The Promise of John the Baptist

  Book of Luke Chapter 1 Verses 4 through 25

 An Angel Foretold John's Birth 

 Who was Luke, who wrote the Book of Luke and the Book of Acts?

 Luke was a physician, maybe the most educated of all the writers of the Scriptures.

Luke was a Gentile, the only Gentile writer of the Scriptures.

 He was familiar with the Greek and Roman world and the Gospels.

 No doubt he was very familiar with the Apostle Paul.

 He stresses the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the person of Christ, and the ministry to the Gentiles.

 Luke is seen with Paul at Troas, a city in Asia Minor.

 Luke went to Jerusalem with Paul when Paul was arrested.

 Luke was with Paul when he was a prisoner in Caesarea.

 Luke was with Paul when Paul was imprisoned in Rome.

 Paul called Luke the beloved physician: Col 4:14  Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you.

 Paul called Luke a fellow worker in the spreading of the Gospel: Phm 1:24  Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fellowlabourers. 

 Luke was the last one to remain with Paul in his imprisonment.

 The writing of the Book of Luke and the Book of Acts was probably in the first century 58-62 AD, because Luke did not mention the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD, and he would have.

 Who was this Theophilus? Some believe he was a Gentile convert to Christianity and possibly a high official in the Roman government.

 This is suggested by the use of the words "most excellent".

 Because that name, Theophilus, means "Lover of God".

 We should know that there were many early attempts to narrate the life of Jesus Christ, but the four Gospels give us all that we need to know and preserve everything that was accurate and essential when those others did not.

 We know that the Gospels were led by the Holy Spirit, and only the books that were guided by and approved by the Holy Spirit make up the canon of the Bible we have today.

 Luke gives us an eyewitness account of the life of Jesus Christ. Luke was not an eyewitness, but he chose to get his information from those who were eyewitnesses to the life of Jesus Christ.

 The Book of Luke is the Gospel of salvation. Luke uses the words salvation and Savior many more times than the other Gospels.

 The Book of Luke gives us an orderly view of the whole life of Jesus Christ.

 Luke's Gospel is a record of historical events that are being verified every day!

 We will begin in verse 4

 *****Luk 1:4  That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed. 

 It may be that the purpose of the Book of Luke is to look at the Lord Jesus Christ as Man, the Son of Man.

 Joh 19:5  Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man! 

 Pilate realized that "here stands the Man of God, who has fallen into the hands of mere men and our Lord Jesus came willingly.

 The intent of Luke was to establish the truth of Jesus Christ, God's Messiah.

 As Christians we must know that Christianity is based upon the truth of the Almighty God!

 The Gospel is more about God's creating power than His deliverance.

 Believers are "Born Again" a new creation of God!

 Tit_3:5  Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

 Col 3:10  And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: 

 2Co 5:17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 

 To become a Christian is to be accepted by the only true God, our Creator.

 Eph 1:6  To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 

 The greatest feeling we can have as believers is to know we have been accepted by our Creator and chosen to join Him in Heaven in His house.

 Joh 14:2  In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 

Joh 14:3  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. 

Joh 14:4  And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. 

 Let us look at the birth of John the Baptist.

 *****Luk 1:5  There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. 

Luk 1:6  And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.

 The parents of John the Baptist were righteous parents; they were godly parents.

 This is the foundation that every child should have.

 This family was childless because Elisabeth was barren.

 So, John the Baptist was a promised child.

 The name Zacharias means "Remembered of Jehovah".

 That phrase “the course of Abia" has a meaning.

 There were 24 groups assigned to the Temple, of all the descendants of Aaron, and Zacharias was in the eighth group.

 Each group served in the Temple for one week twice every year.

 John's mother was Elisabeth, and her name means "One whose oath is to God".

 Elisabeth was the daughter of a priest.

 She was a pure woman, a virgin at her marriage.

 All priests were required to marry a virgin.

The Bride of Christ must be considered the virgin wife (without sin) of our Great High Priest, Jesus Christ

 Like everyone who has ever lived, they had human problems in their lives.

 They were committed to each other, and they were committed to Jehovah.

 They spent their lives doing the things that pleased God.

 They obeyed the commandments.

They obeyed the ordinances.

They were blameless.

 These things do not mean they were perfect.

 None of us can be perfect until we reach Heaven's gates.

 They were faithful and living in such a way that no one could charge them with open sin.

This should be the same for Christians of today.

 They had now become elderly.

 John was promised to these godly parents right at the end of the reign of Herod the Great.

 This Herod also reigned at the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ and died during the time that Joseph had taken the Lord Jesus to Egypt to keep Him safe, though Herod could never have harmed Him.

 It was the providence of God.

 We know that Herod murdered every child in Bethlehem up to the age of two years old.

 Herod the Great was a wicked man.

 *****Luk 1:7  And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years. 

 We should remember that God had promised His Messiah since the time of Moses.

 Deu 18:18  I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.

The Messiah would have a Jewish mother.

 Elisabeth had spent her entire life knowing that she could never be the mother of the Messiah because she was barren.

This was the wish of every Jewish mother. 

Some even considered baroness as a punishment for sin.

  1Sa 1:6  And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb. 

 She felt she was disfavored and displeasing to God.

 God was about to change things for Elisabeth.

 *****Luk 1:8  And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course, 

Luk 1:9  According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.

 For Zacharias, burning incense in the Temple was a great honor.

 A priest would probably only get one chance for this duty their whole lifetime.

 This duty was chosen by lot, and the lot was cast to choose one of those who had never had this opportunity, and finally, near the end of his life, Zacharias had been chosen.

 The incense was burned upon the altar by a priest before the morning service and after the evening service.

 The aroma of the incense was just like a prayer, as it enveloped the sacrifice and that aroma before the throne room of God.

 We should understand that the golden incense altar represents Jesus Christ as our Mediator.

 1Ti 2:5  For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 

1Ti 2:6  Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. 

 The golden altar of incense stood squarely in front of the Mercy Seat, depicting Jesus Christ interceding at God's right hand.

 Having a son to be born into any family at that time was also considered one of the greatest blessings from God.

 Both Zacharias and Elisabeth had remained faithful even though they were childless.

 Jas 5:11  Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy. 

 *****Luk 1:10  And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.

Zacharias and Elisabeth had many friends, and those friends were praying for Zacharias while he performed this great honor, and he also was praying.

 We should be praying for our pastor the whole time he is preaching and giving us the Word of God.

 1Ch 16:11  Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually. 

 If we do not see anything else, we should be able to see that we must patiently serve the Lord continuously all our days because He knows what we are going through, and remaining faithful is the only path to great blessings.

 Things were about to change for this godly family.

 *****Luk 1:11  And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 

Luk 1:12  And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 

Luk 1:13  But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. 

Luk 1:14  And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. 

Luk 1:15  For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. 

Luk 1:16  And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. 

Luk 1:17  And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. 

 No doubt that Zacharias and Elisabeth were people who prayed, and they may have seen prayers answered for others, but they dearly wanted a child and preferred a son.

 We must realize a son was more apt to help them in their old age than a daughter in that day.

 Zacharias was even praying while he was performing his duties in the Temple.

 Zacharias was in God's House and working near the Holy of Holies on the right side of the Golden Altar of Incense.

 It seems that the right side is always the right side of the Lord to be on.

 Mat 25:33  And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 

Mat 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: 

 This was the place for prayer, and the angel of the Lord said Zacharia's prayer had been heard in Heaven.

 In the Book of Luke, we see more about angels than any other of the preachers in his day.

 Notice the first words of the angel were "fear not".

 Zacharias had nothing to fear, for he was a godly man, but not a perfect man, because we see that doubt entered into him.

 The Hebrew name for John is Johanna and is the name of four other Israelites.

 John the Baptist

John the Apostle

John Mark, who traveled with Apostle Paul for a short time.

