? As a part of God's faithfulness, He always provides the doctrine or the opportunity to get the doctrine necessary to pass each test before it comes. Bible doctrine is your way of escape from each test, and that doctrine is provided by the faithfulness of God. God will never give you something for which you do not have the capacity, be it blessing or testing. God is faithful to the Royal Family of God, this is why HEB 10:23 says “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;” You have the most fantastic escrow blessings on deposit for you protected by the faithfulness of God. The more doctrine you have in your soul, the more you see God's perfect character, and the more you advance to spiritual maturity. This results in the things around you which was formerly distracting to your spiritual growth becoming less and less important. All of these illustrations point to One Person, and that Person is not only God, but also God the Son. God the Son is the One who went to the Cross, and God the Son is the One who provides for us in time. Understand¬ing these illustrations and hearing the promises and the unconditional or unilateral covenants, there is no excuse for Abram, or any other believer, to worry about anything. Another cure for Abram's doubts and fears is the doctrine of the word of God, suggested in verses 8-11. Many believers are often filled with doubts, fears and anxieties because they are ignorant of certain parts of doctrine. Abram expresses ignorance of doctrine in verse 8, And he said, “O Lord God, how may I know that I shall possess it?” He entertained anxieties about the possibility of inheriting the land which God had promised him. Abram saw the land occupied by the Amorites, as well as many giants. Not only that, Chedorlaomer and his forces had been moving back and forth throughout the land, threatening to envelop it. Abram wondered how he could ever hope to inherit this land. Although it was humanly hopeless, it was not hopeless to God. Remember the words of our Lord in MAT 17:20 “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain [a huge obstacle in your life], ‘Move from here to there,' and it shall move; and nothing shall be impossible to you.” Abram will learn a little bit later, the truth behind GEN 18:14 “Is anything too difficult for the Lord?” Abram was simply ignorant of or had rejected certain doctrines that would have given him assurance. The Lord said in effect, the biggest problem we have to deal with is the sin of worry and fear (ROM 14:23). The first thing Abram needs to do is to get back in fellowship with God under the enabling power of God the Holy Spirit. Therefore in GEN 15:9, The Lord said to him, “Bring Me a three year old heifer, and a three year old female goat, and a three year old ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” This was not new or strange to Abram, because he knew how to chart the stars. Remember that before the scriptural record there was the Stellar record, the record or the witness of the stars. Abram knew about the witness of the stars. So, the first thing Abram needed to do was to rebound and confess his fear mentioned in verse 1, he also needed to confess his doubt in verse 2, his arrogance in blaming God in verse 3, and his lack of faith in God in verse 8. Then next, the Lord said “Bring Me a three year old heifer, and a three year old female goat, and a three year old ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” The she-goat and the ram both spoke of the work of Christ in salvation. Specifically, the she-goat was the reconciliation offering, while the ram depicted propitiation. The turtle dove and the young pigeon spoke of the Person of Christ and His heavenly origin, the turtle dove portraying His deity and the pigeon His resurrected humanity. Neither bird was divided, because deity cannot be divided or killed. Furthermore, the Lord Jesus Christ is never subject to death again, having risen, and therefore, there will be no dividing or killing of the young pigeon. Now, what was the Lord saying to Abram by bringing these doctrines of Christ before him? Through the heifer, or the rebound offering, He was saying, “Abram, you need have no worries with regard to your sins because by confessing them you are forgiven and your sins are blotted out.” The dumbest thing in the world is to try and cover our sins and conceal them. If you have an ounce of character, integrity or virtue, it bothers you. You're only lying to yourself. Therefore, there is no place for a guilt complex or for anxiety about past failures. If you are going to have any discipline in the future it will be over future sins. But be sure you offer the heifer, for it is absolutely necessary to rebound before you can get rid of your fears, worries, doubts and lack of faith in God. You see, up to now Abram was still worried. God had given him a promise and is about to give him a covenant, but he was still worried. He will keep on worrying, no matter if he has a thousand promises, because he has not used rebound. He has not confessed his sin of worry, and he is therefore out of fel¬lowship. You cannot claim the promises of God and appropriate them when you're out of fellowship. You must first confess your sin of fear, worry, doubts and lack of faith in God. Thus, Abraham offered the heifer, which is the rebound offering, because it was necessary to get back in fellowship before he could even claim the promises of God. So first of all Abraham had to confess his sins. Now, in GEN 15:10 we read, Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, and laid each half opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds. Abram first divided the heifer, then the she-goat. The point is, if Jesus Christ provided reconciliation (the heifer or the rebound offering, the removal of the barrier between God and man), can He not meet our problems in time? He can, therefore, stop worrying. Then he divided the ram, the ram was the propitiation offering. The point is that if God the Son, hanging on the Cross, satisfied God the Father, and all of the Father's claims against us, can He not handle our problems in time? He can - therefore, stop worrying! The turtle dove spoke of the deity of Christ. Jesus Christ is God - deity. He is always faithful (immutable), He always keeps His Word (veracity), He keeps on loving us and He is eternal in nature. Can a Person like that solve my problems? He can, therefore, stop worrying. The young pigeon represented the resurrected humanity of Christ, which is seated at the right hand of the Father making intercession for us. If the humanity of Christ is thus engaged on our behalf, He can certainly meet our needs in time. Therefore, stop worrying. As soon as Abraham divided, or cut the heifer in half, we know he had rebounded. When he walked between the pieces of the heifer, he was saying in effect, “I have confessed my sins.” When he killed the other animals, it was analogous to being under the blood of Christ trusting in Him as his Lord and Savior. Doctrine is vitally important in our lives, as believers, and when we are worried, it is because we are not using doctrine. Grace Bible Church & Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries Copyright © 2022 by Pastor Robert R. McLaughlin Gbible.org   Lesson Resources: 2112 099 The Beginning of the Abrahamic Covenant 02 21 08 Rom 9:4; Gen 11:26 12:3; Heb 11:8 2112 100 Abraham chooses God over family and friends. 02 24 08 Rom 12:17 19; 2Th 3:6 14; 1Pe 4:3 5; Mat 7:6. 2112 101 How to know God's will for your life. 02 27 08 Isa 55:7 9; 2Co 10:1 6; Act 11:1 16. 2112 102 Abraham teaches us that in the selection of a mate, you need to understand why relationships fail. 02 28 08 Gen 11:28 29; Pro 12:4 5; 6:23 32; Eph 5:25 28; Col 3:18 19. 2112 103 There never is any divine revelation in the dried up spiritual life. 02 29 08 Gen 11:30 32: Act 7:2 4 Gen 12:1 2112 104 Your scale of values changes radically when you are up against eternity and death. 03 02 08 Gen 11:27 32; Gen 12:1; 1Co 10:19 20; Luk 16:22 29. 2112 105 God must remove from our reach the things that hinder our spiritual growth. 03 05 08 Heb 12:27 29; 1Pe 4:12 17; Gen 12:1 3. 2112 106 The Abrahamic Covenant or the Unconditional, Unilateral Covenant of God. 03 06 08 Gen 12:1 3; Mar 10:28 30; Col 3:17, 23; Gen 15:1 21 2112 107 The Abrahamic Covenant There is no place for a guilt complex or for anxiety about past failures. 03 07 08 Gen 12:2 3; Gen 15:1 10; Rom 4:16 21; Luk 12:27 32. 2112 108 The Abrahamic Covenant The ceremony in Gen 15 indicates the unconditional nature of the covenant. 03 09 08 Gen 15:1 21; Mat 13:4, 19, 32. 2112 109 The mystery and true message behind the Abrahamic Covenant. 03 12 08 Gen 15:1 21; Mat 13:4, 19, 32.

This week's sermon was given by Pastor Matt Patterson and was livestreamed on April 10, 2022.

God has called each of us to Himself and has a distinct purpose for our lives. It is my prayer that this message will help you discover the call of God upon your life and move into it. This message on "God Has a Special Purpose for Your Life" is from personal experience and from the Word of God. The translation into the Czech translation is by Pastor Stan Strunc of In His Love Ministries in Gloucester, England. Visit Stan Strunc's YouTube Channel Notes: The Call of God I: God Has a Special Plan for Your Life 2 Timothy 1:8-11  The call of God on your life is something that contributes to God's eternal purposes. It involves surrender and obedience. Jesus said Many are called but few are chosen. Many are called, but few take up the mantle. The price. General Call to Come to the Lord GEN. 7:1 Come into the ark Is. 1:18-18 Come let us reason together Is 55 Ho everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters come ye buy and eat, buy wine and milk w/out money, Mt. 11:28-30 Come unto me all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Joh 7:37 If any man thirst, let him come 2 Cor. 6:17 Come out from among them and be separate, and touch not the unclean thing. Rev 22:17 Come let him who is athirst come. Called to Service Mark 1:17 Follow me and I will make you fishers of men, We are all called to have a part in fulfiling the Great Commission. Mt. 28:18-20, Mark 16:15-20, Luke 24:47, Acts 1:8. God has something for YOU to do! Examples of the Call of God Abraham went out not knowing where he was going Gen 12:1-3, Heb 11 Moses and the burning bust. Ex. 3 When he turned aside, he heard God's voice. Gideon Judges 6:14 go in this thy might, Called to do something he could not do. ! Kings 19:19 Elisha. Sometimes someone else is involved. Good. But you stil have to receive the call yourself. Isaiah— Isaiah here I am send me. Is. 6 Paul called according to His purpose.  Read Acts 26:13-23 Evidence of the Call A personal experience with God, a burning bush or Damascas road experience. A prophetic word. (You must have a personal witnesss. Don't follow every prophecy that is given to you) Hearing God's voice An inward yearning from the Holy Spirit. For me, a passionate desire to preach and teach and minister to people. Conclusion: God has a special purpose for your life. Be sure you don't miss it! Sharpening Yourself for Effective Ministry with Michael Lusk [Audio & Video] We are Called to Bring Healing to a Troubled World, not Strife and Anger God's Plans for Your Life Have Not Been Canceled!

