Genesis (Part 20)(BST 10-26-08)

Genesis (Part 20)
Bible Study Time 10-26-08
(From James Roberts 1-5-97)

Last week in our Journey Through the Scripture, we saw that Abraham was taken from UR of the Chaldeans and was led into the land of Canaan, the land of promise. While in the land of Canaan, Abraham was tested by the Lord. During a time of great famine, Abraham chose to go down into Egypt rather than trusting the Lord to provide for him while remaining in the land that God had given him.

While Abraham was down in Egypt, Abraham dishonored his wife, he dishonored the Lord, he was rebuked by Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and he was sent out of the land of Egypt. But one of the things that is so refreshing about Abraham is that when he left Egypt, he went back to the place where he was before he went down into Egypt. Upon his return, he built an altar, and he began to call upon the name of the Lord.

How important this lesson is for us today. In the book of I John, Chapter 1 and verse 9, the Apostle John tells us that when we sin, we are to confess our sin. And he says that if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Everyone of us is just like Abraham. Many times we fail to trust God completely. As a result we go down into Egypt, away from the Lord, and we have to come back to the place where we were when we sinned so that we can confess that sin to the Lord.

After we confess our sin, the Lord restores us to fellowship with Him once again. We don’t have to be saved again. We don’t have to be born again, over and over again. But when we sin, after we are saved, we are to confess our sin. In a way, this sort of washes our feet. We don’t have to be bathed all over again, but we do have to have our feet cleansed when our walk is defiled by sin.

Abraham gives us a beautiful picture of the person who sins and then is restored to fellowship with God as he returns to God and calls upon the name of the Lord. Now notice how this restored fellowship is really used of God in Genesis, Chapter 13. We will begin reading with verse five:

Genesis 13:5-8 NKJV
5 Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents.
6 Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together.
7 And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land.
8 So Abram said to Lot,"Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren.

I don’t think we’re inappropriately reading into this when we say that Abraham was particularly concerned about this situation because of the message it was sending to the nations that lived around them. The Canaanites and the Perizzites undoubtedly were watching Abraham and Lot because they knew that Abraham and Lot believed in the true and the living God, and they were carefully observing the power of their faith. Abraham must have recognized that this situation was a problem, so he went to Lot to resolve the conflict.

The first principle that we see here is that if there is a conflict between two brothers, the one who is walking in fellowship with the Lord and is therefore sensitive to the Lord’s leading, must take the initiative to go to the other brother and endeavor to resolve the conflict. So Abraham went to talk with Lot, but he did not go with a list of demands. Abraham did not go to Lot in a judgmental way. But notice what Abraham said:

Genesis 13:8 NKJV
8 So Abram said to Lot,"Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren.

Clearly, Abraham took a place of humility. He besought Lot, he pleaded with Lot to resolve the conflict. Abraham said:

Genesis 13:9 NKJV
9 Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left."

Abraham had every right to say:

Now Lot, there is a conflict between us, and this can’t happen anymore. So here’s what I want you to do. God has given me this land and because he has given me this land, I’m going to show you how we will resolve this conflict. I’m going to give you that particular portion of land over there, and I want you and your herdsmen to go over there. As for me, I will take this other portion of land.

No, Abraham did not do what he had the right to do. Abraham gave the choice to Lot. He said, Lot, if you go to the left I will go to the right, but if you go to the right I will go to the left. Abraham left the choice with Lot. Abraham gave up his own rights so that there might be peace and so that the conflict might be resolved. In the book of Philippians, Chapter 2, the Apostle Paul says:

Philippians 2:5-8 NKJV
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,
7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

This carries the idea that Jesus Christ was there in heaven as God, and yet He did not think that His position of equality with the Father was so precious that He could not given it up. He did not feel that He had to hold onto that position of privilege at all cost. No, He willingly laid aside that to which He had a right.

He was willing to lay aside all of the glory and significance of His rightful position, and He was willing to come down to the earth and take a position as a servant. Here we have the God of glory laying aside His rightful position and taking the position of a servant.

As a servant, He gave His life for your sins and for my sins. He was willing to be born into a cursed world, a world that was cursed by sin, and He went to the cross to take that curse upon Himself. He died for your sins and for mine.