John, the Kindred of Caiaphas

John, the father of Simon Peter

John, the son of Zacharias and Elisabeth, would be a great man of God.

John would cause his parents to be proud of him.

John would be great in the sight of God.

John would be like one of the prophets of old, Elijah.

John would take the vow of the Nazarene.

John would be filled with the Holy Spirit from his birth.

John would cause many to rejoice.

 There had been 400 years of silence of the time between the Old Testament and the New Testament, during which God did not speak to His people, and no Scripture was written. 

The 400 years of silence began with the warning that closed the Old Testament: “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD. 

He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse," and this period ended with the coming of John the Baptist, the Messiah’s forerunner.

 Mal 4:5  Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: 

Mal 4:6  And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

 The thing we can see is the fact that God does reward those who are faithful to Him.

 Next, we should understand that there is no good time to quit on God, especially in our older years.

 1Jn 3:22  And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. 

1Jn 3:23  And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. 

1Jn 3:24  And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us. 

 John the Baptist was the prophet of the New Testament and turned many to the Lord.

 John the Baptist was the forerunner of the promised Messiah, and John preached and lived a whole lot like the Prophet Elijah from the Old Testament.

 Mat 17:10  And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? 

Mat 17:11  And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. 

Mat 17:12  But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. 

Mat 17:13  Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist. 

 *****Luk 1:18  And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. 

Luk 1:19  And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. 

 We should understand that it is never too late for God to answer a prayer, so we must never quit praying.

 Zacharias had lost confidence in himself, and he and his wife had a hard time believing this angel.

 Zacharias had forgotten that he was a child of God and not a child of the world.

 There is nothing too hard for God to accomplish at any time in our lives if we do not give up.

 Jer_32:17  Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:

 Jer_32:27  Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?

 We either believe in God or we don't, at our own peril.

 It is only our Heavenly Father who can overrule the laws of nature!

 The angel Gabriel is one of those angels who stand in the presence of God, awaiting God's commands.

 Isa 63:9  In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old. 

 Mat 18:10  Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.

 We know that Michael is the most powerful angel, but we should not believe that there is any weakness in the angel Gabriel.

 The name Gabriel means "Hero of God".

 Gabriel always brings "Good News”, but Zacharias also got some bad news because of his doubts.

 *****Luk 1:20  And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. 

Luk 1:21  And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple. 

Luk 1:22  And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless. 

 We should understand that angels have no spirit. They speak straight up and do not show emotion.

 They speak the message that God has given to them just as He spoke it.

 To not believe what an angel tells you is to not believe in God the Father who gave him that message!

 We should understand that God's angels are very powerful and they speak reality.

 Because of that moment of doubt, Zacharias would spend the next nine months not being able to speak at all.

 The Jews still have a problem with the truth of God that they need to change.

 They expect God to show them a sign so they can know the truth.

 1Co_1:22  For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:

 Gabriel was not offended by what Zacharias said, but the reaction of Zacharias was an offence to God.

 We need to be careful how we respond to the Word of God.

 The Bible is more about commandments than it is about suggestions.

 If we reject any part of the Word of God, we will certainly not have the ability to share the Word of God with others.

 God will not allow us to speak words of distrust or unbelief to those who need to hear the truth of the Gospel.

 We should understand that the chastening of the Lord can sometimes be painful.

 Rev 3:19  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. 

 We should be more like Jeremiah when we have made such a mistake.

 Jer 10:24  O LORD, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing. 

 We need to ask for God's mercy in His chastisement.

 When the Lord sits as King of this world from Jerusalem, He will put a stop to all unbelief and distrust, just as He did to Zacharias.

 One of the major problems in our prayer life is that we do not believe that God will do what we ask of Him.

 Why pray at all if we do not have enough faith that God will answer our prayers?

 Can God change the course of nature? At any time, He so chooses to do it!

 Zacharias was to lead these people waiting on him in prayer after his work was complete, but he could not because God had taken away his voice until the time that John was born.

 *****Luk 1:23  And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house. 

Luk 1:24  And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, 

Luk 1:25  Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.

Zacharias had lost the use of his voice, but he still fulfilled his duties despite being chastised for unbelief.

He did not quit on God! 

He finished his course, and he returned home.

Elisabeth, after conceiving, hid herself for five months.

We have to think that she needed time alone with God to absorb all that was happening to her and to prepare herself for the job of being a godly parent even in her elder years.

Zacharias and Elisabeth lived to see God fulfill His promise.

When God makes a promise, He will keep that promise!

Elisabeth is conscious of the fact that God has shown His favor to her, and she is thankful.

She had wanted a child all her days of marriage, but it had not happened.

She had been barren, but by a miracle of God, her barrenness was over.

She did all the things she could do to have a healthy baby because she knew John would be used mightily by God.

This child, John the Baptist, would represent the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament as he would preach to the world the soon coming of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.

When we answer God's calling, we become a part of God's salvation plan and the providence of God!

Amen

The Providence of God

 Protection in a Stormy Voyage

Book of Acts Chapter 27

We seem to forget that when God gives us something to do, that He will keep us safe until we have accomplished what He gave us to do. This does not mean we will not suffer. 

The Lord had told Paul in a vision that he would testify in Rome and nothing in this world could stop this from happening, as long as Paul put forth the effort to do so. Paul would never quit on God even though it nearly costs him his life many times.

What had God told Paul? That he would be a witness for the Gospel in Rome.

Act 23:11  And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.

It is at this point that Paul should have realized that he was going to Rome under the providence of God, and nothing in this world could stop this from happening.

When Paul appealed his case to Caesar, Festus had no legal choice, but to send Paul to Rome because this was Paul's right as a Roman citizen.

We sometimes make good plans for the things in our lives, but our plans will always be what the Lord has planned for our lives, and we will always be better for it.

We sometimes seem to forget the power of God.

I believe this is why this story is in the Bible.

Jehovah God controls all aspects of what happens to us as we live upon this earth.

We read of a great storm in the Mediterranean Sea and just how powerless we are as humans to endure such things in nature.

Now we already know that God does not cause the terrible things that happen in this world, but He does not always stop them from happening when He certainly has the power to do so.

Paul would make a safe journey to Rome though it would be a rough journey.

Paul was traveling with hardened soldiers and men of the sea, who did not know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior.

Maybe God allowed all these things to happen just so some of them would recognize that there is a God and He was the God of the Apostle Paul and some of them would be saved.

Unlike Jonah who was running away from God, Paul was running to God, but both were under the control of the providence of God.

God will have His way with us!

God will also test us in many ways!

As Christians we must trust that God will do as He says He will do.

We must know that God does not ever make a mistake. (Not Ever)

God does care for us.

1Pe_5:7  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

So far, Paul's keepers had made the right decisions on this trip to Rome.

Those captains of those ships had also used their knowledge of the Seas to do the right things.

Where they would fail is when the man of God, Paul, gave good advice and they ignored the Word of God, but God still did not allow even one man to lose his life.

There were certain times of the year when the Mediterranean Sea was more dangerous than at other times.

This proved to be true, as Paul sailed toward Rome as a prisoner but still a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ.

*****Act 27:14  But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon.

As Christians in the service of the Lord Jesus Christ, we will find that the winds are not always favorable to our Christian journey.

We may find many fair havens.

These fair havens may not meet the desires of the world but are just a refuge from those storms.

Many will leave these places just because of their distance from the world when they are the safest places to stay.

To the Christian, our fair haven is the Bible believing Church.

When we are driven to a haven such as this, let us be content because the Church exists by of the "Grace" of God.

It is the ways of sin that are too easy, not the path of God, but the path of God leads to Heaven the fairest of all havens.

Paul never admits to being a sailor because he was a land man with no knowledge of the seas, but he did have the mind of Christ.