Is the world the worst that it has ever been? How can we 'built an ark' like Noah and be prepared? How can we possibly reach heaven with all that is going on in the world? Join our little family as we discuss the "Come Follow Me" lesson for this week.

Join Pastor Nathan as we turn to Genesis 3:1-15 to learn . . . "If Not for the Lord" You can learn more about Westminster Presbyterian Church at https://www.westminsterpca.net.

Recorded Jul 9 1995

Recorded Jan 29 1984

How many times have you come across people who say, “There is no God!” ? We have met them especially when doing street evangelism. But why do people deny the existence of God? we believe that Ps.14:1 reveals the answer. It is because they are corrupt and love their sinful lives! Of course we were all once like that, as was the whole earth in the days of Noah (See Gen.6:5, 11-12), and yet in the midst of it all we read that Noah found or obtained Grace from the LORD (Gen.6:8). We have every reason to be glad and rejoice for the great deliverance from captivity that the LORD has brought to us (See Ps.14:7; Ps.126). If you would like to watch the video of this sermon, you can click on this link. The post Psalm 14 – The Folly of The Fool Versus The Triumph of God! appeared first on Living Rock Church.

At that time men began to call on the name of the Lord" (Gen. 4:26 NIV)

At that time men began to call on the name of the Lord" (Gen. 4:26 NIV)

     As Moses nears the end of his sermon to the second generation of Israelites, he calls for them to take personal responsibility for what he's giving to them and to make sure it's deeply seated in their minds. What Moses tells them in Deuteronomy 11:18-20 is similar to what he stated in Deuteronomy 6:4-6; albeit with slight variation. One would expect this sort of variation from someone who was speaking extemporaneously. Moses tells them: "You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." (Deut 11:18-20)      Moses knew he would die soon and would not be present to help instruct and guide the nation into righteousness. He was faithfully communicating God's revelation to the nation, but it was their responsibility to take what was given and plant it into their minds so that it flowed in their stream of conscious thought and influenced their daily activities. Some Israelites took Moses' words literally and made phylacteries which they wore on their hands and foreheads (Matt 23:5), as well as mezuzahs they placed on doorposts, all of which contained Scripture. Here, the meaning is symbolic. God's commands were to be wrapped up in their daily activities (hand), and always in the forefront of their thinking (forehead). Moses' words were to impact the audience in front of him, that they might learn God's will and faithfully transmit it to their children, who will pass it along to their children, and so on. The activity of teaching one's children was to occur at all times and in all locations. Sitting suggests times of rest, and walking speaks of activity. When you lie down suggests evening time, and when you rise up suggests the morning hours. These form a double merism which encompass of all of life. God's Word was to permeate all aspects of society, starting with their homes (doorposts of your house), and influencing the activities of the leaders who met to discuss social and legal matters at the entrance of the city (gates). God's Word in the heart is the greatest deterrent to idolatry and sinful living.      Learning and living God's Word would yield benefits for the Israelite who followed God's directives. Moses specified the benefit, saying, “so that your days and the days of your sons may be multiplied on the land which the LORD swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens remain above the earth” (Deut 11:21). God's Word learned and lived would benefit the immediate hearers and doers, and it would also benefit their children after them. Jack Deere states: "Only by letting God's words invade every area of their lives and homes and by diligently teaching them to their children could the nation hope to escape the seduction of false worship and find permanent prosperity in the land of promise given by the Lord on oath to their forefathers. The same principle applies to Christians today. Commitment to know and obey the Scriptures keeps believers from contemporary forms of false worship (cf. 2 Tim 3:1–9 with 2 Tim 3:14–17). Therefore, Paul exhorted all Christians to “let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Col 3:16)."[1]      Each generation of Israelites had the blessing and curse before them. It was up to them to continue in obedience to the Lord, or turn away from Him and serve other gods. Blessing and cursing were always on their horizon, and how they lived before God determined the state of the nation. Moses said, “For if you are careful to keep all this commandment which I am commanding you to do, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and hold fast to Him, 23 then the LORD will drive out all these nations from before you, and you will dispossess nations greater and mightier than you” (Deut 11:22-23). Their moral behavior before God would guarantee military victory over their enemies. Israel's commitment-love to God and obedience to His directives would determine their future success, even though they faced great obstacles. Israel was not to fear the people in Canaan, for God was with His people and would guarantee their victory.      As Israel advanced in God's will, He would give them every bit of land which they walked on, saying, “Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours; your border will be from the wilderness to Lebanon, and from the river, the river Euphrates, as far as the western sea” (Deut 11:24). Here, Moses included the boundaries of the land which God had promised earlier to Abraham (Gen 15:18). Concerning this section of land, William MacDonald states: "Those who walked in the ways of the Lord would drive out the heathen Canaanites and possess all the land their feet walked on. The rule of possession is given in verse 24. All the land was theirs by promise, but they had to go in and make it their own, just as we have to appropriate the promises of God. The boundaries given in verse 24 have never been realized historically by Israel. It is true that Solomon's kingdom extended from the river (Euphrates) to the border of Egypt (1 Kgs 4:21), but the Israelites did not actually possess all that territory. Rather, it included states that paid tribute to Solomon but maintained their own internal government. Verse 24, along with many others, will find its fulfillment in the Millennial Reign of the Lord Jesus Christ."[2]      Concerning the residents of the land of Canaan, Moses explained that God would instill fear into their hearts, saying, “No man will be able to stand before you; the LORD your God will lay the dread of you and the fear of you on all the land on which you set foot, as He has spoken to you” (Deut 11:25). Here was an example of divinely induced psychological warfare, in which God Himself would instill fear into the minds of Israel's enemies, thus neutralizing the threat (cf. Deut 2:25). Israelites found this to be true as they advanced into the land under the leadership of Joshua (Josh 2:9; 5:1).      All Moses communicated to God's people was intended to educate and encourage them to love the Lord and to walk in His directives. Moses placed God's Word before the people, but it was up to them to lay hold of it and walk in it. However, being the covenant people of God, bound in a contract relationship with the Lord, they were not free to walk away from it without consequence. To obey would result in God's blessing, but to disobey would result in God's cursing. Moses said, “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: 27 the blessing, if you listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, which I am commanding you today; 28 and the curse, if you do not listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside from the way which I am commanding you today, by following other gods which you have not known” (Deut 11:26-28). Through Moses, God gave them only two possible futures. If they accepted God's present offer, they would cross the Jordan River and enter into the land. However, once they entered Canaan, the Israelites would find themselves on a battlefield, and only their continued walk with the Lord would determine the outcome of each battle. Today's decisions touch tomorrow's victories.      Once in the land, Israel was to mark the occasion by a special event in which they would gather at a specific location and read aloud the blessings and cursings. Moses wrote, “It shall come about, when the LORD your God brings you into the land where you are entering to possess it, that you shall place the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal” (Deut 11:29). This was a specific location where the nation would renew the covenant with God. Moses stated, “Are they not across the Jordan, west of the way toward the sunset, in the land of the Canaanites who live in the Arabah, opposite Gilgal, beside the oaks of Moreh?” (Deut 11:30). In antiphonal chorus, half the tribes would stand on Mount Gerizim and shout the blessings, and the other half would stand on Mount Ebal and shout the curses. This was done under the leadership of Joshua (Josh 8:30-35). Moses also stated this location was “beside the oaks of Moreh” which were in Shechem (Deut 11:30b). Abraham stopped at the oaks of Moreh as he traveled through Canaan (Gen 12:6), and it was also the place where Jacob buried the family idols and devoted himself wholly to the Lord (Gen 35:1-4). Eugene Merrill comments on the importance of the location of Shechem, saying: "The reason for the selection of Shechem and its vicinity was clearly the association of this holy place with the patriarchs to whom the Lord had first appeared and made covenant promises concerning the land. It was there that Abraham had built his first altar (Gen 12:6–7); there Jacob had bought a piece of property (Gen 33:19), where he built an altar (Gen 33:20) and dug a well (John 4:6); and there his son Joseph was buried (Josh 24:32). From those ancient days onward Shechem was closely associated with covenant making of all kinds, both legitimate and illegitimate (cf. Josh 24:1–28; Judg 9:1–21)."[3]      Israel's love for God and obedient behavior determined her national and historical success, not only in the moment, but for future generations that would follow in righteousness. Moses said, “For you are about to cross the Jordan to go in to possess the land which the LORD your God is giving you, and you shall possess it and live in it, 32 and you shall be careful to do all the statutes and the judgments which I am setting before you today” (Deut 11:31-32). God was about to bless the nation with victory and possession of the land of Canaan; however, they were to be careful to follow the Lord's directives.      As Christians living in the dispensation of the Church Age, we are not under the Mosaic Law, which refers to “the statutes and ordinances and laws which the LORD established between Himself and the sons of Israel through Moses at Mount Sinai” (Lev 26:46). For the Christian, the New Testament speaks of “the perfect law of liberty” (Jam 1:25), “the royal law” (Jam 2:8), the “Law of Christ” (Gal 6:2), and “the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:2). The body of Scripture that sets forth God's directives for the Christian is found in Romans chapter one through Revelation chapter three. And just like Israel, God desires to bless us, but we must learn His Word and walk in His ways (2 Tim 2:15; 3:16-17; 1 Pet 2:2), and pursue a life of righteousness and good works (Gal 6:10; Tit 2:11-14). Obedience is rewarded by the Lord (Rom 14:10; 1 Cor 3:10-15; 2 Cor 5:10), and disobedience results in discipline (1 Cor 11:32; Heb 12:5-11; Rev 3:19).   [1] Jack S. Deere, “Deuteronomy,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 283. [2] William MacDonald, Believer's Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments, ed. Arthur Farstad (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), 211. [3] Eugene H. Merrill, Deuteronomy, vol. 4, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994), 214.