This was the mind of Christ, and may I say as a little aside here that there may be one of you who is listening this morning who has never trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. You still have never become a child of God. Oh, I trust that you will see today that God so loved you that He was willing to give His son, and His son loved you so much that He was willing to lay aside His right to remain in heaven so that He could come down to this earth to be your Savior. I trust that if you don’t know Him today that you will come to Him and say:

Lord Jesus, I want to thank You for dying for me, and I want to trust You as my Savior. I want you to save me right now because I’m totally believing in You as my Savior, the one who redeemed me from all of my sins.

God says that when you have this kind of faith, He will count your faith for righteousness.

And it may be that you are already a Christian, but you are out of fellowship with God. It may be that you have been down in Egypt, and you sense that it is time for you to come back out of Egypt. If so, it is time for you to go back to the place where you left God, so that you can confess that sin to God, so that you can tell God that you want to serve Him and fellowship with Him, and that you want to worship Him, and that you want to have His will done in your life.

When you do that, God will begin to work in your life and reveal Himself to you though His word. Then you can be like Abraham. You can have spiritual understanding and perceive things that those who are out of fellowship with God can not perceive.

Abraham recognized the problem that was being caused by the strife between his herdsmen and Lot’s herdsmen, and he wanted to have that conflict resolved. It seems as though Lot was indifferent to the problem, almost unaware of the problem. In this, Lot is a picture of the worldly Christian in that the worldly Christian will not be sensitive to the spiritual dangers that surrounds him.

So Abraham let Lot choose which direction he wanted to go, but I want you to notice the basis upon which Lot made his choice. Let’s read verse 10.

Genesis 13:10 NKJV
10 And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar.

Lot lifted up his eyes and saw the well watered plains of Jordan. The scriptures declare that we are to walk by faith and not by sight. When we look at the things around us, and if we make our decisions based on the things that we see around us, we are walking just like every other person that’s in the world.

The Apostle Paul says that the believer who does this is a carnal Christian. This is typical of the Christian who is out of fellowship with God. On the other hand, the Christian who is in fellowship with God will be looking into God’s word and seeking direction from God’s word, because he will know that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

If you’re in fellowship with God, you will be studying God’s word and hiding God’s word in your heart. You’ll be able to perceive spiritual truths, and you will be able to recognize spiritual dangers, so that you will be able to make decisions that are based on the spiritual truths that are taught in the word of God. The book of Psalms tells us:

Psalms 119:105 KJV
105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Lot lifted up his eyes, and rather than walking by faith, He chose to walk by sight. Abraham on the other hand was walking by faith and not by sight. He was willing to let Lot make the choice.

Now notice again what Lot saw. He saw the well watered plains of Jordan. He said, this is just like paradise, this is just like Eden, this is just like the garden of the Lord. You see, when a man is walking by sight, his natural mind will always lead him in the direction of those things that appear on the outside to be beautiful. He will think, if I can just get this or that, my life will be like paradise.

Undoubtedly, Lot looked at those well watered plains, and he said, look at all of that grass. I’ll never again have to worry about pasture for my cattle. So he chose the well watered plains of Jordan.

But I want you to notice that there was another description of those well watered plains. To Lot, they looked like paradise, the garden of the Lord, but they were also described as being like Egypt as one goes down to Zoar. As we said before, Egypt is a picture of the world, and so it was that Lot chose the way of the world.

Satan never tempts us with the ugliness of the world or the destructiveness of the things of the world. He will always tempt us with the attractiveness of the things of the world. Lot saw the well watered plains of Jordan, and to him it was like paradise, it was like the garden of the Lord, but God saw that it was like Egypt.

As we go on, we are going to see the results of Lot’s desire to go down into the well watered plains of Jordan. Lot made the wrong choice because he was walking by sight, and Lot was sure to face the consequences of that choice. Oh, how important it is for us today to be in a position where we can make choices that are pleasing to the Lord.

Well, I see our time is gone. The Lord willing we will be back with you again next week as we continue our study of Lot. Until that time, we bid you goodbye.

Church links:

http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/

http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/

http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/

Genesis (Part 19)(BST 10-19-08)

Genesis (Part 19)
Bible Study Time 10-19-08
(From James Roberts 12-22-96)

The past several Sundays we have been on a Journey Through the Scripture, and we’ve been looking at Genesis, Chapter 12, where we see Abraham, the great patriarch of the nation of Israel. We saw that God gave to Abraham great and precious promises while he was still in UR of the Chaldeans. It was at that time that God told Abram to get out of his country and leave his family and his father’s house. God told Abram that He would show him the land into which he should go. Then, God gave this promise to Abraham:

Genesis 12:2-3 NKJV
2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

As we go on into the seventh verse, we see that the Lord promised to Abraham and to his descendants the land of Palestine. In Genesis, Chapter 15, we see this covenant confirmed once again, that all of the land of Palestine was to be given to Abraham.