We find that men of the sea (the world) do not like land men (Paul the Christian) to interfere in the affairs of the sea (society).

We can find many types of biblical learning in these things of the Apostle Paul, and we can see how they affected all the books that he wrote led by the Holy Spirit.

A Euroclydon would be a typhoon like wind. This wind from the south could at times turn to be from the north with the same destructive power and it is these storms that last so long such as the fourteen days in this lesson from the Book of Acts.

A Euroclydon is now called Levanter but has the power of a typhoon.

These winds would not carry this ship in one direction but would be tossing them backward and forward.

*****Act 27:15  And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive. 

There was no way to control the direction of the ship so they just allowed the ship to go wherever it would go. 

The ship was out of their control and was in the hands of God.

This is what happens when we try to leave Satan's control for the hand of God.

This ship was in the hands of God before the storm, but they did not recognize it. 

Remember, God told Paul he would preach in Rome.

We should understand that danger is always a test of character!

The impulse of self-preservation is so strong, it will defeat itself and many will die that could otherwise be saved.

Paul was safe because the Lord had said he would remain safe.

Paul was the valuable property of the immortal Jehovah God.

Paul had resources of strength and comfort that those around him did not have except maybe the Christians that traveled with him such as Luke.

Paul now became a comforter and an adviser to all this ship.

The promises of God will always be fulfilled!

*****Act 27:16  And running under a certain island which is called Clauda, we had much work to come by the boat: 

Act 27:17  Which when they had taken up, they used helps, undergirding the ship; and, fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands, strake sail, and so were driven. 

Clauda was a small island off the southwest coast of Crete and one of the last places they could still recognize as the storm became fiercer.

Those things called “helps” were big ropes or cables passed under the ship and secured on both sides to keep the timbers from separating.

This also means this was an old ship as ship building had already improved a great deal at this time.

These quick sands were huge sand banks on the shores of the Gulf of Sidra on the coasts of Tripoli and another on the coast of Tunis or Carthage. These were a known source of danger to mariners because of their shifting sands and cross currents.

Remember this ship had left Fair Havens because of a southernly wind but they had sailed close to the shorelines to avoid as much of those winds as possible.

It was a rough voyage.

*****Act 27:18  And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship; 

Act 27:19  And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship. 

On this second day they set about throwing the cargo overboard.

This cargo was probably corn from Alexandria Egypt to Italy and its load would have been very heavy and its removal would have made the ship much safer.

For this ship to throw its tackle overboard, then we can believe this ship was taking on water and in danger of going down early in this storm.

It also shows us the experience of the captain of this ship.

Even Paul and those with him helped to throw these things overboard, because the danger of sinking was so great.

They were now on their third day of this storm.

Paul had tried to warn those in charge of the coming danger.

We know that few are listening to the Christians today. 

Few are paying attention to the dangers that lie ahead as we approach the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

1) We as Christians will also suffer through these things but financial gains will not be of much value in the last days.

2) We as Christians know that if our ship goes down, the body in which we dwell, our souls will be saved.

3) We as Christians know that no matter how far we drift, God knows where to find us. Sometimes we may even be immortal until the promise of God is fulfilled as was Paul.

4) When we as Christians are praying, it may be more important than all the work of the ship’s crew. Paul was pursuing his duty as a Christian.

5) When we as Christians are in such danger, we will always be more at peace than those who do not have a relationship with the Lord.

6) We as Christians may lose the sight of the natural sun and the star, but we will never lose sight of the Divine Son of God and the Star of Bethlehem.

It is extremely dangerous to ignore the warnings of God!

All of a sudden, they were sailing in almost total darkness.

*****Act 27:20  And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.

Act 27:21  But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss. 

We can say without a doubt that this ship, this crew, and Paul did not know where they were.

They were desperately lost at sea.

Again, I can imagine that many lessons in typology have been taken from this passage.

It was only natural that a sense of hopelessness would come over the crew of the ship, but also just as true that Paul and those who traveled with him did not feel this hopelessness.

God always knows where his children are located, and God is always in touch with His children, no matter where they are located!

Many days had now passed, yet this storm was still raging.

This is the same thing that sin does. Sin begins anew every day and has no end without the Lord Jesus Christ, who by the way died to pay the debt of all sinners.

 The man of God, the Apostle Paul had the answer to hopelessness!

The Christian should have courage in all situations!

The trials of life will not break us down if we truly trust in the Lord Jesus Christ!

1) Paul first proclaimed their failure in listening to the Word of God.

Paul had warned that if they continued to follow the course of pleasure and greed, they would run the risk of loss and doom, of hurt and damage, but worldly people always have their own wrong answers.

Paul led by the Holy Spirit had warned those in charge of the ship.

Act 27:9  Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast was now already past, Paul admonished them, 

Act 27:10  And said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives. 

2) Paul proclaimed God's promise.

God had promised that all on board would be saved if they would obey God's messenger.

This is all we have! We have the Word of God to be given to all the world and it is the Word of Truth.

Jehovah God is the only true God all other so-called gods are false!

This ship sailed with the idols of false gods, and they had done nothing to save this ship and its crew.

Paul proclaimed his faith in God's promises. 

Paul could not have known that no one would lose their life if not for God the Holy Spirit giving him this knowledge.

*****Act 27:22  And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship. 

Act 27:23  For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, 

Act 27:24  Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. 

Act 27:25  Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me. 

Act 27:26  Howbeit we must be cast upon a certain island. 

God knows what lies ahead in our daily walk in this life!

3) Paul stated that we all must have faith in the promises of God.

God had spoken to Paul using the many methods He chooses to speak to us, and we can trust the promises that God makes to us.

None of His promises have ever failed!

4) Paul proclaimed that these trials are necessary to prove our trust in the Lord our God.

We all have to listen to the Word of God and make that decision to trust what God has said!

The proof of true faith is enduring until the end of these trials.

Mat 24:13  But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 

Mat 24:14  And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

1Co 15:58  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. 

*****Act 27:33  And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried and continued fasting, having taken nothing. 

Fourteen days and nights had passed yet the storm seemed to have no ending.

During the night some of the crew felt like they were close to land so they began to take depth readings and sure enough the water was getting shallower, and they cast out four anchors out the rear of the ship.

In all honesty anchors should be from the front of the ship except under certain conditions.

Why are anchors at the front of the ship? When a boat lies on its anchor, it faces the tide and/or wind. The forces can be fairly high, and so it is necessary to present the minimum cross-sectional area and minimum drag, which is the front of the ship. Therefore, holding the bow up to the tide or wind is the best policy.

This is the same for your fishing boat and your pleasure boat.

Some of the crew attempted to flee by escaping in the ship's boat.

A ship's boat is a utility boat carried by a larger vessel. Ship boats have always provided transport between the shore and other ships.

In the early days of shipping this boat would be used to gather drinking water and to ferry people to the shore.

This little boat could not have brought safety to these men, and they would have died unnecessarily.

Paul brought this to the attention of the Centurion and his soldiers.

What we see is when danger is imminent sometimes it is the Christian that needs to step forward after all we do know the truth and the Lord will never forsake us.

*****Act 27:34  Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is for your health: for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you. 

Act 27:35  And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat. 

Act 27:36  Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some meat. 

I can tell you after going through this cancer treatment that eating will sometimes become a duty for survival.

Sometimes we should eat whether we feel like it or not, just because we need our strength for what lies ahead.

This is always true of that food that is the Word of God!

God takes loving care of our souls, but He expects us to take loving care of our bodies!

When Paul gave thanks for this meal, Paul showed that is always time to ask for a blessing even if it was a meal eaten in a hurry.

Once the ship was anchored it was only a matter of time before the ship would break up if this storm did not cease its destructive power.

Once the new day arrived and they could see, they took up the anchors and ran the ship aground where the ship did break up.