Thus Said The Lord (Gen 1) Sermon preached by Pastor Ariel Masih.

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." (Pro 3:5-6)      Fear is part of the human experience. It is first mentioned in Genesis chapter three after Adam and Eve sinned and then encountered the presence of the Lord (Gen 3:10). Since the historic fall, there exists healthy and unhealthy forms of fear. Fear of God that leads to righteous living is good. Fear of others that leads to sinful living is bad. When we live righteously, we have no reason to fear God (1 John 4:18) or righteous rulers (Rom 13:1-4). Satan, and those who align with him, will seek to intimidate others into conformity in order to frustrate the plan of God. When facing opposition to doing God’s will, the believer must stand on truth. When fear rises among believers, there are faith-strengthening techniques we can apply to our situation that will fortify our walk with God. These techniques are all learned from Scripture and applied by faith. Live in God’s Word – Scripture is the starting point for the Christian faith, as “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom 10:17 KJV). As Christians, we are to “have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him” (2 Cor 5:9). God states, “my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him” (Heb 10:38), for “without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Heb 11:6). Those who consistently live in God’s Word find stability for their souls (Psa 1:1-3; Jer 17:5-8). Scripture reveals that only God and His Word are absolutely true (Psa 119:160; John 17:17), and never fail (Matt 24:35; Tit 1:2; Heb 6:18). In contrast, we learn that people fail (Jer 17:5; cf. Pro 28:26), money fails (Psa 62:10), the government fails (Psa 146:3), and the creation fails (Matt 24:35). Look up to God – When believers encounter a stressful situation, the first action should be to place our focus on God for help. David wrote, “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. In God, whose word I praise, in God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?” (Psa 56:3-4; Ex 14:1-14; Deut 20:1-4; 31:1-8). When Abraham considered God’s promise that he would have a son (Gen 15:1-6; 17:6), yet knew in his old age that neither he nor Sarah could produce an heir by human effort (Rom 4:18-19), “he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform” (Rom 4:20-21). The proclivity of people is to look inward, outward, and downward; whereas God calls us to look to Him. Isaiah wrote, “The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You. Trust in the LORD forever, for in GOD the LORD, we have an everlasting Rock” (Isa 26:3-4). And Paul wrote, “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth” (Col 3:1-2). Look back on God’s faithfulness –When facing a large population and military in Canaan, Moses told his people, “If you should say in your heart, ‘These nations are greater than I; how can I dispossess them?’ You shall not be afraid of them; you shall well remember what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt: the great trials which your eyes saw and the signs and the wonders and the mighty hand and the outstretched arm by which the LORD your God brought you out. So shall the LORD your God do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid” (Deut 7:17-19; cf. 8:1-4). And Jeremiah, when lamenting the destruction of Jerusalem and the captivity of his people, found hope by recalling God’s faithfulness. Jeremiah wrote, “This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. The LORD’S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness” (Lam 3:21-23). Look forward to God’s future promises – On two occasions Jesus knew His disciples were struggling with fear and He sought to strengthen their faith by instructing them to focus on eschatological certainties. In the first occasion (the one we just studied), they were to focus on God’s future judgments, as Jesus said, “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt 10:28). Those who kill the body do so in time, whereas God is able to destroy both body and soul at the future judgment seat of Christ (Rev 20:11-15). On another occasion Jesus instructed His disciples to focus on His promise concerning their future place of residence in heaven, saying, “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:1-3). Live in God’s love – John wrote, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love” (1 John 4:18). God is perfect, and so is His love and care for us (Rom 8:28-39). As we walk with God, our immature love develops and grows strong, becoming like His love. When this happens, fear fades away, and we can be courageous and loving toward everyone, even those who identify as our enemies and seek our harm. Fellowship with growing believers – Paul wrote, “When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours” (Rom 1:12). When writing to the church at Thessalonica, Paul said, “Therefore when we could endure it no longer, we thought it best to be left behind at Athens alone, and we sent Timothy, our brother and God's fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith” (1 Th 3:1-2). Growing believers are marked by love for each other as we seek to encourage each other to love the Lord and to serve Him in humility and faithfulness.

     The main point of this pericope is that Moses recalled that God wrote down the Ten Commandments and how the people expressed a healthy fear of the Lord. Moses opens this section, saying, “These words the LORD spoke to all your assembly at the mountain from the midst of the fire, of the cloud and of the thick gloom, with a great voice, and He added no more. He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me” (Deut 5:22). This confirms the Ten Commandments were spoken directly by God, who then provided Moses two hard copies which were written on tablets of stone. The Ten Commandments, as given by God at Mount Sinai to Israel, should not be separated from the larger body of the Mosaic Law. It must be remembered, “These are the commandments which the LORD commanded Moses for the sons of Israel at Mount Sinai” (Lev 27:34). Moses is also clear the Lord did not provide anything more than the Ten Commandments. Earl Kalland writes; "He 'added nothing more' (v.22) refers to these Ten Commandments that were spoken and then written by God on the two stone tablets. They constitute the basic behavioral code that was to determine not only their allegiance and life-style but also that of all succeeding generations as well. No other such short list of commands begins to compare with the effect that these have had in world history. In spite of being constantly broken, they stand as the moral code par excellence."[1]      Moses records the response of the Israelites, saying, “And when you heard the voice from the midst of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, you came near to me, all the heads of your tribes and your elders” (Deut 5:23). Every one of the Israelites at Mount Sinai heard the voice of God, audibly, which came from the direction of the mountain that was burning with fire. Apparently, the audio was quite loud and connected with pyrotechnic effects. After approaching Moses, the elders said, “Behold, the LORD our God has shown us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice from the midst of the fire; we have seen today that God speaks with man, yet he lives” (Deut 5:24). Here was a divine encounter with the God of the universe that was so powerful, they were surprised that they were still alive. Then, they spoke out of fear, saying, “Now then why should we die? For this great fire will consume us; if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any longer, then we will die. For who is there of all flesh who has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived?” (Deut 5:25-26). Being close to God meant, to some degree, feeling uncomfortable in His presence, because as they came near to Him, they became painfully aware that He is holy and they were sinful. However, they felt their lives were in danger if they continued to experience God’s presence as He had revealed Himself at the mountain. Healthy fear was a common experience among those who personally encountered God (Isa 6:5; Luke 5:8; Rev 1:17); and others too felt their lives had been spared after encountering the Lord (Gen 32:30; Judg 6:22-23; 13:22-23). Though the Israelites recognized it was God who spoke with them, and that they’d heard His voice and saw His glory, yet they did not want the experience to continue. Instead, they asked Moses to serve as mediator between them and God, saying, “Go near and hear all that the LORD our God says; then speak to us all that the LORD our God speaks to you, and we will hear and do it” (Deut 5:27).      As Christians, the more we learn about God, the more we become aware of His holiness and our sinfulness. However, by faith, we also know He accepts us because of the work of Christ, and we can come humbly before His throne of grace, realizing there is no condemnation because we are in Christ.   [1] Earl S. Kalland, “Deuteronomy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 61.