Now keep in mind that the promise God gave to Abraham was that God was going to bless Abraham and that through Abraham all the nations of the earth would be blessed. All through the Old Testament we find the promise that great blessings would come to the nations of the world through Abraham’s multiplied seed.

From the time that God called the nation of Israel out of the land of Egypt and made a covenant with them at Mt. Sinai, it was His plan for them to be a light to the nations of the world. It was God’s plan to make of them a holy nation and a royal priesthood and that they would be a blessing to the nations of the earth.

Keep in mind that Abraham had two sons. Ishmael was born of a bondwoman, while Isaac was born of Sarah, the free woman. God specifically told Abraham that the promised seed would come through Isaac. God made it clear that it would be Isaac’s descendants who would inherit the land of Palestine and become a blessing to the nations of the earth.

This covenant between God and Abraham promised to Abraham and the descendants of Isaac the whole land of Palestine, and so it is called the Palestinian Covenant. This is one of the great sticking points in all of the negotiations in the Middle East today. The big question is, who’s going to occupy the land of Palestine?

Well, one day when the Lord Jesus Christ comes back and sets up His kingdom on the earth, the nations of the earth will be blessed through the nation of Israel. At that time, the nation of Israel will occupy the land of Palestine in a greater way than ever before. The part of Abraham’s seed through Isaac that will inherit the land of Palestine, the land of promise.

When we come to the book of Hebrews, Chapter 11, we find something rather strange. We find that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob did not possess the land that had been promised to them. In Hebrews, Chapter 11 and verse 12, we read:

Hebrews 11:12-16 NKJV
12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude — innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.
13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
14 For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland.
15 And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return.
16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

Notice that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were strangers and pilgrims in the land of Canaan while they were alive. They did not possess the land even though it was promised to them. But now God has prepared a heavenly city for them, and it is the country of this city that they now desire.

When the Lord Jesus Christ came to the earth, He came preaching the gospel of the kingdom. This gospel proclaimed that Jesus Christ had come to establish the kingdom of God on the earth. The angel made this announcement to Mary:

Luke 1:31-33 NKJV
31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.
32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.
33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end."

The great promise to David was that one of His descendants would sit upon His throne and rule and reign over the earth in an everlasting kingdom. That promise looked forward to the day when the Lord Jesus Christ would come and sit upon the throne of David in an earthly kingdom.

Someday, this promise will be fulfilled. At that time, the nation of Israel will not only occupy the land of Palestine, but they will inherit all of the earth. This is when all of the promises that were given to Abraham will be fulfilled.

However, according to the book of Hebrews, it seems that there was a part of Abraham’s seed that was not looking for an earthly inheritance. Rather, they were looking for a heavenly inheritance, a heavenly city that God had prepared for them.

When we come to Chapter 21 in the book of the Revelation, we see a city that comes down from God out of heaven. That city is called the Bride, the Lamb’s Wife. It is referred to as the New Jerusalem, the heavenly city.

When we read those verses in Revelation, Chapter 21, we see that God is not talking about heaven, as many people seem to think. This is a description of the city that is going to come down out of heaven, and this is the heavenly city that God has prepared for Abraham and his seed. It is the descendants of Abraham who were said to be looking for this heavenly city.

As we read the description of that city in Revelation 21, we see its Jewish character. We see that the names of the 12 apostles will be in the 12 foundations. There will be 12 gates that lead into the city. These are all things that relate to the nation of Israel, the multiplied seed of Abraham. All of the promises that God has given to Israel will flow to them through Abraham.

Notice then that among those who are Abraham’s seed there are two different groups with different hopes. One group has a heavenly hope while the other has an earthly hope. Those with an earthly hope will be the ministers of God on the earth during the earthly kingdom, and they will bring great blessings to the nations of the earth. This is the time when the meek shall inherit the earth and there will be peace on earth and good will toward men. This is the time when the Prince of Peace will rule from the throne of His father David.

But the other group within Abraham’s seed will be looking for that city that is going to come down out of heaven. This group will be a part of the Bride the Lamb’s Wife.