In the end by trusting the man of God and the Word of God all those on this ship were saved.

*****Act 27:37  And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen souls. 

Fear is something we will all deal with from time to time, but God did not give us the Spirit of Fear. 

So when we are afraid, we did not get that feeling from God.

2Ti_1:7  For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

This is what most men on this ship saw in the Apostle Paul and it is our example for when things go terrible wrong.

The trials of life will sometimes cause great fear, but we must remember the Lord and the Word of God, and these great examples recorded in the Word of God.

Another thing we should notice there is never a time that we should not ask God for a blessing when we are about to take a meal.

As the messengers of God, we should take charge during these type situations if they arise.

We must believe and trust the Word of God!

We must focus everything upon God's Word and God's Promises!

This is the only way any of us can be saved!

Amen

Israel To Be Restored By God's Grace

 The Gospel of Grace and Israel's Restoration

Book of Romans Chapter 11

There is a simple truth we had better understand and it is, that what we believe determines our ability to see things properly.

When we reject the truth, we will believe a lie and the things that go with that lie!

This is the exact reason the government we have in place today is doing its best to influence our children or indoctrinate our children, at every level of our school systems.

Of course they are denying this just as Iran is denying their attempt to make nuclear weapons, but it is still true.

They are both hoping that enough time will pass that these things will be irreversible!

It is not Nuclear weapons that make great nations or even powerful nations, but only foolish nations!

This same thing happened to the Israel of old!

Another thing we had better be clear on, is that God will never abandon this people!

Though the many things they did were wrong, they did preserve the Word of God down through the many generations.

To this, we as Christians owe a great debt, even though we know that God was behind this important thing to make sure it took place.

*****Rom 11:1  I say then, Hath God cast away his people? "God forbid". For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 

The Word of God does not just stop at the introduction of the Church!

In God's wisdom, He has blinded the eyes of the Israelites until the fulness of the Church comes in.

The Apostle Paul said that jealousy would provoke them to see the Lord in a unique way.

It was the Jews, in the time of the trial of the Lord Jesus Christ who demanded to see the wrath of God.

Mat 27:25  Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.

Mat 27:26  Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.  

God has promised that the Church would not see His wrath.

Rom 1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 

Rom 1:19  Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

Eph 5:6  Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. 

These Jews, the children of disobedience, and those who have rejected the Lord Jesus Christ during the Church Age, will see the wrath of God, but not the true Church.

1Th 5:9  For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 

1Th 5:10  Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. 

Rom 5:9  Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 

The Church will not see the wrath of God!

The Jews begged to see the wrath of God, so in God's wisdom He set aside Israel until the fulness of the Church comes in at the "Rapture", then He will again deal with Israel as He promised Abraham and David, after they witness His wrath which they could have avoided!

God always keeps His promises!

God's covenants are sincere!

Israel was disobedient to God and turned away the hand of a loving God.

Rom 10:21  But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people. 

They had decided that they did not need to be obedient to the Word of God just as so much of the world has decided today!

Again we should be clear, God has not cast away His people.

Before God removes the blinders from this people, they will see the wrath of God that they had pleaded for at the death of their Deliverer who is the only Deliverer from the wrath of God!

Israel is not saved at this time and to be saved they must come to Jesus and repent.

This does not ever mean there is not a remnant of these Israelites ready to serve the Lord!

There will never be some new way to be reconciled to God, the Father of us all!

Jehovah has blinded the eyes of Israel, but the rest of the world just has no excuse because they have seen the truth of God through eyes that clearly see!

Rom 1:19  Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 

Rom 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 

Rom 1:21  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 

The Apostle Paul was proud of His Jewish heritage, but most proud of his Christian heritage!

We cannot be disobedient to the Word of God and be reconciled to God! 

This is something that we just cannot do and expect the "Grace of God"!

Israel is not a saved people at this time even though God will always have a remnant of the Israelites who love Him!

God's promises are to all people and God will deal with Israel just as His Word has said, and these things are not changeable!

We should clearly understand that God always has a remnant of Jews who love Him and who will serve Him.

The Apostle Paul was part of that remnant in the days of the early Church.

The Apostle Paul could be said to be a true Jew a direct descendant of Abraham through his mother.

In fact, it is the mothers who determine the line of Jews from Abraham just as it was Sarah who determines who is a true Israelite and a descendant of Abraham!

There are many descendants of Abraham who are not part of the family of Israel, such as those from Abraham's second wife Keturah along with the descendants of Ishmael and of Esau.

God will not cast off the descendants of Abraham by his wife Sarah!

Elijah, as powerful a prophet as he was, fell into this trap thinking that God did not have those who love Him at all times.

*****Rom 11:2  God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying,

Rom 11:3  Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life.  

The Book of Hebrews teaches us that without "faith" it is impossible to please God, because we must believe that He is the God of the Bible and the God of all creation.

Heb 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God "must believe that he is", and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Once you have accepted this in your mind, then why would you ever believe He would not be "all-knowing"?

God saves those He knows!

God does not forget those He knows!

The key here is that God knows!

Remember Jesus said to those who hated Him "that He never knew them".

God only knows those who love Him and are obedient to His Word.

If you understand the Lord Jesus, He does not even know those who do not love Him.

Remember He said, "I never knew you"!

God says you can always tell the ones that He knows by the way they live their lives!

Mat 7:20  Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 

Mat 7:21  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 

Mat 7:22  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 

Mat 7:23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 

Mat 7:24  Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 

Mat 7:25  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 

Mat 7:26  And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 

Mat 7:27  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

God cannot be fooled, or He could not be God!

Rom 8:29  For 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. 

Rom 8:30  Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. 

It is a fact that only a remnant of Israel will be saved during the Church Age!

It is also a fact that during the time of Elijah and all the other prophets there was only a remnant that genuinely loved God!

But there is always this remnant!

Elijah felt alone for a moment of his life because he did not see any around him that were trying to be obedient to the Word of God.

Elijah allowed the world (wicked Jezebel) to frighten him, and he became afraid to die and we must not ever be afraid to die for our Savior who died for us.

Luk_9:23  And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

The cross is a symbol of death!

We must never believe we are all alone in serving God! 

We never will be!

It is a fact that most of this world are disobedient and disloyal to our Creator and certainly disloyal to our Deliverer!(they are One and the Same person)

We should also understand that the image of a nation is determined by the lifestyle of the majority who live in that nation, not by that remnant!

As far as the United States goes, our image is not that of a godly nation, but our image is that of Sodom and Gomorrah just like the European Union and just like all nations of the United Nations that have adopted this wicked and immoral stance.

These are not freedoms; they are just sin against a Holy God!

Most of the rest are corrupt and wicked and self-righteous and seeking power they will never have.

There is a remnant today, but there is also the true Church that lives amongst all these wicked nations.

God will never leave Himself without a witness!

God will never leave His people without brothers and sisters going about the work given to us by Jesus Christ!

We must keep that work going until the Lord takes us home!

There will be a remnant of the Jews in place even when the Church has been removed from this world!

*****Rom 11:4  But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. 

Rom 11:5  Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. 

The Apostle Paul knew there was a remnant of Jews in his day, and we had better know there is a remnant of Jews today who serve the Lord according to the "Grace of God".

The Holy Spirit is alive and well, working throughout this world according to the "Grace" God has shown to us.

Tit 2:11  For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 

Tit 2:12  Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 

Tit 2:13  Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 

Tit 2:14  Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. 

Tit 2:15  These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee. 

Since it is by "Grace", then there is still only the Law of Grace, and not any other law by which we can be saved, no matter where we come from!

*****Rom 11:6  And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work. 

Grace is no longer "Grace" if God allowed a remnant according to those old Laws of Moses.

The Old Testament Saints were saved because they had the "faith of Abraham" which gained their righteousness.

