Note: Those of you who have been reading this "sermon in progress" have no doubt noted many revisions....this one was made on 12 4 10.  I erased a previous one. The problem with this sermon is that I can think of many, many more  passages to add  -- especially those passages that speak of those days to come when Christ is ruling from Jerusalm and all is as was told to Abraham.  Maybe later....

I also apologize in that I realized that the other sermon on this topic somehow got a lot of repeat copy/pasting of both my commentary and whole passages making it very, very difficult to understand. Hopefully, this one will be easier to understand!

The Everlasting Covenant Made with Abraham; the rebuilding of that covenant IN CHRIST; the eventual fulfillment

What are the covenant  promises?   (Around 1921 BC:  The first time this covenant appears ) Genesis 12 :  ¹Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee: 
²And                  I  will make of thee a great nation,                    I will l bless thee,:                    and make thy name great;:         and thou shalt be a blessing:^{:                                                               3}And I will bless them that bless thee,                   and curse him that curseth thee:              and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Gen 15; And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.⁴And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,

 This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.

The genealogy leading to THE SEED of Abraham brings us to  Christ  in whom ALL the promises made throughout the Old Covenant  will be fulfilled:

Matthew 1:1 The birth-roll of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Aram, 4 Aram the father of Aminadab, Aminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, Obed the father of Jessai, 6 and Jessai the father of king David. David was the father of Solomon by Uriah's wife, 7 Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa, 8 Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, Joram the father of Uzziah, 9 Uzziah the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers at the period of the Babylonian captivity. 12 After the Babylonian captivity, Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, Abiud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Achim, Achim the father of Eliud, 15 Eliud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 Jacob the father of Joseph, and Joseph (to whom the virgin Mary was betrothed) the father of Jesus, who is called 'Christ.'

Back to Genesis:   Genesis 15:  The promise of Divine protection,  great reward,  innumerable descendants ,  the land of Israel, and the 400 years of being in another land before coming into the promised land:

Gen 15;  ⁵And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. ⁶And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. ⁷And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it. 
⁸And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? ⁹And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. ¹⁰And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against y¹¹And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away. ¹²And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him. ¹³And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; ¹⁴And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. ** ¹⁵And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. 
of the Amorites is not yet full.   ^{: 17}And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. 
¹⁸In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: ¹⁹The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, ²⁰And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, ²¹And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.

 Abraham is to be perfect:  God’s covenant is with obedient people.

Genesis 17:    The relationship includes a command:  “Be thou Perfect”; His name is changed to “a father of many nations”, the covenant is to Abraham’s seed after him and is EVERLASTING; the possession of the land is also EVERLASTING

Genesis 17    ¹And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. ²And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. ³And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, ⁴As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. ⁵Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. ⁶And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. ⁷And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. ⁸And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. ⁹And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. ………………………..

Genesis 18:  God shares the future with Abraham because of God knowing Abraham will be obedient and therefore Abraham will get the fulfillment of the covenant promises; the promises are repeated when Abraham obeys God and is willing to sacrifice Isaac;  God adds  to the promises: “and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies”; 

^{Genesis 22:     God repeats the covenant blessing after the time Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac when God asked him to do so—God “admits” he was  , in a sense, testing Abraham to see if Abraham truly  feared God:}   Gen 22: ^{12 {This} verse is immediately after  Abraham is about to slay Isaac} And he {the angel of the Lord} said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. ¹³And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. ¹⁴And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen. ¹⁵And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, ¹⁶And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: ¹⁷That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; ¹⁸And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. 

Abraham’s covenant with God is NOT “unconditional”:   Some have said that  the covenant with Abraham was unconditional, i.e., God would make it all happen no matter what Abraham did or did not do. However, God mentions more than once the “because thou hast obeyed  my voice” principle to Abraham. .

Moses leads the Israelites into covenant with God – it is a continuation of  the Abrahamic covenant.  God had told Abraham that his seed would be  in captivity for 400 years (Genesis 15:13) . When that 400 years was done: God makes a new beginning in His covenant  relationship with His people – again God expects obedience from the people as their responsibility in this covenant:

Exodus 19  :  ¹In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai. ²For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount. ³And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; ⁴Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. ⁵Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: ⁶And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel. 

 Just to illustrate as I do throughout this lesson that God was looking for the same thing in the Old and New Covenant, i.e., a PEOPLE :  This promise is fulfilled in the New Covenant, i.e., the promise of becoming a holy nation, a peculiar treasure, priests: 1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. 11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; end of 1 Peter and back to

Exodus 19 :  16 And it came to pass on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of a trumpet  exceeding loud; and all the people that were in the camp trembled. 17 And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. 18 And mount Sinai, the whole of it, smoked, because Jehovah descended upon it in fire; and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. 19 And when the voice of the trumpet waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice. 20 And Jehovah came down upon mount Sinai, to the top of the mount: and Jehovah called Moses to the top of the mount; and Moses went up. 21 And Jehovah said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto Jehovah to gaze, and many of them perish. …  24 And Jehovah said unto him, Go, get thee down; and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aaron with thee: ……

God specifically tells Mose how He wants His people to be in order to be pleasing to Him, in order to stay in a covenant relationship with Him. He gives them His commands.  It appears that God told Moses a whole lot more than just these 10 commandments  and these other  directives  of God to His people in the Old Covenant  can be found in Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy.   Hebrews speaks of the things of the Old Covenant that faded away once the New Covenant was put in place. However, the ten commandments are commands that fulfill loving God with all of our heart and strength and loving our neighbor as ourselves – this command we still must obey.

Although it is very difficult sometimes to figure out what laws may still remain for today for we who are in the new covenant with God, most all agree that the 10 commandments are still in effect.

Ex Chapter 20The ten commandments

1 And God spake all these words, saying,

2 I am Jehovah thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

 3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

4 Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, nor any

likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them,

for I Jehovah thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation of them that hate me,

6 and showing lovingkindness unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.

7 Thou shalt not take the name of Jehovah thy God in vain; for

Jehovah will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

 9 Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work;

10 but the seventh day is a sabbath unto Jehovah thy God: in it

thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter,

 thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

11 for in six days Jehovah made heaven and earth, the sea, and

all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore

Jehovah blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

12 Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long

in the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee.

13 Thou shalt not kill.

14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.

15 Thou shalt not steal.

16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not

covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-

servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy

neighbor's.

18 And all the people perceived the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the voice of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they trembled, and stood afar off. 19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die. 20 And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before you that ye sin not. 21 And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.

The Word calls the writings Moses got from God on the Mountain “the book of the covenant”:  Ex  24:4 And Moses wrote all the words of Jehovah, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the mount, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 And he sent young men of the children of Israel, who offered burnt-offerings, and sacrificed peace-offerings of oxen unto Jehovah. 6 And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basins; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. 7 And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that Jehovah hath spoken will we do, and be obedient. 8 And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which Jehovah hath made with you concerning all these words.

9 Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel. 10 And they saw the God of Israel; and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and as it were the very heaven for clearness. 11 And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: and they beheld God, and did eat and drink.12 And Jehovah said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee the tables of stone, and the law and the commandment, which I have written, that thou mayest teach them. 13 And Moses rose up, and Joshua his minister: and Moses went up into the mount of God. 14 And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you: and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: whosoever hath a cause, let him come near unto them. 15 And Moses went up into the mount, and the cloud covered the mount. 16 And the glory of Jehovah abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud. 17 And the appearance of the glory of Jehovah was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel. 18 And Moses entered into the midst of the cloud, and went up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.

The people sin while Moses is in the mountain with God:

After this, the people make a  golden calf to worship because they get weary of waiting for Moses to return (chapter32)—God offers to make a nation out of Moses and to destroy all the others. Moses reminds God of His covenant with Abraham. God listens to Moses and does not destroy the people. When Moses sees the calf, he  smashes the tables of stone with God’s words on them.

Ex 32:  7 And the Lord said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves: 8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. 9 And the Lord said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: 10 Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation. 11 And Moses besought the Lord his God, and said, Lord, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand? 12 Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever. 14 And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.   {RB note: It is clear here that Moses was well aware of the covenant made with Abraham and  that God  had been  continuing to carry out the Abrahamic covenant with Israel.}

Exodus 32  continued:   15 And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written. 16 And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables. 17 And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp. 18 And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear. 19 And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount. 20 And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.

So, God gives him another set of tables (because Moses had smashed the first set, Ex 32: 19:

Exodus 341 And Jehovah said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon the tables the words that were on the first tables, which thou brakest. 2 And be ready by the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to me on the top of the mount. 3 And no man shall come up with thee; neither let any man be seen throughout all the mount; neither let the flocks nor herds feed before that mount. 4 And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai, as Jehovah had commanded him, and took in his hand two tables of stone.
5 And Jehovah descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of Jehovah. 6 And Jehovah passed by before him, and proclaimed, Jehovah, Jehovah, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness and truth, 7 keeping lovingkindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin; and that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation. 8 And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped. 9 And he said, If now I have found favor in thy sight, O Lord, let the Lord, I pray thee, go in the midst of us; for it is a stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance.

God agrees to be in covenant with them – the covenant includes the demand by God that the people walk in holiness.   : :

Exodus 34 continued:

10 And he said, Behold, I make a covenant: before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been wrought in all the earth, nor in any nation; and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of Jehovah; for it is a terrible thing that I do with thee. 11 Observe thou that which I command thee this day: behold, I drive out before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite. 12 Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee: 13 but ye shall break down their altars, and dash in pieces their pillars, and ye shall cut down their Asherim; 14 for thou shalt worship no other god: for Jehovah, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God: 15 lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they play the harlot after their gods, and sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee and thou eat of his sacrifice; 16 and thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters play the harlot after their gods, and make thy sons play the harlot after their gods. 17 Thou shalt make thee no molten gods. 18 The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, at the time appointed in the month Abib; for in the month Abib thou camest out from Egypt. 19 All that openeth the womb is mine; and all thy cattle that is male, the firstlings of cow and sheep. 20 And the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb: and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break its neck. All the first-born of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear before me empty. 21 Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest: in plowing time and in harvest thou shalt rest. 22 And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, even of the first-fruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year's end. 23 Three times in the year shall all thy males appear before the Lord Jehovah, the God of Israel. 24 For I will cast out nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders: neither shall any man desire thy land, when thou goest up to appear before Jehovah thy God three times in the year. 25 Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread; neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the passover be left unto the morning. 26 The first of the first-fruits of thy ground thou shalt bring unto the house of Jehovah thy God. Thou shalt not boil a kid in its mother's milk. 27 And Jehovah said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel.

Moses, after forty days in the mount, comes down with the tables – Moses face shone because he had been with God!

Ex 34 continued: 28 And he was there with Jehovah forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments. 29 And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of the testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses knew not that the skin of his face shone by reason of his speaking with him. 30 And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him. 31 And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and Moses spake to them. 32 And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all that Jehovah had spoken with him in mount Sinai. 33 And when Moses had done speaking with them, he put a veil on his face. 34 But when Moses went in before Jehovah to speak with him, he took the veil off, until he came out; and he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded. 35 And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone: and Moses put the veil upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

Deut 28: Being in covenant with God includes many blesses;breaking covenant with God brings curses.