I believe that this distinction between the two different groups within the seed of Abraham is alluded to in Hebrews, Chapter 11, where we read that the seed of Abraham will be in number as the stars of the heaven and as the sand the seashore. This seems to me to be an interesting way for God to show the two different groups.

The one group, which will be as numerous as the stars of the heavens, will have a heavenly hope. The other group, which will be as numerous as the sands of the seashore, will have an earthly hope. All of this will come about as God works out his plan and purpose for the nation of Israel, the multiplied seed of Abraham.

But in the book of Galatians, Chapter 3, the Apostle Paul makes an interesting statement. He says:

Galatians 3:10-14 NKJV
10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them."
11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for "the just shall live by faith."
12 Yet the law is not of faith, but "the man who does them shall live by them."
13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"),
14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Here we see that the blessings of Abraham were to come upon the Gentiles, those were not descendants of Abraham. Obviously, Paul understood the ramifications of the promise that was given to Abraham, that through him all the nations of the earth would be blessed. This is referring to the Gentile nations of the world. Now notice in verse 16, we read:

Galatians 3:16 NKJV
16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, "And to seeds," as of many, but as of one, "And to your Seed," who is Christ.

We have seen that Abraham’s seed may be divided into two different groups of people with two different hopes, one earthly and one heavenly. But now we see two completely different aspects of the seed of Abraham. One is the multiplied seed, which would include all of the descendants of Abraham who have the faith of Abraham, while the other is the singular Seed, the Lord Jesus Christ.

This singular Seed of Abraham was to be made under the Law so that He could redeem those who were under the Law. Through this one man, the Lord Jesus Christ, blessing was to come to the nation of Israel. He was to make it possible for them to receive the Holy Spirit of God and become a new nation. As such, they would be empowered to bring blessing to the nations of the earth.

Today, those of us who are members of the Church which is the Body of Christ have all of our blessings in this same person, the Lord Jesus Christ. He did not come to the earth just to fulfill the promises that were made to Abraham, but He came to seek and to save all those who are lost.

In the book of Ephesians, Chapter 1, the Apostle Paul tells us that all believers today are blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Our hope is that one day, as members of the Church which is the Body of Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ will appear in the glory of heaven and take us up to be with Him in heaven, where we will forever be with the Lord.

There will be a part of Abraham’s seed that will look for the kingdom of Jesus Christ here on this earth where the meek shall inherit the earth. Then there will be a part of Abraham’s seed that will look for a city that comes down out of heaven, and they will become the Bride, the Lamb’s Wife. But the Church which is the Body of Christ will be united in the heavens with Christ before either of these groups see the realization of their hope.

Regardless of the various programs of God through the ages, it is a profound truth that all believers from all ages gain access to the Father through the shed blood of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He came as the Seed of Abraham to fulfill the promises that were made to Abraham, but when He shed His blood on the cross, He provided the means of salvation for all those who believe.

Well, I see that our time is gone. The Lord willing we will take up again next week with our Journey Through the Scripture. Until that time, we bid you goodbye.

Church links:

http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/

http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/

http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/

Genesis (Part 18)(BST 10-12-08)

Genesis (Part 18)
Bible Study Time 10-12-08
(From James Roberts 12-1-96)

Last week in our Journey Through the Scripture, we saw Noah’s three sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth. We saw that these three sons and their descendants were all in one place, and they all had one language and one speech. In Romans, Chapter 1, Paul said that God was restraining the evil ways of these people by the revelation that He had given of Himself through the creation.

However, the people did not want anything to do with God’s revelation of Himself. They changed the glory of the incorruptible God and made images like unto man and four footed beasts and creeping things. They began to worship the creation rather than the creator, who is blessed forever.

These descendants of Noah were guilty of gross idolatry and gross immorality, so God withdrew the restraining power of revelation that He had given of Himself through the creation, and He confounded their speech. It seems as though He gave each of the different families of Shem, Ham and Japheth different languages so that the different families went into different parts of the earth. This resulted in the various nations that are present on the earth today.

Before this confusion of languages, the people all met together at a place called Babel, which has always played a very important role in God’s dealings with the nations of the earth. This is especially true for the nation of Israel.

In Revelation, Chapter 17, we read about the great tribulation period and about God’s dealings with the nation of Israel during that time. This will be the time when the antichrist, the man of sin, will be ruling and reigning over the earth, and the system through which he operates will be “anti-Christ.” His system will be religious, political and economic, and a part of this great system is referred to in Revelation, Chapter 17, as Mystery Babylon the Great which is said to be the mother of all harlots and the mother of all of the abominations on the earth.