Today's retelling comes from Genesis 2:21-3:24. Intro:  Ugh. How heartbreaking it must have been for God, though He knew that this moment would come from the very beginning. Every good gift comes down from the Father of heavenly lights (James 1:17), and He had bestowed the best He had upon Adam and Eve, the crowning glory of His creation. But what He wanted was a real relationship with them, in which they chose to obey Him—not because they had no alternative, but out of love and respect. They had to have a choice in order to do this. So God placed the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the “midst” of the garden—presumably, right in the middle. They would have passed by this tree more often than any other in the garden. The choice was always right there, in plain view. But when they were innocent, they did not even notice it. Why would they? Every need had already been met. They trusted God implicitly. Enter Satan, who would not be so called anywhere in the book of Genesis. Perhaps it was he who took the form of the serpent, or perhaps he would just inspire the serpent to deceive Eve. In his cunning, he overlooked every blessing, every ‘yes’ God had given Eve, and focused entirely on the one ‘no.’ It’s also interesting that he approached Eve instead of Adam. God had never told Eve anything about the tree directly—He had told Adam that it was forbidden, and Adam had relayed this to Eve. Her knowledge of what God had said about the tree was secondhand. Because of this, just like playing “telephone,” she got it just slightly wrong. She thought they had been forbidden even to touch the fruit of the tree. God never said this, which may have been significant. Perhaps when Eve touched the fruit and nothing happened, it convinced her that the rest was false also. Satan also convinced Eve to question God’s character. Temptation to sin always includes some element of this. If she had never wondered whether there was a blessing that God had withheld from her, she never would have eaten the fruit (2 Cor 11:3). Why was their nakedness what they noticed first after the fall? Andrew Wommack’s theory is that they were previously so dominated by their spiritual “sight” that they simply did not notice the physical. I don’t think this is entirely true, since everything else in the garden was physical—but it is true that they died spiritually as soon as they disobeyed God. It was not until after Jesus’ resurrection that spiritual rebirth became possible. The challenge now is to renew our minds so that we can see into the spirit, where we have every spiritual blessing available (Eph 1:3), rather than walking by sight (2 Cor 5:7). Immediately after the fall, Adam and Eve experienced fear for the first time (Gen 3:10). Fear does not come from God (2 Tim 1:7); it only comes when we do not understand and trust in God’s perfect love, which casts out fear (1 John 4:18). But if they had understood God’s perfect love, they never would have obeyed the serpent in the first place. Punishment did come, but it was not for punishment’s sake. The world was now corrupted, and it was God’s mercy that expelled them from the Garden so that they could not eat from the Tree of Life and live forever in that fallen state! God did not want that for them: to be always decaying but never dying, always separated from Him, always in their sin. He wanted us to have eternal life, but spiritually, not just physically. Once they became aware of their nakedness, they needed to cover it—which required death. They died spiritually the moment they fell, but physical death would come, for them, centuries later. To “cover” them until then, God had to kill an animal—a symbol of Christ’s ultimate atonement for all sin (Hebrews 9:22). (I chose a lion in this retelling because Christ is referred to as both the Lion of Judah and also the Lamb of God, but I figured a single lamb probably wouldn’t produce enough skin to cover both Adam and Eve unless God wove its wool into clothing, and the scripture doesn’t say He did that.) When God pronounced that the Seed of the woman would crush the serpent’s head, this of course referred to Jesus. It’s interesting that part of Adam’s curse was that the ground would produce thorns, and Jesus wore a crown of thorns on the cross—a symbol of bearing the curse for us so that we could be redeemed from it (Gal 3:13). But Eve did not understand that the Savior would be many generations hence. When she gave birth to Cain, she said, “Behold, I have gotten a man, the Lord” (Gen 4:1, though some translations say, “I have gotten a man from the Lord.” The original Hebrew does not include the word “from”). She presumably thought this was the Messiah, come to redeem them already. Perhaps she hoped that through him, she and Adam would be able to return to Eden. Sadly, rather than becoming their redemption, Cain became the first murderer instead. When Christ comes the second time, in the New Jerusalem, the Tree of Life will again be freely available to the redeemed (Rev 2:7), and its leaves will be for the healing of the nations (Rev 22:2). Then, restored to our original perfection, eternal life—body, soul, and spirit—will be ours once more. Fictionalized Retelling:   I breathed in, and I was. The air filled every part of me with life. This was the first thing I knew. Then I opened my eyes. The Face I beheld was like light itself, though there was also light behind Him. I had no concept of anything until that moment, but that Face was the very definition of beauty. I gazed up at Him, rapturous. His eyes were like liquid love, bursting with color, their expression infinitely gentle. “Hello, my dear,” said my Creator. “Hello,” I murmured back in wonder, marveling at the sound of my own voice, at the feel of it vibrating in my throat. On instinct I reached for Him, but had not fully completed the action when I stopped, distracted by the wonder of my own limbs. I held them up before my face, wiggling my fingers and watching them obey me. My Creator chuckled, and the sound thrilled me with warmth. I shivered, every nerve humming with the sensation. “We are Elohim,” the Creator told me. “You may call me God.” “God,” I whispered, reaching again for His face. He did not repulse me, but let me caress Him, leaning in to my palm and covering it with His own. He grinned down at me, and I reflexively grinned back. “Come. There is someone I want you to meet,” God said. He set me on my feet, and I marveled at the feeling of the spongy, dewy ground beneath my feet. As soon as I noticed the sensations, the words for them came to me. I marveled at that too: that I knew so many things I had never learned. I looked up at God, and though before I had thought of Him as infinitely larger than I was, I found that he was only about a head taller. He held my hand in his. He shone like the orb overhead that bathed us all in its light. I turned my attention to it next, and then to all it illuminated. There was a canopy of green above us, the foliage of thick trees. I identified the sounds around us as flowing water and chirping birds. I turned to see the cheerful river behind us. Flowers of every color, shape, and size bloomed all around us, and living creatures hummed all around them: hummingbirds, butterflies, bees. Other creatures covered in fur or feathers roamed throughout the land too, each of them unique and lovely in its own way. “What is this place?” I asked in wonder. “Do you like it?” He asked, but the delight in his question made it clear He knew my answer already. “Oh, yes!” “I have called it Eden. I made it for you, Adam.” I turned back, excited to hear my own name. “Am I called Adam, then?” “You were taken from Adam, your husband. I have given him the task of naming all My other creatures, so I will give him that privilege with you as well. Until then, you too are Adam.” God gestured before us, under a palm tree. “This is your Adam. He is called a man.” A new sensation stirred in me as I beheld the creature God indicated. The man had flesh instead of fur or feathers, like I did. My eyes traced the curve of his face. His strong jaw beneath his dark beard. My mouth fell open in awe. Like all the animals, he too was beautiful, but in a completely new way. His kind of beauty allured me in a way that none of the other animals had done. As I took all of this in, he sat up, as if waking from a deep sleep. Then he saw me. His expression went slack, and I watched, gratified, as he drank me in as I had him. Slowly, he rose to his feet and took tentative steps toward me. Beside us, God beamed, delighting in our admiration of each other as much as we were. He said, “Adam, meet your helper. I have fashioned her from one of your ribs. I trust you prefer to have it back in this form.” Adam’s eyes filled with tears, as he turned to God, unable to speak, the gratitude obvious in his face. Then he looked back at me, and spoke. I could tell, even though I had never heard him speak before, that his voice was hoarse with emotion. “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man.” When he got close enough, he reached for my face, in the same way that I had originally reached for God’s. I copied the motion, laying my hand on top of his when he touched my cheek. “I will call her Eve, because she will be the mother of all the living.” “Eve,” I repeated, trying the sound of my own name on my tongue. I liked it. I smiled at Adam and he smiled back at me. There was nothing more to say.  “I will leave you two to get acquainted,” God murmured, and took His leave. For a second the thought that He was gone alarmed me, but then Adam slid his hand from my cheek to my hand, entwining his fingers with mine. When I turned back to him, the expression on his face was so full of tenderness that I felt answering tears prick in my eyes. “You… are… exquisite,” Adam whispered to me. The words filled me up almost the way that first breath had done. I had not known I wanted to be exquisite until my husband said it—but suddenly, it was all I wanted. “Aren’t you going to show me around?” I teased, though I was very pleased that he could not seem to look away from me. “I will try, but I cannot promise I will be able to walk without tripping over my own feet,” he replied in the same tone. “I’ll be too busy looking at you.” I giggled, marveling at that instinct too and delighting at the feel of it. Somehow, I knew what laughter was. Adam led me through the garden by the hand, calling the animals to him by name and then showing them to me. I reached out to caress them all, from the elephant to the lion to the mouse, and they nuzzled me affectionately in return. I gestured to the lion to open his mouth for me, marveling at how sharp his teeth were. He let me poke them with the tip of my finger, patiently waiting for me to extract my hand before he went about his business. I watched as he used those sharp claws to dig up root vegetables hidden in the earth, so hard that I would not have considered them food. But the lion’s incisors tore into the vegetables with no trouble at all. My own stomach growled as I watched the lion eat. Adam explained, “You are hungry. Here.” He plucked a bunch of berries from a tree, handing them to me. Then from another, he plucked something very hard and brown. I frowned at it, unsure how it might turn out to be food like the berries, until Adam showed me how to remove the outer shell to reveal the soft meat inside. Nuts, he called them. When I tasted them both, my face lit up wth delight as the flavors exploded on my tongue: tart and sweet and savory, all at once. “What about that one?” I pointed at a tree that bore round fruit that looked like burnished gold. “You want one of those?” Adam grinned, trotting over to the tree and plucking two of the golden fruit. He returned and handed me one, taking a bite out of the other himself. “I think this one is my favorite too. God called it the Tree of Life.” “So many different kinds of food!” I exclaimed, looking around the garden to see if I could distinguish all the fruits around me from the flowers. “God gave us all of the green herbs and fruits with seeds for food,” Adam explained, “except for the one in the middle, the one that makes those sort of oddly shaped reddish brown fruits, see it?” He pointed at the tree next to the Tree of Life, and I nodded. “Why not that one?” I asked. “He said it is called the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and He said that we shall not eat it, for the day that we eat of it, we shall surely die.” For the briefest second, I felt an ominous shadow pass over my heart at these words. Die? What did die mean? But then it was gone. I shrugged. We had plenty of other trees to choose from. I saw no reason to bother about the one forbidden tree. The day began to wane and the light changed from white to golden before we had finished our tour of Eden. I pointed up at the sky with a slight questioning frown, though I wasn’t concerned so much as confused. “It is called sunset,” Adam explained. “Day and night lasts a total of twenty-four hours. It’s not precisely twelve and twelve hours of day and night, but close. God says the ratio between the two will change with the seasons.” “What are seasons?” I asked, wide-eyed. Adam shook his head. “I don’t exactly know, I haven’t seen them yet. But God says it’s when weather changes, and the sun and celestial bodies change their positions throughout the year.” I thought about how I knew that twelve and twelve made twenty-four. This too delighted me. But I forgot all about addition when I watched as the colors changed across the sky, from golden light to pinks and golds and purples. I gasped, clapping with delight. “God!” I called out to Him, suspecting He was not far away. “Good show!” He emerged from the trees in the cool of the day, strolling unhurried, and beamed at us. “Thank you, my dear,” He said, sitting down on the marshy grass beside us. We sat too, and I leaned into his gleaming white robe, nestling my head on one of His shoulders. God stroked my long dark hair away from my face. I sighed with contentment. Adam sat down on God’s other side, interlocking elbows and also leaning into Him. The three of us watched as the sun descended below the horizon, and then suddenly