Over the years we see the history of Israel go from blessings when they are obedient to being cursed when they are not.  The Word says that how God dealt with them serve as examples to us as to how to be with God in order to please Him.

The covenant  continued to be remembered by the Israelites  in the New Testament writings :

When Jesus birth was prophesied, Mary recognized that the promises given to Abraham were being put in place in Jesus:  ^{Luke 1:46}And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, ⁴⁷And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.  handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. ⁴⁹For e that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. ⁵⁰And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation. ⁵¹He hath showed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. ⁵²He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. ⁵³He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. ⁵⁴He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; ⁵⁵As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever. 

 Mary’s words sound like Micah’s  (around 750 BC):  ^{Micah 7:18}Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. ¹⁹He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. ²⁰Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.

God gave a covenant to Abraham; He continued that covenant through Moses; but, in Christ the covenant was rebuilt,  the blood of Christ became the new covenant  prophesied by many prophets.  In the Old Covenant God told us that

a NEW COVENANT WAS coming…unlike the Old one that was broken by the people. Clearly in the New Covenant, the Lord continues to expect us to walk in His ways. In the New Covenant He puts His laws  and His Spirit in our hearts.

Jesus made it plain at the “Last Supper” that He was ushering in the New Covenant – this New Covenant IS the SAME covenant prophesied in Jeremiah and Ezekiel!  We become “born again” in this new covenant, the law is place in our hearts as well as the Spirit of God!: God made it plain to Abraham and to Moses that the covenant included not only His blessings to man , but also man must be obedient to God. The New Covenant through Christ’s death made it possible for us to have the Spirit in our hearts because when Christ ascended into Heaven He sent man His Spirit (whoever would believe and receive Him). His Spirit enables us to walk in His nature and therefore enables us to remain in communion, in covenant, with our holy Father.

Luke 22: 19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. 20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.

“New “ here is #2537 , kainos…new, especially in freshness. FRESH.

Many Christians  do not understand that this “new testament” is a further establishment  of the covenant made to Abraham, to Moses, to David, and to the prophets of old.  It is “new” in that it is a new and living way to be in fellowship with God. He is in us; we are in Him through the life of Christ dwelling in us through His Spirit. However, it is still the unfolding of what was first told to Abraham. Hebrews 8 & 9 explains the contrast between the old and the new.

Hebrews 8:6 But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.

“better” here is strong’s 2909:  better, nobler; from 2904 ,vigor

Nobler means of a higher quality.   Vigor means an active, effective force.

 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. 8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: 9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: 11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. 12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. 13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.

Hebrews 9 makes it clearer what “vanishes away”:

Chapter 9 1 Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary. 2 For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary. 3 And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all; 4 Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; 5 And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly. 6 Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God. 7 But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people: 8 The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing: 9 Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience; 10 Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation. 11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; 12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. 13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. 16 For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. 17 For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. 18 Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood. 19 For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, 20 Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you. 21 Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry. 22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. 23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: 25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; 26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

As we learn more and more about the “new covenant”, we must still be educated on God’s hearts desire in covenanting with mankind, what His covenant with Abraham meant, what our being Abraham’s seed means (in Christ), and what God still intends in the future for Abraham’s seed.   God’s dealing with mankind did not START with His “new covenant”. God’s recording of all that transpired before Christ gives us deep insight into His heart, His faithfulness, His willingness to cause us to BE His people through  his eternal plan for relationship with us. God prophecies repeatedly in the Old Covenant writings about the coming of Christ, the new covenant, His future dealings with Israel, and the age to come after this present age. 

We often preach the word about salvation to others  entirely devoid of the historical progression of God’s dealings with Abraham and the other Church fathers. We START with Christ as if ALL the aspects of the Old Testament  discussions of covenant with man and His God stopped as soon as Jesus came on the scene.

Study Stephen’s sermon, he includes hundreds of years of “Old Covenant “ history when he speaks of Christ: In the book of Acts – AFTER the old covenant faded away and the new covenant was put in place, the  evangelist, Stephen , was martyred. Look at his sermon! His sermon CONNECTS the history of Israel with the new covenant in Christ. He did not start with the birth of Christ in his sermon – he told the entire story .
Stephen’s sermon:  When Stephen was being questioned (and then he was  stoned to death), his sermon to the religious leaders included the entire covenant story from Abraham to the coming of Christ!  The Jews stayed very aware of each step of the covenant journey with God.

 The Christians of his day realized that Jesus was the one to whom Moses was referring in this passage. They also knew  -- as Mary demonstrated – that the coming of Jesus was in fulfillment of the prophecies given to the fathers of old.

 We  present Gentile Christians , I think, have a shallow understanding of the New Covenant in Christ because we don’t  recognize the fact that the NEW COVENANT in Christ is STILL the continuation of the covenant made with  Abraham. The BIG difference between the old covenant and the new covenant is that the obedience expected by God of His Old Covenant people is now made possible for us to walk in  through the new covenant in Christ because of  the fact His Spirit is now IN US to enable us to be obedient and to hear His voice.  

I honestly used to wonder – before I saw the fact that the covenant to Abraham is what is being progressively fulfilled – why would Stephen give those folks a “history lesson” instead of an “evangelistic sermon”, e.g., John 3:16 .  But now I see that the GOSPEL IS the GOOD news of the fulfillment of all the promises made to Abraham, which IS the gospel of the  kingdom of God.   Those promises of blessings, the land, the throne, and the people of God all together, God’s laws obeyed,  and God among them as the Father and Lord of all now belong to all – Jews and Gentiles – who are in Christ. That is the good news of the coming  kingdom of God!

 Here is Stephen’s sermon from Acts 7:1 Then said the high priest, Are these things so? 2 And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, 3 And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee. 4 Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell. 5 And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child. 6 And God spake on this wise, That his seed should sojourn in a strange land; and that they should bring them into bondage, and entreat them evil four hundred years. 7 And the nation to whom they shall be in bondage will I judge, said God: and after that shall they come forth, and serve me in this place. 8 And he gave him the covenant of circumcision: and so Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs. 9 And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him, 10 And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house. 11 Now there came a dearth over all the land of Egypt and Chanaan, and great affliction: and our fathers found no sustenance. 12 But when Jacob heard that there was corn in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first. 13 And at the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren; and Joseph's kindred was made known unto Pharaoh. 14 Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls. 15 So Jacob went down into Egypt, and died, he, and our fathers, 16 And were carried over into Sychem, and laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Emmor the father of Sychem. 17 But when the time of the promise drew nigh, which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt, 18 Till another king arose, which knew not Joseph. 19 The same dealt subtilly with our kindred, and evil entreated our fathers, so that they cast out their young children, to the end they might not live. 20 In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and nourished up in his father's house three months: 21 And when he was cast out, Pharaoh's daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son. 22 And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds. 23 And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel. 24 And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian: 25 For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not. 26 And the next day he shewed himself unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another? 27 But he that did his neighbour wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us? 28 Wilt thou kill me, as thou diddest the Egyptian yesterday? 29 Then fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begat two sons. 30 And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush. 31 When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the Lord came unto him, 32 Saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold. 33 Then said the Lord to him, Put off thy shoes from thy feet: for the place where thou standest is holy ground. 34 I have seen, I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send thee into Egypt. 35 This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush. 36 He brought them out, after that he had shewed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red sea, and in the wilderness forty years. 37 This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear. 38 This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us: 39 To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt, 40 Saying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us: for as for this Moses, which brought us out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. 41 And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands. 42 Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, O ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness? 43 Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them: and I will carry you away beyond Babylon. 44 Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as he had appointed, speaking unto Moses, that he should make it according to the fashion that he had seen. 45 Which also our fathers that came after brought in with Jesus into the possession of the Gentiles, whom God drave out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David; 46 Who found favour before God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob. 47 But Solomon built him an house. 48 Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, 49 Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest? 50 Hath not my hand made all these things?

51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. 52 Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One {i.e., Jesus Christ}; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers {i.e., they had just killed Jesus Christ}:

Acts 7:37 speaks of Jesus Christ – He  came to give us a new and living way to walk in the Spirit of God.  NOW God’s covenant people can be in fellowship with God, can be a holy nation, can be His priests, can be the ones He will come to gather unto Himself to rule from His throne in Israel.

All this has yet to happen!

The promises made to Abraham  still await fulfillment!  The writer of Hebrews speaks of Abraham and the fact that he died in faith but never received the promises given to him:

 ^{Hebrews 11:8}By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. ⁹By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: ¹⁰For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. ¹¹Through faith also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. ¹²Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. ¹³These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. ¹⁴For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. ¹⁵And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. ¹⁶But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city. ¹⁷By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, ¹⁸Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: 

Abraham is the father of ALL believers: His seed was Christ; we are Abraham’s children in Christ:

^{romans 4 :}. ¹³For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.  {My note: Through faith we are an “heir of the world”!}¹⁴For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: ¹⁵Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression. 
¹⁶Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,

Gal 3:⁶Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. 
⁷Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. ⁸And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. ⁹So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. ^{……………………………………..}: ¹⁴That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. ¹⁵Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man’s covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto. ¹⁶Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. ^{…………………………………… 26}For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁷For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. ²⁸There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Note on “baptized into Christ” in Gal 3:27—this makes it plain that  being Abraham’s seed in Christ does NOT free us to do whatever we want….heirs of the promises to Abraham must be servants of righteousness! :

Romans 6:1--181 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2 God forbid. We who died to sin, how shall we any longer live therein? 3 Or are ye ignorant that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him through baptism unto death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection; 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away, that so we should no longer be in bondage to sin; 7 for he that hath died is justified from sin. 8 But if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him; 9 knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death no more hath dominion over him. 10 For the death that he died, he died unto sin once: but the life that he liveth, he liveth unto God. 11 Even so reckon ye also yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus. 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey the lusts thereof: 13 neither present your members unto sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves unto God, as alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under law, but under grace. 15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under law, but under grace? God forbid. 16 Know ye not, that to whom ye present yourselves as servants unto obedience, his servants ye are whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God, that, whereas ye were servants of sin, ye became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching whereunto ye were delivered; 18 and being made free from sin, ye became servants of righteousness.

NOW Gentiles “in the flesh” can be part of the commonwealth of Israel, and part of the covenants of promise:

^{Ephesians 2: 11}Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 
¹²That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 
¹³But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
¹⁴For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; ¹⁵Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; ¹⁶And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: ¹⁷And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. ¹⁸For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. ¹⁹Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; ²⁰And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; ²¹In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: ²²In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

Jesus makes it plain that in  the kingdom of Heaven we Gentiles  will sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob one day Matthew 8: 5 And when he was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion {rb a Roman officer over a hundred men}, beseeching him, 6 and saying, Lord, my servant lieth in the house sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. 7 And he saith unto him, I will come and heal him. 8 And the centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant shall be healed. 9 For I also am a man under authority, having under myself soldiers: and I say to this one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. 10 And when Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. 11 And I say unto you, that many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven: 12 but the sons of the kingdom shall be cast forth into the outer darkness: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. 13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And the servant was healed in that hour.