What was the "faith of Abraham"? That God would provide Himself to be the Lamb of God, the Messiah!

No one deserves the "Grace" of God, so all who come to the truth of Jesus Christ are eligible to receive God's "Grace"!

We must clearly understand that no one will ever get to Heaven who does not have the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ!

There is no one who will ever work their way into Heaven!

God does not bestow His "Grace" upon anyone because we are deserving of it, because none of us are!

It is Jehovah God who placed the blinders upon the Israelites, and it is only Jehovah God who can remove those blinders!

What is said of Israel?

1) Isa 29:10  For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered.

Isa 6:9  And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.

2) Psa 69:22  Let their table become a snare before them: and that which should have been for their welfare, let it become a trap. 

 3) Psa 69:23  Let their eyes be darkened, that they see not; and make their loins continually to shake. 

Psa 69:24  Pour out thine indignation upon them, and let thy wrathful anger take hold of them.

They were blind to the truth of the Messiah, and they still are!

*****Rom 11:7  What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded 

Rom 11:8  (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day. 

Rom 11:9  And David saith, Let their "table" be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them: 

Rom 11:10  Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway. 

They were blinded.

They were given the Spirit of slumber.

They were given eyes that they should not see.

They were given ears that they should not hear.

That table is their lust for the things of this world rather than the things of God!

Rom 8:7  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 

Rom 8:8  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 

Those who reject the truth of God experience judicial blindness and rejection by God!

Those who choose to reject the Lord Jesus Christ and the Gospel of Grace, have chosen for themselves damnation!

God offers His love and salvation freely, but God will not be taken advantage of, and God will not be mocked!

Unbelief only causes more obstinate unbelief!

We had better understand, God will not violate our will nor force His will upon us!

Sin only multiplies as our faith dwindles to nothingness!

Rom 2:5  But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; 

Rom 2:6  Who will render to every man according to his deeds: 

What is the whole truth?

2Co 4:3  But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 

2Co 4:4  In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

By rejecting the truth of the Gospel, we have placed ourselves in jeopardy and the penalties of Hell!

The Gospel which should feed and strengthen our souls, will become the means of destruction of the unbeliever!

*****Rom 11:11  I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. 

Rom 11:12  Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness? 

What was the "Gospel Message" to these Jews?

Mar 1:14  Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 

Mar 1:15  And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. 

True repentance must always be directed toward Jehovah God!

True repentance must always be for the remission of sins unto salvation!

These must be the desires of our heart!

Another especially important thing to remember is that God can save anyone, at any time and from any place!

Israel stumbled at the message of Jesus Christ!

Will Israel ever accept the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ?

Is the Spiritual fall of Israel to be forever?

The Holy Spirit says God forbids this to happen. Perish the thought of such a thing!

We should understand that the message of the "Gospel" is for the entire world.

God sent His messengers to Israel first, but God's salvation message is for all people.

The only ones who cannot be saved are those God has turned over to a reprobate mind!

This is a choice they have made, and the Holy Spirit will not strive with those people ever again, because it would not ever change their mind.

It is said that Israel stumbled because there were so many who chose to reject the message of God.

America was once known as a Christian nation because a greater majority of people trusted the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ! 

This is no longer the truth!

America is no longer known as a Christian nation because most Americans have abandoned the truth of Jesus Christ!

America is now the nation of Sodom and Gomorrah, along with the European Union and most of the United Nations.

The rest are power hungry nations who will fail because of their arrogance.

When Israel rejected the Gospel Message, God sent His messengers to all the other nations and one by one each nation either becomes a Christian Nation or they become a nation of reprobates by their own choice!

Act 13:46  Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. 

Act 13:47  For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth. 

Act 13:48  And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. 

The things of this world may have been much better than what we see now, had the Israelites accepted the Word of God as it was given and had been missionaries to the world.

It has now been about two thousand years since Christ returned to Heaven and still the world has not been reached with the Gospel even though there are only a few places left if any now at this time.

We can now also see how our world could be much better had most of the Gentiles have received the truth of the Gospel and believed.

Even though all these things did not take place, God has still worked out all things for the good of those who love Him!

Rom 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 

God's plan cannot be overcome in any way form or fashion!

It is because of these two things that we are left with the world we now have, and God will take care of these two problems during the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ.

Even though people will still be left with a choice, with Satan out of the way there will be no temptation and none of his evil works to try to sway people at least for One Thousand years, where then he would be freed to do his evil for a brief period of time.

It is after this that the Israelites and the Church will be united in one mind and one faith to serve the Living God!

God assures the Church of these promises.

God assures the restoration of Israel.

God assures a restored earth back to the original as it was in the early days of Adam and Eve.

It is the Gospel that has impacted the world to the truth, the world is built upon the lust of the flesh, lies, deception, corruption, wickedness, and the love of money.

We should understand that millions have been saved from the wrath of God.

We should understand that millions have been saved from death and Hell.

We should understand that millions now have the promise of eternal life, and many millions are already living that life.

It is by the Gospel that humanity knows about the moral laws.

It is by the Gospel that morality and purity is preached world-wide.

It is only by the Gospel that we can be saved from the wrath of God on the Children of Disobedience.

The children of disobedience are all those who reject the truth of the Word of God!

Once Israel returns to Jehovah this world will see the blessings of God!

2Ch 7:14  If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 

2Ch 7:15  Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.

The Apostle Paul preached the truth until he was also murdered for preaching the truth to this world!

Rom 11:13  For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: 

Rom 11:14  If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them. 

We should have this same love for all the lost and be obedient servants to the Lord Jesus Christ, the God who loves us enough to die for us that we too might be saved!

Amen

The Promise of the Messiah

 The Son of Promise Is Born

Book of Genesis Chapters 21 through 23

We know it is the season of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. We who study "typology" know that in the Book of Genesis the story of Isaac, born to Abraham and Sarah we see a lot of typology relating to Joseph, Mary and Jesus the Messiah.

Isaac is the son promised to Sarah just as Jesus was the son promised to Mary but more important Jesus the Messiah, was promised to all the world.

Isaac was the son of promise to Sarah and Abraham just as Jesus the Christ is the "promised" Messiah!

We may not understand "the fullness of time" as mentioned in the Scriptures but to Sarah, the end of those 9 months of carrying Isaac was the fullness of her time of pregnancy.

It was a great day for her, and the Lord did just as He had promised.

Gen 18:10  And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to "the time of life"; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.

It had been 25 years since God made His promise to Abraham about a son.

Another instance where we see God always keeps His promises and another promise fulfilled, when God showed up at the tent of Abraham and Sarah the day Isaac was born.

*****Gen 21:1  And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken. 

Gen 21:2  For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, "at the set time" of which God had spoken to him. 

In all these things we see the "power" of God!

Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90 years old and they were not like those who lived before the flood.

Sarah had baby Isaac exactly 9 months after the Lord said she would in Genesis 18.

The birth of Isaac was controlled by Jehovah from start to finish.

God keeps His promises, but we will always have to work with God's timetable, and He does not live by our timetable.

If we were as faithful as Jehovah, we would not have many problems in this life!

Our relationship with the Lord depends upon our own faithfulness!

1Co 1:9  God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. 

It is our own faith in the promises of God that make our own life livable.

We learn how to endure the hardships of this life.

We grow stronger in our faith.

We learn to trust what the Lord tells us.

We pray and talk to the Lord more because we grow closer to Him!

Heb 10:23  Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) 

Abraham called his name Isaac.

*****Gen 21:3  And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac. 

We have to know the Lord has a sense of humor when we see that Abraham was told to name his son Isaac.

The meaning of the name "Isaac" is "he laughed".

Both Sarah and Abraham laughed when the Lord confirmed that Sarah indeed would have a son in her old age and that Abraham would be the father of this promised son.

It would have to bring back precious memories every time Sarah called out to her son.