the darkness was not just darkness. “What are those?” I exclaimed in wonder, pointing up at the tiny pinpricks of light in the dark sky. “And that?” I pointed at the large glowing orb spangled with shadows. “The moon and the stars,” God explained. “The moon is to govern the night just as the sun governs the day. Stars are just like the sun, but much, much further away in outer space.” “What is outer space?” I asked, wide-eyed. “It is where the earth is hung, and there are other planets also, though not exactly like earth. Earth is very special,” He told me with a tender smile, touching the tip of my nose affectionately. Satisfied, I nestled back against Him, yawning. “Why do I feel so tired?” “Because it is time for you to sleep,” God whispered, lowering me down to the spongy ground beside my husband, who automatically wrapped an arm around me. “It restores your energy so that you will be fresh again tomorrow morning…” I did not hear the last of God’s words before I drifted off. The first rays of the sun filtered through my eyelids the following morning. They fluttered open and I sat up, mouth agape in wonder yet again as the same colors from sunset danced across the sky at sunrise as well. I glanced at Adam, who somehow managed to continue his slumber despite the light. A little family of squirrels slept on the ground near us, and beside me, a bear stretched its sharp claws, yawned, and took a swipe at the fruit on a nearby tree. I skipped over to him and stroked his fur in good morning. But then I jumped back—not from the bear, but from something living in the branches of the tree beside us that I had not seen before. It looked like one of the branches itself, but it seemed to slither. My eyes scanned until I found first its tiny legs, and then its face. The eyes sharpened upon me, and it opened its mouth. “Good morning, Eve,” it hissed. I had not heard any of the other animals in the garden speak besides Adam, myself, and God. But everything was new to me, so I thought nothing of it. “Good morning, serpent,” I greeted it, remembering the name Adam had given the creature. I was just reaching for the same fruit the bear had breakfasted on, when the serpent said, “You don’t want to eat from this tree. The fruit is very bitter.” “Oh,” I hesitated. But then I shrugged, and turned to a vine nearby, bearing clusters of juicy-looking red grapes. But the serpent’s words stopped me again. “You know which fruit tastes more delicious than all the others?” I looked at him, curious, and he gestured with his head toward the center of the garden. “That one.” “The tree of life?” I asked, delighted. “Yes, Adam and I sampled it yesterday, and it was my favorite so far!” “No, not that one, the one beside it,” the serpent hissed. “The one with the reddish brown fruit.” I frowned. “The one from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil?” The serpent nodded, and I said, “But… Adam said God forbade that one.” “Is that right?” the serpent hissed, slithering its head closer to me. “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?’” I frowned, trying to puzzle out the meaning of this phrase. The negatives in it confused me. When I finally worked out its meaning, I said uncertainly, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’” I thought that was what Adam had told me. It had been something like that, anyway. “Ah,” hissed the serpent, his fork-like tongue flicking out toward me as he spoke. “You shall not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” I blinked at the serpent, then turned to look at the tree. I tried to process the serpent’s words. He was saying… God… lied to us? That He was withholding a blessing from us out of… jealousy? The thoughts felt clunky and unfamiliar. They made no sense. God was perfection. Our only experience of Him was that He was good and kind and wonderful. He loved us. I had paid almost no attention to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil before. Yet now that the serpent pointed it out to me, I noticed that the fruit, strange looking though it was, did look enticing. And the serpent said—even God had said—that the tree would make us wise, as God Himself was wise. And after all, if God had not wanted us to eat of it, why did he put that particular tree in the midst of the garden, I reasoned? I took a hesitant step toward the tree, and then another and another until I stood right in front of it. I reached out and touched one of the reddish brown fruits, cringing for half a second—but nothing happened. It was just like touching any of the other fruits in the garden. I laughed, exultant, and plucked the fruit from the branch, all hesitation now forgotten. “What are you doing, Eve?” I turned to see Adam standing beside me, a note of alarm in his voice. A new emotion of defiance rose up on the inside of me. I had just proven that what Adam told me God said about the tree had been false, hadn’t I? I had touched it and had not died! I plucked a second fruit from the tree and tossed it to Adam. Then, before he could stop me, I opened my mouth and took a bite. “Eve, no—!” Adam shouted, reaching out as if to dash the fruit from my hand—but it was too late. I chewed, savoring the delicious burst of sweetness across my tongue. For a brief second, I relished the thought that the serpent was right—the fruit was indeed the best I had yet tasted. But just as quickly, a bitter flavor overtook the sweetness. I made a face, dropping the remainder of the fruit to the ground and staring at it. I had a sudden urge to wash away the taste. “You shall die,” Adam croaked. His expression cut me to the heart. Suddenly I felt another new emotion come over me: horror. What had I done? “It was only one bite,” I whispered back. Suddenly the wind whipped around my body, and I looked down. A hot wave of shame passed over me as I realized—I was naked! I dropped to a crouch to cover myself, a sudden impulse from an instinct that I had not had before. How had I not noticed? How had Adam not noticed? He was naked too, yet he still stood unashamed, displaying himself before me and all of the creatures in view. We had been naked even before God Himself! Adam’s focus was not on his body, though; it was on the fruit I had given him. “If you must die, then I must die with you,” he murmured, raising sorrowful eyes to me. “I do not want to live without you.” Then he opened his mouth, and despite the look of disgust, also took a bite. He chewed and swallowed, then dropped the remains of the fruit on the ground as I had done. He stared at it with sudden revulsion. Then he looked down at his body, and I saw his cheeks color as he realized what I had realized a second before. He moved both hands to cover his nudity. “How did we not know?” he moaned. “Oh! How shameful!” “All the animals have fur or feathers, but we—” I agreed, wincing. “What are we to do? We must at least cover ourselves somehow before God returns…” Adam shrugged, biting his lip. He gestured with his chin to the leaves of the tree from which we had just eaten, unwilling to move his hands away from his genitals. “I’ll try to sew together some of the leaves,” he said, “but I’ll need to use my hands to do it, so you have to promise not to look.” “You have to promise not to look at me, either!” I declared. Adam gave me a sad smile. “But you are so beautiful.” I narrowed my eyes at him, not in the mood. He sighed. “All right, I promise. Turn around.” I obeyed, but since we had promised not to look at each other anyway, I decided I might as well make myself useful, and approached the tree where I had seen the serpent. Both serpent and bear were gone now, so I began to pluck leaves from that tree, wondering how Adam intended to weave them into clothing. I collected a pile of leaves, and then stripped some of them to just the stalk that ran down the center of the leaves, thinking that would somehow serve as thread. I started to knot some of them together, and then poked holes in the remaining leafy part of the other leaves, so as to thread the knotted leaf stem through them. It was slow work, and many of the leaves tore before I could connect enough of them to do any good. I finally managed to make myself a little apron to at least cover my genitals, but it was a poor covering indeed, and hid very little. I realized I'd have to connect many more leaves to cover my breasts, and the sun was already past peak in the sky. I decided instead to try to find something sticky, so that they could adhere directly to my body. I tried clay, but that lasted all of two seconds. Then instead I used a bit of sap from a tree. This worked better, but it meant everything else I touched adhered to my hands— “Eve!” Adam hissed, and I perked up my ears, at once understanding what he meant. We both heard the sound of footsteps, and knew they belonged to God. My poor leaf apron fluttered to the ground as I fled, hiding with Adam among the underbrush. The branches poked at us, but I hardly noticed, my heart pounding so hard with fear that we would be seen. Once in the bushes, I tried to wipe the remaining sap off of my hands on its leaves, but found that it would not go. “Stop it, He’ll hear you!” Adam hissed, stilling my fidgeting hands. Just then, we saw God enter the clearing from between the branches of our hiding place. I suddenly envied Him His gleaming white robe. When His face turned so that we could see it from our hiding place, I saw His puzzled, slightly concerned expression. “Adam! Where are you?” God called out. I looked at Adam, shaking my head sharply, but I saw that he intended to reply. He opened his mouth and called back, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, and hid myself.” Now God turned and looked straight at the bush where we hid. Adam stood up only so high as to expose his chest, still kneeling to conceal the rest of him. God’s expression grew stern. “Who told you that you were naked?” He demanded. “Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?” Adam trembled, and then pointed at me, still fully crouched beside him. “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” My mouth fell open, indignant. But then I realized that I could not truly protest. His statement was quite true. God turned to me. “What is this you have done?” He demanded. It took me a moment to find my tongue. When I did, I blurted, “The serpent deceived me! And I ate.” God waved His hand, and the serpent appeared from nowhere on the ground between Him and us. The sky grew dark, and God said in a terrible voice to the serpent, “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you shall go—” and as He pronounced this, the serpent’s legs dissolved into nothingness, until he was all tail, “and you shall eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” Even as God spoke it, I saw its fulfillment in my mind’s eye. My Seed would be my son. He would conquer the serpent. He would redeem Adam and me from what we had done. He would be the Lord Himself… No sooner had God finished speaking, though, He turned to me. I was compelled to look at His face, and I saw at once mingled anger and heartbreak. It made me want to weep. “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in pain you shall bring forth children; your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” I bowed my head, accepting God’s punishment. Since I got us into this mess, it was only fair that I should labor and travail to bring forth the Savior who would get us out of it. And Adam was right—it was my choice to disobey God, not his—at least not originally. If I had listened to my husband, none of this would have happened. Then God turned to Adam, who trembled under God’s gaze. “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return.” Adam buried his face in his hands and wept. God’s expression sank into sorrow as well, all His anger now spent. “Lion,” he called out, and summoned the creature I had met the morning before. The great cat bounded toward the Lord, frolicking around Him playfully and swishing its tail this way and that. The Lord caressed its mane tenderly. Then, with one swift jerk, a horrible crack sounded. I screamed, and the lion slumped, lifeless. I could not stop screaming, even though Adam hushed me as best he could. Even God wept openly now. “The wages of sin is death,” He said to us, a terrible grief in His voice as He removed the lion’s skin and knit it together into tunics to clothe us. When He had finished, he approached the bush where we both shied away from Him, and deposited both tunics upon the top of the bush, turning away from us. Adam shimmied into his first, standing up fully for the first time once he was covered. Then I did the same, standing beside him. We heard Elohim say to Himself, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever—” He turned back to face us, tears still flowing freely. “You must leave the garden now,” He said, “and go out into the wilderness to make your way as best you can. To live forever in your current state would be a fate far worse than death.” Fresh tears gushed on to my cheeks at this word. “But—you said my Seed would crush the head of the serpent!” I blubbered, hardly able to make myself understood. “He will redeem us, surely?” “Yes, daughter, He will,” God assured me, “but not for what to you will seem a very long time.” So Adam took my hand, and led me through our lush home for the last time. Beyond it lay nothing but desert. We would survive, of course—I must bring forth a man, so we must survive somehow. Death, it turned out, was not immediate. And yet, leaving the garden and leaving the Lord God behind us was a kind of death. For the lion, death had certainly been immediate, I thought with a pang of sorrow. And the poor lion had done nothing wrong. It died for our sin, to cover our nakedness. I turned around to look back at the garden one last time. A ring of creatures that looked like the Lord in luminescence stood before the tree with the golden fruit, bearing swords that shone like the sun. Then I turned away again, looking out into the wilderness that was to be our new home. “But we will still return one day,” I whispered to Adam as we walked out into the desert. “Right?” “One day,” he whispered back, and squeezed my hand.