WE must remember  to also be like Abraham! FAITHFUL! Jesus says if we are his children, we need to do the works of Abraham. Abraham is another example for us of a life to emulate.

John 8: 38  I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father. ³⁹They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham. ……………………………………..⁵⁶Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.

  The age to come will bring forth the total fulfillment of the covenant made to Abraham:  Even though natural Israel has enjoyed a lot of the benefit of the Abrahamic covenant  already  concerning the land of Israel both before 2000 years ago and now again, the best is yet to come. Even though God  continues to bless Israel with the  fulfillment of the promise that they would return to the land, there is an even bigger, fuller manifestation of the inherited promises coming forth in the age to come.

God is gathering the Jews from all corners of the earth to Israel. He will pour out His Spirit on them. They will experience the New Covenant in Christ. The Jews  will see that Christ IS the SEED of Abraham and the ultimate fulfillment of the covenant.

God in this age has gathered together many in Christ – Jew and Gentile --  to form a nation of priests and kings. When Jesus Christ comes back,  He will take His kingdom citizens to Jerusalem to set up His kingdom and we will inherit all things with Him. All saints of God will “inherit the land”; all saints of God will be the possessor of the gates of all enemies; we will all enjoy the countless multitudes from many nations that Abraham’s seed (Christ) has brought forth; and we will all live in the blessings of God.  In other words, the covenant made to Abraham will be fulfilled!

 We can experience MANY things NOW because of our salvation and our life in Christ; HOWEVER, ultimate fulfillment of the covenant made to Abraham with come when the Lord Jesus Christ returns and sets up His kingdom in Jerusalem, Israel!! From there He and His people will rule forever.

In Rev 21 it says that  God will bless His people who overcome.  Note that the overcomers inherit ALL THINGS. Note that the names on the gates of the city are the names of the tribes of Israel. Note that the SAVED NATIONS walk in it. Note that what God told Abraham would happen to His seed comes true in the very end! Note that the city that Abraham was looking forward to (as described in Hebrews) is described here :  Revelation  21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. 6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. 9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. 10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; 12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: 13 On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. 14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 15 And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. 16 And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. 17 And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. 18 And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. 19 And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; 20 The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. 21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. 22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. 23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. 24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. 25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. 26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. 27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.

FINALLY, the  holy covenant  relationship and the blessings that  God has been eternally planning   will be in place: He will have a HOLY people so that He can dwell among them and bless them!!

Giving, part 2 (part one was 10 10 10; this one is for 11 24 10)

Tonight during our prayer time we prayed for agencies that deal with the needy.  To pray for them, or to give to them, or to volunteer our time sometimes in some of those agencies is wonderfully God pleasing. He wants us ALL to “love our neighbor as ourselves” and to truly care about one another’s needs.

We must learn to be as concerned about the needs of others as we are about our very own needs!     

Luke 10:    25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 26  He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? 27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. 28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. 29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour? 30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. 36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.”

Remember the song we have sung about what the Lord has done for us? We need to do the same for others:

“He poured in the oil and the wine, the kind that restoreth my soul,

He found me bleeding and dying on the Jericho road ,

 “Greatness”, being FIRST in the Body of Christ, in His kingdom, comes from serving one another . After Jesus tells this, He demonstrates by acting upon  His compassion to some blind men

Matt 20: 20 Then came to him the mother of the sons of Zebedee with her sons, worshipping him, and asking a certain thing of him. 21 And he said unto her, What wouldest thou? She saith unto him, Command that these my two sons may sit, one on thy right hand, and one on thy left hand, in thy kingdom. 22 But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink the cup that I am about to drink? They say unto him, We are able. 23 He saith unto them, My cup indeed ye shall drink: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left hand, is not mine to give; but it is for them for whom it hath been prepared of my Father. 24 And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation concerning the two brethren. 25 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 26 Not so shall it be among you: but whosoever would become great among you shall be your minister; 27 and whosoever would be first among you shall be your servant: 28 even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. 29 And as they went out from Jericho, a great multitude followed him. 30 And behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, Lord, have mercy on us, thou son of David. 31 And the multitude rebuked them, that they should hold their peace: but they cried out the more, saying, Lord, have mercy on us, thou son of David. 32 And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I should do unto you? 33 They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened. 34 And Jesus, being moved with compassion, touched their eyes; and straightway they received their sight, and followed him.

We are the body of Christ…ALL of us need to be able to be “moved with compassion” and be willing and able to give deliverance, healing, comfort, material goods, counsel , etc. If we ourselves personally can’t give into a particular need, we can give to those who are doing that on a regular, orderly, loving, in Christ way.

As I look back at my life, I see countless ways in which people have given to me over the years in love, selflessness, and in obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ.

--My adoption by Christians who gave me all they could give me body, soul, and spirit!

--More than one person taking me in when I was in danger and/ or simply needed somewhere to live either for a few nights or—as in the case of the Immanuel House, for five months . Others were the Meyer’s, the Bergsma’s,  the Stilwell’s, The Immanuel House in San Diego,  3 ladies from 2 different churches in San Diego.

Having been a grateful recipient  or charitable giving when I had practically no one to turn to causes me to think twice before I turn a blind eye to another's need.

Many times I SO wish ROL had some facility to take in those “deserving poor” !  I say “deserving” because of the tiny minority of folks I have helped who turned out to be con men and con women who drained my time, money and energy when they, in fact, could have helped themselves!

Thank God that in our community there are many who DO have blessed “programs” to help the needy!!!

We will be especially rewarded at the resurrection if we give to people who cannot repay us! Luke 14: 12 Also to his host who had invited him, he continued, saying. "When you are making a dinner party or a supper, do not invite your friends, or your brothers, or your relatives, or your rich neighbors, lest it chance that they invite you in return, and a recompense be made by you. 13 "But when you make a reception, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind." 14 "Then you will be blessed, because they have no means to repay you, but you shall be paid in the Resurrection of the Just."

True “Sonship” – being God’s  family indeed – includes loving even our enemies and doing good to them

There have been times when I used to question  why our country so often will destroy parts of some other country when they are our enemy  in times of war and then we turn around and help repair the damage in “enemy” territory.

 After all, I used to reason,  they DID do something bad to the USA (or an ally to us) if we were on the offensive against them in the first place. Don’t they deserve to have to clean up their own damage that they brought upon  themselves?  {Now I know enough too to realize that most civilians of “enemy countries” are like us, i.e., they just want a good family life and live quietly minding their own business; but , the civilians often get the brunt of the damage caused by the disputes of  leaders!)

Matt 5 shows us that doing good to our enemies pleases God!

Matt 5: 43 Ye have heard that it was said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy: 44 but I say unto you, love your enemies, and pray for them that persecute you; 45 that ye may be sons of your Father who is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust. 46 For if ye love them that love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the Gentiles the same? 48 Ye therefore shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Tonight’s prayer”

1. Pray that the River of Life Family will CARE  about the needy,to pray,to give, to volunteer help.

2. Pray that we become very aware of all the goods and services available to the needy  so we can add some referrals to what we choose to do for them too..

3.  Pray that NO ONE freezes to death this winter in our community or dies from poverty diet  issues

4. Pray that the Lord helps us to remember that something we may throw in the trash is something that would bless a needy person and that we faithfully give our used things to those who resell at a low price.

5. Pray that during this Holiday Season -- Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's time -- all will feel the love of the community!

6. Pray that no worker volunteering in anyone of the agencies get "compassion fatigue" , find their strength in giving as unto the Lord whether they are thanked or not.

7. Pray that those who chronically abuse the "system"  will be exposed!!! Access does this for us churches...pray that Access suffer no negative repercussions as a result of their fulfilling this role of marking the ones who are wicked (and therefore  contribute to the "compassion fatigue"!

Note:  Nearly  all of the information below was gathered by Karen Vander Vliet at my request .

   Degage' Ministries ,  M-F breakfast 8:30-10:30  M-F lunch 11:30-12:15 M-SUN supper 6:30-8:00  (small fee for meals $1-2.50);144 S.Division;Grand Rapids, Mi. 49503  454-1661 

God's Kitchen    303 S. Division ,Grand Rapids, Mi. 49503   454-4110; 7 days a week  2:30-4:00 open to anyone  They are closed the first Friday of every month to clean.

Guiding Light Mission, 255 S. Division, Grand Rapids, Mi. 49503   451-0236; Monday through Saturday--Lunch-be in line at 11:45, attend chapel at 12:00, lunch at 12:30 (open to anyone) Supper- be in line at 5:45, chapel at 6:00, supper at 6:30 (open to anyone). Men only-show up by 8:30 with a picture I.D. and they may stay. If they stay over they are served breakfast.  Men may stay one night for emergency or as many as they want.  They also have a substance abuse program that lasts 4-6 months.

Mel Trotter      , 225 Commerce Ave SW ,GR 49503  454-8249, Breakfast 7:00 a.m. (for those who have stayed overnight)  Supper 5:15 -for anyone (male only) after that if they would like to stay overnight, they need to attend chapel.

United Way,  To find your neighborhood’sr food pantry, dial 211 .

Salvation Army

Access

Heart side Neighborhood Ministries

 Kent County Department of Human Services (the welfare) -- They especially need prayer concerning practically IMPOSSIBLE caseload sizes and the ability to meet needs of all who apply!

All stores meant to help the needy, e.g., Goodwill, Salvation Army, In His Image, etc.

There are also ministries to the children of inmates, many churches sponsor food pantries, and many other services I am not aware of but we must pray they are ALL blessed by God for their generosity and that the needy FIND the services they need!

The Bible says: Prov. 22: 9  A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor….Prov 28: 27                He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse……….Ps 41: 1                Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble.2    The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.3                The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness…….Acts 20:35                I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

We will have coffee/roll there in am; All leaders present at 10 AM;  10:15 to 11: 45 is first session (with 10 minute break at  11).;  11:45 to 1:00: Lunch;1:00 to 2:00 2^nd session; 2:15 to 3:30 PM  3^rd session

Goals of this seminar:

--Learning truth is more important than being right or winning an argument

--To learn to  freely express one’s own  “opinion” based on knowledge/wisdom accumulated thus far.

-- To be able to be challenged in one’s own opinion and to receive the challenge as a gift advancing one to further study and, therefore, further enlightment.

-- To be able to be shown to be right or wrong with no manifestation of wrongful pride in either case.

-- To be able to “argue” one’s point without relying on one’s own charisma, popularity, intimidation techniques, joke attempts, or anything that would cloud the straight forward “speaking the truth in love”.

-- To be able to understand how complicated some issues are and to realize that to dismiss a topic because it is too “busy, deep, involved, etc.” is ignorant. To know that some issues may take a very long time to study out and obtain a wise, knowledgeable response.

--  be willing to learn to take the risk of speaking out knowing the vulnerability one then sits in because now others can tell us what we said “wrong” . To be willing to admit if we are one of those who consistently is comfortable with criticizing the “they” who do take a stab at learning truth as opposed to being one of  the truth seekers ourselves.