Abraham had considered his body to be dead and that of his wife Sarah, but just as God has said, He does the impossible.

I am glad that as a child of God, I never have to consider myself a dead man! 

I am alive in Christ Jesus, and when my loved ones think I am dead, I will be more alive than I could ever be upon this earth.

Then according to the Word of God Isaac was circumcised on his eighth day.

*****Gen 21:4  And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him. 

Here is a study of the 8th day.

Why the 8th day? In Judaism, circumcision is considered a symbol of the covenant between God and the Jewish people. The act of circumcision is called “the bris”, which literally means “covenant.” One reason the circumcision is performed on the eighth day is so that if the newborn baby will have lived through a complete week which includes a Sabbath. Once the baby has experienced the “holiness” of a Sabbath, he may enter into the covenant of the Jewish people.

Another reason for the 8th day deals with blood clotting. Blood clotting is dependent on 3 factors: platelets, prothrombin, and vitamin K (which is responsible for prothrombin production and is produced by bacteria in the intestinal tract). Holt and McIntosh, in their classic work, Holt Pediatrics, observed that a newborn infant has “peculiar susceptibility to bleeding between the second and fifth days of life. … Hemorrhages at this time, though often inconsequential, are sometimes extensive; they may produce serious damage to internal organs, especially to the brain, and cause death from shock and exsanguination”.

It has been shown that it is on the fifth through the seventh days of the newborn male’s life that vitamin K is present in adequate quantities for blood clotting.

On the eighth day, the amount of prothrombin present is above 100 % of normal (the only day in the male’s life in which this will be normally be the case). Therefore, the 8th day is the perfect day to do the circumcision … when the Vitamin K and prothrombin levels are at their peak.

And once again the Bible reveals a great deal of scientific truth written hundreds, and sometimes thousands of years before being “discovered” by modern scientists.  Lanny Johnson

*****Gen 21:5  And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him. 

Abraham had reached a milestone in his life at 100 years old.

There can be little doubt that God had added some youth to this amazing couple in the Bible.

Another thing Abraham realized was that he was totally dependent upon God for everything.

What did Jesus teach us?

Joh 15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Abraham realized this truth just as we must realize this truth!

We will never get to Heaven without the Lord Jesus Christ.

I know many other people reject this statement, but it is still Biblical Truth!

*****Gen 22:1  And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. 

For Abraham to be that Patriarch that he would become, God decided he would need one more test.

The truth is just as Job said it: the Lord gives, and the Lord takes away.

To be a child of God, we must be willing to always put God first in our lives!

After waiting so long for his own child by his own wife he had loved for so many years, it could be that Abraham came to a standstill in his life and forgot his calling.

We do not know for sure why, but God tested Abraham one more time.

Abraham had sent Hagar and Ishmael away, something he did not really want to do.

Gen 21:11  And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son. 

Ishmael was Abraham's son, but not Sarah's, but Abraham loved Ishmael as much as he did Isaac if not more.

Abraham obeyed the Lord and sent them away.

Abraham knew that he had surely sent Hagar and Ishmael to their death unless God intervened, which He did.

Now, would Abraham give up another son?

*****Gen 22:2  And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

We can only imagine what was going on in the mind of Abraham.

Just how much faith did he have in the promises of God?

What had God promised Abraham?

Gen 12:1  Now 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 shew thee: 

Gen 12:2  And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 

Gen 12:3  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.

There was land:

Deu 30:1  And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee, 

Deu 30:2  And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; 

Deu 30:3  That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee. 

Deu 30:4  If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee: 

Deu 30:5  And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers. 

Deu 30:6  And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live. 

Deu 30:7  And the LORD thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee. 

Deu 30:8  And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the LORD, and do all his commandments which I command thee this day. 

Deu 30:9  And the LORD thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good: for the LORD will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers: 

Deu 30:10  If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul. 

There was the seed:

2Sa 7:13  He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. 

2Sa 7:14  I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: 

2Sa 7:15  But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. 

2Sa 7:16  And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever. 

There was the blessing:

Jer 31:31  Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 

Jer 31:32  Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: 

Jer 31:33  But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. 

Jer 31:34  And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

To Abraham all these things depended on Isaac but in reality, all these things depended on Jehovah.

If Isaac was sacrificed, then in order for the Lord to continue His promise, then Isaac would have to be raised from the dead.

Is this the faith of Abraham that brought his righteousness. I believe a yes goes here.

*****Gen 22:7  And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? 

As Abraham and Isaac climbed to the place of sacrifice, Isaac realized they had brought no lamb and he questioned his father.

As we study this passage, we will see one of the greatest types in the Bible, at least I think so.

Isaac, a type of Christ.

What was the mindset of Abraham?

Gen 22:5  And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and "come again to you". 

Abraham knew he was to sacrifice his son Isaac, but in order for him to return to these he left behind with his son, then God would have to resurrect him from the dead.

In Abraham's mind this is exactly what God would do, so Abraham had full intention of being obedient to the command of God to offer Isaac as a burnt offering.

I also believe Abraham recognized this place as the place of the skull, but many do not.

Mar 15:22  And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull.

Joh 19:17  And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:

It is also true that in this same area, the Temple of Solomon would be built on Mount Moriah.

2Ch 3:1  Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the LORD appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.

What do we know about the death of Jesus?

Joh 19:17  And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:

Jesus bore His own cross just as Isaac bore the wood to his own sacrifice.

What are some the lessons to the Church?

God wants the Church to know that the sacrifice of any human being, including aborted babies is wrong!

Say what they will, but babies are allowed to be sacrificed (aborted), because some foolish men and women think that there is not enough food to go around and that has never been true.

Eph_6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Why are the lockdowns, the face mask, the plague of Covid-19 itself allowed because of these same ones (wickedness in high places)!

Just today I saw where these same wicked people recommend for us to wear the face mask all of 2021 or another year, even if you take the vaccine. 

In other words the vaccine is no better than the face mask! What a joke! 

They want a great portion of our world to die off, especially the aged, and those who require much medical help and the weak.

We will wrestle against these things until the Lord returns to take us home or we die!

Isaac toted his own wood that was to be used to sacrifice him just a Jesus did!

*****Gen 22:8  And Abraham said, My son, God will provide "himself a lamb" for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. 

What a statement!

God wants to show a picture forever of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on Mount Calvary. Calvary also means the place of the skull.

Remember Abraham knew in his heart that if he killed his only son Isaac that God would have to raise him from the dead to complete the promises He had made to him!

It took "three days" for Abraham to travel where he could see the place of sacrifice.

Abraham had to show immense faith in the truth of God and His promises.

Heb 11:17  By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 

Heb 11:18  Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: 

Heb 11:19  Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure. 

Then Abraham spoke filled with the Holy Spirit and he said, "God Will Provide Himself A Lamb".

God Himself would be the sacrificial Lamb!

In reality Abraham did not know what God intended to do, he just knew to obey the Word of God.

God did just as He said He would do!

We who know these things will celebrate the Birth of our Savior knowing that He is the Sacrificial Lamb of God and He is God!

Isa 7:14  Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 

Isa 7:15  Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.

Immanuel means “God with us”.

*****Gen 22:9  And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. 

Gen 22:10  And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. 

Gen 22:11  And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. 

If that Angel had not called out to Abraham, he would have certainly sacrificed his only son. 

I believe that Angel to be the Lord because He always speaks with authority!

We should be able to see that Abraham did solemnly offer up the sacrifice of his son.

Abraham loved God enough to give Him all he had, and the most treasured of his things was his son.

Sounds familiar again.

1Jn_4:9  In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

We should ask ourselves, have we made an absolute surrender to the Living God?

Are we willing to give our life to Him?

Do we truly love God, like we say we do?

Are we totally surrendered to our God?