The Lord meets Abraham and breaks the news to him and Sarah laughs. Have you laughed at the Lord? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

     Where God directs mankind, it is always for good and not evil. Satan is a disrupter and destroyer, and his world-system is set up to attack God’s people, the gospel message, biblical truths and divine institutions that make for stable and productive individuals and societies. Because Christians are a minority, living in a fallen world that is under Satan’s control, it is normal that we will experience conflicts and temptations that seek to disrupt our walk with the Lord and derail our spiritual life. As Christians, we must realize there will be touchpoints where we are at odds with the culture around us, and there we must stand, with absolute clarity on biblical teaching. The purpose of this lesson is to set forth those areas where Satan is currently attacking, so that we can stand on the truth of God’s Word and know how we should respond when questioned or pressured to abandon them. In this way we will be a good influence on those whom God places in our path. The touchpoints are as follows: The Bible as Divinely Authoritative. The Bible is the inerrant and infallible Word of God, and is the basis for faith and conduct (1 Thess 2:13; cf. 2 Tim 3:16-17). It teaches us how to be saved, and how to live righteously through spiritual growth and obedience to His commands. Satan’s world is systemically hateful toward the Bible and seeks to suppress it, or pervert its meaning, to keep people enslaved in darkness. Christian Identity. As those who have believed in Jesus as Savior (1 Cor 15:3-4), we are no longer “in Adam”, but are “in Christ” (1 Cor 15:22; cf. 2 Cor 5:17), and our new “citizenship is in heaven” (Phil 3:20). This means our Christianity identity supersedes all other forms of identity; especially those that artificially manufactured on humanistic philosophies and values that are antithetical to biblical teaching. Devotion to Learning God’s Word. God calls us to know His Word so that we will have the knowledge necessary to live His will (Deut 8:3; Ezra 7:10; 2 Tim 2:15). The world will throw up every pleasure or pressure to keep us ignorant of God’s Word, in order to keep us spiritually malnourished and ineffective in our spiritual influence. The Pursuit of Spiritual Growth. God desires that we mature as Christians by living His Word in all aspects of our lives (Eph 4:11-15; 1 Pet 2:2). Spiritual growth takes time, as we make consistent choices to gather together as Christians, study the Bible, and encourage each other to godly living. Sharing the Gospel. We are to share the gospel that others might believe in Christ as Savior (1 Cor 15:3-4). Satan seeks to blind the minds of the unbelieving (2 Cor 4:3-4), who regard the good news as foolishness (1 Cor 1:18). However, “the gospel…is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Rom 1:16). Living Responsibly. As Christians, we are to live responsibility to the Lord (Gen 1:26-28; 2:15; 19-20; 1 Cor 4:7; Jam 1:17; 1 Pet 4:10). We observe in our culture a victim mentality that tells us we are the products of evolution, history, culture, nature and/or nurture, and that we are not responsible for our desires, values, or behaviors. Christian maturity begins when we accept full responsibility for our lives and begin to make good choices to learn and live God’s Word on consistent basis. Marriage as a Divine Institution. Marriage is clearly defined in Scripture as being between one man and one woman (Gen 2:24; Matt 19:6). However, marriage is being redefined and modified as though it were merely a social construct to be tinkered with. This is why we see a rise in divorce, as well as the introduction of same-sex marriage and polyamorous relationships. Family as a Divine Institution. The family is the smallest social unit intended to train succeeding generations for godliness and authority orientation (Deut 6:6-7; Eph 6:4). However, many states are undermining parental authority and responsibility for the training of children, by which values are transmitted. Human Government as a Divine Institution. Human government is a divine institution with delegated authority to promote freedom, order, and to protect citizens from evil (Gen 9:5-6; Rom 13:1-5; Tit 3:1-2; 1 Pet 2:13-17). Human government is moving beyond its delegated authority to promote freedom, order, and to protect citizens from evil. The Christian Church as a Divine Institution. The Christian Church is a divine institution consisting of born-again believers (Eph 1:22-23; 1 Pet 2:5), who assemble locally (Heb 10:25), have laws (1 Cor 9:21; Gal 6:2), and leaders (1 Tim 5:17). The primary purpose of the church is to glorify God (Eph 1:12), evangelize the lost (Matt 28:18-20), edify believers through biblical teaching (Eph 4:11-16), and do good to others (Luke 6:35; Gal 6:10; 1 Tim 6:17-19). However, the Christian Church is increasingly coming under attack by individuals, organizations, and states who desire to render it uninfluential or inoperative. God’s Creation of the Universe, Earth, and People in Six Literal Days. The Bible, plainly read and understood, teaches that God created the universe, earth, plants, animals, and people in six literal days (Gen 1:1—2:4; Ex 20: 9-11; Isa 45:12). Everything was created in a state of maturity. God’s Testing. God prefers we mature as believers and sends trials to help expedite our spiritual and moral advancement as we live by faith (Deut 8:2-3; Jam 1:2-4). But the world would have us believe pleasure is to be pursued above character. However, God is more concerned with our Christian character than our creaturely comforts, and He uses trials to burn away the dross of weak character and purify those golden qualities that reflect His character. People as Made in the Image of God. The Bible reveals we are special, made in the image of God (Gen 1:27; 9:6), with the ability to think, act, and feel in ways that place us above the rest of creation. Evolutionary teaching predominates in our culture, which promotes the idea that people are the product of matter, motion, time and chance. One Human Race. Biblically, there is only one human race (Gen 1:27; 9:18-19; Acts 17:26). The idea of multiple races confuses and divides people in harmful ways, allowing for racism. However, we should see all people are part of one human race, and help them to understand that God loves them and Christ died for them. God Created Two Genders. Biblically, there are only two genders, male and female (Gen 1:27). However, today there are teachings that gender is a matter of personal choice, and not a matter of divine design. Life Begins in the Womb at Conception. The Bible teaches that human life begins at conception (Psa 139:13; Isa 44:24; Jer 1:5), not at a later time outside the womb. This means babies in the womb are full persons, and to abort a baby is a choice to end its human life prematurely. Israel as the Covenant People of God. God created Israel when He called Abraham and entered into a unilateral covenant with him, promising him and his descendants the land of Canaan (Gen 12:1-3; Isa 43:1; cf. Gen 15:18; 17:8; Josh 1:2-4). Though Israel is currently under divine discipline (Matt 23:37-38), God has a future for His people and national Israel will be restored (Rom 9:1-5). Freedom. God desires that we be free, both physically and spiritually, as this provides us the opportunity to exercise our volitions in godly ways (Gal 5:1, 13; 1 Pet 2:16). However, some people prefer servitude to freedom because they fear personal responsibility and like the idea of someone else making choices for them, watching over and caring for them. Nationalism. God has separated the nations of the world in order to hinder the advancement of evil and human tyranny. He divided the nations by multiplying languages and confusing the efforts of defiant persons, as these tried to build the Tower of Babel by using His language and resources independently of His wishes (Gen 11:1-9). Today, many would like to see a one world government, but Christians should oppose it, realizing it’s God’s will that national boundaries exist (Acts 17:24).