-- To learn that the “popular”, “mainstream”  thinking does not always coincide with truth. To dare to stand with truth rather than with people when the people are wrong.

Rosemary’s Ideas concerning some methods to use to realize these goals:     Before I share my ideas, you , associate ministers need to know that the GOALS are what I am aiming for here , not to use each and every idea (exercise) have here to reach the goals.

You can freely add your own ideas for exercises before a final decision is made; however, be aware that if ONE particular exercise results in huge brain electricity being generated all around, that exercise could “take over” (just as we experienced in that exercise at the hotel when we pretended all the leadership was gone and the kids had to run the church, remember? All other plans fell by the wayside that day….)

Having said that, here are some of my brilliant ideas J for exercises to reach our goal:

Questions in a jar:   Whoever draws the question gives the first answer…if that person has “no clue”,  they pass that question  to the next person.  After someone gives their  answer, then that answer  can be questioned/developed by others. We will move unto a new question after a couple of minutes.  The purpose of this exercise is to demonstrate that there are many questions that challenge us to some hard, continual studying, thinking, and praying! I want (also for ) the kids to DISCUSS :WHAT WOULD I HAVE TO STUDY TO FIND OUT WISE , TRUTHFUL ANSWERS TO EACH TOPIC?  WHAT QUESTIONS DOES THE QUESTION BRING UP?

DISCUSS somewhere in connection with this exercise:  WE ARE A “KEEP IT SIMPLE” ,” GIVE ME JUST THE HEADLINES “ SOCIETY IN A COMPLICATED WORLD. 

E.G., QUESTION ON OUR BALLOT THIS YEAR: SHOULD SOMEONE WHO COMMITTED A FELONY (I THINK IT  20 YEARS AGO) BE ALLOWED TO WORK IN A PUBLIC PAYING JOB?  That is NOT a simple “yes” or “no”!

In some of the questions below , we will list the questions you could ask in order to get an answer. Some questions are VERY complicated!!!!!

It is easy to get other folks to grapple with those questions, wait for their answer, and then say why their answer is stupid. It is much harder to be the one working on answers!

The following are a list of “controversial” questions I found on a website.  50 Argument Essay Topics  For Your Essay, Speech, or Debate By Grace Fleming  (I did not use all 50; and you leaders can add some of your own – what you see in caps by some of them are some of the questions I think of in connection with the questions given by the Grace lady.)

5. Is torture ever acceptable?

6. Should men get paternity leave from work?

9. Do curfews keep teens out of trouble?   WHAT AGE? WHAT TIME?  ACCOUNTABLITY TO PARENTS? HOW MUCH? SHOULD THEY KNOW WHERE YOU ARE GOING AND WHO WITH? DIFFERENT FOR BOYS THAN GIRLS?

11. Are we too dependent on computers?   

14. Should cigarette smoking be banned?    21. Should the government have a say in our diets? 43. Should the government provide health care? IF I MUST ULTIMATELY PAY FOR YOUR CARE WITH MY TAX DOLLAR, SHOULD I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT HOW WELL YOU EXERCISE GOOD HEALTH HABITS?

16. Are law enforcement cameras an invasion of privacy?  WHERE SOULD THEY EXIST? WHERE NOT? DOES A HIGHER LEVEL OF ENFORCEMENT MEAN A HIGHER LEVEL OF CRIME? E.G., IF I SEND 80% OF MY COPS TO FRANKLIN AND EASTERN AND 1 % TO GASLIGHT VILLIAGE, WHICH PLACE WILL HAVE A RATHER LOPSIDED VIEW OF CRIME STATISTICS?

20. Should companies market to children?  SHOULD PARENTS SHOP FOR TOYS AND CLOTHING AND MOVIES FOR THEIR KIDS OR SHOULD KIDS HAVE FIRST HAND ACCESS TO THESE THINGS AND BEG PARENTS FOR WHAT THEY WANT.  AGES?

24. Are actors and professional athletes paid too much?  ARE SPORTS FIGURES ELEVATED TO “ABOVE THE LAW” STATUS?  IS THERE SUCH A THING AS SPORTS HAVING BECOME THE RELIGION OF THE WORLD? CHECK OUT THE OLYMPICS: THE CEREMONY, THE ORIGINS….

27. Should creationism be taught in public schools?  SHOULD PUBLIC SCHOOLS ALLOW ALL RELIGIONS TO USE THE PROPERTY FREELY AFTER SCHOOL OFFICIAL HOURS TO HOLD THEIR OWN MEETINGS?  SHOULD MUSLIMS BE ALLOWED TO SAY THEIR PRAYERS COMPLETE WITH GETTING ON THE FLOOR AT THE EXACT, PRESCRIBED HOURS? WHOSE HOLIDAYS SHOULD AND SHOULD WE NOT CELBRATE?  IF IT IS THE MAJORITY IN A REGION, THEN SHOULD THAT PLACE, E.G., DEARBORN, BECOME AN OFFICIALLY MUSLIM PLACE COMPLETE WITH SHARIA LAW?

28. Are beauty pageants exploitive?  SHOULD A CHRISTIAN WOMAN PARTICIPATE IN THE SWIMSUIT PART? SHOULD A CHRISTIAN WOMAN BE A CHEERLEADEER WHEN THE COSTUMES RESEMBLE BATHSUITS OR THE SKIRTS ARE SO SHORT THEY HAVE THE SAME EFFECT?

29. Should English be the official language in the United States?

31. When should parents let teens make their own decisions? MAKE A LIST OF WHAT YOU HAVE TO DECIDE – WHAT IS YOURS AND WHAT IS THEIRS AND WHAT IS BOTH?  AT WHAT AGE WOULD THAT CHANGE? OR, IS IT ABOUT YOUR STILL BEING SUPPORTED BY THEM?

IF YOU ARE 25 AND STILL LIVING AT HOME, SHOULD YOUR MOM AND/OR DAD STILL BE ABLE TO TELL YOU WHAT YOU MAY AND MAY NOT HAVE IN YOUR MEDIA ENTERTAINMENT CHOICES IN THEIR HOME?

35. Does age matter in relationships?  AT WHAT AGE AT ROL SHOULD WE BEGIN TO ENJOY SEEING OUR YOUTH BEGIN TO PRAY FOR A MATE?  UNTIL WHAT AGE SHOULD WE “LEAVE THEM ALONE” CONCERNING THAT TOPIC?  

37. Should gay couples be able to marry?  “LEGISLATING MORALITY” IS THE ISSUE HERE. IF we  THINK IT IS OK TO “LEGISLATE MORALITY”, WHERE DO WE GET THE STANDARDS FROM?  DO WE TAKE A VOTE OF THE CURRENT POPULATION AND GO WITH WHATEVER THE MAJORITY CURRENTLY BELIEVES IN?

41. Is competition good?  EG, ALL HONOR ROLL STUDENTS GET ONE DAY OFF A YEAR FROM SCHOOL IN THE LAST MONTH OR THERE IS A SPECIAL PLACE AT SCHOOL WHERE THEY ALONE ARE ALLOWED TO STUDY EACH MONTH THEY ARE ON THE HONOR ROLL

44. Should girls ask boys out?   SHOULD A GIRL “CHASE AFTER” A BOY? SHOULD A GIRL MAKE SURE A BOY KNOWS SHE REALLY LIKES HIM? SHOULD A GIRL SAY “YES” TO A GUY FOR A SOCIAL TIME IF SHE KNOWS HER GIRLFRIEND “SECRETLY” LIKES THAT GUY?

45. Is fashion important?   

48. Should students be allowed to grade their teachers?   WHAT WOULD QUALIFY A STUDENT (AND AT WHAT AGE) TO KNOW WHAT CRITEREA TO USE TO GRADE A TEACHER? 

Panel discussion in front of the entire group  : We leaders could choose participants and topics and put a time limit on each discussion

Discussion suggestions:

SOCIAL NETWORKING VS IN PERSON ACTIVITIES for the cultivation of relationships….does the social networking enhance or retard our closeness? How could it do some of both?  IS IT APPROPRIATE TO PUT AMBIGUOUS STUFF ON THERE? TO PLAGIARIZE?

Sabbath: What to do and not to do?  

Describe elements of secularism in our mainstream holidays that are unacceptable for a Christian to be a part of. What do we do when invited into those things and/or our grandma introduces them at a family gathering .

Note: We could stage a “demonstration of dialogue” within the panel discussion

Debate:  This debate will have as its “proof texts” the Bible , plus applications of Bible truths

Format:   Four youth involved; 2 pro; 2 con

4 initial speeches:  pro/con/pro/con …..2 minutes apiece;  4 1 minute conclusion speeches again pro/con/pro/con

There will be a statement for them to debate and they must back up their opinion with scripture:

E.G., “If a Christian chooses to start a business in equal partnership with another person, that person must also be a Christian.”

Or:   “If I am living under my single mom’s home,  she has the right  to forbid certain media in our home no matter how old I am”.

Or:   “No matter how attracted I am to a fellow single, if that person is not a Christian, I must crucify that attraction.”

Or:  “If a girl has an abortion, she is a murderer and is going to Hell.”

Other topics that occur to me right now: “Civil disobedience” …when right; when not

Qualifications for being and remaining in a five fold ministry role

Was Joseph wrong to share his dream with his brothers?

When should someone be asked to leave a church?

Currently the debate about immigrants is raging: Do Christians have answers? Could we use God’s examples of incorporating the strangers into the Jewish nation as some good principles to follow?

At rol: Sabbath, divorce, can you be a five fold minister without caring about reading the entire bible with some depth

What we should all be doing during worship

How to dress coming to church

Do we have a choice as to whether or not to go to church – should we ever take a job (or join a sport or a club) that keeps us from church most all of the time?

Abortion – is it ever all right? Incest? Rape?

Devotions: how often?  Can you survive the attacks of the enemy without prayer and bible reading on your own?

Should Christians have anything at all to do with Halloween?

These things were off the top of my head…I have a feeling we could do even better with some statements to sink our teeth into……

Ph and kyf leaders could decide a topic and discuss on Wednesday night the pro’s and con’s  -- prepare kids for the debate --Then the youth are to find scripture to substantiate the pro or con of the statement.

  Actually, we could have several debates  going on simultaneously with different leaders in different rooms. We could come together in a group later to discuss the principles we learned about debate/truth…etc….

Remember: The important thing is not the topic; the important thing is fulfilling the goals of the seminar!

To further share some of Grace Fleming’s words: What Is a Debate? Grace Fleming, About.com Guide, calls it ,” Basically, a debate is an argument with rules.  “ Grace says:   A typical debate includes:

1.   Students hear the topic and take positions (pro and con)

2.   Teams discuss their topics and come up with statements

3.   Teams deliver their statements and offer main points

4.   Students discuss the opposition's argument and come up with rebuttals

5.   Rebuttals delivered

6.   Closing statements made  End of quoting Grace here

Interview:   One on one. In front of group.

Speech: A person gives a 2 minute Speech on a rather controversial topic and then gets questions from audience  -- OR, FOR FUN, one of us could do a deliberately ignorant speech and then let them tell us where we went wrong.

Game:  Create a game called "challenge"  like  “Ungame”  only it has  a challenge feature....