In all this did we see that Isaac gave himself obediently to his father, "Just as the Lord Jesus Christ did".

Php 2:8  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Heb 5:8  Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; 

Heb 5:9  And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; 

Psa 40:6  Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. 

Psa 40:7  Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, 

Psa 40:8  I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. 

Joh 10:18  No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. 

We should understand that God did not need for Isaac to be sacrificed.

God needed the heart of Abraham!

Here again we see Abraham as the example of the "Born Again" child of God.

We need to surrender to the will of God.

We also see God will never accept a human sacrifice!

God wants a living sacrifice!

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies "a living sacrifice", holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 

Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 

Isaac became a living sacrifice! His death would have been meaningless!

God would have to provide Himself as the only acceptable sacrifice!

Php 2:5  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 

Php 2:6  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 

Php 2:7  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 

Php 2:8  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 

Php 2:9  Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 

Php 2:10  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 

Php 2:11  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 

There would be a resurrection, but it would not be Isaac!

God provided a substitute for Isaac!

*****Gen 22:12  And 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. 

Gen 22:13  And 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. 

Gen 22:14  And 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. 

We should understand that God, the true God, the Living God, will never ask for a human sacrifice!

Those who condemn this passage in the Scriptures are fools and miss the truth of it!

It is false religion that demands human sacrifice!

It is false religion that is the factor behind abortion and the sacrifice of innocent babies, even before they are born. 

This is sold as the freedom of women to choose which is another joke on humanity!

The false gods of Moloch and Chemosh, are still around today.

It is the triumph of Abraham's faith that is the theme of this passage.

It is the example of Messiah that is the theme of this passage.

We should ask ourselves, does God approve us as He did Abraham?

We should ask ourselves, have we accepted the Messiah as our substitute?

We must realize, God has no pleasure in our suffering or in our death!

What did Peter teach us?

1Pe 2:3  If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. 

1Pe 2:4  To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, 

1Pe 2:5  Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. 

1Pe 2:6  Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. 

Jehovah-jireh means, “God will provide”.

God, the true God has provided everything we need to restore our relationship with Him.

Just as with Abraham, our relationship is bound up with our faith in the Word of God!

God will provide! Today we call it "Grace"!

Thank you for your mercy my Heavenly Father.

Amen

A Lapse of Faith

 Abraham's Tragic Lapse of Faith

Book of Genesis Chapters 16; 17

We could change the title this lesson to "God Does Not need Our Help to Fulfill His Promises".

The one most important thing to consider is that God will never fail in keeping His promises!

The second most important thing to consider is that God works according to His own timeline and not ours!

God has a plan and a purpose for each of us who have called upon Jesus Christ to save us.

In Abraham's day, righteousness came by his faith and faith is still the key to our relationship with our Heavenly Father today.

It can be said that we are our own worst enemy most all the time.

When we believe that God has put all the processes in our world in place and just allows them to run their course, then we are wrong.

If this were true, then our prayers would not bring results.

Certainly, God has put many processes in place, but the fact remains that our Lord also has His hands on all of His creation.

Our Lord God Almighty has His hands on us who believe at all times or He could not be referred as being our Heavenly Father and He would not say we were His children!

The Lord has a perfect plan and has made many promises and God's plan and His promises will be completed just as He has stated and all we need do is to believe and act according to His perfect Word!

*****Gen 16:1  Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.

Today we will see the birth of the Arab nations and why there is so much hatred between the Arab nations and Israel.

If they would acknowledge these things, then there could be a true and lasting peace!

One of our greatest failures come because of our lack of patience.

Patience could be said to be a calm an unruffled temper in which we bear the evils of this life.

Believe me, we need a lot of patience to deal with this evil, corrupt, wicked and evil world!

Our faith tells us that Jehovah will never break a promise. Our lack of patience demands that we see those promises fulfilled in our lifetime.

Every believer knows that we will never die so we are selfish to think God will complete His promises in our lifetime.

God promised Abram a son by his wife Sarai, but Sarai had been barren for 75 years and she just could not believe she could have a child.

She was right in her thinking but wrong in placing limits on the power of God.

His power is unlimited!

In reality this was a lack of faith because the Lord had said Abram (Abraham) would have a child and that child would come by Sarai (Sarah).

Gen 15:4  And, 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. 

We must understand to go against any part of the Word of God, no matter how small, will bring consequences, sometimes severe consequences as in the case of Abram.

Hagar was a slave girl given to Abram and Sarai during the time they spent in Egypt where Abram had made another mistake telling Pharaoh that Sarai was his sister which she was, but she was also his wife.

In the New Testament and in typology, Hagar would be a type of the Old Covenant, the Law and we know that the Law enslaves its followers.

Satan makes slaves. You would think that all who hate slavery would also hate Satan and his ways.

The children of Hagar were born into slavery and so is everyone who put themselves under the Law.

Gal 4:22  For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. 

Gal 4:23  But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.

That promise being salvation by "Grace". Sarah represents "Grace" and she is a type of Grace in the Bible.

So let us see these things.

*****Gen 16:2  And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. 

We should also understand that Sarai had always wanted children and was probably key to Abram bringing Lot with them as they traveled.

We should also realize that Abram was not sure if he were the cause or his wife was the cause of their lack of children.

Why was Sarai barren? If we study the Word of God, we will find that many people lived in certain circumstances so that in the future God could work a great miracle that would not have been believed otherwise.

Listen to Jesus:

Joh 9:1  And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. 

Joh 9:2  And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? 

Joh 9:3  Jesus answered, "Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him". 

God still does these things but most of them go unnoticed! Sarah would have fit into this category!

Sarai could not believe that she could have children, but she felt the promise of God to Abram was so important that it needed a little help to be fulfilled.

She gave these thought to her husband and he listened to her, much as Adam did to Eve and they both were proven wrong and their wrong were sin with severe consequences.

In fact she was so wrong it clouded her judgment.

God does not need our help He just commands us to obey, and He always does what He says He will do.

Had Sarai been right then we would not need God nor the Word of God because it would not be believable.

In fact God did not have to do any of these things, He could just have easily have been a tyrant, and voiced His commands.

*****Gen 16:3  And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife. 

We should also notice that Sarai never considered Hagar to be her slave but one of her maids.

Sarai gave Hagar to her husband, which in the eyes of God was also wrong though it was a custom of that day, for a man to have more than one wife.

1) So many today try to do things to help the Lord fulfill His promises and He does not need our help at all to do as He says He will do!

2) So many today try to conform to the customs of the place they live when God's law is for every where we live. We are never to act upon the laws of the world that go against the Word of God.

3) So many today feel like the end will justify the actions of today, when only one thing will work consistently, and this is obedience to the Word of God and "faith" that God will do as He says. Which He has proven to be true!

The Word of God proves these things to be true, over and over again if we would just show that true "faith"!

We should be very careful before acting upon the suggestions of others, when we are trying to be obedient to the Lord. 

What may seem right to many, may actually be wrong by the Word of God.

The world will never lead us to Jesus because the world hates Jesus because Jesus points out sin!

*****Gen 16:4  And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes. 

When we go against the Word of God bad things happen almost immediately.

Sarai wanted to be a part of God's plan for her husband, but she began to question God's promises, something we should never do.

She felt that she and her husband were already past child-bearing years and they were by todays medical standards, but nothing is impossible for God.

Mar 10:27  And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, "but not with God': for with God all things are possible.

Luke 1:37  "For with God nothing shall be impossible".

Heb 6:18  That by two immutable things, in which "it was impossible for God" to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:

This is the reason there are no true atheists, they are afraid of the promises of God, but so-called believers just do not always believe the Word of God as commanded!

What we have seen so far is that impatience leads to a collapse of "faith"!

Abram had been walking with the Lord for more than 10 years now and impatience brought temptation because of strong arguments from his wife.