     The purpose of this lesson is to reveal that people operate either on positive or negative volition toward God. Those who are positive to God respond favorably in two ways: 1) believe God’s gospel and trust Jesus as Savior, and 2) advance to spiritual maturity by learning and living God’s Word. Those who are negative to God are: 1) hostile to God’s gospel, and 2) orient their thinking and life to Satan’s world-system.      Volition is the ability to act within a sphere of freedom and in accordance with one’s desires. There are three categories of volition in existence: God’s volition (Isa 46:8-11; cf. Gen 1:1-31), angelic volition (Psa 103:20), and human volition (Gen 1:26-28). God’s volition is absolute, immutable, and always operates in concert with His divine attributes. And, according to His sovereignty, He created intelligent and moral beings—angels and people—with the ability to obey or resist His directive will. In fact, Lucifer and a third of the angels exercised their volition against God and caused a bifurcation in the angelic realm (Isa 14:12-14; Rev 12:7; cf. Matt 25:41). Two thirds of the angels exercised their volition to stay with God, and these continue as holy angels to do His will (Matt 16:27; 26:53; 1 Tim 5:21; Heb 1:14). As Scripture reveals, Satan persuaded Adam and Eve to disobey God, and this brought sin and death into the creation (Gen 3:1-8; Rom 5:12; 8:20-22), with the result that every person is born with a sinful nature and proclivity to sin (Jer 17:9; Matt 7:11; Rom 7:18-21; Gal 5:16-17; Eph 2:1-3). However, God has dealt with the sin problem through the life, death, burial and resurrection of His Son, Jesus (John 3:16; 1 Cor 15:3-4), who paid our sin debt (Col 2:13-14), and liberates us who have trusted in Jesus as Savior (Rom 8:1-4), so that we might not be controlled by sin, but will pursue righteousness (Rom 6:5-13; 1 Pet 2:24).      The tendency of people who operate on negative volition is to “suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Rom 1:18), and to operate by a worldly wisdom that is not “from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic” (Jam 3:15). The vast majority of humanity will not choose a relationship with God nor a walk with Him (Matt 7:13-14).      When God’s Word is dethroned from the mind of the believer, other forces will dominate for the worse. God’s desire for the Christian is to develop his/her character so that righteousness, goodness, grace and love flow easily and with continuity of expression. If the character is good then the behavior will be good, for it follows that a person with an honest character will easily and consistently behave in an honest manner, and a person with a loving character will easily and consistently behave in a loving manner. But good character does not automatically occur in the life of the Christian, nor does it happen overnight; rather, it matures over a lifetime as we make many good choices to walk in step with God and let His good Word transform us from the inside out. But we should be aware that it is possible to abuse our liberty and make bad choices with the result that we weaken the will and forfeit our freedoms (the addict knows this to be true). Not only that, but bad choices and abuses of freedom bring harm to others within our periphery; for this reason, Scripture states, “You were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” (Gal 5:13).      Unbelievers who love their moral depravity will naturally stand against those who are children of God and who love righteousness. This is why Scripture states, “Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you” (1 John 3:13). Those who set their wills against God will not listen to the Christian who comes with His message; however, they will listen to their own. The apostle John tells us about those who walk in darkness, saying, “They are from the world; therefore, they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them” (1 John 4:5). That is, there are those who operate from presuppositions and values that are cosmocentric, which exclude or pervert serious consideration and discussion about God, refusing to give Him any say over their lives. When confronted with divine revelation, the person who is negative to God either denies His existence (Psa 14:1), or reduces Him to the status of a creature (Rom 1:22-25). And the person who is negative to God can be simultaneously immoral and religious (2 Tim 3:1-5). Four categories of positive and negative volition in Scripture. Those who are positive to God and His gospel and advance to spiritual maturity by learning and living Scripture and staying the course until the end of their life (David & Paul – 1 Ki 15:5; 1 2 Tim 4:7-8). These are not sinless believers; but rather, those who handle their sin in a biblical manner. Those who are positive to God and His gospel, but then turn negative, preferring to follow Satan’s world-system (Solomon – 1 Ki 11:1-10; 1 Tim 1:19-20; 6:10). Some of these will fail to have a positive public influence because of external pressure from a Satanic hostile environment (John 12:42-43; 19:38). Those who are negative to God and His gospel, but are favorable to the Bible as a moral system by which they seek to live their lives (i.e. following the Ten Commandments; Luke 18:18-27). Those who are negative to God and His gospel and who vigorously pursue Satan’s world-system and are hostile toward believers who are advancing toward spiritual maturity (John 8:47; Acts 7:51-58; 1 John 4:6). Examples of negative volition include: The antediluvian generation (Gen 6:5-13; 2 Pet 2:5) The city of Sodom (Gen 13:13) The first generation of Israelites after the Exodus (Num 32:10-13; Deut 1:35) Israel during the Judges (Judg 17:6; 21:25) Solomon when he turned away from God and worshipped idols (1 Ki 11:1-10) Israel under the leadership of Jeroboam (1 Ki 12:26-33) Israel under the leadership of Ahab (1 Ki 16:29-33) Judah’s pre-exilic leaders (Jer 25:3) Jesus’ generation who rejected Him (John 3:19; 12:37; cf. Matt 23:37-38) The last generation of the church (2 Tim 3:1-5) The last generation of the millennial kingdom (Rev 20:7-9). Examples of positive volition include: Enoch, who walked with God (Gen 5:21-24) Noah, who obeyed the Lord (Gen 6:22) Moses, who led Israel out of Egypt (Ex 3:1—14:31) Joshua, who lead Israel into the Promised Land (Josh 1:1-18) The Ninevites who responded positively to Jonah’s preaching (Jon 3:1-10) Elijah, who turned Israel back to the Lord (1 Ki 18:17-40) King Josiah, who delayed God’s judgment against Judah (2 Ki 22:1-20) The apostles (Matt 19:27-28) Saul, who believed in Jesus and spread the gospel (Acts 9:1-20). Conclusion:      Every person we meet is either positive or negative to God and His Word. Though we are not neutral and try to persuade people to believe the gospel (John 3:16; 20:31; Acts 4:12; 1 Cor 15:3-4; Eph 2:8-9), and live righteously (Rom 6:11-14; Tit 2:11-14), each person must choose to accept or reject the offer. Those who believe in Jesus will be forgiven all their sins (Eph 1:7), given eternal life (John 10:28), and will spend forever in heaven (John 14:1-4); and believers who pursue righteousness will be rewarded in eternity (1 Cor 3:10-15). Those who reject the gospel have no other way to be saved and will forever be separated from God in the Lake of Fire (John 3:18; Rev 20:11-15).

     The purpose of this lesson is to reveal that mankind is fallen, corrupted by sin, and that our natural proclivity is to think and act in conformity with Satan’s world-system, which is everywhere and always at odds with God and His plan.      As we’ve already considered, sin and rebellion already existed in the angelic realm prior to the fall of Adam and Eve (Ezek 28:12-17; Isa 14:12-14). God created Adam to have responsible dominion over His creation (Gen 1:26-30; 2:7-8, 15-17), and Eve was created to help Adam, to stand with him to do God’s will (Gen 2:18-25). But Satan, possessing a serpent—a subordinate creature that would have posed little threat to Adam and Eve—tempted them to act contrary to God and His commands. “Demonic spirits evidently have the ability, under certain conditions, to indwell or ‘possess’ either human bodies or animal bodies (Luke 8:33); and Satan on this occasion chose the serpent as the one most suitable for his purposes.”[1] The serpent here is identified as “the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world” (Rev 12:9; cf. Rev 20:2).      Satan was shrewd and intentional in his attack as he approached the woman and questioned her understanding of God’s command, asking, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden?’” (Gen 3:1). And Eve answered, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” (Gen 3:2-3). In her reply, “Eve disparaged the privileges, added to the prohibition, and weakened the penalty—all seen by contrasting her words (Gen. 3:3) with God’s original commands (2:16-17).”[2]      When Satan heard Eve misrepresent God’s instructions (Gen 2:16-17), he boldly advanced his argument, saying, “You surely will not die!” (Gen 3:4), calling God a liar, stating, “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Gen 3:4-5). Satan’s argument was that God was withholding divinity from Adam and Eve, and if they were willing to eat the fruit, they could be like God, which was the same mental attitude sin committed by Lucifer at his fall (Isa 14:12-14). Here, Eve was confronted with an antithetical claim to what the Lord had told her, but rather than seek the Lord about the matter, she let Satan convince her to abandon faith in God and operate independently of Him. The influence of Satan brought an epistemological shift in Eve’s thinking, and rather than seeing the tree from the divine perspective as harmful, she saw it as attractive, that is “was good for food…a delight to the eyes…[and] desirable to make one wise” (Gen 3:6a). Being deceived by Satan’s argument, “she took from its fruit and ate” (Gen 3:6b; 1 Tim 2:14). Eve then “gave also to her husband with her, and he ate” (Gen 3:6c), and so Satan’s strategy to advance his kingdom of darkness and take possession of the world and humanity was complete. Sin and its judgment immediately after the fall: Adam and Eve sought to fix the sin-problem themselves. Adam and Eve became aware of their failure, as “the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings” (Gen 3:7). Remembering they were to “multiply and fill the earth” (Gen 1:28), Adam and Eve “realized that the very fountainhead of human life had now become corrupted by their disobedience and they became acutely aware of their nakedness. Their children would all be contaminated with the seed of rebellion, so that their feeling of guilt centered especially on their own procreative organs.”[3] Heterodoxy and heteropraxy dominated their thinking and behavior.[4] Spiritual death (i.e. separation from God) brought an irrational shift in their theology as well as their behavior as they sought to hide from the Lord (Gen 3:8-9), saying, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself” (Gen 3:10; cf. Jer 23:24). Adam and Eve blamed others for their failure. When confronted about their sin (Gen 3:11), Adam blamed his wife as well as God, saying, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate” (Gen 3:12), and Eve blamed the creature, saying, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate” (Gen 3:13). Hiding from God and shifting blame for sin are common characteristics of mankind’s fallenness. God pronounced judgment upon the serpent. The serpent would be changed to crawl on its belly as a perpetual reminder to mankind about the fall (Gen 3:14). Here, the curse was actually against Satan, who possessed the serpent, as the Lord declared, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel” (Gen 3:15). Having brought Adam and Eve under his control, it is possible Satan thought he would gain total control over all their children, but the Lord had other plans and made it known to Satan there would be “enmity” between him and the woman, as well as his “seed and her seed; [and] he shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.” This verse is commonly referred to as the protoevangelium—the first gospel—because God promises there would come a “seed” from the woman’s line who would defeat Satan and disrupt his kingdom.[5] God pronounced judgment upon Adam, Eve and the creation. Eve’s judgment was that she would have increased “pain in childbirth” and that her husband would “rule over her” (Gen 3:16), and the ground that Adam was to cultivate would be cursed, and “in toil you will eat of it all the days of your life” (Gen 3:17-19).      Lastly, we should understand the biblical view of people and the universe is under attack by atheists and liberal theologians who treat the book of Genesis—especially chapters 1-11—as myth. However, the NT writers treat Adam and Eve as historical persons and the fall as literal. Luke traces Jesus’ genealogy back to Adam (Luke 3:38), and Jesus based His argument on marriage on the first human couple (Matt 19:4-6). Paul also states, “I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ” (2 Cor 11:3). And, “it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression” (1 Tim 2:14). Paul argued that through Adam “sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Rom 5:12; cf. 1 Cor 15:21). And all humanity is said either to be in Adam or in Christ, and this determines whether we are alive or dead, “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive” (1 Cor 15:22). Adam’s sin brought corruption and decay into the whole universe, “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now” (Rom 8:20-22). We now live in a very flawed world with sinful people and all sorts of problems. "Things are not “very good” in the world now! In the physical realm, everything tends to run down and wear out. In the living world, each animal is engaged in a perpetual struggle against other animals and against disease, as well as the universal process of aging and death. Culturally, one civilization after another seems to rise for a time, then decline and die. In the spiritual and moral realm, each individual invariably finds it easier to do wrong than right, easier to drift downward than to struggle upward. The world is full of hatred, crime, war, pollution, selfishness, corruption—evil of all kinds. Something has gone wrong with God’s perfect creation."[6]   [1] Henry M. Morris, The Genesis Record: A Scientific and Devotional Commentary on the Book of Beginnings (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1976), 108. [2] Allen P. Ross, “Genesis,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 32. [3] Henry M. Morris, The Genesis Record, 115. [4] Orthodoxy and orthopraxy refer to correct theology and living; whereas heterodoxy and heteropraxy refer to incorrect theology and faulty living. [5] Of course, we know this to be Jesus, the Messiah (Luke 1:26-33), and His victory occurred at the cross, where “the ruler of this world has been judged” and defeated (John 16:11; cf. Col 2:15; Heb 2:14; 1 John 3:8). Satan and his angels will eventually be cast into the Lake of Fire (Matt 25:41; Rev 20:10). [6] Henry M. Morris, The Genesis Record, 105.