The promises of The everlasting  covenant with Abraham in Genesis belong to  both Jew and Gentiles in Christ 

What are the covenant  promises?

(The first time this covenant appears ) Genesis 12 :  ¹Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee: 
²And

I will make of thee a great nation,

and I will bless thee,

and make thy name great;

and thou shalt be a blessing:

³And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee:

and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

⁴So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. 
⁵And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came

Genesis 15  :  ¹After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. ²And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. 
⁴And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. ⁵And he brought him forth abroad, and said,

Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars,

 if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him,

 So shall thy seed be. ⁶And he believed in the LORD;

 and he counted it to him for righteousness.
⁷And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees,

 to give thee this land to inherit it. 
⁸And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? 
⁹And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. 
¹⁰And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against y¹¹And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.
¹²And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him. ¹³And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; 
¹⁴And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. ** ¹⁵And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. 
¹⁶But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.   ^{: 17}And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. 
¹⁸In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying,

 Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: ¹⁹The Kenites, and the Kenizzites,

 and the Kadmonites, ²⁰And the Hittites,

and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims,

 ²¹And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.

Genesis 17    ¹And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. 

²And I will make my covenant between me and thee,

and will multiply thee exceedingly. 

³And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,

⁴As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee,

and thou shalt be a father of many nations.

 ⁵Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham;

for a father of many nations have I made thee.

 ⁶And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee,

and kings shall come out of thee.

 ⁷And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and

 thy seed after thee in their generations for

an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.

 ⁸And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. 
⁹And God said unto Abraham,

Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. ………………………..
Gen 18: ¹⁶And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way. ¹⁷And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; 
¹⁸Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation,

and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?

 ¹⁹For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. 

^{God repeats the blessing after the time Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac:}  And he said, Here am I. ¹²And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. ¹³And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. ¹⁴And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen. ¹⁵And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, ¹⁶And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:

 ¹⁷That in blessing I will bless thee,

 and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven

, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore;

 and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 

¹⁸And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;

 because thou hast obeyed my voice. 

Abraham’s covenant repeated to Isaac:       Genesis 26    :  ¹And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar. ²And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of: ³Sojourn in this land, and

 I will be with thee, and will bless thee;

 for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries,

and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father

; ⁴And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven,

and will give unto thy seed all these countries;

 and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;

 ⁵Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

^{More Old Covenant passages about the covenant with Abraham:}

^{Nehemiah 9:7}Thou art the LORD the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham; ⁸And foundest his heart faithful before thee, and madest a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and the Girgashites, to give it, I say, to his seed, and hast performed thy words; for thou art righteous: ^…13Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments: ..
¹⁴And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant: ^.rock for their thirst, and promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them.

After what God prophesied to Abraham about Israel being in captivity for 400 years was done, God makes a new beginning in His  relationship with His people:

Exodus 19  :  ¹In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai. ²For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount. ³And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; ⁴Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. ⁵Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: ⁶And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel. ⁷And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD commanded him. ⁸And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD.

^{exodus 23:  20}Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. ²¹Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him. ²²But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries. 
²³For mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off. ²⁴Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images. ²⁵And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee. ²⁶There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil. ²⁷I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee. ²⁸And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee. ²⁹I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee. ³⁰By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land. ³¹And I will set thy bounds from the Red sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee. 
³²Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. ³³They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me: for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee.

What does God consider a “blessing”? I.e., when He says “I will bless you” what exactly does that mean? What is a curse?

Deuteronomy 28  :  ¹And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: 
²And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. 
³Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. 
⁴Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. 
⁵Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. 
⁶Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. 
⁷The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways. 
⁸The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. 
⁹The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways. 
¹⁰And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee. 
¹¹And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee. 
¹²The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. 
¹³And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them: 
¹⁴And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
¹⁵But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee: 
¹⁶Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field. 
¹⁷Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store. 
¹⁸Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. 
¹⁹Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out. 
²⁰The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me. 
²¹The LORD shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it. 
²²The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish. 
²³And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron. 
²⁴The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed. 
²⁵The LORD shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth. 
²⁶And thy carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray them away. 
²⁷The LORD will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed. 
²⁸The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart: 
²⁹And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee. 
³⁰Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build an house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof. 
³¹Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof: thine ass shall be violently taken away from before thy face, and shall not be restored to thee: thy sheep shall be given unto thine enemies, and thou shalt have none to rescue them. 
³²Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long: and there shall be no might in thine hand. 
³³The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway: 
³⁴So that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. 
³⁵The LORD shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head. 
³⁶The LORD shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone. 
³⁷And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee. 
³⁸Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it. 
³⁹Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them. 
⁴⁰Thou shalt have olive trees throughout all thy coasts, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with the oil; for thine olive shall cast his fruit. 
⁴¹Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity. 
⁴²All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume. 
⁴³The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low. 
⁴⁴He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail.
⁴⁵Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee: 
⁴⁶And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever. 
⁴⁷Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things; 
⁴⁸Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee. 
⁴⁹The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand; 
⁵⁰A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor show favour to the young: 
⁵¹And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee. 
⁵²And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the LORD thy God hath given thee. 
⁵³And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the LORD thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee: 
⁵⁴So that the man that is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children which he shall leave: 
⁵⁵So that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat: because he hath nothing left him in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee in all thy gates. 
⁵⁶The tender and delicate woman among you, which would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil toward the husband of her bosom, and toward her son, and toward her daughter, 
⁵⁷And toward her young one that cometh out from between her feet, and toward her children which she shall bear: for she shall eat them for want of all things secretly in the siege and straitness, wherewith thine enemy shall distress thee in thy gates. 
⁵⁸If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD; 
⁵⁹Then the LORD will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance. 
⁶⁰Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee. 
⁶¹Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the LORD bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed. 
⁶²And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou wouldest not obey the voice of the LORD thy God. 
⁶³And it shall come to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it. 
⁶⁴And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone. 
⁶⁵And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind: 
⁶⁶And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life: 
⁶⁷In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. 
⁶⁸And the LORD shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I spake unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.

Other Old Testament writers refer to Abraham and Sarah and remind people of God’s special relationship with Him:

2 Chron 20: ⁵And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court, ⁶And said, O LORD God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee? ⁷Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever?

^{Ps 105:8}    He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations. ⁹    Which covenant he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac; ¹⁰    And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant: ¹¹    Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance:

^{Micah 7:18}Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. 
¹⁹He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. ²⁰Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.

The covenant mentioned in the New Testament:

When Jesus birth was prophesied, Mary recognized that the promises given to Abraham were being put in place in Jesus:  ^{Luke 1:46}And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, ⁴⁷And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.  handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. ⁴⁹For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. ⁵⁰And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation. ⁵¹He hath showed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. ⁵²He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. ⁵³He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. ⁵⁴He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; 
⁵⁵As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever. 

Stephen speaks of the Abrahamic covenant in Acts:

Acts 7  ²And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, ³And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall show thee. ⁴Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell.  ⁵And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child. 

The writer of Hebrews speaks of Abraham: ^{Hebrews 11:8}By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. ⁹By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: ¹⁰For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. ¹¹Through faith also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. ¹²Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. ¹³These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. ¹⁴For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. ¹⁵And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. ¹⁶But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city. ¹⁷By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, ¹⁸Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: 

Abraham is the father of ALL believers: His seed was Christ; we are Abraham’s children in Christ:

^{romans 4 :}.⁹Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. ¹⁰How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.  {I.e. , Abraham had not yet been circumcised when He was received by God because of his faith.}
¹¹And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised {I.e., Abraham had that faith BEFORE being circumcised – circumcision was a “seal of the righteousness” he already possessed.} : that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:  { My note:  Abraham is just as much the father of Gentile believers as he is the father of Jewish believers!}
¹²And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised. 
¹³For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.  {My note: Through faith we are an “heir of the world”!}¹⁴For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: ¹⁵Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression. 
¹⁶Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,

Romans 15:⁷Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God. 
⁸Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers: ⁹And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name. ¹⁰And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people. ¹¹And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people. ¹²And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust.

Gal 3:⁶Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. 
⁷Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. 
⁸And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. ⁹So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. ¹⁰For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. ¹¹But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. ¹²And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. ¹³Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: ¹⁴That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. ¹⁵Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man’s covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto. ¹⁶Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. ¹⁷And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. ¹⁸For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise. ¹⁹Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. ²⁰Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one. ²¹Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. ²²But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. ²³But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. ²⁴Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. ²⁶For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁷For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. ²⁸There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. 
²⁹And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

^{Ephesians 2: 11}Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 
¹²That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 
¹³But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
¹⁴For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; ¹⁵Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; ¹⁶And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: ¹⁷And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. 
¹⁸For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. ¹⁹Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; ²⁰And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; ²¹In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: ²²In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

Jesus makes it plain that a Gentile with faith can come into the kingdom of Heaven with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob one day and that Jews could be cast out from that kingdom if they do not have faith:

Matthew 8: ⁵And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, ⁶And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. 
⁷And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. ⁸The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. ⁹For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. 
¹⁰When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. ¹¹And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. ¹²But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 

^{Luke 13: 24}Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. ²⁵When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: ²⁶Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. ²⁷But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. ²⁸There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. ²⁹And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God. ³⁰And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.

WE Gentiles must remember  to also be like Abraham! FAITHFUL! Jesus says if we are his children, we need to do the works of Abraham. Abraham is another example for us of a life to emulate!

John 8: 38  I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father. ³⁹They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham. ……………………………………..⁵⁶Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.

  The age to come will bring forth the total fulfillment of the covenant made to Abraham:  Even though natural Israel has enjoyed a lot of the benefit of the Abrahamic covenant  already  concerning the land of Israel both before 2000 years ago and now again, the best is yet to come. Even though God  continues to bless Israel with the  fulfillment of the promise that they would return to the land, there is an even bigger, fuller manifestation of the inherited promises coming forth in the age to come.

God is gathering the Jews from all corners of the earth to Israel. He will pour out His Spirit on them. They will experience the New Covenant in Christ. The Jews  will see that Christ IS the SEED of Abraham and the ultimate fulfillment of the covenant.

God in this age has gathered together many in Christ – Jew and Gentile --  to form a nation of priests and kings. When Jesus Christ comes back,  He will take His kingdom citizens to Jerusalem to set up His kingdom and we will inherit all things with Him, i.e., His blessings, the land, the throne, the countless multitude from many nations.   All saints of God will “inherit the land”; all saints of God will be the possessor of the gates of all enemies; we will all enjoy the countless multitudes from many nations that Abraham’s seed (Christ) has brought forth; and we will all live in the blessings of God.

^{Romans 8:  14} For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 
¹⁵For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 
¹⁶The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
¹⁷And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. 
¹⁸For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. ¹⁹For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. ²⁰For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, ²¹Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. ²²For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. ²³And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. ²⁴For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? ²⁵But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. ²⁶Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. ²⁷And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. ²⁸And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. ²⁹For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. ³⁰Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. ³¹What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? ³²He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? 

Becoming more compassionate and responsive to the poor and needy

In our community there are many reputable agencies that deal with the poor.