Now, how is it that this Mystery Babylon will be the mother of all of the abominations on the earth? Well, when the descendants of Noah all gathered together at Babel, they followed after a common idolatrous system. When God scattered them abroad, each family took this system of idolatry with them. Therefore, all through the ages we have seen vestiges of this idolatrous system showing up in various times and places. During the tribulation period, this idolatrous system will once again be united under the antichrist. The religion of the antichrist will have its roots in the idolatrous system of Babel, and it will most certainly be anti-Christ.

Even today we are starting to see the reemergence of this system. Today, we see a great emphasis upon inclusiveness, where people want to believe that all religions have validity. More and more, people rebel against the idea that there is only one way to gain access to God. But the Bible is very clear that Jesus Christ said:

John 14:6
6 . . . I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by me.

All of the religious systems of the world have their own approach to God, and this includes the Christian religion, if you just consider the Christian religion as a whole. But the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself, revealed Himself in the word of God as the only way to the Father. If you want access to the Father, you must come the narrow way, through the Lord Jesus Christ and through faith in His death, burial and resurrection.

What we find in the New Age movement today is really not new; it had its beginning in Babylon. But in the new age movement today we see the infusion of eastern religions and all of the various idolatrous practices that were spread out over the world after the tower of Babel. These practices are now starting to have an impact on the Christian religion here in America in regard to its view of the Lord Jesus Christ. Even in the Christian religion, it is hard for people to accept that the Lord Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father.

In Genesis, Chapter 10, we find Nimrod, the grandson of Ham. It was Nimrod who started the city of Babel and who undoubtedly started the idolatrous practices of that city. But then, in Genesis, Chapter 12, we find the promise of a descendant of Shem who would come through Abraham and who would bring blessing to all the families of the earth. This, of course, was a veiled promise concerning the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Keep in mind that all of the descendants of Shem, Ham and Japheth were idolatrous, including Terah who was Abraham’s father. There are passages in the Bible that describe Abraham before he met the Lord. They describe him as being a Syrian who was ready to perish. He was an idolater and he lived in an idolatrous family, even though he was from the family of Shem through whom the righteous line was promised.

In Genesis, Chapter 11, we find that Terah had three sons, Abram, Nahor and Haran. Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans where he was born, but Terah took Abram and Nahor and their families from Ur of the Chaldeans to a place which they named Haran. In Genesis, Chapter 12, we find that this was not according to God’s plan. Verse one says:

Genesis 12:1 NKJV
1 Now the Lord had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you.

Along with these instructions, God also gave Abram these promises:

Genesis 12:2-3 NKJV
2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

So Abram departed from Ur of the Chaldeans but did not do so in accordance with God’s instructions. God had instructed Abram to separate himself from his father’s family. Instead, Abram left Ur of the Chaldeans with his father and all of his father’s family, and they went to a place which they named Haran. This is the place where Terah, Abram’s father, died.

I remember listening to Dr. De Haan as he taught on this passage many years ago. He stated that Terah was a picture of the old nature, that is, the corrupt nature with which we are born. God had revealed himself to Abram as the God of glory, and He had told Abram to leave his father, Terah, his old way life, and move on to a new life without Terah. In other words, Abram was to separate himself from his old way of life.

Well, Abram was like many of us. When God calls us and saves us, we are often reluctant to give up our old way of life. We are willing to become a child of God, but we may also want to bring along with us the Terahs and the Lots of the old life.

Dr. De Haan said that Terah is a picture of the old man and that Abram could not go into the land of promise until Terah died. Then he added, thank God the old man died. Dr. De Haan showed so clearly that until the old nature is reckoned to be dead indeed unto sin and until we reckon ourselves to be alive unto God, we can never enter into the full blessings of God. Until we reckon the old man to be dead indeed unto sin, we can never walk in newness of life.

Abraham had obeyed, but it was an incomplete obedience. Arthur Pink gives the definition of the word Haran and says that it means parched place. Abram had to live in a parched place until the old man died. Only after the old man died was Abram able to leave the parched place and move on into His place of blessing. Oh, what a difference it made when the old man died!

May I just say this to you? What a beautiful picture this is for you and for me. If you have never trusted the Lord Jesus Christ and have never received the revelation that God has given to us in His word, I trust that you will listen to what God is saying to you today.