July 6 | The Garden of the Lord (Gen 2:8, Isaiah 51:1-3) - Time for Three daily couple's devotional Podcast with Sam & Debbie Wood. Support this podcast

“Is anything too wonderful for the Lord” (Gen. 18)?

“THE LORD SAW THAT …” Jan. 3 All our readings this morning provoked much thought, indeed, deep meditation. Psalm 7 is David’s’ plea for “refuge; save me from my pursuers and deliver me” [v.1] But he also says, “if there is wrong in my hands … let the enemy … trample my life to the ground and lay my glory in the dust” [v.3,5]. David knew God could see all things! This included how his mind worked, his real values and priorities in life; this is the reason he was so shattered after his sin with Bathsheba, God would not let him hide his sin.. Our thoughts then focused on our Genesis reading and what God “saw”. “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” [6 v.5] God primarily sees in humans just two different qualities – either good or evil, righteousness or wickedness, love or hate! Ways of living are tending in one or other of two directions, wheat or tares are growing and eventually produce one of 2 kinds of harvest – and what a harvest of godlessness was surrounding Noah! Is it not the same today! We are going to be part of a harvest of one kind or another. “And God saw the earth, and behold it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way…” [v.12] We know when things are going bad, such as fruit we have bought. We see what can be saved to eat – and throw the bad away. Noah’s great grandfather Enoch “walked with God” and “God took him” [5 v.24] We are not told how – or where. If God chooses not to tell us, it is pointless to ask questions. This happened just 4 years before Noah was born, the situation had now developed so that many “harsh things that ungodly sinners” had been spoken against Enoch [Jude 14] “loud mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage.” [v.16] Rings a bell with today, doesn’t it the result when God is pushed right out of our thinking. “But Noah found favour in the eyes of the LORD” [Gen.6 v.8] God has all seeing “eyes.” Do we, do you, find favour in the eyes of the LORD? David’s Psalms show he was very conscious of the need for that to be so. Returning to Psalm 7, David writes; “judge me, O LORD …. according to the integrity that is in me … you who test the minds and hearts, O righteous God … who saves the upright in heart” [v.8-10] May we all be “upright in heart.”

"Devotion" Being "ALL IN" an example in the life of Joseph Scripture: Genesis 37-45 "Devotion is a decision made in a moment but is tested and proven over, trial, temptation, and time." Natasha   "God can still bless you even when things in the natural don't seem possible" Natasha   "Your position does not determine your influence, but your influence can change your position" Natasha   When your moment of trial comes remember Joseph had every opportunity to give in to temptation yet he chose to remain devoted to God.  "How could I do this Evil to my Lord" Gen. 39:9 "God isn't limited in his kindness to you based on what is going on around you." Natasha   Even in Joseph's lowest place, he was still able to see people, he saw the faces of those around him and that they were not ok.  "Before Joseph could be trusted with dreams of Kings, he was trusted with dreams of prisoners" Natasha   Even when Joseph could have highlighted himself he gave glory to God God is a restorer!  "God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction" Gen 41:52 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/spiritlifechurch/message

The Waiting is the Hardest Part Abraham and Sarah had been promised a son (Gen. 15:4-6) How do we react to unfulfilled promises? You Can Go Your Own Way Abraham and Sarah tried their own plan (Gen. 16:1-6) Is anything too hard for the Lord? (Gen. 18:14) Wait for the Lord Be strong, and let your heart take courage (Ps. 27:14) Waiting for the Lord doesn’t mean being idle Take Action: Commit to praying for patience and discernment Serve God through faithful action

Preacher: Michael Beck (05/08/2018) Gracenet Community Church

Preacher: Michael Beck (26/11/2017) Gracene

1/16/18 Special Tuesday Broadcast! 3pm ET/2pm CTRL/1pm MTN/12pm Pac Call in and listen and ask questions or share comments at 1-347-934-0379 or online at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/healingxoutreach/2018/01/16/a-social-media-multi-event-jesus-in-the-old-testament-who-where Also on Facebook live at:https://www.facebook.com/agustin.astacio/videos/vb.1039033574/10214207949526219/?type=3 A One hour teaching event on the theophanies of Christ, how heresy prompted the canon and is the OT Jesus consistent with the Yahweh of the OT? Agustin Astacio is a 3rd generation ex-Jehovah"s Witness ordained minister and apologist for 20 years on the cults. The Angel of Yahweh (Ex. 3:2), the Angel of the Lord (Gen. 22:11,12), the Captain of Hosts of the Lord (Joshua 5:13-15), and the Angel of the Covenant (Mal. 3:1) “No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known”(John 1:18) How was he made known and until this gospel how was he revealed! Let's take a collective look at the New and Old Testaments with Jesus own references of Himself before he was even born!

Genesis The book of beginings pt 21 (The Way of the Lord) Gen 18 Milan Christian Church

Genesis The book of beginings pt 21 (The Way of the Lord) Gen 18 Milan Christian Church

THE HIDDEN MAN OF THE HEART1 Pet. 3:4  “But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.”I want us to consider the Words of the Holy Spirit through Peter, “The hidden man of the heart.” There is great help for us in this dispensation to understand some things about the hidden man of the heart. Let us consider first of all,THE CREATION OF THE INNER MANWhere does the inner man come from? Are we created two men through procreation? I believe the Bible teaches plainly that God created Adam personally and directly. He is the Sculptor who formed man of the dust of the earth. He put the nose on the face in a way that we would not drown when we walk out in the rain. He created man with a knee joint where he could bow his knee to Him and walk without problems. Had he created man with a universal joint for a knee, it would be a greater feat for him to walk than it is for one to balance himself on a unicycle. God created man Personally and perfectly but with the power to choose. The story can be read of his fall from that perfect state into the state in which we find ourselves today in Genesis chapter three.God then moved to save Adam and Eve. He provided A covering for man's sins through the death of an innocent animal and clothed Adam and Eve with the skins of that animal (Gen. 3:21). This is a picture of Jesus dying for our sins and our being clothed in His righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21). Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord (Gen. 6:8). We are told that Abraham was justified by faith (Gen. 15:6; Rom. 4:9). So we have in the Old Testament the substitutionary atonement, grace, and justification by faith.But we have nothing said of the inner man. This came with the coming of Christ. Jesus is doing something new in this dispensation of the church (I am reluctant to call this the dispensation of grace because that implies that the dispensation of law was a time when God had another way of saving man. Let me say this very emphatically. God has never had but ONE plan of salvation. It has always been by faith in Christ. It is either faith in the PROMISED Christ or the HISTORICAL Christ). The plan of salvation hasn't changed. It has always been by grace ( Rom. 4:16). But how God works it out in our lives is different. When God saves today it is by THE CREATION OF AN INNER MAN. Eph. 4:24 says, “And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” Every saved person has an inner man created at the point of the New Birth. Next,THE IDENTIFICATION OF THE INNER MANHow do you identify the inner man. You ARE the inner man. When God saved you, He put you IN CHRIST. 2 Cor. 5:17 says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” The words “if any man” simply mean that every saved person is described by the words that follow. If one is in Christ, Paul says by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “he is a new creature.” The word “new” translates “kainos” and means, “recently made, fresh, recent, unused, unworn, as respects substance, of a new kind, unprecedented.” That is quite a definition isn't it? There is nothing in that definition that suggests making over what is already there. Salvation does not take place on the natural man. Paul says in 1 Cor. 15:50, “. . . flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God . . .”The inner man is who you are after you are saved. Before you are saved you are simply a natural man (called the old man after salvation; Eph. 4:22). After you are saved you are a new man (Eph. 4:24). If you want to see yourself today, you go to the mirror and look. You may not be pleased with what you see when you look! When you want to see yourself as you are in Christ Jesus you go to the mirror of God's word and look (2 Cor. 3:18; James 1:22-25).

Yongbom Lee's sermon on Gen 22:1–19 for Antioch Presbyterian Church English Ministry on June 16th 2013.