ROL does contribute from time to time to these agencies.

However, having meditated on the following passages convicts me to want to be even more open to giving.

We as a church can contribute; however, there may be things the Lord wants to open all of our eyes to as individuals too. 

There is more to helping the poor than contributing money. God can help us be creative in this.

God blesses those who help the poor:

Ps 41: 1            Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble.2     The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.3         The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.

Acts 20:35       I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

Prov 22:9         He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.

Prov 28: 27      He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.

Luke 6:38         Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

Prov. 22: 9  A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.

We must give willingly and with a good heart

2 Cor 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, [so let him give]; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

Deut 15: 7       If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother:8   But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth.9        Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the LORD against thee, and it be sin unto thee.10           Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: because that for this thing the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto.11  For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.(KJV)

God Himself will pay us back when we have pity on the poor

Prov 19:17       He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.

God speaks of His preferred fast and part of it, verse 7 below, is to give to the poor

Isa 58: 5           Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD?6           Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? 7  Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?8         Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward.9            Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;10      And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:

11        And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

There is a time to have a party and invite the needy!       God will bless us for that!

Luke 14: 13      But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:

14        And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.

Paul exhorts us to remember the poor

Gal 2:10           Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.

Those who give will inherit the kingdom of God!

Matt 25: 34     Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

35        For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:36  Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.37            Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?38          When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

39        Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?40     And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Righteous, virtuous people give to the poor . Job, whom God called blameless and upright, gave to those in need.

Job 29: 12        Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him.13            The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me: and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.14  I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem.15   I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame.16   I was a father to the poor: and the cause which I knew not I searched out.

Prov 29:7         The righteous considereth the cause of the poor: but the wicked regardeth not to know it

Prov 31:20       She  {the virtuous woman }stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.

Having been a social worker for fourteen years, I have met plenty of scam artists . However, the vast majority of those on welfare had legitimate issues leading to their need for help.  Yes, we warn the “unruly”; however, there are also the weak and feebleminded (And other needy folks) who need comfort and patience!

However, I , for one, have gotten so weary of the scam artists – particularly the guys with the “homeless and hungry “sign who get disgusted with me when I tell them about the programs available to help – that I sometimes forget to have open eyes and an open heart to detect genuine need!!

Lord! Help us all to be KIND and CARING and GIVING!!!!

1Thes 5: 14      Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.

Yom Kippur: This year it is on 9 17 10

Today I heard a rabbi on TCT TV say that Yom Kippur is a time of quiet, fasting, reflection so as to commune with our soul on our standing with the Lord. 

Then I saw this on the web .....

 I thought it was strange the Lord impressed on me to do the series on sin since we were entering the Fall Feast season. It was today that I made the connection between dealing with sin and Yom Kippur coming up.

Adonai said to Moshe, "The tenth day of this seventh month is Yom Kippur; you are to have a holy convocation, you are to deny yourselves, and you are to bring an offering made by fire to Adonai.  You are not to do any kind of work on that day, because it is Yom Kippur, to make atonement for you before Adonai your God." -Leviticus 23:26-28

What does the name mean?  Yom means "day". Kippur means "atonement". So Yom Kippur means "day of atonement".

What’s with the goats? (See Leviticus 16)  There is a difference between sin and iniquity. Sin is actions, iniquity is imperfections kept inside. One goat died a painless, sacrificial death for sins. The other died a long, painful death for iniquity. Notice Isaiah 53 has Yeshua also atoning for both. In Isaiah 53:5 the Hebrew word translated "wounded " means a cut or break in the skin, as with sacrificed animals. The word translated "bruised" means "crushed, destroyed, oppressed."

The Talmud records two things that happened 40 years before the second Temple was destroyed. The first involves a miracle that was associated with Yom Kippur. A scarlet cord was tied to the wilderness goat’s horns, then a piece was cut off and tied to the temple door. Each year, when the wilderness goat died, the scarlet cord turned white: a miracle showing iniquities had been forgiven. But 40 years before the second Temple was destroyed the scarlet cord stopped turning white. The Talmud also records that from that year until the Temple’s destruction, the goat for Adonai always got the unlucky (left) hand when the lots were chosen: an omen of rejection.

The wilderness goat died, leaving the iniquities in the wilderness. Yeshua took our iniquities to Sheol. (See Revelation 1:18.)

How should believers celebrate?  This is a day begun in great solemnity as we conclude ten days of repentance, but ended with great joy as atonement is made for the priest, the temple, and the community.

In Leviticus 16, the high priest first made atonement for personal sin. At the Lord’s Supper we examine our hearts (Romans 11:27-32, 1 John 1:9). As believers we still need introspection and repentance. We should start here.

The high priest next made atonement for the tabernacle. Numbers 18 tells us that the priesthood bore the iniquity of the tabernacle and its equipment. But those earthly items still needed atonement yearly in order to be fit for God's dwelling. This day teaches that even though Yeshua bears our iniquity (Isaiah 53:6) we still need to make atonement to allow the presence of God to more greatly fill us (1 Corinthians 3:16 calls our bodies the current temples of God).

The high priest then interceded for God’s forgiveness upon the community. Pray for the communities to which you belong. For examples of intercession read Exodus 32:11-14, Daniel 9:2-19, Isaiah 58, Ezra 9:1-6, Romans 8:26, Hebrews 7:25.

The Hebrew word for "repentance" is t'shuvah, meaning "turning [to God]". Although all ten Days of Awe are times of t'shuvah (indeed, the entire year should be), the evening and morning of Yom Kippur have the most intense t'shuvah of the year. So it is appropriate on this day to think about the steps of t’shuvah:
(1) humbling your heart (Psalm 34:18)
(2) forgiving others (Matthew 6)
(3) introspection (Psalm 139:3)
(4) apologizing to all for whom God shows a need to do so (Matthew 5:33)
(5) accepting blame from what God showed us in #3, #4
(6) remorse (2 Cor 7:10)
(7) willingness to suffer consequences of sin (2 Samuel 12:13-14)
(8) confession before God and sometimes other people (James 5:16)
(9) reconciliation and restitution with God and people (Jer 31:34, Acts 13:38, Luke 19:8, Luke 3:9-13)

Since Jewish believers are under the covenant of Sinai they should still have a holy convovation, deny themselves (traditionally by fasting), and have a sabbath from work.   {RM note: ?? really?  If Jewish believers in Yeshua are to keep the holy convocation,  then Gentiles should too? I.e., are we or are we not in the commonwealth of Israel? One body or two?  I always wonder about this!}

 Leviticus 17:8-9 tells us not to perform animal sacrifices without the tabernacle/Temple.How has this day been involved in prophecy?         This day foreshadows the Day of Judgment at the end of this age. Currently God respects mankind's free will completely, which means evil must be allowed to flourish.  But the day will come when evil will end. Then the books from the Yom Kippur of each year will be opened, and final judgment made.

 At that time, your people will be delivered, everyone whose name is found written in the book.  Many of those sleeping in the dust of the earth will awaken, some to everlasting life and some to everlasting shame and abhorrence.  But those who can discern will shine like the brightness of heaven's dome, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever. -Daniel 12:1-3

Next I saw a great white throne and the One sitting on it. Earth and heaven fled from his presence, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, both great and small, standing in front of the throne. Books were opened; and another book was opened, the Book of Life; and the dead were judged from what was written in the books, according to what they had done. The sea gave up the dead in it; and Death and Sh'ol gave up the dead in them; and they were judged, each according to what he had done. Then Death and Sh'ol were hurled into the lake of fire. This is the second death--the lake of fire. Anyone whose name was not found written in the Book of Life was hurled into the lake of fire. -Revelation 20:11-15

Our response to sin, in ourselves and in one another:

Preventing sin from occurring:  LOVE

Loving God and each other

Mar 12:28  And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? 29  And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30  And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31  And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

When we love someone, we want to be in close fellowship with them. When we are in close fellowship with our Lord, we will not sin. When we are in close fellowship with each other, we don’t want to sin against each other either.

How love operates once sin is committed:

The Golden Rule:

Luk 6:31  And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. 32  For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.

33  And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. 34  And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35  But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. 36  Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

Back to Luke 6: 31 :  I must do to others what I believe they should do to me. So, as a Christian, if I get into some sin issue and someone is dealing with me about it,  I want us to seek God and deal with me according to His Spirit and His Word. I don’t want to sense anything in the person dealing with me that feels as if they do not care if I am restored into fellowship with God and others. I want that person to love mercy as opposed to hoping I get the “maximum sentence” or punishment. I want them to discern between my having a heart given over to some sin as opposed to having fallen and feeling miserable and contrite concerning my fall.  I don’t want the person to be happy to have an excuse to be rid of me. I want them to be committed as fellow family members to see me through to overcoming my sin. I want them to immediately forgive me when I say I am sorry and not give me the silent treatment or any other  kind of action that implies I have to wait to see if they will ever be kind to me again.  They may expect me to prove myself awhile as they understandably may not restore trust immediately. I don’t want them to be excited to go tell everyone of my sin. I want us to only tell who must be told (I understand that this part has many things to consider).

So, on the one hand, I understand every sin I do may have consequensces; on the other hand I would want for people to deal with me carefully, with discernment, with the lovingkindness and mercy of our Lord.

Because this is how I want to be treated, I am obligated to also treat everyone else with that same  loving sensitivity.  My obedience to the  “The Golden Rule” is what someone should be able to expect from me if they sin against me. I MUST treat you as I would want to be treated

The following story illustrates the kind of love we ALL want and , therefore , should give to one another:!

God’s loving motivation is that none should perish. He sent the Lord Jesus Christ so that men could be saved. He continues to cleanse us with the blood of Jesus if we do sin. He gives us His Spirit to enable us to walk in victory over sins. He gives us the body of Christ to assist us in growing up into the fullness of Christ. His hands are outstretched all day and all night long.  He wants a family of believers to enjoy for all eternity.

We need to ask Him for His heart towards everyone, person by person.  Because every person is unique and God’s strategy for every situation may be different!

When you were either in the world or backslidden – or even when you currently sin from time to time – how has God used people to restore you back into holiness and closeness with God?  What did and did not work for you?

Each and every person is unique: For me, Loie Bergsma informing me very bluntly and even with a touch of anger that I was going straight to hell if I persisted in a particular behavior (in 1972) was a moment that jerked me out of the deceitfulness of sin into repentance and restoration.

Some scriptures to consider in dealing with the sinner :

Eph 4: 15         But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:……………..….22  That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;23          And be renewed in the spirit of your mind {only a renewed mind can deal with you and/or another person who sins!};  24       And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.25    Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.   { To a sinner being dealt with : Don’t be FAKE!!!!! Don’t say all is well when it is NOT.  The goal is to overcome, not to “save face” or to “look good”!!!}……….{ To the one dealing with the sinner:  WATCH YOUR MOUTH….the goal is to build up and minister the strength of our Lord to those we are   talking to.}29      Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.30           And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.31   Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Eph 5:1            Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;2            And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.3          But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;4      Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.5  For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.6  Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.