God loved you enough that He sent His son into the world. The Lord Jesus loved you enough to leave His realm of blessing and fellowship with the Father, where He lived in equality with the Father. He left that realm of blessing to come down to this earth and be born as a baby, to live as a man. He was God, manifest in the flesh, Immanuel.

In His body of flesh, He went to the cross and there He died, the Just One for us, the unjust. He knew no sin, but He was made the sin offering for us. He did this so that we might become new creations, so that we might become new born children of God, so that we might, as it were, leave our father’s house and leave behind the old nature, putting it in the past, so that we might go on to the place of blessing.

I wonder today if there is one listening to this broadcast who has never trusted Christ. If you have never trusted Christ, I pray that you will come to know Jesus Christ as your Savior, so that you can become a child of God.

I wonder if there are those of you who are listening today who are like Abram was in the initial stage of his walk with the Lord. Abram wanted to carry with him much of his old life, so that he had to dwell in Haran, the parched place. Are you dwelling in Haran today? Are you dwelling in a parched place? Or are you willing to leave behind the old life and move on into your place of blessing with the Lord?

Well, I see our time is gone. The Lord willing, we are going to continue in our Journey Through the Scripture next week. Until that time, we bid you goodbye.

Church links:

http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/

http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/

http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/

Genesis (Part 17)(BST 10-5-08)

Genesis (Part 17)
Bible Study Time 10-5-08
(From James Roberts 11-24-96)

If you have an opportunity to do so, we would like to encourage you to get your Bible and turn with us to the book of Genesis, Chapter 12. Last week, in our Journey Through the Scripture, we saw something of the description of Noah’s three sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth. They and their descendants forsook the Lord and rushed head long into gross idolatry.

God had revealed Himself to them as the creator, and the creation, itself, was enough to reveal His every attribute. Even the invisible attributes of God were revealed in and through the creation.

However, the descendants of Noah did not want to retain any knowledge of God. Therefore, they begin to worship and serve the creature rather than the creator, who is blessed forever. The book of Romans tells us that God withdrew the restraining power of His revelation of Himself so that He gave up the nations to go in their own way, to live in an unrestrained way, to fill up the lusts of their flesh. They simply tried to crowd out of their minds any knowledge of God.

But before God gave up the nations to go in their own way, He called out one man from the family of Shem whose name was Abram. God gave Abram certain instructions along with a great promise. Notice what God said in verse one of Genesis, Chapter 12:

Genesis 12:1-3 NKJV
1 Now the Lord had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you.
2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

In verse 1 we read that God had told Abram to leave his country, his family and his father’s house, but according to Genesis, Chapter 11, Abraham actually left his country with his father, Terah, and all of his father’s family.

As we study further, we will see that God did not reveal the full extent of His promise to Abram until after Abram finally separated himself from Lot, the last of his father’s family. It was not until that point that God promised all of the land of Palestine to Abram. At that point, God showed Abram all the land of Palestine and said, this is the land I’m going to give to you and to your seed. This promise is called by many the Palestinian Covenant.

Now notice God’s promise in Genesis, Chapter 12, and verse 2:

Genesis 12:2-3 NKJV
2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

As we look at this first aspect of the promise, we see that God said, I will make you a great nation. In one sense, that has already been fulfilled. Abraham’s family went down into Egypt in the days of Joseph, and they lived there for 430 years. At the end of that time, God brought them out of Egypt, not as a family, but as a nation. As Israel traveled from Egypt to the land of Canaan, God gave them the Law at Mt. Sinai, and it was at Mt. Sinai that God first started dealing with Israel as a nation.

It was God’s plan to make of Israel a great nation. After He gave them the Law, He said, I’m going to take you into the land of Canaan where you are to be a light to the nations round about you. Indeed, this was God’s great plan and purpose for the nation of Israel.

There was a time during the days of David and Solomon that Israel showed great promise as a nation. It was in those days that the kingdom of Israel reached its zenith in power, glory and riches. It was a wonderful kingdom at that time, but soon it began to decline. Ultimately, it was taken captive by the Assyrians and the Babylonians, and it has been in decline ever since.