Abram begin to question the Word of God.

Heb 10:35  Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. 

Heb 10:36  For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. 

Here we see we need the patience of Job! God "will never" break a promise He has made to us!

*****Gen 16:15  And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son's name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael. 

Gen 16:16  And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.  

Ishmael became the oldest son of Abram when he was born when Abram was 86 years old, but Ishmael was not the son promised of God!

Some of the things said of Ishmael even before he was born.

Verse 12: He will be a wild man. His hand will be against every man and every man's hand will be against him. He will dwell in the presence of all his brethren.

The one group who fit this description today are the so-called Palestinians!

He was born at Mamre.

He was circumcised at the age of 13.

He grew up a true child of the desert, wild and wayward.

He knew how to insult, and he knew how to mock those around him, for no reason.

All these things happened because of the impatience of Sarah and Abram allowed them to take place.

God came back to Abram to assure him that His promise was real.

*****Gen 17:1  And 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. 

Gen 17:2  And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.

It was twelve years later that Jehovah returned to Abram with these words.

Abram had lived these 12 years thinking he was in the will of God but not so.

The truth is we all need to walk with God. Not Allah but Jehovah the true God!

Some of us may walk alone while many will walk in groups of others together, preferably all in one accord.

If we do not walk with the Lord, we will never be aware of His presence in our lives!

The Lord does what the Lord does every day, we can be a part of it, or we will be left out entirely!

If we strive to be perfect, our example being the Lord Jesus Christ, then we must walk before the Lord.

In other words we must do all we can do for the "Glory of God"!

We must live moment by moment in the presence of the Lord, aware that He has His loving eyes upon us at all times!

This is walking before the Lord!

We cannot be perfect in this life, but we are obligated to try our best.

Our effort means more to the Lord than the results and our effort works toward God's "Grace" in our lives!

1Th 4:11  And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; 

Abram had been desperate to achieve what he thought God wanted, but Abram had fallen into the same trap that many may fall into today.

When God says He will do something, then we just need to accept it as fact and trust Him and go one with our lives in peace. 

God does not need our help to fulfill some promise He has made!

God made this covenant (contract) with Abram and all Abram had to do was to patiently wait on the Lord!

There was only one thing for Abram to do. Humbly go to the Lord.

*****Gen 17:3  And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, 

Gen 17:4  As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. 

We may sometimes wonder how God will do as He says and when we do this, we make God to be small with little power, but we serve a Great Big God, and we need to be aware of God's Awesomeness!

We serve an "AWESOME" God!

If we need to arouse our faith the best place to start is upon our knees!

When we humble ourselves before the Lord, we show Him that He is in charge of our lives, and our only wish is to have His will to be our will!

God reminded Abram that He had made this covenant with him and not to someone else and his age had nothing to do with it.

In fact, if God had given Abram his child at a young age, then Abram would not have felt the power of God to do as He wishes.

We can only give the Lord the sack of dirt that we are! We have nothing else meaningful to give to the Lord!

The covenant God made with Abram was of a "promised seed". Far beyond that of a human child, but of the Messiah!

This seed included the Messiah.

We must see Jesus throughout all the Old Testament for He is there.

The only way for Abram to see what the Lord was saying was to look through the Lord's eyes.

It would not hurt for us to do the same thing.

Find a place in the Scriptures and jump in and be one of the characters.

This new covenant would require a name change.

*****Gen 17:5  Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.

The name Abram means "an exalted father".

The name Abraham means "father of a multitude".

God told Abraham he would not only be a great father, but he would be a father of a great multitude as the father of all those who have faith in the promises of God.

God also changed the name of Sarai to Sarah.

Sarai means "my princess".

Sarah means "the princess of a great multitude". Not just a princess, but the but the mother of the promised child and in this case a type of Mary the mother of Jesus the Christ (Messiah).

*****Gen 17:6  And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. 

Gen 17:7  And 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. 

Gen 17:8  And 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. 

This is not so much an expansion of God's covenant with Abraham but in reality, God just explaining the meaning of His covenant.

There will be descendants of Abraham upon this earth as long as this earth exists!

We see that Abraham becomes a person that God wants to have a close personal relationship with.

A type of each Christian today.

God established not only the Messiah but His followers as the "promised seed" and He would be God of the "promised seed".

That "promised seed" is all those who believe the Word of God, and the promises of God, as did Abraham and this belief is accounted to them for righteousness, just as it did Abraham.

This is what the Apostle Paul tried to teach the Jews who rebelled against such teaching.

The Covenant with Abraham is the foundation of our hope from which the riches of God, at the expense of the Lord Jesus Christ, will be fulfilled!

This has been God's guide in dealing with us since the time of Abraham and will continue until the "Rapture" of the Church and the Millennial Kingdom for the Jews, who could have missed out on the wrath of God if only they had believed as did their patriarch Abraham, this also true for the Arab nations.

God separated the lands of the Jews and the Arab nations and even these would have worked better, if it not been for the descendants of the wild man Ishmael who still causes most of the problems in this area of the world.

Rom 4:13  For 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. 

Rom 4:14  For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: 

Rom 4:15  Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression. 

This covenant was sealed with a sign.

*****Gen 17:13  He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 

Gen 17:14  And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.

Circumcision was a special badge of God's chosen people Israel, not the Church!

The circumcision of the heart is the sign of God's chosen people the Church, all believers!

Rom 2:25  For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision. 

Rom 2:26  Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? 

Rom 2:27  And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law? 

Rom 2:28  For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 

Rom 2:29  But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. 

Again the Apostle Paul tried to explain these things, but the Jews remain blind to the Word of God as do most all of the world!

We can be sure that God never said that rites, rituals, or ordinances, bestow anything upon anyone, but are only signs of something that has already taken place.

Col 2:16  Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: 

Col 2:17  Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. 

Now God mentions Sarai, (Sarah).

*****Gen 17:15  And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. 

Gen 17:16  And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her. 

We must understand to have a personal relationship with the Lord is to change our relationship with our family.

We will never know if Abram blamed Sarai for being childless. 

Abraham had already proven he could father a child, so it was Sarai who was barren.

If this was true, then God reassured Abraham that Sarah would be the mother of a multitude.

God gave Sarah a new name and the relationship of Sarah to Abraham was mended.

If Abraham believed all God's Word, then he would have to believe these words of God!

By the thinking of man this thing was impossible, but nothing is too hard for God!

We should notice that even with all the promises given to Abraham, one of those things was to treat his wife with respect and honor.

Our relationships with our family should be a priority after we come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior!

A Christian man must be head of his family, as Jesus Christ is Head of the Church!

Abraham may have had a little problem in believing this thing or he reacted with a laughter of delight, we will never know which one.

Jesus said Abraham acted with great delight.

*****Gen 17:17  Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? 

Gen 17:18  And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee! 

Gen 17:19  And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. 

We should believe Jesus!

Joh 8:56  Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. 

We should believe the Apostle Paul.

Rom 4:20  He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 

Rom 4:21  And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. 

Rom 4:22  And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. 

Rom 4:23  Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; 

Rom 4:24  But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 

Rom 4:25  Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. 

It brings great joy when we realize God has done something in our lives that we did not expect!

Abraham did show his great love for Ishmael, but it would be the seed of Sarah by Abraham, Isaac, whom God's covenant would continue through.

It was Abraham who would name his only child by Sarah and his name would be Isaac.

Abraham may have thought his dreams would be fulfilled through Ishmael, but God had already said he would be a wild man, and this would have been out of God's will.

Those who are wild reject authority!

Abraham would have to pass his heritage down through Isaac as God had commanded.

Ishmael would also be blessed but not the "promised seed" so Islam is a false religion!

Note: We can arouse our "faith" by having a fresh stirring experience with the Lord, a refilling of the Holy Spirit daily, and a true walk before the Lord!

Amen