7          Be not ye therefore partakers with them.  {Don’t be in union as companions with them.}8      For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:9          (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)

10        Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

{ Rather than hanging out with them as buddies  as if nothing has changed. i.e., still being partakers/participants in one another’s doings, expose their evil works.}12     For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.13     But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.14        Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.15        See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,16            Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.17  Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.18        And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;19           Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;20  Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;21    Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

THOSE WHO ARE SPIRITUAL SHOULD APPROACH THOSE OVERTAKEN BY A FAULT:

Gal 6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken {taken by surprise}  in a fault {untintentional error or willful transgression or a lapse}, ye which are spiritual {not carnal}, restore  {thoroughly complete, refresh}such an one in the spirit of meekness {humility, mildness}; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted……..……….9      And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR BAD ATTITUDES BOTH IN OURSELVES AND IN OTHERS. BE AWARE OF THE CONSEQUENCES WHEN THESE ATTITUDES ARE LEFT UNCHECKED!

Heb 12: 14       Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:15       Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

Jude 1: 21        Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.22  And of some have compassion, making a difference:23       And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.24      Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,(KJV)

BEAR IN MIND THAT HELPING SOMEONE WILL SAVE THEIR LIFE!!  James 5: 19  Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;20        Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

SEE THAT SINNERS ARE SICK FOLKS IN NEED OF DR. JESUS:

Matt 9: 10       And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.11   And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?12   But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.13          But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

The sinner has “gone astray”; but the Shepherd LOVES that backslider! This is OUR shepherd !  IF he wants us to go after that one, we must do it!

Remember too: Many of us at one time were lost and we have been redeemed from the sin we lived in: 1Co 6:9  Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,   Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.   And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

One thing that helps me when I sometimes get frustrated with some “going astray”. I remember how awfully far I went astray, how much I hurt my parents, and then I have more patience for the one with whom I was frustrated. 

Then I think of Jesus’ seeking me out to get me back to Himself!! He wants me to love His sheep just as much as He does! What am I willing to endure to minister to sinners and backsliders? 

That one lost Sheep

Safe were the ninety and nine in the fold.
Safe though the night was stormy and cold;
But said the Shepherd when counting them o’er,
One sheep is missing, there should be one more.

Although His feet were weary and worn,
And though His hands were rent and torn,
Although the road was rocky and steep,
Still the good Shepherd searched long for his sheep.

There in the night He heard a faint cry
From the lost sheep just ready to die.
Then in His arms to shield from the cold
He brought the lost sheep back safe to the fold.

The Shepherd went out to search for the sheep,
And all through the night on the rocky steep
He searched till he found him,With love bands He bound him,and I was that one lost sheep.

Matt 18: 12     How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? 13     And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.14Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.

Luke 15    ¹Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. 
²And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. ³And he spake this parable unto them, saying, ⁴What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? ⁵And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. ⁶And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. ⁷I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. 

We learn much about the Father heart of God towards the backslider through the story of the prodigal son. We also learn what to guard in our own hearts because sometimes the backslider has hurt us when they left home. So when God so graciously receives them when they return, we could be just as capable of pouting as was the older brother in this story.

^{Luke 15:11}And he said, A certain man had two sons: ¹²And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. 
¹³And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. 
¹⁴And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. 
¹⁵And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 
¹⁶And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. 
¹⁷And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 
¹⁸I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, 
¹⁹And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. 
²⁰And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. 
²¹And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. 
²²But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: 
²³And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: 
²⁴For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. 
²⁵Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing. 
²⁶And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. 
²⁷And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. 
²⁸And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and entreated him. 
²⁹And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: 
³⁰But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. 
³¹And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. 
³²It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.

God is a God of MERCY who WANTS to restore us to Himself when we stray!

Ps 36:5 Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.

6          Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast.7         How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.8       They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.9  For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.10     O continue thy lovingkindness unto them that know thee; and thy righteousness to the upright in heart. 

David’s sin was great; however, he knew too the lovingkindness and mercy of God.     51:1- Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. 2       Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.3      For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.4    Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.5            Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.6  Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.7          Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.8          Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.9           Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.10            Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.11  Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.12    Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.13         Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.14            Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.15         O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.16    For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

 Psalm 86  A Prayer of David.
¹    Bow down thine ear, O Jehovah, and answer me;     For I am poor and needy.
²    Preserve my soul; For I am godly:     O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee.
³    Be merciful unto me, O Lord;     For unto thee do I cry all the day long.
⁴    Rejoice the soul of thy servant;     For unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
⁵    For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive,     And abundant in lovingkindness unto all them that call upon thee.
⁶    Give ear, O Jehovah, unto my prayer;     And hearken unto the voice of my supplications.
⁷    In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee;     For thou wilt answer me. ……..
¹¹    Teach me thy way, O Jehovah; I will walk in thy truth:     Unite my heart to fear thy name.
¹²    I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with my whole heart;     And I will glorify thy name for evermore.
¹³    For great is thy lovingkindness toward me;     And thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest Sheol. ^…….15    But thou, O Lord, art a God merciful and gracious,     Slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness and truth.
¹⁶    Oh turn unto me, and have mercy upon me;     Give thy strength unto thy servant,     And save the son of thy handmaid.
¹⁷    Show me a token for good,     That they who hate me may see it, and be put to shame,     Because thou, Jehovah, hast helped me, and comforted me.

Psalm 25  A Psalm of David.
⁶    Remember, O Jehovah, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindness;     For they have been ever of old.
⁷    Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions:     According to thy lovingkindness remember thou me,     For thy goodness’ sake, O Jehovah.
⁸    Good and upright is Jehovah:     Therefore will he instruct sinners in the way.
⁹    The meek will he guide in justice;     And the meek will he teach his way.
¹⁰    All the paths of Jehovah are lovingkindness and truth     Unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.

In the process of restoring Jerusalem, Nehemiah knew how important it was to deal with sin and to be totally restored to God!  They did renew covenant with Him. They did acknowledge how loving and kind He had been to them over the years and how unfaithful they had been. We see that cycle throughout all the history of God’s people, i.e., sin- punishment/misery – cry out to God—God is merciful, He forgives and restores.

Nehemiah 9  :  ¹Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes, and earth upon them. ²And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers. 
³And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the LORD their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshipped the LORD their God. ^……

THEY TELL HIM THEY ARE AWARE OF ALL THE WONDERFUL THINGS HE HAS DONE:
⁷Thou art the LORD the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham; 
⁸And foundest his heart faithful before thee, and madest a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and the Girgashites, to give it, I say, to his seed, and hast performed thy words; for thou art righteous: 
⁹And didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heardest their cry by the Red sea; 
¹⁰And showedst signs and wonders upon Pharaoh, and on all his servants, and on all the people of his land: for thou knewest that they dealt proudly against them. So didst thou get thee a name, as it is this day. 
¹¹And thou didst divide the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their persecutors thou threwest into the deeps, as a stone into the mighty waters. 
¹²Moreover thou leddest them in the day by a cloudy pillar; and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give them light in the way wherein they should go. 
¹³Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments: 
¹⁴And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant: 
¹⁵And gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them. 
¹⁶But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments, 
¹⁷And refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not. 
¹⁸Yea, when they had made them a molten calf, and said, This is thy God that brought thee up out of Egypt, and had wrought great provocations; 
¹⁹Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to show them light, and the way wherein they should go. 
²⁰Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst. 
²¹Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not. 
²²Moreover thou gavest them kingdoms and nations, and didst divide them into corners: so they possessed the land of Sihon, and the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og king of Bashan. 
²³Their children also multipliedst thou as the stars of heaven, and broughtest them into the land, concerning which thou hadst promised to their fathers, that they should go in to possess it. 
²⁴So the children went in and possessed the land, and thou subduedst before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gavest them into their hands, with their kings, and the people of the land, that they might do with them as they would. 
²⁵And they took strong cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all goods, wells digged, vineyards, and oliveyards, and fruit trees in abundance: so they did eat, and were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in thy great goodness. 
²⁶Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets which testified against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great provocations. 
²⁷Therefore thou deliveredst them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them: and in the time of their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them saviours, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies. 
²⁸But after they had rest, they did evil again before thee: therefore leftest thou them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them: yet when they returned, and cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and many times didst thou deliver them according to thy mercies; 
²⁹And testifiedst against them, that thou mightest bring them again unto thy law: yet they dealt proudly, and hearkened not unto thy commandments, but sinned against thy judgments, (which if a man do, he shall live in them;) and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear. 
³⁰Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands. 
³¹Nevertheless for thy great mercies’ sake thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God. 
³²Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before thee, that hath come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all thy people, since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day. 
³³Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly: 

Some of us need to admit that our lives have taken on some destructive cycles and repent once and for all as well as help those in close relationship with us to keep glorifying God too.  We need to cry out for His lovingkindness and mercy to fill our hearts towards others and for Him to give us that as well.

We need His heart for His family to walk in harmony and purity.

We need to WANT all backsliders to come back into an abundant life.

Study points for further consideration

The difficulties we encounter in dealing with sin:

1.      Because we forget God is both a God of wrath and love; justice and mercy,  sometimes we just want to say “God is love” and downplay the idea that we or another are in grave danger when we fall into sin. It is hard to believe there are truly consequences arising from  our evil choices that could  negatively disrupt our “normal” life.

2.      Sin must be repented of to be forgiven by God. Man must forgive too; however, there is a “proving “ sometimes required so as to rebuild trust. Someone said, “I forgive you; but I don’t trust you”.   People must be willing to “prove themselves” after a serious sin has occurred.

3.      Dealing with people we love when they are in unrepentant, repetitive sin is difficult because they will accuse us of not loving them if we correct  and/or rebuke them.

4.      We may  fear that being too lenient  with someone who sins will cause the sin to be taken lightly and that  being too strict may drive that person away from church fellowship.

5.      What one person considers as sin is not considered as sin by another even in the light of God’s Word. There ARE “gray” areas, i.e., things not made crystal clear in the Word.  To “take a stand” for something in the presence of another genuine believer who does not share that same point of view  is awkward .  The maturity required to “agree to disagree” is not always present. Some may even  try to intimidate or to shame the other one  into agreement.

6.      The problem of objectivity and subjectivity: If I  or my loved ones commit what may be considered as sin, it is not as serious as when you and your loved ones do the same thing.  Unentreatability happens based on this preconceived verdict.

7.      Sometimes when someone  is caught in a sin, they want to run from those who know about it. This person has no vision for  building up the local church family closeness through mutual accountability and submission as well as  bringing each other into Spiritual maturity.

8.      There are times we are far more harsh than God in our  response to the sinner when the sinner repents.  We don’t understand God’s ability to deal with each person according to what the person needs to learn and do holiness.  

9.      There are times we are far more lenient  than God in our  response to the sinner both when he is in someone unrepentant sin and when he  repents. Some may  want to be the one who all sinners look to as “nice, loving, kind” – the motive in some for doing this is to  draw disciples to themselves.    

10.  We have not learned  to listen closely to the Lord in each and every situation in which we must respond to sin in ourselves or others.. We read the Word like a rule book with black and white “If……, then….” So we think we already  know what we are to do   without really waiting on the Lord to find out what to do in  each specific case.