However, some day this promise that God made to Abraham is going to be fulfilled completely. When the Lord Jesus Christ returns to this earth and takes the reins of government by His mighty power, His name shall be great. He shall be the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

At that time the Lord Jesus Christ will establish the nation of Israel as the greatest nation on the face of the earth. At that time Israel will become a new nation because they will be born again. They will be given a new heart by the power of the Holy Spirit. This will be during the millennial kingdom when Jesus Christ rules and reigns over all the earth for a thousand years.

The glorious days of David and Solomon were just a faint picture of the glory and the power that will belong to the nation of Israel during the millennium. While Israel was under the Law, her constant desire was to be like the rest of the nations. She had no desire to show forth the glory of God.

But one day Israel will show forth the glory of God. As the head of all the nations, she will serve the Lord and minister to the nations. Yes, she will be the greatest, but she will also be the servant. As the Lord Jesus said, the one who is the greatest will be the servant of them all.

At that time the nation of Israel will be a royal priesthood and a holy nation. As the priests of the kingdom, the Jews will go throughout the world teaching the nations how to love, serve and worship the Lord who will be ruling and reigning in Jerusalem at that time. Oh yes, this great promise to Abraham awaits its final fulfillment when God will make of Abraham a great nation.

God told Abraham that He would bless Abraham and make Abraham’s name great. That too has already been partially fulfilled. Abraham’s name is revered among Christians and Jews and even among Islamic people. It is common among all of these different groups for children to be named Abraham because all three have ties to Abraham.

Keep in mind that Abraham had two sons, Isaac and Ishmael. It was through Ishmael that the Arab nations came into being. However, Isaac was the son of promise. It was through Isaac that the promise of the great nation and the great name would be fulfilled. The Lord Jesus Christ came through Isaac as the promised Seed of Abraham, and His name is above every name. One day, when the descendants of Isaac put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, they will become the greatest nation on the fact of the earth.

Now notice God’s promise in verse 3:

Genesis 12:3 NKJV
3 I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you . . .

One day the Lord Jesus Christ is going to take the church of this present dispensation home to be with Himself in the glory of heaven. After that, God is going to bring a time of great tribulation upon this earth. During that time of tribulation, God will separate the sheep from the goats on the basis of their relationship to Israel. Those nations that protect the believing Jewish people will be the sheep and they will be blessed, but those who persecute the nation of Israel will be the goats and they will perish; they will be cursed.

At the close of the tribulation period, before the Lord Jesus Christ establishes His kingdom upon the earth, God will separate the sheep from the goats. The sheep will enter into the blessing of the kingdom while the goats will be cast off into darkness where they will be separated from God and from His blessings.

The final words of God’s blessing upon Abram read:

Genesis 12:3 NKJV
3 . . . in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

This blessing of God upon the nation of Israel will not be a self serving type of glory, but it will result in great blessings for all the families of the earth. In the kingdom, Israel will be the ministers of the Lord Jesus as they serve the nations of the world.

Today, God has suspended this promise that He made to Israel through Abraham, but why did God suspend this promise? We see in the gospel accounts that when the Lord Jesus Christ came to the nation of Israel, they rejected Him. There was a small remnant of believers among the Jews who did believe in the Lord Jesus, but for the most part the Jews rejected Him. They said, away with Him, we have no king but Caesar.

After the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, God continued to offer the kingdom to the nation of Israel through the preaching of the Apostles. This offer was open to the nation of Israel throughout the period of time covered by the book of Acts, but throughout that time, the nation of Israel steadfastly refused to accept Jesus Christ as her promised Messiah and King.

At the close of the time period covered by the book of Acts, God temporarily set aside His offer of the kingdom. God did not do away with the promise, and He did not change the promise so as to give the kingdom to others. God simply suspended the promise, while He started calling out the Church of our present age.

Now may I say this to you? In one sense, our spiritual blessings today come to us through the Promised Seed of Abraham, who is the Lord Jesus Christ. It was He who went to the cross where He died for our sins that we might become the children of God. The very moment we trust Him as Savior, God makes us children of God, and Ephesians, Chapter 1, says:

Ephesians 1:3 NKJV
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

Our blessings today are not the blessings of the earthly kingdom which were promised to Abraham. Our blessings are spiritual blessings which are found in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Do you know him today as the one who died for you, and who is officiating today as the Head of the Church which is the Body of Christ? I trust that you do, and that you have this immeasurable blessing because you know Him as Savior.

Well, the Lord willing, we will take up on our Journey Through the Scripture again next week. Until that time, we bid you goodbye.

Church links:

http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/

http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/

http://graceBiblechurch-fw.com/