11.  We don’t HATE sin. Sometimes we simply enjoy it.

12.  We think that it is impossible to live in sinless perfection so we just “settle for” ongoing sin in our lives.

13.  We say we love God; but, He says we will obey Him if we truly do. We fail to make the connection that it is through our obedience that He feels comfortable to make His home with us.

14.    People don’t get self righteousness vs. walking in the Spirit to be able to walk in righteousness..

15.   Prayer and Bible reading often take a back seat to  being caught up in the world.  We don’t realize how strongly we are rejection the friendship of God when we make our choices for the world instead of for communion with Him.

Note: I realize this is not a sermon , but, it does convey a lot of "seeds" for a potential sermon.

River of Life Leadership meeting: 8 17 10:    1.  Media Club and Media II Seminar:

Note concerning attendance at the seminar:  Several of our leaders will not be there this time; therefore,  I did consider postponing this seminar. Then , when I thought of who would still be there (particularly youth) and the potentially “scary” nature of participation in the latter part of the seminar, I realized that a smaller number than usual in this seminar may benefit the youth rather than hurt the outcome of this seminar. I am thinking of the possibility of perhaps less  self consciousness concerning “performance”when there is a smaller group present . Maybe or maybe not ? But, it is worth the try on Sunday  to be able to perhaps  draw forth some who sometimes hesitate  to be “up front” presenting their message.

A.  Definition for our purposes at this seminar:  Media: the means of communication, as radio and television, newspapers, and magazines, that reach or influence people widely: I am using the term “media” to communicate ALL means of communication. Therefore, for our purposes it includes ANYTHING that can be used to convey a message, e.g., movies, skits, song, poems, pictures, dance, etc.

B.  We will brainstorm to create a LIST of what media we can use to communicate a message.  Note: In the classes of KYF and PH tomorrow night, would you please go over this brainstorming and also have the kids begin thinking on what they are the best at if they wish to communicate a concept?  At the seminar there will be ample opportunity for each person to present.   Note: If a young person wants to practice a presentation at home, they are welcome to do so; if they want to team up with another to do a song (vocal or instrumental) with some others, that is fine too.  They are free to “practice” anything they wish ahead of time OR they are free to get involved in some spontaneous presentation at the seminar.

C.   Goal of seminar (which harmonizes with the Media Club goal too):  --

Training our youth to  creatively and generously**  use all forms of media to boldly proclaim the gospel and  to disciple others. Also, encouraging them to produce “clips” to insert in our TV and web productions.   

D.  Ways we can reach this goal:  We will encourage our young people  to be  generous**, willing servants of the Lord  in their use of their gifts and talents  in conveying messages  that are in harmony with the Lord’s heart. Online dictionary :   GENEROUS**:  –adjective 1. liberal in giving or sharing; unselfish: 2. free from meanness or smallness of mind or character; magnanimous. 3. large; abundant; ample     Please note the synonyms given by the online dictionary and know that ALL these synonyms apply to our meaning as well:1.. open-handed, free, … Generous, charitable, liberal, bountiful, munificent  all describe persons who give to others something of value, or the acts of such persons. Generous  stresses the warm and sympathetic nature of the giver: a …. Charitable  places stress on both the goodness and kindness of the giver and the indigence or need of the receiver:… Liberal,  in this connection, emphasizes the size of the gift, the largesse and openhandedness of the giver: … implies effusive, unstinted** giving and a sense of abundance or plenty:  Munificent  refers to gifts or awards so large and striking as to evoke amazement or admiration:  2. high-minded, noble, big. 3. plentiful, copious. 5.  fruitful.

—Antonyms :1. selfish. 2. mean. 3. meager. 5.  barren. ** To be “stinted” means :  to be frugal; get along on a scanty allowance: to limit to a certain amount, number, share, or allowance, often unduly; set limits to; restrict.

STRETCH TO BE GENEROUS:

               We do not have to be an expert or extremely advanced in skill in order to present a message through a chosen medium

               Wrongful competition stifles creativity and willingness to present our own message in the media we choose.  Many can be  well regarded presenters at ROL, e.g., dancers, singers, instrument players, poets, etc….. Rise above any harmful competitive forces (either in yourself or from others) and think only of  how  your message can build the kingdom of God.

              Become willing to repeatedly produce something not yet quite “good enough” to show publicly while in the process of  learning how to produce that which is acceptable. This willingness demonstrates courage and helps us to grow into excellent presenters.

               Be free to receive both compliments and constructive criticism..

               All we have in gifts and talents are  God given and are  to be given back to Him and to His Body.   Matt 10:7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

               Learn  the appropriate technology to expand all of our reach in fulfilling the great commission . We cannot let ignorance silence our ability to share!.

E.  A reminder  to  create media  to show on River Reflections and /or on our website as well as on their own websites.    Be willing to tell someone to video your open pulpit so we can consider using it  for TV and/or on the internet.

.F..  Anywhere and everywhere we can obey the Great Commission using all possible media means. Matt 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. KJV

               Each and every situation in which we have the liberty to communicate a message can be used to once more respond to the great commission.  E.g., when essays are written for school , when replies are posted to a social website, or when you do your part in the roll call for the Feast of Tabernacles. 

G.  Using media to “stand up” for the Lord whether it is a popular point of view or not.       The  article printed below (from  ESPN) and my response to it (on their website)  could be used as a possible  THEME  for some presentations in the seminar.

Mich. school practices 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. jQuery.getScriptCache('http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/c/?js=espn.tools.r3.js', function() { espn.core.init.tools('5467167','http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/highschool/news/story?id=5467167'); }); ESPN.com news services   DEARBORN, Mi.:. -- A Michigan high school football team is holding preseason practices in the middle of the night to help its Muslim players practice both faith and football. The predominantly Muslim squad from Dearborn says the nocturnal regimen is a way for players to eat and drink while observing the holy month of daytime fasting known as Ramadan that started last week.

The August heat also played a factor in Fordson High coach Fouad Zaban's proposal to reverse the clock for a week of two-a-day practices.Cutting practice wasn't an option at football-crazy Fordson, which is coming off a one-loss season and has won four state titles and three runner-up seasons since it was established in 1928.   

But nobody wanted to lessen the significance of Ramadan in the Detroit suburb widely known as the capital of Arab-America. The moonlight practice is tailored for Adnan Restum and fellow Muslim teammates.

Illuminated by the night lights on the football field, Restum recently joined a scrum of teammates at the end-zone water fountain, taking a break from a grueling preseason football workout to guzzle a drink. In just a few hours, he wouldn't be able to take a sip. But the 17-year-old defensive tackle could rehydrate guilt-free during the 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. practice, and succumb to tempting boxes full of granola bars and chocolate milk, too. "It feels really great," said Restum, who has been fasting since he was about 10. "If we're doing it during the day, we wouldn't have water and it would be really hot and everything."

Zaban proposed the late practices after realizing the rotating Ramadan would fall squarely during the start of a two-a-day practice schedule that launches football season. Zaban, 40, a Muslim and former Fordson player, knows the high stakes. When Ramadan falls during football season, the players practice during daylight hours. But with August's heat and doubled practice schedule, concerns grew about players' health, particularly the high risk of heat stroke.” We know how hot it's been this summer -- it's not safe," Zaban said.

Working it out meant getting the approval of school and district administrators and the blessings of players, parents and police. Then, there were the residents in the surrounding neighborhood, who would hear more noise and see the illuminated field. So he sent letters explaining the decision.

Zaban is unaware of such schedule switches elsewhere, though other teams at the school and in the district have moved practices earlier or later in the day. It's been more than three decades since Ramadan last fell during football preseason and Fordson's Muslim population was far smaller then -- and, he notes, there were no field lights.

Zaban said the goal has been to let players break the fast at sundown and go to the mosque, and get players out in time for a meal and morning prayer before sunrise. The field is near bustling bakeries, cafes and restaurants catering to late-night customers.

But first, there are drills."Keep running! Heads up!" Zaban yelled while leading a passing drill. And, when a receiver flubbed a one-handed catch, the coach barked, "Hey, two hands!" The result was 20 push-ups.

Zaban said whether players fast is a personal choice and never an issue raised by him or his staff. Still, he says, it shouldn't be an excuse for poor performance for the roughly 95 percent who do.

He ended the session before 4 a.m. with a message to the huddled, padded masses to "drink lots of water," "get a good meal in," and "man up."

Defensive tackle William Powell, one of the team's few non-Muslims, initially thought the coach was "out of his mind," but he's come around. In fact, he's even fasted."I'm around 'em, so I've tried a couple times but it's hard," the 17-year-old said.

For Rami Fakih, a wide receiver and defensive back, the nocturnal regimen has taken some adjustment but for different reasons. The brother of recently crowned Miss USA Rima Fakih said he had to think twice before hitting the fountain."Oh yeah," he said. "Then I remembered, you know. I looked up. There's no sun. I can drink. I can eat."With that, he walked off the field and into the darkness with plans to grab a quick bite with friends at a local bakery. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

What I posted on the web today, 8 17 -10  in response to the above article   (I  also posted that remark and the article on my Face book page.)

This story inspires me to say to my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ:  If Muslims in Dearborn put their religion before football and even persuaded  the schools to change the practice time so their youth could "properly" celebrate Ramadan, don't you think we Christians should point out to all of our respective schools that most of us have Wednesday night church services and that we want our kids free from school activities that night so they can come to church? And how many Sabbath keepers are out there who would be willing to say "I can't practice on Saturday during the time we have our church service?" You think that is strange? No one remembers the movie "Chariots of Fire"? You think that guy was a hero when he first starting telling everyone about his Sabbath plans? No! It takes time for folks to realize when anyone is serious about their faith and what they will and will not put up with in order to engage in a LESSER activity!
If we cannot stand now in our faith, what happens if we are alive when people are told to take on the "mark of the beast"? Where will we get the courage to die for our faith if we are not willing to LIVE according to our faith  and convictions right now?
I hear there are some Christians who don't even dare tell the schools their children will not be participating in a holiday celebrating death, the occult, witchcraft, horror, and fear (i.e., Halloween).
Let's get radical and take a stand for holiness!
Jeremiah 12:55 If thou hast run with the footmen , and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan? KJV

H.  Putting together  an interview together that would be able to air on TV and inspire people to consider taking various “stands” for truth in our community. What are other situations in which  all the same principles come into mind?

I.  Being recorded while presenting various media to convey Godly messages.  To do this, we will break into small groups.  After presentations of just a few minutes apiece , we will show them to all on TV.

Seminar Schedule:  I did not know whether or not I would already be in ongoing treatment when I scheduled this, so I made it shorter than usual (not knowing what my energy level might be).   Even though I am not yet in treatment , I will honor this schedule as that is what has been posted all along. 

General schedule plan – always open to touches by the Holy Spirit:

10:15 Leadership arrives. Coffee is prepared already .        10:30 – noon: First session:   Principles  outlined above are  shared                Noon to 1:30: lunch             1:30  to 2:30 Second session  People break up to present and to be recorded – “People” alluded to here includes ALL present willing to join in—particularly leaders. Some will not present because they will be taking pictures….     2:30 to 2: 45: Break      2:45 to 4: 00: Third session   the plan is to watch on our TV what was recorded in the second session.